You Made My Day

I had something pretty cool happen recently. Someone told me that I "just made their day." Here's the coolest part...

...it was a stranger
...it involved public recognition
...and it leveraged his company's rewards program for the public to use

Wow! Right?

Practicing and Preaching
I've spent many years proclaiming the power of recognition. We all know it's an important tool for building relationships, trust, loyalty, and engagement. Sometimes I'm better at practicing it than preaching it, but I never lose sight of how impactful it can be.

The Story
Some of you may know that my professional life involves a heavy amount of travel; and with that, comes a familiarity with the staff of Southwest, the carrier I use. Well, one of the gate agents in Tampa is not only incredibly positive, but he is consistently positive every single day. 

Let's face it....gate agents don't get much glory. They don't sing you the safety instructions or bring you cans of water. They are stuck announcing flight delays or gate changes. 

Absolutely no glory whatsoever.

Well, Southwest has a rewards program whereby they send reward coupons to customers like me (think drink coupons, but targeted at recognizing their team members.) The coupons are personalized to me as a frequent customer, and allows me to recognize their team.

How good is that?

Which leads to his comment as I was walking by him to board the plane.

How About You
Are you doing more preaching than practicing when it comes to recognition in your organization? It's funny how it actually works out. His response made my day too.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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The Most Important Thing

There are probably a long list of items that you and I could argue about that are very important Things like...

- a good education

- a strong career

- a stellar reputation

- a great family

- a big paycheck

- a fancy title

- a handsome face

- a great sense of humor

- a strong skill set

- a lot of connections, or followers, or friends

- a lot of attention everywhere we go

- a sense of peace

But as leaders, there is really one thing that is most important. Leaders talk about this topic all the time, but sadly so few back it up with behavior that matches their words.

I wonder if you've ever focused...as your number one priority in your job...on the most important thing? It comes in all shapes, sizes, colors, and backgrounds. It is as varied as one can possibly imagine, yet it is absolutely essential in every facet of our work.

The answer, obviously, is people.

The people on your team matter the most. Your direct reports matter the most. Your new hires matter the most. Your most tenured employees matter the most.

Our egos do not matter...at all.

How About You

As you review your task list today, does it show "people" anywhere? Or, have they all been taken for granted so you can focus on the real work?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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The Last 10%

I have a serious bias when it comes to the world of work. My friend and colleague Joe Gerstandt does a terrific job of helping us "see" the hidden biases we all have (yes, you have them too.) Some of them are not so hidden however. They are front and center for us, and candidly that is where they are going to stay whether we want them to or not.

So here's one that I've put at the top of my list: making it safe for every employee in the company to feel safe coming to talk to me. About any topic.

Including me.

Job Titles Are Scary

I've been fortunate ( and continue to be) to serve in senior leadership roles for several organizations. The downside of that role is that the darn job title gets in the way sometimes. Here's what I'm talking about...

...employee wants to raise an issue or concern...starts to worry that raising that issue with a "VP" might make them look bad at best, or be career-limiting at worst...

The job title blocks getting to the real issue. That's not good. But there is a clear solution. Can you guess who is responsible for executing that solution every day?

Job Titles Are Also Opportunities

We've all heard the phrase that "talk is cheap." Well I disagree. I think words are powerful. I think words move people to action. I think words can make all the difference...

...words can do all these things when they are combined with action.

That fancy job title that gets people flustered opens the door for you to make it safe...literally...for your team members to come to you with any issue. 

It's not easy. You have to start fresh every day. Forget that you built a strong rapport with the team last month, last week, or even yesterday.

Make it safe again today. Never stop reinforcing that you are available and will not over react, or for God's sake punish them for stepping forward.

This may sound very simple to you...but when was the last time you intentionally thought about making your workplace safe for every employee to come forward.? I'm not talking about your peers, or those in "higher level roles." I mean everyone.

How About You

I hear many leaders lament that they don't know the "real story" of what is going on in their organizations. Well here's a tip...when leaders make it safe for everyone to come forward and share the last 10% of the story (which is always where the real issues are hiding) the truth will come out. It is entirely up to you to make it happen.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Creeping Death

Some people are not afraid to try new things...to "go for it" both in their work and personal lives. They are the ones everyone else typically watches in wonder as they make bold moves, take risks...and shockingly...make a difference.

I'm Too Busy To Try New Things
How many times have you heard the word "busy" in the last week? Heck, how many times have I said it? Answer --> too many! Effective immediately, let's drop that word from our vocabulary. "Busy" becomes our crutch...and that instills a negative mindset for us all.

Too often we allow ourselves, our colleagues, and our corporate cultures to become complacent. We accept work, and effort, and ideas that used to be pretty good. But in reality they simply are no longer effective or current. 

A creeping culture death moves into our world. We may not even realize that it is happening until we see someone else making a difference. Then we wonder....why am I still stuck in this place? 

Stop living in the past...it's time for something more.

Life is about being great. Are you with me?

I'm Scared To Look Dumb If I Try New Things
I'm going to let you in on a little secret. No one looks dumb trying new things. No one looks foolish putting forth effort. The truth is that those that are too scared to try are secretly jealous of those that step up and go for it.

You can go for it too.

Challenge yourself, and those around you to fight the creeping death. Consider the team of people around you each day. All of that experience, energy, and commitment is not being fully realized. You have an opportunity to inspire them to elevate their game. 

How About You
It's time to find your voice. Speak out, and do not allow the creeping death to find a home in your organization. You are the one that will make the difference. That's why you're there.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



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The Whole World Turned Away

"The day your team members stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership."
- Colin Powell

Being part of a team can be wonderful. The connection between team members, the trust and support of each other, and the knowledge that everyone is working toward the same goal can be an amazing experience.

Changes
What happens when everyone isn't as focused on the team as in the past? What if the appearance of support wasn't as sincere as the team believed? The impact of these changes can not only create divisions within the team, but has the potential to rip the team apart.

How could this happen?

Changes in life are not uncommon, in fact change is the most exciting part of life! Living a routine, same-old-schedule day in and day out would just about kill me. Learning, growing, and maximizing what you can become is the definition of living a full and meaningful life.

So how does all of the goodness that is wrapped up in change, end up pulling the team apart?

Team Agenda vs. Personal Agenda
As leaders...and as team members...we have to ensure that goals and priorities are clear. Every member has to know what is important, why it is important, and what needs to happen to achieve those goals. In the absence of knowledge, people will start filling in their own interpretation of reality. That is a slippery slope.

One of the worst things that can happen to a team is that one member or a small group of members decide that their wishes supersede those of all others. When this happens the team suffers. It is our job as leaders to make sure we keep the team informed, fired up about the future, and fully aware of what needs to happen, even if what needs to happen isn't the most popular option.

No one ever said leadership is easy.

How About You
When your team raises issues and concerns with you the next time, instead of feeling like you have another headache to deal with, be thankful. They are reaching out to you. They feel it is important that you know what is going on so you can do something about it. They believe in you...and that's a pretty special feeling.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



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