Idaho – a great place to be in May! Why? Probably many reasons, but here is one: I will be the opening keynote speaker at the Elevate Leadership Summit in Pocatello. I’m looking forward to it! You could be too!
During the opening rounds of a pickleball tournament, I played with seven different partners. I’d played with some of them before. Others I’d never even met. In order to get a lot of games in without delays, the organizers set time limits on the games. I don’t think any of us had a clue as to how long our games usually took, but we did know that the points we scored in each game would accrue to our individual tournament scores. Thus, not finishing exacted a big penalty. No one wanted to be caught down 2-8 when the bell sounded while someone on the next court walked away with 11 points for finishing the game. This combination of competition and time pressure was pretty nerve-racking. It also provided the opportunity for me to compare the way my different partners reacted to the pressure. The best partners not only helped us win by hitting great shots and chasing down lops, they also helped me play my best by:
If I overlook some of my personal fiascos such as: the airline that sold us nonstop tickets to London and then put us on a plane that couldn’t cross the Atlantic without refueling and the major appliance manufacturer with initials GE that decided it was easier to replace our six-month-old washing machine instead of sending a repairman to make adjustments – and then left us with a brand new machine that won’t run at all If I ignore those, and, instead, consider the many businesses I’ve worked with or talked with recently as a consultant, I’m pretty impressed. Lots of them are doing many things really well. But, of course, everyone can do better. So let me share some of the areas where I see the most pain and the greatest opportunity for improvement.
After completing individual interviews with the executive team of a new client, it was clear to me that one of the things we have to work on is what happens when people do and don’t achieve established objectives. Simultaneously, my friend and colleague Andy Bass from the UK published an article that includes a really nice tool for evaluating the factors that motivate and demotivate.
In a recent article of mine, “This Is Your Only Life. Are You Putting Yourself First?,” I encourage you to put yourself first because doing so not only makes you healthier mentally, physically, and emotionally, but it also makes you more productive and effective. One reader responded by saying the ideas were nice and simple in theory, but not realistic. He blamed the “work landscape” for making them impossible. I thought that reaction might be quite common and, thus, worthy of discussion. There are three problems with this reader’s response:
I have worked with clients representing over 40 industries including corporate giants and numerous non-profits. While all of these organizations benefit from clarity, strategic and operational, many of the people I work with also suffer one or more of three bad habits that prevent them from maximizing their effectiveness and that of their employees.
One of the things I like best about doing what I do is the endless opportunities to learn. Another thing I like best is sharing my talents and knowledge. Thus, I am forever a student and a teacher, driven by my desire to create empowering clarity.
I recently had a delightful conversation with an executive whom I’ve never met. She bought copies of The Clarity Papers for her entire Board and leadership team and just completed a two-day offsite during which they used many of my techniques and frames from the book. I wish I had recorded her comments. I didn’t, of course, but I can share what I remember. I hope her comments give you some great ideas and inspire you to embrace the power of clarity. So here we go, in no particular order:
The death of John McCain this week has resulted in a flood of generous tributes, as it should. One recurring theme is his commitment to his country. Regardless of whether they agreed with John McCain’s positions or not, most people are praising him for putting the good of the country ahead of his personal interests. They speak of him as a dying breed. The end of an era. This is what disturbs me.