"Leaders must be willing to put the ship's performance ahead of their egos... Eventually, I told the crew 'It's your ship. You're responsible for it. Make a decision and see what happens.'" -- Captain Abrashoff
We've seen this elsewhere in the "Five Dysfunctions of a Team," which stresses emphasis on results over ego.
In fact, I'm looking forward to our meeting on Tuesday where we'll review the department's 2008 goals. Several of these goals have been set not by me, but by those who would be accountable for achieving them. That kind of ownership inspires dedication.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Cards and Cocoa
A couple of my Leadership McLean County pals put on this charity event:
This Saturday is the “Cards and Cocoa” event sponsored by the Volunteer Dept. here at St. Joseph Medical Center. The event is spearheaded by Jennifer Sedbrook (we all interviewed for LMC with her). All are invited. It begins at 9 am in the Business and Conference Center, which is the free standing building on the west side of the SJMC campus. Please bring any extra Christmas cards you may have on hand. The treats will be supplied. I look forward to seeing anyone that can attend!
The room was festively decorated in red and green table cloths, snacks, and lighted trees. About 40 people, including children, volunteered for two hours. The instructions were simple: Address the card to "a friend," anonymously except for your first name. Then the sealed envelope was labeled with a "St. Joe's Volunteer Services" sticker, and the merry wishes were delivered to hospital residents to brighten their season.
The total haul was over 1,000 cards in two hours!
This Saturday is the “Cards and Cocoa” event sponsored by the Volunteer Dept. here at St. Joseph Medical Center. The event is spearheaded by Jennifer Sedbrook (we all interviewed for LMC with her). All are invited. It begins at 9 am in the Business and Conference Center, which is the free standing building on the west side of the SJMC campus. Please bring any extra Christmas cards you may have on hand. The treats will be supplied. I look forward to seeing anyone that can attend!
The room was festively decorated in red and green table cloths, snacks, and lighted trees. About 40 people, including children, volunteered for two hours. The instructions were simple: Address the card to "a friend," anonymously except for your first name. Then the sealed envelope was labeled with a "St. Joe's Volunteer Services" sticker, and the merry wishes were delivered to hospital residents to brighten their season.
The total haul was over 1,000 cards in two hours!
Friday, December 7, 2007
Getting Inside Our Head
Michael Abrashoff captained one of the Navy's most modern ships and transformed it into one of the highest-producing, lowest-turnover in the fleet during his brief tenure. His book "It's Your Ship" details his leadership philosophies and experiences.
"Real leadership is about understanding yourself first, then using that to create a superb organization."
One of my most memorable experiences as a supervisor was the lady who came into my office and diagnosed her chief weakness exactly as I would, without any coaching from me. A person who is both honest and accurate in self-awareness gains immediate credibility from others. And gaining self-awareness can be as simple (if not easy) as asking for feedback! It does take skill, though -- the skill of first demonstrating to others that you consider yourself no better than your peers, so that they are convinced that you will respond to unfavorable feedback with gratitude rather than resentment.
"Real leadership is about understanding yourself first, then using that to create a superb organization."
One of my most memorable experiences as a supervisor was the lady who came into my office and diagnosed her chief weakness exactly as I would, without any coaching from me. A person who is both honest and accurate in self-awareness gains immediate credibility from others. And gaining self-awareness can be as simple (if not easy) as asking for feedback! It does take skill, though -- the skill of first demonstrating to others that you consider yourself no better than your peers, so that they are convinced that you will respond to unfavorable feedback with gratitude rather than resentment.
Dressed for Success... or Just to Impress?
Today my employer released a new dress code philosophy. Excellent! It basically gives employees guidance to dress appropriately for local expectations of internal and external customers.
Of course, expectations are highly varied depending upon who you ask; if you walk down most any crowded hallway of adults, at least one will equate professionalism with a suit, perhaps following the logic that higher-maintenance clothes (ones that require tying, ironing, etc.) reflect a greater work ethic.
The concept of "diversity" has filled the offices and public squares of America practically since its inception. Equal opportunity is promoted as an American ideal, regardless of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. The words of Martin Luther King dream of judgment not by the "color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
What good comes of preserving judgment against one's appearance? If a person sits in a meeting in his birthday suit, isn't he equally capable of producing outstanding results as if he were heavily clothed? Does his output on paper vary if he wears a tattoo, or a half-shirt, or shredded jeans? In some cases, yes. There is some connection between looking good and doing good. The question is whether forcing someone to look good will force him to do good.
Dress codes defend those who judge others based upon appearance. What would happen if our philosophy was to reprimand the judge rather than the judged? If we focused on output rather than outerwear?
Of course, expectations are highly varied depending upon who you ask; if you walk down most any crowded hallway of adults, at least one will equate professionalism with a suit, perhaps following the logic that higher-maintenance clothes (ones that require tying, ironing, etc.) reflect a greater work ethic.
The concept of "diversity" has filled the offices and public squares of America practically since its inception. Equal opportunity is promoted as an American ideal, regardless of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. The words of Martin Luther King dream of judgment not by the "color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
What good comes of preserving judgment against one's appearance? If a person sits in a meeting in his birthday suit, isn't he equally capable of producing outstanding results as if he were heavily clothed? Does his output on paper vary if he wears a tattoo, or a half-shirt, or shredded jeans? In some cases, yes. There is some connection between looking good and doing good. The question is whether forcing someone to look good will force him to do good.
Dress codes defend those who judge others based upon appearance. What would happen if our philosophy was to reprimand the judge rather than the judged? If we focused on output rather than outerwear?
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Jazz It Up
So last night was my first as coach of the Jazz, the 6th through 8th grade squad of ten that I am charged to lead through 4 practices and 8 games of basketball, or at least something marginally resembling it.
I picked basketball coaching because, as regular readers know, I love competition and teaching. I also love my nieces and nephews, and hanging around them gave me the confidence to give coaching a shot.
It's a long season, so I'll save my stories about individual players for a little later. Here's what happened that surprised me, and didn't:
I wasn't surprised to see a bag of YMCA basketballs waiting for me when I arrived. That's part of the reason that I picked the Y -- it's a long-standing program with a partnership with the NBA, so I figured that it would be fairly well organized. Surprise -- 5 of the 6 balls were girls-sized.
I wasn't surprised that they paid attention to me for the whole hour. I scheduled a packed practice filled with jumping, shooting, defensive and dribbling contests that were as much fun to watch as they must have been to do. I was surprised at how knowledgeable they were about the game. In particular, I'd planned to walk through the BEEF shortcut for shooting:
Balance -- feet shoulder width apart, one slightly forward
Eyes -- always watch the rim, not the ball
Elbow -- straight at the basket
Follow-through -- wrist flush forward toward the hoop
Half the team already knew it!
I wasn't surprised that they were reluctant to do some of the cheesy things for learning each other's names -- clapping, chanting, etc. What surprised me was that when we went around the circle to introduce ourselves, my worry about having two kids named Devonte on the team was quickly solved since they both had nicknames.
I wasn't surprised that the gym was new, and just the right size for our needs. I was surprised that three parents stuck around the whole time to watch, and one even pitched in to help hold a tape measure for me when I struggled.
It was a great first night of practice for our team, the Jazz. My goal's simply to teach these guys to be good teammates. I want to win every game, but I'm OK if we don't win any, as long as the kids cheer each other on. We're guaranteed to win in one respect... I'm setting up the year-end pizza party!
I picked basketball coaching because, as regular readers know, I love competition and teaching. I also love my nieces and nephews, and hanging around them gave me the confidence to give coaching a shot.
It's a long season, so I'll save my stories about individual players for a little later. Here's what happened that surprised me, and didn't:
I wasn't surprised to see a bag of YMCA basketballs waiting for me when I arrived. That's part of the reason that I picked the Y -- it's a long-standing program with a partnership with the NBA, so I figured that it would be fairly well organized. Surprise -- 5 of the 6 balls were girls-sized.
I wasn't surprised that they paid attention to me for the whole hour. I scheduled a packed practice filled with jumping, shooting, defensive and dribbling contests that were as much fun to watch as they must have been to do. I was surprised at how knowledgeable they were about the game. In particular, I'd planned to walk through the BEEF shortcut for shooting:
Balance -- feet shoulder width apart, one slightly forward
Eyes -- always watch the rim, not the ball
Elbow -- straight at the basket
Follow-through -- wrist flush forward toward the hoop
Half the team already knew it!
I wasn't surprised that they were reluctant to do some of the cheesy things for learning each other's names -- clapping, chanting, etc. What surprised me was that when we went around the circle to introduce ourselves, my worry about having two kids named Devonte on the team was quickly solved since they both had nicknames.
I wasn't surprised that the gym was new, and just the right size for our needs. I was surprised that three parents stuck around the whole time to watch, and one even pitched in to help hold a tape measure for me when I struggled.
It was a great first night of practice for our team, the Jazz. My goal's simply to teach these guys to be good teammates. I want to win every game, but I'm OK if we don't win any, as long as the kids cheer each other on. We're guaranteed to win in one respect... I'm setting up the year-end pizza party!
Trash or Treasure?
Here's a story told by a friend of mine. May your leftovers find a place other than the trash!
Last Friday, I had the opportunity to work with the Compassion Center and the Safe Harbor Shelter here in Bloomington through the Leadership McLean County program. I was shocked at the number of homeless people we have right here in our community. There are approximately 126 homeless people including 12 who literally live out on the streets. Many of these people have families and have jobs, but still oftentimes lack the funds for a warm meal, much less a home.
After our SFCV luncheon, I had the privilege of delivering our extra food to the shelter. It was an amazing experience, seeing the looks on these peoples faces…just to get a good meal today. I saw young adults (probably still in their teens) and elderly people who looked like they could have been any one of our grandparents.
I was only there a minute…simply to drop off the food. While there, I witnessed many smiles and received numerous "thanks" from people whose only hot meal today may be the one we delivered. As I left, I could hardly contain my emotions knowing that in just a few short weeks I'll be celebrating the holidays with my family, in a nice warm home, sitting in front of my nice warm fireplace, taking a nice long nap after eating way too much food.
It is a wonderful feeling, though, knowing that we are working to make a difference in our community by helping people less fortunate than ourselves.
Last Friday, I had the opportunity to work with the Compassion Center and the Safe Harbor Shelter here in Bloomington through the Leadership McLean County program. I was shocked at the number of homeless people we have right here in our community. There are approximately 126 homeless people including 12 who literally live out on the streets. Many of these people have families and have jobs, but still oftentimes lack the funds for a warm meal, much less a home.
After our SFCV luncheon, I had the privilege of delivering our extra food to the shelter. It was an amazing experience, seeing the looks on these peoples faces…just to get a good meal today. I saw young adults (probably still in their teens) and elderly people who looked like they could have been any one of our grandparents.
I was only there a minute…simply to drop off the food. While there, I witnessed many smiles and received numerous "thanks" from people whose only hot meal today may be the one we delivered. As I left, I could hardly contain my emotions knowing that in just a few short weeks I'll be celebrating the holidays with my family, in a nice warm home, sitting in front of my nice warm fireplace, taking a nice long nap after eating way too much food.
It is a wonderful feeling, though, knowing that we are working to make a difference in our community by helping people less fortunate than ourselves.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Sick of Me
The airwaves have been quiet for the last week, but my body has been active!
1. I caught a cold the day after my last post, that's on the decline except for a sporadic cough.
2. I caught two viruses in my left eye... one was conjunctivitis (pink eye), and one called irisitis which is a swelling of the iris that results in high sensitivity to light and touch.
Fortunately, my illness didn't cause me to miss the Jingle Bell Run, thanks to the season's first powerful winter storm that sheeted our condo's driveway so completely with ice that my 90-year old neighbor needed me to park his car for him.
So I've been bonding with Zicam, Sudafed, cough drops, my bed, and a humidifier for the past week. And I've got my "professor" look going at work these days, since the drops (containing a little bit of steroids!) for my eyes don't allow contacts so I've brought out the glasses. But I'm on the mend and will have tales to tell soon!
1. I caught a cold the day after my last post, that's on the decline except for a sporadic cough.
2. I caught two viruses in my left eye... one was conjunctivitis (pink eye), and one called irisitis which is a swelling of the iris that results in high sensitivity to light and touch.
Fortunately, my illness didn't cause me to miss the Jingle Bell Run, thanks to the season's first powerful winter storm that sheeted our condo's driveway so completely with ice that my 90-year old neighbor needed me to park his car for him.
So I've been bonding with Zicam, Sudafed, cough drops, my bed, and a humidifier for the past week. And I've got my "professor" look going at work these days, since the drops (containing a little bit of steroids!) for my eyes don't allow contacts so I've brought out the glasses. But I'm on the mend and will have tales to tell soon!
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