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New Blog - New Location

Just so everyone knows, I've moved to a new blog location. It's still a leadership blog and can be found at http://rawguts.wordpress.com. Please subscribe and check in often.

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W.W.N.G.D.

What would the next guy do? If someone came in and took your place tomorrow, what would they do differently? What would they change immediately? What would they completely get rid of? What would they tolerate?

In the daily grind of organizational leadership, we become familiar with our surroundings. We say things like "We've always done it this way", or "If it aint broke don't fix it". But, this way of thinking will kill the momentum and morale of your team. Whenever you make a drastic change to your way of doing things, the people on your team take notice. These kinds of drastic changes remind them that you are there for a purpose. These changes remind your team that THEIR success is more important to you than your antiquated ways of doing things.

So, I want to challenge you as well as myself. Think for a moment, What Would the Next Guy Do? What changes would he make immediately? Once you have your answer, walk out the door, walk back in and make the necessary change yourself. Your team will thank you!

"I Don't Know"

How long has it been since you told your teammates "I don't know"? Often, we think that leadership is always having the answers and always knowing what to do. But, what about those times when you really don't have a clue how to handle something? Recently in a planning meeting I had a complete mental block. I couldn't think creatively and felt like my brain just shut down. My first thoughts were "I can't do this, I have to LEAD, I have to know the answers, I don't want to seem incompetent".

What kind of leader are you if you can't be real with those around you?

The people you work with aren't looking for a leader who has all the right answers and has it all together. They are looking for a leader they can relate to. And imperfect people can relate to imperfect leaders. So, next time you don't know...be brave...just take a deep breath and say it..."I DON'T KNOW".

Here's a great article I wanted to pass along from Mark Steven's blog. Hope you enjoy!

I watched an interview recently with Ted Turner, the odd-ball genius who built a media empire, married a movie star and owns more land than anyone else in North America.

He is one of the rare ones who speaks insanity and exceptional insight in the space of a single sound bite. As an example of the latter, he recounted his father’s advice that he should aspire to something so big in his life, that it would be near impossible to accomplish it. That way, he would always have a burning goal to drive his ambitions.

With that epiphany alone, he knew something most don’t. In my business and personal life, I have had the priviledge of meeting and working with a number of truly exceptional people. Gates, Icahn, Clark Clifford, Bloomberg, Treasury Secretary William Simon. All have known a set of facts, and live by them, that I believe, taken together, make exceptional people, exceptional.

Here is what they know:

* Life is short and long. Too short to worry about how long you will live. Long enough to accomplish great feats.
* Whatever you are doing well, you aren’t doing well enough. It is precisely those initiatives you are truly skilled at, that provide the greatest pathway to exceptionalism.
* It is always stupid to hold a grudge. It is always smart to have a dream.
* You must face your worst fears and in the process turn them into adventures.
* Risk is an essential element of businesses well-built and lives well-lived.
* Whenever you feel that everything is in place, the planets are aligned, all is good–the chess pieces will move while you are sleeping and you will need to address a scenario you least expected.
* A great education is a lifelong process that truly begins when the school years are over.
* You have less than 10 genuine friends.
* A sense of wonderment is among life’s most valuable assets.
* You cannot get “big” thinking small and you can’t ever think “too big”.
* You need to be your own best advisor. All of the others will disappoint you.
* What matters infinitely more than what you know, is what you don’t know.
* Ninety percent of what others tell you, the “facts” they present to you, are not true.
* In order to become a good skiier, you must be willing to fall. And fall often.
* Hope does spring eternal. And usually disappoints.
* “Why” is the most important word in the dictionary.

Their financial, scientific, artistic skills and talents–what they are best known for–is not as important as “What They Know”.

Mark Stevens
CEO

Expectations

At this point in my life, I'm having to do alot of public speaking. Every week, soon to be twice a week, I get to stand before about 60 people and speak. Other than singing or showing up in your underwear, public speaking is probably one of the most dreaded activities that most people face. Why is that? Everyone's looking at you. You're heart is racing and you just want to go and hide somewhere....but you don't want them to know you're scared....so you focus on not looking scared....but NO I need to concentrate on what I'm saying...OH did that guy just yawn....they all just wish I would shut up...did I remember to zip my pants when I went to the bathroom....and you get the point. So, let's take the worst case scenario and say that ALL of this stuff is true...they DO want you to just shut up. So what? Someone thought enough about what you had to say to ask you to speak....so WHAT?

It's no difference in leadership. You have expectations. You're teammates have expectations. The people above you have expectations. You can either meet them, exceed them, or fall flat on your face. SO WHAT?! You have influence for a reason. So don't be crippled by the fear that controls 98% of average people. Remember these words........SO WHAT!?!