Finding the Courage for “Wow”

“The truth is, mediocrity is natural. You don’t have to do anything to drift there. It just happens.” Michael Hyatt.

6 ways to find the courage you need to make “wow” happen:

1. Take a stand for greatness. You must resolve in your heart that you will not sell out or settle. This isn’t necessary for every project, of course.
2. Connect with the original vision. … Close your eyes and once again become present to what you are trying to create.
3. Remind yourself what is at stake. Ask, “Why is this important?”
4. Listen to your heart. Most of us have spent a lifetime ignoring – or even suppressing – our intuition. I believe intuition is the map to buried treasure. It is not infallible, but neither is our reason.
5. Speak up. This is the crucial step. Give voice to your heart. If you don’t, who will?
6. Be stubborn. This is perhaps the toughest part of all. We don’t want to be “high maintenance” or unreasonable. Aren’t the people you most respect also the ones who demanded the most from you?

This list is an excerpt from, Platform, Hyatt’s new book on how to get noticed in a noisy world.

During my conversation with Michael we discussed the path to personal excellence:

1. Commit to excellence.
2. Identify things that matter most.
3. Prioritize what matters. Not everything has to be done with excellence.
4. Have integrity.
5. Set high standards. Never let anyone else set the bar higher than you.
6. Don’t let excellence become an excuse for procrastination.

Number six strikes at the reason many never achieve excellence. Don’t look for excellence in one giant leap; take steps. Once you’ve done the first five steps toward personal excellence, hoist your sails; those who delay inevitably flounder.

What does the path to excellence look like?

What suggestions can you offer?

Michael Hyatt just released his new book, “Platform.” It’s must reading for anyone with something to say or sell. It’s the most practical book on Social Media I’ve read.

When People Screw Up

The problem with people is imperfection.

People make mistakes; sometimes big ones. Leaders and managers usually don’t like mistakes.

Michael Hyatt gave me his version of fail fast, yesterday, “The faster we fail the faster we learn.” The potential benefit of failure doesn’t mean, however, that we intentionally seek or enjoy it.

It’s one thing when you fail;
it’s another when your team members fail.

When team members screw up:

1. You’re responsible even though you didn’t do it. Embarrassment!
2. It costs money. Frustration!
3. Efficiency falls. Disappointment!

Michael Hyatt on dealing with the mistakes of others:

“Create distance between the failure and how you feel; if you’re tired, stressed, or angry, wait.”

Michael’s comments reminded me of something a corporate executive recently told me when I shared my frustrations regarding the performance of a leader. “Dan, everything you just said was about you.” KaPow! Dang that stung.

Frustration makes us focus on ourselves.

Don’t deal with the failure of others until you can do it with their best interests in mind; create distance first so you can connect later.

Hyatt went on to say, “The first issue isn’t mistakes but ownership. People who own their mistakes learn and grow.”

People who don’t own their mistakes blame and excuse. In this case, leaders deal with blaming before dealing with mistakes.

Ownership says, “We’re in this together.” Blame says, “It’s not my fault.” Deal with blaming before dealing with mistakes.

The biggest mistake is making an excuse or blaming someone else.

How do you deal with the mistakes of others?

Michael Hyatt just released his new book, “Platform.” It’s must reading for anyone with something to say or sell. It’s the most practical book on Social Media I’ve read.

Buy “Platform” by May 25, 2012 and enjoy over $375 worth of bonus benefits.

How to Build Your Leadership Brand

People who aren’t known for something haven’t done anything.

“How to Build a Brand,” was the title we settled on for a recent presentation. It included social media content and making money using your online presence.

Leadership brand building:

On the negative side of brand building, I know leaders who are “save the day” leaders. They love being the hero. Others are backstabbing asses. Still others feel threaten by the success of those around them.

What you’re known for determines the way people talk about you. The way people talk about you is your brand.

You’re known for what you contribute even if it’s negative. Ultimately, positive brand building is about giving not getting.

1. Building your brand is about bringing value.
2. Repeated behaviors create brands, negative or positive.
3. Competency creates positive brands.

Five questions for leadership brand building:

1. Who am I? You must know who you are before you can get where you want to go.
2. What am I great at?
3. Who do I want to be?
4. How am I known?
5. How do I want to be known – in ways that align with who I am?

These questions apply to both individuals and organizations.

Brand building has a slimy reputation because of manipulators and facade builders. Forget it! Be who you are or you’ll empty your soul and destroy yourself with stress. I’m a reformed people pleaser, I know.

Leadership brand building is contributing positive value, authentically.

There’s more to leadership brand building than five questions. What other factors contribute to effective leadership brand building?

Post in a picture by Larry Coppenrath: Brand Building

Five Ways to Find Your Future

The past is the future for most of us.

We cling to misguided notions that persistence, endurance, and more of the same will result in a new future. It won’t.

99% of the conversations I have about the future are actually about the past. People try to create a future by cling to or modifying the past.

Frequently, the future is turning back to distant “glory days.” It’s futile.

Memories without dreams are anchors.

The future is made by those who face forward, not backward. Stand on your glory days, don’t repeat them.

Finding your future:

1. Stop defining yourself by past methods, accomplishments, and behaviors. In a turbulent world, methods that are moral imperatives destroy the future.
2. Your future is about people not projects or accomplishments. Current relationships tend to maintain stability; new relationships disrupt. Treasure both.
3. Get into social media; meet people succeeding where you want to succeed. (Becky Robinson thinks it can be done 12 minutes at a time)
4. Face timidity with small steps. 70% certainty is enough.
5. Systematically build your new future alongside your old present. Once your future is strong enough, fully embrace it.

Point of stability:

Focus on your values. Creating a new future is disruptive and disorienting. Determine three or four guiding ideals. Without them, you’re adrift.

Values guide-as-you-go without determining destinations.

Questions:

1. Who do you want to be?
2. What is your current legacy? What do you wish it was?
3. How can you step toward your preferred future, today?
4. How are you most useful to others?
5. What will you let go?
6. How must you develop?

Challenge:

While creating your new future you’ll be tempted to blame others for your disappointing present. That thinking destroys your future. Stop blaming others for the choices you’ve made. Your future begins when you own it.

With 2012 peeking at us, how can leaders take steps to create the future?

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If you like this post, I think you’ll love: “Five Ways to Fill Others with Courage“

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Standing Out Means You Don’t Fit

The dark side of passion is frustration, even anger. Zeal includes being for and against. Greater fervency for something fuels greater fervency against its opposite.

I asked Claire Diaz-Ortiz, Head of Corporate Social Innovation and Philanthropy at Twitter, Inc., if frustration drives leaders. She’s more comfortable being motivated to make things better than attacking what is bad. There is, on the other hand, a negative side to positive motivation.

Meetings and memos:

The dark side of making things better is identifying and rejecting broken things. Leaders are disruptors who seek solutions. Claire comfortably embraces tradition breaking. She believes many patterns we cling to hold us back, meetings for example. The way we run meetings – even having them – is steeped in inefficient traditions that waste time. “Many meetings could be replaced with a well written memo.”

Multi-tasking:

Claire hates inefficiency and waste. She loves productivity. She believes in multi-tasking, however. She admits research suggests multi-tasking isn’t efficient but does it anyway. Furthermore, she writes multi-tasking to-do lists. For example, watch a TV show and answer email.

I’ve never heard of a multi-tasking to-do list. Have you?

Clarity:

On the other hand, Claire turns off electronic devices for at least an hour a day. During that time she takes out old fashioned paper and pen. “There’s something refreshing about blank white paper.”

Breaking Traditions:

If this all sounds nontraditional, it is. I asked her what’s behind her interest in tradition breaking. She believes living on four continents and traveling the world since her teens frees her to explore her own path.

What nontraditional leadership/management activities or attitudes do you embrace?

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Claire wrote: “Twitter for Good: Changing the World One Tweet at a Time.”

I posted her best Twitter Tips on Social Media Freak: “Best Twitter Tips From Claire Diaz-Ortiz.”

Getting the most from twitter

(If you have trouble reading the text in the graphics, holding down the ctrl key and pressing the “+” key should enlarge the font. Hold down ctrl and press “-” to shrink the text)

I’m still learning what twitter is all about. I’ve been using it for about 13 months.

Even though it’s all an experiment, it’s not unusual for twitter to identify my tweets as Top Tweets. This Sunday afternoon, I held all three Top Tweets in the leadership category. Much of that ranking is contingent on who is online using the #leadership hashtag.

Steve NeSmith, Senior Director of Online Content, Social Media and Email Marketing for the Dave Ramsey organization, suggested I survey my twitter tribe to see their thoughts on how I’m doing.

I’ve been experimenting with tweet frequency and content. I’ve tweeted as much as three or four times an hour. On the other end I’ve tweeted just a few times a day.

I’ve read you should tweet 12x times for others before tweeting your own content. I rejected that artificial suggestion. Most of my tweets are quotes and links with few reflecting conversations. I typically direct message (DM) personal conversations. In addition, Most of the links I tweet are to my own work.

I followed Steve’s suggestion and created a three question survey on surveymonkey.com. The free version only tracks the first 100 results.

The 21 comments included suggestions from one time per day to, “As much as you like.”

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The frequency of tweets with links to tweets without links isn’t much of a factor. Most of my tweets with links have a quotable sentences attached.

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In my opinion, the third question wasn’t worded well. I intended it to reflect the use of twitter primarily as a leadership resource and not as a personal relationship tool. I don’t think the survey results answer that question.

These results are offered for the good of the twitter users in the Leadership Freak community. Feel free to add your input.

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My conversation with Steve NeSmith: Are you becoming Irrelevant?

Are you becoming Irrelevant?

I met intriguing people when I visited the Dave Ramsey organization in Nashville. Yesterday while sitting in Starbucks I finally reconnected with Steve NeSmith their Senior Director of Online Content, Social Media and Email Marketing. I wanted to chat about leadership and social media.

Steve explained the number one reason leaders don’t use social media is they are time bankrupt. His response, “Ask yourself if it’s important to you. Do you find time to network at the Chamber of Commerce?”

While Steve talked, I jotted notes until a local student accidentally dumped coffee on their books and floor. Moments later, I lost Steve’s voice in a clanking mop and yellow bucket bumping along ceramic tiles. Priority – clean up.

Finding time?

Steve didn’t sugar coat the time problem when he said, “If social media is important, leaders find time for it by reprioritizing.”

Why reprioritize?

Every business leader acknowledges the value of the Internet. Steve explained that Facebook has become the Internet for many people. If the Internet is valuable then social media just gained value.

Your customers, employees, detractors, and constituents participate. If you aren’t there, you aren’t where everyone is. You’re becoming irrelevant.

Steve and I grappled to find terms that expressed the meaning of relevance. I tossed out the idea that social media humanized leaders. He didn’t like the suggestion they aren’t already human. Good point.

Accessible

Your presence and participation lets people know you’re engaged and listening. It’s like walking into a coffee shop and seeing someone you know. Their presence, even if all you do is nod, makes you feel you belong.

Participation in social media removes perceived distance without intruding into real space and makes you seem accessible and relevant.

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Connect with Steve NeSmith on twitter: http://twitter.com/SteveNeSmith.

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Are the benefits of perceived accessibility and relevance sufficient for leaders to reprioritize? Why or why not?

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DISCLAIMER: As usual I’ve written with a direct style. You may perceive this post as a jab at some of my friends that don’t see social media as important as I do. You’d be wrong.