Taking Time to Celebrate Together

For many of us this month has been a lot of fun and new adventures as our world begins to change again and we’re back to exploring more than we have in over a year. May is a great month to talk about fun because we’ve got so much going on. Here in the US we’ve got graduations, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day (Canada’s got some great patriotic holidays as well) and it feels like we’re getting so close to summer. Those are all reasons to celebrate in my book.

What about you and your partner? What are you celebrating? Are you finding things to celebrate in your lives, even if you’re going through some challenges? I know it can be hard to think of and appreciate those things when you’re feeling so challenged, but no matter how difficult my day or my partner’s day has been we almost always find something to smile about, even if it’s just the fact that we’re back together again after a long day doing our jobs and attending to other commitments.

As important as it is to have someone you can trust and someone who will be there for you through the tough stuff, it’s equally important to have a partner who can find joy and hope in life. I don’t think there are any healthy relationships that are built on problems, but there are plenty of relationships that are built on the victories you’ve had together. If you and your partner have gotten stuck on a problem cycle, I encourage you to find time this weekend or the coming week to break through and have some fun together.

Leadership Love Lessons

This month I read “Love is Free, Guac is Extra” by Monty Moran. He was the co-CEO of Chipotle for many years and was responsible for many of the positive changes that happened, how they became so successful, and how they survived through several rounds of challenges. The thing the book really underlines is the impact good leadership can have on a business. I know, I know, everyone says how important leadership is, but Monty showed that those can be so much more than words and that when you do have the right people in the right places doing the work that they’re passionate about and good at, and you’re all committed to high standards, leadership definitely does make a difference.

I always love seeing how people define the word leadership. Monty defined it as “the act of empowering one or more people to achieve a purpose, which is both desired by the leader and which allows those being led to realize and enjoy their full potential.” He also differentiated between leadership and management (terms that are often used interchangeably) as management is about getting people to do stuff for you, whereas leadership is about getting people to do something for themselves.

Both of these tap into the power of motivation and perspective, meaning companies have two options: they can be just about the bottom line and not truly care about their people, or they can look to make win-win-win-win situations for everyone involved (which usually ends up turning out to be the better option for the company than if they were to just be focused on the bottom line). Monty shares that when people who are truly leaders are involved, they’re actually and frequently in touch with their people. They know them, they listen to them, they trust them, they challenge them, they believe in them, communicate with them, and show that they’re committed to helping their team be their best.

One of the key parts of making this type of leadership (and success through your team) possible, as you would expect has to do with the people you hire. Monty shared that he encouraged the Chipotle organization to hire not on experience as so many companies do, but based on character. This makes a ton of sense because you can always teach skills, but you can’t teach or create or hardly ever modify a person’s character.

Finally, true leaders really are responsible for everyone’s success. The team takes their cues from the leader, and if they see the leader slacking off or being absentee, they’ll follow suit. Monty said that whether you know it or not, the leader is always being watched. Good leaders let their team know that they’re essential to bringing the vision to reality (a vision which is relatable, realistic and impactful). Good leaders share what’s going on because team members feel that they’re an essential part of the team when they’re kept in the loop, and it shows that leaders are aware of what’s going on in the business (and care about what’s going on).

What insights about leadership have you learned lately?

Ready for Success

Time is a funny thing. By now you’ve probably heard the news about these cicadas who live underground as essentially a worm for 17 years, and then emerge only to live for a maximum of six weeks. Cicadas in general live a visible (and mostly audible) life for only those couple of weeks, and other cicada species do live underground for a period of years like the 17 year species does, but I find it fascinating both how something can live for so long and yet truly live in the way we see life for so short of a time.

But can you imagine waiting 17 years to be able to do your thing, knowing that you’ve only got a maximum of 6 weeks to get everything into place and make magic happen? Can you imagine waiting more than 99% of your life to really live? It sure puts a lot of pressure on you and means that absolutely nothing can go wrong or disrupt your couple of weeks or all 17 years are for nothing. But of course no one’s control over the world around us or the people and animals we share this world with is that good, so you’re really putting a lot into hope and prayers and luck to have as much of a chance with your limited timeframe as possible.

While I hope that most of us aren’t limited to only 6 weeks of success or life in our lifetime, it’s a reminder of how precious time can be and how important it is to take it seriously when we are given opportunities for success, personal growth, the relationships that are most important to us, and our health. Of course, if you knew you were only going to have a short time or couple of opportunities for success, you would do everything you could to be ready when those opportunities appeared. You’d be learning, practicing, studying and lining up resources so that if and when your opportunities knock, you’re ready to greet them and get to work. How ready are you for success?

Road Trip Memories

One of my favorite childhood memories has to do with taking road trips with my family. As we drove though different states one of the games we would play would be to see who could spot license plates on cars from as many different states as possible. Even when we would just go a couple of hours south to the beach, it was still fun to see who was visiting or driving thru the state in the summers. I don’t think we ever saw all of them, but it was fun and helped pass the time.

Last summer almost didn’t seem like summer because the few times we were out driving the only license plates to be seen were those of my state because no one was traveling, which in and of itself made summer strange, but it was even stranger to not see any out of state plates. Even when I don’t travel in the summer, its still brings a bit of adventure to summer to see the different plates as the cars head wherever they’re going.

I’m sure part of the reason games like this and eye spy were (and still are) so popular and often used was so that kids don’t always ask “are we there yet?” or getting into fights over the temperature or who has what snack, book or toy or what song was on the radio or cassette or CD that was playing. But even if they were used as distraction tools, they’re part of my cherished memories and I still get excited to see the various license plates in the summer.

I don’t know what plans you have with your kids or your partner for the summer, but many memories can be made through simple fun and games. Summer doesn’t have to be about visiting exotic destinations, there’s lots of fun to be had, places to visit and memories to make just down the road.

Doing a Little Marketing

Marketing is one of the key things that helps us be successful as we run our businesses, right? Yes, we need to have a great product or service and we need people and technology in place to make that happen and we need customers to buy our offerings, but marketing is also a key part of being successful. Word-of-mouth marketing could play a role, maybe even a significant one in your business, but there’s a good chance you do other types of marketing as well. Maybe you blog, do webinars/seminars/videos, do PPC, have a newsletter, do social media, have banners and billboards, sponsor events/teams/people, and/or have special events at your location designed to bring in the public. There are so many ways in this day and age for you to get the word out about who you are and what you offer.

This week as I was working on some of my marketing I revisited the age old question of “what do I share?” Even in industries where there’s always something to share about (politics or technology?!), sometimes we feel like we’ve talked about everything and don’t want to share about what it feels like we shared about just the past week. But then I got an email from an orchard with pictures of the buds that were on the trees. It may not seem newsworthy or something big to share, but it is a big deal to the growers and exciting news for everyone who visits the orchard to get their fruits once they’ve grown.

It just reminded me that sometimes we don’t have to write a bestselling novel, create a viral video, have the flashiest sponsors or presenters, sometimes it’s those little details, those little moments, those little updates that just help us stay connected, keep our business top of mind, and help our customers and potential customers get to know us and what we’re excited about and is happening in our world. Maybe what seems ordinary to you is actually interesting to your customer who has no way of ever experiencing what you do. Maybe what seems ordinary to you is the break from their life that they’re looking for and your little update is exactly the bright spot they needed in their day.

I think sometimes we forget those little details and forget to share them with our customers and potential customers. Or we’re not looking for or taking note of those things to share. Or we just get so caught up in what’s going on in our businesses or the things we’re dealing with, that we lose the inspiration and passion we need to see those things. Not to mention, we all know how easily people can get sucked into cat videos or other animal videos and livestreams, and watch them for hours, if not week-in and week-out, so maybe we shouldn’t assume that our customers don’t want to see something again (as long as almost always fresh content and not consistently past content being repeated). So go ahead, take a walk around your website, your store room, your office building, your customer interactions from the day, your neighborhood, your studio, or just get out and about as best you can and see the world again. Make time in your day for inspiration, if not for your marketing, than for your health as the leader of your business.

Success Could Be Simpler

So you know how we’re supposed to have a super complicated, varied password for each of the sites that we’ve joined? Honestly though most of us probably don’t because it’s too complicated to keep them straight, we never remember them, and/or it’s a pain to get out our notebook or check an app to find out what the password is. Don’t get me wrong, I get it and while I don’t spend time reading those articles about exactly how poorly people do with picking passwords that seems to be shared each year, I know that we’re not all doing as well as we should with our passwords.

But lately I’ve been having more companies require an extra step at sign in, like a text/email code or some other method of verification (like asking a couple really weird and challenging questions that you may or may not be able to answer depending on how well you remember your past), or to change the password every month. On one hand I appreciate that these companies are looking out for us, but on the other it’s really frustrating to have to do this extra step after already having to create this password that certainly doesn’t qualify as a “word” anymore.

So it got me thinking about other things in our lives that are unnecessarily complicated or seem like busy work. Does our boss give us and someone else the same task because they don’t trust that one would find the best answer or for some other reason? Are we supposed to check in with management before we refund a customer $5 (because the company isn’t as customer friendly as they say they are)? Do we have to remind our significant other 7 times about regular happenings because they don’t make efforts to remember or record things? Do we have to talk with/persuade/petition a bunch of people before implementing a change or bright idea at work? Do we really need all the various apps and programs we have or is there an easier and more streamlined way of doing things?

The question that all this brings us to is what are you doing that blocks your success, or what is slowing down your success? The reason we should ask this question more often is because all too often we could be more successful, have less frustration and stress, be successful quicker, or help others be happier if we didn’t have all these other steps to do first or in addition. Yes, sometimes it’s necessary to take things a certain order (baking bread for example), but too often I think we add in steps that we think might be necessary, or at one point they were necessary and aren’t anymore. So as you go through your week and the rest of your month, consider the steps you take to do tasks you do regularly and if you’re wasting time or duplicating/multiplying effort, or if there’s a simpler, faster, better or more logical way of doing things.

Family Financial Freedom

Monday here in the US is Tax Day (delayed a month because of 2020 life and health challenges), so of course I’m thinking about finances. Most of us do pay taxes or have to file tax returns at the very least and all of us have to buy stuff like food and clothes and other necessities to help us and our kids survive, so whether we like it or not finances do play a role in our lives. While it can be a stressful topic for us, especially if we don’t have good plans or enough income, as adults we’ve got the responsibility of not only teaching the next generation about finances, but also preparing for or at least considering their future, our future, and our parents/grandparents future.

I think one of the reasons people get so overwhelmed by finances is because we build them up to be this big thing. But finances are a tool, just like our phones and the internet. They can be used to build up or tear down. They can be confusing and they can have a learning curve. They can also be really satisfying to stay on top of. Much of avoiding or reducing the panic and overwhelm is about devoting the time to managing the finances and learning how to manage (and grow) them. Just like other things if you ignore them or lie to yourself about them you’ll end up in a worse mess than you may already be in.

The best thing you can do for yourself, your partner and your kids is to get better at managing your finances. So start with being honest about where you’re all at and what you do and don’t know. Then put a plan in place to not only help you manage your finances but also grow them better too. You can and should do your own research, and also I strongly encourage you to talk with a financial professional at least once to get their guidance on your specific situation. Then talk with your household and get them all involved in putting the plan in place, however small the role may be. Having everyone including your kids involved in your family’s financial health will mean a less stressful tax time and less stress throughout the year as well (not to mention the ability to better plan for special spending like holiday presents!). What has helped your family reduce your financial stress?

Focusing on Healthy Growth in Business

Are you doing too much as a business? I was working with a client the other day who expressed that they were starting this business and also did these other things and wanted to include that stuff on their website and it ended up being confusing rather than inviting or exciting. In this case one option is to change the presentation and positioning so that the focus isn’t on one specific thing, but rather the overall picture. Think about Amazon and how they sell tons of stuff, but when you go to their site you don’t feel like it’s wrong for them to be selling books on the same site as makeup and clothes, it works because of how they’ve positioned their brand. If they said ‘we sell books, and oh, yea, do you need a thing of paper towels to go with that?’ you’d be like, ‘um, no…’, but because they’ve positioned as being a company that sells a little of everything and can get it to you quickly anywhere without you leaving your home, it’s totally acceptable for them.

On the other hand though, every business can’t be an Amazon and sell a little of everything and be as successful as they are. Most businesses do pick a niche and have limited resources so that they can’t be everywhere with everything for everyone. That said, I do think that it’s important to have some diversity in what you offer. For example most businesses can’t just sell apples (and not applesauce or baked apple goods) or lawn maintenance (and not annual cleanups or other landscape maintenance services) or nail polish (and not other beauty products) or just have one workout session offered on a weekly basis (and not customized programs or multiple sessions at different times). Also, most businesses need to market through multiple avenues, and not just put all their time and effort into one (i.e. just Facebook).

So where is the line between having too much and trying (and failing) to be everything for everyone? Part of the answer is the ongoing conversation we’ve all been having as both businesses and individuals about really listening to each other. If you’ve got enough people telling you that they’re looking for a certain product or service or that they can’t do the time that you’re offering but are interested in a different one, then you know that your offerings aren’t diverse enough. But if you’ve got a high percentage of people unsubscribing from your emails or not opening the fourth one you’ve sent on a topic, or you’ve got lots of people abandoning their carts or spending a fair amount of time on the site but not buying/contacting you, you know that you’re probably doing too much or pushing too hard. And if your customers/visitors aren’t giving you any feedback or if you’ve done surveys and you’re overwhelmed by what you’re hearing, you always can ask friends, family and business consultants for their feedback and analysis.

While I definitely support having variety and diversity of products and services (in whatever forms that looks like), I also know that pushing yourself and/or your business doesn’t usually end well. The smarter, more consistent, and more respectful you are as you grow your business, the more likely you will be to thrive.

Choosing to Ask for Help

One of the determining factors to your success is your ability to recognize when you’re not the right person for the job, or it’s a two-plus person job. I’m always thankful and amazed when I see how much one individual is capable of, because we’re incredibly capable beings, often able to do more than we ever thought we could, especially if we’ve got the motivation, determination and a team cheering us on. With appropriate resources and an internet connection and/or formal education, we’re able to do just about anything we put our minds to, especially within normal areas of work like communication, math, planning, and hands on work.

Most of us don’t necessarily need a partner or team, but often someone else can do something faster, better or with greater enjoyment than we can. So while we may be capable, that doesn’t mean it’s in our best interests or that we’re the best person for the job. You may be more of an idea person, and while you may be capable of bringing the idea to fruition, giving that idea to others who can plan it out and bring it to life allows you to think up more ideas and see details that others may be missing or not connecting that would make everything be more successful or easier.

Then there’s the other side of things, where you are over your head and you know that you can’t do it alone, no matter how hard you try, no matter how many hours you give it, or how much money you throw at it. It’s not easy for some of us to admit that we’re not able to do everything or that we need help, but I’ve found that sometimes when I don’t try to do it all on my own and I bring in others, we have more fun, we are able to come up with bigger and better plans, and of course the stress level is much lower. And it also just feels good to be part of a team making things happen, to not be relying only on your steam to get something done.

As you work towards your victories and successes and on your projects this week, I encourage you to consider if asking for help would make things better, easier, faster or smoother, even if that’s just asking for a listening ear to talk things through with someone. Don’t be frustrated or ashamed that you need help, be open to the potential of what working with others can also mean for them, not just for you and your needs. They may see that you need help but are waiting for you to ask for help, and are ready to assist however you’ll allow them to. Don’t assume that it’s going to be a burden or that they can’t give like you give to others.

Mother’s Day Joy

For well over a year now a large percentage of what we’ve talked about and lived has been serious. Yes, it’s appropriate and necessary because of all the challenges and unknown we have been facing. We’ve been learning some hard lessons over the past year, lessons we’re still working through, and as a result of those lessons many of us have made hard decisions about where we’re working, where we’re living, who we’re with, how we’re spending our time, and plans we have for our futures. It’s also been a stressful year for families because we’ve spent more time together in the past year than we’ve done in several generations. But even with all that stress and all the challenges of trying to figure out space for everyone, most of us are thankful for the how much time we’ve gotten to spend together, and many of us are saying we want to do more of that going forward, especially as we can add more of our family and friends to that circle.

Over the last week I’ve been thinking about some of the challenges that moms face, including the challenges of not being able to get pregnant or carry a baby to term or complete an adoption, as well as struggling with mental health. I don’t think that it’s necessary to have a child in your life all the time to consider yourself a mom. There are lots of women who are mother figures to children of relatives, children where they work, children at their churches, and other children in their communities. You can be a mom in heart even if you’re not physically a mother. But being a mom isn’t all sunshine and roses, there are so many ups and downs both for the women personally, not to mention the challenges that come with being responsible for other people and helping to raise them.

But as we think about Mother’s Day here in the US tomorrow, what I wanted to encourage us to think about is all the joy that often comes with kids, and what a blessing it is if you’re able to be part of why a child is so happy or how they’re able to be happy. This past week I met a young boy who was all smiles, joy, play and energy, as a bonus he seemed remarkably well behaved. It always says a lot to me about the parents and the home life if the children are positive and joyful. It doesn’t mean there aren’t any problems or challenges or that life is perfect, but that there is lots of love, personality is encouraged, play happens regularly, and whatever challenges show up are met with positive can-do attitudes. As you celebrate Mother’s Day tomorrow I encourage you to make more good, happy memories, and spend time thinking about and sharing the good ones you may have.