Take Your Seat

Posted on by Scott

sun-2367320_640I had just wrapped up a visit to Corpus Christi, Texas; visiting with managers about their goals and hammering out strategic plans for the quarter. It had been a busy week, and now I was waiting in the airport for my flight home to board. I felt good about the work we had done and excited about the possibilities. And I relished the thought of getting back to my family and enjoying the weekend.

I overheard someone speaking to the gate agent about securing a seat. They were scheduled on a later flight, but wanted to see if they could get home earlier. “Sorry,” they were told. “This is going to be a full flight. Every seat has been sold.”

I thought about that. Something like 140 people had chosen not just the same destination, but the same flight. We all wanted to move in the same direction at the same time. Whatever our reasons for traveling on this particular day, in this particular way, we all had the same goal. And if all went according to plan, we’d get there together.

Then it struck me … the plane couldn’t take off until everyone was in their seat.

I was anxious to get moving, and I know my traveling companions were as well. But none of us could fly until everyone else found their place. The passengers, the pilots, even the flight attendants all have to be in their assigned spots with their seat belts fastened before anyone can fly.

Oh, we might pull away from the gate. We might taxi away from the terminal and line up on the runway; but the plane simply cannot leave the ground until everyone takes their seat.

Your team is like an airplane. It’s designed to fly – to soar high and travel far. But in order for that to happen, everyone has to assume their proper place. Each individual has to embrace their role. If even one person isn’t ready – on board and doing their part – they plane won’t be able to take off like it should. At best, the journey will be delayed, forcing everyone else to work harder and wait longer for a successful flight.

As we prepare to enter the 4th quarter of 2017, I don’t know what challenges stand in the way of your success. But I bet you do. Your team has goals to accomplish – you have a shared destination. And you no doubt know what it will take to win. You know what you need to do in order to be successful.

Have you taken your seat?

Are you prepared to do your part so that the team achieves its goal? Are you ready to embrace your particular role to make this final leg of the journey a successful one? Remember, you signed up for this. You purchased a ticket for this specific flight.

Take your seat. Strap yourself in. Let’s get this baby in the air and fly!

Stay Centered

Posted on by Scott

cyclone-62957_640As hurricane Irma approached the coast of Florida, meteorologists tracking the storm noticed something peculiar on the radar images. In the eye of the hurricane, were birds – lots of birds. Entire flocks were just flying along, seemingly unaffected by the devastating winds and rain surrounding them.

It seems this is not an unusual phenomenon. Radar imagery from past years show the same thing, flocks of birds moving in tandem with a hurricane by staying close to the center. They aren’t in distress at all. They’re simply going about their business in the midst of chaos. It seems that birds who can’t escape the storm instinctively move as close as possible to the center.

Smart birds.

There are so many times when I feel like I’m caught in a storm. My plate is overloaded, demands on my time come from all sides, and I feel stressed. There are a few things I can say “NO” to (the equivalent of avoiding the storm), but often I can’t. I have to endure the storm until the winds die down. Perhaps, instead of fighting against the storm, I should act more like these birds and move closer to the center, where it’s calm.

My center is my core purpose. It’s my mission – the reason I’m here. I find the closer I stick to my central goal, the easier it is move forward. Any time I allow myself to drift away from the center, I wind up struggling.

We see this reflected in a number of ways. The automotive industry has been trending toward smaller, simpler vehicles because they are more affordable and easier to maintain. Tiny house communities are popping up all over the country as people look to simplify their lives and remove the stress that comes with managing a larger home. Even software companies have shifted to producing simple apps that focus on doing one or two things extremely well.

It’s not unusual for a corporation to diversify in an attempt to spur rapid growth, only to find things spiraling out of control. Those that survive usually do so by trimming off business lines that don’t fit with their core mission. They move back to the center.

We humans have a way of complicating things. We’re continuously looking to do more, be more, and achieve more. But every time we add something new to our to-do list, we take away from our ability to do any one thing well. The more we become a “jack of all trades,” the more we become a “master of none.”

The tension that scenario creates knocks us around. It drags us down and makes us feel like we’re at the mercy of our circumstances. We find ourselves in a hurricane. Making progress is hard because of all the extra demands pulling at us. So we hunker down. We do our best to check things off the list and ride out the storm.

But if we’ll just stay centered, we’ll not only survive the storm, but thrive despite it. By keeping to what makes us great (as an organization, a team, or an individual), we can move forward even as others battle the winds around us.

So, what’s your center? What are the things that you and your team should really be focused on? What needs to be let go?

Use It Or Lose It

Posted on by Scott

superhero-2503808_640One of my favorite movies of all time is The Incredibles. It’s the story of a family of superheroes who are forced to live ordinary lives and suppress their abilities. The world has grown weary of heroes and the main character, Mr. Incredible, struggles to adjust to a life defined by mind-numbing routine. He longs for something more. He dreams about a world in which he can make use of his unique gifts.

And the frustration he feels is palpable.

But when they time comes for him to don his superhero outfit and spring into action, Mr. Incredible finds that his powers aren’t quite what they used to be. Years of inactivity have diminished his ability. He has lost much of his strength and isn’t sure he has what it takes to win the day.

Sadly, I feel many of us are like Mr. Incredible. Each of us has been blessed with specific talents and interests, but we let them lie dormant. We deny ourselves the joy of fulfilling our true purpose and others the benefits of our gifts. Everyone loses because we try to be something we’re not. Something less.

Talent is perishable. Skills that aren’t used diminish. The inner drive you feel to achieve greatness will fade if you don’t tap into it.

I’ve heard that houses left empty degrade faster than houses that are lived in. Ships that stay in port too long collect barnacles more quickly than those on the open ocean. Even our own muscles will atrophy if we don’t exercise them regularly enough.

The truth is that houses were meant to be lived in. Ships were meant to sail, and we are meant to move. Our calling is not to ignore our talents, but to maximize them – to share them. We were designed to do great things, each of us in our own way. Why do so many of us hold back? Why do we shy away from greatness?

Is it because we are afraid? Is it because we feel a need to fit in? Is it because someone else doesn’t appreciate the gifts we bring to the table? Are saving our best for something else?

How dare we!

I know people who wouldn’t waste a dollar, but they throw away talents that are infinitely more valuable. They let opportunity after opportunity to do something great pass them by. And every time I see them, they look miserable. Just like Mr. Incredible.

Fortunately though, his abilities haven’t completely disappeared. As he begins to exercise his muscles, his body falls more and more comfortably into moving the way it was supposed to all along. And as they follow his example, each member of the Incredible family discovers their own unique gift. They combine their very different talents together in pursuit of a common goal, and emerge victorious.

What’s your superpower? What incredible ability do you bring to the table? What’s keeping you from realizing your full potential?

Take a look at your team’s goal. Identify how you are uniquely positioned to add value, and remove the barriers keeping you from success. Be the hero. Save the day. Use your gift. Otherwise, you’ll lose it.

I dare you to be incredible.

Measure Twice, Cut Once

Posted on by Scott

metro-1179249_640Growing up, I was fortunate to live next door to my maternal grandparents. As you can imagine, they were a significant influence on my life. Both of my parents worked, and I didn’t have cable TV or video games or cell phones. If I wasn’t out getting into trouble with my friends, I was at my grandparents’ house – often helping them in the garden or snapping peas on the porch.

My grandfather took up woodworking after he retired. My favorite days were when I’d exit the school bus and see the door to his workshop open. I knew that meant he was building something and I could earn some money sweeping up the sawdust he made. As we worked in the shop together, my grandad would share tips and tricks he’d learned while mastering his hobby.

One tidbit that has stuck with me through the years is this:

“Measure twice, cut once.”

You see, once you cut a board, you can’t fix a mistake. You might be able to glue a piece back on, but it won’t be the same. The grain won’t line up, the cutline will be obvious, and the whole piece will be just a little short of what it should have been. In other words, you can’t out things back the way they were. It’s better to check your measurement and make sure your marks are right before you cut. That bit of wisdom has saved me more times than I can count in my own workshop.

But even if you’re not a woodworker, I believe it stills makes sense to measure twice and cut once.

How many times have you said something that you instantly regret? How many times have you clicked Send on email only to immediately wish you hadn’t? How many times have you acted in haste and found yourself wishing you could turn back the clock?

Once the words are spoken, you can’t take them back. Once the email is sent, someone will read it. Once you act, there are unavoidable consequences.

I can’t tell you how many times I wish I’d measured twice and cut once. I’ve spent hours, even days, trying to repair damage I’ve done to relationships as a result of a hasty decision. But no matter how hard I try, the impact of my poor decisions is impossible to erase. I may have smoothed things over. I may have managed to get past the initial dustup, but the mistake is always there.

Fortunately, I’ve also saved myself on many occasions by listening to my grandfather’s advice. There have been so many interactions that could have gone badly had I not paused and thought about what I was about to say. I’ve written hundreds of emails that were deleted rather than sent simply because I thought twice about the implications of my actions.

There will always be times when you have to act quickly. There won’t always be a chance to measure twice. But those are the exception rather than the rule, aren’t they? And I’ve found that the act of pausing to think twice when I have the opportunity to helps me make better initial decisions when time becomes a significant factor.

I don’t know if my grandad knew he was feeding me life lessons as he shared his workshop wisdom. Maybe he was just reminding himself not to repeat a costly mistake. But I’m thankful for the impact his life has had on mine. And when my children join me in my workshop, I often share the lessons I’ve learned. It’s my hope that they will find value in my words as they build for the future.

What words of wisdom guide your path?