And then there is social media screaming – “Do you care?” The pressure is immense.
So what do we say when asked the question, do you care?
The standard response: “Of course, I care….”
The honest response: “I do care, but my actions do not always evidence my care.”
The vulnerable response: “I want to care better, if I only knew how…”
I have never met anyone who said they did not want to be a caring person. But I have met many people who did uncaring things towards other people. In fact, at some point in time, I think that is true of every single person. And as our mom’s told us – our actions speak louder than our words.
• Have you cared for a newborn infant who is inconsolable at three in the morning?
• Have you cared for an elderly parent with dementia?
• Have you cared for an angry customer at work?
• Have you cared for a loved one dying of cancer?
• Have you cared for a foster child?
• Have you cared for neighbor without family?
• Have you cared for a person struggling with mental illness?
If you have done any of these things, you know deep in your soul that is very hard to care for someone in their time of need. You have struggled to get it right. You have fallen short of your own ideals. You have had to apologize. You have had to regroup. You have had to change.
This is your experience. This is my experience. Caring is hard to do.
But I think I know your heart – you want to care better for others – in your own home, in your workplace, in your community, and your world. Where do we start?
First – change always begins with you.
DEFINE your own principle of care. Ask yourself, when I look back on how I handled myself in these times, what do I want people to say about my actions? As an example, my personal response would be that I want the other person to say I was attentive, loving, and willing to sacrifice for them.
MIRROR TEST your own behavior. How have you lived up to your principle – and where have you fallen short? Be honest with yourself. Do this not just once, but daily.
Second – listen to and learn from others.
ASK curious questions of people you care for. Listen carefully and learn everything you can about them, their challenge, their life experience, their needs. Let them tell you what great care looks like in their worldview.
PRACTICE the caring behaviors that are difficult for you – and important to the other person. You won’t improve without effort. No pain. No gain. When you fall short, apologize and try again. For me, I must practice patience – it just doesn’t come naturally to me.
FEEDBACK. Ask the person and others around you to tell you what they have observed – noting your positive caring acts and your opportunities to be more caring. Make a conscious decision to stick with it until your actions are aligned with your principles. This is living a life of integrity.
These steps will help you demonstrate genuine care more often – but they will not make you perfect. Perfection is not going to happen this side of heaven. But acts of genuine care can bring a bit of heaven to this earth.
Serve well.
]]>In light of this progress, I want to ask you to step back for just a moment and ask yourselves this question – does our new 2020 plan reflect the purpose, the mission, and the WHY of our organization? Would our team members, guests, and clients see clear evidence of our purpose in the actions we are taking on their behalf? Will our company or organization’s purpose be deeper, better understood, and a clear competitive point of difference after this crisis?
I found myself asking this question on a myriad of Zoom calls this week – to various responses. A crisis is a “pop quiz” for your purpose. It reveals how much we know about—and how deeply committed we are—to our purpose. Is it just a plaque in the lobby, or does it truly govern our plans and actions? Is it just a collection of happy words without any impact on our innovation or execution?
Too often…it’s a plaque.
Let’s think about the implications of purpose right now as we create a plan for the rest of 2020. I chose the following purpose statements from websites – and as such, I have no insights into what these companies are actually planning for 2020. But if I was asked to challenge their purpose in these times, I might ask the following questions. . . .
TED: Spread Ideas – make great ideas accessible and spark conversations about them.
Have you pivoted to creating content on how innovation occurs in medical/pharmaceutical industries that are now challenged to find the answers to the global pandemic?
JetBlue: Inspire Humanity
What innovative content and communication have you developed to inspire humanity during the pandemic? How would this content draw the customer into a more loyal relationship with the airline?
LinkedIn: Creating economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce
What specifically have you announced that will help people regain economic momentum? Could you be an innovator in spurring a return of economic well-being to the world?
The Walt Disney Company: To entertain, inform and inspire people through the power of unparalleled storytelling.
What stories are you telling right now in unparalleled ways that would build my affinity toward the company? How will these stories build my affinity towards visiting the parks in the future?
The same question of purpose can be asked in a non-profit organization…
World Vision: A Christian Humanitarian organization helping children, families, and their communities overcome poverty and injustice.
How is the pandemic impacting global poverty and how can we pivot our resources to the highest areas of need? Is there an opportunity to accelerate our impact in the world through this crisis?
Feed America: To feed America’s hungry through a network of food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger.
How can this crisis be turned into an opportunity to eradicate hunger in America? What education and action plans could we enact while we have the attention of the nation?
As you go back to your home office desk today, challenge yourself to evaluate your go-forward plans with conviction about the purpose of your organization. Should you be working on a few innovative ways to make that purpose come alive for your team, your clients, your customers?
Serve well.
]]>Just a few weeks ago our worlds turned upside down and many of us found ourselves unable to do the things we normally do. Go to our job site. Go to the gym. Go to church. Go to a restaurant. Go on a trip.
New worries arrived with the pandemic — concerns about our parents, our immune-compromised friends, our bank accounts, our retirement, our job stability.
And if you’re reflecting on this rapid change, you are noticing some things:
As you reflect, you are likely to see something you need to change – change for the better. So what have you learned in the last 30 days that you would like to have “stick” when life returns to some kind of normal? Have you consciously written down the changes you want to be permanent?
Perhaps, when your normal routines went away, you found a new routine that you like better. Your “peak” capability might be from 9 to noon, and when you have no meetings during this time you get a lot done.
Perhaps you are typically an anxious person, but despite the pandemic, you feel less anxious than before. You have created a time of quiet reflection first thing in the morning, and it is making a difference in your stress level.
Perhaps you are enjoying lunch with your spouse and children – something you’ve never done on a workday before. But perhaps once and a while, you could.
Perhaps you have found time for something you’ve always wanted to do – but never had the time. You’ve made an album the photos from last Christmas. You’ve organized your garage. You’ve called up your grandmother for a long chat.
You’re learning new things about yourself during this time. Which ones are you going to make permanent in your life going forward?
Difficult times are often our best teacher. . . .
For me personally, I’m going to invest more deeply in the relationships that are the most important to me. I’m going to talk to my kids more often – maybe even on Zoom calls. I’m going to check in on friends more often – that I rarely get to see. I’m going to travel less and enjoy my home more. I’m going to finish the family tree I started on ancestry.com and share it with other family members.
At work, I have become more aware of the work that I find most fulfilling – and I’m going to aim to do more of that. And I’m going to gradually reduce time spent on things I’m not interested in or good at. That may seem like an obvious thing to say for a person at my life stage – but I can always become more focused.
What about you? Will you retain what you have learned – and apply it to your life?
Serve well.
]]>Nothing like a global pandemic to reveal the courage and character of our leaders.
If you aspire to be the top leader of a business or any institution in the world, get out your journal right now and start taking some notes during the COVID-19 crisis. We are witnessing remarkably courageous leadership in an unprecedented crisis.
When I was young and idealistic, I thought all leadership decisions could and should be win-win decisions—where all parties benefit. And then I grew up and met crisis decision making, where virtually all of the important decisions are full of risk with potentially negative outcomes for many. In a crisis, it is the lose-lose decision that requires our greatest courage.
So what do I mean by a courageous leader in a crisis? A leader who chooses to proactively guide the organization to be brave, principled, and decisive—in the face of tough moral choices—with uncertain, high-risk outcomes.
In the last seven days, I have listened to senior leaders wrestling with incredibly difficult decisions.
Here are just a few examples of the daring decisions required in this crisis:
Can you picture yourself being responsible for such decisions? Can you see the remarkably difficult burden of being the one who must make the call? Can you recognize the courage required to navigate this crisis?
One shining example of courageous leadership in this crisis is the CEO of Delta Airlines, Ed Bastian. Overnight, airline travel has plummeted. He has faced rapid-fire decisions on how many planes to schedule, crews to furlough, costs to cut. No one knows how long the crisis will last. Without revenues, cash declines fast. Early on, he had no clarity of government or banking support. But courage is the trait he has exhibited very publicly—he has made swift, brave decisions, sharing his thinking and actions with everyone in the Delta family, employees and customers alike. With courage, principles, decisiveness, and incredible transparency, Mr. Bastian is guiding this airline through an unprecedented crisis. My prediction is that this airline will somehow emerge victorious because of the courage and character of this leader.
Our daring leaders in this crisis need our utmost respect and support. Now would be the time to shower these people with love by taking the following steps:
Isn’t this what you would need to keep going if you were the leader in charge of these decisions? Let’s be the kind of people who love our leaders and celebrate them in a time like this. There could be no better test of our character.
Serve well.
]]>So, since the changes in your life—what have you noticed that you probably haven’t noticed for a while?
My girlfriend was taking a walk outdoors yesterday while we talked on the phone and she said, “Can you hear how loud the birds are singing? Do you think they always sing that loud and I was just too busy to notice?”
Those of you who know me well know that I believe all things happen for a reason. And I’m wondering if part of the reason we are all at home right now is to draw our attention to some stuff we haven’t “noticed” for a good long while. Here are some things you might want to check on as you inventory the effect of this new situation on your life and being.
What’s going on in your mind?
Are you more focused on a few things or more scattered, thinking about many things? Have you looked at your 2020 goals and revaluated what they are for these next 90 days? Have you got clarity about what is expected from you at work during this time?
What’s going on in your physical body?
Are you able to get outdoors each day for some fresh air? Are you benefiting from eating at home? Are you sleeping better because you don’t have to set the alarm? Can you stand up every hour and get your blood circulating while on your Zoom calls?
What is going on in your soul?
Are you anxious and fearful (that would be natural in a pandemic)? Are you able to give yourself a bit of quiet time to calm yourself, without the reality of a hectic morning commute? Are you accessing any new resources to bring you peace and calm? Could you begin some new routines in this season that feed your soul?
What’s going on in your relationships?
Are you spending more time with your family and loved ones? Are you taking in the unplanned blessing of being together? Are you calling just one friend each day to connect and let them know you are thinking of them? Are you helping anyone that is at high risk with meals or errands?
Are you learning anything new?
Perhaps there is a topic in your work or in your life you’ve wanted to learn more about . . . could you do that now? There are thousands of learning opportunities online, and many new ones popping up daily—many are being offered free.
Are you experiencing any unexpected joys?
Have you noticed the sunrise or sunset in a new way? Have you found a new favorite song? Have you watched a movie that made you laugh? Have you shared a funny gif or post to make this time lighter on our hearts?
For the next few weeks, life is going to remain different—perhaps we could take this time to reflect on how we want our lives to be different on the other side of this crisis. Are there any changes we want to make that we could start now? Perhaps this is the time you have been given to do a “reset” in your life, that will allow you to be wiser and healthier in the future. What are you noticing that you weren’t paying attention to before?
I encourage you to take a few minutes and reflect. Don’t let a crisis go to waste. Make it a new beginning instead. Serve well.
]]>How is this story relevant to your work today? Let’s think about those people who are “downstream” of your leadership and how essential it is to serve them well.
Every single person reading this today is doing work that impacts other people “downstream.” Perhaps you create programs in Information Technology for the finance team. Perhaps you develop advertising that draws customers to your company’s products. Perhaps you forecast sales and profits. Perhaps you lead a project team solving an important problem in the organization. Perhaps you take calls from disgruntled customers. Perhaps you coordinate shipments from the warehouse to the client. Whatever you do at work today, there are people downstream who are counting on you to do your job right and well.
Frankly, most of us forget about the downstream effect of our work – and other people and the company suffer for our lack of concern. It is self-serving to only think about your work in a vacuum. Let’s look in the mirror and ask ourselves where we have opportunity to improve the impact of our work on other people.
How can you provide a more timely and excellent “stream” of work to those who count on you? Here are a few examples:
In business, whether large or small, we must be able to count on each other to achieve success. You alone cannot drive success. You are part of a team that depends on everyone doing their best job. Only when the team operates seamlessly and collaboratively across every function of the company – can we be excellent and deliver superior results.
This week I ask you to go check-in with the people who are “downstream” of your work. Ask them how you are serving them. Ask them where you can improve in a way that helps them be more effective. Then make a new commitment to stepping up to that challenge – to provide them timely, excellent work that positively impacts the performance of your company.
Serve well.
Cheryl
]]>No doubt, owning shares in the company where you work can be motivating. It focuses you on the shareholder — who has provided the capital for your business. When their shares increase in value, you have served them well and you participate in the gain. The ownership approach also might inspire you to treat the money of the firm, as if it were your own. Frugality is a good idea in business. These are benefits of the owner mentality.
But one flaw with the owner mentality — is when it becomes only about you — and the benefits that you accrue from meeting your goals. Ownership can become a perspective that causes you to primarily think about your personal gains — and to think less about all the other people who contribute to the accomplishments of the company.
A better word for Dare to Serve leaders to consider is the word stewardship. Stewardship is defined as: the careful and responsible management of something that has been entrusted to your care. That would include all of the people and resources that you influence in your role.
The benefit of the stewardship mindset — is that it starts by thinking about others, not yourself. Imagine your current leadership role through this lens.
What has been entrusted to your care? Are your actions carefully and responsibly stewarding these resources? How does a stewardship mindset help you envision a different set of outcomes for the enterprise? Is there any conflict between being a good steward and a good owner? How will you settle that tension?
Take these questions to your work team and discuss — it may unlock new potential for results.
Best wishes for the new year!
]]>Isn’t that the truth?
You cannot evaluate a person’s integrity by asking them about it. In fact, in my experience, asking them almost guarantees an inaccurate answer.
The word integrity means “a firm adherence to a moral code or values.” “Incapable of corruption.”
In my estimation, there are no human beings that are incapable of corruption. Perhaps firm adherence to a moral code is how we avoid that?
The other thing I’ve noticed is that integrity seems to matter at your funeral. Note this recent headline from the December 5th Washington Post:
“George H.W. Bush funeral: Former president remembered for integrity, service”
Regardless of political party or media organization, there was consensus on this one point. George H.W. Bush was remembered and honored for his integrity – which he demonstrated throughout his life – as a 20 year old U.S. Navy pilot, a great father to his children, the 41st President of the United States, and an elder statesman to the age of 94.
Any one of us would love to be remembered the way this man was described. His own son, the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush, said this in the eulogy for his Dad, “He was the best father a son or daughter can have,” adding “he showed me what it meant to be a president who serves with integrity.”
At a funeral, we celebrate character traits – not accomplishments or wealth. We hear words like, “he was a great father to his children,” “she was someone you could trust,” “he was a man of great faith,” “she served the organization well, despite the personal cost,” “he was such a good friend.”
But because you won’t likely be writing your own eulogy, I bring you today this simple question to ponder…
How will people describe your life at your funeral? What character trait will be your headline?
]]>You also know my convictions about serving people and the enterprise well. I believe we can create workplaces where people can thrive, contribute and grow as people. By placing the right people in the right positions, with clear expectations and coaching support, we can help them perform their best.
But here’s something you might not know about me. While I am personally not very skilled in this area, I deeply respect the value of fabulous execution. I love good planning and pacing of the business plan –- I appreciate sound processes and project management disciplines. One of my bosses, early in my career, said, “a mediocre idea, executed brilliantly wins every time.” When I was young and inexperienced, I argued with him – because I thought the brilliant ideas were so important. But now that I am wiser and more experienced, I repeat his quote to my teams almost every day. There is no idea, mediocre or brilliant, that will transform the performance of your business – if you don’t execute well.
Here are some questions to challenge your thinking on the topic of execution:
These are just a few questions to get you thinking about the importance of execution. For a full exploration of this topic I encourage you to pick up a copy of The Four Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling. It provides a practical, concrete approach to the discipline of execution – plus plenty of case study examples.
As leaders who dare to serve, we must have deep respect for the discipline of execution. It is essential to setting up our teams for success. Without it, serving can’t perform.
Serve well.
]]>Don’t get me wrong. I am very grateful to live in the United States – a republic where the people elect their leaders. I have never seen a better system of government in my travels around the world. I believe our Constitution set up an amazing process for our citizens to govern themselves. And I’m delighted that every adult in America had the opportunity to vote their views last week. That is GREAT!
But I am tired of the negative, mean-spirited, hostile conversations taking place at work, at dinner, and on social media. I recently heard a person say to another, “I’m not sure I can be your friend if you vote for that candidate.” Really? Is that where we are? Our relationships are second to our politics?
Last week I traveled to a Midwest city and enjoyed dinner with my cousins and my aunt and uncle – it was so good to see them. We’ve grown up in a large, extended, family – with family members living in at least 10 states. And yes, we have family affiliated with both political parties.
Our family is like all families – we have imperfections and quirks. But somehow we have managed to love each other over the years. And despite our political differences, we have shared incredible memories at family reunions, weddings, camping trips, retirement parties, backyard BBQs, and funerals. We drive hundreds of miles every year to see each other. And not just at the holidays….
Yes, on occasion we have spirited political discussions in our family – but no one has ever stormed out of the room and swore to never speak to the other again. Love has prevailed. Not a syrupy or fake love – a real love. Love that says – you and I see things differently – but it doesn’t prevent me from caring deeply about you, wanting to be with you, and sharing life together.
So here is my pointed question:
Could we bring this family point of view to our workplaces?
Is it possible, that we could set aside political differences at work and be a role model for how to love others who have different views from our own? Could we be happy to see one another in the morning? Could we work side by side to advance the purpose of our companies? Could we ask each other about our families, share our ups and downs, and offer support when things get tough? Could we eat lunch together and laugh at what our kids or grand kids said at the dinner table last night? Could we notice and celebrate each other’s accomplishments?
When we struggle with our different views, could we draw on loving behaviors and offer each other patience, kindness, mercy, and grace? Could we ask questions of curiosity to better understand each other? Could we do our best to avoid arrogance, rudeness, resentfulness, and irritability?
If we call ourselves dare to serve leaders – could we be an example in our workplaces – of people who choose to serve our colleagues well, even with our differences?
I’m counting on you, my friends.
Let’s serve each other well.
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