“Most things in life are neither good nor bad, right nor wrong.  Most things just are.”

–     Dr. Tom Graf

About 3:30 this morning, the wind started screaming.  That means the wind chills are going to be dangerously low in the Midwest for the next few days.  The winds will make it seem like it’s 50 or more degrees below zero, even though the actual temperature may be much warmer.  That said, wind chill is one of the few “seems like” scenarios that carry real meaning.  If it’s 20-degrees with a 45-mile-per-hour wind, it is, in fact, more dangerous than if it were 20-degrees and calm.

Most other “seems like” scenarios aren’t necessarily as they seem.

If it seems like someone is mad at us, it may just mean they’re hungry or tired, or that something unrelated has affected their mood.

If the boss seems like she’s being a real hard case, it may just mean that someone close to her is ill.

If a co-worker seems like he’s become distant, maybe he’s in the midst of a breakup.

If the deal seems like it’s gone quiet, maybe the buyer’s son or daughter has come home early from the military and they’re celebrating the reunion.

The list of illustrations is probably endless, yet the point is the same.  Things aren’t always (or often) as they seem.  They key for difference makers is to get ourselves close enough to know the cause behind the symptom, the reality behind the behavior.

There is a series of videos (one of them is linked here) produced by the owner of the Chick-Fil-A restaurant chain, called “Every Life Has A Story.”  The tag at the end of the video is the theme of this week’s Daily Difference.  Every life has a story…if we read it.

“Don’t focus on excelling at the expense of persevering.”

–     A paraphrase of Dr. Andy Hamilton, President, NYU in his welcome address to the Spring admit Class of 2022 last night in New York

New York University’s motto is the Latin for “To persevere and to excel.”

As we run The Eldest of The Three through the move-in / orientation process — it was a lesson that registered for her, and also for me, and the other business-type dads in the room.

In science, we fail often and with some degree of regularity.  In research, the hypothesis we’re trying to prove must first face unrelenting efforts to disprove it.  And, in business, if all we’re doing is focusing on excelling at what we do — we may not get the opportunity to persevere should a competitor shift the market or a regulator affect the  business model.

Perseverance is the stuff of Difference Makers, largely because there is rarely and end to the work we do.  We may excel at a project, but still need to persevere through the bigger work effort.  We may excel at a presentation, but still need to persevere through the negotiations.  We may excel at saving a client, but still need to persevere to change the process or root cause of what made the client consider leaving.

Our schools, our sports media, our pundits focus on excelling (not excellence, in my opinion — they choose instead to glorify the test over the learning, the game over the season or the highlight over the game and the legislation over the problem it was seeking to solve.

Perseverance is about the longer haul, and when we’re measuring our progress, keeping a laser focus on the longer, bigger, broader goal, perseverance will win out over excellence, and it will do so even faster when we get the excellence right more frequently along the way.

“The busyness of things obscures our concentration…”

–     Oswald Chambers (1874 – 1917), Scottish evangelist and teacher, author of all-time best-selling daily devotional, My Utmost for His Highest

Oswald is referring to our concentration on God, yet the business implication here is great for those who prefer to not blur the lines.

A “Top 3” admonishments in the Daily Difference over the past 14 years, is that we ought to be very hesitant to wear our busyness as a badge of honor.  We’re all busy.  Everyone is, to a certain degree.  But our busyness simply can’t become an excuse for not focusing on the important at the expense of the urgent.

If we carry the Faith-based angle forward, Satan’s primary weapon is to get us focused where we’re weak, and our busyness is a key weapon that he’ll deploy.  If we stick to the straight-and-narrow, business-only interpretation, one of our greatest weaknesses is things that seem important, but really are only temporarily urgent.

In business, where no one typically loses a limb or has their life in danger, the ability to keep crystal-clear focus on the things that are really important, and to not be distracted by the “emergency of the moment” is what separates the difference-makers from the excuse-makers.

And, since I’ve gone there (and perhaps too often do choose to “blur the lines,” if not obliterate them), a great place to start is to not separate the Faith angle from the business angle.  If our first focus in on the Thing that is most important, keeping the other important things in focus becomes much simpler.  Not easier, mind you, but simpler.

Make a difference today!

“I don’t know where I’m going but I’m on my way.”

–     Carl Sandburg (1878 – 1967), American poet, writer and editor

The Diff was off Monday, out of respect for an American hero, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  And, reflecting on the day, I got to wondering, “Are we making progress?”  As a middle-aged, white male, it’s not for me to posit on progress in the area of civil rights.  I have friends of color who would say both that we’ve come a long way and that we have a long, long way to go.  As we assess progress on this critical social matter, there’s a business corollary, too.

We owe it to ourselves to know how we’ll measure progress, day-to-day, week-to-week toward even our biggest, most hairy and most audacious goals.

So, unlike Sandurg, we’re called to know where we’re going (have a plan / targets / etc.), and to decide how we’ll measure our progress.

First, we need objective measurements.  Did we sell more?  Did we spend less?  Did we add to our pipeline?  Did we win business from a competitor?  Did we create a new client from a new, untapped market?  These questions have concrete, yes-or-no answers, and we can attach real numbers to the yes or the no.

We also need to use subjective measurements.  Does it feel right?  Are we playing, winning and / or losing the “right way?”  Are our families proud of the work we do?  Are our shareholders pleased with not only the return, but the reputation we’re earning?  Are our best people staying with us and growing in their roles?  Are we attracting the kind of talent we want to, and are we building a “great place to work?”

Either list could be almost limitless.  The key is for us to know what we’re going to measure, how we’re going to measure it and how often, so that “on our way” actually means progress.

“Nothing is more dangerous than an idea, when you only have one idea.”

–     Emile-Auguste Chartier (1868 – 1951), French philosopher, author and pacifist

Yes, I just quoted a self-described pacifist….I know, weird, right?  Still, if we’re going to be difference makers, where ideas are our preferred currency, his point is worth taking very seriously.

I’d argue that if you only have one idea, it’s probably more about desperation than ideation.

It doesn’t have to be a “the heavens opened up” moment, either.  Having more ideas can / should be done very intentionally.  How?

Ask until there are more ideas.  Change the context until there are more ideas.  Don’t engage in any “How?” discussions until there are more options to consider.  “Huh?” you might be saying…

“What if it was illegal or immoral to pursue this idea?” we can ask.  “What would we do then?”

“What are the top three reasons this idea might fail?” we can ask.  “What would our response be in each of those three cases?”

It’s less about the answers to those questions than the conversations that take place in addressing them.  Ideation is about throwing a lot of paint on the canvas until we have a picture we can justify hanging on the wall.  Ideation is about taking on change with no ramifications, no consequences, no downside, because all we’re doing is spit-balling a rigorous game of “What if?”

If we only have one idea to consider, we ought not to consider it.  Our currency is devalued in that case.  Putting more ideas in play removes the bias, reduces the danger, and increases the commitment to the new idea we ultimately choose.

Editor’s Note:  It also has a side benefit.  It creates contingencies, even if we don’t realize it at the time.

Make it a great weekend!

“There are few minds in a century that can look upon a new idea without terror.  Fortunately for the rest of us, there are very few new ideas.”

–     W. Somerset Maugham (1874 – 1965), British writer, philosopher

“I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas.  I’m frightened of the old ones.”

–     John Cage (1912 – 1992), American composer and music theorist

Ideas are the currency of Difference Makers.

And new ideas are scarier than heck!

While these two quotes may seem to be in conflict, like Cage’s musical creations, there’s tons of harmony here.

New ideas are few, therefore they’re extraordinarily valuable.  New ideas are new, therefore, human nature is to fear them, resist them.

In a compressing market?  What got you here won’t keep you viable.  In an evolving market?  Those who challenge the status quo will evolve more quickly than competitors.

Dealing in the currency of ideas requires two commitments:

1. We’d better make it safe to fail.
2. We’d better be willing to fail quickly and redirect as needed.

These two commitments require two disciplines:

1. When considering new ideas, we can’t limit ourselves to one.  The key is to consider multiple concepts and blend, combine or eliminate based on the broader view.  We layer too much risk into an already scary space (change), if we fall in love with an idea before we consider alternatives.  (More on this tomorrow, by the way…)
2. Failing quickly still requires taking time to learn from the errors.  If we fail quickly without gleaning knowledge and experience, we’ve wasted the opportunity.

Ideas are the currency of Difference Makers.  Entering the scary space where new ideas can take root increases the value of our currency.

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

–     George Bernard Shaw (1856 – 1950), Irish playwright and influencer of Western culture

“I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I’m not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.”

–     Classic tee shirt from my youth, loosely attributed to Robert McCloskey (1914 – 2003), American writer and illustrator

So, how do we correct the illusion that communication has taken place? How do we makes sure, absolutely, positively sure that what you heard is what I meant?

We ask.  And we listen, intently and actively.

“Did you / does that mean…?”

“Why is that / isn’t that the case…?”  “What caused that / prevented that…?”

“How did that feel (for you, for your team, for your boss, for your customers…)…?” (This is a big one!)  

“Can you help me understand…?”  “What would have to change in order for us to ______?”  “Are we on the right track together?”

“What one thing would you / wouldn’t you change…?”  “If we only accomplish one thing together, what would you want it to be?”

Regardless of our role we should be asking these and other questions.

The point is, we ask to go deeper, “seeking first to understand.” We ask, because unless we do, the illusion wins out, and the ambiguity grows. Reality and clarity are our friends, while illusion and ambiguity are not.

Elwood:  “It’s 106 miles to Chicago.  We got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes.  It’s dark, and we’re wearing sunglasses.”

Jake:  “Hit it!”

–     Dialogue in this scene from the movie, “The Blues Brothers”

Yesterday, we referenced playing offense as one of four intentional behaviors for difference makers.  What does that mean, really?

There are at least four keys to consider in playing offense.

First, we need a game plan.  That plan should be based upon our strengths, both as individuals and as a team, and aimed at specific outcomes that serve as mileposts to a greater outcome.  Wyatt, (the Middle of The Three Heston Kids) has become enamored with Aaron Rodgers’ unique ability to pull off “Hail Mary” passes.  It is cool, but Hail Mary’s are last-gasp, desperation-based plays designed to overcome either a flawed game plan or a poorly executed one.  Great game plans in our businesses give us instant feedback so we can assess how we’re doing measured against the greater goal and ideally, they make the Hail Mary plays unnecessary.

And that brings us to measurable.  Einstein said “not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted counts.”  In other words, we have to choose our measures carefully, and some might be at least a little subjective.  Employee engagement, client loyalty and cash flow are critical measures that both count, and can be counted.  Momentum, energy, market response and others should be watched and measured, with the understanding that the metrics might be softer, and that the filters through which we see them might change as the business unfolds.

A third element is being flexible.  I like the metaphor of off-ramps on the interstate and alternate routes in our map app.  Maybe it’s actually going to be 113 miles to Chicago.  Maybe there’s an accident on the Kennedy and we have to take The Ike, and maybe that affects our arrival time / delivery date.  That’s why cars have signals and break lights, and why drivers have free will to decide.  The only thing worse than a bad game plan is one that is so rigid it leaves no room for instinct, experience and common-sense to help us feel our way along.

Finally, we need an action orientation.  Jake and Elwood could have debated the wisdom of the sunglasses.  They could have done a calculation on whether they had enough gas or smokes.    That would have wrecked one of the best scenes / lines from my favorite movie and besides, paralysis by analysis kills more teams and companies that multiple errors of aggression.  It is impossible to design a perfect game plan.  We will never have all the information we’d like to have prior to stepping on the accelerator.  We will be tempted to wait, consider, plot, noodle and contingency-plan ourselves into a mind-numbing state of inaction.  No!  Based on what they knew they had and where they knew they needed to be, Jake and Elwood decided to “Hit it!” and so must we.  (After all, they were (and we are) “on a mission from God!”  They couldn’t wait, they had to trust and go!)

How far is it to your destination?  How much fuel is in the tank?  How clear is your vision?  If our intent is to play offense, and we’ve got a game plan, it’s likely that all that is left is for us to “Hit it!”

“Intentional living is the act of making our own choices before others’ choices make us.”

–     Richie Norton, author, blogger, speaker

Intentionality is a fantastic tool for cutting through the static.  It’s a clutter reducer.  Intentionality brings clarity and speed to the party.

Here are four behaviors that will expedite positive, meaningful change in any organization, if communicated well (intentionally) and executed on with the REELAX Leadership Model at the forefront:

1)  Change The Conversation

Ask different questions.  Seek different answers.  (Those are two different things, by the way!)  Invite different opinions.  Get beyond the data and leverage real insights.  Take the opposite perspective on something you believe deeply and build a case.  (It’ll give you a different view as to why you believe, not what you believe…)  Lead the team through an exercise titled, “What If We’re 100% Wrong, What Would We Do Then!?”

2)  Play Offense

My mom, an otherwise amazing lady, was a “disaster lurks around every corner” kind of mindset.  Granted, with that approach, we might limit our big losses, but we also might miss most of our best opportunities.  If our team is constantly focused on not losing, we owe it to them and to ourselves to play the game to win the game.  We can’t lose what we don’t have.  Therefore, we ought to try to win what we want!

3)  Honor Outcomes over Processes and Transactions

Outcomes.  That’s why we get out of bed every morning.  Difference makers understand that processes can become the problem, and that markets and businesses evolve over time.  If we’re just focused on the next transaction, we’ll likely miss the opportunity that comes from seeking bigger-picture outcomes.  Example?  Are we taking bad deals, “transactions,” at the expense of sustainable, life-giving growth?  That’s a transactions-over-outcomes trap worth avoiding.  And, if “we’ve always done it this way,” or “we don’t do it that way,” gets in the way of “hey, what if we tried __________” that’s honoring process over outcomes.  That’s icky!  Honor outcomes — and the quality and frequency of great outcomes ratchets up pretty quickly.

4)  Be A Learning Organization

Build networks.  Invite insight from unrelated sources.  Interview a wildly-successful-but-out-of-market competitor.  Take a class.  Teach a class.  On “Bring Your Children To Work Day,” ask the kids what they would do if they were faced with _______________.  Loan an executive to The United Way.  Hire interns and ask them to really engage, deeply.  Call the last three leaders who left your team, buy them lunch and ask them what you could have done differently to make it better for them.  Do the same with the last ten clients who’ve left.  Ask, record and share the two or three differentiators that made your three newest clients sign up with you.  Remember your favorite childhood story and review it with your business in mind.  You get the point, right?  Every single day — see how deeply we can drive the learning, on an individual and team basis.

Not the only four, but four behaviors that, intentionally and relentlessly executed upon, become cornerstones for winning companies.  When we intentionally approach our days with these behaviors as foundations, markets don’t shift without us being ready.  Clients / employees don’t surprise us by leaving.  When we intentionally change the conversation, play offense, honor outcomes and learn, learn, learn — we separate ourselves from the pack in a very meaningful manner!

“There are only three measurements that tell you nearly everything you need to know about your organization’s overall performance:  employee engagement, client satisfaction and cash flow.”

–     Jack Welch (b. 1935), longtime, wildly successful CEO of General Electric

“It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do.  We hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.”

–     attributed to Steve Jobs (1955 – 2011), co-founder and twice CEO of Apple

While Jobs carries cult-hero status even years after his death, bashing Welch has become popular these days, which baffles me.  It’s been 17 years since he had the wheel, and during his time, GE not only spun off cash and stock growth that was the envy of most companies, and he also produced a culture that spawned dozens of world-class CEO’s and senior executives.

Why?

Because he knew people came first.  If your company is ginormous (technical term), Human Resources should still report to the CEO.  If your company is tiny, the owner / CEO should still have direct responsibility for the people part of the puzzle.  Because…

1) If there’s a problem, the right people will fix it.  It may stem from a flawed process.  Bad marketing.  Inadequate cash management or some other accounting issue.  Behind each of those issues lie real human beings, and the CEO needs a direct line to the firing, hiring, developing and promoting decisions in the company.

2) If there’s not a problem, the right people will maximize the opportunity.  In good times, some departments, or individual’s might tend to coast a bit.  The CEO needs a direct line to the people decisions that permit a company to maximize opportunity when it presents itself.

3) Employee engagement is a hot topic, and it ain’t gonna cool off anytime soon.  I’m not particularly impressed by Glassdoor® or any other public forum where people can go air their dirty laundry anonymously.  I think we should air our dirty laundry with conviction, at the “family table,” so-to-speak.  Still, the best, and lowest cost recruiting there is comes from Albert in Accounting, who recommends Sandy for Sales.  The best employee retention comes when Sandy reminds Albert of all the great things he told her about the company when she hired on.  Don Clifton and Marcus Buckingham had in right in “First, Break All The Rules;” when we’re connected, engaged and devoted to our teams at work, great things happen, individually and in the broader picture as well.

Technically, I guess I could have titled the post “The Reason…” instead of three.  The reason?  People first.  And if the people are going to really be first, the CEO has to have direct access to and accountability for the people people.