We can't coddle our way to greatness

My Dad was the ultimate dream killer. My childhood was “interesting.”

“Wayne” he used to say. “Don’t waste your time on that if you are not fully committed.” Only he wasn’t that nice about it.

I’ve always been a creative, but it really was all I was good at. Everything else I tried could just fake it enough to get by. I played every sport he wanted me to, but at any given time I was only pushing halfway. It wasn’t what I wanted deep down I wanted to be a part of movies and television. My imagination ran wild with stories of comic characters and magic skateboards.

Although my father’s expectations would help me later in life, early on it only served to force my true potential underground.

By the time I made it to high school I was used to pretending to like everything everyone else did. Then on a whim, my Grandma Daisy convinced me Drama would be good for me to take. (Grandma’s see things us that others, including ourselves, don’t or can’t see in ourselves.)

In Drama and creative writing, it was ok for me to say the things that were really on my mind.

Wait!!! Thad, you’re getting off topic. My bad. Where was I?

Oh, yeah I can’t do anything else.

When did it become ok to not be honest about other’s skill level as a creative?

When I watch a movie I can clearly state this movie sucks, or I don’t get it. However, it’s that much better if I could reach out to M. Night and say… M…(cause we are comfortable with each other) what the hell was up with those killer trees?

I mean that is exactly what we have the opportunity to do when we know our independent filmmakers locally.

We have the opportunity; no we have the obligation as fellow filmmakers not to jerk each other off - for instant gratification but to prolong the experience for a tantric nirvana experience that will have us looking for the next chance to Netflix and chill.

Is that the correct thing the kids say, “…Netflix and chill?”

Whatever we want to call it we need to foster those who create quality.

We need to get rid of the participation trophy culture that has become our status quo. We can’t fear that our friends’ feelings will be hurt by our true and honest assessment of their work.

No, everyone’s baby is not cute. And if as a film community we want to get better, then we have to start pushing each other to do and be better. And part of that process is being able to give and accept constructive criticism.

Iron sharpens iron, people.  Iron sharpens iron.

Making America Great Again: Public Schools

Last week I wrote the first of a series of articles on how to make America great again. This week we continue in that series by taking a look at the public school system. Are we putting our children in the best possible environment to want to learn?  In a world where our country is falling further and further behind in technology innovations how do we stimulate our youth to become the next wave of great thinkers to address the worlds growing issues?

  I come from a broken family. My parents split up when I was eight years old, and we moved from an Air Force Base and what I would later find was a far more advanced education. It was not necessarily advanced in the things they were teaching, but in the programs they had in place to stimulate how we learned.  Upon starting at my new school I found that I was slightly ahead in some of the concepts we were learning, and since I was I felt I didn’t have to work as hard. This feeling would continue through out the rest of my public school career. It wasn’t until I left high school that I found I was not remotely prepared. In the wake of my public school experience I felt lost. This was further compounded by the death of someone close to me. It took me ten years and a ton of mistakes to come full circle and return to college, this time with the end goal in mind.  This brings me to the present. Now I am currently a Ph.D candidate and doing pretty much what I love, maybe not on the level I wish I was on yet but I have to remind myself I took ten years to get back on track I cannot expect to bridge that gap in less. This also got me thinking about my children and their education.

For this article we are not really looking at the drop out rate, what we are looking at is students that can think for critically on their own. Somewhere along the way we stopped teaching our children how to think for themselves and started treating the public school system as a factory to mass-produce a product. Providing the same education as if we are all cookie cut. Why, maybe, because it is easier than the alternative. Having to pay teachers more money and create a modern system that educates our children for the new world we live in. So I offer to you a story from NPR that may get you thinking enough to spark a change for the future. 

http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=432582341&m=432910352

We can not expect our children to grow up and become adults that can solve problems and think outside of the box if we have not equipped them with the proper tools. What we have done to our school system is allowed it to become stagnate like a pond cut off from the streams and rivers that once fed it and made it vibrant. We used to allow the world into the classroom to allow students to learn and not just memorize. If we are to ever get back to a level where we are competitive and productive we need to stand up demand changes and educate our children so that they may learn to truly think for themselves. I know this is a dangerous idea for the current way of life, but if we continue to travel down this road what kind of future can we really expect for our children. More and more people with a sense of entitlement, dodging their own responsibility for their lives. Let's choose the road less traveled. The harder of the two and do what is necessary to change our goals and expectations of the public school system.

Here is a funny but true sketch from Key and Peele Enjoy and think about it.

https://youtu.be/dkHqPFbxmOU

Building the Dream

I want to thank everyone who has hung with us through the difficult times. We have been working very hard to shape our brand into something we can be proud of. This has been a task in and of itself as we needed to take a few steps back in order to serve people and clients better.

During our absence we have secured our own studio location, shot several short films, been to a few festivals and written our first feature scheduled to begin shooting late next year. There a couple of other irons in the fire but we will keep that in our back pockets until the time is right.

It is important for people not to just talk about their dream. I mean if all you want to do is dream, then talking about it is just fine. However if you want to make it a reality there is a lot of hard work that must come before you can begin to live it. So here is the hard truth, everyone will not be able to live their dream. It's not because they are not special, or because they don't deserve it. It is simply because they are not really willing to work for it. Many people believe that other successful people stumble on to it out of luck or having the right connections. The facts actually are that many successful people have worked many hours sacrificed time with family and doing the fun things in life that others may do on a daily basis to be able to reach that point. Just because they are not out sharing those hours with others does not mean they did not earn the it or that it was handed to them over night.

So the very first step in building your dream is to be willing to work for whatever it is.  So with that being said I want to share a song with you from an Artist named P-Dash it's called Work.


Photo courtesy of iampdash.com

Leadership Value: Learn from the lessons of false leaders

Leadership Value: Learn from the lessons of false leaders

Over the past few weeks we have had a conversation about what leadership is and what it means to be a leader. Now that we know what it is we should be able to recognize what it is not, right? Unfortunately that is not always a simple thing to do. False leaders are abundant we see them everyday. Some are in office, some at our places of business, and some in positions that we depend on to help provide a safe environment. I have mentioned this before in other Leadership Value posts, but I really want to hone in on it in this one. For many people it is easy to be a leader, especially when there is no sign of trouble, anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm, is a saying from Publilius Syrus, a freed slave from the first century BC. He is also credited with saying that a good reputation is more valuable than money. On both accounts he was correct. As long as things are good and they are never tested, false leaders are able to have a reputation that is more valuable than money. It is not until time of need that they are exposed. We have an obligation to learn the signs and test those that would lead for the betterment of all those they claim to be striving to lead to a better position. There is a measure of personal responsibility that everyone has over his or her own actions, but that is for another post. Beware of those that steer the ship only in calm water because the sea is not naturally smooth sailing. There will be turmoil and challenges. Many may try to sell you their dream, while you supply everything and they supply only the vision. This not a leader, this person is a shame artist that wants to take advantage of your resources all the while standing on your back to move to a hire position. They will often talk of their vision but will seldom have anything of substance to offer you. If we are to improve our own lot in life and pave the way for others that we care about we must study from our past mistakes and the mistakes of others and those lessons should be implemented in a fashion to maximize our growth.

Leadership value: success and failure is perception

Leadership Value: The difference between success and failure is perception

It’s hard for people to believe that their success is not their own. It’s even harder for them to believe that their failures are not someone else’s. Some people think that if they are ever going to be successful it will be at someone else cost, that there is not enough room for them to be successful and someone else. This is a problem with perception. There are two main factors that will determine how successful you are. The first is not viewing the work as a whole but as each individual task. When small tasks are done with a simple discipline of doing each task the best we can we learn to see success for what it really is. The second thing to know is no matter what you are doing; no matter if it is art, or engineering you are not alone. The road to success is not a journey that is taken alone, although everyone will not make it with you to the end of the journey you must give in order to receive. The opportunity to help someone else is an opportunity to elevate you as well. I do not mean for wealth or taking advantage of another person, but by aiding someone else you have not only changed your perspective but theirs as well.  With the right perspective things become less daunting, because when we succeed it is because we are together, and when we fail it is only because we feel we are alone.

There is always a time to party

Many times in the pursuit of our larger goals we forget to celebrate the smaller goals that pave the way to that ultimate level of success we are striving for. None of us is promised anything as far as success goes. There is a lot of hard work and dedication that must be done long before we ever see and hold the fruit of our labors. As leaders we must not forget to celebrate the moments with those that believe in us and work towards the goals with us. In those moments we all taste a small measure of the future success that we will share if we continue to work together as a team and learn from each other. As leaders we must encourage the celebration of these moments, it is not only validation for all that we have worked for until that moment, but it is also fuel to keep the fire burning even brighter than we could have imagined. As leaders we must foster the celebration of our milestones rather it is a party or just a night out with pizza and a firm hand shake we must take the time out to enjoy the fruits of our endeavors before we press on. Let us not get so caught up in the race to the finish that we forget to enjoy each and every moment, every relationship, and every obstacle overcome that inches us closer together as a group, and to the end of a journey; where we will start anew. Life is often seen as a series of obstacles it is only when we take time to celebrate and reflect that we can see the journey for what it really is and apply that perspective to our future.

Leadership value of the day: Addition or Subtraction

Leadership value of the day: Addition or Subtraction

Most people are familiar with the simple math principals of addition and subtraction. However many think that these principals only apply to numbers, money, or anything with a value. While these principals are commonly taught in that frame of reference today I want to offer up a theory. This theory boils everything down to these two things. In life every relationship you have either adds to your life or it takes away from it. Take a moment and really think about this. You have friends that either foster positive change in your life or friends that help you spiral out of control. It is often not that black and white, as our nature is not one that is polarized but a nature that is more that of yen and yang. We must look at our relationships in a reference of time and growth to see if the relationship is one that should be fostered or cut off. However before we can get to this point we must embrace the principal that all relationships either add or subtract. If you are striving to lead and become a great leader this is something you would do well to keep in mind. If you are working to change your life and mentality start by embracing this principal, this will allow you to fully see the scope of a relationship. This does not mean cut off all the people that are not adding to your life, because it may be you who adds to theirs, but understand that if this is the case you should be aware of how your relationship with this person influences you as well.

Leadership Value of the Day: Preparation

Leadership Value of the Day: Preparation

Sometimes we get so excited to do what we have been dreaming about that we get ahead of ourselves. We look to finish the race before we have even begun. This is a mistake that can slow and even finish a project before it has even had the chance to breath. As a leader striving for greatness not only in self but the projects we want to produce, we need to often prepare ourselves and the people we a leading for the tasks at hand. When many people think of preparation they think about the gathering of all the materials they may need and the drawing up of a game plan to help them achieve their measurable goals. This is a great step, however it is not the extent to which one must prepare. In order to truly prepare a leader must now where he or she is leading people, the goals that need to be achieved and must communicate those goals to the people that are making up the team. Sounds easy right? It is not as easy as it sounds because we all are subject to getting caught up in the heat of the moment and forgetting the purpose and our preparation. A great leader should always communicate the goals of the group in the simplest form. This allows all involved to know what is the collective goal. It helps to solidify the unit as a cohesive group, and not just a bunch of people with their own agendas. That leads us to one of the most important factors choosing your people wisely. Many leaders do not like to turn people away from their groups. However sometimes it is necessary for the whole group. It is the leaders job to make sure that the group embraces those that are coming fourth with a pureness of intent, and protect the group from ill will and malice. Sometimes that comes in the form of friends that fain to be champions of your cause. Finally in order to be completely prepared for the task at hand you must be able to delegate the right people for the right jobs. A great leader does not need to run around to every job to make sure it is done. A great leader instills confidence in the people that he or she has chosen. Letting them know that they are trusted and capable to perform the duties at the highest levels for the progression of the group.

Here is a little funny video that drives home the point of preparation.

Leadership Value of the Day: Overcoming an Entitlement mentality

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Leadership Value of the Day: Overcoming an Entitlement mentality

This is the second version of this post that I have written today. I read the first one and realized it was too much for many people to handle. That I had taken people too far to fast, and that if I want to reach people that I have to break the information down into small digestible chunks of information that people can understand before I spill all my opinions out.

            There are many layers to the entitlement mentality. I am only going to deal with the one that most people are aware of. I am doing this for two reasons. The first is simple; in order to change things you must first be made aware that things need to change. The second reason is because I am living it in my life now, but more on that in bit. So let’s just jump into shall we.

            The mentality that someone owes you anything is ridiculous. I see it more and more everyday. People that feel they are owed something in life. While it is true that many of us come from a lot that has not been dealt the best hand, we cannot use this as a reason to not put in the work ourselves to change our lives, and our world for the better. Many people think that just because they show up to work that they are owed a paycheck. Are you one of those people? Do you believe that just showing up is enough? While showing up is half of the battle many times we forget to teach that after you show up you must show up. You have to work to be productive, and not just go through the motions but to actually get results. We are a society that rewards just showing up, and not the results that are supposed to be a product of showing up. There are deeper reasons for this that I will not try to address in this short post, but we must understand that in this life we can only reap what we sow. Many say that phrase but few truly understand the meaning. Many of my friends are graduates of a university or a technical school, and believed that coming out of this most expensive and segregated time of our lives would yield the ability to earn enough to make a living. Many of us are being hit with the harsh reality that this is not necessarily the truth. While we may have learned theories and techniques to help us get in to a door, we have not been taught how to think for ourselves once we walk through it. That is the real problem. If we are unaware of what we really need to know to make it in the society we live in it will breed this mentality of entitlement, because of the promises made. Changing this mentality is simple it only takes two things. First, be productive. Measure your success in the things that yield results and not just showing up or getting something to a finishing point. Second, think. Take time to think out what you really want to achieve. Thinking is an activity many people do not engage in anymore, many have become content with allowing others to think for them, and thus we go round and round.

Leadership Value of the Day: Understanding life as a production triangle.

Leadership Value of the Day: Understanding life as a production triangle.

When I was starting out as a videographer, I knew very little about the business of production, and I knew even less about the uphill battle I would face to change my life after sitting out of school for ten years. All I did know was that I wanted to do something that I had always dreamed I could, but had been told was impossible. From the outside in it looked simple. Pick up a camera film some stuff edit it and there you go. It is like life that way. We can often see the things others should do but have difficulty knowing what steps to take on our own. Then one afternoon as I was explaining the production triangle to someone else as it was explained to me it dawned on me that this simple break down could also apply to life.  Maybe I am getting ahead of myself. How many people reading this know what the production triangle is, ok by show of hands now… Oh, I see. Please allow me to explain then. The production triangle is a triangle, of course, but it represents the three main aspects of a production. On one side there is Time, on another Money, and on the final side Quality. Now the deal is you can only have two sides of the triangle at any given time. For instance you can get something done fast and if you want it to be quality work, it will cost you more money, or you can save money and it is going to take longer to get the same quality, or you can get it fast and cheap but needless to say the quality won’t be there. Do you see how this works? Ok so where was I … oh yea ok so life is just like this. You can choose to work hard and sacrifice and pull yourself closer to greatness, or you can choose to have a good time and indulge all of the little things that you want but you will sacrifice the ability to become great. The point of it all is that in this life you have to choose what it is you are willing to sacrifice to get to where you want to be. If you can’t remember all of that just think of it like this; at any given time you will only get two of the things you want, so you should make sure that the two things you choose are helping you reach your goals and not a sacrifice that you will have to make up for later and possibly never gain the ground you lost. After ten years out of school I was blessed enough to be surrounded by people who saw the potential in me to do something more with my life. Sometime we don’t get a second chance, so we don’t have the luxury of mindlessly wandering hoping it will all work out in the end. Be diligent in your journey and intelligent in your decisions if you desire to be great.

Leadership Value of the Day: You get what you pay for.

Leadership Value of the Day: You get what you pay for.

In these days we are often looking for the best deal the shortest and most efficient way to get somewhere, or achieve something. If that means cutting our thanksgiving day with family short, or waiting in a long line in the cold we are willing to go through it to get the best deal. We are a culture that has decided that we would rather find the short cut. This might be okay when it comes to your Christmas shopping or finding that perfect gift if you are willing to pay the price. Realize that you are not just paying money; you are sacrificing time. So how does this relate to leadership? Where does that leave us? There is no short cut to success. There is no road map that will guarantee that you will be successful. You have to be willing to pay the price, because you truly only get what you pay for. This does not mean to go out and buy the latest self-help book as soon as it comes out, although increasing your knowledge wont hurt your chances of being successful. The payment that is required for success is different form buying gifts. The price for success seems like it would be different for everyone; however this is not the case. The price for success is the same for everyone. It is having a belief system that allows you not to give up even in the tough times. Having the mettle to withstand the no’s and frustration of those that don’t get you or why you won’t just give up and do something else. The price is not being a quitter, and unfortunately most people are not built to withstand the pressure, they cannot pay the price, because it is too high for them, so they stop. When they stop they live a life that is reflective of the effort they put in. If you have paid the price for something and all you have to do is pick it up are you just going to sit at home and watch them advertise the item and wish you had one? No you are going to hop in the car and go get it. Many people refuse to hope in the car and they spend the rest of their lives paying that price. Your life will only reflect what you put into it and the price you are willing to pay. So for a better life make a choice. Do you want to continue to pay the price you are paying now and get what you have now, or are you willing to step it up? Work harder, knock on more doors, get more no’s and get what you have paid for.

Leadership Value of the Day: Time

Leadership Value of the Day: Time

Time it’s the thing we all complain we don’t have enough of. It seems like in our busy lives we never have enough of it to adequately go around. So we pinch a little from here and a little from there and try our best to make do. What we as leaders need to understand is not only must we manage time, but we must learn make it our friend. In an earlier post I spoke about moving with a since of urgency. Yes, it is true that we all should strive to move without hesitation on a decision that has been made. However that is not the topic here. What we are really learning today is that we need to be hyper aware of the amount of time that is needed to complete our goals and develop our people. This means being aware of the competition and a timeline of what it will take to compete on the same level, and or surpass them. The things we should know about time are basic. One of the first things is to enter early. Do the work ahead of time so that you are not taken by surprise. A later start forces you to allocate more resources to the objective, which really means it is going to cost you more money and time. Try to use simultaneous action to make better use of time. Make decisions in a timely manner because procrastination changes the effectiveness of the decision. No one likes last minute decisions, and people like last minute changes even less. We should stay ahead of the curve, and to do this we must learn to manipulate time and make it a tool that we embrace not fear.

Leadership value of the Day: Courage

Leadership value of the Day: Courage

There are those who would have us think that courage is only found in the elite few, and that many of us lack the courage to do what is necessary to change our lives for the better. I would argue very differently. First let’s just define courage. Courage is moving forward in the presence of fear. That seems simple enough right? Believe it or not we all do it everyday. In the presence of an under performing economy many of us still go forward. However some of us push even harder and have the courage to lay it all on the line to change our lives for the better. This means going though the rough patches, when it looks like there is no way forward at all. Keeping the faith is an important part of activating courage, because with out faith, you will find it hard to push forward. It takes courage to go against the grain; it takes courage to believe in your dream even when there isn’t someone to back you. Finding your own truth and holding on to it no matter what takes courage. We all have it some of us just use less of it because it seems safe to travel the road that everyone else is on. Don’t be made later when the people that traveled a different road have the things you wanted but didn’t have the courage to even try to obtain. We are the leaders of tomorrow have the courage and faith to face the challenges that will form you into who you are destined to be.

Leadership Value of the Day: Will

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Leadership Value of the Day: Will

So many people say that they want this and they want that. They want to be the best at their craft, or perform at the highest level in the office. Here is a secret; no one says they want to be second best. No one wakes up in the morning and says I’m just going to do enough to get by, or today they win and I am not going to try so hard. We all want to be, or do, or achieve more than everyone else. The catch is that everyone is not willing to do what it takes. Everyone is not willing to make the sacrifices that it will take to be the absolute best. Most people when they feel a little adversity, a little resistance, they stop. When most people feel the pressure pushing pack against them, keeping them from making any further progress they stop. That moment is the moment of their defeat. My mother and father may have disagreed on a lot of things, but the one thing that they agreed on was that if you want to be successful you have to want it. You have to make the effort to do something. It’s not just showing up, it’s showing up everyday even when you think you don’t have anything left to give. It is willing your body and mind over the have not’s and neigh sayers. I have this memory of watching Rocky IV with my father in the movie theater. It is the only movie I can remember us seeing together, it’s still one of my favorites to this day. That movie is all about will. Having the will to push beyond what anyone says you can, or can’t do. Not to mention a sweet training montage. (LOL) In life you have to decide, are you going to give in at the resistance, or pressure or are you going to will yourself to work harder? Are you going to live in the dirt or are you willing to die for the dream? I’m dying for the dream. I am giving it all I have until I can’t breath, and then I’m coming back for more. If you want to achieve things that have never been done before you have to be willing to lay it all on the line, with one knee in the dirt and find the will to stand, when everyone else thinks you’re finished. The tools you have acquired are only good if you have the will to actually put them to work. Experiences, education, morals, and strategies, only work if you have the will to execute them, and keep executing them even once you succeed.

Okay, so here is a little bit of the movie I mentioned if you have time and need some inspiration to help activate your will.

Leadership Value of the Day: Are you the weakest link?

Leadership Value of the Day: Are you the weakest link?

In order for us to ascend to a level of greatness as leaders and in any craft we pursue there needs to be an assessment of the things we bring to the table.  As a leader it becomes our responsibility to be accountable for the strategy’s we use. In deciding which route to take we must first be fully aware of our strengths and are frailties. There is an idiom about a chain, which most people are familiar with, it speaks about the weakest link. Any organization is only as strong as the leader of that organization. This is because the leader should be the one that knows his or her people and their skills and capabilities. It is part of a leaders job to help his or her followers to be the best that they can be within the confines of the organization. So I wonder, and you should too, am I the weakest link in my organization? Have you done everything you can to fully prepare yourself and your people to succeed? We often find it hard to accept the weight of our own shortcomings, many times we choose instead to heap it on to a pile or spread it around to others. However it is not until we choose to confront our own faults and lack of knowledge that we are truly able to begin to lead others. This is true of any leadership role. Understanding that you are the weakest link will help you to make changes and foster your people and each of their skills in the most useful and practical ways possible. A strong person in a position to lead, who runs from task to task cannot be considered a leader, we must strive to be as the single link in the chain and bridge the bond between others in an effort to strengthen us all as a single unit not individual links.

The leadership value of the day: knowing your craft and tools

As a leader or someone striving for greatness it is important to move with a sense of urgency. However it is more important to be fully prepared before you do so. Moving with a sense of urgency does not mean moving without proper knowledge of your craft or tools. You can only truly move with a sense of urgency if you know your craft and tools. Let me explain why this is true. Moving with a sense of urgency takes into account the goals you have set out to achieve. It takes stock of your resources and your limitations. If you have not done the work it will be impossible for you to be motivated in the right direction with the right directives in mind. Using the right tool for the job and knowing what you are trying to achieve is the only way to move with any sense of urgency.

Leadership Value of the Day: Time Management

Leadership Value of the Day: Time Management

When I say time management most people think of having enough time in the day to accomplish the goals that they have set for themselves for the day. This is an important part of time management but it is not the foundation of it. For you to fully appreciate what time management is, we must first understand energy. The energy you expel is an important part of time management, because you want to move fluidly with a since of urgency to reach your goals. Staggered movement is not effective movement, and while it is true that slow progress is better that no progress we are not striving to be average, we are moving to be exceptional, and thus more is required. Moving with a sense of urgency generates energy that is contagious to others. This will allow you to work with people as excited about the possibilities of growth as you are. That being said do not waste your time with people that will not meet your efforts with an elevation of their own efforts. Greatness is not achieved by mediocre effort. It can only achieved by those willing to give it all and move like they don’t have enough time in the day. Because the truth of the matter is there is not enough time in the day if you want to be great. Something will always be left to do the next day. The trick is to do so much that you no longer measure your time by the hour; you begin to measure your time by the success of the projects you complete on the highest level possible. It is important to realize that time is a construct that you will never be able to get back, so once you waste it on something it is gone. Having the self-discipline to align your goals with your actions is the hard part of being a leader. The people that choose to follow you will emulate you, so you have to lead by example. Be conscious about how you spend your time, how you move when you are on a task, and whom you spend your time with.

Leadership Value of the Day: Controlling your Emotions

Leadership Value of the Day: Controlling your Emotions

The one thing that we all have in common is that we are human. We come in all shapes, sizes and colors. We use all of those things to separate and group us into categories that help us to cope, and try to give order to something that we cannot comprehend on this plane of existence. We do all of this subconsciously, and we accept it as the norm. However with all that said, no matter how much we would like to separate ourselves, we are all the same. One of the many things that tie us together is our ability to feel. Our emotions help us to act and react to situations, and circumstances. However if we allow these emotions to dictate our reactions we can end up in situations with no way out. In order to lead others you do not have to be perfect. You do however need to attempt to lead from a place of clarity. Free from the knee jerk reaction to the initial emotion of a situation. There will be times when you feel frustrated at circumstances, and the ability to control that frustration and channel it towards a positive progression is the only way to not allow the emotion to control the outcome. You should strive to think about what you are feeling prior to action. Without this clarity of mind, free from the fog of emotion we all have the capacity to make a decision we would not have other wise made. Learning to focus your emotions toward change will help keep you ahead of the fray. If necessary embrace the feelings to learn from the situation that has evoked the feeling, sometimes this is the true gift of emotion. The bottom line is to control the emotion and use it, not letting the emotion control your actions.

The Leadership Value of the Day: Becoming Unselfish

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The Leadership Value of the Day: Becoming unselfish

In order to reach greatness a leader has to be able to do something many people cannot. It is putting the needs of many before the few. A leaders thought process has to be selfless and unselfish. In order for a person to rise above the fray and distinguish his or her group from others the leader must be able to separate his or her own needs for the greater good. This must first be practiced in the everyday life before it can be implemented or instituted within an organization. This goes back to leading by example. This does not mean to boast about all the charity work you do, it means put yourself in situations to help others with needs. Be open to the idea of building virtue in others. It is only through unselfish work that we begin to develop a legacy. Our true legacy is in the people we influence and help shape. If we fail to put others first we not only fail others, we fail to grow as leaders, and thus our organizations will die on the vine. The only way to become great is through service to others.

Discomfort is my friend

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Leadership Value of the Day: Discomfort is your friend

Who doesn’t like feeling comfortable? We love it, why? It’s not because being comfortable adds anything to help us progress. We love it because it is easy. It is easy to get comfortable and just go with the flow. We all want to be accepted in the in crowd and be popular. So I will apologize for shattering your comfortable façade in advance. If you want to achieve greatness you have to learn to love being uncomfortable. I am not just speaking of the physical comfort you get from skipping the work out you know you should go to, or the sick day you take even when you’re not sick, we see you by the way we know you’re not really sick eating ice cream and hanging out with friends who had the day off. I am speaking to the way people no longer thing for themselves. It is hard for people to go against the grain. The average train of thought that most people just jump on at the caboose and hope that the person driving the train knows where this is going. If you truly want to achieve greatness you have to learn to be uncomfortable and try thinking for yourself, and get out there and do things that may be uncomfortable to get where you want to go. If you do what everyone else is doing you will achieve the same results, you cannot realistically do what everyone else is doing and think that you are going to be the one to achieve a different result. Are you better than everyone else? Are you special and the laws of physics do not apply to you? Maybe it’s just that you see where everyone else was wrong and you are going to get it right this time. In all honesty you are special however you are not acting as such. Everyone is special, so why cheapen your gifts by doing what everyone else is doing. Blazing your own trail by thinking for yourself is the only way to achieve any real measure of success. Take a moment and think about how many decisions you actually made that were well thought out by you, and not just a reflection of a decision that someone else you know made. Hey if it worked for them it should work for you too right? Success is only achieved through thinking for yourself, not following the masses.