Marty's Minute

Have you ever been in a situation where you did not agree with a decision made by a superior? We’ve all been in this situation and if you haven’t, are you sure you live on this planet? One of the toughest things we face each and every day is how to challenge a decision we do not agree with. How do we challenge it without getting in trouble or appearing to not be a team player?

The other day someone asked me a question about leadership, “What characteristics make a great leader?”

Have you ever been asked this question? There are no right or wrong answers but how can we possibly see out 5 years when we don’t know what is going to happen to us tomorrow?

A true leader never says, “take one for the team.” A true leader always accepts responsibility for his or her own actions in addition to the actions of their team.

“Most people have been trained to come to work in search of familiarity and competence. To work with familiar people, doing familiar tasks, getting familiar feedback from a familiar boss. Competence is rewarded.” But what happens when we change things? What occurs when we roll out a new process or a new software? People rebel. I’m sure you’ve heard things like “this will never work” or “this is going to take twice as long as what we have been doing.”

Have you ever been in a meeting and you were asked questions that you didn’t know the answer to?

Every year Advoco has a fitness challenge to promote good health and raise money for charity. Each day we earn points by going out and exercising. Whether it’s walking, running, a fitness class, or some other workout, the goal is to just be active. For these challenges, the first step is always the hardest part for me. Every day I battle with myself to go out and, as Nike says, “Just do it.”

I was watching a movie recently called The Renaissance Man. In the movie, Danny DeVito gets a gig teaching English at an army base. His character is tasked with teaching a group of underachieving students from poor backgrounds who seem apathetic about their education. He becomes frustrated but finally turns the class around when he begins discussing Hamlet. The students learn a valuable lesson on achievement surrounding the phrase, “To thine own self be true,” and it made me think about what this means for us.

I might be showing my age, but one of my favorite bands is Fleetwood Mac. They’ve had some amazing hits over the years, and my wife and I even had the once in a lifetime opportunity to meet them in person after a concert. When I talk to people about my Fleetwood Mac experience, they always ask me what my favorite song is. It’s hard to say which is my favorite, but there is one song that stands out in my mind as a song of hope, about pushing forward, and not letting the past define you.

So how do you lead your people then? How do you get them to do what you want if you are not “ordering them around?” The answer is simple, if you have enough guts to try it. Give your people intent and let them make the decisions. Point them in the direction you want them to go and let them decide the best way to get there. Intent, not orders.

This morning, like many mornings, I was rushing through a crowded airport trying to catch my connecting flight. As I got off my first flight I frantically searched for the departure board so I could see the status of my next flight. I needed to know what time the plane was leaving, if it was on time, and most importantly, what gate it was leaving from. Can you image getting around an airport without departure and arrival boards?

Every day I am impressed and amazed at the number of really cool signs and statements I see displayed on the side of commercial vehicles. This week I saw a sign that proclaimed, "Give them something to remember.” And it made me think, what I am doing to give something to remember me by? Do my actions speak louder than my words? Did I do something that would inspire a person to be better? Did I do something that would have lasting value?

I grew up in Rochester, NY as the son of lifelong employee of Eastman Kodak Company. As you can imagine, photography has been a staple in my life since I was born. Photography captures moments that will last a lifetime. Cameras can be tricky when you are trying to get everything just right – the settings, lighting, focus, etc. Once you do get it right, something special occurs. The other day I was in a friend’s house and saw the best sign on the wall. It said: “Life is like a camera: Focus - on what is important Capture - the good times Develop - from the negatives And if things don’t work out - take another shot.”

Do you want to do something fun? Try giving a gift to a random person. Yes, you read that right. Give a gift to a person who doesn’t expect it with no expectations of receiving anything in return. You will be amazed how good it feels and the effect it will have on you. My guess is that the person on the other end of the gift will feel obligated to do something in return. It's called reciprocity, the need to return a favor.

Have you ever noticed that when you are getting ready to buy something, you suddenly notice that thing everywhere? It’s as if everyone has that thing now. This happens to me all the time. I recently bought my first pickup truck. When I started looking at them, all of a sudden, I saw them everywhere.

Recently I was on a flight home from a business trip, and the ladies next to me were chatting. I heard one say to the other, “Life is too short. We should have done that.” It got me thinking. Life is too short.

Chris Oakley is a business coach who travels the world working with companies on leadership and productivity. He focuses on helping companies scale their organizations and develop their leadership teams. Chris has amassed insight from his broad range of experiences spanning from tour management for celebrities to building businesses from scratch. Most recently, he was an executive coach for Dave Ramsey’s EntreLeadership business coaching program. It’s a counterintuitive thought. With limited time and resources, how can we do less but do it better? Chris has found that the companies that succeed have one thing in common, they have an undeniable ability to execute on a plan in the midst of the whirlwind of distractions. In this conversation with Marty, Chris highlights what it means to “do less, better” and how important it is to practice this strategy.

Can two words give you the power to change your life? As simple as it sounds, I believe they can.

I believe the most important person you need to talk to every day is yourself. I don’t mean this in an odd way, but what you say to yourself can have a dramatic effect on how you see the world. What discussions are you having with yourself? Is your inner dialogue positive and building you up? Or is it negative, pointing out flaws and missteps?

We live in a high-speed world where change happens at a break-neck pace we’ve never seen before. I know when you hear the word change, you probably cringe. But I truly think that if you embrace change it can be used to your advantage. Change can help you look at your processes and procedures in a different way. Change can help you fix what you know is broken. Change can bring a new perspective to a project that’s gotten stuck in a rut. Next time you are faced with change remember that it’s not your enemy, it's your next opportunity.