WHAT APPEARS TO BE

Do you know teams with three speeds: slow, super slow, and sputtering? Predicaments lead to dilemmas as individuals slog through the bog of business. Such teams have quagmire leaders.

By shifting a paradigm they can move forward faster.

WHAT MIGHT BE

Poor performing teams defend their need to go slow with a shield of rationalization. When presented with evidence that a strategy can help them deliver greater performance, quagmire leaders focus on all the reasons why new ideas won’t work. This means they continue the replication of their current poor practices.

Proof: in company ‘A’ we help the sales team exceed their objectives. But there is a leader somewhere that says, “That approach will never work in finance.” Yet, we’re helping the finance team at company ‘B’ achieve step-level changes. And (you guessed it) a leader there says, “This won’t work in sales.” Ultimately, we work with entire organizations that experience successes in ALL areas, thus disproving the cynics.

Quagmire leaders fight for their limitations.

WHAT CAN BE

Consider what would happen if teams shifted from a “Here’s why it won’t work” mentality, to a “These are the reasons it would work.” Skeptics respond that such an approach leads to poor decisions. Which is true – IF they don’t ask this follow up question: “Now, what’s our best option?”

Quagmire leaders eradicate opportunities for their teams with a “here’s why it won’t work” focus. Teams that move forward faster develop as many opportunities as possible with a “how could that work here?” approach, and then they execute the best option.

Do you plan on going somewhere today? What approach will you use?

What is the difference between what “might be” and what “can be”?  You decide.

WHAT APPEARS TO BE

Have you ever wanted to achieve something extraordinary? Or change a behavior so you can live the exceptional life?

Millions of people answer yes to the questions above. And millions of people fail.

What happens if the reason they fail is not because of rule #1 – but because they forget rule #2?

WHAT MIGHT BE

Rule #1: You’ve got to set goals, have objectives, define your targets, and “set your sights high”…our day is saturated with where we need to go and what we want to be. And then the tragedy begins: the moment the average achiever doesn’t deliver what’s important, they begin to measure all the ways they fell short. They inventory the problems – and disappointment floods in like spring water rushing down the mountains.

How likely are people to achieve anything when they feel like crap?

WHAT CAN BE

While hiking with a friend named Randy, he talked about the importance of having vision, of focusing on what we want in life. It was very inspiring – but nothing I hadn’t heard before.

Then, just before getting into his car, he said, “Oh yeah. And rule #2: no getting discouraged.”

With that, he closed his door and drove away…leaving me to wonder: what would happen if we could set any objective we chose – allowed ourselves to dream anything we wanted? And then backed it all up with rule #2: never allow ourselves to be discouraged in the pursuit of what we desire.

Discouragement is a vicious form of self-pity. What do you want to achieve today? How do you want to live? Use rule #2 and make it happen.

What is the difference between what “might be” and what “can be”?  You decide.

WHAT APPEARS TO BE

If you’re average, this work week you’ll waste 17 hours.

How many hours do you spend in meetings? “My day is one long meeting,” people often share with a sigh. Given this, how productive are the meetings you attend?

An online survey of employees in all industries revealed 17 hours each week are wasted in meetings. Ouch.

WHAT MIGHT BE

Many people we interview report that fewer than 30% of the participants in a meeting are fully engaged. Like a leaky bucket, organizations allow the best ideas, the conscientious efforts and salaries go splashing away in a routine of “time-wasting” meetings.

Ineffective managers blame the disengaged – never comprehending that their own “blah-blah-blah” monologue and "blame-fix-command" approach shoots holes in the aspirations, and results, of all.

Thus, meetings become simply awful.

WHAT CAN BE

There are select leaders who have made productive meetings the norm – by keeping them awfully simple.

Think 10:90. A friend in the auto industry shares, “The more talking I do in meetings, the more people tune out. So I use the ‘10:90 Ratio’. By limiting my words to mostly questions and speaking 10% of the time, the team runs with the remaining 90%. And we get better results.”

What’s more important to you: the thoughts and ideas in your head – or the thoughts and ideas in the heads of the people around you? Unless you plan on doing all the work, it’s time to build greater engagement in others.

Productivity is a choice. Telling – forcing – our ideas on others is the norm. What questions will you ask this week to make meetings (and results) simple?

What is the difference between what “might be” and what “can be”?  You decide.

Bonus Blog:
Today is a “2 for 1” day. We enjoy hearing from readers around the world. The examples of how they’re using the insights from The Tall Guys blog are insightful and inspiring. We couldn’t resist sharing the following as it demonstrates the power of great leadership where it matters most – with our families.

The following is from our friend, Eirik Thune-Larsen. Thank you for standing with The Tall Guys, Eirik.

"The Story Behind the Story"

What Appears to Be

Sometimes we see the world in a moment, and we react based on the information we have – without knowing what is behind the story, knowing where people are coming from.

My 7-year old is supposed to come home right after school.   Yesterday he was almost an hour late, but he had a good excuse. Today, however, 30-minutes after school ended, he was found laying under the play set.   Lying on his stomach he heard from the teacher: "Bjorn, get out from under there! Playtime is over – you’re in trouble, and we have to call your parents".

Well, the call came, and we spoke to the teacher, taking it all in, and prepared for the "talk" as soon as Bjorn arrived home.

Sitting on the couch, we listened, and understood. We ended up applauding his efforts, and explaining the misunderstanding that happened with the teacher.   

What Might Be

The story behind the story: Yesterday when Bjorn was late, he came running in the door, with a big smile on his face, holding a paper in his hand and waiving it. "I got a Cougar Award!" he screamed. It indicated he had helped pick up balls from the playground after school, practicing his "life skills."

Today was nothing different, he wanted another award! He repeated what he did yesterday. He dug under every climbing wall, under every play set, ran all over the playground, and looked in every bush, snow bank and under all the stairs. No basketball would escape him - The Super Picker Upper! He wanted another award. It felt great getting the first one, and he had figured out what it would take to be recognized.   

But the teacher did not know or sense this – so scolded him for staying too long under the play set. He was taken from a high to a major low, and was confused.

What Can Be

Did you take the time today to think and understand before reacting?   Is the "undesirable" behavior in others actually a misunderstanding in the pursuit of success?  How do you react when “the little helper” looks like he is making things worse, but is actually trying to duplicate yesterdays behaviors, in today’s environment?

We are all guilty of acting quickly. Today, take the time to smile before reacting. It makes a huge difference in how you approach the situation. "Check it!" as my 7-year old would say, before giving the opposing team the ball.

What is the difference between what “might be” and what “can be”?  You decide.

WHAT APPEARS TO BE

Do you encounter a negative attitude or two during your work day? Most of us have the ability to dodge a "distasteful" remark or behavior. But what happens when there is nothing but mud around you?

Do you contribute to the grime you encounter during the day – or do you make your day shine?

WHAT MIGHT BE

A scowl, a poisonous tongue, eye rolling, words muttered in a whisper – the list of toxic behaviors is long. And some have formed habits with them.

“They must pay,” is the thinking of some. When someone does us wrong, some people move to deliver a consequence. “They must know that what they did is wrong,” goes the thought process, so bad is corrected by bad…and the bad perpetuates.

WHAT CAN BE

There is an alternative.

A friend, Allyson, shares, “At my daughter’s school they have "Opposite Day." If someone treats you badly, you do the opposite: you treat them well. It sounds corny,” says Allyson, who then smiles and finishes, “but it works.”

Most humans, when receiving a “low road” message from another, respond by taking the low road in return. Stress and disappointing results are the norm for such people.

There is something remarkable about the human spirit – and it’s important to note: when we receive a “high road” message from someone it almost always invokes a high road response. This is when lives and results change.

Could today be an "Opposite Day"? Could today be the point when you show the world that you can be headed toward the low road with someone – and take the high road instead?

What is the difference between what “might be” and what “can be”?  You decide.

WHAT APPEARS TO BE

Imagine a football team where the offensive and defensive players don’t use the same locker room. They have benches on opposite sides of the field and rarely speak. Their definition of ‘team’ ends with the like-minded people around them who have similar responsibilities.

Would you bet on a football team that takes this approach? Never, right? Ironically, do you know teams within corporations that try to deliver results the same way?

WHAT MIGHT BE

Some people focus so much on “delivering results,” they’ve lost sight of what produces results: their collective, aligned efforts. Or, they’ve been burned by "cumbiya" and the “campfire-tell-all” in the past, so they use the “you do your job and I’ll do mine” approach.

Which means hand-offs are fumbled, passes are dropped, and penalties called…resulting in a scoreboard with zero points for the home team.

WHAT CAN BE

How coordinated and collaborative is your team? Is your team so strong it lifts the entire company?

There’s a team in a Detroit organization that is going to new levels: they are proactively influencing anyone who steps on the field with them. They’re so committed to greater results – that they’re first committing themselves to each other. “One Team” is not an empty platitude, it’s a priority. And they’ve got the tools to get it done.

We’re betting on this team.

Do you have the guts to create a unified team? If so, take these steps:

1. Find a common language that moves you forward collectively;
2. Focus on building people – instead of fixing them; and
3. Agree to fight for one another – especially when a teammate struggles.

With the power of one, “one-derful” things happen.

What is the difference between what “might be” and what “can be”?  You decide.

WHAT APPEARS TO BE

Okay, it may be impossible to know exactly what is going to happen tomorrow. But consider the possibility that there is one thing you can predict accurately – and consider that this will give you the advantage you need to be successful.

WHAT MIGHT BE

What was today filled with? Difficult conversations, people who don’t seem to change, difficult decisions, growing financial pressures, and idiots who “just don’t get it” fill the days of most of the people around us.

Do you know anyone who goes through life with an “it’s going to be another one of those days” approach? Have you noticed how these people make little progress – in delivering improved results, building stronger relationships, and moving their career forward?

WHAT CAN BE

That’s because they don’t do what a friend named Ron does. “I believe that today’s challenges are tomorrow’s experiences. And this allows me to continuously improve, day after day.”

It might be a coincidence that Ron works for the leading glass producer in the world – but given his approach, perhaps not. Because Ron approaches everything today as a resource for tomorrow, Ron is going somewhere.

Tomorrow, this much is certain: you’re going to move through it with the experiences of today. Will those experiences reveal that you dismissed challenges as hardships – or used them as opportunities to learn, grow, celebrate and succeed? Is your “Awareness Muscle” strong enough to observe, assess, and plan your own effectiveness?

Go ahead, make a prediction. What will your tomorrow look like?

What is the difference between what “might be” and what “can be”?  You decide.

WHAT APPEARS TO BE

Imagine leading the sales team for an organization that missed its mark by millions of dollars in ’07 because of a nightmare product recall – one that cost customers and caused stomach ulcers.

Leadership isn’t easy. How would you lead in such a situation?

WHAT MIGHT BE

Most people would turn up the pressure. They would make demands and communicate ultimatums (thereby making people nervous…how well do you function when you’re nervous?); they would pull resources (ever try sitting on a one-legged stool?); and they’d bring in the token motivational speaker to deliver empty platitudes (providing enough external motivation to get you back safely to your lonely office).

When “things get tough” many leaders only make it tougher – for themselves and others.

WHAT CAN BE

A man named Ray knows a better way. He’s in the position described at the top, so he’s equipping his team with tools – sales AND leadership tools – so they can lead themselves, motivate themselves, and lift themselves to new heights.

His most important tool is the Humanity Factor: he cares enough about those he interacts with that it alters how he functions. Instead of turning up the pressure, he’s teaching his team how to make a difference under pressure. His approach is so seldom used in leadership that Ray stands out like a statue of a soldier in a pigeon-filled park.

What is Ray getting for his efforts? Instead of preparing their resumes, this sales force is racing forward – already exceeding their January objectives.

Can you lead like Ray? When under pressure, instead of demanding results, do you trust yourself with tools like the Humanity Factor to deliver greater results?

What is the difference between what “might be” and what “can be”?  You decide.