Greetings Leaders,

Today the Stock Market tanked almost 3%, a day after the government reported GDP numbers that unofficially indicated that the US is out of the worst recession since the Great Depression. President Obama released new data today, showing how successful the stimulus package was this year, despite a soaring unemployment rate expected to increase to about 9.9% in next week’s unemployment report. In a recent Harris Poll, 78% of Americans think the government is on the wrong track. What gives? Read the rest of this entry »

Greetings Leaders…

I just posted a blog called Where Have All Our Heroes Gone. Now… the call for action. I am calling on you to be a hero. We need more heroes today, and yes, you can be a hero! Being a hero doesn’t mean selling all your possessions, going on a hunger strike or joining the Peace Corps. Being a hero means using your gifts to benefit someone else. Read the rest of this entry »

Greetings Leaders!

Before I get into the blog, you have to watch this video. I don’t know when or where it was made, but it made me smile.

I’m sitting at home alone tonight. My wife is out of town caring for her aunt and my daughter is up at her  boyfriends. It’s a good time to reflect. I recently read a great article by John Hope Bryant in Forbes called Stop Trying to Get Rich and it made me wonder, where have all our heroes gone? Read the rest of this entry »

Greetings Leaders!

Last week I was sitting in Starbucks when a woman came to sit down next to my table. She put down her books and began to open her laptop and then froze. She looked my way, frowned, and then asked, “Is it always this noisy in here?” I smiled and told her that it was pretty normal for mid-morning, so she sighed, picked up her books, gave me a smile and said she was going outside because she couldn’t think. Later that afternoon, I visited (believe it or not) another Starbucks, and I ended up leaving because it was really noisy. This got me thinking about noise in our lives. Can you lead when it’s noisy?

I reflected on this for a bit and realized how “noisy” my life has been lately. Lots going on, just as I’m sure all of you have multiple responsibilities at work and at home. There’s the kids, our spouses, our friends, bills, sports, exercising, grocery shopping, reading, planning, booking, attending. There’s work, phone calls, appointments, counseling, coaching, self-improvement. There’s cooking, laundry, chores. In all this noise, it becomes difficult to lead with purpose. So let me ask you a question…

What are you trying to accomplish and is what you’re doing helping you get there?

Sometimes, we just get so busy just… doing… that we forget what we’re trying to accomplish. Sometimes we just do, without realizing that we’re going in circles. I went to see Alice In Wonderland at a small community theater this past weekend. In one incident Alice was running after the Queen while going around a tree. Around and around they went. The Queen leading and Alice following. After a lot of huffing and puffing, the Queen stopped and Alice asked “where are we going?” The Queen answered “Going? Why, we’re going nowhere!” To which Alice responded, “Well that’s funny, where I come from going usually means going somewhere.” The Queen laughed and said, “Why would you want to do that?”

The point is pretty obvious, sometimes we run in circles because we miss the point. The point is to know where you’re trying to go. When life gets too noisy, we lose sight of what’s important. Our minds become cluttered and we lose focus and energy.

To lead, you must learn to quiet the noise. Stop. Just stop for a moment. Take a deep breath. Forget about all the “to dos” and “must dos”, and just relax. Don’t even think… just for a moment. Exhale. Inhale. Listen to your breath go in and out of your lungs. Go take a walk this afternoon after work. Clear your head. Enjoy the sunset and whatever weather you find yourself in. Then… think about where you’re going and focus on only the things that will get you there.

All the best!
All the time!
JT

Greetings Leaders!

Today in the Wall Street Journal you’ll find an article about GM complaining to Mr. Kenneth Feinberg, Treasury Pay Czar, that their search for a CFO is in jeopardy because it can’t find a “qualified” CFO for a measly $1 million, plus stock options and full benefits.

Let’s think this through…

1. The country has a problem with exorbitant executive pay. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. I’ll spare you the details because we all know it is true.
2. Management in the US Auto Industry took us down the primrose path over the past 30 years, albeit cluelessly. The crisis facing the auto industry could have been avoided.
3. By promoting from within the ranks of “qualified” CFOs, companies like GM only sealed their fate. Does the term Groupthink come into play here?
4. The “good ol’ boy network” needs to be broken. By hiring executives that are already being paid millions of dollars, the cycle of outrageous pay continues.

On the other hand….

1. New blood would help reduce all the problems above.
2. If GM  put an add in the paper, or on the internet, advertising for a CFO that makes $1 million plus stock options, plus benefits, do you think they’ll have any takers? Of course they will. There are a hundreds of people who would apply. Now, GM’s argument would be that these candidates aren’t qualified. Hogwash. What did the auto industry CFOs of the past 30 years accomplish? Does helping to drive these companies into the ground come to mind.

There are lots of CFOs who are working or who have worked for publicly traded companies who would be up to the job. There are also people out there who have not been a CFO yet, but who could certainly do the job. I know this is a huge generalization, but if pressed to prove it, I would open this up for public dialogue. If a panel of people, let’s say a small group of successful business owners (businesses that have revenue of $50 million or more) were picked at random to find a successor, they would be able to find someone for the job. It might not be who GM would pick, but guess what GM, there ARE qualified people out there that could become your next CFO, you just don’t want to go look for them.

Take away for leaders. Leaders should not be self serving. I have no problem with people making a lot of money. In my view, $1 million is a lot of money. My concern is that too many leaders do things that benefit only the few. In this case, GM can find someone, they just aren’t willing to. As we all know, “change” is difficult.

Mr. Feinberg, if you are serious about changing corporate culture… don’t give in.

All the best!
All the time!
JT

Greetings Leaders!

Here I am, sitting in Starbucks trying to get a little work done. At the next table there is a manager and his employee having a discussion about her suspension. I guess they thought Starbucks gained them some privacy. Yeah, right. I really tried to mind my own business but believe me, everyone else was listening in too. It appears this young 30-ish year old woman was suspended and she asked to meet her manager here to discuss the situation.

For Leaders

My first take away is for you leaders. Don’t counsel at Starbucks. This guy should know better. He looks experienced, but boy is he making a lot of mistakes. If this woman decides to file a formal complaint, this manager’s company is going to have their hands full. Apparently she was suspended from work without being given a good explanation – according to her.

Second take away – If you are going to suspend someone, you better follow a process. In California, unions aside, I don’t believe you have to give someone a reason for letting them go. I may be mistaken, but the point you need to remember is to check your local labor laws. If your company lets someone go, I don’t think it wise to meet them at Starbucks later to “discuss” things. The discussion should have happened in the office as part of the suspension/firing process. This manager has another problem on his hands in that he has no witnesses as to what was discussed. It becomes a “he said – she said” conversation. Not something I’d like to face in a courtroom.

Third take away – By meeting this employee at Starbucks, the manager abdicated complete control over the situation. He met her at her request. The meeting was hers,  not his. He had no control over anything, except his response – which believe me, was pretty lame.

Fourth take away – If you have to counsel someone, be direct. This manager could not address any of the specific complaints this young woman brought up because he wasn’t prepared. He hemmed and hawed and basically said nothing. Perhaps that is a good thing.

For Those Who Want to Keep Their Jobs

This young woman was a piece of work. I heard about 5 minutes of conversation and I have no doubt she was fired for her attitude and her inability to get along with others. While she thought she was being diplomatic and making a case to keep her job, remember she was just suspended, I thought she sealed her coffin. Here is what she did, and you should avoid.

1. She used the “I” word constantly. I thought…. I want…. I need… She couldn’t understand why her “team” kept ganging up on her. Apparently they don’t like her and were trying to get rid of her. While I don’t want to be to harsh, I know I would never hire her because the universe obviously revolves around her.
2. She constantly talked without coming up for air. She talked… and she talked… and she talked. If I were her, I would have been listening instead of talking. While she was so busy trying to make her point, she didn’t take time to get her manager’s perspective. She also didn’t take time to read his body language. It was really clear that all he wanted was to get out of here. He was leaning back, not engaged. He wasn’t looking for solutions. He was just nodding his head at her verbal onslaught.
3. She blamed others without taking any responsibility for the situation. She didn’t “understand” why she was let go. She couldn’t “understand” why her team didn’t like her. She pointed out all the other bad things that her team mates were doing and she didn’t “understand” why she was being singled out. She never once said, what can I do better? What can I do to save my job?
4. She played the “poor me” card. “I really don’t want to lose this job, especially in this economy. I don’t know what I’ll do if you don’t take me back.” While I’m sure this is true, the way she played this card made it seem as if she was playing with this “man’s” emotions. Poor lil’ ol’ me. Yeah… uh-huh.

While I feel sorry for this young woman, it was really apparent to me that she was suspended for being a trouble maker. I have a hunch that her performance at work matched her performance at Starbucks. A lot of talk, with not much to show for it except upset team members.

As for the manager, he made some terrible mistakes to. Perhaps the leadership at this company is just plain lacking. I wanted to walk over to them both and give them my card but thought better of it. I just hope that this young woman doesn’t try to sue the company as the manager really left them open to some interesting questions.

All the best!
All the time!
JT

Greetings Leaders!

I was watching the movie The Legend of Bagger Vance last night and it reminded me that in difficult times it is important to remember what we’re living for. The movie was set in the 1930s during the great depression. One of the minor subplots revolved around a man who lost his store and had to resort to street cleaning to support his family. His young son, embarrassed by his dad’s new occupation, avoided and despised him.

Well, it turns out that his dad was a man of character. As his store went out of business he ensured he paid all his debts… at the expense of losing his life savings. Out of money, he did what he had to do, to feed his family. He didn’t become a street cleaner because it was his dream job. He did it because he loved his family. He did what he had to….

As a leader, you go to work every day. Why? Let’s discuss money briefly. Money is a necessity of life – but money is not the reason you go to work. Not really. It is what money buys that you really want. Like the dad in Bagger Vance, perhaps you want to provide for your family? Or maybe you want a bit more and dream of owning mansions and taking vacations around the world. Money can also provide the illusion of power and control that some of you desire.

What I hope you take away after reading this, is that to stay motivated, you need a reason besides money. Understand what motivates you, and when times get tough you will persevere. While I do not want to judge your motivations, I will say that the more altruistic your motivations are, the more likely you will be to stay focused. When you have a deep desire to make a difference in the world, this will drive you to continue when life weighs heavily on you.

Leaders stay motivated by having a reason, a purpose behind what they do.

What is your reason? Your goals? Your desires?

All the best!
All the time!
JT

Greetings Leaders!

Lately, it seems like all my goals have gone out the window. Not to be negative, but it’s been a tough year. Business is down. Rates are down. I tore my distal biceps tendon while working out at the gym. Stocks are doing ok, but not great. I imagine there are a lot of you out there going through something similar. Either in your finances, career, health or relationships.

You had some goals at the start of the year and are far from meeting them. Perhaps you’ve even gone backwards. That’s ok. Life happens. Trust me – in the vast majority of circumstances your situation will improve. So… let’s get back on track.

Let’s think about this in terms of a race. For those of you old enough to remember the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Derek Redmond epitomizes what it means to start over.

There are several things to take away from Derek’s tragedy and triumph.

1. After Derek injured himself, he stopped. When you miss your goals, take a  moment to collect your thoughts. Take a short vacation or retreat and reassess where you’re at. As you think about your goals, remember, if you’re thinkin, your life ain’t over. We are in a race called life. You will suffer set backs. That is a given. What matters is how your respond.
2. Don’t rest too long, or opportunities will pass you by. Like Derek, you need to get up and set your mind on a new goal. When Derek started the race, his goal was to win. When he pulled his hamstring, all that changed. He could’ve just sat there on the track, but he didn’t. He made a new goal – to finish the race.
3. Fight for your dreams! As Derek got up and headed towards the finish line, people tried to stop him. He pushed them away. Don’t let others stop you from setting new goals.
4. Let others help you. As Derek was limping along, his father came to help him. Derek, not knowing who was there, tried to fight him off. But as soon as he realized it was his Dad, someone who loved and cared for him, he accepted his help freely.
5. Don’t be afraid to cry. Sometimes life can be painful. If you’re hurting, that’s ok – let it out. Just don’t hang onto your pain too long, or it will prevent you from moving forward.

So, how do you start over? You assess where you’re at, make a decision to move forward and you make some new goals. Simple isn’t it. I’ve already established new ones. What about you?

All the best!
All the time!
JT

Greetings Leaders!

As a sign of the times, my most viewed blog by far is… Overcoming Defeat – The Thing You Need To Know. I’ve blogged several times since then, trying to offer encouragement for those feeling discouraged or defeated. In today’s blog, I want to provide leaders with some tools and ideas that will enable you to encourage others.

If you have a job, give an anonymous gift to someone who is discouraged financially. Sometimes, people react in a weird way to charity. Especially men. You know… that pride thing. But that doesn’t mean you can’t help someone out. Here are some ideas:

1. You can buy a gift card and drop it in the mail with a card. Anonymous of course.
2. Perhaps you can place a bag of groceries or goodies on their doorstep and then run like heck for your car after you ring the doorbell (My son and I did that once and it was soooo much fun).
3. Invite someone to the movies and treat them to popcorn and drinks. You can go to an afternoon matinee to save some money.
4. If they belong to a church, go to the church and have someone on staff give them a care package that you made. My family has done this before and we were able to see the expression on their faces on a Sunday morning when they got their care package. It was priceless.

If you know someone who is looking for a job, there are several things you could do to encourage them. First of all, don’t just offer advice. People get tired of hearing “it’s going to be ok”. Why?  Because it doesn’t really help them, and sometimes… things don’t work out. In fact, in my opinion, it’s not ok. It is not ok that someone who is willing to work, can’t find a job. While you don’t want to be gloomy around them, you also don’t want to dismiss the hardship that they’re going through by acting as if everything is ok. If you really want to help, offer to review their resume, or to pass on their resume to as many people as you know. Offer to listen and let them vent. Sometimes just letting them know that you care can make a difference in someone’s life.

If you know anyone who is just plain discouraged in their relationships, or with life in general, invite them to go to church with you. Polls are showing that in today’s economy, people are looking for answers. Having faith in a power beyond yourself sometimes helps to make sense of the world when things aren’t going your way.

If you have any special ways that you offer encouragement to others, please leave your comments below so others can take advantage of your ideas.

Be an encourager…

All the best!
All the time!
JT

Greetings Leaders!

I was reading Joanne Maly’s blog and she had a post with a video of Gregory Hines tap dancing. Well, one thing led to another and I found myself watching the video below, highlighting Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis Jr., that has some great lessons for leaders, those over 40 out of work, and those just entering the workforce.

For Those Over 40 and Out of Work

Don’t despair! Just because you were let go, you still have game. You have experience and talent. What you learned and the skills you developed over the years matter. You just need the chance to use them. In the video, these older gentleman had the skills to dance. They had it regardless of Max’s (Gregory Hines) initial opinion. They had this inside of them, in their souls. Just because you find yourself without a job, doesn’t mean you have no worth, or no skills. Never… ever… forget that.

To use your skills again, you need to do a couple of things.

1. Stay sharp. These older dancers in the video must have been practicing or exercising regularly.
2. Get a support group. These gents had each other and it helped them a lot. Don’t go about your layoff alone.
3. Keep your pride. Challenge the system. Don’t let your age keep you from reentering the work force, or for settling for something less.
4. Learn new skills. While this didn’t come out in the video, the reality is that the world is changing. Be willing to learn new ways of doing things.

For Those Just Starting Their Career

Gregory Hines learned a valuable lesson. Older people still have what it takes. I was young once and remember entering the workforce with enthusiasm. I also had a nickname while a Naval Flight Officer, which I once laughed about but am not so proud of anymore…. Prima Donna. I was cocky. I thought I knew it all. Now over 50, I realize how little I knew 30 years ago. Here is some advice for younger workers:

1. Don’t assume those over 40 don’t know how to get things done using today’s technology. Some of them don’t… but some do.
2. Listen to people who have been in the workforce for awhile. They may have some sage advice that will prevent you from making a serious mistake, or will propel you to stardom. Take advantage of their experience.
3. Remember, you too will one day be one of the more “experienced” workers.

For Leaders

There are lessons for leaders in this video too. I mentioned this in a few other blogs, but I have noticed that many displaced workers are older than 40/45. This is not a coincidence and I understand why this happens.

What you need to remember as a leader, is that older workers have valuable skills that the younger workers don’t. I just read an interesting blog by George Brymer on Linked2Leadership that listed the top 10 things that younger workers are lacking. These are things that the older workers are great at. Remember, you should have a balanced workforce and there are gems out there that although older, may be worth keeping and polishing. Don’t be like the young girl who comes in at the end of the video and dismisses the older crowd because they are old.

All the best!
All the time!
JT