Where are you getting your gas? What makes you go? It’s long been said that information is power. But what happens if you have bad information? If so, be aware of the power outage.

Upon hearing that a colleague was communicating incorrect information, a friend stated, “He’s been getting gas at the wrong station again.” That’s a power outage. This person was losing their power by communicating rumors.

Here’s the elephant in the office: With the tightening marketplace, companies are making decisions so fast that sometimes the only information shared are the rumors that spread like wildfire in advance. As a result, these companies have to deal with a tough economy – and a loss of power due to the spread of gossip. The workforce is rendered powerless by the distractions.

STOMP THE ELEPHANT

Economies around the world are getting serious about using alternative fuels. What about you? Are your conversations giving you energy? It may be time for a new source of power.

Time spent addressing information that isn’t accurate or verified is like dreaming up ‘negative fantasies.’ Such jibber-jabber drains energy – energy that is in demand as creative solutions are a must for survival.

If you find yourself at a gas pump that is giving bad gas, such as a conversation where gossip is being spread, excuse yourself and find an alternative fuel source. Commit to these steps:

1. Deal with facts. What are the things we can control?
2. Practice creativity. How will we make the most with what we have?
3. Be an alternative fuel source for others. Build a solutions-focus environment.

Correct information is power. Make sure you fill up with the correct gas.

Where will you lead – where will you stomp elephants – today?

Grab some antacids.

According to USA Today, Harvard recently released its National Leadership Index. It should have come with the label: “Warning: contents likely to cause heartburn.”

In the U.S., 80% of the public sees the country in a leadership crisis. That’s an increase of 3% over last year, and a whopping 15% from 2005. And worldwide it’s not much better. Globally, confidence in business leaders is the lowest in a decade (Development Dimensions International).

Who’s at fault? Fingers are often pointed at those in leadership positions. After all, they’re getting the bad grades, right?

Many people miss the accomplice.

Here’s the elephant in the office: Most organizations perpetuate a culture where everyone stands around waiting for those in leadership to lead, to make decisions, to motivate, to hold people accountable…to get things done. And when things don’t get done, these same people become “victims.”

Results never lie. One of the primary reasons there is a leadership crisis is because of the approach that so many bring to leadership. Instead of empowering the many, the majority acquiesce to the few. Not much work gets done this way.

STOMP THE ELEPHANT

The strongest performing organizations have cultures that separate themselves from their competitors. They perpetuate the understanding that everyone is a leader – and therefore, everyone is response-able. A lot more gets done in these organizations.

You can take a greater leadership role today just through your actions, by making the shift from:

• Demanding others are held accountable…to developing an accountability mindset around you.
• Blaming others for errors…to modeling what you want to see.
• Telling others what to do…to asking questions that create thinkers around you.

We are not helpless. The choice to lead is ours.

Where will you lead – where will you stomp elephants – today?

Stop – and ask yourself: How am I doing? Is it just another day of average results? Of uninspired routines? Of thinking about what I hope to achieve someday?

Do you ever think, “If I don’t start taking steps toward my goals, I’ll never get there.”

Here’s the elephant in the office: Too many people are living with the “woulda-shoulda-coulda’s.” You know these people; they’re walking around in a bubble, as if they’re on life-support. The air they breathe is tainted with the bitter odor of “there’s no point in even trying.”

But there is a point in trying – and it can all turn around in 60 seconds.

STOMP THE ELEPHANT

Would you spare one minute for someone in need of help? Give yourself the gift of one minute to elevate the results you’re getting in life.

We’re serious – and here’s how it works: Right now take 10 seconds to determine the healthy focus you want today that will help you move things forward. Write this focus down and put it in your pocket. Then, tonight, forward this blog to yourself. Before you hit the send button, take 50 seconds to type your answers to these questions:

• Where did my focus serve me?
• Why is this focus important?
• Where will I apply greater focus tomorrow?

That’s a total of 60 seconds. Then, tomorrow, assess at the end of the day, and take 60 seconds again to forward yourself your email, along with your plan of focus.

Forward this document to yourself for 60 days and observe what happens to your results.

Could establishing a discipline with focus change your life? It’s time to find out.

Where will you lead – where will you stomp elephants – today?

Things are bad. Retirement savings have been slashed. Unemployment is up. The value of houses is down. No one is buying what’s being sold. The future is bleak. What’s a person to do?

Here’s the elephant in the office: People are quitting everywhere. They’re showing up for work paralyzed. They’re talking about their fears, all the things they disagree with, who’s to blame, and how they feel hopeless. It’s ugly – and little work is being done.

There are options. We recommend you tell them to quit.

STOMP THE ELEPHANT

Do you know someone who is stressed and miserable? Encourage them to quit.

Tell them to,

• “Quit feeling sorry for yourself. Quit giving up your emotional control to a bunch of numbers generated by Wall Street. Quit trying to figure out who to blame. Quit perpetuating you fears by re-exploring them each time you see your friends. Quit thinking you’re the only one who is right. Quit thinking you’re always wrong. Quit replaying old, worn-out tapes of the would’ves, should’ves and could’ves. Quit pretending you’re somebody you’re not. Quit getting angry at others who reveal who you are. Quit putting everyone you disagree with in a box. Quit discriminating against things you don’t understand. Quit bringing the poison of your day home for your family to taste. Quit looking at the flaws in the details that make up your life.
• “(Most of all, quit quitting.)
• “And if you’re serious about quitting, stop focusing on what you intend to quit – and spend your time thinking about what you want.”

Today, stop and consider: What do you want? What’s important to you? Why is it important? And how will you take a step in that direction – beginning now?

Quitting is easy…when you know what you want.

Where will you lead – where will you stomp elephants – today?

Today, millions of people will vote. Ultimately, their vote will decide our future. “Change” has been the theme this year. The debate has centered on who will most effectively deliver transformation.

But the “know-it-alls” have it wrong. We’ll tell you who you should vote for. And if you want, you can steal the election right now.

Here’s the elephant in the office: It’s stunning how many companies beat their employees down, to the point where people have lost confidence in the one person – the only person – who can create change: themself. “Why even try?” and “I’m not very good at…” and “You don’t expect me to do the job, do you?” fill conversations in countless offices.

If that’s what people are saying aloud, imagine the destructive messages in their “self talk.” It’s like being a candidate in the most important race of your life…and voting against yourself.

STOMP THE ELEPHANT

Today, vote for yourself. You are the only person who can create the change you want to see in your career, relationships and life. If this sounds like a cliché, it’s because it is. And the reason it is: It’s true.

Take this challenge: Step into your own voting booth and determine the top three things you are most passionate about. Next, draw the curtain and take three steps. If you execute them you will deliver more change than you can imagine.

1. Commit to focusing on where you’ve successfully delivered in the past.
2. Generate innovative ideas to raise the bar.
3. Daily tap into your motivations on why this change is important to you.

You can’t win if you don’t vote for yourself. So start voting for the only person who can create change today.

Where will you lead – where will you stomp elephants – today?

Robocalls are the curse of a campaign season. These pre-recorded messages terrorize family time, and usually take two approaches: 1) They attack their opponents and their ideas; and 2) the message attempts to persuade you to make “a better choice.”

As difficult as this is to endure in your home, isn’t it crazy to be subjected to the same strategy at work?

Here’s the elephant in the office: It seems most teams have a robocaller who attends meetings. When a new or innovative idea is offered, the robocaller leans forward and attacks the idea, stating why it won’t work. And then they attempt to persuade (sell) others on their own idea.

This divisive “You’re wrong – I’m right” approach ruins collaboration, teams and results. 

STOMP THE ELEPHANT

Robocalling should be outlawed – beginning at work. The next time you’re in a meeting where people are brainstorming new ideas and the robocaller dials in, don’t answer. Instead:

1. Acknowledge that you hear them.
2. Understand they want the same thing you want: to see the organization win.
3. State clearly what’s important to you and why. For example, “It’s important that we look closely at all ideas not at face value, but for where they may take us and what new ideas they may generate. We must evolve if we expect to succeed.”
4. Discuss the difference between “why an idea won’t work” vs. “given the circumstances, how could we make that idea work?”
5. Look for those moments when the robocaller has used their mute button and kept quiet. Privately thank them.

Stop the repetitive pitches that hurt people and results – and allow everyone to win.

Where will you lead – where will you stomp elephants – today?

Who wrecked the economy? There’s a lot of finger pointing: lending practices, consumer debt, executive greed…the list goes on. In the end, the crisis can be traced to poor judgment and ill-advised human behaviors. 

Aliens didn’t descend from outer space and plant this problem. We created this mess. 

Here’s the elephant in the office: “You can’t blame me. I’m only a small piece of the system,” some might say. And they’d be right on two counts: This isn’t about blame, and they are a part of a system – the system of “us.” We – you and me – are responsible for the culture in which we operate. How we function – our culture – determines our results.

It is shocking how few people own this responsibility. Those who do take responsibility choose not to be victims – and become tomorrow’s leaders. 

STOMP THE ELEPHANT

We’re talking about accountability. And there’s good news: Businesses are the perfect and primary vehicle to create greater responsibility and a culture of accountability, for business is the grandest forum with which our society interacts. 

Countless people will spend time on blame and focusing on what went wrong; and while the causes for this malaise must be understood and consequences delivered, the only way we can move forward is if we lead ourselves forward.

Today, discuss these questions with your team:

1. In our environment, what’s the difference between “holding someone accountable” and “ensuring accountability”?
2. To what extent does our team reinforce and reward accountability?
3. What are the actions that build accountability in others?

The future belongs to those who choose to stand up again. Ensure your organization leads the way and makes a culture of accountability a greater reality today.

Where will you lead – where will you stomp elephants – today?

We’ve received further evidence that people don’t know what they don’t know. The response from viewers after being interviewed by the local network TV station has been enlightening. One email read, “I saw your interview…I dread going to work…and never thought to doing anything about it until now.”

And a neighbor shared that his boss, after seeing the news clip, wanted to purchase Stomp the Elephant in the Office. “I’ve talked to him for years about improving the organization,” he said. “Something clicked. Go figure.”

Here’s the elephant in the office: Millions of people go to work each day – and dread the experience. It’s alarming: They’ve succumbed to a belief system “that work sucks, and that’s just the way it is.”

The way it is doesn’t have to be the way it is.

STOMP THE ELEPHANT

A friend complained about a pain in his back. He said it had bothered him for years, and prevented him from fully participating in life. “Finally, I decided I’d had enough and got it treated. Best decision I ever made. I’m now pain free.”

Do you know someone who religiously complains about the relationship they have with one or more of their co-workers? Consider the possibility that they don’t know what they don’t know – that their work environment CAN be better.

You can help by asking:

1. Do you intend to function with this painful relationship forever?
2. What’s it costing you to be ‘disabled’ because of this relationship?
3. What role are you playing in this dysfunctional relationship?
4. What would it be worth if this relationship improved?
5. What are three things you’ll do to move this forward?

What are you ready to change about what you don’t know?

Where will you lead – where will you stomp elephants – today?

Have you ever tried forcing opposing ends of a magnet together? It’s impossible to get them to connect.

Does your organization suffer from “diamagnetism”? Are there teams opposing each other?

From Wikipedia.org: “Diamagnetism is the property of an object which causes it to create a magnetic field in opposition of an externally applied field, thus causing a repulsive effect.”

To understand why diamagnetism is important, read the definition again, but this time substitute the “team” for the word “object.”

Like two magnets you can’t push together, diamagnetism occurs when two (or more) teams repel each other. And very little work gets done.

Here’s the elephant in the office: Organizations are filled with teams that repulse others. Shockingly, people tolerate this dysfunction! Toxic currents run through meetings and conversations. People might not say anything about this invisible force – but they can feel it. How is a company to succeed when various functions can’t connect?

STOMP THE ELEPHANT

“In order for us to win, it’s vital that the different layers of the organization can come together,” shares a friend, Rich. “If they repel each other we’re doomed.”

The code words for diamagnetism are “they just don’t understand.” When two groups begin saying this about each other, one thing is sure: no one understands. And the divisiveness expands.

Take three steps to create greater paramagnetism today:

1. Take responsibility when others don’t understand you;
2. Ask questions that help people focus on where the teams are working well together;
3. Relentlessly focus on the common goal the two teams share – and solutions to get there.

Where is there diamagnetism in your organization? Make functionABILITY happen.

Where will you lead – where will you stomp elephants – today?

Different leadership styles are necessary for different times. When your team is ahead in the game, the tone, approach, and techniques necessary to ensure victory are different than when you’re behind.

It’s stunning to observe some bosses blow it.

Here’s the elephant in the office: As stress increases, have you witnessed some bosses who move to a default setting of “command and control”? They make decisions behind closed doors; they assume they know the motivations of others; and they resort to the illogical “I’m-going-to-make-you-feel-bad-so-you-can-start-to-do-good” method of execution.

Consequently, the tough times are exacerbated as these bosses make bad results worse.

STOMP THE ELEPHANT

When times are tough decisive leadership action is a must. Regardless of the style that is needed, there are some elements of quality leadership that are consistent no matter what the situation.

• Fear is a motivator, but only for short bursts. Now more than ever, people are starving for confidence. A focus on what is working creates this needed element.
• Cultures of inclusion always out-perform cultures of exclusion. You might not always be able to include people’s ideas in WHAT needs to be done, but when you exclude them from HOW they need to get things done, you’re guaranteeing you’ll see bigger problems.
• Success is relative. Leaders who are beating their teams up for not delivering the same results they achieved under different market conditions are sowing the seeds of cancer within their team. The market is different, so success is different. Create a “we will persevere” mentality by celebrating the successes of today.

Are you adapting how you lead? And are you remaining consistent in the important ways that will allow your team to win?

Where will you lead – where will you stomp elephants – today?