Get Out of the Way!

 

I’m a Band Guy! I can’t help it! I’ve played several instruments. I’m not a singer. There’s evidence of that. I can’t stand being at an event where the National Anthem is played or sung, and the audience joins in. Most can’t sing! I know what good singing sounds like. I just can’t do it myself.

 

            Deb and I attend the Air Force Academy Men’s basketball games as season ticket owners. We have the best seats in Clune Arena, with one exception. You can hear EVERYONE singing as the middle school kids who are standing at center court singing their hearts out. Let them sing! Shut up! Sorry. I get animated when I think of this.

 

            First, be respectful of the performers who, surely, practiced a lot to be prepared to showcase their work. They really don’t need your help! Especially since you weren’t at the rehearsals.

 

            This disregard for those performers is not unlike what’s happening in our society right now. Everyone thinks they have a better version of the song and, by God, they have the right to disrespect anyone who doesn’t agree with their version!

 

            Instead of singing at the top of your lungs, why don’t you quietly hum along? That should satisfy your need to be in the spotlight without taking the spotlight away from the folks on the court. 

 

            I understand that as a UNITED States of America (although we’re not quite united lately), everyone’s voice should be heard. I agree, but at the right time and at the right place and right volume! We can’t all be right all the time. Sometimes we need to practice humility and let others share their voice, too.

 

            As I said, I’m a Band Guy! I’ve been honored to play with some extraordinary people who made up incredible ensembles. One of the characteristics of those descriptions is the humility expressed by the musicians on the set. There’s nothing like playing in a band with cats who don’t get in each others’ way. Even better, who support each other.

 

            One of my favorite mentors, Chief Master Sergeant (deceased) Jessie Brown, a great musician in his own right, once gave me a huge compliment about my conga playing. He said, “What I like about your playing, Bob, is that you don’t get in the way.” I’m not sure I’ve ever been a great, or even good conguero, but I do know that my purpose was always to support the other players, not to be the star. I see that as a form of humility.

 

            I have to admit, I DO sing. LOUDLY! In my car. With the windows up. There’s a time and place to express yourself. Be respectful of others and find that time and place. Then sing like no one’s listening!

 

            I say all of this to make a point about leading. One of the most important things a leader does is get out of the way. Respect your followers. Do the work and find out how much they’ve worked to accomplish what they’ve accomplished and encourage them to do even more. Don’t butt in. Let them thrive! It’s usually easier to do the task yourself because you can do it better. But what you’re doing when you do that is destroying the harmony needed to sustain a good team.

 

            You’ll get your chance to sing, but a leader whose interest is the team, not the self, sings background… quietly.

 

Be GREAT! You ARE!

 

¡HEIRPOWER!

bob vásquez!

Amateurs vs Professionals

 

Dr Stephen Covey shared a profound truth with me that I share with people in the service business because it’s incredibly powerful, especially when executed properly. Here's the thought…. “Amateurs sell products. Professionals sell solutions.” Read that again. “Amateurs sell products. Professionals sell solutions.”

        I retired from the United States Air Force twenty-four years ago. I remember going over to the Personnel Office as I was trying to get my retirement paperwork completed. I needed one last document to finish the process. I found the office and a young person behind the counter. I explained what I was intending to do and that I needed said document. Her eyes shone as she encouraged me to go online and download a form XXX. Piece of cake! NOT! I did download the form back at my office, but I didn’t understand many of the questions on it, nor what to do with it. I returned to the same office and found the same young person. She gave me more information. I went back to my office. Completed the form. Returned to her. After several trips back and forth, I completed everything as required, and here I am! God bless her. She could have used some guidance, but didn’t, obviously, have the tools to be a professional. She tried her best, though.

 

    What a professional would have done is understood my intent, that is, completing all of my retirement paperwork so that I could go on my new adventure, then guided me toward that end. “Chief, here’s what you need. Let me download that form for you and help you fill it out. We’ll do it right here and right now. Do you have all of the other documents you need? If not, we’ll fill them out now, too.” See the difference? Now, you may say that the young person had other things to do than to take care of an old Chief who was, evidently, worn out. But the time and effort we both invested in the product, could have been better invested in the solution.

 

    What does that person you’re intending to serve need to reach the final solution? Does the person have all the resources needed to accomplish that? If not, do you? If not, can you find someone who does?

 

       I’m convinced that we all want to be known as professionals by those we serve. It’s not that difficult to be so. But it starts with knowing where you need to go and making the time to do it right. Every person we serve deserves that. We all start as amateurs, but success will come when we’re professionals. Amateurs sell products. Professionals create solutions!

 

       Until next time, Be GREAT! You ARE!

 

                   ¡HEIRPOWER!

                             

                                  Chief bob vásquez!

 

Know and Care!

 

You may have heard the kind-of-a-joke that goes like, “What’s the difference between ignorance and apathy?” the answer being, “I don’t know, and I don’t care.” It’s almost funny, but as my mentor, Dava Flowers, suggested in an email, maybe we should think about those two topics because the Youngsters are looking for a better answer. Dava is a Youngster. She’s twenty. A college student. She’s a leader in the Civil Air Patrol (CAP). The email was about Dava and Nicholas Tupper, also a Youngster, and CAP Cadet, had hosted a "Fight Apathy" Meeting “where young people from my school can come together and share leadership stories and humanitarian ideas with other students and the leaders in my community.” Do you see why these Youngsters have become my mentors?

I, way too often, hear Old Schoolers complain about our Youngsters, they may be your followers, who live in an “all about me” culture. All they care about is themselves. Maybe. But if that’s so, where did that culture come from? They didn’t create it. They inherited, or assimilated into, it. I’m convinced that our followers, including our Youngsters, care. I think that, by Nature, they have to care. The challenge is what do they care about? That’s where we Oldsters come in.

How many times have you heard that (always others) “they don’t know what they don’t know?” That’s ignorance. We’re ALL ignorant of something! In my case, many things! I’m okay with that. I try to make up for that by learning as much as I can about as much as I can. Maybe you, Leader, should find out what your followers do, or don’t, know (which, by the way, would make you less ignorant) and help them to know! Interestingly, Dava’s note referred to action as she stated that her goal was to get her peers to “ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING.” One of my most favoritest adages is, “To know but not to do is not to know.” I’m not sure who said it, but it’s a profound thought. As a leader, you’re charged with leading. Duh…! Where? YOU don’t know unless you know what your followers know! And that takes getting to know them. Start there! Once you know what they know, or don’t, you can, with them, set a direction for growth. And you know what you’ll accomplish that’s deeper than you anticipated? They’ll know that you care! WHOA! My leader cares! What a GREAT climate to live and work in!

Your followers care. They do! About what? Find out! Then guide them toward assimilating what they care about with what you care about and what you BOTH care about. There’s power in that! When we all care about the same thing, we’re likely to do something about it, as Dava expects from her peers. But until you make the time to get to know them, YOU won’t know what they don’t know.

Notice that I introduced Dava as my mentor. I’ll soon, I hope, write a book titled PowerPact Mentoring, which will be based on a workshop I do. Traditionally, the mentoring process is an Old Schooler guiding a Youngster toward some end. We live in a new world. Dava and I will soon launch a podcast that we’re calling Creating Leaders of Character. Her main purpose in that project is to help me to know what I don’t know. Help me reduce my ignorance of who our Youngsters are and how they think. I don’t really lead anyone anymore, but as I encourage you to be a leader, I need to know about our followers so that I can give you better advice.

So, (as all Youngsters start every sentence) get to know your followers and show them that you care. Life, and leading, is so simple once you understand the complexities! Know and care! That is all!

Be GREAT!

You ARE!

¡HEIRPOWER!

Chief bob vásquez!

Happy Interdependence Day!

 

Independence Day! Fourth of July!  Words that conjure up visions of neighborhood barbecues, family reunions, hometown parades, afternoon concerts in the park, fireworks, and…you get the picture!  Great ways to celebrate!  Celebrate what?  Independence?  Yes. Historically, Fourth of July celebrations commemorate the anniversary of U.S. independence, but few of us really think about that as we enjoy the day and the long weekend.  Do you?

 

What I think about on this most important day is celebrating interdependence!  When we use the term “United States,” we usually think of a country bordered by the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans on the east and west and by Canada and Mexico on the north and south.  Geographically, that is correct.  However, what’s really most important about the United States is its internal makeup.  People!  People of diverse backgrounds and cultures that somehow accept each other, for the most part, and interact, combine their efforts, and become one nation.  

 

Do you remember the concept of the melting pot?  It was the idea that someday all of the different cultures represented in the U.S. would combine into one.  I refer to that idea in the past tense because I’m not sure anyone subscribes to it anymore.  Not too many years ago, another concept evolved using the illustration of the salad bowl.  The idea of the salad bowl is that it takes many different individual ingredients to make up a healthy dish.  Each of which is important to the whole.  You can have a salad without some of the ingredients, but it won’t taste the same, nor will it maintain its health value.  Such is the culture of the United States.  People who call themselves African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, Italian Americans, Irish Americans, and the list goes on, each have their own individual histories, traditions, and cultures that, together, make us one people. We call ourselves, and each other, Americans.

 

There is nothing that any of us can do on a daily basis that isn’t somehow dependent on someone else to do their part.  What’s made the United States a great nation is that we’ve accepted each other’s differences and have built on them.  As Dr Stephen Covey said, “Unity is not sameness, it’s complementariness.”  He went on to challenge us to “celebrate the differences!”

 

As we celebrate Independence Day and the freedom that comes with it, consider that the greatest freedom is the opportunity to appreciate the many different contributions our neighbors and coworkers have made to helping us enjoy the life we lead. Be grateful for that.  We’re all different, but we’re all the same.  We’re free because of what we do for each other.  Think of this day, the Fourth of July, as Interdependence Day! 

 

 

Isn’t this a GREAT day to be an American?!

 

HEIRPOWER!

 

bob vásquez!

Help Helps!

 

Years ago, I added Yoga to my daily startup routine. I enjoy it because it helps me get in the right frame of mind to start my day. It’s a form of meditation as well as stretching. I prepare my mind and my body for the day. Anyway, not too long ago, I decided to add a couple of minutes of meditation, which I’m not very good at, to begin each session. I do this via an audio recording of the Yoga Master Rodney Yee.  

    It's almost interesting that I found that although those additional two minutes of pure meditation, which are just a clip from the rest of the audio recording, are meant to help me relax and just be, before I do, it’s very difficult for me…until Sensei Lee starts talking and tells me to do what I was supposed to be doing without his guidance. Once he tells me to relax, I do so much more effectively. Help helps.

 

    I grew up in a culture where being “manly” was how I was supposed to behave. Serving in the military didn’t help that. Especially as a senior leader. I learned to “power through” whatever ailed me. I was a leader, by God, and leaders don’t let their followers see them sweat. (I even said that to some of my proteges.)

 

    There’s nothing wrong, and a lot RIGHT, with seeking help. Most of us aren’t so good that a little help might not help us empower ourselves to be even better. Sometimes we call those helpers accountability partners, sometimes we call them coaches. We even call them physicians and mental health providers. My best help, though, is my bride. She guides me a LOT! Except when we have to decide where to have lunch….

 

    I coach and mentor many folks. None of those relationships are formal. I just do it for them as needed and wanted. And, interestingly, they coach and mentor me in return. 

 

    Humans are relational beings. We need help to be our best selves. Unfortunately, there’s a stigma attached to seeking it. I’ll go out on a limb and say that it’s probably more difficult for men to seek help than women. Women are a lot smarter than men. That’s the truth!

 

    If you aspire to be a leader, especially an Effective Leader, you’re going to need help. None of us does it alone. Speaker and author, René Brown, talks a lot about vulnerability and its importance to our health. Effective Leaders are vulnerable. And their followers appreciate them for it.

 

    I’m going to continue to strive to reach enlightenment for a couple of minutes without Master Lee every morning. I’m not sure I’ll reach it. But I do know that I’ll come closer once I hear his voice. Help helps! Seek it when you need it. Unapologetically! We all need it. It will help you be a better you. And we need you to help us be us!

 

      Until next time, Be GREAT! You ARE!

 

                     ¡HEIRPOWER!

 

bob vásquez!

 

Real Success!

I hope you’ll make time to read a book by Viktor Frankl titled Man’s Search for Meaning. It will open your eyes to many things you hadn’t thought about before.

In the introduction, Frankl writes that “success must not be pursued, it must ensue.” The word, ensue, if you’re not familiar with it, means that it is a result of something. When we pursue, we set our sights on that thing, and if we’re “truly focused,” that’s what we’re engulfed in doing. When something ensues, it’s almost a serendipitous conclusion that’s based on behaviors and actions that affect others more deeply than the conclusion itself.

I’m going to go out on a limb and state that all of us want to succeed. The important questions are "At what? and “How?” I recently saw a poster that read “Great leaders don’t set out to be a leader…they set out to make a difference. It’s never about the role - always about the goal.” I’m not sure who said it, but I think that’s what Frankl meant as well. The goal, or success, being making a difference.

Leading requires passion. Effective Leaders are passionate about helping others empower themselves to become who THEY can be, not what the “leader” wants them to be. Another great quote I recently came across says, “The first thing you should know about me is that I am not you. A lot more will make sense after that.” Again, an unknown author.

If your goal or your purpose, your measure of success, is how many people you’ve turned into you, or a semblance of you, that’s not success. Success in leading is when a person becomes who they were meant to be, and you, somehow, helped them become so.  

My life’s purpose is to help others achieve theirs. Not mine. I know that my purpose may not be everyone’s. It took me decades to figure that out. I encourage you to consider that even if you don’t agree with someone else’s purpose or mission in life, it’s okay. As My Brother, Dave Campanale, taught me, get over it!

Whether you’re leading at work or at home, figure out what your followers dream of becoming, respect them for it, and help them out as best you can. The world needs all of our successes, not just the ones we consider right.

Real success is making a difference. That difference is in helping others be themselves.

Be GREAT! You ARE!

HEIRPOWER!

bob vásquez!

Mentors and Mentoring

 

Mentors are important! Some of my mentors don’t know they are…my mentors, that is. I’ve had several, and still do, each of whom has mentored me in different areas of my life. My longest-standing mentor is Chief  Master Sergeant (Retired) John Sterle, who was the first to see me as a Chief. I’ve tried to emulate him since I first met him. Not sure I meet the mark, but I’m still giving it all I have.

Sometimes, we become mentors without knowing it, like Simon Sinek, Stephen Covey, Don Miguel Ruiz Jr, Robin Sharma, DJ “Eagle Bear” Vanas, Dr Tom Boyd, Mother Theresa, and others are to me.

I remember, then Master Sergeant Al Thompson, who was the Commandant of the Airman Leadership School at Kapaun Air Station in Germany, inviting me to speak to his students just after I’d arrived at Ramstein Air Base. He’d attended my Noncommissioned Officers Academy at March Air Force Base California, while I was the Commandant there. I accepted his invitation. I was struck by his introducing me as his mentor of many years. I didn’t know! We’d kept in touch, and I suppose I’d guided him once in a while, but I didn’t know I had a TITLE! I was proud, of course, but a bit bumfoozled at the same time. By the way, we’ve maintained a strong relationship for decades. 

Writing is how we’re mentored and mentor nowadays. Mostly on some type of social media. I, personally, write like I speak. I think you’d agree if we’ve ever talked face-to-face. I like the reader to feel as though I’m speaking directly to her or him. I like to read the same way, as if the author is speaking to me, specifically. That’s why I say all of the folks I mentioned above are my mentors. We have continuous personal conversations every time I read something they’ve written. I’ll admit, though, that the best mentoring is eye-to-eye, when we can listen to each other’s hearts as well as the words we exchange.

I developed a mentoring process several years ago that I may develop into a book one day, but what I want to impress upon you in this writing is that we often think a person is big enough and wise enough to mentor us about everything we seek help with. Not necessarily. Seek several mentors in their specific areas of expertise. Simon mentors me on youngsters and current leadership views, Dr Tom mentors me on spiritual issues, Don Miguel often guides me and verifies my understanding of the Toltec and Yaqui ways. DJ mentors me on my writing. Oh, I forgot Deb, my lovely bride of forty-four wonderful and fulfilling years. She mentors me on how to be a loving husband, which is the most important role I play on a daily basis. Oh! Can't forget my girls and their families. I try to mentor, not judge....

My mentors lead me in their expertise, and I’m more than willing to follow them. BJ Neblett said that “we are the sum total of our experiences.” Maybe. Don’t disregard learning from others’ experiences. Many folks near and far would be willing to mentor you. Just ask.

 

Until next time, Be GREAT! You ARE!

 

¡HEIRPOWER!

 

bob vásquez!

The TRUTH About Leading!

 

Everyone wants to be a leader! You see it online, on social media, in books, EVERYWHERE! Let me ask you the most powerful question you’ll ever be asked as a leader. Who is the toughest, yet most important person you lead? I bet you had all kinds of names and faces, maybe even events, that awaken your memory, ha? I know that I did when I first asked myself that question.

The toughest follower you’ll ever have is YOU! Yes, YOU, yourself. You see, whenever there’s a follower/leader relationship with another person, there’s more of a chance for practicing accountability. I didn’t say that there’s more accountability, but that there’s a higher possibility. Most of us will, at least, consider the consequences of not living up to a promise we’ve made to someone. But the consequences of not living up to a promise we’ve made to ourselves are seemingly excusable. I know, I’m an expert! I’m so good at excusing myself when I choose not to do something I said that I would do, that I have each excuse numbered. I’m not gonna workout today because...number four! The next day, it’s number twenty! But if I told my Accountability Partner that I’d be there at seven tomorrow, chances are I will. I make not like it, but I will. Speaking of will, that’s what it takes to be accountable to ourselves, willpower.

Let’s assume that you agree with me. How can you change yourself to fix yourself? I’m convinced that self-leadership begins with knowing what’s really important to you, your values. We always do what we think is important at the moment. Always! Make some time, or discuss your values with your Accountability Partner, and make some commitments to living by what’s most important to you daily. Your commitment to your values will drive you to discover your purpose. Once you realize why you do what you do and that it’s your purpose for your life, it will drive you. Envision what accomplishing that purpose looks and feels like. “YES! That's me!” will be your motivation. And consider how you influence others as you practice being your true self. Be careful not to let factors influence you away from your purpose, though.

Like everything in our lives, the more we practice leading ourselves, the better we’ll become at it. I’ve always said that if you can see it, you can be it. But ya gotta do the work! This is the work.

You want to be a good leader? Lead yourself first!

Be GREAT! You ARE! HEIRPOWER!

bob vásquez!

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Vision is Powerful!

 

Vision is one of the most important attributes of an Effective Leader. You probably already know that, though. But what’s critical is that you can communicate it to your followers. Now, being a wordsmith of sorts, I know that words can be powerful. But words lose their meaning when they aren’t supported by actions. They gain strength by example, by modeling, particularly when it comes to leading.

 

You’re not going to be an Effective Leader by just telling people what your vision looks like. Your effectiveness will result from SHOWING others what that means. Effective Leaders are also Great Teachers. As Admiral Bobby Ray Inman once said, “A great teacher never strives to explain his vision. He simply invites you to stand beside him and see for yourself.” Chances are, you’ll probably need to use words, but the real effectiveness will result when you can show others what you mean, when they, too, can see your vision.

 

As Thomas Edison famously said, “Vision without execution is hallucination.” If your vision is to lead a group of Effective Followers and Leaders, you have to be one yourself. And when they behave as you do in accordance with that vision, you have to explain the effects of it so that they can continue to behave that way themselves. Leadership guru, Warren Bennis said that “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” First, YOU have to do that, and as you model that vision, as you explain and nurture it among your followers, your team will also do it. That’s the power of vision.

 

Until next time,

 

Be GREAT! You ARE!

 

HEIRPOWER!

bob vásquez!

  

When’s YOUR Bye?!

 

I’m an NFL fan only around this time every year. I watch football on Sundays because Deb makes some incredible popcorn for me. Hey! Full disclosure. One of the interesting things about some sports is what is known as a “bye.” Knowing this term is important if you want to fit in with the folks who are actual fans. Who has a bye is very important. As it should be.

 

Apple AI describes this phenomenon as “A bye week in sports, particularly in the NFL, is a scheduled week during the season when a team does not play a game, allowing players to rest and regroup. Each NFL team has one bye week during the 18-week regular season.” 

Okay, you started reading this because you’re interested in leading effectively. Well, here’s the point. WAIT! Let me tell you a story first. It’s my nature.

My family and I are stationed at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. I'm the Deputy Director of the Family Support Center, serving about 40,000 Americans in the Kaiserslautern Military Community. I'm at my office. In civilian clothes. On leave, at least officially. I'm working on my Master's Degrees at the time and have to submit some paperwork to the University of Oklahoma office, which happens to be on the top floor of the building my office is in. I head up, looking for Heidi Kennedy, the young lady in charge of that office. I submit my paperwork to her, and we start to chit-chat. She asks me why I'm in civvies. Attempting to be cute, I tell her that "you'll always know when I'm on leave because I'll be in the office in civvies." That's kinda cute, isn't it? Man, does she set me straight as she asks, point-blank, "What do you think you're showing your Airmen? That they, too, should take their leave and go to work in civvies?" Reevaluation moment right there! I never did that again. And I made sure my followers didn't do that, either.

 

I’ve always led. Always! And one of the things that I was taught that I should do to be an Effective Leader is best described by a commercial from the 60’s. Yeah, I was around then. Believe it or not. The tag line was “The best never rest.” I learned how to emulate that admonishment. I became a workaholic. All of my peers were, too. I may share my updated perspective on that thought with you sometime, but for now, I want to tell you that it’s stupid!

 

If you’re to lead effectively you have to take care of yourself, FIRST! And always. Yeah, that sounds selfish but let me tell you that you cannot give what you do not have. AND your followers are watching. They’re going to do what you do, not what you say.

 

The key to that description of “bye” is “allowing players to rest and regroup.” You HAVE to rest! You DO! Or you’ll break. You WILL! Trust me! Commit to giving yourself a bye whenever you need it. Look forward, not backward. I shoulda doesn’t work here. Put it on your calendar. RIGHT NOW! I’ll wait! Now, live up to it so that you can live longer and more effectively. When’s YOUR bye?!

 

Until next time, How bout dem Cowboys?! 

 

HEIRPOWER!

bob vásquez!

Never Assume That You Communicated!

 

The youngster in charge of a crew I had moving a ladder comes up to me and announces, “Chief, we got the ladder put up where you said to.” I trust him, but I should verify. I ask him to accompany me to where I asked him to have the ladder placed. As we get to the spot I wanted it in, I look around, but there’s no ladder there. “Where is it?” I ask the youngster, who gives me a confused look. “We put it over there,” he points to a totally different spot. “I said I wanted  it here!” I reply a little perplexed. Now, we all know that communication is a key element of leading effectively. And if you analyze that story, you’ll find that there are two communication failures. The first failure is easy to notice. The assumption is that the youngster didn’t listen to me. Or at least not attentively enough to know exactly where I wanted that ladder placed. I remember being young. My mind ran at a lot faster speed than it does now. It ain’t old age! It’s the altitude! Anyway, in my zealousness, I was intent on getting a lot done, which meant that I didn’t listen as well as I should have. I was, often, in such a hurry to get things done that I didn’t do the right things nor did them the right way, because I wasn’t listening as I should have. The first failure was a followership issue. A good follower listens! The second failure is the leadership failure. We ALWAYS, or at least almost always, assume that what we said was heard and understood. Just a few minutes ago, Deb, my lovely bride of forty-eight wonderful and fulfilling years, sent me off to get some takeout. You may be wondering what that has to do with leadership. If you’re married, you know. As I finished placing my order, the voice emanating from the squawk box asked if I had a loyalty card and suggested I give the person at the window the number. I know we have one, but I wasn’t carrying it, so I called Deb to ask her for it. She reminded me that she’d told me that she would take care of it when I got home, just make sure to get the receipt. Here’s where she went wrong, not I! She assumed I’d heard her and understood what she’d told me. NOPE! If she told me, I was focused on something else, like finding my car keys. You ever listen to someone while you’re looking for your car keys? Ain’t happening! The leadership failure we often make is in thinking that what we said was, first, heard, then understood. That’s an honest assumption, but a communication failure, nonetheless. As George Bernard Shaw said, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” If you’re ever to be an effective follower, which all effective leaders are, you have to listen, especially if you’re being given instructions. If you’re ever to be an effective leader, you have to ensure that what you say is heard and understood. Start with talking THEIR language. Not yours. Ask the listener if she/he understood and ask them to tell you what they heard. Now, do it in a kind and professional way. If you’re rude about it, they won’t listen to you at all. Yes, communication is critical for any team to succeed. Don’t assume anything. You know what it does to you and me! 

 

Until next time, Be GREAT! You ARE! 

HEIRPOWER! 

bob vásquez! 

What’s Your Legacy?

 

A legacy, by definition, is “a gift.” I looked it up! When you lead, you’re providing a gift to your followers. If you’ve done it right, you’ve given them a gift that they will, in turn, pass on to THEIR followers. That’s the value of leaving a legacy. And we all do…leave a legacy. I’m convinced that most of us, if not all of us, would prefer to leave a legacy of being good leaders.

 

The other day, I was walking the halls of the United States Air Force Academy when I noticed a young captain leaning against a wall, looking at his cell phone, probably texting. As I came upon him, he acknowledged me by saying good morning, and as he did so, he noticed who I was and smiled as he almost proclaimed, “Chief Vásquez!” People do that! Often, with the expectation that I remember them. I’ve met a lot of people in my short time on this earth. I can’t remember them all. It ain’t old age! It’s the altitude! Anyways, I said hello and, not being able to help myself, I stopped to chat with him. Yeah, I know that not everyone has time to listen to my stories, but most people respect me enough to humor me. I appreciate that.

 

The captain reminded me that he’d been one of my students about seventeen years ago. Man, I REALLY don’t remember that far back! We talked about the workshop he’d attended with me. I asked him if he remembered what I attempted to teach him. He did! Not everything, but some things, which is, I think, enough. What he recalled most was how I made him feel, which was “good.” Empowered is what he described. Empowered to strive to be a better person daily. That’s my legacy.

 

As I said before, we all leave some kind of legacy. What will yours be? When you leave the team, group, or organization that you’re a part of now, what gifts will you leave those who remain? What will they say about you? You know they will, right? What would you LIKE them to say? You can control that to some degree, you know, by your behavior. If you want people to remember you as kind, be kind! Loving? Love! You catch my drift.

 

In my life, the measure of success, especially as a dad, which is one of my most important roles, is that my daughters know that I love them. The test is when I tell them that I love them and they respond with, “I know.” One of my favorite maxims is, “When you came into this world you cried and the people rejoiced. Live your life in such a way that when you leave this world the people will cry and you will rejoice.” Strive to leave a legacy that people will appreciate. Start now!

 

Until next time, Be GREAT! You ARE!

                                             

¡HEIRPOWER!

 

bob vásquez!

 

 

 

The Key to the Many, Is the ONE!

 

Dr Stephen Covey taught me that the key to the many, is the one.  We often think that being an effective leader is tied to leading lots of people. Although the truth is that it’s often more like leading lots of cats. We often believe that the more people we lead, the more effective we must be as a leader. That’s all rubbish. We can “lead” a lot of people and be totally ineffective, as well as lead one person who makes a huge impact on the world and others. The numbers are all relative. Except one. 

 

The key to leading is modeling. You can talk all you want, until you’re blue in the face, and still no one will follow you. But what your followers WILL follow is what you do. Good leaders are good teachers, and the most effective way to teach is to show, especially in the realm of leading. Hence, the importance of that number, one. The key to the many, is the one. I added what makes that statement incredibly effective, I think. “I am the one!” It’s ME! I make the difference. I wish that I’d been able to study with another great Effective Leader who epitomized this entire essay, Mahatma Gandhi. You may remember one of his most profound teachings, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

 

I remember my granddaughter, Nieves, probably five years old at the time, doing something that intrigued me. I asked her, “Nieves, why do you do that that way?” She looked me in the eye, almost surprised by my question, and answered, “Because YOU do, Opa!”

 

If you want to be an Effective Leader, you have to behave like one. You have to do what an Effective Leader does. Jim Cathcart, author of The Acorn Principle, asks another question that every Effective Leader should ask daily, several times a day, as a matter of effectiveness. His question is, “How would the person I want to be do what I’m about to do?” 

 

Be that person. An Effective Leader. Act like one. The key to the many, is the one. YOU are the one!

 

Until next time, be GREAT! You ARE! 

 

HEIRPOWER!

 

bob vásquez!

 

 

The Mystery of Leading….

 

One of the mysteries of leading is whether or not you made a difference. Did your guiding, teaching, caring, loving help to make that person a better person? More often than not, we’ll never know. That old saying, “We don’t know what we don’t know,” is powerfully true when attempting to lead others, maybe ourselves, too. I’ll have to ponder that one.

 

    It’s great when you DO learn whether or not “they got it.” If there’s evidence that they didn’t, you’ll quickly question what you might have done differently and more effectively. Don’t burn yourself out doing that. Too many external influences to figure that out.

 

    What a blessing when you discover that your effort DID work! I was with my daughter and her family in Missouri a couple of weeks ago. Elyse is my baby, so whenever she asks me to do something, I do it. You know what I mean if you have a daughter or daughters. Shortly upon my arrival, Elyse asked me if I would be willing to speak to the sixth graders at the middle school where she works. I love kids! All of them! I accepted her invitation after asking what she wanted me to talk about. Character and leading were what she was looking for the kids to get some guidance on. Those are my specialties, so I accepted, not realizing that she wanted me to do four talks that week. Hey! Anything for my girls!

 

    I talked with all of the sixth graders about making good choices and some of the virtues of good character, selflessness being one of those. As I just said, I didn’t know if they got it. I believed they did, but no way to know, until I did!

 

    I talked with my 11-year-old granddaughter’s class on the last day that I was there. Pequeña, my 11-year-old granddaughter, was in that class. She was like a sponge! She heard every word that I said, evidently. And understood the message. That evening, as we prepared to watch a movie together as a family, Pequeña asked if anyone wanted popcorn. We’re a popcorn-loving family, so everyone raised their hands. She was excited about popping that popcorn for all of us. She did, then filled a bowl of it for each of us. She’s a good popcorn popper, by the way. As we began watching the movie, I noticed that she didn’t seem to have a bowl of popcorn. I asked her if that was the case. She acknowledged that there hadn’t been enough for everyone, so she served everyone except herself. WHAT?! She’s eleven! What eleven-year-old kid does that?! Well, Pequeña does. She hadn’t said anything. She would have gone without had I not noticed. Luckily, her mom suggested that there might be a bag in the cupboard. She found it, popped it, and shared it again, this time, taking some for herself. You know that Warriors don’t cry…but sometimes our eyeballs sweat. Who’s crying? I’m not crying!

 

I can see that scene in my mind and my heart as if it were just occurring. There’s little better than knowing that HEIRPOWER! does exist and that you and I can help our followers and loved ones create it. Whether we’re “successful” will remain a mystery, but also a blessing when it’s validated. THANK YOU, Pequeña, for being you!

 

Until next time, be GREAT! You ARE!

 

HEIRPOWER!

 

bob vásquez!

Hispanic Heritage Month

Every year around this time, I’m approached by people with the same question,  “Hey, Chief,”  they ask,  “why do we have to have Hispanic Heritage Month?  Aren’t we all Americans?”  I never argue that a bit, but there’s more to it.  I’m sure you know we celebrate African-American/Black History Month in February, Women’s History Month in March, Asian-Pacific Month in May, Hispanic Heritage Month in September/October, and Native American Month in November.  The purpose of those observances is to educate those of us who don’t know a lot about those cultures, and to acknowledge the contributions those groups of people have made to our own American heritage. 

 

What makes America great is its diversity.  If you’ll look around you (go ahead, no one’s watching), you’ll notice that what we call America is made up of people from all kinds of cultures, from different parts of the country, or the world. We’re all different, yet we’re all the same. We share the same basic values that make us Americans. We’re invested in making our country and the world a better place for all of us to live. We believe in a democratic system of government where the people have a say in what and how we live. What makes America great is that, although we have different and diverse needs and desires, even though we’re all different, we’ve been able to synergize all those differences to form one unified family that allows us to be ourselves and to accept each other.

 

            We used to talk about the American Melting Pot.  An honorable idea, but I’m not sure it’s attainable.  Why?  Because there is very little, if any, chance that we’ll all “melt”, that we’ll all assimilate, that we’ll all be the same.  And I’m not so sure we all want to be the same.  I think it was General George Patton who said, “If two of us are thinking the same thing, we don’t need one of us.”  There’s a marked difference between thinking the same thing and thinking with the same purpose in mind. Diversity means we can think differently but attain the same goal.

 

The concept of the American Salad Bowl comes closer to describing the culture we live in.  The illustration of the salad bowl describes a dish that, as a whole, is its own entity, delicious and healthy.  What gives that dish its flavor and wholesomeness is all of the different ingredients that make it one.  Each ingredient adds its own contribution to the whole.  Any part of it that’s missing will affect the end result. 

 

            Dr. Stephen Covey said that “unity is not sameness, it’s complementariness.”  If we are to be united, we have to be willing to accept, appreciate, and celebrate each other’s differences. 

 

There’s plenty of propaganda stirring people to adopt a victim mentality when it comes to diversity. Accept your heritage as part of your identity. And contribute what you can to make America great. We can be great only by each of us behaving in that way. Learn as much as you can from everyone you lead, you follow, and you live with. We’re all different, yet we’re the same. We’re Americans! Together, we can go forward!  

 

                           ¡ADELANTE!

bob vásquez!

 

Effective Leaders Don't Ping!

 

I’m going to assume that you’re familiar with the word “ping.” I suppose the next closest term to that is “freaking out.” Whichever term you prefer, Effective Leaders don’t do that.  A critical trait of an Effective Leader is the ability to remain calm, especially when all hell breaks loose. I’ll, again, assume that you know what THAT term means. If not, ask someone senior to you and count your blessings. An Effective Leader practices that meme that’s so familiar that starts with, “Stay calm,” and often describes an event that most of us don’t want to stay calm about. But how does one stay calm in the midst of assumed chaos? Here are some tips in the form of questions to ask yourself BEFORE you freak out. BEFORE is critical, by the way.

What do I know? We make decisions based on the information we have. Before making rash decisions or statements, assess what you know about the event. Ask trusted colleagues to tell you the truth. That may include your followers. They may know more than your fellow leaders. Leave emotion out of it. Just the facts, Ma’am. (Google that.)

What don’t I know? Once you’ve assessed what you know, what DON’T you know? Again, it will probably serve you to ask others. Expand your circle so that you don’t get the same information from the same people you asked the first question of. There’s often more than one perspective on the same event. Objectivity is key. You probably don’t want to ask someone who’s pinging what happened.

Who knows? Again, your fellow leaders or colleagues will probably have a different view from your followers or other bystanders. You want to make the best decision possible. You also want to know who did what. Don’t accept opinions. What was seen, not presumed.

What’s best? Having assessed as much information as you can gather, what’s best for the team, the organization, or others affected by your guidance or decision? Remember that there may be some who don’t agree with your decision, but they don’t have the information, nor gone through this process, like you just did. 

WRITE IT DOWN! Ok, you may not know how to write if you’re a young leader, no disrespect intended. Capture it on your iPhone so that you can go back and review all the data you have to make the best decision. You may have to go through the process a few times, depending on the severity of what happened.

Do stay calm. Be as objective as you can be. Do these things as quickly as you can, but no quicker. Back in the day, there was a deodorant commercial with the tag line, “Don’t ever let them see you sweat.” That’s good advice. Stay cool and calm. Be systematic about how you make decisions, and you’ll be able to control yourself from getting emotional and pinging. Don’t do it.

 

Until next time, be GREAT! You ARE! HEIRPOWER!

bob vásquez!

When Do We Quit?

 

I’ve been watering and nurturing three plants in my backyard since spring began here in Colorado. I can’t tell you when that began because the seasons in Colorado are haphazard at best. We’ve already had winter and autumn this summer. Like they say, If You Know, You Know.

 

It's September now, and the seasons are in the midst of changing again. Soon, it’ll be cold, and I won’t even think about watering those plants. I’ll probably get rid of them in a few weeks. They’ll have outlived their value. Maybe….

 

A few years ago, I nurtured a plant all summer long. It began humbly, but through my efforts and its perseverance, it eventually blossomed into a beautiful plant. Until fall. Fall usually hits Colorado abruptly. That year, it did. All of a sudden, my plant stopped growing and soon died. Not willing to surrender completely, I kept the plant in my garage all winter. A few months passed. One morning, when it had gotten almost warm, I noticed that plant in my garage. It was beginning to revive itself. I don’t know that I’ve ever been happy about a plant recovering, but I was this time. I immediately began re-nurturing it. And guess what? It came back with full force. Within a week or two, it’d regained its nature, and by spring it was beautiful again. I, of course, took credit for its health.

 

You may be wondering what this has to do with leading. It’s almost natural to give up on things once we’ve decided that they’ve outlived their value. Even people. But when do we truly know that that’s the case? As leaders, do we give up on our followers after they’ve reached a plateau, at least in our view? Do we throw them away and get new ones next season? I think that happens more than we realize. Joey had so much potential. I provided him with every resource that I could. He grew. He excelled. And then, one day, he just stopped improving. I replaced him with Dorothy, who, like Joey at first, was an unstoppable dynamo. 

 

Maybe we shouldn’t quit nurturing our followers. Maybe they, like all of Nature, reach a point where they need to revive themselves. Maybe we should accept that and keep nurturing them, not as hard, but hard enough to keep them alive through the revival period, so that they can come back in full force. 

 

When do we quit on our followers? I say, NEVER! You never know when that person, whom you hired because of their potential, has reached that potential. Keep nurturing them. They may be about to blossom. Don’t give up on them! Their best is yet to come!

 

Be GREAT! You ARE!

 

HEIRPOWER!

 

Chief bob vásquez!