Last year our business had a massive metaphorical blaze. The term fighting fires was a dramatic understatement as we fought to contain a major issue that caused people grief and cost a heap of money.
As I pondered this shot that I took of a big warehouse fire at Tristram Marine a couple of thoughts struck me.
Firstly firewalls. The fire in this building was contained to the point that they will be reopening the showroom at the other end of the building tomorrow.
My second observation is hot spots. Today, the same fire appliance that was in this shot was still at the fire to dampen down hotspots.
Last year we lacked firewalls. Processes and systems to contain issues as they arose, and stop them becoming a raging uncontrolled blaze. As a result we spent a lot of time dampening down hot spots.
I’m reminded that as leaders and managers we need build firewalls. Simple purposeful systems, that protect our organisations from large disruptive metaphorical fires.
Category: Leadership (Page 7 of 10)
I love the view out of my office window. I enjoy gazing off into the distance towards Mount Pirongia, which is 27km away to the southwest of the city. I am captivated by the movement of cars and trains journeying to their destinations at the bottom of the road.
When I’m on my mobile, I often get out of my seat and watch the world go by my office. I’ve been known to get caught leaning on the window ledge, just pondering, considering, thinking. Across our driveway is a café. I’m sure that people must look up from time to time and wonder what the weird guy is doing just looking out the window. “Get a real job” they probably think.
Yet a huge chunk of my job is thinking. And thinking can be really really hard. But without thought we carry on through life without change.
Without change nothing improves.
I got reminded that I need to think more yesterday. To ponder more.
So today will be a day of …
Remember as a kid if you wanted to be doctor, you simply dress up as doctor and you're good to go. That simple. In real life training to be a doctor is a lot more complicated.
As I flew to Christchurch this morning, the Head Steward on the Jetstar flight was in training. The trainer was providing practical insights, small tips, and cautions to the trainee throughout the flight. Apart from the announcement about Australian quarantine laws on a New Zealand domestic flight, it really was real-time experiential training.
In Christchurch I did some one-on-one training with one of my team. Not in real-time, but still practical, small tips and cautions to help him in his role.
Sometimes when we think of training, we behave like we are training doctors. But training should just be simple, experiential and primarily one-on-one.
154 | 365 – Dress Up – Jayden IS a doctor, checking up on Talia.
When I flew into Melbourne this week I knew broadly my hotel was in the Southbank area, so caught a bus, then the train, then walked around looking for it. Most people, I would assume, would actually look it up on a map.
When I went to the conference yesterday, I knew it was at the Tennis grounds. Again forgot to look it up, so just followed my nose.
Last night tried to lead some friends to a great place to eat. Failed completely, and got sore legs walking around the city, then ended up back near were we started.
Then I realised, that maybe the way I lead is a bit like that. I know the kind of area I need to head towards, but never really map out the way. I almost head there by trial and error without all the details worked out. Most times I succeed, sometimes I fail big-time.
Broadly knowing where I am going, but not really nailing down the best route.
Hmm
I'm not sure this is a great leadership trait.
I remember it because it was the 8th of 8, 88.
Bob Addison and Dale Henderson took a punt and gave a young, uneducated, skinny bum the opportunity to work at Baycourt theatre.
I had been hanging around the theatre for about 5 years, and looking back I must have been one frustrating young guy. Full of potential but lacking discipline and a little bit strange to boot.
But I got opportunities to clean toilets, learn more about sound and lighting and play with pagemaker on computers (no mean feat in 88).
I learned about creativity, long hours, leadership, communicating with people older than me and doing crap jobs I didn’t enjoy.
I was 18, and I was privileged that Bob and Dale gave me a shot. After a while I moved on and learnt other things from other leaders. But they were some of the first people to see something in me, I didn’t see, even though they never got to see it delivered.
So anyway two key points I considered today.
- 21 years later, I wonder which 18 year I should be giving a similar opportunity to?
- Where did 21 years go?
Saw an interview on 60 Minutes this week with Kiwi Kerry Spackman. Kerry is a Neuroscientist for sports stars like Lewis Hamilton.
He was asked what made them successful and gave these four qualities
-
They are phenomenally hard workers
-
Their attention to detail was second to none
-
They have an ability to get over disappointment
-
They have an unshakable belief in themselves
A timely reminder to me!
It is interesting as I look back over my life how many leaders I learnt from:
- From Glyn I learnt a habit of purposefully saying Good Morning.
- From Dave I learnt the importance of structured sales calls.
- From Jeff I learnt heaps about strategic thought.
- From Bruce I learnt about the importance of process and detail.
- From Jim I learnt to think outside of the things I already know.
There are also a number of leaders who inflated into their roles, whose ego was more important than the people they lead. From them I learnt what not to be.
I would often have disagreements with my bosses. But if they made a decision I would generally do my level best to support them and own the decision like it was my own. I can think of a couple of examples where I didn’t and I learnt less and annoyed the crap out of my boss along the way.
I would not be the person I am today if it were not for these men and many many others inside and outside of the business world.
It stands to reason then, that to become a leader you must first become a follower.
A great follower.
A point understood by those who grow, a point lost on those who inflate.
I wonder sometimes if I don’t over complicate leadership.
Maybe the most important, most necessary, most essential attributes of a leader could be summed up in these two ideas;
Communicating Stunningly
to
Implement the Future.
Maybe these two ideas are all that leadership is!
The problems arise when you try to explain what these ideas really mean. At this point you need a whole set of attributes for each of these ideas and lose the overarching ideas themselves.
Initiative
You probably hear this word quite often in statements like “oh that person doesn’t show any initiative”. Often I find the term is used in relation to how a person thinks, but the word actually means to “initiate action”.
Dictionary.com describes it like this
–noun
1. an introductory act or step; leading action: to take the initiative in making friends.
2. readiness and ability in initiating action; enterprise: to lack initiative.
3. one's personal, responsible decision: to act on one's own initiative.
The more I think about it the more it makes sense. In most cases it is not that people do not know what to do, or what to try. They normally at least have an idea.
They just have no desire to take action. Or just do nothing.
They don't act!
So Take Action.
Today.
Show initiative.
Love, desire, motivation, inspiration, and passion are in the final analysis the greatest differences between good leaders and great leaders.
– The Extraordinary Leader pg 136