Leadership 101: Consistent, Fair, Explainable

Several years ago a mentor shared his business plan with me.  In part of it he wrote something he called a STAND.  When I asked what that was, he said it was knowing what you stand for before you are faced with a situation and have to make a choice.

I’ve shared part of his leadership wisdom and how it impacted me in this previous Smart Blog Post:  Why Leaders Need To Practice Compassionate Accountability

For the past several weeks I’ve been focused on another part of his STAND:  “[Tweet “I choose to be Consistent, Fair, and Explainable in all that I do.”]

These are some of the reasons those words are resonating with me again:

I’ve been studying the impact of parents that have a favorite child that is treated differently than the others.  It’s an ugly situation for everyone.  ….Even the favored child.

I’ve been thinking of times I’ve witnessed a boss becoming close friends with some of their employees and how that broke down trust with other employees.  (Even if both the boss and the employee were holding each other to a higher level of accountability, the perception of unfairness was still there.)

I know an executive that is struggling because he makes hard fast rules that sound powerful in his office, however when the rules are challenged or violated that executive avoids confrontation at all costs.

Breaking Out Of A Broken System: Change Begins With Me

Seth-and-Chandler1A few weeks ago I had an opportunity to interview Seth and Chandler Bolt via Google+.

  • Seth is the bass player for the internationally renowned band NEEDTOBREATHE.
  • His brother, Chandler is a decade younger, a very successful entrepreneur and a college student.
  • They look different.
  • They have different interests and different strengths.
  • They hang out in different circles.

Prior to the interview I had just a few hours to take a brief look at their new book.   I was hooked instantly because:

  • Of the electricity these two generate together.
  • Their WHY reflects so much of my own WHY.
  • Of their playfulness, and their deep respect for each other.
  • Of their pay-it forward thought process….
  • They get it.  You can’t break out of a broken system until you realize that Change Begins With “Me”!

How it all started:  The two of them were visiting one night and realized that the successes they’ve experienced are rooted in lessons their parents taught them.  (Lessons they did not always appreciate, lessons they sometimes took for granted, and lessons that many of their friends never received.)

As that realization sunk in, they decided to write a book to share those lessons with others and to give their parents a lasting legacy.  What they’ve created is as unique as they are.  Half of the book is written on a black background with white text, the other half is a white background with black text.  The pages are filled with pictures and doodles and links to music.  (They call it A.D.D. friendly and have written it with millennials in mind.)

Inspired by Syrian Refugees: The Greatest Gift You Can Give ~ Listen

Yesterday I was visiting with a woman whose husband and daughter had recently returned from a mission trip where they were helping Syrian refugees.

The refugees were primarily middle class families that left everything behind (homes, jobs, family, treasured keepsakes, toys…) and fled for their lives.

With no income and winter coming their physical needs are astronomical!

Syrian refugee crisisSo both the husband and daughter were shocked when they discovered that the biggest need these people shared was not physical….

Thankfulness, Beauty and Struggle ~ In a Foreign Land

fearIn my first two days in the midst of the foreign land that I struggled to move to, and as I began to wear my “cloak of invisibility” each time I left the compound ~ I met a family that had lived outside of Paris for a few years.  (That is a destination I would have preferred!)  The mother of this family shared how much more thinking and planning she had to do to get her two children around while they were there with no car.  Planning transportation routes, figuring out how much time it would take, preparing snacks before they would get on the trains, having to go to multiple stores to grocery shop.

Countries and flags

Wow, what a perspective change! 

Immediately I felt a wave of thankfulness for all the things that are easy about my new world.

  • I can either ride a bus that is provided by the compound to shop, or hire a driver that will take me wherever I need to go.
  • Most places have signs in the native language of the area AND in English, making it easier to get around and much easier to shop.
  • And in spite of my fear about living in a brown dusty desert – the compound I live in has grass, trees, and flowers.

What a powerful reminder that so many times the change we fear is not as hard or as bad as we imagined and that if we focus on “what is” instead of “what is not” – how much easier it is to find things to be thankful for! 

My treasured moments so far have included:

  • Opportunities to meet the women that I connected to virtually before my move that offered advice and encouragement.
  • Opportunities to attend brunches and exercise classes with women from all over the world – I am enjoying both the beautiful bouquet that we make together and soaking in the conversation that is filled with different accents, and different experiences, and a genuine desire to help each other navigate this place together!

The toughest part of my experience so far:  

Being a Leader Means Understanding…

(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!