First Break All the Rules Rewind

“Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to high sights, the raising of a person’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations.”  Peter F. Drucker

Recently I had the opportunity to re-read First Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman. This is a good book that opens the eyes, minds, and hearts of its readers as it teaches them how to be more effective managers and leaders.  The book shares the message that the most effective managers are successful because they buck many of the common management traditions and focus almost solely on putting their people first.  I believe the above quote by Peter F. Drucker really sums up what the book is trying to teach.  Below are in my opinion some of the most valuable insights from the book for leaders and mangers and they are applicable to all regardless of industry or leadership position. 

#1 “Managers trump companies”

People leave poor management.  If a company has a turnover problem, and is losing a lot of talent, it is extremely likely that the number one cause is the management team.   It is a misconception to believe people leave their place of business mostly for more money, better benefits, or shorter commutes.  The truth is people do not leave companies, they leave people.  If you want to keep your best, you don’t need better benefits, more time off, or an increase in pay, rather you simply need better managers.  And to retain great managers, you must be a great one yourself.    

#2 “The employee is the star and the manager is the agent”

Before completing certain tasks, impressing their boss, finishing reports on time, improving productivity, or reaching certain goals, the best managers put being a catalyst for their team members first and foremost.  These leaders focus on developing their people and helping them to discover their strengths and be successful.  Great leaders realize it is impossible to force someone to do anything.  Instead great managers are experts at helping their people find their own path to success.  And this focus on their people leads to excellent results. 

#3  “Strong companies become experts in the destination and give the individual the thrill of the journey”

Great managers simply create a vision and then allow their people the freedom to determine how to arrive there.  Rather than define every step, smart companies describe the targets.  Micromanaging or over controlling will simply result in unhappy people and ultimately poor outcomes. 

#4 “We all hate to be ignored”

This is a simple fact and for this reason, the best managers spend the most amount of time with their best people.  This often seems impossible and very contradictory to how most of us operate but great leaders make a concerted effort to ensure this happens.  People naturally crave attention and the more you give it as a leader, the more people will do what it is that is getting your attention.  For this reason, focus on your best, spend the most time with them, and then the best is what you will get in return. 

#5 “Average thinking actively limits performance”

If you are simply trying to be average or just above average then you are grossly underestimating the ability and desires of your team.  Great people don’t want to be average; they want to be the best.  As leaders, we should have very high standards and not accept average as satisfactory.  By doing this, always upholding high standards, we will attract the best people to us and our organizations and will get the best results in return. 

First Break all the Rules is a great book for new or experienced leaders and managers.  Applying the ideas taught in its pages will help any leader to be more successful and become a better leader.       
To see how I rated this book, click here    

Finding Peace

Finding inner peace has been a quest since the beginning of mankind.  Throughout history there have been many methods developed and ideas shared about how to find peace.  I believe each of us to a certain extent seeks for peace in our mind, in our heart, and in our soul whether we actively realize it or not.  So the quest continues and I believe in our time it has become much more difficult. 

Peace is an interesting topic and idea because even the very thought of desiring peace can sabotage our efforts as any sort of worry or stress disturbs peace.  So how do we free ourselves from stresses and worries?  How do we gain peace? Though I do not certainly have any profound answers, a few ideas that have helped me obtain and feel peace in my life are below.  

Media Reduction

Have you ever shut out the world for a while meaning no internet, tv, radio, cell phone etc.?  I have experimented with this and continue to do so because I believe it is so much easier to find peace without technology and the media.  There is so much to worry about and so much stress comes in to our lives through the media which often we do not realize.  Shutting it out for a day or two or even a week or a month will help us find peace.  I invite you to give it a try.

Following our Conscious

Peace comes when we do what we feel and know we should do.  This seems simple in theory but is very difficult in practice.  We constantly self-betray ourselves by not following our conscious.  Instead we make excuses why we don’t follow it and this leads to constant stress, unrest, and worry.  Having the discipline to follow our conscious will bring peace. 

Family Time

I have found great peace while spending time with my family.  I realize all family situations and relationships are different and many can be strained, abusive, and/or otherwise stressful but if possible, try to spend some quality time with those you care about most.  This is time where you are just focused on your family and I believe this time will help you find some peace. 

Seeing People

Peace can also come when we see people as people.  Too often we treat and view others as objects rather than human beings with similar thoughts, feelings, struggles, and emotions as us.  Even in conflict we can learn to treat people as people and can gain peace.  If we can find a way to see people for who they are, peace will increase in our lives.     

Finding peace is not easy and probably will be a lifelong pursuit for each of us.  As we find peace, our ability to share it with others and influence and lead others will grow.  Thus, striving for it is worth it and by applying some of the suggestions above, I am confident peace will increase in your life. 

The Blessing of Work

The last week gave me the opportunity to participate in some hard manual labor in the extremely hot Texas summer sun.  Though I somewhat dreaded the necessary tasks at hand, I actually truly enjoyed it.  Let me tell you why. 

I believe joy comes when we work hard.  For whatever reason, it is gratifying to push ourselves, extend our talents and efforts, and accomplish a goal.  Hard work is extremely satisfying and our ability to do it is a blessing.  When the tasks at hand were accomplished this past week, I felt exhausted but also great for what I had been able to achieve.  In fact, I still feel good about it.    

Doing something hard can bring us a great sense of pride and accomplishment.  Hard work I believe boosts our self-esteem and confidence.  When we know we have done something hard, it gives us confidence we can do it again and again.  I also believe it can boost our energy and mental capacity.  The positive effects of hard work can be pretty remarkable really. 

So if hard work can be so good, why do so many of us avoid it all the time?  This is a good question.  It is human nature to want to avoid hard things and I believe our society more and more diminishes the value of hard work.  Instead in many ways we promote that gaining something for nothing is much better than actually exerting our own effort.  This idea robs us of our sense of self-worth.  Because of this prevailing belief, it seems fewer and fewer people are participating in or are even willing to work hard.  This trend I am afraid is and will continue to have an extremely negative impact on our society because of the many blessings and positive effects that come from working hard. 

The ability to work hard is a blessing in our lives and we need to take advantage of it.  Next time we are asked to do something difficult, we should be excited by the challenge and the feelings we will feel when we complete the task.  Rather than look for ways to get out of work, let’s enjoy the satisfaction that comes from it!!   

Change the World

Recently I’ve been very inspired by others—and I love that!  I too hope to inspire others in my own way.  Though many of you may already know about these people, as each has become famous in their own way, I’d like to share with you who I have been inspired by this past week. 

First is Aaron Collins.  I heard Aaron’s story on the news while driving home from work.  According to the news story I heard, Aaron who had recently passed away at the age of 30, loved to give big tips after eating out at restaurants, especially to rude or stressed out waiters or waitresses.  One time, Aaron gave a $50 tip to a waitress who had been extremely rude and he reported that the tip completely changed her attitude, outlook, and behavior almost immediately.  Aaron loved to see these types of changes in people and as his dying wish asked that his family give a $500 tip to a waiter or waitress and that is exactly what they are doing.  Now people across the country have been inspired to give big tips to make someone else’s day.  Pretty cool story.  You can learn more about Aaron’s story at aaroncollins.org.

Second is Lindsey Stirling.  Lindsey is a dancing violinist.  I was sent her story in an email and read how she is becoming well-known because of her talents in playing the violin while dancing.  I also learned that for the most part she taught herself how to play as well as dance because her family could not afford lessons.  I love how she boldly shares her talents and is doing what she loves to do.  You can watch a video of Lindsey at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp63nbOfxgs and I think you will be impressed and inspired as I was. 

Finally is Matt Harding who brings the world together in dance.  Dancing is fun, makes people happy, and brings people together.  You can see Matt’s world dance at http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=Pwe-pA6TaZk&.    

Watching, hearing, and learning about these individuals makes me want to be a better person.  They in some way are making a difference and leaving a mark on this world.  In their own ways, they are inspiring others.      

Like them, I have a great desire to have a positive impact on others.   Like them, I want to leave this world a better place; I want to change it for good.  And I believe each of us can.  Most often it won’t be through huge, amazing things that we do but rather in simple ways like a fifty dollar tip.  I believe each of us regardless of our background, education, experience, social status, income level, etc. can have a tremendous impact on others and on the world.  I believe each one of us is unique and in our own ways can make a significant contribution and difference.  I hope I find my way to do it, and I hope you find yours too.  Let’s change the world!      

Be like the Bee

The beauty of life is that we can learn so much from so many different things in life and sometimes in the most unexpected ways.  For example, nature is a great way to learn and as I’ve studied leadership and our capacity and ability to reach our full potential and truly become all that we can be, I’ve ran into several articles on bees that always seem to fascinate me.  They fascinate me because every time I read them, I think we must be much more like them and that if we were, we could discover much greater results in our lives.  Below are five examples of why we must be more like bees and how doing so will help find greater success. 

#1 Efficient

Bees are extremely efficient.  They rarely (if ever) waste time or take a day off.  They know what they have to do to be successful and so they go to work doing it.  They don’t have bad days, procrastinate, or waste even a few seconds of their day.  They work hard and are focused the entire day on the task at hand.  If we could learn to be as efficient as a bee, our time would be much better utilized and maximized to accomplish our goals in life.       

#2 Hard Working

This efficiency leads to hard work.  Bees work tirelessly to reach their end goal.  They seem to know that honey doesn’t make itself.  They work hard for their results and don’t rely on others or hope for good luck.  They know their hard work will pay off in the end.  If we could adopt the same work ethic as a bee, our outcomes in life would be significantly improved.      

#3 Team Work 

From what I understand, most bees come from a hive or swarm and thus they work together to gain success.  Rather than simply relying on themselves and their own efforts, they help each other in order to have great outcomes.  Where one bee may struggle another bee picks up the slack.  Bees seem to understand that a group or team of bees can always accomplish more together than an individual.  Likewise, as we work together and support each other, our ability to be successful is greatly enhanced.    

#4 Visionary

Bees have tremendous vision—they literally see the future first and then make it a reality.  What I mean by this is bees eyes are in the exact shape of the honeycomb they produce.  Thus, they envision what they want and then make it happen.  If we could have the focus and vision of bees by knowing what we wanted and believing we could make it happen, our ability to be successful would increase tremendously. 

#5 Resilient

Finally, bees never give up.  Though flower or nectar may be far from home, they search until they find what they are looking for.  A bee does not seem to get discouraged or distracted easily but instead continues to press forward until the goal at hand is accomplished.  If we could match a bees resiliency and never give up, even when facing great obstacles or roadblocks, our ability to come out on top would vastly improve.     

Bees are amazing insects and learning to be more “bee like” in our lives will greatly improve our results.  If we can learn to be more efficient, hardworking, team oriented, visionary, and resilient like bees, we will massively improve our success in life.  Thus we must be like the bee.