Ah, The Power Of Retrospection

As part of the big purge, I had a wonderful realization. Looking back, all that stuff that seemed so important, turns out… really isn’t. If only we, especially as leaders, could see this prospectively.

And, we can. Once again, it is a matter of pausing. Simply stopping and asking the following questions:

  1. Does what I am about to do, need doing? I find this one is particularly important to ask about the stuff that seems urgent, which leads to the second question.
  2. Does what I am about to do, need doing, right now? I find, I must make a case to myself why it’s not urgent or I will just do it. In short, life really is not an emergency.
  3. If it really does need doing, am I the right person to do it? The question isn’t will I do it better, it’s what is the best use of my time. And, if I do delegate it, can I do it with a realistic, rather than a now deadline?

Why Vistage Works

Elisa K. Spain

Is It Empty Or Filled With Possibilities?

 

For the last month or so, my husband and I have been purging, shredding, scanning, throwing away, and donating stuff. We decided to welcome the new year with less.

For me, less stuff opens up possibilities. Less stuff gives us the freedom to go where we want, if we want, now or in the future. The way I see it, getting rid of stuff opens up space; space to expand and to more easily see and access the things that bring me joy; and in some cases, exchange the old for the new.

For others, stuff is what connects us to the past. Without stuff tightly filling a space, rather than an opening, there is a void, a loss to mourn or a fear of what the future might hold.

Opportunity or emptiness? Abundance or scarcity? These are questions to ask ourselves, as we choose to lighten our collection of stuff (or not).

Why Vistage Works

Elisa K. Spain

It's That Time Again…

 

What time? In business we call it goal setting time. In our personal lives we call them “new year’s resolutions”.

Here’s how Webster’s defines each of these:

Resolution: “to make a definite and serious decision to do something”

Goal: “something that you are trying to do or achieve”

Hmm, resolution sounds much more committed and yet, the common lore is resolutions are broken soon after made. Why is that?

Here’s the process most follow for business goals:

  • we set goals for the period
  • we prioritize the goals and choose the most important to focus on
  • we identify the steps we, and our team, need to take to get there
  • we identify the dependencies that exist and order the process accordingly
  • we establish monitoring systems and milestones, so we know how we are progressing toward the goal

In short, for business goals we have a process and for those who follow the process, results follow.

In my experience, working with business leaders, some follow a similar process for personal goals and many do not.

I wonder what has to change in our mindset for us to begin to treat personal goals or resolutions as “definite and serious” with the same level of importance as we do our business goals?

For some, it is a health scare that reminds us that life is short and our families depend on us.

Is that really the only way to get from here to there?

Why Vistage Works

Elisa K. Spain

 

Are Your Expectations Too High Or Too Low?

 

How do you know?

  • Sometimes we set our sights too low and don’t achieve as much as we can.
  • Sometimes we expect too much from ourselves and constantly feel as though we don’t measure up.
  • Sometimes we expect too much from our team or our key vendors and they feel as though they can’t please us.
  • Sometimes we expect too little or don’t ask for what we really want from our employees or our vendors and we end up taking on too much ourselves instead.

How do we know which it is?  For me the litmus test is this…

  • How often are our expectations of ourselves or others met?
  • What does our gut say about that percentage? Too high? Too low?
  • What then is the next step to get our expectations in line with what is possible?

Why Vistage Works

Elisa K. Spain

Thanks-Giving

 

I love Thanksgiving. It’s my favorite holiday because it is celebrated by all Americans, regardless of their backgrounds. While the “thanks” part of Thanksgiving is so meaningful, the “giving” part is equally so.

We give thanks on Thanksgiving, go to the mall on Black Friday, and browse the web on Cyber Monday. Now, we have a day dedicated to giving back. On Giving Tuesday (this year on December 1), nonprofits, families, businesses and students around the world come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give.

I also wanted to share…my matching gift opportunity.

Many of you know about my passion for The CARA Program, a true social innovator.  I am proud to count Maria Kim, CEO as a member of Vistage 3361. Cara was the only social purpose organization to win the Chicago Innovation Award and for the first time in 2015, Cara was listed in Chicago Magazine’s  “Best 20 Charities in Chicago” .

This year, I have joined with Maria’s fellow Vistage member, Kevin Krak of Gallant Building Solutions, and Jim and Kay Mabie in offering a $20,000 Challenge Grant. We will match every dollar up to $20,000!    Click Here to give today and your gift will go twice as far.

Thank you in advance for joining me on Giving Tuesday with a donation to the Cara Program, or to the social purpose organization of your choice.

 

If you’ve walked through the doors, you know there’s something special about Cara.  It’s a place where people in need get help so they can find and keep a good job. And it’s so much more.

 

What does Cara mean to you?

 

It is a place of hope

and a community full of joy.

Your support brings joy! 

You’ve heard of Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and now #Giving Tuesday – the national celebration of giving.  Celebrate with a gift today!
When you give, you’ll help a Cara student build the confidence they need to climb out of poverty and succeed at work and in life.

 

Here is what your gift can create:

  
$30 can give a Cara student public transportation for 1 week.

$40 can give 1 full day of training to a Cara student.

$50 can give a Cara student 1 interview ready suit.

$115 can provide a student’s public transportation for 1 month.

$300 can provide 10 employed Cara students with financial coaching.

$600 can provide emergency rental assistance to a Cara student in need.

$1,200 can provide one week of Cara’s signature “Transformations Training” to an entire cohort of 60 students.

$3,000 can cover the cost of a full year of employment retention coaching for a newly employed Cara student to help them find real and lasting success.

Join us for Giving Tuesday
Click Here!

Let’s Transform Lives!

Cara prepares and inspires motivated individuals to break the cycles of homelessness and poverty, transform their lives, strengthen our community, and forge paths to real and lasting success.

Right People At The Right Time…

 

Most of the clients I have worked with over the years founded their businesses; same is true for the members of my Vistage CEO group. These folks often join Vistage because they want to grow and build a professionally managed business. They are grateful and loyal to the folks that helped them get started. And, sometimes these two objectives are at odds.

The CEO knows in his head that change won’t happen without changing some key players. (After all, if the folks that are there were going to get you where you wanted to be, you would be there already). And, in his heart he is torn.

As humans, when confronted with substantial change, particularly within a structure, the mind tends to go immediately to “what am I going to lose?” Often there is much to gain, occasionally something to lose, but this is our mind at work, much less than the process at work. The question becomes, how do we overcome these fears and realize that forward progress only comes with transformation?

Here are some questions to consider, as you think about your own evolution:

  • Owner: Am I in the right role in the organization? Am I best suited to be the investor, the operator, or both?
  • Owner: The age old question, are the right people in the right seats on the bus to get to the destination I want?
  • Owner or Key Executive: Am I spending most of my time do the things that are in my genius?
  • Owner or Key Executive: Am I performing at the same level (or higher) today as I was when I began? If not, what change could I make so that I am?
  • Owner or Key Executive: Am I making decisions out of loyalty rather than what is best for the organization? If so, what is the cost? And what really is loyalty?… Are we doing someone (or ourselves) a favor keeping them (staying) in a role that we are not excellent at? How might the organization (or I) benefit by moving on if I am not performing?

Why Vistage Works

Elisa K. Spain

 

 

As Time Goes By….

Lots of talk these days about the increasing role the millennials are playing in the workplace. At the same time, many boomers remain in the workforce. The result: younger people managing folks older than them.

Millennials tell me they often feel uncomfortable in these situations. Today, I was talking with a young man taking over a family business. He shared with me that while he is excited about the opportunity, he is wondering why none of the “seasoned guys”, who have been with his father a long time, wanted to buy the business from his Dad. He is also wondering how they feel about him being their boss.

While the dynamics of a family business are different, I hear the same story from millennials in all types of organizations. And, I remember when I too was in a similar situation. I was 24 and became the manager of 3 divisions of a large company. Two of the direct managers were older than me and one was my age. Turned out the most challenging one, as you may have guessed, was with Nevin, the one my age. He wanted the job I had.

Here is what I learned from this experience. It is up to both the manager and the now junior employee to make it work. The best situation for me was with Rita, a graceful woman 30 years older than me. Rita didn’t want my job; she loved the job she had. And, while I was her boss, I learned a ton from her. She was gracious in sharing her wisdom and I credit her with helping me become a better leader. Nevin was a bigger challenge; we had some rough waters for some time. What we learned was there was a place for both of us and we could learn from each other. The result, we remained friends for many years to come. When I moved on, he took over the role I had, and years later, I introduced him to a friend who helped him launch a writing and speaking career he had dreamed of.

If this resonates with you, whether you are the boss in this situation or the older or peer subordinate, what are you doing to make the extra effort to make this work for both of you?

Why Vistage Works

Elisa K. Spain

As The Leaves Begin To Fall….

 

Those of us in the northern climates are enjoying the annual fall display. For me, it is a reminder of the cyclicality of life and of business. Time to reflect on what has passed, celebrate our successes and remind ourselves that whatever may have been our failures, we get an opportunity in the new year to begin again.

In my experience, putting some intentionality, around what I want to happen, ups my chances of being able to look back at this time next year and notice and measure progress and success. With that in mind, I offer these questions to consider before the year comes to an end:

  • What was one significant 2015 accomplishment?
  • Have I articulated my vision for my team and have I validated that everyone knows what it is?
  • What is our theme for 2016?
  • What are our specific business objectives for 2016?
  • What are the specific initiatives (action items) for achieving these objectives?

Why Vistage Works

Elisa K. Spain

Tell Me A Story…

 

We humans seem to learn best, relate best and connect best, with stories. As children we learn the culture and norms of our society from fairytales and fables told by our parents. In the beginning of communities and societies, we told stories to the members of our “tribes” to initiate them into the tribe.

In organizations, we learn the culture and norms of our company from stories. For our teams and our customers, the stories they hear about the company and the stories they tell about the company matter. And today they share stories within their social networks, spreading the stories so much further than was possible before (via Yelp, Glassdoor, Twitter, to name a few).

The questions that come to my mind are:

  • What stories are you telling yourself, your team, your customers?
  • Are you intentional about the content of these stories and who you are telling them to?
  • What greater impact could you have by telling stories and fables of your own?

Why Vistage Works

Elisa K. Spain

 

How Does Your Company Handle Conflict?

 

Which of these describes your culture:

  1. Conflict is out in the open; we respectfully disagree in meetings and discuss the issue until we reach resolution or acceptance
  2. Conflict is handled by the boss; we all agree in the meeting and then lobby our position to the boss afterwards and he or she resolves the conflict
  3. Conflict is buried; we all agree in meetings, whoever is the leader decides and if we disagree, we keep it to ourselves

If your company operates under either #2 or #3 above, what is the cost?

  • What new ideas or innovations are being lost when people are afraid to speak up?
  • What is most important to you as a leader, being right or being effective? How does this show up in how you respond to conflict?
  • Are high potential team members giving their all somewhere else in their life? Or even leaving to contribute somewhere else?
  • How much are you leaving on the table that might be there for the taking, if people argued for the best answer?

Vistage Works

Elisa K. Spain