Fine Isn't Always Fine

True Story: About a month ago, I was working with a talented co-worker to complete an action item. I asked if it would be ok to push the deliverable back a week. They thought about it and said "that is fine".

Side story: My 12 year old son is one that wants to keep people happy and does not want to burden them. He will sometimes answer a question with "that is fine". Over the years, I have learned to ask a second question -- "Fine - good, or fine - no?" He will look at me and smile, then he will tell me want he really wants to do.

Back to the True Story: Leaning on my past lessons learned (aka mistakes), I asked the follow-up question, "Fine good or fine we should not push back the date?" After some silence, they responded that it would be ok to push it back since most people would be ok with the later date. It is not ideal, but would be ok. Based on that non-convincing answer, I decided to keep digging (or being a pain -- depending on how you look at it). "So, what do you really think?" After a more little silence they said, "Well, I really think we should keep our original date. That was our promise and it is better that we keep our promise. So, I would feel better if we not let it slide."

What did we do? I agreed with their point and we kept the original date.

I decided to be a miner and kept digging by asking, "Why didn't you say what you really wanted right away?" They thought about it and said they were not sure. I shared with them that my plus feedback is that they pushed me and we made a better decision based on that. My delta feedback is that they did not share what they really wanted or thought right away. They agreed and laughed that they may end up in the blog someday.

They called it.

What are the lessons?

• Scott can be a pain.
• Share want you really think or want right away. Don't be mad if they do not agree or do it, but give them a chance by hearing your insights.
• As a leader, sometimes you have to dig for what people really want or need. The first answer may not be the real answer.

Don't settle for being 'fine'. Lead the Interstates Way!!

Scott Peterson

So You Want to Be a Great Leader...

So, you want to be a great leader. What will it take for you to become a great leader? Well, it would it take:

• More guts
• Being bolder
• Taking more chances
• Blazing new trails 

BUZZ!!! Those are not the correct answers. It takes asking for … (you guessed it) … feedback.

So, if you want to make the top 90% of all leaders possible (e.g. be in the bottom 10% of effective leaders), then DON'T ask for feedback. You will allow the other leaders to shine and you can be the caboose.

However, if you want to be a very effective leader, it is simple - ask for feedback (general feedback and specific feedback). Ask teammates, supervisors, direct reports, peers, and clients. They all have a unique perspective that will help you identify how you are doing now, as well as what you could be doing to improve your leadership and your performance.

The best part of asking for feedback is that you are in control. You are mentally prepared to receive that feedback. This means you will not get as defensive and will be ready to receive the feedback as a gift. It also validates their opinions and forces you to listen. And listening to people will help you engage them and you will broaden your perspective (and keep you humble, since you will hear all the great ideas and feedback that people have).

Ask for feedback and continue to lead the Interstates way.

Scott Peterson

I Love Getting Delta Feedback; Hate Giving It

It sounds odd, but the study linked below proves that in general, people really do appreciate delta feedback. They see it as a way to improve their performance and to be more successful. The problem is that people hate giving delta feedback.

Please take a few minutes and read this blog/study. I hope that it gives you the courage to take a chance and give someone the opportunity to improve their performance via delta feedback.

Lead the Interstates Way by giving plus AND delta feedback.

Three Little Words...Big Impact!

This blog entry is shared by David Krahling.


Following the suggestion of a co-worker, I have bought into Chris Brogan’s idea to use three simple words as a central focus for my goals for the coming year. Chris Brogan is a writer whose insight on marketing matches our philosophy at Interstates, so I was inclined to trust his judgment on this subject, too.

Brogan’s claim is that choosing three simple words will remind us of what we really want and will have a powerful impact on our ability to reach our goals. He suggests that three simple words can become part of your identify and trigger the action you wish to take, or perhaps to avoid. The word green should remind you to choose vegetables and salads over french fries and sundaes and have a greater impact than a goal to lose 25 pounds.

His website http://www.chrisbrogan.com/my-3-words-2014/ features his “three words” from previous years along with an explanation of what they meant and an assessment of how much progress he made toward his goals. 2009 - equip, armies and needles. 2012 – temple, untangle and practice. One year he had four words for his “three words.” That was not a good year for Chris.

My three words for 2014 are purpose, pause, path.

Purpose – playing on the meetings improvement initiative, being crystal clear about the purpose for doing what I am doing should help me be more effective. Recently, I made a good choice because I had this word in my head. I spent twenty minutes of quality time with one of my team members. My purpose is to lead my team. I still had to finish the project that I set aside to spend that twenty minutes, but I made a good choice because I was clear about my purpose.

Pause – The word is pause, not stop and not full steam ahead. My relationships with others will benefit from me taking a moment, just a moment to pause and reflect. I need to listen with genuine interest, not listen enough to formulate a response. I need to take a moment to reflect and then push forward.

Path – Chip and Dan Heath in the book Switch talk about preparing the path in order impact change. One of the illustrations they use is that the size of our dinner plate impacts our consumption. Not only do I need to eat from a smaller plate, I need to think about what other things I can change by altering my path.

It may be a little late to write New Year’s resolutions, but you may want to consider three words to help you focus. If you've found your three words for the year and wish to share, post a response.

David Kraling

Your Bag is Fine; YOU are Lost!

During the holidays, I had the opportunity to fly to Texas with my family. I found myself in the baggage claim department for Southwest Airlines. I have heard a few war stories related to traveling. The following story is one I will always remember:

I was talking to this little old lady who was telling me the story of her lost bag. She could not believe that the airline had lost her bag. It was not that hard and she needed it.

Then, I got to hear the story again when she told the Southwest employee. The employee politely asked for the ticket. After she looked at it, their conversation went something like this:

Southwest employee: "Ma'am, your back was checked in Jacksonville."
Little old lady: "I know."
Southwest employee: "You are in Houston."
Little old lady: "I am?"
Southwest employee: "Yes, you are."
Little old lady: "Oh my."

The employee had to tell the woman that her bag was fine --- she was lost. She had to go to the ticket counter to get on the next flight to Jacksonville.

As I reflect on this story, I have mixed reactions. It is funny. Seriously, you can't make this stuff up. But I also feel sorry for the little old lady. I can't believe the airline made that mistake (and I'm curious what they did to make it up to her).

Then, I wonder if it could apply to us. Sometimes, you think you've got it all figured out, then BANG!! You are the one that is lost; not your bag. We have all been there, we are certain that the other person messed up and we can't believe how they can be that clueless. How can they not get it?

Next time you have that feeling, ask yourself:
Am I the person that is missing something?
Can I look at the situation from a different perspective?
Did my mental model mess me up?

Before you jump on the blame train, take a step back and make sure you haven't missed something. It is much easier to recover and fix the situation if you haven't told everyone and their dog that they lost your bag. :-)

Be observant, be humble and ask for help. Our teams want to help. Lead the Interstates Way.

Are You Mentally Tough?

What does it mean to be mentally tough and why is it an important characteristic of a leader?

Be Resilient.
Being mentally tough is about being resilient. It is about handling major setbacks well; taking a failure and figuring out to do with it (not getting defensive, not dismissing it and not playing the victim).

Show Courage.
Second, a leader that is mentally tough shows courage by doing the right thing (correcting the situation) and does not let the failure hold him/her back. They keep moving forward.

Be Persistent.
Finally, it is about persistence. No matter how many times you get knocked down, you get back up. One of the things I am most proud of at Interstates is the "don't quit" attitude of our leaders. A great part of our culture is to persist and finish things well.

As a leader you have the opportunity to give your team the hope that the vision is possible and the confidence to go for it. It is always your responsibility to set the standard by demonstrating mental toughness.

The next time you have a major setback, you have a choice:
Play the victim and complain, or
Show mental toughness.

Seize the opportunity by not asking "Why me?", but by asking "What should I do with this?"

Lead by example -- Lead the Interstates Way.

Leading the Interstates Way

"Leading the Interstates Way". This phrase has closed several blog posts. But what does it really mean?

It probably means something a little different for everyone. With this blog post, I hope to get some insight about what this phrase means to you.

Your assignment is to share your thoughts. I'm asking each EIL participant and each mentor to post a comment to the blog with two ideas of what you believe "Leading the Interstates Way" means. There are no wrong answers; I am simply looking for insight into your thoughts about leading the Interstates Way.

In 2014, we want to make sure we are all "Leading the Interstates Way". So take this as an opportunity to step out and share your ideas.

I will kick it off with one of my ideas about "Leading the Interstates Way":

I believe that 'Leading the Interstates Way" means living out our Core (Core Values, Vision Statement and our Why).