The wisdom of children never ceases to amaze me.  During an Easter egg hunt, my six year old niece was on the prowl to find all the hidden eggs.  She knew there were four eggs yet to be discovered.  I noticed her boundless energy and delightful smile that always seems to have a hint of mischief behind it.  In my adult-like ignorance, I stated, “Wow, it’s really tough to find these last four eggs.”  She looked at me and stated, “That’s the point.”

How often do we overlook the obvious in search of something else?  Is it a quick fix, a way to speed up the moment, an overlooked opportunity?

So today, I challenge you (and myself) to ask, “What’s the point?”

Leaders: Are you telling employees answers rather than allowing them to discover their unique solutions?

Teachers: Are you counting down the days until summer break rather than embracing this opportunity to leave a lasting impression on the youth in your classroom?

Employees: Are you watching the clock rather than sharing your individuality with those you encounter and issues you address?

Students: Are you counting down the days until summer break rather than investing in your future by living in the present?

Nurses: Are you complaining about the needs of a patient rather than giving the gift of your knowledge and empathy to those who’ve entrusted you with their lives?

All of Us: Are we going through the motions despite our underlying awareness that we only have today?

Once we can answer the question, “What’s the point?”, our opportunities are endless.  What’s your point?

What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything? ~Vincent van Gogh

You have an opportunity.  It’s called, “today”.

Today is your chance to allow your unique self to shine.  Rather than do things because you’ve always done them that way, make a change.  Do one thing to make a difference in someone’s life today.  One thing.  Take a moment to embrace the present; to connect with others; to demonstrate that you care.  Share a smile, spare change, an act of anonymous kindness.

Challenge the status quo!  Let your voice be heard.  Let others’ voices be heard! Leap into this day…it’s YOUR DAY!

Decide. Will you make a difference today, or will today pass you by as you go through the motions, never to be experienced again?

Remember: What you “do” for a living does not define you; how you do it does.

If you are in a position of leadership, formal or informal, you have a tremendous responsibility.   This is not a burden, it’s an honor; one to be taken seriously.

At the end of this day, everyday, what type of legacy will you leave?  I was inspired by the blog of Tim Sanchez (aka @DeliverBliss) to compile some leadership quotes to inspire you to embrace your role as a leader.  Please take a moment to reflect upon the impact you are having on those around you.  Leave a legacy worthy of emulation.

• Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right thing. ~P. Drucker

• Leadership is action, not position. ~D. McGannon

• You must do the thing you think you cannot do. ~E. Roosevelt

• The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team. ~J. Wooden

• Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. ~MLK, Jr.

• Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear. ~A. Camus

• The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy. ~MLK, Jr.

• You don’t get paid for the hour.  You get paid for the value you bring to the hour. ~J. Rohn

• How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong.  Because some day in life you will have been all of these. ~G.W. Carver

• You will face many defeats in life but never let yourself be defeated. ~M. Angelou

• If you want to build a ship, don’t herd people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea. ~A. de Sainte Exupery

• Standing for right when it is unpopular is a true test of moral character. ~M. Smith

• “Do-so” is more important than “say-so”. ~P. Seeger

• Humans are ambitious and rational and proud.  And we don’t fall in line with people who don’t respect us and who we don’t feel have our best interests at heart.  We are willing to follow leaders, but only to the extent that we believe they call on our best, not our worst. ~R. Maddow

• You are responsible for the talent that has been entrusted to you. ~H-F. Amiel

These are just a small sampling of quotes.  What quotes inspire you?  We’d love for you to add to the list…

I believe that in order to lead, you must also be able to inspire.  Inspiration. When was the last time you were truly inspired?  When was the last time you were the source of someones’ inspiration?  I don’t believe (completely) in the idea of fate, or the common saying, “it was meant to be”.  However, over the past 3 days I’ve received gifts of inspiration when I didn’t expect them. Maybe I received them because I was open to them, or maybe it was just, dare I say it…fate.

Here are 3 examples of inspiration that I’ve encountered in 3 days:

• My friends’ son, Jake Berman, is a young man who has completed his first year in college. While visiting their home, he shared his portfolio from a photography class. Whoa. Not only were the pictures breathtaking; his explanation of each shot was profound and poignant. I’ve known Jake since he was a toddler. His insight, compassion and talent have always inspired me (whether it was on the football field, helping a friend, wrestling in a district tournament or having a conversation). I’m confidant that no matter the path he chooses he will one day be a quiet leader, standing up for what’s right and making a difference.

• On Twitter I saw a quote posted initially by @LeadToday (aka Steve Keating) that was retweeted by @ndefalco (aka Nicole DeFalco). The quote: “Talk is cheap. Action is priceless.”  Simple.  It spurred me into action.  I had grand plans all day. This simple quote helped me put those plans into action.  Then a few hours later, @MarkOOates (aka Mark Oakes) tweeted that he had a peak training session to prepare for a “half Ironman” which included a 1.5 mile swim, 60 mile bike ride and 7 mile run.  Someone buy this man a CAR! Who does all that in one day? Again, I was inspired.  I laced up my jogging shoes and went for a run. For the record, I jogged just a bit more than he swam.  I didn’t want to show him up. I’m cool like that. These people lead by wisdom and example.

• On Facebook, a friend posted this video. If you do not give this video 4 minutes of your attention it will be your complete loss. I will let it speak for itself.

Click here to view the embedded video.

What are you doing to inspire others?  Where have you found inspiration in unlikely places?  How do you incorporate inspiration into your leadership behaviors?  We would love to hear your thoughts on inspiration as an element of leadership and as one of the gifts of life.

Leadership is (fill in the blank).  You can’t.  Neither can I. 

Despite articles, books, blogs and opinions written about leadership, what is often left unsaid is that leadership is over-defined.  Yes, there are characteristics that one might apply to a strong (or weak) leader.  There are behaviors one can observe, mentors one can model, quotes one can use and examples one can site.  I tend to agree with most of what I read about quality leadership and what that embodies.

Therefore, I would like to add a perspective on leadership by simplifying the definition to four dominant traits/characteristics/behaviors (fill in the blank!).  Consider a compass.  There are four primary directions: North, South, East and West.  And just like leadership, even something as precise as a compass has varying ways of defining and discovering North: there is True North, magnetic North and grid North.  No wonder I need GPS AND Mapquest to get me where I’m going!

So imagine that there are four primary elements of leadership, with varying degrees of direction.  Just like I might be traveling North-East to get to my destination, one can also move their leadership needle along the compass.

The Leadership Compass:

Moral Direction

In order to be an effective leader, one must have a moral compass.  Do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do.  Ah, the challenge.  Sometimes the right thing to do may have a negative impact on the bottom line.  The right thing may involve confronting an employee who is not meeting the standards and expectations of your organization.  The right thing may be to change a policy so it benefits both the consumer and the company.  The right thing may be the difficult thing to do.  Varying degrees of this compass point include: honesty, integrity, ethics, conscientiousness, virtuous, honorable, humane, compassionate and noble, to name a few.  How does your moral compass impact your leadership decisions?

Inspirational Direction

Another trait I would place on my leadership compass is the ability to inspire others.  Quality leaders, no matter their position within an organization typically make others want to do and be more.  They serve as an example of possibilities and dreams and courage.  Inspiring others at this level is a gift and a challenge.  Varying degrees of this compass point include: leading by example, encouraging, intriguing, motivating, refreshing, dynamic, persuasive and uplifting, to name a few.  What leader has made an inspirational impression on you?

Emotional Intelligence Direction

In Daniel Goleman’s article he discusses emotional intelligence as a quality of an effective leader.  This is often ignored when it comes to the promotional processes of many organizations.  Typically, one gets promoted into a leadership position because they are either highly effective at their current position, or they’ve been with the company for 78 years.  Neither of these reasons have to do with leadership; rather, they apply to job knowledge and longevity.  As Mr. Goleman points out, some varying degrees of emotional intelligence include: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills.  What are your guiding principles when choosing a leader within your organization?

Effective Communication Direction

There are multiple ideas, visions and expectations that a leader must communicate within their organization.  The ability to do so effectively can mean the difference between: success or failure, motivation or discouragement, buy-in or complaints, collaboration or sabotage, understanding or confusion. In order to effectively communicate, a leader must have a handle on all other elements of their leadership compass.  Some additional degrees one would find: open body language, approachability, willingness to accept and receive feedback, ability to see and verbalize the “big picture”, positive recognition, holding people accountable, recognizing effort, keeping people in the loop, authenticity and many more.  What opportunities do you have to communicate more effectively?

So there you have it…my leadership compass.  Each direction allows for further definition and corresponding behaviors.  What would you add to this compass?  What direction are you taking your organization????

The “team approach” to work has become a tired slogan, a managerial fad, a forced concept. Many leaders and employees forget that they are working for something bigger than their own personal needs. They lose their passion and drive; they wear blinders that prevent them from seeing the big picture. Lost is the energy that initially helped drive their productivity.  Basically, a dog after a long walk…it starts out as a great idea, but it ends up exhausting all involved.

What are the elements of productive teams?  How do you create an atmosphere that fosters a team approach?  My initial thought was to create an analogy between athletic teams and organizations.  However, being a die hard Detroit Lions fan, I think I’ll choose another approach.

I recently attended a true team event at St. Francis DeSales High School.  The school sponsored a Relay for Life event which gives communities a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. Because cancer never sleeps, Relays are overnight events up to 24 hours in length.

During this event, I witnessed the elements of a team that every organization should strive to implement.  These DeSales high school students (and some awesome adult volunteers and cancer survivors) lived and breathed the ideal of a high functioning team.  With the additional presence of representatives (Sheizka Komala and Ann Dee Hamilton) from Aflac, from students, parents and grandparents from Whetstone High School, plus additional vendors, the St. Francis DeSales community modeled an effective team.

The elements of an effective team that I witnessed:

1. Common Purpose: The students were educated and aware of the purpose of their participation.  They either had a personal experience with cancer, or wanted to support others.  The purpose was effectively communicated by the event coordinator, Kellie O’Riordan who lost her mother (Barbara) to cancer.  Kellie ensured that the students understood the solemnity and hope the relay represented.  Every student I spoke with was able to verbalize the purpose of the event.  If I visited your organization, would every employee be able to verbalize your purpose?

2. Motivation: What an amazing sight to witness: teenagers motivated to create a better future for others!  And to take this a step further, they did not confuse motivation with results.  They already had their sponsors and raised their money…yet they were highly motivated to follow through on their personal commitment in order to achieve results.  That’s true motivation.  You can tell me how enthusiastic you are about something, but are you doing the behaviors that demonstrate your enthusiasm?

3. Individual Responsibility in a Group Setting: Every student stepped up to the plate. Prior to the event, individuals of each team raised money, designed t-shirts and coordinated group efforts. During the event, they made sure they had someone representing their team (walking/jogging) for 24 hours.  After the event, individuals helped with post event details that required a great deal of attention.  How well do the individuals on your team contribute to the success of the group?

4. Flexibility: Due to weather, the relay was held indoors (demonstration that a team needs leadership to support decisions that will help them be most effective).  This required students to walk the halls of the school rather than the track they had prepared for; they had to set up their “tents” in the gym rather than the outdoor field. I didn’t hear a single complaint.  What I did hear were students asking about how to get water to others, whether or not there were fans available and how to use cross-ventilation effectively!  What would happen to your teams’ effectiveness if they encountered an obstacle that changed all of their initial expectations?

5. Identity: Each team developed a name and created a t-shirt. It was easy to spot members of individual teams.  They also had a greater identity: their common purpose noted in the first point.  This created camaraderie at two levels: the smaller team composed of individuals who had bonded together while preparing for the event; and the larger team: all the participants, whether they be a team, volunteer or survivor.  What is your organization doing to create identity?

Teams are important to any organizations’ overall success.  Please let us know what you think makes an effective team!

I am sure we have all experienced an ineffective manager (also known as the bad boss) at one point in our professional lives.  The bad boss does exist and is still alive and well in many of today’s work environments.  Bad bosses drive good employees to your competition, keep under-performing employees in place and slowly but surely alienate customers and team members.  Based on my experiences, below are the top four ways that ineffective managers alienate employees.

1.  They apply the “do as I say, not as I do” mentality.

Ineffective managers do not lead by example.  Their behaviors do not support the mission, vision or standards for the organization or the department.  Bad bosses talk at their employees rather than with them.  They demand and command excellence without modeling the behaviors it takes for employees to be successful.

Effective managers know that the single most effective way to impact behavior is to be the role model and lead by example in all that they do.  Employees don’t always listen to what you say, instead they watch how you behave.  The effective manager understands that their behavior directly impacts the behavior of their employees.

2.  They only talk to employees when there is a problem.

The ineffective manager prefers to stay in his/her office, behind closed doors.  That way they don’t have to interact or deal with their employees.  The only time you hear from the bad boss is when you screwed something up.  Only then are they quick to communicate with you.  When an employee gets pulled into the office everyone on the team knows that he/she is in trouble.

An effective manager knows that consistent and performance based feedback is an on-going and necessary process.  They understand that employees learn from the things they do well instead of the mistakes they make.  The effective manager has frequent conversations with employees that balance positive as well as developmental feedback.

3.  It is clear who the “favorite” employee is.

The ineffective manager clearly has favorites on his/her team.  They often get rewarded with easier projects, long lunches, preferential treatment and can be found in the bosses office on the rare occasion that their door is actually open.  The bad boss does not hold these folks accountable and often excuses performance issues.

The effective manager does not have any favorites on the team.  They value each and every team member for the strengths and opportunities they bring to the team.  They share the work load and are consistent in their feedback and behaviors across the board.  You exceed the expectation, you get recognition.  You don’t meet the expectation, they will coach you.  The effective manager sees the potential in all employees and works with everyone to harness that potential.

4.  They consistently violate the core values of the organization.

Most organizations have standards and core values that apply to how they do business, interact with others and serve as the guiding principles for all that they do.  Bad bosses blatantly ignore the poster on the wall in their area outlining the core values.  Clearly those apply to everyone else and not them.  Their behaviors are in direct opposition to what the company stands for.  As a result employees are confused and become disengaged.

The effective manager believes in, lives and demonstrates the core values of the organization in all their interactions.  Again the effective manager knows that they must behave and model the expectations if they expect their employees to do the same.

I realize that these 4 examples only scratch the surface of how ineffective managers alienate employees.  We could probably write a book on 1 million ways to alienate employees!  What experiences have you had with a bad boss?  What would you add to the list?

“I’ll be more enthusiastic about encouraging thinking outside the box when there’s evidence of any thinking going on inside it.” ~Terry Pratchett

I’m sitting in a hotel room.  It looks exactly like the one I was in last week. That idea comforts and disturbs me.  I could be anywhere.  Yet according to this ad, this is what business travel looks like:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Yep, that’s me, prancing across the lobby. If that’s supposed to be my check-in experience, I’m doing something wrong.  Yet when I checked-in this morning, there was a difference: the person working at the front desk (Jimmy).  His attitude pulled me out of what I call my “travel apathy” (if you say it really fast, it’s one word).  You just said it 3 times, didn’t you?

He noted I’d been a guest here before and welcomed me back.  I responded politely (that’s travel apathy). He asks, “What do you do that allows you to travel so much?”  I gave him the 30 second, canned version (what’s it called? Yep…travel apathy).  He gave me a great big smile, “That must be so much fun! AND you get to travel.” Someone drank the kool-aid.

Suddenly I felt like I owed him more than polite responses, because he was connecting, being real, being human.  And…he knocked the travel apathy right outta me!  I was actually reminded that I love what I do, and that’s why I do it.  I expanded on my response and allowed myself to connect.  May not seem like much to you, but I’d left for the airport at 5 AM, and I prefer to only see 5 in the PM.

Jimmy reminded me that I’m here for a reason. He reminded me. And I guess Mr. Marriott is not just blogging (Home), he’s inspiring.  One of his employees is making a difference.

So who will you inspire?  One person can make a difference.  You won’t always know the who, what, when, where, how and why…but you will inspire.  Go for it.

Working with businesses throughout the U.S. and Canada, I often get asked how effective teams are created.  There is no easy answer.  Creating a team is complex and requires effort, dedication, strategy and willingness. Creating a team is serious business. And it’s important to your bottom line. When employees are unhappy, disengaged or just going through the motions: your business takes a hit and your consumers pay the price.  Not a goal of any business I know.

In her blog, “Laughter is the best medicine – and productivity booster”, Cathy Leibow discusses the research supporting having fun at work. There is a direct correlation between enjoying your work environment and creative, productive employees.  If those are behaviors you want from employees, I encourage you to consider creating opportunities that inspire those behaviors.  Check out some of the suggestions here: http://bit.ly/czXulx

Some additional ideas:

1. Allow employees to have a few pictures of family/friends at their work station
2. Have a potluck lunch once a month (I’ll bring the paper plates…you don’t want me to cook anything!)
3. Share personal success stories through your internal communication system (ex. “Jen finished her first half marathon this weekend…could someone pick her up off the floor?!”)
4. Post employee pictures (most employees do not even know what employees from other departments/areas look like, yet they talk on the phone to give/receive information almost daily)
5. Sponsor a “Meet and Greet” night with one rule: No one is allowed to talk about work (you may have to get creative and have some activities prepared…feel free to contact me if you need some ideas)

Research has proven your employees productivity will increase when they feel more connected to your company.

• What are you going to do to create a stronger team?
• What opportunities do you have, with your current resources, to foster a team environment?

If you have additional ideas or suggestions, please share them!  I’d love to hear what people are doing that’s making a difference.

Today is Monday.  As I checked my Facebook account, Twitter account and emails this morning, I noticed a trend.  Many people were complaining about the end of the weekend and beginning of a new work week.  For a moment, I was tempted to commiserate with my friends, tweeps and others.  To complain about Mondays and work seems to have become ingrained in our culture.  Even if you’re happy to be at work, you may have formed the habit of complaining about the beginning of your work week.

I challenge you to break this habit.  What would your company culture feel like if no one ever complained about being at work?  What impact would that have on morale, productivity, teamwork and motivation?

I’m a firm believer in personal responsibility in a group setting.  We are all responsible for the overall culture of our work environment, no matter our position.

Take the Motivate Your Monday challenge:

• What can I start doing to create a more productive, team-oriented and positive work environment?
• What can I stop doing that is adding to the drama, tension and negative work environment?

By asking yourself those two questions, and putting your answers into actions, you will be a “value-adding” employee.  If you are in a position of leadership, consider asking your team those questions (including yourself, of course!), then hold people accountable to make their contribution.