The Smoke of Many Fires

There are lots of warning signs of trouble ahead in the world of work. We can see them if we're willing to actually look. I mean, really look. 

I'm So Effective, Just Look at My Title
Sure, it's easy to point the finger at this person or that person and quickly deflect all accountability from ourselves or our leadership style. But quite honestly, I've always felt that the higher up the proverbial ladder I climbed, the greater the pressure I felt.

Think about it...when you're one of 100 it's fairly easy to blend into the crowd. When you're one of one...well, not so easy anymore. It's all on you.

Everyone is watching.
Everyone expects you to be perfect.
Every time.

Job titles do mean something at this stage. They mean pressure to perform each day.

Smartest Person in the Room
Another warning sign of trouble is the "smart guy" syndrome. You've seen these folks in action. 

They have the solution for every issue the organization is facing. Just going to be honest here...that drives me crazy. (it's even worse, when I fall into the trap of being Mr. Know-It-All)

And as before...everyone is watching. Evaluating. Judging.

How About You
So what are we to do when the smoke starts to rise? We intervene, that's what. We pull those people aside and give them the coaching they deserve. They are in those roles for a reason...they've just drifted a bit from your organization's values. 

Help them get back on track.
That's what we do as leaders, right?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Gratitude and Limits

There was a time when I was an up and comer. I was on the career fast track, and I knew it. I didn't take it for granted; in fact, quite the opposite was true. At times I couldn't believe my good fortune and was grateful for every moment. I tried to soak up every experience like a sponge...constantly learning was essential.

Fast forward to middle-aged me.

New Again

I'm now two months into a whole new phase of my career journey. A new role, with a fabulous company that I've been connected to for almost twenty years. I'm leveraging every part of my previous thirty years of experience and pouring it into my new world.

It's intense, and thrilling, and scary, and incredibly exciting.

Building new things isn't for everyone. For me, building new things from the foundations of greatness is just about the best job in the world. 

Trusting the Vision

The path isn't exactly clear. 

There isn't a published roadmap in place yet. 

There isn't even an "end of the story" written in advance (because we now see that we have no limits.)

But we're taking something really good, and we're turning it into something incredible. How many of us have that opportunity? 

I don't take my new life for granted either; and still can't believe that good fortune has continued to follow me.

How About You
What path are you on? Are you fired up each day, whether or not the day is mapped out perfectly? Or, are you more comfortable playing it safe. Safe is okay.

If you're into just being...okay.

I think you should get fired up instead.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Ready To Go

I'm ready to go.

It's Not About the New Year
Identifying goals, resolutions, or whatever you prefer to call the "beginning of the year lists" can be fun, inspiring, and confusing all at once.

Are we supposed to have lists? Yes we are!

Is there something special about the year flipping that should move us forward differently than the rest of the year? Not at all, but it is a wonderful reminder that we need to keep pushing...keep challenging ourselves...keep getting better.

It's Not About Being Completely Ready
One of the great misconceptions of personal and professional life is that we shouldn't jump into anything unless we are fully prepared.

That is crazy talk.

Getting started is important.

Making progress is important.

Taking risks, evaluating, and adjusting are all important.

Waiting around for the perfect moment is simply fear manifested for all to see.

How About You
What's on your list this year? What is holding you back from jumping in? If you need to talk it through, reach out. You can do it!

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Where Did the Courage Go?

Leadership, teamwork, risk, collaboration, trust...and courage...important words that dramatically impact the life of an organization. Not only are they important at the team member level, they are essential at the senior levels of any organization if it is to thrive.

Easy to Say
Sure, the quick out here is that "leadership-speak" is simple and straightforward to say, but a very different thing to practice in real life.

I disagree.

It seems to me, after several decades in the leadership business, that the absence of courage is the key trait that derails leaders and their effectiveness.

Think about the members of your team:
- Who runs toward a problem, not away from it?

- Who is upfront and honest about what is happening vs. spinning things toward a self-interest point of view?

- Who is willing to hold others accountable vs. blindly following along?

Easy to Do
No, not easy to do. But, when your values are in proper alignment, it no longer becomes an issue of easy or hard. Instead, it is simply about having the courage to do the right thing.

So, how does it happen? What is the secret to trying to do the right thing each time? And how do you avoid falling into a political mess? Good questions, with only one answer...

Do the right thing regardless.

How About You
When was the last time you tapped into your reserve of courage? It's there...waiting for you to access it. I say, go for it.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses. 

What's Your Message?

We all send a message. Whether it's in the words we choose to say, the decisions we make, the risks we take, the way we choose to behave or the culture we promote in our organizations...we all send a message.

What message do you send? What would those around you say defines who you are as a leader? Those messages are real. Their impact on the team is real. 

Far too often leaders believe they can say one thing and do another. That is simply untrue. Our colleagues are bright, insightful people who are crystal clear on our impact. 

How is it then that leaders can convince themselves of their own reality and be so far removed from what actually is...well...real?

The saddest part is watching it all happen. So many lost opportunities to lead, when instead it's as if their internal cult of personality has to be fed.

What do you think about messaging? Is it as simple as "do the right thing" or, is there a deeper issue that needs to be explored?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Gotta Go

I've recently had the privilege to speak at several #DisruptHR events in Atlanta and Tampa. My talk focused on the potential for human resources leaders...and candidly, all leaders...to take risks, live their values, and lead with conviction.

That's what is most important, right?

HR Stuff Matters, But...
It's not that updating policy manuals, going to the Forms Committee meeting, and ensuring open enrollment goes smoothly aren't important. But, these things don't drive business results.

Living your values, and leading with conviction do.

When was the last time you led with your personal values first...and corporate double-talk last?

Take the Step
One of the things I found so encouraging during those DisruptHR events was the energy the attendees had to make changes. They are ready to move forward into new territory in their organizations. 

They are ready to go for it.

How About You
Are you ready to join them? What is on your list that seems impossible to execute, but with some support (from me!) and some courage (from you!) it can become a reality?

You gotta go for it!

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Expected Perfection

How much latitude do you have in your job to make mistakes? Seriously, do you feel nervous or anxious about it (beyond the normal frustration of overlooking something or making a small error)? 

Are you supposed to be superhuman at work and never make a mistake?

Fail Quickly! Ha!
Okay...let's just stop right here for a minute. Quick show of hands, how many of you get excited about failing really quickly with your new ideas in front of your leaders and employees?

Anyone? Hello?

Right. Neither do I.

Sure, I get the whole "go for it approach." I've spent years trying new things. 

However, I've been able to lead that way because I worked in this organization and now work here and both places afforded me lots of flexibility to be creative, succeed, and yes, sometimes fail without repercussions. 

It's that last part - without repercussions - that often stands in the way of failing quickly as a good thing.

Never Fail
When the world thinks you're supposed to be perfect...every time...how do you survive? 

How do you dare to push and twist and turn and risk and gamble on new ideas to stay competitive and relevant if you're going to be punished if you fail?

Three steps is what it takes.
1. Use language that aligns to your business, not human resources. Demonstrate why your idea adds value to the business, not some lame HR jargon filled spiel.

2. Know what you're talking about. Don't throw around terms and strategies you don't fully understand. Be confident.

3. Act with conviction and do it. Don't be timid or scared.  Behave as if the other skeptics in the room are out of touch, not you. Take the risk. Don't worry if you're alone. That's how this works.

How About You
Don't you think it's time you pushed that idea forward that you've had rolling around in your head for so long? I do too. Get your plan together and go for it. If you want a sounding board, call me at 727.809.4425 and we'll talk through it.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Side Step Leadership

"I'm happy to do whatever you want me to do."

"Oh, I'm ready to jump in at anytime, just tell me what you need."

"I fully support this move, what would you like me to do?"  

Talk is Cheap
We've all heard these comments...often times from leaders in our organizations. Perhaps we've even said them ourselves. 

They appear to be well-intended expressions of support, right? Real team-players stepping up to help...right?

Not so fast.

Let's take a moment and think about the people in our companies that take action first versus offering to do "whatever." That feels different. 

Their impact is very different.

They make things happen. They not only connect with us on what needs to be done, but they actually take steps to get things done.

It's Always Action That Wins
Maybe I've become cynical? 

Maybe I've heard too many expressions of support to my face, only to learn that same 'support' is non-existent when it comes down to making decisions and taking a risk?

Or, maybe I have a new level of insight about people? 

They love being seen as helpful and popular, but are rarely strong enough to tackle big issues that involve risk.

Yes. I believe that is true.

How About You
Are you someone who not only offers support, but immediately jumps into the fire to get things done? Or, are you much more comfortable offering support all day long, and then heading home feeling good about yourself and your "support?"

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Thank You, May I Have Another?

What was your first reaction when you read the title to this post?

"Thank you, may I have another?"

Did you "go negative" right away? Did you think I would be discussing HR leaders getting dumped on by their colleagues, the employees, and a long list of other ungrateful souls?

Wait Just A Second
How about we try this approach instead...

"Thank you, but I would prefer the high risk project"

"Thank you, however, I would like to take the lead on that new initiative"

"Thank you, but I would really like to be a part of that expansion project"

There is is huge difference between the "regular" HR folks who default to a "whoa-is-me" professional existence...and then there are those that...

...well, they go for it!

They don't fall into the trap of hubris, excuses and arrogance.
They don't chase glory and extra squares on their org chart.
They don't wait until every plan is so perfect, that it is actually too late to execute (if they know how to execute at all.)

Old HR is Dead...Welcome to the New World
I don't always get it right in my work. I also make mistakes...regularly. But I can honestly tell you this my friends...

I am not afraid to do what's right.
I am not afraid to stand up to the bullies.
I am not afraid of the nay-sayers who are living in their self-indulgent arrogant past.

It is 2018. It's time to be more than you ever thought possible!
It's time to go for it!

How About You
Who are the weak links in your world that are living in the past? Perhaps it's time to stop giving them any airtime, and simply push your organization to the next level? They wouldn't understand how to lead the way, so why waste precious company resources on old school slow-movers?

Go for it friends. Today!

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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On the Brink of Lies

"I've had enough of her...get rid of her today."

"We're fallen behind schedule...someone is going to pay!"

"That's ridiculous...go writer her up now. Right now!"

"That's why I have you here...to keep me out of trouble when I have to take action."

"We've lost confidence in you..."

"You're no longer a good fit..."

HR Leadership is Hard
I don't know how many times my colleagues have told me the following..."I could never do your job." 

Wait, what? Is HR that horrible? Is it so pressure-packed that our friends and colleagues can't even imagine sitting in our chair?

Wow.

So, why then do we put ourselves through that pressure-cooker? Why do we put ourselves out there for all the world to see (and sometimes criticize) and frequently thank us for helping them through difficult issues or projects?

I used to have very HR-ish sounding answers, full of cliches and jargon, blah, blah, blah. I don't think I feel that way any longer. 

As I...ahem...grow more mature in my career...my answer feels different than all the HR-speak I've pumped out for years.

Something Bigger
HR leadership is not the only difficult role out there. And guess what? I've told my colleagues I would not want to do their jobs either. Have you caught yourself saying the same thing?

Be honest.

Leadership to me...HR or otherwise...done authentically, honestly, and frequently with a mouth full of humble pie has to be done deliberately. It has to matter to us as individuals. Of course we want to make our organizations better. Of course we want to create an environment where people want to work and feel as if their contribution to the world matters.

Leadership...for me...is about doing something that is bigger than me, and staying committed to that, even when times get tough once in a while.

I've never heard of any effective leaders that didn't face significant problems in their careers. I'm no different.

But when leadership means doing something bigger than yourself, you don't quit. You don't deflect responsibility or run for cover. You pick yourself up, get your game-face on, and you own every damn bit of the problem. Only then, can you make the course corrections necessary to be successful.

How About You
Which leaders do you look up to? Have their careers been perfect? Have they always made the right call? Or, do they mean so much to you because in spite of their missteps, they never quit? Ever.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Scared to Death

"Management is doing things right. Leadership is doing the right things."
- Peter Drucker

I feel like I've been a rule-breaker in human resources leadership for many years. Ours is a profession filled with policies, rules, SOPs, laws, regulations, and a hell of a lot of scared HR pros.

Scared to make decisions.
Scared to be bold.
Scared to 'get in trouble.'
Scared to take risks.
Scared to be different.
Scared to put it all on the line.
Scared to try new things.

Friends, it seems like HR is scared to death.

What Is Up With HR?
What is it that holds HR professionals back? What could possibly be so pervasive that nearly an entire profession is mired in writing policies, saying no, avoiding all risks and yet still consider themselves as contributing?

I don't get it.

I've met a growing number of HR pros who are all about making an enormous difference in their organizations. Why isn't everyone in our profession clambering to get to the front of the innovation line?

Enlighten me friends! Who is leading the way in HR?
- in the US
- in Europe
- in India
- in Australia
- in New Zealand
- in China
- in...well...everywhere else!

How About You
When did you make the transition from scared to fired up? What made the difference? Was it an inspirational colleague; a progressive CEO; or maybe a new corporate culture that made it "okay" for you to be what you always knew you could be?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Market Garden Leadership

I hear a lot of big talk from leaders. Epic plans! Grandiose statements about "doing this" and "delivering on that!" 

Big talk is important. It can inspire others to follow you. It can motivate teams to take that extra risk to achieve breakthrough results. It can be...something special.

It can also be a colossal failure.

Plan the Big Talk
I've tried lots of bold strategies in my career. Some were wildly successful, and others....well...not so much. One phrase, however, proved to be true in each scenario whether it was a winning idea or a losing one: preparation and execution.

The common trap of over-preparation often leads to inaction, which I've railed against many times before on this blog. We can never be fully prepared; rather, we just have to be as prepared as possibly without delaying the second half of this phrase.

Execution.

Execute (and monitor closely) the Big Talk
Simply putting together a good plan is not even remotely close to actually leading the effort. High success rates require leaders understand what is happening, recognize when the situation starts to drift from the original intent, and most importantly, not be afraid to jump in and literally lead the project across the finish line.

Too many leaders cower in fear when the anticipated outcome is "suddenly" at risk. They freeze up hoping to blame others instead of making real-time decisions to keep things moving forward.

Oh, how arrogance and fear get in the way of success!

How About You
When have you seen a leader struggle with the execution of a plan? Have they frozen in place when that plan seemed to be in jeopardy; or, did they have the resolve to pivot and personally ensure the correct decisions were made?

What did you do while they struggled? Did you jump in to help...or, stand idly by?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Vulnerability - A New Leadership Competency

I've been working for a long time. Well, actually, for a really long time, and most of that has been in leadership. Some of the "virtues" of leadership I learned early on were to never show weakness or be indecisive, because...

weakness = career over
indecisive = zero respect

I'm guessing that mindset is not unique to the healthcare industry.

However, I would suggest there is a different competency out there that is a far cry from the commonplace failings of weakness and the inability to make a decision.

Vulnerability.
- "open to criticism"

New Leaders
Once upon a time I was a new leader eager to climb the corporate health system ladder. I wanted to try new approaches, use new technologies, and take risks. For some reason I've always been enamored with risk!

...which doesn't make me sound like an HR guy...but whatever...

What I often ran into though was a large group of old-school leaders: bright, successful people who had no interest in doing anything differently, ever.

I quickly grew frustrated with what turned out to be my perception of these folks...what they considered their "strengths" I considered to be an "out of touch" view. What they thought of as "steady and consistent" I soon labeled as "stale."

Fast forward to today...am I'm asking myself if the young leaders in the world of work look at you and me that way?

Are we out of touch and stale?

New Expectations
I'm convinced now more than ever that not only is effective leadership about staying current with industry trends, technology, and employee expectations as they shift and modulate over time. But also to show something else...

...our vulnerable side.

How many of us equate being vulnerable with weakness? 
How many of us see a direct link between loss of credibility and being vulnerable?
How many of us are obsessed with maintaining our perceived power as leaders?

Consider the impact of being real and showing our human side to the employees in our organizations. Do you think they will connect with us more? Might they see beyond our fancy job title and lofty position on the maze of boxes on the org chart?

Maybe, just maybe, they will believe in us and want to stay and be part of something special.

How About You
How do you show your human side at work? Perhaps embracing vulnerability, and leveraging it as a true leadership competency is the missing piece in your approach.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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I've Arrived!

The desire to 'play' at the highest level is a powerful aphrodisiac. Whether in sports, academia, research, entertainment, or climbing the corporate ladder, the laser focus to get to the top is sometimes a hindrance to our success.

Chasing Glory
For many professionals, that first taste of a high level role feels like winning a career championship game. The new found power can often be confused with having "arrived." 

Is that big promotion an end point to a long quest? 

Is that breakthrough job offer an affirmation of what you've always believed you could be?

If the answer was yes, the risks to future success just became exponentially more complicated. You see, chasing the glory of career success is actually a never ending series of milestones and new beginnings.

Years of hard work and professionalism can lead to exciting opportunities. Those opportunities, in effect, are a reset of everything you once knew. The previous behavior, routine, and internal peer network all change. 

You have to be open to change too.

Learning the Role, Not the Tasks
The most important step many successful new leaders miss is the ramp up phase into learning "how" to do their new job. Not focusing exclusively on the tasks listed on their new job description.

Think about that for a second...learning the role, not the work.

How does a junior executive behave? What interpersonal skills are now mandatory, regardless of what feels comfortable? 

Is a fragile ego going to be put to the side in order to do the work, make decisions, and earn respect? 

Or...will the previous goal of "most popular rising leader" be the label that supersedes all else?

How About You
Who do you know that is very talented, yet has not invested the time to learn their role? How are they doing? Could they use your trusted consultative support?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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When Was the Last Time You...

Regret. It's a part of everyone's career. Sometimes we are thankful we didn't get what we wished for; and, at others we look back and shake our heads at what might have been. It can generate emotions from a sense of relief, to feeling caught in a frustrating spiral with no end in sight.

Going For it
For me, one word has summed up how I decided to "follow" my career path. It helped inform moves I made within the health systems where I worked, to moving across the country, to making a radical departure within the healthcare industry into a whole new world.

Risk.

I decided early on I was going to go for it. My peers wondered what I was doing. My internal competitors may have been a bit jealous of my success. My friends and family sometimes thought I was crazy.

Risk big, win big.

Questions
As you consider your own career, whether you are a new college graduate or an experienced veteran of the world of work, ask yourself these questions:

When was the last time you...

- defined where you want your career to go?

- stepped away from something good, rewarding, and safe to follow your vision?

- told your inner circle that you were thinking about making a bold move?

- did the math on your finances to understand what you needed to live your plan?

- changed the way you work now to prepare for the future?

- took a risk?

How About You
What do you really want to do with your professional life? Write it down. Talk about it. Start working that way today. 

Take the risk.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You

"You're almost afraid to say it out loud...but you don't enjoy your work anymore."

"You feel trapped. You want to do so many things, but each day you just keep grinding it out here, even though your heart is no longer in it."

"You're supposed to stay. Your employees are counting on you, right? You can't make a change now."

Careers Are Not Life Sentences
How many of us "fell into" our careers? Does your undergraduate major align perfectly with how your professional life has played out? Of course it doesn't. 'Perfect alignment' is not how life works. Thank God!

One of the odd twists of fate however, is that when we "fall into something" we can mistakenly convince ourselves that things were supposed to work out that way forever. Seriously? I would be hard pressed to believe our entire professional lives are based on happenstance, good timing, or luck. 

Simply because you're good at something and earn a decent salary, does not mean you are supposed to stay in that place forever. Worse yet, is when we internalize our "lucky break" so deeply with a specific company, that we feel completely demoralized if suddenly that company no longer feels so special about us.

You know that, right?

You Gotta Leave
Leaving a comfortable role that pays the bills is easier said than done. But, if you're one of those people that are horrified by the prospect of getting to the end of your life journey only to look back and start listing off all of the regrets, you may want to reconsider.

What do you really love? What have you always wanted to do professionally that you just haven't had the courage to try? 

Who do you need to connect with to learn more, get advice, and develop your plan for what's next?

It's not impossible. I'm living proof.

How About You
No more talking about your future. It's time to take action and make it happen!

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

As Was

"Nothing diminishes anxiety faster than action."
- Walter Anderson

Comfortable
This is not a post about accepting change, blah, blah, blah. It is however, about an important part of the change process that doesn't get much airtime.

For many years I maintained a...comfortable...relationship with change, and risk, and my life. Changing things up were always okay with me, as long as they weren't too much, or too fast, or too risky.

Hmmm. That sounds like I was too boring.

But, feeling comfortable is something we all strive for, right? Feeling good about the company we work for, connecting with our coworkers and knowing we have successfully integrated into the culture are all good things. 

Except...

Restless and Stable
For those that know me, I can barely sit still let, alone not try new tools or strategies in my work. My restlessness is a strength (at least I choose to define it that way!) and I embrace that constant churn.

However, that constant motion could quickly unravel my world if I didn't also focus on building a stable foundation from which to work. This is the part that gets missed so often when talking about the power of change.

If the corporate culture is not relatively stable..if systems have not been built...then change will destroy, not improve the workplace.

Stability is key, and allows you to take action with confidence.

How About You
Have you invested in the relationships, worked to understand the norms and culture of your organization, and then made the bold moves necessary to be successful? If not, maybe today is a good day to start?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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"You Don't Do Anything Halfway"

Maybe it's the end of the year. Maybe it's that I'm over-processing a bit too much. Or, maybe I'm just being reflective about all sorts of things...

Regardless...one thing about me is clear. As a friend recently told me..."you don't do anything halfway."

Full Power
So is this post about my character flaws? Ha! Perhaps. Sometimes being in "go-mode" all the time has it's drawbacks. Although candidly, other than occasional bouts of being tired as heck, I have no idea what they might be.

But does "full power" play out in a positive or negative way in the workplace?

Speed Kills...The Competition
One business advantage that I believe to my very core is this: those that are willing to take risks and move quickly will dominate the market place. They won't just be competitive...or "in the game." They will BE the game. In effect, the new standard that others will be forced to follow.

Speed wins. Risk wins. Extroverts win.

Whether that means fighting for talent, positioning their employer brand in the modern (digital) world, or simply making a decision that must be made to move forward.

Halfway...does not achieve anything.

Getting to Full Power
The downside of this personality strength (or flaw?) is the risk of being perceived as the proverbial bull in a china shop. For me, the results far outweigh the risks. The non-stop chatter about getting outside our comfort zones is repeated so frequently because it is true.

Playing it safe...trying to be popular at work..and never moving too quickly so as to avoid making any mistakes actually has the reverse effect. Decisions are not made, action is not taken, the competition outmaneuvers you...and not surprisingly you become quite unpopular.

How About You
Are you still going halfway in your work? Why? Does your company's strategic plan call for a halfway executed approach? Is filling your vacancies halfway sending a good message to your team? If so...you're probably only halfway effective...and halfway popular too.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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