July 2024
“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
Sir Isaac Newton 1643-1727
Happy July!!
I once worked with a manager who worked very hard and long hours. One day she told me that she always felt that if she worked just a bit longer and just a bit harder, she would eventually “get there.” Interesting comment from a smart person. Similarly, I talked today with the owner of a company who shared with me his wish that things would just some day “settle down,” if even only for a few minutes. The truth is that not only do you never “get there,” but things also never really “settle down.” Life may seem to be going fine for a time, but it doesn’t stay that way for long. Just wait a minute! “Getting there” and “settling down” are places that are only in the abstract for leaders. However, leaders need to incessantly seek these seemingly unattainable goals, while knowing that there will never be a point of arrival. Deon Newbronner, a long-time leadership coach, says, “I’ve come to realize that the only permanence is impermanence.” Thus, leaders should never quit, but rather stay in the game for the long haul.
Leaders need only look around themselves to find people standing on their shoulders. As leaders, we are just as certainly standing on the shoulders of others. Going it alone is not something that leaders should do. It is an ongoing act of “carrying people” and “being carried.” Everyone is looking for someone on whose shoulders they can stand, and leaders should be looking for opportunities to let others stand on their shoulders. Maybe as leaders, we could have a short list of five things each day we could provide to our employees (or to mankind, for that matter): integrity, respect, communication, enthusiasm, and opportunities. These are only five, but I think they are a strong five! We have all, most likely, read a lot of books and papers on leadership. They generally have a list like “Top Ten Steps of Leadership” or something like that. Any of us could do the same, but my view is to not overcomplicate the issue.
On our journey, we must be sure that negative people do not interfere with us in our efforts. Be careful of those that are only pretenders to the throne of leadership. Albert Einstein tells us to “stay away from negative people that have a problem for every solution.” Like the mighty atom that Einstein studied, made up of three atomic particles (protons, electrons, and neutrons). I have found that people are frequently like the atom, in that we find protons, neutrons, or electrons. Protons, the positively charged particles are what we all hope to be! Leaders must be protons! However, too many in our population are electrons or negatively charged particles/people that Einstein warned us about.
In coaching, whether it be in sports or in business, we must never tolerate, for too long, team members who have bad attitudes. As a matter of fact, they are probably not really “team members” anyway. Tolerating electrons may ultimately cause leaders to lose the respect of their protons and neutrons, or at the very least confuse them. Last month, I told you that I thought of wearing a name tag that said, “I am a WHO!” This month, I’m thinking of getting a T-shirt with a big + on it with the words, “I am a Proton”. (But maybe not- smile)
Believe in your people, and you'll get results “The Pygmalion effect says that teachers who believe in their students act in ways that help those children achieve better results -- and a similar effect can be found in the corporate world,” writes Kevin Eikenberry. “By viewing everyone as a potential star and encouraging that belief,” he argues, “leaders can help anyone recognize and fulfill their potential.”
When was the last time you heard a good Calvin Coolidge quote? Thirtieth President of the United States
“Doubters do not achieve, skeptics do not contribute, cynics do not create.”
Michael M. Carney mr.mikecarney@gmail.com
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