Authentic Leadership in Cincinnati – 11/10 Meeting

WOW!!! Still coming down off a Leadership High!!!!! What an exciting and energizing session today.

For those who don’t know, Authentic Leadership in Cincinnati was formed on Linkedin on July 27th, only 3 months ago. Hard to believe as I sit and type that fact that we have come so far so fast! Says a lot about the leadership of the group. In that time, 232 Linkedin members have joined the group since the inception! In those mere 3 months, the group has been formed, created a passionate board, a vision, held out first session on September 15th and our second session today! A few exciting things that Erin shared before the meeting hit full stride today:

1. This will be our last formal event of the year. We are working on future topics/dates, so keep an eye on the linkedin group for upcoming dates and meeting topics.
2. We have begun the paperwork to establish our self as a not-for-profit entity. We expect to have that done early in 2010.
3. Erin reminded us all of the groups vision and purpose:

Authentic Leadership is driven by a motivation to positively impact people and results. It requires transparency, intentional actions and the building of effective relationships in order to help others reach their greatest potential.

Our purpose: To Develop, Support, Encourage, and Promote Authentic Leadership.

Today’s Session

Today’s roundtable session was attended by over 40 people with varying backgrounds, levels of experiences, roles, and company sizes. But, the group did share energy and passion to become better leaders. Today’s topic was “Leadership vs. Management”. Each round-table of 8 people were provided with three questions to discuss as a group. The power of our group is in the diversity of experiences, background, role, and function. This diversity enabled the smaller round tables to hear different experiences, ideas, and views of what is possible. The three questions that were posed to each table were:

1. How do you differentiate between leadership and management?
2. What are the pitfalls that keep great managers from becoming great leaders?
3. How can you apply leadership to your specific role in the organization?

Robust discussions then broke out at each table. The discussions went on for over 40 minutes and likely could have continued for another 40! We then pulled the group back together and each group shared their key learnings, insights, and thoughts with the larger group. These insights and thoughts led to more additional insights and take aways for all of us.

The key insights are noted below, the “summary” will give you a flavor of the discussion, but frankly don’t do justice to the in-person learning and insightful inputs.

SUMMARY OF ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS

1. How do you differentiate between leadership and management?

• Key Ingredients/Thoughts on Leadership:
• Leadership is not a personality style!
• Leaders focus on:
• Culture
• Trust
• Respect
• Leaders create a vision
• Leaders Model Behavior
• Leaders communicate until they bleed
• People Developers
• Influencer’s vs. Tellers
• Leaders do the right thing, not the easy thing
• Leaders “credentialize” their people
• Impact Oriented
• Evoke Motivation
• Leaders start to be leaders by managing themselves

2. What are the pitfalls that keep great managers from becoming great leaders?

• Feeling Threatened – Being Afraid
• Being a Dictator
• Loss of Vision
• Communication Road Blocks
• Focus solely on Management vs. Leadership
• Too much focus on Self
• Not being aware of effect on others
• Not aware of own values
• Not giving up control

3. How can you apply leadership to your specific role in the organization?

• Create community/Tribe
• Enable Strengths
• Take Responsibility
• Create Engagement in all directions
• AUTHENTIC
• Engage People
• Invest in People
• Communication – until you bleed!!!!

What a great session!

I’ve attached Word files of both the summary of learning. In addition, I also have attached the Start-Stop-Continue document that all the participants filled out and will be arriving in their mail in a few weeks as a reminder of today and the key takeaways from the session!

Super Tuesday’s in Cincinnati

Well, ok, not quite super Tuesday, but there are a three big Tuesday’s in Cincinnati! Starting tomorrow.

11/3/09 – Election Tuesday

Yes it’s an off-year election, but there are statewide issues (including the boom to the local statewide advertising coffers around Issue 3), local funding issues, and local elections. That said, free elections is what makes our country really special. No matter your political affiliation, every citizen gets a chance to select and guide our leaders. Unlike many countries around the globe:

• No vote is worth more or less
• No one needs to live in fear as they go to the polls
• We are blessed with choices vs. a straight line ballot

Please take part in shaping our country, our state, and our local towns by voting on Tuesday Nov 3rd!

11/10/09 – Authentic Leadership in Cincinnati – Leadership vs. Management

From our Linkedin Group Site:

Authentic Leadership in Cincinnati is excited to host a roundtable discussion on the member-selected topic of “Leadership vs. Management.” The event is scheduled for Tuesday, November 11th, from 8:00 to 9:30 AM. (Doors will open at 7:30a.m. for networking and breakfast. Programming will begin promptly at 8:00a.m.)

The event will offer targeted, facilitated small-group discussions, and summary sharing among the overall group. Throughout the morning, you can expect to discuss and clarify your understanding of the terms “leadership” and “management.” Participants (that’s you!) will also share how the difference between the two terms applies to you and your organization.

In order to help you take this new learning with you, we’ll offer some suggestions for implementation. If you employ new practices, use different language or try on new perspectives after having been part of this meeting, you can share this with the group on LinkedIn. This will be a great way to facilitate peer-to-peer leadership development and encouragement.

Cost of admission is $12, which covers event costs, and includes continental breakfast.

There is also an opportunity for all attendees to become a “Member for a Day” at Shaker Run, Royal Oak or Ivy Hills Country Clubs, where you can play a round of golf with a cart for $30 for a limited time after the date of this event.

Please join us for this unique opportunity. To register, please follow this link: http://authenticleadership1109.eventbrite.com/

This is our groups’ second session. If you want to get a flavor of our inaugural first event you can read my blog from the 15th of September

11/17/09 – Sales Leadership Shared Interest Group – Cincinnati AMA – 7:45-9:00am

Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati, 3805 Edwards Road, 5th Fl. Conference Room A, Cincinnati, OH 45209′

This group has been created to:

1. Provide a forum to enhance Professional Sales Leaders, as well as marketer’s whose role requires more intimate involvement with the sales process, to grow professionally.
2. Drive a knowledge and best practices center of expertise for AMA members whose role requires a sales bias.
3. Grow AMA Cincinnati membership amongst Sales Leaders and Sales Professionals.

The SIG meets monthly on the 3rd Tuesday of the month. If you are a Sales Leader, a Sales Professional, or just have an interest, we invite you to join us! Register Here!

Lesson’s from Atlanta’s Super Speedway

I grew up in Atlanta Georgia. Granted, it was an emerging southern city, where the “perimeter” was the line between the city and the country. I grew up just north of the perimeter, in East Marietta. At that time, we were on the “end” of the civilized universe…..or maybe just out depending on who you talked too. Whether you grew up in Buckhead, Dunwoody, Smyrna, or Chamblee, there was one fixture, one part of Atlanta that we all we’re in tune with —- I-285 – The Loop.

The Loop was a 4-lane oval that went around Atlanta back in the 70’s & 80’s, but like all things in Atlanta, it has grown in epic proportions. Those humble four lanes have been expanded, now 8-12 lanes wide depending on the section of town you are in….even with that, during rush hour, the same gridlock that haunts other mega cities takes hold on I-285. So much so, that I avoid the rush hour traffic when I am in town by leaving a little early to avoid the whole mess. Last week was a repeat of that strategy and as I headed down the great big oval I was amazed and in awe of the behaviors I saw. Inspiring me to share some thoughts for the leaders amongst us…..and hopefully the drivers.

1. Pick a lane – At 6am, Atlanta’s superspeedway is starting to get crowded. Requiring drivers to actually start to recognize where they are, where they are going, and importantly where they need to be to get there. The driver who aimlessly feels the need to be in the left lane for half a mile before driving across 4 lanes of traffic to catch the next exit is one of the reasons that traffic on the superspeedway will be backed up in a few hours. In business, it’s the same, be strategic, look ahead, think about where you are and where you are going and then pick a damn lane!
2. Focus on what your doing, not on distractions – ok, everyone makes fun of the woman putting on her make-up or the man animatedly spewing on his phone. Those targets are a little too easy for this post. I-285 early in the morning is a hodge podge of breakfast eaters, primpers, texters, and I would guess tweeter’s cruising along at 80mph. Fairly scary, where were those films when these people went to drivers ed??? Don’t get me wrong, I’m passing most of them, the speed isn’t my issue….speed doesn’t kill…..idiots kill! Just like business….If you are going to drive 80+mph, focus. If you want to do all these other things….find a slow lane for your management style.
3. Warning signals are great…..if you need to warn folks – OK, I understand Atlanta has been in a drought. But seriously, it rains, and no one knows how to drive? These very people who only moments ago were driving 90mph, primping their hair, and eating an EggBoBiscuit now slow down to 40 and put their hazard lights on with a little rain? All businesses have challenges! You shouldn’t be going so fast that you blast past those challenges….but you can’t ask the world to stop so you can catch your breath. Don’t count on the world to slow down because you’ve gotten a little bit of inclement weather.

Yes, Atlanta does have a Nascar race, but the lessons learned from Atlanta’s real Super Speedway meet the need for speed!

Cincinnati Sales Leadership SIG Summary

This morning at the Health Foundation of Cincinnati’s Board Room, we kicked off the Sales Leadership SIG for the Cincinnati Chapter of the AMA.

Our first event, “What happened to our Marriage” – bringing that spark back to the Sales and Marketing relationship, was a round-table where the groups and sales and marketing professionals wrestled with topics and questions, sharing their feedback with other participants. Each participant provided their learning, perspectives and insights, leading to a robust discussion, unique insights from both sides of the marriage, and their views on what leads to these successful partnerships. With nearly 20 participants, we had robust learning and discussions, with each attendee playing a critical part in each others learnings.

NEXT EVENT

Our next event will be November 17th at 7:45am at the Health Foundation of Cincinnati. Mark it on your calendar today!!!!

FEEDBACK FOR UPCOMING TOPICS!

Also, we as a group operate with the motto that – FEEDBACK IS A GIFT! – as such, we would love your input into future discussion topics for the SIG. Please take a 1-2 minutes out of your time and fill out the attached survey:

Please provide us feedback on future topics

We want your feedback whether you can join us next week or not! This is your group and as such, we want to have discussions and facilitator’s that help you and your development.

GROUP’S MISSION

This shared interest group is being brought together to:

1. Provide a forum to enhance Professional Sales Leaders, as well as marketer’s whose role requires more intimate involvement with the sales process, to grow professionally
2. Drive a knowledge and best practices center of expertise for AMA members whose role requires a sales bias
3. Learn from each other best practices, ideas, and generate shared learning
4. Network with other like minded professionals

Cincinnati AMA Sales Leadership SIG – October 20th

Next Tuesday we are kicking off the Sales Leadership SIG for the Cincinnati Chapter of the AMA. This shared interest group is being brought together to:

1. Provide a forum to enhance Professional Sales Leaders, as well as marketer’s whose role requires more intimate involvement with the sales process, to grow professionally
2. Drive a knowledge and best practices center of expertise for AMA members whose role requires a sales bias
3. Learn from each other best practices, ideas, and generate shared learning
4. Network with other like minded professionals

The Cincinnati AMA has established themselves as a thought leader on the development and execution of Shared Interest Groups (SIG’s) amongst AMA chapter’s nationally. This new SIG adds to that strong portfolio of SIG’s and provides an opportunity for Sales Leaders and those who partner with Sales Leaders to learn together.

Our First Event

“What happened to my marriage?”

Bringing back the spark that creates successful Sales & Marketing relationships

Join our insightful round-table session to discuss the ingredients to a successful sales & marketing partnership. Through our traditional SIG format, blending facilitated discussions & presentations sales leaders, sales oriented marketing team and AMA members, develop, discover, learn, and build skills, networks and community that deliver new, enhanced and continued success.

Cost:
AMA Members: FREE
Non-members: $10

Where: The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati
3805 Edwards Road, 5th Floor Rookwood Tower
Cincinnati, OH

Use the link below to register for event:
http://cincinnatiama.org/2009/sales-sig-october-20-2009/

Also, we as a group operate with the motto that – FEEDBACK IS A GIFT! – as such, we would love your input into future discussion topics for the SIG. Please take a 1-2 minutes out of your time and fill out the attached survey:

Please provide us feedback on future topics

We want your feedback whether you can join us next week or not! This is your group and as such, we want to have discussions and facilitator’s that help you and your development.

See you on Tuesday!

Flying Between The Clouds

Was on a flight returning home last week, weather a little bit shakey with rain predicted in the area. As we began the descent, we bumped through the high altitude clouds. After a few minutes of rocking and rolling through the clouds, we crossed the final line and broke through the clouds. At that moment, I glanced out of the window of the little puddle-jumper we were on to see one of my favorite sites. Above me, the clouds we had just crossed through were the towering clouds reaching in large billows to the sky. And as I looked down, I saw another wave of clouds below us. That moment of flying between the clouds is one of the few sites that will pull my nose from my Kindle or my Crossword puzzle to watch the flight and appreciate the beauty.

As I sat there reflecting on the scene, the purpose of my trip, and the work I was doing with my client, another message of these clouds and the choices true leaders need to make started running through my head. The reminders these clouds and the circumstances provided were a solid reminder to the message I was delivering to my client.

1. A leader’s job is to navigate the organization to their new reality. While it would have been comfortable to stay between the two waves of clouds, that wasn’t getting us closer to our destination. In fact, that very comfort level would keep us on a course, actually moving further away from where we needed to be heading.
2. A leader’s needs to help us take on the turbulence. Yes, the “change” we were embarking on, to move through those clouds and put our wheels on the ground, wasn’t going to come without some bumps. The leader needs to help us expect the turbulence, get ready for the turbulence, in fact embrace the turbulence.
3. A leader needs to read the conditions, the conditions of their team, and the conditions surrounding us. An organization that is afraid of the turbulence will never take the course that allows them to achieve their full potential. That is also true of an organization who constantly exists in turbulence, looking for the next bump. That organization will never successfully navigate through the clouds to their new reality. Instead, they’ll exist, and in fact feel the need to always be in flux. Change for the sake of change, without a destination, will create a team every bit as dysfunctional as the one that hides in the safety between the clouds.

Beautiful site that it was, yes we finally changed course and went through the final layer of the clouds. Landing in the rain on terra firma, one step closer to a new reality and one step closer to dinner with the family! Nice reminder that Leadership requires not only that we paint the vision, but that we help the organization expect and even learn to embrace the turbulence that change brings.

The Map and The Man – How Rio Won The Olympics

And the Winner is….Rio De Janeiro

A few days after the big announcement that Rio De Janeiro will be hosting the 2016 Summer Olympics, the hand wringing and blame game has begun. The headlines of the major players in news continue to focus on what went wrong:

• Fox News – Obama’s Olympic Failure Highlights Limits of His International Appeal
• Wall Street Journal – Full Court Press by White House Fails To Sway the Committee
• USA Today – Obama’s visit to Denmark criticized after bid defeat
• Huffington Post – 2016 Olympics Vote – Chicago Dumped in First Round Shocker

While Chicago was the betting line favorite, much of that can probably be linked to the Obama’s decision to attend and the profile that brought to the Windy City’s Bid. The fact was that heading into the session in Denmark, many considered this event as a non-event. While nothing is certain where voting occurs, a compelling bid by one of the developing world’s most beautiful cities had many thinking the coronation was inevitable. But then the Obama’s committed to attend and the buzz that follows the first family and the world’s most powerful leader began to make the sentiment shift. By the time the speech took place on Friday morning, many in the Windy City and across the nation were assuming that Chicago would be awarded the event….or at worse case lose in a close final run-off to the eventual winner Rio.

Now everyone is doing the post-loss routine of finding a place to lay blame. Having lost my share of sales, I am the first to believe in the power of postmortem’s as a learning event. So as I looked at the noise, I decided to do my own mini-review of what happened.

Rio had the Map

Since their entry into the formal bidding process, Rio De Janeiro had been using “The Map” to build their case. Rio – really the first viable bid by a South American city – used the map to overcome the challenges and concerns of their bid. The world’s 4th largest continent with almost 400 Million people living there – no city has ever hosted the Olympics. Concerns about the challenge of this city hosting the Olympics so soon after the World Cup (they are hosting the 2014 World Cup) – their answer – The Map. What about the street crime problem – their answer – The Map. Infrastructure, air travel, timezones, proximity – their answer – The Map.

The Man & The Voting Process

You might not remember the year that Atlanta was awarded the Olympics, but that was an upset. Athens was the sentimental favor to be awarded the games. Atlanta was one of two North American cities in the running, not to mention a strong bid by the Australians. Certain wisdom had the event heading to Greece. But that was where the process took over. Greece had more votes in the first two rounds, but a funny thing started happening in the 3rd round. Atlanta started to pick up votes. As the final three voting was announced and Toronto was eliminated, all was over but the shouting as Atlanta picked up 17 of Toronto’s 22 votes. Atlanta played the process and used it to win. Frankly, Chicago might have been able to do the same thing…..if they only could make it out of the first round.
The dreaded 1st round was more problematic in this narrow field than everyone realized. We’ve talked about the “Map” and South America’s very passionate point that it was time for the games to go to South America. They had a very strong core-group lined up not to mention the momentum to win past the first round (see Atlanta above). Throw in a very viable city in Tokyo, host of the 1964 Olympics and the only Asian city represented in the final four. While the Olympics were in Beijing in 2008, there is still strong regional pride and energy that would provide them “face” in the first round. The last contender and the one every one had written off was Madrid. Face it, London has the Olympics in 2012. Moscow in 2014. Everyone looked at Madrid as the sacrificial lamb of the first round. What everyone forgot was one man – Juan Antonio Samaranch – the 89 year old former head of the IOC. His simple lines:

“Dear colleagues, I know I am very near the end of my time,” he said. ” I am, as you know, 89 years old.

“May I ask you to consider granting my country the honor and also the duty to organize the Games and Paralympic Games in 2016. Thank you very much.”

The man, and his connections, played a huge role in keeping the bid for Madrid alive. Who understands the process better than one who presided over the process? Who understood the membership better than the man who was instrumental in many of these people being on the IOC? You only need to review the first round to understand what this man was able to do that ended the bid for Chicago before they even got going.

So, why did Chicago not get the Olympics:

• Was it Obama’s failure?
• Was it the world teaching the American’s a lesson?
• A hangover of Iraq?

Me, I simply think it was the collision of two very big hurdles that had Chicago beaten before Air Force One was wheels up on the way to Denmark.

Need to find someone to blame….blame the Map & the Man.

Congratulations to my friends in South America and looking forward to seeing the games in RIO!

In the spirit of full disclosure – I voted for McCain, I was born in Chicago, I grew up in Atlanta, I have been to Rio and it is one of my top 5 favorite cities I’ve visited, and my younger brother lives in South America…..not sure why any would matter in all I’ve written above…but didn’t want folks to feel deceived.

Crisis – the true test of a leader

Funny, this week I had a blog post that went up Tuesday Morning. I had written it a few weeks ago while in Atlanta. The post was focused on driving in Atlanta – and yes touched on driving in the rain, as Atlanta was at the beginning of the current Monsoon’s. I cringed when it showed up in my reader. Having many friends in Atlanta, the pictures and challenges they are dealing with due to some of the worst flooding in 90 years made the decision to pull the blog down easy. Perhaps another day, or perhaps it won’t see the light of day.

This combined with a couple other business challenges I am working, the differing approaches I am seeing from other organizations leadership in dealing with these, and it was a nice reminder on when leadership really matters.

As a very well known leadership guru – Judge Smail’s from Caddyshack circa 1980 once said:
“It’s easy to grin, When your ship comes in, And you’ve got the stock market beat. But the man worthwhile, Is the man who can smile, When his shorts are too tight in the seat.”

Yes, the real test of leadership is when challenges and crisis arrive. Everyone is looking to leaders and watching the way they act, their demeanor, their consistency, and importantly do they lead from the front or are they at headquarters giving commands?

The 3 questions I would recommend you keep in mind as you head into crisis, Are You?
Are you tackling things Head On?
Are you a leader who will Step Up?
Are you a Steadying Force?

Head On – When there are challenges, it is often easy to hope they go away, too pretend they don’t exist, too minimize your customer’s (or people, or supplier) concern. This ostrich management rarely works. The mole hill quickly becomes a mountain. So, whether it’s a mole hill or a mountain, a leader needs to face the challenges head-on. None of us is perfect, that said, none of us really like to face that we are less than perfect. A leader needs to be willing to face there challenges head on in the spirit of possibilities and solutions.

Lesson – It’s a tad cliché to talk about “outside the box” thinking. I prefer to think of a leader as someone who in the darkest of times is thinking about what is possible and creates winning solutions to challenges. Are you sticking your head in the sand to a brewing mountain? What concerns are you hearing, but not listening to from your people, customers, or suppliers?

Step Up – As Sir Lancelot once said in Monty Python’s Holy Grail “Lets not bicker over who killed who”. There will be time enough for post-mortem’s, blame, and hand wringing when the crisis is resolved. A leader needs to step up. Whether the issue is internal or external, whether you were 100% accountable or completely removed, it just doesn’t matter. Your team, your client, your supplier, your customer are all watching you, your willingness to Step-Up and lead. Do you look for scapegoats? Do the words – “It’s not our fault” or the like keep coming out of your mouth during crisis?

Lesson – A leader is on stage 24×7, but never more than during a crisis. Are your team, your customers, and your business partners confident that you will step-up?

Steadying Force – One thing all crisis’ have in common is that when the heat turns up emotions run high. Whether the emotions are passion to a choice, anger over a perceived wrong, fear over implications, or a mule like stubbornness in the need to be right; one thing that occurs as these energies run high is the volume get raised – both literally and figuratively – while at times a leaders job is to rally the troops. During a crisis, when the team is facing the eye of the storm, it’s the leaders job to lower the volume and provide a steadying force. That steadying force should be foundational – grounded in principles, be data-based, and importantly get everyone focused on working towards a goal/solution vs. those emotional tendencies.

Lesson – A leader’s job is helping a team successfully navigate each day. When the heat turns up, are you feeding the flames? Are you living your foundational leadership values and principles in time of crisis?

So, keep in mind – Crisis is the true test of a leader – how is your crisis leadership?

Authentic Leadership in Cincinnati

I had the good fortune to attend the Authentic Leadership in Cincinnati inaugural meeting this morning. AND I say good fortune even though I was up until 1am watching Monday Night Football Week 1 and had to pick up bagels and coffee at 615!!!!

And what an event it was! Meeting at Crossroads Church in Cincinnati, there were well over 60 attendee’s at today’s event! And what a great crowd it was with a diverse cross section of leaders from Greater Cincinnati. Throw on top of that the meeting got rolling at 7:30 and there was less than 30 days from announcement to event!

A little bit about the Authentic Leadership in Cincinnati group for those who aren’t aware of the group. The group was formed on Linkedin on July 27th, 50 short days ago. In that time, 160 Linkedin members have joined the group – that at time was a concept without definition, vision, or even direction. In those mere 50 days, the group has been formed, created a passionate board, a vision (after much much discussion – Trust me!), and held a meeting with well over 60 attendees! Not too bad if you ask me! To say there is passion and energy about this topic would be the understatement of the year!

So, what is Authentic Leadership? The Board for the Authentic Leadership in Cincinnati has defined it as:

Authentic Leadership is driven by a motivation to positively impact people and results. It requires transparency, intentional actions and the building of effective relationships in order to help others reach their greatest potential.

The group has defined their purpose: To Develop, Support, Encourage, and Promote Authentic Leadership.

The meat of today’s meeting involved a round-table of three Cincinnati business leaders:

John Baumann, President & CEO of AMPAC
Ray Attiyah, Founder and CIO of Definity Partners
Tom Sutton, Owner /Operator of Chick-fil-A

They were discussing their leadership inspiration and how their personal compass leads their leadership style and their organizations. The format involved some predefined questions, but included ample Q&A time with the attendee’s. The setting allowed to see these leaders up close and in a very personal settings as they shared thoughts around leadership, their leadership style, their personal development, and what has helped form them.

A couple of the great messages I took away from the event:

On Leadership during these economic times:
“During these tough economic times, this is where leaders shine! Be relevant, be bold, and take action” – Ray Attiyah
“Being a partner in good times is easy, being a partner in a crisis is critical. This is when leaders show up” – John Baumann
“We are refusing to participate in the recession. We control our destiny. Now is the time to get engaged and give” – Tom Sutton

Where are you finding your hope from during these times:
“Past successes. Our group went thru 9/11, what did we do then. Go back to prior successes” – Ray A
“I get a lot of inspiration from reading great books about great people. I can follow the guy who went before me and were successful.” Tom S
“I cannot imagine anything other than hope. I’m not willing to make that the mindset of my organization.” John B

What do you wish you had done better or differently:
“I would be more attentive and listen closer to my authorities. Whether it is god-given authority in my parents, or listening to the Cathy family. My leadership is driven from being a better follower.” Tom S
“RELAX! Relax and have more fun. A lot of my day is to work myself out of a job. The more confidence I show in them, the more they enjoy their job.” John B
“Not try to do everything. Would have learned to set a few priorities, make them bold, and do them with excellence.” Ray A

How do you handle negativity/negative people:
“We have a no gossip policy, that is grounds for termination and in our policy manual. If you don’t have something nice/good to say, don’t say it. Tom S
“We don’t change people, we provide environments for people to change.” John B
“There is often a difference between negative people’s performance and what they say.” Ray A

In all, a fantastic first event. Great Q&A, Great panel willing to share their insights, Great opportunity to network with Authentic Leaders in Cincinnati! If you were there, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did, if you missed it, I hope this gave you some flavor of the event and perhaps energized you to attend future events.

The Authentic Leadership in Cincinnati group plans to hold these events quarterly. If you are interested in hearing more, you can contact me, or join the group on Linkedin – Authentic Leadership in Cincinnati.

Special acknowledgement to the visionary behind this group and the Founder Erin Schreyer and the other board members I have the good fortune to serve with – Michelle Beckham-Corbin, Kip Backscheider, Mike Weppler, Craig Schweiger, Elaine Suess, Drew Forte and Terry Johnson.

Twitter and Social Media…..Just a Fad

“Let’s face it — Twitter is a fad. It has all the attributes of a fad, including the one that people like me don’t get its appeal.”

Tom Davenport – The Next Big Thing – 4/9/09

I’m still laughing over this quote. It’s very reminiscent of political chatter you’ll hear on MSNBC or Fox nighttime. The declaration and dismissal of something that “I don’t get”! Don’t get me wrong, I don’t really care what you had for breakfast or that it’s a bad hair day. But, I will tell you that I have met some amazing people on Twitter. I have found people that share the same interests that I do and have learned from some thought leaders. As I read the quote above, I thought back on other revolutionary naysayers and their need to show their brilliance….only to be violently mistaken.

Who the Hell wants to hear actors talk?

HM Warner, co-founder Warner Brothers, 1927

Who in the hell would want to hear actors talk. Granted, don’t think Arnold spoke during the original Terminator, but seriously can you imagine movies or TV without sound? But this great mind who created one of the most famous companies of an entire genre fought what he “didn’t get”.

The horse is here to stay but the automobile is only a novelty, a fad

Bank President speaking with Henry Ford’s Lawyer – Michigan Savings Bank – 1903

Gosh….can you imagine going thru Starbucks drive through on a horse? Would they call them horse-thru’s? Imagine the clean-up. Where do you put your venti latte? Imagine balancing the holders. Can you imagine life without the car. Obviously, people like him did not “get it”.

I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people,
and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won’t last out the year.

Editor in Charge of Business Books – Prentice Hall – 1957

Ok, so data processing is a fad. I get that. This whole automated computer thing…..whew…thank goodness that never took hold! Prentice Hall obviously got it…..they’ve narrowed to education….and soon will pass. Yep, just a fad!

I don’t know Tom Davenport and I am sure he’s intellectually gifted and my superior by light years. I just find it interesting to watch the rush of experts to turn social media and things that these experts “don’t get” into the equivalent of Pet Rocks and Chia Pets.

Keep the following in mind:
1. 1 out of 8 couples married last year met via social media
2. Years to Reach 50 million users:
a. Radio – 38 years
b. TV – 13 years
c. Internet – 4 years
d. Facebook – 100 million users in 9 months
Gang, it’s changing fast
3. Hulu went from 60 Million streams in 4/08 – to 370 million streams in 4/09
4. Social media is the number 1 activity on the web (yes passing xxx activity)

Yes, it might be a fad……but what if it’s more than that? Are you ready or do you prefer to put your head in the sand because you just don’t “get it”????