Calm Before The Storm

Have you ever experienced the calm before the storm?  As I gaze out the window on the train, I can see the purple and black billowing clouds far away in the west.  But here, with my world re-sized by headphones and my laptop, there is a peaceful calm, punctuated by the occasional glance to my left, noticing the clouds becoming more ominous and near, as I reach my destination North.  I realize I need to make a contingency plan for my arrival, to make it to my car with my bags intact, and dry.  But then I turn my head back to my writing, and I am again  - calm.  

This Calm Before The Storm is a wonderful quality of the Rare Leader™, an important descriptive behavior of emotional stability.  Sometimes the employees, the customers, or stakeholders do not sense the storm ahead.  Perhaps they do not have the insights of the Rare Leader™ to see the storm clouds in the distance.  But if they did...would they...would you...be able to be the calm before the storm for others?  Would you have made contingency plans for the rainy day?  

During my executive days at Baird, when Fred was President, he would enclose a personal note with each bonus check, thanking every employee for their contributions to the company success, delighting in the opportunity to share the rewards.  However, no matter how rich the rewards, he ended every note the same words of caution.  He would carefully advise us to “save some of this reward for a rainy day ahead, because some day it will rain”.  And indeed he was right.  And those who heeded his simple words of leadership again benefitted from his “calm before the inevitable storm”.

Sometimes the Rare Leader™ is not always the one to predict the storm, but is perhaps the one to sense it, or to accept the wise words of predictive knowledge from those he or she has chosen to trust.  

But, the Rare Leader™ is the one you chose to follow who maintains this unique sense of calm and Emotional Stability.  The Rare Leader™ has balance, poise, an ability to maintain a level course of direction through ups and downs, and knows when and how to apply their intellectual intelligence and maturity.

1. When have you sensed a storm ahead in your organization?
2. What contingencies have you set aside for the rainy day to maintain a level course?
3. Who have you identified you will trust for predictive knowledge?
4. Where have you proven to your Team you have poise and balance through ups and downs?
5. How will you be perceived by your Team during the Storm?

If you want to learn more about the Rare Leader™ in you, 

or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach, 

Contact Steve Riege via: twitter, or his website.

Acting On Your Vision

”I’m high on ideas, but low on execution”.
  
How many times have you heard someone say this?  Typically you hear it from someone who sees themselves as very creative.  Or, as they might say...I’m an idea guy.  

We’ve lived with and worked with them.  A parent declares...”Let’s vacation in the mountains this year”.  Great idea.  It sounds like fun!  Time passed and there was no vacation, let alone a trip to the mountains.  Then, at the last minute there was a a mad scramble to put some kind of get away together.  Or, the manager at work who announces...”this month there will be no shut down of the line for unexpected maintenance.”  I love it when you have someone in a position of authority who feels they have been anointed to declare the future.

In a few months we will talk about the fine balance between a leader who plans, and a leader who executes.  I’ll introduce you to some people I have worked with who love to put action plans together, organize the troops, coach for effectiveness, check in for updates, and of course hold everyone accountable.  They may not have that celebration in the end, because there may not be known success.  After all, how do you measure their great action plan if it was not based upon a great vision.  Rare Leaders have both Vision and action.

Lets go back to this “idea guy”.  If they say “Im a visionary”, be careful.  A visionary is not a Leader with Vision.  A visionary has no action plan, and is nothing more than a dreamer.

A Leader with Vision is one of those Rare Leaders who is inspired by what they see, they share it with others, and they empower others around them to make the Vision a reality.  Rare Leaders actually do something with their Vision.  You could say they are “high on ideas, and high on execution”.

Over the past few weeks, we have discussed the Rare Leader who has Vision.  We have defined Vision as a clear inspired picture of a committed journey.  Vision is set up by trends, data, and patience.  Vision requires you to realize you have the ability to see things differently than others, and while you have the passion to believe it will come true, you have a need to lead others to find success.  Sharing your Vision inspires others around you.  Sharing your vision is an invitation.  It is an invitation to see the future and to make it happen.  The next step for the Rare Leader who has Vision, is to act on it.

Tell me...

1. When you see something that you believe is your Vision, what do you do do with it?
• Do you keep in inside of you, hoping for an epiphany?
• How do you set your sights on “making it happen”?
2. How do you set up your action plan?  
• Is it detailed and in writing within a nice clean binder on your shelf?  
• Is it simple, and easy to communicate? (perhaps a mission, or a set of goals where your Team can collaboratively provide details?)  What form does it take?
3. What do you do to keep your Vision and the action plan vibrant and moving in the right direction?
• Do you try to “do it all” by yourself?  (After all it’s your vision.)
• Do you mentor your Team?  Do you checkin to see if they need more guidance?  Do you provide resources?  Do you follow up on the action steps the Team committed to?  Do you celebrate success?  How do you Lead the action plan of your Vision?

Acting on your Vision requires you to Lead.  

After all, if you’re a Rare Leader, you can’t just be the idea guy.

If you want to learn more about the Rare Leader™ in you, 

or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach, 

Contact Steve Riege via: twitter, or his website.

Vision

Vision.  

A behavior and characteristic of a Rare Leader™

With all the focus and talk of the new year and a new decade, I thought it appropriate to begin this study looking into the characteristics and behaviors of leaders who possess Vision.

“Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is simply passing the time. Action with Vision is making a positive difference.”...Joel A. Barker

As a Rare Leader™, you should have a clear picture of where you are going, not only as a goal, but you should also have a a commitment to get there.  The Rare Leader™, while believing objectives are possible and constantly revised, is designing plans of action energized by a strong purpose to become effective.

Vision should be clearly visible to you, and perhaps, it may be to others. However, your Vision is not personal...when it’s personal it becomes a purpose. Your Vision is something that is likely to occur, whether you actively work on it or not. Your Vision is not something you aspire to achieve...that aspiration is a goal.

To isolate your Vision, extrapolate what you observe around you that is important. Why did this happen? Where is this trend going? What data supports this?  When you embrace a trend, ask what will happen if this continues. Be patient. You can not force or acquire something you don’t see.

We all know and agree that successful people and successful leaders surround themselves with people who offer them a challenge. Why not find someone with thought provoking ideas that reflect what they see in the world?  People who see trends that become their Vision are people that you should spend time with.

Be careful when you manufacture your mission in life, it can be a trap to shut out the light of vision. This limited view of the world will certainly inhibit your Vision.  Be open to the possibilities before you.  Vision will happen, and your resulting goals can become projects that will accelerate your Vision.  

Stressing out will not bring vision to life.  Vision should become so clear that it does not take great effort to guide your actions and orient your projects.  If you push yourself to find a vision, you might forget it is actually a healthy by-product of living fully, and opening yourself to possibilities.  (We’ll talk more about your balanced life and living fully in the future.)

Take the first step to become a Rare Leader™ and allow your Vision to inspire you, and you can in turn empower the people you are fortunate to lead.