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1) Learn from Your Mistakes - Leaders will make mistakes, but they learn something from every one. Robert Downey Jr.’s character, Tony Stark, is a genius, but he makes mistakes, as we all do. When he is captured by a terrorist group he is shocked into analyzing his predicament, and begins to learn from the mistakes he has made throughout his life. The lesson for us is that we will make mistakes throughout our life, especially as we strive and stretch a little further than we can reach. It allows us to grow, but we become more prone to make mistakes once in a while. When leaders make mistakes, they analyze what they did, learn from it, and move on.

2) Develop Your Sense of Social Responsibility - Tony Stark thought he had a sense of social responsibility. His rationale was that his company had to produce weapons so that the “bad guys” could be kept at bay. The ordeal he went through caused him to realize that this false sense of social responsibility was a result of  justifying an illogical position. When he saw that the weapons he produced were falling into the wrong hands, he finally came to his senses and to the unpopular decision to stop producing weapons, a true social responsibility. Good and thoughtful leaders develop a solid sense of social responsibility as they realize that they and the organizations they lead, are part of a much larger whole.

3) Don’t Allow People to Filter what You Need to Hear – if you allow it, some people will try to filter what you should hear. Tony Stark was “filtered” by his supposed right hand man, Obadiah Stane, who did not have Stark’s best interests at heart. A good leader plugs into the organization at various levels to make sure that they get unfiltered communication and feedback. In this manner, they are in tune with what is really going on, and they make better decisions.

4) Don’t Engage in Spin Doctoring – Obadiah Stane was a spin doctor. When Tony Stark announced that he was shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of his company, Stane jumped to the podium and declared to the press, “What we should take away from this is that Tony’s back! And he’s healthier than ever. We’re going to have a little internal discussion and we’ll get back to you with the follow-up”. This is classic spin doctoring (I know because I am not proud to say that I did it a lot in my past).  Rather than tell the truth, and face the facts, Obadiah “spun” an answer. Good leaders don’t spin. Instead, they face the music, tell the truth, pull no punches and meet the issues head on.

5) Let Down Your Facade and Really Communicate - one of the most difficult things I had to learn as a leader, was to get off my high horse, come back down to earth, and communicate. Big words, sophisticated phrasing, complex concepts, and boring analogies and cliches just don´t come across as straightforward and honest. When Tony Stark sat down on the floor at the press conference and just plain talked to people, he was able to communicate his true beliefs and feelings, and to come across credibly. That is what great leaders do, strip away all of the fancy stuff, and just, plain, talk.

6) Develop and Follow Your Noble Cause - you can´t lead unless people are willing to follow. But how do you get people to follow you? Dave Logan, of Tribal Leadership fame tells us that it´s a noble cause that attracts people to a leader, and keeps them engaged and involved. Tony Stark´s first cause, supplying the war machine with weapons, isn´t very noble. But when he develops and talks about his real noble cause, those that have been profiting from the first cause run for the hills, and the true admirers line up solidly behind him. Good leaders have integrity and great skills, as Chris Widener tells us, but great leaders also develop and communicate a noble cause that they follow, and that is what draws followers to them.

7) Never Give Up on What You Believe In - in The Crisis, Thomas Paine described how the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot would ”shrink from the service of their country” when the going got tough. It´s only the resilient souls who would stand against the hard blowing winds for what they believe in. Even though he is ultra rich, and has it all and could easily walk away from the fight, Tony Stark doesn’t give in, and doesn’t give up.  Great leaders work through the tough times and stand up for what they believe in, even when it is unpopular. They never give up.

When I took a closer look at Iron Man, I saw these leadership lessons I had missed before. It has reminded me to keep my eyes and ears open, because one never knows where a leadership lesson may be lurking.

What about you? What leadership lessons have you encountered in some unlikely mediums? Share them with us!

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Most of us firmly believe that if we develop a platform of basic principles and conduct ourselves according to those, things will come out the way we intended. So what goes wrong that causes us to stray from our core values? Several times in my life, I have struggled with maintaining my true north compass setting, and as I have analyzed why it happened, each time, I can point to a “squeezing” of my core values due to one of the following six issues:

1. Hectic-ness – when my life gets hectic, I have to take special care. All of that “hectic-ness” can cause me to overlook or inadvertently set aside my core values as I am dealing with the “busy-ness” of life.
2. Urgency – at times, certain people will insist that we give them attention and even resolve their problem or fulfill their request immediately. As a result, we may drop whatever we are doing and jump to do their bidding. I am watchful of this, because it can cause me to deviate from the established sound principles I live and work by.
3. Multitasking – I am an arch enemy of multitasking. Research shows that we are less effective when we are trying to do multiple things at the same time. One research study indicates that our IQ can drop as much as ten points and our productivity by 40% when we multitask. Personally, one of my core values is quality, and I know that the quality of my work suffers when I try to get too many things accomplished at the same time. We think we are accomplishing much when we multitask but instead, we are squeezing our core values.
4. Noise – not many would argue that modern society isn’t a noisy place. If we allow it, that noise can easily drown out our still small voice that whispers core values in our ear. Eventually the gentle nudging of that noise has us doing what we don’t want to do, saying what we don’t want to say, going where we don’t want to go, and becoming what we don’t want to become.
5. Deadlines – for many of us, deadlines are like a yoke around our necks. On one hand they can help to focus our attention and energy on getting a particular task done. On the other hand , especially for those of us who tend to procrastinate, deadlines can actually cause us to become so obsessed with making a date or milestone that we squeeze some of our core values (like our integrity, honesty, or quality orientation) right out of shape.
6. Pressure – the dictionary defines pressure as an oppressive condition of physical, mental, social, or economic distress. This one is different than the others in that it encompasses all of those things that push on us. Often in combination, and due to the distress, these things can cause us to lose our bearings and balance. Once we are there, it’s a stone’s throw to a “squeeze” of our values as we succumb to the pressure.

It is not difficult to get wrapped up by one or more of these six issues and experience a squeezing of our core values. The good news is that with our compass guiding us in the right direction and our sails set to catch a good wind we can become resistant to all of these “squeezers” of core values.

What experiences have you had with things that squeeze your core values? Share them with us!

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BACK TO BASICS

If you have ever listened to the teachings of Jim Rohn, or were fortunate enough to be one of 5 million people to have seen him in person (Mr. Rohn passed away in 2009), you know that his elemental message is one of Basics and Fundamentals. So I present to you the truth about Getting Back to Basics, Jim Rohn style.

Do you know who Jim Rohn is? Can you share how you have been impacted by his philosophy? Have  there been other influential people in your life that have shared a Back to Basics message with you? Tell us about it.

Quotes by Jim Rohn, America’s Foremost Business Philosopher, reprinted with permission from Jim Rohn International ©2011.
As a world-renowned author and success expert, Jim Rohn touched millions of lives during his 46-year career as a motivational speaker and messenger of positive life change.
For more information on Jim and his popular personal achievement resources or to subscribe to the weekly Jim Rohn Newsletter, visit www.JimRohn.com.

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Over the years, my blind spots have kept me from achieving. At times they have gotten me in trouble.

How do blind spots cause you problems? The list of blind spot problems include:

1. Blind Spots keep us from seeing things about ourselves that we need to see. Author Dr. James Gills calls this Spiritual Cataracts, which cause an inability to see ourselves as others see us.
2. Blind spots prevent us from considering other, usually contrasting points of view. Dr. Madeleine Van Hecke, author of Blind Spots devotes a chapter to this in her book.
3.  Blind Spots keep us from thinking “out of the box” when they cause biases that get in the way of free and creative thinking.
4. Blind Spots often put us in the position where we fail to see the big picture when we get too close to a particular point (can’t see the forest for the trees)
5. Blind Spots sometimes lead you to reach a conclusion without examining all of the possible alternatives. Your eventual decision ends up somewhat less than optimal.

Can you prevent (or at a minimum reduce) blind spots? I wouldn’t be writing this blog if I didn’t think so! What has worked for me is a handful of things that I work hard to put into practice constantly. These include:

1. Frequent introspectives (i.e. person in the mirror) exercises. Alcoholics Anonymous 12 Step Program defines this as Step 4, “Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves”.  I do this daily. It requires practice, discipline, and objectivity about yourself.
2. Engaging trusted friends or mentors to evaluate your behavior, communication, interaction, or other dimensions of your character. This is sometimes referred to as a 360 degree evaluation. It takes a thick skin.
3. Taking additional time to think through alternatives when I am thinking about and trying to solve problems or issues and not short cutting the process. This technique allows me to consider more alternatives.
4. Thinking all the way through to potential consequences of my actions. Doing this also makes it easier to consider options I would not have taken the time to look at.
5. Putting aside my pride and reflecting on the real value of humility . This seems to loosen me up and allows me to see things more clearly.

I have met a very few number of people (maybe three or so?) in my life that I do not believe had any blind spots. In other words, they were so introspective, so in tune with themselves and how they interacted with people and with the general world around them, that they could see everything about themselves that anyone else saw about them. This takes  humility, desire, willingness and practice. The rest of us mere mortals aren’t that lucky.

What about you? Can you recognize your own blind spots? What techniques have you found effective in addressing your blind spots? Do you look at the person in the mirror?

THE SECOND CHANCE

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THIS IS WHAT A SECOND CHANCE FEELS LIKE

A bit dramatic, I agree, but this is what it felt like to me when I committed the biggest mistake of my life, experienced the consequence of a 4 year prison sentence, and at the end, was pulled out of the abyss to be given a second chance. So, after having made a mistake of the magnitude that could have devastated and ruined my life, I share with you the Zen of Second Chances, embodied in 5 important things to consider about life-saving second chances.

In what later came to be known as The Miracle On the Hudson, the crew successfully glided the plane to a landing in the river, safely evacuating all 150 passengers and 5 crew members. Captain Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger was able to calmly and confidently guide his crew and the passengers through this crisis.

Lessons to be Learned from the Miracle On the Hudson

Throughout our lives, many of us will be fortunate enough to not face a crisis of this magnitude. However, regardless of the size of the potential problems we will face, we can can take away several lessons from the actions of Captain Sullenberger and his crew in coping with and coming safely through our personal crises. Here are 5 take-aways we can use.

1. ANTICIPATION AND PLANNING – Striking a flock of birds and losing engine power is a potentially possible event for an airliner and its crew. So it makes sense that they would document this potential crisis, such as in a crisis checklist, and work through and even practice mitigation. For us, this might mean thinking about what we would do if we lost our jobs, and putting together a plan that included a cushion of 3 to 6 months worth of salary in the form of cash savings to carry our families through while we landed the new job.
2. DECISION MAKING – When a crisis presents itself, concentrate on the facts, sift through the emotions and drama, seek points of view from Voices of Value, check back to your mitigating strategies, and focus your attention and energy on making the right decision. Captain Sullenberger focused and worked his crew through their checklists in evaluating and deciding what to do.
3. DECISIVENESS – Once you have made a decision, act decisively to execute your strategy. Captain Sully’s crew first decided to attempt a landing at a nearby airport, then requested and obtained permission to land there. For us, this is all about moving ahead quickly and efficiently, and not neglecting to do the things that are required to exercise our chosen strategy.
4. FLEXIBILITY – This step involves constantly evaluating how the crisis in unfolding and how well your decisions are working out. It is essential to recognize when a change is needed and a different course is required. Captain Sully and his crew re-evaluated their position, realized that they would not be able to land at the small regional airport, and instantly decided to execute a water landing.
5. LEADERSHIP – Leadership? Yes! The entire crew of US Airways Flight 1549 lead all the way through the crisis, with Captain Sullenberg setting the overall leadership tone. They refused to be victims. With the right plans, effective decision making, decisiveness, and flexibility, we can and should lead ourselves (and our families, departments, or companies) through the crisis, refusing to become victims.

What exactly is a Voice of Value?

A Voice of Value is one that you can trust, and that shares valuable advice to help add to and refine your personal philosophy, beliefs and attitudes. In short, it is a voice of someone who will add value to you. You want to find these people so that you may continually add to and expand your capacity, capabilities, and skills and continually refine your personal philosophy so that you become more valuable. This is the process of growth and maturity.

Sifting through the Chaff to find the Wheat

But how can you tell whether the voice belongs to a trustworthy and serious person who would steer you in a good and right direction and not have you dashed against the rocks? Here are 5 things to consider that I have successfully used in determining whether the voice is of value or would distort your moral compass.

1 – You have known the source for some time, and they have previously shared valuable advice.

2 – You can verify what the person is telling you from another trusted source (this is verifying the “advice”).

3 – The source has been recommended to you by another trusted person (this is verifying the “source”).

4 – The advice appears ethically and morally sound and can be vetted from these points of view. Additionally, as you “quiet” yourself and think of what is being said and recommended, the still small voice inside you tells you that it is right and good.

We went to a place we had been going to for years., where a spry old man grows the best corn and sells ears, ground corn, and other produce, right from the back of his house. So, as usual, we drove down the private road to the old man’s house, and turned into the driveway. His wife came out to greet us, and much to our chagrin, directed us to the spiffy looking building we had passed on the main road. So, back we went, to buy the ground corn, and sure enough, there he was, wearing a cowboy hat, with his sun-browned leathery skin and wide smile.

If I had been my usual self, I would have just picked up the ground corn, paid the young clerk for it, and been on my way. But the man’s infectious smile caught my attention, and he came over to talk. Twenty minutes later, he had shared such a treasure trove of valuable lessons, that I realized how foolish we are that we miss out on so much when we are in such a hurry. The old man, let’s call him Herman to respect his privacy, had so much to offer, as might many of the people we come into contact with if we would only stop to LISTEN. Here is what he said, in no apparent order:

• When we complimented him on his new building, he  said, “Some people ask me why I didn’t do this before, and kept selling my corn out of the back of the house. It just wasn’t the right time to do this, that’s all. Everything has a time. This younger generation gets impatient, and I wasn’t ready, it wasn’t time. Now, I did it, I paid cash for it, don’t owe anyone a dime. And nearly every dime I get out of here is profit.”
• When we asked how he was doing in these tough economic times, he responded, “What tough economic times? Life is a series of cycles. Up, down, then back up again. I’ve been through many of them now. Twenty two years growing and selling corn here, and when I started I was in it for the long run, and still am. I wasn’t thinking of getting rich in 6 months. This is what I do, and I do it well. How long have you been coming here? I have people who have been buying corn here for over twenty years. If you eat good tamales in Miami, you are probably eating my corn.”
• On things he had seen that surprised him in twenty plus years, he said, “Nothing surprises me. I have a good friend that struck it rich in construction 15 years ago. I used to do all the landscaping for the houses he built. Fancy cars, luxury mansions, he was leveraged to the hilt. Now, he drives a $300 pickup truck. The banks took it all. He has nothing. Does his tale surprise me? No. It’s sad, but not surprising. You reap what you sow. He was reaping more than what he sowed. Look around you. This is what I sowed.”
• On why he thought he had been successful, he told us that “whenever I had an extra $500, or $1,000, I put it away and then used it on an option to buy the farm land I leased to grow my corn. Now I own it free and clear. And I always paid my debts. Own the house I live in that you saw, free and clear, and waited until I could afford to build this building. There are no foreclosures in my past or future”.

Quite a conversation for twenty minutes! If you missed it, these were the secrets of his success, plain and simple:

1. Patience
2. Long term outlook
3. Hard work
4. Fiscal responsibility

And aside from these valuable bits of counsel, I am reminded to continually LISTEN, and don’t talk so much. For out of the mouths of not-so-ordinary people, comes wisdom and sage  advice. What has been your experience in meeting unassuming people who went on to share incredibly rich and valuable stories? Did you take advantage of these encounters? Or were you too busy to stop and LISTEN? I’d like to LISTEN to you!

The issue was, when certain events happened or when I did certain things, the impact was not that great because I was not yet in a position of great influence or responsibility to have it be a great impact. Not that it wasn’t negative, it just wasn’t negative enough to have such a great impact that I took notice and decided, “well, I had better fix this so that it doesn’t happen again”. Later on in my career, as I had progressed in position and title, with more responsibility and accountability, the same type of behavior caused disastrous consequence, catastrophic outcomes. Why? because I was now in a position where the same behavior was drastically more impacting, to me, to the company, to my family, to others. What a revelation?

The morals of the story?

1. Closely examine and inspect yourself, your behavior, the things you think, the things you say, the actions you take.
2. Look for common threads, look for meaning, and look for the opportunities to change that behavior.
3. Follow the thread back to your thoughts before the words, before the action, and put a pause in between the thought and the words, and the action.
4. Use the A.W.A.R.E. model.

A = Acknowledgment. I see that something needs to change and I acknowledge it. I recognize it and own it as mine.

W = Willingness. I decide that I am willing to change that which I recognize as needing change.

A = Ability. I recognize that what needs to change is based on an old way of looking at something (a paradigm) or of doing something (a habit) and I acquire the ability to do it differently  or to not do it. In other words, I acquire the ability to change. This could take ne an hour, a day, even weeks. It might even take me engaging someone to help me through the change, or research on how to do it differently , or to avoid doing it at all.

R = Resistance. I realize that there is resistance to change and I work through how to break through that resistance. I also develop a resistance to fall back into the old way, the old habit.

E – Enablement. Making a change permanent requires practicing it, repeating it until the skill is mastered and becomes part of me. The key is to be able to own the new skill, to make it an integral part of me, so that I don’t even have to think about it, I “Nike” it (Just  Do It!).

This is how I change. I have found it to be a good process for me. More later. TTFN. ~EPF