Technorati Tags: blogtalkradio, greater than yourself, interview, leadership, mentorship, Mike Neiss, Robert Thompson

“While roughly one fourth of our District’s approximate 166 schools dropped per the demands of The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), Finegan’s score increased. Our school had the 11th highest gain (43 points) in scores across the district (that includes all elementary, middle and high schools as well as all gifted and talented magnets) putting us in the Top 7 percent of district schools.

“I stand increasingly amazed at the depth of Love, Energy, Audacity and Proof displayed from and toward my faculty to each other and to our community. To watch them actively invest in each other as GTY Projects (sometimes knowingly, sometimes unknowingly), to watch walls of miscommunication crumble and be recreated into steps of unity for the sake of children, to watch them openly praise and thank each other for the investment they make in one another, to watch islands of teachers develop into continents of learning, to hear more and more unsolicited testimonials of how they see our school family growing together in strength and purpose, to hear from school district and community members and leaders how they sense something different the moment they walk into our school…

“Leap, Edge and GTY know no recession. They know no boundary lines in business, community, ethnic, social, emotional, economic status or religion. These principles are timeless and will work in any situation where hearts and minds are willing and unselfish. They have changed and will continue to transform me, my building and my community.”

Thanks once again for the goosebumps, Mr. Pinter. Your school’s example is an inspiration to us all, educators or no.

Technorati Tags: David Pinter, education, finegan elementary, greater than yourself, leadership, the radical edge, the radical leap

“A company where the staff consistently overuses the word ‘they,’” he says, “is a company with problems.” (Read his Open Forum post, “They” Have a Lot to Answer For)

I expressed the same sentiment in The Radical Leap. In the book, I wrote the following soapbox tirade as a dialogue between myself and a character named, Smitty. For it to make sense here on the blog and out of the context of the story, I’ve taken the conversation element out.

And you may want to hold on to your stomach:

We have to get over the whole idea of “them,” and we need to hold ourselves accountable and stop looking to blame “them” when things go wrong.

It’s universal: as sure as the sun will rise in the east, folks will end up blaming their woes on “them.” Managers blame their woes on “them,” the employees, and employees gripe about “them,” the management. Presidents and CEOs whine about “them,” the board, or “them,” the analysts, and we all moan about “them,” the shareholders. The conversation goes round and round like a Tilt-A-Whirl, and pretty soon you’re not sure who’s talking about whom.

Say, for example, you’re the management, and that you’ve just distributed another employee opinion survey. You ask “them” for their candid views on the company, but 70 percent of “them” don’t respond. So you complain about how unresponsive “they” are, and then you ignore the feedback of the other 30 percent.

“They,” consequently, start talking about “you,” or “them” as you’re known to “them,” and how “you,” or “they” as you are known to “them,” don’t really care about what “we,” or “they” as they’re known to “you,” have to say about “them,” or “you” as you’re known to yourself.

(Here comes lunch).

And where does it all end up? What’s the Big Conclusion?

“‘They’ will never change,” “they” say about “them.”

And it’s all an illusion, for one simple reason:

There ain’t no “they.”

There’s just us.

Technorati Tags: accountability, business, leadership, management, richard branson, the radical leap, they, virgin

Well…today’s a landmark day for Tommy: his debut book, It’s Not Just Who You Know, hits the stores. I’m off to Denver tomorrow for Tommy’s book launch celebration, and I can’t tell you how proud of him I am.

I encourage you to buy Tommy’s book. Not because he’s my Fifth Floor friend (read below to learn what that means), but because it rocks. Really, truly ROCKS.

Here’s an excerpt to wet your whistle:

From It’s Not Just Who You Know
by Tommy Spaulding

I know thousands of people, and many of them wield tremendous influence. If life and business were all about “who you know,” then I’d be set. But none of those relationships took on extraordinary value unless I approached them with the idea that they mattered for something above and beyond the transaction.

I think of relationships in terms of a five-floor building. The deeper and more meaningful a relationship, the higher the floor it resides on. Let me be clear–relationships seldom fit neatly into a box (or a building). They’re far too dynamic. Some overlap on different floors, and others seem to move up and down floors like an elevator. But the Five Floor plan helps give me a reference point and allows me to think about the boundaries that define my relationships, so that I can continually work to make them stronger and more rewarding.

Most relationships start on the First Floor. We meet and we greet. We exchange business cards. It typically involves a transactional exchange. We need something specific from the other person–an airline ticket, or lunch, or help with a question. After we get what we want, we move on.

The next level of relationships–Second Floor relationships–is where we begin sharing more information. But it’s very basic information, the type we dispense out of social obligation or because it’s a job requirement, not because we’re offering some insight into who we are.

In Third Floor relationships, people develop an emotional comfort level that goes beyond facts and information. Instead of resting on NSW–news, sports, and weather–conversations, we begin sharing opinions and feelings. In business, positional authority is the primary guiding force in Third Floor relationships. Our position at work requires us to say what we think, rather than just present data, because our opinions can help shape decisions.

In a Fourth Floor relationship, the relationship takes on deeper, more significant meaning. We share common interests, goals, beliefs, and causes. We’ve also learned to work through conflicts, and we’re responding in ways that show that we value the relationship for its own sake.

The increased trust and respect we share in such relationships also leads to greater vulnerability and openness. We might confide that our marriage is failing, or discuss private, sensitive details about our finances with such a friend. But we still may not share all of our flaws and insecurities with Fourth Floor friends, and they don’t yet share all of theirs with us. But we don’t judge each other the way we did in the early stages of the relationship. We’ve dropped our guards.

Fifth Floor relationships–the Penthouse of relationships–go well beyond anything discussed in Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends & Influence People. In Fifth Floor relationships, vulnerability, authenticity, trust, and loyalty are off the charts. They are relationships based on a shared empathy–an intuitive understanding of each other’s needs, even those that aren’t necessarily expressed. It’s a relationship based more on giving than on getting. In Fifth Floor relationships, we become confidants, advisers, and partners in helping the other person achieve their greatest potential.

But how do you do it, you might ask. How to you grow a relationship from the First Floor to the Second Floor? Or the Third Floor? Or the Fifth Floor? For many people, of course, therein lies the big, brick wall with no obvious doors or windows. The answer? Relentless communication.

But what can you do to distinguish yourself from the crowd? How can you practice relentless communication? What can you do when starting new relationships? What can you do to keep your existing relationships healthy? What are you doing for your co-workers? Your clients? Your customers?

Relentless communication is an intentional practice. It’s playing offense, not just sitting back and playing defense. It’s not something that just happens–you have to make it happen.

If you want to relentlessly communicate, there’s nothing wrong with cell phones and e-mails. I send and receive more than a hundred text messages and e-mails every day. I’m the poster boy for “Crackberry” addiction. But sometimes it’s the personal touches that set you apart from others and create the greatest opportunities for lasting relationships.

We get flooded every day by text messages and e-mails; meanwhile, our mailboxes are filled with bills, advertisements, and solicitations. And that’s exactly why handwritten letters and notes are so special–they are the rare personal note amid a sea of impersonal statements and bills. Just seeing my name handwritten on the outside of the envelope brings a smile to my face. It hardly matters how long the letter is or what it actually says. Though a cliché, it really is true that it’s the thought that counts, because we remember the fact of the letter long after we’ve forgotten the actual words.

Handwritten notes, of course, are just one form of relentless communication. I have a friend in Minnesota who puts American flags in the yards of his clients every year on the Fourth of July. Another friend gives pumpkins to each of his clients on Halloween. They call and stop by as well, but these things in particular set them apart. They give people in the community a reason to think of them and smile.

I think of communication in terms of its impact. There is a hierarchy. A text is nice, but an e-mail is better. And a phone call is better still. Sometimes, however, a handwritten note is even better. A gift with a handwritten note is special. But hand-delivering a note along with a gift is the best. All of these things–all of this relentless communication–shows that you care, that you want to continue to build and grow the relationship. In most cases it leads to the thing you want next–face-to-face time with the person you want or need to know.

Sitting down with someone after an initial meeting is critical when trying to launch a professional or personal relationship beyond the First or Second floor. People are busy. You have to expect that it will be up to you to make a relationship blossom. You can’t do that by e-mail. Find a reason to get together again–for coffee or lunch, or for a more formal meeting, if that’s what your business requires.

If you want to create and nurture relationships in your life, make an investment in relentless communication. You don’t have to send twenty handwritten notes a week, but why not send five? Or find other ways to uniquely express your thanks to the people you know–a flag on the Fourth of July. Make this a part of your life, something that you can make part of your relational DNA. When you do it, people will think of you and smile. And they’ll want to know you better. And that’s the heart of any relationship.

Excerpted from It’s Not Just Who You Know by Tommy Spaulding © 2010 Thomas J. Spaulding Jr. Reprinted by permission of Broadway Books, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group.

Technorati Tags: greater than yourself, It's Not Just Who You Know, leadership, relationships, Tommy Spaulding

Aim The Highest
Change The Speed
Stare Down Trouble
Fall In Love
Accept Discomfort
Tap That Intangible

Read the whole article here.

Consider the list in reference to your own approach to life and work. Is there anything on it–or in your life–that you would change?

Technorati Tags: investors business daily, leadership, performance, personal development

Let me introduce you to Chathum Nielson. He’s a student here (at Colorado State), a singer in a group known as From The Heart, is enrolled in Men’s Choir, and is a Communications Major. I’ve had the distinct pleasure of adding him to my list of lifetime friends. He and I have had a large number of conversations about self-improvement since we became friends. I’ve shared a few insights, but I realized that I’ve never given freely of all the knowledge I’ve acquired.

I wish I had more to contribute so that you could see the repercussions of Greater Than Yourself, but, unfortunately, I’m still establishing this concept and learning of its significance. What I have learned, however, is that “real leadership is an extreme act rooted in love and motivated by a desire to create a better world.” That quote from Farber’s “Greater Than Yourself” sums up exactly what this book means to me. In this small, unfinished GTY project that I have begun, I hope others will be inspired by this book and find hope in its pages like I have. One by one, we can build those around us and subject everyone to fulfilling exactly what they were born to do. This concept has changed my life and I hope it will shift the paradigm in which you see the world and those around you.

Thank you, Jason.

I think our next generation of leaders is in very, very good hands.

Oh, and by the way…

Jason’s a guitar player and singer, too. Here he is on YouTube:

Expecting to learn a bit more about change-the-world thinking, Jason chose to write about Greater Than Yourself for his final project in Comm 250. What he didn’t expect, though, was that by the time he was done reading, he’d be involved in the endeavor in a very personal way.

Jason sent me a copy of his final paper, and it’s my honor to share excerpts of it with you on this blog.

Part One follows. (I’ll post Part Two next time.) He begins with a direct appeal to his teacher:

I wanted to give you something real; I wanted to give you something rooted in and aimed toward the content of this class-something usable. I didn’t want this to be just another Student Generated Project for you to read and think, ‘Well that was nice.’ I know this is your passion and that each one of these papers is a joy for you to read, since you learn a lot from them; but, I see an amazing opportunity with this project.

Why take the time to write a passionate paper and not give it the potential to change the world in a small way? I hope, at the very least, this paper will help you to lead from every position and empower you to create a better world starting with your very own “Greater Than Yourself” project.

Benjamin Zander, a renowned conductor for the Boston Philharmonic and speaker on leadership, states, “How do I find out if, as a leader, I’m awakening possibility in other people? You know how you know? You look at their eyes. If their eyes are shining, then you know you’re doing it.” I believe that that statement perfectly describes the foundation and direction of Steve Farber’s book Greater Than Yourself.

“Greater Than Yourself,” or GTY for short, is the act of choosing someone you feel deserves to become greater in a certain area and then helping him or her to becoming greater than you. They are then called your “GTY Project”. You do this by giving that person every opportunity possible, based on your knowledge and resources, to grow and improve in their chosen direction.

Let’s take, for instance, a famous celebrity. He or she learns about GTY and then decides to take a friend of theirs (who is not famous, but has a passion for acting) and get them in contact with their agent, managers, and even other directors in order to give them every opportunity to succeed. Not only that, but the celebrity decides to teach their GTY project every trick and tip they’ve ever learned along the way. Make sense? Sure, it may just seem like a “good deed,” or simply being generous. However, making someone greater than you is much deeper than that. Imagine being generous and then giving everything you have to give. This act, rooted in love, not only benefits your GTY Project, it also benefits you.

In today’s cutthroat world, giving freely of the knowledge you’ve acquired throughout your years of hard work is uncanny. Life, especially in the business world, seems to have become a competition. Why on earth would you give information to a coworker? This person could potentially steal your job or promotion if they knew what you knew.

Greater Than Yourself trumps this knowledge. In fact, it goes against everything we know as the norm. Remember how I said to be generous and then give all that you can? We don’t do this naturally because of our fear of losing face, position, or rank. But imagine, for just a minute, if you were to give all that you could to someone-allow them complete access to all of your knowledge, resources, and wisdom-how would you benefit? The answer wasn’t entirely clear to me at first. The typical, altruistic “warm fuzzys” weren’t enough for me.

Then I started to look at the product. What if my GTY project became incredibly successful? How would that make me look? What if every GTY project of mine turned out to be a superstar? What reputation might I receive? These are the questions that ultimately acted as the catalyst to my paradigm shift.

Next time: Jason introduces us to his GTY Project.

Technorati Tags: greater than yourself, jason lucas, leadership, mentoring

In my next post, Braden will make his first contribution to this blog with a short piece that interprets the work of a remarkable woman in light of the elements of the Radical Leap.

So, again…

…Stay tuned.

Follow Travis on Twitter
Follow Braden on Twitter

Technorati Tags: braden pivirotto, internship, leadership, resources, travis collier, twitter

“Month after month,” they say, “the foremost minds on management and leadership share their breakthrough ideas. By constantly publishing the best ideas from experienced consultants, trainers, and business leaders, the magazine is shaping organizations throughout the world.”

I was honored to contribute to the latest edition, and they were kind enough to allow me to offer the entire issue to my readers for free.

Contributors in this issue include Meg Wheatley, Jim Collins, Marshall Goldsmith, Malcolm Gladwell, Gary Hamel, my main man, Tom Peters and quite a few more.

And it’s all yours. You can download it here: Leadership Excellence June 2010

Technorati Tags: leadership, leadership excellence, magazine

The principles that I unearthed from my own experience are, I believe, things that all of us should pay attention to in any line of work: speakers, writers, accountants, lawyers, teachers, tradespeople, whatever. If you want to lead in your field, if you want to stand out, make a difference, earn an excellent reputation and succeed financially, too, then pay attention to the following.

If, however, work is just a way for you to fill in time between weekends, and you have no other outlet for your passions, use this as a way to re-think things, and see where it takes you.

These ideas are still forming and growing. For today, I’ll describe them in brief and give you a chance to ponder them. Later, I’ll describe how they’ve played out for me, and we’ll explore in more detail how you can apply them, too.

It all starts with your…

Burning Desire to Excel in Your Field. Your love for your work is the juice, the raw material and ultimately the energy that will drive you to do great things. Without your heart, you’ll just be going through the motions. Maybe significant motions, but just motions nonetheless.

Hone Your Chops. Take every opportunity you can to practice your craft, deepen your knowledge and broaden your experience.

Develop Your Own Point of View. After you’ve had a good amount of experience, and you’ve learned what the experts in your field have to say, start to ask yourself this very powerful question: “What do I think about all this?” or “If I could flip a magic switch and make everything in my field different, what would change?”

Build Your Body of Work (BOW). We normally think of an author as having a body of work, but it’s true for all of us. Every tangible bit of work you do relating to your field becomes part of your BOW. Your experience, articles (and/or books) you’ve written, your digital footprint, speeches you’ve given and panels you’ve participated in, projects you’ve led or contributed to. Even the relationships you’ve developed and nurtured. All of it. The common thread throughout is your point of view, your perspective, your voice. That’s what makes your BOW unique.

Consciously create your BOW, and expand it throughout your career. Amplify and broadcast it. Share it with as many people as possible. And if it happens that your BOW is compelling, inspiring and useful to others, it will not only set you apart, but it will create the need–the pull–for your services as a professional.

What is your Body Of Work so far? How does it demonstrate, communicate and reflect your point of view?

And that’s not a rhetorical question.

Technorati Tags: body of work, career, leadership, professional development, speaking