Words Matter: Level Up Leadership Tips – 085

1 dead. 25 inured. Houses destroyed. Where? In Boston, MA. What? A gas line explosion.

Words always matter. They matter even more in a crisis. Leaders get in front of as many people as possible, as soon as possible, and pay attention to their words.

The President of Columbia gas, Steve Bryant, the owner of the gas line said this:

“We are sorry and deeply concerned about the inconvenience,” he said. “This is the sort of thing that a gas distribution company hopes never happens.”

Words are extremely important.

I’ve said inappropriate or insensitive words before. My guess is you have to. What do you to then? What does Mr. Bryant do now?

Get in front of as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, and apologize for an insensitive word or phrase. Own the issue, this is what leaders do. Deflection, blame, excuses – these are not the words of a leader.

Every time a leader doesn’t own their words, they are most likely protecting themselves: making it about them. It’s not about you. It’s not about your ego or reputation or what you think people might think about you. It is about your words and your company or team. Everyone else already knows it was insensitive or inappropriate. Admit it. Own it.

Say, “I’m sorry.” Mean it and it will make all the difference in the world.

Recent recommendation for Level Up Coaching:

“I have attended several off-sites both in and out of the military and I really appreciated your approach. You provided ground rules and got into the meat of what we needed to accomplish without lecturing or providing lengthy slides and buzz words.” – Tim (a non-profit Board retreat)

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Jeff Raker

The Compass: Level Up Leadership Tips – 083

I am a fan of the compass more than the calendar. I have a compass and a saying on my desk: “The compass matters more than the calendar. The direction you’re heading matters more than the speed with which you are getting there.”

Admittedly, I have a plan and when it doesn’t come together as quickly as I’d like to, the calendar is frustrating, perhaps disappointing. But I still love the compass more because it’s more important.

Compass questions matter more because they are about direction. If I hastily get somewhere but it’s not the right place, it’s not helpful. Another way to think about it is through the question: “Am I building an oak tree or a flower? One takes 3 months and is gone. The other takes 60 years and lasts.”

Companies and teams that lose sight of the compass heading in the midst of busyness and deadlines, will end up ineffective and unhelpful. The same goes for individuals. Each of us has our own True North, a direction that guides us, leading forward.

Here are two compass questions to consider:

(1) Am I making progress? Speed or lack thereof can be deceptive. Gauge direction. I recommend comparing month to month or quarter to quarter rather than daily or weekly.

One company might say that their compass is customer service while another says it is “to make money.” Choose your compass. Then decide what steps are defined as progress.

What does positive momentum look like? What will it take to get to the next level?

(2) What forces are ahead of me that may impact my course direction?

When an archer lets go of an arrow, it’s with the knowledge of what lies between the archer and the target: wind, elevation, distance all play a part.

What forces will push on your arrow as you launch it toward your target? Economic? Personnel? Politics? You can’t anticipate everything, nor can you avoid everything. You can however look ahead and make some adjustments.

By the way, there’s no way an individual or a company can ask all the right questions on their own. Closeness to the present circumstances distorts eyesight and understanding. Call in a Coach or Consultant.

Setbacks & Failures: Level Up Leadership Tips – 082

In 1914, the great inventor Thomas Edison experienced a devastating hardship. His entire laboratory burned to the ground, and several years worth of work was ruined.

Newpapers described the situation as “the worst thing to happen to Edison.”

Edison didn’t see it that way at all. The inventor instead chose to see his circumstances as an invigorating opportunity to rebuild and re-examine much of his current work. In fact, Edison reportedly said shortly after the fire: “Thank goodness all our mistakes were burned up. No we can start again fresh.” And that’s exactly what he and his team did. (from 5 Lies We Learned When We Were Younger [That We Still Live By Today])

How you handle setbacks and failures may be the greatest determining factor in the level of your success. You control your response to the circumstances of your life. Fear of failure will keep you from learning from your mistakes. This is truly a failure.

If you never try, you have already failed.

If you fail to learn, you have failed.

If you quit, you have failed.

Learn from your setbacks and failures. Take time to debrief yourself. Get with a mentor or coach. These times create the best soil for new opportunities.

New Things: Level Up Leadership Tips – 081

For swimming, it’s the season of new coaches, new teams, new age groups, new teammates, new expectations and goals. Especially when an athlete is on a new team (perhaps Freshman in college or High School), or it’s the same team but a new coach. In either circumstance there is a temptation to blame.

70 years ago, W. Clement Stone invented a formula that has seen a resurgence since 2000: E + R = O

EVENTS will happen in our lives

Our RESPONSE can turn any event into something positive (or negative) and our response is completely under our control.

OUTCOMES are not inevitable.

I’m working with a couple of teams that have new coaches this season. Starting on the right path is crucial. No blame allowed. Take ownership of your response. Sure it’s new, it’s different, it feels uncomfortable, but an athlete’s response is completely within their control. Choose wisely!

When things don’t go well for an athlete; when an athlete has a plan and the plan doesn’t materialize, there will be a tendency to blame the new coach. But blame is the language of defeat and discouragement. Personal accountability (which is what E+R=O is about) means taking responsibility for your actions, your words, your attitude and with whom you choose to associate.

When an athlete starts blaming, redirect them with a question:

“What are you upset/disappointed/frustrated about?” It’s easier to blow it off, tell them to just get at it, say: “It’ll be alright,” and then move on. A longer-lasting, trust-building response will bring more benefits. The Coach-Athlete relationship is one of the three key components for a champion. A simple question can help built it.

It has nothing to do with the new team, the new coach, the new age group. It has everything to do with the individual athlete’s choices. Helping an athlete admit it and own it rather than seek to blame something or someone outside of their control is the pathway to peak performance.

Congratulations to the Mason Manta Rays, Coach Ken Heis and athletes Jake Foster, Carson Foster, and Adam Chaney on a fantastic Junior Pan Pac Championships in Fiji. More to come from them.

Olympic TrialsI’m starting to coach an Olympic Trials marathon qualifier, to get this person ready for February in Atlanta. I’ll keep you updated.