Happy Sunday Everyone:
I’ve talked about mentors many of times, having them is smart, not having them is dumb. This is one category I can check the smart box; I have a mentors all around me. One of my mentors is Gary. I don’t want to put him in box but if I had to, he’d fit into the business box. He’s a retired COO of a publicly traded company, very smart, pragmatic, and asks questions that most people wouldn’t ask, he makes me think beyond my comfort zone, whether I like it or not. He recently sent me a link to a talk on “focused” leadership. The talk was old school (like probably from the 90’s), the content was current/relevant/impactful, and of course, made me think, a lot. So many lessons we receive are applicable to everything in our lives, not just the topic at hand.
I took a boat load of notes while I was listening to the recording. I’m not sharing them all here, but I figured I’d share a few. I changed my own lens from leadership to life. As I was listening, I was thinking about my marriage, my parenting, my friendship, my life overall and the relationships I have.
If i had to summarize the whole talk, to give you some perspective on what is below, it’s about being focused on the person in front of you, the task at hand, the singular focus that needs to be had and how much more impactful that singular focus is vs. multitasking or not giving your full attention to the person in front of you.
Focused Leadership:
camera coming into clarity-Being laser focused on the person in front of you. One of my favorite scenes from a movie, Kevin Costner in For the love of the game “Clear the mechanism” while he is shutting out the outside noise of all the haters screaming at him. Can you imagine if you did this with your spouse, kids, friends, team members when they talked to you, you cleared the mechanism and gave them all of your attention. When someone gives you their undivided attention its’s noticed, the opposite is also true.
no hidden agenda-Transparency works. How many of us have those people that are selling an idea you can spot a mile away. Just tell me what you want, why you want it, and if I’m in agreement, let’s do it.
Am i sending a message to everyone that I’m really really busy? Reverse the lens. If Kim, my boys, my friends, come to me, and I’m acting “really busy”, does this make me more or less approachable? Being busy, doing 10 things half ass, serves no purpose.
You keep your agreements with me, and I keep my agreement with you. Sounds so simple. It is, so let’s do more of it. Honor your word. We all have people in our lives who honor what they say, and those that don’t. I like real life examples…picture the person right now that honors their word, and one that doesn’t. One you go into battle with, the other you don’t. Make sure I hold myself accountable to honor my word.
do you feel more secure or less secure in the company after you talk to the leader? I like this question in life. Does someone feel better, more secure, more confident, after talking with me? Breathe energy into people.
slow down, do this right, have this be worth doing. This is around trying to multitask. I have to accept the fact that I’m not the 1 of 100 people that can actually multitask. Have the presence to focus on the task at hand, complete it, and move on.
if I’m doing the wrong thing, it doesn’t matter how fast I’m going. I love this thought, causes me to reflect on “why” am I doing this, and “should” i be doing this.
no one is wise when they’re hurried. Remember this when I’m feeling rushed and also making decisions.
one of the most important things a leader can do is bring reassurance. This environment is challenging. Bring reassurance and confidence to people that they will be okay, not necessarily that they will be okay in this job but in life.
listen to the merit in what someone has to say vs. looking if they’re right or wrong. Work to NOT disagree. Merit in speaking with Kim and the boys, find it. Being right serves my purpose only. Me, having “won” a conversation helps no one other than me.
None of this stuff is new. I’ve heard it all before, but the constant reminder helps keep me on the right track. I view it as an honor when someone takes the time to share something with me, it’s an indication they know I’m interested. Thanks, G.