Sometimes The Obvious Is Not So Easy

Leadership Is Permanent

I know I am not perfect.  I was not made perfect.  I fail to operate perfectly.  It is something that is and will forever remain consistent in my human life.  I will forever live an imperfect life.  Guess what?  That process is exactly the same process you get to manage in your life.  You have exactly the same kind of afflictions running parallel to the processed patterns you manage in your life.  You, also, are not perfect.  This truth is a fact that is placed along side every single one of us human beings.  We are not and will never be perfect people.  Quit pretending this is not true.  We all know the truth.  Face it, admit it and move on.  Sometimes the obvious is not so easy.

I have had rotten things in my life occur.  I have generated rotten things to occur in my life.  Sometimes I have been innocent and sometimes I am as guilty as they come.  Bad things happen.  Some of those really bad things are not so easy to deal with and can become bigger thorns than we care to expose.  I think we all would be amazed at what dark secrets everyone finds worth hiding inside the soul of our own minds.  Some of those dark secrets would be very embarrassing to us if they were ever to come out.  We all have them.  Sometimes the obvious is not so easy.

If you lead people in any capacity, you have made the decision to manage a strong relationship with the right to manage higher levels of responsibility.  Certain levels of responsibility come with the territory of leadership.  When you decide to become a leader in any form, you decide to accept this truth.  Sometimes the obvious is not so easy to accept.  Just because it is not so easy to accept does not mean you get to ignore its truth.  Nobody is immune to the written and unwritten rules of leadership.  Those rules come with the territory.  We will be held to the standards those rules deliver.  That will happen with or without our compliance.  Leadership comes with a price.  Leaders either pay that price or suffer.  Sometimes the obvious is not so easy.

I have sat on the 'hot' seat many times in my life.  I can tell you it is not a very comfortable seat to enjoy.  I hate it.  I refuse to sit on it for fun.  I am a tough personality but I do not like the 'hot' seat very much.  The 'hot' seat can wreck lives.  It can destroy people and ruin their public personalities.  It can eat away at the most very private sections in their protected personal lives.  Mistakes that become serious mistakes, the ones that wick off the general public at high levels are the mistakes that can do this kind of damage.  Leaders have a serious responsibility to refrain from making mistakes of this nature.  Big public mistakes are the ones they must refrain from stepping into.  Unfortunately, sometimes the obvious is not so easy to do.  We may be leaders but we are still human beings.  We have our own set of weaknesses we still manage to overcome.  We are not perfect people.  Sometimes the obvious is not so easy to do.

Business ownership includes leadership.  When we decide to go into business for ourselves, we decide to accept the rules of the road that leadership brings.  We may not fully understand that process but we become part of its truth with or without our approval.  We will be held to higher standards of life performance.  Welcome to leadership.  It comes with the territory.  That is what leadership brings.  Sometimes the obvious is not so easy.  True leadership hurts.  True leadership can destroy lives.  It damages careers.  It burns people out.  It destroys relationships.  True leadership, as in the military and public safety, can result in death.  Leadership has with it some very tall responsibilities.  I did not write these rules.  I just know what they are.  I lead in my business world.  That is how I am wired.  I do not misunderstand what high levels of responsibility I accept by the very nature of the things I do.  That is why I must keep reminding myself how to act, how to lead and how to treat the people around me.  Even though I am not a perfect soul, I must keep thinking and reminding myself how my actions will affect the others I pass by.  That is exactly how leadership works.  If you own a business, you have the very exact same level of responsibilities in your leadership patterns.  Whether you like it or not, you must accept these rules of the leadership road.  Sometimes the obvious is not so easy to do.

Joe Paterno, you must do the right thing.  It is the part of our lives that leaders hate to face.  Sometimes the obvious is not so easy.  Leaders want to duck out of the light when the light gets real ugly.  Guess what?  So do I.  Sometimes the obvious is not so easy.  Doing the next right thing is all about becoming a very good and strong leader.  It is not about protecting who you are.  That kind of effort is not on the top of the list when a leader is faced with the 'hot' seats of life.  Nobody cares about how much the price of leadership hurts the leader when something publicly wrong hits the surface of view.  We all expect the leaders to do the next right thing.  That is exactly how leadership works.  That is exactly why we call it the way we see it.  We hold our leaders to higher standards than we would ever expect from ourselves.  We define each pattern of life differently.  Leaders are the ones who lead a different life.  They must pay a higher price, in our view.  That is why we call it the "price of leadership."  It carries a high price.  Sometimes the obvious is not so easy.

Why Add Disadvantage To The Next Move?

A Bad Next Move...

A Good Next Move...

I was insulating one of my sections where my exterior landscaping sprinkler system is located.  The section where six of the line valves are lined up in a row has always been sitting above ground next to the family room of my house.  I decided to build an attractive winter insulated box to cover those exposed valves.  One year it got pretty cold and one of the lines broke from the freeze.  I must not have gotten all of the water drained from it at the end of fall.  Building the box is like adding an extra step to ensure those pipes do not break in the freezing winter cold.  It was a short project.  I figured it might take me a few hours, start to finish.  I was correct.  I had the materials and I just cleaned up my shop and re-arranged everything on the shelf a couple of weekends ago.  I was in good shape to tackle this project.  My next move was ready to go.  No disadvantage in sight!

I took Monday off so I could do a few things around the house to winterize.  One of those things was to insulate that line of sprinkler valves.  After my wife left to do her work, I got started.  I took a short cup of coffee outside and began measuring for my initial cuts.  I took out the necessary tools and set up a cutting area for the work to begin.  I was not in a rush and things were moving along very smoothly.  While I was working on the insulation box, I noticed a couple of other maintenance issues that could also be done.  I did them while I was working on this project.  That was a very good 'next' move.  Those maintenance issues were some of the insignificant ones that I have been putting off because they were needed but not necessarily urgent.  I did not really have those extra things on my list but now they are done.  Advantage, me.  I was feeling pretty sparky.  A guy outside in the late fall with his tools doing stuff that is needed to be done.  Having a cup of coffee once in awhile and enjoying the project work.  Like I said, advantage...me.

Sometimes we work in this kind of mode.  We find pleasure completing some stuff we have been putting off.  I do this kind of work once in awhile in my office, too.  Sometimes there is somewhat important stuff piling up on my desk that should be done and filed away.  Certain things get put off and begin to get moved around from corner to corner before they are actually completed properly.  Those things get put off and buried underneath the other stuff that is slowly piling up, too.  We know we need to get to it but it is not pressing yet.  So it gets placed away from completion for now.  That kind of stuff happens.  Building the insulation box for my sprinkler system in my yard was one of those kinds of 'put off' projects.  I have been meaning to build that box for a few years now.  I am now finally doing it.  Yesterday it was being measured, cut and built.  I was winning with each next move.  No disadvantage in sight.

It feels good to begin wrapping up a project that we have been putting off for a very long time.  When we begin doing one of those piles on our desk that is growing mold from being placed too long in its pile we begin to feel good about completing that pile.  It feels good.  We begin to look for the next move.  We feel good about making progress on a delayed project.  There is a certain sense of added accomplishment.  It is a good feeling.  We feel like we have reached a small victory.  I was feeling this way when my insulation box was taking form.  I have thought about building this box for a few years now.  I am excited that it is really going to happen and so far it was looking pretty good.  My next move was decided.  I would go have lunch with my wife.  I am ahead on the project and I only have a few more things to do to wrap it up.  I am also feeling a little extra good since I completed a couple of other small projects that have been also delayed.  Doing the insulation box led me to complete a couple of other ones, too.  I am ahead of the curve on this one.  Lunch sounds good!  I can allow some disadvantage to come into play with this project.  I was ahead of the curve.  A small disadvantage was perfectly fine to allow.  Anyway, lunch sounds good.  It would be a nice break.

Isn't this how we do it?  We justify how to add disadvantage to our goals and project needs?  Sometimes our next moves are slight admissions to allow some kind of disadvantage to appear.  We believe we can manage some small disadvantages to our efforts for completing important tasks.  We agree to do this with ourselves.  We change our focus, temporarily.  Disadvantage, me.  My choice, however.

I took a break form the insulation box project and headed for town to have lunch with my wife.  I agreed to take some shredded reports to the recycling center for her when I arrived.  We had lunch and enjoyed the time.  She said her shredder got jammed, however.  So I took out some tools from the back room of her office and began to remove the large paper jam inside the wheels that shred the paper.  It was not easy to do.  It took me about forty five minutes to complete that project.  It works well now.  She kept on apologizing to me for taking me away from my insulation box project at home.  I was fine with it.  I was winning on the insulation box project and it looked like I would only need an hour or so to finish it up.  Taking the time to repair her shredder was no big deal.  I had the time.  I left to go drop off the shredded materials at the recycling center.  I have not seen the owner of that business for quite some time so we talked for a little while.  We got caught up sharing some things we have not been able to share for a few years.  It was nice seeing him.  We had a couple of good laughs.  He was not on my 'next' move schedule, however.

Now my first disadvantage has grown.  Lunch with my wife has been extended to a trip to the shredding recycling office.  Now I have expanded my disadvantage.  I have moved to include something else to take me away from my original focus.  My insulation box project is now on 'hold' for a little while.  I not only agreed to do a couple of more things on this 'lunch' trip I got caught sitting down to chit chat with a friend I have not seen for quite some time.  Several forms developed that add disadvantage to my insulation project. These have become my 'next' moves.  The insulation project is quietly put on hold, again.  Disadvantage, me.

It has now been a couple of hours since I was back at home finishing my insulation box project.  This short lunch break took more time than I had originally planned.  Now my winning clock was beginning to feel the pressure.  I would need to return back and get moving on that project if I wanted to finish it in a comfortable amount of time.  As I began to leave the recycling center, I remembered how I wanted to talk to my mechanic about doing a tune-up on our Audi automobile.  The recycling center is located out near that mechanics shop.  So I decided I had enough time to go see him, since I was already near his shop.  I was in my wife's car, the Audi, because she had it loaded with the shredded paper.  Perfect, I could take it out to his shop.  I had discovered a new 'next' move.  Isn't that how it happens?  We get sidetracked by more important stuff that pops up when we least expect it.  Projects get put on hold this way.  We bounce around from duty to duty trying to do the efficient stuff as we move along.  We get sidetracked easily with that kind of thinking and movements.  I was now headed for the mechanics shop.  One more 'strategic' disadvantage could not hurt.  This time, the disadvantage would be another good move.  I can justify doing this step instead of rushing home to finish building my insulation box.  Strategic work is always good, right?  I gave it some thought and decided to add one more disadvantage to my home project.  I added disadvantage to my next move.

You Cannot Invent A New Color

"Always, just a little bit of black!"

This was a phrase I heard a lot from an interior design instructor.  "Remember," he said, "Always add just a little bit of black!"

I went to school years ago to get my design degree.  I was employed back then by the second largest furniture store retailer in the country and they added to my department duties the manager responsibilities of the design studio.  The studio was attached to the rest of the furniture store facility and employed five interior designers.  My design background was very limited.  I figured that if I was going to agree to add that department to my list of managerial responsibilities, I would need to bring myself up to speed with the duties those employees performed.  I felt my leadership would be best served by knowing a little bit more about what those employees were trying to do.  My company would pay for the schooling.  I was single and could add the extra time to my life calendar.  I went to school after hours, studied and received my certification.  I learned a lot.  It was a great help to my twenty-seven year career in the furniture retail business.

Everyone of us has a few things we seem to remember the most from some of the experiences we have had in the past.  I remember a lot from my sports career and the things my coaches used to repeat teaching.  I remember some things I learned in college that have always stuck with me.  I remember special things I have learned in some business leadership classes I took later in my career with the SBA and International Leadership Training.  Certain phrases, concepts and ideas just seem to stick with you from many of those experiences.  They have become part of some of the character we own.  One of those great phrases I carry along with me is one I learned in an interior design class.  It came from a really good instructor.  That is usually how we remember some of those great phrases.  We liked the person who said it.  It might have been a high school coach, a grade school math teacher, a college professor or a business mentor.  We sometimes remember some special phrase they used over and over.

'Always remember just a little bit of black' was one of those phrases that this instructor used a lot and to this day, I remember well.  The other phrase he used a lot was this one, "You cannot invent a new color.  They have all been defined."  That one stuck with me forever.  I use it a lot, too.  When I see someone trying to do something different that does not need to be done differently, I use that phrase.  "You cannot invent a new color."  I try to get their attention to illustrate to them to quit trying to do what they are doing, incorrectly.  "You cannot invent a new color, stop trying.  They have all been defined."  This phrase helps them to see that they may be trying to do something in a way that has already  found its defined success.  Business owners often work hard on trying to invent a new way to do an old method.  I find this kind of work a good thing.  I have found better ways to do many old tasks in my career.  I am one of those owners who tries new things and new ways.  Sometimes I discover a new method to do an old task that works better.  I like those discoveries.  They motivate me to try and invent other new ways to do things.

Operating this way once in awhile can help separate the good from the really good.  I like to be on the really good side of those things.  That is why I keep on trying to invent new ways to do old things.  It helps feed my creativity needs as well as produces a better way to operate once in awhile.  Getting out of the box and inventing some new way to do something can be very useful at times.  I have developed the habit to practice this process once in awhile.  However, if over-used, inventing new ways to do old things can lead to doing some things very wrong.  I know, I have done that more than I would like to admit.  I have made some very bad mistakes while trying to invent a new way to do some old things.  They were so bad that I wished someone had stepped in and told me, "You cannot invent a new color.  They have all been defined."

If I Delay A Decision, I Just Made One

Learn To Make Decisions

Procrastination is a decision.  Did you know that?  If I delay making a decision because I need more time to think about it as I put the decision off, my decision becomes a "no" for now.  It is certainly not a "yes" decision.  If it is not a "yes" decision, it becomes a "no" decision...by default.  If I procrastinate making a decision, it means I made a "no" decision.  For now, it's a "no."  A decision you procrastinate means you are having a tough time saying "yes."  It means "no."  Just say "no" and get onto the next one.  If I delay making a decision, I just made one.  It means, "no, not for now."  The words have just not caught up with the thought.  The action is already in place.  I have not said "yes."  It is not a "yes."  The action is not, "let's do it."  The action is not "go for it."  The action is not "go ahead, do it."  The decision delay is not one of those choices.  It is a "no."

If I delay a decision, I just made one.  Everyone knows that a delayed decision is not a confirmation.  It is not a "yes" decision.  Only a "yes" decision is a "yes."  All others are a "no."  Fess up to it and get on to the next decision.  Quit stacking them up.  They bog down what you need to be spending your energy on doing.  Waiting to make a decision kills the great leadership a business owner needs to have happen.  Decide if it is a "yes" or not and move on.  When a decision comes into play treat it as if you only have one choice.  It is either a "yes" or it is a "no."  That is it.  You do not need to delay your answer.  A delayed decision should not be one of your choices.  Quit using it as a choice.  Decide and move on.  Treat your decisions more clearly.  They are either "yes" or "no", not "let me think about it."  "Let me think about it" is a "no."  Fess up.  Get on with it.  Devote your waste of energy on this one to something more valuable.  Say "no" and move on.

I see so many business owners become afraid of making "no" decisions.  They so want to be well liked that they delay making a "no" decision to remain popular with those who want the decision to be "yes."  The owners put off the decision to remain in favor of being liked.  Those kind of owners believe they have escaped the damage of a "no" decision.  Not true.  They have added anchors to the boat of leadership that has now drilled a small hole into the side of its stern.  Eventually, those added anchors will pull that boat down low enough to begin taking on water through all of the small holes they are drilling.  Their leadership will slowly begin to sink.

If I delay a decision.  I just made my decision.  It ain't "yes."

If I do not match my actions with my deeds, what do you think my followers will think?  If I do not match my words with my actions, what do you think my followers will think?  Owners, you are the leader of that business model.  Act like one.  Make a clear decision.  Be a clear leader.  Match up your actions with your deeds.  Then match your words to your definitive actions.  Quit tip toeing around and be a clear leader.

Picture this wooden boat.  It is made like a small row boat.  It was wooden slats in its total design.  It has one anchor to use to hold it still in a lake.  You can 'park' your boat in one place with this anchor.  You can pull up the anchor and row the boat all around the lake.  Now drill a hole into the side of the boat, just above the water line.  It will not start to sink.  The water is not high enough to leak into the hole on the side of the boat.  You are still safe.  You can safely row the boat all around the lake and never worry about taking on any water.  Drill another hole next to the one you just made.  No water coming in, you remain safe again.  You can drill as many holes into the side of your wooden boat and never worry about taking on any water to sink it.  Drill away to your hearts content.  The boat will still float.

What would happen to that process if you had to take on another anchor each time you drilled a small hole into the side of the boat?  Every time you drilled a hole into the side of the boat, you had to add another anchor.  How many holes could you drill before the added anchors would sink the boat low enough to allow the water to reach the holes on the side of the boat?  Sooner or later, the water would begin to leak into the boat and sink it deeper.  Before long, the water begins to add the weight to lower the boat.  Now the water begins to work against you.  Before the holes were drilled, the water was your friend.  It helped to float the boat.  Now it has become your enemy and it is determined to sink your boat.  You are faced with a whole new set of problems.  You will need to work harder to get the water to quit trying to sink your boat.  You will need to get rid of some of the water.  You will need to spend a bunch of new energy trying to bale out the unwanted water.  As the holes sink lower, more holes will let more water come in.  Lots of holes, lots of water coming in trying to sink your boat.  You will need to bale out water faster and faster.  Pretty soon all of your energy is spent trying to save your boat.  Too many holes, too many anchors and too many leaks.  You are no longer rowing a boat around the lake for pleasure.  This is exactly what leaders do to their business models when they delay making decisions.  Same thing.

How Do I Fix A 'Grumpy' Business Owner?

Grumpy Owners Find Their Business Work Hard To Do.

How do I fix a 'grumpy' business owner?  You don't.

They need to learn how to fix themselves.

If you work for a 'grumpy' business leader, get used to it.  They will remain 'grumpy' until they either learn to like what they are doing or change what they are doing.  Both of those choices remain the sole responsibility of the person who holds the 'grumpy' attitude.  'Grumpy' needs to decide which one it is.  Everyone else needs to get on with what they do.  Ignore 'grumpy' and move on.  'Grumpy' will find something to be 'grumpy' about regardless of what anyone else does.  Go do your work well and quit worrying about what 'grumpy' thinks of it.  'Grumpy' will be 'grumpy' about anything they choose to be 'grumpy' about.  It may be something good that someone did or it may be something skipped that someone did not see to be done.  'Grumpy' will find something to be 'grumpy' about.  That is the nature of someone who is 'grumpy.'  That's what they do.

That brings us back to the original subject, are you a 'grumpy' business owner?  If you are, you will likely learn how to find stuff to be 'grumpy' about even if that stuff does not deserve it.  Stuff will make you 'grumpy.'  That is how you have learned how to operate.  You get 'grumpy' about stuff.  It negatively affects your staff, your customers and your family.  They will learn how to try and avoid doing certain things that really need to be done.  They will avoid those things because they know it has a good chance to make you more 'grumpy.'  Your business model will not be able to get everything it needs from their working habits.  They will deliver only that stuff that they know will remain safe to do.  They will become partially productive.  You will be paying people to remain partially productive.  Forever.  You will be receiving a less-than-desirable return on that human investment.  Forever.  You can replace the persons who slip into that mold and soon discover the new ones did exactly the same thing.  They, too, will eventually learn where to avoid doing what makes you more 'grumpy.'  'Grumpy' business leaders have unproductive staffs.  Period.

If you are a 'grumpy' business leader your business model is not getting the best bang for its buck.  It never will.  If you like that kind of leadership, by all means remain 'grumpy' about stuff.  If you can afford to operate in this day and age with that kind of leadership, be it far from me to describe why you should change.  Quit reading this post and come see one tomorrow.  I promise not to talk about 'grumpy' leaders tomorrow.  You can comfortably leave this one and come back to read tomorrow's post.  That way I will not be wasting your time.

The first step to remove 'grumpy' is to admit how much it is costing my business model.  Once I see what it is doing to my pocket book, I can begin to change that drain.  I need to go to work on some of my bad habits.  I need to learn how to feel when I am getting 'grumpy' and try to address it before it gets too far along.  I think the first thing I need to do is to figure out whether or not I like doing what I am doing.  'Grumpiness' is usually a symptom of not being very happy about something.  Am I happy that I own a business model?  Am I happy about leading people in my business model?  Do I like what I am doing?  Do I like what my job requires?  These are real questions that must be observed honestly.  Check them out.  Try to find out if you like what you are doing.  Maybe you do not like what you are doing.  If you do not like what you are doing, it is going to make you 'grumpy' to do what you are supposed to be doing.  Again, this stuff is not rocket science.  Quit trying to make it so difficult.  You may simply dislike what you are supposed to be doing.  You might no longer like to own a business model.  You might no longer like doing business leadership.  Therefore, when you are faced daily with having to do what you do not like to do, you get a little bit 'grumpy' about it.  You do not like it anymore.

Let's fix that.  Remember how money works?  It gravitates to solutions and runs from problems.  Let's work on fixing this feeling we have come to know about what we no longer like to do.  Let's get a solution to this problem.  The problem has arrived and is quietly chasing the money away.  We need to fix that problem.  We need to find a workable solution so the money feels more attracted to show up.  That is how money works.  I know you want more money.  If you do not want more money, I know your business needs more money.  They always do.  That is one of the true confessions of owning a small business.  Those models always need more money.  It is one of those 'givens' we all learn how to live with.  Learn to live with it.  I know your model needs more money.  That way we have all the right reasons to go find a better solution to fixing our problem we have discovered.  We need to fix what we do not want to do.  We do not like it anymore.  What should we do?  It is making us 'grumpy' all of the time.

Pick A Day, Then Stick To It

Pick A Day, Then Stick To It.

Procrastination is simple to do.  It takes no effort to make procrastination happen.  Do nothing and procrastination appears.  That is the extreme way to become good at procrastination.  I have some things that I automatically place onto the procrastination trail.  In my life those things usually get a lot of my 'do nothing' respect.  I typically procrastinate doing those things that I do not want to do.  Unfortunately, on that long list of things that I do not like to do are some things that need to be done.  When those important things find a place on that procrastination trail, a small collision occurs.  Demand and expectation usually runs right into that thing that is hiding on the procrastination trail.  It usually is not pretty.  I should have picked a day and do that thing I was procrastinating.  I didn't.

I usually notice it does not take very long to complete the work I was procrastinating to do.  In fact, I find it usually takes the better part of one day.  That is about it.  One day of dedication will usually do the trick.  Most of the time, I can complete the project I was procrastinating in just about one full day of dedicated effort.  For the most part, I find that is true.  So why do I skip that day?  Because I am procrastinating.  That's why.

Pick a day.  Any day will do.  Let's say Thursday this time.  On Thursday I will sit down and do the thing I have been procrastinating to do.  I need to produce an employee packet for describing how to do the detail arrangements to our new delivery program.  They want these packets.  They have described how they need a list of things they are supposed to do each time they arrange a delivery set-up for our customers.  It is not a hard project but I just dance around it somehow.  So I will pick a day to complete it and stick to that day.  Thursday will be that day.  I pick Thursday.  Pick a day, then stick to it.

Got any projects you are procrastinating?  Pick a day.  Pick Thursday like I did.  We should pick a day together.  That way we can check to see who really did the project on Thursday.  We can see who still wants more time to procrastinate and who is willing to stick to it.  Go ahead, pick Thursday.  Let's try Thursday to do a single project we are putting off.  I picked the employee 'delivery' packet project to do.  I will do that one.  Which one will you do?  Select one.  Do it on Thursday, with me.  You do yours and I will do mine.  We will check on Friday to see which one completed their project.  Be aware, however.  I picked an easy one.  I suggest you pick an easy one, too.  Or else I will finish mine and you will still be procrastinating yours.  Your project will still be sitting on the procrastination trail waiting for a small collision.  I am planning to get mine removed from that trail on Thursday.

See how this works?  If you have been wanting to complete writing a new song, pick a day and stick to it.  If you have been wanting to call up a close friend, pick a day and stick to it.  If you have been putting off some garden work, pick a day and stick to it.  If you have been putting off an important employee meeting, pick a day and stick to it.  Just pick a day.  Any day will do.  Do not look at your calendar.  Do not try to find a time slot.  Do not figure out when would it be a good time.  Just pick a day.  Do not pick the time slot, just the day.  All you need to do to kill procrastination is to pick a day and stick to it.  You might not actually finish the project, but if you pick a day you have a better chance to get most of it done.  In most cases, all of it will get done.  The problem we have is that we list the project down and pass over it when we work our lists.  We skip it.  We procrastinate one more time.  Just pick a day, then stick to it.