John Spence is a Human-Based Leader extraordinaire. It's not only what he says and does...it's the core of who he is. His story in my book in Leaders, Their Stories, Their Words has inspired people around the world.
This TED talk is yet another indication of he not only turned his life around but how he deeply and profoundly impacts people in a myriad of ways. It's an honor and privilege to know him.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Putting on a Human Face to Build Trust
In a great article that speaks to Human-Based Leadership™, the authors, Don Peppers and Martha Rogers Ph.D speak of how "Corporations Must “Put on a Human Face” to Build Customer Trust
We can never really know someone else's intention. Any person's motive is internal to the person. It's in the mind. All we can do is observe their behavior—what they do, how they look, what they say out loud."
Are these leaders paying attention and being mindful of those around them? Are they leading others through positive impact, inspiration, caring, and recognition of their people's unique talents and strengths? These attributes are evident and easy to identify. They also go a long way in growing and retaining talent. The characteristics of a human-based leader serves as a strong foundation for leadership which considers ethics, personal values, diversity, and social responsibility.
The more we identify and applaud these HB Leaders, the greater the shift from 'power-over others' style of leadership to 'power with others'.
Tell me about the Human-Based Leaders in your life. We'd love to feature them in a conversation.
We can never really know someone else's intention. Any person's motive is internal to the person. It's in the mind. All we can do is observe their behavior—what they do, how they look, what they say out loud."
Are these leaders paying attention and being mindful of those around them? Are they leading others through positive impact, inspiration, caring, and recognition of their people's unique talents and strengths? These attributes are evident and easy to identify. They also go a long way in growing and retaining talent. The characteristics of a human-based leader serves as a strong foundation for leadership which considers ethics, personal values, diversity, and social responsibility.
The more we identify and applaud these HB Leaders, the greater the shift from 'power-over others' style of leadership to 'power with others'.
Tell me about the Human-Based Leaders in your life. We'd love to feature them in a conversation.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Promises Made and Kept
The concept of kept promises seems to be ambiguous of late. I was just having this conversation with a colleague the other day. Many make promises at the drop of a hat without any reflection beforehand. Can they keep the commitment? Do they have the bandwith to add something else to their plate before saying "I'll do this" or "I'll be there" before they dive in and make that promise?
Others love to use the expressions " I hope to be able to". Hope doesn't make things happen. Doing makes things happen. Or "I'll try to...." As Yoda is famous for saying "Try? Try not. Do!" If you don't have the bandwith to do it properly and in the timeframe you promised, then don't.
This morning in Seth Godin's blog, "Specific Promises, Kept" he hit the nail right on the head when he stated :"The power of the specific, measurable and useful promise made and kept is difficult to overstate."
The thing is, it's up to us as the recipient of the promise to hold the other accountable. That's not to say we have control over whether or not other people honor their commitments. We have the right to decide whether or not to engage with and believe in that individual in the future. After all, we are our word. If we promise lightly with no intention of honoring that promise why would people trust us in the future? And why would they expect we will trust them in return if their words are empty?
The biggest gift you can give clients, customers, colleagues, friends and family alike is to be honest about what we can give and do.... and what we can't.
Others love to use the expressions " I hope to be able to". Hope doesn't make things happen. Doing makes things happen. Or "I'll try to...." As Yoda is famous for saying "Try? Try not. Do!" If you don't have the bandwith to do it properly and in the timeframe you promised, then don't.
This morning in Seth Godin's blog, "Specific Promises, Kept" he hit the nail right on the head when he stated :"The power of the specific, measurable and useful promise made and kept is difficult to overstate."
The thing is, it's up to us as the recipient of the promise to hold the other accountable. That's not to say we have control over whether or not other people honor their commitments. We have the right to decide whether or not to engage with and believe in that individual in the future. After all, we are our word. If we promise lightly with no intention of honoring that promise why would people trust us in the future? And why would they expect we will trust them in return if their words are empty?
The biggest gift you can give clients, customers, colleagues, friends and family alike is to be honest about what we can give and do.... and what we can't.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Joel Manby: Human-Based Leader Extraordinaire
I first "met" Joel Manby when I watched him on Undercover Boss. There will always be sceptics in this world who ask questions like "Didn't Manby's co-stars think it was odd that a television camera was documenting someone's first day at a unglamorous job?" or comments to that effect. I met Joel in person in Michigan where we were both speakers at Catalyst University. I can tell you, what you see (or saw on the show) is what you get. He is a caring, interested, interesting person and a Human-Based Leader to the core.
I was honored to continue the conversation with Joel as there was so much more I wanted to know and share with my readers.
Listen in:
D.K. Looking over the span of your career to this point in time, was there a moment, an occasion or experience when you realized you were exactly where you dreamed of being?
J.M. There was not a specific moment or experience. But I do know that in past jobs, I felt as if something was missing. I have now been at Herschend Family Entertainment (HFE) nearly 15 years. I've been courted by other companies for bigger jobs with more pay, and have never felt a calling to go elsewhere. That tells me I am where I'm supposed to be. So many people search for something external to help them feel fulfilled. I realized that fulfillment has to come from within. Human beings to a great extent might be hard-wired to measuring success based on output. I believe wherever your values system comes from, you'd better be in alignment with it.
D.K. Was there something tangible about how you made the decisions on your career path that gave you the absolute certainty you shouldn't be doing anything else? With a business background and years in the automotive industry, transitioning to themed parks and the family entertainment world is quite the shift.
J.M. For many years, I was caught up in WHAT I was doing; the level of responsibility, and the output of the job. Over time, I became more concerned with HOW I was doing it. Quality output” was the price of entry anywhere I worked, but I was more interested in the higher calling of leading people the right way such as caring about HOW they are treated. I had a glimpse of what it meant to combine a firm set of behavioral values with a firm set of performance principles in my stint at Saturn. At 27, I was fresh out of business school. Saturn was my first leadership position. They cared deeply about people and profits. In many ways, I have been searching ever since for that balance of caring about people and profits like we had a Saturn. I found it here at HFE. At HFE we call it Leading with Love.
D.K. I recently read the manifesto The Four-Letter Word That Makes You and Your Work Irresistible by Mark Sanborn where he says " LOVE is a four-letter word in the business world. It makes us uncomfortable. It seems inappropriate or even taboo", a perspective shared by many business leaders. Joel not only has the courage to embrace it in the business world but shares it and lives it with all those around him. The conversation continues....
J.M. Love is a four letter word in business for at least two reasons. First, some think leading with love will hurt profits. I think the opposite is true and HFE has returned over 14%/year to investors for a 10 year period, even through the recession so that argument doesn’t work for me. Second, many think leading with love is SOFT. It is not. Leading with love is hard because you have to care about how your decisions impact others.
D.K. Where did your desire to Lead with Love come from?
J.M. My desire to Lead with Love is based on my faith. It took me a long time to get here. I moved 10 times the first 15 years of marriage, struggled with working too long, and traveling too much, which hurt my family. It was a wake-up call. I needed to remember that loving others included those at home as well. I needed to have relationship time at home too, and figured out a way to balance home and work. My family and I came up with their key points of what made them feel loved, and I work very hard to stick to those desires.
At HFE, I learned that love works not only at home, but in the rough and tumble for profit business world. We have a huge responsibility at HFE. Not only is our motto "Creating Memories Worth Repeating" but we have a responsibility for the safety and well-being of all who walk through the gates of our facilities. We also care for our people. There is pain everywhere. So many of our people are struggling with something, so we "Share it Forward" with an internal foundation that uses funds to help employees in need. We have programs for just about everything to support our people from Catastrophic relief, Single Parent Support, Marriage Counseling, to Financial Help (Debt Relief). We have helped nearly 10% of our workforce with some kind of aid this year.
We grow our people and have a philosophy to promote from within as much as possible. If we create supportive relationships in our work environment, an environment that's grounded, centered and emotionally healthy, we'll all succeed which will also support great guest experiences.
I continuously remind myself to find your own “true north”. I ask myself "How do YOU want to behave and what kind of environment do you want to be in? What kind of people do you want to work with?" Life, both personal and professional, is about relationships. I focus on that. I've seen so much in my 30+ years in business; great leaders and horrible leaders, companies with horrendous cultures and companies with caring cultures. I never stopped believing there could be a better way. If you feel discontented and want more from your work, there is something stirring. Intuition is a powerful wake-up call. You need to figure out what you have to do to live in congruence with your core values. If you can't, you might just have to get out and go elsewhere if the organization isn't aligned with your values.
Key areas I focus on are:
D.K. I consider Human-Based Leaders™ those who have a passion for what they do and compassion for those they do it with. Both are evident in your episode of Undercover Boss. Can you tell me more about how you demonstrate and promote HB leadership within your organization? Do you acknowledge it and reward it in some way?
J.M. We have developed a set of values we expect all our employees to adhere to. All leaders complete Servant Leadership training to make sure they understand HOW to lead and follow the values.
We continually discuss the need to manage the tension between our three shareholder objectives which are profit and growth, a great place to work for great people, and servant leadership. We discuss the 2X2 matrix and how people’s salary raises are dependent upon achieving both “do” and “be” goals.
D.K. Why would the next generation of leaders want to follow you? What about you will inspire them?
J.M. We have a clear Vision and Mission. We have a clear definition of success. They will know if they are winning or losing. We care equally about the “do” goals and the “be” goals. We are family oriented. We care deeply about quality. If 'it' is not remarkable, we look to change it. We have FUN....this is the FUN business.
D.K. What words of wisdom would you like to pass on to them?
J.M. Do what you love to do, it is the only way you can do excellent work.
Joel's book Love Works: Seven Timeless Principles For Effective Leaders will be released end of May, 2012. Click here to pre-order and learn more about this extraordinary Human-Based Leader.
I was honored to continue the conversation with Joel as there was so much more I wanted to know and share with my readers.
Listen in:
D.K. Looking over the span of your career to this point in time, was there a moment, an occasion or experience when you realized you were exactly where you dreamed of being?
J.M. There was not a specific moment or experience. But I do know that in past jobs, I felt as if something was missing. I have now been at Herschend Family Entertainment (HFE) nearly 15 years. I've been courted by other companies for bigger jobs with more pay, and have never felt a calling to go elsewhere. That tells me I am where I'm supposed to be. So many people search for something external to help them feel fulfilled. I realized that fulfillment has to come from within. Human beings to a great extent might be hard-wired to measuring success based on output. I believe wherever your values system comes from, you'd better be in alignment with it.
D.K. Was there something tangible about how you made the decisions on your career path that gave you the absolute certainty you shouldn't be doing anything else? With a business background and years in the automotive industry, transitioning to themed parks and the family entertainment world is quite the shift.
J.M. For many years, I was caught up in WHAT I was doing; the level of responsibility, and the output of the job. Over time, I became more concerned with HOW I was doing it. Quality output” was the price of entry anywhere I worked, but I was more interested in the higher calling of leading people the right way such as caring about HOW they are treated. I had a glimpse of what it meant to combine a firm set of behavioral values with a firm set of performance principles in my stint at Saturn. At 27, I was fresh out of business school. Saturn was my first leadership position. They cared deeply about people and profits. In many ways, I have been searching ever since for that balance of caring about people and profits like we had a Saturn. I found it here at HFE. At HFE we call it Leading with Love.
D.K. I recently read the manifesto The Four-Letter Word That Makes You and Your Work Irresistible by Mark Sanborn where he says " LOVE is a four-letter word in the business world. It makes us uncomfortable. It seems inappropriate or even taboo", a perspective shared by many business leaders. Joel not only has the courage to embrace it in the business world but shares it and lives it with all those around him. The conversation continues....
J.M. Love is a four letter word in business for at least two reasons. First, some think leading with love will hurt profits. I think the opposite is true and HFE has returned over 14%/year to investors for a 10 year period, even through the recession so that argument doesn’t work for me. Second, many think leading with love is SOFT. It is not. Leading with love is hard because you have to care about how your decisions impact others.
D.K. Where did your desire to Lead with Love come from?
J.M. My desire to Lead with Love is based on my faith. It took me a long time to get here. I moved 10 times the first 15 years of marriage, struggled with working too long, and traveling too much, which hurt my family. It was a wake-up call. I needed to remember that loving others included those at home as well. I needed to have relationship time at home too, and figured out a way to balance home and work. My family and I came up with their key points of what made them feel loved, and I work very hard to stick to those desires.
At HFE, I learned that love works not only at home, but in the rough and tumble for profit business world. We have a huge responsibility at HFE. Not only is our motto "Creating Memories Worth Repeating" but we have a responsibility for the safety and well-being of all who walk through the gates of our facilities. We also care for our people. There is pain everywhere. So many of our people are struggling with something, so we "Share it Forward" with an internal foundation that uses funds to help employees in need. We have programs for just about everything to support our people from Catastrophic relief, Single Parent Support, Marriage Counseling, to Financial Help (Debt Relief). We have helped nearly 10% of our workforce with some kind of aid this year.
We grow our people and have a philosophy to promote from within as much as possible. If we create supportive relationships in our work environment, an environment that's grounded, centered and emotionally healthy, we'll all succeed which will also support great guest experiences.
I continuously remind myself to find your own “true north”. I ask myself "How do YOU want to behave and what kind of environment do you want to be in? What kind of people do you want to work with?" Life, both personal and professional, is about relationships. I focus on that. I've seen so much in my 30+ years in business; great leaders and horrible leaders, companies with horrendous cultures and companies with caring cultures. I never stopped believing there could be a better way. If you feel discontented and want more from your work, there is something stirring. Intuition is a powerful wake-up call. You need to figure out what you have to do to live in congruence with your core values. If you can't, you might just have to get out and go elsewhere if the organization isn't aligned with your values.
Key areas I focus on are:
- To listen better,
- To ask better questions which tests my thinking as a leader,
- To be willing to change my mind more, and
- To hire and keep better people
D.K. I consider Human-Based Leaders™ those who have a passion for what they do and compassion for those they do it with. Both are evident in your episode of Undercover Boss. Can you tell me more about how you demonstrate and promote HB leadership within your organization? Do you acknowledge it and reward it in some way?
J.M. We have developed a set of values we expect all our employees to adhere to. All leaders complete Servant Leadership training to make sure they understand HOW to lead and follow the values.
We continually discuss the need to manage the tension between our three shareholder objectives which are profit and growth, a great place to work for great people, and servant leadership. We discuss the 2X2 matrix and how people’s salary raises are dependent upon achieving both “do” and “be” goals.
D.K. Why would the next generation of leaders want to follow you? What about you will inspire them?
J.M. We have a clear Vision and Mission. We have a clear definition of success. They will know if they are winning or losing. We care equally about the “do” goals and the “be” goals. We are family oriented. We care deeply about quality. If 'it' is not remarkable, we look to change it. We have FUN....this is the FUN business.
D.K. What words of wisdom would you like to pass on to them?
J.M. Do what you love to do, it is the only way you can do excellent work.
Joel's book Love Works: Seven Timeless Principles For Effective Leaders will be released end of May, 2012. Click here to pre-order and learn more about this extraordinary Human-Based Leader.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
World of Psychology | The Power Of Intentions: Thriving Through Divorce
Intentions equal results. If you intend to emerge through a difficult situation stronger than ever before, it will happen. This article which I co-authored with Melanie Gorman can be applied to a divorce in a marriage, a partnership (life or work) and many other relational circumstances.
If you set your intention, make it powerful and easy to achieve. Click here to read on...
Thursday, February 09, 2012
Paying Your Leadership Forward
Paying their leadership forward seems to be a common thread that emerges in the stories of my book Leaders: Their Stories, Their Words. Not only do they lead people from a sense of values and humanity, or as I call it "humanness", they honor those who helped them evolve into their leadership by doing something that matters.
Joe Saltzman shows how much he honors his mentor and past High School English teacher, Ted Tajima by giving his all to his students and sharing Ted's impact as a role model with everyone around him. He states it beautifully when he says "The best lessons I’ve learned along the way are these: always put others ahead of yourself, and never do anything solely for personal gain. By helping others, by doing the best job you can on everything you do, true joy will be yours. The unhappiest people I know are the ones whose goals are trivial and unimportant, and who put what they do second to what they want to get out of it. I believe that if you care about what you do and put all your talent and time into it, the rewards will come. But to do something simply because of those rewards is to fail."
Ron Kitchen had many who dramatically impacted his life from Ewing Kauffman in an exchange he had with him at the ball field to his mother's best friend to a good friend who mentored him into business. In his words, "Most people want to be asked to mentor, whether it’s officially or unofficially. They’re willing to give you a little bit of themselves to help if they believe you’re honest and genuinely trying to use that to move forward. I’ve never had anybody who I asked for help and mentorship who turned me down, and I don’t think I’ve ever turned anybody down either."
The key factor with these leaders is they don't forget their roots nor the people who helped them emerge into their leadership. They don't take all the credit for being "self-made" they acknowledge those around them who they paid attention, listened to and learned from.
There were a few people in my life who showed me not to take no for an answer. Jim, an early mentor and teacher told me I could hugely impact the world if I just gave myself the permission. David told me "no" had no business being in my vocabulary. And Paul told me to go out and start my own firm as I was making a name for myself way back when and I had a choice to either make it for the consortium I was affiliated with or myself. I listened. The rest is history.
When I was talking at Catalyst University I challenged the people in the room to find others who can help them make their dreams a reality. Everything knows something about life and living that we don't. Ask them for their guidance and help and give the same back. Do it without any expectations of anything in return and you'll get back more than you imagined.
Clients often call and ask if I might speak to their kids who are going away to university. I always say yes and hope that they'll help someone some day who's in the same boat. Next week I'm donating my time to teach at a local high school. This is the age when dreams are formed and if I can light a small light in the hearts and minds of these students, it's worth every minute and then some.
How are you going to reach out and pay your leadership forward? Before you start telling yourself (and others) that you're no one special or have nothing to share, think again. You just have to think deeper. In the day and age where social media makes it so easy to reach out and connect, your impact can go a long way to helping many realize their goals and dreams.
Just do what matters.
Monday, February 06, 2012
A Catalyst for Learning
Caring Doesn't Cost Anything. Not caring does. Caring continues to grow a community and that was tangible at Catalyst University in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Speaking at Catalyst University was an eye opener for me in many respects. Hopefully you'll excuse the pun once I share my own learning because of this powerful event.
Caring for community and the people within it is a driving force behind the leaders in Kalamazoo. What Southwest Michigan First does in bringing Catalyst University to the community is create an extraordinary 'container' within which one can shift their thinking, percolate on possibilities, benefit from the great minds and huge hearts in the room and, in turn, start "doing differently".
As a Coach, my job is to help people think differently, and view themselves differently. Asking the questions like "What don't you know that you need to know? Who don't you know who you need to know?"seemed to really resonate as I had quite a few conversations around the edges of Catalyst (breaks, lunch and post). People were sharing their interpretations of that and how they were going to integrate what I shared with them into their worlds.
Many picked my brain to see how they could integrate the models I use in my group and team work into their organizations and teams. And many thanked me for sticking around to have these conversations and to honor them by doing so. For me that's a given as in all the years I've been speaking and guest lecturing I will always stay around so the people in the room can connect the dots and have their questions answered. I never want to be so busy as to be able to stick around and get to talk with the people who take their precious time to hear me speak. My learning continues to be about talking with people as opposed to at them.
I love connecting with people through their stories; through conversations. Even when I'm on stage I want to see their responses, what's engaging them, exciting them and what might push their buttons. All creates shifts. My learning this particular time was difficult to say the least. I walked on stage, turned to the almost 600 people in the room and couldn't see a thing. Not only couldn't I connect with the people in the room, even visually, I couldn't see the monitors, timer, the video when it showed… I could hear it but couldn't see it. I was completely blinded by the lights. Because of the eye glasses I wear, my height and the positioning of the lights, I couldn't see anything. My first reaction was almost one of panic. My second was being grateful that I decided not to use the slides as I wouldn't have been able to see and speak to them. I spoke from the heart and shared some reality check questions with the people in the room. I learned that one can operate as much on instinct as preparation. What I do is as much who I am as a profession. That served me well.
My second lesson was if I am completely focused on the people and not myself, then I could stay centered. That worked until towards the end when I asked myself how I was going to walk off stage without being able to see. Thankfully, once I turned away from the lights I could see enough to navigate the stairs. Once I was back stage in dim lights, my sight came back and off I went into a great conversation / interview. There would be time to process what just happened when I got home. I didn't want my personal experience to interfere with the people coming over to talk with me and the fabulous conversation I had about what I'll be doing with the future leaders when I return to Kalamazoo next month. My biggest lesson was how I will never again assume that the setup for a speaking engagement will work for me. That was something I took for granted at every talk. Now I'll check out the stage and position of the lights so this never happens again. The lights I want to see are in the eyes of those I'm talking to.
Someone asked me how they can pay their leadership forward. My answer is to open your minds to truly listening to what others bring to the table no matter what their age, title or position. Let them know what you plan to do to honor them in sharing their ideas with you. Help them make their ideas a reality.
Speak to them based on their story, not yours. Share possibilities with them, connect them to people who will help make their dreams happen and the ripple effect of your leadership will go well beyond your knowing.
We are the center of a circle, the circumference determined by our circle of influence. Join with other people and the circles and possibilities are endless.
At the end of Catalyst, Ron Kitchen, CEO of Southwest Michigan First (Leaders, Their Stories, Their Words, Chapter 2) asked everyone to answer the following questions. I'm sharing them with you (and my own answers) so you can answer them and positively impact your world.
1. What am I personally passionate about?
Supporting people to achieve their level of excellence and to positively impact the world, even one person at a time.
2. What needs to happen to bring results to my passion?
Teaching more, speaking more….working with students to help them see their leadership. Supporting other 'game changers' in their worlds. When we partner with others who have their own broad circles the impact is exponentially larger than our own no matter what our global footprint is.
When my book was formally launched end of November, 100 copies came in with damaged covers. I had to rip them off and send them back to the publisher for them to figure out what went wrong in the printing. They told me to do whatever I wanted with the books and that I could dispose them. I refused. Even though they were "naked" books they had value.
I sent a broadcast out through Twitter and my FaceBook asking locals for names of people who ran leadership programs in the high schools. I contacted them and because of the great responses, starting this month, I will be going into some of the local high schools with my "naked" books. I will be giving them to the students, doing personality profiling with them, and asking them to choose one story they will work on in triads and come back with their learning and action because of them. I'll spend a day with them up front, then go back towards the end of the program to see where the shifts have occurred. I will be donating my time and giving back to my own community.
I will continue to support the TED Fellows (which, by the way we do pro bono) and the Ronald McDonald Houses as we lived in one on and off for 18 years. I will also mentor 2 rising stars to help them evolve and continue implementing reverse mentoring programs in my clients' organizations.
3. What can I commit to do today to make my passion a reality?
To remember to do what matters.
I commit to keeping the spirit of Kalamazoo and love of community and the people within it as a driving force in all I do, whether within Kalamazoo or elsewhere in the world, to always remember that people are behind everything we do and as someone who goes into communities, organizations, companies, governments, and political offices, to be a steward and remember the basic tenet of stewardship which is "To do no harm".
And to always remember….no ceiling just sky.
I'd love to hear your ideas and action as to how you're going to dive into the deep end of what you're passionate about and make it happen.
Speaking at Catalyst University was an eye opener for me in many respects. Hopefully you'll excuse the pun once I share my own learning because of this powerful event.
Caring for community and the people within it is a driving force behind the leaders in Kalamazoo. What Southwest Michigan First does in bringing Catalyst University to the community is create an extraordinary 'container' within which one can shift their thinking, percolate on possibilities, benefit from the great minds and huge hearts in the room and, in turn, start "doing differently".
As a Coach, my job is to help people think differently, and view themselves differently. Asking the questions like "What don't you know that you need to know? Who don't you know who you need to know?"seemed to really resonate as I had quite a few conversations around the edges of Catalyst (breaks, lunch and post). People were sharing their interpretations of that and how they were going to integrate what I shared with them into their worlds.
Many picked my brain to see how they could integrate the models I use in my group and team work into their organizations and teams. And many thanked me for sticking around to have these conversations and to honor them by doing so. For me that's a given as in all the years I've been speaking and guest lecturing I will always stay around so the people in the room can connect the dots and have their questions answered. I never want to be so busy as to be able to stick around and get to talk with the people who take their precious time to hear me speak. My learning continues to be about talking with people as opposed to at them.
I love connecting with people through their stories; through conversations. Even when I'm on stage I want to see their responses, what's engaging them, exciting them and what might push their buttons. All creates shifts. My learning this particular time was difficult to say the least. I walked on stage, turned to the almost 600 people in the room and couldn't see a thing. Not only couldn't I connect with the people in the room, even visually, I couldn't see the monitors, timer, the video when it showed… I could hear it but couldn't see it. I was completely blinded by the lights. Because of the eye glasses I wear, my height and the positioning of the lights, I couldn't see anything. My first reaction was almost one of panic. My second was being grateful that I decided not to use the slides as I wouldn't have been able to see and speak to them. I spoke from the heart and shared some reality check questions with the people in the room. I learned that one can operate as much on instinct as preparation. What I do is as much who I am as a profession. That served me well.
My second lesson was if I am completely focused on the people and not myself, then I could stay centered. That worked until towards the end when I asked myself how I was going to walk off stage without being able to see. Thankfully, once I turned away from the lights I could see enough to navigate the stairs. Once I was back stage in dim lights, my sight came back and off I went into a great conversation / interview. There would be time to process what just happened when I got home. I didn't want my personal experience to interfere with the people coming over to talk with me and the fabulous conversation I had about what I'll be doing with the future leaders when I return to Kalamazoo next month. My biggest lesson was how I will never again assume that the setup for a speaking engagement will work for me. That was something I took for granted at every talk. Now I'll check out the stage and position of the lights so this never happens again. The lights I want to see are in the eyes of those I'm talking to.
Someone asked me how they can pay their leadership forward. My answer is to open your minds to truly listening to what others bring to the table no matter what their age, title or position. Let them know what you plan to do to honor them in sharing their ideas with you. Help them make their ideas a reality.
Speak to them based on their story, not yours. Share possibilities with them, connect them to people who will help make their dreams happen and the ripple effect of your leadership will go well beyond your knowing.
We are the center of a circle, the circumference determined by our circle of influence. Join with other people and the circles and possibilities are endless.
At the end of Catalyst, Ron Kitchen, CEO of Southwest Michigan First (Leaders, Their Stories, Their Words, Chapter 2) asked everyone to answer the following questions. I'm sharing them with you (and my own answers) so you can answer them and positively impact your world.
1. What am I personally passionate about?
Supporting people to achieve their level of excellence and to positively impact the world, even one person at a time.
2. What needs to happen to bring results to my passion?
Teaching more, speaking more….working with students to help them see their leadership. Supporting other 'game changers' in their worlds. When we partner with others who have their own broad circles the impact is exponentially larger than our own no matter what our global footprint is.
When my book was formally launched end of November, 100 copies came in with damaged covers. I had to rip them off and send them back to the publisher for them to figure out what went wrong in the printing. They told me to do whatever I wanted with the books and that I could dispose them. I refused. Even though they were "naked" books they had value.
I sent a broadcast out through Twitter and my FaceBook asking locals for names of people who ran leadership programs in the high schools. I contacted them and because of the great responses, starting this month, I will be going into some of the local high schools with my "naked" books. I will be giving them to the students, doing personality profiling with them, and asking them to choose one story they will work on in triads and come back with their learning and action because of them. I'll spend a day with them up front, then go back towards the end of the program to see where the shifts have occurred. I will be donating my time and giving back to my own community.
I will continue to support the TED Fellows (which, by the way we do pro bono) and the Ronald McDonald Houses as we lived in one on and off for 18 years. I will also mentor 2 rising stars to help them evolve and continue implementing reverse mentoring programs in my clients' organizations.
3. What can I commit to do today to make my passion a reality?
To remember to do what matters.
I commit to keeping the spirit of Kalamazoo and love of community and the people within it as a driving force in all I do, whether within Kalamazoo or elsewhere in the world, to always remember that people are behind everything we do and as someone who goes into communities, organizations, companies, governments, and political offices, to be a steward and remember the basic tenet of stewardship which is "To do no harm".
And to always remember….no ceiling just sky.
I'd love to hear your ideas and action as to how you're going to dive into the deep end of what you're passionate about and make it happen.
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