“addressing their four core needs — physical, emotional, mental and spiritual — so they’re freed, fueled and inspired to bring the best of themselves to work every day.”

1. Pick a project.
2. Do what you can do.
3. Divide and conquer.
4. Ask for feedback.

The idea is that you try it.

“You manage projects. You lead people.”

We teach “management” skills that are appropriate for projects, but get applied to people. We have a boatload of “managers” on all levels that are great with projects and terrible with people. But, they don’t know any better because they only know how to “manage.” That is what our schools teach. Doesn’t matter what field or area of expertise. “Manage”.

People are not projects. They (we?) are not managed. They are inspired. They are challenged. They are not managed. 

Organizations should take a look at their organizations and retrain (or eliminate) “managers” no matter the level.

Get some leaders.

Needless to say, it was tense.  After landing the Captain was standing at the aircraft door.  I asked him how many landings he had  had to make like this.  “Excluding simulators?” he asked.  “One.”

I am glad that he had spent all that time practicing so that when there was a need for crisis management, he was ready.

Is your business ready if you “lost an engine”?  Have you practiced what you would do in the event of a crisis?  Your employees are depending on you.

Sit down, TODAY, and begin to write out your plan of action in case of a crisis, and then begin to practice it.  At some point your business will need you to be ready.

Once you decide what word or phrase you want to track (and using Google’s Advanced Search feature, you can narrow your searches), you have a lot of options.  Do you want to search all the internet, or just blogs (or other areas)?  How often do you want to be updated?  How many results in each email?  Maybe you would rather have it as a RSS feed in your Feed Reader?

This is a great way to track mentions about you and your company, keywords in your field, as well as people in your field.

You do have to have a Google account (you mean you don’t have one?) but it is an easy way to keep up.

How do you lead when you don’t have any “official” power?  You can’t command, you can’t fire, people don’t even have to listen to you.  So what do you do?

I have often found myself in this position.  For years I have worked with organizations largely staffed with volunteers.  They were there because they chose to be.  And they could choose to leave tomorrow.

Now I find myself in places as a consultant/contractor.  They are paying me for my advice, but they don’t have to do it.  I can recommend processes and changes to accomplish the goals they desire, but those recommendations can easily be ignored.

So how do you lead in those times?  My answer is you lead by influence – on the people you work with and the culture you work in.

I have been rereading Kouzes and Posner’s book The Leadership Challenge again, and I am struck by how often you can replace the word “leader” with “influencer”.  If you change that word, their five key points become:

• Influencers challenge the process, searching for opportunities, experimenting and taking risks.
• Influencers inspire a shared vision, envisioning the future and enlisting others.
• Influencers enable others to act by fostering collaboration and strengthening others.
• Influencers model the way by setting standards of excellence and achieving small wins.
• Influencers encourage the heart, recognizing contributions and celebrating accomplishments.

The last chapter tells how you can get to these five points.  I recommend the book (and maybe I have been a little bit of an influence in your life today).

I am in the middle of two projects, both of them similar.

Project 1 – Building a Fence

During this winter our dog had puppies.  While we are waiting for those who are getting them to pick them up, they need a place to run and play.  So, I am fencing in some of my yard.  It gives them a safe place to play.  Otherwise, they take off to places they shouldn’t go.  It gives them freedom within boundaries.

Project 2 – Writing a Social Media Policy

I am writing a social media policy as a part of some work for a client.  They have various things in place – blog, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube – but are unsure how to use them because they don’t know what they can and can’t do.  So, the policy gives them permission to be free to use these tools, within certain boundaries.

See the similarities?

Fences are not bad (though they may be put up with bad intent – a whole ‘nother story).  They provide safe boundaries for activity.  Social media policies are not bad (again, the “bad intent” thing can be there).  They give your employees, volunteers, interns, etc. a safe boundary for activity.

Building fences and writing a social media policy each take work.  But each can give you incredible benefits.

So go build a good fence.

The temperature is in the upper 30’s this morning, which brings me to my problem: “Do I start a fire in the fireplace?”

This is not an exercise in aesthetics.  It is a practical question.  The front part of our house is heated by a wood burning fireplace.  My office is in the front of the house.  The temperature in this part of the house is cool but not unpleasant right now.

But the temperature is expected to drop.  Will I be chilly?  Will it really get colder?

So I have to make a decision about starting a fire.

A wood burning fire is a commitment. 

• It consumes fuel I prepared thru hard work and sweat.  Do I really need to use up my resources now?
• No instant on or instant off switch.  I have to plan my time for the end of the fire as well as the beginning.
• If I light it, it requires some attention and care throughout the day.  It cannot be neglected.  Feed it.  Stir it.  Watch the bed of red embers grow and glow.  It takes time, some skill, and some luck.

Do I treat my daily projects the same way? 

• Have I counted out my resources to see if I have enough for what I will undertake?
• Do I see how I am going to have to be involved from the beginning to the end?
• Am I willing to give the project the attention it has to have?

So I ask myself the question, “Do I really need to start a fire?”

Yes, I do.  Think carefully, and you may see that you do, too.

Feel free to share them yourself.