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130-year-old Truth

Of all the things we memorized at West Point, one of my favorites was Schofield's Definition of Discipline. It's an excerpt from Major General John Schofield's address to the Military Academy's graduating class of 1879. It's 130 years old, but it's still true today. Enjoy it. Then employ it!

The discipline which makes the soldiers of a free country reliable in battle is not to be gained by harsh or tyrannical treatment. On the contrary, such treatment is far more likely to destroy than to make an army. It is possible to impart instruction and give commands in such a manner and such a tone of voice as to inspire in the soldier no feeling but an intense desire to obey, while the opposite manner and tone of voice cannot fail to excite strong resentment and a desire to disobey. The one mode or other of dealing with subordinates springs from a corresponding spirit in the breast of the commander. He who feels the respect which is due to others cannot fail to inspire in them respect for himself. While he who feels, and hence manifests, disrespect towards others, especially his inferiors, cannot fail to inspire hatred against himself.

Happy Thanksgiving!

...Because a thankful heart is a happy heart,
I'm glad for what I have, that's an easy way to start...

- The [Veggie Tales] Thankfulness Song

Take a look around and see your world in terms of what you have - as opposed to what you don't have. Then be thankful. This simple exercise serves two ends as a leader.

First, taking a hard look at reality in a positive light (being thankful) helps you be creative with what you've been given. Take what you've got - the gifts that you have - and use them! How can you use your talents and resources to get to where you want to be?

Second, a thankful heart is a happy heart. Sincere positive emotion can be a powerful motivator with others. Remember that as a leader you set the temperature in the room. If you're having a good day, the chances of everyone else having a good day are pretty high. Taking care of your own emotional health has a direct effect on the productivity and experience of those around you.

So take a few minutes today between the turkey and the football to really count your blessings. Your heart will thank you!

Positive Patience

The holidays are all but upon us: The cheerfulness, the family traditions, the parties - along with the crowds, the flaky relatives, and the rampant commercialization. So today, a little talk about patience. Exceptional leaders know the power of patience. You can't lead well when you let fear, anger or frustration get the better of you.

I struggle with patience. Don't you hate it when someone tells you to "be patient?" Ever notice how this admonishment never comes when you feel like being patient? It only comes when someone is being inordinately obnoxious or you're waiting for something that's taking way too long. It's never offered as a command, but as sage advice, like it's actually going to help.

We usually think about patience only when we're feeling impatient, which colors our definition of the word. Most of us define "being patient" as simply "not being impatient." As humans we're not very good at doing a negative. For example, if I told you not to think about a red truck right now - Boom! what just happened? Red truck, right? And the more you try to not think about a red truck the more the image clings to your mind. The only way to not think about a red truck is to take positive action and think about something else.

So what's the positive side of patience? What is the "do" of patience? I think patience is the discipline (and art) of seeing each moment as valuable. Patience is about searching out the meaning in the moment and not longing for what's next.

Whether you're waiting in line at a crowded store, dealing with a quirky coworker, or you're stuck in traffic, fight off impatience by striving to find the value in the moment you're in. Use that moment for fruitful thinking, be fully present with who you're with, daydream - at the very least, look for something to be thankful for. The change in perspective will improve your decisions, your experience, and the impact you have on those around you.

Step up to the Line

We all have a Line. It's buried beneath a heap of reputations, expectations, titles, and other "stuff," but somewhere down there is the line of who we really are, what we truly know, and what we can absolutely do.

As a leader you must step up to the Line of Who You Are.

Why? Because when you don't, you hurt the people around you.

We all know people who have stepped over their line. They're out there pretending to be more than they really are - and if they're leading you, often you have to deal with the consequences. Why are they like that? Fear. They're afraid they aren't enough. Ironically, most arrogance is the result of insecurity.

Most of us would never want to be thought of as arrogant. So we back off our line, keep our distance, establish a buffer zone. We hang out short of our line and consider ourselves humble. However, the extent that we shrink back from what we know we can offer is the extent to which we are cheating everyone around us. In truth, false humility is also motivated by fear - fear that we'll fail, or worse, succeed.

As leaders we need to step up to our Line. This is true humility and it draws those around us up to their lines. That's what extraordinary leaders do; they bring the best out those around them. Don't get me wrong, the fear will still be there. It takes courage to step up to the Line of Who You Are - and if there's one thing I know it's this: people follow courage.

Creating Creativity

Extraordinary leaders are, by definition, creative leaders. They see things others don't see. They find new and better ways to do things. They consistently pull win-wins out of no-win situations. So, how do you improve your creativity and become a better leader?

Last week I picked up some creative gems from Cliff Selbert, co-founder of Selbert Perkins Design Collaborative. He and his firm have created everything from logos to landmarks for organizations like Coca-Cola, LAX, and the Dallas Cowboys. When asked about his creative process, Cliff recommended three things:

1. Learn to juggle. I can vouch for this one - do yourself a favor and pick up this talent. It teaches you to use both sides of your brain almost simultaneously. Jugglers are constantly assessing and adapting to a changing system. They're also feeling for a rhythm while trusting what they've learned. Studies show juggling is a great "brain break," and works in the same way as "sleeping on" a problem.

2. Don't dally. The creative process doesn't have to take a long time. Cliff uses one-minute drills to stoke his team's creative juices. Everyone gets one minute to individually write down as many ideas as they can. The trick here is cultivating a group that trusts and supports one another and can choose to not judge ideas during the brainstorming phase. The result? His team usually comes up with the initial concepts for their biggest projects in an afternoon.

3. Accentuate the positive. When presenting or evalutating your ideas, ask people to tell you what they like about them. Tell them to keep what they don't like to themselves. Cliff testifies that whenever they use this approach it pushes the process forward, but when people start with what they don't like, the process can stall and even moves backwards.

Are you or your organization facing a looming problem? Are you already stalled in the midst of one? Invest some time in real brainstorming - think of the craziest ideas that will actually solve the problem then work back to what's possible from there. Keep the conversation positive and moving forward. Finally, if you're brave enough, learn to juggle!*

*Hint: try starting with juggling scarves, they're easier!

Friday the 13th

It's estimated that 17 to 21 million people in America suffer from paraskavedekatriaphobia. Say that one three times fast. Actually, I'd be impressed if you could say it just once. It's the fancy name for the fear of Friday the 13th. Donald Dossey, founder of the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, NC, estimates that $800 to $900 million is lost in business because of the behavior shifts that occur every time Friday falls on the 13th.

Whether or not those estimates are correct, the truth is our fears - legitimate or not - affect our behavior. As leaders we must acknowledge our fears; if we don't we are fooling ourselves - and, by extension, those we mean to lead. I disagree with the popular "No Fear" brand - they're promoting delusion and posturing. I also disagree with Andrew Jackson when he exhorts you to "never take counsel of your fears." By all means take counsel of your fears! That's why you have them - to keep yourself and others alive and safe.

Fear is a good thing. Besides keeping us safe, it's a crucial ingredient for one of the key attributes of an extraordinary leader: Courage. Without true fear, true courage cannot exist. Courage isn't an absence of fear; courage happens when you're afraid, but you chose to press on. And when people see true courage, they follow it.

Fear is a power hungry emotion. It wants to call the shots. Your fears are not - and never should be - in charge; you are. That's what Roosevelt was warning against when he said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." FDR knew a little about irrational fears. He refused to begin traveling on the 13th of the month. He avoided it at all costs. He even died on Thursday, April 12, 1945, refusing to travel to the hereafter on Friday the 13th.

So don't pretend away your fears, but don't let them rule you either.