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Navigating Limbo, In the Midst of Change

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Have you ever played Capture the Flag?  It was one of my favorite summer camp games because it was filled with adventure and intrigue as we plotted how we would get to the other side of a field, to capture the other team’s flag and bring it back to our side of the world!

The downside of the game was that if you were captured in enemy territory, you were frozen in place, unable to move forward to help your team or to retreat back to safety!  Being frozen was really a state of limbo.  It was watching the game unfold, not as a spectator, and not as a full participant.

As we prepare for our expat journey I’ve been reminded that I’m not good at limbo.  I would rather:

  • Be creating the change.
  • Play a supportive role:  If I know why we are doing something, when it’s happening, what I need to do and when I need to do it.  
  • Be a real spectator:  If I’m watching something amazing unfold, getting to share that experience with others and if I have some idea when the event ends!

I prefer to be participating, adding value, moving towards a goal, and quite simply just being in motion!

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“With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility!”

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[Tweet “With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility”]

Does this quote resonate with you as loudly as it resonates with me?  I think it is hard-wired into my DNA.  I believe it so much that sometimes I’ve assumed it was self-evident to everyone around me. So, if someone had a title and they were not using their power to serve others I judged them harshly.  (Not something I am proud of, but it’s true.)

Eventually, I had a powerful head smacking moment (visualizing the old V8 ads) and realized:  

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The greatest opportunity for improvement & growth: Culture

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Every time I read this quote from Patrick Lencioni every cell in my body wants to stand up and cheer!

“I am convinced that once organizational health is properly understood and placed into the right context it will surpass all other disciplines in business as the greatest opportunity for improvement and competitive advantage.  Really.”  

I can tell you true stories for hours that emphasize why the truth in that quote sparks such passion!  Here’s one of them…

John was offered a position with another company.  He accepted the position, signed a new lease and relocated to take the job. 

In his first week, some of his new co-workers take him out to eat.  Before the meal ends they tell him that they need to warn him about one particular person that he will work closely with.  They go on to share that anyone who has ever been hired in a position similar to his, has consistently been bullied out of the organization by this person.

A few days later John has lunch with someone in the community that he has known for a few years, but does not know well.  This man advises John that he should not trust ANYONE in the organization that he is now employed with.

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Being a Leader Means Understanding…

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(Originally posted on The Be A Leader Blog…)

Has life ever handed you a hurricane of change that took you to your knees? And every time you started to stand another storm hit? A few years ago my husband and I were hit with several seasons of hurricanes. (Some literal, most figurative.) In the midst of lots of change that we had no control over, I was desperate to be in control of something! So I accepted a marketing position that I knew would challenge me and that I could learn from, even though there was a lot about the position I knew I would not enjoy.

One of my first challenges was to learn to drive a club-cab pickup truck and a 28-foot long trailer through traffic in the 4th largest city in the United States! (Let me be clear – I am as girly as they come and I don’t get a kick out of driving a car, much less a truck!)

On the flip side, my husband is completely comfortable with that world and he knows me well. He was fully aware that this thing that I’d agreed to do had many potential downsides including having an accident! He understood that I am a visual learner and that I needed to see the big picture before details would make sense.

Leaders understandSo he made a trip to the store and came home with a toy truck and trailer. He then grabbed some flip chart paper and drew a multiple lane road with a 4-way traffic stop and a parking lot. He put the paper on the floor, and had me drive the truck and trailer up and down the road, around the corners, and back it into parking spaces. Each time he helped me identify all the potential dangers like driving over curbs, hitting other cars, and considering how much time it takes to slow down, or stop that much weight!

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Perseverance: A lesson from my childhood hero!

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When I was in elementary school I was EXTREMELY fascinated with this man’s life, and his contributions to our world.  So much so that when my classmates were ordering posters of movie stars, I ordered posters of him.  When my family drove to Disney World in Florida from North Dakota, the greatest event on the trip was a surprise visit to his birthplace!

As an adult, my co-workers gave me a beautiful gift from Successories with this man’s image and the quote below. Today I honor his birthday by sharing some of the lessons about perseverance, character, courage and leadership that I’ve learned from a man I’ve never met…

He FAILED in business in ’31.

He was DEFEATED for State Legislator in ’32.

He tried another business in ’33.  It FAILED.

His fiancée died in ’35.

He had a nervous BREAKDOWN in ’36.