What does the science around creating Joy tell us about leadership

How we approach a task, the inner thoughts we hold around it, to a great extent, determine outcomes.  What it feels like.   Our attitudes, and beliefs all these things have a profound impact on the result we experience. 

Excell is about taking consistent, regular and frequent steps to move from one behavior to new ones.  Excell is designed for business owners and senior executives and is focused on their desire to get to or stay at the top of their game? 

So, back to inner thoughts and their impact on our approach.  Recently, I read some articles and research on creating habits and sustaining change (let me know if you want some of the sources).  After taking in the points of these articles and the research conducted on the impact of seemingly small actions, I decided to experience some of them.  Six months ago, I added to my meditation practice, a practice of finding 3 things about which I felt gratitude. 

I also set some, albeit subjective, measurements to determine changes.  Prior to starting the experience, I began noting how I felt at the beginning and end of each day and asked others to indicate how they experienced me.  For thirty days, I noted, each day, a plus or minus.  Then I began a daily practice of noting three things about which I felt grateful.  What I found was a substantial shift in the number of pluses noted in my calendar. 

While, not a well designed or statistically significant experiment, what I found was a substantial shift in how I approached every situation.  Personally, I am convinced and am looking to extend this practice. 

The sense of well being I feel is palpable.  OK… so why talk about this in this blog.  It is, after all, a business blog…. so, where does the business part come in?  Well, think about how resilient you are.  You lose a big customer, would it take you down?  What if you could experience a stressful moment or a big downturn with more resilience?  Would that aid you in recovering?  I sure bet it would.  I am finding that I am far better inoculated and less impacted by the stuff coming at me and I attribute the shift to the last 6 month experiment. 

I am about to undertake a second phase in which I will find an opportunity to tell at least three people each week, that I feel grateful for their part in my life and why?  I am betting that this will not only affect them and increases the strength of the relationship that I have with these various people, it will increase my resilience. 

Like communicating a vision/dream in business, telling people about dream is key to manifesting it.  Let’s see how this turns out. 

Follow along.  Let’s see what happens.  For those of you already doing well at communicating your dream, how do you do that (what are the different ways)?  How often do you tell/repeat your message? 

The Open Gate

Today we have a guest blog from Dan Weedin:

Dogs don’t wait at open gates…

We don’t have a gate at my home. We have a beautiful greenbelt behind us, and due to the uneven slope, it’s impossible to have a regular wooden gate. My friends tell me that electric fence works well for dogs. They obviously don’t own a Jack Russell terrier.

My JRT (aka the Jack Russell) is named Captain Jack for a reason.  During his nearly 6 years with us, he has encountered open doors rather than gates. He has made the most of these opportunities to dash out. An open gate to a dog means new adventures, new smells, and boundless fun. All dogs are wired the same for this. Can you imagine a dog approaching a gate that is left far enough ajar for him to make a break for it – pause deeply – consider the consequences of his actions - and sit silently contemplating if the move has enough upside to run through it? Me neither.

That’s exactly what many executives do on a daily basis. They see a wide-open opportunity out beyond a “gate.” That opportunity looks enticing and full of opportunity; yet it also involves risk. They make an initial sprint to the edge of the gate to get a better look, and then stop to pause and ponder. “What if things go wrong?” “What if I get hurt?” “What if I get lost?” “What if I get blamed?”

The problem is that while they sit and wait, opportunity at that moment is either lost forever or (worse) taken by someone else.

I’m pretty sure that if Captain Jack had an electric fence, he would know the ramifications of breaching that barrier. He’s smart that way. Based on my experience with him, he would take the pain to gain the reward. The shock and pain is short-lived and not fatal. The reward is forever (or until I wear both of us out tracking him down). But even then he would have gained through this new adventure and surely risk the open gate again.

You will likely tell me we aren’t dogs and that risk needs to be contemplated, assessed, and prudent. Yawn. At some point you burst through open gates to where you are now. Unfortunately as we age we get more tethered to the yard. Comfort and fear keep us from taking the still smart risks we took before when we weren’t as careful. Don’t turn into an old dog, no matter what your biological age. That actually carries more risk than the alternative.

That’s part of the concept of being “unleashed.” Don’t get caught inside the gate staring wistfully out at opportunity. Life is short and our professional careers even shorter.

What’s out there waiting for you?

DAN WEEDIN

Dan Weedin helps turn his clients business risk into rewards. He is able to take the abstract concepts of risk and crisis management to help business owners prepare and respond more effectively and with less time and cost to crisis. Since he doesn’t work for an insurance company or agency, he is able to act as an unbiased advocate for his clients. You can lear ore about Dan and how he can help your business on his web site at www.DanWeedin.com.

Why are the people of Seattle so excited and what should that tell you about your company?

From the last game with the 49ers, to the match up between the only two states to legalize marijuana provide a huge number of topic ideas for almost anyone writing a blog.  Today, I want to talk about the impact of common vision, 12^th man. 

Why the 12^th Man? …. because anyone whose job is to lead a company, or part of one, has to figure out what is the lesson of the 12^th man or be doomed to  stalling out.  Our country and the American culture has experienced consistent negativism/fear for the last generation.  We are depleted and now focus on the negative.  The 12^th Man is creating a culture shift in Seattle and it is wonderful, positive and may continue beyond the Super Bowl (win or lose). 

As I traveled around Seattle, over the last few weeks, the number 12 is everywhere… I mean, everywhere!  The Seattle Metro area has over 3.5 million people. Of those 3.5 million people, only a little more than 50 have an opportunity to actually do something on the field that will create a win.  Only about 70,000 (total) will sit in the stands and perhaps some of those will provide energy and noise level that may impact the outcome. 

Yet, here we sit in Seattle smiling at our neighbors, actually letting drivers pull in to our lane (yes I have witnessed and experienced this, and if you live in Seattle, you know that is a pretty big deal.  Seattle drivers are consistently selfish and will actually speed up to keep others from entering their lane, getting ahead of them).  In short, some large portion of that 3.5 million people are identifying with and connecting to the Seahawks, being a part of the 12^th man. 

Are all those people who identify as the 12^th man, football fanatics? I would suggest it is simply about feeling connected, a part of something positive and exciting. 

I believe that the 12^th man is about dreaming. What is the dream? 

Do most of us (outside of the 50 or so who will actually play the game) think we are professional football players?  Most of us are not and we know it and a large number are not consistent football fans.  So what is it what we identify with and what is the vision to which we are connecting?

When a positive idea captures us and we climb on board, it is for ourselves.  We are social animals.  We have a powerful need to be with the group.  So, in the midst of divisive culture and fear (politics, religion, weather reports), here is something that is uplifting and connecting. 

You and I can be a part of the 12^th man.  We can feel noble and a part of something greater than ourselves.  We seek leaders and identify for ourselves.  We take action whether to put a 12^th man flag on our house, car or office  because it means that we belong to that tribe/group who are doing something with passion.  It, the dream, is bigger than ourselves.  It is positive/gives meaning to our lives and it means we are identifying with those around us. 

So, if you get out of bed and are excited to get to work… that’s great!  Who else do you inspire?  To whom do you communicate about why your job, company, work are so all fired important and exciting?  If you don’t do share your vision/dreams it is unlikely that you will create a shared dream and without a shared dream, it is likely that, at some point you will stall. 

What do you do to find, retain and work with people who love the same dream as you? 

Meaning does not lie in the work. Meaning lies in us and we must bring it to our work!

If you are doing something at work, it should have a purpose and the purpose ought to be pretty important.  I often times show up at a client’s office for a consultation and because I am a “ten minute early guy”, I chat for a few minutes with the receptionist or whoever else crosses my path. 

Most of the time, I ask a litmus set of questions.  At one company, I found myself in front of the receptionist and asked her what were the three most important goals the company had for that year.  Some of you may be smiling…., “Oh she’s just the receptionist!”  When she did not know, I asked the next two people who came out to the reception area (one was a senior partner) and they could not tell me. 

My client had a rather rough consultation that day.  The next time I showed up for a consultation at that company, the receptionist recited for me the top three goals for that company.  I then asked her what she was doing and which of those goals she was furthering by her actions. 

Over a six month period, I experienced a growing awareness, focus and direction by those working in this company.  That is a good thing. 

What I next raised, as an issue, was meaning.  The meaning we bring to our work can be a powerful leadership tool or an extraordinary gap between us and our work.  Many people love their work.  Enjoying what you do is different than understanding that your work has meaning (is important) to you. 

Meaning is a fundamental issue for companies that want to grow and sustainably prosper.  There are corporate examples of those who brought meaning to their work.  Steve Jobs stamped his mission of meaning in to every concept, product and practice that Apple developed.  At one point, Bill Gates did the same.  It is powerful to see what happens when vision (one form of meaning) is gone. 

What I would like you to consider is that even your smallest actions should have meaning.  Your company is filled with people who are either doing their work with a sense of meaning/purpose or they are getting a paycheck.  Which do you want in your company? 

If you want zealots and advocates, don’t try and copy what has worked for other companies on a visionary level.  Start with your own sense of meaning.  Then communicate your meaning to others and help them find theirs.  Notice, I did not suggest you have them adopt yours. 

It is not realistic to think that everyone will get jazzed by the same thing you do.  Figure out how you can unearth what they are, or could be jazzed about, and then support them in brining that to work. 

What do you think works to find out a persons meaning?  How do you help your employees bring meaning in to their every action? 

Leadership Smarts

Today we have a guest blog from Jim Hessler:

Your computer would like you to be more like it. Don’t do it.

You are not a computer. Don’t try to operate like one.  The intelligence that fosters leadership is very, very different from the “intelligence” of your computer.

What constitutes leadership intelligence?

1. A well-rounded intellect. Reading To Kill a Mockingbird or Moby Dick might help you lead as much as repeated readings of Good to Great. Don’t be a “business savant;” the type of intelligence required to understand spreadsheets and design processes is fed and supported by a broader awareness of the world.
2. Studying human nature. When you go to the ball game, are you more interested in the players’ statistics than in the amazing panorama of human behavior in the stands?  Great leaders are fascinated with what makes humans tick.
3. Awareness of political and social issues. What’s going on in the world around you affects your business.  If that doesn’t make sense to you, you’re not thinking strategically.  One example:  as fossil fuels get harder — and more expensive — to extract from the ground and the oceans, have you considered the impact on your business 10 years down the road?
4. Spirituality. Whatever form this takes, I believe a leader has to have a spiritual life. It grounds you, challenges you to consider your values in every decision, gives you time for reflection and contemplation, and opens you to depth in your relationships. Whether you commune with the gods or the sparrows, remember that you are a whole human being and your organization will benefit if you are bringing a bigger “you” into the workplace.
5. Physical intelligence. Understanding what your body needs and meeting those needs is a form of leadership intelligence. It improves not just your physical, but also your intellectual, emotional, and relational “posture” in countless ways.

YOUR PATH FORWARD: To what extent do you spend focused time, every week, developing each of the five kinds of intelligence above?  On a scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself on each.  (1 is “no time at all”; 10 is “the ideal amount of time for becoming steeped in this kind of intelligence.”)  Then take your two lowest scores and create a plan for engaging in activities that develop those two capacities.

You are not a computer. Don’t just plug yourself in, power up, and spend your day processing. Be a human being. Be a leader.

Jim Hessler:

Jim brings over 25 years of business management and executive leadership experience to Path Forward, which he founded in 2001.

Jim has been an award-winning salesman, sales manager, general manager, and executive. He has specialized in turning around underperforming operations, and in the mid 90’s he helped lead a massive national reorganization for a Fortune 150 company.

Jim’s experience in general management has resulted in broad and deep knowledge of nearly all aspects of a well-run business. From building and managing a sales organization, to managing complex inventories and delivery systems, to generating vision and trust in demoralized organizations, to leading complex restructuring efforts, Jim has earned a depth of knowledge and insight that serves his Path Forward clients exceedingly well, regardless of the leadership challenges they face.

Jim lives in Issaquah, Washington, and has been married for 32 years to Paula Weiss, a teacher in the Issaquah School District.

Act Now to Reduce Risk and Stress by Systematizing Process

Today we have a blog from Earl Bell:

I have observed over the years that companies who are consistently Winning in the Game of Business have systematized what works. Great managers ensure that best practices and processes are documented, teachable, repeatable and institutionalized.  Inversely, companies that struggle with scalable success in execution typically have silos which are built within positions in departments where individuals do not share key knowledge.  By the way, silos are meant for grain and not business! 

Having key knowledge locked in the minds of an individual is risky for the company and stressful for many; especially when a company is growing!  However, there is a solution which can be implemented with time, energy and commitment.

Towards that end, below is checklist you can use to reduce business risk while systematizing business process:

1. Build an organization chart with job descriptions for each position.  Ask each department head to work with your Human Resources leader or engage an outside professional to help get this done.  Without a formal job description, it is hard to assign responsibility and accountability for work that is being done.  To build greater alignment between strategic initiatives and tactical execution, be sure to define how each position and work being done aligns with company-wide strategic goals.
2.   With each department head and for their respective employees:

a.   Document key business processes.  Documentation is complete and sufficient when others in the company can do the work without oversight.

b.    Ensure that at least two employees in the company can do every task required within the company.

c.     Coach employees who refuse to share knowledge on how to do their jobs.  Help them recognize that business is a team sport.  Keep team players, and find ways to shed individual performers that want to work solo, unless you are comfortable assuming this risk.

d.    In the same spirit, make sure key customers and vendors have at least two people in the company they know and want to work with, thus developing depth in your company’s ability to serve these key relationships.

e.    Coach employees who are reluctant to help build relationships between key customers/vendors with others in the company.  Again, business is a team sport and you need team players.  Sometimes, changing team members is necessary to build a healthy and sustainable company.

Albert Einstein once said that, “everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”  So in that spirit, my question is… “Will you accept the challenge in 2014 of taking the journey to build redundancy and reduce risk in your organization?”  If not, “Will you at least take the time to quantify the potential risk to your company by not taking action?”

My belief is that those accept this challenge will likely find that customers and vendors will thank you for making doing business with your company easier while team-oriented employees will give thanks for making work less stressful and more fun!

EARL BELL

EARL BELL is the author of, Winning in Baseball and Business, Transforming Little League Principles into Major League Profits for Your Company, which provides a roadmap to success for leaders that desire to build thriving companies in a very competitive 21^stcentury business environment.  Earl believes that “everything you need to know about business, leadership and team building can be learned from Little League baseball.”

Earl conducts workshops, coaches and consults with owners, business leaders and their teams, teaching them how to dramatically reduce the time it takes to improve profitability, customer experience, employee engagement and company value, while simultaneously increasing discretionary time and reducing both stress/employee burnout.  He believes the secret to winning in baseball, business and life can be summarized in a simple formula:  Winning = Service + Humility. His motto is that Winning in Business is a Team Sport!

Earl has served in the Chief Financial Officer role for numerous companies throughout North America. His personal passion is youth sports and he has coached 28 teams since 2002.  Earl is a CPA, graduated from SU (Seattle University) with a BA in Accounting and from the MILL (Mercer Island Little League) with a Master’s in Youth Baseball.

Earl Bell can be reached at  earl@earlbell.com and 206-420-5946

Name one thing that larger business do better than small businesses?

Almost all business news focused on publicly traded companies, ends up talking about how they are forced to look at short quarterly cycles, and that this charge to quarterly earnings has negative consequences.  Frankly, the framing of this issue by the business media is a disservice to both businesses and the public and, what is more…. It is not an full reflection of what is happening. 

When I have talked with executives of larger companies, especially CEOs, they frame their focus on managing perceptions around quarterly earnings.  They are more concerned about staying the course on longer range plans. 

This may be a subtle difference to most of us and it is one that is profound.  Fleshed out, this means that the large company CEO believe their value to their companies is to set and maintain a long range course. 

Stay with me here…. This means that when plans are set, they are focused on letting the plan play out, rather than being reactive.  They know that to stay on course, they have to have most of their team and employees focused on executing the plan (not on managing quarterly earnings). 

There my friends is where smaller businesses are different.  Often, the CEO/Owner/Executive Team switch back and forth from tactical to longer range plans and too often, end up in the weeds and being reactive.  One of the places that hurts a smaller business and is too often neglected is in the CEO either focusing on shiny objects (whatever is in front of them) OR in letting others undermine a course that they have set. 

So, what can a small business owner/CEO do to not get sucked in to detail, where they are likely to be reactive?  Am I suggesting that a small business owner should not pay attention to cash flow , accounts receivable and the weekly/daily activities? 

What I have found and what I recommend is that you balance and separate.  First, balance how much time you spend on day to day with focusing on what will get your company to achieve its next set of goals.  At the same time, figure out what makes sense for you and your company…. How many hours spent on tactical and how many on longer range execution. 

There are a number of ways you can separate short term from long term.  First, make arbitrary separations.  Make sure you never mix agendas for your meetings.  I even went to the extra effort of having a break between tactical and longer term meetings. 

Next, ask yourself and your staff to always ask the question (I mean out loud): Are we being reactive?  Is this something that needs to play out because we have a plan or is “it” side-tracking us? 

I’ll bet you have some strategies and tools you use to separate and balance.  What are your strategies or suggestions?