Decisions of the Leader are what we get paid for. It is the reason people choose to work for us, to follow guidance and direction. Investors trust financial control based on the ability of their confidence in decision making process of Leaders.

In his final hours, Jobs taught us critical aspects of decisions, this time unfortunately by results he really didn’t want.

Find wise advisors and then follow their insight. How often do we opinion shop when presented with direction we don’t care for. Do we seek out others who support our perspective rather than surround ourselves with bright, well experienced minds? I am blessed to have strong willed legal counsel, a creative CPA, a visionary Banker, all who challenge decisions with questions of the possibilities of the outcomes I may not want. They are not nay-sayers, just the opposite. Questioning strategies offers light to be shed on potential pitfalls. While the ultimate decision is mine, surrounding myself with wisdom and talent only pays off if I listen to their ideas and questions, not stay fixated on my own agenda.

Being a highly analytical person who wants gallons of data before marching, I relate to Jobs postponing the surgery, pursuing alternative less invasive options. Waiting killed him. How many times does postponing a decision prolong agony and at times increase the pain. In a previous post, What happens When You Fall Off the Horse mikelejeune.com/wp/archives/808 I pointed out that the decision to getting back on wasn’t as difficult as taking action. Yet action was the true catalyst to a successful outcome. Today more than ever, those who chose to follow the Leader are attracted to decisive action. Esther, our team lead who has worked with me for over 13 years, quietly prodded one day when I was stalled on a project, “Mike, is this an example of paralysis by analysis?”. The next day we had an action plan in place and implemented a new strategy.

Seek wise counsel and act. Given hind sight which is no longer available, I believe Steve would have made a different decision. Whatever challenges you are trying to guide your team through, don’t wait on decisions until it is too late.

Our income has fallen since the new millennium began and it isn’t expected to catch up until 2021, according to a Wall Street Journal survey of economists’ forecasts.

And in bad news for students, not even a college degree is going to help much, some of the 50 economists surveyed believe. Only people with advanced degrees will see any meaningful increase in their standard of living.
The current generation of college graduates will only see a higher standard of living if “they get graduate degrees and are willing to give up a lot of free time,” Diane Swonk of Mesirow Financial told the Wall Street Journal.

Our economy is stagnant in most circles at best. Anyone currently looking for work may think that is a severe understatement. Business cycles are struggling to gain traction, largely in part to the lack of clarity in the market as to what additional impasses are awaiting us out of Washington. Uncertainty causes inaction, especially in business leaders attempting to chart a course through difficult waters.

However here is my reaction to the Wall Street Journal survey. If we are waiting for some economic surge to help us keep pace or better yet achieve our goals and dreams, our travels will be on a slippery slope. The way to combat financial challenges lie in the answers to the following questions:

What new knowledge or skill am I attempting to gain? If what I know or am capable of doing becomes stagnant, so will my income and value to an employer.

How much time do I spend reading for mental stimulation verses escape? Self, Life, More, and People have great articles. Do I share equal time with news, business, or self improvement articles as with Demi, Justin, Sarah or Brad and Angelina?

Have I searched for a new project at work, one that my boss didn’t assign? The message to my employer should always be I want to contribute more, not simply ask for more.

Who have I spent time with in management levels above me that are not direct reports? The network of people in my company that I build will open the door to resources capable of increasing my productivity and visibility.

We move forward or backward depending on the energy we exert, not the pressure that we face.
Life is a fight for territory. If you stop fighting for what you want, what you don’t want will take over!

The door to the unlimited world of possibility is hinged by the practice of the craft we are trying to master. Over the twenty plus years of leading managers, recruiters and sales professionals I have witnessed countless, highly talented people who chose not to invest time in practice. It seems like a line gets drawn, as if saying “don’t ask me to do something that will challenge my competence.” Yet it is the willingness to study and PRACTICE or REHEARSE that increases performance levels. Too often growth is stymied due to frustration over the lack of immediate mastery. Expectations become short term focused, causing bars to be set too low in an attempt to feel secure in reaching them. The goal should be more than meeting acceptable standards. Our focus should be on attaining excellence, reachable only by investing trial and error along with time to properly hone the skills that truly make a difference.

This challenges our responsibility as Leaders. Where do we draw the line between perfect and good enough?

Do I create an atmosphere that encourages error in support of staff development? A principle of Japanese Leadership is allowing people on your team to make decisions even though you believe it will not generate the results you are seeking. More is learned by our errors than our triumphs. I was discussing a presentation with one of my partners today where I used language to describe our service group within our IT consulting product line. He stepped in and repositioned my point with the client, given broader and deeper meaning to our answers. Since then I have applied the principles I learned in that meeting to a number of other situations. Our stumbles are not failures, just signals we need to adjust our footing to better reach our destination.

Have I created a practice mentality on my team or simply verifying end results? I realize time is our most valued commodity and the firm that manages it better and more consistently will usually prevail in the long term. Yet it is practice our teams need to get ready to be in the game that allows members to move with more confidence when they reach adversity. Do we encourage and allow practice time to allow performance levels to climb or simply remain stuck in a Just Do It atmosphere? Our attitude towards practice will determine how open others are for input and redirection instead of being chastising for not reaching our expectations.

Have I personally spent enough time in practice to recognize the steps that must be mastered? Today more than ever our team members need our assistance in dissecting operating, accounting, administrative or sales processes. Today’s competitive environment demands more results, provided quickly and accurately. Professionals are being asked to do more with less teammates; smaller environments asked for greater performance.

At the end of the day, Mr. Withers was trying to teach patience; patience to develop, patience to teach, and patience to lead. Think of what the world would have missed had an eleven year old boy decided that the practice wasn’t worth the effort. Practice is normally not fun but we pay a much greater price when we choose not to persist in sharpening our skills.

Yes, this week the earth lost a life force that I believe may have affected its rotational energy. I’m not sure if we are spinning with the same intensity as we try to make sense of a presence taken too early, before we could completely grasp its true depth or meaning. His legacy was marked for me last night when I heard a school teacher passionately describe the class she recently chose to teach: third grade. She cried a wakeup call that a world which Steve was one of the chief architects had just reached a tipping point. Children who are in the third grade are the first generation that will grow up in a totally digitized world. Digital processing of information is not only a norm but will be the core of every aspect of their life. I pondered her statement, waiting to take in its full impact.

Then it hit me, we have no answers of what it means. It is not a bad thing, a scary thing, nor a concept ripe with confusion or uncertainty towards the future. Steve Jobs set an example for us, screaming through his life like a shooting star, charting paths created by technology that allowed us to be captains of our dreams. He leveled the playing field by providing information to be distributed without prejudice to anyone willing to look toward what could be rather than what was.

Steve lived a life whose platform was based on asking questions. What if…? How come…? Why can’t…? His gift goes beyond technology, to the key we must teach our third graders: in order to be unafraid of what answers might be, we must be comfortable in asking questions and more importantly, to encourage those around us to do so as well.

Yes, Steve, the earth may have briefly shifted on its axis as we try to adjust to the void your absence will cause. But we thank you for leaving behind the key to a world you saw so clearly, by serving as a living example of the power of pursuing the essence of who we are with passion and purpose. Well done.

As someone who figuratively gets knocked off my horse on a consistent basis, these stories always affect me. I say figuratively since I have only literally been on horseback twice: once to practice trail riding in anticipation of a family vacation the second when arriving at the dude ranch in Wyoming. There I met my two new friends, Festus and Carnage, who became my plodding companions charged with returning me each day, both body and spirit intact. I was fortunate to ride twice daily, through the mountains and across mesas, captivated by the majesty of the peaks and valleys while awestruck by the grazing moose in the edge of the clearings we passed. I remained glued to the saddle.

A few weeks ago, I fell off the horse, knocked to the ground. This time figuratively, as I along with others in sales do often. I had momentum and the assistance of Jim and Curt to serve as accountability partners in our 30 day blog challenge. Each morning I woke with the conviction to find some inspiration to be captured in words posted to this very site. After the challenge was met, there was a glow that I felt offered a new perspective on writing and could now enter into the journalistic ranks of Hemingway, Thoreau, or maybe Bart Simpson. Then I fell off the horse. One day of rest turned into two, then a week and finally a month careened by. The longer the time away from what I wanted to, felt inspired to and even was committed to make happen, the harder it was to get back in the saddle.

This morning I realized that the screen heroes always had two choices to make when thrown. The first was the decision to get back on the horse. How many times do we vacillate over a decision, looking for divine guidance on what direction to take, what is the appropriate next step? Being somewhat analytic in nature I always thought this was the most difficult step in the journey. Once the decision was made, the journey could begin. Applying that principle to my current state, I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t returning to my keyboard (today’s version of pen and paper) as I knew I wanted to, even felt I had to.

Today it finally dawned on me that D’Artagnan and the White Hats only saved the damsel in distress when their butt was back in the saddle, acting on the decision and not just thinking about it. Everyday something unexpected distracts us, knocks us off course or throws up obstacles and effects our attitude. The longer we wait to take the first step, the higher it seems that we have to reach for the stirrup. Yet, once we begin the ride, the journey is usually easier and quicker than we anticipate.

So today I am back in the saddle, but I need the help of anyone who is reading this. I’m starting a new challenge to post to mikelejeune.com/wp every Tuesday and Friday. On Sunday, I’m posting to my faith blog which you can find at blog.chron.com/simplestepsoffaith. Along with Curt and Jim, you are now my new accountability partners. Save this site, subscribe to the RSS feed or just check in occasionally. Better yet, if you have fallen off some horse that is designed to carry you to a goal or dream, reply back and let us help you up. It will be an honor to be part of your journey.

Now that I think of it, there were more than one Musketeer and the White Hats seldom traveled alone. “One for all and all for One…”

There was no preordained outcome or goal, simply to see what would happen when we crossed the finish line together. Today is the day, thirty continuous days of nouns and verbs, clauses and phrases, prepositions and participles (hopefully not too many that dangled).

And in looking over this process it occurred to me that I personally learned more than wrote. Here are the Big 10:

When you haven’t even started up the mountain, it looks huge and almost impossible. The more steps you take, the closer you get to the top, reality helps the mountain become smaller.

Ideas are not the problem, they actually are everywhere. The more you immerse yourself in your goal, the more options, ideas and solutions will present themselves. It’s the action that greases the wheel to creativity. Inaction will renders impossibility.

It is not the number of words that matter. Brevity creates intensity.

I was told that what stymies writers is the reluctance apply “butt in chair”. Excuses abound, procrastination consumes. Energy would flow as I wrote, seldom when I was watching television.

Roadblocks are guaranteed. Your commitment to keep your commitment will fuel your climb over or around challenges. Expect to be thrown off course, have the resolve to perform…no excuses.

You pay more of a price for not trying than when applying your talent without reservation. Not getting into the game creates wishful thinking, fantasies of what might have been leaving holes of remorse. The journey itself becomes a sweet payoff.

Finding the heart of a sentence releases the hidden meaning. Getting to the point in conversation usually does the same.

The art of creating something relies on finding a way to construct your point of reference, not on searching for the wishes of a potential audience.

It is better to search for the meaning than jump to conclusion. Simple questions of definitions from Webster at times clarified understanding which changed direction. The lack of understanding will make you look stupid. The art of understanding someone makes them feel of value.

Tell someone you will do something. Having an accountability partner insures your success. Thanks, Curt and Jim. It has been an honor traveling with you.

It also taught me that it is more fun to blog together so come back tomorrow; join in the discussion with your information, thoughts or ideas. Next Blog series on the future trends: Where are we now, where are we headed?

There is still room for caution of steps that may be taken in Washington that will increase debt, hemorrhage small business with back breaking healthcare costs, or the lack of true leadership necessary to steer this corner. We are approaching campaign season where pundits and politicians alike will fan the flame of doom, slanderous accusations filling the air waves (does the internet join radio and television as air waves or fall into its own mystical category). Ferreting facts out of the muddle will continue to be difficult yet if we are to serve as leaders, our ability to find clarity that can be relayed to those who chose to follow us is of the utmost importance.

First fact: This morning I spoke to a friend who as a 30 year veteran recruiter, serves the sales arena. As I asked about his business, he gleefully and anxiously shared that the past quarter was the best he has had in his career. He was hesitant to discuss it as if only the placement gods had smiled his good fortune down from on high. There are a few factors I’ve learned to look at over the years that supposedly signal a lead out of economic down cycles. One in particular is the expansion of requests for sales professionals. This has historically been the first to cut and the first to add. I refer to it as a first out, first back economic stimulus. I hung the phone up with a smile. Bill is good at what he does, but I have watched him ride the market like a barometer.

So is there an action I’m calling for? Yes, read this blog over the next few days as I, along with Katie Thomas, Steverson & Company Sales and Operations Manager, share solid FACTS we picked up from the Greater Houston Partnership meeting held on Tuesday. Patrick Jankowski, Vice President of Research did an amazing job of providing a realistic picture of today and how it should influence tomorrow.

The next post will discuss the importance of looking economically and for me organically within our company for “sustained growth”. This is not a tease, but at the end of the meeting I walked out with a smile.

Not compared to a day in the life of Louie Zamperini. Last night at Houston’s First Baptist Church he spoke for a gathering of over 3000 men. Laura Hildebrandt, author of the critically acclaimed book Seabiscuit, chronicled Louie’s journey as an Olympic athlete, World War II veteran and a survivor of a Japanese POW camp. Her latest book Unbroken, is now on the New York Times Best Seller List. We sat in rapt attention as a 94 year old man held court speaking with amazing clarity, humor and strength.

The engine on Louie’s plane failed while on a rescue mission, killing 10 of the 13 men aboard. Louie spent 47 days adrift on a raft, the only food available being the kidneys of small sharks that were caught by hand. Louie was forced to jump overboard into shark infested waters on four different occasions to escape Japanese planes strafing the raft with bullets…And my coffee pot was empty this morning…

The men finally found themselves 2000 miles away from the crash site, beached on a remote island in the Pacific. Gilligan and the Skipper were nowhere around, only Japanese soldiers. Louie spent the next 2 ½ years as a prisoner, brutalized daily by a sadistic camp leader…. And my commute home was miserable due to traffic stalling from rubberneckers staring at an accident….

I won’t attempt to share all of the details of an amazing life filled with courage, resolve, dedication, appreciation and a love for God. One point resonated throughout Louie’s life: it is a constant positive attitude that surmounts all hurdles. Never have I heard of someone who deservedly had earned the opportunity to complain of the unfairness in life. Had Louie not entered the service, he was touted as one of the chief contenders for an Olympic gold medal based on his performance in the 1936 games held in Germany. He was on track to being the first man to ever run the mile in under 4 minutes, years before Roger Bannister finally broke that mark.

He was invited to carry the Olympic torch a few years ago through the same town that once housed the prison camp where he was held. City leaders asked that he carry the torch as the streets lined with citizens, shoulder to shoulder cheered him for over one kilometer. Afterwards he was asked to address the city fathers to discuss what he took away from his experience. Louie commented that “it wasn’t the memory of the pain; it was the attempt to strip away human dignity.”

He went on to explain that it is our attitude that is our greatest tool in facing obstacles and hardship. Jesse Owen, one of the greatest athletes our country has ever produced, was ostracized by Hitler in the 1936 Olympics, simply because of the color of his skin. He faced bigotry, slander, physical intimidation throughout his career both overseas and at home. Yet in spite of Hitler’s attempt to discredit him before the people, every time Jesse competed the stands went wild in support of him. No matter what was thrown at him, figuratively and literally Louie said Jesse with courage and composure simply forged ahead with a smile on his face and in his heart. Nothing could get him down. This composure under the harshest circumstances touched the lives the Germans who witnessed his grace and courage.

Today life is not easy. I find anxiousness in the air in many meetings I attend, in the eyes of people who feel uncertain about their job or future economic circumstances their company may face. Louie’s message to all of us is to focus on taking whatever steps you need to get through the moment. His emphasis is on taking steps, learning how and when to move into action, and to do it with an attitude of hope and optimism. The results we obtain are in direct proportion to the attitude that fuels our steps, a constant positive attitude.

Tomorrow when I reach out to pour my cup of coffee, I choose to walk in confidence knowing there are no sharks. Life is really good…

Follow this link to see the questions I raise

blog.chron.com/simplestepsoffaith/

What do you pursue?

Endurance has to be a significant part of the DNA of Leadership.

The Greek word hypomonen is translated endurance and described as the quality that enables a person to stay on his or her feet when facing a storm. We are expected as leaders, to face the storm or challenge head on, stand up to adversity, don’t wilt under pressure. I was struck by guidance offered to simply “stay on your feet”. Endurance is not the final step to the summit of a mountain. Rather it is exhibited by each step of the journey, each becoming more difficult as fatigue grows and oxygen diminishes.

Leaders are charged with the somewhat seemingly bipolar charge of focusing attention on the long term vision of the desired goal and direction of the team while at the same time keeping everyone on their feet, attention on the individual, and sometime mundane, steps required for a successful outcome. When the storms at work or home come barreling upon us, understandably our instinct is to get out of the way by focusing on something else, procrastinate, or sometimes simply move in another direction. Endurance is staying on our feet, which requires standing firm and staying balanced.

Rory Vaden, a self discipline strategist www.roryvaden.com and one of the best new talents of the National Speakers Association, shares a message in his keynote address “Taking the Stairs”. He spoke of the difference between cattle and buffalo in facing the storms as they cross the peaks of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. As the storm approaches, the cattle begin to run from it as a desperate attempt to get away from the force and pressure. The buffalo on the other hand turn their face toward the wind, rain and snow and walk straight into it. The outcome is the cattle end up moving with the storm, and actually increases the length of time they are enveloped by the battle. The buffalo minimize the experience by taking the storm head-on and letting it pass them by.

Leaders must recognize that to endure is not absorb punishment or hardship. It is to stay on our feet, moving, dancing, climbing as a way of dealing with the difficulties we are asked to manage and help our team face.