Author: Karl Bradley (Page 1 of 6)

The entire culture of our organizations can be summed up in this statement; what is rewarded is repeated.  For your consideration (during MLB playoff time!)…here’s a list of some heavy hitters to encourage & support with your leadership behavior!

1.  Earn people’s trust; provide evidence every day of how you are trustworthy

2.  Understand everyone has a life; work & life aren’t separate, work is a part of a meaningful life

3.  Listen, then act; diverse viewpoints are healthier, more interesting & more conducive to success

4.  Help people find purpose in their work; connecting passion to profession leads to a stronger sense of “why” the work matters

5.  Celebrate small wins; multiplying the joys in life is one of the benefits of being a team member, make recognition an abundant resource

6.  Be upfront about your quirks & what it’s like to work with you; having self-awareness & articulating difference are key skills to stepping into personal integrity

7.  Help build the team; it matters less about who is on the team & more about how the team works together

8.  Invest time in others; when anyone on the team gets better the whole team improves

9.  Let go so others can go; the more you focus on your own strengths the more opportunity it provides others to focus on theirs

10.  Help others start off on the right foot; work on a success plan with them through clear communication

BONUS!

11.  Solve problems with one another; together is better to guide toward the best decisions, ask how you can help

What’s rewarded will be repeated & what’s repeated becomes habit!

Lead well!

Received this in my email today from one of my mentors…

Only knew Bob for a short few years, but the statements below are the way he lived his life. I am grateful he was able to influence me. He never lectured. He led by example. His example to be a better person.
I miss him in my life. He was kind and generous. A man full of grace.

“When you help others, your life starts to have meaning and purpose. Real joy comes not from material possessions but from people. When we give our hearts in kindness and love, we get the riches of the universe, and the greatest of these is happiness.

When you’re generous with others, you feel abundant; your life feels fertile and rich with possibility. Remember, leadership is all about people inspiring people to believe in the impossible, to believe in themselves, and to become the very best version of themselves.

When your leadership is all about service to others, you automatically become someone of value, and as a result, the fruits of generosity rub off as an abundance mindset and support you to be more wealthy in all areas of your life.”

Source: Azriel ReShel, We Rise by Lifting Others

Thanks for the influence & reminder Vinnie, you’re the best!

The words we choose matter. They matter a lot. What if there were things to help people remember our message?

Good news! There are! Here are some rhetorical devices taken straight from a TEDx Verona talk by Simon Lancaster to help you speak like a leader!

The Language of Leadership

• Asyndeton/Tricolon

Look left, look right, look center, stop, listen…

This mimics hyperventilating.  President Obama used it…”a world at war, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a generation.” Three is the magic number in rhetoric!

Government of the people, by the people, for the people.

Eat well, laugh often, love much.  It’s here, there & everywhere and you sound more convincing, more credible, if you put your thoughts in 3’s!

• 3 Sentences

Churchill used this…”we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets”.  When we want to convey passion, this is the one to use!

• Balanced Statements

To be or not to be. -Shakespeare

Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. -President Kennedy

Our brain likes the balance & assumes the thinking is balanced.  Make sure your thinking is!

• Metaphor

This one is the elephant in the room.  The one nobody talks about yet they are scattered everywhere. These are powerful.  Let’s take one from a few years ago “The Financial Storm”.  This one gives us a picture that this was an act of nature that will pass without us doing much. We reach for one of these every 16 words on average, make sure yours paints the right picture!

• Exaggeration

I didn’t sleep at all last night.  I’ve been waiting to give this talk my whole life.  I’m going to give my heart & soul to you.

• Rhyme

This helps with our processing of language.  When we speak in big words or use jargon people don’t understand it’s like asking you to eat a steak in 2 bites.  The thing to watch out for is sometimes the rhyme won’t be true, like: I before E except after C.  There are 44 examples where it’s true & 900 where it’s not.  OR  An apple a day keeps the Doctor away.  If only it were that simple.

Reminds me of one of “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz…

Be Impeccable With Your Word
Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

Words have influence & influence is leadership. Keep leading!

I’m just Karl…

I’m from Branson, Missouri…

I’m human…

I’m going to make mistakes.

Every decision I make will be what’s best for the team. It may not be what’s best for me (or you) but if it’s good for the team then it’s the best choice.

At work, at home & in our communities we find ourselves on a “team” of some sort. The experience we have comes in how we approach them.

Competition

It’s a myth that you have to work hard to beat the competition. Competition is the opposite of creativity. You can’t run your best race by paying attention to everyone else in the race. Do you. Everything you do is just as viable as everyone else.

If McDonald’s won the fast food industry, it wouldn’t be a success. They would soon be out of business. We need the success of other people & organizations to create more opportunities. Opportunities which boost everyone. So…run your race. Finish your race. The “race” you choose will create an opportunity to run a different race for someone else.

Collaboration

Life is a team game. We have to learn from other humans how to be human. A person is a person through other people. We can’t be all we can be unless others are all they can be. In this way, we can’t be threatened by others. The better they are the better we are. We don’t need to go it alone, we aren’t supposed to anyway.

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
-African Proverb

The human race has gone through an age of revolution, an industrial revolution, the information age & the age of knowledge. Truly amazing!

Before we pat ourselves on the back we need to ask a couple questions:

• Are we any closer to the age of wisdom?
• How do we set up our lives and in turn, our organizations, for more wisdom?

My absolute favorite in this area is from Brazil. Here are his top 10 rules for success in life.

1. Free yourself
   Giving yourself permission to start something new is a gift.
2. Manage the issue of ego
   Thank it for helping you & always being there. Try not to make decisions when it’s in control.
3. Find your definition of success
   The best measure is how well you do at being who your really are.
4. Share as you go
   If you get to the end of life and want to give back, you took too much along the way.
5. Let go of the past
   Keep the learnings but dump the rocks out of your backpack, they’re just holding you back.
6. Do the things that interest you
   In this way you’ll be most effective & inspire others to do the same.
7. Have the courage now
   You’ll never see a U-Haul behind a hearse, go for it today!
8. Give up control
   It’s in the letting go that we create space to gain. Let go so you & others can go!
9. Know your limitations
   Play to your strengths. You’ll only be mediocre in areas of weakness.
10. Ask 3 whys in a row
    Seek clarity then ask “what for?”
    

For more on each of these, watch Ricardo Semler explain his 10 Rules for Success and check out the Lumiar School, a democratic school where children engage in projects of their interest.

As we’re all trying to discover what the new “normal” will be in our post-pandemic lives, it’s my hope we insert more wisdom along the way!

How are you designing your life for wisdom?
What influence is it having on those around you?

We can’t wait to hear about your experiences!

If you like sports at all you’ve likely seen or read something from this person.  He’s the simply smart & wildly witty Woody Paige!   A while back his chalkboard had this wisdom:

Yep, you guessed it, we’re going to unpack these a bit!

I need help.

When people don’t feel safe enough to admit they need others to do their work, fear is dominating.  When fear is present our brains are in flight/flight/freeze mode helping us make “survival” decisions.  This works against us when collaborating is the goal.  Leadership behavior must support pumping fear out of rooms where it doesn’t belong…and that’s most rooms.

I’m sorry.

Refusing to express regret is really our inability to take responsibility for our actions.  It’s the inability to admit we’re wrong or recognize how our actions have affected others.  It happened.  Apologize so everyone can move on.

Worcestershire Sauce!

Life is a journey.  The learning never stops.  And learning is better with a little laughter.  Take what you do seriously & yourself a bit more lightly.  Giving yourself permission to laugh along the way brings joy back to the journey of life.

You’re wrapping things up for the day & getting organized for tomorrow when a last-minute email pops in.  Not wanting to miss something, you check it out.  The tone is a bit confusing & leaves you unsure of how to proceed.  What did the last sentence mean?  Reply?  Wait until tomorrow?  You decide to wait.  The problem is, this little message has now stolen your attention for the next few hours making it hard to move on with your evening responsibilities…

This scenario has happened to all of us.  Email is great for information exchange but not great for genuine communication, especially when it steals our attention for too long.  This is less a problem with the medium of email & more about clarity.  Here are a few helpful tips to help get clearer & kinder with your messages.

Email Subject Lines

Be intentional about what you use in the subject line.  If appropriate, try using some of these leads.

//ACTION//        This indicates an action is required of the receiver. Be sure to specify what actions are required in the subject and/or body of the email.

//INFO//          This indicates there is information, but not necessarily any action required from the sender.

//ROUTINE//       If the email is part of a series, adding this to the subject helps delineate this is recurring, normal, or not out of the ordinary INFO.

//COORD//         This indicates coordination is required and more steps or people in the process that need to be completed. The exact actions required at each step should be spelled out in the body of the message.

//FOR APPROVAL//         Enough said.

//SIGNATURE// or //SIGN//        This indicates that a signature (usually electronic) is being requested.

//URGENT// or //HOT//          Enough said. Use sparingly!!

If you need action by a certain time, be sure to include a recommended SUSPENSE day/time.

The “Bottom Line Up Front” (BLUF) email format

This provides the reader with a quick summary of what they’re expected to do with the message. Then the email provides additional details and background information to aid the reader by providing context. Finally, the BLUF email includes a recommended course of action. You can use all or some of the following headers inside your BLUF email.

BLUF:           State the intended purpose and/or desired outcome.

PURPOSE:          Place any additional information regarding the purpose of the email here.

BACKGROUND:          Provide any background information to give the reader context.

DISCUSSION:          Provide analysis and justification of the topic being presented. Make your case for supporting the recommendation.

VIEWS OF OTHERS:          Provide views from stakeholders, those with opposing viewpoints or provide limiting factors.

RECOMMENDATION:     Provide the desired outcome, decision or course of action. Sometimes no action is required, so you can just place “None. Information only.” in this section.

It would be hard to imagine someone leaving a company because they had been over-communicated to…especially since we don’t ever really get clarity, we’re always seeking it.  The bottom line is, regardless of the method we use…

Being clear is kind.

“Leader is a position. Leadership is a behavior.”

While there are many versions of this out in the world it remains a great distinction.  To the originator of this, we thank you, whoever you are!

Leader is likely in your job description somewhere.  It’s in our leadership behaviors where we most often find problems.  It’s inevitable…we’re going to make mistakes.  We’re human after all.  The only real failure is not learning from failure.

Here are some mistakes we (humans) can make when leading others:

• Putting ourselves ahead of others
• Betraying their trust
• Being certain in an uncertain world
• Not living up to our values
• Getting overly enamored with our own vision
• Being arrogant
• Acting too fast (reacting instead of responding)
• It’s all about the leader, all the time
• Not being authentic
• Not being self-reflective/aware

Here’s a Top-10 list of things leaders can work toward for effective leadership behaviors:

1. Work toward trust; our behaviors provide the evidence that we’re trustworthy!
2. Help everyone win
3. Show everyone respect; listen & learn
4. Make decisions that are the best for the team/enterprise
5. Be engaged
6. Confront issues right away with compassion & courage
7. Get to know each other
8. Keep expectations clear; being clear is kind
9. Work hard & have fun; run the experiment
10. Believe in yourself; you are enough!

The best leaders can let you to fail but won’t allow you to feel like a failure.

We always show up for what we believe in.  Life is a journey & we’re always on the way.  Are you headed in the direction you want?  In reflection…

Are you showing up for others in line with your values?

Are you worrying about things you can’t change but aren’t willing to put effort into changing them?

Are you caring, collaborating, coaching?

What behaviors do you tolerate?  We all get what we tolerate.

Who have you helped recently?

6 Thoughts from Marshall Goldsmith

1. How smart or right we are is irrelevant if we don’t make a positive difference to people around us.

2. If you can sell it, sell it. If you can change it, change it. If not make peace with that.

3. Are you willing to invest the energies in making a positive difference to an issue you see? If not, let it go.

4. You don’t have to be superior or better than someone to coach someone, you just need to care courageously about them.

5. Establish leadership behavior and have zero tolerance for bad behavior.

6. Life is incredibly easy to talk, incredibly difficult to live. Help more, judge less.

Another thought from Goldsmith is; We’re professionals at what we do but amateurs at who we want to become.  If you’d like a success partner on your journey, let us know how we can help!

TRUE or FALSE

*The best leaders are good at everything

*The best leaders focus on weaknesses & make them strengths

These are 2 fairly common myths about leadership.  How did you answer?  At first glance, these seem to both be true.  At closer examination, however, the best leaders actually spend more time on the things that bring the most value by using their core competencies.  Focusing on weakness to bring it up to mediocre doesn’t do anybody any good & can be personally demotivating.  We can only be effective through our strengths.

Think about it this way…

What’s your favorite pitcher’s batting average?  Silly question, right?  They aren’t there to hit for a high batting average they’re there to strike people out.  The best way they can help the team is be effective at their core strength.  The secret to concentration is elimination.

TRUE or FALSE

*The less you do the more you accomplish

*The less you do the more you enable others to accomplish

When you think back to the best leaders you’ve worked with, my guess is that you’ll find they weren’t well rounded.  They played to their strengths.  They might have been the authority in many areas due to experience or position but they absolutely knew their biggest value add to the organization.  Jobs at work aren’t like taking out the trash at home.  Knowledge work is more specialized, so…

What do you do that’s effortless?

In what areas do others see you as most valuable?

What areas energize you?

What are you drawn to? 

BENEFITS

While there are many benefits to these concepts let’s break them down to personal & organization.  The primary personal benefits are that you get to stay in your “sweet spot” while you establish & maintain a manageable pace.  You’re bringing value everyday for the long haul.  The primary benefits to the company are that it encourages the organization to be well-rounded by embracing everyone’s strengths on the team.  In this way the organization becomes stronger as it magnifies the strengths of its individuals in every position instead of reflecting the weaknesses.

*Picture courtesy of QuotesGram

TO-DON’T LIST

Our weaknesses can become someone else’s opportunity to shine if we have the courage to let go of the things we shouldn’t be doing.  What do you need to stop doing?  This is not avoiding “taking out the trash” like we all must do, this is creating benefit for other members & making the team stronger.  If everyone on your team made a “to-don’t” list my guess is that most of the critical tasks would be covered by team strengths.  Focusing on strengths with this approach takes the pressure off delegating weakness.  Here’s a short article to help!

Do What Only You Can Do

Those great leaders you’ve worked with more than likely spent time with you, trained you & advocated for you.  They had time to do this because they work(ed) inside their strengths.  They were able to multiply the efforts of others by encouraging them to do the same.  Getting necessary things done through & with others is a critical part of effective leadership.  Lean into your strengths & discover what it feels like to utilize your superpower gifts!