I get it, we're all smart...

The following is the original and the rewrite can be found by clicking here.

I know a very savvy leader who once started a meeting by saying, "I get it, we're all smart... let's get over it." I found it funny, profound and it set a tone that I had rarely heard before. 

In one simple statement he created a PUSH for everyone in the room...created common ground and checked egos at the door; he reminded us that we wouldn't be at the meeting if we were not smart, skilled and of value to the company. (For those who are not familiar with the term PUSH, it is used in Blackjack when the value of the player's hand is the same as the dealer's; this is considered a tie with no winner or loser and all bets are returned.) But it isn't always a PUSH, as we all know those people who simply set themselves apart. And why is that? -  More often than not, somewhere on that list of qualities, will be Trustworthiness... the firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone (or something). 

When you tear away all the formal structure, governance and process of business, in its simplest of terms, ,you are left with a group of relationships... be it internally among employees, or externally with customers. And like all relationships, the best ones are built on a foundation of trust... as the old African saying goes, "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." 

We all gravitate to those people that we can "trust"... be it to get the work done correctly and on time, because they do what they say they will do, are honest in their pursuits, and so on. All of these characteristics will serve a person very well and it is something we should strive for - But here is the thing, trustworthiness alone will not guarantee a strong business relationship. 

You can go fast with trustworthiness, as it can sometimes be a lonely venture, but if you want to go far, you need Mutual Trustworthiness... it is the knowledge and belief there will be reciprocity. This will build real relationships and create the "runway needed" to make great things happen. In the end, it becomes important to understand mutual levels of trustworthiness and how they are aligned; some will be evident though action and some will have to be taken on a little bit of faith.   

• As individuals, we should ask ourselves what characteristics make us "Trustworthy"?
• As leaders, we should ask what aspects of "Trustworthiness" do we want to foster on our teams?
• Does "Mutual Trustworthiness" exist in our business relationships?

Symbolically, when you shake someone's hand, you are saying, "Trust me, I have no weapons". Do you know what else does your handshake says? 

This is how you will go far.

gpe

Sometimes it's just hard to do something...

I have been posting a blog every Sunday and Wednesday for a while now and have been true to my schedule. Some blogs have been well received, while others not so much. But I have always published. Today, it has been hard to come up with something to write about.

Today... every idea I have come up with keeps crashing in the proverbial "ball of flame". I just can't get it together, and in fact have been wrestling with it for over a day now. 

The big question I have been asking myself is, "do I just not post today, or do I at least publish something?". If you have gotten this far, I guess you have the answer. As I write this, it strikes me that there is a message in all of this. When it is hard, do you just put it off, or do you put the best foot forward you can? Is it better to do something, or nothing at all?

If it was another day, I suspect I would have something to say about this, but because it is today, the best I can come up with on this day is ... 

Do something!!

As a consolation for reading this far, I have attached the link on a great talk by Dr Brene Brown on vulnerability. Click here. It is very inspirational.

Tomorrow is another day,

gpe

You define success... no one else does.

I have a 200 kilometer bike ride to support conquering cancer* in eight weeks; now a part of every weekend is dedicated to training. I was out today with a couple of good friends... enjoying the day and getting some kilometers under "my belt". As we were coming to the end of our ride, three riders passed us at a much faster pace and were way ahead of us before we knew it. I heard one of my friends say, "I should be in much better shape and be as fast as they are" - To that I said, "Just think of all those people who are not even out here".

For my buddy, success was going faster and for me success was being out on the road. We both have a goal to finish the BIG RIDE, but our definitions of training success are different. Is one person's definition of success better than the other? Of course not, as in this case, we will both finish the BIG RIDE. Success is different for all of us, with no one definition of success being better than the other. And only you can decide how success is defined for you.

Some people may say to me, "you should be training to ride faster", and that is fair. But here is the thing, there will be other people who would agree with my definition, and yet others, will have other definitions of successful training. And this is the trap when it comes to discussions of success; there can be a wide range of success definitions, criteria or opinion.  And who is to say what the "success hierarchy" is...

• Is success defined by wealth?
• Is success defined by the number of friends you have?
• Is success defined by the loving family you have?
• Is success defined by fame?
• Is success defined by health and longevity?
• et cetera

Which of these are more important? Are any of them? Who truly can say?

In the end, success has to be measured relative to a goal - And that goal should be yours. So again, the definition of your success has to be all about YOU and not defined by someone else. I appreciate that a person's definition of success may be aligned with someone else's definition of success and probably very contextual... such as being a sales representative and having success defined as reaching a sales target. Hopefully this is aligned with a personal goal and if not, success will most likely be hard to find.

So if you want success - set YOURSELF goals and then achieve them.

gpe

* Ride to Conquer Cancer  www.conquercancer.ca