Friday Reflections

A Leader Leads.

POINT TO PONDER

Example is leadership. 

             -Albert Schweitzer

 

STORYLINE by Rajiv Shah

If you are a football fan, as I am, then you are most likely gearing up to watch the Superbowl this coming weekend. But my thoughts are not on the New York Giants or New England Patriots but on a team that lost two weeks ago in heartbreaking fashion, the San Francisco 49ers. I'm still reeling over Kyle Williams' two, yes two, miffed punt returns that led to scores that shouldn't have happened and put the New York Giants in the Super Bowl. The two scores were fatal as the final score read: 20 - 17 in favor of the Giants. And yet, amidst the loss and my misdirected blame towards Kyle Williams, the 49ers have managed to teach me about teamwork in a way I couldn't have expected. It is what I share with you here this week.

    If you don't know the story Kyle Williams is a second string receiver that was put into the NFC Championship game after the starting kick returner, Ted Ginn Jr., was out due to injury. So in the biggest game of young Kyle Williams' life, he wanted to shine. Shine he did not. He ultimately let his whole team and a great city down. If you need a recap here's a video that should catch you up:

 

    But this reflection is not about just the doom and gloom. Mistakes happen and great leadership is needed most in times of peril. What impressed me and much of the media was the way the team handled the mistake and the missed chance of a trip to the Super Bowl. It was an example of the tone Jim Harbaugh sets with his players - one that could be seen in what he did with a team in his first year as head coach - that was last year 6-10 (under coach Mike Singletary) and did not even make the playoffs with much of the same personnel.  Following the defeat 49er players circled around Kyle Williams, patting him on the shoulder, encouraging him to keep his head up, and telling the media that he wasn't the one to blame that they all could have played better. Jim Harbaugh did not blame Kyle Williams and neither did his teammates, they won together and lost together. It was truly one of the redeeming things that you could take away from the loss - that the leadership creates that team atmosphere - and that the future does indeed look bright. 

 

STORYLINE

 How easy is it to pass on blame when things go awry? Very easy, as I myself am guilty. I am only a spectator and I blamed Kyle Williams for the season. Is it fair of me to do this when his own teammates stand up for him? That's when I realized the true substance of this team, what the leadership instilled in them, and what I could ultimately learn from this football team.

    Leadership and integrity, true winners, are not about passing the buck. They take ownership over their failures and successes. It could have been too easy for Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers to blame Kyle Williams for the loss. Winning happens, so does losing, but what counts is how you handle it as a team. The nature of a team is set by the leadership and Jim Harbaugh has led by example. 

    How the 49ers handled the loss - and Kyle Williams - reminds me of one my favorite Rumi quotes: "Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I will meet you there." 

    Enjoy the Superbowl!

What Are You Selling?

POINT TO PONDER

Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life...

                    -Khalil Gibran

STORYLINE by Rajiv Shah. Excerpt from “The Everything Selling Book” by Marguerite Smolen.

I'm working constantly at selling my wares to prospective buyers. It seems that I have had some difficulty as of late and have turned to simple sales books to help me in my quest to help solve my dilemma. In a passage from “The Everything Selling Book” by Marguerite Smolen, an experiment really stood out and highlights attitudes we might have that extend far beyond the sales world and into other professions as well. The experiment is this: from the lines below which word highlighted in each line, in your view, is the most important in becoming a successful salesperson?

 

1. To succeed at sales, you must sell.

2. To succeed at sales, you must sell.

3. To succeed at sales, you must sell.

4. To succeed at sales, you must sell.

5. To succeed at sales, you must sell.

 

According to Smolen, if you picked #1, it seems that the focus is results oriented. That can be good for meeting numbers but might also be limiting in hearing the customers needs if selling is the end all and be all. It is based on an external motivator.

For #2 the word 'sales' suggests a thing you do which can be looked at as a separate entity. Depending on how you feel about sales will determine how you approach the task. It puts focus on something that you can distance yourself from. Thoughts like, “I'm not really a salesperson,” will often come into play and can be limiting. Or, I am great at sales and it motivates you to get better.

Choosing #3 suggests that you are not necessarily wanting to sell but you 'must' for a variety of different reasons. We often don't like doing things we have to do, things we feel we are forced to, and a feeling of 'must' comes with negative emotions towards that action. Sometimes a must can motivate us as well but it is often dictated by forces we often feel are out of our control.

If you were drawn to #4, the word 'succeed' is the end goal. Often we focus on success rather than the tasks in front of us that allow us to achieve it. It is putting the focus on the future, about success that is coming rather than doing the work in the moment in order to achieve it. Success is the result that comes from process.

Choosing #5 is internally motivated. It focuses on you and what your values are and how you execute your own personal mission statement. Who you are, what state you are in, and how you treat others is what you receive in return. You are the most important part of the process and are in control of your own destiny. Of course, one can always be too focused on themselves, their process, and are not able to be flexible or hear customer needs.

REFLECTION

Each choice has its positive and negative attributes. There isn't right or wrong, just ways we can improve, and we can always do that. Recognizing who we are and what we are motivated by are important, but how we choose to implement that into action is what really counts.

 

 

 

Kill the Weeds or Grow the Grass?

Point to Ponder:

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal,  a time to tear down and a time to build… 

                                            - Ecclesiastes 3, New International Version (NIV)

 

Storyline: by Jim and Leigh Mulready

My neighbor surveyed his precious lawn, the lawn he had lavished hard work on since he bought his home.  His labor and attention to detail had provided him with a beautiful, flawless expanse of grass for many years, and it was a great source of pride for him, but now the unthinkable had happened.  His yard had been invaded by ugly weeds.  He despised the newcomers and swore vengeance upon them.  For this task, he did his research and identified the best, most experienced and most knowledgeable garden expert in the entire area.

    The expert performed a full analysis: he noted the soil and the climate, the sun exposure and watering cycle, the type and condition of the grass, the type and condition of the weeds, how deep their roots went, how dense they were in the lawn, etc.  In short, after a full day of observation, measurement, and research, he was able to provide the homeowner with a full Problem Description.  The owner listened intently, looking forward to the imminent destruction of the trespassers.

    “Now, I just need to know what you want me to do,” said the expert.  “Should I kill the weeds, or should I grow the grass?”

    “What?” said my neighbor, puzzled.  “What kind of choice is that?”

    “Well, I can come in here with some chemicals and kill the weeds,” was the reply.  “They’ll be dead in no time.  Of course, that will weaken the grass a bit too.  It will take awhile to recover, and during that time it will be more susceptible to other types of weeds and diseases.  It will take a lot of extra effort to get it back to where it was before the weeds moved in. 

    “Or, I can grow the grass.  I can simulate the lawn to greater health, and over time it will get so strong it will simply crowd the weeds out and they’ll be gone.  That will certainly take longer than the chemicals would to get rid of the weeds, but you’ll have a much healthier lawn when I’m done, and it will certainly be more resistant to other problems.

    “So, what do you want me to do,” he concluded, “kill the weeds, or grow the grass?”

 

Reflection:

Engineers, through training and habit, spend most of their time fixing problems (killing the weeds); indeed for many that’s where the satisfaction of the job is: “I’m a problem solver.”  But how many of them spend time thinking about how to grow the grass (improve the processes and systems)?  If you’re a manager, do you ask your people to spend part of their time growing the grass, or are you happiest when they’re busy killing the weeds because the results are so quick and easy to advertise?  Excellence only comes through patient improvement over the long term.

The Greatest Punch Was the One He Never Threw

POINT TO PONDER 

“We're all fighting for the same cause and idea but we have different reasons and different approaches."                                                

                                                                                                        -Muhammad Ali

STORYLINE by Rajiv Shah

It is approaching Muhammad Ali's 70^th birthday this week and as an avid boxing fan I would like to pay tribute to the man who simply became known as “The Greatest.” His boxing accolades, championships, and triumphs are well known: three time world championships, an Olympic gold medal winner, and in 1999, Ali was crowned "Sportsman of the Century" by Sports Illustrated and "Sports Personality of the Century" by the BBC.

Add to this a man that could rhyme poetry, who spoke openly about his religious beliefs, and who protested the Vietnam War by refusing to fight a war he didn't believe in. A refusal that caused the United States of America to strip Ali of his title, his boxing license, and four of the most precious years a young boxer has in fighting career.

I watched a talk show with the young Ali where he was asked if he regretted his decision to evade the draft. The punishment was severe and was it really all worth it? His response was, “...if I regretted it, it wasn't sincere.”

The talk show host pointed out that when Ali's conviction was overturned that he didn't seem the least bit resentful of the Supreme Court or the men that had taken boxing away from him.

Ali responded, “I would be a hypocrite if I did because I expected them to recognize me for what I believed. And they did what they thought was right at the time they took my title, at the time they wouldn't let me box nowhere in the country. They just did what they thought was right. And for me now to sue them or to condemn them, or to speak out against them for doing what they thought was right – then this would be hypocritical - at the same time I expect them, though they didn't, to recognize me for what I believe. So how can I get on them for doing what they thought was right?”

REFLECTION

There was a humor and a humanity to Muhammad Ali that seemed to belie the savage nature of the sport he dominated. Ali is a study in that contrast that has grasped our fascination with him as an athlete and man for so many decades. George Foreman spoke of Ali's greatness in the documentary, “Facing Ali.” In the film Foreman recounts the famous “Rumble in the Jungle” fight that took place in Kinshasa, Zaire in 1974. He says the best punch of that fight was never landed. Foreman said that as he was stumbling and headed for the canvas in the eight round, Ali could have easily punched him on the way down. Ordinarily, boxers will finish off the collapsing fighter but Ali didn't. He kept his fist cocked but didn't deliver the blow. There was something humane about not throwing the punch - something aesthetically beautiful in a moment of pure brutality – that made Ali the greatest fighter in Foreman's estimation. Happy birthday to the greatest, Muhammad Ali. 

Click on the photo above for a 1min and 30sec video of the Greatest of All Time. 

 

 

The Best Way to Predict the Future is to Create It.

POINT TO PONDER

“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.”

                                        -William Shakespeare

STORYLINE by Rajiv Shah

As a professional personal trainer, the beginning of the year is often the busiest. Sign ups for gym membership increase, trainers litter gym floors introducing recently new clients to their programs, and good intentions are at a fevered pitch.

    “I want to lose 15 pounds,” says one client.

    “I want to fit back into my bikini by summer,” says another.

    “At least 2 inches have to come off my waist.”

    “I just want to look buffer.”

    Sound familiar? Then what happens? Clients throw themselves into training at a frantic pace, force themselves to diet rigorously, and by mid-March or sooner, they have abandoned their goals altogether.

    Then there's the gadget fads that never seem to die out. The AB-roller, the shake weight, slimming belts, diet pills, and the list goes on and on. I get asked questions all the time about which new tool is the most effective, to which I respond, “hard work and perseverance.”

REFLECTION

You are accountable for your destiny. Procrastination is a killer. It feeds on your fears and stops you before you even start. Push through it this year.

    As a personal trainer I hear excuses all the time. I'm too busy, I'm too tired, or eventually the kiss of death, "I don't believe this is meant for me anymore." All these reasons not to do it and yet we go on complaining about our weight and health, ultimately making excuses for why it isn't happening.

    Fitness is just one example of this mode of thought, but it is prevalent in other areas of our life as well. Whether it be starting that new business, writing that novel you've had on your mind, or taking that trip that's long overdue.

    What I find works - for the clients that do lose the weight (and keep it off), who feel healthy, and get the results - is simple but not easy. It takes an acknowledgement of the fears and judgement, to show up anyway, put in the work, find positive associations to the work, and keep showing up. Slowly, successful clients adjust their diet - at a pace they can handle, often in small increments - and eventually they get results.The results come when you put in the work and they last when you skip the shortcuts.

    Ultimately, it's up to you. Take your destiny into your own hands in 2012 and stop waiting for tomorrow. If you want something, go after it. There is no other time but now.