All Things New – January 31, 2015

Too often we let the world pass us by.  We fall into the trap of the same-old, same-old.  We fail to notice what is new right around us.

I don’t want this to be the case for me, and I don’t want it to be the case for you either.

With this in mind, here are some of the NEW things I experienced this week:

• Speak Pipe
  • Take a look at the blog, and you may notice something new.  I added Speak Pipe which means you can now leave me a voice mail.  I’d love to hear what you have to say.  Perhaps, you’ll even answer today’s question by leaving me a voice mail message.  Just hit “Send Voicemail” on the right side of the screen.

• Life Redesigned Podcast with Lily Kreitinger
  • I’ve only listened to one episode so far of this brand new podcast.  Lily has been a friend for a while now.  I believe we met virtually through Chris LoCurto’s blog several years ago.  She is just getting her podcast off the ground, and I’m sure she would love a visit from you.  She’s also a fantastic designer and life plan coach.  Click here to get to her podcast page.

• Daddy Press
  • Last weekend, I had the honor and privilege of writing an article for a new on-line magazine for Dads.  Stop by and read my article – 5 Ideas For Teaching Our Sons – then check out the rest of the magazine.

These are just a few of the NEW things I experienced this week.  Now it’s your turn!

What NEW thing did you experience this week?

Ice Breaker – Super Bowl Snacks

We’re taking a quick break from the delegation series to have some fun.

Fridays are Ice Breaker days here on The Stretched Blog.  Before we get to this week’s question, I want to ask you to help me out by answering five questions related to short-term missions.  The survey was initially presented on the blog last week, but I understand some had trouble completing the survey on the blog.  After answering the Ice Breaker below, please click here to go directly to the survey.  It will only take a minute (I promise).

Each week on The Stretched Blog, I ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.

(I’m always looking for Ice Breaker question ideas.  If you have an idea, send me an email at jon@jonstolpe.com.  If I use your question, I’ll give you credit and share your links.)

This wee’s Ice Breaker is inspired by the upcoming Super Bowl coming up this weekend.  After you answer the question, feel free to give your prediction(s) for the big game.

Question:  What’s your favorite Super Bowl snack?

My Answer:  With the new year, I’ve tried to watch my eating habits more closely.  After all, you are what you eat.  I don’t intend on letting this go for the Super Bowl.  Having said this, I don’t think a few chicken wings would throw me off the wagon.  I’m not sure I can stomach the heat like I used to, but I still like the taste of Buffalo wings even if they make me sweat a little.

As for my Super Bowl prediction, I’m going with the Patriots over the Seahawks 37-28.  I’m not really a fan of either team, but I’ll be watching.  We’ll see what happens.

Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.) And keep Stretching!

As a reminder, please take a minute to fill out the short-term missions survey.  To get to the survey, click here.

13 Delegation Quotes

In the process of studying the top of delegation, I came across these quotes worth sharing:

“The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men and women to do what he wants done and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.”

Teddy Roosevelt

“It’s amazing what can be accomplished by any person if he doesn’t care who gets the credit.”

Sign on Ronald Reagan’s desk

“Delegation is an issue of respect and how much we respect those that are under us on our team.”

Dr. Hans Finzel

“Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don’t interfere as long as the policy you’ve decided upon is being carried out.“

Ronald Reagan

“You can delegate authority, but you cannot delegate responsibility.“

Byron Dorgan

“The inability to delegate is one of the biggest problems I see with managers at all levels.“

Eli Broad

“When in doubt, mumble; when in trouble, delegate; when in charge, ponder.“

James H. Boren

“I don’t have a problem with delegation. I love to delegate. I am either lazy enough, or busy enough, or trusting enough, or congenial enough, that the notion leaving tasks in someone else’s lap doesn’t just sound wise to me, it sounds attractive.“

John Ortberg

“You walk into the class in second grade. You can’t read. What are you going to do if you’re going to make it? You identify the smart kid. You make friends with him. You sit next to him. You grow a team around you. You delegate your work to others. You learn how to talk your way out of a tight spot.“

Malcolm Gladwell

“I find that many entrepreneurs are trying to do everything when it would be cheaper and more time-efficient to delegate, even if there are monetary costs associated with that.“

James Altucher

“The first rule of management is delegation. Don’t try and do everything yourself because you can’t.“

Anthea Turner

“People and organizations don’t grow much without delegation and completed staff work because they are confined to the capacities of the boss and reflect both personal strengths and weaknesses.“

Stephen Covey

“Delegation is giving others the opportunity to participate in the story.  If you have a good story, people will line up to get involved – to play a part in the story.”

4 Reasons Leaders Resist Delegating

“If you want something done right, do it yourself.”

Have you heard this before?  Do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Unfortunately, many so-called leaders live by this statement.  This is a cop-out for failing to delegate.

The past two days, we kicked off a conversation about delegation.  On Monday, we established that many leaders deal with stress, exhaustion, and feelings of inadequacy.  Yesterday, we offered delegation as a solution to overcoming these feelings.  Today, we’ll continue the conversation by looking at the potential downside of delegation.

Balance is required in order to delegate properly.  A leader should not micromanage, or he will fail to empower his team.  On the other hand, a leader should not fail to manage, or he will lose respect and ultimately control of his team.  When the scales are tipped one way or the other, a leaders efforts to lead through delegation will fail.

I don’t think of myself as a micro-manager, and I don’t believe I under manage most of the time either, but I don’t always get the delegation thing down right.  In fact, I am someone who fails to delegate.  And I believe I’m not alone.  Too many leaders fail, because they fail to delegate.  This has to change.  Before it will change, we must gain a better understanding of the factors which cause leaders to resist delegating.

Here are the 4 primary reasons leaders don’t delegate which I have learned from my own experience:

4 Reasons Leaders Resist Delegating

1. Pride.  Many leaders fail to delegate, because they don’t want to give up their authority.  They also don’t want to dilute the credit they will get for a job well done.  Leaders take pride in their work, and they simply don’t want to put the outcome in the hands of others.
2. Selfishness.  Leaders are selfish when they don’t want to “waste” the time to delegate.  Delegation takes time to request the desired outcome, establish the boundaries and deadlines, and to provide appropriate feedback.  Leaders are sometimes too stingy with their time and information.
3. Fear.  What happens if the outcome doesn’t measure up to expectations?  What happens if the outcome is better than expected?  Either way, leaders fear they will look bad with a poor outcome or by being out-classed by a team member.  They do not want to lose their place in the organization, and this fear can paralyze leaders from delegating appropriately.
4. Past experience.  Leaders resist delegating because they don’t know how to delegate – they haven’t been trained appropriately – or because they haven’t experienced good delegation from former leaders.

Why do you think leaders resist delegation?  What negative experiences do you have with delegation?

The Solution To Leadership Stress, Exhaustion, and Inadequacy – 6 Reasons Leaders Should Delegate

Being a leader isn’t always easy.

If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.  Right?

If leadership stress, exhaustion, and inadequacy are common, there has to be a solution.

I’m sure we could point to many things that make leadership easier – getting more sleep, exercising regularly, reading, learning, and finding a mentor.  These are all valuable actions a leader can take to improve their leadership capabilities.  There another solution that too easily gets overlooked and sometimes misused.

Delegation is what I’m talking about.

I’m not talking about pawning off all the unpleasant tasks on someone else and acting as a dictator.  I’m talking about spreading out the work, so a leader and team can be more effective which will lead to less stress, less exhaustion, and a deeper feeling of adequacy and fulfillment.  Delegation is “the assignment of responsibility or authority to another person to carry out specific activities (Wikipedia).”

In yesterday’s post, we learned that Moses faced similar feelings of stress, exhaustion, and inadequacy.  His father-in-law, Jethro, saw what was going on, and he pointed out the problem to Moses.  As we continue the story in Exodus 18:19-27, we learn that Jethro had a solution to the problem he observed:

He recognized Moses’ role in leading the people of Israel, and he wisely recommended that Moses delegate his responsibilities to other men in the community – officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.  These men judged the simpler cases, and they brought the more challenging cases to Moses.  This action led to less strain on Moses, and more satisfaction among the people of Israel.

It seems rather simple.  Spread the work out.  Ease the load of the leader.  Use the leadership talents of others in the community.  And make the community happier.

Why is delegation so important?

In today’s post, here are six reasons leaders should delegate:

6 Reasons Leaders Should Delegate

1. Delegation relieves stress and overload on the leader.  Leadership can be lonely, and it can be a heavy weight to bear alone.  Delegation disperses the weight, so the strain isn’t so great on any one person.
2. Delegation allows leaders and teams to get more accomplished in less time.  If a leader tries to do it all my himself, it will obviously take him longer.  “Many hands make light work.”  By getting more people involved, more can be accomplished.
3. Delegation frees up leaders for other tasks.  When a leader is overwhelmed, he will often miss out on other tasks he could and should be performing.  By delegating, a leader opens up time and energy for other priorities.
4. Delegation buildings a better team.  When a leader tries to do it all by himself, he demonstrates a lack of confidence in his team.  This will demoralize a team.  Delegation done right provides an opportunity to motivate your team.  It also provides an opportunity to develop the skills and abilities of team members which will ultimately lead to a better team.
5. Delegation generates more success.  When a leader gets others involved, he taps into the ideas and skills of other people who might otherwise be overlooked and underutilized.  When a team is used to its fullest, success is a natural byproduct.
6. Delegation prepares for the future.  A leader will not be around forever.  Eventually, he will retire or move on to another opportunity.  It is good stewardship for a leader to prepare the next in-line leaders.  Grooming successors is an essential part of delegating, and it’s the best way for a leader to leave a legacy.

If you want to overcome stress, exhaustion, and feelings of inadequacy in your leadership, it’s time for you to start delegating.  Over the next few days, we’ll take a look at bad delegation and good delegation.  Come back tomorrow to continue the conversation.

Why is delegation important?  As a leader, how have you overcome stress, exhaustion, and feelings of inadequacy?

Stressed, Exhausted, Inadequate Leader – You’re Not Alone

What does your “To Do List” look like?

Do you have trouble accomplishing everything on your list?

Do you feel like you can never catch up?

Do you feel like you are always behind?

Do you feel stressed out, exhausted, and inadequate?

Do you wish there was an easy way to fix all this, so you could feel more productive, more effective, and more relaxed?

I don’t think you are alone.  In fact, I think this is a problem that many leaders face today.  They take on so much responsibility that they end up burying themselves.  I don’t think it’s meant to be this way.  I think there is an answer.  Before we get there though, I think it’s valuable to see how we’re not alone in this.

If you are familiar with the story of Moses and the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt to The Promised Land, you may recall that Moses didn’t always have it together.  He was the leader of a whole nation, and he faced times of stress, exhaustion, and burn-out.

In Exodus 18:1-18, we see it more clearly:

Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, comes to visit Moses on the journey through the desert.  He brings Moses’ wife and children with him.  Moses had actually sent his family away, so he could focus on the task at hand – leading the nation of Israel.  During their visit, Moses shows Jethro everything the Lord has done for the people of Israel.  Jethro was thrilled with the news, but he began to notice a problem.  Moses spent all his time serving as judge for the people of Israel.  He heard every dispute, and he made every decision related to these disputes.  This was not a small task.  The people of Israel consisted of several hundred thousand people.  How could one man handle all this?  This was exactly the observation of Jethro.  No wonder Moses was facing burn-out.

I don’t know what your situation is right now.  Maybe you started the new year off with the best intentions and a long list of goals and tasks.  Maybe you are starting to feel the pressure and stress of trying to do too much.  If you are a leader (and I’m guessing you are), it’s time to do something about it.

Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be posting about how you can turn this around – how you can overcome the burden of having to do everything yourself.

As we get started, it’s a good opportunity to evaluate your current state of your leadership.

How would you answer the questions we started with today?  As a leader, have you ever felt overwhelmed?

Ice Breaker – Interview

Fridays are Ice Breaker days here on The Stretched Blog.  Before we get to this week’s question, I want to ask you to help me out by answering five questions related to short-term missions.  The survey was initially presented on the blog last week, but I understand some had trouble completing the survey on the blog.  After answering the Ice Breaker below, please click here to go directly to the survey.  It will only take a minute (I promise).

Each week on The Stretched Blog, I ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.

(I’m always looking for Ice Breaker question ideas.  If you have an idea, send me an email at jon@jonstolpe.com.  If I use your question, I’ll give you credit and share your links.)

This was a week of interviews for me.  I interviewed to gentlemen for engineering positions in my company, and I had the honor and privilege of being interviewed by Tammy Helfrich for her Right Where You Are Podcast (I’ll let you know when the interview goes live).  Interviewing is interesting.  It can be nerve-racking.  It can be exciting.  And it can certainly be eye-opening.  Today’s Ice Breaker question is inspired by my week of interviews.

Question:  Tell us about your first job interview.

My Answer:  I might be showing my age, but I can’t remember for sure my first job interview, but I can remember one of the first ones.  When I was in college, I needed a summer job between my junior and senior year.  Somehow, I connected with ServiceMaster.  I remember driving over to their office when I was home on break and talking to a few of the managers.  I was impressed by the company and their standards.  They gave me a book written by the founder of ServiceMaster about the Lord being the center of their business.  I was pretty impressed.  I seem to remember receiving a that evening offering me a job.  I was a little nervous at the job interview, and I was extremely excited about the opportunity to work for them over the summer.  The job required me to travel up to New England every week to take inventory on school equipment for their facilities management program.  It was an interesting stepping stone for me, and I’m thankful I had the opportunity to try something new.

Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.) And keep Stretching!

As a reminder, please take a minute to fill out the short-term missions survey.  To get to the survey, click here.

Recipe For Success

Are you looking for success?

It takes time and hard work and persistence and patience to see things succeed.

We live in a “I want in NOW” culture.  But we must remember “Good things come to those who wait.”  Overnight success is unrealistic, rare, and temporary.

Put in the work, put in the effort, put in the time, and you will see a harvest worthy of what you put into the process.

Success is not for the lazy.  It’s for the diligent.

Don’t give up!

How do you define success?  How do you get there?

Relief

The blues are what I’ve turned to, what has given me inspiration and relief in all the trials of my life.

Eric Clapton

What is relief?

Whenever I hear the word relief, I think of the “Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh, what a relief it is commercial” from my childhood.

According the Webster’s dictionary relief is:

– a pleasant and relaxed feeling that someone has when something unpleasant stops or does not happen.

When did you last experience relief?

I had this feeling last Friday night when Ryan from the Geek Squad at our local Best Buy helped to locate some “lost” files on our external backup hard drive.

I was feeling stressed out, frustrated, and awful, because I thought I lost several important files when our Macbook had to be wiped clean.  I made a backup before the computer was cleaned, so I felt certain I’d be able to restore the important files back to the computer after its cleaning.  When I went to restore the files, I couldn’t locate the most important ones on the computer.

I spent several hours working on the problem.  I even woke up real early Friday morning to work on it before I started my day.  Friday night after work, I tried a few more things without success.  In a last-ditch effort, I took the machine along with the external backup hard drive to an expert (Ryan) who had me on the right path within a few minutes.

The feeling of relief that swept over me when we located the files was unbelievable.

I literally spent all night Thursday and all day Friday worrying about these files.  And within a few seconds my worries were erased and replaced with relief.

Worry is a funny thing.  It takes over like the plague.  It almost paralyzes us.  And yet, Jesus reminds us not to worry in Matthew 6:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  Matthew 6:25, 33-34

The ultimate relief from our worries lies in trusting and resting in God’s care.  When things get crazy – when you lose the files on your computer – don’t forget to turn to God.  After all, He cares for us.

When was the last time you experienced remarkable relief?

Are You Getting Enough Sleep?

I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I’m awake, you know?

Ernest Hemingway

I wouldn’t say my life is falling apart right now, but I have to admit that I probably could use a bit more sleep.

I was listening to the 48 Days Podcast with Dan Miller yesterday, and there was a brief statement he made that made me think about my sleep habits.  Dan said “successful people get seven to eight hours of sleep a night.”  Too many people try to go at life with less sleep, and they end up driving themselves into the ground.

I typically go to bed around 10:30PM (probably closer to 11PM), and I’m up at 4AM which means I’m only getting five to five and a half hours of sleep a night.  Based on Dan Miller’s commentary, I’m not setting myself up for success.

David says in Psalm 4:8:

“I will lie down and sleep in peace for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.”

We used to read this verse to our kids when they had trouble sleeping.  I don’t know about you, but I sometimes allow myself to get so busy during the day with the best intentions of accomplishing great things that I forget to give them up to God at the end of the day.  You and I need rest.  Our bodies and mind need sleep, so we can be effective during the day.  Sleep is God’s gift to us.

I’m actually writing this last night at 8:05PM.  It’s time to shut it down and head towards bed.  I can’t promise I’ll do this every night, but I think it could be a good start towards something better for me.

How much sleep do you get each night?  Why do you think sleep is an important habit?