Good morning, Team! It’s Friday!
Today, a good man’s family is saying goodbye to his life here on earth. He passed a week ago and like so many other things that COVID has taken away, a well represented and well attended funeral is among them.
My second earthly father did not aspire for fame or high praise. He had a sense of duty and honor and a strong desire to build and provide for his family. He wanted to create a healthy environment for them to grow up in and he surely accomplished that.
His civic leadership included city council and mayoral service for decades. He would clean snow off the streets that he made certain were constructed and maintained well to begin with. He sought safe passage for all who lived and visited their town.
He would monitor the water plant to ensure proper chemicals were distributed for clean, safe water.
He would mow the grass at the city and church cemeteries so people could honor those who passed before them in a respectful way.
He transported friends and family to countless medical appointments over the years to ensure their quality of life was the best it could be.
Most importantly, he was a leader at home. He prioritized his time around family. He led where it mattered most and showed me how to do the same.
Rest In Peace, Neil.
Have a blessed weekend!

Good afternoon, Team! It’s Friday!
I was introduced to white lithium grease 40 years ago. We maintained our own construction equipment so we became used to grease guns, the need to keep things greased to minimize metal on metal wear and how dirty the job was to grease trucks and loaders and rock crushers and everything else that had a grease zerk.
The physical properties of lithium grease could be “applied” to situations in a business setting. I’m not talking about a bunch of tin men and women standing around waiting for someone to shoot some grease in the right zerk allowing them to stay mobile. Rather, there are friction-filled conversations and situations that grind on and create more tension than most are comfortable with. Typically, some thing or some one breaks prior to maintenance/full reconciliation.
Last week I encouraged you, as leaders, to train some plumbers and run a tighter ship. This week I’m digging into another physical activity that revolves around preventative maintenance.
Metal on metal friction produces heat, creaks, sloppy joints and when neglected long enough broken equipment that could lead to physical damage and personal injury.
Person on person friction, especially in the work place, can lead to hurt feelings, arguments, resentment, and retention concerns resulting in an unnecessary career path change. Wouldn’t it be great if all you had to do was reach in your desk once a week and find the zerk on your colleague that needs a couple shots of grease?
Maybe you can, and without the mess.
All relationships require maintenance. Instead of grease, maybe you need to demonstrate concern by regularly asking how your coworkers are doing. A shot of care. Discover what their interests are and what matters to them. Think about that regular maintenance as a way to keep the machine running smoothly. If you are listening to the cogs in the machine (the people in your company) you can prevent things from binding up.
I hope you have someone in mind after reading this blog and that you will reach out with genuine and deliberate effort to express your concern for them, lend an ear to what they need and look forward together.
Have a blessed weekend!

Good morning, Team! It’s Friday!

I like to process map an organization to see how things pass through; efficiencies, inefficiencies and downright leaky spots. If it were pipe and the liquid in the pipe were your product or service, you’d want as much of the end product to get through the pipes as possible, wouldn’t you?
I recently installed new toilets in our condo. Talked about it for months and finally found a style we could agree on, tore out the old ones and installed the new ones. I’ve had some practice doing this in other residences and learned most of the lessons that go along with the install, but apparently not all … and some not well enough.
I have respect for plumbers because if you don’t do the job well, it shows immediately. [Leaky]. New materials make it simpler and typically less hassle but that’s not always possible. This install was pretty straightforward but I didn’t account for new gaskets and grommets leaking, imperfect manufacturing (maybe why they were on sale?), stains on new, highly visible equipment or even the hellacious disposal fee.
Today, we still don’t have leak-free toilets. I learned more about plumbing and a thing or two more about life; the true value of my time, peace of mind and a reminder of the joys of a job well done mixed with the reality that things in this world rarely go without incident.
Think about your organization, your household or other places where your leadership could…notice, repair and prevent future leaks? Do you get irritated when you encounter drips and how do you communicate, facilitate and remediate? Do the people you enlist to reduce and remove the drips feel part of the solution so you can count on them resolving future drips? Or did you create a new dependency where they alert you to the drip but don’t repair without your permission and involvement?

A tight ship doesn’t leak and is common reference to something that runs efficiently. If leaks persist, they typically get worse and cause collateral damage.
Find your leaks. Train some plumbers.
Have a blessed weekend!

Good morning, Team! It’s Friday!
I believe I have reached the age where it is more important to walk with purpose in a navigated and deliberate direction than to run with vigor until exhausted pointed in a direction by others only to find I’m not gaining ground but powering the treadmill snuck beneath my feet.
Have you ever taken a test where the instructions state you must read each page of instructions in advance before writing … but the desire to start writing answers is so compelling that you ignore the instructions and start testing away? You pull your head up at some point realizing others have put their pencil down and sit with a smug look on their face. The point of the test was to follow all of the instructions and the last page instructs to not take a test at all but to sit quietly until everyone reaches the same point. Ahhhhh.
What if that applied to more than just a test? What if life was more about preparation than perspiration? What if following instructions fully, practicing patience and tolerance and having faith served you best? Is that wisdom?
Three examples of how people suggest we approach wisdom and aging:

1. Socrates– claimed not to know anything and suggested we should all examine our lives, not believe we actually know anything.  His mission was to enlighten spirituality, humility and modesty.
2. Bob Buford-author of Half Time: Moving From Success to Significance, One of his quotes “The Human tendency, largely driven by ego, is to believe we can do it all….It maybe humbling to admit there are only a few things you do really well…you will free yourself to focus on those things which will lead to greater personal success and significance.”
3. Stephen Covey-Covey’s mantra, “Live your life in crescendo, not diminuendo,” As you continue down the path of life, your list of things you’d like to accomplish should grow not diminish.  Covey was known for his continuous search for health (physical, mental, emotional and spiritual) and lead by example.

I’m reminded that we are a product of our choices, both current and past. As we age, we may regret some of our past choices like smoking, not pursuing the next level of education or a sedentary lifestyle. The good news is, it is never too late to change your current trajectory.
Retirement is a common English reference to reaching a point where you stop working at a paying job and begin to draw from your savings, etc…a demarcation point, destination, a point you commonly wait for with anticipation. I think it’s time we redefine the term and the intent.
At 56, I have aspirations and obligations. By age 66, I will still have obligations and aspirations but they will look different than they do today. I don’t plan to wait to enjoy life between now and then, I will simply shift focus and transition my thinking how I will take care of myself and others. My financial obligations will transition from saving to managing the downside to spending. My leading will shift from large commercial organizations to charitable contributions. My articulations will shift from influencing business to influence humanity.
Transition to wisdom.
Have a blessed weekend!

Good morning, Team! It’s Friday!

Sometimes lessons are best taught by examples of what not to do. This is one of those times.

The two words in the blog title may never actually belong together in modern society, at least not to an average consumer.

If you have an issue with

•the cable provider

•your cell phone provider

•other utility providers

•electronics supplier

•appliance manufacturer

•mortgage company

•airline

•insurance company

•investment broker

•pizza joint

•or a host of other companies that regard you as a customer…you may have experienced one of a variety of ways we, as customers, are currently regarded, or disregarded as it were.

Example:You get put on hold for 30 minutes or more with horrendous music, variable volumes, constant interruptions by a recording telling you they know how valuable your time is but they are receiving “higher than average call volume”. I suppose that might be true of any hour of open business if you shut down your phones for 16 hours per day. Is the statement meant to invoke sympathy or simply another way of saying “We are open for business”. It might be a way of telling customers, “You don’t matter enough to us to actually staff enough representatives to answer the phone, we hope you hang up and if you call to complain, we’ll probably transfer you to a line that will ring constantly or just let you sit on hold indefinitely”.

If you are actually connected to someone, it seems a high chance it will be to someone who reads off of a screen and spends more time verifying you are who you are than actually solving your issue, concern or problem.

Leadership, in this case in customer support, requires you treat your customer well enough to invite them back, not drive them away.
It seems we’ve allowed a number of areas of life to devolve because someone wanted to save some money and we pay now with our time…waiting…for someone to pick up the phone…answer a chat message…or simply ignore us until we fall asleep or give up the request altogether.

Challenge:Stand up to the pressure to drive humanity out of your business under the veil of cost savings. Customers will pay for service (and respect).

Have a blessed weekend!

Good morning, Team! It’s Friday!

Let’s define a few related words to lay the groundwork…

According to ethicsunwrapped.com

Integrity, said author C.S. Lewis, “is doing the right thing, even when no one is looking.”  Integrity is a foundational moral virtue, and the bedrock upon which good character is built.

Acting with integrity means understanding, accepting, and choosing to live in accordance with one’s principles, which will include honesty, fairness, and decency. A person of integrity will consistently demonstrate good character by being free of corruption and hypocrisy.

Integrity is revealed when people act virtuously regardless of circumstance or consequences. This often requires moral courage. Indeed, integrity is the critical connection between ethics and moral action.

According to www.assignmentexpert.com:

Ethic of civility defines morally acceptable behavior towards fellow human beings. … Civility includes “politeness, reasonable, and respectful” behavior. In its essences, ethics of civility constitute the heart of morality.

According to www.indeed.com:

Leadership principles are the set of actions or guiding beliefs that leaders can implement to move them toward success. … Leadership principles are a framework of actions you can take as a leader to inspire others to work together toward a common goal—they are the foundation for success.

The world longs for these three descriptors to be wrapped into one person, one approach, one human being who can make a positive difference and help others reach their full potential.

Recent events have increased the desire for such a combination of principles to be more evident, more prevalent, more … common.

Why can’t it be you?

Why can’t it start with you?

Why don’t we all approach our world as it sits today with a pledge for integrity, modeling civility and embracing leadership behaviors and overwhelm the negativity with positive, not-what-I-saw-on-the-evening-news examples.

Someone posed the question tonight, “How do I explain the recent events (that took place in Washington, DC) to my children?”

How about, “This is an example of what NOT to do. Violence and chaos and hatred have no place in our democracy and it will not prevail. We quickly and courageously picked ourselves up, restored order and got back to the business of leading the free world.”

Have a blessed weekend!

Good evening, Team! It’s Tuesday!

Tomorrow is traditionally the busiest travel day of the year so I thought I’d send this one out in advance.

What do you see in the picture? Despair? Preparedness? Blessings and abundance?…or just a bunch of masks…

This is not a Rorschach test but how you answer might provide insight into how you view obscurity.

If you’ve paid any attention to the news lately, there may be renewed hope and a glimmer of goodness peeking out right before the holidays.

A leader recognizes that there is trouble around every corner and you must challenge yourself to find the opportunity buried within the quagmire. You must be prepared to work harder, dig deeper, investigate, test, and justify your actions while following the rules, paying attention to social norms, civility and etiquette.

More pointedly, wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet apart, washing your hands for at least 20 seconds, disinfecting yourself multiple times a day is not hard, not an inconvenience, not uncomfortable, it’s … expected.

Here’s a handful of what not to do:

•Don’t wear your mask on your chin, it’s worthless and disrespectful.

•Don’t leave your schnazola hanging out, it’s still worthless and you’re not special.

•Don’t walk next to your walking partner expecting everyone else to walk on the grass. Unless you just got tested multiple times with all negative results and were transported in a hyperbaric chamber up until you stepped on the sidewalk, you should be on the grass, Karen!

The pandemic sucks and no one has all the answers. It’s not a threat elimination game because nobody knows exactly if, how and with what severity it will attack you or your loved ones. Minimize your exposure until we get a vaccine and show some respect for the rest of humanity.

Have a blessed holiday, wear your mask and count your blessings! If you screw this up, we’ll be isolated for Christmas, too…and I prefer hugging over zooming.

Good evening, Team! It’s Sunday!

Begin with the end in mind.

Source: Free Xenon

The title might suggest I’m referring to the antiquated standard work hours. Between Work From Home (WFH) pre-COVID and now as we are, work hours will never categorically fit into a standard frame again. But that’s not my reference for today…please read on.

Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (most commonly known pictured below) theory has always struck me as a great way to explain human behavior and the implied ascension through life.

Modern theory includes the concept that rather than fulfilling each step and moving forward in some sort of ratcheted advancement, that it may not be so singular or linear.

His later work (pictured above) includes more steps where the pinnacle is actually helping others achieve self-actualization (transcendence).

Source: Professional Academy

What does this mean to you?

If you’re lost, at whatever point in your life, this is a helpful roadmap…if you choose to proceed. You can stay stuck at any level, and many do, but for those who look forward with an eye for the challenging, you might be interested in the top graph.

What is most intriguing to me is the revelation that there are no guarantees, no level reached and therefore, no floor. If you are climbing the ladder inside of the pyramid pictured above, you don’t expect the rungs to snap and find yourself descending…but it certainly happens.

If any level is destabilized, you may be beckoned back to that level to work on it and hopefully restore it and it may take all of your energy, requiring you to surrender the level (or levels) you achieved. It will then take a lot of work … and forgiveness, not foreboding…to start climbing again.

Onward…and upward.

Have a blessed week!

Good morning, Team!  It’s Friday!

“Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9b

I wear an aluminum badge with this inscription around my neck provided by my men’s bible study group.  It has the third chain on it as the first didn’t fit my thick neck and was made of material similar to the old pull chain for the lights I grew up with.  The second I cobbled together with a chain I bought to attach to my glasses that a librarian in the 1950’s might wear (not sure why I bought it or why I kept it) and the current version is stainless steel, welded and passes through the new link to the badge.  It is stronger, more functional, and more durable.  The phrase remains and reminds.

Like the chains that hold on to a valuable sentiment, adapting and adjusting over time  is incredibly important for all of us:

Having the courage to change

Having the courage to look past pain and loss and heartbreak

Having the courage to let go

Having the courage to look forward

Having the courage to forgive 

Having the courage to focus your energy on who you are becoming rather than who you are today

So much of who we are and what we do is defined by the choices we make each day when we wake.  How will you show up today?  How do you want to be remembered by the people you make contact with today?  

Have the courage to visualize yourself as the person you were meant to be, not the person you previously allowed circumstances to define for you.

Have a blessed weekend!

Good evening, Team!  It’s Friday!

I learned this week of a colleague who had a loved one fall from a precariously high position while constructing a building, shattering their hip and pelvis.  A tragic accident like that will bring clarity and purpose in what needs to be done next;  Inform work of your absence, notify friends and family of the incident and your whereabouts, recruit spiritual warriors to hold the accident victim up in prayer, get to their location as quickly and safely as possible to be their advocate.  Lots of anxiety, lots of clarity, no hesitation…with purpose.

You may have referred to someone as “on a mission” to do something, whether it is fix a problem, buy a particular item or find someone.   

So what are you on a mission to do?
-Is it to raise healthy, productive children?

-Is it to share knowledge and develop leaders?

-Is it to improve the world with your skills, experience and resources?

Do you have the same clarity and purpose as a Mother ensuring her son has access to the best healthcare and sits by his side as long as the hospital will allow her?

Do you carry the same intensity and compassion as the Mother mentioned above as you approach your objectives … with purpose?

The benefit of a singular purpose is that you can align your efforts with your goal.

Recently, my employer rebranded themselves as “clean energy and infrastructure”.  We build wind farms and solar farms (clean energy) that continue to grow in viability and also reduce carbon emissions, ultimately improving the atmosphere we rely on to live a high quality life.  In other words, we are saving the planet.  I get to go to work each day, with purpose, to save the planet.

My challenge to you this week is to identify what you are best suited to do, most passionate about and approach it with purpose.

Have a blessed weekend!