Big Is The New Small

Have you ever found yourself in a group, on a team, in an organization or in a situation where “Everyone Is Thinking It, but No One Is Willing To Say It.”  Most of us have been in those situations and sometimes there’s even a little internal chuckling that goes along with the thoughts.  The internal chuckling, rolling of eyes and secret non-verbal codes are the beginning of more serious and detrimental behaviors.

These types of environments will always impede individual and organizational growth.  The bottom line is this: “Mr. & Mrs. Autocratic Leader, You Are Killing Your Team.”

On the contrary, some of the most thriving organizations in the world have cultures where everyone is thinking and saying the same thing.  Creating this open, honest and safe culture always begins and ends with the CEO, Senior Leader and or Executive Leadership Team.

If you want to know if you have one of these “can’t speak” environments, simply ask.  If you find yourself in a culture where people can’t or don’t speak up, it’s time for you to do something about it.  It’s time to speak up, lead up and be a catalyst for fostering a culture of mutual thinking and speaking — a culture of success.  If you’re a senior executive, work hard to ask the right questions, to create an environment of openness and a culture where people don’t have to hold their tongues.

Of those who say nothing, few are silent.  ~Thomas Neiel

Share your thoughts and experiences with these types of environments.

I read a profound African Proverb last week that challenged my thinking and it should challenge yours as well.  It should challenge you to not get distracted by people, events and thoughts that in the grand scheme of things really don’t matter.

Don’t get distracted by the critics, successes, bumps in the road, temporary setbacks or things that you don’t understand or don’t have any control over.

The result of those distractions will be a premature exit from the road to success.

The primary reason people fail is not because they don’t have the skills or abilities, they fail because they get distracted.  There will always be plenty of opportunities for success and there will be even more opportunities to get distracted.  Stay focused and Don’t Get Distracted.

“The lion does not turn around when a small dog barks.”

~African Proverb

Are you getting distracted?

At the conclusion of each calendar year I start to plan, plot, dream, think and prepare to make things happen in the upcoming year.  I have a “System for Success” comprised of quarterly goal setting and tools for follow-through that contributes to making things happen in the upcoming year. Putting God first coupled with this “System for Success” has produced colossal results for my family and I.

As I was thinking of my motto for 2012, two words simply came to mind.  Those two words are “Go Big!”  My blog and personal mantra has been dream BIG. think BIGGER. for the last four or so years. Go BIG is a close cousin to dream BIG. think BIGGER.   This year I will use #goBIG when leading my family, my clients, mentees and as general encouragement for others.

What is #goBIG all about?  It’s simple: Go BIG, Take Risks, Don’t Play It Safe, Step Out, Put Your Cards On The Table, Pursue Those Dreams, Start That Business…

• #goBIG For God
• #goBIG For Family
• #goBIG For Everything else

Theologian Williams Shedd says it this way, “A ship is safe at harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.”   The same is true for you, you are safe on the sidelines, you are safe doing more of the same, you are safe settling for what is rather than searching for what could be, you are safe settling…  That’s not you were made for, you were made to #goBIG.

Seize life! Eat bread with gusto, Drink wine with a robust heart. Oh yes-God takes pleasure in your pleasure! Dress festively every morning. Don’t skimp on colors and scarves. Relish life with the spouse you love Each and every day of your precarious life. Each day is God’s gift. It’s all you get in exchange For the hard work of staying alive. Make the most of each one! Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily! This is your last and only chance at it, For there’s neither work to do nor thoughts to think In the company of the dead, where you’re most certainly headed. ~Ecclesiastes 9:7-11 MSG

Each day is God’s gift, open your gift daily, Seize Life and #goBIG.

This week my family will gather at the table to set individual and family goals.  We will implement game plans and systems for success in 2012.  I will encourage everyone to dream BIG. think BIGGER. with the caveat this year of “#goBig!”

2012 is the year to #goBIG!

Are you committed to #goBIG in 2012?  What’s your motto for 2012?

Mali Music – The Job Experience [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO] from Anthony Brooks on Vimeo.

Check out this music video by @MaliMusic, listen to the lyrics, embrace the story line and feel the cinematography. What do you think about this song and this video? What stood out to you, what moved you? Share your thoughts!

Great TED Talk by Cameron Herold about teaching our kids to be entrepreneurs.  It goes with this verse and it’s really a new way to think about raining kids, “Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he will eat for life.”  Talks about traits of CEO’s like Steve Jobs, Ted Turner and more.

Cameron asks the question is your kid bored in school, failing classes, at odds with peers: This child might be an entrepreneur. At TEDxEdmonton, he makes the case for parenting and education that helps would-be entrepreneurs flourish — as kids and as adults.

This is a brilliant, candid and honest talk. Very reminiscent of the way I thought and operated as a child.

Watch this video and share your thoughts.

Success is one of those things that many want to achieve but only a few are willing to put in the work necessary to achieve it.  Success is a journey, it’s a road traveled and if you want it, you must go after it.  If you want to succeed you must have an unwavering determination.

We have all heard the sayings, the quotes, the inspirational speeches etc.  In a nutshell, “If you want to succeed, you have to stop talking about it and be about it.  Talk is cheap.  Hard work pays off and there is no substitute for determination.”

In the words of our 30th President Mr. Calvin Coolidge: “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race”

There is power in pressing on…  Be determined, be someone who presses on.

Why are so many people unwilling to press on?  Why do so many people quit before they succeed?  Why are more people not willing to do what the mouse is doing in the above picture?

                     You

You were made for more

You must stop settling for less

 

You are a story yet to be told

You must rise up and be bold

 

You need to stop focusing on them

You shall long to remember that You are a product of Him

~SW

Leadership is all about having a winning team, unfortunately some leaders are more focused on their individual wins and stats than they are getting a team win.  This is played out in many different ways. What I’m specifically referring to is the mindset and philosophy that some leaders have—the thought process that basically boils down to “I’m Not Buying In Because It’s Not My Idea.”

These particular leaders will turn down, refuse to entertain or flat out dismiss any idea that’s not their own. If it didn’t come directly from them, it’s not happening.  What occurs in these types of situations is team members will eventually stop bringing great ideas to the table, because they already know what the answer will be.  Some team members are witty enough and have the patience to circumvent this inept type of leadership by manipulating the leader into thinking an idea originated from them. Voilà!  All of the sudden the leader is excited about their new concept.

Leadership is about collaboration and remembering that teamwork makes dreams work.  If a leader relies on their ideas to be the only ideas that are implemented, their area of responsibility and organization has a very short ceiling. Leadership is about celebrating the wins of others, giving credit where credit is due and understanding it doesn’t matter who makes the play. The goal is to get a win.

I’m Not Buying In Because It’s Not My Idea is a very bad idea.

Have you experienced this type of leadership?  Share your thoughts!

I enjoy writing, reading, thinking, dreaming, believing and being challenged.  Sometimes the most thought provoking writing and discussions are not facilitated by a statement, but rather by the asking of a simple question.  Life is all about questions and answers.

In the grand scheme of things, often times people spend the most time trying to please the people that matter the least.

Question: “Who are you trying to please?”  Better Question: “Why?”

Trying to answer the question of “why an organization or an individual failed?” generally creates some great dialogue. It forces individuals to ask deeper questions and generally prompts individuals to start pointing blame.

Over the years in working with many organizations, individuals, political candidates, teams etc., I have found some pretty common and simple themes as to what contributes to failure.

5 Reasons Businesses, Organizations & People Fail

• 1. Lack Identity- They don’t know who they are or who they want to be.  They are defined by the latest, greatest, newest trend and this is a cyclical process.  A person or organization without an identity or clear values to shape their identity is destined to fail.
• 2. Copy Cat- This is similar to #1; however the heart behind this one is to be like “so and so.”  It’s important to copy what’s burning deep inside you, not what’s burning inside of someone else.  If your only desire is to mimic someone else and not bring anything new, fresh or different to the table, you are destined to fail.
• 3. Don’t Solicit Proper Feedback- It’s important for individuals and organizations to have the proper people speaking into their plan and their life.  This helps to bring clarity to their identity and encourages individuals and organizations to be true to their unique calling.  Additionally, wise counsel can provide critical input that may alleviate some of the failure contributors altogether.  If you want to know if something is a good idea, ask those closest to you.  Not only those closest to you, but rather those closest to you that will shoot you 100% straight. (The Good, The Bad and The Ugly)  Without Good, Godly and Golden counsel, you are destined to fail.
• 4. Me Syndrome- If it’s all about you or your organization, you can almost guarantee it’s gonna be all about you, in your own little failure corner of your own little failure world.  Failure island is a lonely place to be for selfish people.  If it’s all about me-me-me, you are destined to fail.
• 5. Premature Quitter- I am a firm believer that there is definitely a time to call it quits.  The good wise counsel in #3 can be the group that help you ascertain, when it’s time to quit.  I think it’s important to always keep trying to change and move the ball of success down the field.  Quitting is one of those things that you will often times have to even take one step past your wise counsel.  You must pull from deep inside to know your limits and how much harder you need to work.  Often times #1 or rather an individual or organization’s identity is defined in the moments they were thinking about giving up.  If you quit prematurely, you are always destined to fail.  “Most people give up just when they’re about to achieve success. They quit on the one-yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game, one foot from a winning touch down. ~Ross Perot