Four years ago today…

 

In my mind, today is the four-year anniversary of the start of the pandemic in the United States. On this day in 2020, both the Houston Rodeo and the NBA shut down entirely. Not long after that the entire country was pretty much in a lock down. For some of us it was a few weeks, for others it was much longer. Every single person, business, organization, and activity in our world was impacted. Many are still feeling that impact. Our world is not the same four years later.

 

What have we learned? I will stay away from medical, political, or socio-economic lessons. What have you learned as an individual? I have shared these questions before. They are worth considering again. Actually, they are worth considering frequently, not just in the wake of a pandemic.

 

·         Are you going to have better family relationships?

·         Have you learned a new craft or skill?

·         Are you growing in your faith?

·         Have you discovered new ways to give back in your community?

·         Will you be more serious about saving 2-3 months of living expenses?

·         Has your perspective about work/life balance changed?

·         Do you have new goals and objectives for the balance of the year?

·         Will you bring a new level of commitment and energy to your job or your business?

·         Have you read a business or self-help book you have been putting off?

People

 

The world is comprised of three types of people…

 

1. Those who make things happen.
2. Those who watch and/or follow what happens.
3. Those who ask what happened.

 

Hopefully we are not always #3!  However, in certain aspects of our life, we likely are the ones who ask, “what happened?”. It is hard to be #1 or #2 regarding every area of our lives, much less to be #1 all the time.  To me the key is which one of these are we regarding things that really matter?  For instance, family, marriage, faith, parenting, or whatever may be of absolute importance to us. What are we in those roles?  It is okay to be #3 about entertainment, sports, fashion, or even current events.  It is not okay to be #3 regarding things of significance. 

 

When it comes to the things that really matter, we all should strive to be one of those who make things happen!

Leadership and Delegation

 

Great leaders understand the power and importance of delegation. For me, it is something I am still learning. But we cannot delegate everything. As leaders, we do not delegate responsibility. Projects, initiatives, organizations, and businesses are the responsibility of leaders. That responsibility remains ours and it should never be abdicated. We can delegate tasks. We often delegate decisions. Action items and implementation are delegated. Ultimate responsibility remains with the leader.

Delegate tasks, decisions, and action items. Never delegate responsibility.

Presidents’ Day

 

As we celebrate Presidents’ Day, I find myself thinking about the role of the President as a leader. The President of the United States is the official leader of our country and the ultimate leader of our military. He is also referred to as the leader of the free world.  Those roles are true and fitting. Responsibilities and power come with his elected position. He is a leader by title. However, holding a position in title does not make one a great leader of people.  Regardless of your political affiliation, I think that most will agree that we have had presidents from both parties who were in fact great leaders.  Furthermore, we have had even more who were leaders in title and never mastered the art of truly leading people. Never confuse a title with true quality leadership. Many title holders are great leaders, some are not. On the other hand, many great leaders have no title at all.

 

Happy Presidents’ Day!

Leadership

 

We are all leaders. Some are formal leaders with titles, others are informal leaders with influence. We lead at home, church, in our community and at work.  We lead our children, our peers, and our employees.  If you do not consider yourself a leader, you are ignoring an opportunity to influence those around you.  Embrace these leadership points and do your absolute best to be a great leader! 

 

·        Hope - Great leaders give people hope for a better tomorrow.

·        Consistency - When followers never know what to expect from a leader, they will stop expecting anything.

·        Influence - People do not respond well when pushed, forced or directed.  They respond best when influenced by leaders they respect. 

·        Honesty & Trust - Trust and honesty are established when words and actions match up.

·        Accountability - Leaders understand that followers need to see leaders who are willing to be accountable. 

·        Humility - As leaders we should be concerned with what is right, not if we are right. 

·        Respect & Caring - People do not care what you know until they know that you care. 

 

Leadership

 

One of the most critical attributes of a great leader is consistency.  If you know me well, you know how I feel about consistency. This is not the first MMM devoted to the topic.  Steady and consistent leadership develops loyal followers. It maintains calm and stabilizes expectations. Consistency means that when the question is the same, the answer is the same, no matter if the names and places change. The answer is the same no matter the emotional, financial, or legal implications. Dependable answers and consistent responses create a stable environment where expectations are clear. This does not mean that different times may not require different responses. It does not mean that business circumstances can’t dictate changes in policy.  However, it does mean that people know what to expect from their leader. 

 

John Maxwell says, “If people do not know what to expect from a leader, they will come to expect nothing.”  As leaders, we should want people to know what to expect from us. 

 

Great leaders have sound values and convictions. Those things do not change and therefore they are consistent in their leadership. A great leader is the rock of consistency for their team, followers, business or family.

 

When life gives you lemons…

 

Twenty years ago, this week I finished my last chemotherapy for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The notes in my diary from that day simply state, “This is my final treatment and I thought it would never be finished. I kept watching for the last drop.”

That was a long time ago. Even though my diagnosis is considered treatable but not curable, the longer I remain in remission the lower the odds are of recurrence. That was true at ten and fifteen years. It is especially true, this week at twenty! I am blessed to have had a tolerable treatment regimen and a favorable outcome.

Many of you know that our family took my diagnosis combined with the loss of my father to leukemia and turned it into a passion of raising money for blood cancer research. Over the past nineteen years our family (The Blanton Bunch) has raised and donated over $565,000 to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Lemons to Lemonade, my friends!  The only answer for blood cancers is funding research for a cure.

I can’t believe it has been twenty years…

Communicating

 

If you follow the MMM you know I have written a lot on listening. Focused and intentional listening is powerful. But let’s look at the other aspect of communication. That is the role of the communicator. Communication is a two-way street between the communicator and the listener. The real burden is on the communicator. They are the ones delivering a message. They are the ones trying to make a point. It is their job to successfully convey their intended message. All the great listening in the world cannot overcome a poorly delivered concept or idea.

The next time you feel the urge to say, “Would you just listen to what I am saying?”, consider pausing and reviewing your delivery as the communicator. The burden is on the sender of the message. 

Have a blessed week.

Love & Forgiveness

 

As we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day today, you will see many of his profound quotes. He is one of the most widely quoted historical figures. Here is one that strikes me as especially poignant.

 

“We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.”

 

Consider the relationship between love and forgiveness.

One Thing

  

Let's make this easy. Make it your goal to do “one thing” different in 2024. Pick one thing that is important for you to change, or improve. Then develop a “one thing” plan to make that change not only happen but stick.

We all know the annual resolutions regarding health and fitness, work goals or personal habit improvements. If we try to fix all of these at one time, we can be overwhelmed. I don’t know about you, but I have a long list of challenges in those areas. I don’t need 15 goals. I need one goal to focus on. One that I can work on in 45-60 days and then I can pick another one.

Pick one thing…

·        Do less of something (Quantify it)

·        Do more of something (Quantify it)

·        Stop something (Specifically how)

·        Create something (Specifically how)

·        Accomplish something (Specifically how)

What is your one thing?