The post Why Do People Follow You? appeared first on Don Arnoudse.
]]>Why do people follow you? Take a look and see how many of the following are true.
The post Why Do People Follow You? appeared first on Don Arnoudse.
]]>The post Key Words to Lead By in 2017 appeared first on Don Arnoudse.
]]>In this age of LinkedIn and Google, much is made of ‘key words’ for search engine optimization. I have found that key words can act as ‘navigational beacons’ in optimizing my leadership. ‘Words to lead by’ do more to keep me on the right path than the New Year’s resolutions that I’ve made (and soon broken) in past years.
What are your ‘key words to lead by’ in 2017?
For this new year, I have chosen ‘energy’, ‘clarity’ and ‘focus’.
Energy is fundamental. It is what makes me come alive. ‘Exuberant energy’ gives me the ability to persist in the face of challenges, to bounce back after setbacks, and to perform at my best no matter what life may throw at me.
Clarity on what I care most about is essential to my sense of purpose. No one knows what 2017 will bring. But with clear eyes and consistent intentions I’ll stay on course.
Focus is a critical skill for me in a world of seductive distractions. I’m curious about everything and therefore, I can drift off course chasing the latest ‘shiny object’. Focus enables me to execute on what’s most important and say ‘no’ or ‘not now’ to everything else.
Interested? Try this exercise for yourself.
Accept Embrace Gratitude Love
Catalyze Empower Grow Patience
Challenge Engage Heal Perform
Connect Explore Inspire Relationships
Create Forgive Learn Serve
Let your key words guide you to being the very best leader you can be in 2017!
The post Key Words to Lead By in 2017 appeared first on Don Arnoudse.
]]>The post The Paralysis of Perfection appeared first on Don Arnoudse.
]]>The irony doesn’t escape me. Fortunately, I laugh now at this bit of cosmic humor.
I’d already written 400 pages by September, 2014 only to put the project on hold because I wasn’t happy with it. I explained to others that I needed to do more field research. That my material wasn’t ready for prime time. That I needed to rethink the structure of my book. Perhaps interview more “exuberant leaders” in the world of business. Get a better handle on my target audience.
Now it’s nearly April of 2015 and I realize that none of this is what has me stuck.
What’s really going on is that I have made this book so “important” and “significant” and “game changing” that I can’t finish it. Everything seems imperfect and inadequate against such a standard of perfection.
I have “perfection paralysis”.
My dear friend, Sonia Choquette, who has published 23 books, told me last week, “You need to be willing to write a bad book”. What? Me write a bad book? No way.
But she persisted. “You write the book you are ready to write right now and you get it out there. Let it start doing its work.” Hmmm.
I attended a weekend workshop last year led by the incomparable Sam Horn. I hoped it would give me the boost I needed to finish my book. I remember a charming rogue in the program who was unsullied by any perfectionism. He said to me, “I’ll take my ugly book any day over the book you ain’t got”. Wow!
In Beautiful Boy, John Lennon sang, “Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans”. While we are make our strategies “bulletproof”, our designs perfect, gather ever more data before we make decisions, stay with “the devil we know” rather than step into the unknown, life just keeps happening. We miss our window of opportunity.
The maps we draw are out of date by the time we walk out our door. The landscape changes hourly. Better to start our journey now with a clear destination in mind and trust our internal GPS to help us navigate as we go.
Remember the timeless wisdom of Vilfredo Pareto’s 80/20 rule. Applied here, 20% of my time and effort in writing my book will produce 80% of the value to my readers. And that will leave 80% of my attention for other things. Including my second book. That’s a trade-off I will take.
Where is “perfection paralysis” holding you back?
Ask yourself? Are you putting off a decision until you get more data? Waiting on “shipping the goods” until you polish things a bit more? Settling for a less than fulfilling relationship until you figure out all your options?
I hereby publicly declare.
I will ship my “ugly” book on Exuberance this year instead of making you wait for the perfect book that “I ain’t got”.
You OK with that?
The post The Paralysis of Perfection appeared first on Don Arnoudse.
]]>The post What’s Love Got To Do With It? appeared first on Don Arnoudse.
]]>Of course, you say. Love was the main reason. I wanted to create a life with the person I loved.
Do you love your children?
Of course, you say again. With all my heart. I would do anything for them. I work hard to be the best parent I can be; someone my children can always count on to be there for them.
Do you love your job?
Well, now …. that’s a bit more complicated.
According to Gallup’s 2013 State of the American workplace survey, only 30% of the 150,000 people surveyed love their jobs.
At the other end of the scale, 18% said they hated their jobs, mostly due to bad leaders. They actively and publicly complain about their discontent.
The middle 52% show up to do their work but take very little pleasure from their jobs. They are passively discontented.
What’s love got to do with it?
Business has been slow to realize what we have always known to be true in life. Our passion is rooted in what we care most about. We will do whatever it takes to care of what – and whom — we love. If love is absent, passion is missing, too. We pull back and make the least acceptable effort.
Steve Farber, keynote speaker and author of the bestselling book, The Radical Leap, A Personal Lesson in Extreme Leadership, makes the provocative case that “love is a core business imperative”. Loaded with evidence from successful businesses, he declares, “The notion that love has nothing to do with business is insane.”
Let’s imagine I came to your restaurant looking for a special night out. You greet me at the door and offer me a choice of waiters. “Would you like to be served by Sally, who, by the way, absolutely loves working here, or Jill, who needs the job but has no love for this place?” My slam dunk answer is Sally.
Richard Sheridan, is the author of Joy, Inc. How We Built a Workplace People Love, and CEO of Menlo Innovations, an Ann Arbor, MI software development company. His book is the story of how Menlo is focused on the business value of joy. He poses this question to customers who tour his facility by the thousands each year. “What do you think would happen if half of the Menlo team had “joy” and half didn’t?” Which half would you want us to assign to your imagined project?” Of course, they always pick the joyful half.
Exuberance is a love affair with life.
What if we made “living exuberantly” the point of it all? Starting with love. Love of our work, love of our jobs, love of each other, love of life itself on this beautiful planet. Even being more loving and less critical of ourselves.
What kind of leader would you be if love were your core business principle? What if creating a culture of joy was your secret sauce to producing employees who were fully engaged, customers whose loyalty was unshakable, suppliers who go out of their way to make sure you stay “in love” with them and their services?
Take a look in the mirror. That’s where it starts. Begin by choosing the things that bring you most alive. Self nourishment. Purposeful achievement. Profound relationships. As the airlines tell us “put on your own oxygen mask first.” Take care of your own exuberance.
Then, be an exuberant leader. Show your people that love beats fear every time in business. Grow more exuberant leaders who spread the love, and engage the passion and inspire “extra mile effort” in everyone they interact with.
Stand up for love. For enriching people’s lives. For making sure your business is a force for love and compassion and deep connection in the world.
Create “zones of exuberance” all around you
Do your own “state of your workplace survey”. Measure your success by the number of people that report, “I love my life. I love my job. I love the people I work with and work for and the customers we serve. I am proud to be a living, breathing poster board for my company.”
And watch your profits soar.
The post What’s Love Got To Do With It? appeared first on Don Arnoudse.
]]>The post Make a Difference in Five Minutes (or Less) appeared first on Don Arnoudse.
]]>That’s how my day started today when I drove up to the cashier to pay for my morning cup of java. I’m still smiling thirty minutes later as I enjoy my coffee back in my office. It got me thinking. How easy it is to create a positive ripple effect with just a small “random act of kindness”. Without any expectation of pay back or recognition. It’s infectious, too. I have already decided to pay it forward today with a shout out on social media to a colleague who is doing amazing work.
Adam Rifkin, the consummate networker in Silicon Valley and co-founder of PandaWhale coined a name, the “five minute favor”, for this concept. He’s made it a daily ritual in his own life since the late 90’s. Now it’s a common part of how movers and shakers in Silicon Valley spread the wealth by giving just “five minutes” of their attention to helping someone else. It’s a small thing that has shaped a whole culture of innovation. What a great habit to develop!
My friend David Wagner, the CEO of Juut Salsonspas, the original AVEDA salons, wrote the delightful book Life as a Daymaker: How to change the world simply by making someone’s day. David asks why settle for “random acts” when we can perform “intentional acts” of kindness that make the world a better place.
We can increase the level of anger in the world or bring in more joy.
The other day I was outside a busy restaurant circling the parking lot looking for a place to park. Just then I spotted someone leaving, put on my blinkers and waited. Then I saw another car pull up from the other direction and turn its blinker on as well. “I was here first”, I thought to myself, feeling justified as I pulled into the space. When I got out of my car, I was met with a burst of angry profanity from the other driver. “Didn’t you see me waiting?”, he screamed. “Yes”, I said. “But I was already here well before you pulled up”. “F*** you, you A**” , he yelled as he roared away.
Now I see that I missed my opportunity to “make his day”. Yes, I was justified. But my mood was soured. My whole body was shaking. I was still replaying the scene a day later. And I’m sure he is still telling the story of the jerk who screwed him out of his parking spot. And, now there is more anger and “road rage” in the world. Being right is not enough.
What if I had been on the look-out for my chance to make someone’s day? To do a “five-minute favor”? I would have smiled and waved him into the space. Not because he was first. Just because it gave me a chance to do a favor. He would have thanked me with a smile and a nod in return. I would have found another space further away and walked into the restaurant feeling good. A much better choice for me, “the exuberance guy”, don’t you think?
At the Oscar’s this year, JT Simmons, while accepting his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, said “Call your mom, call your dad. If you’re lucky enough to have a parent or two, still alive on this planet, call them. Don’t text. Don’t email. Call them on the phone. Tell them you love them and thank them and listen to them for as long as they want to talk to you.”
Who can you call just to let them know you are thinking about them? That you care. How do you think you will feel when it’s over? Do it today. Do it now.
Whether you call it “making someone’s day”, paying it forward, or “five minute favors”, the idea is the same. Give a bit of yourself to somebody without any expectation of return. Not out of any sense of obligation but out of gratitude. Simply spread your love of life with small gestures to others. Shine more light into the world.
Perform little acts that say, “I see you. We are in this life together”.
Need some more ideas?
Send a note of appreciation to someone. Call a young person and offer your support. Call an elderly person and engage them in a brief conversation. Let them know you still see them as relevant and that they matter. Connect a couple of people in your life that would benefit from knowing each other. Recommend someone and their services on social media without being asked. Pay attention to that person serving you in the store or restaurant. Let them know you see them and appreciate their service.
Make it a habit. Do a “five minute favor” for someone today.
And enjoy the feeling.
The post Make a Difference in Five Minutes (or Less) appeared first on Don Arnoudse.
]]>The post What Happens When You Walk Into The Room? appeared first on Don Arnoudse.
]]>This is how a senior executive recently described the impact one of my clients has on everyone in the corporate office. Just by walking in the door.
Are you paying attention to what happens when you walk into the room?
When you enter, what do you see on the faces of everyone there? Do you see smiles or blank looks? What happens to the energy level? Do people lean in — ready to join you in the next set of challenges? Or do you see them pull back? Respond politely but put their guard up? Wait to see your mood first before really engaging?
I talked to another client recently and asked her how her week had been. She said, “it was really great, Don. Everyone was upbeat, we all worked together well and got some really big things done without a lot of stress.” I asked, “what accounted for that?” Her answer? “The boss was out of town.” Oops!
The climate affects everything we do.
We all bring our own ‘weather system’ to whatever room we enter. Cold or hot. Rain or shine. Gentle breeze or hurricane. From the kitchen with our family first thing in the morning to the coffee stand on our way into the office. And in the meeting rooms we work in all day long. Our mood affects the climate for everyone.
This is not trivial. Corporations spend fortunes on “culture change programs” and training their leaders in “executive presence”. Those programs often fall short. Why? They miss a key point. It all comes back to our mood as leaders. In today’s hyper-connected “YouTube” world, the ripple effect we create is massive and immediate. Our local actions go viral.
The good news? It doesn’t take a big expensive program to change.
It starts with us taking 100% responsibility for the impact our mood has on others. It’s up to us. Simple as that.
So get started. Become keenly aware of the impact of your personal energy. Ask yourself, “is my mood helping to achieve our mission? Am I creating a climate that invites people to give their best effort? To take risks without fear of being scapegoated? To invest trust in each other and collaborate at the highest level? Am I leveraging my mood as a precursor to results?
Choose the kind of infectious energy you want to bring. Practice until you can bring it consistently, no matter what swirls around you. When you slip, learn to quickly reset yourself.
Get your mindset, body and spirit all working together. Find a good coach to accelerate your mastery.
And watch everyone light up when you enter the room.
The post What Happens When You Walk Into The Room? appeared first on Don Arnoudse.
]]>The post Are You the Best? Or Just the ‘Best of the Rest’? appeared first on Don Arnoudse.
]]>Up until now, JetBlue has courageously refused to follow the rest of our domestic air carriers in their downward spiral of degrading the customer experience while chasing profits. Recent stories of passenger fights over “seat reclining” on airlines such as Delta and United illustrate how most airlines are pushing the absolute limit of we can tolerate instead of focusing on serving us even better.
JetBlue has stood out from the pack. Under the leadership of outgoing CEO Dave Berger they have made delivering a great passenger experience their top priority. And it makes a real difference. Though it was born as a low cost airline, passengers like me are now willing to pay a premium for the JetBlue experience.
Because they have allowed a free checked bag to everyone, the overhead bins are less crowded and boarding the plane is easier. The flight attendants are less stressed and better “hosts” to the passengers. The whole feeling aboard the plane is markedly different than other airlines. I don’t hear the typical complaints when people sit down about how “they are packing us in like cattle”. There are lots of smiles as people hook up to the free video at every seat and choose from the unlimited snacks, including the famous “blues” chips.
Analysts and investors have pressured CEO Berger to optimize profits and focus first on raising the stock price. They accuse him of “being overly concerned with passengers and their comfort”. Overly concerned with customer comfort? Wow!
JetBlue’s leaders have caved to pressure from shortsighted investors.
So now, changes have been announced. Incoming CEO Robin Hayes will preside over the systematic chipping away of the JetBlue experience. More rows of seats are being added to reduce leg room. First checked bags will no longer be free to the lowest price tier of economy tickets. And how do they defend these changes? JetBlue’s “spin” is, “We are still better than the other guys”. In other words, instead of setting the standard in passenger comfort for the whole industry; JetBlue’s new motto is ‘we will be at the high end of the mediocre experience you have grown to hate’. So sad. And so likely to fail.
What does this say about “courage to lead” at JetBlue?
Not much, I’m afraid. It’s another example of a successful company beginning to take its customers for granted and letting a narrow focus on profits supplant the core values that built the brand. When you start treating your customers as captives — “where else can they go anyway?” — you abandon your guiding question of “how can we serve them even better and expand the gap with our competitors?” You’ve joined the spiral to the bottom.
JetBlue has been rated as offering the “best in flight flying experience” of all US airlines. It took years of concerted effort by all JetBlue employees to earn that trust. Why risk trashing their hard-earned brand? Once broken, the trust of your customers is extremely difficult to regain.
For a contrast in leadership, take a look at Tim Cook, CEO of Apple.
Under similar pressure at a 2014 shareholder meeting; in this case, to cut back on Apple’s climate initiatives and related energy policies, CEO Cook responded:
“We do a lot of things at Apple for reasons beyond the profit motive. We want to leave the world a better place than we found it. If you want me to do things only for ROI reasons, you should get out of this stock”.
And we all know how Apple’s profits are soaring. At a valuation of $750 billion, they are now the most valuable company in the world — ever! And Tim Cook just announced an $850 million California Solar Energy Initiative by Apple.
Exuberant leaders stay true to the company’s core values and the promise of their brand. They inspire their organizations to be the best; not “the best of the rest”. They focus on their customers and employees and turn aside the short-term pressures of Wall Street. Their exuberant energy for winning the long game wins over their investors. Their customers reward them with fierce loyalty that gives them more pricing power.
Which kind of leader are you?
The post Are You the Best? Or Just the ‘Best of the Rest’? appeared first on Don Arnoudse.
]]>The post The Power of Hospitality appeared first on Don Arnoudse.
]]>Its founder, Danny Meyer, was quoted in the New York Times on January 30, 2015. “The thing I learned growing up in St. Louis was the power of hospitality. The enormously warm feelings of loyalty that come from feeling welcome and being recognized and having the sense that the restaurant is happy to see you”.
Do your products and services need to deliver on your promises? Absolutely. Every time. But that just gets you in the game. Competitors can quickly copy your goods. To win, you must excel at the intangibles. You must create – and sustain – a mood that puts a smile on your customers’ faces. That lifts their spirits and inspires them to invite all their friends to enjoy your hospitality.
True hospitality cannot be faked. Authentic warmth and caring comes from the inside. The mood of an organization starts with the mood of its leaders. As a leader your job is to first choose a positive mood — and sustain it — all day long. Every day. Such mood mastery is a sign of great leadership. The kind that turns a food stand into a global brand. Such “exuberance” draws people in every country. Each culture may express such love of life a bit differently but as human beings we all crave connection. We love to be welcomed and appreciated. We want to smile and laugh. To feel ‘at home’.
My good friend, Mark McKergow, has just written a marvelous book called “Host” with Helen Bailey. It’s a unique guidebook to this ancient and ‘oh-so modern’ form of leadership. They offer many examples of host leadership; I.e., creating welcoming spaces, rituals, engagement, and services that have employees and customers alike feel like guests at our dinner tables. Such leadership cannot be easily ‘cloned’ by competitors when it is deeply embedded in the culture of an organization.
It all starts with you, the leader. Wherever you are and whatever your role in the organization, master your moods. Be a wonderful host. Tap into the power of hospitality.
And watch your profits grow.
The post The Power of Hospitality appeared first on Don Arnoudse.
]]>The post It Takes Courage to Grow appeared first on Don Arnoudse.
]]>And I say a big “Yes” to that. Helping leaders and their companies grow into their full potential and beyond what they thought possible fuels my growth as a leadership coach. It’s part of what keeps me exuberant.
There’s a dirty little secret when it comes to growth.
Learning and growing takes guts. Real courage. The moment you put your neck on the line for growth, resistance kicks in. I’m not even talking about the people outside your door; I’m talking about the voices of fear in your head. Fear of getting too far out of your comfort zone. Fear of risking the wrath of shareholders and the livelihood of employees and business partners. These little voices can make a compelling case for caution, protecting what we already have, hedging our bets, and not moving until we have “our ducks in a row”. Such sweet logic offers us a defensible way out from going to the “scary edge”. A path for dignified retreat but at the cost of stopping new learning and growth. That’s a high price to pay.
To learn and grow as a leader is a courageous act.
It requires loosening our attachment to old habits and previously successful ways of thinking. What worked for us before could now be what holds us back. It’s scary to let go of what has been our winning formula — our signature move. Like aging rock stars, we are tempted to keep playing our greatest hits. Cliches like “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” and “do more of what you do best” can lock us in.
Consequently, we stop taking the chances we took when starting out. We start protecting our legacy and stop inventing the future. We become less and less relevant to the challenges of tomorrow. The energy in our company shifts toward “profit protection” and maintaining the legacy.
Bill Belichick is a much loved – and much resented by some – coach of the New England Patriots football team. He has established an extraordinary record of winning in the NFL over a long period of time. And his “signature strength” is always surprising everyone with his next move. His game plans are never repetitive. He finds new ways to exploit the rules to the constant exasperation of opposing coaches. Witness his innovative use of the “ineligible receiver” rule in his recent victory against the Baltimore Ravens in the 2015 Divisional playoff game. Witness his inexplicable trade of six-time Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins to Tampa Bay earlier in the same season. Does his every move pay off? Not by a long shot, but overall his record is stellar. And, his teams always believe in him. They trust him even when they can’t figure out why he does what he does.
Why? Because he is willing to put it all on the line again and again. No sacred cows. No one’s ego – especially his own – is bigger than the team. He’s just doing what it takes for the team to grow and win.
The way to win in a world where everyone can replay the video and dissect every move you’ve ever made is to constantly reinvent yourself. Never do the predictable thing. Choose surprise over the “tried and true”. Now that takes guts.
The resistance we encounter – both internal and external — is actually a sign that we are really doing something significant. The closer we get to the treasure; the more security systems we run into. Jack Welch, while leading GE, once said, “If you are taking flak, it means you are over the target”.
Stop waiting for the resistance to disappear before you make your move. That’s a loser’s gambit. The resistance only goes away if you pull back. Ask yourself, “will pulling back get me the learning and growth that I want?”
The key to growth is shifting your response to your internal resistance.
Take a deep breath. Thank your “internal voice” of resistance for letting you know that you are approaching the territory where the treasure is buried. Just keep showing up, doing your work, and inspiring others to push on with you.
Choose to grow.
The post It Takes Courage to Grow appeared first on Don Arnoudse.
]]>The post The Seduction of Instant Gratification appeared first on Don Arnoudse.
]]>By seeking results without effort we miss out on mastery.
We deal in sound bites rather than thoughtful discourse. We grab “silver bullet” solutions that inevitably disappoint us and feed our cynicism. We admire the “win” without respecting the practice that preceded it. We teach our children short cuts to fame and fortune rather than commitment and resilience under pressure.
As shareholders, we put the heat on CEO’s who don’t maximize earnings each quarter. As a society, as our highways crumble we punish any politician who pushes for a raise in the gas tax, even while the price of gas is at a 5 year low.
The current hit movie, The Imitation Game, tells the story of Alan Turing and his persistent effort to break the Nazi’s “unbreakable” Enigma code. Turing was pressured, even bullied, into giving up his “grand solution” and returning to the known methods of the day. His detractors sabotaged his efforts. He persisted. He kept doing the work. He inspired his skeptical co-workers to persist as well. They fought those who tried to stop them, broke the code and shortened the war.
Choose mastery over “instant gratification”.
We can choose how we live and how we lead. We can teach our children that it’s persistent effort that counts. That showing up each day, doing your work, taking the short-term risk for the long term gain, is the path to a deeper, more fulfilling life and sustainable achievements. That instant gratification is a thief.
We can purge our homes of over-processed instant foods. Rediscover the joys of preparing real food together. We can turn away from charlatans who promise a quick fix to complicated problems and instead employ real craftspeople who take pride in their products and their services.
At work, we can avoid a single-minded focus on short-term results and band-aid solutions, embrace the full complexity of our most important problems and give our people the time and resources to take risks, learn, and keep taking ground on a solution. We can lead our people in getting big, gnarly things done.
We can choose mastery in life, without short cuts and without skipping over the tough parts that hold the key to leaving a proud legacy. Mastery is the path to a life well-lived.
Live well, friends.
The post The Seduction of Instant Gratification appeared first on Don Arnoudse.
]]>