Sunday, November 16, 2008

What do you expect BIG or not so big?

Life is too short to [play] small.
~ Benjamin Disraeli

It came to my attention a few weeks ago that I had been playing small.

No one said to me, "you failed", I didn't get a curt email.
I did not hear it in a book, not a soul gave me a second look.
The result I had was thinking flat, ideas were slow creativity sat
Tucked away in cold dark rooms, wondering about its pending doom.
Dawn then struck, a second look, innovation lying in a crook.
Woke up and saw the time had come, got back on the horse and it started to run.
Giant Steps are double timing, I am playing BIG again and now I'm rising.

Thanks for indulging me. Have you thought about whether you are expecting big things consistently vs. having a fleeting thought about something BIG, potentially happening for you then as quickly as it came it went?

I have had both and I have observed and began to talk to colleagues and clients about the nature of the phenomena. There are plenty of books about playing big and thinking big. One of favorites and where I got the Benjamin Disraeli quote is from the David Schwartz The Magic of Thinking Big. The premise is that you can only go as far as your thoughts take you. Many people that I have spoken to, said they never really thought about how big they were being in their work or in their lives.

So a couple questions for you:

  • Are you in a job expecting that you will only go so far?
  • Are you a manager that is concerned that your team is not doing things that will make you look good for your boss?
  • Do you see your relationships growing powerfully?

If you are a yes to any of these situations or any other situation that is leaving you in a place where you feel that you have limited power, you are probably thinking, playing, or living in smallness. Trust me, you don't want to live there and that is not who you are.

I just put together a talk on inclusive leadership in health care and across all industries, and I illustrated that playing small as I will share with the audience--meaning not giving the people that you interact with every training and development opportunity, piece of information, freedom to share ideas, acknowledgement, and appreciative bit of coaching you can--leaves you smaller than you truly are. It has an impact on you and on those you interact with in an even more dis-empowering manner.

If you don't find ways to give people around you every opportunity within your power to be fulfilled, particularly those you manage or supervise, you are a leader limiting both your potential for greatness and that of those around you. The best surround themselves with the best and they do so by giving them every opportunity, every day to get better while they develop themselves to get better, too. They do this by listening to great people that they work for, work with, and those that work for them (especially the later).

In doing so, you will get more than you imagined!

What I am seeing in many so-called diversity problems where people are managing across difference whether it is generational, disabled vs. non-disabled, or situations with appararently little to know differences, is that managers are not challenging their teams to play bigger than they think they are able to. As a result instead of being inclusive managers pulling for their folks to grow and expand each and everyday with the result being innovation, fun, and mind-blowing results; they are finding their people constricting and holding back.

Whether it is a since of fear given the economy or fear of retribution, I guarantee it is costing your company money now or it will cost you later.

As an employee in this situation (and yes, you are part of the cause, too) not contributing ideas and insights for whatever reason will leave you overlooked and your contribution bundled up and sent to the Twilight Zone that no one will ever from again.

So, the anecdote: choose BIG! Contribute to your teams, your bosses, your families, your friends, your bowling partners, think BIG on their behalf or even better with them, and watch yourself develop the habit for yourself in the process. You will never feel more free and never accomplish more in every area of your life.

Make it a BIG day!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Strong Finishes

My observation the other day about finishing strong stands true.

What occurs to me though is a reason that may stand out beyond all other reasons to finish strong. I got this insight while weight training with my friend and stress management advisor Juju Poogie (http://www.jujupoogie.com/) and his brother and another long time friend of mine, John.

We were in the process of finishing our last few sets. We began to discuss a workout we did about a week ago doing lunges on a football field near our homes in Atlanta. We lunged the field and immediately lunged back and then did it once more. . .It wore me out. What I recall however, was how actually going harder at the end made it easier to finish. Juju said, push harder when he sensed me feeling fatigued.

Interestingly, I also recently heard a triathlon coach talk about the phenomena of "hitting the wall" in a race. He actually said rather than slowing down--SPEED UP! He instructed his athletes to do this and stated that 95% of them that in earnest speed up vs. slow down experience a greater ability to get past or over the wall better than when they slow down.

So today we are closing in on our second to last set with the weights and I determined that I would actually push harder on the second to last and last set than I had throughout the workout. (Don't get me wrong, I was working hard the whole time, I just stepped it up a little ;-))

In putting that idea into my mind, the weight that I was pushing seemed easier and I was left with a great sense of accomplishment and fulfillment with the workout. I always get something from a workout, but not necessarily fulfillment in the sense that I could transfer the energy of that commitment into other things that I am up to.

How strong are we finishing? If we understand that the whole idea of finishing is a temporary phenomena and while the concept of starting and finishing exists, we are always in perpetual motion. If we can understand the concept at its core we recognize this is all about momentum.

Within the dynamics of start to finish to start again an energy of commitment exists. President-elect Obama knows it. Finish strong: win the popular vote, win states democrats rarely win, dominate in the electoral college=move into the White House powerfully. Simple:

Strong finishes create strong starts.

When we finish strongly and do so consistently we can create an unstoppable energy of commitment that is so highly concentrated, that upon completion of one thing we are doing, it propels us powerfully into the next thing, regardless of what it is. You finishing strongly will start your next endeavor off in a way that gives you the the energy of success regardless of the outcome.

FINISHING STRONG=POWERFUL STARTS in whatever you are up to whether it is job seeking or studying for your boards, vying for a promotion, or running for public office. If you want an awesome career and an incredible life, finish strong without excuse every time!

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Finishing the Race

The 2008 Elections have come to a conclusion and our new President-elect has made history in many ways. I am an Obama supporter so I am very excited, too. I am also aware that there is a lot of work to do and all of us as health care professional and those committed to diversity in health care.

One of the most powerful lessons I learned watching this election season was one that speaks to how we finish the races we run.

During the primary, Senator Clinton in her attempt to come from behind, winning several key states, would often reference Mr. Obama's inability to "close the deal". It was a challenge for Obama. Of course, he eventually one, but many headlines at the end of the primary stated, "Obama Limps to the Finish Line". Of course Obama finished with the nomination in hand and while doing so learned a very important lesson--Finish Strong and Take Nothing for Granted.

There was a point during the primary campaign in which Senator Clinton took for granted the nomination, in fact, she in some people's opinions she acted as if she was entitled to primary victory and the nomination and in a sense she took it for granted. Now, I am not sure if she relaxed and did not strategize in preparation for unknown threats or in search of unseen opportunities. Nonetheless, what it looked like was that she was not taking a 360 degree view and making sure all of her bases were covered. As a result, she gave her the opponent the chance to make his move.

Senator Clinton re-grouped and made a valiant come back, and if she had recognized that she was missing opportunities to finish each phase of her campaign more powerfully earlier, the outcome of the primary may have been different and perhaps history would have been made in another fashion. However, she missed finishing when she had the chance.

Fortunately, she taught our soon to be 44th president a lesson about finishing a race powerfully. During the general election, Obama dotted every proverbial "i" an crossed every proverbial "t". He never stopped campaigning up until election day and for everything thrown at him he had a response that met the specific need for each moment.

When you are looking for a job, candidate, or working on an important project, how well do you finish the race?

Where your diversity and cultural competency efforts are concerned, are you taking a 360 degree view and assuring that you are being inclusive of the needs of all patients, clinics, and staff? If not, get started now and know that there will be a series of races in front of us and that if we complete them, the possibilities of the kind of high-functioning organizations we desire. And of course, we can also move towards health equity.

The next time you get close to the finish line remember what Senator Clinton taught President-elect Obama: Take Nothing for Granted--go harder, it will take you to victory without doubt!