A friend of mine who is a long time territory rep recently had a first meeting with his newly assigned sales manager. The new manager opened up the conversation with these words “My goal this year is to keep you from quitting your job.” After years of corporate-speak from leadership, this statement about knocked him off his seat. As a top producer who has been largely irritated with the way the company has been managed for many years, this statement felt like fresh air. I was amazed by the potency of that one line. My friend has become cynical over the years, his tolerance for BS is low. There was something about the candor and concern of that statement that broke through. Believe me, those protective walls had become mighty thick and mighty tall. This new guy, in an unabashed and sincere way successfully scaled them. Once he was in, they were able to put their heads together and collaboratively create ways to generate more business. That is the power of true leadership. True leaders honor their followers. They don’t have a need to win ego battles, outsmart, outshine or outmaneuver. Their primary goal is to serve the aims of the company. And, what best serves the company, are people that are engaged and want to work for the company. Not because they are afraid not to, but because it matters to them that they do. They’re in. Lack of engagement is not a productivity issue. It’s not a lazy, indifferent worker issue. It’s not a generation/age issue. It’s not an HR issue. It’s a leadership issue. The buck stops there. If people are not engaged, if the right people aren’t in place, if people are leaving in droves…the responsibility lies squarely with leadership. Projecting the problem elsewhere may ease minds, but it won’t change a damn thing. The title could not be more clear…LEADER. Leadership is first and foremost a way of being. Action follows. Be a better leader. 5 Straightforward Tips to Become a Better...

There’s a lot of talk about the character type ‘bully’ these days. If you are American and have working eyes and/or ears, it’s likely you’ve seen and/or heard references to that word of late. Because we all marinate in a cultural stewpot to some degree, aspects of one area of life tend to infuse into others. And so it is with this word ‘bully.’ I’m going to be frank, I don’t care for the word bully or what it stands for. In business, I’ve seen and worked with bully types. Never did I find the experience to be constructive or productive. Those of us who were interacting with the ‘bully’ spent way too much time reacting, posturing, cowering, pushing back—and way too little time actually working the task at hand. More than anything else, I noticed this trait jazzed up the energy, but primarily in response to the trait. Rarely, if ever, in service to a goal. Here’s the other thing…I have at times acted like a bully myself. I’m not proud of it by any means and I am watchful of it re-occurring. These days, it’s rare that it happens, but I remain vigilant. What I know about this characteristic is that it does not emerge from a place of true personal strength. Quite the opposite. It rears its rather ugly head from a place of weakness and fear. Bully behavior is an aspect or persona people pull out because they feel cornered in some way. It’s a big show to scare off the threat they consciously or unconsciously perceive. Behind the curtain, of course, it’s a much different story. To me, the bully persona has always felt like a child’s unhealthy reaction to things they believed were beyond their control—even when displayed by adults. Regardless of age, I believe it is always an undeveloped child’s reaction. I’m going on the record and saying I want to evolve beyond any inner bully. Instead, I want to show up open, understanding, curious, compassionate. Yes, I have a voice and a point of view, but I also want to stay open to perspectives of others. The truth is, I have no real idea of what the experience of life is like for other people. It’s important to me that I remember this and not get swamped by my own vantage point. Bottom line, we are in this life and work together. Everyday there are more folks on the bus. This is the time to connect, collaborate and evolve the inner bully. Bottom line—bully behavior is an effective way to generate (re)action, but a weak way to catalyze constructive action. Ego’s work best when they’re secure. Discover more here. 7 Ways...

Last Wednesday it was my great good fortune to attend a truly enjoyable networking event. As you may have read in an earlier blog, I have harbored a distaste for what I would call starchy or shark-tank-esque networking experiences. Yes, I’ve held unseemly judgment there and I’m not proud of that. This recent event, however, reframed the whole networking experience for me and pointed to a potential I hadn’t ever imagined—networking that’s fun, friendly, sincere, thought-provoking, collaborative and also, geared for business building and revenue generation. Who knew?! While there, I had a refreshing conversation with the event’s organizer and we got to talking about the word ‘success.’ As we both live and breathe the world of transformational leadership and business, success is a word we hear a lot. A lot. And, yes, it’s the big ‘go to’ word for companies and their leadership. Success this, success that. Or, in the case of individuals ’I want to be successful.’ But, here’s the thing about that word, it’s really more of a desire holder than an actual desire. It’s the suitcase that holds the clothes you want to wear. It wouldn’t make any sense to wear the suitcase. So, I say we demystify the word. Snap open the suitcase and look at the amazing contents inside. Your DESIRES. I’m not talking about the old programmed ‘go to’ crap. I’m talking about the gems that lie in our heart, in our inner dreamer’s dreams. All the stuff we’ve jammed in the suitcase throughout our life and then stoically, pragmatically, rationally shoved up in the attic to gather dust. That’s where the juice lies. If you want ‘success,’ grab the suitcase, pry open the lock and look inside. That is where you will learn what success actually means…to you. Success is an outcome. Before success comes action. The best and easiest action is fueled by desire. Desire greases wheels, generates flow, adds energy. Draft off of desire. Discover more...

My family is mostly a very mind-based group. We’re thinkers, debaters, studiers, researchers, contemplators, and analyzers. The brain is perceived by the gang as a highly touted bodily instrument, prized for its capacity and used a lot. Mental acuity is also employed as a kind of measuring stick—academic achievement praised, advanced degrees lauded. Likely due to this intellectual adoration, being right and having the right answer is not only a source of deep pride, but at times it can feel like a necessity for one’s ego. It was quite a shock to me when I learned that we were such a mind-based tribe. Moreover, that a good deal of our intellectual bluster tends to be connected to unrecognized fear and the need for control. Suddenly, I began to look at our head-oriented behavior in a very new way. Of course, I still have great regard for the instrument itself. But, now more clearly recognize its limitations, how it can be a go-to ego-survival tool, a way to posture oneself against this vast world of mystery. Moving down a foot or so from the brain lies another great center—the heart. Simply shifting my attention to that area helps me to feel a greater sense of calm. I don’t lose any of my intelligence when I reorient, but I increase my overall understanding on a deeper level. Moving down a foot lower and placing my attention in my gut, the grounding effect is even more powerful. Connecting up all three and you have the super trifecta. Business, too, tends to be primarily mind-based. No question it is immensely useful and necessary in that arena. But, there too it has its limitations. The mind lacks heart. It’s a recorder of data and a processer of reason and rationality—both of which are needed. However, what it doesn’t do well is connect deeply to human beings. Humans connect most powerfully by means of the heart and gut. Why does this matter? Because inspiration, desire, innovation, creation and high-level performance are often products of the heart and gut. It does not take a highly architected change to shift a business to become more heart and gut inclusive. In fact, a leader can set it in motion with nothing more than will and sincerity. How do they do it? They show up real and are authentic. They let themselves connect, they choose to trust, they communicate with their guard down, they ask for support. And through it all, minds are held safe and sound, ready for a task. Nothing is lost, much is gained. As in horse racing, the human trifecta is a big win. Head, heart and gut—a powerful trio in business. To balance out...

For years…or more accurately, decades, I’ve noodled the concept of ‘special.’ It seems most of us share a deep desire to both be seen as special and to fit in. In some ways, that can seem almost contradictory. But, it seems to work itself out most of the time. As a business coach/consultant/trainer/adviser, I see these needs show up often—in both leaders and their people. People long for a sense of being seen as singular in their skill, their competency, their contribution and also a longing to be one with the group. I find that companies that recognize these two essential human needs and work with them in a conscious way do better. Before anybody is tempted to mock the idea with a disparaging reference to the “everyone’s a winner!” campaign, I offer the following. Recognizing someone as special is not about a badge or canned moniker. It’s about looking someone in the eyes and sincerely saying ‘nice job’ when they do a nice job. It’s being aware and recognizing when someone goes above and beyond…even a little bit. Sometimes, it’s setting the bar just high enough to invite more and taking the time to acknowledge them when they make it happen. Creating a connected group that trusts and supports one another is similar, but dovetails slightly. Like with noticing someone’s special achievement, communicating appreciation is still critical. However here it’s important to weave a more united ‘we.’ Camaraderie is built on the connection that mutual trust and honesty forge. Inclusion is the bigger energy here—as a group entity is being formed. Being perceived as special and belonging are powerful human needs. Rather than being exclusive of one another, they can actually support and catalyze each other. Supporting the big human needs in the workplace is not about kowtowing to or going soft. Nor is it about campaigns or psycho-babble. It’s about attending to that which lifts and inspires people beyond a protective survival mindset and into greater potential. When critical human needs are attended to, we are much more likely to move into our greater potential.                       Discover more here!                           Discover 8 Powerful Ways to Energize Your...

Business seems too often to be given a pass when it comes to human behavior. Once a week hundreds of thousands of people gather to espouse their faith and gather in fellowship. They listen to stories of good deeds, kindness and compassion, experience the warmth of relationship and caring support and likely feel a sense of peace and joy. Then, on Monday they return to work, which in many cases offers up a very different type of experience. Good deeds, kindness, compassion, warm relationships, caring support, the feeling of peace and joy. Poof! Gone. And, somehow, this all seems to work…at work. Or, does it? I don’t believe it does work. What I do believe is that much of our current business consciousness is akin to an old massive trunk of archaic mindsets, paradigms and jungle mentality that we keep dragging into the future. What worked for the Industrial Age does not work now. In fact, it hasn’t worked for over a century. But, like all things caught in a tenacious institutional vice grip, it’s been a tough one to wrestle free. The idea that we continue to operate business organizations with these old concepts can be a tough pill to swallow. Yet, all the shiny new technology, political correctness, HR razzle-dazzle and MBA driven Mission Statements are not the kiss that will transform the toad. What will transform the toad is a good dose of that which those millions of folks gather to experience once a week. Not the dogma or the doctrine, but the experience of being human in a more heart-based and less ego-driven way. Business is not a world unto itself. It is an extension of human endeavor—designed, created and operated by humans. And it has powerfully moved into our time. We need not be dictated to by yesterday’s less evolved patterns and behaviors. To do so, would be the tail wagging the dog. Instead, we have the ability to update and refresh what business means and how it is run. One of the big reasons why people disengage from their workplace is because they don’t feel good being there. I’m not referring to being Pollyanna or “oh, poor me” or “I’d rather be home watching TV and eating chips.” I’m stating that the workplace is often a survival-based, ego-driven structure where many people don’t feel safe or good. It’s that simple and that serious. If you are wondering why American business feels stalled, that’s a big reason why. The people that work there aren’t fully there. For you traditionalists out there, I offer this. Creativity, performance, productivity and innovation are at their greatest when people are engaged. People are most apt to be engaged...