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On My Way
“The man who views the world at fifty the same as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life.”
Muhammad Ali
I hit fifty nearly two years ago, but Muhammad Ali’s quote seems to ring true for me as I draw closer to my fifty-second birthday. I find myself searching. I find myself in a time of rediscovery. I’m learning new things about me. And I’m relearning things about me that I once knew with confidence.
Life is like a long game of hide and go seek.
We can sit on the sideline watching as others play the game. We can be content with stagnating – staying the same, refusing to grow, and resisting the changes that naturally come with life and getting older.
Or we can embrace adventure. We can get in the game constantly finding ways to grow, to move forward, and to discover the newness that awaits us each day.
I started this blog many years ago with the idea of sharing thoughts and experiences on the theme of stretch. How is God stretching me? What stretchmarks are present in my life that are pushing me forward? And how might my stretch thoughts and experiences encourage others?
I haven’t shared here for a while.
Maybe I’ve been on the sideline simply trying to survive the day to day grind.
Maybe I’ve failed to see when and how God is stretching me.
Maybe I’ve been too scared to consider where I need to grow.
Maybe I’ve allowed the busyness or the responsibilities of life to run my life.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to live a life on the sideline. I don’t want to be content to stay the same. I don’t want to live a life of regret – regret that I didn’t keep learning, regret that I didn’t risk enough, regret that I stopped stretching.
It’s time to stretch. It’s time to grow. It’s time to be on my way.
“But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.”
Matthew 6:33 (Amplified Bible AMP)
Time for a New Perspective
Empathy begins with understanding life from another person’s perspective. Nobody has an objective experience of reality. It’s all through our own individual prisms.
Sterling K. Brown
This morning, I decided to write while sitting at the “bar” (or counter) of the Starbucks where I usually write on Sunday mornings before church. I typically write while sitting at one of the tables against the wall. For some reason, it felt like it was a good day for a different perspective.
From my current vantage point, I watch three Starbucks team members behind the counter busily serving their customers. One young man is the barista. Another is emptying the trash, warming up pastries, and loading the refrigerator with milk. A young lady is at the register taking orders. They seem to be working well together to meet the expectations of their customers.
I’m thankful for the new perspective this morning.
A couple of weeks ago, we held a meeting in our office for our field specialists. They are the team members who make sure our products work correctly in the buildings where we are contracted to provide our products and services. During the meeting, one of the specialists indicated he wanted a chance to do my job for the day – kind of a reverse Undercover Boss scenario.
I’ve been mulling over this request for a few days. What would it look like to have someone shadow me for a day? How could I give them an appropriate perspective on my job without compromising my performance or the confidentiality that I must keep with some of the information that comes my way? What is a reasonable outcome of such an experiment? Would a “Boss for the Day” experiment be beneficial in the long-run?
Life is about perspective and how you look at something… ultimately, you have to zoom out.
Whitney Wolfe
Honestly, I had never thought of such an idea before I heard it two weeks ago. It’s a reminder to keep my eyes and ears open to the ideas, perspectives, and opportunities presented by others.
Are you a person of routine like me?
One of my Daily Stretch Affirmations is: I take time to try new things.
What new thing do you need to experience today? What action do you need to take to get out of your comfort zone? What step will you take today to get a new perspective?
What are you waiting for? Do it!
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:19
How Can I Help?
I want to influence culture instead of letting culture influence me. Despite this intent, I’ve learned that I can’t live my life with blinders. While I want to be influential, I need to be open to how I might be STRETCHED by the world around me – and that includes the culture.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:2
This week, I was folding laundry while Leanne was working on grad school homework. While I was folding clothes and sorting socks, I turned on a new NBC television show, New Amsterdam. In the show (inspired by a true story), Dr. Max Goodwin (played by Ryan Eggold) takes over New Amsterdam, a not-for-profit hospital in New York City. Dr. Goodwin introduces himself to the hospital staff by asking a simple question: “How can I help?”
The rest of this episode (Pilot) introduces viewers to various characters and their stories while watching Dr. Goodwin repeatedly ask this question.
Believe it or not, this time of multi-tasking (folding laundry and watching television) had a profound impact on me.
I’ve always tried to be helpful – especially as a leader. But if I’m honest (which I try to be), I don’t always think about what others need. I don’t always ask how I can help. I sometimes become self-absorbed caught up in my own list of things I want to accomplish or attend to each day. I miss out on the real needs of my team members.
This is not good, and it’s not the way I want to lead.
I want to have a “How can I help” mindset.
On Friday at the office, I repeatedly asked this question as I interacted with my co-workers and customers. It was refreshing. I felt a renewed sense of connection with my job, my team, and my mission. I rediscovered a new passion for my role as a leader in my organization.
As you head into the work week, I challenge you to ask this question at least once a day. And when you ask how you can help be sure to listen to the response. Then go do what you can do to help.
How can I help you?
Seriously, what can I do for you? How can I help you become a better person? How can I help you stretch? How can I help you?
Leave your response below (or feel free to reach out to me privately). I’d love to help you!
Stretch Affirmation 1 – I Take Time to Still Myself
I take time to STILL myself.
Daily Stretch Affirmation No. 1
We live in a world of non-stop motion. During the day, fingers are moving across keyboards creating and sending messages around the world. Cars, buses, trucks, and motorcycles are moving over the countless miles of concrete, asphalt, dirt, and stone that make the roads we travel. People are moving from one meeting to the next. At night, families and individuals are moving from one activity to the next – soccer practice, scouts, grocery shopping, dinner, homework, and the list goes on and on and on. We don’t stop until we collapse in bed at the end of the day hoping to catch a few hours of sleep before we do it all over again the next day.
Wake up. Move. Move. Move. Move. Move. Collapse in bed.
We struggle to be still.
This is not good!
Statistics show that anxiety and anxiety disorders are on the rise. For example, a recent Stastista survey finds that 39% of adults surveyed are more anxious in 2018 than in 2017. Obviously, there could be a number of reasons for these findings, but I would argue that our culture of busyness and constant motion contributes to the anxiety we feel.
If there’s any question that these results are short-sighted, I’d encourage you to think about your own experience. How do you spend your days? How often to you stop? How much time are you moving around (physically or mentally)?
I’ve written about it here before. I struggle with this. I typically get up at 4AM every day. I turn off the light around 10PM every night. And I’m in constant motion between 4AM and 10PM.
It’s not healthy to live this way.
It’s not the way we were meant to live.
There’s a better, more healthy way.
Taking time to still yourself has three benefits that are sure to make your life better.
3 Benefits of Being Still
1. Being still gives you the opportunity for rest, restoration, and relaxation. We need these things. I’ve heard people say they can rest and relax when they die. This may (or may not) be true. I would argue that we need
2. Being still gives you the opportunity to deepen your relationships with others. In our busyness, we typically spend little time going deep with the people in our pathways. We ask people how they are doing, and we become satisfied with their “Good” answer. We’re okay with this answer, because we’re trying to get to the next thing or our brains are occupied with other thoughts.
3. Being still gives you a proper perspective on God. “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth (Psalm 46:10).” When we are in constant motion, we leave little opportunity to connect with God, to contemplate God’s impact on our lives, and to develop an appropriate understanding of God.
7 Daily Affirmations to Help You Stretch Everyday
The discipline of daily affirmations took a major hit in the early 1990’s when Saturday Night Live aired several episodes of “Daily Affirmations with Stuart Smalley” starring former SNL regular, Al Franken. In each episode, Stuart Smalley offered self-talk in a way that came across as weird and even delusional. Since then, many have shunned the practice of daily affirmations as unnecessary and crazy.
Recently, the discipline of daily affirmations has gained traction as authors, speakers, and leaders have shared their affirmation success stories. For example, Cliff Ravenscraft, the Podcast Answerman (now Mindset Answerman), has spoken quite a bit about his own practice of daily affirmations on his weekly podcast, The Cliff Ravenscraft Show. Episode 521 provides a small glimpse into his daily affirmations specifically related to money and wealth. On his blog, leadership mentor, Michael Hyatt, alludes to his use of daily affirmations to help train his brain in an article titled “How to Beat Your Brain and Succeed.”
A couple of weeks ago at my Friday morning men’s group, the topic of daily affirmations came up. Actually, the topic came up through a YouVersion study plan we were working through together (Crash the Chatterbox). I had been thinking about incorporating daily affirmations into my morning routine, so I asked the group if any of them practice daily affirmations. One of the guys in the group shared his daily affirmations with the group. I promptly “stole” them and added my own to the list.
I printed them out and taped them into the front cover of my daily planner. I’m still working on making this a regular discipline in my life, but I can already tell the positive self-talk is actually a real good thing for crushing my doubts and encouraging me to use my gifts.
Today, I’m sharing seven of these affirmations. These are affirmations specifically written to remind me to Stretch on a daily basis. Here they are:
7 Stretch Daily Affirmations
- I take time to Still myself and take regular sabbaths.
- I take time to Thank people and express my genuine appreciation.
- I take time to Reflect praising God for His working in my life.
- I take time to Engage in key relationships.
- I take time to Try new things.
- I take time for Community.
- I take time to Help Others.
My daily affirmation list will continue to grow and transform as I live my life and encounter new challenges and opportunities. I’m thankful for this new discipline in my life.
Affirmation without discipline is the beginning of delusion.Jim Rohn
Jim Rohn brings up a great point about daily affirmations. Words are meaningless unless they cause real action and change in our lives. I would encourage you to share your daily affirmations with someone, and ask them to hold you accountable to taking action on the words you say to yourself everyday. Also, ask them to observe you and give you honest feedback on what’s working, what’s not working, and what needs to change when it comes to your daily affirmations.
OK! Now it’s your turn. Stretch yourself today by creating your own list of daily affirmations. When you’re creating this list, think about the things you want to keep doing, and think about the things you want to change or implement in your life. You can do it!
Do you practice the discipline of daily affirmations? What affirmation do you need to add to your list? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Help for Your New Year
New Year’s Day is every man’s birthday.
Charles Lamb
It’s New Year’s Day, and it’s a time when many are considering how they want to start the new year. What targets will we set for the new year? What resolutions will we make? Will they last, or will they fade away as the days and weeks unveil themselves in 2018?
If you’re like me, your Facebook feed is filled with advertisements promoting planners, guides, books, and webinars that are “guaranteed to make you a new person in the new year.” I’m not opposed to all of these things as I’m a very goal oriented person; however, it can be a real challenge to pick the “right” just for you.
As I’ve been thinking about my goals for 2018, I’ve been thinking about dreams and goals in the following areas:
- Faith – I want to be intentional in my relationship with God. I want to make my faith a priority in 2018, and I want it to be the underlying current for the rest of my hopes and dreams.
- Family – I want my marriage and my parenting to be all they can be, and I want them to have an impact that far exceeds the walls of my house.
- Fitness – I need to be in good shape (and I don’t mean pear-shaped – although I like pears) if I’m going to be all I can be. Dropping a few pounds and keeping a consistent exercise routine are essential for me to succeed in this area this year.
- Function – This relates to my job. I want to grow in my leadership and skill, and I want to do whatever I can to help my team members, my customers, and the company succeed in 2018. I also want to make sure I’m thinking long-term in my approach to my function (my work).
- Founder – You probably are getting the picture. My goal areas for 2018 all start with the letter ‘F’. When I say founder, I mean my entrepreneurial pursuits. I have goals related to my writing, my speaking, my mastermind group for men, and other things I’m working on outside of my job.
- Financial – In order to reach my dreams of being completely debt free including my mortgage and of being prepared for retirement, it’s important to set financial goals for this year. Leanne and I are preparing to have both of our kids in college later this year which means this goal area requires extra attention to make sure we thrive through these years.
- Fun – Yes, I said fun. We can’t forget fun when we set our goals. This means vacations, weekend trips, family outings, and even individual retreats.
As you consider your goals for 2018, I don’t want you to feel lost. I’d also hate to see you let apathy set in as you enter the new year. It’s important to have a target at which we can aim.
“If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.” Zig Ziglar
I’d love to help you sort out your goals for 2018. In fact, I have a framework that will help you STRETCH in the new year. Because I believe you aren’t really living if you aren’t stretching and growing.
To help you get off on the right foot in 2018, I’ve created a 7 Week Stretch Challenge. When you sign up for the Challenge, you’ll get a weekly email from me that will teach you some important concepts to help you STRETCH into the new year. Each week, you’ll have one simple concept to work on that will help lay the groundwork for a better you in 2018.
You have a choice to make.
You can proceed as usual. When you make this choice, you should expect a usual outcome.
Or you can take the challenge and STRETCH yourself. You can be a new you at the end of the year.
What’s your choice?
To sign up for the 7 Week Stretch Challenge, click here (or sign up below).
What goals are you setting for 2018? Share your goals in the comments below.
Think Enriched – How to Stretch Yourself to Become Your Best
While it may seem small, the ripple effects of small things is extraordinary.
Matt Bevin
This week, I had the honor of being a guest on Amy Robles’ podcast – Think Enriched with Amy Robles.
We talked about the Stretched Men Group, Rooftop Reflections, and about becoming EXTRAORDINARY!
Do me a favor, and give the episode a listen. (Then consider subscribing to Amy’s podcast.)
What have you been up to this week? Share your experience in the comments.
8 Weeks to Exit – A Conversation with Ellory Wells
Have you ever wanted to start an online business but you didn’t know quite where to start?
Have you ever thought about the possibility of becoming an entrepreneur?
Have you ever wanted to start a blog?
Last night, I talked with entrepreneur and encourager, Ellory Wells, about these questions and more. As part of the conversation, Ellory shares about a program he is launching this fall (8 Weeks to Exit) to help people get started in their on-line business.
This is a conversation you don’t want to miss!
During our time together, we talked about a few things you may want to check out for yourself:
Exit Strategy (the book) by Ellory Wells
Catalyst Mastermind (for entrepreneurs)
Engineers Managing Engineers #PECON2017
Here’s my talk for today’s presentation at the NSPE (National Society of Professional Engineers) Annual Conference:
NSPE 2017 Conference
Engineers Managing Engineers
Jon M. Stolpe
Friday, July 21, 2017
When an optimist looks at a half-filled glass, he sees the glass half full. When a pessimist looks at the same glass, he sees the glass half empty. When an engineer looks at the same glass, he sees the glass as being twice as big as it needs to be.
As engineers, we look at the world through a different set of lenses than the rest of the world. Engineers want to get to the bottom of how things work. They tend to be technical in nature. While the rest of the world may see us as robots, we are more than mechanical devices going through the motions.
Engineers are people too!
For the next 50 minutes, I want to help you better manage the engineers who work for you.
Here’s our agenda for our time together.
First, we’ll look in the mirror to get a better understanding of who we are.
Next, we’ll spend some time talking about how you can get to know your team members better.
I’ll give you some tips for managing performance for your direct reports, and I’ll give you a powerful tool for managing your team members.
We’ll spend some time helping our team members develop a plan for their future.
And we’ll finish our time together brainstorming ways to encourage your team of engineers to be innovative.
Before we get started, I wanted to share a few things about me. I graduated from Grove City College in 1994 with a degree in mechanical engineering. After graduating, I worked for a small building automation company in north Jersey and Manhattan as a project engineer. During my year and a half with the company, I installed building automation systems on the top ten floors of Rockefeller Center and the Liz Claiborne World Headquarters. I moved to Landis and Gyr Powers which eventually became Siemens Building Technologies where I have been for over 21 years. I started as a project engineer and became a project manager which gave me opportunities to work on projects all over the Greater Philadelphia area. In 2000, I went back to school to work on my MBA at Penn State University. For the past 10 years, I’ve been an operations manager. I lead a team of engineers, project managers, technicians, and installers. And I love my job!
I’m married with two teenagers. And I have a passion for personal growth, leadership development, writing, and speaking. I’m excited to be here today to share some of the things I have learned along the way which have helped me (an engineer) lead my team of engineers.
Getting to Know Yourself
If you want to be successful managing your team, it’s important that you get to know yourself first.
When we think of becoming better leaders, we think of tools and techniques. We think of books and seminars. We think of skills we must add or improve to connect with those we are leading and to help others navigate their paths to becoming stronger contributors to the overall good of the team. Much of our leadership development is externally focused.
How can we get our team member to do this? Or how can we get our team member to stop doing that?
In our quest to become better leaders, we often forget to look in the mirror.
Becoming a better leader starts by learning to lead ourselves first.
I don’t know about you, but my podcast feed is full of podcasts about leadership. My nightstand is full of books about leadership. And my blog reader is jammed with blog posts and articles about leadership. It’s great to feed our minds with great material, but we must learn to step back from time to time and develop habits to lead ourselves.
As a leader trying to figure it out, I believe self leadership starts when we take time to STRETCH ourselves. To help you see what I mean, here’s an easy way to remember seven keys to leading yourself:
- Still yourself.
Too many leaders believe busyness is a badge of achievement. In the rush to hustle more than the next guy, leaders forget how to stop and be still. Learning to still yourself takes practice. Start with a minute every hour. Or start with 10-15 minutes in the morning before the days responsibilities take over.
- Take note.
Become an observer of life. Keep track of what is happening. Keep a journal. Spend a few minutes at the end of the day capturing the details of the day. If we don’t write it down somewhere, we’ll forget it.
- Reflect.
It’s not just enough to still yourself and take note. You have to take time to reflect. For me, this means getting away for a couple of days once or twice a year. Reflection provides the opportunity to gain wisdom from what we have just experienced, and it gives the chance to ponder the future.
- Engage in key relationships.
One of the best ways to lead yourself is to open yourself up to feedback from others. When I think of key relationships, I think of my family, my close friends, and my boss. Who are the people who will help you see the things you need to see when you look in the mirror? These are the people who can help you take your leadership to the next level.
- Try something new.
It’s easy to fall into a rut when we are leading. In order to break out of our patterns, we must be willing to take a risk. Leading yourself requires you to willingly move past unproductive routines. Trying new things on a regular basis helps leaders learn things they may have otherwise overlooked.
- Community. Community. Community.
Whether you or an introvert or an extrovert, you need community and community needs you. By involving yourself in community, you gain opportunities to lead others outside your team. Community is also the place where you can be led by others outside your normal circle of influence. When you lead in the community, you gain valuable insights to lead better in your organization. If you want to lead yourself to become a better leader, get involved in your community today!
- Help others.
Leadership too often is a race to see who climbs the corporate ladder more quickly. If you want to be an effective leader, you must analyze your motives. Why are you leading? When your season of leadership is over, what legacy will you have left? The best way to lead with impact is when you lead with a servant’s heart. Find ways to help others, and your leadership will advance to a whole new level.
If you paid attention, you may have realized that these seven keys encourage leaders to S.T.R.E.T.C.H. As you lead in your organization, don’t forget to STRETCH by leading yourself first.
Getting to Know Your Team
Piece of Paper Exercise
Learning to Look for Differences Exercise
Tools To Help You Learn More About Your Team Members (and About You)
Myers-Briggs Temperament Index – My MBTI (I am an ESTJ. I’m more of an Extrovert than an Introvert. I rely on Sensing as opposed to iNtuition. I’m much more of a Thinker than a Feeler. And I’m more likely to Judge than to Perceive.)
Wikipedia: The Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is an introspective self-report questionnaire designed to indicate psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions.
The MBTI was constructed by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers. It is based on the typological theory proposed by Carl Jung who had speculated that there are four principal psychological functions by which humans experience the world – sensation, intuition, feeling, and thinking – and that one of these four functions is dominant for a person most of the time. The MBTI was constructed for normal populations and emphasizes the value of naturally occurring differences. “The underlying assumption of the MBTI is that we all have specific preferences in the way we construe our experiences, and these preferences underlie our interests, needs, values, and motivation.”
16 different types
StrengthsFinder 2.0 (Get book) – My Strengths (Harmony, Achiever, Responsibility, Disciplined, and Analyzer)
DISC Profile
Wikipedia: DISC is a behavior assessment tool based on the DISC theory of psychologist William Moulton Marston, which centers on four different behavioral traits, which today are called: dominance, influence, support, and conscientiousness. This theory was then developed into a behavioral assessment tool by industrial psychologist Walter Vernon Clarke.
There are many different versions of the questionnaire and assessment. Some date back to the 1940s while others are more recent, more accurate, and more advanced.
Communication Style Assessment
Whether you are a manager of direct reports or not, I hope you’ll find this list helpful in understanding ways to get better. Success doesn’t happen by accident. Success happens by being intentional, and this list offers suggestions – no, essentials – for being intentional with the performance management process.
10 Essentials for Enhancing the Performance Management Process:
- Start with regular one-on-one meetings. It’s important to meet with your employees on a regular basis. These meetings provide an opportunity to touch base on performance issues and other business and non-business related items. You can read about the power of one-on-one meetings in a guest post I wrote for Matt McWilliams. Several years ago, I started having monthly one-on-one meetings with my team, and it’s been helpful for my team members and for me.
- Set performance targets. It’s critical that employees have SMART targets. Targets should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. At the beginning of each year, I sit down with my team members to set targets. These targets align with our overall business objectives, and they also provide opportunities for individuals to grow personally.
- Quarterly review progress towards targets. It shouldn’t be a surprise at the end of the year when doing a performance evaluation. I sit down with my employees once a quarter to review their progress in achieving their targets. Doing this once a quarter provides an opportunity for my team members to make performance corrections that will help them meet or exceed their targets.
- Get feedback from others. I encourage my team members to ask for feedback from their peers. And I get feedback from other managers and supervisors regarding the performance of my team members. Before completing the annual performance management process, I meet in a roundtable meeting which helps to calibrate my overall assessment. This meeting also provides extra insight into developmental action items I might want to suggest to my team members.
- Take time to write an honest and detailed assessment. When I write evaluations for my team members, I want them to be fair, well-thought, and encouraging. Writing this kind of assessment takes time. I schedule time to carefully review the past year of activity. I look at notes from my past one-on-one meetings. I review previous results from the quarterly updates. And I take into account comments shared by my fellow management team members. A written record provides employees a tangible document to review as they seek to grow and improve.
- Meet with employee to review results. At the end of the year, it’s important to let your employees know how they have done. Feedback provides information necessary to help them improve. Feedback also keeps them doing the right things.
- Remember the good things. Make sure you praise your team members for the good things they have done throughout the year. A pat on the back goes a long way towards encouraging the right behavior.
- Create a development plan correcting issues. As managers, it is our responsibility to help our team members succeed. We have to give our team members help in getting better. The performance review process is the perfect time to help employees get better.
- Discuss career progression essentials. Most employees want to know what it will take for them to get tho the next level in their career path. It’s important to talk regularly to employees about their plans for the future. What are their goals for the next 5 years or 10 years? What do they need to do in order to be ready for the next steps? These are questions that will help you help them. Are their expectations realistic? How can you help them? The performance review process provides an opportunity to discuss essentials for career advancement.
- Do it again. It may seem repetitive, but you have to do it over and over and over again. Doing this for only one year does not demonstrate a long-term interest in the performance of an employee. Repeated year after year is essential to a successful performance management process.
Thinking About the Future
Mentoring
Cross-Training
Delegation
As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.
Bill Gates
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).”
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?
Here are six reasons leaders should delegate:
6 Reasons Leaders Should Delegate
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Educational opportunities
Keeping Our Teams Engaged Through Innovation
My Shark Tank Experience
What other companies are doing
- ATT Foundry
- Adobe Kickstart
- Linkedin [in]cubator
- Whirlpool
- Ericsson Ideaboxes
A chance to brainstorm
Confirming Your Learning
- Why are regular one-on-one meetings with your direct reports important?
- What is one thing you can do to encourage innovations among your direct reports?
- Name three (or more) things you can do to improve the performance management process for your direct reports.
Remember, you are not leading a team of robots. You are leading a team of people. Be intentional as you lead and manage your team!
Questions, Answers, and Contact Information
Stretched This Week … (week ending 04.02.2017)
We take in so much information throughout the week. If we don’t review this information from time to time, we’ll forget it. I want to make the most of the things that stretched me this week. This starts by taking note of the things I come across each week. Then it takes intentional time to review these notes. Finally, great information is meant to be shared. Here are some of the things that stretched me this week:
Quotes that stretched me this week:
“If God wanted us to fly, He would have given us tickets.” Mel Brooks [via Manlio Mannozzi]
“We don’t rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training.” – Archilochus [via Entreprenuer.com]
“Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work – you don’t give up.” – Anne Lamott [via Entreprenuer.com]
“We need to watch out for the resistance that will wnat us to stay in the past, trying to collect a debt that will never be paid.” Dr. John Townsend and Dr. Henry Cloud [via Forgiveness Reading Plan – YouVersion.com]
“Christ’s love and grace will not produce guilt or shame, but it will fill us [with] a feeling of great responsibility.” Maile Smucker [via ShawnSmucker.com]
“To the extent that we surrender our tendencies to condemn others, and are able instead to forgive, we will experience the fullness of forgiveness from God.” Dr. John Townsend and Dr. Henry Cloud [via Forgiveness Reading Plan – YouVersion.com]
“Being present is better than trying to be everywhere else.” Leslie Samuel [via BecomeABlogger.com]
“if you have two coats, one of them belongs to the poor.” Dorothy Day [via BrianJones.com]
“When doing public ministry, you need more private time with the Lord.” Sean McFeely
“If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.” Zig Ziglar [via Dictionary.com]
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” Dr. Seuss [via Dictionary.com]
“[An attitude of forgiveness] releases us from a life of keeping emotional scorecards and insisting that everything be fair and leads to a life of love, grace, freedom, and forgiveness.” Dr. John Townsend and Dr. Henry Cloud [via Forgiveness Reading Plan – YouVersion.com]
“To forgive is very difficult. It means letting go of something that someone “owes” us. But forgiveness brings freedom from the past; it brings freedom from anyone who has hurt us. To forgive means to write it off. Let it go. Tear up the account. It is to render the account cancelled.” Dr. John Townsend and Dr. Henry Cloud [via Forgiveness Reading Plan – YouVersion.com]
“If you don’t take the first step, you’ll never get to the second step.” Zig Ziglar
“Forgiveness through Jesus’ death is God’s solution; it rescues us from our hopelessness and restores our connection with God.” Dr. John Townsend and Dr. Henry Cloud [via Forgiveness Reading Plan – YouVersion.com]
“Eat a live from first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” Mark Twain
Scripture that stretched me this week:
God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. Hebrews 6:10
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2
“What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” Matthew 16:26
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. Psalm 116:1-2
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:12-13
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Matthew 5:43-44
“‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:4
What I’m reading now:
Articles that challenged me:
What Is A Mastermind? (And What It Isn’t) by Ellory Wells
What Is A “Hot Seat” In A Mastermind Group? by Ellory Wells
Great Responsibility: Maile’s Thoughts on Intervening After Seeing a Mother Hit Her Little Girl by Maile Smucker [at ShawnSmucker.com]
If you are looking to STRETCH yourself, sign up for the 7 Week Stretch Challenge. It’s FREE!
