Posted: February 7, 2025 | Categories: Leadership, Self-Improvement, Team Building

35 years ago this month, I walked into a local Chamber of Commerce with the goal of getting situated in an unfamiliar community.  Making this visit proved to be a turning point in my life.  It was Linda who greeted me first.  Then she introduced me to Bob, the director.  His welcome smile and genuine interest in me radiated.  I eagerly signed up as a new member and walked away feeling like a rock star.

From this point on, Bob became one of my biggest mentors.  He was my cheerleader, my advocate, and a strong coach.  When I say strong coach, I mean it:

Bob would also not let me sell myself short.  One time I was present in an early morning committee meeting. I made a wisecrack comment.  Somebody had brought bagels and all of us tied into them.  I said, “Nobody knows if people like bagels, because when they are put in front of us, we are usually so hungry we could eat dirt.”  In front of the whole group, Bob called me out and said, “You have disappointed us, Steve.  We count on you for your kindness and positive attitude.  You fell short with that remark.”  Ouch!  Battleship hit!  He was right.  Bob had my trust and I knew he was my supporter and would not let me fall short.  I grew from his comment. He was giving me a reputation to live up to.  If anyone else other that Bob had made that comment, I probably would not have taken it well.

Bob passed away last month at the age of 98.  His passing left his town in mourning.  There are streets and buildings named after him.  He was kind and generous.  To me, he was a marvelous leader who made me believe in myself and always use my strengths.  The two qualities? Building trust and respect.

Posted: December 16, 2024 | Categories: Customer service, Leadership, Self-Improvement, Team Building

Every Friday evening, my wife and I look forward to doing our weekly grocery shopping together.  Our kids are grown and on their own, and Friday evenings are an event.

Last Friday we were ready to go to the checkout lane, and we chose the self-checkout.  Joyce likes this option better because it is easier to follow along to make sure all the prices are correct.  The only problem was, this time we had a fully loaded grocery cart that was way over the limit for the self-checkout lane.  One of the regular checkers saw our cart and came over to say, “I have no line right now.  Would you like me to check you out?”  She was polite.  She could have interfered by saying we had too many items for the self-checkout, but she didn’t.  Joyce thanked her for the offer and gently declined.

When this happened, I found myself getting irritated:  It was embarrassing.  We should have accepted the offer of help and moved to the appropriate checkout lane.  I managed to stay calm, but no doubt Joyce could tell from my facial expression that I was upset.  I could feel some tension.  Then, I took a step back in my mind and gave it some thought:

Putting myself in Joyce’s shoes, I realized that she was doing what she has always done.  She knows how to get the most from our food dollar, and that is a lot of work these days!  We must clip coupons on each website, carry our smartphone and make sure we have selected the right item and in the right quantity.  Thanks to Joyce and her good planning, we have managed out finances well.

I told her of my concern, and quickly acknowledged that I understood she was just doing her work to get the most from our dollars.

Stephen Covey says:  “Seek first to understand”.  Let me add one more maxim:  “Sometimes it is better to let a little wrong live than a lot  of love die!”

Posted: December 6, 2024 | Categories: Leadership, Management, Self-Improvement, Team Building

This morning I was talking with a client who had just navigated herself through a crisis.  She was hosting a big event and just before the event was to take place, she discovered that one of the three team members was missing a certification, and the event could not proceed until this problem had been solved.  Sara responded quickly, and was able to find someone with the proper certification to lead the event.  She didn’t panic…she acted.

Shortly after I began my career, I heard an axiom that I have never forgotten:  “If we are suddenly in a crisis situation, we will respond in the manner in which we have been trained.”  If we haven’t had training, we will panic.

One of my favorite examples of how strong training can pay off happened on July 20, 1969.  Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin had just landed on the moon.  It was a thrilling moment in US history.  Later on, we learned that the astronauts had a mechanical problem after landing.  They discovered a broken circuit breaker switch on the Lunar Module.  The switch was needed to send power to the ascent engine.  If they failed to fix it, they would have remained on the moon!

Keeping a cool head, Armstrong and Aldrin used a small, felt-tipped pen to fix the broken switch.  It worked!  They returned safely to the Command Module.

Think of your own business or organization.  Do you need to host a CPR class or a fire drill?  Are you prepared to have your wits about you in a panic situation?  If there is something we need to do to be more prepared, we need to take action!

Posted: October 22, 2024 | Categories: Leadership, Management, Team Building

In the spring of 1998, I was “drafted” into the job of coaching a little league team of 9 and 10-year olds. This would be my son’s second year with his team, and if I didn’t agree to be the coach, he would end up on another team.  OK…I’m in!

I began my job right away.  I met all the kids and parents.  I said, “Some of you want to win, while others would be satisfied to see their son have a fun, worthwhile experience.  We are going to do both – win and have fun!”

My first step was to evaluate strengths.  I wanted to see the capabilities in the areas of fielding, running, throwing, base-running, and hitting.  I also paid attention to those who had the most winning attitude.  They were who I built the team around.  Then I developed my strategy.  It was simple…no walks!  Throwing and fielding were the most prominent strengths I observed.  That meant we would make outs quickly, and no runs would be scored as a result of walks.  My defensive strategy worked.  We ended the season in 2nd place with a 15-3 winning record.  The three teams that beat us did so only by a run.  They were good hitters, and their coach encouraged them to swing the bat and never draw a walk.  They were winning on their strengths.

Here was what I learned from this experience.  The quickest way to grow is to know your strengths, leverage them, and build on them.  When we succeed, we will work on the areas we need to get better.  Remember, if the only way we grow is learning from our mistakes, then the best driver on the road would be the one with the most mishaps.  I don’t think we would want to drive with that person!

Posted: September 25, 2024 | Categories: Leadership, Team Building

When I am helping companies build winning teams, the first thing I look at is how team members interact and communicate. Are ideas encouraged? Does each team member put their fellow team member first? What is the level of trust on the team? Is the trust strong enough to build a high-performing team?

Each of these questions could entertain a hearty discussion. I want to put a spotlight on what I believe to be the biggest “culprit”: Talking behind someone’s back. It can be absolute poison.

This month I was able to observe two examples of this effect – Talking behind someone’s back. In both situations the relationship had started on a good platform of trust. Then something happened that caused someone to speak ill of the other teammate. Once the word got out, it got back to the other person, and this led to a precipitous fall in the trust level. From this point on, it will take significant time and commitment to repair the damage.

Here is my question: If you are upset with someone, who should you be talking to? Answer: The person you are upset with. “Oh, but they won’t listen!” you say. If that is so we all know the answer is not to talk behind the other person’s back. The conflict needs to be resolved. If it is not, resentment can set in and begin to grow like a cancer. Soon, if we are not careful, our working environment can evolve to a place that doesn’t feel good. This effects engagement and productivity. Commit to resolve differences quickly, kindly, and respectfully. You will do your part in generating goodwill on the team.