Category: Leadership

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One thing I enjoy is collecting quotes – about leadership, about success, about inspiration. I’ve been doing it for more than a decade. Whenever I come across a good one, I drop it into a Word document. So far, there are 19 pages and more than 300 inspirational citations from famous people. Often, when I’m looking for motivation or a spark for new ideas, I’ll open up the file and start reading.

Here are three of my favorites:

“If everyone is thinking alike then somebody isn’t thinking.” ~ George Patton

“Don’t measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.” ~ John Wooden

“Do something every day that scares you.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

I’ve wondered if these sayings attributed to legendary people came ‘off the cuff’ in a newspaper interview, were published in a book or carefully crafted in preparation for a speech. I’ve also thought about how many things these leaders must have said during their lifetimes… and they’re remembered for just a few words. (See: Truman, Harry S. ~ “If you can’t stand the heat…”)

Yet a few words are all it takes to communicate a wonderful thought. Recently we were in a restaurant and, returning from the restroom, I poked my head in the kitchen. (Hey, I’m a coach… curiosity is what I do!) Written in large letters on a white board – surrounded by names of employees, schedules, specials and which menu items to push – were four words that speak volumes: “Earn your job everyday.”

With four people looking for work for every single opening in this country, that’s a great motivator for employees. Put more directly: “Phone it in, and you’ll be gone.” I guess the true power of a memorable quote is the carefully chosen words that convey the desired message.

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Delicious Result

My wife’s book club skipped this month’s meeting and attended the movie version of a novel they read: “The Help.” Afterwards, they wanted to go to a restaurant, have dessert and discuss the film. Kathy checked out a couple of nearby eateries’ websites and selected one that remained open late on a Wednesday night. Arriving just ahead of her group at 9:58, she went inside and the hostess said, “I’m sorry, we close at 10.” Kathy said, “But your website says you’re open until 11.” The hostess replied: “Oh, that’s our midtown location.”

Kathy asked to speak to the manager.  Although he arrived quickly, she had the website on her phone to show him. “I have seven women coming here to talk about a movie we just saw,” she said. “Your website says you close at 11. It doesn’t say that’s just your other location.” Without hesitating, he said: “Not a problem. We’ll be happy to stay open just for you.”

Of course, the easier, less expensive response – and more typical one – would have been: “Ma’am, I’m sorry for the confusion. The home office is responsible for the website, and I guess it is confusing. I’ll be sure to tell them to correct that.” Then gently escort my wife out the door to face her friends alone. Instead, this astute leader created a huge win for his company. Eight women had a happy ending to their evening, and I’m guessing told lots of people about the incredible service at this establishment.

How would your employees have handled a similar situation?

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Center Point

Four of my friends from church and I have lunch together once a month, rotating who picks the restaurant. These 90-minute gatherings are simply the ‘in person’ part of what plays out in email between gatherings. During those written discussions we share editorials from various online newspapers, comment on the happenings in the world and trade a lot of friendly barbs – always in good humor and with the purpose of getting each other to think. Sometimes these dialogues may happen frequently on a good news day.

While all of us fall to the right on the political pendulum, I am the one who sits closest to the middle. In fact, I jokingly refer to myself as, “The liberal Catholic among us.” One of our recent exchanges was about the budget deficit standoff and who was at fault. The member who leans waaaay toward conservative blamed the president and Democrats for their insistence that a tax hike be included in any new legislation. I assumed my typical role – playing devil’s advocate: “What about those Tea Party members who refuse to budge on any of their tenets, even if it leads to an agreement?” His response: “They’re doing the right things. The other side is wrong.”

To me this is a microcosm of the biggest challenge impacting leadership. Whenever someone takes the position of ‘I think it, so it must be correct,” there is the danger of missing the opportunity to create a better result. It’s only through a willingness to hear other ideas and consider different approaches that true growth occurs. Lines in the sand and one-sided viewpoints don’t lead to change. They simply keep things heading down the same path.

This month it’s my turn to choose where to eat. When I gave two options and said we could decide the morning of lunch, one of my group wrote, “Sounds like you’re kicking the can down the road, just like Congress.” I wrote back: “Actually, I’m trying to model that the art of compromise happens every day in the real world… and usually makes for a more enjoyable meal.”

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Modest Proposal

With the nation days away from what President Obama called ‘Economic Armageddon,’ the sides negotiating a solution seem destined to raise the debt ceiling and ‘kick the can down the road’ until after the 2012 election. It appears his request that we ‘eat our peas’ might not happen. (Of course, as the NFL proved yesterday, hard deadlines tend to inspire quick resolutions to challenging disagreements… so stay tuned.)

During a coaching session this morning, a client asked for my thoughts on the deadlock among House Republicans, Senate Democrats and the White House. “It’s sad we’ve come to this point,” I said. “You would think there would be a sense of statesmanship for finding common ground, giving on some positions and resolving differences.” His reply made me think.

“It’s the fable of the scorpion and the frog playing out,” he said. “Our elected leaders are willing to stand on ideological ground – even if it means catastrophe – then shrug their shoulders and say, ‘What did you expect? You knew we were politicians when you elected us.'”

I believe there is a solution to change that attitude: term limits. Six years for the president, eight years for a senator, four years for a representative. No reelection campaigns. No additional fundraising. Work everyday you’re in office to make things better… and go get a job afterward. That’s how it works for Boards in the charitable world; do your time and move on for fresh ideas and new energy. (Key: Stagger the first few years so everyone doesn’t leave at once, then keep it in place for, say, a few centuries.)

While I’m not a Constitutional Law expert, I’m guessing Congress would have to pass this bill and the president would need to sign it. There’s probably a better chance of them agreeing to tax hikes and deficit reduction in the next seven days than that happening. Of course, every sweeping change throughout history started with someone asking, “Why does it have to be this way?”

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Inconsistent Behavior

During a recent business trip the airplane scheduled for our outbound flight was delayed by bad weather. After arriving at the airport 90 minutes before our 8:30 a.m. departure, we suddenly had two additional hours on our hands. The five of us decided to relax and enjoy a sit-down breakfast at one of the franchise restaurants in the terminal. Service: Good. Food: Fine. Value: Excellent. One of our party commented, “I’d come here again.”

Three days later upon arriving at the airport for the early morning return flight home, we again faced an extended wait. As luck would have it, the same restaurant was right next to our gate. We decided if it worked in once, we should eat there again. How did things turn out the second time? Service: Weak. Food: Poor. Value: Minimal.

Our waitress had an attitude and didn’t want to be there. Since the choices were limited, each of us ordered the exact same thing. These portions were smaller and taste was missing. When the bill arrived I took out the receipt from the first meal and discovered there was a $15 difference in the amount. Turned out some of the things that came ‘standard’ in Houston were ‘extra’ in Louisville. That same traveling companion said, “I’ll never eat at this restaurant again.”

Customers have expectations with a franchise that it will deliver the same experience every time. That’s why McDonald’s french fries and Baskin-Robbins ice cream taste the same wherever you are in the world. When a rogue franchisee fails to fulfill those promises, it affects the entire brand. I flew again a few weeks later, and – walking by the location here – thought, “Your Louisville buddy ruined it for you.”

The result is the same in your organization, even if you’re not a franchise. You set the bar on how I expect to be treated. Fail to live up to those lofty goals – whether it’s quality or service or value – and chances are you’ll lose me forever.

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