Everyday Leadership Contest – Read and Act Now!

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Friends,

The first-ever RFL trivia contest:  I’ll send a free copy of my book Be Real to the first three people who identify correctly where (or even just why) I read about all of these guys on a single webpage Sunday:   Derek Jeter, Robert Redford, Cary Grant, Dick Van Dyke, Joe DiMaggio, Bob Dylan, Stan Musial and Hank Greenberg. Interesting collection, eh?  So, why are they all together? You tell me.

I have a second question:  If there was a webpage for “great everyday leaders,” what would get YOU listed on it this week? Here are four things you can do to help you make this a great everyday leadership week.  You could . . .

1.  Stand up strong for a value. You might be feeling some disappointment, frustration or worse, because your kids, your organization, or your team aren’t living up to what you think they should be.  So, find a strategic opening and lead with a value that you think matters to them.  You might try out something like this, “Hey, I notice we’ve been getting by but not really doing our best lately. What do you think might be different if we really focused on bringing more ____ [excellence, service, integrity, innovation, etc.] to our work?”

2.  Set a solid goal for yourself this week. How might you really make a difference, e.g., as your kids finish their school year, as business expectations are changing, or as a project seems to languish.  Can you focus on an achievable end, clarify your own ability to influence it, and hit the target to motivate others around it? Exactly what would you really like to get done by Friday?  Clarity of result generates efficiency of action.

3.  Get what you need to help you consistently produce every day. One of the most enduring records in all of sports is a record of endurance – Joe DiMaggio’s hitting streak.  On July 16th, seventy years ago, he hit in his 56th straight game.  There are some things like tape measure home runs, awesome eloquence, photographic memories, or breakthrough discoveries that are incredibly cool, but also incredibly rare and dependent on highly unusual skills.  But what is available is for an everyday leader to lead every day.  Joe Dimaggio did it.  So did Cal Ripkenwho played in 2632 straight games – that’s over 14 seasons of 162 games; and Brett Favre who started in 146 straight bruising games at quarterback.  You can deliver such consistency too, but it takes a tremendous commitment to your health – physical and especially mental – to bring quality day in and day out.  What do you need to build and sustain such acommitment to excel?

4.  Get outta here! Go out shopping for new ideas. Read. Visit your competitors. Take public transit. Take your team on a field trip. Take your kids to a museum.  Sneak into a lecture at a college. As they used to say on those public safety commercials, “Stay awake.  Stay alive.”

Let me know why all those guys were on a webpage (and be sure to include a snail mail for the book).  You can’t expect to be on a webpage for great everyday leaders if you don’t

Lead with your best self,

Dan