Stop and . . .

Recently, I had an interesting experience that changed the way I will think about things in the future. I frequently go for a walk at lunch to the Canal Park area of Duluth, MN. Usually, on these walks, I take in the waterfront and Lake Superior. I enjoy the smells of the many restaurants and enjoy watching the tourists as they meander from shop to shop. This was my usual experience and I looked forward to my walks. This was about to change.

As I was getting ready to head out on one of my walks, Donna, one of my coworkers was looking at my new camera, and asked if I ever took pictures of flowers. Then she commented, “You’re really not a flower person are you?” My response was that I wasn’t a flower person, but that I would try to find a flower to take a picture of.

As I approached Canal Park, I was stunned. There were flowers everywhere. My first thought was, when did they plant all these flowers? They were everywhere. They must be new, because I never noticed them before. As I took pictures, I noticed something else, the smell of the flowers. I had heard the quote, “Take time to smell the roses,” but obviously never took it seriously. I hadn’t even taken the time to see the roses, let alone smell them. Wow! I was in a new world.

As I continued to take pictures, I then noticed and heard the bees, butterflies and other birds and insects floating around. I had to sit down and think about everything I was seeing, smelling and hearing. It was a completely different experience.

Why? Because I was focusing on something different, I was having a different experience. Interesting! How many times in life do we do the same things over and over again; the same foods, the same steps, the same route to work, the same goals, and the same results?

If we want different results, we must change the way we think, the things we do, and the things we focus on. If I can have this profound experience just on a lunch time walk, what could I accomplish in my life if I focus on the task at hand in a different way? I’m looking forward to other breakthroughs as I practice this in business, and in life.

If you are stuck with a challenge, can you look at it in a different way? Ask for others opinions. Do your research differently. Use a different Search Engine. Ask different questions. If you are not sure, just try something different. 

I encourage all of us to look at our challenges with a different focus.  This just may give us an unseen breakthrough to unseen results. I also thank Donna for giving me something new to focus on and teaching me such a valuable lesson. Don’t just stop and smell, stop and see, then ask, “What can I focus on to change this experience?”

Leadership Lessons Learned – Vision

Take a moment and think about a company or organization that you know to be successful. Now, think about what makes this company successful. The list could be long and include a worthwhile mission, passionate people, efficient processes and policies, and a much needed product or service. Usually, at the top of the list is a successful leader that has a guiding principle, a passion, a vision that helps guide the leader in all matters and decisions.  

Go to the website of the company or organization that you thought of, and you will most likely be able to find their guiding principle, their Mission and their Vision. While these collections of words may seem trivial, used properly these same words can make the difference in success and failure.

I work for a company that has a Vision and Mission that I truly believe in and can live every day on the job. More importantly, I see the leaders of my company living these words every day in their actions and in their decisions. In the past, I worked for a very large corporation that lost its mission. The morale was incredibly low while layoffs happened every 6 months. The company eventually went out of business and the operation was taken over by a different company. What was the difference?  I believe the answer lies in the fact that the latter example lacked leaders that lived the company’s Vision.

Leading a District of very talented Toastmasters gave me the opportunity to share my guiding principle, my Vision for the District. I planned this for two years and shared this vision in my inaugural address. My theme was “An Attitude of Service” and my Vision was that every member enters every leadership opportunity with an attitude of being there, not for themselves, but for those they serve. My theme and vision were well received and I fostered many positive comments and huge support. Was I done?  No!  While I had the support and passion of the members at the starting gate, those same members needed to see me live this Vision every day and in every way.

I immediately was tested as other leaders came to me with problems. In every case, I asked that leader to step back and ask, “How can I be of service in this situation?” I would often receive feedback that the leader was inspired by this opportunity to look at the situation differently and find alternate solutions. On many occasions, I was there with my Vision as a solution to a challenge.

I’ve studied and had a passion for Missions and Visions for years, but this was my first opportunity to lead a large organization with my thoughts and beliefs. I really learned at a different level that it is imperative that those we lead see us live our Vision. We must be passionate about it, we must motivate with it, we must coach with it, we must meet challenges with it, and we most of all, we must empower others to do the same.

Leadership Lessons Learned – My Journey through the District Trio

On June 30^th, I completed my term as District Governor for District 6 Toastmasters. This was a four year commitment which included a year as Lieutenant Governor Marketing, a year as Lieutenant Governor Education and Training, a year as District Governor, and now I will serve a year as Immediate Past District Governor. Serving in these positions has been an incredible journey. Working with a leadership team of about 100 people to lead an organization of over 5000 people has been fun, challenging and educational. These positions gave me the opportunity to use many of the leadership skills that we learn and practice within Toastmasters. Over the next several weeks, I would like to share my thoughts on a leadership skill that I learned, relearned or discovered new insights on. Check in next week when I share my thoughts on Vision.

Have Fun, But!

For the last year, I have been getting my haircut at a well known national haircut chain. I get a decent hair cut at a reasonable price. While I don't expect a lot in the way of customer service, the experience I had this past week was somewhat disappointing.

I walked in late in the afternoon. There was one customer in the store and she was just leaving. As she left the girl at the counter checked me in by taking my name. As I took a seat, she informed me that it would be just a couple of minutes. She then went off to sweep the floor. As I sat there, the only customer in the store, one other girl was counting her tips and the other two were chasing each other around the store trying to untie their aprons.

I sat there for about five minutes and was about to walk out of the store when one of the girls finally came up and invited me back to get my hair cut. As we were discussing what I wanted, another girl snuck up behind her and untied her apron and they started all over again. I was about to walk out again when she finally started cutting my hair.

The whole time she was cutting, she seemed impatient and almost annoyed that I was there and taking time away from her play time. I was very disappointed in the experience.

Now, as a practitioner of the Fish! Philosophy, I am all for Play at work. Having fun at work is imperative for keeping the energy flowing and keeping morale high. But, not at the expense of customer service.

Ideally, we should look for ways to include the customer in our play. No, I'm not suggesting that I wanted to chase the girls around and try to untie their aprons. I'm suggesting that they could invent fun activities that make me, the customer glad that I am there, and encourage me to come back time and time again.

Since I am not a haircut expert, I will not try to suggest ways for them to run a haircut business. However, in this case, I would suggest that they keep inappropriate activities out-of-site of the customer.

I expect that if Southwest Airlines can make the pre-flight safety talk interesting and entertaining for their customers, the haircut professionals should be able to do the same. Just once, I'd like to feel like I am the most important person in the cutter's life for the 10 minutes I'm in the chair.

Playing and having fun will continue to take top companies to high levels of success. Look for ways to include your customers in your play. If this is not possible, remember that giving your customers world class service should be your top priority.

Being There

This weekend, I had the wonderful opportunity to hear Craig Valentine give two presentations at a local Toastmasters event. Craig is the Toastmasters 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking. He has many qualities that I admire in a person and as a speaker. He is humorous, entertaining, and his messages hit home and are memorable. The quality I admire most in Craig is his service attitude while speaking.

I first learned about this concept when I was working as a professional magician. I had the opportunity to watch many magicians at the Magic Castle in Hollywood. I discovered that there were two types of performers in the magic industry.

First, there were those that got up in front of there audience with an attitude of look at me, I'm a magician, and I'm special. As I watched these magicians and watched their audiences, there never seemed to be a connection.

The other type of magician I noticed are those that approached their audience with an attitude of it's all about you and I'm here to entertain you. These performers connected with their audience and really put on a great show.

Craig understands this concept. It was apparent that he was there for our benefit, for our learning and for our entertainment. As I watched his audience, they were on the edge of their seats, they were taking notes and they were truly being entertained.

We can take this concept into anything that we do. Whether we are doing slight-of-hand, speaking, cutting hair, waiting tables, managing people or volunteering our time, approaching any situation with an attitude of service can pay huge dividends.

Many thanks to Craig for reinforcing this concept and for being a wonderful example and role model of servant leadership. If you ever get the opportunity to hear Craig speak, take advantage of the opportunity. You will not be disappointed.

Happy New Year

Welcome to 2010! It's that time again . . . time to make New Years Resolutions. This morning, I participated in the Wisconsin Emergency Communications Net by ham radio. During the net, the net controller asked each of us to share our ham radio related goals for the year. I was amazed at how many of the participants responded that they had the same goal as last year, because they never accomplished the goal last year.

There are many sources for goal setting techniques. You can even go to my website at www.awesomeattitude.net and read my January 2007 newsletter. Here you will find a very simple goal setting technique.

Whatever method you decide to use, there are two very important keys to keep in mind. First, we need to make our goals relevant. If the goals aren't important to us, we will never achieve them. To make your goals relevant, ask yourself why? Why do you want to accomplish this goal.

The more whys that you can list, the more passion you will have for your goal. The more passion that you have to accomplish your goal, the more likely that you will.

The other key is that when we go through the steps to write down our goal, we need to do the work. By taking action every day, we will build the momentum needed to cross the finish line.

If you continue to struggle with your goals, contact me for a private goal coaching session. Don't let another year go by without making progress with your goals. Make 2010 the year that you take your life to a new level.

Let The Whole World Know

Let The Whole World Know is a business in Duluth that specializes in Indoor and Outdoor Signs, Banners and Graphics. I’ve been using their services for about 8 months to do printing on Toastmasters Banners. Recently, one of the banner’s came back and the printing was a little blurred. They didn’t charge me for the printing.

After discussion with other Toastmasters leaders, we felt that the banner was not exactly what we wanted and decided to start over with a new banner. I called Let the Whole World Know and talked with the owner Carol Willoughby. She was wonderful and before knowing the cost said that she would replace the banner. The thing that really struck me was that even over the phone, she sounded thrilled to have the opportunity to make this right for us. She was very sincere and her enthusiasm was contagious.

The new banner was re-printed and looked great. Thanks to Carol and Let The Whole World Know for practicing incredible customer service, but more importantly, thanks for doing it with an incredible attitude.