The Smoke of Many Fires

There are lots of warning signs of trouble ahead in the world of work. We can see them if we're willing to actually look. I mean, really look. 

I'm So Effective, Just Look at My Title
Sure, it's easy to point the finger at this person or that person and quickly deflect all accountability from ourselves or our leadership style. But quite honestly, I've always felt that the higher up the proverbial ladder I climbed, the greater the pressure I felt.

Think about it...when you're one of 100 it's fairly easy to blend into the crowd. When you're one of one...well, not so easy anymore. It's all on you.

Everyone is watching.
Everyone expects you to be perfect.
Every time.

Job titles do mean something at this stage. They mean pressure to perform each day.

Smartest Person in the Room
Another warning sign of trouble is the "smart guy" syndrome. You've seen these folks in action. 

They have the solution for every issue the organization is facing. Just going to be honest here...that drives me crazy. (it's even worse, when I fall into the trap of being Mr. Know-It-All)

And as before...everyone is watching. Evaluating. Judging.

How About You
So what are we to do when the smoke starts to rise? We intervene, that's what. We pull those people aside and give them the coaching they deserve. They are in those roles for a reason...they've just drifted a bit from your organization's values. 

Help them get back on track.
That's what we do as leaders, right?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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What's Your Leadership Definition?

Your CEO steps onto the elevator with you, turns to greet you, and instead of saying hello, says..."tell me your leadership definition."

What's your answer? 

I'll wait...but I'm not sure you'll have time to wait in that elevator.

Leadership Is Everything
Imagine the impact in that moment when you deliver a clean, concise response. The look on your CEO's face...the insight she or he gets into who you are beyond your solid performance day in and day out.

Imagine how good that would feel.

Or...

You stumble. You don't have anything much of value to say, but you do a heck of a job dropping all of the most unoriginal jargon you can think of as you panic.

Imagine how bad that would feel.

How About You
Does it sound hokey to have a leadership definition? I bet it doesn't anymore. Think about it. Write it down. Share it.

Most importantly...live it.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Remote Leader Life

There is a lot of content out there about remote worker life. Lots of questions too...

...how do you stay connected to your employees?
...how do you ensure productivity remains high?
...how do you extend your on-site corporate culture to your distributed team?

The list could go on and on, right? 

Wait, What?
One of the groups that I rarely see mentioned, and to which I belong, is remote leadership. 

For more than twenty years I drove to a specific location for my "work." It was familiar, routine, comfortable, and was what I thought "work" was supposed to look like.

Until it didn't look that way any longer.

Suddenly I didn't have a place to go to; but instead, was 100% virtual. Whoa. What just happened here? 

Where are all of the conference rooms? 
Where are all of the wasted moments spent walking between meetings?
Where are all of the people interrupting me?

Hidden Opportunities
Staying connected to colleagues, team members, and clients is a real challenge. Keeping an open mind relative to video technology, for me, has been crucial. Seeing people...not just hearing them on a conference call...is so powerful. Get over your hang-ups and embrace it.

Consider the dramatic drop in interruptions as a gift to you from your coworkers. Take full advantage of the time you have and go for it. Attack your to do list, and feel how satisfying it can be when you own your day vs. your day owning you.

Lastly, use the flexibility you have in your schedule to stay connected to humanity. 

When I know I have a few hours where I won't need to be on the phone, I head for a local coffee shop. I'm still head down with my work, but I'm around other humans. That energizes me and helps me feel much less isolated.

How About You
Perhaps the lesson in all of this if finding the proper balance. Remote life isn't for everyone; nor should everyone be stuck commuting to and from an office that does not support a healthy work environment.

I feel incredibly blessed to have successfully made the transition from office only...to a healthy mix of virtual, corporate office, and the great big off-site world. Is remote work part of your world?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

Crush the Industry

I'm feeling particularly fired up to start the year. Now before you roll your eyes and write this off as another "New Year, New You" post, hang in there. Since when was it a bad thing to get fired up?

Focus
A state or condition permitting clear perception or understanding

I like that...particularly the "clear" part. What a gift to have a clear understanding of what we're supposed to be doing. How many times have you launched into new projects or assignments with a general sense of what needs to be done, versus a clear one?

Competitive Drive
Trying to be more successful than others

Absolutely. Do I want my organization to thrive? Of course I do...and you want yours to as well. That competitive mindset fuels our commitment to not only improve our company's performance, but our own as well.

Am I thinking about big new things in 2019? Yes!

How About You
What is pushing you this year? How are you going about crushing everything ahead of you? Is it a new job? A new side gig? Taking a risk in your current role that will change things in a big way?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Crash and Burn Leadership

Wait, what?

We're leaders. We don't have time for anything ever, let alone ourselves, right? 

We care for others!
We care for our teams!
We care for our CEOs!
We care for the employees!

We...crash and burn. That's what we do.

We crash. 
and. 
burn.

Give Give Give
What is it about being a dedicated leader that makes us all feel like we're supposed to work ourselves into oblivion? I mean, seriously...sometimes over the years I've pushed myself beyond what would be a reasonable limit.

And for what? How many of us were recognized for arriving at 6:00am everyday? I know the answer.

None of us.

But, wait a minute. Those early hours, late nights, and weekends diving into that task list paid off for us! We were on top of our workload...connected with everybody...and executed on time, every time.

But at what cost?

Self Care is Beast Mode
For those of you that believe self-care is a soft cop out I have news for you.

"There is no glory in pushing yourself so hard 

chasing an imagined super-hero image 

that you have nothing left to give. 

You've simply failed."

The real "A-players" of leadership focus on a lot more than their Inbox and task list. Here are a few things that make it to the top of their priority list:

- spending time listening to the employees

- exercising

- intentionally slowing down

- reading

- eating (reasonably) healthy

- meditating or praying

- networking for the sake of connecting, not for pure professional gain

- reading (a real book or a digital one)

- taking time off

...and you can continue to add to the list...

How About You

Do you matter enough to your organization, your team, your family and to yourself to go all beasty with your own self-care? It's not going soft...it's actually stepping up in a profound and impactful way.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Influencer

What comes to mind when you hear the term influencer? Is it a prolific blogger or motivational speaker? Perhaps it's a celebrity or someone 'larger than life?' Maybe it's someone with a ba-zillion followers on a social channel?

While those labels have merit, they are far from what I now believe a true influencer actually is.

You Are Bigger Than the Internet
I'm not even sure I was aware of the term 'influencer' before the age of the Internet and social media. But I had important influencers in my life ranging from family members and teachers, to college professors and leaders in the workplace.

They made a tremendous impact on my life, and no one had even heard of something called a tweet yet.

You Are More Than Your Job
As I moved into formal leadership roles and later senior management positions, the impact of my own influence started to become clear. Not only did I have 'automatic influence' simply because of my authority level, I found that I had the ability to make a difference personally with my colleagues and team members.

That is powerful!

When influence becomes a responsibility instead of a chase for followers, one's mindset begins to shift. 

How About You
Consider the individual moments in your life...with family, friends, colleagues and peers. Those little encounters, private coaching moments, shared insights and bold decisions are what really define being an 'influencer.'

What do you think?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Culture of Weakness

I've been blessed to serve in leadership roles for more than twenty years. When I started out, I looked up to, and sometimes laughed at, the 'older' leaders in my organization and how they behaved. (old at that time = 50 or older...which is now...me.)

I See You
I looked at them through two lenses. 

The first was as an admirer...they had years of success under their belt, and wisdom and insight to share with me. I was a sponge, and wanted to learn as much as I possibly could.

The second however, was not so kind. I often considered them out of touch with contemporary strategies, unable to keep up with the rapid pace of change, and their incredibly frustrating risk-averse approach to just about everything.

Has Anything Changed?
Tough question to answer, right? There are still amazing leaders out there who continue to push themselves, and their organizations forward. 

This is often done at significant risk to the bold leader!

There is also a seemingly endless supply of leaders who just aren't courageous enough to take a stand. Why is that still so prevalent? 

I was listening to Laurie Ruettimann's new podcast Let's Fix Work where she interviewed Jason Lauritsen about his views on the workplace... 

One of the most powerful moments in the show was when Jason said what most of us want to say...we just don't want to follow leaders who aren't worth following. 

Preach, brother!

The challenge then, is for us to not be viewed as weak and ineffective, focused only on protecting our status as executives. 

But rather, to be high impact leaders who connect with the entire team in meaningful ways, and have the courage to take risks, make bold decisions, and inspire those around us to stay with the organization and help it flourish.

How About You
What is the leadership culture in your organization? How are you reinforcing, or hopefully, disrupting that culture? What will it take for you to move one step forward towards a new reality?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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I Saw, Today

I saw commitment today.

I saw dedication to patients.

I saw a team completely focused on a goal.

I saw preparation.

I saw real-time accountability.
I saw transparency.
I saw energy.

I saw follow through.

I saw transparency.

I saw communication.

I saw passion.

I saw priorities.

I saw teamwork.

I saw action.

I saw results.

How About You
What did you see today?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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On the Brink of Lies

"I've had enough of her...get rid of her today."

"We're fallen behind schedule...someone is going to pay!"

"That's ridiculous...go writer her up now. Right now!"

"That's why I have you here...to keep me out of trouble when I have to take action."

"We've lost confidence in you..."

"You're no longer a good fit..."

HR Leadership is Hard
I don't know how many times my colleagues have told me the following..."I could never do your job." 

Wait, what? Is HR that horrible? Is it so pressure-packed that our friends and colleagues can't even imagine sitting in our chair?

Wow.

So, why then do we put ourselves through that pressure-cooker? Why do we put ourselves out there for all the world to see (and sometimes criticize) and frequently thank us for helping them through difficult issues or projects?

I used to have very HR-ish sounding answers, full of cliches and jargon, blah, blah, blah. I don't think I feel that way any longer. 

As I...ahem...grow more mature in my career...my answer feels different than all the HR-speak I've pumped out for years.

Something Bigger
HR leadership is not the only difficult role out there. And guess what? I've told my colleagues I would not want to do their jobs either. Have you caught yourself saying the same thing?

Be honest.

Leadership to me...HR or otherwise...done authentically, honestly, and frequently with a mouth full of humble pie has to be done deliberately. It has to matter to us as individuals. Of course we want to make our organizations better. Of course we want to create an environment where people want to work and feel as if their contribution to the world matters.

Leadership...for me...is about doing something that is bigger than me, and staying committed to that, even when times get tough once in a while.

I've never heard of any effective leaders that didn't face significant problems in their careers. I'm no different.

But when leadership means doing something bigger than yourself, you don't quit. You don't deflect responsibility or run for cover. You pick yourself up, get your game-face on, and you own every damn bit of the problem. Only then, can you make the course corrections necessary to be successful.

How About You
Which leaders do you look up to? Have their careers been perfect? Have they always made the right call? Or, do they mean so much to you because in spite of their missteps, they never quit? Ever.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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The Inability to Respond

As Human Resources leaders, we care deeply about leadership competencies in two ways:

- The first, is putting forth the effort to identify, develop, and implement them. 

- The second, which is BY FAR the one we immediately forget, is to hold our leaders accountable to live up to those competencies.

Things Happen
Every day we're challenged as unexpected circumstances arise. These aren't necessarily 'bad things' but they do require attention. Our attention.

For example...new initiatives are planned and launched...milestones must not only be met, but a significant amount of effort must go into reaching those milestones on schedule...

But somehow, things aren't moving along as they should.

Another example...outdated policies and practices are identified that no longer make sense (think anything your organization has written relative to social media, employer brand strategies, or sharing content)...yet, somehow, no one ever gets around to being courageous enough to challenge the old-school thinking in the compliance department... 

So yet again, things aren't moving along as they should.

Not Unwilling...Just Unable
Back to leadership competencies. We write them. We agonize over the exact words that will represent what our organization values most in our leaders. We roll them out through training and communication plans, and ultimately integrate them into job descriptions.

Why then, after all of that effort, do we allow leaders to avoid living up to them? How is it that so much high quality work can be so quickly squandered when "leaders" appear to choose not to follow through and execute?

I submit that it is for one simple reason. It's not that they don't want to do the hard work. I am convinced more than ever, that many leaders simply can not do it. 

The over-inflated arrogance they carry with them consistently crashes and burns for all to see when projects do not move forward. 

They can not respond to the challenge, and when leaders are unable, they no longer deserve to serve in that role.

Harsh? Honestly friends, I don't think so.

How About You
Take a look at your leaders, and compare their behavior with the leadership competencies you've committed to as an organization. Who consistently misses the mark, despite intervention, support, and 'fresh starts?'

Something to think about.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Meetings Are Excuses To Fail

I've attended a lot of meetings in my life. Actually, I've attended several life times worth. As a human resources leader, work is filled with "important" meetings and "critical" meetings and "high impact" meetings and just about every other cliche label for a meeting that you can think of.

And they're all lies.

Meetings Are Excuses to Avoid Work
Almost every meeting I've ever been to has been a complete waste of time.

Let me say that again...almost, every meeting I've ever been to has been a complete waste of time.

Harsh? Out of touch? Sour grapes?
Not at all. I'm not angry. I just don't want to waste so many hours of my life listening to drivel that should be shared in an email. Most meetings are "updates" or "report outs." 

Why in the world are we paying everyone to walk to a conference room, sit and chit chat, listen while every one takes turns giving updates, and then more chit chat, and finally a long walk to another conference room to do it all over again?

What in the world has happened to the modern world of work that we have convinced ourselves that report outs = work? Seriously?

It's All New to Me
I didn't always feel this way. I used to average between 25-30 meetings every week of the year. I thought I was "super busy" and "going hard" each day. What I was actually doing was wasting 20 or so hours each week doing nothing.

Nothing.

NOTHING.

It comes as no surprise to me now as I help organizations take their performance to unimagined levels of success, that the meeting trap always gets in the way. The leaders constantly have to "run to a meeting" that adds zero value to their revenue, expense management, or furthering their culture.

How About You
When was the last time you completely eliminated a long-standing meeting that no longer added value? When was the last time you ensured only one member of your team attended meetings (versus the "key" people who really "should be there"?) When was the last time you said no to a request to attend a meeting? 

Or, is it simply safer to go to meetings and use your busy schedule as an excuse to be a failure?

It's 2018...we're better than that.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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New Year, Old Challenge

"The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward."
- Amelia Earhart

The start of each year is often filled with self-reflection, motivation to create change, or a list of 'goals' for the months ahead.

Perhaps this year, we should all focus on one simple task in our work lives...

...making decisions.

Indecisive leaders are perhaps the most frustrating, ineffective, and candidly useless members of the team. 

They don't add value, because they never make a decision. 

They don't command respect because no one is really sure where they stand on the issues. 

And, they don't instill confidence in their teams because their employees see the fear of failure in their eyes every single day.

How About You
Which leader in your organization do you need to reach out to this year to help make the decisions required in their role? Go to them today. Have an open and honest conversation...and help them realize their full potential this year.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Loyal?

Loyal. What a fine word. It brings to mind legions of employees, lined up cheering when new memos are released via email blast, right?

Oh, wait. I mean... 

Loyal. It brings to mind employees sacrificing until it hurts so a company can make draconian changes that punish all but a precious few.

Um, no. Just a second...

Loyal. Dogs are loyal. There, nailed it.

Actually, People Are Loyal Too

I have been blessed to work in some terrific organizations, but none more full of truly loyal employees than this one. Corporate cultures are all different, but I've found after several decades in the healthcare industry, that many employees are "loyal" to their organizations because of the jobs they have serving patients. 

Think about that for a second. They are loyal, to the work, not necessarily the organization. Hmmm. I'm guessing that's not the employee engagement survey spin that gets pushed to the team?

But, Why?

I believe there is a far more simple solution to moving employees from 'committed to their job' (which in healthcare means they can have the same job at nearly every organization in your community) than what most organizations are willing to admit.

"When leaders are awkward in their communication...when they focus so exclusively on a numeric result and abandon the reality that people achieve results...and assume an air of elitism that because of their more senior title they suddenly know how to do everyone's job better...their exists no opportunity for loyalty."

How About You

Have you taken a long hard look into the mirror and admitted that you, too have fallen into the leadership trap? Get over yourself, start acting like a normal human being, and leverage the immense brain power, experience, and creativity of your teams. 

You might find a few loyal employees just waiting for the chance to show you how they really feel.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Cro-Magnon HR

Effective healthcare human resources leadership, and more recently, recruiting and employer branding are the center pieces of my career. As in, my entire career. It's been a wild ride, but for the most part, I wouldn't trade any of it for a different path.

Except perhaps, for what feels like an eternally long time before I figured out how to lead in the modern world. 

Old School HR = Useless HR
Useless? Does that sound a bit harsh? Well, guess what...if you're still "going slow" and "making sure you have guaranteed results before you make a decision" you are actually no longer doing your job.

You're coasting to retirement. I can only hope you're 70 years old. For the rest of you, this approach will guarantee that you recycle the same tired excuses that the other executives in your organization have been listening to HR repeat for years.

This is why the eye-roll is still in vogue. This is why your "seat" is actually a high-chair at the table. This is why you won't really look in the mirror any more.

Endless Opportunities 
The good news is that the move from caveman to superman is quite simple. It does require one thing however...

Courage.

When you're asked about your hard skills, does courage ever make the list? I didn't think so. It wasn't on my list either...for years.

That is, until I grew sick and tired of being a "cost of doing business" in HR, and decided HR needed to make a big time impact. 

So I changed. I took risks. (which in retrospect were hardly 'risky')...and I made a big difference.

You can too.

How About You
Are you ready to stop talking about the same old BS, and start leading in a meaningful way? Your colleagues don't believe that you have the courage. Your staff doesn't believe you have the courage either.

But I do. I'll help you get started. Today is your day...

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Your "Vision" Is Blinding You

One of the leadership traits I find most impressive is the ability to adapt and change. In politics you are vilified if you ever change your mind. It’s as if you’ve committed blasphemy!

In the real world however, a leader’s ability to see beyond the blinders of their passion, plans, and vision to see what they didn’t see previously is something special...

…and rare.

Keep Pushing

A quick example to illustrate my point. I’ve worked with many talented leaders over the years, and one of the most difficult barriers they’ve had to face is their own beliefs. One executive in particular was a huge boost of energy to the Nursing team. Her energy, commitment, and drive were exactly what the hospital needed.

Unfortunately, when it was time for her to adjust her approach based on a variety of political pressures (not the bad kind) she was unable to change. Her “vision” for what should be done blocked her ability to see what “needed” to be done.

Push and Pivot

The opposite, of course, is when humility, self-awareness, and classic big-picture thinking manifest themselves in real time. Another example...one of my original HR mentors, who was my boss at the time, was involved in a rollout of a new organizational policy.

The first round of meetings did not go well; but instead of shaking his head and lamenting that “employees just don’t understand that hard decisions have to be made” - he immediately called his team into his office to discuss the unintended (and missed) consequences of the policy.

We changed it.

On the spot.

How About You

Do you talk about your vision for your team, department, or organization? If so, that is fabulous, so many leaders can’t even articulate one! Just make sure that your strength does not become your weakness too.

I’d love to hear from you.

No Excuses. 

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Piece of Your Action

Quick poll: how many of you have executives running around your organization getting into everyone else’s business? These same leaders are often focused on their own popularity instead of tackling the real issues facing organizations in a thoughtful, intentional way.

 

…and how many of your other colleagues wish “someone” would do something about it?

We Created This Problem

Perhaps I’m reaching a bit, but here goes. At times if feels as if society has created a mindset that almost demands we avoid hurting people’s feelings at all costs, raising controversial topics, or…heaven forbid…holding people accountable!

What if they don’t like me anymore?

What will “they” think about me?

I’m not good at confrontation.

Well, I have to ask…what the heck are you doing in a leadership role? This is not daycare. 

Let’s Ask Ourselves

Have we created a new generation of weak leaders who are proud to have finished 9th, and no longer understand their obligation to get results (in a thoughtful way…yes, it can be done.)

Are the legions of junior level executives now positioned to assume true leadership roles, actually ready to take that next step?

By the way…age has NOTHING to do with this dilemma. We all see leaders who are “older" yet behave as if they are still trying to win a popularity contest instead of taking bold decisive action.

How many times do they need to admit that they made a mistake before we relieve them of the burden of their own "leadership?"  

Solving the Problem

How do we correct this situation quickly? There is a simple solution, yet I don’t think many will follow this path. It will require standing alone while your colleagues watch and wonder what will happen to you.

Confront the leader who wants a piece of the action directly. Directly.

Directly. (are you with me?)

How About You

Are you exhausted from managing the behavior of the executives in your organizaiton? Trust, that you are not alone. Make the decision to step up and do what everyone wants “someone” to do.

You are that someone.

I’d love to hear from you.

No Excuses. 

Selves We Cannot Forgive

I don't know about you, but I put a lot of pressure on myself. I'm not sharing that as some sort of martyr-type-play. I'm just stating a fact. Maybe you feel a similar level of pressure?

Perfection
Do you like your work to be 'just right?' I do. I like the thinking, planning and execution to be on point. As in, perfectly on point. The world is so quick to judge even the most minor error that, for me, striving to make everything perfect has become the norm.

It's a good strategy actually, except for one minor point.

Perfection is impossible.

Forgiveness
The challenge of striving for something (perfection) and never achieving it (reality) sounds bizarre. 

Yet why do so many of us espouse this approach as reasonable? I've seen the nonstop barrage of blogs and articles that proclaim how wonderful failing is for us. 

Well, let me telly something, I hate failing. I don't care if I've made an inconsequential typo in a meaningless tweet.

I hate failing.

However, I have also forced myself to learn to do something new. It took a long time to balance this new skill without lowering my expectations of perfection. It's called forgiveness.

"I am unwilling to strive for anything less than perfection; but I am also now forgiving myself if I know I've done my absolute best and fell short."

How About You

Does the pressure of being the perfect spouse, or student, or leader become too much sometimes? Are you in the 'Perfection Club' with me where the rules dictate that we must torture ourselves with every little failure? Perhaps it's time to try developing a new skill that allows you to aim high and forgive yourself at the same time?

It made a big difference for me.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Master of Puppets

“There are those whose primary ability is to spin wheels of manipulation. It is their second skin and without these spinning wheels, they simply do not know how to function. They are like toys on wheels of manipulation and control. If you remove one of the wheels, they'll never be able to feel secure, be whole.” 
- C. Joybell C.

Leadership Facade
It's sad when you think about it. The negative energy that so many put into chasing personal glory instead of collaborating with the team-driven modern world of work, often results in damaged relationships and poor outcomes.

They may hide behind the label of leader, but in fact they are not even close.

Seriously, are there any roles left in our organizations that are truly at the individual contributor level anymore?

Hidden Agenda

What is their real agenda? Is it a passion for the mission of the organization? Is it the pressure of bringing people together to ensure deadlines are met? Or, is it a self-absorbed path that only serves to fuel their own misguided career aspirations?

Sadly, their agendas are hidden to no one but themselves. The negative impact of their behavior, their lack of personal accountability, and their almost laughable attempt to position themselves as a dynamic leader drives a wedge between themselves and their colleagues.

How About You
Who is it in your workplace that tries to play the role of puppet master? Maybe it's time someone told them the only thing they are manipulating is their own credibility.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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