Big Is The New Small

It’s always fun to read leadership quotes and hear the varying opinions on the definition of a great leader.  It’s one of those concepts, in which everyone seems to have an opinion about.  Instead of defining what a great leader, we are going to define a Poor Leader.  If you go to Webster and see how they define these two words separately, here is what you get:

• Leader- A Person or thing that leads
• Poor- Deficient or lacking in something specified, lacking in skill, ability, or training, deficient in desirable ingredients, qualities

If you combine the two you get something like: Poor Leader- A person in a leadership role that lacks the necessary skill, ability, and overall qualties to effectively lead.  Although that is a “definition of a poor leader” it doesn’t necessarilly communicate my definition or your definition of a poor leader.

If I were to ask you to provide a definition of a poor leader, we could come up with some amazing quotes, thoughts and definitions.  Instead of asking for a definition, I am wanting you the BigIsTheNewSmall thinkers to define a poor leader in one word.   These words will be unique to you, how you think, who you are, what you’ve experienced..

The Rules: Define a “Poor Leader” in one word.  (You can use the same word that someone else used)  You can’t use your boss or anyone else’s name!

I’ll go fist…  Everyone please join in and who knows, you may see these words pop up in another post or somewhere else at a later date.

Ready, Set, Go!

Insulation –  The act of covering, lining, or separating with individuals or materials that prevents or reduces the passage, transfer, or leakage of heat. The act of insulating something.

When it comes to leadership it’s important for the CEO, Executives or Senior leaders to be insulated from many things within the organization.  This insulation allows these leaders to lead at a high altitude and not get caught in the monotonous tasks and details that may hinder their leadership.

The same individuals whose purpose is to insulate a leader can be the same individuals that insulate a leader so much that it may become problematic.  These individuals become so used to protecting the leader, they end up insulating them from reality and even begin to loose track with what a proper reality even is.

Have you ever seen an organization or leader who has lost track of reality and you wonder how they got there.  The way they got there is their insulators provided improper insulation.

These insulators become the enablers that are unwilling to confront things that need to be confronted.  These insulators are the same individuals that inadvertently allow leaders to be removed from reality, become yes men, support poor decisions and ultimately contribute to the demise of both the leader and the organization.

It’s important to always check your insulation and sometimes it’s important to get new insulation. That which was designed to protect you may actually be hurting you and your organization.

Have you seen improper insulation negatively affect a leader and an organization?

Criticism is a one of those words that seems to cut most people like a knife.  Although the knife doesn’t seem as sharp when we put the word “constructive” in front of the word criticism; none-the-less the word still seems to pierce.

When I was growing up my mom would always tell me: “Son, you can’t control or worry about what people say… you can only control what you say and what you do.”  Later on in life, as a young leader I had a mentor that would always say “If you’re doing something worthy of people taking shots at you… they will.  I would much rather have a leader that people don’t always understand and who are occasionally criticized, than a “leader” that no one ever talks about.”   I’ve heard one of my old pastors say something like, “If you want to find the leader, look for the one with the arrow in their back!”

I tend to view criticism as neutral… “It Is What It Is!” I prefer to “Eat The Meat and Spit Out The Bones!” While chewing up the meat, you might find some pieces that are not cooked to you’re liking.  Although they are not cooked to your liking, it may be beneficial to go ahead and consume them.  Again, “Eat The Meat and Spit Out The Bones!”

If you don’t want to be criticized, I have some advice for you: Say Nothing, Do Nothing & Be Nothing!

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best knows achievement and who at the worst if he fails at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” ~Theodore Roosevelt

I don’t ever want to find my place with those “Cold and Timid Souls.”

Criticism: “It Is What It Is!”

What do you think?  Share your thoughts!

Organizations tend to live and die by their Policy and Procedure Manuals.  There are policies and procedures for literally everything.  Just think about your organization and the number of policies and procedures that guide what you do.  Some policies and procedures are written, while others may simply be spoken or understood organizational mores.

There is one policy that in my opinion is the most devastating to an organization.  It’s the Behind Closed Doors Policy! You won’t find this written in your organization’s policy and procedure manual; however you will find it written on the faces of organizational leaders around the globe.

Some behind closed door meetings are appropriate and necessary.  There are many different types of Behind Closed Doors Policies that are detrimental to an organization, just ask Mr. Enron and Mrs. AIG. The Behind Closed Doors Policy that I’m referring to is this — What I say to you in your face is different that what I say about you behind closed doors.  This policy is a killer and often times it’s implemented without even realizing it.  This policy is born out of The Fundamental Flaw Of Leadership, which is rooted in not shooting straight with team members and not allowing them to know where they stand.

I remember changing supervisors one time at a particular job and my new supervisor brought me in his office and said this “Do you want to know what people say about you when you are not in the room?  Well here it is and proceeded to share.” That’s a great starting place and develops an Above Board Policy.

The policy that I have always incorporated into the culture of my various teams in ministry, non-profit and in corporate America is simply this:

• 1.  You will always know where you stand and never have to guess.
• 2.  I won’t say anything behind close doors that I have not or am not planning on saying to your face.
• 3.  I will be gracefully-brutally honest with you and when necessary, in front of the entire team. (this is not an issue of correcting in public; however some issues are are more effectively handled in a public setting, especially when the public group is involved)

Behind Closed Doors Policies born out of an unwillingness to openly confront the brutal facts and they are detrimental to the health and wealth of an organization.  Replace your Behind Closed Doors Policy with an Above Board Policy.  The Above Board Policy always lets people know where they stand and reduces the potential for the detrimental types closed door meetings.

Open The Door and Release The Potential!

Have you experienced negative implications of a Behind Closed Doors Policy?  Share your thoughts on Behind Closed Doors Policy and Above Board Policy.

Stop meandering around from place to place, thought to thought and opportunity to opportunity without landing on success.  Focus on the task, execute the game-plan and get to the finish line.  Upon arrival at the finish line of success, you must embrace the fact that it’s a temporary destination prior to your next successful journey.

The Aimless Wanderer will never see the finish line, because they are on a path that winds and zigzags to nowhere.

The Aimless Wanderer stands in front of The Stairway To Nowhere.

Stop Aimlessly Wandering.

I was trying to decide on whether to write a blogpost about leadership blind spots or write about Whitney Houston.  I had several people suggest that I simply write about both of them or merge the two.  So here it goes.

5 Leadership & Life Lessons From Whitney Houston

• 1. You Have What It Takes – Kevin Costner said that although Whitney Houston was hugely successful, she still asked this question, “Am I good enough, pretty enough & will they like me?”  His response was this, “You were great, beautiful & they loved you.”  You have what it takes, you must truly believe it deep down inside.
• 2. God Does The Fixing - Whitney Houston was quoted saying these words, “Any way you fix me Lord, I’ll be satisfied.”  There is a lot of power and humility in that quote.  Lord I’m broken, I know I need fixed, not sure what fixed means, but I so desperately need whatever help you can give me.
• 3. You Have To Step Out To Find Out – As Whitney Houston’s Musical Director Rickey Minor talked about his experience with Whitney Houston singing the Star Spangled Banner.  Rickey said they were trying to figure out how to make it special and they didn’t know what they were doing.  Rickey said you have to step out and he said it this way, “God said Go For It, Go Ahead… We did it and it changed my life.”  You have to step out to find out.
• 4. Stop Ridiculing & Give Love - Whitney’s death showed how easy it is for people to ridicule instead of seeing the bright side of things.  Many people were quick to point out her challenges and shortcomings instead of the positives of her life.  Whitney’s funeral showed what happens when people point out the positive aspects of someone’s life – It Inspires! Whitney’s bodyguard Ray Watson talked about what performers like Whitney go through just to give people a little entertainment.  His final words were, “Stop Ridiculing & Give Love!”
• 5. Your Life Can Be A Larger Impact Than You Know - Whitney will go down as one of the best vocalists in modern day history.  Whitney sold millions of records, in addition to making millions of people smile, laugh, sing and dance.  Although she made an impact on this world before she left this earth, it’s arguable that her funeral may have had the most eternal impact of any artist to date.  The world was watching as God’s orchestration of some of the most amazing communicators of the gospel.  During a moment that many thought was going to be a low or sad occasion, God used Whitney Houston’s Homegoing Celebration to lift the name of Jesus High.

We are naive at best if we don’t understand how much Whitney’s funeral impacted the world with the Gospel.

Share your thoughts on the above lessons or lessons that you learned from Whitney Houston’s Career, Life and Funeral.

Most organizations and leaders would love to have “High Capacity” leaders to fill the slots within their organizations. The sometimes overlooked challenge is the fact that with “High Capacity” leaders, comes the need for those leaders to lead at uhh… a “High Capacity” in addition to releasing their creativity.

This will sometimes leave organizations scratching their head and asking the question what do I do with so and so?  They are knocking it out of the park, they have an entrepreneurial spirit, their potential is off the charts and they actually have the leadership margin to spread their wings.

Spreading their wings means different things for different leaders, but it boils down to how can I steward their talent/potential and continue to allow them to make a positive impact within the organization. Many times organizations make the decision to do one of two things: 1. Bury that talent and therefore putting a lid on the height of that “High Capacity Leader.” 2. Get rid of that team member because of insecurity or simply not wanting to deal with the challenges these types of leaders bring to the table.

It’s like the Parable of the talents: The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more.  The one with the two talents gained two more.  But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ 
“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?Matthew 25:25-26

If your organization, team, staff or business has been blessed with some great talent, Don’t Bury It!  There is a new type of harvest to be sown with this “High Capacity” seed.

If you figure out a way to maximize the potential of the “High Capacity” talent that you have been blessed with, you will be rewarded.  This may require you getting creative, dreaming BIG, thinking BIGGER and setting some clear expectations; however the potential of the harvest is immeasurable.

Take a look at Google. Not only are they ranked the #1 Website, they have also been ranked as Fortune Magazine’s best place to work.  Not only is their work environment ridiculously amazing, but they do a great job of not burying their talent.  Not only do they recruit and hire “High Capacity” talent,  but they also seek ways to release and empower the creativity.

An example of releasing “High Capacity” talent and creativity, is how Google allows employees to spend twenty percent of their time to work on their own project, independent of their workgroup. Google believes that no one should leave in order to pursue their personal passions; and as a result, Google can claim that over twenty percent of their new product launches have stemmed from employees’ personal projects.  There can and should be a marriage between “High Capacity” talent and great organizations; they are not mutually exclusive.

If organizations manage their talent wisely, they may get this response: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’  Matthew 25:25

Don’t Bury Your “High Capacity” Talent!

dream BIG. think BIGGER.

Share your thoughts on organizations burying “High Capacity” talent.  What do you think about the strategies of organizations like google and others?

I’m at the airport right now for a really long layover due to the fact that my flight which was originally scheduled for 6:50 a.m. was cancelled due to weather in Dallas. By weather I believe they are referring to fog, frozen fog and ice.  Not exactly sure what frozen fog is, but that’s what they were reporting at the counter.

I am headed for a television appearance in Atlanta and now I will have really tight connections.  I decided to have them pull my bag and go back through security so I could grab my clothes, just in case my connection is too close for comfort.  Sometimes things are out of your control and you simply have to go with the flow.

While sitting here, I was reading through some of my old favorite quotes for some inspiration and I ran across this oldie but goodie from Mr. Nunchucks Bruce Lee.  I have self-titled this quote: Not Knowing Where The Limit Lies.   I hope it inspires, encourages and blesses you!

“I am learning to understand rather than immediately judge or to be judged. I cannot blindly follow the crowd and accept their approach. I will not allow myself to indulge in the usual manipulating game of role creation. Fortunately for me, my self-knowledge has transcended that and I have come to understand that life is best to be lived and not to be conceptualized. I am happy because I am growing daily and I am honestly not knowing where the limit lies. To be certain, every day there can be a revelation or a new discovery. I treasure the memory of the past misfortunes. It has added more to my bank of fortitude.”

~Bruce Lee

Share your thoughts on this quote.

en-tre-pre-neur: a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, especially a business,
usually with considerable initiative and risk.

Many people have a desire to become a flourishing entrepreneur; however only a small percentage are successful. Successful entrepreneurs exhibit 2 key characteristics: a.) They are willing to put forth considerable initiative  b.) They understand they can’t be successful without a willingness to take considerable risk.

Do you want to be a successful entrepreneur?  Get up, Step up, Show some initiative and be ready to take some considerable risk.

Is it really that simple?  Share your thoughts!

I’m a connector, and I love connecting people to people and people to opportunities.  What I mean by that is that I love connecting like-minded people to other like-minded people.  I also love connecting great people to mutually great opportunities.

I feel that we’re made to connect, as we are connecting beings.  Even introverts have a desire to connect with people; they just appreciate their time, space and alone time.

It’s important to be a connector of people, as these connections help the world go around.  Some people-connections lead to great job opportunities for others.  Other people-connections lead to college students choosing this university or that university.  Then you have those connections that lead to meaningful relationships that eventually turn into a marriage.

Some of the most meaningful people-connections are those connections that lead to people far from God visiting a friend’s church, or hearing a friend witness. Those connections ultimately lead to an intimate connection with Jesus and a life that’s forever transformed.

No matter how you slice it, connections matter — Be a connector.

Do You Think Being A People Connector Is Important?  Share your thoughts and experiences?