I was leaving a networking breakfast in February of 2019 and was racing to a dentist appointment when I was hit by a car. I and the other driver were fine, but talk about being shaken up for a few hours. The car was towed and later replaced. While I count my blessings that things turned out okay, I was not okay. One of the contributing factors to this unfortunate event was I was racing. Just as I was racing away from what I hated in my corporate life, I was repeating the behavior in my entrepreneurial life. Does this sound familiar to you? Let’s continue this conversation and dig deeper into why we need to change as leaders.

If you are reading this, you are most likely a high performer. Just like a dog is rewarded with treats for good behavior, so is the leader who is rewarded for execution at the highest level. We are lulled into a false sense of satisfaction only to move onto the next thing that feeds that instant gratification until we keel over from eating too many treats. It’s called burnout, lack of motivation, loss of confidence, feeling lost; it manifests in so many ways. Most important for you to realize why you arrived at this place and the importance to change, but how? We are not taught how to change this behavior until we crash and the behavioral change is forced upon us. Still sound familiar? Then this is what I propose we do to change this behavior: 

You are in control of your schedule; book an hour a week to pause & reflect.

We’re not going to start meditation or a yoga class with this one hour, but the intent is to simply teach you to not schedule every minute of your day. Don’t even multitask and listen to a podcast while walking the dog. The mind needs air to allow new thoughts to flow out of it vs. forever putting in more data that may clutter clear thinking. You may start randomly thinking about what friends you’ll invite over for the weekend. You’ll think about that doctor appointment you’ve been putting off. You may even remember to call a friend to reconnect. 

These have nothing to do with your business or career, but it’s about starting a practice of taking back time for yourself. I may even go as far as don’t schedule exercise except for maybe walking. It’s about breaking the behavior of thinking you’re productive when the most productive thing you can do is rest the brain and allow new thoughts to flow. I know it’s hard, but you’re a high achiever, so I’m sure you can master this one! Book the hour now!

Look back in the rear view mirror and ask yourself what went well in 2021.

The simple act of backing up in your car; using either the rear view mirror or camera is a deliberate activity done slowly to ensure you are safe and kind to people and physical property. The same deliberate activity bodes well when you look at what you have done in 2021. While programmed to start planning your 2022 goals, the wisdom gained by reflecting on what went well in 2021 slows the mind down to realize what should you continue, start doing or change. 

As an example, in 2021 I evolved The Drop In CEO Brand and wrote my book The CEO’s Compass to put a stake in the ground as my area of expertise. I will continue to do that and start engaging more with my network to expand the community and reach to people I can serve. I will change the amount of time I’m in certain networking organizations because there is no long term value to my brand while spending more time in others. 

What might your reflections on 2021 be in the context of what to continue, what to start doing and what to change? Slow down, don’t go to the next section until you write a few notes on what 2021 was like and what you will bring forward.

Slow down more and minimize the casualties. 

The side effect of being a high performer has an exponential impact that can be hazardous to yourself, your employees and the community around them. When you can’t demonstrate leadership in slowing down, you burn out your team and erode the community structure around your employees. Sounds harsh, but it’s a reality that leaders don’t see unless they slow down. 

What would it look like if you scanned your email hourly, but only responded to them in the morning and at the end of the day (for 90% of email, this is just fine). Do you send email out on the weekend or schedule them to only go out Monday morning? Do you set up meetings at 8:00 am and up to 4:00 pm each day. Does this make sense as these are times when employees can be dealing with early day urgent matters or thinking about evening activities? 

You create chaos in the lives of others when you don’t prioritize activity and when activity takes place. This can only change when you slow down and think about how your leadership and activity level impacts the lives of many, many people. So my best advice is to slow down, think about whether you react or respond to situations and what is most important to get done that day, when on that day or maybe next week. 

When we exercise the muscle of restraint to not get everything done now, your discipline in slowing down is felt by many in the employee ecosystem. It’s not a popular decision and the old guard may perceive this as lazy, not performing at the highest level and maybe losing confidence in you as a leader. I propose to you and say, this is the courage we must take as leaders to recognize the value of slowing down. 

When we slow down, we show discipline and better decision logic in what we do and when we do it. And if we can’t get everything done, we should question if all activity was really necessary in the grand scheme of achieving your goals and those of the team. Leaders must show courage when doing the right thing and not what is expected by others. In the end your people will respect you and you will be the one they follow… because you slowed down.

If this makes sense, but you’d like to learn more about applying these principles to your situation, you can email me, direct message me on linkedin or simply grab a few minutes on my calendar.  

I find through casual conversation leveraging The CEOs Compass often has all the answers for you to get back on track. 

The CEO’s Compass: Your Guide to Get Back on Track – If you’re that leader who feels in their gut something is off track, this could be the resource for you.

Resources

Good Reads

In the spirit of the article to slow down, I’ve not been reading the  last few weeks. I have been thinking about what I’ve accomplished and given my mind air to let things flow out and give thought to the coming year. Good reads are helpful for inspiration, but at the moment, inspiration must come from within before we can move forward. I propose you take a moment or an hour to read what is inside your mind. There can be an amazing story worth reading. 

Good Music

Loyalty Remains by Veigar Margeirsson – when you listen to this song, there are images of a warrior riding a horse on rugged terrain towards a destiny. They briefly look back at where they’ve come from and then look forward to where they’re going. At this time of year, it’s important to realize your victories and those to be created. Enjoy this uplifting piece. 

Good Advice

“Because we are high-performers, so much of what we curate ourselves into is based on what we think the world expects. And that is a sure recipe to lose yourself.” -Tevis Trower

Have you ever changed your personal leadership style to what was expected to only realize it was not you that needed to change, but the community in which you serve? 

I once was advised to consider changing my “presence” and when I did, while it was interesting to some, it was not favored by others. That left me wondering if I was wrong in my approach, which impacted my confidence. Then I noticed a few people in my community started to gravitate towards the changes in my leadership style to which I realized I needed to change both in order to thrive as a leader. 

This is a challenge for a leader to make this realization as we’re programmed to press forward in our environment to make things work. However, the highly aware leader will take the time for self reflection to understand who they are as a leader, why they lead and how they will lead perhaps differently to get a different outcome. No amount of leadership books, courses or podcasts are going to enable you to be more effective until you realize what your leadership style is and only then can you move forward. I discuss this in the first chapter of my book The CEO’s Compass, impressing that every leader must pause first (I know slowing down is hard for us!), but it’s a necessary first step to understand the changes you need to make personally and then in how you serve others.

Realize who you serve is not you or the organization, but those in your care. 

Once I realized why I lead and how I was going to lead differently, I had to step out of my comfort zone to try new things. This takes a lot of courage because you won’t be at the top of your game anymore when it comes to perfection & efficiency; you’re going to stumble, but ultimately find out what works. I realized my meetings were too efficient and left no time to check in with my team on how they felt and what were their challenges. As soon as I started with What is working well and also what is not working, I started making stronger human connections and realized how I could serve my team to achieve results vs. driving results; a significant change in leadership style.

The meaning of presence; the great aha moment.

Remember earlier a colleague shared I needed to have more presence, but offered little guidance to what that meant. At first I thought it was to get a new wardrobe and I was better groomed with my hair & makeup. They shared with me that  it was about having key talking points each time I showed up, but there was no mentorship offered to evolve that skill. It was only later when I sought the input of an image consultant that presence was a complete package that started with consistency & quality of messaging. Oh, I wish I had found this person earlier in my career and who knows how it could have impacted my impact! 

It goes back to spending time with yourself as a leader and curating all the values & grounding talking points to which you deeply believe in and are the reasons you do what you do. Only then, (and by the way this is personal branding at the core) do you start evolving the external expression of these core values in how you communicate and connect with others. Once that messaging is honed in, you make minor changes in how you dress and groom that matches the messaging you wish to make with your community. 

Once I started showing up with a consistent set of values, talking points and my physical presence matching, people started to listen more and gravitate to my work and leadership. This advice was gold to me and if you’d like to know more about how to apply this to your situation, please reach out! I’d love to spread the wealth!

In the end, its more than what you do as a leader, but leaving a lasting impact

Up until now, I’ve shared with you simple changes in leadership style (aka brand) that move you from serving the business results to one that is creating connection with your community. That is incredibly important to ground you in the here and now.What leaders don’t often realize is the future impact of their work through these micro changes and how your work will far outlast the time you spent in the present. 

Leaders need to express their thought leadership beyond the confines of the organization.  When leaders only support the company brand, there is a missed opportunity to the existing community connected ecosystem. This is greater than visiting with customers or speaking at town halls or shareholder meetings. Once those forums no longer exist, so does the legacy of your leadership. When leaders who have come into their own and realize their thought leadership is far reaching beyond the boardroom, they serve an ever greater community and their legacy is more likely to be impactful.

Take 5% of your time to write an article. Speak at an industry event. Start being a podcast guest and engage in community service events. Increase the number of people you can impact.

The investment is clear; people want to align with people that align with their values. Investing in the community creates trust and then people want to be apart of you and the company you lead. By having the courage to share your thoughts with a greater community, you are destined to leave an impact for generations to come. 

Now I want you to pause and reflect on what I have shared. Do you work only to get a result? Or, do you work to leave a lasting impact? The answer is in you to take the time to develop your personal leadership brand. Once you have done that, you will find amazing strength and confidence in how you show up. That renewed energy then draws you into a new level of performance of being in service to others and inspiring others to do their best work. Now ask yourself if this is how you want to be remembered? 

If this makes sense, but you’d like to learn more about applying these principles to your situation, you can email me, direct message me on linkedin or simply grab a few minutes on my calendar.  

I find through casual conversation leveraging The CEOs Compass often has all the answers for you to get back on track. 

The CEO’s Compass: Your Guide to Get Back on Track – If you’re that leader who feels in their gut something is off track, this could be the resource for you.

Resources

Good Reads

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday in the US, I spent more time with my family and did not have time to read. Did you recently read something you’d like to share with others? Let me know what was a good read and why and we’ll highlight it next week in our newsletter. 

Good Music

Florence by Kevin Penkin  Did I ever mention to you I have a habit of procrastination? Or maybe it’s inspiration comes to me only when I take the time to listen to music such as this piece called Florence. It’s uplifting and playful and motivates me into a creative space. The entire album by Kevin is a great for inspiration. Let me know what you think!

Good Advice 

“Everybody has the skills to be successful at what they need to do to get the final outcome. It’s all about building that capability from the C-suite down.”

–Mitchell Levy

Listen and subscribe now:

As a mid-career manager, I used to say “I wish I were a fly on the wall in the director meetings so I would know what is happening and why.” In those days, I was stuck in reactionary mode, my next move dependent on data handed to me from above. I felt helpless to influence the future. I was missing a “crystal ball”; a tool similar to The CEO’s Compass allowing me to influence and solve challenges in the workplace.

I haven’t figured out how to predict tomorrow’s winning lottery numbers, but I have figured out the secret to predicting future challenges in the workplace.

For this exercise, I will pull out my compass and explain how “Process”, “Past” and “Pride” are used at the same time to gain insight.

Observe the Process of team interactions and watch for power plays

Being an engineer, sometimes collecting data is the only way I can make sense of the world. I started taking notes on observing people’s interactions and writing down my predictions. Over time, I found that these predictions of the future increased in accuracy as I honed the process of data in an interaction and then an expected outcome was recorded.

Watch for these interactions to see changes in the environment and potential calls to action (CTA):

When someone goes into the boss’s office and then walks out with extra energy in their step – most likely they’ve been given new responsibility, a new assignment or a pending promotion. 

• CTA: Engage with our boss that you’re open to new opportunities or challenges and why you should be considered. If one person is changing, there should be opportunities to engage with the new project or backfill openings that result from the change. 

When the boss is traveling extensively and you’re not sure what they’re doing, they’re potentially going through some strategic changes in the organization.

• CTA: Engage with your boss in a proactive way such as: I want to be proactive about my career; what are some areas of the organization I should be learning more about in case there are changes and I need to navigate quickly in the organization. 

Watch for people that have started to miss deadlines, are periodically taking a day off more often than not or are disengaged from work and don’t seem to care. They’re most likely going to leave the organization.

• CTA: If the person that is disengaging is in an area you’d like to have more responsibility; discuss with your boss your interest and willingness to expand your role. What can you do proactively now to learn more about a particular area. If you understand the gaps in the person’s performance, start sharing ideas to improve the person’s area of responsibility. You may be seen as the next go to resource to fill a gap. 

History repeats itself, so studying the “Past” gives you clues about the future and relationship power. 

Organizational Cultures are like the Titanic and are very slow to change, so study who got ahead in the organization and who can give you clues into being proactive about your future. To get ahead by merit alone is noble, but will slow down the process. Believe me, I know! Study the people that are steady & quiet workers or those who are loud – they always seem to get amazing opportunities and here’s why:

Watch the person that is steady & quiet and who they’re having lunch with or who they spend breaks with. They may have been working together for 5, 10, 20 years and have a long history of watching each other’s backs. One may have risen to a more senior role and is the advocate for the steady & quiet. 

• CTA: Align with the leader that is advocating for others and form a relationship. This can be a shortcut to moving forward, but understand what they value and how you can help them. They may start watching your back and advocating for you

Watch the loud person and for sources of strength. Look at who they’re aligned with in conversation for enriching or supporting what they said. Look at who they’re speaking to before or after their meetings for their alignments. They have a strong message, but it’s reinforced by someone in the room.

• CTA: Find your advocates. Presenting ideas is not good enough unless you’ve formed similar alliances with people that share your views. This is often done when you find someone who has shared values based on a similar past, building an alliance. When you show up to present a point, they have your back and your influence increases. 

When we pay respect to an individual’s “Pride,” we build trust and champions of our causes. 

Ever wonder who that really smart person in the corner is who only speaks when spoken to? You wonder about their great wisdom akin to Yoda and how they got to be so smart and survive the numerous changes in the organization and remain untouchable. These individuals have gained power through protecting their knowledge or “pride” and only a few are privy to their world. When you need these people to help us with important projects, what can you do to gain their trust? 

Observe who they are aligned with and have quiet conversations that no one can hear. 

• CTA: Schedule a 1-2-1 with the person you want to align with and take the time to learn about their many accomplishments and pay respect to their knowledge.
• CTA: Seek to understand why they spend more time with certain individuals and if they were part of their past successes.
• CTA: Ask for additional time to learn about their accomplishment in more detail and develop a bit of expertise in their area. This way you can advocate for them during a meeting as you have paid respect to their knowledge

When we pay respect to their “Pride” or area of expertise, they start watching out for you. They pull you aside and share information with you. It is up to you to determine if it’s relevant or are they trying to pull you astray or into their world of alliances.

Very often these people have been burned and are protective of their knowledge. They’re seeing if you will be aligned with them or not. It’s a delegate balance, but having these folks on your side can be mutually beneficial.

Now given all these compass points to understand the future and use relationships to gain insight and position, how do you apply all of this?

I stayed away from forecasting for many years, but later learned it was an essential skill not taught in school nor cultivated in your career, unless you had an advocate.

So if you don’t have an advocate, following some of these relationship building skills with the use of “Process,” “Past,” and “Pride” from The CEO’s Compass, you can use your own crystal ball to influence the future you want to have. 

If this makes sense, but you’d like to learn more about applying these principles to your situation, you can email me, direct message me on linkedin or simply grab a few minutes on my calendar.  

I find through casual conversation leveraging The CEOs Compass often has all the answers for you to get back on track. 

The CEO’s Compass: Your Guide to Get Back on Track – If you’re that leader who feels in their gut something is off track, this could be the resource for you.

Resources

Good Reads

The Long Game by Dorie Clark – finally finished this great work; I mentioned it over the past few weeks, but it came at a time where I’ve put in so much work into building my career and business. The strong message of quality & consistency and staying true to the strategy ultimately yields results. I so needed this read and recommend you read as well!

Good Music

Wake up, Moving on by Kevin Penkin – I was a little down this past week as not everything I had invested in was showing results. We need these moments of doubt to pause and reflect on how far we’ve come and how much closer we are to what we want to achieve. When we validate our convictions, you have a renewed sense of purpose and drive to continue forward. This song was light and refreshing and playful and lifted my spirits as I listened and pondered my future. I do hope you enjoy it. 

Good Advice

“If we just get a little bit better, we have a massive return on our overall success

and the success of our organization.”

–Mark Herschberg

Listen and subscribe now

I asked someone I really respected, what do I need to get ahead? They told me to get an MBA.

At the time I was raising three kids, chasing three ferrets and managing a career. The idea of adding MBA classes to the mix was enough to make me dizzy. Even later, when I was interviewing for a Director of Quality position and didn’t get the offer, I asked what was missing. They responded that I had great credentials, but I was missing my PCQI certification in Food Safety. I did eventually obtain that, but I question what was the value as I already had demonstrated competency in that area. 

What is the value of certifications? 

I could get myself in trouble because there is big business behind higher education & the certification industry, but that is secondary to what you need to do to elevate the impact of your team.

At surface level, certifications are proof that someone has the knowledge necessary to complete a specific task. An MBA serves as a testament to a knowledge base of business strategy and leadership skills.

However, when leading your own team you already have an understanding of what your individuals are capable of. Sending a team member off for a certification or an MBA while they are already juggling the job duties of your organization plus the responsibilities of outside life is sure to cause a dip in productivity at best and total burnout at worst.

Customizing Leadership Development

As leaders of high performers, we can identify the gaps of our team members and find the right strategies and resources to help them elevate their own skills on their own time. We do this through mentorship, trainings, and most of all business development books.

I wrote The CEO’s Compass: Your Guide to Get Back on Track, to be a resource for the CEO going through rapid transformation. Many of the chapters around People, Process and Platforms are aimed to equip your people with the tools for greater impact. Why certify when they can gain all the knowledge at your fingertips?

I truly care about giving you the resources you need to elevate your team. During my research for the book I have met and developed relationships with an outstanding network of people. I would still be struggling had I not found these amazing people who do purposeful work and how they’ve helped me; now they can help you. These resources provide you tools to complex engagement such as public speaking, messaging and negotiation:

Laura Sicola who’s book – Speaking to Influence can help your team speak with authority and make an impact in how they drive conversation and decisions. 

David Bricker who’s two books Story Sailing and Speak Inside the Box enhance the individuals influence by weaving in story telling into their presentation and best practices for virtual engagement. 

Karyl Eckerle author of The Image Impact teaches you the importance of both internal and external messaging. Nothing is worse when your people present information, but how they show up confuses the receiver of their message. 

Moshe Cohen, an interesting title, but ever so practical, he has shared his work through Collywobbles: How to Negotiate when negotiating makes you nervous. This was an amazing resource to provide tips when engaging in dynamic conversations to gain a result. 

What are you doing to elevate your team through resources, workshops, training, professional development to elevate your team’s impact?

A small investment into growing the intellectual assets of your company can pay dividends for a lifetime. Be a leader and forget the certifications. Your money is better spent in leveraging other resources. The reason I say this is once certified, it’s a one and done and often sits on a shelf without application. Leveraging resources and engaging in mentoring behaviors will leave a greater and lasting impact on you and your team. 

Now let’s talk so I can connect you to the rest of my network to elevate your team!

Resources

Good Reads

The Self Employed Life by Jeffrey Shaw

What can I say? He’s been writing about my entrepreneurial journey since I first found him 3 years ago. I know him personally and have had the honor of interviewing him on my podcast. His work is noble in creating the entrepreneurial ecosystem that can help propel your business forward. I’m grateful to know him and you should check out all his resources.

Good Music

Dancing on the Light by Richard Dillon

This song is light, but also pensive and serves me when I’m seeking to get into creative flow. It’s filled with possibilities and takes you on a journey to create beautiful works. It helps me both with writing and jogging. Enjoy!

Good People

“Always lead by example, especially early on. Be the first one there and the last one to leave.” – Jack Brendamour

Listen and subscribe now: https://lnkd.in/dfxK2DA