One key to effective leadership is to know when to stay calm and when to get excited.
I was reminded of that reading the newspaper today. One journalist advised that investors stay calm during this currently crazily declining market. Getting worked up will most likely cloud your thinking and acting rashly is never a good idea.
Staying calm is more about your inner peace and demeanor. If you’ve prepared, studied the situation thoughtfully and done your work, calm is a natural result. While the outcome isn’t guaranteed, you have the assurance you’ve done all you can.
Staying calm also creates confidence for your team, both in your abilities as well as their own. The ability to be calm means you trust them to meet whatever challenges as successfully as possible. A leader who doesn’t stay calm suggests that their anxiety is due to their team.
It pays to get excited about things that matter. It is difficult to lead if you have a monotone personality. If you bring the same emotion (or lack of it) to everything, nobody ever really knows that is important to you.
Of course, being excited isn’t the same as getting worked up. The latter suggests someone who is upset rather than just passionate (and sure, there are times when we ought to be upset, but they are far fewer than the times we actually are).
Get excited when you want to share positive energy. Get excited when the outcome is critical and everyone on your team needs to focus. Get excited when you appreciate the good job a colleague has done.
Funny how excited some people get about professional sports teams in which they have no direct involvement, but how reluctant they are to get excited about anything else.
Stay calm in challenging times and get excited when it matters. Knowing when to do which is a nuance of good leadership.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Friday, February 3, 2012
Precision Matters
Yesterday my new friend and fascination expert Sally Hogshead called me at precisely 11 a.m. for a scheduled conversation. I was impressed. More often than not, someone says they’ll call at 11 and the phone rings 5 or 10 minutes later. I was impressed by Sally’s professionalism.
“It makes me crazy,” I shared, “when I ask someone to call me back in literally 2 minutes knowing that I can take the call on a different line or phone then, and they call back 10 or 15 minutes later and I’m no longer available.”
Sally suggested that the meaning of literally seems to have morphed into something like “approximately” or “close to”. “We need a new word,” she said.
I suggested “literally squared.” (Yes, that appears to be two words, but there is no “squared” little 2 symbol on the iMac.)
To some of my more mellow readers, literally squared might seem like a case of being wound too tightly. While that might sometimes be the case, there is a serious aspect to this idea. We live in a world where precision often matters. From medicine to flying an airplane to engineering a structure, you don’t want to work in loose terms.
In a competitive environment for selling and serving customers, clients and shareholders, precision also matters. When we invest time and money, we don’t want vague promises like “I’ll get back to you” (when?), “we are focused on improving earnings” (what are you doing?) or “this will grow your business” (how much?). The more precise the promise and the performance, the more powerful the value proposition.
Whether or not we need a new concept like “literally squared” is debatable. I’m convinced, however, that we need to employ the power of precision.
“It makes me crazy,” I shared, “when I ask someone to call me back in literally 2 minutes knowing that I can take the call on a different line or phone then, and they call back 10 or 15 minutes later and I’m no longer available.”
Sally suggested that the meaning of literally seems to have morphed into something like “approximately” or “close to”. “We need a new word,” she said.
I suggested “literally squared.” (Yes, that appears to be two words, but there is no “squared” little 2 symbol on the iMac.)
To some of my more mellow readers, literally squared might seem like a case of being wound too tightly. While that might sometimes be the case, there is a serious aspect to this idea. We live in a world where precision often matters. From medicine to flying an airplane to engineering a structure, you don’t want to work in loose terms.
In a competitive environment for selling and serving customers, clients and shareholders, precision also matters. When we invest time and money, we don’t want vague promises like “I’ll get back to you” (when?), “we are focused on improving earnings” (what are you doing?) or “this will grow your business” (how much?). The more precise the promise and the performance, the more powerful the value proposition.
Whether or not we need a new concept like “literally squared” is debatable. I’m convinced, however, that we need to employ the power of precision.
Monday, December 12, 2011
The You Economy
A friend read a story in the newspaper about how the long-struggling housing market was showing signs of a recovery. For my friend, however, that news brought only frustration.
“It’s not recovering,” he said, “until my house sells.”
My friend had gone through a divorce he didn’t want and ended up with a home he no longer lived in, didn’t need, and couldn’t sell. So when you asked him how he viewed the housing market, he saw it through the lens of the You Economy.
Like my friend, most of us are far more interested in our personal economy — the You Economy — than the economy at large. The economy is impersonal. Your economy is personal. As I explore in my new book, Up, Down, or Sideways, both economies impact our chances for success.
The You Economy and the world’s economy aren’t always in sync. You can be Up when the world is Down, or Down when the world is Up. And like the world’s economy, the You Economy isn’t always predictable. However, it is marked by at least three things that we all should understand:
Dumb Luck — the times when you do the wrong thing and it still works out.
Informed Misfortune — the times when you do everything correctly and things still fail.
Sustainable Success — the results you get by consistently adopting the right mindsets and practicing the methods that are important, regardless of whether times are Up, Down, or Sideways.
The lesson: Don’t grow frustrated in times of Informed Misfortune, don’t feel empowered during times of Dumb Luck, and never take for granted the things that give you the best chance at Sustainable Success.
This blog is based on content in my latest book, Up, Down, Or Sideways. It is available wherever you buy great books. Click here to learn more about the book or click here to order it from Amazon.com.
Visit my website for more resources.
“It’s not recovering,” he said, “until my house sells.”
My friend had gone through a divorce he didn’t want and ended up with a home he no longer lived in, didn’t need, and couldn’t sell. So when you asked him how he viewed the housing market, he saw it through the lens of the You Economy.
Like my friend, most of us are far more interested in our personal economy — the You Economy — than the economy at large. The economy is impersonal. Your economy is personal. As I explore in my new book, Up, Down, or Sideways, both economies impact our chances for success.
The You Economy and the world’s economy aren’t always in sync. You can be Up when the world is Down, or Down when the world is Up. And like the world’s economy, the You Economy isn’t always predictable. However, it is marked by at least three things that we all should understand:
Dumb Luck — the times when you do the wrong thing and it still works out.
Informed Misfortune — the times when you do everything correctly and things still fail.
Sustainable Success — the results you get by consistently adopting the right mindsets and practicing the methods that are important, regardless of whether times are Up, Down, or Sideways.
The lesson: Don’t grow frustrated in times of Informed Misfortune, don’t feel empowered during times of Dumb Luck, and never take for granted the things that give you the best chance at Sustainable Success.
This blog is based on content in my latest book, Up, Down, Or Sideways. It is available wherever you buy great books. Click here to learn more about the book or click here to order it from Amazon.com.
Visit my website for more resources.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Heeding Wisdom
If you have children over the age of, oh, a few months, you’ve no doubt experienced what it’s like to see good advice go unheeded. This happens particularly often as children grow into that stage when they know far more than their parents, which usually coincides with the teen years.
Unfortunately, this affliction isn’t confined to teenagers. We all experience those times when we fail to take good advice — even at times when we know we should. Welcome to the human species, where pride goes before the fall and stubbornness is the bricks in the road to tribulation.
When I was researching and writing Up, Down, or Sideways, I realized that many of the things we should do regardless of circumstances are pretty basic and rooted in common sense. Yet, we don’t do them consistently.
Why?
The answer lies in understanding the seven basic stages that most of us go through when it comes to wisdom. Most of these stages represent barriers to living out that wisdom. They are …
This blog is based on content in my latest book, Up, Down, Or Sideways. It is available wherever you buy great books. Click here to learn more about the book or click here to order it from Amazon.com. Visit my website for more resources.
Unfortunately, this affliction isn’t confined to teenagers. We all experience those times when we fail to take good advice — even at times when we know we should. Welcome to the human species, where pride goes before the fall and stubbornness is the bricks in the road to tribulation.
When I was researching and writing Up, Down, or Sideways, I realized that many of the things we should do regardless of circumstances are pretty basic and rooted in common sense. Yet, we don’t do them consistently.
Why?
The answer lies in understanding the seven basic stages that most of us go through when it comes to wisdom. Most of these stages represent barriers to living out that wisdom. They are …
- We don’t know (e.g., we’re ignorant).
- We know but don’t believe (e.g., we don’t think a particular truth applies to us or our situation).
- We know and believe but still don’t do it (e.g., we lack conviction because it’s difficult, inconvenient, or unnecessary).
- We know and believe but we can’t do it (e.g., we lack the skills to do it).
- We know and do inconsistently (e.g., we get lazy or forgetful or distracted).
- We know and do consistently (e.g., we’ve formed a good habit that we consciously cultivate).
- We know and make it second nature (e.g., it’s become part of who we are).
This blog is based on content in my latest book, Up, Down, Or Sideways. It is available wherever you buy great books. Click here to learn more about the book or click here to order it from Amazon.com. Visit my website for more resources.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Keeping Score: Up, Down, or Sideways
This might come as a surprise to some younger readers, but there was a time when there was only one ESPN and most televised sporting events aired on one of three networks — NBC, CBS, or ABC. Now, my television package offers dozens of networks dedicated specifically to sports. ESPN has four or five sister networks. Golf has its own channels. Some college conferences like the Big Ten have their own networks.
We love competition, and not just in America. It’s one of the common elements of any society — the desire to create systems for scoring performance. Ironically, we also live in a society that doesn’t want to be judged. The overreaction to over-competitive parents led some youth leagues to do away with scoring. And in a misguided attempt to foster self-esteem, there are those who promote the elimination of any type of grading system.
The reality, however, is that we all use scoring systems for our lives. What most of us don’t realize is that we can change our scoring system and, in doing so, change our game.
Many people get locked into a scoring system that defines them even though it doesn’t really represent who they are or what they want out of life. In Up, Down, or Sideways, I write about the importance of discovering and living by a personal scoring system that will guide you toward success whether times are good, bad, or in between.
Most people organize their life and their work around one of four scoring systems: Results, Recognition, Recreation, or Relationships. Which of those most represents your scoring system? Who influenced and influences how you score your success in life? How often do you find yourself complaining about things like the lack of money paid in your profession or the lack of time you get with your family because the hours you put in to maintain a certain income?
It might be time to change your scoring system. Maybe you need to change careers to fit the scoring system that really represents your values and dreams for your life. Or maybe you need to recognize that you’re living your dream and, therefore, you should embrace a scoring system that fits it rather than one that’s imposed on you by pop culture, your parents, or some other outside force.
Your scoring system shapes your priorities and your definition of success, so the first step toward enduring success comes from aligning that system to who you really are, what you really value, and what you really want out life.
This blog is based on content in my latest book, Up, Down, Or Sideways. It is available wherever you buy great books. Click here to learn more about the book or click here to order it from Amazon.com. Visit http://www.marksanborn.com for more resources.
We love competition, and not just in America. It’s one of the common elements of any society — the desire to create systems for scoring performance. Ironically, we also live in a society that doesn’t want to be judged. The overreaction to over-competitive parents led some youth leagues to do away with scoring. And in a misguided attempt to foster self-esteem, there are those who promote the elimination of any type of grading system.
The reality, however, is that we all use scoring systems for our lives. What most of us don’t realize is that we can change our scoring system and, in doing so, change our game.
Many people get locked into a scoring system that defines them even though it doesn’t really represent who they are or what they want out of life. In Up, Down, or Sideways, I write about the importance of discovering and living by a personal scoring system that will guide you toward success whether times are good, bad, or in between.
Most people organize their life and their work around one of four scoring systems: Results, Recognition, Recreation, or Relationships. Which of those most represents your scoring system? Who influenced and influences how you score your success in life? How often do you find yourself complaining about things like the lack of money paid in your profession or the lack of time you get with your family because the hours you put in to maintain a certain income?
It might be time to change your scoring system. Maybe you need to change careers to fit the scoring system that really represents your values and dreams for your life. Or maybe you need to recognize that you’re living your dream and, therefore, you should embrace a scoring system that fits it rather than one that’s imposed on you by pop culture, your parents, or some other outside force.
Your scoring system shapes your priorities and your definition of success, so the first step toward enduring success comes from aligning that system to who you really are, what you really value, and what you really want out life.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Another Fred’s Optimism
Since writing The Fred Factor about an extraordinary postal carrier named Fred Shea, I’ve encountered and learned about many other “Freds” who embrace the same spirit of service. I came across one such Fred while researching my latest book, Up, Down, or Sideways. It so happens, this one is literally, as well as figuratively, a Fred.
Fred Johnson had lived in New Orleans for nearly six decades, and he wasn’t the type to sit around and do nothing when people throughout his city were suffering. So in 2005, after Hurricane Katrina overwhelmed the levee system that protected much of New Orleans from the Gulf of Mexico’s waters, Johnson made his way to the Superdome, where thousands of people had gathered in search of shelter from the storm.
The Superdome lacked the security, clean water, food, and bedding needed for a crisis of this magnitude. Nearly all the people there had lost their homes. Chaos, confusion, and uncertainty filled the air as the multitudes struggled to find information about where to go and how to get there, not to mention anxiety about who among their friends and family had survived and who had not.
The suffering overwhelmed Johnson. In fact, he later told Scientific American magazine that he “lost it” for a brief period when he first arrived on the scene. Then, he said, his “governor” kicked in.
“When I become overwhelmed,” he said, “I think my process is this: I’m going to cry about it, I’m going to dry my eyes, and then I’m going back to work, but I’m not going to keep crying, crying, crying. I think that’s my governor. That’s how I keep my sanity.”
Johnson, you see, is an optimist. That doesn’t mean he saw happy opportunity and niceness in the midst of one of America’s worst natural disasters. It means he had the ability to quickly re-orient his view of the situation so that he could help himself and help others.
Real optimism like Johnson’s isn’t blind faith; it is far-sighted faith. Rather than deny the problems of the present, it focuses on the solutions for the future. It doesn’t look at the world through rose-tinted glasses; it uses trifocals — accepting the good, the bad, and the in-between, but choosing to focus on the good.
The negative person focuses only on the downside. The realist sees the downsides and the upsides but is uncertain about where to focus. The intelligent optimist doesn’t ignore the downside or reality, but simply focuses on the upside and expects the best.
This blog is based on content in my latest book, Up, Down, Or Sideways. It is available wherever you buy great books. Click here to learn more about the book or click here to order it from Amazon.com. Visit http://www.marksanborn.com for more resources.
Fred Johnson had lived in New Orleans for nearly six decades, and he wasn’t the type to sit around and do nothing when people throughout his city were suffering. So in 2005, after Hurricane Katrina overwhelmed the levee system that protected much of New Orleans from the Gulf of Mexico’s waters, Johnson made his way to the Superdome, where thousands of people had gathered in search of shelter from the storm.
The Superdome lacked the security, clean water, food, and bedding needed for a crisis of this magnitude. Nearly all the people there had lost their homes. Chaos, confusion, and uncertainty filled the air as the multitudes struggled to find information about where to go and how to get there, not to mention anxiety about who among their friends and family had survived and who had not.
The suffering overwhelmed Johnson. In fact, he later told Scientific American magazine that he “lost it” for a brief period when he first arrived on the scene. Then, he said, his “governor” kicked in.
“When I become overwhelmed,” he said, “I think my process is this: I’m going to cry about it, I’m going to dry my eyes, and then I’m going back to work, but I’m not going to keep crying, crying, crying. I think that’s my governor. That’s how I keep my sanity.”
Johnson, you see, is an optimist. That doesn’t mean he saw happy opportunity and niceness in the midst of one of America’s worst natural disasters. It means he had the ability to quickly re-orient his view of the situation so that he could help himself and help others.
Real optimism like Johnson’s isn’t blind faith; it is far-sighted faith. Rather than deny the problems of the present, it focuses on the solutions for the future. It doesn’t look at the world through rose-tinted glasses; it uses trifocals — accepting the good, the bad, and the in-between, but choosing to focus on the good.
The negative person focuses only on the downside. The realist sees the downsides and the upsides but is uncertain about where to focus. The intelligent optimist doesn’t ignore the downside or reality, but simply focuses on the upside and expects the best.
This blog is based on content in my latest book, Up, Down, Or Sideways. It is available wherever you buy great books. Click here to learn more about the book or click here to order it from Amazon.com. Visit http://www.marksanborn.com for more resources.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
The Value of Your IPO
LinkedIn, the popular social-networking site, went public May 19 with shares for its initial public offering priced at $45 each. That put the company’s value at around $4.3 billion. Before noon on the day of the IPO, the stock price had climbed as high as $92.99 a share.
So what’s a share of LinkedIn really worth?
Whatever someone’s willing to pay for it.
LinkedIn spent about eight years building its value as a company, then tested that value when it went public.
Like all companies, how well it holds its value over time remains to be seen. But as individuals trying to define and achieve success, the best place to start is like a company working toward a successful IPO — by building our value.
If your core values are rock solid, if you produce outcomes that other people value, and if you value other people, then you’ll find yourself positioned to prosper regardless of the circumstances around you.
For instance, if you are always involved in important projects within your organization, you’re providing value that can’t be ignored. When times are good, you’ll see the rewards (probably in higher pay and/or fast-track promotions). When times are bad and your organization or your customers are cutting back, you’ll find yourself on the “can’t cut” list. The opposite? You’ll be like those “nonessential government workers” you read about when Congress can’t settle on a budget — the first to get laid off.
Have you checked with your employer lately to see what he or she values in your work? Have you asked that person how you might increase your value to the organization? You ask the same question of clients and customers. None of us are irreplaceable, but all of us can produce value that sets us up for success.
This blog is based on content in my latest book, Up, Down, Or Sideways. It is available wherever you buy great books. Click here to learn more about the book or for ordering information. Visit my website for more resources.
So what’s a share of LinkedIn really worth?
Whatever someone’s willing to pay for it.
LinkedIn spent about eight years building its value as a company, then tested that value when it went public.
Like all companies, how well it holds its value over time remains to be seen. But as individuals trying to define and achieve success, the best place to start is like a company working toward a successful IPO — by building our value.
If your core values are rock solid, if you produce outcomes that other people value, and if you value other people, then you’ll find yourself positioned to prosper regardless of the circumstances around you.
For instance, if you are always involved in important projects within your organization, you’re providing value that can’t be ignored. When times are good, you’ll see the rewards (probably in higher pay and/or fast-track promotions). When times are bad and your organization or your customers are cutting back, you’ll find yourself on the “can’t cut” list. The opposite? You’ll be like those “nonessential government workers” you read about when Congress can’t settle on a budget — the first to get laid off.
Have you checked with your employer lately to see what he or she values in your work? Have you asked that person how you might increase your value to the organization? You ask the same question of clients and customers. None of us are irreplaceable, but all of us can produce value that sets us up for success.
This blog is based on content in my latest book, Up, Down, Or Sideways. It is available wherever you buy great books. Click here to learn more about the book or for ordering information. Visit my website for more resources.
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