JVD - @josephdworak

I recently finished reading the Steve Job’s biography by Walter Isaacson and was blown away.  I have read two other biographies by Isaacson over the years, Einstein and Benjamin Franklin - both were great.  But this book surpassed both of those books.  Why?  Steve Jobs was a fascinating individual who many have called the Edison of our time.  He is utterly influential and will continue to be long past his time here on earth.  I think you could make the same argument for Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin, so Isaacson seems to be on to something with his writing choices.

In the book Steve Jobs has influenced me with his thinking and how he did business.  He never went to business school, he never even finished college.  He went to college for a while and went to classes that he was not signed up for because he found them more interesting.  I am not advocating skipping college, but I am advocating not confining yourself to boxes that do not make sense for where you want to head in life.  

Steve wanted to help create a whole new world of personal computers and he was able to help do just that.  I would imagine I might write a lot about him the next few weeks so view this post as more of an intro.  Three things hit me over the head while I was reading this book:

1)  Market Research is worthless when people do not know what they even need yet.

2)  If you do not cannibalize your own product, someone else will.

3)  Collaboration is fine, but if you invite everyone to the table, including people who do not need to be there, you will water down what might be a great idea.

The point I want to focus on a bit is market research.  One of my jobs puts me in the middle of graduate higher education.  It takes us a long time to bring a new product to market, and sometimes our products get watered down by immense collaboration.  Not always, but sometimes this is clearly the case.  

We are thinking about a new product that I think will be groundbreaking for us, and you know what?  I could care less if we do market research.  I know this product will attract and equip students who we do not get right now.  I am excited.

I am more excited about how inspired I am by the Steve Jobs book, and his legacy.  He influenced me greatly.  

 

My wife and I live in a fourplex condo building that is probably 100+ years old.  It is a fantastic old building and we have inhabited our residence for eight years.  During that time I have almost completely rebuilt our toilet.  New flusher, new flap, and recently a new toilet seat.  

I am not a handyman.  I am not gifted in the ways of home repair.  I do occasionally come through with a repair and I am surprised that I actually was able to do whatever the task is.  I have a ton of respect for those folks who do handywork all the time.  They amaze me.  

Once our toilet seat broke, I knew this was one of those times I would need to venture to Home Depot, and try to not look lost among the professional contractor crowd who dominates that store.

Before I even went to Home Depot I watched a video on changing a toilet seat and did some heavy research on types of toilet seats.  I was armed and dangerous with enough information to probably buy the wrong seat.  

Off I went to Home Depot and bought a toilet seat.  I took it home and installed it, and low and behold, it worked.  I made my wife and child see my handiwork whether or not they were interested is not the point of this story.  

The point is - what might you be able to do if you put your mind to it?  More than I think you might think.  Will I ever reach Master Plumber status?  No.  Did I learn something from being pushed into the unknown and having to figure it out?  Yes.

I think you can to.  

This week is a transition week for me in many ways.  Hamline Volleyball - where I coach, our season ended last night and even though we lost, we had a winning season.  We were able to double our wins (18) from last year, and our girls improved in many ways.  But, as this season ends, it is a transition week for me going from doing volleyball everyday after my main job, to not having volleyball.

Weeks like these I often rush to fill the gap with more projects and stuff, but this week I choose to use as a week to focus, evaluate, and look out over the next quarter, year, and beyond.  

Something that keeps ruminating in my mind is to focus on less, and have more excellence prevail.  

Focus on less.

Nail more.

Hit your targets when there are fewer to hit.

Can you relate?   

Yesterday a friend of mine texted me from Singapore and wished me a happy birthday.  He said, “Hey, happy birthday, it is already your birthday here in Singapore.”  I smiled and thought about how big the world is and how much our current ways of communication allow us to shrink that space.  I had those thoughts, and then I also remembered that it was my birthday.  

To be frank, I am not a huge birthday guy.  I often forget it is coming up and shy away from making a big deal of this day, but for whatever reason this year, I wanted to take a bit of time and reflect on life where it has taken me, and where it might go.

Life so far?

It has been an interesting ride these past 38 years.  I am so appreciative of my family and all the opportunity growing up where I did afforded me.  My Mom and Dad did the best they could to make sure I had what I needed to be independent in life and hopefully some sort of productive citizen.  We went through a lot as a family, as many do, and we ultimately lost my Dad to the disease of Alcoholism.  I miss my Dad and always try to remember the best parts of who he was:  Driven, smart, funny, focused and generous.  That is how I choose to remember him, along with his other challenges. I am so glad my Mom is still alive, kicking, and reminding me of my family’s birthday dates when I forget - thanks Mom!  

Life so far has taken me from Chicago, to Wisconsin in the summers,  to Minnesota for college, to Washington DC to work on Capitol HIll, back to Minnesota for graduate school and that is where I now live.  Geographically I would still love to end up living in Kauai and Montana for different parts of the year.  If you don’t have a target you can’t hit it right?

Life right now -

Life right now is a wonderful mix of family (fabulous wife Danielle, son JD), career, coaching, and more.  I know without a doubt there are some big decisions to be made about more school, career path and more.  I love my friends, family and colleagues who I get to work with.  Coaching volleyball has been an awesome endeavor over the past eight years both at the collegiate level and junior olympic level.  

Life in the future -

No guarantees right?  Since a class in college that had a profound effect on me, I have tried to live a life where I make the most out of every day.  Sometimes I succeed, and other days, not so much.  But that is at my core.  In that core also pushes me to help other people get better and that I would be generous and a man of my word.  So, I really do not know what the future holds, all I can do is focus on today, and the people I impact - do I leave a pleasing aroma when I do that?  Or, do I not add to a situation?  Those are things I am working on and trying to model.  

For those of you who frequent this blog, or if you are just here for the first time, I appreciate you being a part of my journey.  It is an honor to know there are a few of you who read this.  

Carpe Diem my friends….. 

The Long View

I cannot believe it has been two weeks since I last entered my thoughts in this space.  The last few weeks have had some of the more interesting challenges I have faced, or help others face, in leadership during my career.  Those details of those events are not important,  but suffice it to say the past two weeks took all of my ability as a leader to navigate.

What have I learned through these events?  A lot.  One thing that keeps coming to mind is the concept of taking the long view.  I think I have written about this before, but the concept came back to me in a powerful way these past few weeks.

As a leader, be sure to look at all that has happened in a week, a month, a year, a decade to really rate where you feel you are at.  If you are in leadership, and you are pushing for change, you will run into those who are, for whatever reason, change resistant.  A great book on this issue some of you may have read is called, “Who Moved My Cheese.”  I highly recommend it.  

Seth Godin is a major influence on my leadership style and a while back he talked about the concept that if you want to lead you will be criticized, and if you want to blend in, you will be ignored.  Your choice.  I choose to lead and help make things better with the teams I am a part of, I would abhor being ignored.  So, what that means logically is occasionally I see my fair share of criticism.  

Types of Criticism

Here is the deal with criticism:

1)  Sometimes we all deserve it because we just blew it, and it can be used constructively to get better at what we are trying to accomplish.   

2)  Sometimes it is unfounded and cuts us in a way that leaves a mark.  

What do we have control over in both situations?  How we respond.  Sometimes we need to evaluate if the feedback or criticism is valid, and make adjustments as necessary.  This is healthy and normal, and something I am working on getting better at as a leader.

But, when dealing with #2 make sure you ask trusted advisors if you are trying to see if the criticism is unfounded.

Conclusion

At the end of the day I go and hug my wife and son and make sure I put all things in perspective and not stress out over things that I have little or no control over.  Trying to do the best I can, one day at a time.  

Carpe Diem my friends….. 

In every one of my roles, I work with teams.  

On all of those teams, there are people who comprise those groups.

The effectiveness, or ineffectiveness of those teams has a direct correlation to how well each team member is positioned, based on their strengths to impact the mission of the group.

This plays out in a variety of contexts but, as Led Zeppelin sang so many years ago, “The Song Remains the Same.”

Do you get a chance to do what you do best every day?  Does a majority of your day drag on and on, or does your day seem to fly by?  If you answered no to the first question and find your days dragging on and on, these are easy clues that you are probably in a bad fit based on your own strengths.

Good Strengths Fit?

We recently hired a new recruiter in our office named Skip.  Skip is high in the Gallup StrengthsFinder strength of “Woo.”  Skip spends a good part of his day talking to people about graduate education and connecting them to degree programs.  I know that this time flies by for Skip, not because he told me that, but I see his energy and passion for making lots of phone calls and finding energy in doing that activity.  There are other recruiters who I work with who I could say the same about as well.  

Bad Strengths Fit?

I also know that in the past I have had employees who were not in good fits.  I can think of one person in particular who seemed to be counting the days until retirement even though they were not close to retiring.  The days dragged on for this employee.  They were hired for one job, that was a decent strengths fit, and then the job changed and they were suddenly in a bad fit.  They were rarely successful in what they were trying to do and became frustrated when challenged to do better.  The job changed and what was newly required did not give this person energy.  I remember that they used to leave the second their scheduled hours were over - it was like they could not wait to get out of here.  

How do you find a good fit?

1)  Take an assessment test, MBTI, StrengthsFinder, etc.  Find out how you are wired and careers that might fit your temperament and strength mix.    

2)  Go through your results with people who understand the instruments and how they might tie into career options.

3)  Do some informal interviewing and ask managers in careers that you are interested in how your strengths might work, or not work, in that opportunity.  

I can guarantee if you do some of this self-discovery you may improve your own setting, or at least be prepared when a new opportunity arises to make a clear decision of whether that path is a good one for you to take.  Life is too short to be in a role that you can’t wait to be done with each day.

Strengths-based teams

The process I refer to above should also be done in a team setting to evaluate whether or not your entire team is pulling in the right direction based on strengths and temperament.  The leadership impact is exponential if you have a bunch of people in good fits helping each other achieve a common mission.

Continuing on in my mini series about my own strengths and how they play out in my day to day life, today I focus on the strength of “Significance.”  From Gallup, the definition of Significance:

“You want to be very significant in the eyes of other people. In the truest sense of the word you want to be recognized. You want to be heard. You want to stand out. You want to be known. In particular, you want to be known and appreciated for the unique strengths you bring. You feel a need to be admired as credible, professional, and successful. Likewise, you want to associate with others who are credible, professional, and successful. And if they aren’t, you will push them to achieve until they are. Or you will move on. An independent spirit, you want your work to be a way of life rather than a job, and in that work you want to be given free rein, the leeway to do things your way. Your yearnings feel intense to you, and you honor those yearnings. And so your life is filled with goals, achievements, or qualifications that you crave. Whatever your focus — and each person is distinct — your Significance theme will keep pulling you upward, away from the mediocre toward the exceptional. It is the theme that keeps you reaching.”

The very first time I read this definition, my reaction was, “How is this good?”  I have spent the last 13 years living into this strength and my opinion could not be more different now.  

How does this strength play out in my day to day life?  It invades my everyday.  I think at least once a day, how am I making a difference in this world, and how am I making the most of this life?  

To get at how this plays out for me I have to share a story from earlier in my life.  When I was just out of college I decided I wanted to try a career in politics.  I had always enjoyed politics, studied it a bit in college and loved Washington, DC.  So, went to work to find an internship on Capitol Hill with a Senator or Congressman.  I ended up applying for probably 50+ internships and was turned down straight away by most of them.  From there I was top four for an internship with former Senator Fred Thompson, and then did not make the final cut.  That left me with two chances:

1)  With my Senator from Minnesota, Rod Grams, which was a paid internship ($1,000 a month :) )

2)  With a Congressman from Illinois, William Lipinski, which was an unpaid internship for the summer.  

I remember flying out to Washington, DC and interviewing in the spring of 1998 and how in awe I was of the city.  The buildings, the people, everything - I had to be a part of this.  I wore my only suit on the plane and of course there was a delay in my flight.  By the time I arrived on Capitol Hill I had to run from Union Station to one of the office buildings in my suit and by the time I made it there I was drenched in sweat.  I took a moment to compose myself and went into the interview with the staff of Congressman Lipinski.  They, somehow, offerred me the internship on the spot.  I told them I would think about it and headed off to my second interview.  That interview with the Senator’s staff went well and they offerred me the paid internship, which I jumped at.  

From there I moved to Washington, DC and worked my way up the chain there for the next few years before I left to go to graduate school.  

As I look back on that process, the strength of Significance kept pushing me forward to achieve my goal.  I wanted to change the world, it seemed like Washington, DC was a place you could do that.  All of that gave me energy and kept the dream alive.  One thing that has morphed for me about this strength is that in my younger days, it was very ‘me’ focused.  What would I accomplish?  What would I achieve?  

Now, it gives me more joy to help other people accomplish their hopes and dreams and help them to change the world in the way that they are wired.  I want to be someone who helps raise the bar for everyone I am around.  People who are not interested in improving?  I typically do not spend a lot of time with those folks.  

Significance - changing the world, one day at at time.   

In my life I have had a series of mentors who have helped me become who I am today.  Without those people, and their investment, my life would surely look a lot different than it does today.  

One mentor that sticks out in my mind as much, or more than, many others was my college advisor Dr. GW Carlson.  GW as he was affectionately known by students recently retired from teaching at Bethel University after a 40+ year career.  I know I am not alone is saying he was greatly influential in my time as a student, and on into my life post-college.  Let me tell you a story about GW, and how he helped reset my priorities in the face of me thinking I knew everything, and why I think he has all the marks of being a great mentor.

I transferred into Bethel University after two years at a junior college.  At my junior college I did well enough to have a high GPA and make the President’s list.  For sure I thought I was a pretty stellar student - but, Bethel University was much harder academically than my junior college was.  During junior college I held down two jobs and still pulled a high GPA. I was under the misguided impression that I would be able to do the same at Bethel University.  I was wrong.  While working 30 hours per week at American Eagle I was not putting in the time necessary to excel in my classes.  After my first semester my GPA was nowhere near what it had been at the junior college.  

When I went to meet with my advisor, GW, he looked at me and the look he gave me is best symbolized by this image:

He in no uncertain terms told me I was acting like an, and I quote, “Academic Playboy,” and I needed to start taking school seriously.  I remember thinking, who does this professor think that he is?  Where does he think he can just tell me what to do?  I left the meeting frustrated and a bit mad, but after I cooled down I realized he was right.  He cared enough about me to tell me the truth even when I would not like what he had to say.  

After that intervention I was able to buckle down and do much better in class, and forever thereafter look more seriously on the commitments that I was taking on and how they would effect one another.   

What made GW a good mentor and why you should have someone like him in your life:

1)  He was not afraid to tell the truth of the situation

2)  He cared enough about me to tell me something that I did not want to hear

3)  He was not so impressed with my talent that he did not push me further than I thought I could go

4)  He did not need me to ‘like him’ and could be completely honest with me

5)  He saw the future, what needed to be done to help me get there, and intervened at an absolutely key moment in my life

Do you have someone like GW in your life?  If not, find someone.  If everyone tells you what you want to hear, you will not continue on in your development.  

Sometimes it literally takes me years to learn a lesson that is so obvious it just sits there in front of me but I cannot grab onto it.  This past weekend I finally learned one of those lessons and I want to share it with all of you.

Many people want to be leaders.  I work with lots of college students and if you ask them if they want to be a leader, many, most, if not all - will say yes!  Yes, I want to be a leader. Yes, I want to be in charge.  Yes, I want to tell people what to do and have them listen to me.  I have been there, I remember wanting to be in charge.  

Then, some people actually make it into positions of leadership and the truth hits them in the face.  You have to build up your credibility before people will listen to what you have to say.  You have to earn the right to be heard.  You have to lead by example.  Oh, so many good lessons I have learned over the years from experience and good mentoring.  

One lesson that, as I mentioned before, just hit me like a ton of bricks is the leadership situations where you have to deal with a sticky situation.  I am calling this the 5% of leadership no one really talks about.  Employee problems, angry constituents, conflict resolution - you name it, if you are a leader, those things will roll up to you and you will have to deal with them.  

This is reality.  If you want to lead, you will deal with these things.  I have been at it long enough to know this is true.  Here is the lesson that I have learned in dealing with this leadership “5%”

1)  If you learn to expect that these things will happen and are able to deal with them in a non-emotional way, you will not let those things run your life while you are dealing with them.  

What do I mean by that?  This past weekend I finally just accepted that there will always be a 5% of these issues that come my way as long as I am in a leadership role.  When one of these things happens, I just put myself to work in resolving the issue but do not let it take over my life during that time.  

If I do this, when one of these things comes up, instead of dread and sorrow I can just deal with the issue in a pragmatic way.  Oh, it is one of the 5% situations?  Ok, no problem, lets accept the fact that these things happen and get on with resolution.  

This shift in attitude will help ease your stress during those times when you may be likely to get stressed out.  I think that leaders who learn this lesson and figure out a sane way to deal with these issues will help them be an effective leader for the long haul without letting some of these issues become the 5% that take up 95% of their time.  

Carpe Diem 

I have heard this blessing a few times in life, at funerals and other places, but thought it was such a wonderful piece of prose that although some of you may have heard it I wanted it here for you.  

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind always be at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face, and the rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

I hope you all have a fantastic Sunday.  

Carpe Diem 

Do you want to be successful?  Here is a huge secret key that is so obvious many people overlook it:

You have to work harder than anybody else.  

Let me repeat:

You have to work harder than anybody else.

Today  I read a quick tweet from Rory McIlroy, the #1 ranked golfer in the world talking about how he was on the range early today practicing for a playoff golf tournament this week in Indiana.  Rory mentioned something about being the early bird on the range and that the range was not crowded.

Then, I clicked on this link:

http://social.rorymcilroy.com/photos/221741

Who is on that range at some early crack of dawn time?  Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.  World ranked #2, and World Ranked #1 golfers.  Does that surprise me?  No, not at all.  The best work harder than everybody else.  Period.  

Do they have talent?  Yes.

Does talent win?  Not without hard work.

Are they in the right fit?  Yes. 

Does fit matter?  Absolutely.  If you are not in the right fit, you may never get a chance to do what you do best.  

Rory and Tiger work harder than other golfers who may have similar talent levels.  Tiger also is a victim of his own success because now young up and coming golfers also saw what he did and worked harder, practiced longer and now the whole level of golf on the PGA tour is better than it was years ago.  

If you are in the right fit, and you are not working as hard as you can, do not complain about having less than excellent results.  Work hard, be the early bird.  

Carpe Diem

Today I was reminded to stop, take a break, and enjoy a wonderful lunch with my wife.  We work at the same place, but do not often hang out with one another.  We spend most of our lives together, we try and have separate zones at work.  

But once in a while, we have lunch together.  It is a fun surprise and really helps me reset and tackle the rest of my day.  Having lunch with Danielle reminded me to enjoy little things in life.  Like the amazing soft serve ice cream dispenser at our cafeteria - amazing! As I thought about some little things in the past few weeks, I was reminded of a date Danielle and I went on a few months ago:

Above was an amazing white chocolate mocha that I had when we were out on a date.  Would I want one of these every day?  Part of me says yes, and part of me knows that it would make it something that would become normal and I would not appreciate it as much.  

This mocha reminds me of the time Danielle and I, and my sister, went to New Orleans to settle my Dad’s estate after he passed away.  We decided to stay a few days after settling his estate and got a fantastic rate at the Ritz Carlton New Orleans.  This is an amazing hotel right in the French Quarter in New Orleans.  When you walk in, they have so many flowers that you are overwhelmed by the aroma - truly something I had never experienced before.  The service was over the top.  Want your shoes shined?  Leave them outside your door and the next morning, there they are, shined up like new.

I have never experienced that level of service as what a five star hotel provided, and since then I have never stayed at another hotel that would even compare.  But you know what?  That makes it all the more special to me, because it was a treat.  It was special.  It was not common place.  It was more than I deserved or expected.  But you know what?  It helped me through a period of dealing with the loss of my father.  

It is great things in small doses that I think leads to the most happiness in life.  Money definitely does not equal happiness (but a certain amount does).  

What am I trying to say here?  

Embrace life.  Do the little things that make you happy.  Surprise someone in your life with some fun adventure.  Order that Latte, eat that piece of chocolate you love.  But, in small doses or it may just become something that is not special at all.

Carpe Diem 

During the past few weeks we have been working hard as a volleyball team (Hamline University) to get ready for the start of our season.  There have been times when the coaching staff which I get to be a part of has pushed our team hard - past where they thought they could go.  We also have been working on some of the less glorious parts of volleyball, blocking and digging, and being disciplined.  Getting a big kill?  Great, but you won’t have that opportunity without being disciplined.  

This is probably my favorite part of coaching - pushing people past where they think they can go, and then seeing the payoff later - also watching the players see the hard work paying off and then believing in what you are trying to do - that, as they say, is where the magic happens.  

Last night we were able to put all that hard work during the off season, spring season and pre season into both our matches.  We went 2-0 and took care of the business we needed to take care of.  But, I don’t think we would have been nearly as successful without the hard work that has been done during the past year.  

Here is a picture of our team after both matches last night:

They did the work, they got the results - what are you doing now that is preparing you for what will come?  If you are an achiever, this moment after reaching your goals is nice, but you are already on to the next thing.  How do you keep motivating yourself to excellence?  

Questions I am asking.  For now, enjoy your Saturday!  We have more matches to win.   

Do you ever have times in your life where you get so zoned in on something the rest of the world does not exist to you?  Is it hard for you when someone interrupts something you are doing once you have started?  Do you find it easy to prioritize and then act?  

If you answered any of these questions in a positive way, you may have the Gallup StrengthsFinder strength of “Focus.”  What is Focus, according to Gallup?

“Where am I headed?” you ask yourself. You ask this question every day. Guided by this theme of Focus, you need a clear destination. Lacking one, your life and your work can quickly become frustrating. And so each year, each month, and even each week you set goals. These goals then serve as your compass, helping you determine priorities and make the necessary corrections to get back on course. Your Focus is powerful because it forces you to filter; you instinctively evaluate whether or not a particular action will help you move toward your goal. Those that don’t are ignored. In the end, then, your Focus forces you to be efficient. Naturally, the flip side of this is that it causes you to become impatient with delays, obstacles, and even tangents, no matter how intriguing they appear to be. This makes you an extremely valuable team member. When others start to wander down other avenues, you bring them back to the main road. Your Focus reminds everyone that if something is not helping you move toward your destination, then it is not important. And if it is not important, then it is not worth your time. You keep everyone on point.

I have the strength of Focus at or near the top of my StrengthsFinder results.  How does this play out in real life?  It plays out constantly.  Below is a short list of how I see this strength play out day to day:

1)  I constantly am prioritizing and re-prioritizing tasks, my day, how I will get things done.

2)  I have an innate ability to see what should be dealt with immediately and what can wait.  (I also can help other people with this when they need help)

3)  I am deadline driven, I will get it done before a deadline, pressure motivates me.  

4)  When I play sports, I can zone into whatever I am doing so deeply everything else fades to black.  

Those are a few quick examples as I think about how I use focus to leverage it as a useful talent in my life.  Like anything, strengths can also hinder you if you are not careful and here are some of the challenges I see in having this brain-wiring helping guide my days:

1)  It can be hard to switch tasks once I get going on something, it is hard for me not to ‘finish.’

2)  Sometimes when I am zoned in, I miss things that are going on around me.

3)  People will start conversations with me and I miss things because I am not focused on them.

Those are not terrible things, just things I need to be aware of when I go through my day.  My team, and other friends and family know to ask me, “Are you focused right now?” as a way of helping me not miss things.  This is strengths management 101 - do you have skills around your talents that help you turn them into strengths?  We can save that for another post.  

This picture really helps illustrate how my brain works:

I am always focused on the horizon - where am I headed?  How can I get there?  If you have the strength of Focus you may be asking that same question.  This picture was taken in Bozeman, Montana on the way to drive to Moonlight Basin ski resort for a day of hitting the slopes.  

My life has been forever changed in a good way knowing more about how I am wired.  My argument continues to be that the more you do to find out who you are and what makes you tick, the better chance you will have at success.

I think we only get one shot at this life, make the most of it!

Carpe Diem 

Above you will see a very fun picture of my son, JD, last winter helping us shop at a local food store.  This store has brilliantly provided small carts for little people who want to help shop.  JD loves the fact that he gets to help and follow Mom and Dad around the store.  

He gets to follow… he loves to follow and do what Mom and Dad are up to.  Danielle and I are trying to figure out how to be good leaders of a now-preschool aged little boy.  We do our best to model good behavior and consistency with our son.  He, for the most part, follows along to our lead.  

He is a good follower.

Except when he is not.  Sometimes he is tired, at those moments he does not like to follow.  Sometimes he is angry, those moments he wants nothing to do with following.  Sometimes he is lonely, again, just wants to be comforted, not necessarily follow direction.  And last but not least, sometimes he is hungry, and in those moments, look out, he wants food — NOW!  

The story about JD could easily be the same story for me, and maybe you?  How are you as a follower?  Are you easy to lead?  

We all have a boss.  As I mentioned in my last post, I have a few.  In all those situations I try and be a good follower.  There are other times when I am in charge, and in those situations, I try and be a good leader and certainly appreciate the people who work with me.  

I think if you do not know how to follow, you will never be a good leader.  

It is only through following that you can learn what it takes to lead.  

How can you become a good follower?  Be faithful with what you are being asked to do. This assumes a few things about the role you are in:

1)  The responsibilities that you have and relationships to execute those responsibilities are well defined

2)  You know what is excpected of you every day in the position you are in

If you are in a good situation like I just described, then nail everything that your leader is asking you to do.  Go over and above.  Under promise and over delivery.  Build up your credibility so high that when you screw up, we all do, it is not the end of the world.  

I so appreciate the character of good followers.  I try and be a good follower in every situation I am in.  Are you?

Carpe Diem  

As some of you know, I have the privilege of coaching volleyball at Hamline University here in Minnesota.  We are in the midst of an intense preseason to get ready for the start of our regular season.  Our coaching staff is hard at work along with our players trying to maximize and realize great potential of our team.  One thing we use in practice is the electronic scoreboard in the gym to keep track of points in drills and time of drills, etc.   There is always some reaction when the buzzer goes off and our drill is over.  Did we meet our goal?  Etc.

The use of the electronic scoreboard adds greatly to what our team is trying to accomplish in practice.  It gives us parameters and a clear visual representation of where we are at compared to a goal and creates pressure as the time ticks away.  It is so useful!  

In the beginning of our season, our head coach, Audrey, had me setting up the control panel for the scoreboard and it was not working correctly.  Here is what this control panel looks like:

The scoreboard kept going in and out and it would not totally do what we needed it to do.  We could not figure it out.  Audrey asked the person who helps us with these things what we could do to fix it.  It turns out that there was another one of these units that was plugged in out of sight in the storeroom and we had two of these controllers plugged in at the same time.

What was the result?  It did not work.   The circuits were overloaded and the scoreboard just kept flashing, one message from one controller, and then another message from the hidden other unit.  Not good.

What was the solution?  One of the units had to be unplugged.  At the end of the day one control unit had to be in charge - after we did that, things worked perfectly.  We have been using it every day since.  

This situation reminded me of leadership situations where who was in charge, or who was the leader, was not clear.  I think it is essential for people to absolutely understand who is in charge, and of what.  Who is the final decision maker for an area?  Understanding this will only lead to better success as a unit or team.

A long time ago in one of my graduate school classes there was a well intentioned and naive classmate of mine arguing for systems without leaders and clear lines of authority.  I could not see that being effective back then, and even more so do not see that looking back.  We need clear lines of authority in order to accomplish tasks.  If everyone is in charge, no one is in charge.   

I am thankful for all the bosses I have, my wife :), Audrey my head coach at Hamline, and Dan my boss at Bethel, they help give me direction and set me on a course in different areas.  I am glad there are only one of them in each area - it helps keep it clear for me as a spouse or employee.  

Carpe Diem 

Recently I have taken up the sport of cycling.  There are many things I enjoy about this new found passion, not the least of which is how much better my knee feels after I get off the bike.  

Minneapolis is a fantastic city to bike in, you can go so many places on trails and see many scenic places.  It truly is something everyone in the city should do and take advantage of.

One thing that has struck me recently is how anytime I start to go faster I immediately feel more wind in my face.  The harder I try the more resistance nature puts up in my way.  I have a few choices:

1)  Slow down and just give in and stay at whatever pace I was at

2)  Push harder into the wind and get to the MPH level I want to get to

Is this not a lot like what a leader faces when they try and implement change?  I heard someone say not too long ago that if you are leading you will face resistance.  If you are not, you probably will not feel that.  But, if you don’t feel resistance and you are not leading, people will probably ignore you when the time comes where you need to make a difference.

I think, even though it is a harder path, I want to be someone who pushes into the wind to see where I can get to.  It is not fun to be on the other side of that where you are simply ignored.  

What side do you want to be on?

Are you going to push through and stand out? Or, are you going to lay back and then be ignored?  

The newfound biking passion in me has made me aware of new learning curves and trusting as I continue to learn.  This, again, is not unlike leading into new areas.  If you want to do something that stands out - people will have strong opinions.  If you want to create something that is blah.. and no one offers any feedback?  You are not breaking new ground.

Here is to you who wish to or already leading today - 

Keep pushing into that headwind.  


 

As some of you know, I run.  I am a fairly average recreational runner.  I am a fairly average recreational runner who is strong in the Gallup StrengthsFinder strength of “Competition.”

From the Gallup Definition of Competition:

Competition is rooted in comparison. When you look at the world, you are instinctively aware of other people’s performance. Their performance is the ultimate yardstick. No matter how hard you tried, no matter how worthy your intentions, if you reached your goal but did not outperform your peers, the achievement feels hollow. Like all competitors, you need other people. You need to compare. If you can compare, you can compete, and if you can compete, you can win. And when you win, there is no feeling quite like it. You like measurement because it facilitates comparisons. You like other competitors because they invigorate you. You like contests because they must produce a winner. You particularly like contests where you know you have the inside track to be the winner. Although you are gracious to your fellow competitors and even stoic in defeat, you don’t compete for the fun of competing. You compete to win. Over time you will come to avoid contests where winning seems unlikely.

This definition has helped me understand how I think and what motivates me.  I think this strength has mellowed out a bit over time, but it is still there.  Back to my running story:

One day after work I went for a run around the campus of Bethel University and did one of my usual running routes.  I headed out of campus and started down the road towards Lake Johanna and about a half mile in I notice a pack of female runners who were catching up with me.  Something in my brain (Competition) kicked in and I started running faster.  The ladies kept catching up to me to where I could see they were not far behind.  In my brain it sounded something like this, “I don’t care what I have to do, they will not pass me.”

So, I speed up again and realize I am probably going to burn out at some point, but if I can just do a good half mile, I will have a water stop to stop at and let them pass me.  So I keep going, and by now, the ladies realize that I am trying to keep ahead of them.  At some other point I realize these are probably collegiate runners who are in tip top shape - that only fuels me even more.

I push and push and do another half mile and keep ahead of their pace.  Stopping at the water stop I see them blow by me and I notice a face:

That would be Marie Borner, three time All-American runner, who used to run for Bethel University.  Marie is someone who has won three national championships in the 1500 meters and is a legend in DIII track and field.  

What did I learn from this?

1.  The person running behind you may be an All-American

2.  If the person running behind you is an All-American and you are high in Competition, you may run your fastest time in whatever distance you can keep ahead of them

3.  Marie Borner is really fast 

Competition fuels me to perform.  If you say I cannot, I say, why not?  Now that I understand this strength I can leverage it to help me stay motivated.  I understand that contexts that I do best in have measurable outcomes.  This is important information for me to know when looking at any opportunity.

Do you know what contexts help you perform at your best?  Do you know what makes you tick?  Do you understand how you are wired?  I think if you have trouble answering these questions, you may have trouble finding a great spot to perform at a high level in life.  For those of you who can answer these questions, I bet you are already in a good fit.  

Have you ever found yourself in a situation at your job where you were thinking, “I wish someone would just take care of this issue, and why is no one is covering in this area?”  Does that ever happen to you?  

It happens to me.  When I was younger I mostly just noted what I saw happening and not happening, thought about it, and did not always do much.  Often this would lead to frustration and little action.  

In the past few years a few things have helped me in these situations.  When I get to a place of asking that question, “Why is no one taking care of this?”  I now have a few things I immediately ask, and think about.  

1)  Is this an issue that is a big deal at all?
If Yes, continue to question #2

If no, stop here.

That is a great place to start, when an issue arises - is it even worth dealing with?  Is it a big deal?  Will the world stop if nothing changes?  Is it a systematic pattern of dysfunction?  Or, is it just a mistake that can be fixed? 

It is very important that as you lead you ask yourself whether something is worth taking on.  At a place where I have spent time working we have had an issues with the bathrooms looking clean and smelling good.  This was an issue for a long time, and they system was failing to take care of the problem.  I am a huge fan of clean bathrooms for staff and, most importantly, guests.  A friend of mine, Michael, often says you can tell a lot about any place by how clean their restrooms are - totally true.  So with this particular issue I raised the issue with the person in charge - nothing changed.  Tried to get other people involved and advocating for the issue - nothing changed.  Person who was in charge confronted me about causing problems to which I responded, it would help if you would do your job and make sure the bathrooms were clean.  Eventually the problem had to be escalated to leadership, and still it was not solved.  Do you know when the bathrooms were clean?  When we were able to have someone new in charge of that issue.  Sometimes it takes a personnel change for change to happen.  

2)  If the problem is worth taking on go to the person in charge of the issue and ask what can be done about it.  Go to them first!  Do not go around them.  

Do they take care of it?  Great you are done.

Do they disregard the issue and the problem continues? Continue to step #3

3)  At this point if you have had the courage to go to the person, often times there will be resolution.  If not, you have to again ask is this the biggest issue you want to take on?  If so, you need to go to that person’s supervisor and ask what can be done.

This step should only be employed when you are absolutely committed to bringing change.  When I was early on in my career I would have never done any of these steps because I lacked clarity and courage on how to deal with issues that arose.  

When, if, you talk with a supervisor let them know you have gone to the person and a given them a chance to take care of the issue first.  That way the supervisor knows there has been space given to let someone solve the issue first.  They will appreciate this.

4)  Does the supervisor take care of the issue?  You are done.

Do they blow it off or not take care of it?  You have more work to do.  

At this point again, if you want to escalate the issue to a higher level, you need to know this is a huge deal for you at this point.  Going over a supervisor’s head to another level should only be employed when this is a battle you are willing to see all the way through.  

How do you do this?  Follow the same steps as above.

You see the pattern here.  If you want to bring change, you need to be persistent, nice, but firm and consistent through a process like this.  It also takes courage to speak up.  If you lack courage you won’t get very far in this process.  

Have I learned the hard way that this is tough and has it made me take on only vitally important issues?  Yes.  

Will I take something on if I feel it is a battle worth fighting?  Is it a core issue?  You bet.  Do I let a lot of things roll off and am very selective about what is a core issue?  You bet.

Today I challenge you to start thinking about stopping complaining about an issue and tackle it, only if it is something you really want to take on.  If not, get over it and move on.  You have plenty to do.   

One final note:  Most times you need to stop worrying about other people and make sure you nail your own work first.  :)

In the past six months I had a moment whereI knew as a leader I had blown it with an employee.  Everything I know, I have been trained in did not kick in and I just did not do a great job with my emotional intelligence and took it out on this person.

It was not the end of the world, but I had blown it.  I had blown it by my own standards.  

My own rules.  I should have know better.  Bam, I did it.  I made a mistake.  

You know what?  I knew it the second I did it - and that made me more frustrated at myself.  What did I do?  I removed myself from the situation, let the emotions run out of me, and went back and apologized.  

What did I say?  I said:

I blew it.
I care about you greatly.
I am sorry.  

Sometimes we just have to admit how we have blown it and say we are sorry.  It may take some guts to admit it to yourself and the person who you need to apologize to, but it is so worth it.

What did I learn about myself in this situation?  

1)  My blind spots as a leader need attention even if they are not my strengths

2)  I need people around me who see things that I do not see

3)  The only way you can move forward after blowing it is to own your mistake and make it right - there is not going back.

I hope this helps someone who might have blown it recently.  We all do it, it is more about how you handle the aftermath.

JVD