Big Is The New Small

The term “Leader” carries a great deal of responsibility. Once a person obtains the title of Leader, they also get the bonus baggage of “The bucks stops with me!”  No matter how you slice, sugarcoat, twist, manipulate or make excuses for organizational outcomes; the bottom line is that “It’s All Your Fault!”

Leaders are generally comfortable carrying the “It’s All Your Fault” tag when their team, area or organization is experiencing success. When things take a turn for the worse, wins are hard to come by and “Big Mo” has left the building; the excuses will begin to roll like the Alabama Crimson Tide, or for the sake of the BCS conversation roll like the OSU Cowboy offense.  Stop with the excuses, stop blaming your team and look in the mirror, because “It’s All Your Fault!”

Sometimes it may not seem fair for the leader to take all of the blame, as they don’t have control over every decision that others make.  There are simply too many variables that are out of their control.  Leadership is not about fairness, and the responsibility nature of it is just part of the game.

I remember having a conversation with a leader who had dotted line responsibility for one of the team leaders under my tutelage.   They asked me the following question about this particular team leader, “Is so-and-so’s area successful because of their leadership or in spite of their leadership?”  My answer was, absolutely because of that particular leader and not in spite of.  If things were failing and falling apart it wouldn’t be in spite of that particular leader.  It’s a two-way street.

Dear Leaders, if your organization is failing, people are leaving, people are not being developed, people are not growing, people are unhappy, leaders are not rising to the top, momentum is long gone and you can’t seem to spell suczcess. “It’s All Your Fault!” If things are great and success is happening, enjoy the season because “It’s All Your Fault!”

There is no need to complain about the outcomes, just embrace the reality.  Next time your boss starts complaining and making excuses, simply look them in the eyes and say “It’s All Your Fault!”  Keep in mind, just because it’s their fault doesn’t mean they won’t pull a Donald Trump on you and look you in the eyes and say, “You’re Fired!”

The person who complains about the way the ball bounces, is likely the one who dropped it. ~Lou Holtz

What do you think?

There haven’t been a lot of changes to Twitter as far as the look and feel since it launched. Almost a year ago Twitter launched a new look and I definitely agree that it was an improvement from the original look that we had all become accustomed to.

Well here we go again, as we approach 2012 Twitter has just launched an entirely new look and a cool little marketing name/campaign/hashtag to go with it.  The hashtag and promoted campaign is #LetsFly. I guess flying has something to do with the bird.

I am a big fan of Twitter and was one of the early, early adopters.  Not only am I a fan of Twitter and it’s overall simplicity, but also I’m a fan of the New Twitter.  Below are 10 Great Things About The New Twitter.

• 1. The Simplicity The New Look:  Everything is right there, easy to see, easy to access and is just plain simple.
• 2. More Room On The Border:  (Not referring to the Mexican Restaurant) The one thing that I appreciated about the original Twitter is there was more freedom for customization around the borders.  The earlier new look version condensed the side area leaving less room for customization. The new look has about the same space as the original.  I had never changed my design customization from the original version and now with the New Twitter can see the things that are in the border regions of the page.  Check out my page to see what I’m talking about.
• 3. Home @Connect #Discover:  These are the 3 primary tabs at the top of the new page.  Not only are they the most important, but also the language is more consistent with what they are used for.  @replies @mentions @youname are really all about whom you are making an @connect with.
• 4. Huge Display of Personal Profile:  The personal profile page is very large, easily accessible and has quick connect buttons to all of the things that you need.  Following, Followers, Favorites, Lists, Recent Images, Similar To You and a large panel of your most recent tweets all right there “large and in charge” in front of your face.
• 5. Quick Access To Compose Tweet: You can quickly compose a tweet from the home page in a small box on the left immediately under your brief profile display.  You can go to the right of the page and click the feathered pen icon for a more traditional way to compose a tweet.
• 6. Sensitive To Newbies: This look and feel is much more maneuverable for first timers and newbies trying to navigate around the site.  The new look provides multiple options to get around and access anything.
• 7. Twitter Mobile Is Clean and App-Like: If you interact on Twitter’s website from you iPhone or mobile device, it’s very clean and App-Like.  I’m not sure if App-like is a word, nonetheless I mean it looks and functions like a clean App.
• 8. Continuity: There is not much difference between my iPhone App, Twitter Mobile and The Twitter website.  I’m still browsing around the app; there were a few features that I liked on the previous app; however the continuity makes it a win for me.
• 9. View Photo Feature: There have been several additions over the months for Twitter to interact better with user’s media that they share.  Recent interactive features for photos had already been implemented prior to the new twitter.  The simplicity of the “view photo” feature on the New Twitter is an improvement, as more and more people want to interact with the media of their friends and followers.
• 10. Change Is Good: I like the fact that Twitter is changing and staying fresh.  I’m not saying change for the sake of changing; I’m saying change for the sake of growing.  Most of the changes Twitter made are steps towards forward progress.

Those are my thoughts on the #NewTwitter and the #NewLook.   Share your thoughts!

What do you like, dislike, want to see, want to change, etc.?  #LetsFly

Check out Twitter’s video of the New Twitter below:

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?”

Here are 10 Simple Ways That Twitter Can Make You A Better Leader, all in 140 or less.

• 1. I Want Access- You have access to the thoughts, lives, principles & activities of some of the best leaders and leadership authors in the world.
• 2. Let’s Be Open- Allowing those that U work for, w/ or may potentially work with in the future to take a more open look at your life. The Other Side Of You!
• 3. Think Before You Act- Forces U 2 think before U tweet realizing that everything U tweet is permanent; all leadership decision R permanent at least 4 that moment.
• 4. Keep It Pithy- U have 2 get straight 2 the point, 140 or less. Streamline yr thoughts, say what’s necessary, make it meaningful & Realize yr words matter!
• 5. What’s The 411- There is an abundance of relevant information at your fingertips, current events, tech., trends, culture, scripture, product, research…
• 6. You’re Not My Boss-  You have to learn how to lead and connect in an environment where people are not forced to follow or connect… Why should I listen to you?
• 7. Don’t Be A Phony- Authenticity is critical for a leader! People smell a phony a mile away. Be Real, Be yourself. “Do You, It’s a Statement… Not a Question!”
• 8. Development is about others- You have the ability to encourage, inspire, help, shape, lead & develop others. Make your tweets leadership matter.
• 9. Influence is Earned-  You must earn your influence on Twitter & leadership is the same way. It’s about what you get, it’s about what you give.
• 10. Two Way Street- Open comm. & feedback between leaders & followers is must for gr8 leaders. Be open to feedback, comm. & criticism frm Twitter followers.

Share your thoughts on this list of 10 or add additional to the list… of course in 140 or less!

As we go about our busy days, filled with many things, choices, options, decisions and distractions; A simple question we must ask ourselves is “What’s The Purpose?”

If the answer to that question is lame, selfish, you find yourself making up an answer or you can’t come up with an answer at all, it may be time to do something different and change directions.

What’s The Purpose?

• What’s The Purpose Of The Relationship?
• What’s The Purpose Of The Sinful Behavior?
• What’s The Purpose Of Spending More Time At Work Than With Your Family?
• What’s The Purpose Of A Promotion at Work That Constitutes A Demotion Of Family?
• What’s The Purpose Of Your Different Personalities Depending On Your Audience?
• What’s The Purpose Of Talking About What You Want To Do, Instead Of Doing It?
• What’s The Purpose In Having Another Drink?
• What’s The Purpose In Always Pointing Out What Others Are Doing Wrong?
• What’s The Purpose Of What You Are Doing Today?
• What’s The Purpose Of What You Plan On Doing Tomorrow?
• What’s The Purpose? What’s The Purpose? What’s The Purpose?

We have all had our auto-correct stories, I ran across this one and it’s funny! Made me LOL!

Did this make you LOL?  Share some of your favorite or funny auto-correct stories. What words does auto-correct seem to mess up the most for you?

Leadership is the most commonly used word when it comes down to the success of an organization, product, group or team.  No matter how you slice the success pie, the success pieces all boil down to leadership.  There are countless books about how to be a successful leader, 21 laws of leadership, how to go from good to great and the list goes on and on.  People thrive on learning about leadership, the fact that John Maxwell has sold over 19 million books is a clear indication of such.

There are many reasons that contribute to the success of a leader and just as many reasons for why they fail.  I am a firm believer that you can learn as much from your failures and working around poor leadership as you can successful leadership.  I wrote about it in a previous blog entry entitled Stop Complaining and Start Learning.

Why do leaders FAIL?  Below is a list of 4 memorable reasons leaders FAIL in an easy to remember acronym FAIL.

• Fake-  A leader who attempts to be someone they’re not instead of simply being themselves will always have a difficult time succeeding, at some point it just catches up to them.  This also applies to the leader that has a different face, different persona, different tone and different everything when certain people are around.  In other-words when the big boss comes around they put their fake-face on.  Not to say a leader might not make some adjustments when “company” comes around; however the super-fake-face comes from insecurity of their true self.  Remember: Don’t be fake, be yourself.  “Do You! It’s A Statement… Not A Question!” Fake Leaders Fail!

• Attitude- One of the primary reasons that a leader fails is because of a poor, negative or a no-can-do attitude.  If a leader thinks he can fly and has a positive can-do attitude; even though they may not be able to fly they will come close.  The reason why attitude is important is because that leader’s attitude will rub off on their team members and their followers. Remember: “Attitude reflects leadership, Captain.” ~Julius in Remember The Titans  The outward negative attitude is generally a sign of internal struggles, challenges or insecurities.  Leaders with Bad Attitudes Fail!

• Integrity- If a leader doesn’t exhibit a high degree of integrity they will fail.  The integrity issues will either catch up to them (what’s done in the dark, will come to light) or those that follow them won’t respect them.  If team members or followers don’t respect the a leader, it puts the leader in the place of pushing a snowball up hill… it’s a difficult task.  These integrity issues run the gamete: profanity, lying, cheating, stealing, affairs, flirting, yelling, substance abuse, pride-filled decisions etc.  I have worked with many high capacity leaders in both the secular world and ministry that have failed because they allowed their integrity to get off track.  Remember:  Integrity is doing the right thing, even when nobody is watching. The recent failure episodes of the Herman Cain’s and Jerry Sandusky’s of the world demonstrate how the lack of integrity will always lead to failure of the leader.  Unfortunately, it demonstrates that leadership failures can leave a trail of wounded followers behind.  Leaders who lack of integrity Fail!

• Lacking-  Although everyone has potential for some degree of leadership in them; the bottom line is that some leaders fail because they are either: a.) Not the leader they think they are, or b.) Promoted above their leadership capacity/leadership role has outgrown them, or c.) Not a visionary, or d.) Not a leader at all!   They are lacking what it takes!  Remember: Just because someone has an office, role, title or responsibility doesn’t mean they are a leader.  Leadership is an art, a skill, a craft, a gift… and it must be developed!  A leader must have the ability to inspire people to do more, be more and go farther.  If a leader lacks genuine followers or lacks what it takes to be a leader, they aren’t leading, they are simply going on a walk.

Share your thoughts and experiences.  Add some additional reasons leaders fail to the above list.

Tim Tebow Leads Broncos To Another Victory and to the top of their division, while Tebow Haters Keep Getting #Tebowed.  I have always been amazed by the Tebow haters and overall hatred that Tim Tebow has received over the life of his public athletic career.  When he was at the University of Florida many people couldn’t stand him; and the fact that he proudly represented John 3:16 on his eye black, his famous speech “The Promise”, the incident with blood running down his face, and the list goes on and on.  I always liked Tebow in college, simply because of how he represented himself, although I didn’t particularly like his coach or the Florida Gators.

Now that Tim Tebow is in the NFL this Love/Hate condition is even larger and on a more national level.  In the City of Denver, Tebow gets ripped by Anti-Christian groups on a regular basis.  Yet, he gets cheered on by thousands of fans that have made his Jersey one of the most purchased Jersey’s in the NFL.  Tim Tebow is more than a quarterback for the Denver Broncos, he’s an iconic figure that represents Christian, courage, honor, good and wholesome.

Tebow appears to have gotten used to the criticism and has never once backed down from outwardly sharing his faith, and as a matter of fact he boldly ends every interview with “God Bless!”  People in the media and NFL analysts are publicly concluding that the hatred of Tebow is primarily based upon his outward showing of his faith and religious beliefs.  Inside the NFL host “JB” James Brown asked his co-host Chris Collinsworth a question regarding how Tim Tebow is treated, and Collinsworth was straightforward about his thoughts.  Collinsworth said, “It’s unbelievable JB, that one of the best kids – pure kids that’s ever come into the NFL, is hated because of his faith, because of his mission work, because of the fact that he wears it on his sleeve…”

In Matthew 10 in the Bible, Jesus talks about people hating you because of Him.  I think Tebow not only understands that but lives with the understanding of Matthew 10:32-33 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.”

It’s one thing to disagree with someone because of their views, however this hatred and dislike that comes from the Anti-Christian is superfluous.  The harsh reality is The Tebow Haters Keep Getting #Tebowed.  It appears as though in the Tebow situation the fans were right, while the analysts, experts and haters are being proven wrong every week Tebow takes the field.

After weeks of “Tebow” chanting fans in Denver, the 3^rd string QB finally got his start against the Miami Dolphins 6 weeks ago.  Since that start, Tebow is 5 and 1 as a starting QB and knocked off Miami, Oakland, Kansas City, New York, San Diego and Minnesota.

Each and every week analysts and experts say that there is no way Tebow can keep winning with his stye of play, becuase NFL defenses will quickly adjust.  I guess they forgot that Tim Tebow would also adjust, he leads the Broncos to a victory over the Vikings with his arm instead of his legs.  Tebow was 10/15 for 202 with a 149.3 QB passer rating and only rushed for 13 yards.  Not to mention he threw a perfect potential TD pass that was just off of the fingertips of his receiver in the 4th quarter.  Tebow’s 149.3 QB rating was better than Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady.

For the Anti-Christians and those who hate Tebow exclusively because of his faith, I say get a grip.  Instead of always focusing on what you are against, take a play out of Tim Tebow’s playbook and focus on what you are for.  I’ll end this with a little wisdom and life perspective from a young NFL QB by the name of Tim Tebow who happens to be a man of faith,   “If someone asks, I’ll always be willing to share His will because I also know that there are a lot more important things than football and that is one of them. That ultimately overrides football any day of the week.”  

For the sports people, analysts and Monday morning quarterbacks that say Tebow’s unconventional style and running the ball being a key part of his arsenal won’t get it done long term, you’re fooling yourselves. Just because a person doesn’t meet the establishment’s guidelines doesn’t mean that they can’t be uber-successful.  If you don’t believe me, ask Tebow.

When Tebow was asked about the naysayers earlier this year, Tebow responded “I don’t worry about the naysayers, I’ve had them since I was 7 years old.  I just have to focus on what I can control.”  It’s funny listening to the NFL analysts on the Post-Game show admitting that they are becoming believers in King Tebow’s game.  Dan Marino even gave a church-like confession of Tebow’s game and said, “I’m a believer!”  That’s cool and all, but Tebow’s desire is to see more people become believers in the King Of Kings.

Gotta Love It!  I love that Tebow works hard, has the respect of his team and is the definition of a gamer. The fact that he has supernatural favor is a nice bonus.

#Tebowed – (verb) another word for #winning.

This is a post that I’m able to write each week with only a few minor adjustments.

Share your thoughts on Tebow, His Game, The Haters and Success.  Sound Off!

Let me start off by saying this:  I don’t like voicemail, I rarely never check voicemail, I think voicemail is old and outdated and I think Voicemail Is Officially Shutting Down.  I don’t mean that it’s like really officially shutting down, however more and more people simply don’t like or use voicemail.  I guess you could say it’s unofficially officially shutting down.

When Google Voice came out with their voice to text translation capability a couple of years ago, I saw that as the beginning to the end of voicemail as we once knew it.  As more and more people move to the instantaneous nature of texting, twitter DM’s and FB messages, voicemail will continue to be a thing of the past.  There are simply too many unecessary and unproductive steps.

• Person leaves message
• You call and retrieve message
• You find a time to call the person back
• You finally call them back and leave a message for them
• The voicemail tag game officially begins “Tag you’re it!”
• You finally connect some hours or even days later
• The reason they originally called is no longer relevant

Although there are thousands of leadership books and leadership gurus to learn from, leadership isn’t something you can simply read about.  It takes more than reading or trying to implement tactics derived from a leadership workshop.  Leadership is something that you have to do, it’s an experiential science. It’s not rocket science; it’s a simple science.

Leadership is just like swimming — you can’t just read about swimming, you have to get in the water, kick your feet and stroke your arms.  Leadership is the exact same way – you have to get in the leadership waters, kick your feet and stroke your arms.

The Simple Science Of Leadership Boils Down To These Simple Things:

• Believe In Yourself
• Believe In Others
• Point The Direction
• Embrace The Concept Of Team
• Provide An Environment For Growth
• Inspire and Motivate Others
• Move People From Where They Are To Where The Need To Be
• Develop, Develop, Develop, & Develop
• dream BIG. think BIGGER.

Often times managers make leadership more difficult than it has to be, by micro-managing, trying to hard, squashing creativity and making a simple science into rocket science. Leadership is about influence and relationships.  Leadership Is Simple.

Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu says it this way, ”When the effective leader is finished with his work, the people say it happened naturally.” Simply put, it was simple.

Is leadership that simple?  Share your thoughts and experiences with leadership being made more difficult than it had to be.