Category: Leadership

“If you can begin to enjoy the process of building a startup rather than the outcome, you’ll be a better leader.” – Guy Kawasaki

I played football in high school and loved it.  Small and moderately skilled, I didn’t start till my senior year but I stuck with it from 6th grade on.    Football is a sport where if you’re into it just for playing in the games, there’s no value proposition.  It’s not worth all the work, pain and commitment for a few minutes of excitement each week.

I realized much later that it was the process that engaged me; the practice, the preseason, the teamwork ethic.  Being on the team had to be earned and it was the process that was rewarding, especially for those who would not go on to play in college.

Working with entrepreneurs is a similar experience.  The process is arduous and filled with challenges.  You have to love solving problems.  You have to take the resources available and figure out how to be successful.  And you will have to build your team.  And while you have to have an eye on the big picture, it’s the work one week at a time that breeds success.

Enjoying the process gives you a subtle edge on leadership.  You have an air of confidence that comes from moving in a direction.  People are drawn to that.

Read Reality Check by Guy Kawasaki

 

Blogging Gazelle is published daily by Shawn Carson

“It’s ok. But it sucks to hear it on the phone.” – Dr. Who

If you accept a position of responsibility you have to own it.

  • If you sell a product, you have customers
  • If you hire people, you have employees
  • If you raise venture capital, you have investors
  • If you make a profit, you have the Government

Even though starting your own company lets you be the boss, it does not mean you get to run away from responsibility.  In fact, it amplifies it.

There will be bad news.  You can’t hide it because it doesn’t go away.  The people you’re responsible for deserve to hear it from you; directly and in person.  It’s hard but it’s supposed to be.  Some will understand but many will not.  Bad news can be a shock and you’ll get the blame regardless.

Integrity isn’t defined by the good times.

Blogging Gazelle is published daily by Shawn Carson

“You’re only going to be as good as the people you surround yourself with” – Austin Kleon

Jim Collins says to get the right people on the bus even before you decide where the bus is going to go.  This is bold advice, especially when you are trying to attract people to your vision – you should probably at least have the vision.  But I think it’s about tactics more than vision.  Of course you need to have an idea of the problem you are going to solve but you should get the team together before you start to figure out all the details.

This is for two reasons; you can’t know everything and you can’t do everything.

Success and sustainability depend on execution more so than planning.  And there’s always more to do in less available time.  Highly motivated people will naturally gravitate toward doing the things necessary to get the job done, even if those things are outside their experience or comfort zone.

Read “Steal Like An Artist” by Austin Kleon

 

Blogging Gazelle is published daily by Shawn Carson

“Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes.” —Peter Drucker

Everybody’s got an answer and most are willing to tell you about it.  But few are willing to do something about it.  Every time I hear, “I wish somebody would…,” I think “well why don’t you?”

Leading is hard.  You can’t do everything right because there are too many conflicting circumstances. Not everyone is going to be happy.  If you try to please everyone, you will miss the full benefit of your original goal; which is the only way to focus — on the original goal.

Impediments and obstacles can involve technology, situations and people.  If you hit a wall, find another path or break through it.  Consensus is good until it impedes the mission.  Great results will settle the noise and put all the opinions in the right place.

 

Blogging Gazelle is Published Daily by Shawn Carson

“In order to get out of the funk, you have to surround yourself with people who aren’t funky.” – Peggy Grant

Entrepreneurship is hard enough on it’s own and you will have your down days.  You will hear disparaging things from all sorts of people who don’t have your best interest at heart; your competitors, certain customers, bankers and VC’s to name a few.  In the non-profit world, there are community stakeholders who have competing agendas.  It’s the way it is.

You should develop you inner circle.  That’s a small group of people you trust and who understand what you are trying to do.  Meet with them regularly, either as a group or just one at a time for coffee.  Consider them the Board of Directors of You, Inc.  These people will encourage you, hold you accountable and keep you centered on your path.

Those spreading the negative waves will find you with no problem but you have to seek out your inner circle.  They are there but they must be asked.  They are the kind of people who will share with you their profound experience but they would never force it.

Never waste their time.  Have specific questions ready to ask them and followup on what they tell you to do.  They won’t invest in whining but they will help you conquer challenges.

Forget about age, gender and cultural difference.  There are many smart people I rely on who are younger than me.  Wisdom is about experience, not age or race.

Form your inner circle long before you need them.  Desperation is never attractive and shows a lack of planning.

Show your gratitude by being successful and passing on your experience with the next person who asks.

Blogging Gazelle is published daily by Shawn Carson

“Leadership is evolution, not revolution” – Colin Powell

Leadership is a principle and a discipline; a mindset.  It is not a method and therefore, it cannot be reduced to a checklist.

It’s essence is in understanding a clear goal or end state, communicating that vision to the people who must do the work and then staying focused.  A little bit every day.  Regular reviews with tangible measures.  And the flexibility to adjust as the pathway reveals itself.

Occasional glances in the rearview mirror are fine to measure progress but  the priority is on the way forward.

Change takes time and it’s hard.  It’s easy for the popular hero to swoop in, create chaos in the name of positive change and then exit with the bonus leaving all the rubble to the rest of us.

Revolution results from bad leadership and it’s usually bloody…

The true leader leaves a legacy of success that does not depend on her presence or personality.  What remains is the vision.

Blogging Gazelle is published daily by Shawn Carson

“The purpose of bureaucracy is to compensate for incompetence and a lack of discipline .” – Jim Collins

At some point, you have to have policies and procedures.  It’s usually because there are a lot of people to manage and it’s easier to point to a set of rules than it is to effectively communicate the desired outcome.  It’s certainly easier than going through a complex hiring process to find good people.

And of course, we are people and we don’t always get along.

I remember counseling three employees who were at odds with each other.  They wanted me to issue a decree that defined how everything was supposed to turn out.  I replied by saying I could do that…create a new rule, but it would come with a price.  That rule would apply to everyone regardless the circumstances and I assured them that in the long run it would be a net negative.  In the end they took my advice and worked it out.

Before you make a policy, question why it’s needed.  If you bump into problems with a rule or policy, question why you have it.  Is there another, better way to solve the issue?  And above all, don’t resort to creating a rule that affects everyone just to get out of dealing with a specific situation with specific individuals.

“Why is there never a big red button?” – Dr. Who

We all want the obvious answer.  We want all the customers to agree.  We want the big bold sign to tell us which direction to take.  We want to know in advance what will happen.

When it’s big decision time, we want the big red button; partly because of the fact that we need rituals to emphasize the importance of the moment, but mostly because we want the clear binary, black and white scenario where we know what happens if we push the big red button.

But it’s never that way.  You can’t know the outcomes, one choice over another and you can’t collect enough data to make you comfortable making the decision.

The best you can do is be true to your core values and make the decision based on the best data you have available.  Then you have to own it. If you’re wrong, fix it or pivot, but don’t sit around assigning blame.  Move on.

You’re going to be wrong a lot.  That’s the way it is.  You probably won’t even be right half the time but that’s usually good enough.  Sailing never follows a straight line.  It’s a series of moves and counter moves that gets you where you are going.

 

Blogging Gazelle is published daily by Shawn Carson