Olympians all…

The Olympics are back – hooray! 

The last Winter Olympics were held in 2018 in PyeongChang, South Korea.  The last Summer Olympics were held in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  The global pandemic may have disrupted the Olympic schedule, but the games go on!  It’s hard to top Olympic longevity. The first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896 in Athens, Greece.   That’s 125 years and continuing!  

Here’s an account from a previous Special Olympics: 

Let your imagination put you in a grandstand at the Seattle version of the Special Olympics.  There are nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash.  At the gun, they all start out, not exactly in a dash, but with relish to run the race to the finish and win.  All, that is, except one boy who stumbles on the asphalt, tumbles over a couple of times, and begins to cry.  The other eight hear the boy cry.  They slow down and look back.  They all turn around and go back… every one of them.  As you watch, one girl with Down’s Syndrome bends down and kisses him.  You hear her say, “This will make it better.”  All nine link arms and walk across the finish line together.  Everyone in the stadium, including you, stands up, and the cheering goes on for several minutes.  People who were actually there are still telling the story, four years later.  Why?  Because deep down we know this one thing:  What matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means changing our own course. 

David S. Pottruck 

The Olympics are a major TV event but has their purpose morphed?   Originally the Games were religious; intended to honor the Greek Gods:  

In the ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, the Twelve Olympians are the major deities of the Greek pantheon, commonly considered to be Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Hermes, and either Hestia or Dionysus.  Hades and Persephone were sometimes included as part of the twelve Olympians (primarily due to the influence of the Eleusinian Mysteries), although in general Hades was excluded, because he resided permanently in the underworld and never visited Olympus.

                   Wikipedia 

I didn’t know that. 

Here’s what I do know – Olympians are not limited to Olympic Games.  For many of us, just facing our daily challenges is an Olympic event.  For many of us, making ends meet requires an Olympian effort.  For many of us, each day we must set our mind for victory to avoid defeat: 

If you think you are beaten, you are,

If you think you dare not, you don’t.

If you like to win, but you think you can’t,

It is almost certain you won’t.

 

If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost,

For out in the world we find,

Success begins with a fellow’s will –

It’s all in the state of mind.

 

If you think you are outclassed, you are,

You’ve got to think high to rise,

You’ve got to be sure of yourself before

You can ever win a prize.

 

Life’s battles don’t always go

To the stronger or faster man,

But soon or later that man who wins

Is the man who thinks he can. 

Unknown Sage 

The Olympics will continue...  For the rest of us; we will rise tomorrow; set our mind for the demands of our day; thinking (BELIEVING) “we can”! 

Not something I would call “Games”. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Project Management…

I am gaining more and more appreciation for project managers and their skills every day.  Here’s why… 

As a career salesman, project management is something I was not very skilled at.  Yes, I’ve managed my pipeline and my forecast… and closing a deal has many parallels to a project perhaps.  But selling is certainly different than project management.  

The problem is; my company was in a rush a while back and wanted me to be a project manager for my department - bad.  At least until we could add head-count to take on that responsibility. 

Try as I might, things have not gone that well.  I’m good at understanding all of the tasks and the sequencing that go into our projects.  I’m also pretty good at documenting procedures so those that follow me will be able to see what was set up before they change it LOL!  But when I’m required to facilitate cross-departmental efforts?  I should go back to selling. 

Maybe my shortcomings are because of project management communication preferences?  You see, when working on a project I prefer that all of the participants get together at the same time in the same place (or Zoom) to discuss the status of the project; provide updates on individual assignments; address questions; identify issues; and agree on next steps.  Evidently, this is a very 1990’s approach. 

My colleagues seem to prefer project management by email.  Although I attempt to follow their preferences and provide explicitly written input on project tasks invariably there’s a misunderstanding.  Makes me think of Boyle: 

Boyle's Laws

·         The success of any venture will be helped by prayer, even in the wrong denomination.

·         The deficiency will never show itself during the dry runs.

·         If not controlled, work will flow to the competent man until he submerges.

·         Clearly stated instructions will consistently produce multiple interpretations.

 

Unknown Sage 

Thankfully, the projects I’m assigned to are not “mission critical” to my department or my company.  Our projects contribute to the success of our resellers but our resellers are already experienced, capable, salespeople and business owners so they can get by with our without our contributions. 

Nevertheless, I want to be an asset in their efforts and not a liability.  So I am trying to improve my project management skills.  Oh, and I’ve recognized a key soft-skill that I have also tried diligently to improve – patience.  

If you have read any of my little ditties before you know that I do not have much patience for company B.S. and bureaucracy.  As I stated earlier, my company was in a rush and wanted me to be a temporary project manager, bad.  Makes me think of Meskimen: 

Meskimen's Laws

When they want it bad (in a rush), they get it bad.

There's never time to do it right, but always time to do it over. 

Unknown Sage 

Over the past years I suppose I replaced patience with a heightened sense of urgency, driven by sales quotas and sales period deadlines that directly impacted my personal income.  In the past when project managers wanted to dot some i or cross some t, I suppose I interpreted that as slowing things down when I was trying to speed things up. 

Well today, I’m getting a whole new view of how things work; a whole new respect for project managers.  And I know my manager agrees with me when I say… we need to hire a better project manager - bad!   

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Book titles...

I was commiserating with a colleague of mine about work stuff a while back.  You know - the usual complaints followers have about leaders and the HQ staff: 

Corporate Staff: 

Known in some quarters as Sea Gulls for reasons relating to their propensity to fly round the country leaving their mark wherever they have alighted. 

Norman R. Augustine 

During our chit-chat she said we could write a book and that led to an impromptu, humorous bit of brainstorming on book titles about bad leadership.  I offered, "You can't make this shit up" as a title idea.  That was what a friend and former colleague of mine, Jim Robertson, used to say when faced with maddening, corporate bureaucracy: 

I don’t know why anyone would shell out lots of money for a computer game when you can have more fun and a greater challenge playing CSCP - Circumvent the Stupid Corporate Policy. 

Dan Danborn 

She countered with, "I wasn't going to drink today but", and our little game was on!  I came back with this little ditty from my friend Robin Nicholson when her company was acquired back in the day, "Same circus, different clowns". 

Why were we going through this banter, you might ask?  Well, other than sharing a little comic relief I got nothin'.  Here’s a couple more from the Corporate Staff’s steering committee, "We're lost, but we're making good time"; and from the front-line workers, "MBA's; seldom right; never in doubt". 

Now to be fair, we all know that leading a company is extremely challenging.  I mean for one thing leaders have to deal with employees like me and my colleague who can sour on company B.S. which leads to a loss of trust for our cause.  (Side note:  My colleague at the time of this exchange is now my former colleague – deciding to leave and join a new circus.  Me?  I chose to stay to try to make a difference.  But I digress…) 

Leaders always have the opportunity to gain (or re-gain) our trust.  I’d rather rise every morning charged up to go to work!  Wouldn’t you?  I’d prefer to trust that my contributions make a difference.  Trust – definitely a force multiplier:

There is one thing that is common to every individual, relationship, team, family, organization, nation, economy, and civilization throughout the world - one thing which, if removed, will destroy the most powerful government, the most successful business, the most thriving economy, the most influential leadership, the greatest friendship, the strongest character, the deepest love. 

On the other hand, if developed and leveraged, that one thing has the potential to create unparalleled success and prosperity in every dimension of life...  That one thing is trust. 

Stephen M.R. Covey 

That’s the good news for leaders (and their staff).  Many, many followers really do want to follow; really want to be engaged; really are ready to excel.  We just need a little… well… trust: 

Surround yourself with people of integrity, and get out of their way.  The right people will feel far more pressure to perform well when they are trusted. 

          Jim Anderson 

And there are plenty of book titles to help leaders lead.  Even leading people like me LOL!  Because I know there are also many book titles directed at my profession - the sales profession - one goes like this, "The salesman promised you WHAT??!!" 

After all, "turnabout is fair play" for leaders.  (Oh, and that book title? It’s already taken.) 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

NBA in July? It’s unusual…

It's unusual to be writing about the NBA in July.  This is the heart of the Major League Baseball season.  But here we are witnessing the start of the NBA finals in the middle of summer. It’s unusual. 

Although I've shared this many times, I dusted off one of my favorite NBA stories for the occasion.  Not just because I'm a Chicago Bulls NBA fan, which I am.  When I bring up "da Bulls" most people think of the Michael Jordan led Bulls' championship seasons.  Nope, my fanaticism predates those glory years to this era: 

Former NBA center and coach Johnny Kerr said his biggest test as a coach came when he coached the then-expansion team the Chicago Bulls and his biggest player was 6'8" Erwin Mueller. 

We had lost seven in a row and I decided to give a psychological pep talk before a game with the Celtics, Kerr said.  I told Bob Boozer to go out and pretend he was the best scorer in basketball.  I told Jerry Sloan to pretend he was the best defensive guard.  I told Guy Rodgers to pretend he could run an offense better than any other guard, and I told Erwin Mueller to pretend he was the best rebounding, shot-blocking, scoring center in the game.  We lost the game by 17. 

I was pacing around the locker room afterward trying to figure out what to say when Mueller walked up, put his arm around me, and said, “Don't worry about it Coach.  Just pretend we won."          

James S. Hewett

 I have pretended in my approach to many challenges in life.  In fact, in my first sales job I was pretending.  I was a stockbroker for Dean Witter “back in the day”.  I rode the train into work every morning; read the Wall Street Journal ©; wore a three-piece suit; carried a briefcase.  It’s unusual but I certainly looked the part I was pretending to be.  I “lost by 17” in that job. 

I shied away from sales the two years after that experience.  It’s unusual, but I became a card-carrying member of the Chicago Painters and Decorators Union. The company I worked for did commercial remodels.  I was as blue collar as you can be. Not exactly the profession my parents; my wife; or my college degree prepared me for.  When I finally decided to get back in the game, things turned out more like the Chicago Bulls we all remember LOL! 

Which makes me think about my current company.  We just finished a record fiscal year.  Pandemic and all that went with it, we had every opportunity to just pretend that any old type of year would be good 'nuff.  We could have blamed failure on Covid.  

But not my company.  We executed like we have the best salespeople in the industry.  We delivered like we have the best professional services partners in the marketplace.  Prospects and clients invested at record levels because they saw our product as the best product of its kind in the world. 

It’s unusual but I think we started the fiscal year just pretending we could make our number.  Then with a little early momentum, perhaps a few lucky breaks, we morphed from pretenders into champions! 

So if you’re a pretender in one of your current pursuits, it’s actually not that unusual.  Just fake it until you make it!  Now pass me the ball - I'm open. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.