You Think You Know

"Despite everything you think you know"

Yeah, we're all geniuses now that we have cool job titles, right? We always know the best path forward.

Sure we do.

"You're ruled by a ruinous pack of lies"

How is it going...blindly following along whatever you are told?

Why?

"You are born to serve"

You do remember that you have power, right? You make a difference. You're not a corporate slave.

You're a leader.

"A one use battery"

Despite the notion that everyone is expendable, it's not true. Actually there are leaders who have the other leaders running to them for help.

"This is all we are"

In fact, we are so much more.

"Nothing to become"

Too late...we're already something special. 

"Way past the point of no return"

Now is your time. Don't let the moment pass...don't let anyone stand in your way...go get it.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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inspiration

Rockstars Want to Work for Rockstars, So Build Your Personal Brand

Recently I had an opportunity to be a guest on Jeff Hyman's terrific podcast - Strong Suit! Jeff and I roared through the show so quickly I couldn't believe it ended so fast.

Here's the kickoff to the show...click the link below and give it a listen!

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STRONG SUIT - we only recruit rockstars

If you hope to have even a prayer of recruiting Rockstars, you'd better be one yourself. 

Because they simply won't consider working for someone they can't learn from, grow from, and one day replace (you, when you're promoted!)

So to do that, you need to communicate to candidates that they'll be working for a top performer...

Check out podcast here!

...and as always...

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Failure Is Not A Competency

Proclaiming one's failures seems to be a trendy thing to do these last few years. It's an odd thing though, at least it is to me.

I get the whole "learn from your mistakes" angle...but, really...relishing in one's failures?

Lower the Bar
I'll be honest here. I don't want to fail. In fact, I get upset with myself when I stumble, let alone fail. I'm sure you do too.

Maybe, we have embraced failure as way to limit expectations of ourselves and our colleagues?

Maybe we have socialized failure so heavily, it is now more important to "own it" when we fail vs. being held accountable?

Maybe we need to stop making excuses about weakness, incompetence, and yes, failure?

How does that sound?

Harsh or Honest?
If you've written off today's post as a rant, think again.

How is failure treated in your organization? Do those leaders who struggle continue to stay in their roles, all while your senior leadership team preaches accountability and upholding corporate values?

You can't have it both ways.

Maybe what's happened to the corporate world is that we're all so fearful of employment litigation, that we've made it okay to hide behind excuses to be weak and indecisive? We see it a lot...so...it must be true.

Right?

How About You
How are you addressing failure and driving accountability into your organization? Is it working? What has made your approach successful?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Crazy Thankful

Ah, yes. Thanksgiving. That special time of year when we get really thoughtful about those who mean the most to us. Those we love, those we miss, those who make a profound difference in our lives...

It's really powerful when you think about it. 

Then, of course, the next day we open up the shopping mosh pit and beat the crap out of each other at Target trying to save $100 on a TV we don't need.

'Merica.

Thankful for Work Stuff
After so many years driving to hospitals for work, I now travel extensively to...wait for it...hospitals!

I know...huge change, but I'm actually thankful for that. Although nothing says "I'm blessed" like switching your commute from a car to an airplane.

Now, I know what you're thinking. Jay, you have a cool gig with a cool company and you get to do all of that traveling!

Sure, I'm thankful...that hotel rooms have irons...it's the little things.

Thankful for Work People Stuff

The really important part of Thanksgiving however, is remembering the people in our lives.

- The hiring managers that never get back to us with their feedback.

- The leaders who are afraid of social media. They keep me employed. 

- The wanna be executives who are so full of themselves they miss the point of leading.

- The executives who still think the world knows how good their organizations are because...well..."they're special!" See "permanent employment for Jay" above.

How About You
So many things to be thankful for this year. But most of all...I'm thankful that you all have a sense of humor.

Keep pushing friends...we're going to change the world if it kills us!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Still I Rise

"I thought I had the promotion all locked up...I can't believe it went to someone else."

"This company...this opening...is perfect for me. How come they won't even give me an interview?"

"There is so much going on in my personal life, I'm not sure I can keep up at work."

"After all of my years here it's going to end like this? What am I supposed to do now?"

"They went with a different vendor...but, how? We are exactly what they need."

"My new boss has changed everything...I used to be valued here...now, not so much."

The End of Days

Can you relate to any of the statements above? If we're honest with ourselves, they might hit a little too close to home. But, for me, that means they are real. 

Real is good.

When the world seems to be crashing down around us, whether it's personally or professionally, we often feel overwhelmed. Desperation, hopelessness, and even despair can creep into our minds. It's as if everything we had worked so hard for was evaporating right before our eyes.

But, what may feel like the end of days, is quite honestly, not even close to the end.

New Days

But, how does one move from a dark place, to a place of momentum, progress, and action?

Let's frame things up first:

- it's not about simple "trust" in your organization

- it's not about just "going with the flow"

- it's actually about making your own decisions!

Put your thoughts on paper:

- get them out of your head
- work on them
- improve them!

Take action each day:

- update your resume

- spend an hour making your LinkedIn profile look the way it should

- reach out to several colleagues in your network each day

- taking action means you are gaining control of your circumstances!

How About You

In the dark times, consider a new mantra..."Still I Rise." When the outlook is so bleak that you hear your self-talk machine spinning out of control...consider a new mantra...

Still I Rise!

You can be unstoppable...if you make the decision to be.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Violator

Who is the negative disruptive force in your organization? You know the one...they violate every value you have posted on the wall and espouse in new employee orientation. 

Can you picture them?

You're Too Slow
How long did it take for you to see their face in your mind? Three seconds? Maybe, one second?

Why are they still there? How could someone that negative, that you identified so quickly, possibly still be employed with your company?

That makes no sense to me.

You realize your employees know you haven't taken any action...so you're losing credibility while you're reading this post instead of doing your job, right?

Now
Stop reading. Earn your leadership pay. You do more than attend meetings and approve payroll. You have to get into the difficult work of confronting...yes, confronting... behaviors that do not jive with your corporate culture. 

It's not easy. In fact, it can be downright stressful. So what? Your employees, your organization, and candidly, for your own sense of self-respect, you need to get on with it.

Remove them from your organization today.

How About You
Make the decision to step up and build the team you want to have, not that you "inherited." That lame excuse works for six months, then guess what? They are your team.

What are you waiting for?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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