Is it important to optimize every moment? The obvious answer is yes, isn’t it? We’ve been taught to do our best, maximize every opportunity, strive for perfection. But is that always the best? Perhaps we’re just not capable of what we set out to do. Or perhaps something more can come from a less than optimal situation. Maybe our inadequacy has potential for greater impact on ourselves and those around us.

When I was growing up, my father had a bread route where he went door-to-door selling bread and other baked goods. Often I would ride with him on a Saturday. One day when I was a teenager, he asked me if I would “finish up” the route so he could attend an event. We started the day together and mid-afternoon my mother picked him up. For the first time, I was on my own.

The panel van was a stick shift, the doors were open and a large basket displayed all the baked goods inside the open door on the passenger side. As I came to a stop sign at the top of the hill, I let out the clutch a little too fast. As the truck jerked forward, I watched the three-tiered metal basket and all the baked goods (and my dad’s profits) go flying out the open door.

I stopped and viewed the damage. Everything was clearly dented and misshapen – but still in its package. Now what? What should I do? I wasn’t able to ask my dad.

My next stop was the last stop for the day. I decided to see if the customer would be interested in a deal. Half price on all damaged goods. It turned out to be a large family and they appreciated the bargains.

Would Dad have done things differently? I’m not sure. He probably lost money, but maybe not. When we connected later that evening and I told him what happened, he thanked me for stepping in, thinking through the options and making a decision.

I learned a lot that day. One of the lessons may have been that inadequacy can be a blessing.

As a father, at times I’ve chosen to let my children participate in projects that would have been easier for me to do and get done right. That would optimize my time. But it would rob them of the opportunity to learn.

Instead of looking at inadequacy as “less than,” as leaders it can be important to admit and embrace our inadequacies. Of course we want to do our best, but sometimes our need to optimize can prevent us from trying something new because we may fail. And as we notice inadequacies in others, we may intentionally need to step aside (not walk off in a huff) in order for others to grow and flourish. This may seem inefficient, but it can be necessary and powerful. In fact, it can be optimization!

July 22, 2013

The Power of a Story, by Daryl Leisey

As a child growing up, one of my favorite times (whether at home, school or church) was “story-time”. The opportunity to be transported to another place or time was fascinating to me. Whether it was Aesop’s Fables, the parables in Scripture or Dr. Seuss, the power of a story was unmistakable.

A number of years ago, I had the opportunity to attend a program at the Disney Institute in Orlando. It was a two and a half day workshop focused on the Disney approach to orientation. There were approximately 50 individuals from all over the world who were in attendance. Each segment was designed so that we would walk through the actual process and then spend time working through how we might apply those principles to our own environments.

An integral part of the workshop was storytelling. A significant aspect of their orientation was how they conveyed the values and the mission of Disney. Stories of guests experiencing employees living out those values were a common thread. They were often powerful and at times emotional.

I believe that storytelling is one of the most underutilized leadership tools we have to convey leadership principles and an organization’s values, mission, and culture. Stories have a way of connecting us emotionally, not just intellectually. As leaders, we can often focus on the facts of what we are attempting to convey. Stories can help us to connect, teach, motivate and inspire.

One of my clients began to open management team meetings with an opportunity for anyone to tell real stories about the ways the company was living out their values and mission. Initially the stories came slowly, but over a relatively short period of time people began to anticipate, prepare for, and share their stories more frequently.  Great leaders not only tell stories, but they allow for others to tell their own unique stories as well.

There are a few principles that I believe are important when telling a story. First, personal stories are often the most powerful. Second, stories must be relevant to be effective. Third, for a story to be effective it must stimulate learning and ultimately impact behavior.

The question is not whether you have a story, but rather are you telling it?

March 20, 2013

The Power of Patterns by Daryl Leisey

No doubt you’ve heard it said: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing the same way and expecting a different result!

Author Andy Stanley fleshes out this idea in his book, The Principle of the Path. He says the path you take will make a difference. Not just the goal you’ve set, but the way you travel toward it. In order to get where you want to go, you have to understand that your path will be the most significant factor in determining your ultimate success. In other words, how you travel impacts whether or not you will reach your desired destination.

We might think that this path mainly includes our actions. I’d like to suggest that it includes our thoughts as well. Over the years, I’ve become more aware of the power that subtle thinking patterns have. These patterns develop over time and influence who we are, how we behave, and ultimately, where we end up. We need to think about what we’re thinking about!

Of course not all thinking patterns are bad. Some are good while others have no significant impact. Many of them are developed in our formative years. They simply exist. They are a fact of life. The key is to recognize that they exist, and to decide whether or not our recurring thoughts are helping us achieve the results we want.

Which of our thinking patterns bring life to us and others? Which don’t? Some patterns of thinking are easy to identify and modify, others are extremely difficult. Maybe the most difficult to recognize relate to how we think about ourselves.  If we want to change our thinking path, a good place to start is where our thinking seems to be particularly negative about ourselves and other people.

We need to be honest with ourselves. Notice the power of our patterns. Take a hard look at why we are doing what we are doing. Give ourselves and those around us the gift of a well-examined life. Only then can we be intentional about challenging, overcoming and changing these negative patterns that exist in our heads. Only then can we choose life-giving thoughts.

They may only be thoughts, but Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote shows their eventual impact: Sow a thought, reap an action, sow an action, reap a habit, sow a habit, reap a character, sow a character, reap a destiny.

November 20, 2012

Thank You by Daryl Leisey

With a background in human resources, I have been asked on numerous occasions about the types of recognition and reward programs I recommend to help boost morale and encourage greater productivity. Invariably, I ask how often they routinely say “thank you” to the individuals they want to encourage. On more than one occasion their response has been: We don’t – that’s why we want to put a program in place.

Reward and recognition programs can be very appropriate and useful tools in expressing appreciation and encouragement. However, apart from the simple practice of saying “thank you”, those programs can actually be detrimental because they may come across as being contrived and not genuine.

For some, genuine expressions of gratitude are not only a natural part of what they do but who they are. For others, saying “thank you” is rarely a part of their conversation let alone their thinking. As leaders and influencers, the power of a well-timed and genuine expression of appreciation is one of the most powerful things we can do.  Busyness and the assumption that the other person already knows how we feel are just two reasons why we tend to neglect the practice of saying “thank you”. Someone once said that as humans we have a greater need for being reminded than for being taught.  I find that is often true with me when it comes to saying “thank you”.

What can serve as a reminder? Set aside a few moments each day to consider what you are grateful for and who should be thanked. Be generous. For a period of time, when our children were younger, we would take a few moments as we sat down to dinner to say one thing for which were thankful. (There is nothing like delaying a meal to get the mind going). Forced? Perhaps. But it was a practice that helped us focus on thankfulness.

As we approach this Thanksgiving holiday, remember that there is much for which to be thankful. If you have not done so, take the opportunity to develop an attitude of gratitude and to cultivate the generous discipline of genuinely saying “thank you”.

March 5, 2012

Fond Memories of Super Balls and Pigeons by Daryl Leisey

A number of years ago…actually, many years ago….I attended a high school that had an historically good boys basketball team. While I never played, I enjoyed the excitement and passion that fans often brought to the games (especially toward our cross-town arch rivals). On one particular evening, our team was traveling to play those rivals on their home court. As game day had approached, quietly word spread through the school to students who would attend: Bring as many super balls as humanly possible, and be ready to throw them on the court when our team scores their first point!

That evening as I walked into the gym lobby, I saw a number of strategically placed trash cans, accompanied by rather serious adults. As I looked into one of the cans, I saw what were literally hundreds of super balls. Assuming that if each can contained similar numbers, most if not all of the balls had been confiscated. But I was wrong! As soon as our team scored, thousands of super balls exploded from the stands, bouncing and bouncing and bouncing, until they were all finally picked up. The place went wild.

Not only did we have passionate and engaged fans, so did our rivals. A few weeks later, our opponents met us at our gym for the return game. Everyone wondered if there would be a response. As the game started, everything seemed to be normal…..that is, until the opposing team scored their first points. As soon as the ball passed through the hoop, their student section stood, girls opened their purses and out flew pigeons with long, school-colored streamers tied to their feet. After flying around for a few moments, the birds settled to roost in the rafters of the gym.

While I’m not personally advocating these behaviors, one has to admit they were certainly creative. I often think about those days and the passion and engagement exhibited by those fans. The stands were often full, they generally stayed to the end of the game, whether winning or losing, and their enthusiasm and energy often played a significant role in how the players played the game.

In late 2011, the Gallup organization released the latest findings of a poll that showed that 71% of American workers are “not engaged” or are “actively disengaged” in their work. Those numbers have been fairly consistent over the last ten years. It doesn’t take the proverbial rocket scientist to realize the negative impact on turnover, productivity, customer service and profitability that results from a workforce that is not engaged. In their 1999 book, First Break All the Rules, co-authors Buckingham and Coffman point to the significant role of leaders in general, and more specifically front-line managers, as catalysts in creating an environment of engaged people. They do this by:

• Selecting individuals based on talent, not just skills and experience
• Defining expectations that focus on the right outcomes rather than the right steps
• Motivating the individual by building on each person’s unique strengths
• Developing people by finding the right fit for each person

An engaged workforce is well worth any investment in the people that help make it happen day in and day out.

(And as far as I know, no super balls or pigeons were injured in the story mentioned above.)

November 18, 2011

…thank you for choosing to fly Southwest.
by Daryl Leisey

A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I had the opportunity to take a flight to visit our children who attend college in western Tennessee. After researching all the options, we decided on a flight offered by Southwest Airlines. I know there has been much said and written about the airline industry in general and Southwest Airlines in particular. I recognize and understand that good people can have very different views on this subject.

The plane was full as we excitedly headed off to see our children, whom we had not seen for about 3 months. As the plane began to push away from the gate, the flight attendants made sure that all the overhead bins were closed, seats were in an upright position and…well, you know the routine.

However, as the one flight attendant began giving the pre-flight instructions, I quickly knew that this was going to be anything but routine. “If you are traveling with a child or a spouse who is acting like one, please make sure to put the oxygen mask on yourself first before attempting to assist your child with theirs. If you are traveling with more than one child, take a moment, decide which one is your favorite or which one has more potential…” It went on from there.

Honestly, I have learned to ignore most pre-flight instructions from hearing them so often over the years. What struck me was that as I was listening to (and enjoying) the attendant giving the instructions, I took notice of not only my fellow passengers but also the other flight attendants. They were smiling and laughing as much as the rest of us were.

I began to think about the intentionality of Southwest in both creating and sustaining a culture and work environment that people enjoy being a part of. One fundamental of the Southwest culture is: Happy Employees = Happy Customers.  They do things to “keep their Employees motivated and make it worthwhile to work hard for the Company they love!” 

At North Group, we often say that “culture eats strategy for lunch”. How do your employees feel about the company they work for? Many leaders settle for tolerate, aim for enjoy, but love?

“…thank you for choosing to fly Southwest. We appreciate you and your money.”

 We welcome your comments at blog@northgroupconsultants.com.

August 5, 2011

The Real Deal by Daryl Leisey

For the last 9 years, I have had the privilege of serving as a member of the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Excellence Exchange committee. The Excellence Exchange program is a bi-monthly speaker series that is dedicated to providing a unique opportunity to gain valuable first-hand knowledge from regional and national business leaders.

A number of years ago the committee was having a conversation regarding the selection of a potential slate of speakers for the coming year. As part of that process, we began to look to see if there were any shared characteristics of the many previous presenters who had made the most significant impression over the years. There were numerous characteristics that were identified. In the end, however, there was one shared characteristic that stood far above all others. They were all authentic. They were genuine. They talked about their own struggles and failures as openly as they did their successes. They were real. They took responsibility for themselves. They owned their own “stuff”.

I am drawn to people, especially leaders, who are authentic. People with whom there is no pretense. I suppose I am drawn to them in part because I know that real life is just that, real.  It’s easier to build relationships of trust with authentic people.  Their conversations tend to have more depth and staying power because they connect not just logically but emotionally. I am also drawn to them because I want authenticity to be something that is increasingly seen in my life as a father, husband, friend, partner and consultant.

It will be almost two years ago that my father passed away. He was a genuinely authentic man. My children and I would often refer to him as the “real deal”.  He was authentic until the end. It wasn’t an act. It wasn’t the latest business fad he heard at a seminar. It wasn’t something that he did to gain acclaim. It was just simply who he was day in and day out. May I increasingly be more like him.

We welcome your comments at blog@northgroupconsultants.com.