Culture Creators are Critical

One of the things that I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about in recent months is culture and the importance of people that create culture.  As I walk through different phases of my life, I find that’s it’s easier to identify smart/capable people than it is to find people who can create a productive, positive culture.   This thought process started while thinking about organizational changes in my work life, but I decided to think through my other circles and decide if the same principle applies to culture creators.  I thought through church, little league, professional organizations, neighborhoods, etc., and the most valuable people are those that create a positive culture.  On the other hand, those that standout as not awesome in each of those situations isn’t based on IQ, education, max bench press or how well they dress, but their inability to contribute to a positive and productive culture. 

            Now for the really fun part of this blog, how are you are creating culture?  Identify the number of circles where you might participate or lead; think about work, hobbies, faith, professional organizations, etc, and consider about your impact.  Pat Riley once said, “Great teamwork is the only way we create the breakthroughs that define our careers”.  Are you a member of the team that raises the level of play for everyone, or are you a member that only looks for your opportunity to score?  I would encourage everyone to take 5 minutes and write down the opportunities you have to improve you have to be a better Culture Creator and identify 2-3 people you can learn from. 

-Richard

Do Negative People Make You Dumb? Maybe...

We all know negative people, right?  I'm guessing someone just popped into your mind; maybe a neighbor, friend, coworker or family member?  I remember early in my career hearing a manager say "I'm cutting all negative people out of my life!" and my thoughts ranged from wanting to help negative people have a better mindset to realizing that I may have to move to the North Pole to accomplish that goal.  I think every leader has the responsibility to encourage negative people (there could be underlying issues that need to be addressed), but there is the responsibility to guard against being dragged into the negative tornado.  There are situations where I walk away in an effort to avoid the negative people in work or social settings, and come back to the conversation when it changes.  If the conversation is always who someone dislikes in an election, why we can't get something done in a project, how other people always make mistakes, etc., it's just not worth my time.  Smart positive people know why they vote for people, how we can solve problems in projects, find people that are doing things the right way and praise them/learn from them.  I recently saw a clip on the national news on how spending time with consistently negative people can make you dumber, which immediately made sense.  I know that feeling!  At the end of my thoughts, I'm not saying we should cut people out of our lives, but we should be on guard against the negative impact of negative people.

Why Boxing Makes You a Better Leader

Almost everyone in a position with any amount of responsibility lives what I call an "integrated life"; we have laptops, tablets and smartphones so that we can be plugged in 24/7.  Sometimes it can be very difficult to unplug and have time for your thoughts to decompress, but there are rare occasions where activities require our full attention.  For a few months, I boxed at a boxing gym (not currently) and one of the things I realized as a side benefit is that when you are boxing, the only thing you think about is boxing.  Trying not to fall, miss, forget to breathe or get embarrassed by some teenage kid with great coordination is all consuming.  What does this have to do with leadership?  It allows for creativity to build!  I would often find that after leaving the boxing gym my creativity would accelerate and I would have productive business ideas for the next day.  I would go home and make notes in my Moleskine; yes, I still prefer a notebook over all of my gadgets.  Now, I'm not saying that everyone should box but I am saying that everyone should take time to decompress and allow for creativity to reactivate.  Find one hour this week and do something to unplug, decompress and allow your creativity to flow.