Anticipation or Anxiety?

This week's blog post comes from Scott Peterson.

We can be our own worst enemy or we can be our best asset. It depends on our mental model/perspective/attitude. When we look at things through a lens of anticipation instead of a lens of anxiety, we can experience greater fulfillment. 

What is the difference between anticipation and anxiety? 

• Anxiety is the fear of what might happen (experiencing failure in advance, negative, etc.)
• Anticipation is the excitement about something that is going to happen (preparing for something that you enjoy, positive, gives you energy, etc.)

To quote The Most Interesting Man in the World (from the Dos Equis commercials) -- "I don't always use my lens of anticipation, but when I do good things usually happen."

Anxiety can pop up for a ton of different reasons (unexpected changes, tasks we are avoiding, tough subjects or conversations, etc.). When I operate from a fear-based perspective, my anxiety increases and my productivity, energy and fun drop dramatically. The reason for this is that I spend all my time thinking about all the different things that could go wrong (before they do) and then I procrastinate. It is a vicious cycle.  

Anticipation is also thinking about the future; however, it is the antonym of anxiety because you're looking at things from a positive perspective. For example, ask yourself, "What if I lean into this tough conversation?" There are many positive outcomes:

• You could have a stronger relationship with that person
• You might be able to really help him/her be more successful
• You could help him/her grow as a person
• And many other possibilities

In the next week I am going to approach situations with the lens of anticipation, and as a result I will have less anxiety when problems pop up. 

Please share one example of when you or someone you know took the anticipation highway and avoided the anxiety tunnel.

Have a great week and continue leading the Interstates way!

Scott Peterson

Leading with Integrity

This week's post comes from Doug Post.

Sometimes the morality of "being a person of integrity" gets in the way of integrity's workability. So let's set the moral component of integrity aside for a moment.

From a performance perspective, integrity means, "I do what I say . . . every time." Integrity is based on honoring and keeping your word. That’s why Interstates has defined integrity as "being honest and forthright in all our dealings."  Honesty and integrity are two sides of the same coin. Michael Hyatt puts it well: honesty is making your words match reality; integrity is making reality match your words.

In the workability sense, the Nazis had tremendous integrity. They said "we will kill the Jews and create living space." They went and did it at such a level that it took the rest of the world to stop them.

There is little integrity in the world. Doctors say they will see you at 11:00 a.m. A coworker says he will have a report ready by noon. Government leaders say they will act in the best interest of the country. But doctors have "waiting" rooms, coworkers often disappoint us,  and government leaders act in their own best interest. This is not always the case, but integrity is an all or nothing game.

Zig Ziglar said, "The most important persuasion tool you have in your entire arsenal is integrity." Choosing to live in integrity is the greatest commitment you can make to those around you. It is an essential value of high-performance groups.

When you lead your next project team, consider asking the people in your team to live in integrity for the duration of the project. Set a rule that there are no small or big promises; there are only promises, and all promises will be kept. You may stir up a strong knee-jerk reaction--the invitation to live with integrity terrifies people. It is not easy to be true to our word, but do you want to be involved with a project in which deadlines become "guidelines" and meetings start "around" nine o'clock?

In a high performance culture, a "yes" means you're done. In a low performance culture, getting a "yes" means you still need to follow-up, plead, renegotiate, explain delays, postpone other projects, etc.

To lead others with integrity requires you to embody and teach three skills:

1. You must understand what you have been requested to give your word to.
2. Say "yes" only when you mean it and are willing to act, even at personal cost.
3. Get very good at saying "no," because that is going to be your most common response.

Integrity is the source of trust. Trust enables intimacy with others. This gets us back to the broader, moral perspective of integrity that we simply cannot forget!

At Interstates, we build relationships through integrity. Leading with integrity includes discerning what is right and what is wrong so that what we do is best for the people we lead and serve. It also means avoiding the dark side of integrity: holier-than-thou, rigid, pushing personal standards on others, always saying exactly and completely what we think, etc. Our value then becomes a vice and we no longer build relationships.

Integrity is not easy, but it is simple: do what you say. "Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'" (Matthew 5:37).

Where do you believe we live and lead with integrity?  Where don't we?

 

Continue Leading the Interstates Way!

Doug Post

External sources: The Primes by Chris McGoff and Executive EQ by Robert Cooper

5 Questions as You Start the New Year

 

As 2014 comes to a close, consider this post from Mark Sanborn who shared this list of question on Linked In. Read his full post here.

 

Answer These 5 Questions for a Successful 2015:

1. What are you going to say 'no' to this year?
2. What is the most important thing you plan to learn?
3. What habitual time waster will you eliminate?
4. Which relationships, personal and professional, will you focus on improving?
5. What one thing will you do extraordinarily well to create the greatest success in your work?

 

Happy New Year!

Continue leading the Interstates Way!

Scott Peterson

Perspective and Priorities

This week's post comes from Dave Crumrine.

The Holidays are coming fast. For many of us, it can add even more stress to our already busy lives. 

From a leadership perspective, holiday activity is an event, an environmental condition, something that is going to happen (whether we like it or not). How we engage this time is an important choice. To lead ourselves through it well, we need to keep our perspective and follow our true priorities.

Often, the key in self-leadership is simply making choices. Saying yes to one activity will almost always require saying no to another; that's where priorities come in. I would encourage you to make your choices based on what is really in your heart, do it joyfully and do it with a foundation of what your true priorities are. 

Priorities emerge from our perspective. I have grown to really enjoy the opportunity to reflect during the holidays. Whether it is part of my faith practices or simply thinking about the right things while I am in the midst of what others might be saying "humbug" about.  Opportunities like:

• Really reflecting during all that extra driving or traveling time about what is really important to me in my life. Really quieting the mind and "listening" to what pops in there.
• Understanding and celebrating what really brings joy to others when I consider what gifts to share with them.
• Reading those Christmas letters and cards from far-away friends and really connecting with where they are and the joy they are experiencing in their lives. 
• Truly listening when I am reconnecting with people that I haven't seen for a while and making both of our lives richer with those conversations.
• Using the "non-routine" time and days to refresh my body, mind and spirit and come back with more clarity and purpose.

I’m not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions because they have become so cliché, but I am a fan of having a time to deepen my perspective and reset my priorities. If that’s a New Year's resolution ritual for you, go for it. If you have another ritual or time to do it, make sure you carry through on it--it is an essential part of growing as a leader. If you don't have an annual ritual of renewal, you should develop that time and way to go deep on what is important to you and why. For some, it might be an annual reexamination of your Personal Mission Statement or other exercise. Without a time to reflect, your perspective will be weaker and you priorities will be more difficult to set (and follow) because they risk being shallow and may constantly change. 

Only with a solid leadership foundation can we lead ourselves with clarity and conviction. Only then will we be prepared to lead others.

Post a response on some ways you refresh your perspective or check your priorities.

 

Continue Leading the Interstates Way!

Dave Crumrine

A Thankful Leader

This week's post comes from Scott Peterson.

Last week we celebrated Thanksgiving. It’s a day set aside when many people take the time to reflect on the past year and recognize those things or situations for which they are thankful. 

It’s easy to forget to say those two simple words that could really make someone’s day. Thank you. Sometimes that is really all that people want to hear. They want to know that the things they are doing each day are making a difference to someone. But we get busy and put it off. 

If you have attended Excellence in Leadership, you have heard about “planned spontaneous recognition.” Sometimes I think that Sid is a genius. Look for those things around you that are going well and then show your appreciation. There are many ways to do this; some are elaborate and some are very simple. That’s the great part – there isn’t one right way to do it. What matters is that you’re making the time for it. I want to encourage you to say those two words – thank you – not just during Thanksgiving, but throughout the year.  

Now it's time for a blog brainstorm. As a way to help others out, please share one suggestion in the comments of how to thank someone. It can be something simple, unique or grand  The point is just to generate ideas that others can use.

Oh - and thank you!    

 

Continue Leading the Interstates Way!

Scott Peterson

You are Unique

This week's post comes from Catherine Bloom.

I recently attended the first session of EIL1. During that session participants are challenged to think about their worldview and develop their own personal mission statements. To be honest with you, I had not spent much time thinking about my worldview. During the session, I started to jot down some of the items I feel are true about my world. I ended my list with the following comment: "I feel good about who I am today, and I didn't always feel that way. I want others to feel good about who they are."

Several years ago, I heard a sermon that helped to shape that thought for me. Like any good sermon, the message had three important points. I have thought back to those points and realized they can apply at home, at work and in almost any circumstance in life. Here's how I see those applying at Interstates.

1. Each one of us is in a unique circumstance.
We all have unique roles, work on different projects, and interact with various employees, clients and vendors. No two jobs are the same or require the same approach.

2. Each of us has a unique personality and unique experiences.
Our DISC profiles describe our diverse personality traits. Because we are wired differently, we approach problems from different angles. In addition, we each have unique life and work experiences. We have different educational backgrounds and different degrees. Some of us have worked at a number of other companies. Others have worked at Interstates for 20+ years and have a deep knowledge of our business and customers.

3. We all have the opportunity to uniquely influence others.
Our different personalities and various life and work experiences can make us a better team. If we are willing to share our thoughts and listen to another's perspective, the team will dream of better solutions. Your perspective may be exactly what the team or a co-worker needs to hear. And sometimes what you need to hear may not be what you want to hear.

Last week, I read the article found below about Becky Hammon. Becky was recently named the first female assistant coach in the NBA. The article outlines Becky's unique drive and personality - she is studious, intellectually curious, has a strong desire to get better and grow and possesses a natural basketball instinct. Becky had a number of unique experiences including sitting next to the San Antonio Spur's head coach on a transatlantic flight which led to her current position. She now has the opportunity to influence and coach some of the greatest basketball players in the world.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2241483-the-can-do-kid-becky-hammons-incredible-journey-from-rapid-city-to-the-nba?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial&hpt=hp_t2

Becky Hammon is unique. You are unique. You bring a unique personality and different experiences with you than the person sitting next to you, and that should feel good. You don't have all the answers, and you likely can't see all the sides of an issue, but you can be confident that those around you (who bring their own unique personality and experiences) will help to expand your thinking while you expand theirs. If we embrace our uniqueness and who we are created to be, we will be a stronger team.

How can you utilize your unique personality and experiences to influence your team this week?

Continue Leading the Interstates Way!
Catherine Bloom

What's Your Class Label?

This week's post comes from Jack Woelber.

Remember when you were in high school and people would talk about the class above of you or the class below you?  They might say things like “wow, that’s a really rowdy class,” or “that class is really competitive” or something along those lines.  It seemed as though each class had a personality of its own.  How did those classes get labeled as such?

In an article written by Joseph L Badaracco Jr. entitled “The Discipline of Building Character,” he suggests the actions or path one takes over the course of time makes up one’s character. 

I’d like to suggest the high school class ahead of you that had that “personality” was not the character of the class but instead the character of the kids in the class who had influence.  The actions and path the leaders in the class took made up the personality of the class. 

As leaders in an organization, it is no different.  The actions and paths of those who have influence make up the character or personality of the organization.  Take Enron for example.  I’m guessing something comes to mind as you think about that company’s character.  The same holds true for Apple, GE, or any other well-known company. 

As a leader at Interstates (I’d like to remind you of Doug Post’s last blog post that you don’t need people reporting to you to be a leader), the actions or path you take over time makes up not only your character, but also influences the character of your team and the company.  What do you suppose our clients and vendors would say about our class?  Hopefully those speaking of our class would say we are dependable, have integrity, are trustworthy, produce quality, and value family. 

My challenge for all of us is to use our influence to lead the Interstates way. 

Continue Leading the Interstates Way!

Jack Woelber