Born to Serve

"Despite everything you think you know,
You're ruled by a ruinous pack of lies.
You mean nothing in the grand scheme of things,
You're nothing in this vacuum hole of time."

Wait, what?

Who Are You Listening To?
There are lots (and I mean lots) of voices in our heads every day. Our colleagues, employees, peers, leaders, and perhaps the most challenging of them all...

...ourselves.

Often the political pressure of corporate life creates an alternative reality that when uncovered, seems to fall apart just as quickly as it whipped itself into a frenzy. But those voices...and their ability to impact our lives...are still powerful.

Our job is to not only manage those voices...but quite honestly to drown them out and lead the way!

One Voice Wins
Where does one start when the world seems to be pushing in from all sides? 

For me, it's about sorting through the noise...the self-serving agendas...and the power plays that seem to drive so much of leader...er, human...behavior. 

Once all of the variables are clear, the path we must take becomes clear. Your path...the one your honest, sincere voice has been telling you about is the one to choose. 

Stop listening to the critics.
Stop listening to the power-hungry phonies.
Stop listening to the leaders caught up in the fake world of corporate "fit" and "opinions."

...and stop listening to that inner self-doubt voice. It's wrong.

How About You
Whose voices are in your head? Are they distracting you...confusing you...trapping you in a downward spiral that serves others and not yourself?

It's time to go for it...for yourself...and make a real difference!

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



pic

Bigger PIC-ture: Stepping Outside the Circle

I'm writing over at Performance I Create today about how fired up I am to be part of an amazing blogging team.

What gets you fired up?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

photo credit

Sometimes We Just Don't Realize

I get fired up about Human Resources work. Not because I'm supposed to...and not because it's my job...but because it matters. Doing HR well can actually make a difference. We all see the obvious examples: great changes to a benefits program, maintaining merit increases when competitors have stopped giving raises, and creating more and more opportunities for employees to participate in decision-making across the organization. These are some of my favorites, and yes, they are fairly easy to see.

But sometimes we don't notice our impact until someone brings it to our attention.

Completely Unexpected
A number of years ago I was working late and was the last member of the team hanging around. The environmental services employee who cleaned our offices was passing by and stopped to say something. He was an older gentleman who had emigrated to the United States and we had rarely interacted, other than me greeting him each time we saw each other.

What happened next really surprised me. As we chatted he said something that really struck a chord in me. He told me I "must be a man of God because of the way I treat people." 

Stunned. 

His words threw me off. As an HR guy, I obviously don't run around discussing religion in the workplace, so initially I was surprised that he chose that way to describe me. My next reaction was a much more personal one. You see, my Father was a United Methodist Minister and for this man to even begin to suggest that I might share some of the rarefied air that I placed my Father in was almost too much to fathom.

Why Share This Story
This moment has stayed with me for years, not because I am a "man of God" (or even close.) It has stayed with me because I never realized the full impact I was having on those around me, and certainly not to such a profound degree, until I had this exchange. For me, it's been a difficult story to live up to as life has moved along. But I believe there is value in keeping it close so that when I get caught up in how important I am...I can remember the kind words of this man and get my ego back down to earth.

How About You
When have you been surprised by the impact you've had in someone's life? Did you expect to have such influence; or, was there a moment that helped bring you to a new level of understanding that leadership means more than a job title.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



photo credit

I Figured It All Out

With so many pressures on today's leaders and aspiring leaders to make a difference in their organizations, their communities, and in their personal lives, it can all seem like too much.  I've been wrestling with this issue for a long time and I think I've made somewhat of a personal breakthrough and I wanted to share it here with you.

I finally figured out that...

• I'll never know enough
• I'll never be thorough enough
• I'll never think of everything
• I'll never treat everyone the way I really intend to
• I'll never be able to do my best 100% of the time
• I may never realize my full potential
• I may not be the leader I ultimately want to be

But I do know that I have never been more fired up to try.

How About You

Are you stuck in a rut...feeling helpless...wishing things were different?  I've been there too.  Everyone has been there at some point.  Effective leaders pause for a moment, dust themselves off, and get back to it.  Are you ready to get going again?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.


pic courtesy of sparkpeople