Every so often I find that little nugget of oxymoronic brilliance that leaves me even more impressed by its unusual packaging. You know the ones I am referring to – they usually come as absolute surprises, speed up the greying process, and bring a rush of “Uh oh, what else am I missing”. The even […]
The potential of a team lies in its ability to work together cohesively. A less informed, less skilled team often beats a more informed, more skilled one that does not coordinate well. Just because you have the talent doesn’t mean you will win. Companies sell products and/or services. If we look at the selling part […]
Today I want to share some thoughts on a different type of economy. We are consumers, so everyday we trade our currency for products and services that we want or need. There is another, more hidden economy that we interact with daily as well. Remember, we are people first. Matters of the heart and mind have […]
With all of the mistakes and misunderstandings that happen every day, it’s pretty easy to spot the endearing trait of great leadership. Witnessing humility in action just seems to put me at ease. Seeing someone step into a situation and stand corrected takes great courage and a certain kind of humbleness. I respect these people […]
Facilities Maintenance is on the cusp of shining brightly in the new dawn of retail, shedding it’s role as the compliance officer of marketing or the go-to place for financial savings. The adversity and change these folks have experienced has forged strengths in nimbleness, adaptability, and economy. These skills are quite handy for retail businesses aiming to stay relevant to […]
People, Process, Product, and Performance – the often discussed four P’s of business that need to be monitored and improved to keep a business healthy. What doesn’t get a lot of attention are the changes one must go through as they rise in authority and play a different role in the advancement of the four […]
Building great managers and future leaders of a growing service business is all about teaching people to create and celebrate progress, to find the smart paths through alienation, and make it simpler for the next guy. Think about it – how would you define the performance of a manager that guides their team to accomplish […]
As providers of construction services in an industry buffeted by disruption, I have learned, and re-learned our opportunity lies in our ability to advance. How we deliver our services matters. The expectations set by the client are too often called “goals“. This is the part where excellence becomes elusive. Our clients’ expectations are NOT goals. […]
Something happened recently that really got me talking to myself. It was a humbling, empowering, invigorating, and actionable discussion, though my discussion partner wanted to do more talking than listening… Seriously though, I had a break through because of someone else’s bad “break“. I often talk about actively identifying potential unintended consequences of a decision. […]
I have been busy trying to initiate and deliver progress to the company. The uncommon sense of the activities is to remain balanced between the robotic strength of progress and the compassionate side of the disruption I am causing. Leading through change can be a lonely existence. The excitement of progress we create is only […]
Learning doesn’t happen without failure. Keeping our minds open through our experiences, new and old, allows us to learn through our experience. The other day I found myself at the crossroad of getting something done with constructive or destructive feedback. Mind you I am a firm believer that both types of feedback are needed – some habits […]
“How do you want to see this?” This question is like a key artifact – its very important and even more rare. Much like finding that key relic, understanding how someone needs to see something can unlock the invisible force that prevents the dots from being connected. The other day I had a conversation with […]
I am finally back from my road trip. I spent a lot of focused time thinking about two things – our clients’ needs and our strategy to meet them. The following words are reshaping the way our company is structured. Connect every activity to how it impacts our client’s experience. Know our strategy. Our company […]
“A personal choice to rise above one’s circumstance and demonstrate the ownership necessary for achieving desired results – to see it, own it, solve it, and do it” – Connors, Smith & Hickman in The Oz Principle. Bad joke tellers know the entire joke inside and out. They have everything they need to succeed – […]
This week I am going to share a bit about feedback. I’ve written a lot about it from the point of view of the feedback provider. I’ve written in a way to help the provider provide the difficult and necessary feedback. The other side of finding success with feedback involves how well the recipient is […]
What is best or right, is often overlooked by what is convenient. One of my pet peeves is finding myself revisiting the same challenges over and over. My mantra is “Tomorrow’s challenges better be different than today’s”. I’ve been receiving a lot of feedback to remind people about prior messages and encourage discussions about them. This […]
I am a car novice. My skills with cars are limited to driving them. I cannot tell if I need a tune-up, oil change, maybe I can tell with an alignment, but thats about it. My guess is this is true of more and more drivers. Changing car oil at home used to be much […]
Can you believe we are in the homestretch of summer? Time is moving so fast! This week I will share a few of Thomas Watson’s quips that will hopefully make you laugh, think a bit, and put your ideas to work. It’s really about raising your game. Hopefully Tom’s tips will help. He was known […]
It’s amazing how much you have to do with what happens to you. Reading about or noticing ways to make a difference – do you seize them? Do you help others find their way, their success? There are limits to folks flying solo. T ogether E ach A ccomplishes M ore. Do you go looking for […]
We’ve been confronting our struggles of pointing fingers at goals rather than people. Last week we read about how we need to be respectful of one another, especially when we work together. We will definitely let one another down, so providing a bit of grace and understanding can help us find success more easily. With […]
Preparing a project to be successful is one of the most important tasks of a project manager. There are so many times where we endure what we anticipate and planned around, all because someone didn’t dot, their i’s, cross their t’s, or read their simple instructions. Have you ever made the assumption that since you have […]
This week I am continuing my recent messages about progress. Seems like many people are converging on the crossroads of “What is best for me versus what is best for us”. I often quote my brother with “My value to the company, is my value of the company.” This can be varied into other parts […]
Good Morning. I hope this message finds you well rested and ready to have some fun with your biggest challenges. Making progress climbing our own mountains can be gratifying and humbling at the same time. So many of our mountains are related to the way people respond to situations. Today I will share about the […]
“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” Walt Disney sure had it right. Overcoming naysayers and the limits of what has been done gives me that kind of joy that is personal, satisfies the fire in my belly, and shared with the very few others that were there during the quest. Walt Disney created […]
I hope you all had a great holiday week. I was able to use the time to recharge with my family. I hope you all were able to spend the time exactly the way you wanted. This week I am writing about infrastructure and its importance to staying relevant through growth. I am sharing it […]
“Enquiring Minds Want to Know”. The mindless information shared through tabloids is great for entertainment. Its a terrible place to go for facts. When people put a spin on information in tabloids, we know not to trust it. Why is it so present in the business world? Maybe its because seasoned spinsters have the ability […]
Happy June everyone! I hope you all are enjoying your journey through the weekly messages. Here you are able to suspend all of your existing logic and look at situations from a different point of view. Knowing your perspective allows you to be a participant in the action. Knowing other points of view makes you a […]
The internal battle between pride and truth often ends in a way that a sound mind wishes was different. Today I am expanding on “Are your actions justified or are you justifying your actions”. Too many times clear evidence is disregarded and learning is lost, keeping these people ignorant. This is a very real risk, […]
For this week’s message I am sharing a couple of items for you to consider to shed the mindset or habits that make success elusive. So much is discussed about what to do to be a great leader, I thought I’d have a little fun and share what not to do. So I took our […]
“When one door closes, another opens.” This common quote is often used in way to help someone pick themselves up after they failed at something or as a way to find a silver lining in a challenging situation. The patience to ask this of ourselves and to forgive ourselves for falling short can prove to […]
The way we approach transitions directly correlates to how well they unfold. Resicom is evolving from success to the company that sets the trend. To make this transition, our options must change from the easily identifiable “right” and “wrong” options into dilemmas – choosing between “great” and “great” options. There are many connections between how strong […]
If you believe you are busier than necessary, there are a couple of questions that may help you change this. Make a list of what you have worked on over the past week or two and identify items that should have been delegated to others and make a conscientious decision to delegate them going forward. […]
I’d like to challenge you to listen as intensely as you speak up. In other words, we are naturally driven to make sure we are heard, I’d like you to put in that much effort in understanding someone else’s point. Figuring out a way to suspend my logic and try to make a case for […]
I have three small requests of you today. They will make a significant difference in life. Raising Your Level of Influence. The level of your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first. The tools we use are the things we share – our competence, character, and care. Think about how […]
Do you get the most out of relationships? If not, consider giving people 100% of the credit they deserve in their role. Trust is earned. Having to prove yourself gets frustrating, not exactly the quickest route to a mutually trusting, beneficial relationship. Assume people have already proven themselves in being offered and accepting the position […]
Managers have it tough – they need to create and foster performance without destroying their team’s dedication when discipline is required. Keeping in mind that people behave rationally to their own unique realities can help us understand their behavior better. Consider that people make decisions using their experience, desires, and fears. Since everyone’s are different, […]
Many managers suffer from proverbial fires being dropped into their laps. I’d like to challenge them to take a moment and resist the temptation to blame a person for the fire. Not everyone who passes a fire is an arsonist, although many companies have sleeper arsonists on their team, that is for another post! Please […]
Value of a Dollar Consider this truth: Not all dollars are created equally. Some revenue gets us closer to our goals than others – it all depends on the desired outcomes. A leader’s goals include (1) protecting the company and (2) nurturing it to grow. In order to protect our company, some of our desired […]
Sometimes are dreams get put on hold. The things that give us great joy get put on the side to take care of other things. The problem is, we can lose sight of our dreams and our happiness can become elusive. This exercise helps you examine what you’d do if suddenly you had an opportunity […]
Many leaders struggle with work/life balance. Many times parts of our lives are sacrificed for the betterment of another. The problem is that we often do not return to build up the sacrificed areas. This exercise will help you identify where you are at and help you put in place activities that bring you your […]
Delegate Desired Outcomes Stifling creativity can be a devastating habit for a company. Avoid this pitfall by abstaining from micromanagement activities. As an example, consider how you can empower your people’s creativity in how you delegate. Example: Our Task Description Connect with Mr. Smith to learn of his interest in becoming a client. He is […]
Assigning Ultimate Responsibilities An employee is easily underutilized when they are assigned tasks rather than responsibilities. Consider how you can gain a more dedicated advocate for the company by charging employees with ultimate responsibilities. Example: Our Offer Letters – New Hires All employees are charged with upholding the core values and executing the strategy of […]
Explain WHY before the WHAT Being defined by what we do limits understanding and communication opportunities. We remove this constraint by focusing on WHY we do things before we explain WHAT we do. Below is an example of how Resicom has adopted this non-limiting behavior in our company. Example: Our Elevator Pitch We believe in […]
