Crank It Up

I was in my car stopped at a red light a couple of days ago. The guy next to me had his stereo on very loud with a lot of bass. You know, the kind that makes your chest pound - I love that!

Anyway, I glanced in my rear view mirror and noticed my entire car was vibrating to his music. I have noticed this before in my car when I have my stereo on loud and there is a lot of bass but this was the first time I had ever noticed another person's stereo shaking my car.

This is a pretty close analogy to how we are during our workday. We can either be "shaking the car" next to us or we can not be having an impact at all. Let's let our light shine - let's shake the car next to us - during our workday so that others can see Jesus through us.

The New Crack Berry?

The new iPhone is almost here (click here to read a story about its release). Will you be one of the first buyers?

In my July newsletter, I have written about how I believe technology is actually costing us time - at least time in our meaningful relationships. Technology can be very helpful and is designed to save us time, yet I see people (me included) becoming addicted to it. I regularly see people reaching for their cell phone or their Blackberry while they are in the middle of a conversation which I think tells the person they are with You aren't that important.

James 1:19 says ...Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.

How can we listen to other people when we are more focused on our things?

Turning Lemons Into Lemonade

I was at a seminar yesterday and one of the speakers was talking about how most of the really great things that happened in his business came out of tough situations. In other words, he was able to make lemonade out of lemons.

I read an interesting blog entry on Leading Blog which ties into this well. Go here to read more.

Growing in Hard Places

On our trip, we were able to drive down Highway 1 in California down to Big Sur before heading to Lake Tahoe. On the way, we stopped at Pebble Beach. The picture above is of a cypress tree which is the logo of the Pebble Beach Golf Links.

I thought it was cool how this tree (and many others we saw) was flourishing even though it was growing in tough conditions - out of a rock! I was very impressed by the persistence of this tree.

I reflected on how that is like our work environments in many cases. Sometimes it is a hard place to grow. Perhaps you have a tough boss or coworkers who are far from God or you don't like what you do.

Whatever the case, as Christians we need to be like this cypress tree and dedicate ourselves to grow in spite of our circumstances. After all, we may be the only Bible our coworkers will ever read.

TAHOE WEDDING

My wife, Connie and I just returned from an amazing 5 day trip to California. We went there for the wedding of her niece, Jonelle which was in Lake Tahoe. I had never been to Lake Tahoe before and I was not expecting the incredible beauty that is all around there.

The wedding ceremony was on the side of a mountain overlooking the lake (see picture above) - very picturesque. The ceremony was not only memorable because of the setting but because of the fact that one of the guest's dogs (why they had dogs there I don't know, but hey, it's California) walked between the bride and groom while they were reciting their vows.

This may happen frequently out there, but this was a first for me. The cool part of this was the fact that neither Jonelle nor Willie (the bride and groom) were fazed. They kept on and remained calm as though nothing were happening. Very cool.

It reminded me of what an impact we can have on others in our places of work. When we are calm in the midst of chaos, we are set apart - people take notice. They might even ask us how we are able to be so calm. That is an open door to tell them how God is working in our life.

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. 1 Peter 3:15

Good Boss, Bad Boss

This appeared in an article in Psychology Today:

Rapport with the boss largely predicts risk for depression and other psychiatric problems in the workplace, says Brad Gilbreath, a researcher at Indiana University-Purdue University in Fort Wayne. In his study of employees across many work sectors, published in the journal Work and Stress, Gilbreath found that a worker's relationship with his boss is nearly equal in importance to his relationship with his spouse when it comes to overall well-being. Even friendly coworkers or a rewarding occupation cannot compensate for a negative relationship with the boss.

Surveys show that up to half of all workers have a shaky, if not downright miserable, relationship with their supervisors. According to a recent Gallup poll, a bad relationship with the boss is the number one reason for quitting a job. Supervisor problems outpace all other areas of worker dissatisfaction, including salary, work hours or day-to-day duties. The Gallup report puts it emphatically, "Employees leave supervisors, not companies."

How workers feel about their managers even affects physical health. Nadia Wager, a psychologist at Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College in the U.K., documented what many beleaguered wage slaves already know: Hatred for the boss makes the blood boil.

To read the rest of the article go here.

There are many points that I think are valuable here, but I'll just look at two of them. First, if you are a supervisor, you must realize the incredible influence you have over others' lives (we all have influence, but your position gives even more influence). Are you a positive influence for Christ?

Second, if you work for a boss who is not a positive influence, should you quit? I don't necessarily think so. God may have you there so that you can be a witness to others of how to handle adversity. When they ask, "How can you remain so calm?", you can be ready to answer them. 1 Peter 3:15b says, Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have.

# 5

Over the past several days I have shared the top 4 challenges that leaders will face according to John Maxwell. Here is number 5, the last on his list:

5. Failure

I have seen many leaders with self-sabotaging traits stemming from an unhealthy perspective toward failure.

Some leaders live with a nagging sense of impending failure. They don’t believe they are good enough to succeed, and sooner or later they fulfill their self-expectations of failure.

Other leaders refuse to take risks. By sticking to safe paths, they assure themselves of failing to have significant impact.

Still other leaders allow failures to derail them. They see failure as a personal indictment rather than a step in the ongoing process of their growth as a leader.

How to Profit From Failure

(1) Change Your Vocabulary.
Every good leader I’ve ever met has had the amazing ability to turn a setback into a springboard for greater effectiveness. In his book, Leaders on Leadership: Interviews with Top Executives, Warren Bennis interviewed 70 of our nation’s top performers in numerous fields. None of them used the word “failure” to describe their mistakes. Instead they referred to “learning experiences,” “tuition paid,” “detours” or “opportunities for growth.”


(2) Keep a Sense of Humor.
Give yourself margin to make mistakes. Laugh at your failures rather than languishing in them.

(3) Make Failure a Learning Experience
We should never walk away from failure empty-handed. Each failure comes with lessons attached, and we can learn invaluable principles from them.

The Big 5 Recap:

(1) Everybody Gets Discouraged
(2) Everybody Has Problems
(3) Everybody Resists Change
(4) Everybody Feels Fear
(5) Everybody Experiences Failure

Attitude, the difference maker, is the one thing that enables a leader to rise above these challenges.

The Big 5 Challenges in Life - Part 4

Number 4 on John Maxwell's list of the Big 5 Challenges we will face:

4. Fear

Fear has the ability to exaggerate itself and spread throughout our life. When fear grips us, we are frozen and incapable of action. Worrisome thoughts fill our mind with distractions, and we are powerless to be productive.

How to “Fix” Your Fears

(1) Discover the Foundation of Fear.
Fears are more often based on feelings than facts. To control fear, search for its underlying emotion. More often than not, you’ll find fear has no rational root.

(2) Accept Fear as the Price of Progress.
Whenever we venture into new territory, we are met with the fear of the unknown. We must be willing to step outside of our comfort zone and face the fear of the unfamiliar.

(3) Feed the Right Emotion, Starve the Wrong One.
Many times we cannot hope to avoid the emotion of fear. Despite our best efforts to have courage, fear settles into the pit of our stomach like a rock. We may never eliminate fear, but we can refuse to let it dominate. If we act according to hope and optimism, eventually our action will transform our emotions.

The Big 5 Challenges in Life - Part 3

Part 3 of John Maxwell's Big 5 Challenges in Life is:

3. Change

Change is an unavoidable and often unwelcome part of life. Change pushes us away from comfort by refusing to let us settle. By constantly forcing us to adapt, change sparks growth in our lives.

Coming to Terms with Change

(1) Determine that Change Will Be an Ongoing Part of Life.Years ago, Alfred P. Sloan made the statement that the key to success in management does not lie in your ability to adjust to change; it lies in your ability to anticipate change. When we see change coming we can move along with it rather than being blindsided by it.

(2) Make a Commitment to Pay the Price for Change.Along the journey, a leader must make sacrifices to stay abreast of change. If change doesn’t cost you, it’s not real change.

(3) Decide What You Are Not Willing to Change.Leaders have a general openness to change, but they refuse to be swayed in their convictions such as faith, values, and family.

The Big 5

Yesterday I shared the first of what John Maxwell calls the Big 5 Challenges of Life, discouragement.

Here is his second challenge he says we will all face as leaders:

2. Problems

Just as every leader gets discouraged, so every leader runs into problems. When facing problems, adjusting your attitude can be a precursor to adjusting your situation. Remember: change on the outside always follows the change on the inside.

Principles for Handling Problems

(1) Define What A Problem Is
A problem is something I can do something about. If I cannot do something about a situation, it is a fact of life, not a problem.

(2) Anticipate Problems
A problem anticipated may be an opportunity, but a problem not anticipated is a simply a problem.

(3) Embrace Each Problem as a Potential Opportunity.Problems are wake-up calls for creativity. They sharpen us by testing our reasoning and drawing out our creative juices.

The Big 5 Challenges in Life

John Maxwell wrote the following in a recent "Leadership Wired" email I received:

Successful people do not have less challenging lives than those who do not succeed. In fact, they may go through even greater challenges. What causes the separation? Successful people respond to difficulties differently.

It’s easy to have a great attitude when things are going our way. Attitude doesn’t become the difference maker until challenges arise. In this edition of Leadership Wired, we’ll look at “The Big 5,” a list of the top challenges experienced by leaders, and we’ll discuss steps to develop an appropriate attitude toward each challenge.
THE BIG 5

1. Discouragement

Over the course of my life, I’ve discovered that every leader gets discouraged. Plans fail, dreams drift out of range, or goals suffer setbacks. However, not every leader responds to discouragement the same way. Attitude dictates whether a discouraged leader will give up or get up.

Dealing Effectively With Discouragement

(1) Get the Right Perspective.

Seldom are circumstances as bad as they feel in the darkest moments. Try to put hard times in the proper perspective by distancing from them emotionally.

(2) See the Right People.

Relationships either build us up or tear us down. Leaders surround themselves with encouragers who lend support and lift the load.

(3) Say the Right Words.

Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones, says this in his excellent work, Spiritual Depression, Its Cause and Cure: “Most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself rather than talking to yourself.” Thoughts stream into our minds beyond our control. Instead of succumbing to whichever thoughts happen to pop into our heads, we can purposefully fix our minds on the positive.

I'll share the rest of the Big 5 challenges in the coming days.

A Man of Few Words

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. James 1:19

I think many of us are poor listeners because we talk too much. Do you speak too much? How about in written communications?

Abe Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address a little over 130 years ago. Look at how his words compare:

Gettysburg Address - 272 words
Bag of Lay's Potato Chips - 401 words
IRA Form 1040 EZ - 418 words
Average USA Today cover story - 1,200 words

Rationalized Disobedience

Gerald Chester wrote this article in Christian Business Daily:

Early in 1931 the financial officer for RGL, Inc. reported the results of the previous year to the owner and key managers of the company. The report was glowing—record revenue and a 30 percent profit margin. Robert, the owner, was already very proud of his company and the report emboldened his attitude to the point of hubris.

RGL was a site work contractor, whose future looked bright. The hard work of the past few years was beginning to pay off. The company had already inked two large contracts for 1931, which were forecast to triple the profit performance of the previous year. Despite the depression, business was looking terrific.

As Robert reflected on the financial blessings that his company had enjoyed, he wanted to acknowledge the Lord’s hand of favor by obeying the biblical mandate of Proverbs 3:9–10:Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. (NIV)

As a means to obey this mandate, Robert believed in tithing. So he considered options. For example, should he tithe to his church or his favorite missions program or to something or someone else? Perhaps he should spread the tithe among a number of worthy causes. Then an idea hit him. Given the prospects for the coming year, why not invest the tithe in his own business? Then next year, he would have a much greater tithe, which could bless more people and organizations. The plan sounded good to Robert, so he decided to do just that—but he didn’t bother to ask the Lord.

RGL’s first project in 1931 was a subcontract from General Construction Company to build a six-mile-long road from the construction site for the new Boulder Dam to the nascent Boulder City.

During the early part of the twentieth century, the southwestern region of the United States was arid and desolate. The fourteen-hundred-mile Colorado River was an untapped source of water and energy that could bring life to this region. For nearly thirty years, government officials had pondered how to best utilize the Colorado River. Finally in the late 1920s, the federal government approved a project to realize the potential of the river. Part of this project was a dam to be built near Las Vegas.

The dam location was isolated; the closest housing was thirty miles away in Las Vegas, which was very inconvenient. So the government authorized the construction of Boulder City to provide housing for the workers. Despite Boulder City’s close proximity to the dam construction site, there were still six miles of inhospitable terrain to traverse to transport men, material, and equipment to the construction site.

Work on the dam began in May of 1931, which meant RGL had less than five months to build the six-mile road. At a rate of slightly more than one mile per month, the project did not seem daunting even with the equipment limitations of the day. Furthermore, before RGL had submitted its bid, the company had carefully studied the proposed route and even conducted test bores to ascertain subsoil conditions. The preliminary assessment led the company to believe that its bid, including the construction time frame, was appropriate.

Not long after starting the work, the company encountered unexpected subsurface rock formations. In fact, these formations were the hardest the company has ever encountered on any project. These rock formations had to be penetrated to complete the road as planned.

Committed to completing its projects on time, the company mustered all resources to attack these hidden rock formations. Using explosives, massive manpower, and heavy equipment, the company slowly carved out the road. The company met the May deadline, but at a heavy price. The cost far exceeded the bid price. Upon completion of the project, RGL was virtually bankrupt.

Robert pondered why this had happened. After all, he had carefully assessed this project before submitting his bid. But for some reason, his engineers had totally missed the hidden rock formations. Every test bore they made was in soft rock; not one test bore detected the hidden hard rock formations. Was this just bad luck or misfortune, as we are prone to say?

Deep down Robert was convicted that his situation was not the result of bad luck or misfortune. He acknowledged to his key people that he knew the reason for this predicament. The reason was his own presumption. He knew the principle of honoring God with the firstfruits of his labor, but had rationalized a way to disobey this mandate. He also knew that his disobedience sowed the seeds of judgment. In this case the judgment came in the form of financial disaster.

Sin always extracts a price and frequently our sin impacts others. In this case, Robert’s presumption put his company at risk to fail, which threatened to leave hundreds of his workers unemployed during a time of severe economic depression. Now not only would Robert pay the price for his sin of presumption, but also his workers and their families.Robert learned his lesson. Never again would he presume to countermand Scripture. He understood that his ability and opportunity to profitably work were gifts from God. Hence, any and all success that he enjoyed was due to God’s benevolence. How presumptuous to think that he could have any success in life apart from God!

This experience reshaped Robert’s life. He went on to build a world-class manufacturing company that practiced biblical principles. In the process he became a world-class giver who eventually gave away 90 percent of his income and lived on the remaining 10 percent.

By the way, Robert’s last name was LeTourneau, a name you probably recognize because he became an outstanding Christian businessman. Robert LeTourneau was an example of how great men and women of the Christian faith in the workplace are shaped by dramatic and many times hard lessons.

What is the take-away for you? Consider these questions regarding how presumption may be affecting you.

• What principle of Scripture do you know, but have rationalized disobeying?
• What judgment have you incurred as a result of your disobedience?

THE BRIDGE

Last Friday I took my son Robbie and his friend Jake on a tour of Toledo's Veteran's Glass City Skyway bridge. This project has been under construction for the better part of six years and is the single largest project ever undertaken by the Ohio Department of Transportation. The price tag on the project is over $270 million. It is due to open on June 25th of this year.

Our tour was very cool. We learned that this bridge has set several world records including the fact that this is the only bridge in the world to contain glass. Glass panels are used in the main pylon since Toledo is the "Glass City" and they will be used for LED light shows which will make this quite a sight in the evening.

I found out about this tour when one of my clients wrote me after reading my March Bleedership newsletter where I referred to this project. He mentioned that they had these tours so I thought it would be a good idea to take my son.

In my newsletter I discussed the fact that when this project was announced I thought to myself, Why bother? It's going to take forever to complete this. I then discuss how this can be very similar to our lives. We may have some changes God would like to make in us but we may say, Why bother? It's going to take forever to complete this.

If you have ever felt this way, you might want to read my March newsletter. If you would like this, please send me an email at info@bleedership.com and I will email you a PDF of the newsletter.

Obviously, no matter how far we need to go in certain areas of our lives, it is worth the effort. Just like Toledo's new bridge, if we work on ourselves each day, it will be completed.

Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

More Bad Bosses

I just read another article about the affect of bad bosses on organizations. This is some of what they had to say:

If you feel that bad bosses don't have an affect on employees then consider that nearly 40% of American employees feel that have a bad boss. The wide scale of such feelings indicates that there is currently a problem with poor manager to employee relations that exists throughout the American labor force. Many of these problems revolve around people's lack of ability to communicate.

You may be wondering what really constitutes a bad boss. Bullying, incompetence, harassment, discrimination, disregard for the law, poor compensation, rude behavior and invasion of privacy are all signs that a boss isn't doing his/her job well. Such bosses are the result of the Peter Principle where they have been promoted to their complete incompetence.

The Peter Principle is in effect when employees are promoted to supervisory levels without having the skills necessary to effectively do the job. They were promoted because they were good at what they did. However, some people are great employees but terrible managers.

Even worse few employers will take much action against poor employees let alone bosses. According to a survey listed in the Journal Personnel Today 9 out of 10 people in authority do nothing about poor performance of bosses or employees. Thus, these bad bosses continue to stay within organizations year after year with little consequences.

If you have by now recognized that you need to make a few changes in your organization you may be wondering what you can do about it. The easiest solution is to wrap the bosses management skills and effectiveness into the performance appraisal. When poor management becomes wrapped into compensation and employment stability these managers will either improve their performance or be managed out of the organization.

Good advice. If you find yourself with a bad boss or if you think you might have some bad boss in you, check out this site: http://bleedership.com/About.html.

MANAGING UP

Yvonne Ryan, founder of Leaders Edge CA has this to say about managing up:

"Managing up" is all about establishing good relationships with the leaders above you, so you can further your goals and the goals of your group. People deal best with those they like, or at least respect. Overall, you will need to become visible to these people, understand their goals and needs, and be able to express your needs in terms that align with your manager's agenda and vision.

"Managing up" also means making it easy for your manager to manage you. This is accomplished by keeping lines of communication open and by making it easy for your manager to trust you and your word. Be specific in your requests. Give your manager(s) regular reminders. Be aware of your manager's agendas (all of them) and his/her vision for the future. You may have to ferret out your manager's hidden agendas, but the knowledge you gain will be invaluable in garnering your manager's support for your initiatives and projects.

Finally, don't bring your manager problems without bringing a range of possible solutions. You will have more influence with your manager if you bring her/him well-conceived options from which to choose. Otherwise, your manager may begin to see you as a complainer and a whiner. Your manager will begin to avoid you whenever possible; s/he may even ignore some of your requests or assessments at a critical juncture because you are seen as the person who always cries “Wolf!”

Bottom line: Keep your interactions simple, direct, and regular (even when you don't want to); know your manager's agendas and vision and act accordingly; be a problem-solver, not a whiner; and make it easy for your manager to trust and respect you. (Is that all?!?)

BE - DO - HAVE

Zig Ziglar writes this in his book Success for Dummies:

One of my favorite phrases is, "You've got to be before you can do and do before you can have." In short, you have to be a person of character and do the right things, and then you can have the things you really want. To make the "be, do have" theory valid, look at some examples in your own life.

1. Draw two vertical lines to make three columns on a sheet of paper.
2. At the top of the left-hand column, write BE; in the middle column, write DO; and over in the last column, write HAVE.
3. In the right-hand column list all the things you really want in life, whether it's an education, good family relationships, a beautiful new home, a luxury automobile, a trip around the world, to lose weight--you name it.
4. Work your way down the center column identifying the things that you have to do in order to have the things listed in the right-hand column. As an example, let's say you want a successful marriage. To do so, you must be willing to share your innermost thoughts and concerns with your mate. You must carry more than your share of the workload, encourage your mate when he or she is down, and defend your mate against criticism. You need to remember special occasions. Be particularly helpful when your mate is having a bad day or is not feeling well, or has had a tough day at work. Apply the philosophy that "you can have everything you want out of this marriage if you just help your mate get what he or she wants." Everybody's list varies because each of us has unique needs, beliefs, and interests. However, the formula remains the same.
5. Go to the left-hand column and identify what you have to BE in order to DO so that you can HAVE. To have a successful marriage, some of the things that you must be are faithful, attentive, loving, caring, helpful, empathetic, encouraging, persistent, committed, kind, thoughtful, considerate, and responsible. Not having all these qualities at this moment is okay, because they're all skills, and skills can be developed.

You can use this basic formula for whatever it is you want to have. Look at what you have to do in order to accomplish your objectives, and then examine yourself and determine what kind of person you have to BE in order to DO so that you can HAVE.

I highly recommend doing something like this at least once a year - kind of a self-inventory. Stephen Covey calls it "beginning with the end in mind." If you would like tool to help you with this, I would recommend downloading my Bleedership Life Planning Assistant. To download it for free, go here.

Micromanagement

Have you ever had a boss (or a parent) who was a micro-manager? Don't you hate that?

Do you ever wonder if you micromanage? An article by Steve Marr gives some good pointers on when and when not to get involved:

When not to interfere

When the issue is mainly one of preference, we should not become involved. Don was always insisting on font changes, often inconsistently based on his preference on a given day. In reality, any one of several readable fonts would have been fine.

Also, when the issue is not material, we should not get caught up in making changes. One office manager would insist documents be placed in a certain position when being inputted into the computer system. Rather than focusing on the quality and quantity of the work, the focus was on the position of documents. In reality, some worked better using the suggested positioning, while others did not. The insistence on using only one positioning actually reduced productivity rather than improving it.

When to interfere

At times, we do need to become involved in managing staff and changing how work is accomplished. Any time a company policy is violated, we need to step in. Insurance quotations required approval for special rate structures and Don could correctly insist that the required approvals be obtained in advance.

Poor customer service is another instance when we need to step in. The insurance company wanted to produce quotations within 3 business days of receiving all the information required. Again, Don would be correct to step in whenever quotations became delayed. Unfortunately, when Don unnecessarily became involved, he caused many more proposals to fall behind, thus creating a larger problem than the one he thought he was fixing.

Any time ethics are violated we need to take action. When we do step in, we need to explain what was done, what needs to be done differently, and what we expect in the future. Then our colleagues will understand why we need to be involved.When we are clear with staff what we expect and then delegate that work, we can then confidently monitor that work and be drawn in when absolutely necessary.

To read the rest, go here.

Big Blue Makes Cuts

Business Week had an article which had this to say about IBM:

On the surface, IBM seems to be cruising. Its stock is trading near a six-year high, at almost $106, and its overall financial performance has been improving steadily for more than a year. On May 29, the company raised this year's per-share earnings forecast after stepping up a stock repurchase plan.

However, in spite of that rosy outlook, IBM is making cuts to its workforce.

Making cuts like this is no fun; however, it is sometimes necessary. So why is IBM doing this now, when things are seemingly going well? Most companies would wait until things are not going well to make this sort of move.

To me this is a bold statement that they are looking at the long term picture. They are not resting on their laurels.

We can learn from this. I know I typically do a self-assessment only when things are not going the way I would like - you are probably the same way. Let's learn from IBM and do regular self-assessments, even when things are going great. God might show us something we need to know.