Leadership & Life Journal

Mark the Start

March 9, 2015

This local college president is a visionary with a hands-off approach to leadership. She invested over 15 years ingraining quality and efficiency at the main campus. Three years ago the college established a second campus on the other side of town.

Although very near retirement at that time, she was on the new campus almost every day. This seemed out of character. So I asked her why she was spending so much time there. She said, “Because I need to make my mark.” By this she meant she knew she needed to model the organization’s values and teach their principles of success, by being very hands-on at the beginning.

Faulty Assumption

Leaders often assume that if they have an effective model in place and want to grow the enterprise elsewhere, the answer is to just plug in the proven structure and processes and the new venture will run itself. This hands-off approach seldom works at the enterprise level or even day-to-day.

When a new project gets assigned, a new leader is hired or a manager moves to lead a new team, there is that tendency to think that your job as the manager is done. With a sigh of relief we say, “It’s time to be hands-off and let them do their job.” Being hands-off too quickly can quickly turn a high priority project team into a disgruntled committee or transform an enthused high potential leader in to a discouraged manager wandering in the wilderness.

Invest Now or Later

Endowing power and pushing ownership in order to develop others is critical for success now and succession later. Investing purposeful time at the inception sets things up for long-term success. The truth is, we will invest our time sometime, either to manage out of a mess later on, or mark it up well in the beginning.

Today the new college campus has surpassed the enrollment of the main campus. The college president retired soon after the new campus hit its stride. She is now making her mark on her community and the lives of her grandchildren.

Journal Entry: Are you facing a new project launch or significant management change? Is there a tricky transition coming your way that needs to begin on the right foot? What will you do your mark the start so you can help others find more success in leadership and life?

The beginning is the most important part of the work.” – Plato,The Republic

Things alter for the worse spontaneously, if they be not altered for the better designedly.” – Francis Bacon

All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work.” – Calvin Coolidge

Problems do not go away. They must be worked through or else they remain, forever a barrier to the growth and development of the spirit.” – M. Scott Peck

Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well.” – Mark Twain

One Book in 2015

January 2, 2015

He stood in the middle of the room – in a chair. He was surrounded by 18 senior H.R. executives who had assembled, from around the world, to design a global strategy for their organization. They were here this day to, as he put it, ” agree on a smart strategy to get, grow and keep more than their fair share of top-shelf leaders.” My role was to assist him.

A few minutes before he stood up in the chair, I pulled him aside to let him know that were we way off our agenda. He thanked me and told me to go sit on the table in the back of the room and watch. I did.

Being an agenda guy, I was very nervous. This looked like total confusion. There he was towering 5 feet above this group of type A personalities, holding his hand high, he repeated the goal for the day. Then he asked them what they thought was the best way to make that goal happen. Brief discussion, everyone nodded and a guy picked up a marker and started writing ideas on a board. People gathered around this bold participant, who was one of the youngest in the group, as if he were the meeting leader. The strategy began to take shape. I was still on edge.

He stepped down from his perch, walked to the back of the room, sat beside me on the table and whispered, “When they take the marker from you, you are becoming a real facilitator”. It took me several years of conversations with Cliff , to realize that what I experienced that day was more than him doing a facilitation technique; it was Cliff being.

His full name is Cliff Freeman Eslinger. He is a master executive consultant and has been my friend and my mentor for over a decade. The above story is but one small example of the many insights of consulting and leading Cliff has taught me. He has put his spiritual insight in a tiny little book. It was just published and is entitled, The Serenity Prayer – A Meditation for Leaders.

Journal Entry: As you know, in the past 10 years of writing this article, I have never recommended a book, but today, I request that you purchase and read one book this year. It is The Serenity Prayer – A Meditation for Leaders. In it you will discover a simple way to know real success in your leadership and life in 2015. It is on available at Amazon. (Cliff does not know I was writing this article.)

Happy New Year!

PS – The strategy meeting was an amazing success, so much so that this international corporation is still one of Cliff’s active clients today. That meeting was over 15 years ago. Fortunately for Cliff I keep my seat.

Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;

enjoying one moment at a time;

accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;

trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will;

that I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.

Amen.

~ Reinhold Niebuhr , pastor and author (1892-1971)

Thanks A Lot

November 21, 2014

Are you interested in lowering your blood pressure, sleeping sounder, worrying less and exercising more? Would you like to move your career to the next level, manage team conflict more effectively and make wiser decisions about the future? Experts tell us that regular doses of gratitude may be a good place to begin.

For over a decade Robert A. Emmons, of the University of California, Davis, along with Michael E. McCullough of the University of Miami conducted pioneering experiments where they validate the positive affects of consistent thankfulness. They instructed people to keep a journal listing five things for which they felt grateful, like a friend’s generosity, something they’d learned, a sunset they’d enjoyed. The gratitude journal was brief – just one sentence for each of the five things – and done only once a week, but after two months there were significant effects. Compared with a control group, the people keeping the gratitude journal were more optimistic and felt happier. They reported fewer physical problems and spent more time working out.

Write a Note

In a study of polio survivors and other people with neuromuscular problems, the ones who kept a gratitude journal * reported feeling happier and more optimistic than those in a control group, and these reports were corroborated by observations from their spouses. These grateful people also fell asleep more quickly at night, slept longer and woke up feeling more refreshed.

Just a Thought

According to a new workplace study, after prompting managers to just think about things they’re grateful for, they demonstrated more patience, and were able to keep their impulses in check, which fostered long-term thinking. When faced with a pressing problem conflict decreased, and creativity increased.

Make a Habit

Making thankfulness a habit, either by recording it or simply thinking about it routinely, helps you be a more effective manager; build your network, increases your decision-making capabilities, improve your productivity and attract the mentors and proteges you will need along the way.

Based on my personal non-scientific research, thankfulness can do wonders for family relationships too. Next Thursday might be a good day to give it a try.

Journal Entry:
Achieving your goals and being physically healthy enough to enjoy your success might be as simple as saying “thanks” a lot, in your leadership and life.

* Complimentary Starter Gratitude Journal- If you would like to test the power of keeping a gratitude journal, and having a small journal in hand would help you get started, I’d be happy to send you one.

Click on “Contact Us” and tell us your preferred mailing address and one will be mailed to you.

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. ~ Thornton Wilder, playwright

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others. ~ Cicero, philosopher

Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude. ~ A. A. Milne, author of Winnie-the-Pooh

Gratitude, like faith, is a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it grows, and the more power you have to use it on your behalf. If you do not practice gratefulness, its benefaction will go unnoticed, and your capacity to draw on its gifts will be diminished. To be grateful is to find blessings in everything. This is the most powerful attitude to adopt, for there are blessings in everything. ~ Alan Cohen, businessman

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Psalm 107:1 -David, servant leader

Strategic Stillness

October 15, 2014

When you’re on a roll at work – completely focused, tearing through your to-do list – the last thing you want to do is take a break and lose momentum. But research shows that no matter how engaged we are in an activity, our brains inevitably tire, and we become more vulnerable to distractions. [1]

He is a 38 -year-old business analyst /senior project manager who has worked very hard all his life. He loves his job, is loyal to his boss and respects the mission of this large not-for profit organization, but he describes his workplace as a war zone. An environment where ever-rising performance expectations, do-more-with-less focus and out-of-control technology collide, compete and wreak havoc on employees’ health and ultimately stagnate productivity. “I see too many good people, who are too well meaning, too dedicated and too hard working pushed to exhaustion to give their best in our never-enough environment,” he says.

He joined this organization as a wounded warrior from a family business that lost their struggle to survive. As a result of the burnout he suffered there , combined with a recently diagnosed physical disorder, he can operate at his best for only 4-5 hours a day. Yet he has become the most productive manager in his division. Last month he was recognized by this multi-site health care system for his outstanding contribution to quality and efficiency. “How did you achieve this,” I asked him.

He said, “I am in the office all day like everyone else, but I know I have limited productive time. Ever hour I take a 15- 20 minute break to let my mind rest. Sometimes I take a walk, stretch, doodle or go for a snack with someone. The important thing is I get away from my computer completely”. (Note: Checking Facebook, private email or texting doesn’t count as rest)

He went on to say, “When I get still for this short time, I get better ideas and see simpler ways to achieve what needs to be done.” While his peers often attend 6-7 catch-up meetings a day, he holds 2-3 no-more-than -an -hour meetings daily. He told me he often feels guilty because he gets so much done in less time.” He confessed that his biggest challenge is not always the war zone workplace, but his natural craving to be busy and to work too hard – too long. Strategic stillness has become his mantra. It seems to be working, because others are asking the same question I did, but most are too busy to listen.

Journal Entry: How would you change the way your work day if you were limited to 4- 5 hours a day to get the results you needed to get? Could implementing strategic stillness help you be healthier and more productive in your leadership and life?

The doctrine of the vital few and the trivial many: there are only a few things that ever produce important results.

Most activity, en masse and individually, is a waste of time. It will not contribute materially to desired results – Vilfredo Pareto, Italian economist

Never to suffer would never to have been blessed. – Edgar Allan Poe, fiction writer

I believe all creative power comes from great stillness. If then, we are just quiet and afterwards act, the action will go further for there is alignment.We should not have to do much to change the whole world. – Glenn Clark, Theologian and Teacher

No matter how bad things are, you can always make things worse. – Randy Pausch, professor The Last Lecture

[1] Ariga, A., & Lleras, A brief and rare mental breaks keep you focused: Deactivation and reactivation of task goals preempt vigilance decrements Cognition (2011), doi: 101016/cognition. 2010. 12.007

When Succession Works

September 2, 2014

Last month I made a presentation on the human side of business continuity planning. Following my talk, the president of a midsize company stopped me in the hallway and said, “Over the past couple of years, three of my key staff members have retired. The Director of Administration was one of them.” Two Board members were standing nearby, overheard his statement, interrupted our chat and in unison asked, “When did that happen?” The president beamed with well-deserved pride. His planning had paid off.

Gambling on Succession

Unlike the successful story above, many Boards and leadership teams appear to be rolling the dices on their succession plans, and most are losing their wagers. In 2012, The Harvard Business School of Leadership conducted a study of organizations with revenues over $500 million. They reported that 50% of these businesses did not have a formal CEO and key staff succession plan, and that only 20% of the organizations that did were satisfied with their plan.

So it is no wonder that we continue to read big headlines of large organizations that never seem to get it right. If the Fortune magazine’s top listed organizations, who have more financial resources, savvy business leaders and smart consultants that 90% of the organization in the world can’t get organized and figure it out- How does a mid-size or small organization beat the odds and make succession work?

Assessing Your Risk

Take this quiz to get a gut-check on whether your organization may be in jeopardy. List the names of the key staffers who have left your organization over the past 3- 5 years. Next to their names, indicate which of these two hallway questions you heard after their departure: 1- a gladly surprised, “When did that happen?” or 2- a gravely concerned, “How did this happen?”

Setting Structure and Culture

In my presentation, I shared 10 steps an organization can take to be prepared for a key leader transition, be it planned or unplanned. Implementing these steps will set in place an effective succession structure, but at the end of the day, it will be the level of trust established in the culture that decides if a succession plan or any other initiative will be a winner or a loser. When trust is high almost everything works. When trust is low almost nothing works.

Journal Entry: How did you do on the risk quiz? If you had all 1’s congratulations, keep doing what you’re doing. If you had a few 2’s, what needs to happen so you can have more healthy transitions in the leadership and life of your organization?

“Plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.”
– Solomon, King in his book of Proverbs 21:5 (NIV)

“Good design can’t fix broken business models.” – Jeffery Veen, designer of beautiful things (Adobe® products)

“When people see that what you are trying to do for them comes from a sincere heart, they’ll believe you, they’ll do what you ask them to do, they’ll keep on doing it as long as you ask.” – James Casey, author

“Organizing is something you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” – A.A. Milne, Winnie-The- Pooh

“Truth builds trust.” – Marilyn Suttle, customer service expert

Business Success Son

June 30, 2014

“Will you help our son decide what he wants to do?” This question created my first management consulting assignment. The location was a furniture store on the outskirts of Louisville, Kentucky. This business was still owned by the founders, a Jewish couple, who opened the store in the 1950’s . They were prominent community leaders who had made a very good living and reared their only child here. It was now the late 80’s and time had come for the parents to retire and turn the business over to their son, but their outstretched offering was landing on tightly closed arms.

Son told me he was burned out. He would have quit, but for the desires of his aging parents. He went on to say, “When I entered college I was seriously considering majoring in psychology. My roommate was in accounting. He said that accountants make lots of money, so I switched my major to accounting.” Son added, ” My parents were very please with my major. I was just happy to graduate and get back home.”

Three Outside Forces

Knowing what to do with your career direction is not so easy. As the story illustrates, there are three outside forces that strongly impact vocational choices: parents, peers and profit. These are certainly not the only influencers, but the three tend to hold a strong sway regardless of our stage in life. External factors can and do lead to a fulfilling career, but sometimes a more intentional approach is needed.

“Deciding whether you want to run this store or run to another career will not be difficult, but making either choice happen will not be easy,” I told Son. “First you need to consider the affect that parents, peers and profit did have and can still have on you. But you can decide to give them lots of power, or allow each one the influence you want it to have in this career decision.” I asked, “Do you want to figure this out?” He said, “I’ll do anything to feel better.” I gave him a journal and a 10-day assignment to complete our by next meeting.

Two Plans On the Same Page

Two weeks later, Son and I met. We worked together and designed his personal plan based on his goals, motivated abilities, innate work interests and the hard truths of the market place. He was pleased. Afterwards he shared it with his parents. Then we met together several times to lay out their business succession plan, which involved Son going back to college soon.

“How much do I owe you?” Mother asked. “The amount we agreed will be good,” I said. She opened her change purse, took out a brass key, placed it in the drawer lock, and eased out her tattered checkbook on to the big railroad desk. She wrote a check for twice the amount. I was shocked. Mother, Father and Son smiled.

Son ran the business for several more years. During that time he added two more locations. Then he sold it all to a large chain store. His accounting degree was a great asset in analyzing the business deal. Negotiating the nice profit at the close had a lot to do with his mastery of psychology.

This experience helped me realize what I wanted I to do with my career and set me on a course for the type work I do today.

Journal Entry: What experience helped set you on your career path? What challenges are you facing as you plan to make a healthy transition into the next phase in your leadership and life?

“Articulating your hopes is the first step to achieving them.” – Art Stevens: animator, director and producer for Walt Disney Animation Studios

“Some 17 year old kid decided I was going to be a dentist” – A rich but burned out orthodontist.

“Burn out isn’t caused by you working too much, but from working on what doesn’t matter too much to you.” – Michael Alan Tate

“When we are no longer able to change a situation – we are challenged to change ourselves. – Viktor E. Frankl

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” – Mark Twain

“Self-discovery is the end product of a great challenge mastered…” – Kurt Hahn: inventor of the outdoor education and adventure learning philosophy and practice

Healthy Transitions – Slow Down to Go Fast

May 31, 2014

On April 21 my 81 year-old mother had a complete hip replacement and I turned completely 60 years old. For over six months she suffered with increasing pain and struggled with what she should do about it. During that time I agonized over speaking my age to others and grappled with what I would do in the next phase of my business.

My mother’s surgery was a marvelous success and her rehab is right on track. I have come out of my ” how old are you now? ” closet and have rebranded my practice to embrace my calling over 20 years ago-helping healthy transitions happen fast.

On the top of this page is my new logo. It is a bird dog on point. People who know me well are aware of my love for these dogs, but when they see the logo they ask, “So what is the point of the bird dog for your business?” The logo is a metaphor for the three step process I follow when I coach a leader or consult with a team facing a complex change or a complicated opportunity.

Get on point. Sharpen your focus.

Bird dogs run fast while hunting, but then do just the opposite of what nature instructs virtually every other dog to do. When a well-trained bird dog, like my English setter Annie, hits the scent of a quail, she will slow down, then freeze and focus on that one thing that is truly important. All her gifts, talents and skills are aligned on her purpose.

Honor others. Strengthen your relationships.

Bird dogs are trained to acknowledge any other dog that is on point by stopping immediately and pointing. This is called backing or honoring. No matter the lack of stature of the first dog on point, every dog in the field will halt, honor and hold steady until the first dog moves off point or their master says to move.

Know what’s important now. Simplify everything.

On a successful hunt, a bird dog retrieves any game that is harvested and fetches it into its master’s hand. Because there are many distractions in the field, the dog will act on this assignment immediately so no game is lost. One bird placed in one hand, one at a time. It’s as simple as that.

This process, like a good bird dog perhaps, will create a clearing where we can slow down, focus on what matters most and build a simple plan to quickly act on what matters next.

I hope my business scheme turns out as well as my mother’s surgery. She had a great surgeon, but we know her success is due in large part to her determination, the vision she has for her life and her confidence in God’s hand always at work. Maybe these qualities run in the family.

Journal Entry:

What changes will you be facing soon? How are you preparing to make sure your next move achieves your vision of a healthy transition in your leadership and life?

You have to slow down to go fast – Old racecar driver’s axiom

When you reach our age you finally know what you want to do, but don’t have the energy to do it. – A discouraging note pinned on one the 60 birthday cards I received on my 60th birthday this year.

Think of many things. Do one. – Portuguese proverb

We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.– T. S. Eliot

If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you. Luke 17:6 (NIV)

The More History Matters

December 23, 2013

A group of baby boomers attended a Smart Transitions retreat I was leading a few months ago. One participant, a newly appointed CEO, told us about moving the company headquarters to a new location. During the move they found a dented filing cabinet filled with project drawings and photos, as well as some tattered journals from the firms’ founders . The documents were dated in the 1950’s. He said he looked through the old stuff and had decided to do away with all of it as part of his transition.

When I heard his plan I remembered a New York Times article I’d read entitled, “The Stories that Bind Us”. The origin of this news article was in early 2000 when a learning disability specialist, Sarah, who had worked with children for many years made an observation: the students who knew a lot about their families tended to do better when they faced challenges.

Do You Know?
Intrigued by her hypothesis , her husband and a colleague from Emory University developed a measure called the “Do you know? Scales”. This survey asked children to answer 20 questions about the background and events in the lives of their parents and grandparents. The questions were posed to children in 48 different families and then compared to their results with a battery of psychological tests. The team reached the overwhelming conclusion that Sarah’s theory was correct: the more children know about their family’s history the stronger their sense of control of their lives, the higher their self-esteem, the more successfully they believe their families functioned.

Researchers reassess the children after the traumatic events of September 11, 2001. Once again they found the ones who knew more about their family proved to be more resilient. The lead researcher said that children who have the most self-confidence have what he and the other researchers called a strong intergenerational self. That is they know they belong to something bigger than themselves.

Leaders in the military and in business found similar results. Jim Collins, famous business author, says that successful human enterprises of any kind always take time to look back and capture their core identity. The U.S. Air force found that having new recruits experience history appreciation exercises, such as visiting a cemetery to pay tribute to the first Naval aviator or visiting B-1 replicas, increased their camaraderie and improving retention.

The Bottom Line
If you want a healthier and happier family, troop or company ; create, refine, and retell the stories of your best moments and the ability to bounce back from difficult ones. That act alone may increase the odds that your domestic or corporate organization will thrive for many generations to come.

After I shared this story with the retreat group, the new CEO considered that there might be some use for the old box of photos and journals.

Journal Entry: Consider the gifts are you giving the children in your life this Christmas season. How long will those things last? Would this year be a good time to share a family history story that brings with it the possibility of strengthening a young spirit to meet and beat the challenges he or she will certainly face in their future leadership and life?

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Confucius

“Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” – Albert Einstein

“A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history. – Mahatma Gandhi

“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. – Isaiah 9:6

“And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. And the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. “And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths, and lying in a manger.” – Luke 2:9-12

Having a Fit

November 20, 2013

He was a superstar. A tall, dark-eyed, voice of thunder, leader of leaders…or so he appeared. He could be the new pastor of our church, but we better act quickly before a larger congregation scooped him up. The vote was expeditious and unanimous. Every deacon, elder, leading woman and child, of hand-raising age, were in one accord. The small church of my childhood got the perfect leader. About two years later the congregation split and so did the superstar.

There is nothing that will deeply damage an organization’s effectiveness faster than hiring a key leader who is not a fit. It is easy to see how some country church folks could be taken in, but it is amazing how often a similar scenario plays out with some of the smartest business teams in the world. Research by PWC and Saratoga Institute affirms that the average tenure of 60% of newly hired executives across a wide range of industries is two to three years.

Act Sooner

Whether in a non-profit or publicly traded organization, within the first six months most people intuitively know when a key leader is not a fit. Instead of admitting the error and quickly correcting that error, most of us placate the misfit manager hoping he or she will see the light. This seldom happens. An HR officer I know has a mantra about such a challenge as this, he says, “It is easier to change people than change people.” In a small organization change most often means outplacement. In a larger company a well-designed transfer to a new role can sometimes be a win for everyone. The point is, do something sooner than later. The longer we put off the inevitable, the more time it will take to recover and rebuild what is left of our team.

Act Slower

As important as it is to act quickly to correct a bad decision, it is better to avoid the mistake altogether. By slowing down the selection process, the emotional pull to close the deal is lessened and a wiser decision can be made. There is no magic formula, but I believe there are three areas every hiring team needs to carefully confirm when selecting the right person for key leader role:

1.Skills – Intellectual and technical capabilities that match the position profile

2.Motivation – Passion for the organization’s mission and a keen interest in the management skills inherit in the role

3.Fit – Balance of humility and confidence that facilitates effective personal conversations about difficult issues and energizes a team toward a shared vision or noble cause

The majority of bad hires excel in #1 and #2…so much so that #3 is rarely discussed until the deal in done. “She is so smart, it will be easy for her to get the people leading part ” is the hopeful chorus that an astray hiring team will sing aloud to support their erred decision. This refrain soon becomes a hum.

Journal Entry: A perfect leadership fit seldom happens in a business, a civic group or even a family. The ideal is picking the right person and having a team that is sincerely committed to helping her or him make their best contribution. This has been and will always be the formula for having a fit in leadership and life.

It is not good to have zeal without knowledge or to be hasty and miss the way. – Proverbs 19:2

You’re only young once, but you can be immature forever

r. – Unknown

True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less. – C.S. Lewis

It doesn’t matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn’t matter how smart you are. If it doesn’t agree with experiment, it’s wrong. – Richard P. Feynman

To succeed in life, you need two things: ignorance and confidence. – Mark Twain

Small Fish

July 15, 2013

“So what’s going on in your life that made you decide to get sick?” is what I hear whenever I catch the flu or get a bad cold and finally visit my doctor. This is his way of asking, “Mike, why is your life so out of balance?”

Almost every person these days says they are just too busy, and we seem quite proud of it. In America, the phrase “It sounds like you’ve been really busy!” is interpreted as, “It sounds like you are really important!” Unfortunately, a very busy person is usually just someone caught in constant activity desperately trying to catch something – but all the while not really sure what that something is.

Counting Each Year
For the past 10 years I have held to a tradition on my birthday. No matter which day of the week it falls on, I get away alone to reflect and try to remember what’s important, count the cost of the past year, and set new plans. This year my birthday fell on a Sunday. What an ideal day for personal reflection, right? Well…instead of being in a quiet place designing my life, I was sitting on a plane working on a presentation for a client. We all know that there are times in business that require shifts in priorities, but this trip was not a requirement, it was my choice. It was busyness.

Daily Matters
My life slippage had started well before that fateful trip, however. For the previous four months, instead of beginning my day with a time of prayerful mediation and reading as I have for years, I started going directly to my office desk, checking my email and looking over my calendar. Even though I started “working” as soon as I got out of bed, I consistently fell behind each day. So, to compensate, I got up earlier but still I found I was accomplishing only half of what I typically did when I started my day in the quiet. Things needed to change.

Just Right
Last month, on a warm Saturday afternoon, my 85-year-old uncle invited me to go fishing. I meet him at the lake. I was ready to start casting hard for big fish but instead of my fancy fishing rod he handed me a cane pole with a bobber and an earthworm dangling on a hook. Then, he opened the door of his mud caked truck and out jumped two English Setter puppies. For the rest of the day we sat in worn-out lawn chairs on a weathered dock with a pair of speckled bird-dog puppies, soon paw-to-paw, sound asleep beside a dented tackle box. On the ridge above the lake a Bobwhite quail whistled his mating call while we caught small fish. A red sunset closed the day too soon. It was just right.

That time with my uncle was a microcosm of all I’d been missing amidst my busyness – a balance of quiet reflection, joyful effort and rest. I felt like a kid again. Since that day, when someone asks me, “Have you been busy lately?” I say, “Nah, I’ve been just right.” If nothing else, it’s a reminder for me towards keeping my life in balance and remembering my lesson from a few small fish.

Journal Entry:
Been real busy lately? What needs to happen for you to catch a vision for a healthier leadership and life?

We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. – T. S. Eliot

I am convinced that there are times in everybody’s experience when there is so much to be done that the only way to do it is to sit down and do nothing. – Fanny Fern

The feeling of being hurried is not usually the result of living a full life and having no time. It is, on the contrary, born of a vague fear that we are wasting our life. When we do not do the one thing we ought to do, we have no time for anything else- we are the busiest people in the world. – Eric Hoffer

Sometimes you wonder how you got on this mountain . But sometimes you wonder,” How will I get off. – Joan Manley, comedian