Yesterday I held another practice with a cool group of front line leaders. These young leaders will not last long if their leaders don’t get better. This is not a threat. This is not them speaking. This is something I’ve simply found to be TRUE.
Strong Individuals do not tolerate mediocre leaders…for very long. Want a better team? Become a better leader. Remember, every leader gets exactly the team he or she deserves. Why do I LOVE energy and attitude over position and power? Are you following this rant? What does your character, creating real margin, and the Stanford “marshmellow” test have to do with real performance improvement?
What does YOUR ability to see through all the noise and clangor in YOUR world and continue to ACT…and lead your team to ACT productively, have to do with your performance?
Well, in a word, EVERYTHING!!
Do you see it?
Are you choosing to ACT, to experiment today even though you can’t see CLEARLY, the road ahead?
Are you able to find the melody line for you and your team?
Are you increasing your ability to “resist impulse?”
Do you know what it means to delay gratification?
Are you focused more on building your strong CHARACTER, or are you still focused on your reputation? Do you know the difference?
Have you created the margin to really BE the “good Samaritan?”
Do people enter the “spin zone” when they enter your twenty square feet?
Do you have to think about who is in the room, on the phone, copied on email before you share your thoughts?
Do you think this might be slowing you down…in all the wrong WAYS?
Why?
Why?
Why?
If you don’t KNOW these answers are you interested enough to seek them?
BUILT TO LEAD 
I will continue to think about this during my work career. This theme, coupled with the wisdom of George Dom will stay with me. I can only keep asking for feedback, striving to do my best. I have a friend who recently handed me a wisdom page about relationships. She scratched out the word “perfection” and inserted the word “excellence.” She’s BTL and hasn’t even joined us! I can’t wait until she can.
Actually, she already is!