Depression

I'm tired today ... 
I think I'll sleep just a little longer today ... 
Let's just stay home today ... 
Let's push that date back ... 

As I type and retype this note to you I question myself. It is okay to be this vulnerable? I'm a husband of almost 20 years, father of 4, split wood to use the smoker wearing flannel, and still chase a ball around the pitch in umbros. (meaning I feel tough) Life is good. But, for some reason I had found myself tired, sleeping more, lacking motivation, and a little down. I've coached and counseled plenty of leaders going struggling with some sort of depression, but I had a hard time owning it myself. This past two years we have navigated plenty of transitions like you have and I think it all caught up with me.  Simultaneously Insight has had an incredible year that shattered our previous record and 2022 is looking good. Last summer my wife called me out. She said you are in Stage 2 green. She caught me. I was analyzing everything and cutting myself out of community. Not intentionally - I was just trying to make everything work. However, my approach to make everything work was making everything difficult.

So, I had to find the eddy. I had to reset vision, my personal "why" and rest. Not the sleeping kind of rest, but finding green space to think, read, pray, exercise, and not be in the constant rush. I'm happy to dive into the weeds on this if the conversation will benefit you. Here's are a few tips that helped me reset and turn the corner.

Personal Life
1) Pray the Lords Prayer every morning
2) Meditate on Psalm 23
3) Exercising with my boys (reminder that they follow our example)
4) Clarify my personal mission
5) Consistent time to hang out with good friends (healthy community) 
6) Spend time outside smoking meat for family and friend dinners

Professional Life
1) Hire and rely on a great team (train, delegate and empower) 
2) Manage my calendar. Meaning - limit back to back zoom meetings and end the day at 4:30 if possible to leave time to prep for the next day.
3) Leave the laptop in the office 
4) Focus on helping leaders love life at work and love life at home in a very intentional way
5) Pursue goals and celebrate the wins
6) Build authentic relationships with clients

We are launching a new program to help leaders find the eddy. To help leaders rest while clarifying vision. It’s called Distilled. Check it out here.

Hitchhiking

Kyle and I were at the top of the mountain during spring break. We were feeling good about our ski level and wanted to take the fastest route to other side of the mountain. As we peered through the forest we thought we saw the ski run of our dreams. The only thing keeping us from our dreams was an orange boundary line. We figured the boundary was only there for people who weren't as good as us. At first, we were having fun ... then we were hiking/skiing/holding on the tops of trees to not sink ... It was too late to go back up. The ski run we thought we saw didn't exist. We finally found the courage and clearing to ski through the backcountry and the faint sound of cars started to fill the air. We ended up on the highway 5 miles from Winter Park hitchhiking to get back.

Have you ever crossed a boundary in order to get somewhere faster?

I found that every boundary I cross I found myself farther from my purpose not closer.

I think boundaries help us get down the mountain they don't keep us from enjoying it. Boundaries help us accomplish our purpose they don't keep us from it. When we cross the boundary line to get there faster we get farther from our purpose.

We've found that if we don't have boundaries we never accomplish our purpose. There is always something that can distract us. All of a sudden life is as confusing as asking a family of 6 where they want to eat.

Purpose has led us to launch our new executive development program. We are passionate about helping leaders love life at work and love life at home. We are on mission to help you cultivate engaging and healthy cultures that have positive ripple effects into the lives of families, organizations and the community. That purpose helped us realize we didn't want to be in the executive roundtable game. Sitting around the conference table wasn't transformational enough. How we can get real, get some rest and develop? Knowing our purpose helped us put boundaries up. We said no to something that was good and began working to pursue something that is meaningful and impactful.

If you are struggling to know how to answer that "purpose" question then I encourage you to join us at Distilled, March 2-4 in Louisville, KY. The first of four executive leadership experiences. During distilled you can craft your personal and organizational vision and find time to rest.

Vision and purpose provides us the clarity we need to know how to say, "yes", "maybe", or "no" on a daily basis. Vision helps us to establish proper boundaries. It helps us to know where to focus, what to do and how to avoid distractions that drain us, our families and our organizations. Why hitchhike when you ski?

Brisket and Leadership

We were loaded in the van ready for our first Life @ Home Experience. We are pumped. Meg (my wife), Peter and Tiffany were ready to rock n roll. Reece had smoked a world class brisket for dinner the first night, but couldn't make it down. He declared this brisket the best he had ever made. Bold statement without trying it yet! He had wrapped the brisket in foil, towels and then placed it on a cooler. We pulled into the IHOP on Weddington and he loaded the cooler into the van at Tiffany now had a footrest. The van smelled incredible. 90 minutes later we had a flat tire. We arrived to the venue an hour or so late greeted by hungry participants. The brisket had rested about 7 hours before we cut into it. Let's just say everyone was satisfied and wanted more. The brisket was incredible.

What made this brisket better than it's 59 predecessors? REST.

We theoretically know that rest is important, but for some reason do our best to ignore it?

I wonder what our leadership would be like if we took time to rest? As good as you are, could you reach your potential if you found rest?

This Christmas season build in times to rest. Time to be bored and do nothing. Don't fill the space binge watching. Let your mind rest. Then experience creativity, wild ideas, and vision. You know ... the things that helped you get to where you are.

It started with rest.

P.S. - maybe smoke a brisket or pork shoulder this Christmas instead of turkey.

Join us for Distilled: An immersive executive experience

Burnt Burger Balls and Developing Strengths

Determined to Learn

My dad was traveling for work and I was determined to eat good grilled food. I was around 16 yrs old and fired up the grill after preparing the burgers. My mom, aunt, cousins and sister were all home.

Alexa and Siri weren’t around to help me. The Encyclopedia Brittanica was in the box. I could have asked Jeeves, but hindsight is 2020.

After working the grill like a "master" the burgers became large burnt burger balls on the grill! No matter how hard I pushed, I couldn't flatten them. They looked done ... I mean they were burnt! Crip on the outside!

I brought them up on the platter and everyone graciously put a burnt burger ball on their bun. We all added cheese and plenty of condiment to cover the taste of whatever we were about to bite into.

Then came the first bite ... They were still raw in the middle!

I think we went for take out that night. My first time grilling was an utter failure!

The burnt burger balls didn't hit the spot. Sometimes our first attempt causes us to revert back to what we did before. It shouldn't though. Keep pushing, keep developing and accomplish your goals.

Don’t Quit Trying When It Doesn’t Work Out

Sometimes when we try something new for the first time it doesn’t work out as planned. It doesn't mean you shouldn't try it again.

Not to brag (maybe a little). My family and friends consider me somewhat of a grill master. It just took lots of practice to get it right.

Sometimes when we try something new for the first time it doesn’t work out as planned. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try again.

How are you developing yourself?

What skill set are you trying to develop?

Every time we prepare for a new role or take on a new role we have to develop. What got us there won’t keep us there. You are working with new leaders, new team members, new clients and you need to develop new strengths to be successful. You have them in you - you just need to practice.

My Story

We use the SDI 2.0 Inventory at Insight Leadership Group. This is a picture of the third view the tool gives me. My top strengths are persuasive, self-confident, quick to act, perseverance, and forceful. - Very results focused strengths. When I work with leaders driven with a desire to help people before the result, my natural leadership style can run them the wrong way. My heart for people isn’t always seen in how they perceive me. I had to learn to bring up new strengths to connect with leaders wired up differently than me. It’s not enough to simply trust, I need to communicate trust. It’s not enough to be option oriented, I needed to communicate that I was option oriented. I had to deploy new strengths to rally the team together. My first attempts were a bit awkward and clunky - now it comes naturally.

It’s like working the grill for the first time.

Just because it didn’t work out the first time, doesn’t mean it should be the last time.

If you don’t have have 10 years to figure it out give us call. We help you get there after a few weeks. Register for the Courageous Leaders Cohort to take the next step today.

Lead With Conviction and Courage ...

Conviction and Courage Have Consequences

We talk to our kids about courage often. We talk to them about doing the right thing even when it’s hard. We talk to them about standing up for others.

Our son Titus was in Kindergarten and rode the bus home from school. A boy a year or two older than Titus was constantly bullying the girl across the street on their bus rides homes. They told him to stop and over and over again the boy would get worse and worse. Finally my little man had enough of his friend getting bullied. Titus reared back and punched the kid in the back of the head. We received a call from the school later …

I’m not a fan of physical violence, I am a fan of kids not letting other kids get bullied. I am a fan of my son acting with courage and conviction to help someone in need. Consequences happen when you do the right thing, sometimes in your favor, sometimes not … but we still need to lead with conviction and courage.

We don’t always lead with conviction and courage do we? We know the consequences don’t always line up for our favor. We can put our reputations, our jobs, our career path in jeopardy when we do what’s right. At least thats the narrative we tell ourselves in those times.

During chaos, under pressure - we can lose our conviction and courage in an effort to make something work, but what I hope we realize is that when we lose our conviction and courage - we lose ourselves. We lose our identity, we lose our purpose and passion.

When we lack conviction and courage

The stories play out often. Under pressure the lines of right and wrong get more and more blurred. We justify the grey areas because we are “working hard” and “trying our best”. We justify the blurred lines because, “it’s just this one time” and “it’s the only way it will work”. That mindset overtime leads to something worse every time.

We’ve heard the stories:

The Wells Far Fiasco

Remember Wells Fargo in 2014? Think fake accounts, incentive payouts, a culture rich with ethics violations. Watch the video to refresh your memory. Read more here.

Where was conviction at Wells Fargo?

A Financial Investment Firm and Church Leader

A well known Investment Firm made a huge mistake and worked hard to cover it up. The managing director was a leader in his local church. A church member trusted him with his retirement account and it didn’t go well. An employee in the firm traded without consent and lost 50k of the church members investment. Self-preservation mode kicked in for the managing director. His license, his job, his credibility was on the line. Conviction and courage were nowhere to be found and the church member was left with a choice to sue and ruin the managing directors job or move on with a major loss. The church member felt convicted to move on, but always wished that managing director (church leader guy) would have done the right thing.

A Director and His Team

The project was off track and not going to plan. The pressure was mounting for the Director to get it back on track. Every check-in the team was getting blamed. One team leader, one employee at a time becoming the scapegoat for the Directors incompetency. The VP of the department was a frat brother with the Director. He knew the employees were losing opportunities due to the Directors poor leadership, but stayed quiet. The VP watched good people lose promotions and bonuses that impacted their families and future while his frat brother continued to drive the ship into the ditch.

We’ve all seen it, experienced it, and let’s be real - we’ve lacked it.

We can do better.

During chaos, during pressure - we can lose our conviction in an effort to make something right, but what I hope we realize is that when we lose our conviction, we lose ourselves. We lose our identity, we lose our purpose and passion.

We can do better. We need to do better. We have to do better.

Our spouses, our kids, our friends, our communities, our teams, our organizations depend on it.

In a society with more and more “conviction” on social media you would think we would see more conviction in our relationships. Just speaking our minds with a thumbs up or sharing a post … isn’t the definition of courage and conviction. It doesn’t build community or relationships. It leaves everything a bit short.

It’s like wearing Toms shoes and writing on your resume that you help an organization provide shoes to kids in third world countries. I’m not saying don’t post on social media and I’m not saying don’t buy Toms shoes, I’m just saying we do can do better. We can lead with conviction and courage.

Be Committed To Your Convictions

What do you believe? What do you stand for? What do you sacrifice for? What are your convictions? It’s one thing to say you value something and it’s another for your values to be seen by your actions. Need help finding what you value who you aspire to be? Work through the Insight Action Guide.

• Do you value having a healthy culture in your organization? What steps are you taking to intentionally create it.

• Do you value healthy team relationships? Would your team affirm that?

• Do you value your family? How much time do you spend focused on them?

• Do you value your spouse? Do they know?

I’m not trying to make you feel bad about anything, but if you do, I’m hoping you make a shift. The shift to align your values with your actions. The shift to lead with conviction and courage, not just work for the result.

We need to be committed to our convictions and that’s how we are going to lead with courage.

Lead with Conviction and Courage

We’ve all seen it. We remember vividly when we saw a leader lead with conviction and courage.

It was almost Christmas and the CEO was ready to make me the scapegoat. The project had been on plan according to our Fortune 100 client. They had reviewed all the content and our CEO had given approvals at all the checkpoints. Then when it was game time we learned our CEO read it for the first time and decided it was good enough. This was after two months of preparation and approvals. You can imagine my frustration and lack of empathy for our CEO as I showed him the emails with his approvals and kudos for doing a good job. The “proof” and happy client wasn’t making a big difference. My job was now on the line and I was ready to walk back out on my won. My boss stepped in on my behalf. He acted with conviction and courage when he could have let me become a scapegoat.

When have you seen it? (drop a line in the comments)

When have you done it? When you have led with conviction and courage?

Lets do this

When you lead well, you love the feeling of knowing you did what was right. You are energized and you came alive. We need for of that from you. The world needs that from you.

Can you imagine a world of leaders who lead with integrity and do the right thing? Can you imagine a world where ethics violations weren’t the norm? Can you imagine a world where team members are treated with respect and dignity through all circumstances?

Our hope is for you to be a leader worth following so you are a leader leaving a legacy worth remembering.

1) Remind yourself of your convictions

2) Be determined to lead from your convictions

3) Have the courage lead with conviction

We tell our kids that having courage doesn’t mean you aren’t scared. It means we don’t let fear keep us from doing what is right.

When you are under pressure and feeling out of control - that’s when conviction and courage should take a precedence over self-preservation. That’s when we should rise up, be leaders worth following, dig deep, and say, “I’m going to be proud of who I am” and lead forward.

If you want to work on being a courageous leader join our courageous leadership cohort kicking off February 4. Bring your team along with you.

2021 Planning Guide!

Leaders!

Here is your Insight Action Guide for 2021!

We are here to coach. If you get stuck, need help processing, need help gaining clarity - reach out and set up a coaching session ASAP. Don’t postpone gaining clarify and direction for the new year. Don’t let what you have no control over keep slamming into the rocks along the river - lead with intentionality and purpose. Be proactive instead of reactive and let’s have a great new year!

Urgent Vs Important | Lessons From a Funeral

We sat in a hotel lobby in rural Illinois with a poorly taxidermy mounted cross eyed coyote looking at everyone in the foyer. The family is pouring in from all over the country during COVID 19, masked up, ready to bury our grandfather. He had passed on Friday morning and we were all gathering on Saturday and Sunday.

As we pour into the only hotel in Princeton, Illinois, it’s clear how tired we all are. We dropped our work, changed our plans and either drove or flew too many hours to count.

It makes me wonder. How come we can we all drop our “work” in a moment to gather for a funeral, but we can’t drop our work in a moment to kick the ball in the yard with our kids, or take our spouse on a date, or mountain bike with a friend. (wondering for myself) When I’m stressed and overwhelmed, I drop the important and focus on the work.

I seem to make time for the urgently important, but not the important.

Why does it take so much to bring family together? How come we can’t make time for the important? Why does the urgent take precedence?

Maybe this week … begin focusing on the important … so we don’t get to the urgent and realize we’ve lost out all along.

We let the urgent take precedence in our families too often. What about at work?

How many of us focus on the fires instead of consistency? How many of us focus on the "crisis" instead of the plan? Then we wonder why the plans don't move forward as we planned? 

We are all trying to do our best, focus on what's important, but sometimes we let the urgent become the priority instead of letting what's most important remain the priority. 

I think it's important to remember that not everything is a crisis. Not everything is urgent. If we stick to the plan, maybe we have less urgency to worry about.

The Story That Almost Lost Me My Job

In 2006, I worked for Automatic Data Processing a Fortune 500 company that offers payroll and tax filing services. I sold payroll to businesses with 50 or less employees across the state of Kansas. My boss Todd Johnson reminded me of an older version of Mr. Clean without the earring.  We were out working one day when he asked me to pull into a Java Express.  As I drank a double shot of espresso, he asked me one of most difficult questions that I have ever been asked in a job.  “Is this what you really want to do for the rest of your life?”  I asked, “What do you mean, like this exact job, or working for ADP?”  He smiled and then said, “This is why you are a great salesperson”.  He asked the same question but in a more assuming way, “Working at a payroll company isn’t what you really want to do for the rest of your life is it?”

I was coming up on my 1-year anniversary with the company and had received a 12% raise in the first 3 months.  I had stock options, a 401k, and enjoyed selling to small business owners.  My wife was in Physician Assistant school, so I was the only person earning an income for the family. It felt like he was asking me to put all of that on the line when answering his question. 

I put my mini cup that had one shot of espresso left on the dashboard of the car, and then I asked him, “Can I be honest?”  He smiled, “If you can’t be honest then I am not doing my job right”

 I am not sure that many leaders feel the same way that Todd Johnson does.  I don’t know if leaders want honesty, I think they want their employees to tow the company line.  Do they really care if I love my job, love my life after work, or have other aspirations?  Do they think of me as an audience that needs to be engaged and captivated to perform at a higher level? Maybe they just expect me to perform at a high level because they pay me a salary and give me something to show off on my LinkedIn profile.  Leadership begins with connection and continues with honesty.

I took a deep breath and thought here goes nothing. “Honestly, I know I am good at sales and it pays the bills. I think no matter what I do I will always be selling, but if I could choose what I wanted to do, it would be to create something of my own.”  He said, “Alright tell me more.”  Some context for the reader, I have always dreamed of owning a sports complex and had some funding even lined up to potentially start building. I said, “Well, I would like to own a sports complex.”  As soon as it came out of my mouth, I was worried he would fire me and say enjoy raking the dirt on the baseball fields.  Instead something impactful happened that day that I will never forget.  Todd said, “Each & every day you are out here pounding the streets, knocking on doors, and getting hung up on, remember that you are doing this job for Watson Sports Complex!”

The next month I was rookie of the month and 278% of quota.  I shouldn’t tell you this part, but when they made the decision to shut down our satellite office, Todd Johnson asked me to come to Kansas City for a meeting.  I didn’t know it was going to be a lunch meeting with a job offer I couldn’t accept. He offered a job 2.5 hours away from my wife who was in Physician Assistant school. Obviously, that wouldn’t work out. He said go find another job or start breaking ground on Watson Sports Complex.

Finding a relatable perspective with your team members will be the most impactful thing that you do in 2021.  They have dreams and goals that might not be moving up the corporate ladder, but why is that a reason to not motivate them to give 110% while working for you and your team?

Many times, we find ourselves standing in a large open room with many people talking amongst themselves.  We notice that there are 1000s maybe 10,000 doors that surround the room.  How will we choose which door to step through?   We will choose the door that engages us, resonates with us, and gives us the courage to take the first step.

Are you opening the door for your team members to take the next best step in their careers or are you forcing them through the door?

Todd Johnson told me a narrative that drove me to work harder.  If you are not telling stories, finding relatable perspectives, and motivating your people according to their narrative then you are losing your audience.

Build Your Culture | 3 Culture Killers

Bean bag chairs.

Kegs.

Snacks.

Slides.

Rewards programs.

Ping-Pong.

These were the answers to fixing culture not too long ago. However, these awesome additions to the environment couldn’t rid the team of the three main culture killers. No amount of ping-pong and microbrews can help everyone love life at work and love life at home. Why? Because the 3 Culture Killers overpower the fun additions.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining about a good microbrew in the fridge at work, but let’s not kid ourselves. Those things don’t fix culture. Those things don’t fix “who” I’m about to share with you.

1) Vipers | Cultural Vipers are high performers who are individual performers. They suck the life out of everyone on the team, but keep hitting their numbers. Leaders are afraid to let Vipers work for someone else because of the numbers they hit. However, when you remove a viper from the team - your team usually flourishes. Their productivity is not worth the poison they inflict on everyone else whose on the team.

2) Sloths | Cultural Sloths are leaders who are slow to address challenges and issues that drain the team. When conflict arrives - sloths move too slow to resolve it and the issues get worse. A Cultural Sloth is a positional leader who does not address values, behaviors, attitudes and results that detract from the desired future state; thereby creating a new set of shadow values that slowly deteriorate an organization. (Shadow values are

3) Leech | A Cultural Leech is the person who always has a reason why something shouldn't be added or changed. They work in the margins to gain influence while disrupting productivity and momentum. They work under the radar until it’s too late to see what they’ve been doing all along.

Culture is created by the norms you allow in your organization. What is the acceptable way to make decisions? What is an acceptable way to communicate with the team? Are negative attitudes and backstabbing acceptable for high performers? Is collaboration OR individual performance celebrated?

Here’s a definition of culture: Culture is made up of the beliefs, values, attitudes, philosophies, artifacts and behaviors of an organization.

If you like your current culture - you are most likely doing something very intentional. If you don’t like your culture, you are most likely unintentionally creating something you don’t like.

There are two steps necessary to begin intentionally fixing your culture.

1) Write your desired culture down. Don’t worry about a perfect statement. Write a culture manifesto and keep reading it for a couple of weeks before moving forward with it.

2) Assess your current culture to know what and how to intentionally pivot towards your desired culture.

If you are ready to improve your culture and make your organization the best place to work give us a call. We can walk you through our Cultural Health Assessment to help you and your organization take a data-driven approach to improving the culture of your organization.

Employee Engagement: Is Isolation Plaguing Your Organization?

We have these conversations with top leaders across the country often…

• Our team is overwhelmed. Mental health challenges are constant.

• Our team feels isolated and unsupported now more now than ever.

• Our team has less work to do and is less productive. 

• Our team doesn't feel connected to what's happening in the rest of the organization.

Can you relate?

Leaders - these challenges keep creeping up and you keep working diligently to address them. It's been incredible to see and hear how you continue to try and support your team while growing the business and taking care of your clients, patients, vendors, and/or customers.

While we are all working hard to solve the isolation problem I think we have only been scratching at the surface and we can’t afford to allow this problem to keep permeating through our organizations.

Scratching the surface doesn’t solve the problem. It's like when companies tried to fix company culture with bean bag chairs, ping-pong tables, and kegs of beer. Yes - most people appreciated two out of three of those. However, all people appreciate feeling valued, heard, empowered and supported. How are you doing that for your team?

Scratching the surface doesn’t solve the problem. It's like the couple who is in constant marriage trouble. To try and solve the problem, they escape reality and go on a great vacation or buy the car they always wanted. It's great for a few weeks, but then reality sets in. The actual problems weren't solved and the dysfunction continues. (If this is you, sign up for the Life At Home Event!) 

Scratching the surface doesn’t solve the problem. Weekly toasts and virtual coffee breaks are valuable and helpful. However, they do not solve the isolation problem plaguing your organization.

People want to feel valued, heard, empowered and supported. People make it hard though. When we don't feel those things, we often make it difficult for others to provide them. We put our walls up… we make excuses… we get "busy". In the meantime, attitudes diminish along with the quality of our work and a culture of ownership, accountability, and excellence.

So what options do we have? Here are a few ideas on how to begin to solve the Isolation problem.

Clear Communication (Two-Way)
No one ever loved playing walkie-talkies with a kid who held the button down the whole time. If we can't dialogue, it's not engaging.

Here's what I'm saying: Communicate as much as you can to your organization as a fast as you can. Then, host a virtual coffee break to dialogue what you communicated. Facilitate conversation (real conversation) about the direction of the company, the values being lived out, the vision for the next year, etc... As well as the fear, questions, and doubts team members might have. Make sure to ask for feedback from your team. They may have great ideas or advice on how to bridge any communication gaps.

Clear Expectations 
Take a minute to review and possibly reset job descriptions and roles with your team members. As teams grow and projects shift, it's amazing to see how many great team members take on more than they should. At first it was helpful, but then it becomes detrimental to them and the team. With clear expectations, you can more effectively and authentically support your team.

Clear Check-In Process
Remember: People want to feel valued, heard, empowered and supported. Providing clear and consistent check-ins creates a systemized process for you to lead and your teams to know you are supporting them. This is a priority. How do you solve the isolation problem plaguing your organization? Stop allowing isolation to occur in your organization. Be courageous and lead forward. Do not let fear, insecurity and uncomfortability (new word) win out over good leadership.

201° Performance Management Training
One of the most helpful tools we have been providing our clients has been the 201° Performance Management Training. The system provides the backdrop needed for leaders to move forward and employees to lead up while feeling supported. We see trust returning, productivity increasing and isolation diminishing. 

I'm not saying the solution is simple. Mental health, emotional health, physical health - all of these things take time to overcome. However, time itself does not solve the problem. It's like physical health. If you never eat healthy or exercise, you won't get healthy. It's the consistency over time that makes all the difference.

It's the consistency of your leadership, the health of your leadership over time that can make significant impacts on your team and organization.

Reach out if you are ready to solve the isolation problem and improve the accountability and ownership challenges that so many are facing right now. We will walk you through it, so you can lead forward.

Communication Doesn't Have To Suck

How come communication is consistently ranked low on most organization feedback surveys?

How come leaders who had great relationships with peers struggle to communicate effectively when they advance up the ladder?

How do you find your voice as a leader, support your leaders, and instill a healthy culture across your team and/or organization?

These questions are more and more prevalent in the virtual world. The answers are not highly complex, but it will take intentionality to become a more effective strategic communicator.

Think of it this way: When my home is in chaos, it is usually because of a lack of communication. My wife didn’t remember me saying something or I did not say something clearly. My boys didn’t remember us asking them to wash the dishes or we didn’t communicate it clear enough. (I’m sure you’ve never experienced this…)

There are a few ways to solve this problem.

Picture after good communication …

• Option 1 | Yell and scream and the first one to give in loses, thus proving the most stubborn spouse is the best communicator.

• Option 2 | Go silent and stop verbally communicating creating a house of tension and awkwardness for everyone.

Quite frankly, those are two crappy options that I see see spouses take far too often and sadly I see it in the workplace as well. If you need to work on that click this link. (Love Life At Home)

• Option 3 | Communicate verbally, clarify alignment, write it down, and share the calendar.

When my wife and I share our plans, remind one another of those plans and write those plans down - we love Life at Home (most of the time!). Usually the alignment happens during the follow-up conversation.

We have plenty of things going on, so it’s easy to forget something. Our weekly game plan helps with this.

I hope you are getting the point. Conflict happens when communication doesn’t. Just because you remember saying something, doesn’t mean you have communicated effectively, influentially or strategically.

Your goal is to gain alignment and Buy-In. Your goal is to help every employee feel empowered to do their jobs and to have clarity in what their job is. Things change and so clarity becomes more challenging during change.

• How are you going to provide clarity to your organization?

• How are you going to gain alignment?

• How are you going to lead through constant change and keep a healthy culture?

• The answer rests in effective, clear and consistent communication.

• Here are some tactics. you might try.

Tactic 1: Always share vision, strategy, and celebrations during company wide and leadership meetings.

You will feel like you are beating the drum into the ground. But I promise, once you stop beating the drum, the wrong beat will start to be played. You set the tone, so you must set it consistently.

Tactic 2: Forums with teams across all departments

Share vision and communicate desired culture. Then ask what you can do to help everyone love their Life at Work. Anything you can change - change it quickly . The CEO of Delta Dental did this and two changes made a big impact to their morale. He added Sprite to the soda machine and paper towels to the bathrooms. Sometimes the changes are not hard; they are just not thought of. Listen, respond, and watch the team improve.

Tactic 3: Make Rounds

Spend time walking through the office and talk to your team.

• Ask: “What’s something exciting that you are working on?”

• Ask: “How are your kids doing?”

• Ask: “What’s your new favorite restaurant?”

The key to building relationships is to be authentic and personal. You are the leader, so people can easily think you are unapproachable. This happens in small companies and large companies. Making rounds can break down that stereotype and improve the ability for you to be heard.

Tactic 4: Daily or Weekly Updates

Send out daily or weekly updates with stories of the vision and mission being lived out in the organization across all levels. As Donnie Smith, Former CEO of Tyson says, “What you talk is about is people believe is important.” Your words and your stories will influence the attitudes, behaviors, ethics, (culture) of your organization. Share metrics, updates, reasons for change, etc.. and keep people in the known and aligned.

Problem Most Likely Solved

When you leverage all 4 tactics, you will have a much better shot at actually communicating with clarity in your organization. If you only try one tactic, it’s kind of like only saying something once to your spouse and choosing to believe that’s enough.

If you need help creating the right tactics and messaging for you and your organization, we can help you get to where you need to go. Just shoot an email to Michael@insightlg.com today.

6.5 Tips On Managing Leadership Stress

Stress has been taking it’s toll on us. How are you going to fight back? How are you going to manage the leadership stress and love Life at Work and love Life at Home?

Stress, anxiety, insecurity, lack of stability … have plagued our productivity.

You are feeling the stress. The number one request this summer has been for trainings to help teams practice emotional intelligence. You know: manage emotions, be healthy and be able to keep working.

Quite frankly - I was feeling the stress. I was pushing through, but it was catching up. It had been too long since I checked out and reset. During the past few weeks, I found time to take a mini trip with my wife, with my family and with some friends (so, a total of 3 trips). I reset and recharged.

How do I stay recharged? Here are some top tips:

6.5 Tips on Managing Leadership Stress

Tip 1 | Plan

• Take 20 minutes on Sunday nights to plan as a family. (Read our story here)

• Take 20 minutes every Friday to plan out your work for Monday. Planning for Monday creates a stop on Friday and helps Monday start with instant productivity and engagement.

• Be sure your plan includes the activities you need to do to make sure you are the parent, spouse, leader and friend you want to be.

Tip 2 | Eat

• More specifically. Eat well. Enjoy breakfast, enjoy lunch and enjoy dinner. Enjoy how you feel in-between meals.

• Plan who you want to eat meals with at work and at home. Intentionally connect with family and friends.

Tip 3 | Move

• Stand up and stretch. Touch your toes (or try to!). Bring exercise bands into the office.

• Take a walk around the block or ride a bike to your next meeting.

Tip 4 | Enjoy

• Do what you love to do (as long as it’s not binge watching TV … )

• Find something that brings enjoyment and fulfillment.

  • kick the ball in the yard with your kids even when you are tired

  • go biking (mountain or road)

  • go fishing

  • play golf

  • sit on the porch and read a book with paper or just sit and reset

  • garden

Tip 5 | Consistency

• Know your values and consistently lead by them. Stress and the unknown can lead to pragmatic justification. Stay focused on your core values and consistently go from there.

Tip 6 | Be Honest

• Leaders fill in the blanks with assumptions and those assumptions are usually worse than what is real. Be honest with your team about expectations, opportunities, and challenges. Fill the unknown in with clear communication about what you do know.

Tip 6.5 | Be Hopeful

• Communicate with honesty and hope. Hope keeps leaders moving towards tomorrow. Hope pushes through the uncertainty with the idea that it will get better. It’s your job to share hope.

Bonus Tip

Take your vacation days even if you are vacationing near home. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to recharge with your family.

If you and your family are struggling to reset and recharge, join our Life At Home Event in November or send a key leader who could benefit. Here’s the link. https://insightlg.com/life-at-home

Top 4 Tips On Leading Stressed Out Leaders

Anxiety. Stress. Fear. 

You may not have it. You may not understand it. 
However, you need to be equipped to lead teams through it.

Many of your team members are struggling to get out of bed in order to start work. They are struggling to go to bed because of work.

Here are 4 tips that you can begin immediately to help lead stressed out leaders.

Tip 1 | Provide Consistent and Clear Communication

Now more than ever you need to provide clear communication to your teams. They fill in the blanks with assumptions that hurt you, them and the organization. Communicate clearly and consistently. Even if you think they should know or should know why - you need to remind them. Leaders complaining about over-communication is better than assumptions made from no communication.

Tip 2 | Provide Consistent Check-Ins

Leaders need to know where they stand and check-ins provide that assurance. You need to know what’s happening with your leaders and without consistent check-ins, you really can’t be sure. Our check-in process has helped leaders across the country improve relationships and results.

Tip 3 | Provide Organizational Clarity

Leaders under stress are living in the fog of the Appalachians. It’s tough to see 5 feet in front of you. Give them the clarity they need to see what’s important and what to focus on. This is not your chance to micro-manage; this is your chance to develop your team and create a culture of ownership.

Tip 4 | Provide Training

Quality effective training and coaching can help your leaders overcome barriers and stress faster than any other type of development. If you believe in your leaders and need to help them overcome, call us today. We can help.

Bonus Tip: Provide coffee breaks on Zoom or in the office. Conduct meetings outside and walk the long way to the meeting. Ask your team members to walk during a portion of the meeting to help them recharge and get active.

Many of your leaders are stressed and it is impacting every aspect of their life at work and at home. While you cannot fix it for them - you can make sure you are doing what you can as a leader to help empower them.

Top Tips To Start The Week Off Right At Home | Weekly Game Plan

This last Sunday night, my hot wife and I implemented our Weekly Game Plan Strategy again. (I’ve entitled it that… she usually just rolls her eyes and grabs her planner. Haha!) 

It’s been awhile since we’ve needed to do it. It’s been a long “spring-break.”  We were already exhausted by the end of that Sunday and my ***-hole tone of voice rang through my bride's ears like an Alanis Morissette song.

Every Sunday for the last few years, we’ve been game-planning the week. (Again- my words… it must be the coach in me.) The Game Plan helps us avoid unnecessary frustrations, arguments and surprises. The Game Plan helps us to find opportunities for rest, dates, family dinners, and time with our kids.

We have:

4 kids. 

4 Different Grade Levels

3 Locations.

Multiple Teams (Sports, Business and Church-Related)

+ COVID 

+ Growing a Business

Next week, I’m going to work on having a better tone of voice… but this week, I wanted to share the Game Plan with you. 

Our mission is help leaders love Life at Work and love Life at Home. It’s a constant challenge because disruptions are never-ending, but we can’t let disruptions dictate our quality of life and family.

Here’s our Weekly Strategy Game Plan:

Each spouse gathers their relevant weekly schedule, meetings, appointments, plans, etc… We pull out the kids' schedules. Then plan out each day before Monday morning arrives. (We usually try to plan a couple weeks out and sometimes the month— BUT at least, the coming week.)

• Who drops off who - when and where.

• Who picks up who - when and where.

• Will any meetings get in the way of the routine? (Work through that TOGETHER- and by that I mean, work out conflicts together.)

• When are you going to enjoy a date?

• What are you going to plan for meals?

• Who’s working where?

• Have kids pack their lunches and get their sports bags together.

• If trips are coming up in the next two to four weeks- go ahead and remind one another about those plans.

Frustration and anxiety creep in when we are surprised. Take the time to plan your weeks together and avoid the miscommunication pitfalls. Then, review daily because people forget and life happens.

What do you do at home to make sure you and your spouse are ready to enjoy the week?

Lead intentionally, so you can love Life at Home and love Life at Work.