It isn’t what you think!

Intuitive thinkers and rational thinkers are sometimes not kind to each other in planning situations. Intuitive thinkers get “there” faster then go looking for supporting data. If they make too bold a commitment to their conclusion, they might end up not giving data its needed consideration.

Rational thinkers gather data, test possibilities, and from what is learned, try to move toward a well-supported action step. If they are unwilling to take risk, however, they might not ever act, thus becoming an even bigger problem than the one they tried to solve.

Rational thinkers sometimes accuse of intuitive thinkers of working backwards. Intuitive thinkers sometimes accuse rational thinkers of holding everyone back from moving forward because they are so mired in details.

The truth is, both types of thinking are needed for robust planning that becomes well-executed strategy. Another truth is that this is not about thinking backwards or forwards. That is, thinking really isn’t linear at all. Instead, thinking either goes outward toward action (intuitive thinking) or inward toward reflection (rational thinking).

An example would be that of making a piece of furniture. Outward is the vision for the finished chair. Inward is laying out the set of steps in sequence by which a chair is built. Outward is working from a deadline in order to place that sequence of steps into a sustainable and achievable timeline, which may be mashing up against other projects and their timetables and would have to be managed. Inward is making sure all the needed materials and tools are available at they precise time they are required.

Without the ability to oscillate between outward and inward capacities, something gets overlooked. Either a deadline is not met (because details are getting in the way without respect for a vision for the finished product), or an inferior product is built (because details were not attended to in a rush to move to the next big idea).

What type of thinking characterizes your approach? Is there a dominant style reflected in your leadership team meetings? How might you be sidelining others whose thinking style can make yours far more robust? How can you better welcome those gifts and make better use of them?

One Number That Can Tell The Future

In our Convene Advisory Board meeting, as we were all talking through our 2016 goals and how we might track progress, one of our CEO’s asked: “What’s your one number?”. He went on:  “If you could know only one number that would tell you where your business is going, what would it be?”

This takes some thought.

It isn’t likely revenue or profit or calls or satisfaction.  Those are all measurements of the present or past.  It isn’t necessarily inventory or items on order or the size of the sales funnel, but it might be.  One way to find it is to ask – what number (or trend), if you knew it “then”, would have told you what was about to happen?

In my past, it’s turned out to be things like the 13-week trailing average of booked orders.  We had been looking at the 52-week average for years, and, in retrospect noticed that if instead we had also been tracking a shorter time period, we  would have noticed a dip sooner, and likely would have reacted months earlier to the coming downturn.  Averages can smooth out normal ups and downs, and can hide coming issues…

It’s also not been samples sent or people in the pipeline, although those were good to know.  As we looked at the customer’s journey with us (drop me a line at mpowers@convenenow.com if you’d like a bit more on what a “journey” might look like), we realized that samples requested – not sent – were better indicators of the development of a relationship that led to orders.  It’s a different question, to ask your team “How do we get more people to request samples?” versus “How do we send more samples to people?”.

The number may not be internal – maybe it’s corn futures or the price of oil or some other macro factor that ties well to the customers or industries you serve (oil is one that might help you if you serve manufacturing plants, as an example, as it’s the “blood” of equipment).

Just like knowing my cholesterol number can likely indicate how healthy my body may be in the future, knowing a key number that relates to my business or part of my business helps me keep a pulse that at least sets off warning bells.  Is it everything?  No.  It is, at least, something.

So – what’s your one number?  For those that work with you, what’s their’s?

Here Are 4 Ways Millennials Are Helping To Redefine The American Dream

  What is the essence of “The American Dream.”?

“Every succeeding generation will have it better than the last.”

There is now the worry that our kids and grandkids won’t have the life that we enjoyed.  They won’t have…

• A Bigger Home

• A Better Job

• More money

…than their parents.  Then again, “bigger and better” have a finite capacity.  How much bigger and better can it get?

Could our understanding of the American dream actually be misguiding? Here are 4 ways this new generation is challenging us to lead today for a better tomorrow.

1.    They challenge us to think qualitatively instead of quantitatively.  Quality has less limits than quantity.  Why not focus the dream on economic justice, or more tolerance for differing points of view.  Less polarization could be refreshing.  Or how about revisiting our education system to make sure real learning is taking place?  Why not focus on preparing students for the workplace of the future?  Does our instruction take place in the context of a global economy?  This new generation demands this kind of thinking.  It’s a good demand and will help define what that American dream should be.

Think quality instead of quantity.

2.    They challenge old assumptions about careers and jobs.  Getting employment and loyally working for a company until we can comfortably retire has been thrown into question.  Staying with one company is not the top consideration of a career.  And neither is the sole emphasis on the bottom line.  There is a strong expectation for businesses to expand the impact they are making.  This newest generation has a strong sense of this.  And it transcends having more than our parents.

Think contribution instead of consumption.

3.    They challenge “one size fits all.”  Learning processes will be customized.  Some of us grew up with television.  This new generation has grown up with something in their hand.  Over the next few years many of these devices will be used in the classroom and workplace.  It will be possible to monitor how fast students are learning.  They will be able to learn at their own speed.  This will prevent someone from falling into the gaps of the system, while at the same time not holding another back.  Managerial-leaders are also learning to do this. Mentoring and Coaching are a part of the leadership process.

Think “guide on the side” instead of “sage on the stage.”

4.    They challenge us to make decision-making more distributive.  It was customary for decisions to be made by central command because that’s where the information was collected.  Today, there is a pipeline of information available to everyone.  The skills for making decisions need to be dynamic – not static.  This is necessary to keep up with rapid change, and it elevates the role of the worker.  There are a lot of firsts with the Millennial generation that make this essential.

It’s the first generation that…

• Doesn’t need an authority figure to access information

• Enjoys external stimuli at their fingertips 24/7

• Will learn more from a portable device than a seminar

Leadership will rise more organically, and distributed decision-making will help grow and leverage that leadership.  A hierarchical chain of command can act like a bottleneck, slowing down the system. The result?  Better decisions and stronger engagement.

Think collaboration instead of control.

Every succeeding generation will have it “better” than the last?  I believe that is true.  Redefining what “better” means gets us closer to a biblical model in our understanding of the American Dream.

Accelerator and Brake

Would you buy a car that didn't have an accelerator? How about one that didn't have a brake? In truth, these are pretty senseless questions, aren't they? Even race car drivers occasionally have to tap on the brakes to avoid a collision. Even though you know that the accelerator and brake are both essential in your car, you may not have the same view when it comes to leading your business. "Accelerators" are the classic visionaries. They're the people who never run out of ideas but are often short on patience. The ink may not be dry on one initiative before they're dreaming about the next one. "Brakes," obviously, are detail and process-oriented. They are the people who always seem to be saying, "We need to slow down and think this through."

You probably readily identify yourself either as an accelerator or a brake, and there's nothing wrong with that. It's how God made you. But there is something wrong if you consider the other type of person to be a nuisance to be tolerated, or even worse, an unnecessary obstacle to be removed. It's that other person who may keep you from making a rash decision or from getting stuck in indecision. It's the two of you working together (or a team that mixes these temperaments) that can put together bold plans that will actually produce results.

So the next time that you feel the frustration building as you work with a person who is wired differently than you, consider taking a short drive to cool off. Maybe using both the accelerator and the brake will remind you that you need each other.

A Leader and His Family

I slipped into his room late one evening to give him a goodnight snuggle only to find him wide awake snuggled under the covers. “Hey Dad!” my 12 year old said. “Tonight was our date night! You forgot!” Has it happened to you yet? In the midst of the holiday sales and the eggnog latté’s the dashing and the prancing for a place in line at Denny’s after a long night of shopping for the perfect gift? Have you forgotten the most important thing God has entrusted to you? It’s the gift of our family and those we love. It had been weeks since my wife and I had a date together, just the two of us. I knew things needed to change and fast. We set out to meet our work and family goals and somehow in the midst of all the holiday rushing, we forget that waiting at home is that young boy waiting to play catch, that teenage girl who needs to talk about boys or that spouse that needs to be treated with all the attention we gave them back in the spring when things were moving at a slower pace. Why does it happen? Why do we feel like we need run so hard during the holidays?

Recently, over a cup of coffee with a friend, in-between the sips of Starbucks and the glint of the bright sunshine, the truth about his family came out. The friend I was meeting with told me the real story of where things were with his work. You see, his work as a leader was doing great, it was his family that was suffering.

Nobel Prize winning Harvard biologist Dr. George Wald has some thoughts: “What one really needs is not the Nobel laureates but love. How do you think one gets to be a Nobel laureate? Wanting love, that’s how. Wanting it so bad one works all the time and ends up a Nobel laureate. It’s a consolation prize. What matters is love.”

If we were sitting at that Starbucks near your house and talking over our day, would you allow me a pretty personal question? What’s the Nobel Prize you’re striving for? Is it possible that the prize you’re striving for has edged out your precious family?

Well, before the Starbucks gets cold and we’ve both gotta run, if it’s time for a bit of a life re-balancing, here are ten ideas to help you get back on track. Got a pen? Jot em down on your napkin.

1. Get your family together and craft a family mission statement. It’s just as important to be intentional as a family as it is to do so where you work. We wanted our family to be on the same page as to why we were here on earth. Need a head start? Here’s ours. “Our family is going through life’s journey together, growing roots in Christ and wings for our mission, becoming equipped to make a difference in our world by learning to live like Jesus, for Jesus and in Jesus.“

2. Carve out time for your family each week…in advance. Put it on your calendar. Stop saying you have got to get ‘one more thing done’ before you leave for home.

3. Jettison things from your schedule that aren’t important. March to the mission that Jesus called you to, not the mission that others want you to do for them. Be ruthless here!

4. If your work situation requires constant excessive hours to get the job done, it’s time to evaluate other ways to accomplish the task. You can’t accomplish the mission of the organization single-handedly! Pray for supernatural results throughout your day, then go home and be a minister to your main mission field, your family.

5. If you’re a leader of others, have people actually write into their job descriptions the need to be committed to their family and specifically how they will be do this.

6. Develop an activity together with your family as a whole and or with individual family members; maybe it’s hiking, a date at Denny’s for breakfast on Saturday or coffee with your spouse.

7. Create a spiritual ‘life development plan’ for each of your kids outlining their strengths, areas for improvement and your plans to shape them as they grow up under your care. Our children are arrows that are being sent to a world that we will never fully see. It’s our job to shape them into arrows that will travel the distance to the kingdom target that God has intended for them.

8. Schedule a date night of at least an hour once a week with each child or your spouse where you just focus on them. It doesn’t have to be expensive, time alone is the critical ingredient here.

9. When you’re traveling, send email or a postcard back to your family. Pray with them on the phone in addition to chatting.

10. At the end of a day, ask your kids or spouse these three questions…’What happened today that you’re proud of ?’ ‘What happened today that you wish you could do over?’ ‘Where did you see God in your day today?’

OK, just one more question…If you asked your children to share words that define your parenting, or if your spouse was reviewing your life at your funeral service, what words would they use? If you’re not happy with what words are echoing around in your head, it’s time to make some changes. I love how Eugene Petersen in The Message puts it, “Exploit or abuse your family, and end up with a fistful of air…” (Proverbs 11:29). When my work years have come to an end and the castles of my work stand tall and strong, I want to be holding more than air, don’t you?

“Hey Dad! I passed!” said my 15 year old girl. You see, I’m writing this morning from the Department of Motor Vehicles waiting room where I came with my daughter to get her driving permit. Some days you just can’t get to ‘balance’ so lately I’ve been working on “integration” – aren’t laptops great? As my daughter and I celebrated her passing the test with a big hug in the lobby, I was glad I’d decided the to-do list at work could wait. The memory of this morning with her will last forever, and I think we’ll celebrate with a long, slow eggnog latte.

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Greg Leith was born in Canada and has lived in all four corners of North America. His career spans over 35 years of senior leadership roles in corporate, nonprofit and academic sectors. He is currently the CEO of Convene , a nationwide group of hundreds of faith based CEO’s learning together to grow exceptional businesses, become higher-impact leaders and honor God. He serves on various boards related to his passion of faith integrated with the marketplace, and he loves helping people get clarity on mission and purpose as a certified life coach. Married for over 35 years to his wife Shelley, he’s the father and friend of five thriving young adults. He and Shelley love to speak on marriage and parenting for FamilyLife, and they live in Southern California.