how shane warne and babe ruth 'failed' in order to succeed

Shane Warne and Babe Ruth were sporting champions. But in both of their cases they had to risk failure in order to succeed.
 
At the time Shane Warne claimed the world record for being cricket’s leading test wicket taker he was also the international bowler who had the most sixes scored off him.
 
Similarly, in the year that New York Yankees’ Babe Ruth broke the world record for the number of home runs, he also led the league in strike outs.
 
Some might think that being bashed over the fence more times than anyone else if you are a bowler, or swinging and missing more times than anyone else if you are a batter, is failing. But both champions (and their organisations) realised that in order to win they had to take risks.
 
If Warney’s instructions from his captain were to bowl conservatively and whatever you do, don’t give runs away, it would have been impossible for him to take the wickets that he did. If Babe’s attitude was to just get to first base every time, he doesn’t get the world record for home runs.

What is your organisation’s attitude towards failure? If people try something new and it falls short, are they ridiculed? If people stick their neck out and have a go yet don’t get the outcome they wanted are they punished?

Leaders accept that not everything will work. They encourage experimentation and taking risks. They build corporate knowledge by learning from what worked and, importantly, what didn’t. Encourage your people to have a go. Celebrate their success and support and learn if they fail.

Cheers

Greg

let go to grow

Someone once told me that being a parent is a gradual process of letting go. The day you take your new baby home it is completely and entirely dependent upon you in order for it to survive.  Gradually over the years your child is able to do more for itself and its reliance on you lessens. There are many milestones that require you to 'let go' in order for your child to grow. First steps, first day at school, first sleepover. Big school, Big Day Out*, big bad world.

Recently my eldest graduated from University, got his first full time job and moved two hours away from home. In the same week as he got his job my 17 year old daughter got her car licence. We have seen her twice in four weeks! I have been doing a lot of 'letting go' lately and it has caused me to reflect on life's journey. If we don't let go then there won't be growth, it's as simple as that. There is no alternative if we want life to go on.

What are you holding onto that may be limiting your growth and development? What do you have in a death grip that you really should release and move on? Are you being held back as a leader because of what has happened in the past? Here are some of the beliefs that I have encouraged aspiring leaders to let go of in order to grow

• they are always right
• their way is the only way
• they will appear weak if they ask for help
• they won't be respected if they treat people with kindness
• it's too late to start to become a better leader.

Think about what you need to let go of and if we can help you grow, let us know.

Cheers

Greg

*Big Day Out is a music festival that many young people beg their parents to let them attend. We agree, they go, we worry, they survive!

PS: The photo is of Tully, my youngest on the day we took her home from hospital.

become a lazy leader

None of the aspiring leaders and managers I know could be accused of being lazy. On the contrary, most work really hard, working long hours and being stressed about improving their organisations. I surprise them when I tell them that what I want them to do is to create a situation where their people wonder what it is that they actually do. Here's what I mean

1. Delegate. Work out what it is that only you can do and delegate the rest to others. This means that you are keeping only the highest value tasks and you are empowering others to do the rest. They will grow and you will have more time on your hands.

2. Become super organised and mega productive. Get done what you need to in much less time than you currently are by being organised and productive.

3. Plan, plan plan. Make sure that you and everyone else in your organisation are working on the most important things first. Make sure that everything that is being worked on gets you closer to your vision.

4. Trust. The best way to get great performances out of your people is to give them extra responsibility and support, then trust them to do the job. Sure, check on their progress and help when they need it, but let go to grow.

5. Now, lead. At this stage, your people should be wondering what it is that you actually do! You have delegated many minor and menial tasks. You are getting your tasks done quicker. Everyone is focusing on the most important stuff and people are lifting and accepting the extra responsibility you have given them.

Leading takes time - lots of it. The highest value you can add to your organisation and its people is to create time and space for you to lead.

Cheers

Greg

five really practical time savers

Those of you who have worked with me know that I obsess about being organised and productive. It's especially important for leaders as the leading stuff takes lots of time, so getting all of the other stuff done in less time allows you more time to lead. Here are five really practical tips to help you.

1. KYM - Know Your Mondays. In advance of the start of a new month, memorise the dates that Mondays fall on - for example this April Mondays are on 7,14, 21 and 28. When it comes to future planning this will help you map out your weeks.

2. TTT - Three Things Today. First thing every morning take a Post-It note and right down the three most important things that must be achieved that day. This will keep you focused.

3. Fours Ds - every email you get make sure that you do one of the following with it. Deal with it - take action immediately. Delegate it - forward it to someone for action and put a deadline on when you want it done. Delay it - schedule some time in you diary to deal with it. Dump it - delete it and not give it another thought.

4. Spend 20% of your time planning. "What?" I hear you ask! Think of it this way - if you spend the first 12 minutes of every hour planning for the other 48 I reckon you will get far more done than if you just rushed into the hour without a plan. Try it and see.

5. Fill your car up with petrol when you have time, not when your car tells you to. If you are running early for a meeting and you have half a tank, fill it up. That way your car won't be controlling you when its orange light comes on.

I encourage people to use a range of time saving and productivity improving ideas like these, no matter how small they seem. The goal should be to find an extra hour in each day and dedicate it to leading.

Cheers

Greg

As a leader, just what is your job?

I bet you have heard someone at some time in your organisation say “it’s not my job”. What they are really saying is “I am not prepared to take responsibility for that”. If too many people take that line, no one is taking responsibility for anything and drama unfolds. It is the job of a leader to first understand and accept what their job is and then create an environment where everyone else does too.

When someone takes responsibility for something they are really saying “I am happy to be held accountable for this. I am happy to accept the blame for the outcome. It is my duty to do this”. Can you imagine if everyone in your organisation was crystal clear about what they were responsible for and indeed took responsibility for it? I have no doubt that it would be a happier and more productive organisation.

It is useful for a leader to reflect on and define just what their job is. I use an activity called 'It's My Job' and it's designed to clarify a leader's responsibilities (click here for a free download). It asks a leader to think about their commitments in three areas - themselves, their organisation and the individuals they work with.

For example, when it comes to themselves, a leader is responsible for things like their attitude, their words, their actions and their health. In regard to an organisation or team, a leader is responsible for the culture, the vision, the reputation and results. In relation to individuals in the organisation, it’s a leaders job to provide clear expectations, opportunities for growth and development and to create an environment where people are inspired to do their best.

As a leader, are you living up to your responsibilities? Are you even clear about what they are? Make a start by defining just what your job is. You’ll be amazed at the clarity it provides. 

Cheers

Greg