The Four Leadership Lessons of Halloween

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tom woke up Halloween morning and mentally previewed the day ahead. He didn’t have to think much to know it was going to be a long one. A full day of leadership training followed immediately by the costume party his wife was dragging him to. The only good thing about the day that he could think of was that he wouldn’t have time in between the training and the party to put on a costume. Since he wasn’t a big fan of Halloween or of costume parties, that would be just fine with him.

He smiled as he thought about how he’d slipped this one by his wife.  He said if someone asked, he’d say he was dressed as a businessman on casual Friday. . .
The training went fine — it was like lots of other training he had been to. Anita, the trainer, was earnest and really seemed to care. As a senior manager, he had heard much of the material before, but there was one thing that stuck in his mind. 

At one point the trainer said that leaders could choose to learn from any situation if they chose to. She encouraged everyone to take a few minutes each morning to reflect on the previous day’s activities to look for those lessons.
He told his team (they were all participating in the training) that he wanted them all to try that exercise and come to their staff meeting the following day with their lessons from today. That declaration made the trainer smile. At least someone is really enjoying this day, she thought.

As the training ended, he was more rushed than he even planned; a couple things came up and the Cleveland office needed some help on a decision, and he spent a few minutes with the trainer, then he was off to the party to meet his wife and endure that event.

The Day After

The next morning he woke up and remembered what he had committed himself and his team to. He poured himself a strong-as-the-day-is-long cup of black coffee and sat down to reflect on the leadership lessons from the previous day. He didn’t exactly know how to do this “looking for lessons” thing, but he thought it had merit, and he wanted to lead his team by example by giving it more than the college try; he wanted to have something that showed he had really thought about. Besides, he had invited Anita the trainer to come sit in on the meeting. 

After a couple of sips of coffee staring at the blank computer screen, he had a flash. Everyone else is going to share lessons from the training, which would be perfectly appropriate but would be pretty “easy.”  This wasn’t the kind of reflection Anita had meant — she meant to look at your everyday experiences and look at them through the lens of leadership.

He had it! He’d think about what he learned about leadership at the party that was more fun than he expected. 

Here is what he wrote:

Leadership Lessons from Halloween 

Identity Matters. One of the reasons people like Halloween is that they get to take on a different identity. While that might be fun, as a leader our identity must be consistent and well known. Masks might be fun on that day, but as a leader, I can’t wear a mask. To be most effective I must be real, transparent and authentic.

Engagement matters. While costume parties aren’t my favorite, they are for many people. Why? Because everyone is engaged! Everyone participates! People didn’t even give me too hard of a time for my weak non-costume, because they were spending all their time talking about how much effort they went to in creating theirs. When people are engaged in an activity, the effort isn’t their focus. They will do whatever it takes. How can I raise the level of engagement on my team?

Creativity matters. There sure was creativity on display at that event. Even the attorney at my wife’s office that she says is always straight-laced and proper had a great (and pretty wild) costume. He was telling me about how he came up with the idea and how jazzed he was by the process. When I give people an outlet and purpose for their creativity, they will be creative. As a leader that is an important part of my job.

Fun matters. One of the reasons Halloween is the most popular adult holiday is that it gives people permission to just have fun. There isn’t any other “reason” for the holiday — it is just about fun. As a leader I must remember people need to have fun sometimes to be most productive all of the time.

Before he went to get a second cup of coffee and start his normal daily routine, he read back over his four insights. While driving to work, he realized that the 10 minutes he spent reflecting made his previous day more productive. He was excited to share these lessons with his team, and see what lessons he would capture tomorrow morning.

Happy Halloween!

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, restaurants, stores, distribution centers, food production facilities, wealth management services, facilities 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.

 

What Geese Can Teach Us About Teamwork

 

It's Fall in Vancouver, WA. One of the many delights of the season is hearing the beautiful call of the Canadian geese which alerts you to look up in the Autumnal sky. The first image of the skein (or flock) of geese reminds me of a floating black ribbon or the tail of a kite. 

In October and November in the Pacific Northwest the sky is alive with ribbons of geese gracefully swooping and looping sometimes bearing left and sometimes right. These maneuvers seem to give the stray birds time to catch up to the throng. 

When you watch the flock closely you realize that the geese are all leaders and followers each taking a turn. Alternately leading and following creates a perfect rhythm which enables them to get to their faraway winter destination. 

I believe there are several lessons in teamwork that we can learn from the goose. Geese are intriguing creatures and while considered pests in certain situations, they also have an incredibly strong sense of family and group loyalty. Probably one of the most phenomenal geese facts is that their desire to return to their birth place every year is so strong that they will often fly up to 3,000 miles to get there. 

Lesson #1: Empowering Others to Lead

When the lead goose in the front gets tired, it rotates back into the formation and allows another goose to take the leadership position. 
  
The lesson here is to empower others to also lead. It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership. 
As with geese, people are interdependent on each other’s skills, capabilities, and unique arrangement of gifts, talents, or resources.

Lesson #2: Staying Committed to Core Values and Purpose

The geese migration routes never vary. They use the same route year after year. Even when the flock members change, the young learn the route from their parents. In the spring they will go back to the spot where they were born. 
  
The lesson to learn here is to stay true to our core values and purpose. 
  
Strategies, tactics may change in order remain agile, but great struggles always stick to their core purpose and values, and preserve them with vigor

Lesson #3: Offering Support in Challenging Times

When a goose gets sick or wounded, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. 

They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again. Then, they launch out with another formation or catch up with the flock. 

The lesson here is to stand by each other in difficult times. It’s easy to always be part of winning teams, but when things get difficult and people are facing challenges, that’s when your teammates need you the most. 

Lesson #4 Encouraging and Recognizing Other’s Contribution

The geese honk to recognize each other and encourage those up front to keep up their speed. The lesson here is to make sure we praise people and give them the recognition they deserve. 
  
Lack of recognition is one of the main reasons employees are unsatisfied at work and quit. 
  
We need to make sure our honking is encouraging. 

In groups where there is encouragement, the production is greater. The power of encouragement (to stand by one's heart or core values and encourage the heart and core of others) is the quality of honking we seek. 

Lesson #5 Sharing a Common Goal

As each goose flaps its wings it creates “uplift”, an aerodynamics orientation that reduces air friction, for the birds that follow. By flying in a V-formation, the whole flock achieves a 70% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone. 

The lesson we can learn here is that people who share a common direction and goal can get where they are going quicker and with less effort because they benefit from the momentum of the group moving around them. 
  
Make sure your team is aligned towards a common goal. 

Lesson #6 Having Humility to Seek Help

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the friction of flying alone. 
  
It then quickly adjusts its mistake and moves back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front of it. 

The lesson we can learn here is to be humble to admit the challenges we face and to seek help as soon as we get stuck. 
  
This humility will enable you, your team, to move faster and achieve more. 

A Story About Geese 

A flock of wild geese had settled to rest on a pond. 
  
One of the flock had been captured by a gardener, who had clipped its wings before releasing it. 

When the geese started to resume their flight, this one tried frantically, but vainly, to lift itself into the air. The others, observing his struggles, flew about in obvious efforts to encourage him; but it was no use. 

Thereupon, the entire flock settled back on the pond and waited, even though the urge to go on was strong within them. For several days they waited until the damaged feathers had grown sufficiently to permit the goose to fly. 

Meanwhile, the unethical gardener, having been converted by the ethical geese, gladly watched them as they finally rose together and all resumed their long flight.                                                                            --Albert Schweitzer 

[Epilogue: And so, as the geese soared off into the sunset, the gardener waved goodbye, vowing never to underestimate the power of teamwork—or the tenacity of geese. Legend has it that from that day forward, whenever the gardener tried to plant anything, there was always a mysterious feather nearby, just to remind him to always stick with the flock—or else prepare to be thoroughly out-honked. 😉]

Remember, Together-Everybody-Achieves-More

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, restaurants, stores, distribution centers, food production facilities, wealth management services, facilities services and maintenance, 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.

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 react. 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.

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.

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.

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

To your greater success and fulfillment,

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, restaurants, stores, distribution centers, food production facilities, wealth management services, facilities 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.

 

Quotes From 12 Athletes About What It Takes To Win

 

 

 

 

 

There can only ever be one winner. The whole point of athletic competition is to determine who is the fastest, strongest, or most skilled in their athletic endeavor of choice, but victory is never guaranteed, and records are made to be broken. All athletes suffer defeat from time to time. The ones who return to the top of the podium over and over are the ones who get up after every fall, who train harder, practice longer, and push themselves further than they ever thought they could go.

In the pursuit of victory, mental toughness is just as important as physical fitness. In every competition there will be a critical moment when an athlete’s mind has more influence on their performance than their bodies do. Thankfully, mental endurance and strength can be fostered just as sure as our bodies can be trained to build muscle and flexibility.

Here are 12 quotes from athletes who have seen the lows, the highs, and everything in between.

1) "The person who can drive themselves further once the effort gets painful is the one who will win."

  ~Roger Bannister, first person to run a sub-four-minute mile

2) “You must always strive to be the best, but you must never believe that you are.”

  ~Juan Manuel Fangio, Argentine race car driver

3) "People say to me all the time, 'You have no fear.' I tell them, No, that's not true. I'm scared all the time. You have to fear in order to have courage. I'm a courageous person because I'm a scared person." 

  ~Ronda Rousey, UFC fighter and WWE wrestler

4) "For me, winning isn’t something that happens suddenly on the field when the whistle blows and the crowds roar. Winning is something that builds physically and mentally every day that you train and every night that you dream."

  ~Emmitt Smith, football player

5) “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”

  ~Wayne Gretzky, hockey player

6) "Winning is fun … Sure. But winning is not the point. Wanting to win is the point. Not giving up is the point. Never letting up is the point. Never being satisfied with what you’ve done is the point."

  ~Pat Summitt, head coach of the University of Tennessee women’s basketball team

7) "An endurance challenge is a lever for personal growth. What’s most critical is how you evolve and grow as a result of the attempt."

  ~Rich Roll, ultra-endurance athlete

8) "I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion."'

~Muhammad Ali, boxer

9) "Never let your memories be bigger than your dreams."

   ~Laird Hamilton, big-wave surfer

10) "Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” 

   ~Babe Ruth, baseball player

11) "Winning doesn’t always mean being first. Winning means you’re doing better than you’ve ever done before."

   ~Bonnie Blair, speed skater

12) "It doesn’t matter what other people think. Not everyone is going to always support you 100% but as long as you are doing you and you know that you’re becoming a better person then that’s what’s important."

  ~Gwen Jorgensen, triathlete

One of the most important parts of mental training is positive self-talk. Seasoned athletes know that the words “I can’t” can be just as crippling as a twisted ankle, and the ones who persist replace that dreaded phrase with something else, such as “I’m getting stronger” or “I’ve got this.” Every athlete begins, in this way, by supporting themselves, but as they gain some skill and expertise, many find they have words of wisdom to share with other athletes traveling on that same path toward victory.

Click here to read a related post: Understanding Your Limiting Beliefs to Reach Your Full Potential

To your greater success and fulfillment,

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, restaurants, stores, distribution centers, food production facilities, wealth management services, facilities 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.

What's Your Work Cadence? Five Ways Cadence Impacts Your Culture and Results

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cadence.

Maybe it makes you think of a marching band or soldiers, the percussion section of an orchestra, or the drum solo in your favorite classic rock song (Read: Led Zepplin's Moby Dick by John Bonham or Rush's YYZ by Neil Peart). After reading this post, I hope you have a new hook for cadence – a connection to the culture you have and the culture you want to create for your team and organization.

There is a cadence to most everything in life. It’s a rhythm that runs through our lives, our work, our relationships and more. We can learn more about our work culture when we recognize its cadence. Adjustments to the underlying cadence can add value and desirability to our work culture more quickly than we think.

The Five Cadences

The Cadence of Meetings. How frequently your team meets depends on the nature of the work and the size of the team. Some teams have daily huddles, others meet weekly or even monthly.  Are your meetings helping you reach your desired results? Do you need more or less of them? At what frequency and type will they be most helpful?

The Cadence of Collaboration. Some teams need to collaborate often and frequently – others perhaps less so. Quantity, frequency, and effectiveness of your collaboration can have huge impacts on your culture and results. How frequently are you encouraging or expecting the team to collaborate in brainstorming, problem solving, decision making, and priority reassessment? This could be with or without a formally scheduled meeting. Would having more (or less) frequency here favorably impact communication, empowerment, engagement, or accountability?

The Cadence of Coaching (and one-on-ones). I’ve asked hundreds of leaders about the frequency and quality of their one-on-ones with their team members. And there is a direct correlation between the frequency, quality and the effectiveness of the leader and the team. If your results aren’t where you want them to be, consider increasing the frequency and quality of your one-on-ones. They give you a real chance for formal and frequent coaching (among other things), contributing to an engaged, improving team. What is your current cadence of coaching and one-on-ones?

The Cadence of Interactions. Communication is something that most everyone – even in highly effective teams – feels could be better. But it isn’t just the need to transact business and share information. Usually, there is also a need for more interaction. Interaction provides the chance to build relationships and trust, increasing the cohesion and foundation of the team. How much time are you providing for interaction in group settings? Are your team members comfortable talking with their colleagues about more than just the work and the weather? If your team is short on interaction (especially a team operating at a distance), think about your cadence of interaction.

The Cadence of Learning. The cadence of learning relates to how much and how frequently people are learning. Yes, this includes training and coaching. But it is also information sharing, mentoring, book clubs, cross training, and so much more. Do people see learning as a part of their role? If so, is there time regularly available and set aside to support that learning and development?

How to Use These Work Cadences

Five work cadences – all in areas that impact the results you achieve and the current culture. Think about your current and desired cadences – the frequency, richness, and effectiveness of each across your team. You can use these in three ways:

As a diagnostic tool – How do our current work cadences affect our results?

As a coaching tool – If one or more of these are significantly different across team members, it may be a source of varying results.

As a communication tool – Work with your team to identify and define the current cadences. Use that as the starting point to build and maintain the culture you want, yielding the results you need.

 Cadence in Nature

When you watch a flock of geese migrating south for the winter you realize that the geese are all leaders and followers each taking a turn. Alternately leading and following creates a perfect cadence which enables them to get to their faraway winter destination. 

Click here to read our post titled: What Geese Can Tell Us About Leadership and Teamwork (5 min read)

To your greater success and fulfillment,

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, restaurants, stores, distribution centers, food production facilities, wealth management services, facilities services and maintenance, 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.

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.