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Leadership and Faeries

Friday, July 15th, 2011

Superfood FaeriesWhen my daughters were little kids I did what moms do, I thought about what they would be when they grew up. Oh I envisioned all sorts of careers and family configurations. And then, like a smart mother, I decided their fates were best left to them.

 

My younger daughter Julie played with dolls from the minute she could hold one. She took our cat and dressed it in a diaper and pink cap, she drew pictures of happy families going on vacations, she loved being a girly girl.

 
Her older sister Mikayla was the artist who painted and wrote and sculpted and created vision after vision of new planets with other worldly characters.

 

There is something to this nature part along with nurture that is fascinating to watch. Julie is a great mom of two; a beautiful daughter and son. She closed her business, deciding to be a full time mom till both youngsters are launched in their school careers, and then she will see.

 

Mikayla has other ideas. She has been on a healing journey from a misdiagnosed case of Lyme’s Disease and it has led her to become an advocate of planetary sustainability. She used her talents in the arts and her new found knowledge of how we can sustain health through eating green. Her new website, superfoodfaeiries.com is so Mikayla, simple yet complex, pure yet elegant.
(Do I sound like a mom or what?).

 

That searcher for new lands is in her DNA. In her journey to find the best solution for chronic health problems that came out of lots of camping and a misdiagnosis she has become a voice in the movement to, in her words “be-green and be-live”.

 
I see in my grown daughters the seeds of who they would become in the way they picked toys and preferences when they were, well as tiny as faeries.

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Leadership Lessons: Tackle the Big Stuff

Monday, June 20th, 2011

I recently got pulled into some “news” because I took Kate Gosselin to small claims court for ignoring payment of services rendered. It is a sad statement of how some people behave and ignore being true to their word. However, there are far more vital issues than Kate Gosselin and I am not going to participate in taking the case further.

Here is what really matters and how I believe the media could do a better job of taking the high road than worrying about media made “celebrities” and tackle what reality television should and could be about: making our world a more cooperative and caring one!

 

Ocean Report: Risk of Marine Extinctions Unprecedented in Human History

By: Kelly Rigg on Huff Green

A “deadly trio” of carbon-related ocean impacts (ocean acidification, warming, and oxygen depletion) may lead to global marine extinctions on a scale unprecedented in human history. This is one of the main conclusions of a new report by an international panel of marine scientists (see my previous post Ocean of Trouble for more details).

The panel’s main findings were summarized as follows:

  • The combination of stressors on the ocean is creating the conditions associated with every previous major extinction of species in Earth’s history.

Further:

  • The speed and rate of degeneration in the ocean is far faster than anyone has predicted.
  • Many of the negative impacts previously identified are greater than the worst predictions.
  • Although difficult to assess because of the unprecedented speed of change, the first steps to globally significant extinction may have begun with a rise in the extinction threat to marine species such as reef-forming corals.

2011-06-20-NOAAOceangravitymap.jpgNOAA Public DomainAccording to one of the scientists, Professor Jelle Bijma of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, “the current carbon perturbation is unprecedented in the Earth’s history because of the high rate and speed of change. Acidification is occurring faster than in the past 55 million years…” He also pointed out that, “Most, if not all, of the five global mass extinctions in Earth’s history carry the fingerprints of the main symptoms of global carbon perturbations.”

In this case, however, it is us doing the perturbing. Humans are currently conducting what amounts to a radical geo-engineering of the Earth’s life-support system. Geo-engineering is defined as “the deliberate large-scale manipulation of the planetary environment.” Knowing what we do about the relationship between our excessive fossil fuel-driven CO2 emissions and climate change, we can no longer pretend that our impact on the planetary environment is accidental.

So it is with some irony that the release of this report coincides with a two-day meeting of IPCC experts to discuss geo-engineering as part of a “portfolio of response options to anthropogenic climate change.”

Generally speaking, geo-engineering schemes fall into two categories: those which aim to lower temperature (think sunblock, but on a planetary scale), and those which aim to get CO2 out of the atmosphere (such as the ‘fertilization’ of the ocean with iron to increase CO2-absorbing plankton).

Whenever I hear of these sorts of schemes, I think of a Dr. Seuss book I used to read as a child — The Cat in the Hat Comes Back. The self-indulgent cat gorges himself on pink cake in the bath, leaving behind a rosy ring in the tub. Every effort by his team of helper cats to clean up the mess simply causes the stain to spread further, until eventually the entire house and snowy yard has turned into a sickening sea of pink. Just in the nick of time, before the parents come home and the kids get busted, the tiniest cat pulls a out a magical “Voom” from his hat which miraculously cleans up the mess.

If only we had a Voom to clean up the twin problems of climate change and ocean meltdown, and we could put all those fossil fuels back in the hat. But since we don’t and we can’t, we must face three inevitable conclusions:

  1. We need to end our 200-year-old addiction to fossil fuels, a habit which is dumping enormous quantities of CO2 into the atmosphere. In 2010 we set a record — emitting 30.6 gigatonnes of CO2. By conserving energy, using efficiency technologies, and fully replacing fossil fuels with clean renewable sources we can kick the habit. There are many scenarios that prove this is not some utopian vision, but a feasible undertaking that could be accomplished in the next few decades. It’s a no-brainer — the transformation is already underway, and lots of jobs are being created as a result. But governments must stop dragging their feet on measures which could rapidly accelerate this new energy revolution.

    2.  

  2. The best way to get existing CO2 out of the atmosphere is to increase the CO2-absorption capacity of natural ecosystems — both on land and at sea. This means halting deforestation and overfishing, stopping the production and discharge of dangerous pollutants, and preventing habitat degradation, to name just a few examples. Perhaps the IPCC experts meeting will identify new methods of removing CO2 from the air without risking further harm to the environment.

    3.  

     

  3. As for geo-engineering, we can rule out right off the bat that any sunblock scheme will save the day, because these do nothing to address ocean acidification. Other schemes that tamper with Earth systems risk Cat in the Hat consequences which we have neither the knowledge nor the wisdom to oversee. It’s not for nothing that the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity agreed to a de facto moratorium on geo-engineering (PDF).

 

As for me, I can’t decide what’s scarier: men in lab coats playing out their sci-fi fantasies (at least that’s how I picture them), or the fact that there are top scientists who believe we may reach a point when such schemes will actually be needed to save human civilization.

What do you think…? Should we continue our indulgent fossil fuel habit assuming that scientists will actually find the “Vroom” before it’s too late? Or do we just say ‘No’ to fossil fuels?

Follow Kelly Rigg on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kellyrigg

 

My comment on the above post:

“Great post! Don’t we all wish for the magic formulas of that impish Cat in the Hat? We (and sadly that  mean most of us) tend to hope that the hero will come along and save us at the last minute. This is where the behavior patterns of the avoider and denier are most obvious; the hero will do the hard work, not us!
My question is how can the media work for the greater good and use this platform to show tons of  stories of transforma­tion about good people working together for more than money? We can all be the hero. I believe that there would be a surge of goodwill and real effort if visions of transforma­tion were front and center day after day instead of the dreadful barage of make believe looting, shooting, and killing.  Hey, The Cat in the Hat could be the cheerleade­r for all of us to participat­e in solving important human issues with integrity and make real magic happen. Dr. Seuss would have approved.

 

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Do leaders play short stop, as a corner outfielder or both?

Wednesday, June 15th, 2011

Leadership Success

As I was growing up, I always loved sitting down and watching baseball with my father. It is considered to be the all-American pastime. It was not only a favorite pastime of mine to be able to spend time with my father, but I was in awe of the sport itself and the amazing structure of discipline needed from all of the players and coaches involved.  At the time, it was unfathomable to me to understand how all of the team members worked together to accomplish such an amazing feat of winning a game.  Every team member had to have a time, a place, a position, a process, or a call, etc., and know and understand the coaches’ expectations, in order for the game to be played effectively.

Baseball not only brings people together, but it can be played in empty lots, or in organized teams, it can be played by all ages, and you can play whether you are an amateur or a professional.  Much like that of the organization in which you work, you should feel comfortable playing the game in any area of your business, whether you are good at it or not, and no matter what age.  With the help of your leadership skills, your colleagues should feel the same, as well.  But I often ask myself whether, as a leader, am I playing short stop, or playing in the outfield?  What does this mean to me and my business and why?

If you think about the short stop position, the person in this position must be the most agile person on the team.  Not only do they cover multiple other positions within the infield, but they must have the strongest arm on the team in order to be able to throw a far distance to make other players get out at first base.  They also must be the cut-off man to any of the other positions that play around him, or behind him.  A short stop position must have fielding prowess because you never know what type of ball, fast or slow, or how high or low, you are going to need to catch.  You never know who you will be throwing to, or how quickly you will need to throw the ball back!

As an outfielder, you catch the longest driven and highest balls hit to you.  They typically play behind the six other positions within the infield.  Sometimes, they are considered to be the slower and less defensive of the other players.  However, they too, must also have a strong throwing arm in order to get the ball back in the field for the play to continue.  Many of the best power hitters in baseball play in the outfield, where they do not have as constant involvement in fielding plays as other positions.

Although both positions are both important to the organization of the sport itself, one position is looked at as stronger than the other; that is the short stop position.  As a leader, are you playing short stop in your organization and catching all of the issues first, and succeeding by dampening the concerns with your resolutions?  If I am a leader, I must be active and engaging in every department.  I must be alert as to what is going on in all areas of my organization/business, not just my own area/department.  I must be athletic enough to overcome any situation that comes my way.  I have to be buoyant enough to bounce back from tough situations, and clever and dexterous enough to come up with a plan of action that can be executed in a quick and timely manner.  As a “short stop” leader, I have to be easy-going as much as possible, yet energetic and positive at all times.  Never let them see you sweat, right?  If I am not prompt at handling what is to come, and quick enough to determine what is needed to accomplish a specific task to enable my team to work more effectively and productively, then we will not win  the game.  With this being said, a short stop leader must be vigorous, swift, and sharp enough to handle situations promptly and to continue showing their leadership skills vivaciously enough to win the game at all times.

If all of the situations that occur in my business are constantly being diverted to my outfield, then I may be a power hitter to bounce back from the situation after numerous attempts to make the situation better, but I may not always win the play due to being less defensive and as supple as I need to be.  If I want to constantly try and catch my problems after they have passed numerous other players on my team, then can I actually lead with the quickest and most defensive strategy that is needed to make my business happen?  Although I do need to play in this position, in order to know how my team works and to understand the dynamics behind the plays that are thrown my way, I feel as if a leader needs to have the attributes of the short stop position to be able to stand as a dynamic leader.

Stand back and look at your team and how each person affects the drive and success of your business.  Then take a look at your leadership style and how you fit into the “field”.  Do you look at issues and attack them quickly and are you steadfast in your approach?  Or do you delegate all issues and concerns to someone else in a position that does not have the drive or stamina to handle the issue as successfully as you would?  Do you play as a “short stop” leader, or as a “corner outfielder” leader? Or do you consider yourself to be the only player and you play all positions at all times?  If you do not play either position as a leader who plays in these positions on your team and who do you rely on the most?  People look for meaning and purpose in their life and work in order to find fulfillment. Without a clear purpose we wander from position to position trying to find the right fit. Most people place more value on meaning and significance than they do on pay and benefits. Consider this, I have read over and over again that there tends to be a greater number of people who leave their jobs because of poor leadership.

The above guest post was written by Teresa Uranga-MSSL, MS Ed.

Born and raised in Tampa, FL and moved to the Orlando, FL area when I first moved away from home to pursue my pathway to adulthood and college.  I attended the University of Central Florida for what seemed to be an interminable five years.  My dream, or what I thought was my dream, was to become a Speech Pathologist within the public school system.  My mother/coach/mentor/best friend has been a teacher for 36+ years.  Her biggest complaint was about the children who had numerous speech impediments and learning disabilities towards comprehension, which led to many conversations about whole school curriculum pros and cons.  So, there I was; on my martyr path to correct this issue within the school system.  And then I hit the college sophomore brick wall.  I had to try and live like an adult, pay bills, live on my own, and try and make ends meet in all other ways.  So how was I going to do this, when the brick wall was telling me otherwise?

I went back to school and obtained two Master degrees one in Strategic Leadership and the other in Training and Performance Improvement.  I am also going back to school currently to obtain a Post Masters Certificate in Teaching and Instruction and pursuing my Return on Investment Certification through the ROI Institute.

I started my own business as a Training and Performance Consultant for small start-up businesses, and driving their owners/managers to understand which employee should be hired and placed in which position, not based on what they want to do, but truly what they are good at doing based on their internal strengths that drive them.

When I am not consulting, I am usually networking, researching and writing.

Often I think that few people can relate to my obsessive-compulsive attention to detail (my intense desire to want to continue to learn and drive others to do the same, at all times), but put simply: I enjoy learning.

http://hstrial-TeresaMUranga.homestead.com/index.html

www.teresauranga.wordpress.com

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Posted in Business, Character, Coaching, Collaboration, Communication, Leaders, Leadership, leadership development, Leadership Strategies | 2 Comments »

GUTSY Women Work It

Thursday, May 26th, 2011

Mother and DaughterAfter the powerful week-end retreat I facilitated for women leaders, I am still fascinated that so much of who we are is defined by our relationships with our parents. No matter how accomplished we are, they are there, living or dead standing behind us. It reminds me of the Australian Aborigine saying, “We carry our ancestors in our hearts, and sometimes on our backs!”

Below is an excellent example of women today.

Mothers and Daughters

by Meg Tilly, contributor on Huffington Post

I flew from Toronto to Newark this afternoon. It was very bumpy and took a long time to descend. I had melted my herbal motion sickness pills under my tongue and usually that means I’m good to go… not today.

I was sitting next to a very nice young man. He had kind eyes. His name was Lucien. He was a lawyer who advised companies about what the laws were with regard to mergers, etc. He seemed to really like his work. He was close to his family. He also happened to be… single.

I wonder if he and my daughter… but then, I shot it down, because, even if Lucien was game, which he probably wouldn’t be, my daughter would never, ever, agree to go on a blind date that I set up. Never.

At least, I don’t think she would.

Anyway, lucky for me, my daughter and Lucien too, nobody had to be embarrassed, because, right in the middle of my daydream about this nice Canadian boy and Emily falling in love, her moving back to Canada and getting married and having cute little dark haired babies with impossibly long eyelashes, the plane started bumping.

Just a few bobs and weaves to start and then more and more, and my herbal pills decided that they were for less vigorous occasions and this was not what they signed up for.

I spent the final 35 excruciating minutes of the flight, deep breathing, fanning my sweaty face with my customs card and praying I wouldn’t have to hurl the contents of my stomach into one of those handy-dandy airline bags tucked in the pouch in front of me.

“Are you okay?” the never-to-be-son-in-law asked.

“Mmm…” I mumbled.

Finally we landed. I staggered to my feet and lurched off the plane, took a taxi to the hotel and recuperated. My daughter called. We arranged to meet at a restaurant in the East Village.

I was early, so I stood by a tree filled with little white fairy lights and waited for my daughter and her friend. I tried to casually scan sidewalk, my eyes, my heart hungry for the sight of her, five long months since I had seen her last.

Yet, I had to be careful, didn’t want to seem too anxious. Don’t want her to feel the pressure, the weight of my enormous, and sometimes suffocating love. Because seriously, whenever I see her, I want to scoop her up, hug her in my arms, cover her face with a million kisses, rub my cheek against her hair and breathe her in, like I used to when she was little.

“Hi Mom.”

I whirled around and there she was, standing in front of me. My daughter.

“Hi Honey,” I said, acting casual, giving her a quick hug, nothing too confining that she would need to escape from.

She introduced me to her friend and we entered the restaurant.

We made polite chit-chat about the flight, I didn’t mention the nice young man. We touched on the weather, what we were going to eat, the play I’m going to be doing, her brothers. And all the while I was storing away memories to shore me up for the next huge stretch of time away, her living in Brooklyn and me in Canada.

We talked about her blog, TIWWCBF, that she’s co-writing with a woman named Sheera. There was a bit of drama this week. I have not slept well for the last two nights ago because I was mad about something someone wrote in the comments. It’s that primal mother thing. Usually, I’m very balanced but when somebody is mean to my kids I want to punch their lights out.

“It’s fine, Mom. We’ve talked it over. It’s fine.”

I knew my daughter well enough to know that it was time for me to change the subject. I mention the Huffington Post Canada blog.

“What are you going to write about?” she asked, taking a sip of her wine.

“I don’t know. They said I could write about anything I want.”

“Well, Mom, it’s the Huffington Post. You can’t just do your regular kind of blogging where you chat about going downstairs to get your slippers.”

“Sure, I can.”

“Mom, it’s got to be something bigger, more universal than putting on your slippers and eating some ice cream with berries.”

I started to laugh, because she’s right. That’s what my blogs are usually like. And suddenly I get the big idea. It hits me like a jolt of lighting. I slapped the table with my hands. “Honey, I’ve got it!” half rising from my seat, “A mother daughter blog! We can do a blog. You and me”

“Mom, I’ve got a blog. I’m doing a blog with Sheera”

“Dump her.” I couldn’t believe how ruthless I sounded.

“Mom, seriously, no.”

I knew she meant it, but it was too late. I’ve latched onto this idea like a starving dog. There is a voice inside whispering, “This is your chance, Meg. Don’t mess it up. If you handle this right, you could be having weekly interactions with your beloved daughter about life, literature, love and whatever else comes up.” And I suddenly feel quite desperate to make this happen. Because if I can convince her to do a mother/daughter blog maybe it will make us close again. The way it used to be before things changed. And I don’t know why, but typing that last sentence made my eyes fill up. And I probably shouldn’t post this, but I’m going to.

Not only that, but I’m in New York for a week and I’m going to continue to work on her, hoping, praying that I can convince her to change her mind and say, yes.

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Pay It Forward Leadership

Thursday, May 26th, 2011

Everyone loves to be in the presence of charismatic people. They are lots of fun and there is always a hope that the magic they have will rub off just by being with them. Yet, underneath the charm is often a bloated ego that leaves little room for others to grow and lead. The following article is food for thought so please respond to my answer. Do you or did you have a boss who gets “antsy” if you or anyone else wants to steal the spotlight? I’d love to use your answers for a new book (not yet titled) about the downside of working with super stars.

Is Your Ego Getting in the Way of Your Business? By John Warrillow writer and contributor to BNet.

It feels good to solve customers’ problems. They shower you with praise, and you get the satisfaction of feeling needed.The ego boost can be addictive — I know it was for me.

The problem is, the more your customers need you and ask for you personally, the harder it is to grow your business, and — in the long run — the less valuable your company will be.

In my consulting business, I found myself in the role of fixing clients’ problems personally. It felt good at the time, and it certainly paid well, but I soon realized I wasn’t building anything of long-term value.

I had to get out of the business of solving individual customers’ problems, but I found it hard to train others in what had taken me years to learn.

Intellectually, I knew I needed to document my experiences and coach others, but a little part of me still liked the ego boost of being someone’s savior — even if only for a minute or two.

If you’re having trouble growing your business, take a long, hard look in the mirror because your desire to feel needed may be what’s holding you back.

To read the full article, click here.

 

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Posted in Boss-Employee Relationship, Business, Character, Leaders, Leadership, leadership development, Leadership Strategies, Management | No Comments »

Leadership Development: What Do We Really Want to Develop?

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

What do we learn from competition? Is this where we get our self-esteem? What do we do when we lose? How do we handle setbacks? What does it mean when the mantra is “winning is everything”? Now in the legal system, Lance Armstrong does not say he took anything to make him able to go faster, to be stronger. All he said is “I did not test positive”. Is that like Bill Clinton’s famous refrain “I did not have sexual relations with that woman?”.

We need to start asking the hard questions before there will not be anyone left who is living life for the joy of it, win or lose, just for the delight of growing and learning. Let me know what you think.

The Armstrong Enigma by James Moore, contributor to the Huffington Post.

“If you live in Austin, you can almost breathe the Lance Armstrong legend in the air. Everybody intimately knows the tale and its grand parameters. Who has such athletic accomplishments; especially after cancer? His greatness and, indeed, humility were made even more manifest when he established a foundation to help in the global quest to end cancer. We have in our midst, many Texans believe, an individual who is exceptional in character and achievement.

The Armstrong profiled by interviews and narrative in the 60 Minutes report on CBS is difficult, if not impossible, for many people in Austin to process. The arc of Lance’s story has been always upward from the time he was pronounced cancer free. He got healthier, faster, fitter, wealthier, and more magnanimous with time. Every chapter of this American tale was written with bold strokes through nothing more than focus and determination.

There are now, however, several of Armstrong’s teammates during the period of his ride to glory, who are sketching out an anti-hero. The young man they describe thinks of regulations and rules as opponents to be defeated. Each of Armstrong’s teammates, meanwhile, is being attacked for a lack of credibility, and, in fact, their own confessions about doping turn them into liars. Tyler Hamilton, Floyd Landis, Stephen Swart, Frankie Andreu, and, if CBS is correct, George Hincapie, were all part of a deception to use performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) to win. The points of attack are pretty easily established for Armstrong’s legal and public relations team.

But is Lance the only person telling the truth? Are most of his teammates jealous and petty and pathological liars? They seem to have created an alternative reality with their words.

Armstrong is dismissing Hamilton, as he has other accusers, for lacking credibility. The level of detail described by Lance’s former teammate, however, is difficult to ignore even for casual observers of this controversy. Hamilton, who appeared drawn and a bit emotionally tortured during the taping, told of flying in a private jet to Spain with Lance where they were both transfused with their own red blood cells, a process called blood doping, which improves endurance. He also claimed Armstrong shipped him drugs, that they both put drops of testosterone oil into each other’s mouths after a race, and that he was in the room during conversations with a controversial doctor who was teaching them how and when to use PEDs. Lunch bags of goodies, according to Hamilton, were given to riders that had earned their way into the inner circle. He also said he saw Armstrong use EPO and indicated there was a program driven by Armstrong and the team coach Johan Bruyneel. A similar description was provided by Swart to Sports Illustrated. Regardless, Tyler Hamilton either has a very active imagination or he has opened the door to ignominy for an American icon.”

To read the full article, Click Here.

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Posted in Accountability, Character, Communication, Community Relationships, Conflict, Integrity, Leaders, motivation, Will Power | 1 Comment »

Leadership Lessons: Stop the Whining

Thursday, May 12th, 2011

“Blah, blah, blah” was all they heard. Several team members came to me with a frustrated complaint. One of their co-workers never stopped complaining, and they meant NEVER.

He ragged on about ever task, about every sentence someone said, about the weather, the food, even the toilet paper in the men’s room.

MartyrWhat they were concerned about was how his whining and nay-saying were big de-motivators for everyone else. By the end of the day they were all beginning to see the glass as half empty too. It was like a virus was attacking their emotions and the gung ho attitude at the beginning of the day became like “dung ho” and they were shoveling poop rather than getting real work done.

Whiners are also martyrs who feel they are doing most of the work and getting no acknowledgement for their efforts. They mostly have a black cloud over their heads and every time they open their mouths the cloud shoots out a thunderstorm for dank, messy rain.

The whiners and martyrs were often children who were invisible at home. They had smarter and more attractive siblings and had to do something for attention so they cleaned up what no one else would do and resented it at the same time.

When living at work with these complaining types the best thing you can do is keep the conversation on solutions. Keep asking them how they would handle the various situations they complain about, what would be best possible practice be to get to the goal.

It will not work to complain to them about their complaining. Then you are just adding fuel to the fire. Keep your eyes on the goal and help them face in the direction of the future. Not always easy, yet results are attainable.
Remember they need to be included; that is their main M.O.

So, to help them move from the whining be strategic. If these martyr/whiners are given respect and attention little by little they can change their own behavior. Not a quick win, think long term.

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Leadership Lessons: Pay Attention to Your Life

Wednesday, May 11th, 2011

Life happensThis is excellent blog to make us all think about who we are, what really matters and how to get there. It is the essence of Total Leadership Connections, our program for executives, high potentials and all in business who want more out of life than just financial success. Read this and give someone you know a hug, or roses, or at least appreciation for being in your life; you’ll feel better.

Why You Should Go Home Early

by: Jeff Haden writer on BNET

 

My client called me the night before he committed suicide.

Several days prior his business offices had been raided by investigators, and while he shared few details, he was desperately concerned about what would happen to him, his
employees, and his company.  The next morning, alone in a home he rarely visited, he shot himself.

I often wonder what he thought about in his last moments. Certainly he regretted some of the business decisions he had made.

Yet I feel certain he regretted personal choices he had made.  We had grown to be friends and he could at times be startlingly — even  uncomfortably, at least for me — frank.  He sometimes talked about how  he wanted a family and children he could spoil and cherish.  He talked  about finding friends who liked him for himself and not for his
connections or influence or money.

He talked about his wife who, years ago, had committed suicide and whether he without knowing bore some responsibility.

That’s why I think he thought mostly about choices; choices he desperately wished he had made differently.

If you knew you only had minutes left to live, what would you think  about?  You wouldn’t think about work or business.  It’s a cliche, but  true nonetheless:  No one on their deathbed regrets not spending enough  time at work.  Would you really think about money you never earned, or  projects you never completed, or companies you never started?  Would
those be your regrets?

Would those be the types of choices you would want back?

Of course not.  You would think about the people you love and how you would have spent more time with them.  You would have told them, over  and over, just how much they meant to you.  I think those are the  decisions he thought about in his last minutes.  At heart, regardless of mistakes he made, I think he was a good man.  Flawed, like all of us,
but still a good person.

I tried the best I could to express his love for family and friends  in his eulogy.  Still, I sometimes wish I could find a better, more  lasting way to honor his memory.

There is a way.  But I need your help.

Today, go home early.  Not tomorrow and not some other day.  Today.
At the latest, leave right on time.  Projects and contracts and  promotions and money and glory will be there waiting for you tomorrow.
Go home, find somewhere quiet, and sit with your spouse or significant  other and tell them how much they mean to you.  Set aside any baggage or resentment, take off any emotional armor you wear, think about why you  fell in love in the first place, and speak from your heart.

Then hang out with your kids.  Talk to them.  Praise them.  All your kids want is your attention.  Attention is the easiest and the best gift you can offer.

Or call a friend you’ve lost touch with.  Swallow your pride if necessary and reach out.  Take the first step.

Above all, live today differently.  Someday we will all probably wish we had made a few different choices along the way, but at least we  won’t wish to change anything about today.

I think my client — and more importantly, my friend — would like that.

 

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Leadership Development and Staying True to Yourself

Thursday, May 5th, 2011

Coke, Soft DrinkWe all need to take the time to decide what we value and how we want to live our lives. Today I am in the last day of our four session Total Leadership Connections that started last November. I must say it is with great appreciation that I listen to the individuals who are taking their leadership skills to a next level. Many are at the top of their organizations, yet, still willing to peel away layers of old beliefs to be the best they can be. It is in their honor that I would like you to look at the blog about Coca Cola and let me know what you would do.

 

Coca Cola’s Anniversary: Why I’m Not Celebrating

 

by: Michael F. Jacobson

Cue the music; the gauzy, soft-focus ads; and the focus-grouped fridge magnets: Coca-Cola turns 125 this week.
Coke has something of a 10-Year Plan, first floated in a chilly manifesto called “2020 Vision and Roadmap for Winning Together” — a doubling of Coca-Cola’s global revenue by 2020, which says, “We are creating new strategies that are winning over a massive new generation of teens to drive growth of Trademark Coca-Cola.”

I think what that means is: “We want to sell more Coke to more kids more often everywhere in theworld.” And that would be a public health disaster.

Besides carbonated water, Coca-Cola’s main ingredient is high-fructose corn syrup. While no better or worse than regular sugar, that ingredient promotes weight gain and weight gain’s offspring: obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Soda’s next ingredient is caramel coloring, which despite the name has little to do with caramel as you know it. Produced with ammonia and sulfites, industrial “caramel coloring” is contaminated with two carcinogens, 4-methylimidazole and 2-methylimidazole. Phosphoric acid erodes tooth enamel. Caffeine is a mildly addictive drug, making the concoction mildly habit forming. And, despite the efforts of dissenting shareholders, Coke cans are lined with the controversial, endocrine-disrupting chemical bisphenol-A. It’s as if this drink were specifically engineered to promote health problems.

Of course, back in the late 1800s when morphine-addled pharmacist John Stith Pemberton invented the syrup that combines with carbonated water to make Coca-Cola, he had no idea that his concoction would become what it is today. According to the sanitized mythology on Coca-Cola.com, in its first year on sale at an Atlanta soda fountain, sales averaged just nine glasses a day.

Today, “liquid candy” — non-diet carbonated soft drinks — is the single largest source of American calories, providing about 7 percent of calories. According to our most recent report, the average 13- to 18-year-old boy drinks about two 12-ounce cans of soda per day; girls of the same age drink the equivalent of one-and-a-third cans per day. Fortunately, despite the hundreds of millions of dollars Coke spends on marketing in the United States, consumption is declining. In fact, per capita sales of Coca-Cola itself have declined by 30 percent since 1998. That’s one of the best bits of health news around.

Thanks to many decades of sunny television advertising Coca-Cola conjures up warm and fuzzy feelings among many Americans. But I hope that in observance of this anniversary,
policymakers and parents do everything they can to drive Coke consumption down even further. Instead of doubling soda sales, let’s commit to cutting soda consumption far more by 2020. That would be a milestone worth celebrating.

Follow Michael F. Jacobson on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CSPI

 

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Go Ahead…Take that Extra Step

Monday, May 2nd, 2011

Step for successI was recently invited to give the graduation address at McCann School of Business in Hazleton, Pa. It was such a wonderful experience. The graduates were so high energy, ready to get out there and take what they had learned to next places in their lives. I’d like to share the speech I gave, it’s a great reminder for all of us as we all see ourselves as leaders in our own lives.

The first blush of spring sets into motion plans for proms and graduation only a few months away. It is also a time for idea planting to make the future a hearty and happy one.

Out of hibernation and ready to go? All of us need to keep inspirational thoughts forefront so when the tough days happen we can face them with equanimity.

And so, as you prepare to take that next step let me encourage you to take just one more, an extra step on your career journey, in fact for the rest of this journey called “life”. Let me first give you some facts that will help you at times when you have choices to make.

1. at 211 degrees water is hot… very hot… however, it takes that one extra degree at 212 degrees to make it boil

2. With boiling water comes steam… and steam can power a machine

3. The Daytona 500 was won by a margin of 1.54 seconds

4. Olympic Women’s 800 meter was won by 0.13 of a second

So, the difference is small and the rewards large. Even if you come in second or twenty-second, what matters is that you give it not just your best, give it that one degree more, that extra step… it will make a difference.

Now, my area of expertise is workplace relationships and leadership. And that extra step I’m talking about will make all of you leaders, both at work and in the rest of your life.

“What?”, you say. “I’m just an employee, my boss is the leader”. I am willing to challenge this. All of us are leaders, all of us have the potential to be leaders and this is where that extra step comes in, that just one more step that makes us all leaders.

Begin to practice taking that extra step and becoming a true leader, someone who is respected and can make things happen by remembering these four major aspects of everyday leadership:

1. BELIEF in people: Everywhere every day for the good. It’s there. Sometimes you have to scratch beneatht he surface to find the caring, creative, compassion in others. You start, they will follow.

2. APPRECIATION: Reach out and touch someone. Right now, think about five people who have made a difference in your life. Now, make that call, send that email, send flowers, a funny note… just do it.

3. COMMITMENT: First to yourself and then to your  co-workers. Learn one new thing once a day… in just 5 minutes you will have a whole new back pack of ideas to choose from.

4. PERSERVERANCE: Stay clear and steady about the fact you can get it done, no matter what. Just holding onto this thought will help you when you must persevere.

Now each time you walk somewhere, from the car to the office, from the kitchen to the dining room, just stop for a split second and take one extra step. That is the step into leadership. Practice it and soon you will find others following your lead.

 

 

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