I'm 100% Geek.....And Proud of It!!

I think "Geek the Library" is a great organization, as well as, one of the better marketing campaigns I've seen in while.  In it's spirit, I've realized that I am a bit of a geek myself.  Ok....I'm 100% Geek and I’m proud of it.

Need Proof?

I geek the ins and outs of bowling
I geek the finer details of a list
I geek fishing
I geek spreadsheets
I geek slow smoking meats at 225 degrees (BBQ)
I geek leadership
I geek experimentation in the kitchen (Cooking)
I geek my wife and kids
I geek the annual boys-holiday-all-nighter-video-gaming-extravaganza
I geek a good glass of wine with friends
I geek helping my community through firefighting and EMT work
I geek continual learning
I geek board games with extended family

And finally, to steal a line from Pink, “I’m to school for cool.”

Yes, I’m a geek. Are you?

What are the top 5 things you GEEK?

Little Miss Muffet and Her Arachnophobia

I'm continuing my series on leadership lessons we can learn from nursery rhymes.  I hope you'll recall the one I posted a couple days ago.

I’m willing to guess that you once again couldn’t get the following nursery rhyme off your mind after reading this title. Let’s say this one together:

Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet

Eating her curds and whey,

Along came a spider,

Who sat down beside her

And frightened Miss Muffet away

This is another great nursery rhyme, with another great leadership lesson. Let’s dissect it, shall we (the rhyme…..not the spider).

Fear is difficult to deal with as a leader. Maybe there’s something you (as the leader) fears, or maybe it’s something your follower’s fear. Either way, fear can be what keeps us from becoming GREAT. Fear can be what stands in our way of success. Fear can be a crutch.

Little Miss Muffet can sure sympathize with this fear as a crutch notion. She sits down to enjoy a nice little meal, and what happens? Her biggest phobia nearly smacks her right in the face! That would be scary for anyone.

It’s Little Miss Muffet’s reaction that I want to analyze. She succumbed to her fear. When dealt with a decision, she decided to run from her fear, instead of staying to face it. She had an opportunity to show her friends and followers that her courage as a leader could allow her to “face off” with her fear, but she instead retreated. Hey, there are some fears and battles that we need to run from. It’s up to us as leaders to decide if retreat is the best approach. However, we need to remember that we are being watched, and if we want to convince our followers to “buy in” to our vision; plan; direction (as was discussed in the previous post), then more times than not, we need to stand tall to our fears.

What fears are keeping you from reaching new heights as a leader? What steps can you take to help build that courage needed to stand tall to your fears? Are all your fears worth running from?  Is this one I should run from or face? These are questions you need to ask yourself as you further grow as a leader. “Am I being ‘Little Miss Muffet’ today?”

Mary Had A Little Lamb

Don’t be embarrassed. Your 1st thought after reading that title was the same as nearly everyone’s first thought after reading that title……which, in fact, is why I titled it the way I did.

We all remember that great nursery rhyme don’t we? In fact, my 3 year old is now old enough to recite it, and my 5 year old is getting close to being able to read it. Will you join us?

“Mary had a little lamb (little lamb, little lamb).”

“Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow.”

“And everywhere that Mary went (Mary went, Mary went).”

“And everywhere that Mary went the lamb was sure to go.”

I love that nursery rhyme. It reminds me a lot about leadership. See, to be a leader, you need at least one follower. You can’t really be “classified” as a leader until you have someone that is willing to follow you: Someone that “buys in” to your vision; your plan; your beliefs; your cause; your direction. A person may call themselves a leader because of the way they speak or act, but only when they have someone who is willing to follow them, can they truly be a leader.

Mary was a leader. She had a lamb that followed her everywhere she went. Now, you may be thinking “It was an animal, for crying out loud!” I challenge you with “So, what?!” Don’t we observe many “Mary’s” and many “Lambs” every single day? Mary had a plan; a vision; a direction she was heading, and she was able to get that lamb to buy in to her plan. That lamb was a follower. Mary was a leader.

What are you doing to attract “lambs”? How are you ensuring that you are truly being a leader, and not just calling yourself a leader? Are you able to effectively convince others to believe in your vision; plan; mission; etc? These are all questions to ponder as you continue to build your leadership knowledge. “Am I being a ‘Mary’ today?”

note: picture courtesy of http://www.nurseryrhymesonline.com/mary_had_a_little_lamb-2395.php

Favoritism in Leadership

My big question for you (I usually save these for the end) is: Can/Should a leader play favorites? Is there ever a place for favoritism from a leader? I've discussed this before, but I'd like your input


I’d really like your input on this. It’s something I’ve been pondering for some time now. I’ve been cruising down the path of “No!” That is, I don’t think a leader should play favorites. Sure, a leader or manager may have a “go to sales guy/gal” or a “go to project manager,” but it should be based on performance and that “sales guy’s” ability to get the job done, and not just because s/he’s a friend. (Maybe this discussion depends on one’s definition of favoritism. If so, what’s your defininiton?)

I see favoritism as a morale reducer in the workplace. Those that aren’t the “teacher’s pets” begin to question their importance to the organization. They begin to lose sight of where they fit within the organization and more importantly, they begin to question their own abilities. I’m afraid that it may become a destructive path, whereby the “last gal picked for the team” starts to care less about her work, and eventually reaches apathy.

So, is this the case? Have any of you seen this happen? Or, am I just way off base here? I haven’t had a lot of exposure to this yet, but I can sure imagine that it happens in many organizations. And, if this does happen (favoritism leading to apathy among the non-favorites), is it due to the environment of the organization, or just a weak/frail personality of the non-favorites? Playing favorites: Should it be done in leadership?



note: picture courtesy of http://www.bonappetit.com

Leadership Wellness

It’s important, as leaders, that we continually improve our leadership skills. Just as we would take care of our physical wellness through exercise and healthy eating, we must also take care of our leadership abilities through “exercise and healthy eating.” Where do you go to get your “leadership exercise”? What mental food do you consume to keep abreast of your leadership wellness?


I’m a big believer in continuous improvement and life-long learning. Although I’m a bit of a perfectionist myself, I also realize that we can never be perfect. Once we’ve gained perfection, there’s nothing more to strive for. However, in the persistent pursuit of perfection, I’m committed to honing my leadership skills and abilities, so that I may continually improve as a leader.

So, I ask you again: Where do you go to get your “leadership exercise”? What mental food do you consume to keep abreast of your leadership wellness? Do you read books? Go to conferences? Use social networking?

Please share your experiences, thoughts, and tips. Here are just a few of the places I go:

A Dog’s Advice to Leaders

Leader Business

Extreme Leadership: Steve Farber

Lead Quietly

Brain Based Biz

Manage to Change

Erika Andersen

Terry Starbucker

Angela Maiers

 
note: picture courtesy of http://www.ericpark.org/?cat=26

Opportunity, Is That You?

Opportunites abound! They are everywhere. In everything people do and say. In every positive or negative influence, an opportunity presents itself. The key is: Do you recognize it as what it truly is? An opportunity.

I think many of us get so caught up in the past, in what just happened, that we fail to recognize opportunities. When something negative influences our life, it’s easy for us to react. Some people will fall down, get right back up, and keep moving forward. Others will fall down, get hurt, and stay injured for way too long. In either case, what we fail to do is reflect and process what just happened, which in turn, causes us to fail to recognize another opportunity.

The same can be said about positive influencers. Something good happens to us, and we are too busy celebrating or being congratulated, that we fail to “see” another opportunity.

Let’s think about this another way. The inputs (something affects us) are presented, and something internal and external happens to us (the process), and we kick out a response or reaction (the outputs). What we fail to realize is that another output has been ejected from the system, a hard to see output, a hidden output…..an opportunity. Maybe it’s a learning opportunity, or a teaching opportunity, or an opportunity to express patience, or forgiveness, etc. Maybe it’s a career opportunity. Whatever “it” is, it definitely is an opportunity. And, my challenge to you is to become better at learning to “see”, the hard to see opportunitities.  What are opportunites are you failing to recognize? 

note: picture courtesy of http://andrewhansen.name/

Leadership Mission Possible: Helping Others

I've been on a mission here lately.  It's a mission to help my sister and her fiance raise money to cover medical expenses for the fiance's battle with brain cancer.  It's a personal mission.  It's a leadership mission.  It's a helping others mission.

It got me thinking about leadership.  Isn't leadership all about helping others?  To me, true leadership is about taking those around you and helping them become more successful than yourself.  This mission I'm currently on, is using my leadership skills to help organize an amazing benefit fundraiser to help raise money for a very deserving family.  It's about helping others.  It's an easy mission for me because it's personal.  It touches home.  It's going to benefit someone I feel very dearly about.  I'm passionate about it.

So the internal question for me is:  Would I do this if it wasn't so personal?  If not, then am I truly being a leader?  I hope my answer to the first question is "Of course", although it's probably closer to "Maybe".  Something, as a leader, I may need to work on. So, what missions have you been on?  How are you lifting others up?


Note: If you are interested in learning a little more about Jesse's (the fiance) battle with brain cancer, please check out Jesse Haworth Benefit .  Also, please take a look at the flyer below.  And, if you are in central Iowa on Oct 2nd, please think about attending a wonderful pancake breakfast.  If you feel called to donate to help the family, Donations can be sent to the following:


Jesse Haworth Benefit
Hills Bank
1401 S. Gilbert St
Iowa City, IA 52240

Please make checks payable to "Jesse Haworth Benefit"

Teach Em How To Fish!

You all remember the band Arrested Development don’t you? If not, I encourage you to give them a listen, as they produced…..a…well….an interesting sound. Their lyrics to “Give a man a fish” happen to be the inspiration for my post today.

“Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he’ll eat forever.”

These really are words to live by. They not only tell us how we should treat others (our children, family, friends, etc), but also how we should lead others, whether it be teammates, subordinates, or followers.

This is what leadership is all about. It’s about teaching others how to create success and achieve results on their own, as opposed to providing them success and achievments. To really be effective leaders, we have to equip others with the tools and knowledge necessary for them to strive and succeed on their own. That is, we have to “teach them how to fish.”

Think back to your leadership journey. Were you ever handed answers, achievements, or a title? If you were, then what did you learn from that experience? I would be so bold as to say “Not Much.” See, when things are handed to us (when we are given a fish) we don’t learn anything. We enjoy that success for the short term (we’ll eat for a day), but then we fall down, because nothing was instilled in us to continue striving. We didn’t have to work for it. It’s kind of like that spoiled little brat down the street that everyone knew of when they were growing up. They were entitled and lazy.

Now, back to your leadership journey. Did you have someone that forced you to go looking for the answers? In other words, did they teach you how to fish? See, when that happens (when we have to seek out our own answers, or work hard to strive for our own success and accomplishments), that’s when we learn. That’s when we are able to eat for a lifetime. And, that’s the kind of leaders we need to be. The ones that will teach our followers how to lead. Teach our followers how to accomplish. Teach our followers how to succeed. We need to empower our followers and challenge them to create their own success, and quit providing all the time. We have to cut them loose from our coat tails, and put them in an environment where they have to succeed on their own. This can be tough at times. I’ll relate it to our children. We want to provide, provide, provide, but that can get us close to spoiling them. The better option is still to provide when necessary, but then try to empower and teach. Get tough. Challenge them to seek out answers on their own. Challenge them to become independent. Challenge them to start their own journey. Challenge them to strive for excellence but embrace failure. Challenge them to finish the race.

From our children, to our friends, to our coworkers, to our followers, to everyone we touch, we have to be leaders who will: teach them how to fish, so that they can eat for a lifetime.

note: picture courtesy of http://www.caglesfarmhouse.com/images/father_son_fishing.jpg

The Journey to the End Result

I’ve been thinking about accomplishments, achievements and success, and more specifically, whether I savor the end result of the accomplishments more than the journey it takes to reach said accomplishments. What’s your take on this? What have you accomplished lately? Was the journey worth the end result? Was the journey savored as much or even more than the end result? How about this one: Does the value of the accomplishment increase or decrease based on the effort given during the journey?

I was speaking to my wife about this exact thing this morning. She has ran a couple marathons, and she stated that the emotion (and sense of accomplishment) you’ll have crossing that finish line (achieving that end result) is amazing because of all the work and training (the journey) you put into it. Heck, I remember watching her cross the finish line, and I balled like a baby because of the pride I had for her to accomplish something of such amazement. Not only was I proud of her accomplishment, but I was so excited to see her reach a goal that she had worked so hard for, for so long. I remember thinking that if I could even put half that effort into some of the things I wanted to do, I could accomplish so much. Of course, my wife is an extraordinarily focused, driven, and hard working woman, and not all of us are wired to be that way. We have to make the conscious choice to be focused, driven, and hardworking. (I know I’ve driven off course here as I’ve turned this into a bragging session about my wife, so I’ll attempt to get back on track.)

Back to the point: I tend to believe that our achievements are made even greater by the kind of journey we have in pursuit of those achievements. Don’t we tend to savor things more that we had to work hard for, as opposed to those that were given to us without much effort expelled? This seems to be a common sense statement, but then why do I (and many of us) sometimes feel that accomplishments should come easier to us? It’s almost like a sense of entitlement sweeps over us, and we forget that the journey is an important part of our accomplishments. We fail to embrace the journey. Thus, we fail to achieve. Just as we can’t just go sit in a gym and hope to get in shape through osmosis, so we can’t just hope that success will come our way by sitting around and doing nothing. We have to start our journey, persevere and embrace our journey, and finish our journey. That’s how we achieve!

Any thoughts? Any testimonies? Am I stating the obvious here, or is there more to it? Feel free to leave a comment.-

Embracing Failure? Are You Crazy?!

Why do we fear failure? What is it about “failure” that is so scary? Most people do fear it, don’t they? Many of us get going on a project and we spend much of our time worrying about whether or not our project will succeed. Instead of spending our time-crunched focus on how to make our project succeed, we instead lose all focus and spend our time worrying about the end result. We want to be successful. We want to impress everyone else. We want to be perfect. I’m with all of you, stuck right there in this category, and I’m guessing you and I are not the minority. I mean, sure, there are those out there that embrace failure. But, for most of us, we are terrified of failure. Why?

I think there are some obvious reasons as to why we fear failure. We don’t want to disappoint others. We don’t want to feel ashamed. We don’t like rejection and criticism. We feel as though failure makes us weaker. Oh, what a wrong attitude to have. I’m just as guilty as the next person. I’ve had all these feelings. But, isn’t the fear of failure selfish? Aren’t the reasons I pointed out here purely selfish? Yes, they probably are…..but still, that’s not the point.

My point is, we have to get past this fear of failure. We have to learn to embrace failure. I know that’s quite an astonishing statement. Am I saying that we have to strive for failure? Heck no!! That would be outright silly! I’m just saying that we can’t be afraid to fail. If we are afraid to fail, then we will be afraid to try. We’ll miss out on opportunities. Couldn’t it be argued that our biggest failure could be failing to do something we want or love to do, just because we are afraid we might fail at it?

Okay….back to the point: Embracing failure. I challenge myself (and each and every one of you) to learn to embrace failure. We don’t have to like failure. We surely don’t want to strive for failure. But we do need to learn to embrace it when it happens, and embrace the possibility of it happening when we venture out and try something new. Accepting that failure happens, and embracing it when it does happen, helps us learn. Think back to something you have failed (and failed miserably) at. Wasn’t that one of the best lessons you have ever learned? See, we can learn all kinds of neat things by reading books and studying history, but the lessons learned and knowledge gained as the result of failure is what will really stick. Learning from failure is where we make huge strides towards our overall success. It’s the journey folks. It’s not about having all the right outcomes, as it is about learning from those outcomes, whether they be successful outcomes or failed outcomes.

note: picture courtesy of http://mikevo.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/epic-failure.jpg

The True Essence of Leadership

I’m 2/3 of the way through Steve Farber’s new book, Greater Than Yourself, and I have to say that he’s nailed it again! Whether you are familiar with Steve’s business fables or not, I would recommend getting all three of his books. His first two (The Radical Leap and The Radical Edge) take you an amazing trip of how to become an Extreme Leader. His current book (GTY), displays the true essence of leadership: Mentoring and teaching others to ensure that they become more successful than you. Isn’t that what we’re here for? To see our loved ones (both personally and professionally) succeed to a point above and beyond our own success?

Steve has laid out a perfect plan to mentoring and has challenged every reader to partake in their own “Greater Than Yourself” project. If you don’t go out and get the book, I’d ask that you at least check out Steve’s website to learn more about this great challenge.

Have a Great Week!

note: picture courtesy of greaterthanyourself.com

Take The Quiet Road

The Story

I’ve been driving my daughters to their care sitter most mornings lately, finally gaining an understanding and appreciation for what my wife has done for nearly 4 years. My 4 year old, who has developed a certain morning routine, asks me every day whether I’ll be taking the “noisy” road or the “quiet” road. She has come to the conclusion that the interstate is a noisy road, where the route through town is the quiet road. In fact, she has come to prefer one route over the other. Can you guess which one?

The other week I was running a bit late, and announced my decision to take the “noisy” road because it was a slightly faster route. My daughter immediately spoke up and stated “I don’t hike (her mispronunciation of “like”) the noisy road, daddy!” I explained that we were running late and we needed to take it. While I was giving my explanation, I inadvertently drove right on past the on ramp, to which my daughter enthusiastically laughed and proclaimed “Daddy, you missed the noisy road!” My daughter got her wish in the end: Driving on the quiet road.

The Take Home
Besides being a cute story about my wonderful daughter, what does this have to do with anything? Well, I got to thinking about the noisy road and the quiet road, and realized that there is a lot of parallel between why my daughter prefers the quiet road, and life in general. Think about it a minute. My daughter enjoys the quiet road because she can sit back in peace and enjoy the slower ride while gazing out the window at the beautiful surroundings. She can think. The noisy road, on the other hand, is hectic. The view is of a cement barricade and a grassy hill speeding by the window at an extreme pace that the eyes don’t want to keep up with. It’s overwhelming to a toddler/preschooler. Heck, it can be overwhelming for the adult driver as well.

So, let’s think about our adult lives. Which road would you rather be on? I’m sure if you are like me, most of you are on the superhighway, going fast, staying busy, and becoming overwhelmed. In fact, I’m sure you’re thriving on it. I know that’s where I’ve been for the last several months (since my last post in October of 2008). That’s the world we live in these days. If we’re not busy, then we’re lazy! Well, I’d like to drop kick that thought off the field. I’d challenge each and every one of you to take a step back; to take the next exit off I-80/35 and find yourself a “quiet” rode, where you can slow down, find peace, and enjoy your surroundings! We all need to be lazy at some point just so we can recover from our normal pace!

Have a great week!

A 10 Year Old Leader Who Believes

I've got to give a big 'ol hat tip to Phil Gerbyshak and Stephen Hopson for sharing this 9 minute video. I know 9 minutes sounds like a long time, but it's definitely worth it to see this inspiring 10 year old leader. He gets it! It all starts with belief! Belief in youself and belief in others. Please take the time to watch.




Do you believe in yourself? Your coworkers? Your kids? Believing is the first step!

Age Of Conversation 2: 1 Book, 237 Authors, 1 Charity

updated: you can get the book here http://stores.lulu.com/ageofconversation

It's finally here: The launch of the book "Age of Conversation 2: Why Don't They Get It?" Several months ago, Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton decided to put together another great cast of bloggers to write the second installation of the Age of Conversation. I'm honored to say that I was included in this second edition.




AOC2 is a book written in one page articles by 237 different authors. It tackles various marketing topics from conversations to creative branding to business model evolution. This is going to be one amazing book, and it will be released on Wednesday, October 29th, at 8:00 AM (EST) on www.lulu.com. Oh, and the amazing part of this book is that ALL proceeds will be going to Variety - The Children's Charity. That's Right!! Not one person involved in this project is going to make a dime. We are giving all money to charity. So, get out there and get yourself a copy or two. It would make a great Christmas gift for your book loving family and friends!! You can pick up a hardback, softback, or e-book.


Do you need a teaser?


Is social media starting to take the place of our face-to-face conversations, or is it just a tool to help us network more efficiently? Is it "bad" that we are becoming a society that loves to talk online? Have you hopped on the online conversation highway, yet?


These are all questions that I discuss in my section in the book. Of course, I'll let you grab a copy for yourself and take a look! So, again.......hop on over to http://www.lulu.com/ on Wednesday and pick up yourself and a couple friends a copy of the book. It's sure to not disappoint. In the meantime, please say hello to my fellow authors:



Adrian Ho, Aki Spicer, Alex Henault, Amy Jussel, Andrew Odom, Andy Nulman, Andy Sernovitz, Andy Whitlock, Angela Maiers, Ann Handley, Anna Farmery, Armando Alves, Arun Rajagopal, Asi Sharabi, Becky Carroll, Becky McCray, Bernie Scheffler, Bill Gammell, Bob LeDrew, Brad Shorr, Brandon Murphy, Branislav Peric, Brent Dixon, Brett Macfarlane, Brian Reich, C.C. Chapman, Cam Beck, Casper Willer, Cathleen Rittereiser, Cathryn Hrudicka, Cedric Giorgi, Charles Sipe, Chris Kieff, Chris Cree, Chris Wilson, Christina Kerley (CK), C.B. Whittemore, Chris Brown, Connie Bensen, Connie Reece, Corentin Monot, Craig Wilson, Daniel Honigman, Dan Schawbel, Dan Sitter, Daria Radota Rasmussen, Darren Herman, Dave Davison, David Armano, David Berkowitz, David Koopmans, David Meerman Scott, David Petherick, David Reich, David Weinfeld, David Zinger, Deanna Gernert, Deborah Brown, Dennis Price, Derrick Kwa, Dino Demopoulos, Doug Haslam, Doug Meacham, Doug Mitchell, Douglas Hanna, Douglas Karr, Drew McLellan, Duane Brown, Dustin Jacobsen, Dylan Viner, Ed Brenegar, Ed Cotton, Efrain Mendicuti, Ellen Weber, Eric Peterson, Eric Nehrlich, Ernie Mosteller, Faris Yakob, Fernanda Romano, Francis Anderson, Gareth Kay, Gary Cohen, Gaurav Mishra, Gavin Heaton, Geert Desager, George Jenkins, G.L. Hoffman, Gianandrea Facchini, Gordon Whitehead, Greg Verdino, Gretel Going & Kathryn Fleming, Hillel Cooperman, Hugh Weber, J. Erik Potter, James Gordon-Macintosh, Jamey Shiels, Jasmin Tragas, Jason Oke, Jay Ehret, Jeanne Dininni, Jeff De Cagna, Jeff Gwynne & Todd Cabral, Jeff Noble, Jeff Wallace, Jennifer Warwick, Jenny Meade, Jeremy Fuksa, Jeremy Heilpern, Jeroen Verkroost, Jessica Hagy, Joanna Young, Joe Pulizzi, John Herrington, John Moore, John Rosen, John Todor, Jon Burg, Jon Swanson, Jonathan Trenn, Jordan Behan, Julie Fleischer, Justin Foster, Karl Turley, Kate Trgovac, Katie Chatfield, Katie Konrath, Kenny Lauer, Keri Willenborg, Kevin Jessop, Kristin Gorski, Lewis Green, Lois Kelly, Lori Magno, Louise Manning, Luc Debaisieux, Mario Vellandi, Mark Blair, Mark Earls, Mark Goren, Mark Hancock, Mark Lewis, Mark McGuinness, Matt Dickman, Matt J. McDonald, Matt Moore, Michael Karnjanaprakorn, Michelle Lamar, Mike Arauz, Mike McAllen, Mike Sansone, Mitch Joel, Neil Perkin, Nettie Hartsock, Nick Rice, Oleksandr Skorokhod, Ozgur Alaz, Paul Chaney, Paul Hebert, Paul Isakson, Paul McEnany, Paul Tedesco, Paul Williams, Pet Campbell, Pete Deutschman, Peter Corbett, Phil Gerbyshak, Phil Lewis, Phil Soden, Piet Wulleman, Rachel Steiner, Sreeraj Menon, Reginald Adkins, Richard Huntington, Rishi Desai, Robert Hruzek, Roberta Rosenberg, Robyn McMaster, Roger von Oech, Rohit Bhargava, Ron Shevlin, Ryan Barrett, Ryan Karpeles, Ryan Rasmussen, Sam Huleatt, Sandy Renshaw, Scott Goodson, Scott Monty, Scott Townsend, Scott White, Sean Howard, Sean Scott, Seni Thomas, Seth Gaffney, Shama Hyder, Sheila Scarborough, Sheryl Steadman, Simon Payn, Sonia Simone, Spike Jones, Stanley Johnson, Stephen Collins, Stephen Landau, Stephen Smith, Steve Bannister, Steve Hardy, Steve Portigal, Steve Roesler, Steven Verbruggen, Steve Woodruff, Sue Edworthy, Susan Bird, Susan Gunelius, Susan Heywood, Tammy Lenski, Terrell Meek, Thomas Clifford, Thomas Knoll, Tim Brunelle, Tim Connor, Tim Jackson, Tim Mannveille, Tim Tyler, Timothy Johnson, Tinu Abayomi-Paul, Toby Bloomberg, Todd Andrlik, Troy Rutter, Troy Worman, Uwe Hook, Valeria Maltoni, Vandana Ahuja, Vanessa DiMauro, Veronique Rabuteau, Wayne Buckhanan, William Azaroff, Yves Van Landeghem

updated: you can get the book here http://stores.lulu.com/ageofconversation

3 Keys to Achieving Success

You can be successful!! In fact, I would argue that you already are successful!! But, in the event that you aren't successful (or don't feel you're successful), let me give you 3 key steps to achieving success:

1. Create a Personal Definition of Success - How do you define success? What does success "look like" to you? Is it money? Is it power? Is it positive relationships? Is it career advancement? Is it faith? There really is no wrong answer, here. The only wrong answer is no answer at all! I used the word "personal" because I feel it's important to realize that you can't let someone else tell you what success is. Everyone has a different view of success (which is sometimes hard to remember in this age of movie stars and millionaires) You must be able to "explicitly" define what "success" is to you! Once you can do that, then you can take the next step: Clearly identifying action steps to help you achieve success!



2. Clearly Identify Action Steps to Help You Achieve Success - It would be great if "defining success" was all we had to do. Unfortunately, it's not. We also have to actually achieve success. Therefore, you need to write down clear and precise action steps as to how you are going to achieve success. Create a gameplan. Create a vision. Whatever you want to call it. The purpose is to have something written down to remind you of how you plan to achieve success. Now, plans can change, so re-evaluate your plan as you journey down the path to success.



3. Embark on Your Success Journey with Perseverance and Determination - Once the plan is set, start walking! Heck, start running if you want. Whatever you do, though, enjoy the journey. It will be fun. Also, keep in mind that life happens! Things change. Be adaptable. Don't get discouraged. If something comes along and knocks you off the path; get up, dust yourself on, and continue. If the road's closed, then realize that your plan can change! Revise your action steps and continue forward. Most importantly: BELIEVE! Know that you are going to succeed! Know that you will be successful!

Can you think of other "steps" needed to achieve success? How do you define success?

And remember: "SUCCESS IS ONE ACTION AWAY!" I saw this quote on the "Two Scrolls" blog. It was in a post written by Ty Canning. I would recommend you check it out! It's a great post.

note: picture courtesy of http://www.forex-trading-insight.com/images/Key_to_success.jpg

Motivational Monday: Excellence

"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration"

- Thomas Edison

Excellence is achieved through hard work and dedication. You must possess the desire for excellence, along with the determination to see that excellence through to fruition. What are you doing to unleash your inner genius? Thomas Edison achieved his genius through hard work and intense labor. He realized that frequent failure was his friend, as it opened new doors to discovery. Through dedication and determination, Edison achieved excellence!

What are you doing to go beyond your potential? How will you ensure excellence is achieved?

Leadership Quote #2: Kouzes and Posner on Articulation and Leadership

There's nothing more demoralizing than a leader who can't clearly articulate why we're doing what we're doing.

- James Kouzes and Barry Posner

I think this is a great quote from James Kouzes and Barry Posner. Articulation of your vision and goals is a huge part of being an effective leader. If, as a leader, you can't effectively articulate why it is your team is doing what they are doing, then you can't get good "buy-in" from your team. There's really two main keys to this quote that I see worth dwelling on:

1. The word "articulation." It really goes beyond communicating. Many leaders can communicate their vision. They can talk about their vision. They can inform the team of their vision. But, if they can't articulate the details of their vision (the true reasons of why "we're doing what we're doing"), then they can't effectively get everyone going in the same direction.
2. The word "demoralizing." It sounds harsh, doesn't it? I think it's properly used. It is demoralizing for a team to be working towards a common goal where they have no idea why they are working towards that goal. When a team hasn't truly "bought in" to the direction they are heading, they become demoralized. That is, team morale starts to fall when people don't know why they are doing what they are doing. There's no passion. There's no purpose.

What abou the rest of you? How do you ensure that you are effectively articulating why it is you're doing what you're doing? How do you ensure morale stays high on your teams? Do you agree with James and Barry?

Dad-O-Matic: Where Dad's (and other parents) Go For Conversation

I just wanted to take a quick minute to plug a new writing project created by Chris Brogan. Chris has created the site Dad-O-Matic, where you can find me and other dads as we share stories, advice, product reviews, and anything else related to parenting. It's an honor for me to be able to participate in this great new project, and I sure hope all of you (my faithful followers) will stop on by every once in a while. Maybe you're a new dad, an old dad, a dad-to-be, a want-to-be-a dad, a mother, a parent, a guardian, a child, or someone that just values great conversation. No matter where you are at in this point of your life, I can say with certainty that Dad-O-Matic is an amazing site, and will not dissapoint!


So.....Swing on over and help us continue the dialogue!

You Don't Need a Title to Be A Leader: Leadership Lessons from a Book

I’ve been reading a book entitled “You Don’t Need a TITLE to Be a Leader,” written by Mark Sanborn. It’s an engaging book that reads easy and fast. Besides the fact that Mark shares some very inspiring tales of “untitled leaders”, the amazing thing I’ve found is that Mark’s take on leadership seems to be in line with my view on leadership. So without just listing out all the similarities between our views on leadership, I’m instead going to spend the next several posts pulling out the real value points of the book and sharing them with all of you.

Today’s point: The difference between leaders and managers!

Mark states that “As all leaders know, untitled or not, leadership is power with people, not power over people.” Mark then goes on to list out the differences between managing others and leading others:

So, are you a manager or a leader? I must admit that the last couple months have found me more worried about managing my team than actually being a true leader to my team. I think this can happen very easily for many, as they try to “get more performance” from their employees. The problem is that as they “manage” they are using more of a positional power to influence their subordinates. Their followers are being obedient and therefore performing just enough, but obedience alone won’t allow them to reach that next level. “Leading” subordinates (as opposed to just managing them) relies more on a referent power base, one that garners respect and admiration for the leader. “Leading” helps empower followers to truly buy in to the leader’s vision and direction. It creates an atmosphere of eagerness and passion, and encourages followers to kick it up a notch.

What are your thoughts? Should a supervisor/director/C-level executive be a manager or a leader? Or, are there times where even good leaders need to pull out their “manager mentality?”

Reenergizing For The Road Ahead

I know it's been a week and a half since my last post, so I thought I'd let you know what's been going on. I just returned from a four day jaunt to fabulous Las Vegas, where I tried to keep my computer use to a minimum. In a city that never sleeps, it wasn't real hard to accomplish. Instead, I spent my time in a constant sensory overload, with my beautiful wife. A getaway.....just the two of us (which is rare these days with two beautiful daughters). Needless to say the grandparents and sister-in-law had a fun time spending the weekend with the girls.

I know...I know...That picture above looks more like New York. Well, I stayed at the New York New York hotel and casino in Las Vegas. I thought it'd be fun to get a little taste of the east coast while vacationing out west.

So, as the work week is back upon us, I'm playing a tad bit of catch up, while trying to reenergize for the week ahead. Stay tuned!! Stay with me!! I'll have some great content in the days to come!

By the way....How do you "reenergize?" What's your strategy or approach to rejuvenation? Sleep? Caffeine? Exercise? A walk in the park? We all have times where we need to make a conscious effort to reenergize for the road ahead. So what are your tactics?

note: picture courtesy of http://www.freefoto.com/images/1216/02/1216_02_10---Las-Vegas--Nevada--USA_web.jpg