Don't Let the Test Not Become a Testimony

4:00PM Friday afternoon, the bubble has burst, my biggest client calls, “We’re reducing our contract from $11 million to $2 million in 60 days.” As for my ad agency - 74 employees at an interim facility while dumping a million bucks into a newly purchased 21,000sf building. But wait there’s more. Our 2nd biggest client calls 4 weeks later. “We’re building a marketing department in-house, can you help facilitate that?” Although we did exceedingly well for both clients, 70% of our revenue was gone in 2 months time.  

Life has a way of confronting us at times with a violence that rips the control right from our illusion that we have any. Yes, we sold the building 18 months later for near twice what we paid, I got bought out of the business many years later, and my ex-client, now friend and I are having dinner soon. But those are of little consequence as the next trial (perhaps much bigger) is just around the corner. Guaranteed.

The Friday I received word on the first client loss, I went to a friend’s house for dinner. After sharing my reality, he said with a smile, “Well Deano, Don’t let the test, NOT turn into a testimony.”  Those 11 words forever changed my life. Something clicked that in every adversity there is value so great, I need not dwell on outcomes, but embrace the promises of God during the trial, so I could contend with peace, enjoy the process, even be a source of strength, wisdom and hope to those around me.

Our testimonies should never be relegated to an outcome or end of a trial. That’s junior level thinking. Testimony rests in how intentionally we believe God’s promises. To name a few - out of the ashes comes life, He’s gone before us, is with us and handles the aftermath of whatever, we can move mountains, we can count trials as joy, etc. In fact, if death is gain, (another promise) anything short of that should have us holding all trials in victory regardless of where the trial is at on God’s “all things for the good for those that seek Him” - timeline.

When problems hit, big or small, we have a choice to be faith-anemic, contributing anxiety, toxicity and uncertainty into the trial and those involved, or we can acknowledge ownership of God's promises and usher in peace, innovation and perspectives that are life-giving, not life-draining. Owning, embracing and advocating God’s promises are a clear witness of God’s thinking – the mind of Christ, the sound mind installed in us at salvation that we often hear about, but seldom experience. It’s a brilliant way of thinking that will provide an awareness of how God can use you in the trial, keep you hopeful of what God is doing through the trial, and in praise of how God will be glorified after the trial.

I figure it this way. If I can trust God for my eternity – all bazillion gazillion, quintillion years and then some, I can certainly trust him for another client call at 4pm.

Top 12 (Plus 1) Leadership Skills I Learned from Boy Scouts

Robert Fulgrum reminded us that “All I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” when he published his book of the same name. We’re told that if we:

1. Share Everything

2. Play Fair

3. Don’t Hit People…

…along with 13 more basic principles we will surely have a successful life. Well, he didn’t exactly say that, but certainly he asserts our lives would be more peaceful and our society less caustic.

For me, all I needed to know about leadership I learned when I was eleven, and joined The Boy Scouts of America and learned the 12 words of the Scout Law. For a moment, these single word truths were simply something to memorize. But I also recall reading about their importance in my Scout Handbook, and taking them quite seriously. After all, the bigger kids that were running the show – the Patrol Leaders and Jr. Assistant Scout Masters – seemed to take this stuff seriously. And I wanted to be like them. Here’s what I memorized then, and started to internalize:

A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. Plus, the Scout’s motto: Be prepared.

Is anything missing from this list? Maybe. “Humility” is the word and key trait for Level 5 Leadership as defined by Jim Collin’s Good to Great research. But I think that’s embedded in the essence of several of the above. As an executive, and now a business co-owner – especially one who’s worked to help employers and clients to define the critical values they ascribe to – I see the Scout Law list as a brilliant formula for personal and professional success.

Trustworthy & Loyal – Being worthy of trust means I need to demonstrate integrity in all I do. Doing what I say I’ll do, delivering on commitments, so people can trust me going forward. Then there’s loyalty, the flip side of trust. Am I true to my company? To my wife and family? To the causes that I’m called to serve? Real loyalty also contributes to trust which can show up in effective teamwork and realizing team goals.

Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Cheerful – Who doesn’t want to be around people who are considerate and willing to help? In our firm, we screen for CMO consultants who truly want to help others. They want to help their clients’ grow and win, and they want to help other CMOs in our Tribe to succeed. They are people who other people want to be around: respectful, kind and cheerful listeners who don’t think too much of themselves.

Obedient, Brave & Clean – These three might seem a little strange as leadership principles, but with a second look we see they reflect both respect and discipline. At any station in life, isn’t obedience a necessary trait? Even as the CEO of a business, don’t I need to be obedient to my Board of Directors? Or to the laws my company works within? At the same time, I need to have the courage to tackle the toughest challenges, taking appropriate risks. My personal hygiene, dress and perhaps even my language also reflect a disciplined and prepared mind and body that’s ready to lead boldly.

Thrifty & Reverent – Being conservative with funds, seeking the best returns on investments, and avoiding lavishness are common CEO traits in the mid-sized companies our firms work with. (As executive marketing consultants, one of our fractional CMOs’ key roles is helping budgets go father in driving company growth.) Clearly, a CEO wants to model thoughtful spending that yields returns and expects everyone in the company to follow. But where does reverence fit in? Being reverent means leaders are going to acknowledge – with the way they live their lives – that there is a larger purpose to their company, their products and services. Whether this is an active consciousness of God Almighty, or simply recognizing a connectedness of all things, the leader who submits to a greater power is the one who will lead with humility and freedom.

Plus One: Be Prepared – The Boy Scout Motto is simple and powerful. When I was a young executive at IBM, I remember hearing our CEO Lou Gerstner say, “We’re going to plan for success, but prepare for failure.” Yep. That’s it. Build the plans to implement your vision for growth. Use every means and resource available to achieve your goals. Be thoughtful in your strategy, and tenacious in your tactical execution. But, be prepared if things don’t go as planned. In Scouting, this meant also anticipating setbacks along the way. Carrying a snakebite kit. Keeping your knife sharp. Packing emergency staples. Aren’t there parallels in business?

So, will striving to internalize and exhibit all of these traits really build our leadership potential? If our teams trust us, see that we’re loyal to them, take the effort to help them be successful, are genuinely friendly, courteous and kind, are respectful, disciplined, taking care of company resources, and don’t personally think we have all the answers? Will they be inclined to follow? I believe so. But this is a journey. And I don’t think what I learned in kindergarten was enough, or even the beginning of leadership. That was simply learning how to get along. For me, leadership training started at 11 (yes, I eventually earned my Eagle) and I’m still working on it.

Your Compelling Mission

Here’s the most important thing—to understand what you are trying to accomplish in life. It sounds grandiose and at the same time seems simple.

The shortfall is that few people have defined their mission in life.

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I had a conversation the other day with a dear friend.  His work schedule is out of control as an on-call emergency room doctor who services several hospitals depending on their needs.  He is motivated by both the desire to serve and to earn more money for his family.   Married with three young sons, he is simply not present enough at home and this is starting to take its toll.  His desire and goal—his mission—is to be home more with his family.

He explained two options for a new job.  The first is a fixed schedule at one hospital, working 12 days per month.  The second is 11 days at that hospital plus 2 days at another facility.  The attraction of option two is that he has the opportunity to work more hours and earn more money as the need arises.  The challenge with this option is the temptation to work more hours.  Therein lays the issue.

I reminded him of his self-professed goal of more time at home with his family.  I asked him one question—“Which option will take you towards your goal?” to which he quickly admitted that the temptation of the second option would most definitely lead him to work more, defeating his mission.  His military background snapped him to attention as he said to himself, “Stay focused on the mission”.

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The quandary with the generous life that God provides us is that we have abundant opportunities.  Therein lays the challenge—not of choosing between good and bad, right and wrong, broken and whole—those are easy decisions.  Our difficulty lies in choosing between good and good.  There is the intersection where we challenge our core values that undergird our mission.

I challenge you to define your personal mission.  We often run wildly through life thinking we understand it but I would bet that few of us have sat down, analyzed it, put pen-to-paper and committed to it.

This exercise will give you clarity with decisions, help the people close to you understand your intentions, and move you along the road to achieve your God-given purpose.  Try it.

It's Lonely at the Top (but, does it have to be?)

The other day I met a friend for breakfast and while we were discussing various topics, the issue of leadership and loneliness arose.  I found it interesting that after many years of successfully developing companies, he confessed that he still usually eats lunch by himself.  Why did I find this interesting?  A couple of reasons popped into mind immediately. One reason was that he is a very connected person.  The second was that it personally resonated with me.  Unless it was a strategic business meeting, I too usually ate alone.  Why?  One excuse I used  was that I could work while I ate or I could quickly finish and get back to the task.  Another excuse was that I didn’t have to risk a conversation going deeper in which I had to be vulnerable.  But truth be told, the main excuse as to why I developed a habit of eating by myself is that I didn't think there were others who understood where I was at, the pressures I faced, or the burden of my responsibilities.  In other words, I could handle it myself.  What I just described isn’t uncommon with leaders.  

Why do leaders often choose the path of loneliness?

• They aren’t sure they can trust anyone in their organization to help them work through issues

• They don’t want to be viewed as weak by their employees

• They don’t want to give up any amount control

When I choose the path of loneliness, I usually end up with the following results.

• My life rhythm, or balance, is out of line. Because of this I’m operating in reactive mode regarding my work, family, and personal life.

• I get bogged down in the weeds of daily operations because I don’t trust the people I surround myself with to do what they were brought in to do. Some call this micro management; I call it insanity.  A leader needs to have his vision unimpeded by the little stuff.

• I miss blind spots. Every leader has weaknesses.  If I have not truly connected with a community in which trust, respect, and candid feedback is valued my weaknesses are usually ignored.

So, how can a leader keep from falling into the abyss of loneliness?

1. Get involved with a peer to peer group. Take advantage of years of business and life experience from those who have, are, or will be going through what you are as a leader. I would highly recommend checking out Convene Now, c12 Group, or other similar business leadership groups.

2. Surround yourself with people that you trust and respect.  Once you identify these people, give them permission to have honest conversations with you.  The bible in Proverbs 27:17 gives excellent insight regarding this as it states, "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another."  Over time this builds a deep sense of community as they can help clarify or keep you on track regarding your life mission.

3. Be missional in your purpose. What will be your legacy once your career is over?  I’ve determined that at this point in my life that my legacy must be based upon an eternal perspective.  I have come to understand how every decision that is made today will impact tomorrow and beyond.  My eternal perspective aligns itself with Isaiah 40:8, "The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of God stands forever."

When you become connected and balanced, you’ll be amazed how this will trickle down to your team and in time you will see respect develop, focus sharpened, and the community strengthened around a missional purpose.

The Weight of Delayed Glory

God has a destiny for everyone, but he calls some of us to a dead end. Our work comes to nothing and every day is an exercise in restless probing, questions we cannot stop ourselves from asking again and again: Why?

Why am I here?

Why did God put me here, in this fallow field?

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