Everything is for sale?

We’ve all had one of those friends or neighbors. You know the ones who are willing to sell anything they own at a moments notice for the right price. We hear, “everything is always for sale” at least once every time we are with them.
 
On the surface I can roll with it. Things are just things, and we should not be too tied to them. On the other hand – if everything is for sale … is there anything not for sale? Meaning – will money and profit guide our decision making every time – or do we have some priorities that aren’t for sale? Like – dinner with our families, dates with our spouse, attending our kids games, breaking a promise to a team member? 
 
It was Christmas Eve, and I received a message the airline that we had the chance to change our flights for up to $750 per ticket! I got excited about this opportunity for a moment, but then realized changing Meg’s birthday trip for $1,400 might not be the best way to say Happy Birthday! We opted out of changing flights and stayed the course to Daphne Island.
 
We were sitting in the airport on the way home trying to fly out early after a debacle with customer service. We were on the flight … we were off the flight … we needed two people to not show up for the flight so we could get on the flight. Read that a few times. Then the message came through the PA system at our terminal, "We will offer $700 for anyone who is willing to change flights." 

A couple sitting across from us starting to talk through it. The husband said, maybe I can just meet you in NYC and hopefully get there in time to watch the ball drop. The wife had a look of surprise and disbelief. Was $700 worth changing their vacation and missing their NYC experience?
 
The question started to swirl – is everything for sale? If everything is for sale do we have any convictions about what is not for sale?
 
It’s amazing how our drive to pad our accounts, to rise through the ranks, to earn the bonus, to get a step ahead can cause to us to put what’s important on the back burner. It’s so easy to replace what is actually important with the urgency of what seems important.
 
As we watched the couple discuss the options, we saw the demeanor start to shift as they actually processed changing their plans for a flight credit. The wife said, “you can do it, you should do it …” Everyone sitting around them heard the statements the same way every husband over 35 years old hears, “I don’t care where we go to eat”. The couple boarded the plane together.
 
At Insight Leadership Group we are focused on helping leaders love life at work and love life at home. We’ve seen that leaders who don’t have clear priorities, leaders who don’t have clear boundaries, leaders who don’t have clear values – are leaders who struggle to love life at work and love life at home. Not because they are ineffective, not because they are bad people, not because they don’t care, but because they always have to stop and think: Is the price right for my convictions to shift?
 
Leaders who know what’s not for sale. Leaders who have clear boundaries, who have clear values, who know their mission … they don’t debate if it’s worth it. They already know the answer and lead forward with courage and conviction.
 
Here a few resources we have to help leaders love life at work and love life at home. Take the next step as a leader or help the leaders you serve continue to develop.

 
Free Download: Insight Action Guide
Management: 201° Performance Management
Management/Leadership Development: Courageous Leaders Cohort
Executive/Leadership Development: Arkansas Business Executive Leadership Academy
Executive/Senior Leader Development: Courage and Conviction Leadership Experiences

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

My usual mantra to shopping is to “get in and get out.” However, this trip was a vacation. I looked up at the display and saw it. My first thought was, “sounds terrible.” My second thought was, “Meg’s favorite pie is Strawberry Rhubarb, so she would probably appreciate the jam.” Points scored! Meg was pumped for her new favorite jam. Our vacation was off to a great start.
 
A few days later, we were on the trip home, and the jam was in my laptop bag. The friendly security guard searched my bag and pulled out the jam. This wasn’t the first time he’d pulled jam from a laptop bag.
 
That’s when we had to make a choice. Check the bag or ditch the jam. The real question became, “is the new favorite jam worth $35?” (the cost for purchase and checked bag). Is the new favorite jam worth risking our luggage arriving at the location and worth waiting on our luggage when we arrive at our destination?
 
Meg assessed what’s essential in travel and life quickly. She ditched the jam I thoughtfully purchased for her. I was emotionally prepared to spend $35 but thankful we didn’t.
 
There are times in life when our favorite things aren’t the most important. We have to let go of our favorite things to focus on the most important. 
 
There are times when leading what you deemed most important becomes secondary to what is essential.
 
For example, it was important for every employee to be at the office three years ago. Today it’s crucial for every employee to be accomplishing their responsibilities at home or work.
 
What was important (employees to work on time) became less critical than employee safety.
 
What’s most important never changed—employee health, employee engagement, employee productivity, employee retention, etc.
 
How you lead now has changed and will continue to adjust to accomplish what’s most important. It’s not letting go of your values; it’s making sure you value what’s most important. It’s making sure that what’s not essential doesn’t hold you back.  
 
So, the question becomes: What’s your Strawberry Rhubarb Jam? What do you need to leave behind so you don’t waste resources and lose efficiencies in your business?
 
If the answer is easy, but the change is hard – give us a call.

Remember What's Important

Remember what’s important

Last night I was watching Secretariat with my 13-year-old son. He's captivated by pretty much any movie that has to do with anything sports-related.

About half-way through the movie, everything seems to be falling apart. Red, the horse, is not eating or running. The owner leveraged everything she had on the horse winning the triple crown. In those moments it seemed like everything was falling apart after everything had been going so well.

As I was watching that section of the movie, I felt like those 4 minutes summed up my day. It was the kind of day when nothing was going right. Proposals weren't signed, friends were getting divorced, and the list goes on.

All of a sudden, what they thought was a life-changing issue was not a big deal.

It seems that way in life. We put so much stock into what happens today that we can forget what can happen tomorrow. A few years ago if I had a day that didn't go as planned, I would have stayed up all night working because of my short-sighted view of the big picture. I would have justified skipping:

• story time with my four kids (3 boys and 1 little girl)

• watching a movie with my son

• sipping wine with my wife

Let's be honest, a few years ago that happened often!

My business is much healthier now than when I started, but my ability to remember what's important and not let bad moments ruin my day and shift my focus has improved as well.

I hope to dominate life at work. But if some days I miss out on dominating life at work - that's no excuse for missing out on loving life at home.

Let's remember that there is more to life than what happens today. While what happens today is essential it shouldn't ruin our ability to engage with who and what is most important. We can always rest, wake up tomorrow and get back after it.

How do you keep yourself from forgetting what's important in life when life doesn't go your way?