🪞The Last Human Freedom: Reflections on Self-Leadership

   

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The first person you lead is yourself." -Epictetus of  Hierapolis 55 to 135 C.E.

Reflecting on the spirit of Independence Day yesterday, I found myself considering not just national freedom but the deeper, personal liberty that lies at the heart of Viktor Frankl’s philosophy. 

In his seminal work, "Man’s Search for Meaning," Frankl, a Holocaust survivor and renowned neuro-psychologist, wrote about the unique ability of individuals to choose their attitude in any given set of circumstances. 

This notion—that no matter how much is taken from us, we retain the freedom to decide how we respond—resonates powerfully when we think about what it means to be truly free.

Many years ago, a friend and former colleague was going through a difficult divorce. (Is there any other kind?)

He didn't want to separate from his wife, and he hated being apart from his two young daughters. In the midst of this, he walked into work one day and was suddenly and unceremoniously fired from his job.

That evening he went home and took his own life.

It was a terrible shock to everyone who knew him. And a tragic loss, especially for his girls, who were in elementary school.

I was out of town facilitating a leadership workshop when I received the call delivering the grim news. I felt awful that I hadn't been there to offer some consolation. Although I don't know what, if anything, I could have done to change his mind. I imagine I would have mindfully listened and maybe offered a few words about Viktor Frankl and "the last human freedom." 

Born in 1905, Frankl was an Austrian neurologist and psychologist. He was also a Holocaust survivor.

In 1942, Frankl and his wife and parents were deported to the ghetto of Theresienstadt. From there, he was eventually sent to Turkeheim, a concentration camp not far from Dachau. His wife was shipped to the Bergen-Belson concentration camp, where she died. His mother and father were sent to Auschwitz, where they too were killed.

After three years, Frankl was liberated by American and Soviet forces in April 1945. He later wrote a world-famous book about his experience, "Man's Search for Meaning."

In the book, Frankl described the terrible physical and psychological indignities inflicted on him and his fellow inmates in the camps. But he also wrote movingly about a particular form of spiritual heroism--what he called "the last human freedom."

One day alone in a small room, he became aware of the freedom the Nazi captors could not take away. They could beat him and control his physical environment but there was one thing they could not manage and that was his freedom to decide how he would react to their treatment. With this new belief he became an inspiration to the prisoners and helped others find meaning in their suffering.

"We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last human freedom--to choose one's own attitude in any given set of circumstances." 

The dignified way these men and women bore their sufferings, was a magnificent inner achievement. Few of us will ever deal with circumstances as brutal as those experienced by Frankl and millions of his fellow Jews at the hands of the Nazi regime. Yet Frankl shows us that the attitude we bring to our problems can be an inspiration to others...and perhaps to ourselves.

If you're like me, looking back you often discover that the most difficult circumstances added the most meaning. Adversity shows us what really matters. Painful as these times are, they shape us--and help us grow as individuals. As Tom Culve said, "a calm sea does not produce a skilled sailor. We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails." 

This is not just a matter of thinking positively. Yes, dealing successfully with difficult circumstances is partly about bringing the right attitude to bear. But Frankl also argues that genuine personal freedom is not merely the product of right thinking. It comes from right action. And he offers us a general guideline: "Live as if you were living already for a second time and as if you had acted the first time as wrongly as you are about to act now."

Frankl calls this emphasis on both attitude and responsibility "the categorical imperative." Following it isn't always easy. Occasionally, life hands us circumstances so dire that nothing practical can be (I think of my only brother Dave who died of cancer at the tender age of 46). Sometimes the best we can do is simply play the hand we're dealt.

Still, it's our choice how we play it.

As Frankl writes, "We must never forget that we may also find meaning in life even when confronted with a hopeless situation, when facing a fate that cannot be changed. For what then matters is to bear witness to the uniquely human potential at its best, which is to transform a personal tragedy into triumph, to turn one's predicament into a human achievement. When we are no longer able to change a situation...we are challenged to change ourselves."

Click here to read to a related post: Sage Advice From A 2,000 Year Old Slave 

To your greater sense of personal freedom,

 

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant
SMART DEVELOPMENT

                        Take the Next Step...
Interested in learning how to develop your organization's leadership capability, culture, and employee engagement ? We begin with a collaborative discovery process identifying your unique needs and business issues. 

To request an interview with Peter Mclees please 

contact: Email: petercmclees@gmail.com  or  Mobile:323-854-1713

Smart Development has an exceptional track record helping service providers, ports, sales teams, energy storage, facility services & maintenance, restaurants, stores, distribution centers, food production facilities, wealth management services, real estate services, nonprofits, government agencies and other businesses create a strong culture, leadership bench strength, coaching skills and the teamwork necessary for growth.

Having worked with several companies throughout their growth cycle, we have valuable insights and strategies that would help any late stage startup, small or medium sized company achieve sustained growth and prosperity.

 

 

 

⏰How to Use Timeblocking to Get Stuff Done Without Losing Your Mind ⏰

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let’s be honest: “just timeblock your work” sounds easy until your calendar looks like a game of Tetris and your to-do list starts multiplying like laundry. As a leader, you probably know that blocking time for specific tasks can help you focus. The tricky part is actually doing it in a way that doesn’t fall apart by 10:17 a.m. Here’s how to merge your calendar and your to-do list without turning your day into a productivity boot camp.

1.      Start with a quick self-planning meeting

Before the day runs away with your coffee mug, give yourself 5-15 minutes to plan. Treat it like a real meeting, even if the only attendee is you and your slightly suspicious-looking calendar. Look at what needs to happen today, what can wait, and what absolutely should not be shoved into “future me’s” problem pile.

• Pick your top three priorities for the day. If everything is important, congratulations, nothing is.
• Block time for work tasks, but also add breaks, exercise, reading, lunch, and personal time. Your brain is not a toaster; it needs more than being plugged in. Estimate realistically. If a task usually takes one hour, don’t give it 12 minutes and a motivational speech.
• Encourage your team to do the same so everyone knows when they are focused, available, or hiding from unnecessary meetings.

2.    Use the magic phrase: one thing at a time

Distractions are sneaky. One minute you’re writing a strategy memo, and the next minute you’re answering a message, checking a spreadsheet, and wondering why office chairs are so expensive. When that happens, come back to the basic rule of timeblocking: one thing at a time.

• Say it out loud to yourself or your team: “One thing at a time.” Yes, it may feel cheesy. Do it anyway.
• Turn off notifications during focus blocks, or at least silence the apps that behave like tiny panic buttons.
• Keep a “parking lot” note nearby. If a random idea pops up, write it down and return to the task instead of chasing it into the productivity wilderness. 
• Use a timer so the block feels real. A visible countdown can turn a vague task into a mini deadline.

3.    Build in buffers, because life loves plot twists

A perfect calendar is usually a fantasy creature, right next to inbox zero and meetings that end early. Tasks shift, people need answers, and sometimes your “quick call” grows legs and becomes a full-blown expedition. That’s why flexibility is part of the system, not a sign that you failed.

• Add 10- to 15-minute buffers between big tasks or meetings so you have time to reset.
• Group similar tasks together, like email, approvals, or quick admin work, so you aren’t switching gears every five minutes.
• If something urgent comes up, move a block instead of pretending you can magically do two things at once.
• At the end of the day, review what worked and what didn’t. Your calendar is not carved into stone tablets.

Make timeblocking easier for your team

If you lead a team, timblocking works best when it becomes a shared habit, not a secret solo productivity ritual. Set expectations about focus time, response times, and meeting boundaries. People should not need detective skills to figure out when someone is available.

• ·    Use calendar labels or clear titles like “Deep work,” “Email catch-up,” or “Team support time.”
• Protect focus blocks the same way you protect important meetings.
• Set team norms for urgent messages so “quick question” does not become the unofficial company ringtone.
• Celebrate progress, not just busyness. A packed calendar is not a personality trait.

Keep adjusting as you go

The point of timeblocking is not to create the world’s most beautiful calendar and then feel personally attacked when reality changes it. The point is to focus, make progress, and move forward with more intention. If a task becomes more important, shift your schedule. If a block was too short, adjust tomorrow. If you completely misjudge how long something takes, welcome to being human.

Timeblocking is less about controlling every minute and more about giving your attention a home. Start small, stay flexible, and keep coming back to one task at a time. You don’t need a perfect system to have a better day; you just need a plan that helps you begin, continue, and finish. And that’s a win worth putting on the calendar.

Now go forth, block that time, protect your focus, and give your calendar a fighting chance. You’ve got this!

 

Peter Mclees Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant
 

SMART DEVELOPMENT

Take the Next Step...
Interested in learning how to develop your organization's leadership capability, culture, and employee engagement ? We begin with a collaborative discovery process identifying your unique needs and business issues. To request an interview with Peter Mclees or a SMART Development consultant please 

contact: Email: petercmclees@gmail.com or Mobile:323-854-1713

Smart Development has an exceptional track record helping service providers, ports, sales teams, restaurants, stores, energy storage and facilities management, distribution centers, food production facilities, wealth management services, real estate services, nonprofits, government agencies and other businesses create a strong culture, leadership bench strength, coaching skills and the teamwork necessary for growth.

Having worked with several companies throughout their growth cycle, we have valuable insights and strategies that would help any late stage startup, small or medium sized company achieve sustained growth and prosperity.

 

 

💡Microsoft CEO Says What Separates Successful People From Others Comes Down to 2 Words 💡

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Satya Nadella was appointed as Microsoft CEO in 2014, he wasn't one to boast about IQ points or intellectual achievements. He understood that being an effective leader wasn't just about knowing all the answers; it was about knowing yourself and building meaningful connections with others.

To be effective and separate oneself from the pack, Nadella pared it down to two words: 

Emotional intelligence.  (EQ)

So, what does it mean to have emotional intelligence? Much has been written about this idea. However, no one ever asked what it means to have emotional intelligence until 1995, when psychologist, Daniel Goleman, wrote his landmark book, Emotional Intelligence.

In this post, I won’t try to summarize or overly simplify all the EQ principles. Instead, I'll share five things that you can do today to become more emotionally intelligent and become happier and more successful in your interactions with others.

5 Components of Emotional Intelligence

When you Google the phrase or pick up the book, you can learn far more about these components. I include them here only as the reference point for the practical suggestions that follow. The five components of emotional intelligence as outlined by Goleman are:

•     Self-Awareness
•     Self-Regulation
•     Motivation
•     Empathy
•     Social Skills

An Observation

While each of these are important to the overall concept of emotional intelligence, if you ask most people to talk about what this idea means, they will most frequently talk about the last two components – the outward focusing components. While empathy and social skills are the outward manifestation of emotional intelligence, trying to focus solely on those two is like putting a Band-Aid on a broken arm – you haven’t treated the root cause of any problems that might exist.

Increasing Your Emotional Intelligence

Given that observation, perhaps not surprisingly, my five suggestions focus on the first three components.

1. Slow down. When interacting with others, slow down so that you can respond rather than react. Think of it as installing a tiny speed bump between your brain and your mouth; most of us could use one, especially before hitting “send.” 

 If you want to get better at anything, you must recognize where you are and then consciously work on changing your approach. This certainly applies to emotional intelligence. Recognizing the power of this approach then choosing to do it can immediately improve results.  If you have ever instantly reacted to someone’s comment or action, you know that doesn’t always go so well.

2. Self-reflect. If you want to get better at anything, being willing to learn from your past actions. This requires that we reflect. When we look back at what we did and how it went, we will learn something. When we recognize our role in those results, we may become more self-aware and better able to adjust our behavior in a similar situation the next time. The good news: reflection is free. The bad news: it occasionally tells the truth.

3. Question yourself. Effective reflection includes asking yourself (and then answering) questions like:

•     What worked?
•     What didn’t work?
•     What did I do to create the results?
•     What could I have done differently to create a better result?
•     What could I have done to be more interpersonally effective?

Notice that these reflective questions focus on us and our role in a situation. Until we are ready to take responsibility and understand our accountability for our results, we can’t become as emotionally intelligent as we might wish to be.

4. Manage your stress level. Few would argue that there is a level of stress above which their ability to effectively interact with others is diminished. That should be reason enough to monitor our stress level. Once we are aware enough to monitor it, we can then take steps to reduce it if necessary. At the very least, we can reduce our personal interaction until our stress level is reduced. What you say or do in a moment of high stress will be later regretted. 

At least recognize you could have done better. When you adjust your behavior because you are aware of your stress level, you will become more emotionally intelligent. If your stress level has its own zip code, it may be time to pause before continuing.

5. Change your focus. The most emotionally intelligent people are other focused. They have better social skills because they want others to be successful. For example, it is hard enough to be a good listener, but to do it when your focus is completely on yourself is nearly impossible. Interpersonal skills are nurtured by a focus on helping, understanding, and valuing others, and wanting the best for them. As you switch your focus to the needs of others, you begin your path towards greater emotional intelligence.

Although these five actions are simple to state and easy to understand, getting good at them is a lifelong practice. That practice will help you become a more emotionally intelligent person.

Turning Knowing Into Doing

Leaders who have been through the Leadership Academy already know about these actions. The key is to practice them. As Confucius is often paraphrased, knowing and not doing is not really knowing. Or, to put it less elegantly: reading about push-ups does not make your arms stronger.

Here is a simple practice routine you can try for the next two weeks:

1.      Each morning, choose one of the five actions to focus on for the day.
2. Before an important conversation, pause for ten seconds and ask, “What response would be most helpful right now?”
3. After the conversation, take two minutes to reflect on what worked, what did not, and what you would adjust next time.
4. At the end of the week, look for one pattern in your behavior and choose one small improvement for the following week.
5. Repeat the process until the actions become less like homework and more like leadership muscle memory.

Click here to read my post about self-awareness, the foundation of emotional intelligence: The Super-Skill of the 21st Century.

To leading with empathy, awareness, and meaningful connection,

 

Peter Mclees Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant

 

SMART DEVELOPMENT

Take the Next Step...
Interested in learning how to develop your organization's leadership capability, culture, and employee engagement ? We begin with a collaborative discovery process identifying your unique needs and business issues. To request an interview with Peter Mclees or a SMART Development consultant please 

contact: Email: petercmclees@gmail.com or Mobile:323-854-1713

Smart Development has an exceptional track record helping service providers, ports, sales teams, restaurants, stores, energy storage and facilities management, distribution centers, food production facilities, wealth management services, real estate services, nonprofits, government agencies and other businesses create a strong culture, leadership bench strength, coaching skills and the teamwork necessary for growth.

Having worked with several companies throughout their growth cycle, we have valuable insights and strategies that would help any late stage startup, small or medium sized company achieve sustained growth and prosperity.