Stumbled upon on of Simon Sinek's videos and was reminded of one of the most important leadership principles...Leaders have people that follow them because they have to. People who Lead have people who follow them because they are inspired and because they want to.
Why do people follow you? Better find out if you don't know the answer.
And how often do you help them fulfill their dreams?
In terms of creating a legacy, these might be the most important measurements of all.
As a leader, a large part of earned respect is dependent on your delivery...not what you say, but how you say it. Here’s a simple rule I follow...treat subordinates as you would your own family. If you wouldn’t say it to your loved ones, don’t say it that way to the people at work. Now, extend that to customers, peers and others in general.
A slight twist of the golden rule...and very effective.
Most people fall into one of two categories. They are either more prone to wait for instructions. Or, they choose to initiate and inspire. Waiting for a road map is easier and seems safer. Unfortunately, it also leaves you in an unenviable position...being indistinguishable. And as a commodity your value is determined by someone else, instead of you. On the other hand, taking a chance by executing an unproven idea or stepping up to solve an interesting problem is tough...and a bit scary. But, that’s leadership. And that’s what separates you from the pack...and creates tremendous value.
The world has way more followers than we need, leaving plenty of room for those who choose to inspire. I hope you do.
I’d probably call it Appelos...hybrid Apple and Zappos
It has nothing to do with computers or an internet store. It’s about their obsessions...
Apple- quality, innovation, design, spirit, growing the tribe
Zappos- employee care, employee dream fulfillment, customer engagement, pursuit of happiness
Obviously, both organizations have been very successful on every measure. But, they also both started at zero and went through serious dips before emerging into what we know today. The key takeaway is how they stuck to their core values and developed obsessions around them. They survived and made progress by ignoring popular trends and advice and simply (but not easily) doing flawless work. They executed their obsessions...and continue to do so.
Lesson...Write down your purpose, what you stand for. Develop obsessions and execute. There, that’s your business plan. Please go do something remarkable.
Try this experiment the next time a subordinate or child asks you for an answer to a challenging question (warning, does not work well with a spouse)...ask them a question in return. Leaders know how to solve problems and find answers. Giving people answers then doesn't really help develop this critical skill set. Conversely, helping them find the right path teaches them to think and find the right support.
My perspective on artists, their dreams and our responsibility to keep them fulfilled.
Our Job is to Make Dreams Come True from Michael Chaffin on Vimeo.
If you consider that people always do their best work when they are treated fairly and with enthusiasm, why would anyone in a leadership position (boss or peer) treat someone any differently? How many times have we seen someone (or been someone) getting chewed out, diminished or made fun of? Treating people with a lack of dignity and respect is probably the single greatest threat to being successful...at anything.
If you can only spare enough time to make one adjustment...this is the one.
What makes a person tick? What makes their needle spin? What dreams can you help them achieve?
These are the most important questions you can ask someone in an interview (both ways). Without knowing the answer you can’t make the employment relationship anything more than just a job...a transaction, you give me eight hours and I’ll give you $$. And, if it’s just a job, nothing remarkable is going to happen...and eventually you’ll be replaced, out of business, or at best be in a constant struggle to survive.
Whether you work for yourself or for a company of 5,000...the question is the same. This is the simplest form of the annual performance review. If you're honest with yourself, you can get a lot from the answer. If you think you might cheat a little, ask five or ten other people that are close to you. By the way, the same principle can and should be applied to how you did with friends and family.
As a boss, you have a choice...hire Labor to produce what you want, exactly how you want it. Give them a road map, and mandate they work as hard as they can to get you there...first. For this, you need Labor that values the trade-off between pay and the grind more than the idea of directing the outcome. Generally, you need people that are asleep...at least while at work. If you're lucky, you'll survive and get that 3% margin, enough to hang on for another year.
The other choice is to hire people who care about your idea and are emotionally engaged with the outcome...people that are awake. Your job isn't to direct what these people do everyday, but to keep them awake...energized and ready to take on new possibilities.
Choosing the first path is dangerous. Not just because of diminishing returns associated with increased efficiency, but because the robot labor supply is also shrinking. While you can still find a fairly large group of rule followers willing to trade eight hours of being bored to tears for a paycheck today, this group is dwindling. Labor is figuring it out...they don't have to settle. They can get paid for for something other than working in a box...they can get paid to think...and to lead, even if their tribe is a group of one. In the process, thinking will become more valuable than doing.
As more and more of your competitors choose the latter...what's your choice really?
Awake...the new order, the new charge...the new grind. Best get started.
Happy Labor Day
Companies spend a lot of time, energy and money answering this for themselves. They hire consultants, develop mantras and mission statements. It's the latest thing in a meaningful, self-reflecting, find your true north sort of exercise. They used to call it branding.
A more important question and answer might be...what are you going to do about it when you find our you're not doing it?...whatever the it was when you defined it in the beginning. Let's say for example you set out to "make people happy" because the "make a profit" answer sounded too shallow and self-serving. Question is...what are you going to do when people (both your employees and customers) tell you they aren't "happy"? Are you prepared to stop or change course...180 degrees if necessary? Would you do whatever it took to get realigned with your core values? While codifying your "why" is important, I think it's equally important to understand the likelihood that you will need to change or scrap the idea altogether. Otherwise, it's just some fancy words in a handbook...perhaps a big lie.
Actions always speak louder than words.
Little Rock has a relatively nice airport...comfortable, easy, a pleasant experience by airport standards.
So, who makes the decision to let this sort of thing get in the way? I've seen this fan just like this for months. How many employees and managers are saying, "it's not my job to fix this" even though it clearly disrupts the marketing program?
Hospitality is in the Details from Michael Chaffin on Vimeo.
Gotta like this one from Hugh
Experts get noticed
They get hired first...and fired last
Experts get paid more...and are given the best projects
Experts are asked for advice...and, they're listened to
Good news...you don't need a Phd or a twenty-five year career to become one. Just, passion, desire, willingness to learn and the ability to endure and fail.
You can be an expert barista, an expert car valet, an expert admin, an expert sales executive or an expert housekeeper. Doesn't really matter which category you choose...it just matters that you choose to do so and understand why it's so important.
Point is...why settle for average when you can become an expert at something.
Picked this up from Tom Peters' Thanksgiving post...
"Make no mistake, the keys to surviving and thriving, as individuals and organizations, will not primarily be the “out of the box” cleverness of our “strategic response,” but instead individual and organizational character as expressed by the depth and breadth of relationships throughout our individual or organizational networks."
It's his answer to the seemingly insurmountable, but doable, global economic crisis. Spot on. Ask yourself...are you the type of person or organization people gravitate toward and enjoy doing business with?
Even in tough times, the job remains the same...build a loyal audience of raving fans, that is, focus on relationships...showing people you care.
Happy Thanksgiving
How many ideas can you handle each day? One, five, a dozen? Personally, I like a continual flow. It shows that the tribe is thinking, creating...perhaps even pushing me around a bit. I much prefer this bombardment problem to the occasional, well thought out (safe), perfect solution...which , by the way, is almost never as effective as one of those crazy, off the wall thoughts.
So, go ahead, send a hundred thousand comments and emails...I would enjoy hearing from you.
What are you doing to move your organization forward? What are the people around you doing? What about the candidate being considered to join your company...what did she do at her last company to get them ahead? No matter when or how often you ask, it's always the most important thing to know....what are we doing?
Try implementing a 5 things report to get everyone focused on the idea of measurable progress. List the 5 things you're doing right now that will measurably move the organization forward...to get it a step closer to achieving overarching objectives like building an audience of loyal raving fans, reducing waste by 5% or improving employee retention. Release a new list regularly, on whatever schedule feels right...weekly seems to work well for most. Start handing yours out to your boss, peers and subordinates. Don't ask for theirs. After awhile, you'll get some in return. Hopefully, you'll start a shift in the culture of participation and measuring progress.
The best time to listen to coaches, mentors and gurus is during or after a loss. That's when you figure out if they're really any good. That's when you figure out who can quickly analyze, regroup and re-energize the team without anger humiliation or intimidation. That's when and where the real learning gets done, the real value happens and when the organization moves forward.