Reflections on Leadership

The quote book, “Write Advice; Inspirations, tips and thoughts for leaders and artists” has inspired a new online store.  The name might fool you, but it’s not only for writers. You will find gifts that are perfect for any writer, leader or artist in your life who’s ready to make a difference!

Today is opening day for the store (which you can find here) and I’m excited to see some of the top requested quotes and thoughts come to life on the amazing Tee-Shirts and other products.

Below are a few items you’ll find.

A Confident writer is a sexy writer

Never Be Without a Great Goal

Forgiveness Journal

Come by and browse around, I know you’ll find something for yourself or someone you care about!

The Write Advice Online Store

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The Joneses are getting a bad rap. They’re just doing their thing.  Little by little they are accomplishing their great goals. A little everyday; a lot over time. Meanwhile, you’re sitting out on the stoop taking your last drag of an expensively taxed cigarette that you know you shouldn’t be smoking because you can’t afford them now and you probably won’t be able to afford the medical costs later.

Or maybe it’s the end of a long day and you’re pulling into the driveway in your jalopy that you curse every morning and bless every night because it got you where you wanted to go without breaking down.

No matter, some people manage to always blame the Joneses.  It’s not their fault.  They’re working hard on the things that are important to them. All you’re seeing is the results of their efforts.

Look closer. Get to know them. It’s been said we’re the average of the five people we spend the majority of our time with.  Maybe you need to up the average. Spend a little less time with the people who are agreeing with you that yes the economy is bad, and government is bad, and the weather is bad and things aren’t like they used to be.  Maybe you should spend some time with the people who may or may not agree with the current conditions but are working within the constraints of them; and instead are focused on the possibilities of life.

When you play a game, be it sports, or chess or hot dog eating with someone who isn’t as good as you it’s great for your ego because you win and you get to brag and rub their face in it. But honestly that gets old, and if you aren’t challenging yourself you’re getting old too, and faster than you think. Conversely, if you play against people who are better than you, you’ll probably lose. If you reflect and “study the films” you’ll learn something. And if you keep playing against those type of people you will continually learn and progressively improve. Eventually you will beat them and that will be better, because that win is based on effort, growth and skill, not by picking on the little guy. Not by bullying.

Back to the Joneses. We all have them, that person, family, or group we equally admire and despise. It’s not fair that we despise them. We just do because their success reminds us of our failure. There’s a cure for that. Stop acting like a failure. Get off your rump and start working on your great goals. As you start achieving them you’ll notice people coming to you for advice on how you did it and can you help them. You can and you will, because that thrill is a helluva lot more satisfying then repeatedly beating some pimp squeak.

Soon, you and the Joneses will be helping each other get better. Some people look at it as friendly competition. If that helps you for now, go for it. Unfortunately that’s still a win-lose mentality. Real success comes when you realize you’re bettering not only each other, but those around you. That’s acting with a sense of responsibility and stewardship. Learning not only for the benefit of your own goals but also, eventually even more so, for the benefit of others.

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Today is a somber day for me and my family, but with your help I’d like to change that.

A year ago on this date I unexpectedly and shockingly lost my sister to a heart attack. It’s inevitable that the day will be seared in my memory, however I believe a positive remembrance revolved around the way Kathi endeavored to live her life would be more appropriate. She would routinely practice acts of random kindness. I’d like your help honoring her memory by practicing acts of random kindness today.  Here’s some ideas:

Smile today. Offer your seat or place in line to another. Feed a parking meter that isn’t yours. Buy a meal or an ice cream for someone. Call or write to a relative and tell them you’ve just been thinking about them.

Spend time outside and appreciate the grand and the sublime. Smell a flower, hold a rock in your hand. Feel the waves wash over you or the sand between your toes.

Get into a new adventure you can tell stories about. Laugh often and embarrassingly loud. Confront a fear or help someone else to do the same.  Celebrate life and all the wonder around it. Frolic with a dog or challenge a cat to a staring contest. Listen, really listen to the song of a nearby bird.

A life well lived is filled with triumph and tragedy; tears of sorrow and tears of joy.  Today, randomly and often, publicly or privately help bring triumph and joy to others.

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I admit it, I can be as politically correct in my language as the some of the most ardent liberals. To me it can show sensitivity or at least tolerance if not compassion in an increasingly intolerant country.  As a writer, words matter. That’s why I believe we shouldn’t sugarcoat the things that we face as a nation and by extension as individuals.  Let’s not waste time calling things “formidable challenges” when they’re “big problems.  America used to be able to solve big problems.  As a nation we routinely lived our values.

It’s easy to be a bit romantic and forget about how horrible this nation used to be for women before suffrage or African Americans before civil rights.  How poorly we treated our elderly, the mentally ill, and non-land owners. History’s canvas is sometimes painted with a lighter touch. Recall that hangings were common in my beloved city of Boston, the carcasses of criminals left out to publicly rot.  The Son’s of Liberty tarred and feathered other human beings. A blind eye was cast in the slave trade.

We forget we were founded as a violent nation.  We picked off British Regulars while hiding in the woods.  At the time we were thought of as savages. We took pride in it as patriotic and character building. Yet when used against us in quagmires like Iraq and Afghanistan we consider it barbaric.

The American spirit will always be divided between those who look at us being here as a matter of Divine Providence and those who consider it the melting pot.  That our greatest strength is taking the best ideas from everyone.

Winston Churchill once said, “Americans will always do the right thing, after they have exhausted all the alternatives.” It’s in that vein of faith I remain hopeful for America, but today a large portion of our population is apathetic.  They might be angry, but they’re also lazy.  Or they’re active without a sense of purpose.  I’m not so sure Americans are trying everything with the spirit we are expected to.  It can be taxing, but civil debate and disagreement coupled with pragmatism and searching for common ground is what has served this nation well in the past.  The problem today is, our tries seem to be halfhearted, or we save the passion for the detestability of our opponents; political or imagined.

We are not trying hard enough.  We are thinking less, worrying more and outsourcing our leadership to other nations, or corporations. As individuals we are all responsible for the eroding spirt and grit because we are complacently letting it happen.  We celebrate the First Amendment by giving the microphones to crackpots then undermine the gesture by reporting the fear and hate they spout as fact rather than opinion. We are focused on symptoms and finding ways to coat, soothe, and relieve them rather than solving the problems that are making us ill.  We moan and complain.  We spend a lot of energy doing very little and here’s some of our results so far:

• 30% of Americans are obese
• 1 Million American High School students drop out each year
• We carry a $13.5 Trillion Debt
• We are #1 in Oil Consumption, #2 in Coal Consumption and #1 in Cocaine Consumption
• 2.3 Million of our citizens are incarcerated, giving us the largest prison population on the planet

We can do better. We must do better.  We can begin by teaching our children and each other how to dream big, think profoundly, decide pragmatically and lead courageously.

There are no shortages of serious problems yearning to be solved. Pick one.

Below is a system designed to help you begin solving the problems that are in your purview to solve.  If it looks like too much work, have someone help you.  Being defeated from within helps no one. Find a problem that’s within your power to solve and begin solving it.  Here’s how.

1. Write down the problem or challenge that you need to solve.
2. Describe the Desired State that could exist without the problem.
3. Describe WHY it’s desired.
4. Create a S.M.A.R.T. Goal to make your intention specific and real.
5. Set the Criteria on how to find solutions to the problem.
6. Generate a brainstorm list of alternative solutions.
7. Narrow the list and pick the “best few” options.
8. Assess each option’s feasibility and potential risks versus gains.
9. Reach a tentative agreement with stakeholders of the problem.
10. Put some resources on a “fall back” plan.
11. Firm up the final decision and announce it to those affected.
12. Develop an Action Plan to go forward.
13. Implement the Action Plan with confidence and passion.
14. Review, assess and celebrate progress.

Problems are often very complex. Their solutions seldom have to be.

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Let’s pretend you’re running late and suddenly realize you’re lost in a strange city and the street signs don’t make sense to you.  You’ve got your mobile devices and your Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare friends are only a few keystrokes away, but your satellite connection is spotty.  You approach a passerby and ask them how to get where you’re going.  There are a multitude of possible responses:

1. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand you.”
2. They ignore you and keep walking.
3. They give you colorful but convoluted directions.
4. They offer to sell you a map.
5. They walk with you and safely get you to where you want to go.

Which would you prefer?  Which do you provide to your coworkers, customers or family? Change and uncertainty can be exhilarating or scary or both.   The answer you prefer is not all that important.  Depending on the stakes, you might be willing to shell out some money for information.  You might not feel secure walking with a stranger.  Depending on the circumstances, that might be exactly what you want.

The point is, people you care about are thrust into situations similar to this metaphor everyday, sometimes multiple times a day.   As a leader and an artist, take note of the people around you.  Some of them are lost and could use your help.  If they ask you for it, don’t ignore them.  If you don’t understand them, try harder because they’re at a bigger disadvantage than you.  Be on the lookout for those who are lost and be the friendly face that helps them reach their goal.

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Everything in life has features, advantages and benefits.

Features are sometimes called technical specs.  These are the things the product or service has.  A washing machine with five speeds.  The nightclub that provides only A-list performers, the airline that offers warm towels to passengers on red eye flights.

Advantages are the things that the product or service has that others don’t or they provide exceptionally better than anyone else.  The washing machine that’s available in four jewel toned colors, the nightclub that has a frequent guest VIP program, the airline that doesn’t charge you for the niceties.

Benefits are the things that people consider valuable.  It may not be unique to you, but it’s very personal and it’s how people make their decisions.  What’s the benefit?  You’re a designer and need a stylish red washing machine, or you collect autographs of top musicians for your ailing mother or you like to go straight to work after an overnight flight and want to feel refreshed and ready to go.  It’s easier to make a decision when you know the benefits.

That’s how it works in business everyday.  Now, what about you personally?  You have to “sell” yourself everyday to prospective employers, customers, maître d’s, loan officers.  The list goes on.   So, what’s FAB about you?  Give it some thought.

What are your Features?
What do you know?  What are your core values and beliefs?  What do you stand for?

What are your Advantages?
What do you offer your world that others can’t do nearly as well as you can?  What skills make others think of you first?

What Benefits do you bring?
What value will the people who are looking for you gain?  This takes self confidence.  You need to know yourself well, and you’ll need to discover what your audience needs.

Lead with your benefits, this is what people base their decisions on.  Then shore up your advantages and features, because if people feel the need to justify their decision about you, that’s where they will look.  If you don’t have anything there, they will quickly change their mind.  They will look there for validation, so keep them happy.  Do the work and you’ll feel FAB.

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Two friends are walking along a path when they happen across a rattlesnake. One of the men, pompous and careless, severs the snake with an ax, but not before it bites the foolish man on the wrist. The man wails and flails his arm all about in pain while his companion is immobilized with panic. There is a third man, an experienced hiker several hundred feet away who has witnessed the events. Which one is you and what do you do next?

Perhaps you are the foolish man, filled with bravado who acts violently in the face of latent danger and who is paying the painful price of his folly.

Maybe you are the other man, made powerless with indecision and panic, whirling about uselessly.

Or perhaps you are the experienced hiker, equipped with the knowledge that, although painful, snakebites don’t kill people, it’s their venom. Venom that if not removed, courses through the veins, accelerated by the constant movement and shaking of an ignorant and fearful victim.

This scene is repeated in people’s lives nearly everyday. We’ve all experienced painful situations. We may have antagonized someone who then lashes out at us, or we may have come across trouble unexpectedly and been the victim of a painful blow. Our first inclination is to lash back, to bellow accusations of unfairness and to blame our trespassers. If only we recognized that energy would have been better spent by removing the venom and repairing the damage. How often are we the experienced hiker, witnessing these events yet instead choosing to keep walking rather than help those who are angry, confused or hurting? Even though we have the skills or knowledge that could solve the problem, bring about calmness, alleviate pain, or perhaps even save a life, we decide not to get involved.

Therein sits one of the differences between a leader and a follower. Leaders get involved. They act. They do not shrug their shoulder and sigh, “Oh, well.” They give of themselves, protect people and remove the venom from the veins of others, and teach others to do the same.

When trouble looms before you, what role will you play?

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Some people make achieving goals sound like a mysterious science.  They complicate things.  I’m not saying achieving your goals is easy, infact, often it’s easier not too.  Which is why so many don’t.  It’s easy to stay with the status quo.  It’s even relatively easier to go back the way things were.  That’s hardly progress though.

Have you even been stymied after a long meeting that didn’t seem to produce any actions?  Or received instructions from your manager or even a customer that weren’t clear?  There are two questions that will help. How Much?  and By When?

Yes, there are other elements to effective goal setting, however these two questions cut through much of the clutter. “How Much?” is your volume measurement.  It can be anything; dollars, units, customers, votes, legislation. “By When?” gives you a timeframe; a day, week, month, year.  Put the two question together and you have the immediate basis for accountably.  Which is why it’s hard for some people to answer those questions.  They want wiggle room.  They don’t want the accountability.

No one “likes” accountability yet we all thrive when it’s there.  We’re at our best when we’re accountable to ourselves, our family, customer or constituents, and ultimately a higher calling.  Accountability creates movement.  How much and by why is the lever to get things moving.  Get in the habit of asking those questions and providing the answers to projects that are important to you.

It’s hard to predict the future, so sometimes your answers will be off.  Maybe your how much was too much or too little.  Your by when too near or too far.  It’s okay.  Revise the answer and keep going.  If we can hold ourselves accountable to those two progress inducing questions we can achieve more.

As an exercise, listen to your favorite or least favorite politician speak and see how often they offer answers to those questions.  It will give you insight to the breadth of their vision.  If they have no vision, by no means follow them.

Action: Ask, How Much and By When at least once a day for a week then share your results here or on the Karl Bimshas Consulting Facebook fan page. Did your quest for accountability tick people off?  Did you feel like you moved something forward?  Were you satisfied with the answers?  A caveat: make sure you provide your own How Much and by when answers to anyone who asks you.

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Whenever people stand up for a change against a repressive status quo, it invigorates me. It could very well be that the change they are seeking is not substantively different, but be it instant or a slow progression, it is still evolution. Any moment that arouses the hearts and minds of people to stand up, seek truth and take peaceful action is a moment deserving of applause and support. When any nation moves closer to democracy or its populace exerts an effort to become “more perfect” it is cause for celebration. When citizens take action to expose its own nations’ hypocrisy – all the better.

Perhaps this belief is the mix of nature and nurture within me. My grandfather rescued his family and countless others in 1940’s Europe by skillfully squeezing past the suffocating grip of Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia. I was born and raised in Massachusetts where details about the heroic efforts of patriots in the American Revolution were weaved into school trips and bicentennial celebrations. In college, I walked along the same Boston streets and stood alongside the shadows of the same historic buildings and landmarks that witnessed the forming of our nation.

While in college, I watched the televised protests in Tiananmen Square, the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, the fall of the Soviet Union and the liberation of former Iron Curtained states. And although this nation has seen its own travesties, it remains the beacon of hope, a model for young republics and the envy of freedom loving people.

In contrast to twenty years ago, the newspapers and cable news organizations of today are comparatively impotent, but the Internet, the greatest and most affordable conduit of ideas civilization has ever seen, has come alive. YouTube, Facebook, Flickr and most notably Twitter have provided instant images and perspective from participants, sympathizers, foes and opportunists alike. At times, feeds of information channels have adopted a mob mentality themselves as revolutions have become participative. Disinformation, panic, fear, lemming-like regurgitation of conflicting stories have been mixed together with bravery, images of compassion, and ever present hope. The naive and the knave, the instigators, the healers, the scholars and the rogues all compete for attention. It is frustratingly difficult to separate the signal from the noise. Yet, if you love the pursuit of freedom, it is also beautiful.

Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Still, cynics say there is no appreciable difference people sipping cappuccinos or playing on their Wii can have half a world away. That symbols like tinting your profile picture green or other signs of solidarity are equivalent to giving an alcoholic vagrant a dollar. It makes you feel better, clears your soul, but doesn’t address the core issue. Maybe. Maybe not. How can you know? Freedom is addictive and any citizen of a free society enjoys seeing more of it. Realism tells us there is nothing we can individually do to affect change. However, realism didn’t win the American Revolution. Faith, hope, determination and other intangibles did. So too, do those intangibles work today with every freedom loving movement.

Given our long history, freedom is a relatively new concept to humankind. It is still a fragile thing but it is desirable and we know we achieve greater things when we have it. Whether we broadcast it, or know it quietly in our heart, those who have a taste of freedom will always cheer and help those who are not. And in some incalculable way, make a difference in the process.

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