Category: Blog

Most of us want to be able to have some influence.

Being able to influence others sometimes serves us personally (con men/women are notable and obvious examples). Sometimes, being able to influence others serves our team’s interests/positions (professional negotiators and many political leaders fit into this category). In notable (too rare) instances, being able to influence others toward a common greater good seems the underlying motivation (exemplary Servant Leaders wear this mantle).

Observing, listening to, and reading the works from that Servant Leader category reveals some powerful levers they skillfully use when “moving” others:

• They emanate a genuine disposition of CARING. They do care, and aren’t afraid to show it.
• They practice active and powerful LISTENING, ensuring that the “other” is heard, and heard well.
• They show EMPATHY in their interactions, both through trying to understand the “other” and expressing it openly.

Perseverating on past mistakes and fails can become an anchor.

Failure can mire us in doubt and misgiving and hesitation. Or, it can propel us toward betterness.

Some ways we can use the past as launching pad instead of an anchor…

• Focus on who we want to be, not on what we did or didn’t do.
• Assess carefully and articulate clearly what we think caused the fail, rather than focusing on the result of the fail.
• Don’t forget to acknowledge the wins and successes.
• Modify our behavior — resource allocation, engagement strategies, expenditure of time, etc. — toward achieving the outcomes we desire (which almost always means a “change” in previous practice).
• LEARN from the mistake/fail through examination and LEARN toward the corrective plan of action. Reflective practice, daily and intentionally, is key.

I recently read Servant Leadership at Work: Caring About People and Getting Extraordinary Results by Kent Keith (2024).

My top takeaways:
> A Servant Leader’s mindset centers on ethical, practical, and meaningful.
> Impactful Servant Leaders… Get to Know Each Other as People.
> Impactful Servant Leaders… Understand Colleagues’ Life at Work.
> Impactful Servant Leaders… Are Ethical – They Treat People Right.
> Impactful Servant Leaders… Create Strong Communities at Work.
> Impactful Servant Leaders… Help Colleagues Grow.
> Impactful Servant Leaders… Help Colleagues Find Meaning at Work.
> Impactful Servant Leaders… Help Colleagues Beyond the Workplace.
> Impactful Servant Leaders… Care About Everyone the Organization Touches.
> Find the potential – in people and processes – then optimize that potential.
> Humans are one of 50 million known species. We are part of (not apart from) nature.

My favorite quotes:

Per Robert Greenleaf: “Love is an undefinable term, and its manifestations are both subtle and infinite. But it begins, I believe with one absolute condition: unlimited liability! As soon as one’s liability for another is qualified to any degree, love is diminished by that much.” (p. 2)

Winston Churchill is quoted as saying that ‘courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.’” (p. 51)

“Simon Sinek says that as the leader, “you’re not in charge, you are responsible for those in your charge.’” (p. 95)

This book was an excellent read. Well worth the time for any who choose to be more effective Servant Leaders.

*If you’d like to read more of nc’s blatherings, go to nc’s Recursive Learning.

Organizational dysfunction is a tenacious beast.

Here are some of the culprits:

• Lack of Transparency – Healthy organizations, on the other hand, make a habit of full disclosure, honesty, and transparency with ALL stakeholders.
• Pretending – Healthy organizations, on the other hand, look the “elephant in the room” squarely in the eye, and name it openly. Then, they deal with it.
• Pettiness – Healthy organizations, on the other hand, have a persistent habit/norm of NOT letting the business become “personal.” Wearing feelings on sleeves is no way to accomplishment great things.
• Comms Voids – Healthy organizations, on the other hand, have systems in place to keep information, decisions, and expectations flowing like a steady stream. Brevity, precision in language, and consistency in communications rules! Informed teams are teams that have and feel the freedom to attend to the work.
• Freedomlessness – Empowered and healthy teams, on the other hand, feel the freedom to troubleshoot problems, innovate, dissent, and dialogue. Backroom politics are marginalized and disincentivized.

When we practice Compassion, it sorta serves as a multivitamin in our interactions with others. Compassion provides a boost to us and those with whom we engage by …

In music, harmony is the combining of notes that creates a pleasing sound. That combining happens both in simultaneous fashion (at any single moment) and in progressive fashion (as the song flows). There are numerous ways to affect harmony, but the result is that it pleases the ear and brain of the listener(s).

Harmony also occurs in personal, interpersonal and communal environments. We can “feel” it when our body/spirit is “in harmony.” Same goes for our relationships. And, we sense that same “vibe” in the organizations we are members of. It just feels right when we’re in harmony. It is noticeably unpleasing when we are not.

As one of my mentors says, “We are clearly singing the same song, but the notes don’t seem to be in harmony.”

The best leaders I know are superb at getting us to sing the same song, in harmony.

*If you’d like to read more of nc’s blatherings, go to nc’s Recursive Learning.

Experiencing pain is part of living. Some of the pain is physical, some intellectual, and some emotional/spiritual. Pain hurts, but it rarely does us in (unless we choose to be done in).

Watching some folks I respect and love deal with pain, it seems they apply one or more of the following viewpoints as they deal with it:

• They use the pain to help clarify and focus on the truly important stuff.
• They examine the pain and its antecedents carefully, seeking to learn the embedded lessons for future living.
• They apply the experience of personal pain toward being more understanding of and empathetic toward others who are living with it.
• They realize that pain is often the result of pushing our limits, which usually leads to improved performance.
• They appreciate that pain almost always humbles us, and humbleness is truly a virtue.

The holiday season is in the air. Pretty hard to miss.

Sitting in numerous business meetings and other human gatherings this week, I was reminded that our Presence is a gift. Though a gift of great value, it doesn’t cost us much to share it.

Giving the Present of Presence means lending to the engagement:

• Our full attention to the Other(s)
• Our eyes
• Our ears
• Our open body language
• Our brain/thinking
• Our participation in the chatter
• Our inclusion of others in that chatter
• Our expressions of care (whether we agree or not)

Those who serve in leadership roles (e.g., parent, teacher, manager, coach, captain, CEO, …) know full well that the world is not a black-n-white environment. Most of the decisions leaders make land squarely in the world of grayness. The higher up the leadership food chain we move, the grayer the world gets.

The leaders I value and study subscribe closely to some common principles when making those inevitable and numerous GRAY decisions that come their way:

• They refuse to engage in or condone unethical/illegal behavior.
• They seek counsel from wise others (when time permits).
• They start always from a position of “do no harm.”
• They strive for fundamental fairness.
• They press always for the common good.

One reality of leadership is that most of the easy decisions never come through our door. Those decisions get made in the customer service division, or in Room 174, or out in the field, or at the worksite, or… The gray ones, however, have a persistent way of landing on our desk or in our inbox.

Happy deciding…

*If you’d like to read more of nc’s blatherings, go to nc’s Recursive Learning.