5 Retired Generals Psychology/Sociology of Leading 2019 / 193 Pages
Table of Contents/Organization
Part 1 - Commitment Part 2 - Courage Part 3 - Competence Part 4 - Compassion Part 5 - Character
Stand-Out Lines
Page 31: "Committed leaders pledge themselves to the tasks at hand every day." Page 54: "...your organization must view you as someone unfazed by precarious situations." Page 82: "I sought out senior pilots and tacticians in the squadron who were willing to spend time with me so I could learn from their experiences." Page 131: "Compassionate leaders recognize that everyone struggles with life at one time or another, then they do all they can to assist." Page 177: "Leaders with character stand up for their team members."
My Opinion
A book to be read by those wondering, "What's it like to go to sleep at night knowing that thousands of people know you're their leader?" So, grab a pen, get comfortable, open your notebook, and maybe even pour a favorite (morning OR evening) beverage. Then, settle in for story time.
5 retired General Officers, 5 thematic chapters, and 5 stories each...we all know we can learn through the experience of others, and these men make it easier than ever. In fact, if you're reading this book, I recommend you START by skipping to the end of each chapter to review the bullet points that conclude each story. Put the book down - maybe for a week or two - and then come back after you've had a chance to think about the main points of each chapter. After this reflection, read their stories. Ask yourself, "What do these stories mean to ME? How do these kinds of situations appear or play out in MY life?"
My recommendation (based on what I know now having read this book) is to pick one GO at a time and read his stories chapter by chapter. I, of course, have some favorite stories of my own from this book, but I'll leave it to you to go and find yours.
Good morning, from Montgomery, Alabama.
I awoke this morning to a note from a friend who let me know that this Typepad blog had been hacked somehow, that a post was uploaded without my knowledge.
As you can see, I've moved a LOT of writing and ideas over to the blog at www.LeadersGetMomentum.com
Please do tune in there, as THAT'S where I'll be curating and sharing more ideas on the books, workshops, and coaching that's all designed to help you succeed.
When you think about the future, what comes to mind? Do you start with work and go to life? Do you start with family and then go to career?
Can you imagine your work/life a year from now?
Can you "image-in" experiences you hope are on the way and (perhaps) even plausible surprises that could show up? This is NOT "wishful" thinking. It's your chance to direct your thoughts and energy toward what will change your future.
There's a secret to getting (more of) what you want from your life and your work.
It's not a secret because it's hard to learn or because no one wants you to know it. It is a secret because you just haven't heard it put this way before. If you want your life to be different, there's just one thing you need to do:
Organize Your Contacts
In just a moment, I'll coach you to arrange the group of 10-25 people you talk with the most into three distinct categories.
(If you just can't wait, and want to see the video, just click here.)
No one person is enough for you to build a future that's bigger and better than the present. Look around, there are people you spend time with today that you didn't know 5 years ago. Your life looks what it looks like today BECAUSE OF the people you spend more (or less) time with.
Your network (in person, online AND in print) is there to inform, influence and support you as you engage in the actions required to make progress on your goals big and small. The people you spend time with, the communities you're a part of on the Internet and the books you read and magazines you subscribe to will all come together for you if...
...IF you know where you're heading!
To get you started, open your notebook and do some visionary writing. Here are my favorite THREE prompts that I use in my coaching with executives, leaders and managers worldwide...
60 months from today...
Open to a blank page of your notebook, set a timer for 15 minutes (here), and respond to this prompt by writing 500-700 words:
"Over the next 5 years, in my roles as _______, ________, and _______ I want to be known for ..."
I challenge you to go year-by-year as you do this:
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
Think about your work, your life, your community, your family and - of course - your age.
Write, and Write, and WRITE some more!
52 weeks from today...
For this next exercise, I suggest you use 12-24 note cards (the 3X5 ones you used in college!). One note card for every 2-4 weeks over the next year. (Oh, this one might take a. little longer. Set a timer for 30 minutes, and make sure you have your CALENDAR handy!)
When I do this, I line up the 24 cards in order of the next year. Then, I "challenge" myself to write down AT LEAST 3 bullet points (ideas, projects, goals, ideas, etc) on EVERY card.
Here's the prompt you can use:
What do I ALREADY know is on the way that I'd like to spend ENOUGH time thinking about, working toward or managing with grace and ease?
Over the next 48 hours...
No matter what day you're reading this (or watching the video at the bottom of this post), you're going to be doing something, somewhere, spending time with SOMEone within a couple of days.
Here's your challenge (in just 3 steps):
Open your calendar and review your time hour-by-hour over the next two days.
Make a list of EVERYONE you know you're going to talk or meet with.
Next to their name, write down ONE thing you could discuss.
As you're getting ready to take on your next project or step toward a promotion or begin making a work / life change, think about how you can think in those terms. Once you've done the thinking about TIME, now it's time to think about PEOPLE.
THREE kinds of people to share dreams with today
1. The Realist
As you'll see in the video below, my friends who are realists are there to find the holes in my theories and to test my resolve. I go to them when I need a project edited, or if I want to know what OTHER realists (who I haven't worked with or met yet) might think about my crazy idea.
The question they ask, “And...do you think you can really do that?”
2. The Visionary
I smile as I write this, "My visionaries are the people who can easily "add a zero" to my thinking. If I tell them I'd like to write a 1,500 word article, they ask me if it could be a 15,000 word booklet. If I share a goal to speak at a conference with 50 people, they challenge me to apply to speak at one with 500. If I plan to enroll another 100 members into the GET MOMENTUM Leadership Academy...you get it.
The question they ask, “And...Have you thought about...?”
3. The Accountability Buddy
Have you ever told someone you'd meet them at the gym? Have you ever asked someone to edit a paper or slide deck you are building? Have you invited someone to enroll in a course or program (like GET MOMENTUM!) with you? If so, you intuitively understand the value of having someone to hold you accountable.
The question they ask, “And... what are you going to do next about that?”
Think about it: The next 60 months are going to go by in a flash. Not convinced? Write down the year 2013 and ask yourself, "How fast have the past 5 years gone?" In order to get to where you're going, find the three kinds of people to share your dreams with and you'll go further. Ready?
A VIDEO
More than 100 College Seniors heard about the three kinds of people to share their goals with. If you know of someone who could benefit from thinking this way, please do share this with them!
As you watch that video, leave a comment with YOUR ah-ha or I'm gonna. I'll check those comments from time to time and add any coaching I can!
Sometime between 11am and 2pm everybody you work with is going to leave the desk for a meal. Whether they go to a fridge and get the lunch they brought or they leave the office for 30-60 minutes...
For the next 6 months or so, make it your goal is to lunch with someone once every two weeks. You see, what you're doing 60 months from now - where you work, how much money you have in your savings account, what vacations you take, restaurants you eat in, movies you see, books you ready...just about EVERYthing will in some part be influenced by who you talk with more (or less!).
GET STARTED
Open your calendar and review the past 2 months. Identify the lunches you met a coworker, a mentor or a friend. For each lunch (aka: person), answer the following questions:
What did we talk about?
What did I complain about?
What ideas did we discuss?
What did I learn? (About them, about myself...etc)
Notice ALL those questions start with WHAT. You can easily make notes of these answers in your journal, just make sure that over the NEXT few months you continue to review ALL your journal entries looking for patterns, plusses and minuses.
Want to change what you have?
Change what you talk about!
NEXT STEPS
Once you’ve done that work, Re-view your calendar for the NEXT 2 months.
Identify 4 days (a day every two weeks) you could meet someone for a mid-day meal.
Next, build a list of 5-10 people you COULD invite to lunch. (Not everyone will be able to meet on this time-table).
THEN, for each person on that list (maybe on separate pages in your notebook, or even a set of Note Cards!) start collecting:
Some questions you’d like to ask them.
Advice you’re willing to hear from them.
An idea you’d like to ask for help thinking through some more.
A story you’d like them to tell you.
The good news...everyone's gonna eat! Just make sure that you're not ALWAYS eating alone!
Hey, for a deeper-dive into building meaningful relationships, here's a great blog post on "The Network and My Future."
In 19 years of coaching, I’ve yet to met a “successful” person who does think they schools be able to get 98 or 102 or 110 blocks worth out of a day.
Problem is, you can’t.
96.
That’s it.
Want a fun exercise?
See them.
Go buy 3x5 note cards.
A 100 pack.
Open the pack, and put 4 of them on the other side of the room.
Leaves you with 96.
Next, open your calendar.
Flip forward. Find a day, 30+ days away from today and ask yourself, “How would those 24 hours unfold, if they were ideal?”
Then, one 15-minute block at a time, start stacking the cards.
How many hours for rest? (Not what time/when?)
How many minutes for serendipitous conversation? (Not when &with whom?)
How much time for you?
When will you eat?
Be with clients?
Think?
Work?
You get it. Now, you don’t put TIME of DAY on the cards, you just make stacks of 1 to X number of cards. (Eg. when I do this, I generally start with 28 cards for sleep, 4 cards for exercise, 2 cards for reading, 1 card for “writing a thank you card.” NOTE: that’s already 35/96 cards. Or... 36% of my day!)
If your time is your most valuable and least available resource, how aware of how you’re using it are you?
If you wish to become significantly better, you can.
You could be better at what you do for a living and how you’re living your life. With effort, you could earn 10% to 50% (ore more) more income each year.
You could have a better relationship with your partner and your children (and your parents, and your friends, and your coworkers).
You could live healthier, and perhaps longer, if you want to.
You can have and do and be more of who you are if - and this is important - you’re willing to do just Three Things Differently.
Three. Not just one; and, not 37. Just three. That’s the good AND the bad news all together. Your job, with guidance from your mentors and coaches, is to identify those three things. And do them.
Every day. Or, all the time.
Want help? Raise your hand, let people know what you want to get better at. And, when someone offers to help stop and listen. And do. And report back.
Have you heard someone say that lately? Or, have you said it to someone you work or live with? Talking about your goals - out loud, and with the right people - is a sure way to save time, relieve stress and be more productive. You might even save some money as well!
Look around your office, review your calendar and double-check your to-do list sometime today. Make TWO lists in your notebook:
one list of projects you're managing, and
one list of ideas you're still thinking about (but haven't committed to doing or decided not to do...yet).
WHAT TO WRITE ON EACH LIST
The list of projects includes events you're participating in, client or vendor agreements you're managing and matters you're involved in. For many people, this list will be 25-100 items long. There's no "right number" of projects you have going on; the most important thing, though, is that you know what they are.
The list of "things to think about" includes the back-burner projects or "might-get-to-ideas" that you are not working on in the next 12 months. Again, there isn't a right number here; but, many of the clients I coach have made lists of more than 200 items! The number isn't important, but I will tell you what is CRITICAL if you're going to succeed at work and at home:
CHECKING IN WITH YOUR TEAM
You've got to be on the exact same page with your colleagues at work about what you are and are NOT working on. And it may be even more important do this at home. For example, what house project are you NOT going to take on? What vacation are you NOT going to plan? What youth program are you NOT going to send the kids to? Once you know what you're NOT going to do -for now, not forever - you get to double down with your resources (time, energy, focus and money) on what you said yes to.
You also create clarity.
When you are - or someone you work with is - confused about which priority is a higher priority, and which "less-important" task can wait until later, the entire workflow system is compromised. Whether you are a leader in a large organization or manager in a small one, you must have these kinds of goal-setting conversations regularly.
DON’T DROP THE BALL
Most likely you've experienced the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of having to work overtime, or (what could be worse!) you had to ask for an extension at the last minute. You pay a significant price when you over commit or under deliver. Whether you mean to or not, when something doesn't get done, trust is damaged. Then you spend extra time, money and effort to rebuild the relationship.
At work, this can jeopardize relationships with team members or clients. At home, you may have to retrace your steps, rebuild a relationship and reestablish trust with those you live with and love.
TRY THIS
Right now, ask yourself this question (and, considering brainstorming your answers in your notebook):
"Where is there ambiguity and unclear direction?"
If you ask yourself this question and really listen to the answer, SOMEthing valuable will show up.
MANAGING PROJECTS
Years ago, I hired a small company to build a new website for our new company. We were a few weeks into a 6-month project, and I had this sense that something was off. That weekend, I talked with my partner, and on Monday morning I sent an email with the subject line:
"Let's talk about both kinds of goals"
The 30-minute conversation that week went smoothly. We made a list of the projects to manage, and ANOTHER list of possible things to discuss at later phases of the project (6 and 12 months after publishing the site).
Looking back, I figure that meeting saved me dozens of hours, and probably a few thousand dollars of "scope-creep" and "project changes" over the next few months. By framing the meeting in a way that would help us all see what needed to be done, we experienced less pressure and more productivity than before. Oh, and the best part of it? We wound up finishing in just five months!
That wasn't the first time I'd had this kind of conversation. And, I often meet with my clients, my vendors and even my wife to talk about the types of goals we manage. In fact, I'd been practicing talking about types of goals for almost two decades.
BUILD YOUR LIST
If you'd like to explore the differences - both in life and at work - journal your responses to questions like: "What am I working on? What am I working toward? What am I working for?" These questions help identify which goals you’re managing and ideas you’re considering.
A project is something you've committed to; it's something you'll submit, finalize, sign-off or move on from something. Projects have deadlines. It might be a report you'll present at the end of the month, or it could be a new line of business you'll launch next year. Either way, at some point you'll be done with it, and get to check it off your list!
Your second list is a full of ideas that you’re managing, which is equally important to the project list. Your innovations come from giving yourself the freedom to think without committing to every through that passes through your mind! Separating these ideas from actual projects keeps you focused and clear.
START TODAY
Go! Open your journal and identify the two kinds of goals you can set starting today. And, remember to ask for help along the way!
Recently, I got a nice email from a student at Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, in Montgomery, AL asking about the balance between the “journey” and the “destination.”
In my book Your Best Just Got Better, I quote Lewis Carroll in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland when she was talking with the Cheshire Cat...
“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where—” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
“—so long as I get somewhere,” Alice added as an explanation.
“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.”
How often do you talk about the Journey and the Destination? I always require myself to step back and ask myself (process/debrief):
“Which is Which?”
Is me speaking at Air University the journey? Or a destination?
Is the http://www.BetterManCourse.com a Journey? Or a Destination?
Is me meeting a new friend… you get it.
You’ve got to be more specific … I get it, and then I’ll push you on it.
If “being a millionaire” is something someone wants as a destination, we can help them by asking:
Do you want to make a million dollars? (Over the course of a lifetime?)
Do you want to have a million dollars to your name? (In of savings/real estate/investing accounts?)
Do you want to earn a million dollars a year? (That’s $86,000 a month, for 12 months…)
I’m not here to judge; I am here to help you define your #KnownFor.
What is the AMBITION?
Or, in my case, “What’s the #KnownFor?” And, once you identify THAT, you’re ready to add new people to your circle of influence.
Soon after I added someone who made a million dollars a year (actually, he made a little more than that) to my social network, I went from earning $60,000 a year to more than $150,000. Within 24 months!
The moment I added someone who’d written more than 40 books to my network, I published a book. (Within 11 months!)
The moment I added someone who had a better relationship with his wife to my network, I became a better - and happier - husband.
I think you get it… it’s not a matter of WHAT the goal is, just be specific.
Know your #KnownFor.
Then, add someone to your network who has already gotten there. Not just to copy them; you may ultimately do things differently than he or she does.
The important thing is to be around someone who is there…in their version of the journey… AND the destination!
19 years ago, I hired someone to help me. 12 years ago, I took everything I’d learned, and started to serve leaders as a “voice of reason” and someone who “looks at things differently!"
I talked with one of my clients 1:1 today, and after the call I sent an email…
I took out some of the details, and left the rest for you!
Hi ______,
Remember, there are three kinds of work:
Catching up - uh oh
Keeping up - stamina
Getting Ahead - oh, the glory!
That last one can push on you two ways:
Handle what is in my control
Recognize what is out of our control
Here’s a little of my thinking...
You want to organize your Email Inbox. And to-do list. And meeting schedule. And calendar.
You crave a sense of control; you want to believe that what you WANT to do and what you HAVE to do can get done.
A long to-do list isn’t the problem.
Nor is email. Or too many meetings. Or a calendar out of control.
The problem is this:
The way you used to work doesn’t work anymore.
Brute force, sheer will, working after hours or on the weekend won’t help.
You’re going to have to change the way you work; how you THINK about how you work must change.
I was there too. I understand.
I got the call one evening - it was after 6pm, dark outside, and I was still at work - and Jodi asked, “Are you coming home for dinner?”
I hemmed and hawed; I made up an excuse about having SO MUCH to do and I suggested she go ahead and eat dinner without me.
It was Saturday night... and I wasn’t near done with all the work I’d had to do.
And so began my journey of becoming more productive.
A class? I took it.
A book? I read it.
A notebook? I bought it.
I interviewed HUNDREDS of people asking the same question:
How do you manage your SELF so you have time to do everything?
And, it took me a few years to discover the secret…there are just a FUNDAMENTALS to managing myself, my time and my productivity.
Not just one; but not 100 either. (Good news!)
The plan I provide is simple to follow, and easy to implement.
Your success depends on deciding to put yourself first and keep your word.
Let’s start with your morning… the first 60 minutes of each day. Here are the three things you’ll have to do:
1. Wake up when you say you will, and review your THREE kinds of work for the day.
If you set your alarm for 6am, get up at 6. Not 6:30. Not 6:15. No Snooze. If you’re going to snooze, then set the alarm for 6:08, ok? Next, sit down at your desk or at a table with a glass of lemon water or coffee (doesn’t matter to me) and review your list. Look at your calendar. Yes, even check your email. Look for these three kinds of work. (Don’t DO any of them, just review it all.)
a. Catching up: What is the work that’s overdue that you need to DO or DELEGATE? b. Keeping up: What meetings are scheduled? What discussions do you need to continue? What planning needs to be reviewed? c. Getting ahead: Look at your calendar 30-90 days out and ask, “What will we wish we’d started thinking about sooner?” Whatever the answer, add a next step to your to-do list. Delegate some research. Send an email. Make a phone call and leave a message. Do something(s) today that move you ahead.
2. Commit. Tell someone on your team - via text, email or face to face - what your 3 PRIORITIES are for the day.
If you’re going to WIN, you need to let them know what you’re thinking about that THIRD kind of work: Getting Ahead. Clearly identify what you’re going to work on that is IN YOUR CONTROL and discuss or bookmark what’s OUT of your control. Too often, people get “hung-up” and don’t plan far enough into the future because they wave their arm and say, “It’s all unknown.” As a leader AND manager, your job is to identify and handle the 10%-20% that is IN your control and control it.
3. Set up to win. Organize your nutrition, transition and completion plans for the next 10 or so hours.
The energy and focus you have RIGHT NOW is based on the past 2-5 hours of movement…rest…nutrition. The more you set up yourself for those three, the better you’ll be at getting the important work done.
Hey everyone, I am running in the Los Angeles Marathon tomorrow, Sunday, March 18. If you have time, between 7 AM and 11 AM please send me a text… I will see it on my phone!
In anticipation of tomorrow’s event I sat down with my notebook and I wrote this…
A Framework
The night before any big day, whether you're heading into back-to-back meetings or traveling to another city in the country or halfway around the world, I want you to do everything possible to get in your zone.
If you are already working as productively and efficiently as possible, you will get things done by default. When you show up and have to be on tap into the trust and knowledge that you've done everything necessary to be prepared.
When I began racing competitive triathlon in my late 20s, I made a checklist before every race of everything I needed to remember in order to perform at the event. Now, as a author and executive coach, I maintain the training necessary
to compete at the national level in United States of America triathlon, and I pass advice on to the people I work with.
Four Pillars
No matter what you are about to step into you need to go at your own pace physically, mentally, relationally and spiritually. The adrenaline of being productive, of being in the spotlight whether you are in front of a client, in
the back office planning your next product launch, or towing the line at a athletic event can lead some of you to drop your plan and get caught up in the hype.
Staying focused, deliberate and 100% present can help avoid problems later on.
Although success at work and in life comes from constant preparation and improvement, making sure that you are doing what you need to do on a constant, every day basis will help you get from focus to finish.
Let's pretend that at 8:30 AM tomorrow you are walking into a conference room and you are going to share an idea with someone who could hire you, fund your business, or partner with a goal you have. My question to you is 24 hours,
12 hours, and three hours before that meeting what will you want to have:
done,
had,
reviewed,
or prepared.
I advocate and train everyone I work with to attend to the four basic needs that will help them perform at their best. I call this a productivity framework. Without a framework that is regularly adjusted and vigilantly protected
most of what you get done will rely on chance, hope, or past successes.
And, for many of you reading this that's enough.
For others of us however, those of us who have a direction that we are heading in that is to, or five, or 10 times bigger than what we currently are in charge of, we need a framework that will help us get there.
You should not feel constant stress as you go go about manifesting the activities required to achieve your goals. Stress yes not constant stress. You want the engaged feeling you have when there is something significant on the line.
You need the pressure of having to step into or up to a new level of performance and engagement. And, shortly after one of those high stress, high important situations, you need the tools and the skills to relax.
If you feel this constant pain of stress, if you are not sleeping through the night, arguing regularly with your spouse, or thinking that you have to always be on at work…
Seek out a respite. Last year I facilitated a weeklong detox for a client I coach in the Middle East. It was up to him to find the six days he could leave his work and go with his family but not just on any all-inclusive resort
trip. This was a time to focus with the help of professionals on the four pillars of the framework that we use with our clients.
Physical
Mental
Relational
Spiritual
Physical
On the physical level when I asked, "when are you at your best?" Everyone immediately wants to answer with a time of the day.
"I'm at my best in the morning…" Well, that is a part of it. Yes, it's important to know when during the day you are more likely to be focused and energetic. But, that is just a part of it. I also want to know what the conditions
are under which you have a higher likelihood of being a better version of yourself.
I'm at my best when I am prepared for the meetings that I step into. I am at my best when all travel arrangements and details are in my calendar and up-to-date. I am at my best when I exercise at 70% of my heart rate for a minimum
of 30 minutes at a time at least four days a week. I am at my best when I capture agreements and promises both at work and at home as soon as I make them.
You see where I'm going here, now it's your turn. Identify a clear and meaningful inventory of the statements you would use to describe what you will need to have done or had in order to be at your best.
Mental
I oversee several cohorts of business leaders, managers in organizations throughout the country, as they study and implement tools, skills, and the mindset necessary to be a productive leader. It is not enough anymore to simply
tell people what they need to do. Everywhere organizations are tasked with increasing productivity and performance top-down.
How you think, what you say, and what happens as a result are all intertwined. Have you ever seen someone's name in your email inbox and felt immediate stress? Simply seeing someone's name or even a subject line can fire neurons
that result in stressful thoughts and a higher than appropriate physical response. And, it always starts in your head.
You need to learn the power of managing your own mind. And, unfortunately, your mind will not quiet or focus on its own. It seems that the world we live in is actually designed to distract us. A new text message, another email in
your inbox, the sound of the television news in the background, and a colleague who just walked toward you, made eye contact and says, "do you have a minute?"
How you manage your mind will dictate how you manage yourself.
To get started, start or restart the journaling practice. Now, I have worked with hundreds of leaders as they renewed their commitment to writing things down. Different than a notebook you bring to meetings, and not the diary that
you wrote in as a child. Your journal acts as a safe place, the tool you use to slow down your thinking, and to actually see what you're telling yourself about what's happening. And, that's the question you must ask yourself: "how can I know what I think until
I see what I say?"
Today, by a new journal-a spiral notebook, a mollusk in, or even a stack of 3 x 5 cards. It doesn't matter what you use it is more important that you do it. Oh, you gonna want to favorite pen as well.
How do you start? Well, you have two options. Option one… Open your notebook and start writing. Push on yourself to use that notebook as a thought collector and connector.
Option two, work with me. I regularly help people renew and restart their journaling practices.
Relational
Anyone you turn to as a guide will always ask how things are going… And they don't just mean in your leadership position, with your department, in your community or at home. When I ask how are things going I mean all of that and
more. In fact it's the first question I ask when I initially meet with a new client.
We sit down, we look at each other, and I ask, "how are you?”
Sometimes the answer is quick, as if my new client wants to bypass what is current and just try to fix something that's broken or plan for the future. Other times that question has turned into a 45 minute monologue, meet the active
listener them the open sharer.
Quick, get someone on your team that you can talk to about anything. Make sure that the person that you talk with is in a position-a professional position if possible-to ask you new questions. And specifically, new questions about
your relationships.
First and foremost your relationship with yourself. And then, your relationships in an expanding circle. Your family, coworkers and friends, community, etc.
Spiritual
Why do you do what you do. What is the foundation that you stand on that makes it this important that you are that good at what you are doing and how you are doing it? When I use the word spiritual I'm always coming at it from a
lowercase s point of view.
I don't mean what religion you belong to, I am much more interested in having you explore, and deepen your commitment to, the foundation and importance of your work. Your work on the planet is your manifestation of caring and love.
You've heard the saying, if you love what you do doesn't feel like work.
Or, get paid to do what you love and you'll never work another day in your life.
Unfortunately all of those sayings work… Or they don't.
If you are already on the other side of doing what you love, making great money, and feeling like it matters… You shrug your shoulders and say, "yes. It's true."
If you are struggling to pay your phone bill this month, you are constantly arguing about finances at home, and you haven't been able to afford something you've wanted to purchase for quite some time, you shake your head and say,
"no… That's not true.”
What do you think of when you see or hear the word spiritual? And, as a thought experiment much like Einstein encouraged all of his students to do, can you hold in your mind a new definition of that word? Can you journal in your
notebook a new list of goals? Can you sit down with someone who cares as much as you do about your future and success and share open heartedly with them what you want, why you wanted, and how you are planning to go about getting it?
The good news about studying productive leadership is that you don't have to do anything different. You don't have to change. Merely the fact that you took time to read this note tells me you already have the tools you have used
to get as far as you have. More than likely, by continuing to do what you've done you will achieve many of your goals.
The purpose of this framework is to give you vocabulary and tools that you can use to speed up the process, or reduce the stress. By identifying when you were at your best, managing the voices inside of your head, building and rebuilding
relationships you depend on and doubling down on the big WHY…
The purpose…
You will put yourself in a position to work smarter, think bigger, achieve more and lead better.
