From my servant leadership writing these past several years combined with following Michael Hyatt’s Blog, I’ve become familiar with the publishing industry. While I am no expert, it seems to me that publishing is evolving into an alternative to the advanced degree. Publishing, alone, will not replace advanced degrees. However, many authors  realize comparable benefits to graduates of advanced programs. These benefits include:

1. Publishing Quality Matters: There are cheap education options that border on “degrees for sale”. However, to attain a quality degree, it takes a lot of time and effort. It’s the same with publishing. Nowadays anyone can publish – which is both good an bad. Bad because there’s a lot of junk out there, but good because more quality is also exposed, through hard work and an investment of time.

2. Publishing Creates Opportunities: Good content is consumed, followed and shared. Good authors are therefore validated by their audience. For example, authors of recognized content are more likely to get an interview, meeting or other opportunity. It is the same with advanced degrees. If you have a quality masters or doctorate, you are more likely to get that interview, meeting or other introduction.

3. Publishing Availability: Advanced education was once only available to a privileged minority. Now, most of the developed world has this opportunity. Publishing followed a similar pattern. What used to require amazing content, the right connections and a hefty amount of luck, is now available to anyone.

Advanced degrees are in no danger of being replaced by publishing models. However, while educational institutions increase flexibility with online courses and evening schedules, more professionals are finding similar benefits from publishing. It is nice to know the variety of publishing options provided by advances in technology increases the opportunities for authors dedicated to quality content. Of course, it should be no surprise that the best results will obtained by those who achieve both an advanced degree and publishing success.

Helping ALL people become philanthropists

Last evening I attended the Philanthropist.org cocktail party and fund raising event. As an adviser to the organization, it was great to see such an incredible turnout from a broad array of industries, socio-economic backgrounds, functions and other diverse interests. Everyone in attendance was excited about the solutions Philanthropist.org is developing, including the microfinancing, peer-to-peer lending platform.

Microfinance

Microfinancing targeted at poverty and developing regions is not a handout, but a hand up. By providing small loans to entrepreneurs in need of seed funding, the lender offers a way for individuals struggling with poverty to build their own business and create self-sustaining employment. Greater still, these new small businesses are likely to provide employment for others in the region and generate greater cash flow for the local economy. Microfinancing teaches the recipients to fish.

The loan recipients commit to repaying the loan, with interest. This provides a model that benefits both the lender and the recipient:

1.       Recipient: The loan recipient is expected to develop their business in a manner that provides sufficient income to repay their loan, with interest. In so doing, the entrepreneur is proud of their commitment and opportunity to make the loan provider money while building their own business.

2.       Lender: By receiving interest, the provider obtains a benefit beyond the momentary “feel good” reward. More important, the interest increases the likelihood that lenders will continue to “give”, regardless of economic conditions. In fact, as an income model, microfinancing may even increase during tougher economic conditions.

Peer-to-Peer

The model that Philanthropist.org delivers is one which empowers individuals to connect with individuals, which is known as peer-to-peer lending or person-to-person. In so doing, providers can personally choose the recipients they want to support, directly. The control is in their hands. Regular updates may also be provided. With social media driving businesses in new ways, the peer-to-peer model provides that high-touch environment that consumers and lenders crave.

Personal, Scalable, Sustainable

By delivering such personal connections, peer-to-peer lending solutions drive ongoing investments and a “pay it forward” approach with a fiscal incentive. This model is scalable because for every person seeking a loan there is a one-to-one or many-to-one lender connection. The platform and tools are automated and online – accessible virtually anywhere. Through this semi-for-profit model, the model is sustainable. By combing the personal characteristics of peer-to-peer lending, with the scalability of a microfinancing platform, you have a sustainable solution to much of the world’s poverty. It won’t happen overnight, of course, but the model has a strong potential to thrive in the coming years.

More About Philanthropist.org

Philanthropist.org is a marketplace that connects entrepreneurs to social investors. Their mission is “to help ALL people become philanthropists.” Although still in its early stages, the workerteers (part worker, part volunteer) have already begun their field studies, executed the first micro-loan and plan a return trip to the Dominican Republic in 2011. If you are interested in learning more about the company, supporting their mission or just want to know more about micro-financing and peer-to-peer lending, here are some options:

• Highlights from the Annual Gathering on YOUTUBE
• Check out the Philanthropist.org FACEBOOK page
• View the Thank You video from our first Recipient
• Sign up to an Open House Session
• Join our Mailing List to be alerted of future events and opportunities

Question: What is your perspective on Micro-financing and peer-to-peer lending as potential solution to poverty?

I am fortunate to be guided by some of the best and brightest minds. My mentors include a sizable list of “who’s who”. For example, counted among my mentors are Michael Hyatt, Tony Dungy, Ron Edmundson, John C. Maxwell, Max Lucado, Marcus Buckingham, Jim Collins, Patrick Lencioni, Laurie Beth Jones, Max DePree and more. The best part is they can mentor you as well. In fact, they may have already started.

I am sure you’ve figured out that I am talking about mentoring through published works. Admittedly, this relationship is one-way. Therefore, this may not be considered by many to be mentoring. Yet, when you have input from so many of the greatest leaders, there is much to be said for even this one-way relationship. Social media and modern technology provide us a wealth of opportunities to learn from the leading experts in our fields and leadership development. Here are some tips for establishing and maintaining your own core of virtual mentors:

1.       Blogs: Subscriptions to blogs are an excellent way to receive regular updates, insights and ideas. These regular updates often include advice on current events and trending topics. Some of my favorite leadership blogs include:

• Michael Hyatt
• Ron Edmundson
• Seth Godin

2.       Networks: Using LinkedIn, Ning, even Facebook and other, more socially-focused networks is a great way of connecting with like-minded individuals in the same, or similar, fields and industries. Some of my favorite virtual networks include:

• LinkedIn (especially the Servant Leadership Group)
• Ning’s Servant Leadership Site

3.       Books: Naturally, reading books by thought leaders in your chosen field are a great source of information and guidance. There are too many favorites for me to list here.

4.       Audio: Generally speaking, I purchase the matching audio version of any book I like. This enables me to “freshen up”  up on some of my favorite content, This is particularly useful given a long commute and / or when something comes up and I remember, “that one author had a great point on this… let me find that again.” Alternatively, podcasts and many other audio formats are excellent for those who travel or during exercise.

5.       Search: Of course, there will be occasions when something comes up and you do not recall a reference to the challenge from your existing team of virtual mentors. When that happens, it may be time to expand your board of virtual advisors. Start with an online search and you may find an advisor focused on that particular niche.

So why aren’t you being mentored by these or other leading experts? Perhaps you are now – great! If not, I strongly encourage you and your teams to pick up some of these tips and start receiving advice and mentoring from the best in the field. It may be one-way, but in the end, one-way mentoring from the best and brightest is better than no mentoring from them at all.

Question: Do you have one or more virtual mentors? Who do you get your guidance and advice from and how?

Early in our careers we typically seek formal training and request feedback openly and frequently. Yet, later in our career, it seems we tend to cease these practices or at least, hide them. By hiding, I mean we’re not as outwardly open about it. I recognized this challenge in myself recently, as I pushed direct reports to give me a list of their desired training for the upcoming years, received few results and discovered my own lack of training. Worse, as I pondered it, I realized I had not proactively sought feedback, outside our formal 360 process, in months.

Instead of going to training classes, we attend conferences. Rather than request feedback on our performance from peers, superiors and others, we privately discern what they’re doing right. It seems we’re afraid that asking for training or feedback could be perceived as weakness or worse, we think we don’t need these continuous development items. However, by no longer proactively seeking these opportunities to grow as individuals and as leaders, the secret learner hurts themselves and the organization they serve.

Hurting the Leader

1. Slowed Growth: Studying other leaders, attending conferences and other secretive means of learning still help the individual grow, but they take longer to pick up new skills. When one is learning through observation vs. direct, dedicated and bi-directional educational settings, there is a greater time investment to absorb the lessons.

2.Missed Opportunities: We don’t always know what we don’t know. Without continuous development, you could miss out on opportunities you never realized existed.

3. Hypocrisy: If you want your team to continuously grow, you must practice the same. Instead, the lack of a pursuit of regular feedback and / or formal education while asking direct reports to do so may present the perception of hypocrisy to your team and damage your character.

Hurting the Organization

By not openly revealing our desire to learn and develop, I think we also hurt our organizations in the following ways:

1. Air of Superiority: The team may perceive leaders learning in secret as individuals that do no believe they need further training. This can impact the team’s opinion of that person and ultimately decrease the leader’s influence.

2. Discourages Development: As teams discern how leaders act, seeking to replicate the successful, they may determine training and development to be a reflection of weakness or otherwise undervalued. As a result, the growth and development of the organization suffers.

Go Public

Here’s a couple ways I can think of and plan to pursue myself, to break the cycle of secretive learning:

1. Seek Regular Feedback: Beyond your standard performance feedback channels and cycles, ask others for their input on your performance. To achieve the most candid feedback, I like to question how “they think others might perceive me”. This frees them up a bit to say it may not be what they think, but how they believe others may perceive you.

2. Training Plans: Before asking your team to provide you their requested training, have your own training scheduled (ideally) or at least planned and share those plans with your team. This changes the conversation from a “tell me what you think you need to improve” to a “We all need to continuously improve. Here’s what I am doing about it, what are you going to do and how can I help?” I’m still working on this one myself.

I’m still a ways away from getting this one right, but I think I’m on the right path. I hope you’ll join me by asking yourself, “am I learning in secret?” If the answer is yes, try going public. I think it will help you and your organization.

Question: Are you learning in secret? If not, what does your training plan look like?

Benefits to Attending Leadership Conferences

I’m about to attend the Chick-Fil-A Leadercast, presented by John C. Maxwell and Giant Impact. The event is only one day, but the great lineup of speakers and topics has me anxiously awaiting it. As I reflected on this, a thought occurred to me: most of these great speakers have published plenty of material and lessons, so why do I find it important to attend leadership conferences at all?  I came up with the following short list. Perhaps it will help you convince your boss the next time this event, or a similar opportunity comes around.

1. Education: The obvious. As a leader in the organization, you must continuously develop your leadership skills. Conferences are among the best ways to do this.

2. Networking: Whether you’re an extrovert or not, be sure to reach out to co-participants. Those in attendance are like-minded, particularly if the conference focuses on a particular theme, like Greenleaf’s Servant Leadership conference and you may find them excellent references for bouncing new ideas.

3. Focus: You could spend weeks, even months reading books in small snippets, but you can’t always focus consistently and key topics are often lost in translation. In contrast, by attending all day events and longer conferences, you are able to absorb the information continuously. From my experience, this results in greater retention of the information.

4. Setting an Example: As a leader in your organization, you need to set the example by honing your skills and leadership capabilities. As your team and peers see you make the commitment to be out of the office for these experiences, you lead by example and set expectations for them to follow.

So the next time you contemplate whether you can afford the time away from the office, consider these benefits and more, then commit yourself to, as the Chick-Fil-A Leadercast says, “Be The One”. If you seek suggestions for leadership events, definitely check out the Chick-Fil-A Leadercast and Greenleaf’s Annual conference.

Question: Why do you attend leadership development events?

My wife and I both had to be in the office early. We’d gotten our 20 month old son ready for daycare, but were running late and feeling the pressure. Tension was thick, fuses were short and it was a poor way to start the day.

As I rushed outside in the still dark morning, a shuffling of leaves by the door made me pause. I stopped to let my eyes adjust and found myself practically within arms reach of two beautiful deer. One was bracing to sprint, but the other seemed calm and curious. Impressed by the pleasant surprise, I took in the moment. Then, backing away slowly, I loaded the car. In the small magic of that moment, my new friends reminded me to focus on what was important. Had I been “on time” I would have missed that special experience. I then realized I needed to make the time to serve my family by helping them start their day right.  I also needed to serve my colleagues by ensuring my mind was focused on the right topics and preparation for our meeting on my drive in.

I went back inside, more calm now, strolled up to wife and kissed her gently on the forehead. I then smiled at my son, tickled him a little and slowly carried him into his awaiting car seat. My deer friends had gone, but I was content. My morning was set right. I made it to the office just in time and was in the right state of mind to lead the important dialogue that morning.  Afterward, I thought to myself what a difference those few extra minutes made for my family, ultimately my colleagues and how important it was to foresee the need for a moment of pause at work as well. As a result, I compiled a few…

Signs you may need to take a “minute” and pause at work:

1. You are in a constant state of reaction, rather than planning

2. You make decisions to get them off your plate rather than to address the problem

3. You delegate without full guidance and communication of the situation to the recipient

4. You know you could do a better job, “if you only had more time”

5. You find your team questioning your decisions more than normal and you don’t understand why

We’ve all been there before.  While you won’t have the benefit of deer roaming through your office, these signs may remind you to stop and focus on what matters. You owe it to those you serve to make the time to get it right.

Question: When did you find a moment to pause at the office, or at home, helped?

We Forgive Because, Together, We Work

It was my last night in Italy on what was was a particularly draining, transatlantic business trip.  The average day included 12+ hours of working sessions, followed by 2 or 3 hour email marathons.  The trip was immensely successful, but I was drained – physically and emotionally.  I plopped down in a leather chair in front of the fireplace.  It was nice to finally appreciate the comfort our Italian villa bed & breakfast intended.

Soon after I sat down, two fellow business travelers struck up a conversation with me.  The British pair were account representatives for another manufacturing firm and were wrapping up “aggressive negotiations” with one of their partners.  As the dialog progressed, I was struck by how well these two balanced each other.

The more senior gentleman was more reserved and filled the role of the conservative, voice of reason and patience in negotiations.  The younger gentleman was much more tenacious and referred to as occasionally ”unrelenting”.  Throughout the conversation, there were comments from the superior such as, “that’s why I didn’t bring you along on that negotiation – you would have destroyed them!”  Yet the younger gentleman did not mind, responding “of course!  I understood and agree with you – I would not have been a good fit in that trip.”

This trip had been a success for them because, as they confided in their new found friend, “our partner had every right to be angry with us – frankly, we’ve got some issues to work on.  But we were able to leave with what we needed.”  No doubt due, at least in part, to the great balance of these individuals.

Shortly before retiring for the evening, the older gentleman summed it up well:

“I’m not perfect and he’s not perfect.  We both have weaknesses.  However, he forgives bits of me and I forgive bits of him, because together, we work.”

I went to bed pondering that thought and the implications for Servant Leaders.  Serving our organizations includes making the necessary sacrifices to balance our own weaknesses.

As I look back on my greatest success stories, they’ve often been in positions where I had a great partner – someone that balanced me well.  A great partner is not someone who is perfect, but someone that fills your gaps to make both of you, together, better.  It is when we can focus on our strengths and we have someone with strengths in our weaknesses to balance us, that we are most successful.

Question: Who balances you?  Do you forgive bits of that person because, “together you work”?

Crashing Into a Ditch Teaches A (Leadership) Lesson

At 7:15 AM, I was already well on my way down the hour-long commute.  On that morning I drove “the wife’s car”, because my regular vehicle was in the shop.  It was a classic Midwest winter day, with plenty of lake effect snow, but the region was prepared for the conditions.  As such, the roads were fairly clear. Still, occasional sections looked suspiciously like ice.  As a result, I drove under the speed limit, but still passed a few people who “probably shouldn’t be on the road anyway”.

It was during one of those passes that I felt the back end start to slide out.  After several counter-steering attempts, the fishtailing continued and I realized there was no escaping it.  The car crossed from one shoulder to the other, traversing two lanes and back, before crashing into the median.  Thankfully, with the exception of my ego, there was virtually no damage.

I counted my blessings and pulled up the maps on my iPhone.  The GPS located me precisely.  I called AAA, which had me back on the road in an hour.  A quick inspection by my regular mechanic and I was still in the office by noon.

Making the best of an unfortunate situation, I realized there were several leadership lessons in this experience that were worth sharing:

1. Observe Warning Signs – Remember those people that “probably shouldn’t be on the road”?  Their caution was a warning sign.  They had experiences (or lack thereof) which caused them concern.  Don’t ignore the warning signs in your organization.  Nay sayers may not just be pessimists.

2. Manage Change – I drove a less familiar vehicle.  This should have created more caution, especially in poor weather. When have you treated a new environment in business as “the same old situation”?

3. Balance Risk / Reward - As discussed in Project Tailgaters and Brake Checkers, it’s important to understand the risks and rewards or cost / benefit of each decision.  Here, by passing other cars, I could arrive 15 minutes earlier.  I assessed the road and it seemed clear and safe, but was it worth the risk?

4. Monitor Progress - As I sat in the ditch, covered in snow, I had only a vague idea of my location and was not certain how to guide someone to me for the tow.  If your project goes awry, will you know the quickest route to recovery?

5. Have the Right Tools - Thankfully, I had the right technology tool (GPS) to support a quick recovery. Do you have the right technology to support your needs?

6. Have the Right Team - With a AAA membership, the right people were just a phone call away. I also had a trusted mechanic who fit me into his schedule quickly and provided an assessment I trusted. When you get into trouble at the office, do you have a team to do the same?

7. Learn From Mistakes - Hence this post.  If I end up in a ditch again, after sliding on ice, hopefully I can say I learned from these mistakes and it was something new, that caused the crash this time. Will you learn from mistakes at work?

Question: Now the fun part.  After looking at all the things I did wrong, what other lessons can you take away from my mistakes?  Go easy on my ego though, please.  I’m already doomed to months of jokes at the office for my failure to stay on the road.

Stop Tailgating & Brake Checking at Work

Imagine you’re driving down the road in the passing lane, already exceeding the speed limit, when you see somebody following very close.  The tailgater’s message is clear: “I need to get somewhere and I need to get there quicker than you are going”.  Some people in this situation might “brake check” the tailgater – they slam on their breaks to send their own message.  The  brake checker’s message is equally strong: “Watch out!  If you follow too close, you may cause an accident and it will be clearly your fault.”

Does this sound familiar to disagreements at the office?  Two people are working on a project and it appears both are trying to get to the same destination.  Yet one person demands greater risks for quicker results.  This happens a lot, especially in organizations where near-term results and quarterly goals are prioritized over sustainability.  As a result, employees are often competing for who can get the job done quicker and not necessarily who gets there with the best balance of risk and reward.  Both the Brake Checker and the Tailgater have better options to serve their company.

The Brake Checker

The brake checker usually is the one that starts off in front.  They have everyone aligned, driving in the same direction. Yet it becomes apparent the objective is not pursued quickly enough for someone in the organization.  As a result, at least one individual, looking for quicker results, pushes for greater risks and speed.  There are a couple of options the current leader has:

Brake Check: The leader could do the risky tactic and slam on the brakes.  In other words, they could threaten everyone, insisting that anything they try to move quicker could  cause horrible results.  Yet, in doing so the leader puts their own credibility at risk for not considering alternatives.  The key is not to allow confrontation to exceed collaboration.

Slow Down: Instead of slamming on the brakes, the current leader could caution the contesting follower by carefully explaining the situation and risks to the organization. Instead of utilizing alarmism, a temporary slow down to carefully examine risks in all options ensures everyone understands the risks in speeding up the team.

Pull Over: Finally, if the leader has explained the risks they face, explained why she is not comfortable speeding up and still the tailgaters come with support from behind (and above), there is the option of pulling over to let the tailgater lead.  As a servant to the organization, you must make sure you’ve made your concerns clear and detailed the risks the organization faces.  Yet if the organization understands the risks and you are not comfortable accepting that level of risk, then the best way to serve, may be turn over the keys to the car.

The Tailgater

The tailgater is interested in going the same direction but is willing to take greater risks to get there faster.  They may  feel there is a better way , believe the current leader is not taking enough risks or may be for pursuing their personal ego strokes.  The tailgater may seek fame and want to be recognized for speeding up success at any cost.  Regardless of their reason, the tailgater creates risk for both individuals and the organization as a whole, in order to achieve their results.  There are also better options for the tailgater.

Flash Headlights: The tailgater could flash their headlights from a safe distance.   By sending the message to the current leader and those around them, without threatening, the follower and team can collaborate on alternative options for quicker results.  This would also call attention to the concerns from leadership, alert everyone that the current follower feels greater risks are acceptable and yet not endanger everyone around them.

Pass on Right: There may be other options to help the team get to their destination more quickly.  When the opportunity presents itself, the follower could pass on the right.  In business, the follower may be able to lead a critical piece of the project that does not threaten the organization’s overall success.  In so doing, the follower could be charged with carrying a specific load where greater risk is acceptable.

So the next time you’re driving on the road or leading a project and you feel the current leader is not taking enough risks or moving too slowly, remember you have many options to support faster progress.  Similarly, if you’re dealing with critics and followers that demand greater risks in the name of speed, understand their reasoning and respond appropriately.  Whichever role you play in the traffic friction, remember there are many options you have to best serve the organization with the optimal balance of risk and reward.

Do you go home every work night feeling drained, with no energy left for your family, friends and other personal activities? While this is normal on occasion, it should not be the norm. Too many people believe the solution is work/life balance. Yet have you ever met someone that has found the perfect balance where work never comes up at home and home life never comes up at work? In contrast, many people have found the perfect work/life alignment. Work/life alignment occurs when one is equally comfortable at work and outside the office, handling both personal and professional activities in either environment. It’s amazing how much more energy and enjoyment one finds when they stop trying to balance their work and personal life and focus instead on aligning the two.

Below are 5 tips that help me achieve greater alignment:

1. Be Yourself at Work
2. Work for a Mission You Believe In
3. Prioritize Your Work
4. Find a Boss You Trust
5. Establish Friendships at Work

1. Be Yourself at Work
Are you putting on a different face when you go to work? The business term is a lack of diversity or individual acceptance. We’re not talking just about skin color, religious beliefs or personal lifestyle. Instead, we’re talking about who you are at the core. You could be in a room full of people that look like you, have similar philosophies and even follow the same interests outside of work. However, you could be miles apart in your personalities. You may be a boisterous, outgoing individual, who likes to tell it like it is. Meanwhile, your coworkers may discourage this in preference of a calm demeanor, a quiet office or a more formalized interaction. Neither approach is right or wrong, just different. One may be more appropriate than another for certain companies. Regardless, you need to find the environment where you can be yourself to be happiest. Personality tests, like the Myers Briggs Personality Type Indicator can help you better identify and align your personality with others.

Howard Behar, former president of Starbucks Coffee International wrote about a similar challenge early in his career. After a big promotion, the CEO of the furniture company where he worked pulled him aside and told him how, now that he was an executive, he needed to stop wearing his heart on the sleeve so much. Behar was crushed as he tried to contain his attitude, bottling up his personality and forcing himself to act like someone he was not. He was uncomfortable and unhappy every day. In the end, Behar left that company and joined Starbucks, where he helped the company become an amazing success – all while being himself and wearing his heart on the sleeve. Two for-profit companies, one allowed him to be himself, resulting in remarkable success for both Behar and the company. The other company you’ve likely never heard of before.

2. Work for a Mission You Believe In
Where you work does not have to be an altruistic non-profit, but it needs to have a mission in which you believe. Do you work for a company that makes clothes, or a company that improves people’s lives, by providing the fashions that make them look good, feel more confident and be more comfortable? Does your company have moral and ethical standards that align with your own? Even if the company does not produce products you use or fully comprehend, it may have a mission to support non-profits, benefit the community in which it is located or otherwise provide some greater good to the world through a mission you can believe in. If it does not, how can you justify the effort you put into that company? And if you can’t reasonably justify your work for some greater good than your financial income, you’ll always feel like you’re spending too much time at the office.

Now, if you can’t find a mission at your company you believe in, must you leave that company? Perhaps, but not necessarily. First, try creating that mission. Perhaps organize the next community support event or non-profit fund raising campaign. Whatever your passion, chances are there is some way you can create a mission within or closely aligned to your company. If not, then yes, maybe it is time to find another employer with a mission that moves you.

3. Prioritize Your Work
All too often we believe that to be successful, one must do everything that is asked of them, as quickly as possible. We believe working 60 hours a week, month after month after month assures recognition and success. However, that is often not the case. How many people do you know that work ridiculous hours and ultimately achieved more senior levels? The reality is that the work horse in the room is often appreciated, but rarely promoted. The greatest leaders tend to be those that know how to prioritize. They do not say “no”, but simply, “not now”. Successful alignment means recognizing that many ideas have great merit and value, but only those with the greatest value should be prioritized against finite resources.

Look at your favorite leaders and mentors, for example. Most successful leaders are not running around in a hectic pace or seemingly under a great deal of stress to address everything possible. Instead, the leaders most people would like to emulate seem calm, cool and collected. These leaders have enough time to do what is right – what they prioritize as most important, now. These are the leaders that have their work and personal life aligned, in part, because they know how to prioritize at the office.

4. Find a Boss You Trust
When you work for someone you respect, both parties benefit. When you are encouraged by a superior and believe they want to help your career, you want to do the same for them. In such a scenario, you will find a way to achieve what your supervisor needs you to get done and often, more. The inverse is also true. When you do not trust your boss or believe they only seek their own success over the team’s, you will have little motivation. People with bad bosses find the quickest way, to the easiest solution, to provide just barely what their boss needs. Nobody’s going above and beyond for a boss they do not trust.

The book Five Dysfunctions of a Team (on the recommended reading list) explains how trust is at the heart of every team. Without trust, there will be an inattention to results, a fear of conflict, lack of commitment and an avoidance of accountability. Therefore, without trust, there will be little professional success, without success, limited professional fulfillment and your personal life suffers.

5. Establish Friendships at Work
In the last post, I mentioned the Gallup Poll that highlighted the importance of employees having friends at work. This study shows the benefits to the business, such as greater morale, higher levels of quality and strong alignment to the company’s mission (for more, see the links above). In addition to the benefits to the employer, there are strong benefits to the employees. Friends at work also provide a support network when one needs to blow off a little steam or has a personal emergency. The friend network improves an employee’s ability to feel comfortable at the office and strengthens their feeling of belonging. When a team member has friends around them, the office can shift from just work to a place where they see friends while accomplishing tasks.

Try this for yourself. If you already have friends at work, great – imagine what it would be like without them. Where would you turn to relax and how comfortable would you feel? If you do not have friends at work, try harder. You’ll be amazed how anxious some people may be to get to know you on a more personal basis. If you are really not comfortable making friends at work directly, try to at least find some manner of friendship aligned with your work, such as in a professional network.

Too many people today still try to balance separate lives. “Try” is the key word here. Like a teeter-totter, you can not stay perfectly balanced all the time. However, if you seek alignment rather than balance, you find greater, more sustainable results. When you are aligned, you are equally happy addressing personal life at the office and professional matters at home, as necessary. While there will always be a primary focus on one or the other, both will offer equal comfort, confidence and success in any environment. When this occurs, you know you have work-life alignment and not just a balancing act.

Turn Whiners Into Winners

For technology executives, the one constant is change. However, as humans, we are by nature, creatures of habit. This could easily explain why so many folks are resistant to change. Change does not, by definition, feel familiar. It’s awkward, different and for many, uncomfortable. But like all things new, we can choose how we respond to change. My experience suggests there are not many folks that respond to change with indifference. Instead, it seems most people fit into one of two categories: Winners or Whiners.

Winners
When I was working on turning around a large back-office technology project, there was one individual who was thrilled to be a part of the “new solution”. Although she had a vested interest in the old way, she looked to the future, realized things were broken and was anxious to be recognized for a successful project. As a result, she often came with a proposal for improvements, new technologies, processes or ideas. She understood the need for change, would lay out the problem in detail, explain why it was a problem and often have two or more recommendations for solving the problem. She was a winner because she embraced the change, identified roadblocks and problems with the old school of thought and proposed solutions based on solid examples.

Whiners
Of course, at the opposite end of the spectrum are individuals that resist change with a defeatist attitude. While the term may seem derogatory, “whiner” underscores where most of the effort is placed by these individuals. Certainly, it is not intentional. I don’t think anyone, regardless of their frustration level, says, “today, I am just going to complain about what’s going on at the office”. Instead, some personnel, when faced with change, spend a lot of effort thinking about the negative side (not unlike their winner counterparts). The problem is, whiners stop there. And why not? It’s easier to stop there and just tell their coworkers about the pain. Where whiners turn into winners is when they make that extra effort, they go that extra mile and do something about the negatives. Instead of simply communicating the problem(s), they become a part of the solution.

Whiners and Winners are in every organization. When you find winners, great, leverage them as examples to the whiners. When you find whiners, remember – they’re not setting out to just complain, they’re just stopping too soon. Ask them what they would do about the problem they mentioned? How would they improve the environment? What process would they use to avoid it from happening again? Then make them a part of the accepted solution. Without commitment and a role in the solution, it will be too easy to revert back to the Whiner.

Whatever you do, do not become a whiner yourself. Anytime you catch yourself complaining – especially in front of your team, be certain you come up with a solution and communicate it to them. This holds true for commiserating as well. Nodding in agreement with complaints without putting the complainer to task at finding a solution, makes you a whiner too. So make sure you’re thinking like a winner and presenting solutions to your problems while putting your team to task, doing the same. Go the extra mile, set the example for your teams and build winners out of the whiners.

Joint Venture, Trina Weymon and Benjamin Lichtenwalner are proud to announce the much anticipated release of Christian Marshall Lichtenwalner^TM. Christian is the production version of the project formerly codenamed “Ichabod Hortimer”. This first release of the joint venture is the product of 9 months intensive development and quality assurance testing. Christian was fully deployed by 2:33 AM June 10^th, 2008 after a release effort of 14 hours led by Trina Weymon Lichtenwalner. Mrs. Lichtenwalner is now resting comfortably at the organization’s headquarters in Ossining, New York. Lichtenwalner, Inc. is proud to announce that Christian Marshall exceeds all analyst’s expectations. For a product sample, please see below.

On a more serious note, Trina and I would like to thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. Mother, baby (and father) are all doing well.

Can you ask for more in a presentation? 1 hour and 16 minutes of life lessons, wisdom on achieving your dreams and much, much more. Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch, who is dying from pancreatic cancer, gave his last lecture at the university Sept. 18, 2007. Included within is a great deal of humor, optimism and lessons for everyone. There is also a real servant-leadership undertone. By the time he finishes, you feel as though you’ve gained a mentor. As a bonus, Randy is a professor in virtual reality – so most of us “techies” will find a lot of the references particularly familiar:

Today on my commute in, the train engineer announced that the conductor was retiring after 40 years. I would miss this guy – after all, I chatted with him almost every morning and he rides a motorcycle, which makes us kin in some circles. More importantly (and potentially relevant to you), his 40 years of service made me reflect on career spans and industry changes. This man spent 40 years working for a transit organization. Certainly, transportation has made some significant changes in 40 years, but nothing compared to Technology, I thought. Perhaps that is why so many of us love this field. I did a quick search on the history of Technology over the last 40 years, and below is what I found. The History of Computers at About.com, highlights:

1969 – ArpaNet came online
1970 – First Dynamic RAM
1971 – The first microprocessor and Floppy Disks
1973 – Introduction of Ethernet
1974/75 – The first consumer computers (Altair & IBM 5100)
1978 – First Spreadsheet Software (Visicalc)
1979 – Introduction of Word Processors
1981 – The IBM PC – Home Computer
1981 – Microsoft MS-DOS Computer Operating System
1983 – First home computer with a GUI (Apple’s “Lisa”)
1985 – Introduction of Microsoft Windows and so the war with Apple begins

For the full article, check out About.com’s article.

I chatted with my fellow commuters in the IT field and we tried to uncover other industries exposed to such dramatic changes in 40 years time. We thought of several fields, but all were driven by Technology evolution first. In the end, perhaps it is change that makes all of us Techno-geeks and IT Business leaders so enthralled with our profession.

I had someone ask me the other day why I decided to get my MBA when I did if I thought the timing mattered. I did not have some grand scheme to relay to him that showed some great wisdom in my own timing. However, I did appreciate the “real world” experience I had before obtaining my MBA.

I went back for my MBA after approximately 4 years in the workplace. During those 4 years, I held 4 different IT roles. While I am certain I would have still benefitted from the MBA right after undergraduate, the experiences in those 4 years clarified my studies.

To put it another way, whenever I have read books on leadership they always made sense. However, it wasn’t until I held a leadership role or two that these books suddenly made REAL sense. Instead of reading the text and thinking, “cool, I like that idea”, the thoughts now are “Ah-Ha! Why the heck didn’t I think of that, I must make sure and do that next time”. The lessons stick better, you retain more and the reading seems more exciting.

In essence, this is what “real world” experience gains you before an MBA. There is no magic formula, no secret timeline. But in the end, I do believe you will be better served getting a few years under your belt before going back for an MBA.

One of the things that never gets any easier for me as a hiring manager is rejecting applicants. At this point, I probably interviewed more than 250 people over the years (it doesn’t help that I am always working in high growth organizations). Of those 250, I hired about 50 (generally speaking, HR screens candidates before I meet them). This still means I’ve rejected many. So what’s the problem? If somebody is not qualified, they are not qualified, right? That is essentially true. The problem is, there are also a lot of candidates out there that may be considered qualified technically, but not the right fit any number of other reasons.

To give some examples, I have been interviewing candidates for a rather senior technology role recently. The nature of this role results in a number of applicants with greater experience than I have. I have met some amazing folks, with incredible accomplishments and great personalities. Still, these folks need to have “been there, done that” in very challenging roles with organizations of similar scale. I could go on for hours trying explain why this experience is necessary, but it would not help.

The simple fact is, there are certain attributes of the SMB sector you can’t gleam from the Fortune 500 and vice versa. The challenges in high growth organizations are simply much different than plateaued ones. No ammount of reading, research or other preparation can ready you for this.

So, the next time somebody says, “we went another way”, please don’t be offended. Look at your experience, the organizations you worked for and any other relevant factors. Chances are the hiring manager is feeling really guilty about not being able to provide you a more detailed explanation…

Thinking about going back to school? Trying to decide on an MBA or MS? No worries, just choose the rest of your career path (and no pressure either, by the way).

When I was preparing for graduate school, I was torn over whether to pursue an MBA or a Masters, when a professor asked me: Do you want to be a CIO or a CTO. This advice stuck with me.

If it’s a CIO you want to be, you may want to consider the MBA. The business skills, strategy and management expertise will server you well. If it is a CTO you want to be, the Masters degree, especially in a Science field, will gain you the respect of the technical staff and establish more technical credibility. Of course, both will truly server you very well in either role.

If you are incredibly smart, or just a glutton for punishment, you can, of course, do both. I’m no glutton though.