Dr. Blue Man

Thoughts on 2009 and 2010

The holiday season traditionally includes time to celebrate with friends and family another year gone by.  The holiday season is also a time for reflection and anticipation: looking at the year gone by and ahead to the year in front of us.  When I look back at the past year, I examine what worked, what didn't work, and what I have learned from it all and what I should have learned from it all.  There is also that element of excitement as we look forward to the New Year -- 2010.  (Have you noticed that we have gotten so used to referring to previous years in this century as "oh-eight" or "oh-nine" that many are referring to next year as "oh-ten?"  Why wouldn't we simply refer to it as "ten"?)  The holiday season provides us a seemingly magical transition from the old to the new as if this season provides us a fresh, new start. 

 

In reality, this symbolic "transition" from 2009 to 2010 is merely a flip of the calendar.  When you really think about it, moving from December 2009 to January 2010 is fundamentally no different than moving the calendar from November 2009 to December 2009.  Yet, there is something magically symbolic about moving into the New Year.  This is very similar to the seasonal transitions from winter to spring as people seem to get a lift from the warmer, sunnier days of spring.  Or moving from the first half of the game to the second- your competition is the same, your teammates are the same, the referees are the same- but hopefully it will be different.  There is an uplifting anticipation associated with anything new.  However, making this symbolic new effective and meaningful in our lives, involves more than a party or a celebration or a flip of the calendar.  It requires understanding and commitment. 

 

To that end, as you ponder and reflect and celebrate the transition of 2009 into 2010, I encourage you to look at four aspects of your world:

 

1. Where have I been? 

2. What have I learned?

3. What will I change?

4. Who will I help? 

 

In my world, the lessons learned in 2009 are extensive.  In order to keep this section length appropriate, I have left out my experiences and thoughts as to each of the above questions.  If you want to hear and relate stories, contact me, I would be happy to share and learn. 

 

That said my 2009 featured challenges I could not have predicted or expected and also provided wonderful friends and contacts who have had a significant impact in my life.  As I look ahead to 2010, I am excited about building better relationships with the people and becoming a better husband, father, and businessman.  Yes, 2009 was not much fun.  But, it was a great learning experience.  I look forward to applying the lessons learned from the past to provide fundamental change and opportunity in the upcoming year.   

 

I trust your reflection and anticipation exercise will be as enlightening and productive as mine were.  More importantly, I look forward to sharing in the excitement of a very productive, prosperous, and powerful new year with each of you.  Best wishes to you, to your family, and to all of your activities in 2010!! 

 

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Helping Others and Yourself Grow Through Mentoring

Men-tor.  n. A wise and trusted counselor or teacher.

Looking for a way to help your people develop, grow, and improve their performance? Like to do the same for your-self? If so, you need to try MENTORING. If ever there was a "win-win" process, this is it!

By definition, mentoring is a relationship between an experienced person and a less experienced person for the purpose of helping the individual with less experience learn and grow. Mentoring is a great way to serve your people... and yourself. As team members develop in both knowledge and skills, their performance naturally improves. When that happens, everyone wins. And you'll find that YOU grow by mentoring, as well. As you reflect on your life experiences and distill them into nuggets to share with others, you "re-experience" the wisdom that's inside of you. What's wrong with that picture? NOTHING!

So, consider adding mentoring to your leadership strategies. And as you do, keep the following in mind:

All mentoring relationships need to focus on the people being mentored. Remember that it's not about you - it's about them. Accept them for who they are. Help them advance at their own place.

Avoid treating people you are mentoring as incompetent or incapable. Rather, think of them as individuals lacking in experience... valuable team members who need guidance. And don't forget where YOU came from. Earlier in your career, you didn't know what you know now. Why should they?

Don't criticize or belittle. Instead, help "mentorees" think through the consequences of their behavior and to identify more positive ways of handling difficult or troubling situations. And, by all means, hold the people you are mentoring responsible for their success. Be willing to give of yourself and your time, but insist that they do the same.

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Doing the Uncommon

It seems to me people construct their realities more than they realize.  Ask someone how they are doing and you get- “I’m getting by” or “fine under the circumstances”, or my favorite- “not bad”; none of those answers inspire me with confidence.  How about you?  I heard it once said that “You only get the right answer when you ask the right question”.

I would like to suggest a key question: what can you do, starting today, that will make a difference? What can you do during economic chaos? What can you do when everything has gone wrong? What can you do when you’ve run out of money, when you don’t feel well and it’s all gone sour? What can you do?

Let me give you the broad answer first. You can do the most remarkable things, no matter what happens. People can do incredible things, unbelievable things, despite the most impossible or disastrous circumstances.

Here is why humans can do uncommon things: because they are uncommon. We can overcome incredible odds.  Debbi Fields was told “a cookie store is a bad idea…” She did the uncommon.  Albert Einsteins’s teacher told his father “it doesn’t matter what he does, he will never amount to anything”.  HP rejected Steven Jobs’ application with “we don’t need you.  You haven’t gone through college yet”.  He did the uncommon. The Beatles were told "The only thing different is the hair, as far as I can see. I give them a year." By Ray Bloch, musical director, "The Ed Sullivan Show" .  They did the uncommon

We can turn nothing into something, pennies into fortune, and disaster into success. And the reason we can do such uncommon things is because we are uncommon.  Try reaching down inside of yourself; you’ll come up with some more of those remarkable human gifts. They’re there, waiting to be discovered and employed.

With those gifts, you can change anything for yourself that you wish to change. And I challenge you to do that because you can change. If you don’t like how something is going for you, change it. If something isn’t enough, change it. If something doesn’t suit you; change it. If something doesn’t please you, change it. You don’t ever have to be the same after today. If you don’t like your present address, change it—you’re not a tree!

If there is one thing to get excited about, it’s your ability to make yourself do the necessary things, to get a desired result, to turn the negative into success. That’s true excitement.

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The Swiss Army Knife and life

Over the past eighteen months, we have all been on our own very unique journey.  Declining revenues, trimmed budgets, shrinking markets, increased receivables, canceled projects, and the like have all smacked many of our businesses squarely in the face. 

I was in a meeting the other day where the facilitator talked about the challenges we face today are like having a Swiss Army Knife, where we have to discover tools we have never had to use before.  What a great analogy.  As we move through this "new economy" with our Swiss Army Knife in tow, remember that we are on a journey.  This is uncharted territory.  There are no road maps.  There are no compass points.  There are no historical references.  What we have experienced and are experiencing is all new to everyone.  So, you will need to explore thoughts, ideas, connections, relationships, partners, and strategies that you never thought about before.  And, despite the unavoidable stress, this is actually quite good for us.
 
Remember the lessons learned from the Swiss Army Knife and listen for the opportunities, look for the possibilities, and be receptive to the discussion.  You will be quite surprised at what you discover.  And you will have some great stories-good ones, interesting ones, and funny ones-to share when you celebrate your success on the other side of this unique educational period.

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Leaders are made not born

It is often said that leaders are made not born; I believe this to be true.

The topic of leadership has been and continues to be one of the most vital topics. From ancient civilizations to modern-day multinational corporations, men and women of passion, fervor and zeal have sought to discover the secrets of moving others beyond the gray of their mundane reality to the extraordinary life that can and does exist.

Every organization or collection of people, from large to small, requires ardent and skilled leaders. It has been said that everything rises and falls on leadership, and it is true. Every group—families, cities, churches, associations, and yes, even nations—fulfills its purposes and potential based on the leadership it is shown.

Be assured that there will be a leader of every group. There will be those who influence others, even if you don’t. There may even be unscrupulous people who use their abilities to lead others astray. The quote “All it takes for evil to prevail is for the good man to do nothing,” remains true today as it has through the annals of time. This is the compelling motive for you to rise up and lead the way for others.

Our families depend on it.

Our community groups depend on it.

Our nations depend on it.

People will follow you for two reasons: They follow you because of your character, for who you are. They also follow you for your skills, for what you can do. The best leaders challenge us to be better than we think we can be.  They challenge us to do more than we think we can do. 

Make every effort to impart skillful and honorable leadership to those who would look to you for your wisdom, your guidance and your belief in the promise of the human spirit.

Someone will lead. Will it be you? If not you, then who will lead?  If you will not lead now; then when?

Today, more than ever, you are needed. Your strong character is needed. Your finely honed skills are needed. I hope you will rise to the challenge.

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