Big Things Done Podcast

*Note: Listen to Episode 7 before listening to Episode 8.

Recall the definition of what a leader is from Episode 7: A leader is someone who is ahead of everyone else, and works to bring their team to their future state.

Episode 8 is all about the second part of this definition - what it means for a leader to bring their team to their future state. I’ve been in countless organizations where a “leader” talked about a future state or goal, but the organization never progressed toward it. How do you avoid just talking about big things and actually going and doing them?  How do you lead your team to accomplish your goals?

A leader makes and executes action plans.  An action plan is a simple list of what needs to be done, who is responsible for doing it, and when it must be accomplished. Without an action plan, nothing will never be done - the team has no direction or sense of accomplishment. A leader must recognize the importance of action plans and be the DRIVING force behind their creation and execution.

Application: Always carry a way to write down action plan details so you do not forget and can keep people accountable. The best way to lose leadership credibility is to say you’ll do something and then never follow through. Also, resolve to not leave your meetings until an action plan has been established and can be implemented. There are very few meetings where an action plan isn’t warranted - so any time you leave a meeting without one was a waste of time.

A leader communicates the action plan and why it’s important. People want to be led, not told what to do, and there is a big difference between the two. A leader not only communicates the action plan to their team (who, what, and by when), but also expresses why it matters. Telling your team the reason for doing all they do is a constant, repetitive task. It is the responsibility of the leader to consistently maintain the perspective of their team members to keep them motivated and performing at their best.

Application: Find specific examples and instances of how what you are doing matters. How did your product change a customer’s life? How did your service improve a company? Somehow, some way, find the specific ways your team’s efforts made an impact and share it with them.

In this two-part series, I detail out the basic definition of what it means to be a leader. Too often, our world produces books and speeches about the qualities of a leader, but rarely does anyone take the time to discuss the definition of what a leader is. While these conversations are good, they do not serve to equip people to develop and grow into effective leaders - because they gloss over the basics, which is where we all need to start.  And that is a shame, because leadership is THE THING THAT CAN SOLVE EVERY PROBLEM IN OUR WORLD.

Here’s my definition of what a leader is:

A leader is someone who is ahead of everyone else, and works to bring their team to their future vision.

In Episode 7, we talk about the first part of that definition - what it means for a leader to be a person who is ahead of everyone else.  And it boils down to 2 simple facts:

A leader thinks about a future vision.  A leader is someone who says “where we are right now is not ok. We need to move to a better, improved state”. Literally, a leader is mentally ahead of most people because they are not thinking about the issues going on right now. Rather, a leader is focused on where they want to move to in the future.

Application: commit to a future state. Detail out a goal or status that you want for yourself and your organization. If you aren’t sure what thi means, go listen to Episode 1 of the Big Things Done Podcast, where we talk about how to find “your big thing”.

A leader is motivated by their future vision. Our society loves to tell people to “live in the moment” and only focus on the things that are immediately in front of you. Not so for a leader. A leader’s actions and decisions completely revolve around moving to a future vision. A leader will do things that are not enjoyable or may not make sense in the present, in order to move closer to a place they want to be in the future.

Application: Find the link between your future state and your daily tasks. Divide a piece of paper into 2 columns, left and right. On the left column, write out every one of your daily tasks.  In the middle of the right column, write your future state or desired goal. Now draw a line between each of your tasks and your future state.  Above each line, write 3-5 words that explains how the task relates or brings you closer to your future state.

 

Be sure to listen to Episode 8 (part 2) for the second part of the definition of leadership.

If you want to start a company, build and/or improve a brand, this episode FOR YOU!!

When it comes to doing Big Things, few people have built as iconic of charity organizations as Tom Lennox, the founder of Pelotonia and Chainbreaker. Combined, these organizations bring together nearly 10,000 people to participate in annual bike rides in Columbus, OH and Minneapolis, MN and have raised $159M for life-saving cancer research.  Both organizations operate and feel different than most common-place charities, and that is primarily due to Tom’s extensive knowledge of building brands and running businesses. This interview focuses on the very beginning of the organizations and how the values and identity of Pelotonia and Chainbreaker were formed.

Here are some of the main themes from the interview:

The importance of forming your unique identity

The link between business success and living your business’ values

Developing and trusting your process

Learning to develop and utilize your skillsets, regardless your position

The importance of finding an occupation you love and find meaning through your work

Here are 3 links to deepen your understanding of brands. There are many great resources out there, these are just starting points to get you thinking:

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/77408

https://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/2016/09/a-brief-history-of-branding.html#.Wvm4r2gvx3g

https://www.shopify.com/blog/how-to-build-a-brand (https://www.shopify.com/blog/how-to-build-a-brand)

Here are the links to Pelotonia and Chainbreaker if you want to learn more, or better yet, sign up to participate!

http://pelotonia.org/ (http://pelotonia.org/)

https://chainbreakerride.org/

 

If you are interested in donating to cancer research, consider sponsoring me as I participate this summer!  I am riding 100 miles on August 11th, 2018, and am raising $1,500 to fund life-saving cancer research. I need to raise $15 per mile to reach my goal, and you can help me by donating at this link: https://chainbreakerride.org/donate/checkout?rider=799

If you want to start a company, build and/or improve a brand, this episode FOR YOU!!

When it comes to doing Big Things, few people have built as iconic of charity organizations as Tom Lennox, the founder of Pelotonia and Chainbreaker. Combined, these organizations bring together nearly 10,000 people to participate in annual bike rides in Columbus, OH and Minneapolis, MN and have raised $159M for life-saving cancer research.  Both organizations operate and feel different than most common-place charities, and that is primarily due to Tom’s extensive knowledge of building brands and running businesses. This interview focuses on the very beginning of the organizations and how the values and identity of Pelotonia and Chainbreaker were formed.

Here are some of the main themes from the interview:

The importance of forming your unique identity

The link between business success and living your business’ values

Developing and trusting your process

Learning to develop and utilize your skillsets, regardless your position

The importance of finding an occupation you love and find meaning through your work

Here are 3 links to deepen your understanding of brands. There are many great resources out there, these are just starting points to get you thinking:

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/77408

https://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/2016/09/a-brief-history-of-branding.html#.Wvm4r2gvx3g

https://www.shopify.com/blog/how-to-build-a-brand (https://www.shopify.com/blog/how-to-build-a-brand)

Here are the links to Pelotonia and Chainbreaker if you want to learn more, or better yet, sign up to participate!

http://pelotonia.org/ (http://pelotonia.org/)

https://chainbreakerride.org/

 

If you are interested in donating to cancer research, consider sponsoring me as I participate this summer!  I am riding 100 miles on August 11th, 2018, and am raising $1,500 to fund life-saving cancer research. I need to raise $15 per mile to reach my goal, and you can help me by donating at this link: https://chainbreakerride.org/donate/checkout?rider=799

If you want to start a company, build and/or improve a brand, this episode FOR YOU!!

When it comes to doing Big Things, few people have built as iconic of charity organizations as Tom Lennox, the founder of Pelotonia and Chainbreaker. Combined, these organizations bring together nearly 10,000 people to participate in annual bike rides in Columbus, OH and Minneapolis, MN and have raised $159M for life-saving cancer research.  Both organizations operate and feel different than most common-place charities, and that is primarily due to Tom’s extensive knowledge of building brands and running businesses. This interview focuses on the very beginning of the organizations and how the values and identity of Pelotonia and Chainbreaker were formed.

Here are some of the main themes from the interview:

The importance of forming your unique identity

The link between business success and living your business’ values

Developing and trusting your process

Learning to develop and utilize your skillsets, regardless your position

The importance of finding an occupation you love and find meaning through

Here are 3 links to deepen your understanding of brands. There are many great resources out there, these are just starting points to get you thinking:

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/77408

https://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/2016/09/a-brief-history-of-branding.html#.Wvm4r2gvx3g

https://www.shopify.com/blog/how-to-build-a-brand (https://www.shopify.com/blog/how-to-build-a-brand)

Here are the links to Pelotonia and Chainbreaker if you want to learn more, or better yet, sign up to participate!

http://pelotonia.org/ (http://pelotonia.org/)

https://chainbreakerride.org/

 

If you are interested in donating to cancer research, consider sponsoring me as I participate this summer!  I am riding 100 miles on August 11th, 2018, and am raising $1,500 to fund life-saving cancer research. I need to raise $15 per mile to reach my goal, and you can help me by donating at this link: https://chainbreakerride.org/donate/checkout?rider=799

Are you tired of giving up on your dreams and goals when things get hard?

Pay attention to your stats.

We have been taught to only think about stats that are in the past - how much money we’ve made, what our profit margins were, how much weight we’ve lost. We call these metrics “lagging metrics”, because they only tell you about what happened in the past. These stats are ok, but they aren’t the best, because they don’t give any indication that you can do better or are moving toward your goal.  That’ll make even the best person eventually want to quit.

Here’s a better approach - start paying attention to your leading metrics. Leading metrics are actions that you take to influence a future event. These are metrics, that if you do them well, you will reach your goal. I guarantee you already know what these are, but I’m willing to bet that you don’t use these to say you’re successful on a daily basis. You should start.

If you are tired of feeling bad about not reaching your goals and want to start making progress toward your BIG THING, listen to the episode to learn about how to use your stats properly!

Here is the link to the Chainbreaker Ride organization that I mention in the episode. If you would like to donate or learn more, click here https://chainbreakerride.org/donate/checkout?rider=799

 

All donations are tax-deductible and will go to my fundraiser goal of $1250.

Are you tired of giving up on your dreams and goals when things get hard?

Pay attention to your stats.

We have been taught to only think about stats that are in the past - how much money we’ve made, what our profit margins were, how much weight we’ve lost. We call these metrics “lagging metrics”, because they only tell you about what happened in the past. These stats are ok, but they aren’t the best, because they don’t give any indication that you can do better or are moving toward your goal.  That’ll make even the best person eventually want to quit.

Here’s a better approach - start paying attention to your leading metrics. Leading metrics are actions that you take to influence a future event. These are metrics, that if you do them well, you will reach your goal. I guarantee you already know what these are, but I’m willing to bet that you don’t use these to say you’re successful on a daily basis. You should start.

If you are tired of feeling bad about not reaching your goals and want to start making progress toward your BIG THING, listen to the episode to learn about how to use your stats properly!

Here is the link to the Chainbreaker Ride organization that I mention in the episode. If you would like to donate or learn more, click here https://chainbreakerride.org/donate/checkout?rider=799

 

All donations are tax-deductible and will go to my fundraiser goal of $1250.

Are you tired of giving up on your dreams and goals when things get hard?

Pay attention to your stats.

We have been taught to only think about stats that are in the past - how much money we’ve made, what our profit margins were, how much weight we’ve lost. We call these metrics “lagging metrics”, because they only tell you about what happened in the past. These stats are ok, but they aren’t the best, because they don’t give any indication that you can do better or are moving toward your goal.  That’ll make even the best person eventually want to quit.

Here’s a better approach - start paying attention to your leading metrics. Leading metrics are actions that you take to influence a future event. These are metrics, that if you do them well, you will reach your goal. I guarantee you already know what these are, but I’m willing to bet that you don’t use these to say you’re successful on a daily basis. You should start.

If you are tired of feeling bad about not reaching your goals and want to start making progress toward your BIG THING, listen to the episode to learn about how to use your stats properly!

Here is the link to the Chainbreaker Ride organization that I mention in the episode. If you would like to donate or learn more, click here https://chainbreakerride.org/donate/checkout?rider=799

 

All donations are tax-deductible and will go to my fundraiser goal of $1250.

We all have a story of how we got to where we are today, and in this episode, I share a little about my personal journey and my Big Thing. I was hesitant at first to open up about my story - only because it’s not very dramatic and doesn’t involve some sort of cool, crazy, radical transformation. But as I look back on the “average” events in my life, I can point to multiple lessons that can help me get better in the future. My purpose in sharing my story is to inspire you to look at your story, identify the valuable lessons that you’ve learned, and start making yourself better.

We all have a story of how we got to where we are today, and in this episode, I share a little about my personal journey and my Big Thing. I was hesitant at first to open up about my story - only because it’s not very dramatic and doesn’t involve some sort of cool, crazy, radical transformation. But as I look back on the “average” events in my life, I can point to multiple lessons that can help me get better in the future. My purpose in sharing my story is to inspire you to look at your story, identify the valuable lessons that you’ve learned, and start making yourself better.