Good morning, Leaders! It’s Friday!

Wednesday night, my wife Carole, our younger son Zach and I took in a major league baseball game at Target field. We had the traditional peanuts and Cracker Jacks, along with beer, brats, hot dogs, cheese curds, water and (just in case) candy. Since we normally only get to one game a year, it’s important to sample one of everything we can stomach over a four hour period.

This was the third of three consecutive nights Zach freed up for us so we could dine, converse and just enjoy each other’s company. It was hot, muggy, kind of crowded and … probably one the most enjoyable evenings I’ve had in Minneapolis in years (and I guess the Twins won, too).

I fought back the urge to blurt out a thousand questions in the first hour of the first night on how he was doing; getting enough sleep, eating right, exercising regularly, staying engaged at work, etc. Because I’m not on Facebook, I can’t just catch up through social media, but I truly care and enjoyed hearing it from him. The best part was having him share stories and ask questions back about how things are going with Mom and Dad. I think our youngest has hit adulthood.

This blog is primarily about leadership but not just about what a leader shows up like at work. Virtually every leader I sit down with prefers to talk about what is near and dear to them – their family.
Why do we work so hard?
*Is it money?
*Is it recognition?
*Is it security?

Or,
Could it be that deep down, we want to provide the best possible environment where they can grow up to lead successful, meaningful, purposeful lives that add value to this world and possibly some day be blessed enough to share those lessons with their own children?

The most important leadership position I can think of is that of a parent. It is the most exhausting (especially in the early years), the most challenging (especially in the teenage years), and the most rewarding, every time I reflect on them, but even more so now that we can see them as adults and thank God we didn’t do something so irreversibly wrong that they couldn’t grow out of it.

My career goals have varied over the years depending on where I was in life and where I wanted to be. However, my parental goals have been simple and consistent.
*I want to be available to them at any time for any reason.
*I want to openly express my love for them.

Have a blessed weekend!

Good Morning, Leaders!  It’s Friday!

I firmly believe that one of the false pretenses we face today is that this world is meant to be good, fair, and reconcilable…and anyone who decides otherwise must be a fatalist.

In a very recent conversation with one of my pastors, we hashed over some of the qualities of leadership-caliber character, including humility. Followers perceive this quality to be an important aspect of someone they would listen to. I agree.

Another redeemable quality is Integrity. Dr Henry Cloud, in his book on the subject describes the kind of character that:
1. Creates and maintains trust
2. Is able to see and face reality
3. Works in a way that brings results
4. Embraces negative realities and solves them
5. Causes growth and increase
6. Achieves transcendence and meaning in life

I think courage is another quality that people can get behind but I’m not just talking about David (from David and Goliath) – type courage, I’m thinking about those who understand the world is broken but have the courage to persevere without succumbing to the multiple trappings this world offers to self-medicate and endure. I’m talking about the courage to inspire, to trudge through the muck knowing full well there is no oasis on the other side but persist because it is their duty…in a “Saving Private Ryan” sort of way.

If humility, integrity and courage were the three primary characteristics of your leader where they listened before speaking, they gave and kept their word and displayed unflappable commitment to the primary mission of your organization despite the circumstances or the consequences…I’d call that a solid leader.

Leaders are all around us well beyond title or position description. Leaders come in all shapes, sizes, age, nation of origin, religion, or gender. If you are a leader, be a better one AND give an aspiring leader a boost. If you hope to become a leader, the list above is not a bad place to start.

If you’re not sure where you stand or don’t know what you’re next step is…start with the sage advice bestowed on me rather early in life – Lead, follow or get your butt out of the way!

Have a blessed weekend.

Good morning, World!  It’s Friday!

It’s 4 am, the light goes on and I hear
“Honey, are you ready to get it on?”…

Not that many years ago, I’d be sound asleep at 4 in the morning and hearing something like that would either prompt me to think I’m dreaming or would quickly wake me up and command my full attention.

Today, 4 is about the time I answer Mother Nature’s call and sadly, I know that my lovely wife is referring to the anti-anxiety garment (Thunder Shirt) the dog needs put on to keep it from freaking out and keeping both of us awake with the passing thunder storm.
[sigh]

What a delicate balance there is to communicating effectively and efficiently. The proper choice of words to achieve full understanding is critical. If you drone on and on to clarify your point, you’ll likely lose even the most interested person. Your audience has a collective attention span that may be quite low (if it exists at all) and pays more attention to body language and tone of voice – so how do you capture and keep someone’s attention?

I’d start with
*content
*clarity
*compassionate tone

How do you know whether they comprehended what you said?

One of the first rules I’ve learned is to ask them to repeat it back in their own words. It will seem awkward and cumbersome at first but the practice may save both parties frustration (or embarrassment).

Now, you can go back to sleep since the dog has been taken care of.

…huh?

Have a blessed weekend.

Good morning, World! It’s Friday!

On a recent trip to Seattle (panoramic view to the West from Century Link field to the Space Needle), I was privileged to find a well-experienced tour guide to walk me through the site of a $3.1B public works project using a boring machine dubbed Bertha.
She is in the media, she is contentious, she has many partners and she is currently laid up getting a new set of “teeth” (pictured below with two highly influential decision makers who are working against a tight time schedule, a vicious media and logistical challenges) to ease congestion in one of the more restricted traffic regions in the country.

I marvel at the innovation, the size, and the scope of this project. What struck me during the entire tour was how many obstacles they’ve been through already (political, media, language -due to the global reach of capabilities encompassed in this joint venture- to name a few) and how great this project will be when its completed. The vast majority of people who will benefit from it have no comprehension of what’s going on here.

It reminded me of my behind the scenes tour of Freedom Tower in New York a couple of years ago and the incredible amount of work and time that went into the associated projects below ground. Out of sight, out of mind? I really want to believe we, as a nation, are not so shallow that we quickly forget the substantial value of infrastructure improvements and hope we don’t jump on the Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY) train as soon as we are temporarily inconvenienced.

We came for a long weekend to visit our daughter and the Friday evening news had a special on Bertha and in the same newscast the traffic report said it would take 2.5+ hours to get from the NE portion of Seattle to the SW portion of the metro. This project seeks to reduce congestion and frustration and to give back time to commuters. What is the quality of life improvement worth to them? How many places do you know of where you can buy time? I, for one, hate sitting still in traffic.

Designers and builders that seek to improve public safety and add to the quality of life that we subsequently enjoy should be heralded as heroes, not scapegoats. Anything from flipping a light switch to turning on the faucet to making a cell call, driving to work, jumping on a plane, train or ferry is possible because of the amazing people who work tirelessly to design, build and maintain a first-world-country expectation.

I had goosebumps walking through the completed portion of the tunnel as well as the machine itself. The equipment, the people and the collective mission is nothing short of amazing. I can’t wait to see this finished product.

More information can be acquired at @BerthaDigsSR99 or http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Viaduct

Have a blessed weekend!

Good morning, World! It’s Friday!

It has been my experience over the first fifty years of my time on earth that care comes in many different forms, i.e.

*It has been said regarding leadership that “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”.

*I heard an economic development director for the region we once lived say to a group of residents, “I believe I care more about this community than most of you do!” Whether true or not, it sparked a response to step up efforts or get out of the way.

*I recently spent an afternoon with a long-time leader in my industry who said, “Eric you told me last year that you don’t do ‘warm and fuzzy’ (well).” He went on to say, “I’m here to tell you that I said something similar over 20 years ago and now most in my company would say that I am the most ‘warm and fuzzy’ guy here.”

Hmmmm

We’ve all likely heard that you should – “Never judge a book by its cover”.

I believe that a leader has a primary responsibility to guide, direct, navigate and influence by what the industry, company and individual needs for the short, mid, and long term…not to be swayed by what people want at the moment. Short-sighted decision making leads to less than optimal outcomes and severely disappointed stakeholders.
-Smile for a day and cry for a lifetime seems tragic and irresponsible, doesn’t it?

The challenge seems to come when communicating difficult messages on longer-term, deeply complex and challenging issues and the vast majority of the audience immediately turns their attention inward (human nature, perhaps) wondering…

What’s in it for me?
or
How will this impact my career, bank account, free time, relationships…comfort?

…maybe even before they’ve heard the decision making process. In absence of the time it takes to explain all the information absorbed and assessments made, there must be trust. Trust that leadership cares about the right things and when all things are considered, they arrive at the best possible outcome for all affected parties.

I recently saw a video clip of a national presenter talking about a highly successful (decade long, double-digit annual growth and high employee satisfaction) bank in Georgia, crediting their success to “Love”. The presenter said he interviewed many employees who talked about taking full accountability for their actions and no tolerance for excuses. When the bank CEO was confronted with the feedback, without missing a beat and before even making eye contact, he retorted (remember to read this with your best Southern drawl), “I never said it wasn’t TOUGH love.”

The path of least resistance doesn’t come up on my internal GPS. Scanning the environment is in my DNA and the good Lord blessed me with the resolve and resilience to back up the decision to consistently take the high road.

I’ve already packed a lunch for the next trek. Are you ready to join me?

Have a blessed weekend.

Good morning, World! It’s Friday!

Pictured is the “Mighty Mack” bridge in Michigan built decades ago for just under $100 million (back when $100 million was a big number). I took the picture on our way back from our recent trip to Mackinac Island.  The cost is no longer remarkable but the purpose for and functionality of the bridge still is.

So, how does this relate to leadership?

An old friend, fellow engineer, executive coach and author Mel Nelson uses this bridge as a metaphor to explain what he believes are key principles of leadership. In his book, “Building Bridges: Today’s Decisions-Gateway to Your Future”, Mel describes the four basic components of this bridge; cable anchorages, footings/towers, suspension cables, and spans/road deck and how they relate to strategy, values, leadership and relationships. It’s a quality read that helps one visualize this iconic structure and how effective planning and design of any nature, whether physical, career or personal employing key leadership principles – in the proper relational construct – will provide long-term value.

As with any substantial structure like this one, there are a thousand stories of challenges overcome, economic benefits gained, and wonders realized that spark the imagination with “what ifs” and “why nots”:

*Connecting the upper and lower peninsula of Michigan

* Discovering the ability to fly

* Exploring space

*Designing, building and dispersing a personal communication device in everyone’s hand-with the power of a computer and an ability to connect across the globe

We are limited only by our imagination and our will to pursue it.

What bridge (physical, emotional, virtual, relational or otherwise) are you currently working on?

Have a blessed weekend.

Good morning, World! It’s Friday! (and the observed Independence Day holiday.)

I was in our nation’s Capitol on a mentoring mission in April and spent a little time at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History where I saw our nation’s Betsy Ross original in all its glory. Songs were written about that flag that still inspire us to think about how fortunate we are to live in the greatest country on earth.

This last week Carole and I peeked outside of the U.S. on a little milestone anniversary trip where we crossed into Canada on our way to Niagara Falls. Our navigation took us across the border but it did feel different, changing the speedometer settings to metric, fueling up at a gas station or grabbing a sandwich- it was subtle but enough to make me slightly uncomfortable and miss the comforts of home.

Over this expanded weekend, you’ll likely participate in a barbecue or watch some fireworks, maybe set some off, or wear some red, white and/or blue and hopefully … relax.

Letting your guard down seems so easy and so natural but it was only a little over two centuries ago where we didn’t have that luxury of saying what we thought, driving where we prefer, earning as much as we aspire to, worshiping to our belief or taking a little break without fear of unwarranted retribution.

We enjoy a tremendous number of freedoms today in this country. As you celebrate this weekend, pause for a moment to reflect on how fortunate we are, how hard fought our freedom was originally won and the number of times in this country’s short life we’ve had to defend it. Thank an armed forces member for their service and sacrifice on this Independence Day weekend.

Have a blessed weekend.

Good morning, World! It’s Friday!

For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again but the wicked stumble when calamity falls
Proverbs 24:16

How do you gain a sense of appreciation?

When things go well, we feel good and start to believe we made all the right choices and our success is by our own hand. But…
when things don’t go well, we think we’re cursed and made poor choices and wring our hands and grind our teeth and grumble and cuss and we dig our own mental holes. Every road has bumps and rough patches and detours. No one gets a newly paved highway from cradle to grave. No one. So why does it seem that some people have it so easy?
Did they get “lucky”? Or…did they learn the ninth Fruit of the Spirit and master self-control? Did they stop complaining to the (ultimate) referee and wake up earlier every day to sharpen the mastery of their own game?

Erik Weihenmayer, the first blind individual to climb the seven highest peaks on seven continents, knows failure and he knows self control. In his book The Adversity Advantage written with Paul Stolz, they used the metaphor of the Seven Summits to discuss how to turn pain and suffering into growth and development. Sounds better than whining followed by more pain and suffering, doesn’t it?

I can’t tell you why I’ve always been this way but simply and professionally stated, I prefer candor. If it looks and smells like [ahem…pooh], it probably is. Who among you appreciates a polished turd? I say, call it what it is, allocate resources accordingly and move on.

If you laid an egg, biffed it, messed up or were dealt a crappy hand…get up, clean it up and move on. What more certain way do you know of to not repeat something besides living through a bad situation? The quicker you recognize your situation, the quicker you can improve it. Once you’ve lived through a bad situation, the slimmer the chance you’d repeat it.

Gain wisdom, apply liberally on your future and succeed!

Have a blessed weekend.

Good evening, World! It’s Sunday (and a very special Father’s Day).

My father Ken passed away in February this year. He lived a full life and was the hardest working man I’ve ever known. Suffice it to say he made a lifelong impression on me. His father wasn’t around to guide him through his teens or twenties. My father’s father put an end to his suffering when they could find no cure for his excruciating headaches. He ended his pain but left a difficult void to fill. Who would be there for Dad to learn from?

The Navy taught Dad discipline and his desire to succeed overcame a number of obstacles that most small businesses face. Even the latest statistics indicate that 9 out of 10 new business ventures fail so he demonstrated a relentless resilience for us kids each day on how to persevere in business and in life.

I paid attention, made mental notes, made some critical choices and focused on success. I hoped to achieve what seemed so elusive for Dad…financial accomplishment. Mid way through life, I find my focus shifting away from striving for success and more toward seeking significance.

I heard Coach Jerry Kill (Minnesota Gopher football coach) this morning addressing Westwood church (we LiveStream it) on the priorities of faith, family and football – in that order and how it wasn’t always that way for him. I can identify with having a mixed up set of priorities.

That is why I am so proud of my son Jeff and how he has his priorities straight.

Recap:

My grandfather instilled a sense of urgency into my Father that he grow up quickly and trust himself.

My Father instilled an incredible amount of responsibility and work ethic in me.

I did my best to instill a desire that our kids reach maximum potential and leverage the gifts God blessed us with.

My son Jeff has made sacrifices, relocated, put career goal emphasis behind fatherhood and realigned typical materialistic tendencies to ensure his son Dylan is taken care of first.

With this kind of living and fully present example, my grandson Dylan is growing up knowing his Dad as being the number one male figure in his life; teaching, guiding, loving, laughing and sharing quality time together.

Happy Father’s Day.

Have a blessed week.

Good morning, World! It’s Friday!

John Hauser is a leader in our community, founding pastor at Prairie Heights church, who worked for the same company I have over a period of time while he was answering his calling. He introduced me to John Maxwell’s leadership teachings and we began to inculcate the company with VCR recorded lessons during lunch time. We were planting leadership seeds.

Before, during and since that time, John Maxwell has written a tremendous number of leadership books and produced a number of simulcasts (Leadercast) in which he has introduced the world to easy to read and easy to practice leadership principles.

I recently heard one of his Leadercast references that resonated and I thought worthy of repeating (see title). While Mr. Maxwell specifically details what it means to him, John Hauser and I collaborated to put the principle into practice before it had been articulated by Mr. Maxwell.

A true leader is not the one with the most followers but the one who creates the most leaders. John Maxwell

This quest for true leadership is not about amassing a collection of talented individuals in a closed system where the developed abilities are sequestered. Our focus was to develop leadership in a learning environment where non-billable time was not considered a cost but an investment. The investment has “flight” risks but as I recently read regarding this deliberate executive decision, author unknown; CFO says to CEO-“What happens if we train all of our people and they leave?” CEO to CFO-“What happens if we don’t … and they stay?” A river does not stay in the confines of a closed berm, it is a living system that communicates, flows, feeds…

Demographics studies clearly indicate that post-baby-boomer-talent voids will be difficult to fill.  Automation and immigration have limitations. If the focus on quantity doesn’t satisfy the need, we must (and chose to) turn our focus to quality. Developing people to become their very best, reach their highest potential, to lead every aspect of our organizations. To replace (or even enhance) the vacated positions with quality leaders.

Attrition is viewed by many as a negative. In this economic environment, post recession, it is a reality that talent will shift – and possibly due to reasons beyond current comprehension. If you’ve developed leaders in an environment where rivers are celebrated and reservoirs are not, you’ve made an investment into the future of your communities, your industry, your company and your people that will transcend quarterly results and sustain a brand for decades to come.

Have a blessed weekend.