“Unless commitments are made, there are only promises and hopes; but no plans”

-Peter Drucker

Yesterday a client canceled an appointment.  Big deal?  Depends.  Emergencies happen.  But I can predict with 100% accuracy whether a client is floundering or flourishing simply by whether he or she keeps these commitments. 

The flounderers do not call me directly, they have their assistants do it; the conversation usually goes something like this: ”So sorry, something’s come up with Mr. Flounder, we didn’t anticipate it.  I really apologize for the inconvenience.  Can we reschedule?”

When you’re having trouble meeting your commitments there are three reasons: 

1.  Failure to set priorities. 

2.  Activities not aligned with those priorities.

3.  An issue with commitment.

If any of the above sound familiar, read on. 

Failure to Set Priorities

If your issue is setting priorities, then it’s time to get real about what really matters to you.  The quality of your questions determines the quality of your answers.  Questions you might ask yourself are:

• What are my top priorities, really? 
• How will I accomplish these this year? 
• What will be the impact when I’m finished? 
• And how do I know that this is what I should be doing?”

Activities Not Aligned with Priorities

If you suspect that the issue is not priorities, but alignment, then it is time for tough love with your calendar.  Everything should be related to one of your priorities.  Take 10 minutes to spin through the next two months and see whether this is the case.  If not, it explains why you’re getting to the end of your days feeling frustrated.  

If it’s important enough to do, then it is important enough to put on your calendar.  Write in each activity related to a priority. Leave white space for meetings, calls, and emergencies (there will be plenty of those) and don’t allow yourself to fill it up with “nice to do” stuff.  If you aren’t sure, put it in as tentative, and don’t commit.   And, don’t allow anyone access to your calendar unless they are completely apprised of your priorities and you are absolutely assured they will run interference and guard your time like gold bars at Fort Knox.

An Issue with Commitment

If the issue is inability to commit, well, that’s a horse of a different color.  Short of taking up space on a therapists couch for a few years, what can you do to address commitment issues?  Remember there is a difference between interest and commitment.  I’m interested in learning to play golf, and what that means is I will probably do it when circumstances permit- when I’m traveling to a conference at a beautiful resort in Arizona I’ll set up a lesson with a pro.  However, I am committed to writing a third book.  I had a call with my publisher, McGraw Hill two weeks ago.  Last week I scheduled time to brainstorm book outlines and wrote three of them during that two hour period, and I will share those with my agent when we meet on Friday from 2 to 4 pm.  You get the idea.  As the saying goes, when you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, just results.

I’m interested in hearing from you about the challenges of meeting commitments.  It isn’t getting any easier - our companies have fewer resources, the time pressures are greater than ever, and the Blackberry vampires are sucking our time dry.  Hit leave a reply to offer real ideas about meeting commitments.

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Last night Jeff Taylor and I were invited to speak to the Harvard Business School Alumni Association.   When you share the stage with Jeff, get ready for a great ride because he’s cool and he’s got cool stories.  You  should have been there watching the audience as he described taking a dare to ski three miles towed by a blimp, at 30 MPH in a quest to break a record set by the flamboyant Richard Branson of Virgin. 

As founder of Monster.com Jeff has a lot of these stories.  In 1999 when Monster.com was just hitting its stride but certainly not yet “monstrous,” he spent a fortune to buy Super Bowl ads which flopped.  You might remember the ads depicted kids saying things like, “When I grow up, I want to claw my way into middle management.” What happened?  “We were being ironic.  It didn’t work with a bunch of guys drinking beer in front of a game.”  Ultimately the ads kept running, caught on like mad, and rest is history.  

There were more stories.  At the 2002 Winter Olympics Taylor spent four million bucks to build a snow labarynth and it was the warmest on record.  Just in time as the snow was melting the Today Show called and he got four minutes on live TV.  ”Matt ran through the thing in no time and thought no big deal.  Al was holding a flag just stuck in the middle,” says Taylor.  “Katie gets stuck, backs out, starts again, and says now she gets it.  Sometimes in your career you have to back up and start over.  It was incredible,” says Taylor. 

As often happenes when I go out to speak, I get more than I give.   Watching Jeff regale this crowd of Business School grads (though he himself took 23 years to graduate from college) was more fun than anything else I’ve done this week, or this month for that matter.  Here’s a CEO who gets it on so many levels. 

When I interviewed him for Motivate Like a CEO last year, he told me that he had noticed as his company grew, his role changed.  He went from founder to CEO to Chief Monster, his favorite role, where he went out and built the brand by going everywhere he was invited and speaking to just about anyone who would have him.  He got really good at speaking.  Not only is he a great storyteller, he openes up and shares everything - humor, emotion, personal insights, reflections - it’s no holds barred.  A lot of people in the audience might have assumed that he was a natural, but as he told me last year, and as he told the audience last night, he works at it, and keeps working at it.  He says he  really believes that Woody Allen line about 80% of success is about showing up.  “I just got back from Iceland where I was invited to judge an entrepreneurs contest.  They’re trying to save Iceland.  Why do I go?  I’m not sure.  But I’ve been showing up for a long time and it works.”

Jeff has two companies now - Eons - an online community for baby boomers, and a spinoff called Tributes.com for online obituaries.  If you’ve read Motivate Like a CEO you know that coming up with big ideas and inspiring others to get behind them is one of the characteristics of successful leaders.  One of the best questions last night were about where leaders get these “big ideas.”  “I have ideas all the time - I’m in the shower, I get an idea, and then I get out, and I forget.  I have to get back in the shower to find the idea,” he says.  “I wake up in the night, with a pad of paper next to the bed, and write them down.”  Of course everybody HAS ideas, says Jeff.  It’s those who ACT on them who make things happen and attract other people who are excited about them too.

You know the blimp ski story?  Jeff says the coolest thing was that as he was bumping along, he was hit by a huge wake left by a barge and wiped out.  All 500 of his employees were gathered in the cafeteria watching it live.  They went wild.  They loved it.  Working for Jeff was like that.  “We had the absolute best culture at Monster.  People loved working there.”  What you have to appreciate about Jeff is he gets that.  When he dons his skis, or builds snow forts, he’s out to have fun, and he also knows how his employees will feel about it.  He’s their leader.  

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Leadership guy Jon Gordon is writing about a timely topic. The author of  Playing to Win, What the Best do Better Than Everyone Else, and Training Camp, Ten Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work and team with Positive Energy, writes this week that “There was a time in most of our lives when we had no fear-that feeling when we jumped from the jungle gym and slammed our little bodies to the ground.”  He says we “felt there was nothing we couldn’t do.”  Yet somewhere along the way Gordon notes that we start to understand what it means to be fearful, and “let fear into our lives.”  And this of course, changes the way we approach our careers and our lives.

This is a timely message.  Even the most intrepid, courageous leader has been battered by tough economic times.  No question that the downturn has helped us focus on the highest priorites, improve efficiency, and execute with fewer resources.  Yet now is not the time to operate in fear. It’s time to screw up our courage, dive in the pool, and encourage our teams to do the same.  We’ve need to break away from the negative energy that is feeing our fears and insecurities; stop listening to the inner voice that says we shouldn’t or can’t.  As Gordon says, “go after our dreams.”  What’s at stake is not just the opportunity in front of us.  Living in fear can become a habit that keeps us stuck for the rest of our lives.

If you “play to lose,” and communicate this to others, then everyone in your organization will do the same.  That’s why everytime you speak with your direct reports, your teams, and your organization you need to get focused and feel the courage. People aren’t just listening to the words, they are reading between the lines.  You can’t fool them.  Take charge of your emotional state before you speak.  Communicate wih confidence. Invite others to make courageous decisions.  Make them believe in themselves.  Encourage them to lose the fear. 

As I’ve discussed in Motivate Like a CEO, leaders are the keepers of the emotional life of their organizations.  In challenging times, they must take control of their emotions and lead the way.  If you are a leader, now is the time to take an emotional inventory, before you stand up to speak.  Get in touch with your own courage, and then, light a fire; make them believe. If you live and work with zeal and act with courage they will do the same. As Gordon puts it, “overcome fear and adopt a play to win mindset.”   

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This week I’ve been thinking about that saying, “lead by example.”  The origin of this well-worn standard is a Chinese proverb, yi shen zuo ze, which means ”to set a good example,” or “set yourself as the standard.”  For thousands of years people have known that a leader’s actions must match his or her words.  As I have discussed in the 8 principles of Motivate like a CEO, great leaders walk the talk. 

But is that enough?

Yes and no.

If you work in a high functioning organization, chances are your leaders walk the talk.  They live the values.  It comes from the top down.  Leaders who live the values inspire others.  

This brings me to posting your values statements on the wall.  This is a form of communication, but it isn’t the answer to creating a values based culture. People believe what they see and hear from their leaders, not what they read on a poster. If one leader in the organization is acting by a different set of rules, people will see that individual as an outlier.  However, if employees see that more than one leader living by different standards, that’s a trend.  They’ll scoff at the values and their cynicism will foster a negative, demoralized workplace.  

So of course, leaders have to live the values.  But is that enough?

Not really.  Why?

Because in a large organization, most people don’t get to meet you.  They certainly don’t see you every day, every week or every month.  In fact, they may go years without ever shaking your hand.

However, most people will be invited to a business meeting and hear you speak; they may receive emails from you; they may hear from their own bosses about how you’ve handled certain situations.    

This is why a leader has to not just lead by example, but also talk about examples of how the organization are living by its values.  If you can’t have lunch with every employee, you need to connect with them in a personal way through the stories of the organization.  You can do this through speeches, presentations, videos and even email and blogs.  

Tell stories that demonstrate how successful people in your organiztaion are walking the talk.  Collect these stories routinely and then share how teams and groups have been living the values.  Once you start to do this people will tell you more stories about living the values and you’ll soon have a collection of these stories to share. 

The ability to share compelling stories with points through speaking and writing is a critical leadershp skill.  if you’re not sure how to find stories - think of a time when your team has faced a difficult situation.  Perhaps you disappointed a customer and had to “do right by them.”  Perhaps someone working on a project had to go above and beyond.  What happened?  Why did the team or individual make that decision?  What was the outcome?  How did it illustrate the values? What did the team learn from that experience?  How can others apply the lesson?

These are the stories that you need to share with your organization.  For your next presentation, investigate three examples of how the organization has succeeded, and analyze how those successes are tied to your values.  It will be well worth it, because when people hear a story, they remember the story, and then they remember the point.

So living by example is only half of the battle. The rest is sharing the stories with others. 

以身作则
yǐ shēn zuò zé
To set a good example / Set yourself as the standard

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It isn’t a stretch to compare what business leaders face right now with a metaphoric ”bird strike” - a catastrophic event -sudden economic meltdown -causing immediate and loss of altitude that for some could spell doom. Like U.S. Air’s heroic captain Chesley Sullenberger, we never expected it to happen.  Now, we have to think fast, evaluate the options and find a safe landing spot - where there is no traditional runway in sight. 

Captain Sullenberger, 58, has told his compelling story to the major networks, capturing the imagination of a weary nation, longing for good news.  The account is riveting:  the loud thump of birds hitting the plane, sweeping through the air system; he never saw it coming.   We can relate.  Even as the news unfolded, we didn’t expect it to be this bad.  By no fault of our own, we find ourselves in a rapid descent.  What went through Sullenberger’s mind? He told Katie Couric, ”My initial reaction was one of disbelief. This doesn’t happen to me.’”

Like Sully, we are coming to grips with the seriousness of our situation–so what can we learn from his heroism.  How can we make a safe landing in the Hudson?  What can we take away from the story of this leader with such skill and presence of mind?   

Lesson 1: Assess the Situation from your Vantage Point

When the tower recommended Sully land at Teterboro, he quickly realized it wasn’t going to happen.  “Unable” was his response.  He quickly assessed the situation, rejected the option presented based on immediate evidence in front of him, and came up with a plan he could execute.  As a leader, you have to accept the situation in front of you and make the call. There is no other way to lead when rapidly changing market events are pummeling your aircraft.  

Lesson 2: Control your Emotions

Like the captain of the damaged aircraft, many of us are experiencing emotions we haven’t felt in business before - and there is a physiological component to it.  Sullenberger said, “I had to force myself to use my training and - and force calm on the situation,” he said. 

Like the pilot in the cockpit, as a leader you must get in control of your emotions and focus on what matters.  By doing this you also have a tremendous impact on the psychology and functioning of those around you.  Survival experts say that survivors commonly are able to remain calm, believe in themselves, and focus on the future.  When doubt and worry to creep in, reject them immediately; don’t allow those emotions to impair you vision.   

Lesson 3: Visualize a successful outcome

Sullenberger credited his lifetime of experience as a pilot with preparing him to see the terrifying accident’s successful outcome.  He had spent thousands of hours in the cockpit, and more hours in a simulator, preparing for such a day.  And to the credit of the airlines, they never stopped providing this type of leadership/skill training.  Note to CEOs and organizations: don’t stop preparing and training leaders - because they need to know how to react in a crisis.

Lesson 4: Don’t look for perfect solutions.

Sullenberger said after the flashbacks and sleep trouble as he grappled to “forgive myself for not having done something else. Something better. Something more complete. I don’t know.” But as we all know, in times like these are no perfect answers.  We did not see the bird strike, we can only react and use our training, stay focused, and land the plane. 

Lesson 5: Communicate Clearly, Concisely and Accurately 

The last communication to air traffic controllers from the pilot of US Airways 1549 was direct and to the point.  “We’re gonna be in the Hudson,” he says to controllers.  He never wasted words, but he told people exactly what would happen.  “Brace for impact,” he told the passengers, a signal that also prepared the flight crew to fall back on their training, remain calm, and get passengers safely off the plane.

Lesson 6:  Balance Confidence and Humility

Anyone in Sully’s position could be forgiven if they were overwhelmed by national media attention, as well as the heartfelt letters, emails and well wishes that poured into their homes in buckets. Sully is a reluctant but gracious hero.  “I don’t feel comfortable embracing it, but I don’t want to deny it. I don’t want to diminish their thankful feeling toward me by telling them that they’re wrong. I’m beginning to understand why they might feel that way,” he said.

Peter Gibbon, author of A Call to Heroism: Renewing America’s Vision of Greatness, told CBS’s Katie Couric there are three components that make a hero: extraordinary achievement; bravery and courage; and “greatness of soul”. Sullenberger’s humility stirs the public admiration, Gibbon said.

The miserable economy may help stoke the fascination with all things “Sully,” but the pilot would be heralded regardless, said “We want our heroes to be modest. One of the appealing things about the captain is he’s everyman. He’s a reluctant hero. He’s the Gary Cooper type, and he also gives credit to the team,” said Gibbon, a senior research scholar at Boston University.

Lesson 7: Give People Hope

Something about this episode has captured people’s imagination, said Sullenberger.  “I think they want good news. I think they want to feel hopeful again. And if I can help in that way, I will.”  Likewise, as a leader, recognize that your employees are looking for reason to hope, too.  Motivating and inspiring people, telling them you believe in them and giving them hope for the future - that’s what leaders do.  Now, more than any time in our history, it’s time not just for management, but for leadership.  

In my new book, Motivate Like a CEO, I provide concrete approaches to providing hope and inspiration to your employees.  These are practical, everyday actions you can take, to communicate the right message and be in the right frame of mind.  If you contact Shellie Dunlap sdunlap@bates-communications.com I will send you our article excerpt from the book: The Eight Principles for Motivating Others Through Communication.  If you would like to be on our mailing list and receive monthly articles on leadership and communication, go to www.bates-communications.com and click on newsletter.  We’ll immediately add you to our community and send you updates on events, books and tools you can use to develop your leadership communication skills.

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Reuters reports this morning (Monday January 26, 2009) that the U.S. business climate is the worst in 27 years.  The National Association of Business Economics‘ (NABE) quarterly industry poll found that the economic slump worsened in the fourth quarter and the majority of respondents expected gross domestic product to contract at a faster pace in 2009.

“The NABE’s industry survey depicts the worst business conditions since the survey began in 1982, confirming the U.S. recession deepened in the fourth quarter of 2008,” said spokeswoman Sara Johnson.

I’m not posting this to promote the gloom and doom news.  I’m want to talk about how leaders … how you…must act now - to focus your organizations, survive and position yourself for the future. 

First, remember while times are still challenging this is historical data.  There will be an economic stimulus package out of Washington.  While the details are being hammered out - we can hope it will address both the credit crisis and lending, as well as job creation and infrastructure.

Moreover, what we need right now is for business leaders to step up and lead the way.  We need to hear from America’s top business leaders and get their voices engaged in the public discourse.   Business leaders have a role in restoring public confidence.  We cannot leave it all up to Washington.

In the meantime, what we need to recognize is in our own organizations, there is a “secondary crisis” of confidence.  As we started New Year - looking ahead to the inauguration of President Obama in sight, most of us felt hopeful about a recovery, if not immediately, at least this year. 

But the drumbeat of economic news — and the fact that we still don’t have a stimulus package is now creating a pervasive, sense of malaise in many companies that is going to take over if we don’t manage our own emotions and give people hope.

Pessimism and doubt threaten to undermine the very qualities within your organization that will speed a recovery – productivity and creativity.  This is why now more than ever, business leaders need to get out front, and motivate and inspire their teams.

As a leader, you have no control over the credit crisis or the stimulus package but you can and must manage the motivation of your own team and keep people focused on what matters now.  The biggest mistake many leaders are making at this moment– they are not communicating often enough with their own teams.  You need to open up the channels of communication, even on a daily basis – by email, blog, through meetings let everyone know how they can help – and solicit their ideas.  In crisis mode, executive teams tend to become insulated – instead they need to put more time on their calendars for communication and make sure they are in the loop with employees and customers.

While writing Motivate Like a CEO, what I saw in the interviews and research was clear - a motivated workforce is the key to building a strong culture that will survive the ups and downs of the economy.   

What’s the biggest worry on the minds of your employees?  They’re hearing that 1.9 million jobs were lost in the last four months of last year. The NABE report said job losses are expected to continue in the first half of 2009. 

Even if you are still uncertain about what lies ahead:

• Get out front with a positive message
• Tell people what you know
• Ask for their ideas - get them engaged
• Focus your message on the most important things they can do
• Communicate good news immediately, even if it’s small
• Be honest about where things stand - don’t sugarcoat
• Tell them you believe in them
• Reward and recognize achievements

Today ONLY, I want to let you know that we have a 24-hour complimentary offering of gifts, if you purchase a copy of my new book, Motivate Like a CEO, Communicate Your Strategic Vision and Inspire People to Act! 

Purchase the book, copy your confirmation number and send it to moconnor@bates-communications.com and we will send you a full page of links where you can collect dozens of complimentary gifts like audio programs, white papers, tip sheets and other valuable offers from authors and experts like Keith Ferrazzi, (Never Eat Alone); Lois Frankel (Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office); Lynn Robinson (Divine Intuition and Trust your Gut); Sheryl Lindsell Roberts (Business Writing books galore) and many, many more! 

Among those who are also “buzzing” about the book today are Jeffrey Gitomer (Little Red Book of Sales) David Allen (Getting Things Done) and we have endorsements from among others, Ken Blanchard (One Minute Manager).

Remember, copy and paste your confirmation number from amazon, and email it to Meredith O’Connor: moconnor@bates-communications.com

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The other day I was talking to the head of leadership development for a global company.  “What does it really take, when you have 30,000 employees and only 350 senior positions?” I asked. 

“The differentiation is around leadership behaviors,” she replied.

“What does that mean to you?”  I asked.

“It’s the everyday things you do that demonstrate you have it, beyond your technical abilities,” she said. “Like your management style, your leadership style, and if people trust you- if you’re well respected.  And all of those things come down to your ability to communicate.”

Too often, executives focus on how to make a big impression; the big project, the big deal, the big customer, the big whatever.  It’s not that those aren’t important.  But  the people who are making the decisions about your future are watching how you communicate every single day. 

Just something to keep in mind - on your way to the top.

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