Good morning, Team! It’s Friday!

Greetings from Boston. Rain dominates the weather this week compared to the excessive snow they suffered through last year.

I’ve had to make some staff adjustments this week and out of respect for the dedicated souls impacted, I’ll spare details and just say…
Preservation or restoration of a culture that enables professionalism and productivity is some of the hardest work I’ve done in my life.

I’ve heard it said by some very smart people that it takes 3-7 years to turn around a culture. If 5 years is the average and expectations are to reduce that time frame by 75%, I can only do so much.

Changes in performance seldom come before changes in one’s personal outlook. Casting a clear vision is not simple in a diversified group with a wide variety of experience, demography and beliefs. This can be further exacerbated by disenfranchised leaders and managers who have resorted to survival techniques rather than constantly looking for ways to reinvent, adapt, adjust and thrive.

I talked to many of the talented leaders and managers and exceptional individual contributors while here who shared their confidence, concerns, commitments and questions. Their words and facial expressions, subtle innuendos, vocal tones and inflections demonstrate a mix of vulnerability and absolution. We live here, we laugh here, and we serve our clients.

I’ve come to believe culture is a nebulous vessel filled and vacated daily like a bank account where there are deposits and withdrawals. The currency are the souls that pass through the doors and halls and we as leaders must work to create a setting that allows for positive behavior and minimizes barriers to getting things done.

Leaders, pay attention to your culture. Nurture it, maintain it, communicate, set expectations and model the behavior you want exhibited. Regular checkups will prevent major surgery.

Have a blessed weekend!

Good morning, Leaders! It’s Friday!

Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve and after we reflect on what happened over the last twelve months, we watch a 1,200 pound Waterford Crystal ball in Times Square … drop…slowly…for suspense to usher in the new year. Approximately one million souls will be crowding the area to watch, among them a few I may know or even be related to.

After the clock strikes twelve and for those who stayed up might kiss someone close to them, our brains go from in the moment to what happens next; next minute, next day, next weekday.  What resolutions should I make with impossible restrictions that I will be faced with right after the ball drops?

For those writing checks still, you’ll have to remember the new year. It takes me several times before it sinks in. Some call it muscle memory, others call it laziness, still others label it as comfort.

We are talking about more than flipping a calendar here. Change in any form is difficult regardless of the amount of celebration or subtlety associated with it. Being pushed out of the old doesn’t work either. It raises concern and suspicion and triggers our defenses.

New beginnings must be embraced! We have to be pulled forward into the next…whatever. It’s uncomfortable and it’s usually rough and requires vision to shape the unknown into something significant.

In his book, Leadership on the Line, Ronald Heifetz says, “People don’t fear change; they fear loss.” If you agree with that statement than we must all better understand what we think we are losing….while we attempt to move forward.
•Is it identity?
•Is it autonomy?
•Is it our “place in line”?

New beginnings are new opportunities to add to experiences already earned. You’re not losing, you’re gaining.

Find an area of improvement or rededicate yourself to happiness and health for 2017.  Remember, embrace new beginnings.

Have a blessed weekend!

Good morning, God’s children! It’s Friday!

Peace on earth, good will toward men.

What an incredible amount of uncertainty and anxiety in the world today.
•Terrorist acts and specific calls against Christians during our ultimate annual celebration. Our cherished way of life is under attack.
•Atrocities in many countries including the highly publicized victims in Aleppo. The world seems to have its fair share of tyrants.
•New President election verified but shrouded in doubt, concern, rumor of tampering/hacking/manipulation. It feels like the entire nation has resorted to less professional behavior.

Breathe. Inhale for 3 seconds through your nose, exhale for 6 seconds through your mouth. Repeat 2 more times.

Pray. We all do this differently but ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) is a good place to start if you don’t have a routine.

Focus. What’s important? What can you do in your life; at home, at work, in your community to make a positive difference and spread the message of peace?

1 Peter 3:9-11
9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For, whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. 11 They must turn from evil and do good, they must seek peace and pursue it.

1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Romans 14:19
Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.

Philippians 4:6-7
6 Do not be anxious about anything but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Have a blessed weekend and a Merry Christmas!

Good morning, Leaders! It’s Friday!

Once a month, I am blessed to get together with a group of a dozen or so leaders in my community to hash through sticky issues and learn from each other. Half the time, we have a professional speaker join us for a few hours to challenge us, stretch us and drop a few pearls of wisdom in the collection plate.

This month, we heard from the President of Chicago’s Second City, Diana Martinez. She has had a full career in show business on the production and direction side but came to speak to us about collaboration and the science behind the comedy. Look up Neva Boyd if you’re interested.

We did a few exercises to demonstrate how difficult it is to communicate effectively without increased awareness and how quick things can change with a little training and a little trust. We did silly stuff like clapping hands, squeezing hands along with more serious stuff like highlighting who you prefer to work with and what traits you appreciate about those people. We tried to tell a congruent story about certain preselected topics, one word at a time, per person, but the string broke every time it came to me. Creative juices just weren’t flowing, I guess.

Interesting topic was Yes, AND…
You may have heard this when someone says you aren’t allowed to say “but” because when you do, anything prior to that is forgotten. So if you say “you’re an awesome employee but you messed this task up” …all anyone really hears is “you messed this task up” so we did a few exercises to emphasize the point with 2 of 5 in a group positive and the other 3 acted as idea killers. Very few ideas were actually generated because the ‘we already did that’, ‘I don’t think that would work’ and ‘I don’t like that’ cropped up and sucked all the energy out of the room.

With Yes, and…even if less than stellar ideas came forward, you could agree with the poor idea but use it as a segue to a better idea, letting the poor idea fade away instead of killings it on the spot. Combined with the idea that you want to make your partner look good, ideas flowed, no one felt stupid and better choices emerged.

Think about how many times you may have killed an idea without even knowing it because you shot down something you didn’t understand or like. Instead, could you encourage someone by getting on their side of the table and moving toward consensus?

Andy Stanley said, “Leaders who refuse to listen, will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing helpful to say.”

We finished up our meeting with a poem that we should all think about more often.

At Day’s End

Original attribution: John Hall

Is anyone happier because you passed his way?
Does anyone remember that you spoke to her today?
The day is almost over, and its toiling time is through,
Is there anyone to utter now a kindly word of you?
Can you say tonight, in parting with the day that’s slipping fast?
That you helped a single person of the many that you passed?
Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said?
Does the person whose hopes were fading,
Now with courage look ahead?
Did you use the day, or waste it? Or was it well or sorely spent?
Did you leave a trail of kindness, or a scar of discontent?
As you close your eyes in slumber, do you think that you will say,
You have earned one more tomorrow by the work you did today?

Have a blessed weekend!

Good morning, Team! It’s Friday!

We are smack dab in the middle of the holiday season and the weather in Minnesota just sent a quick but definitive reminder that we are warm blooded animals and have to acclimate to each season. The two busy squirrels out in the back yard have grown a thicker coat and they scurry about gathering [….] and occasionally peek in the windows with the sole purpose of taunting our dog who just about loses it every time the squirrel-friend teases her through the patio glass door.

The skies are gray most of the time, the sun rises late and disappears early. While I have a distinct appreciation for four full seasons from 100 degree sweltering Summer heat to 40 below plus Winter windchill, these aging bones and thinning tolerance for abrupt shift in weather … or plans … or frankly anything makes it increasingly difficult from going absolutely [….].

We invested in an echo earlier this year and as our firmware engineer son demonstrated last evening, there are a number of third party vendors adding programs, applications, etc. to this voice activated internet connection. We played a quick game of Jeopardy. Kind of fun. This new technology allows us to direct activities by simply annunciating “Alexa” and requesting something (as long as you frame it correctly and use Alexa as a prompt in the right amount of time). Imagine someone walking in while you are arguing with your short black tube on the counter…they’d think you were [….].

What could these seemingly random observations possibly have in common?

Take a quick look at the geopolitical and socioeconomic environment you live in. We are experiencing substantial changes on many, many fronts. We don’t like it. We prefer static but this world is dynamic. The financial markets prefer predictability but there is little of that to be found these days.

We need to be like the squirrels who adapt and adjust to their environment, simply for survival.
•Be aware of your surroundings and recognize when physical traits are changing to prepare you for the future
•Gather your [….] and squirrel them away for a time you’ll need them
•Make your own fun and taunt the animals on the other side of the glass once in a while

I am reminded regularly of the phrase “like rowing a boat in the ocean”. Have you tried this? If you try to row against the tide, you may burn up a lot of energy without getting anywhere but increasingly frustrated. You must understand your surroundings. Watch the tide. Read the waves. Whatever situation you are in, it may not be obvious, familiar or intuitive but if you don’t learn quickly (adapt and adjust), you may not survive.

As it relates to your career,
•Where are you today?
-In an environment that will help you get (or even discover) where you want to go?
•What are your plans to get there?
-Are you waiting for someone to tap you on the shoulder?
-Take interest in you?
-Encourage you to reach your potential?

Be aware
Be deliberate
Be the best version of yourself that God intended you to be
Be good at what you do but also be good to work with
Be direct, respectful but not mean

Have a blessed weekend!

Uninspired

 

Good day, All! It’s (almost) Friday!!

This time of year, I think about pilgrims and muskets and live turkeys and cornucopia. Others think about the lyrics “Over the hill and through the woods to Grandmother’s house we go”…and others think about Black Friday sales and the upcoming Christmas holiday season.

Thanksgiving may be an annual holiday but just like Veterans Day, Independence Day, and Mother’s Day – we should be thinking about a grateful mindset (as well as appreciation for freedom fighters, the liberties we enjoy and Moms) each and every day. Be thankful, show gratitude, appreciate what you have, who you are, and where you live.

So this week, we didn’t go to Grandma’s house, we didn’t eat turkey (together), and we weren’t in the same city on Thursday. Truth is, it’s downright difficult to pull together a modern day family from three different metropolitan areas for … anything.

Regardless of the setting, the temperature, the menu or the calendar…we gathered as family (Ohana) to spend time together, celebrate two birthdays around turkey day and enjoy the company of those closest to us. We laid out, we walked, we swam, we golfed, we rode ATV’s, and we hiked.

Pictured above at Smith’s Luau, we navigated the rain, took an informative trolley tour, ate the traditional pig prepared in an Imu, avoided the poi, and learned how to dance the Hukilau Hula…or watched as others tried to master it.

We are a blessed family who, like all families, have dealt with difficulties. Even on a trip to paradise,

•We took shelter when it rained.
•We argued over silly stuff, but moved on.
•We slipped and fell on muddy trails.
•We scraped knees and twisted ankles.

But we picked ourselves up, dried out, washed off, put triple antibiotic on the wounds and apologized for hurt feelings.

I am grateful for blessings and I am grateful for adversity, because it provides perspective.
I am grateful that we are all provided opportunities to strengthen our resilience.
I am grateful for new experiences in addition to traditions.
I am grateful for people who smile bigger and more often than I do.
I am grateful for the serious who barely ever smile.
I am grateful to have a family of loved ones to spend time with, in good times and bad, happy, sad, sick, or healthy.

Finally, I am grateful to God for sending his only Son to die for us that we might have eternal life.

I encourage all to reflect daily on the things in your life worthy of gratitude.

Have a blessed weekend!

Good morning, Team! Aloha from Kaua’i!

The Michel ‘ohana is making the trek to enjoy a few days of tropical bliss before we nestle into the Winter months.

I had the pleasure of hearing a very experienced negotiator/instructor on Monday. Jack Kaine spoke to my Vistage group and provided a 5 day Stanford course on negotiation in a 3 hour time slot. His story is compelling as his father was a literal horse trader and brought Jack with to witness deal making and would talk to him before and after the deals were done. Clearly, he paid attention.

He was throwing around salient points so fast that I got writer’s cramp. (see below)

He’s a little old school so we didn’t get power points or laminated handouts…he says his clients have done his advertising for him.

We went through an exercise to help us improve our understanding of how to ADD value rather than bargain or create win-lose scenarios. It really is rooted in asking more questions and seeking to understand before seeking to be understood.

I will try to recount the top things he said so you can digest, think about and work to implement these nuggets he has picked up and refined over his extensive years in business.

Out of the gate he started rattling off points important enough to start writing

•Bargaining is competitive and focuses on who’s right
•Negotiating focuses on what’s right

•Any agreement that favors one party won’t last
•Words don’t have meaning, people do
•Negotiation is all about control
•There’s always a better deal with all parties involved
•Never want anything so bad you have to have it
•First you educate, then you negotiate
•win-win = mutual gain, not equal gain
•Persistence is to negotiation as carbon is to steel

Five rules of negotiation
•The person who speaks first sets the tone
•The person who asks the most questions determines the content and direction
•Never argue! No one ever won an argument. Always question for understanding
•People do things for their reasons, not yours
•The person who listens the most will have the greatest effect on the outcome

More guidelines:
-Use promises, not threats
-Time is power, use it
-Do not negotiate with yourself
-Prepare
-Slow down
-Have the courage to set goals high
-Do not underestimate your power
-Ask good questions…”what” not “why” questions
-Business goes where it is invited, it only stays where it is appreciated
and my favorite…
-Prescription before diagnosis is malpractice

This training triggered another phrase for me, “work smarter, not harder”. My dad worked his ass off his entire life and imprinted a socially acceptable but painful characteristic in each of his kids. I feel bad for our spouses. I can say that he was a poor negotiator. He trusted people way too much and ended up with three times used up trucks (tired iron we used to call it), stock in silly shit like fertilizer made from carp grown in barrels by a guy named Ole and fire truck start up companies. Seriously. Get rich quick schemes don’t work and as hard as he worked, he should have been able to keep a little more.

If he would have recognized one of his weaknesses was an inability to negotiate a deal, whether it was buying equipment, a business or selling his product…we all may have prospered just a little more and saved our nose from being ground to the nubbins before we started growing facial hair.

My hope is that you, as leaders, take these points to heart and find the balance where you value who you are, what you do and achieve success in productivity instead of just being insanely busy from dawn to dusk.

Have a blessed weekend!

Good morning!  It’s Friday!  It’s Veterans Day and the elections are over!

This week I had a reunion with friends, former colleagues, competimates, mentees, mentors, and like-minded people at an industry function where we celebrated the first emerging leader group graduation through the American Council of Engineering Companies – North Dakota.

The venue for the celebration of this deliberate, three-year long investment in the future of solution provider leadership was the Heritage center on the capitol grounds.  What a setting!  What an event!  What a night!

It was clear that this class had bonded, stretched themselves outside of their comfort zone, made themselves vulnerable in front of their competitors and have grown tremendously during the process so they can LEAD the future.

Today we recognize, honor and thank those who served in the US armed forces…sacrificed time, talents, ability to grow their personal fortunes or hug their family daily…so we can all HAVE a future.

Elections are over!  Processes were followed and decisions have been made.  But wait…

•Protests ensued?  Really?!

•Death threats are being made?  Seriously?

Regardless of who you agreed with, supported and voted for to SHAPE our future, we live in a country where a popular vote and an electoral college coexist, where media makes mistakes daily and expects a back page retraction or a 10 second apology will make it all right.

So, what are the protesters protesting?  I’m unsure.

The independence we enjoy is based on brave men and women who raised and continue to raise their voice (and arms) when there is an injustice in the world.  If there is no injustice, then I think it’s just walking and whining.

Time to accept change.  Time to think toward the future and time to get past  sedentary lifestyles and make change instead of complaining to the world that you want things to be different without actually doing something about it.

Have a blessed weekend!

Good morning, Leaders! It’s Friday!

Self awareness, situational awareness and environmental awareness are three distinct and important parts of leadership.

Self-
How serious is someone going to take you if you’re presenting to a client or board or your boss but you’re wearing a smear on your shirt from your sick child? No one said you shouldn’t nurture your namesake but that’s still no excuse to show up in a professional setting looking like a mess.

•Do leaders dress sharp … or like they’re getting ready to lay sod?
•Do leaders brush their teeth and tongue … or walk around with broccoli sticking between their teeth?

•Do leaders hold their head up, smile and greet people with genuine admiration … or scowl and slouch and cuss under their breath?

Mind the way you show up.

Situation-

I heard a comic recently talk about passing gas on an elevator. I don’t recall the whole joke but you might imagine someone spending a couple of minutes in tight quarters, seeing someone and then smelling something and assigning blame…whether appropriate or not. Since you don’t know when someone gets on or someone gets off, a secluded tight compartment is a highly inappropriate place to relieve pressure. Even if you end up walking funny when you exit, it’s best to keep your “thoughts” to yourself.

Surroundings-

One of my driving instructors first words of advice were, “View the total traffic picture”. That was nearly 40 years ago. I do it subconsciously today but I had to learn it when I started driving. I think the same rules apply for awareness in leadership.
-Know where you are at all times.
-Who is your audience?
-What dangers should you anticipate?
-How fast are you going compared to the posted speed limit?
-Are you carrying passengers and if so, are they safe and secure?

Finally, when someone is distracted, with their attention glued to their cell phone…at work, while walking, while driving…I believe it’s safe to say they are not aware of their surroundings. They don’t realize how silly they look when they veer sharply, brake suddenly, miss a question from a colleague, or walk in front of a light rail train. I witness examples of this every single day. People, pull your head out of your…phone. Stop endangering yourself and the people around you.

Be more respectful
Be more observant
Be more present

Have a blessed weekend!