Change Masters Incorporated - The Blog

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Leading in Challenging Times

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Authentic leadership under trying times requires balance. You have to pair emotional honesty, facts, perspective, courage with authenticity.

Fear is a legitimate feeling for you and them. It should be acknowledged. Also, it is essential to communicate perspective, courage, and hope.

For example, “It is normal to feel fear when things are uncertain. I feel that too. It is a time for courage. Courage causes us to focus on what we can do now. Courage is stronger than fear. We need to support each other as we move through this challenge. We have successfully overcome difficulty before, and we can do it again.”

Authenticity and transparency with warmth and emotional sincerity – that’s a recipe for leadership success in scary times.

Executive Presence Tip – Carol Keers

Looking Backward

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We live life looking forward and we understand life looking backward. It is natural that the young have chutzpah in the face of challenges. It allows one to charge against the odds. It is natural to fall down on the journey. Those who get back up and on their journey have the opportunity to learn from their mistakes.

The more mistakes that are overcome, the more that is learned. After many mistakes and reflection, wisdom grows. We learn that some of the biggest mistakes have led to the best outcomes. We learn that our most difficult events can make us stronger. It is how we deal with things that happen that make the difference.

While I would not wish a wheelchair on anyone, studies have found those who face that event are happier five years later than those who won the lottery. Humans are fairly able to adapt to new realities such as injury. We do not do as well with unrealistic expectations about what money can do for happiness. I have a client who almost died from a heart attack who’s motto is now, “Every day above ground is a good day.” In contrast, during the 2008 market crash, those who inherited millions of dollars were much more upset when it dropped in half than those who had earned their millions. It is how we think about what happens in our life that yields wisdom and happiness … or not.

Wisdom

Fail to Learn

With many mistakes and experiences, some people arrive at “old age” with wisdom. Those who face enormous difficulty early in life also seem to find wisdom at an earlier age. We did pro bono speech coaching with a teenage boy who successfully fought multiple rounds of cancer. At 15-years-old, he was able to share wisdom in his speeches that would rival the wisest senior citizen.

I recently saw a sign that said, “Old age has come at an inconvenient time“. The phrase I have often heard, “If I knew at 25 what I know now ...” captures the theme. When young, most think that well-meaning “old people” do not know much about their world. It is true for every generation. The gap with who has wisdom of experience and who could take best advantage has endured.

Inspiration

When we ask people who in their life has had the biggest impact in their life, they talk about a sports coach, a teacher who challenged them, a parent or grandparent. The reasons given are “they believed in me“, “they saw more in me than I saw in myself“, “they supported me when I really needed it“, “they were a role model of how to care for others“, and “they had my back“. I have yet to hear the answer that said, “They were the smartest person.” When I ask how they did those things, the most common thread is “They really listened to me.”

Listening is something we can all do. It is something we can all learn to do better. It is the thing that allows young and old to share wisdom.

Remote Trust

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You need to create trust remotely to excel. With the global uncertainty due to coronavirus surging, creating a deliberate remote impact is crucial.

Change Masters has a remote executive presence coaching experience that has been incredibly successful. We coach seven people simultaneously and remotely with live coaching – it can keep you from being misinterpreted from afar!

Executive Presence Tip – Carol Keers

CEO Living in an Airstream

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Tony Hsieh (“Shay”) is the CEO of Zappo’s and is unconventional in many ways. After selling Zappo’s to Amazon, Hsieh’s net worth is near $1 Billion. I have heard a number of things about him over the years – you probably have too.

What recently caught my attention is that Hsieh lives in an Airstream in the center of Las Vegas. Yes – in an RV park. Like a “tiny house” of 240 sq-ft that he shares with his pet llama. One twist is that he owns the RV park as a part of his effort to revitalize downtown LV. [ABC did a short report.]

Interior of Tony Hsieh’s 240 sq-ft Airstream

Seeing this story is an example of how we filter what we see. I recently noticed the New York Times article about his Airstream. I believe my awareness is directly related to the interest Carol and I now have in Airstreams and related travel destinations. One-year ago this month we decided to buy an Airstream RV trailer. We have had a great time so far and are excited about exploring the national parks.

With my new interest in Airstreams, I see things that are related to Airstreams that I would not have seen before. (I have had similar experiences when purchasing a new car. Before the purchase, I saw few similar cars. After purchase, it seems similar cars are everywhere.) We literally see differently based on what we think about. Our filters create many blind spots.

What Are Your Blind Spots?

We literally do not see some things because of our filters. When we have diversity of viewpoints and backgrounds on our teams we open the door to see what we did not see before. Letting team members challenge and show new viewpoints, we are better at whatever we are doing.

Most of us would not look at a 40-something man living in an Airstream in an RV park in the middle of Las Vegas as likely to be a billionaire. In fact, there are many who assume that someone with a lot of money is out-of-touch. The truth is some are and some aren’t. Tony Hsieh gives us a chance to look at things a little differently.

Every time we open ourselves to seeing something we did not see before, we have the opportunity to becomes smarter and more informed. Personal growth is being slightly embarrassed by the person we were a few years ago.

I suspect that if I choose to park my Airstream in an RV park in Las Vegas, I will not become a billionaire. Seeing a billionaire make that choice, however, opens my mind. I hope it helps you too.