It’s a mistake to think that today’s actions created today’s results. There is a natural lag between action and outcome.
Where we are today is a result of yesterday’s decisions and actions. Yesterday’s actions are today’s results.
Where we will be tomorrow will be a result of today’s decisions and actions. Today’s actions are tomorrow’s results.
What tomorrow are you creating? Where will today’s choices take you in five years? Where do you want to be?
My dad sent me a picture of a tree we planted in our new front yard when we first moved into my hometown. That was way back in the mid-70s when I was about six. We moved on to another house when I was eight, and then another and another, and the tree continued on without us.
I left my home town for college and then moved across the country, returning for a few years in my early 30s. In between, my parents also moved far away, returned a few years later and have been in the town since. And the tree continued on regardless.
In the coming years none of us will be in the same job. We’ll be promoted, transferred, our duties will change, the job will evolve, we’ll be working at another company, or maybe we’ll retire and move on. When we think of legacies we tend to think big, we think of legends and dynasties, but legacies can be minor.
The fact is, whether we realize it or not, we are always creating legacies. Some are good, some are bad, some are indifferent. But our actions live on past us. The cool thing is we can get real conscious and intentional about it. When we do, we start to think different. We approach our relationships in a more meaningful way. We move from tasks and duties to outcomes and impacts.
What are you creating today that you hope will live on beyond you?
What can you do to interact with others in a way that is building them up, championing them, helping them be their best?
Five years from now, how will today’s work have impacted others?
You will move on from today’s role. How do you want to be remembered?
If you were to return to a previous employer to visit, how would you be greeted?
If you were to quit your job today would people be upset, relieved, or thrilled?
If you returned to a previous job, what signs of your efforts would still exist? What things would you hope are still living on?
That tree is still there and thriving some 36 years later. It’s now one of the big old trees on the street. For at least two of us it serves as a common landmark to a very different point in our lives, a guidepost through the passage of time, and a reminder that we can create things that carry on long past us.
Want a great career? Looking to get ahead? It’s actually pretty simple. Understand that everyone gets paid to solve problems, not to complete tasks and approach your job accordingly.
People stall out when they think they get paid for a certain number of hours or to check off to-do’s. Their careers tend to accelerate when they connect the minor tasks to the big picture, understand the outcomes all the tasks are creating, and focus on making that outcome happen.
The value you create for the company – the value you get paid for – is based on the level of problems you are able to solve. Bigger problems have bigger potential consequences and those who can effectively solve them bring more value to the company and get paid more. My boss is paid more than me because she solves tougher problems with bigger consequences than I do. Her boss gets paid more than her for the same reason.
If your boss has to solve problems that you should be able to handle, you aren’t very useful and are probably easily replaceable. If you’re taking on and solving things above your boss’ expectations you are probably difficult to replace and will soon be moving ahead.
Want more money? Want a promotion? Learn to love solving problems and moving solutions forward. Problem spotting doesn’t pay very well (anyone can do it), ignoring problems pays even less. All the money, responsibility, and glory is in solving problems.
“Today is a new day. Time to put the plan to work. Generate the new way. Whoa, I hope it works!” ~ from the Crumbsuckers’ song ‘Rejuvenate’
A simple question: Is your career exactly where you want it to be? Are you consistently getting the results and outcomes you want?
If you can confidently answer ‘yes’, then carry on doing what you’re doing. If you gave any other answer, it’s probably time to change something. If you keep doing what you’re doing you will always keep getting what you’re getting.
It’s been said that there are three types of people:
1. Those who make things happen.
2. Those who watch things happen.
3. Those who ask, “Wh-wh-what happened?”
I used to think that those in the third category were just lazy, but lately I’ve come to realize that they are just not paying attention. They have hopes and dreams, can be hard working, well liked people, but continually get blindsided by life. They lack introspection and don’t understand why they never get promoted, why they get stuck in one bad relationship after another, why they just can’t seem to create the results they want despite all their good intentions. A quick example:
A friend was telling me about an employee at his company. This employee has been with the company for several years, is friendly and well-liked by customers and co-workers, and does a decent job. My friend was at an all-day training with him and he expressed a strong desire to get promoted into a front-line leadership role. He was also consistently late. He was ten minutes late to the training, late coming back from breaks, late and disruptive coming back from lunch. He had an apology and an excuse every time. My friend later found out that tardiness is a very consistent pattern for him. This person apparently sees no connection between his behavior and lack of career advancement. He’s asking, “What happened?”
I once had a co-worker who worked hard and did pretty good work, but never took the time to think ahead. He relied on his boss to do all the thinking. Work stopped whenever he encountered a roadblock and would not move forward until his boss solved the problem. He was really good at spotting problems and miserable poor at solving them. He enjoyed watching things happen. And his career stalled out accordingly.
Those in the first category are simplifiers. They look for solutions to make processes easier, they resolve issues, they fix stuff. They look for ways to move forward rather than finding reasons to stay stuck. When they are not sure of the best path, they bring several possible solutions to their boss with an understanding of the pros and cons of each. When they screw up (we all do) they fix it, learn from it, and keep moving forward. They don’t spend much time worrying about what they can do because they’re too focused on thinking about what they can do. These folks get stuff done and make the rest of us look stuck in slow motion by comparison. I love these people because they inspire me to raise my game.
So what category are you consistently in? Actually, forget I asked that. The real question is what category do you want to be in? If you’re happy with your results, stay where you are. If you want more, aim hard at being in the first category. The good news is that we’re not trapped in any category. As the song said, “Rejuvenation can still be found.” All it takes is you.
I have tried to train myself to view feeling comfortable in my job as a big warning sign. The flashing red lights start going off when I catch myself thinking, “You know, I’m actually pretty good at this.” Hubris is a dangerous thing that leaves us blinded to reality. It feels great, but it’s a dangerous place to be.
It was bicycling that tipped me off to the dangers and often re-reminds me of it:
A couple of times a year, I’ll be out on my road bike pedaling along and just be flying. Beautiful day, landscape rolling past, feeling great, and thinking I’m in much better shape than I thought. Then I’ll turn around to head home and realize that I had a strong tailwind. I wasn’t in great shape, I just didn’t notice how much I was being helped along.
I regularly mountain bike on a pretty challenging set of trails and it’s easy to start thinking I’m pretty good. Well, no. I just know my trails really well and that’s very different from being good. I recently rode a different set of trails and got my hiney kicked. Turns out I’m not quite as good, fast, or strong as I fooled myself into thinking. A painful lesson, but necessary.
Success is the product of good thinking and hard working. It’s important to celebrate our accomplishments, but it’s easy to over-congratulate ourselves for our successes. Yes, we have quite a bit to do with our triumphs, but sometimes they are helped by additional factors that we don’t notice and can’t control. The tailwind, familiarity, being a big fish in a small pond, a lack of real competition, staying within our comfort zones all help us think we’re doing better than we actually are.
Consider some of the key places we see this show up:
People often have a hard time making the jump to the next level of whatever they’re good at. For example, athletes who are superstars at the regional level, are just another decent player at the national level. Another example is MBA programs, where people who were the standouts as undergrads are just another face in the crowd, surrounded by lots of equally smart, aggressive, and talented people. That’s a humbling experience. Some relish the challenge and love being surrounded by people who push them to bring out their best. Others struggle to come to terms with the idea that they are just average in their new peer group.
When hiring, how do you determine that an applicant’s previous successes will translate to your company? We’ve probably all seen people with impressive resumes not do well because the new environment was too different and didn’t mesh.
Or what about the rising star employees who flame out when they are promoted too soon. They show some promise, have some early successes, and then get pushed to a level they are not yet ready for. Something unexpected happens that they don’t have the experience or luck to deal with and it all caves in. Worse, they start believing their own hype and because of their past successes they are given a lot of rope to hang themselves. When it all catches up with them it catches up hard.
This is also an issue with employee development: how do you develop people fast enough to keep them engaged, but slow enough that they can really, truly learn what they need to know? How do you acknowledge and applaud them without instilling a false sense of confidence?
In our own jobs, we want continuous and never-ending improvement, but how do we push ourselves beyond our comfort levels when it’s so, well, uncomfortable? We want success, but easy success fool us into thinking we’re better than we are. If we don’t consciously try new things, experiment, and sometimes feel like we’re failing, it can prevent the growth that leads to bigger, long-term success.
Where are you feeling confident in your job? What would you need to do to make your job feel challenging? Where is the edge of your skills and what can you attempt that is slightly beyond the boundary? What new settings, projects, or tasks can you take on that might push you just a bit?
In an interview in the June/July 2012 issue of Switchback magazine, Specialized founder Mike Sinyard mentions that bike designer Robert Egger has told him, “Hey, you want people here that are simplifiers not complicators.”
No surprise, but I love this concept. Simplifiers make it easy to get things done, make it easy for the customer, make it easy for employees, make it easy for leaders. Complicators bring the drama, politics, the tome-thick rule book, bureaucracy, silos, fiefdoms, roadblocks…
This applies to every position in every department in every organization, but I bring it to HR. I touched on this a little bit with the post simplify, then add lightness. Now, let’s go further. Imagine what HR would look like, how HR would operate if it was a simplifier that made it easier for leaders to make great decisions. I’ve never really had words for it before, but that’s what HR looks like inside my head.
So which are you?
As I rapidly approach middle age, I’ve noticed that I have collected some core beliefs, lessons, and philosophies over the years. If you stand next to me long enough, you’ll hear me say all of these things. From my experience, they are universal and apply across cultures, gender, race, industries, etc. That said, your mileage may vary, use at your own risk, etc.
It’s all about priorities. This explains ALL human behavior. We all have different priorities, but behave in ways that support our highest priorities. Even when someone’s behavior is completely inexplicable, rest assured they are honoring their most sacred priorities.
Everyone needs a hobby. We all need activities that bring us joy, excitement, and pleasure. For some it’s mountain biking or scrapbooking or watching football or music. For others, it’s gossiping, creating drama, putting others down, playing the victim, etc.
I have reasons, other people have excuses. That’s the difference between a reason and an excuse, but really I just have excuses. I use this as a reminder that even though my explanations make complete sense to me, they are really only excuses. To quote the great Mark Twain: “There are a thousand excuses for failure, but not a single good reason.”
Imperfect action beats perfect inaction. Perfectionism destroys more than it creates. This is a lesson I keep learning over and over. In most cases it’s far, far better to take action, notice what’s not working, make corrections, and keep going than it is to wait until I’m 100% certain of everything before moving forward.
Some things are better to have done than to do. I learned this during a long, sometimes grueling backpacking trip through the Sierra Nevada mountains. Although it was very difficult doing it and there were quite a few stretches when I really wanted to quit, I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. But really, this applies to any situation where we are deferring gratification and enduring in the short term to gain in the long term.
The #1 leadership secret is… there are no leadership secrets. All leadership is on display and any of us could quickly compile a list of traits of our best and worst bosses. Interestingly, those lists would be remarkably similar, even going across industry and culture. Want to be a great leader? Do what your best managers did, don’t do what your worst managers did, and you’ll be off to a really great start.
The best ideas in the world are worthless, until the moment they are put into action. Theory is nice and pleasant and fun. Application is what changes the world. Action without thought is counterproductive, but thought without action is meaningless.
So what wisdom would you add to the list?
Three corners in, running in the top five, and a double jump coming up. I hadn’t tried to clear it in practice and was going to roll it, but realized that if anyone behind me went for it they would land on me. Too late, I twisted the throttle, but came up short. The impact from hitting the second jump bounced my motorcycle off the track with me in a handstand over the handlebars. After too many slow motion seconds I augured into the dirt, digging a small trench with my helmet. While I quickly assessed damage, all my competition simply motored away, leaving me behind. Front runner to last place because of a simple lack of commitment.
Ok, not everyone is a motocross fan so let me explain. The example above really did happen and pounded (literally) a lesson into me about commitment. (Don’t worry, I’m getting to the business application.)
Some things we can “sort of” commit to. Or ramp things up just a little bit to test the waters and ease into the pool. Other things require full on cannonball-into-the-pool level of commitment. You can’t ease into it off the diving board. Do or don’t do. A double jump is a series of two jumps just close enough together that you can land on the backside of the second jump. They are also usually close enough that if you don’t jump both you’ll need to take the first jump much slower than normal to be able to safely approach the face of the second jump. So there are really only two safe choices: approach it as a double jump or approach it as two single jumps in a row. There is no in-between; there is no easing up to it. It’s back off and slow down or go for it.
This step up in commitment from small to large with no middle ground shows up in real life. Starting your own business, commission sales, moving from a home business to a regular retail space, becoming a manager, entering new markets, launching new products, starting a family, etc. are all actions that require an intense level of commitment. To do it half-way is to crash horribly, burning up resources without succeeding. They all require full on, full out levels of commitment and the enthusiasm, knowledge, and skill required to clear the gap.
That level of commitment is way outside the comfort zone. With it, you may still crash. Without it, you will definitely crash. A very real danger is that as you approach the moment of truth, there is the chance to hesitate, to back off, get spooked and try to do it half-way.
I’ve seen plenty of racers leave in an ambulance because they committed to something they didn’t have the skill to pull off, so I can’t say that every opportunity is the right opportunity for you to commit to. There is a difference between stretching and being stupid. I can say that in many situations you either have to commit to going slow or commit to going full out. The gap makes going medium far more dangerous than the other options.
At least, that’s what the deep gouges in my helmet suggest.
I love books. One of my great frustrations in life is the knowledge that I will never be able to read (and reread) all the books I want to. No matter how deep the stack of “must reads” gets, I’m always looking for more. So, I thought I’d share my list of current reads and maybe a few favorites. There’s lots more I could have included (how could I skip Jim Rohn?!? – next time), but this is a good start.
Currently reading:
Adaptability: the art of winning in an age of uncertainty by Max McKeown (twitter: @maxmckeown). I’m a HUGE fan of Max McKeown. It frustrates me to no end that he is still relatively unknown in the States (that will change). I feel he’s one of the best at taking complex ideas and making them simple, practical, relevant, and important. I got so tired waiting for Adaptability to come out on paperback that I borrowed my wife’s e-reader and purchased it electronically. Well worth it.
Bounce: Mozart, Federer, Picasso, Beckham, and the Science of Success by Matthew Syed. In the vein of Talent is Overrated and Outliers. A nice reminder that talent and interest get you in the game, but passion and hard, hard work keep you there.
Next Up:
Degrees of Strength: The Innovative Technique to Accelerate Greatness by Craig Ross and Steven Vannoy (@rossbestever). The latest from the boys who did Stomp the Elephant in the Office: Put an End to the Toxic Workplace, Get More Done – and Be Excited About Work Again. Full disclaimer: I used to work with Craig and Steve and consider them important mentors in my life. They are also two of the most passionate people you’ll meet when it comes to transforming leaders and workplaces.
Dangerous Ideas: When Provocative Thinking Becomes Your Most Valuable Asset by Alf Rehn (@alfrehn). I haven’t read any of his books yet, but love the concept of the book and ideas he puts out on twitter. Can’t wait to read it.
Recently Read:
The Strategy Book by Max McKeown. I recently did a short review of this book here.
The Truth About Innovation by Max McKeown. From the back cover: “Innovation rocks. It rolls. It makes the world go round. In a definitive set of ‘home-truths,’ you’ll discover how to harness its power to increase creativity, collaboration and profit. Are you ready to change the world?” Yes, Max, I am. Thanks for helping.
Unshrink Yourself, Other People, Business, the World by (you guessed it!) Max McKeown. So, no I don’t know Max personally, have no stake in him selling more books, and do actually read books by other authors. However, I was so impressed by The Strategy Book that I immediately sought out other books by him and with each new book my enthusiasm only grows. He writes the books I wish I could write. Good, good stuff. This one is about destroying the myths that keep us small and prevent growing ourselves, those around us, business, and (yep) the world.
Long-Time Favorites:
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. Combine the ideas in these two books from the 1930’s and very, very little new has been written since then. Most personal development and success books since can trace their roots back to these two books.
The Greatness Guide: 101 Lessons for Making What’s Good at Work and In Life Even Better by Robin Sharma (@_robin_sharma). I’ve read this book at least four times in as many years. Although he’s better known for The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, I feel this collection of short lessons (none of them more than about a page and a half long) is a far superior, more practical, and more motivating book.
It’s Called Work for a Reason: Your Success is Your Own Damn Fault! by Larry Winget (@larrywinget). He’s fun, down to earth, and doesn’t suffer victims or fools.
How about you? What are some books you’d recommend adding to my must read list?
fool (with a plan) 