Category Archives: basics

Want to be mentored? -part 2

Posted on by
Reply

In search of self improvement or a desire to move forward professionally, young people land on the idea that they need a mentor. However, wanting a mentor or teacher is a whole lot easier than the process of being mentored. Here are a few quick things to consider on the subject:

[part 2]
Don’t play games with reality - You aren’t ready to be mentored if you aren’t ready to be honest; about yourself, your situation, your work ethic, your morals, your finances, your family, your priorities, your ambitions —- ALL of it. There is no bigger waste of time on this earth than to trying to mentor a person who is blowing smoke about who they really are. Don’ bother meeting if you can’t be truthful about your reality. Mentors aren’t afraid of your reality, in fact they embrace it. Helping you move forward is why they are there.

Be ready for some pain - Once you have been honest, brace yourself for to hear things that no one else is telling you. Your gut reaction will be that “this guy is wrong and/or mean”. Not so. What is going to take place when you have found a good mentor are a series of questions, reality checks, performance penatrating observations and soul searches. After that, they will also tell you the truth in a way that likely no one has before. You want them to do this… trust me. If they didn’t do this you wouldn’t need them. If others were doing this, you wouldn’t need a mentor. Don’t shy away from what they need you to hear. Don’t flinch. Don’t whine about it to others. Take it. Think on it. Watch to see if what they tell you isn’t truer than you first thought.

Want to be mentored? -part 1

Posted on by
Reply

In search of self improvement or a desire to move forward professionally, young people land on the idea that they need a mentor. However, wanting a mentor or teacher is a whole lot easier than the process of being mentored. Here are a few quick things to consider on the subject:

[part. 1]

Go look for one – It sounds too absurd, but it is all too true that most people want a mentor to come looking for them. ANY individual that you would want to have as a mentor is not just sitting around bored. They have things going on and lots of people who want their time — that is in fact the reason that you want them! They know something that you don’t about your job, about life or about how to lead their families. If you want some of their time, go ask for it. Don’t sit in your office crying about the fact that no one will invest in you. No one will invest in you because you haven’t asked them to.

Make it a priority, not a leftover - Since this is more than likely something you are doing outside of the scope of your paying job, there might be a tendency to treat this like a personal friendship or a hobby — don’t do that. Treat this like a meeting with your boss who’s opinions should have significant impact on your reality. For starters, SHOW UP ON TIME OR EARLY! If you are unavoidably running behind, at least call. Next, get the appt. on your calendar as a ‘can’t miss’ item; do not treat it as something that you will wipe out if some other meetings come up. Holy crap, this is your personal & professional development we are talking about, don’t let that become a third tier item. Also, bring at least one discussion item to the table each time for them to weigh in on. Don’t expect your mentor to lead every conversation; bounce stuff off of them that is important to your situation.

Don’t Kill ‘MO’

Posted on by
Reply

Objects in motion stay in motion unless met with force or resistance. (A rough paraphrase of Newton’s 1st Law of Motion) This law of motion applies to bike riding, rv pulling, building teams, organizational progress and to leadership.

Momentum is a critical ally in leadership. Building ‘MO’mentum takes hard work, well developed strategies, diligent oversight, lots of cheering, clarification of mission and goals, and the celebration of victories. Quite possibly it will take many cycles of these to attain it. You will know that you have MO when as some would say “you feel things begin to click”. Victories come easier and more often. Goals and objectives are being reached and when your mission is being achieved (in part or whole) right in front of your eyes.

When you have MO you will invariably come to a juncture where you and other leaders will face some tough decisions about the continuation of things from the past and opportunities that are presenting themselves for the future. With each of these decisions, you must ask this important question:

“Will this kill our MO?”

Sometimes the killer of MO will be resistance to growth. Or it could be resistance to change. Or it could be the desire to go faster (throttle down) than your group can keep up with. Or….

I think you get the idea. It could be a lot of things, but know this, once momentum is lost, it is a hard slog back up the hill to where it can be recaptured again.

Teach in failure

Posted on by
3

Young leaders need feedback. They won’t make all of the right moves and they won’t have all of the experience that you wish they would have to inform their decision making in tough situations. They also don’t have the requisite vision to see what is coming next. That is what makes them young leaders. When (not if) they fail, you can ignore the problem, which ultimately leads to no growth due to your lack of involvement. Or, you can address the failure. It is in these moments where you can lead them towards success by coming alongside them as a coach, giving insights and guidance that will equip them for their next opportunities. I believe that this beats out the alternative, which is chewing them out like a military drill sergeant. So, here are some suggestions:

  • tackle the performance issue while it is still fresh, don’t put it off till later (coach in the moment)
  • invite the young leader into the solution process
  • don’t skirt the issues with subtleties, be direct
  • give tangible examples of how performance can be improved
  • don’t over react… the world isn’t coming to an end because they made a mistake, so put them back in the game right away
  • give encouragement about the future whenever possible

Keep it out front

Posted on by
Reply

When I really want to lose weight I get on the scale every day. If I go for a training ride, I have the minimum distance I plan to cover set before butt hits the saddle and then watch the miles tick away on my bike computer as my legs churn. You just set some goals for the new year, so where are they? Do you check them ever day? Week? How often you measure your performance? What plan do you have in place to ensure your success?

Keep your goals in front of you.

Let the little things go

Posted on by
Reply

Irritants, disagreements, different perspectives, optional calls… how you handle these types of items shows a big difference between young leaders and more mature leaders. When I was young in leadership  I couldn’t let the little things go. Some of this was due to my personality, some of it was due to my maturity, or lack there of. In leadership you need to focus on the big wins, the mission, the overall objectives. You will know you are growing when you find yourself wasting less time and energy battling on minor issues, subtle nuances of how something can be executed and small interpersonal disagreements. Keep your sights and your leadership focused on the major goals.

Show your hunger

Posted on by
Reply

No lie… I had just opened a blog window to start punching the keys about “leadership hunger” when a UPS driver walked up the steps to our house to drop off a package. I am sitting on the front porch enjoying a small slice of sunshine and a morning cigar along with my work. He asked the simple question “working from home?”

“Yep”, was my short reply… I have typing to do so I wasn’t looking for a conversation. He was though. He started firing questions about what I do and how I got to do it. As soon as he found a connection between what I am doing and what he wants to do, he dove in, introduced himself and wanted to connect further so he asked my name and how he could possible connect later (his fellow driver was yelling for him at this point).  He hustled off, but not before writing down my info. on his pocket notebook. My hunch is he will email me.

Not sure why that guy is working temp at UPS, but, my hunch is that if he has stand-up character he won’t be there long. Why? Because he seems hungry. Employers like hungry. Leaders like others who have drive. People with energy, determination and a willingness to jump in and get moving will always have a job. More than that, they will always have opportunities for better jobs, higher pay and more responsibility. Ultimately, if they stay hungry, teachable and keep growing, people who are hungry can be leaders of their own environments.

Does your hunger show?

Chunk Planning

Posted on by
1

Even the best planners and strategists can be overwhelmed by the entire picture, so don’t be disappointed when you are daunted by the thought of outlining the key steps to your next major goal.

Think in terms of chunks or key pieces.

  1. Open up a fresh document and type out what you believe are the key ingredients.
  2. Then, open another new document and put just 1 of those key ingredients at the top.
  3. I am a bullet point guy, so below I would start my bullets and then seek to list all of the items that must be done or met for this area to contribute to the bigger goal.
  4. Repeat step 3 for all of the areas.
  5. Get a 2nd and 3rd set of eyeballs on your initial brain dumpings… this is great because in just 60 minutes (or less) you can draw up some pretty comprehensive, logical and strategic steps towards accomplishing your big goal.

Pick you next goal and try it. It works.

Do your dots connect?

Posted on by
1

Kids play a simple game on paper – connect the dots. The dots are numbered and when you run a line in order from one to the next they make a picture. Vision & mission statements, while always ‘en vogue’ with leader types, can quickly become meaningless in the day to day operation of a place. Your mission statement MUST constantly help your team ‘connect the dots’. More importantly, YOU serve as the vision caster (what will the final picture look like) but also as the blue printer (where do we place the numbers).

If you are leading well, your team members know exactly what it looks like to succeed. They know by definition the picture that they are creating and where to go next. So, how much stuff is your team busy with that doesn’t connect with your mission? Same challenge from a different angle – are you emphatically sure that you are hyper focused on executing a game plan that is certain to lead your team in accomplishing the most important work? Are you communicating effectively and passionately about your vision and plans? Did you do it last year, but forget to keep the vision out in front of them this week?

Your team needs you to lead well. Your team needs you to communicate with clarity, with hope and with encouragement. AND your team needs a plan that will allow them the opportunity to not only succeed, but to WIN!