Get results through inspiration, not insistence

"Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flow charts. It is about one life influencing another." - John C. Maxwell

Often we are asked to lead projects, initiatives or causes that require bringing together a team of people for a common goal.  In our crazy world where the pace is the speed of light, we are inundated with more asks than we could ever answer, and personal goals often overshadow the greater good, this can be a tall order.  

The people who succeed consistently do so by inspiring people to jump in the boat with them rather than assigning them an oar and shoving them in.  I've seen a few people in my life do this really well and I aspire to be like them.

It sounds hard; and it is.  But it's worth the effort.  If you have seen the movie Finding Nemo, you know the power of getting the momentum of a group headed in one direction.  It's exponentially more effective than the most valiant efforts of the leader alone.  Also, from my experience, when everyone is pulling, the results will often far exceed the not only the original goal but even what was imagined as possible.

  So, how do we do it?  I'm not entirely sure what the full recipe is, but below are a few principles that feel like the right place to start.

Believe in the mission.
There is nothing less inspiring than a leader whose heart isn't in it.  If you don't believe in what you are doing, nobody else will either.  Have a clear vision of what the mission is, why you care about it, and why others should too.  If you don't have this, start again.

Run up the hill.
Rather than dragging people up the hill, pushing them from behind or running aside screaming for them to go faster, just run ahead.  Chances are good that people will follow you.  Not because they have to, but because they want to.  Being out in front is a risk, but watching from a safe distance is an even bigger one.

Cheer the loudest.
It's important to get momentum, but don't fool yourself into thinking that everything will go smoothly after that.  Stay engaged, celebrate the small victories and keep running, even when you are in quicksand.  Recruit others to join (not replace) you in the effort to keep the team strong and focused.

"A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes.  It is a catalyst and it sparks extraordinary results." - Wade Boggs

Summer Bucket List

How can 4th of July have come and gone already?  Several friends of mine define this holiday as the 'midpoint of summer'.  While I'm not sure I agree, or at least don't want to think of it that way, I guess it is as close as we have to a mid-summer checkpoint.  As a kid, I remember summers being epic, awesome, endless, and amazing.  As a parent, I feel pressure to ensure that my children have those same feelings.

I have made mistakes on both ends of the spectrum when it comes to summer vacation.  I have announced that we are going to relax and have no schedule.  In a week, we are all bored.  I have scheduled the whole summer with 'special events'.  By the end, we are all exhausted.

A few years ago, we implemented something that has worked well, the Summer Bucket List.  The basic premise is, a few weeks before summer starts, we ask the kids "What things do you REALLY want to do this summer?"  They give us their short lists and my husband and I add a few too.  By the way, items on the list can be as simple as a picnic in the park.

Once you have a complete list, narrow it down based on a few criteria.

• Remove the 'fly to the moon' type requests that inevitably are there.  
• Make sure there is a mix of traditional things and new experiences.  If lacking in either, ask for more ideas or add them.  
• Determine who will be involved in which activities. Within reason, I let the kids pick the things that they want to do by adding their initials to the narrowed down list.  This can be interesting with teenagers who think of family time as a necessary evil.  I'm a big believer in quality time with everyone together, yet also realize that we have varied levels of excitement for certain outings due to gender, age, or interests.  It's perfectly reasonable to have a mix of plans where everyone goes and others where it is some of the family.
• Finalize the list with a reasonable number of items.  Reasonable is the key word, it depends on your family, what else you have going on and how much you like to run.  

Post the list where everyone can see it and cross them off as you get to them.

Don't let summer slip away, create your Summer Bucket List today!

Change is coming. Surprised?

I walk into my favorite grocery store, and proceed along my familiar path.  Almost mindlessly, I'm pulling our standard items into the cart, then wait...what?  I come to the first item on my list that isn't in its regular place.  I make the assumption (grounded in hope) that this must mean it is out of stock. I continue, but there is a nagging feeling in my stomach.  Next aisle, oh no, half the shelves are empty, and what is there isn't in the right place.  You guessed it...a product placement re-plan. Ugh, I don't have time for this...can't anything be easy!?!  Overreaction?  Of course.  The marketer in me understands why this is important to their business, but this unplanned disruption of my routine is still unwelcome.  In a world where change is constant, why is it always so unexpected?

The example above may seem trivial, but it is a simple way of understanding how change affects us and how to deal with it in a more productive way.

Acknowledge the change.  Be aware of your surroundings and know when things are changing.  Understand what is changing and how it might affect you (it's possible it won't and you can stop worrying)

Accept or Reject.  Of course, there are situations where life forces change on you.  However, just as often, we have a choice.  While we can't necessarily stop the change from coming, we can determine how to respond.  In my grocery story, I could choose to learn the new layout or simply go to another store that I'm familiar with.

Make a Plan. Whether the change is a simple one like a grocery layout or something bigger like a re-org at your workplace, you will need a plan of how to manage the change.  Think through what other inputs you need, and what steps you need to take in order to absorb the change.

Give it Time.  Change is constant, and some changes will be easier than others.  For those that are not a big deal, try not to turn them into one.  For those that are, give yourself a little time to adjust.

Chaos? Step back!

Whew!  Life can get crazy.  In fact, often times it seems that one crazy day leads to a crazy week, to a crazy month, and so on.  This has been happening to me lately for a variety of reasons.  It's less important what is causing the crazy, and more important how we manage it.

When my life starts to spin out of control, and it doesn't feel like I can stop the spinning, I like to take a few steps back, and look at the big picture.  Keep moving back one step at a time, until things are clear again.  

Now, what are the really important things?  What matters?  If you had to write a personal mission statement, what is really going to help you realize those goals.  Once I have a perspective, I can make a list of things of things to do and sort.  Tasks will fall into a couple of categories: HAVE TO, WANT TO, NOT NECESSARY.  

Next, make a first pass through the list and eliminate the not necessaries.  Be brutal.  Give special consideration to those items that do not support one of your main goals.  What is the reason it is on the list?Something has to give.  Make a second pass, and decide if each item is a HAVE TO or a WANT TO.  Either is valid, but be honest about which bucket it falls in.  

For the have to items, go down the list and assign due dates.  Look at your schedule, and factor in the have to items based on dates.  Now, go back and fill in the want to items where you have opportunity in your schedule.

This simple method will keep you thinking about those things that are highest priority without spending time on things that really aren't important.

Business Conference Success: Prepare, Participate, Pursue!

Business conferences...most of us will find ourselves participating in at least one at some point.  Whether you love them or hate them, it only seems logical that if you are going to spend your precious time there, you should maximize the benefits.  Following a few simple steps can go a long way toward reaching this goal.  Through the week, check off the objectives as you complete them.  This will keep you focused and also make sure that in the hustle and bustle, you are coming away with the key goals accomplished.

Prepare: In advance of the conference, give some honest thought to what the key items are that you want to get out of it.  This could be connecting with old or new acquaintances, learning a particular skill, or getting a particular set of questions answered.  Narrow it down to 3-5 key initiatives that you want to accomplish and jot them down in a notebook or store as a note on your phone...something you will have with you at the conference.

Participate: Why sit in the back of the room checking your watch?  Be in the moment...engage! Maybe the subject is fascinating to you, maybe it isn't...but you are there...so make the best of it.  We've all heard the saying "You get out of it what you put in".  Well, it's true.  Not just in conferences, but in life.  It sounds fluffy and cliché, but clichés come from somewhere. :) 

Pursue: If you walk away at the end and nothing has changed, you just wasted your time and money.  You set goals at the start.  Assuming you achieved them, there should be an action after the conference to either continue a relationship, put new knowledge to work, or practice a new skill learned.  Go make things better, in some big or tiny way, and the conference was worth your time.

Set a plan, execute it, and come away with something you didn't have before.  That's how you get the most out of a business conference.

Top Tips for Smooth Transitions

Transitions can be a little daunting whether you are the transitioner or the transitionee...whether the transition is temporary or permanent.  Transitions can happen when you are leaving a job, going on maternity leave, or just changing responsibilities.  For the sake of this blog, let's focus on the example of transitioning a project to a coworker.  But, I believe these same high level tips can help with many of life's transitions.

First, organize yourself.  I know, go figure.  But, seriously, don't try to do this off the cuff.  You will likely create more work and frustration for everyone involved.  Take a good look at the project directories and files and make sure that they make sense.  I realize not everyone sorts their sock drawer the same way, but if you are going to have to 'over explain' it to your successor, then you probably need to do a little work. 

Once you are in good shape and ready, setup a call or meeting to to a 'talk through' of the materials, process, key information, contacts, etc.  Allow time for questions and go with an agenda of key topics in mind.  It might even be helpful to get a list of questions ahead of time if the person you are transitioning to had enough familiarity to know what to ask prior to the meeting.

Next, if at all possible, have a 'walk through'.  If there is a process and the opportunity presents itself, have them shadow you, or you shadow them in a walk through.  This is the most effective way for everything you said to cement into their mind. 

Lastly, while I have no doubt that your talk through will be riveting and keep their full attention the entire time, they will not remember every word you said.  I know, shocking, since you no doubt remembered every word when it was transitioned to you. :)  Write it down.  Document where the key files are located, who the key contacts are, and an FAQ of things you think they will need to come back and reference.

Then get ready, because if you are transitioning something onto someone's plate, there is little doubt that someone is waiting to transition something onto yours!  Let's hope they prepare as well as you did!

Daily Resolutions

Have you ever made a New Year's Resolution so amazing, so inspiring, so life altering...that you gave up on it in the first week of the new year. Yes, me too!  Guilty.  But, this year, I've decided to do things differently.  But before we can change, let's evaluate what was wrong with the old plan.  Here are the top three reasons we break our resolutions before the crack of February.

1) They are too vague.  "Get Healthy" "Get Out of Debt" "Spend More Family Time".  These all sound nice, and are worthy goals.  But let's face it, if it were that easy, we would all be doing these things already.

2) A lack of planning.  Most of our resolutions require a behavioral change, and while we can almost WILL that to happen for the first week or so.  However, without proper planning to help keep us on the rails when we lose that initial enthusiasm, we are bound to slip up.

3) No measurable victories.  A year is a long time.  When have you reached the goal?  If the goal was to "Get Organized", when have you done it?  What does it mean?  10% more organized?  You can open the doors to the front closet without things falling out?  We often start off strong, then get frustrated when we misstep or don't make the progress we think we should fast enough.

This year, my resolution is to "Do Less and Live More".  Talk about the king of all vague resolutions.  When I mentioned this resolution, a few people took me to task and asked exactly what it meant.  And the truth was, I hadn't thought that far.  I just know that I wanted to slow down a little and enjoy the moments more.  Refer back to points 1-3, and I knew I was setting myself up for a repeat of past failures.

What is the answer? Daily Resolutions.  Pick something specific, something measurable, and something attainable that day that feeds into your bigger resolution. In my case, perhaps it is letting the phone ring so I can finish the game of Jenga with my kids.  Maybe it is making a point of going outside and breathing in the crisp fresh air on a sunny winter day.  Or even just planning a spontaneous outing (yes, I get the irony, but planning it that day is still spontaneous...baby steps folks).  The point is, by giving ourselves a short term, specific and manageable goal, we are setup to succeed.  The good feelings of accomplishment carry over as motivation into the next day.  I can honestly say after the first week that I'm gaining momentum rather than losing it.  Celebrate the mini victories, enjoy your progress and soon you'll look back and that amazing, inspiring, life altering change you aspired for may just be within reach!

Happy New Year!