LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"If you could get all the people in an organization rowing in the same direction, you could dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition, at any time." Patrick Lencioni

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

I led a short workshop for a local non-profit team this week, so I spent some time revisiting a workshop I've shared over the years from one of my favorite Patrick Lencioni books, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.

I remember the first time I read this book back in 2002 and I immediately tried to put it's principles into play in the organization I was running at the time as well as 2 Boards I was serving with and leading.

Lencioni talks about 5 things that high functioning teams have to address and it was so practical, it immediately made a difference in the way I was leading. Of course, it's taken another 25 years of practice, failure and then trying again, but I can honestly say that this book had a huge impact on my personal leadership and on every organization I've been a part of since.

This month, I'm just going to share some thoughts from this book, but I encourage you: If you haven't read it, GET IT AND READ IT. If you have read it, PICK IT UP AGAIN AND REFRESH. If it's sitting on your shelf and you flipped through a couple of pages, I challenge you to STOP AND READ IT.

Lencioni builds his entire model on a foundation of TRUST. He talks about how important it is to build trust but then to maintain trust over time.

He talks about the quickest way to build trust being VULNERABILITY. He actually wrote a book that he titled, GETTING NAKED (which got a lot of attention), but the entire book is about the importance of vulnerability in leadership.

In this book, Lencioni identifies 3 reasons why people in leadership aren't vulnerable and real:

First, THE LEADER FEARS LOSING BUSINESS. We're afraid that if we show our real selves, they won't like what they see and they'll go someplace else. We live with this constant fear.

Second, THE LEADER FEARS BEING EMBARRASSED. We worry about what people think so we want to project something that is often not what is real! We don't want people to see any weakness in us!

Thirst, THE LEADER FEARS FEELING INFERIOR. We are the leader and we like it when our team puts us up on a pedestal to some degree. Humbling ourselves might make us look less qualified.

We buy into these lies, and Lencioni argues that the opposite is usually true.

• When we show our true selves, people are drawn to us.

• When we show our weaknesses, we become much more relatable.

• When we're not afraid of being embarrassed, we take more risks and often show more of our true leadership.

Which one of these three is something you have dealt with as a leader?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going. Jim Rohn

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

This is the final post addressing Motivation.

You can read the other posts this month HERE if you missed them.

I'm going to actually give you 2 quotes today, I'll close with one of my favorites...

We've been talking about some different things that might motivate us... we've talk about others, we've talk about God's voice in our life, and we've talked about our own voice.

Motivation is tricky because it will constantly be changing based on the task before you or the goal you're aiming for.

One time in High School, our Basketball Coach gave us a workout plan to do over Christmas Break in preparation for the start of the new season. I went into the break ready to work out every day, but quickly that motivation was lost when I saw the waves of the ocean, tasted the shrimp at our favorite beach spot, and somehow that motivation was lost on me until the day before school started when I finally got through the workout plan one time.

It's the same way with my teeth. If I have a cleaning coming up, I'm even more disciplined in my flossing. I'm motivated to attack these gums, then the day after the cleaning I relax back into a normal routine of flossing.

Motivation provides the SPARK to do something, but as the quote says, it often requires healthy habits to keep moving forward, especially when that motivation slows down, or when we get distracted by something else.

I want to encourage you to take some time to identify the motivating things in your life...

• When my kids and grandkids are coming over, I'm motivated to clean the yard and be ready for them.

• When I'm feeling tired, I'm motivated to change my eating, sleeping and movement activity because I know this affects my energy.

• When my wife asks me to do something, I'm motivated to respond and act in love because I want to please her.

• When I'm distracted, I need to figure out what's going on in my mind and heart and address that before finding a way to focus.

• When I'm stressed out I need to look at the big picture of what I'm doing and remind myself of my purpose and my passion.

Identifying our Motivation helps us to act!

What is it that regularly motivates you to action?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." *Mahatma Ghandi

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

We're continuing to explore MOTIVATION this month by looking at some quotes and simply drawing some personal application.

*While this quote is often attributed to Ghandi, there is no reliable record of him saying this, however it aligns deeply with his writings and posture.

Last week I shared some thoughts around motivation and I shared a story of when I had been motivated by others to climb a mountain, and then I pondered the idea of motivation that comes from Jesus' invitation to simple "come to Him". You can read that HERE if you missed it.

This quote is something that I think about often.

Years ago, I can't even remember how long ago, Gina gave me a small metal paper weight with this quote inscribed in it. She gave it to me when I had finished my graduate studies, and it was simply an encouragement to me to invest my life in bringing change to the world.

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"I'm a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn't have the heart to let him down." *Abraham Lincoln

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

We're continuing to explore MOTIVATION this month by looking at some quotes and simply drawing some personal application.

*This quote is most often attributed to Abraham Lincoln, but it's also been connected to Benjamin Franklin.

When I read this quote, I thought about motivation and realized that often I'm motivated to do things because of other peoples expectations for my life and work.

This isn't bad, and that idea of "not letting others down" is really important, but it can also lead you to do things you don't really want to or don't need to do.

My dad joined our Boy Scout Troupe back when I was 11 years old to climb Mt. Whitney in California. I don't think I had any idea what I was getting into. I thought me and a bunch of my friends were going camping, and that sounded like fun. My dad knew what climbing a 14,505 foot mountain was about because he had climbed it before. This peak is the highest point in the lower 48 states. He joined the trip to help me make it to the top.

Yes it was bad. Switchback trails straight up the front of the mountain for hours, and I've told this story before, my dad just kept telling me to take 10 more steps, then take a break. We inched our way up the mountain and eventually made it.

The motivation for me? Not letting my dad down, and reaching the summit. That motivation kept me moving and led to a moment at the top of celebration, which then turned into a rapid descent to get back to life at a reasonable altitude.

I would have never made it up that mountain had I not been carrying the expectation and the hope from my dad that I could actually do it.

That's motivation. The positive kind.

There's also another kind, the kind that comes with guilt.

I've said "YES" to so many things over the years because I didn't want to let people down, or because I thought that I was supposed to do something. Sometimes this has forced me to let down the people I care about the most in my attempt to make others happy or to meet their often unrealistic expectations.

Think about your story.

How has the idea of "letting people down" motivated you to do certain things been a positive thing or a negative thing?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great." Zig Ziglar

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

This month I want to explore MOTIVATION a little deeper by looking at some quotes and simply drawing some personal application.

I love this description I found of the 2 kinds of motivation:

INTRINSIC MOTIVATION is simply doing something because it's inherently satisfying or interesting. It's something I really want to do.

EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION is simply doing something to earn a reward or to avoid punishment. It's something that I earn or avoid for the action.

The word MOTIVATION comes from the Latin movere, meaning "to move", which is really the core idea: Motivation is what moves you to act.

I remember at a young age, maybe 7 or 8 years of age, I saw an ad in a magazine I was looking at (Highlights Magazine) and it was an ad for selling seeds (flower & vegetable) door to door. The ad simply said that if I sold enough seeds, I would qualify for a prize, and they had some pictures of kids playing with some toys like a big squirt gun, a basketball, and some spring/bouncy shoes. (Yes, you heard that right: spring shoes)

I got permission from my parents to order the seed packets, and when they arrived I was so excited to sell them. Of course, this was in the early 70's, so multilevel marketing was just being perfected by the Tupperware Company, so I had to rely on my family, my neighbors, and anyone else I could convince to buy these seed packets. I hit the road (well, the 3 streets around my house).

The goal, sell enough seeds to qualify for the spring shoe prize, and I was motivated to accomplish that. I sold, I marketed, I rang doorbells, and I'm sure my mom purchased more seeds than she could ever use from her young entrepreneur son, and I hit the target! It's a little fuzzy as to how long it took, but I did it.

The day arrived, and the spring shoes were delivered and I put them on and bounced down my street only to realize that they weren't near as cool as I thought they'd be (according to my friends on the street) and they actually didn't work real well, so a few bouncy trips around the neighborhood and my seed selling business was closed.

I saw. I conquered. I bounced. The end.

Isn't it funny when you reflect back on things that have motivated you at some point in your life? Looking back it's easy to ask why that motivation worked, but when you're in the middle of it, it's all you can think about.

I'm sure I dreamed about spring shoes for weeks, hoping that it would become an olympic sport that I could compete in!

Zig Ziglar's quote above is very basic, very true, and somewhat profound, but it doesn't answer the question of MOTIVATION. What would drive us to start something? What is our WHY?

Think back on your childhood. Can you remember a "motivation story" like mine? I'd love to hear it.

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"No matter how good the team or how efficient the methodology, if we're not solving the right problem, the project fails." Woody Williams

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

The is the last thought on the topic of PROJECT MANAGEMENT. It was interesting to explore this a little bit and hopefully something bubbled up for you around this theme over the past month. You can read the past quotes and posts from this month HERE.

In August, we're going to look at the idea of MOTIVATION. Motivation can be described as the WHY behind any action, and it often separates having a goal from actually pursuing one. More on that next week.

Have you ever put a bunch of time and energy into something to then realize that the thing you were working on wasn't the "right thing"?

Have you ever finished a project to have that sense of satisfaction fade away quickly because you realized that what you accomplished wasn't the most important thing?

I'm in the middle of a situation where I find myself questioning if I'm focused on the right thing or not. I'm not going to share the details with you, but I want to share a little bit of my process as I work to figure this out in real time.

Sometimes I come up with a "great idea" (at least in my mind it's a great idea) and I then work to implement it and put it into action. Usually I can determine fairly quickly if the idea was an "inspired idea" or if it is just a "random fleeting idea" or not, but sometimes it takes some work and energy to figure this out.

Right now, I'm deep into a project that I'm trying to determine the answer to, and it's a place I don't like to be for long because I feel STUCK: not sure if I should double down and charge forward or if I should pause to make sure I'm heading in the right direction.

When I'm faced with this kind of dilemma, I often make a quick decision without completely evaluating things. I pull the plug quickly, I pivot before I need to or I hesitate and stall out, and continue in that STUCK place.

This time, this is what I'm doing:

• I created some "space" to search my heart and determine my motivation and my fear.

• I shared the dilemma with a few people to get their counsel, advice, insight and perspective, and I'm listening to that.

• I'm waiting a few days before making a decision, asking God for clarity, confirmation and peace.

That's where I'm at.... TODAY! Right in the middle of an issue, trying to write about leadership, but instead wanted to share with you the journey I'm on.

The quote above has had me thinking and contemplating over the past 5 days, and I just couldn't let it go, so I'm paying attention to what I'm in the middle of.

I don't know what you do to ensure you're focused on the right thing, but I invite you to share your wisdom with me.... not so I can share it with others, but so I can learn from you. What else would you do if you were me?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own." Bruce Lee

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

This month I want to explore some ideas around PROJECT MANAGEMENT. Pretty exciting theme for a summer month, but I'm finding myself looking for some tools to help me get some things done over the next few months.

I've watched quite a bit of the World Cup over the past weeks. Some incredible moments of victory and some really hard moments of defeat, but 2 things just stand out to me as I watch these teams play.

First, THE POWER OF TEAM. The idea that everyone has a role to play, and they play together, often working specifically to get the ball to a point on the pitch where a specific player has the best chance of scoring. The entire team working together to make that happen, focused and in sync with each other. There was some beautiful fútbol being played!

Second, THE ABILITY TO ADAPT, which is what triggered the quote above from Bruce Lee.

These teams and coaches had to continually adapt their plan and their style of play to each of the teams they faced, changing pre-game and then during the game. Every team showed up with a strategy, with surprises, with the goal to win, and that competition forced everyone to be constantly changing.

I read an article yesterday about Lionel Messi, and it sparked my attention. They were commenting on the fact that Messi often appears to be standing and watching, or walking and not engaged in everything that's happening on the field, but the argument was that Messi was studying. He was evaluating the opposing team, he was watching for what they were doing and he was constantly finding ways to address their play and adapt their play in response. As the captain of the Argentina team, he was paying attention to everything that was happening on the field, and bringing his years and years of experience onto the field to help his team adapt and have the best chance of winning.

Unfortunately for Messi and his team, Spain was able to do this better in the final and they won a well deserved championship.

Coming back to our conversation around Project Management, this idea from Bruce Lee is critical in our ability to define a project, work towards completing a project and manage the outcomes.

On a scale of 1 - 10, how comfortable are you with adapting your plan based on what's going on around you, with 10 being "highly adaptable" and 1 being "resistant to adaptation"?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Goals convert vision into ENERGY." Dave Ramsey

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

This month I want to explore some ideas around PROJECT MANAGEMENT. Pretty exciting theme for a summer month, but I'm finding myself looking for some tools to help me get some things done over the next few months.

Thank you for your comments. I asked you to share some thoughts, and I received some great notes that I'll share below.

My friend Alan shared an article he had written on "The Big Rock Theory" and I'm sharing it HERE because he makes some really good points about the idea. Check it out and check out all of the content on his website. Thanks for sharing Alan.

The quote above from Ramsey isn't the quote I was looking for, but it's connected.

I attended one of Ramsey's EntreLeadership Conferences years ago, and really appreciated his approach to leadership.

At the conference, Ramsay made this statement (or it's what I heard him say)... something like:

"Goals are your vision in bite-sized chunks"

When he said that, something clicked in me.

I've always been a proponent of GOALS, of S.M.A.R.T. GOALS, but connecting them directly to the vision I was working towards was a new concept.

The quote above really goes in line with that idea, in that goals bring ENERGY to your vision, and that's so true.

How does this relate to project management?

I think we (or ME) often do great defining a project, a task, a goal, but it doesn't connect to the big picture. It's a task, and sometimes it's not connected at all to where I'm trying to get to.

One of the most important aspects of Project Management is actually determining what you're going to focus on and why. If you don't, then you waste time, energy & resources and you don't get closer to your ultimate goal.

Years ago, before email and internet were created, I had an idea to create a leadership network. I was 22 years old, I hadn't really thought through why I wanted to do this, but I woke up one day and just decided to give it a go. I spent about a week finding mailing addresses, writing letters, inviting people to join this emerging network of leaders in Los Angeles, but I failed to answer this really important question: WHY?

This became really apparent as the response was dismal. People couldn't understand what I was trying to do, they wouldn't commit to anything, and while I waited patiently for some of the 350 responses to pour into my newly rented mail box address, by the time I received my first (of 3) responses, I had grown bored of the idea and was moving onto something else. The 3 responses were all asking questions about WHY this was important. The reality is that this idea didn't connect with anything I was working on at the time in my life, it was simply an idea that I acted on, invested some money and lot's of time into, only to have it fade quickly away, while all I was left with was a bunch of stationary for a now defunct networking group.

Funny story... a few years later another group launched a similar network, and I joined it because their marketing was compelling, and they articulated the purpose much clearer than I did. I participated with them for years in this network of leaders.

Lesson learned: Know how the project, the idea, the task connects to your bigger purpose, your goal or your organizations goals.

How do you create ENERGY through the projects and tasks you're working on?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"If the big rocks don't go in first, they aren't going to fit in later." Stephen Covey

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

This month I want to explore some ideas around PROJECT MANAGEMENT. Pretty exciting theme for a summer month, but I'm finding myself looking for some tools to help me get some things done over the next few months.

I know how I can be the most productive, but there are times that I just allow some bad habits to sneak back into my work life and it messes with my ability to focus on priorities and to manage the most important things to completion.

Of course, trying to do this while the World Cup is on is a problem, but I'm talking about "managing the time you have left AFTER watching your favorite World Cup Match!"

Stephen Covey talks about "BIG ROCKS" in many of his books, and often he's uses the terms of "priorities" or "first things first" interchangeably.

He shared this video illustration years ago that best describes his theory of Big Rocks:

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full." Jesus, John 15:11 (ESV)

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

Wrapping up the conversation around JOY today. It's been really good to camp out on this theme for a few weeks. READ BACK to see all the posts on JOY. Also, read this book by Matthew Kelly, Slowing Down to the Speed of Joy. It's been good to go back through this book at a "slower pace"!

In John 15, Jesus tells us to ABIDE IN HIM. He's telling us that when we abide (when we REMAIN) with Him, He will help us understand what joy is all about, not just simple joy, but FULL JOY, the kind of joy that can only come from Him.

We've talked a lot about JOY over the past number of weeks, and this passage and promise just puts it all in perspective.

Jesus is telling us what we must do, he's "commanding" some things from us, but it's not to add to our burden, it's so that His joy can become our joy.

He wants us to live a genuine joyful life, and he's showing us the path to get there.

Read the full chapter of John 15. Love and Joy Abound.

Over the past number of weeks I've been sharing some thoughts and ideas around how to figure out JOY in your life. I've been challenged by the book by Matthew Kelly, and I've become aware of how much my "PACE and RHYTHM" affect my ability to see, appreciate and experience JOY.

However, this passage actually makes it clearer:

"Abide in me, and I in you." (John 15:4)

When you read John 15, what does ABIDE look like and feel like for you? What is He asking of you?