Book Review:

Everyone is a leader, from the guy helping out at the sports game to the teacher, to the person who answers phones at the dentist office.  Every part of our jobs involves leadership skills in one form or another.  Just navigating your way through the chaotic and ever-changing world we live in requires a myriad of leadership skills.

In all of the chaos and fluctuation we seek to find a voice of reason and a calm guide to help us work our way through and it’s especially challenging when we have most recently been promoted to a management role and are moving “From Bud to Boss”.  Well, you can make a stop on that journey of searching and take more than a peek at a new book of just such a name by Kevin Eikenberry and Guy Harris.  From Bud to Boss – Secrets to a Successful Transition to Remarkable Leadership is more than just a book, it’s a journal of steps and strategies that will bring you closer and closer to your goal of being a leader people choose to follow.

If you could have a map for dealing with the significant change from an employee to a boss it would be within the pages of this book.  Charting a course through that change, the critical components of your own leadership style and how you communicate physically, emotionally and verbally is not always easy.  Self evaluation is a big part of growth and Eikenberry and Harris provide ample ways to take a good look at yourself, much like holding a mirror up to you and showing you what other people see.

Why is that important?  Because until we see ourselves as others might see us, our willingness to grow is hindered by a limited view. That limited view provides limited direction.

“But now the world is different, and your perspective must, necessarily, change”

With a clear guide through the transition From Bud to Boss Eikenberry and Harris offer you what they call “Remarkable Principles” that, when read alone, provide a great template for remembering the lessons in the book – grab a highlighter you’re going to want to have these as road-signs on your map to leadership.

“Change is a choice. People don’t resist change, they resist being changed.”

With every “Remarkable Principle” comes both explanation and hands-on, real-life strategies you can take with you and utilize immediately.  This is a workbook, a book for a person who has a great desire to take the journey to remarkable leadership.  Each exercise applies to you – not some generality you must work hard to apply to your own circumstances.

Throughout the book you will find a “Bonus Byte” a hint or tip for applying the exercise to your own leadership, your team efforts or for simply taking a look back at the steps you have taken and re-assess.

Everyone needs a stepped plan, a place to start and support in getting there.  “From Bud To Boss” gives you all that, in addition to a plethora of resources you can tap into in reaching your goals of making a difference as the leader you were meant to be.  In addition to all the resources, Eikenberry and Harris help you define a vision for your leadership, your relationships and grow a relationship with yourself.

Not sure why you would bother?  It is this writer’s opinion that everyone has room to grow, no matter how successful a leader we are, we always have room to learn more, be more and do more.  Take this journey and discover the total cost of not adopting change as the authors walk you through the steps and the path of discovering what happens when we stagnate while change swirls all around us and we live romanticizing the past that we ‘think’ has served us best.

If you were to step yourself through the rugged path of leadership, without a guide, without an understanding of what lies in your path , it is going to be a slower journey.  Everyone wants some indication of how to deal with the pitfalls, the roadblocks, the trees in the road, and while one cannot possibly give warning of everything – this book addresses a good many of the critical factors in leadership and creates a map worth following.

“Most people communicate in the way that is most comfortable to

them. While there is nothing inherently wrong with this tendency, it

does present a bit of a challenge to you as a leader.”

None of us are on this journey alone, if you’re the boss – you have a team and an organization you must communicate with, not to mention meeting the expectations of your own boss.  Follow the information in the Communication chapters to more effectively influence, support, and provide memorable meaning to what you say and how you say it and then begin to understand the deepest and most relevant skill your team needs – you, listening.

Whether it’s adjusting to change and communicating effectively or coaching and evaluation, ‘From Bud to Boss’ offers a comprehensive workbook and leader-journey to support the key to accomplishing great things… and that is collaboration.  They walk you through healthy and unhealthy conflict showing you the difference and give you steps to successfully deal with both so that you, the leader, can set – work toward and achieve your goals.

I don’t know Kevin Eikenberry or Guy Harris, but I get Kevin’s newsletter and read it weekly – that newsletter is always packed with content and valuable information.  No fluff there, so when I heard he teamed up with Guy to write a book– I found out how I could get an advance copy to read.  Thanks to Kevin and his generosity, I have the privilege of adding a valuable manual for leadership to my bookshelf.  It is a book I will reference frequently and that offers more than just words on leadership, it offers actionable steps,  resources and a touch-base of follow-up support for the leader who chooses to change, grow and develop with and for the people he/she is privileged to lead.

I have.  One of those great leaders was a PM I worked for directly; the other was the director within an R&D department. Both of these gentlemen were exceptional leaders in addition to being technically extraordinary within their field.  What I noticed was that no matter how difficult the organization was to work within, no matter how their creativity and innovation was stepped on or their hands tied, they always approached their teams positively and enthusiastically.

Here are a few of the lessons I learned from these two leaders:

• It is possible to change the world.
• It is possible to deliver exceptional product within pockets of an organization that does not make people, customers, creativity and innovation their priority.
• A great leader always puts people first and foremost.
• Maintaining a can-do attitude will provide exceptional results.

Are these two folks still working at this company?  Not on your life.

Here is what I learned from their departure

• The world we change may not be the one we originally set out to change.
• Without the backing of their company, great leaders will share their strengths elsewhere.
• Great leaders will gravitate to where they can lead people not process.
• Regardless of the technical results, a great leader cares more about the quality of what they leave behind than what shows up on a spreadsheet.

Companies who are seeking great leaders may very well have them right under their noses.

To a company that does not champion leadership; they might see a leader’s passion as misdirected rather than innovative.  Great leaders challenge the Status Quo – they push against process for process sake and they are rabble-rousers against any decisions made blindly without asking for input from the hands-on specialists on the front-line.

If a company is seeking great leaders, they must first become a company that seeks great culture.

• One where creativity, innovation, people and behaviour is clearly defined.
• Where people who don’t fit within the desired culture are paid out to leave.
• Where people are treated with respect, dignity and compassion, and celebrated for their strengths.
• Where performance management also holds employees up to the company values.
• Where the company LIVES their values and their mantra can be repeated by all staff members.

Patti is a strategic advisor in Leadership Development, Customer Service and Culture through Mergers and Acquisition. You can book her to speak at her personal page.

Need Strategic Sense for your business? – hire us for Leadership Development of individuals, teams, group training and company strategy. Happy Workplaces Succeed, take the path to get there. (403) 201-8512

Here are a few of my observations:

1.      Not just any old circus

The quality of each and every act is superior to any show I have witnessed.  Painstaking detail goes into every costume, all the makeup, the lighting, the sounds and especially safety.  With the maintenance of equipment, upkeep of fabrics for costumes, and the polished shine on the metal parts to catch the light, it is all miraculously new-looking and beautiful, despite hundreds of previous shows.  NO cutting costs for cheaper fabrics that don’t stretch with the body, cheaper makeup that runs when you sweat, low-cost equipment – nope, because this is a class act.

There will be no oil leak at this Cirque!

2.       Everyone is a star in this gig

If you are a trapeze artist, there’s a good chance you will be moving sets and removing items from the stage.  If you have some other talent in your past that would be beneficial like massage therapy or plumbing, you may be asked to provide that as well.

There are no headliners or heroes. Everyone is a star in this gig – you have talent, well, chances are you were gifted with more than one and your job is to not only contribute those talents but also support the talent of others in every way possible by pitching in on everything you can.

Get over yourself – get into the team.

3.       Don’t show the customer the cogs, give them what they came for

We went to Cirque du Soleil to be entertained, and entertained we were.  There are a ton of mechanical, technical and physical adjustments between acts, but we were barely aware they were taking place because of the high-energy, excitement going on all around us.  The clever distractions and crazy antics kept us highly entertained and laughing the whole way through.  And then suddenly, we became aware that they’d put together rigging right there out in the open for the next act, and we barely noticed its arrival because we were so caught up with the fun of the show.

This is how the best of the best make your life happy as a customer, they make your experience seamless and fun. You don’t notice how hard they are working in the background to deliver your product and you don’t have to care.

Getting great service or a great experience should be just that, great!

4.       Surprise EVERYONE

This is the third Cirque du Soleil show I have attended and I never grow weary of them.  Why?  I am always pleasantly surprised.  They don’t do this with any one thing; it is the combination of things that offer me continual enchantment, so much so I forget to blink in the event I may miss something.  There is action happening at every level, every corner of the facility or tent to keep me in amazement.  I have a hard time finding anything at all to complain about because of the perpetual activity that astounds me.

If you have one department that truly shines above all others according to customer response, then learn from these folks, because EVERY department needs to shine and surprise.  This means learning how to become a company that always exceeds customer expectation rather than meeting it.

Think Apple.

We cannot all be Cirque du Soleil, but we can certainly learn a lot about business and leadership by being one of their customers, I recommend you attend and while you are there, observe, learn and figure out how you can implement.

Patti is a strategic advisor in Leadership Development, Customer Service and Culture through Mergers and Acquisition. You can book her to speak at her Speakers Page.

Need Strategic Sense for your business? – hire us for Leadership Development of individuals & teams, group training and company strategy. Happy Workplaces Succeed, take the path to get there. 403-201-8512

photo courtesy of KLiverap, Poland

Think about this.

The average worker may fail to exceed expectation but most often they meet evaluation.

What you evaluate determines employee performance review scores – these scores determine their advancement.

What they’ll work hardest to achieve is what they believe you need from them to meet those scores.

Ask yourself this:

Where is the disconnect between what kind of performance I WANT and what I evaluate?

Your evaluation must be directly related to reaching the goals set forth by the team.  A solid review of the evaluation you use tied into where you want the team to go will offer your employees a clear path to follow.  Remember to evaluate on those “intangibles” you want to see happen and be clear about what they are.  Share those measures with the employees!

Once these are in alignment, be enthusiastic in sharing your passion for achieving the goal.

See the goal, align your performance evaluation with meeting that goal, watch them shine.

Guess what?  Your employees will then pleasantly surprise you.

Patti is a strategic advisor in Leadership Development, Customer Service and Culture through Mergers and Acquisition. You can book her to speak at her Speakers Page.

Need Strategic Sense for your business? – hire us for Leadership Development of individuals & teams, group training and company strategy. Happy Workplaces Succeed, take the path to get there. 403-201-8512

Image provided by Sias van Schalkwyk, South Africa

If you’ve ever belonged to a company that’s been taken over through a merger or acquisition by another company, rest assured, your original Executive will change camps.

Companies typically buy other companies for how the product leverages its portfolio or market share, not because it’s filled with rocking collaborators.

I have yet to see a merger or acquisition result in anything less than a collision of cultures.

The difference in the success or failure after the purchase or merging of these cultures can be described in how the collision takes place.  It can be anywhere from a bump of the shoulders and eventual turn toward the same goal to a total a write-off like a car left in a twisted wreck.

The change-management of such a significant alteration in the ‘flow’ of an organization takes time and effort, and it begins at the CEO level.   Acceptance of good decisions in the purchase or merger with another company almost always is adopted by the executive first.  Let’s face the fact, it behoves them to do so.  The higher in the organization you are, the more you must adopt the direction set forth before you if you are to remain and still play nice in the sandbox and reach success.

If little or no change-management or clarity of direction is offered the employees, they’ll feel like they’ve been betrayed as they witness their executive ‘going over’ to the other side.

People like their current work-flow (good or bad) and significant change shakes up the apple cart – this requires guidance and leadership.  Guidance begins, (and must be followed through), at the CEO level.  The CEO who rolls up the sleeves, gets involved in the change-management and helps the organization evolve is better equipped to retain its best talent, industry expertise and product knowledge.

Choose to leave it to others, and those others will follow your lead, leaving it to others all the way down the chain until the mass exodus out the door begins at the front line levels and works its way back up.  What are you risking by ignoring the obvious?

Patti is a strategic advisor in Leadership Development, Customer Service and Culture through Mergers and Acquisition. You can book her to speak at her Speakers Page.

Need Strategic Sense for your business? – hire us for Leadership Development of individuals & teams, group training and company strategy. Happy Workplaces Succeed, take the path to get there. 403-201-8512

There are several ways we see this managed by the companies involved:

1. Push: The larger acquiring company pushes it’s systems down to the acquired company and defines a “This is how we do things here” stance.
2. Handshake: The two companies take the time to evaluate the systems and processes in order to determine which ones will work best for the newly forming organization.
3. Separation: The companies are tied at the highest level, but the two companies work and function with autonomy from each other with exception to the reporting levels.
4. Pull: This happens when a very small company is purchased by a larger organization, often you will see the small company become a department or branch of its own, taken under the wing of the parent company.

Many of us have been through one or many M&As in our working lifetimes and we all have an opinion as to how it was handled, how smooth the integration and how effective the changes were.  In many cases the changes are seen as negative experiences and there is a reason for that.

M&As occur for a variety of rationale, a company wishes to partner with another company who has a compatible product – a marriage of sorts.  A company will need to improve their portfolio based on a particular direction they wish to head or a company may wish to corner a market and cannot do it alone, but needs the product or strength of another company to accomplish that task.

One of the actions that can be abandoned in this process is the due diligence of evaluating a mix of varied cultures and the effect bringing those cultures together may have on the organization.  Cultural compatibility is necessary for ensuring that the very expensive investment made in the new company will be realized with an appropriate ROI (return on investment) for the product being purchased.

If any of you have older teens who have dated someone with a completely different family background than yours, you know what I am talking about when I say marrying cultures.  You can see the differences pretty clearly, but those teens are rather blind to what the issues may be.  If they carry forward into marriage, there will always be some serious road-blocks as they work their way through those differences.

In the beginning, the excitement of what “could be” doesn’t take very long to turn into “uh oh” as the two organizations begin to define their “show stoppers” and “must haves”.  Understanding the risk you take in cultural incompatibility is vital in managing that integration.

Change is always hard, it is our human nature to avoid it at all costs and instead rest in our comfortable way of doing things.  The last thing any company wants is to pay 8-50 million dollars only to see the product knowledge walk out the door and risk the product and the investment all together.  Your ROI includes the people involved, M&As are best accomplished with a people approach.

Patti is a strategic advisor in Leadership Development, Customer Service and Culture through Mergers and Acquisition. You can book her to speak at her Speakers Page.

Need Strategic Sense for your business? – hire us for Leadership Development of individuals & teams, group training and company strategy. Happy Workplaces Succeed, take the path to get there. 403-201-8512

I am sorry you are alone; it can be daunting to be the lone worker behind the counter of a gas station on a major highway at night.  I am certain there are many rules about where you need to be to remain safe, especially as a female.  So I thought I would help you out a little by offering some suggestions to the little problem we had last night.

Our problem, you ask? It is shocking when I come and tell you there is no toilet paper to find out you knew all along when you handed me the key to the washroom. It was even more disappointing to find out the next people will suffer the same issue until the following shift comes in because that was when you intended to solve the problem.

1.       You might wish to request permission to lock the door with a “back in 5 minutes” note and replace the toilet paper.

2.       Perhaps you could hand someone a roll as they walked into the washroom asking them to set it on the back of the toilet until you get to it.

3.       Ideally, you might have given me this little tid-bit of information when you handed me the key so I would know there was none, then I could find my own solution.

Stuff happens, toilet paper runs out – I can handle that.  What I don’t understand is your attitude and lack of concern or care for the many individuals who will enter your establishment – not to worry, they will only enter it once.

There is a gas station down the street from you; they are always crowded and seem to gain most of the highway traffic going through because line-ups at the pumps are daily occurrences.  Whenever I have mentioned something to them, they jump into action.  I will be their customer from now on, because your lack of care for my concern just lost me.

Patti is a strategic advisor in Leadership Development, Customer Service and Culture through Mergers and Acquisition. You can book her to speak at her Speakers Page.

Need Strategic Sense for your business? – hire us for Leadership Development of individuals & teams, group training and company strategy. Happy Workplaces Succeed, take the path to get there. 403-201-8512

So how does a leader within an organization manage their time effectively when it comes to people and who do they take the time to see and be with?  Leaders are pulled in all sorts of directions from employees, customers, shareholders, public inquiry, colleagues and more.

Here are a few guidelines you may wish to use in defining your time spent.

Your employees need you.

The foundation of a strong team is the building of strong team relationships.  Get to know them, what drives them, clarify your expectations and ask to know theirs.

Your customers want to know you.

Supporting your customer service team in doing a fantastic job keeps customers coming back time and again.  You don’t have to be the one responding, but you do need a team that will.

Your colleagues can respect your time.

Boundaries can only be set by you.  You define the number of distractions and detours you will respond to and attend.  Burnout happens because we allow it, colleagues respect us more when we are clear about our boundaries up front.

A balance of all of these relationships and the time and energy you put to them will be different for every leader, the secret is in understanding your direction and building the plan to meet your goals.

Patti is a strategic advisor in Leadership Development, Customer Service and Culture through Mergers and Acquisition. You can book her to speak at her Speakers Page.

Need Strategic Sense for your business? – hire us for Leadership Development of individuals & teams, group training and company strategy. Happy Workplaces Succeed, take the path to get there. 403-201-8512

In the last few years I have promoted that one cannot lead well until they have learned first to lead themselves.  This is exceptionally true of an entrepreneur, for if they cannot lead themselves their business suffers.  Good business means income, and for an entrepreneur, time is money.

Every minute of every working day must be led and managed effectively to ensure a steady income.  They are doing business, just like anyone in a typical “job”.  The difference between the misconception and reality is this:

They are flexible, not available

Between the hours of 8am – 5pm they are still working, in fact, they are usually working between the hours of 5pm – 10pm just not as one would typically define “work”.  To best lead self, an entrepreneur will need to be very selective in the activities they agree to take part.  Why?

Because every hour they spend being with, doing for and making themselves available may be an hour they are not busy generating income for their business.

A casual coffee is much like taking an hour-long leave of absence without pay.

Entrepreneurs, to lead yourself well, decide if the activity in which you are being asked to take part will in some way lead to building a better business for you, or if it is precious time you are giving freely as a gift to another.  How many gifts are you able to give, and to whom?

Patti is a strategic adviser in Leadership Development, Customer Service and Culture through Mergers and Acquisition. You can book her to speak at her Speakers Page.

Need Strategic Sense for your business? – hire us for Leadership Development of individuals & teams, group training and company strategy. Happy Workplaces Succeed, take the path to get there. 403-201-8512

image curtesy of Peignier Christian

Have you ever been shopping and some person has parked their jag up on the side-walk next to the building?  The first thing I think when I see that is ‘wow, arrogant’.

I love to see people find success, in fact, it is what I am all about – helping people and companies reach their full potential.  I think when someone works really hard, begins to earn the big bucks and has taken the kind of risks it takes to get to the top of the ladder that is cause for celebration.  But celebrate how? By not having to follow the same rules as everyone else?

I would caution, celebrating with arrogance leads to team disaster.   We see it in leadership positions and companies all the time.  During one of my meetings yesterday we talked about the “Caste System Hierarchy” that exists in some companies.  The ‘peon’ attitude of arrogance; people who make the assumption they do not have to respect those in positions ‘beneath’ theirs.   Thus, their treatment of their peers is significantly more respectful than that of their ‘subordinates’.

Your challenge:  Take the time to look inside yourself and determine if you judge or treat people differently because of what you own or have. (House, car, title, income, education)

All people are equal.  Diversity is key to a well balanced life, organization and relationships.  Everyone is a contributor – people simply offer different opportunities and experiences.  Learn about them, respect them and you will be surprised by how much you learn from those you once judged.

Patti is a strategic adviser in Leadership, Customer Service and Small business. You can book her to speak at her Speakers Page.

Need Strategic Sense for your business? – hire us for Leadership Development of individuals & teams, group training and company strategy. Happy Workplaces Succeed, take the path to get there. 403-201-8512

Previous experiences were…

• Lack of care or concern for my copy center needs, several times miscounting or getting it wrong then refusing to correct it.
• Waiting for up to 20 minutes for someone to help or assist me, if they noticed at all.
• Allowing me to leave the store either disappointed or angry at their lack of concern for my solution.

In fact, last summer I had decided to obtain most of my office products from elsewhere.  As a result, I thought I’d try one of the other Staples locations and came to the conclusion this problem was much larger than a local manager who didn’t ‘get it’ because I received the same experience at other locations.

All that has changed!  Staples is a key supplier for several things I need for my business, and in the last month felt forced to shop there – was I ever pleasantly surprised.

Yesterday I tracked down a manager/supervisor and asked if the management had changed since last summer.  He indicated it had not, and wanted to know why I asked.  I mentioned my work in the areas of Leadership and Customer Service and told him I was seeing a marked improvement in their store, he was happy to hear it.

Apparently Staples rolled out a nation-wide customer engagement plan to all their stores.  I now intend on being a more frequent customer to observe its sustainability and its reach.  From what I witnessed in my last two visits, they do appear to understand that customers are the reason for their job, rather than an interruption.

• I had at least 3 employees in different departments ask if there was anything I needed help finding or if I had any questions.  Score tally 1
• Managers and supervisors were watching closely to see if anyone looked stranded or lost and directing employees accordingly. Score tally 2

I do hope their customer engagement rollout includes building on that engagement, extending that new customer service goal to include customer experiences as they increase their customer base; they have an incredible opportunity to do so.
Kudos to Staples!

Patti is a strategic advisor in Leadership, Customer Service and Small business. You can book her to speak at her Speakers Page.

Need Strategic Sense for your business? – hire us if you prefer to rise above the status-quo, care deeply about employee and customer experiences and truly believe in living and performing with excellence.

There sat a visiting Executive Chef, Chef, Front of House Supervisor, two servers and myself all tapping our toes (except for me who was voicing the ridiculousness of the one way in and one way out situation) waiting for a town parade to end so we could get to work to serve the people attending the event.

Service is HUGE for me, and this whole situation frustrated me as I thought about all that needed to be done to ensure customers had a smashingly fabulous time.  Having a good part of your staff unavailable certainly must cut into your confidence.  The Food and Beverage manager was gracious as always at our late arrival, the event went off without any visible hitches and the customers were happy.

This made me think long and hard about One Way In One Way Out scenarios companies set themselves up for.

• A single sales person who shares no information with the rest of the organization
• No successors identified for key executive positions, nor knowledge transferred
• Single individuals working in technical specialties who deliver directly to the customer

A simple and great solution to this problem is to assign Primary and Secondary leads in your most important key positions.  Primary owns the title, Secondary owns enough of the knowledge to cover for the Primary in the event their world turns up-side-down and they cannot be at the office.

Companies who understand Primary and Secondary work teams experience

• lower training costs,
• fewer efficiency issues
• job knowledge transfer
• less individual burn-out

This can be managed well but it takes effort on behalf of the leader to ensure the teams are effectively utilizing tag-team philosophy.

One way in and one way out is a rickety road to travel and opens doors for delays, stress and frustration among employees.  Remember, “Happy Workplaces Succeed”.

Patti is a strategic adviser in Leadership, Customer Service and Small business. You can book her to speak at her Speakers Page.

Need Strategic Sense for your business? We train leaders and employees in strategies for making workplaces happy for it is then that customers love to work with them, refer them to others, and keep coming back for more. – Hire us if you prefer to rise above the status-quo, care deeply about employee and customer experiences and truly believe in living and performing with excellence.

I do, my friends recognize when I hit ‘cocoon’ mode and will make an effort to see what is up with me and have done it all my life.  Why might I cocoon?  There are several possible reasons…

1. I am overwhelmed and need to put some order and balance back into my life.
2. I am working hard at something and it takes focus, attention and time.
3. There are private reasons I may wish to apply all of my energy to my family.

For an entrepreneur, it can mean you are even deeper into cocoon mode, but for a different reason.

1. You are dedicated to success for your company and that requires attention 24/7 on many days.
   

Does that cut into the social life?  You bet your bottom dollar it does! Does it change the way the friendship is acted out? Uh huh!

Here are some assumptions people make when an entrepreneur is hard to connect with….

1. Friends assume they’ve done something wrong and you are angry with them.
2. Friends might assume you don’t care about them anymore.
3. Friends might even believe you’ve found other more interesting people to spend your time with.

That may or may not be true for the average friend working at a regular paid job.  However, in the world of an entrepreneur chances are that friend is dead wrong!

Here are some reasons an entrepreneur might not be socializing with you the way you want:

1. Unlike other working gigs, owning one’s business will keep an entrepreneur working day and night.  Their mind is never off of work and that is because THEY are solely responsible for bringing in the cash to support their life (and pay their bills). This means giving up a lot of extracurricular activities they have enjoyed with you in the past because they must not only do what they do but also market, promote and sell it.
2. When one puts in an 18 hour day at something, family MUST be the first priority.  Time is short and families are precious – this is an admirable quality, families need each other, it doesn’t mean they’ve dropped you.
3. Networking events are vital, this is where entrepreneurs meet the people who pay for the products or services they deliver.  Networking events are important and necessary.  They are already hard enough to fit into an 18 hour work day and use the time they would otherwise spend enjoying at a BBQ with you – stop making them feel guilty for missing the BBQ.

So, what of balance, you say?  Let me share a little secret about entrepreneurs…

1. They do what they do because they LOVE it, so 18 hours a day of something they love is a whole lot more fun than 8 hours of dreary and stressful.
2. While they work harder as entrepreneurs than they ever have as employees of another company, they know they have flexible holiday time, learning opportunities they never before expected, and they feel like they make a difference to others.  This gives them a charge, and it is important to them.
3. Entrepreneurs DO miss you, their friends, they do wish for more time with you and other friends, they simply have a driving need to reach their dream.  They need a few things from their true friends:
   1. They wish for you to understand and care about what they are trying to do
   2. They want you to attempt to see their vision and support it – you have not been dumped, you are just as dear now as you ever were.
   3. They want you to stop acting like they have done something to hurt you.  They are trying to build a different kind of life for themselves.  Just because you don’t understand it, doesn’t make it wrong -  enough people out there are already telling them their dreams are crazy and won’t work, they need friends who believe in them.

Balance is a personal thing.  I have time in my morning to go for a bike ride before work.  I am able to fit in lunch when I’m between projects and work through lunch when I choose.  I have obligations to people who are paying me to meet my promises to them on THEIR time-line and it might just mean I have to say no when asked to be part of something, remember, that’s how I get paid. I personally will do what I can to keep in touch, but I don’t always have time for parties and socializing.  I love and adore my friends, and I want them in my life – but life has significantly changed as an entrepreneur.  Yes, my friend, I love you.

What Can You Do?

If you’re asked to partake in something during your work hours, you MUST say no, or your boss won’t keep you very long. An entrepreneur’s work hours can be Friday night, Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon… heck, it could be anytime at any hour and they’re okay with that, because they love what they are doing.  They need to have something ready for a client and must deliver!

If you have an entrepreneur in your life, thank them for being dedicated to their quest, their dream and their vision.  Understand that they still care deeply for you and know that their work may take a few years of driving hard at it before it begins to make that turn-around everyone dreams of.

Please don’t chide them for not attending functions, for not calling every week and for not being an active participant in your playtime.  Friendship isn’t meant to have a score-card, friendship is about support and love and caring.  They’ll be there if you really need them, you only have to ask -but  they may need a little reminder they’re needed as they are immersed in their work and their dream.

I wish to celebrate entrepreneurs everywhere – keep on doing what you are doing, your true friends WILL still be there when you reach that pinnacle of success you’re striving for.  Don’t ever, ever, ever quit because of the pressures those who have never done this before hold over you.  Follow your dream, do what you love to do and keep making a difference in the world.

Things to ponder for discovery!

• Are you creating circumstances around which your ‘power’ moves people to comply out of fear or obligation…or are you leaving people better for having been mentored by you?
• Does your team bend to meet your every whim based on your personal schedule… or do you discuss options and opportunity with them, giving them fair notice to prepare?
• Do your employees feel like indentured servants…or do you pay them fairly for the responsibility with which they are entrusted?
• Do you joke and lament at the country club that your industry is here and can’t be outsourced to a third world country…or do you truly value the passion and heart used by your staff as they work hard on the front line to reach success for your business?
• Do you give a large amount of money occasionally to a charity in order to maintain PR that doesn’t make you appear greedy and selfish… or do you give something of yourself, with heartfelt caring and knowledge of the people affected by the contribution you make?
• When you die and your obituary is read, is it more important that it says you made more money than anyone else in the world…or do you want it to mention who you were in your heart of hearts, how you made a difference for others and why you were loved by  many?
• Do you expect complete compliance from everyone around you and refuse to open your ears, mind, heart or door to any criticism…or do you choose to respect the lives, knowledge, opinion and expertise of the people you selected on your team?

This is not a comprehensive and studied either/or list of what leaders are or are not.  This is a question posed with a basis that lives very close to home for me.  If you recognize yourself in any of the above, take a look in the mirror and decide if that is how you want to be remembered.

I personally choose never to allow myself to feel trapped or confined to working for a puppet master, that is why I do what I do.

Here is what I believe:

• I believe in creating an atmosphere of trust, where trust has been earned by offering reasons for people to trust me.
• I believe in fairness, in people, in human strength and talent.
• I believe in allowing people to shine at what they do best and to treat them fairly.
• I believe a leader, a business owner and the person at the ‘top’ of the rung deserves success and the financial reward that accompanies it, so long as it is not on the weary backs of others.
• I believe in dynamic and open teams of individuals who care deeply about WHY they do what they do.
• I believe in people who collaborate, value and honour the folks who work with/for them.
• I believe it is counterproductive in life to seek a single, solid and lonely road to funds without respect, ~ respect must be earned but trust comes first.
• I believe in a company where when someone enters a building that lives and families do not take second or third priority to a boss’s ridiculous whims (when they are out of line) simply to keep their jobs.
• I believe in a company where when someone says “I have made other commitments” an alternate option is selected to accommodate the employee’s life.
• I believe in sustainable job positions where succession planning allows flexibility and honours humanity.
• I believe in fair pay, where people can earn a living wage that allows them to move forward and take care of their families.
• I believe in paying respect to experience and expertise, drawing on those individuals who are the experts in their field to give advice on efficiency and key decisions in the business.
• I believe that companies can obtain profit that does not come at the expense of employees, but rather arrives because the employees were respected enough to WANT to make it happen.
• I believe in companies that know how to engage their employees and rally them with enthusiasm to reach the kind of results that the competitors envy.

I do not and will not ever work for a puppet master.   It is my wish, no one would ever have to – for they and their families will forever be altered.  I wish for anyone who does work for a puppet master that they understand their talent and abilities are welcome at places that develop leaders.  There are other gigs out there – be open to looking for them.

Patti is a strategic advisor in Leadership, Customer Service and Small business. You can book her to speak at her Speakers Page.

Need Strategic Sense for your business? – hire us only if you prefer to rise above the status-quo, care deeply about employee and customer experiences and truly believe in living and performing with excellence.