To Know, But Not To Do....

 

 

Among many things, I’m a Thought Collector. The thoughts that I collect are often in the form of quotes. One of my favorites is, “To know, but not to do, is not to know.” I’m not sure who said it, but it’s a powerful lesson for aspiring leaders…and followers…Okay, people in general. 

 

I often encourage the development and application of the work ethic. Dictionary.com defines “work ethic” as “the principle that hard work is intrinsically virtuous or worthy of reward.” It goes along with the saying, “Whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing well.” You’ve, surely, heard or read those two thoughts before.

 

I know that you know this but let me remind you that “intrinsically” means that it comes from you. YOU find the work worthy of doing. You do it because it needs doing. Not because someone will force you to do it. The reward is that you did the work. It identifies you as a team player. A worker. If you’re a leader, you want followers like that. People who are willing to do the work to accomplish the task. If you’re a follower and you want to succeed, do the work!

 

Here's the catch, though…. How do you know it needs doing? That, I believe, takes initiative. Dictionary.com uses the phrase, “initiating action” to describe “initiative.” Doing what needs doing without being told is a powerful trait. Yeah, I mentioned that before when describing work ethic. The two terms are like yin and yang! They go hand in hand. To know, but not to do, is not to know. You know by paying attention and by being respectful of the purpose or mission of the team or organization. You’re constantly looking and observing what needs doing that hasn’t been done and you do it.

 

It really doesn’t matter that you know you should do something. The value of knowing it is in doing it. Once you’ve done that there will be evidence that you know. I’ve had many followers tell me that they knew, or know, what they should do. When I’ve asked them if they did, or have done it, I haven’t always received an affirmative answer.

 

Leaders, Followers, People, if you know that something needs to get done and you know how to do it, then, do it! You’ll impress your leaders, your peers, and maybe even yourself. You’ll get the task done. And life will just be better. Know and do. That’s the key!

 

Until next time,

 

Be GREAT!

 

You ARE!

 

¡HEIRPOWER!

Thank you...for what?

You’re probably familiar with the adage that begins, “out of the mouth of babes….”  If I understand it’s meaning, it reminds me that “kids say the smartest things.”

 

I consider myself a serendipitous continuous learner. That is, I learn as much as I can from sources that I often don’t expect to learn from. I learned a lot from nature and gardening the past couple of weeks, for instance. In fact, I plan to write a book on what I learned. Anyway, I was out doing yard work yesterday and was unexpected joined by my 7-year-old granddaughter, JoJo. Kids, or at least mine, are more than glad to help Opa when they find it interesting. She did. Both. 

 

As we finished our work and went inside to clean up, I said to JoJo, “Thank you for your help, Princess.” She replied, “You’re welcome, Opa. What did I do?” I know that you’re saying, “Aaawww?!” and wondering “What’s that got to do with leadership?” A lot, actually.

 

I often suggest to my audiences that one can’t say THANK YOU too much. Interestingly, I also have followers who argue with me on that topic. I’m okay with arguing. It often makes me think and learn. And, as I just said, I’m a serendipitous continuous learner. Which I believe all Effective Leaders should be. Not, necessarily, the serendipitous part, though.

 

What struck me, coming from this little person, this babe, is that she validated what I often say about thanking people. Be specific. Leaders appreciate when their followers do great work continuously without being told or being supervised. I count that as success as a leader. You’ve also heard that people will continue to do what they’re praised for doing. If they know what that is!

 

Yeah, we can argue about how much praise a leader should give. But what I think you may agree with is that it should be specific. That makes it effective. Thank your followers for what they do but tell them what it is you’re praising them for and how they did it to deserve your praise. Make it a learning opportunity. “Bob, thank you for answering the phone as you just did. Your courtesy and respect to the caller made the entire organization sound professional. That’s what we want. You represented yourself and the company well. And, by the way, let’s talk about your raise….” Okay, I added the last statement to help you get a few more bucks in your pocket. You’re welcome. 

 

Say thank you. I’ll argue that you can’t do that too often, but for what? Luckily, I remembered what JoJo did to deserve my thanks and I reminded her of it. She smiled and hugged me. Thank you, JoJo for making my day! And for teaching me what’s important.

 

Until next time,

 

Be GREAT!

 

You ARE!

 

And THANK YOU for reading my thoughts.

 

HEIRPOWER!

They're Late. Now What?!

I’m teaching at the United States Air Force Academy. I’ve got an appointment with a Freshman Cadet (Four Degree). He’s late. I’m not. I was brought up on “Lombardi Time.” You know, “If you're 15 minutes early, you’re on time. If you’re on time, you’re late!” Maybe you know, but do your followers? If they do, GREAT! If they don’t, TEACH THEM! Otherwise, who will?!

 

So, I go to our agreed-upon meeting place. There are other cadets there, so I make good use of my time and chat with them. I encourage, maybe even inspire, a few. Mostly, I learn about them. I call that HEIRPOWER!

 

Five minutes after our scheduled meeting time. Then ten. The old expectation is that one waits five minutes for a professor, ten for a PhD. I don’t know who taught me that, but I’ve always subscribed to it. Now, I know that this young man doesn’t have any type of degree, but I’m still waiting. I finally figure that something has gone awry. Maybe I noted it incorrectly on my calendar. That’s happened before.

 

As I stand up to get back to my office, I see the Four Degree runnning up the stairs at full speed, two steps at a time, sweating and breathing hard. He comes up to me and says, “I’m sorry, Chief. I know I’m late, but I’m not a bad kid.” WOW, I think, what kind of culture have we created that a young man, whose life’s dream has been to attend this prestigious institution even thinks that he might be considered a bad kid for being 10 minutes late?

 

He tells me why he’s late. I accept his reason and accept his apology. I wasn’t THAT busy! We went on with the purpose of the meeting at which, by the way, I learned that one of his major problems was that he hadn’t been taught how to manage his time as a freshman at the Air Force Academy. That’s a critical skill. And it can be taught and learned. I sent him to my friend who taught a “Time Management” class to help him out. My friend helped him out. The Four Degree learned how to manage himself and eventually graduated.

 

Just in case it hasn’t happened to you, but it might, what’s your reaction when one of your followers is late? If it happens often, go deeper than what I’m about to admonish you to consider. But, say, the first, or maybe even second time.  What SHOULD you do? I studied with Stephen Covey, the author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. One of those seven habits is, “Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood.” He taught me that in person. He modelled it for me. There’s a story…. The essence of that story lies in considering “Why?” Or “What happened?” And trying to understand, without prejudice or judgement, what actually happened and how to correct it. Mutually. Not you yelling at the follower, but, together, working out the solution.

 

Danny Meyer, author of Setting the Table, suggests that when things like this happen, “Make the charitable assumption. Assume the best of people, even when (or perhaps especially when) they weren’t behaving particularly well. So, instead of immediately expressing disappointment with an employee who has shown up late and launching into a lecture on how they’ve let down the team, ask first, ‘You’re late; is everything okay?’”

This is not a default reaction. We want to know WHY ARE YOU LATE?! Not, are you okay? If you do, you didn’t need to read this. You already know it. But as Samuel Johnson once said,“People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed.” 

The power of leading lies in the relationships you create and maintain with your followers. Trust is critical to that relationship. If your followers KNOW, TRUST, that you’re not going to kill them for being a few minutes late, they may tell you some deep secret that you should know about them that you can help them with. Then they’ll trust you and follow you, which is the only reason you’re a leader.

Empathy is key. Don’t judge. Understand. Create trust. Lead effectively! Oh, don’t be late!

Until next time,

Be GREAT!

You ARE!

 

HEIRPOWER!

Promotions

I’ve noticed that there have been a few promotions, especially in my beloved Air Force, publicized all over social media in the past couple of weeks. Those announcements remind me of a couple of stories. One is good, the other, not so much.

 

I was a naïve Staff Sergeant just doing my job. But I was a hard worker, so I deserved to get promoted. And I got promoted, although I almost didn’t know it. Here’s what happened. This happened while we were stationed at Clark Air Base in the Philippines. Deb and I were at the park in the housing compound where we lived. I was assigned to the 13^th Air Force Band. For some reason, ironically, I hadn’t gone on this particular tour. The band had just returned home and I happened to see the band’s Senor Master Sergeant, since he lived in our housing area. After the usual salutations, he said to me, “By the way, congratulations!” “Congratulations? On what?” I asked. “On your promotion,” he replied. “What promotion?” I asked, confused. “To Technical Sergeant. Didn’t anyone tell you?” he asked. Obviously, the answer was no. No one had told me. Deb and I should have been jumping for joy, I suppose, since it was good news. We were more confused than elated, though. That was not exactly the best way to learn about a promotion.

           

You may have to do some unpleasant things in your duty as a leader—too many of them. One of the few good things you’ll do is promote your followers. That should be a momentous event. When your followers get promoted, find them—no matter where they are—and present them their new stripes, their certificate, their trophy, however you promote your folks. If they have family and you can include them, do it! Promotion is the acknowledgement of value. We all want to be valued. The small things you do every day to express how you value your followers are incredibly powerful. But a promotion is the institution’s formal way of expressing its respect and trust. It should be an unforgettable event—a positive, unforgettable event. We all remember every one of our promotions. And we remember who our boss was at the time.  

           

Here's another story, but this one is about how to ensure people are respected and valued even when you don’t know them. Chief Master Sergeant (deceased) Leigh Steiger was the First Sergeant for the United States Air Force Band when I met him. He was a truly great man. I was a Master Sergeant. I was TDY to his unit the day that the promotion list for selection to the rank of Senior Master Sergeant was released. I’d been called by my Chief to tell me that I’d been selected. I was grateful for that. As I walked into the Air Force Band’s building, I found Chief Steiger in his office. Since we’d never met before, I introduced myself and we started chatting. All of a sudden there was a huge commotion right outside his door that led into a large conference room. As we both went out to see what was going on, we realized that the commander and a bunch of other folks were out in the big room celebrating. He’d just announced who had been selected for promotion. There was a lot a cheering going on. Once we applauded and hooped and hollered for the selectees, Chief and I went back into his office. In as humble a way as I could muster, I told the Chief that I, too, had been selected. He beamed, got out from behind his desk, and shook my hand as he congratulated me. He then took me out to the big room where there were still people partying and asked them to quiet down, then proceeded to tell the group, who didn’t know who I was, but it really didn’t matter, that I had been selected, too. They all applauded and congratulated me. Chief didn’t have to do that. His congratulations would have been enough. But he valued me, whoever I was, as well as the importance of the occasion, enough to make it public. I’ll never forget that day, how I felt, nor My Brother Chief, Leigh Steiger. Here’s a toast….

 

Maya Angelou once said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." That’s the truth! If you have the opportunity to promote someone, do so with as much respect and joy as you can. They, and even you, will remember that moment forever. And it may endear those followers to you and your common purpose. For all who have be promoted, recently and in the past, a BIG congratulations to you! I call that HEIRPOWER!

 

Until next time,

 

Be GREAT!

 

You ARE!

 

HEIRPOWER!

 

bob vásquez!