Audio Tidbits

The Aliens Amongst Us are continuing to assimilate as Earth humans. This spring afternoon, they are catching their first Major League Baseball game. It’s a strange new experience for them. Please join them as they try to figure out what all the hoopla is about.

Pitch in and do what needs done.

Leaders are doers. This is a simple principle but a proactive leader has elevated it to an art form. You can count on a proactive leader to do what needs done and to give his 110%. Lazy is not a term anyone uses when talking about a proactive leader.

What you also need to know is that he expects the same from everyone on his team. Put this in context though. Pitching in does not apply to other people's work. If it needs done and they are not doing it, you can be certain it will get done, even if he needs to do it himself. At the same time, a proactive leader will take whatever action is necessary to assure such negligence does not recur. Doing what needs done starts with doing what you are expected to do.

Having said that, there is always this and that needing done with no one specifically responsible for doing it. On a proactive leader's team, it does not have to be said that he will and does pitch in. The same level of responsibility and initiative is the order of the day for everyone else. …

Keep focused on getting the job done.

Of course, a proactive leader does not get into being negative and depressed about things. You already know he accepts personal responsibility for his attitude and behavior. He knows too it is easy to lose focus, to lose track of the goal.

Here is where a proactive leader along with all truly effective leaders excels. Every event, every situation, every transaction is viewed by a proactive leader through the mission's lens. Others may let their focus drift, but a proactive leader is always there to bring them back. Others may be more focused some days than others, but he is there to sharpen their perspectives, to keep them continuously on task.

How does he do this? It always comes down to his bottom line. He is obsessed with why he does what he does and with the cost of not doing it well, the first time, on time, every time. For a proactive leader, the potential cost of losing focus is just too high.

Have faith in those who make the journey with you.

This starts with living the values and beliefs that are the trademarks of leaders who have carefully developed excellence. Specifically, it starts with not reflexively blaming or accusing someone whenever there is a problem. That initial level of faith is followed by believing people are normally honest and trustworthy. If you start by assuming a problem's coming up does not necessarily mean someone screwed up, you have opened your mind to the alternative possibilities. Assuming that team members are honest and trustworthy allows you to comfortably collaborate with them. Together, in the spirit of trust and good faith, you can best understand the problem and how to reduce the likelihood of its recurring.

a proactive leader knows problems are usually not caused by anyone's inadequacy or failure. They are caused by the unexpected, by the improbable, or by things that could not be predicted or controlled. To start with the people instead of the problem runs a high chance of never solving the problem. It also runs an even higher risk of breaking trust with people, with the team. If the problem turns out to be with one or more of the people, a proactive leader has strategies for handling that, but he has faith in you and invariably initiates problem solving from a good faith perspective.

What do you think so far? Is a proactive leader a leader worthy of being followed by you? He is certainly demanding of those who would follow and has very high expectations for anyone who would join his team. If a proactive leader's mission is one with which you identify, do you think teaming with him is your path to success? a proactive leader is intense and not particularly open to those who would try to change or modify his mission. If you want to go where he is going, then welcome aboard.

1. Be positive and energetic whether things are going well or going badly.

This is a point where the wrong conclusion is at hand. a proactive leader most assuredly does not see the plumbing's backing up as a great opportunity to bond with the plumber, just as he does not get suddenly energized by bad news. At the same time, he does not take the fact the plumbing backed up out on everyone else and does not act like someone let the air out of his tires whenever the news is not good.

Neither temper tantrums nor pouting are consistent with a proactive leader's approach to problems and disappointments. He gave that nonsense up by the first grade. His attitude and commitment are his responsibilities and not reactions to people and events. If you are on a proactive leader's winning team, you get the Proactive Leader you have come to know and count on, at his best, every day, every time, no exceptions, no excuses. …

2. Accurately understand and appreciate your skills and limitations.

Knowing what he does well and then doing it well are among a proactive leader's strongest assets. What you need to know is he will make a point of learning what you do well so you too spend most of your time in the strength of your game. He understands his team cannot excel unless all team members spend most of their time doing what they do best.

There is another side of this strategy that is equally important though. a proactive leader knows his limitations and will come to know yours. The team is then developed in part by filling in the identified limitations with people who are strong in those areas. Beyond this, a proactive leader is making a personal point. His limitations keep him from achieving his mission. He does not have the skills, know-how, and resources to get there by himself. For a proactive leader, you are not just a follower, a member of the winning team. You are critical to his success.

3. Be well-organized.

Organization is among the few absolutely critical characteristics of a successful leader. a proactive leader's special brand of organization goes far beyond the day to day need to keep track of things and activities though. He has an organized mind. a proactive leader can and does think about things in an unusually organized way, has at his mental fingertips a huge range of relevant information and concepts, and routinely demonstrates his special ability to mentally organize complex problems and issues.

a proactive leader's level of mental organization sets him apart from merely competent leaders. He fully understands what needs to be understood. This by itself is impressive. The truly amazing thing though, is a proactive leader maintains this level of organization over time, as circumstances change, as what is important shifts, as information serves its purpose and is replaced with new information. Among other benefits for the team, a proactive leader's exceptional mental organization lets him see problems before they are problems, opportunities before they are opportunities, and solutions before others recognize there is an issue. By the time something needs done, he has already done it. His master touch is he makes it look easy. Unless you observe closely, you may never know anything exceptional is happening, right before your eyes.

The devil is in the details. That is my only point here. What can be missed is the fact this devil is particularly devilish. Every situation, set of circumstances, problem, or issue has its broad-brush look and feel. From that perspective, it takes on its special definition. Given that definition, a proactive leader can draw on his insight and experience and take appropriate action. He does not need the details to know what to do. In fact, he is so oriented to managing people and processes at this level he quickly becomes impatient with those who insist on providing far more detail than he wants or needs.

Less successful leaders take a different approach. They want and need every detail, no matter how trivial. They believe the more information they have, the better will be their choices and decisions. These leaders see themselves as thoughtful and thorough. Proactive leaders are, they think, impulsive and inclined to shoot from the hip.

Here is the underlying problem. No matter how much detailed information leaders have, there is most always more information that could be made available, if they are patient enough. There are also things they cannot know and details that will not be forthcoming no matter how patient they are. It is normally possible to know more and impossible to know everything.

Leaders always act based on partial information. The challenge is knowing when to act and when to wait on more detail. Were that not enough, information tends to go down in proportion to the potential unwanted consequences of the decision or choice. The more potential there is for bad outcomes, the less well-informed the leader is likely to be. In these situations, successful leaders tend to act too quickly and less successful leaders tend to get bogged down in the details and postpone action indefinitely.

Understanding these facts of leadership, Attend to the details without getting bogged down in them. If you are apt to act too quickly, slow down and assimilate more detail. If instead, you are apt to obsess over the details, take a deep breath and act. Either way, you may want to use a proactive leader's secret technique. He sets a specific, future time to decide. This forces him to consider more detail and to get more input. It also forces a closure to input and an end point for attending to detail. When the time comes to decide, he decides. As a wise and experienced leader put it, When the bell rings, you just jump on the bull and hope you can hang on.

The Great Mouse has again been spotted in the city near the airport. Our intrepid hunters zero in on the Great Mouse, hoping this will be the time they prevail. The Great Mouse ducks into the parking garage and on into the terminal. The chase is on, with the hunters taking full advantage of their new lasers which they were gifted from the terrorist taskforce. This may be the time the hunters finally corner and capture the Great Mouse. Please join the hunt.

Douglas Adams had what was likely an important insight into the nature of free will. If you were free to do what you will, what would you choose?

Before you take your pick, here is Adams’ point for you to contemplate, “It is an important and popular fact that things are not always what they seem. For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much - the wheel, New York, wars and so on - whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man - for precisely the same reasons.”

A particularly good time to do your contemplating is the next time you are doing the laundry or find yourself parked on the freeway during rush hour or trying to figure out how to negotiate the new login procedure for the office network. Your conclusion may be that Mark Twain had a point when he said, “I have been studying the traits and dispositions of the lower animals (so called) and contrasting them with the traits and dispositions of man. I find the result humiliating to me.”

Red Auerbach said, “The only correct actions are those that demand no explanation and no apology.” Now isn’t that just dandy. It likely means the key to correct actions is to never make a mistake, to never make an error in judgment, to never make a social or emotional miscalculation …. You get the idea.

Red may have identified the key, but using it may be a bit risky. It is the same key that locks the door to personal growth, more fulfilling relationships, and expanding opportunity. So long as you don’t overdo it, an occasional apology is, as grandpa liked to say, “A good way to have the last word.” Just be sure to keep Kimberly Johnson’s caution in mind when you apologize, “Never ruin an apology with an excuse.”

You may be tempted to presume self-confidence is a good quality merely because it improves your performance. People who are self-confident generally do better than those who aren’t.

Feeling confident does enhance one’s functioning, but that is only the half of it. As Lord Chesterfield said, “Polished brass will pass upon more people than rough gold.” The point is that looking confident may be as important as being confident. Niccolo Machiavelli put it like this, “Men in general judge more from appearances than from reality. All men have eyes, but few have the gift of penetration.” Daniel Webster expanded on the point, “The world is governed more by appearance than realities so that it is fully as necessary to seem to know something as to know it.”

Baltasar Gracian may have been excessively cynical, “Things do not pass for what they are, but for what they seem. Most things are judged by their jackets.” Even so, Ivy Compton-Burnett’s view is likely at least partially correct, “Appearances are not held to be a clue to the truth. But we seem to have no other.” The take home point is to be sure, along with being self-confident, you also appear to be who you want others to think you are. For example, Along with feeling like a winner, you also need to look like a winner.

In the last chapter, we saw a successful leadership connection supports and furthers the mutual interests of the agency and the person with whom the connection is made. For a successful connection, the agency has to be very clear about what its interests are. Why? is not for the sake of yesterday. We never use leadership connections to complain or whine about things that have already happened. We may report past events for the sake of the record or to make it clear we are disappointed or unhappy; but if we do, we are cautious, understanding such actions and behavior seldom accomplish anything useful. They definitely do not serve to positively reinforce our leadership connections. Criticizing, blaming, accusing, threatening, or any other version of finger pointing is counterproductive. It is seldom if ever in the agency's best interest. There is an old saying that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. This is occasionally true; but equally true is the fact if it keeps squeaking; sooner or later it simply gets removed from the wagon.

Leadership connections serve multiple agency interests, but those interests are in the future. The connections are for the sake of future events, situations, and circumstances. This includes providing and receiving information about areas of mutual interest, along with staying current on happenings within the agency and within the stakeholder's area. It includes a continuing opportunity to influence each other in ways working to the advantage of the agency and the stakeholder. Each connection serves to improve the odds for future success of both participants.

Reciprocity is a key feature of successful leadership connections. There is and should be a good measure of give and take in every leadership connection. The point that may not be obvious is a fair degree of equity in that give and take is essential. From the agency's point of view, however, the balance stays tipped away from the agency in favor of the stakeholder. On average, the stakeholder gets a little more out of the relationship than the agency. When the time comes when the agency receives significantly more than it gives and that time will come the agency will have a sufficient balance with the stakeholder to handle the temporary inequity without jeopardizing the connection. The underlying concept here may be thought of as Leadership Banking.

Justin brings you a narration of the first section of Three Steps To Success: A Self-help Toolbox for Young Readers. This link takes you to the books page on Amazon: Three Steps To Success Justin hopes you enjoy his narration and I hope you and your young readers enjoy the book.

“If a man is not rising upwards to be an angel, depend upon it, he is sinking downwards to be a devil.” What do you think about this pronouncement from Samuel Taylor Coleridge?

If you are skeptical about this angel thing, consider what George Elliot said, “The golden moments in the stream of life rush past us and we see nothing but sand; the angels come to visit us, and we only know them when they are gone.”

OK, you may still see nothing but sand and are too busy to rise upwards to be an angel. Besides, you’ve never seen an angel and doubt if anyone else has either. Well, it’s just like James Russell Lowell said, “All God's angels come to us disguised.”

Voltaire added, “It is not known precisely where angels dwell - whether in the air, the void, or the planets. It has not been God's pleasure that we should be informed of their abode.”

Nonetheless, “Angels descending, bring from above, echoes of mercy, whispers of love.” (Fanny J. Crosby)

It’s like Jean Paul Richter told us, “The guardian angels of life fly so high as to be beyond our sight, but they are always looking down upon us.”

“O welcome, pure-eyed Faith, white-handed Hope, Thou hovering angel, girt with golden wings!” (John Milton, Comus) …

. . . . .

“The harsh, useful things of the world, from pulling teeth to digging potatoes, are best done by men who are as starkly sober as so many convicts in the death-house, but the lovely and useless things, the charming and exhilarating things, are best done by men with, as the phrase is, a few sheets in the wind.” H.L. Mencken certainly laid it out that drink is a good news – bad news opportunity. Sure, it depends; but there definitely are pros and cons.

The famous Anon. said, “The first thing in the human personality that dissolves in alcohol is dignity;” but Robert Louis Stevenson said, “Wine is bottled poetry.” Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller said, “When the wine goes in, strange things come out;” but Frank Sinatra said, “I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day.” Even Shakespeare weighed in on the thumbs down side, “O God, that men should put an enemy in their mouths to steal away their brains! that we should, with joy, pleasance, revel, and applause, transform ourselves into beasts;” but no less an authority than Dave Barry put in his two cents worth on the other side of the debate, “Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza.” – Let’s give Homer Simpson today’s last word on the topic, “Beer is the cause and solution to all of life's problems. – Cheers!

. . . . .

There is a French Proverb that says, “Anger is a bad counselor.” Although anger compels you to action, it’s like Benjamin Franklin warned, “Anger and folly walk cheek by jowl.” Will Rogers put it this way, “People who fly into a rage always make a bad landing;” and Robert G. Ingersoll like this, “Anger blows out the lamp of the mind.”

Should a Korean Proverb be more your style, try this one, “If you kick a stone in anger, you'll hurt your own foot.” Wherever in the world you seek your wisdom, indulging in anger is a major no-no. Even Horace gave it a thumbs-down, “Anger is short-lived madness.” Ambrose Bierce said, “Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.”

OK, go ahead and lose your temper if you must; but at least take a quick count to 10 as you “consider how much more you often suffer from your anger and grief, than from those very things for which you are angry and grieved.” (Marcus Antonius)

If you aren't fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm. Vince Lombardi

This isn't always true but is true enough often enough. It may not be true if you are the boss' kid, the only one who knows how to drive the truck, or if it's your ball and you will take it and go home if they don't let you pitch. Other than that, think of it as Lombardi's immutable law of continuing employment. Oliver Wendell Holmes even knew the source of the fire, Through our great good fortune, in our youth our hearts were touched with fire. It was given to us to learn at the outset that life is a profound and passionate thing.

You probably won't want to take the getting fired up thing as far as John Wesley did. He is the one who said, I set myself on fire and people come to watch me burn. Even so, John Foster's point is definitely worth keeping in mind, One of the strongest characteristics of genius is the power of lighting its own fire. Turning into a torch like Wesley is going a tad too far. but keeping a match handy to light your own fire might be pretty cool, so to speak. Being a genius certainly can't hurt your chances of avoiding the employment ax, if it falls. …

If you don't happen to have a promising future as a genius, Napoleon Hill offers some useful advice, The starting point of all achievement is desire. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat. You need to have a strong desire to succeed, a lot of Lombardi's enthusiasm. As Publius Terentius Afer pointed out, There is nothing so easy but that it becomes difficult when you do it reluctantly.

Winston Churchill hit the same nail on the head, Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. And Robert Schuller drove it home when he said, Do what you can, where you are, with what you have. Schuller could have easily added, And do it enthusiastically. Should you be thinking that the fire you need exceeds your capacity, the popular Anon. has a parting thought just for you, If you really want to do something, you'll find a way. if you don't, you'll find an excuse.