Sometimes, slower is faster….

You ever been in a situation, as a leader, that you didn’t have time to do what needed doing? Like, you had too much to do to really do that one thing, but it needed to get done so you did it anyway…as fast as you possibly could. But shortly thereafter, (it’s always shortly thereafter) you realized that you did it wrong. Wrong enough that you had to do it again. Now, you REALLY didn’t have time to do it. And you were mad at yourself for having wasted the time you did doing it the first time. But you got 'er done. Quickly. Wrongly, but quickly.

 

Back in my day, maybe yours if you’re an Old Fart like me, there was an STP commercial that proposed, “Pay me now or pay me later.” STP was an oil additive that supposedly made your car engine run smoother and longer. The premise of the commercial was that you should invest whatever it cost to add STP to your engine now so that you wouldn’t have to pay to have it repaired later. I guess that’s a good idea, as long as it actually works.

Basketball Coach Extraordinaire, John Wooden, once said, “If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?” Sometimes, slowing down to do something and doing it right, will be a lot faster than doing it over and over again. I served for fifty years in the United States Air Force. When something went wrong, the first thing we’d do is do it faster and harder. That should work! But if it didn’t work, we’d do it even faster and even harder. We’d always get it done quicker even though it would take a lot more work. Most often, it still didn’t work. Because the way we did it was wrong. But we figured it out very quickly. If we’d slowed down and done better analysis, we would have realized how to do it correctly the first time. Sometimes, slower is faster.

I know that I’m speaking to the choir. You take the time you need to think about how to do whatever you do correctly before you start, kinda like the carpenter’s rule, “Measure twice. Cut once.” Or maybe you don’t. If you aspire to be an Effective Leader, do that. Make sure to take the time needed to ensure that you do it right the first time. As Peter Senge said, “Go slow to go fast.” Sometimes, slower is faster. 

Until next time,

Be GREAT! 

You ARE! 

HEIRPOWER!

Know Thyself!

 

Know thyself. That’s one of the most powerful two-word admonishments I’ve ever considered. Equally powerful is Aristotle’s suggestion that “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”

It may seem selfish to start with knowing yourself, but you can’t give what you don’t have. And if you don’t know what you have, you won’t be able to share it. If you don’t work on you, it doesn’t matter what you try to do for others. What you see is what you’ll be and what THEY see is what THEY’LL be!

How do you see yourself? What is your self-vision. You have to be confident in who you are if you’re going to lead others. People will not follow a leader who is not confident. Now, there’s a difference between confident and cocky. Don’t be cocky. No one will follow you then. Confidence requires humility. We often confuse humility with ego. There’s a huge difference between a strong ego and a big ego. People who have a big ego go around telling others how great they are. People who have a strong ego don’t have to tell anyone anything, they just show how good they are and share their talents with those they lead.  

Here’s the bottom line…if you see yourself as weak, as incompetent, as a dirtbag, you’ll fulfill that prophesy. You’ll act like that and soon become it. If you see yourself as strong, humble, competent, as a leader who helps others empower themselves to fulfill their purpose, you’ll become that the more you practice it! It's your choice.

Back in the day, we were taught to work on our weaknesses until they became strengths. I’ve been there and tried that. It doesn’t work! If you’re naturally weak at some things, all the work in the world won’t make them strengths. New thinking suggests that you should work on your weaknesses so that they’re not deficits, but invest yourself in developing your strengths. Do what you’re best at and hire someone to do what you’re weak at. You may even help others in your strength areas that are weaknesses to them. That’s win-win thinking.

We see others more clearly than we see ourselves. Why? Because we see ourselves by our intentions. We see others by their actions. We may mean to do something, but not do it. Others did do it. Effective leading begins with YOU! How well do you know yourself? How do you see yourself? See yourself as a Shining Star! See yourself as competent and confident. And then you can see your followers as such, too. 

Until next time, Be GREAT! You ARE!

¡HEIRPOWER!

bob vásquez!

The Difference!

 

Well, the battle for the Commander in Chief’s trophy is over. That’s the United States military academies’ most coveted award, at least for football players and fans. The military services’ “friendly” rivalry between each other is embodied by that trophy. Watching those teams compete is a highlight of the season. What’s even better is seeing beyond the sport at what those youngsters will soon become.

Whenever you see any of our military academy’s athletes perform, you should note that very very few of them will become professional multi-million-dollar players upon graduation.  The military academies, by all standards, are as good, or better, than an Ivy League school in the country. The academic standards all of the cadets and midshipmen have to live up to are as high, if not higher, than most schools in the nation.  In addition to having to live up to extreme academic requirements, they’re constantly training in athletics, character development, and military leadership.  Their typical day is packed, and I do mean packed, with mandatory learning all day long and many weekends and holidays.

While the purpose of other colleges is to enable their students to make a lot of money, or at least a lot more money than they would without a college degree, the purpose of the academies is to ensure that graduates are prepared to go into, and lead others into, battle to protect the country.  Other schools may train future CEOs.  The academies train Warriors.

Whenever I see those future leaders on the field, whichever field they may play on, I don't see future professional athletes.  Oh, they may dream of being the next professional GOAT, but they know the reality of their future is not in product endorsements.  What I see on that field is men and women who will soon (to them it's not soon enough) willingly jump into the cockpit of an airplane, onto a battleship, into a tank, or some other type of warfighting vehicle, being shot at by others who will do anything to destroy our way of life.  I see leaders who will do what's right because it’s the right thing to do.  I see Warriors whose ultimate purpose in their lives will be to serve, not to be served.  There are no other academic institutions in the country so focused on teaching their students the highest ideals of moral courage, than our academies. 

The difference is that other schools teach their graduates to make a living, and that’s okay. American military academies teach their graduates to save lives even at the risk of their own.

I can't tell you how proud I am of each of our cadets and midshipmen.  While serving at the United States Air Force Academy, I couldn’t wait to be among those I saw every day.  We often refer to them as the best and brightest. Their GPAs validate that.  More importantly, they are what will one day be considered the greatest generation.

At the end of every game between academies, when all has been said and done, our cadets, middies, and coaches gather together in front of the rest of the Corps, the Brigade, the Wing, remove their helmets, hold hands and sing their respective service song.  It's a toast to those who have gone before and who have sacrificed their lives for the freedom we enjoy.  It's also a commitment to doing the same after the uniforms have been put away and the final buzzer has sounded.

I’m proud of all of our cadets and midshipmen, not just for winning and not just for doing what they do.  I’m proud of them all for who they are. They’re Warriors! American Warriors! Isn't this a GREAT day to be an American Warrior?!

Until next time, Be GREAT! You ARE!

¡HEIRPOWER! 

                 bob vásquez!

The Ultimate AI!

 

AI is one of the most prevalent topics in our country, probably others too. Of course, you know AI as Artificial Intelligence. That’s ONE description. The AI that I’ve been encouraging for decades is ALL IN! Okay, you may be confused as to why I would promote a poker term. I’ve never played that nor any other card game. So, no, it’s not a card game term I’m referring to. 

 

My mantra for decades now has been ALL IN! I cue my audiences by asking, “Are you in?”

Answering ANY question with “ALL IN!” is a declaration of commitment. Being ALL IN! means giving 100 percent. When we give 100 percent, that’s our best…all we’ve got. The term we used back in the day was “work ethic.” I’m not sure we value having a work ethic anymore, much less a 100 percent commitment. Often, it seems, people want the reward for just showing up, not for doing the work required. 

I discovered my AI, ALL IN!, while reading Pat Riley’s book, The Winner Within, where he wrote, “There are only two options regarding commitment. You're either in or out. There's no such thing as a life in-between.” Actually, there is. It’s called mediocrity. Do you strive to be mediocre? Most of us would prefer great, or, at least, good.

As a leader, you expect your followers to give 100 percent, don’t you? The only way to teach someone how to lead is to show them how. That means that YOU have to be ALL IN! if you expect your followers to do so. 

I think there’s a very close correlation between ALL IN! and excellence. A lifetime ago, CMSgt (Retired) George Moriarty taught me that excellence is not perfection. It’s about giving your best to all you do. None of us will ever be perfect, but all of us can give all we’ve got. Former President Jimmy Carter wrote a book another lifetime ago titled, Why Not The Best?, that’s based on an interview with Admiral Hyman Rickover who asked him if he’d always given his best while a midshipman at the Naval Academy. President Carter answered honestly… that he had not. Why not, was the admiral’s follow-up question. You’ll have to read the book to gain President Carter’s perspective.

Sometimes, our ALL IN! isn’t enough. There are times I’ve given everything, but it just wasn’t enough. But I know it was all I had. Could I have given more? No. At the end of the day, if you’ve given all you had, that’s all anyone can ask for. 

Why aren’t we always ALL IN!? We all have our reasons. Sometimes, they may even be rationalizations. You know what we produce when we rationalize? Rational. Lies. Dr Stephen Covey taught me that.

I’m not advocating for you to give so much that you kill yourself, but you can give all you have for that moment, hour, day, to ensure that what you produce is the best you can.

I’m convinced that our country, as a culture, needs to revisit the idea of AI. We need to recommit to embracing the right values and exemplifying them to the best of our capabilities on a daily basis. Imagine how great we'd be if everyone gave their best at being our best! Imagine if we replaced AI with AI…ALL IN!

Are you in?!

They're Always Watching!

People may not do what you tell them to do, but they WILL do what YOU do, so be careful and deliberate about what you do. As General George Patton said, “We’re always on parade.”

 

It’s the very first Black Thanksgiving! You know, when stores started opening up with HUGE (Yeah, RIGHT!) sales Thanksgiving evening. 

 

My daughter, Elyse, invites me to go with her to Walmart this particular Thanksgiving evening. I love her so much that I accept. Actually, there IS something I want to buy, because it’s “half price!” I never did the research to see what the original price was, but the ad said “half price” so I’m in. ALL IN!

 

Here’s what was bumfoozling, the sale starts at 2300 (11 PM for you non-military folks.). Got that. But Walmart is open 24 hours. How’s THAT gonna work? Not very well, really, read on….

 

We figure there will be a lot of folks taking advantage of all the great sales tonight, so we’d better get there early. If nothing else, we can get in line. I LOVE getting in line. I’ve served in the Air Force for 50 years. I KNOW how to get in line. Sometimes, at a store, I’ll see a line and get in it. I don’t have to know what the line is for. It’s a line. I’ve been trained. I get in it. It’s a habit.

 

SO, we get to Walmart about 2200 (10 PM.) As expected, there are hundreds of people throughout the store. And there are lines. I’m like a puppy on a leash. Let me get in line, PLEASE!

 

Oh, don’t let me leave you hanging. The item I wanted to buy that was “half price” was a trampoline. My daughter, Tesa, has two daughters and I thought it’d be a great gift for them. It actually was.   And it was “half price!” Where’s the line?!

 

Elyse heads to find her own line (She’s been in the Air Force ALL of her life. Literally.). She’s watched me get in line all of her life. So, she, too, knows how to do that. I’m trying to figure out where they might have trampolines. AHA! Let me ask. I notice an already-frazzled manager walking by, so I stop her and ask her. She sighs, one of those “I wish I wasn’t here” sighs and tells me to follow her. She takes me way back to near the tire sales in the corner of the store. She points to this big pallet of boxes under a sign that says “Trampolines.” As I turn to thank her, she proclaims to me, and everyone around, that the sale starts at 2300. Please don’t take the boxes until then.

 

What do people do when they’re told not to do something? What they were told not to do! That’s exactly what happens. The manager leaves and people start putting trampoline boxes on their carts. Now, let me tell you, in case you’ve never bought a trampoline. If you have, you know what I mean. Those boxes are heavy, Man! I’m not sure what the actual weight is, but they have to be several hundred pounds. People are struggling to put their boxes on their respective carts and the carts are barely able to hold them up. And, of course, they don’t fit INSIDE the cart. You just kinda set the box on the cart just to roll it over to the cashier. (BTW, all of the cashier stations are manned for this event! If you shop at Walmart, you know what a surprise that is.) 

 

I’m watching all of these folks put trampoline boxes on their carts and I get to thinking that I better do the same, before they’re all gone. And it seems to be the American thing to do. I’m ALL IN!

 

As I huff and puff, attempting to get this incredibly heavy box onto the cart I “borrowed” from someone who wasn’t paying attention to their cart, hence not protecting it, and you know, you snooze you lose, I hear a voice like out of the heavens ask, “How you doing, Chief?!”

 

Time stops. Like in the movies. I look around and everyone has frozen in their steps. I look toward the source of the voice only to see a couple of my cadets.  At the time I was teaching at the United States Air Force Academy’s Center for Character and Leadership Development. Every cadet had to go through my class. It was a graduation requirement. Which means that they all knew me. “How you doing, Chief?” 

 

“I’m fine,” is my reply. “How are you?” “We’re good. Whatcha doing?” Okay, so what am I going to tell them? “I’m violating what the manager just admonished us are the rules for tonight’s sale. THAT’S what I’m doing!” Okay, Okay, I think it, but, luckily, I know the difference between outer voice and inner voice. I keep it inner voice. “Just trying to make my granddaughters happy,” is my lame reply. “Oh,” they say as they look at each other, then at me, obviously, not sure what I mean. “Well, have a good evening,” they smile, as they keep looking at me.

 

Look. I’m on a fixed income. This item is “half price.” If I don’t take it now, I may not get one. You’d do the same thing, wouldn’t you? Don’t judge me. We’re no different. 

 

Folks, they’re watching! Always! Our followers, our students, our kids. They’re watching us. It’s how they learn. It’s how WE learned. If we’re going to be Leaders of Character we have to live up to, and value, integrity in everything we do. We have to be ALL IN! ALL THE TIME! We have to model what we want others to learn from us. What they see is what they’ll be. (Whew! That was a good sermon, wasn’t it?)

 

I choose to do the right thing. I put the trampoline box back on the pallet. And I become the sheriff. It’s fun, actually. I stand there and, in my command voice, tell folks who are about to put a trampoline box on their cart that the sale won’t start for another half hour or so and that they are not to take them until then. It’s amazing what people will do, or not, when you act with authority. Oh, I get plenty of dirty looks, but I’m used to that. I’m a Chief!

 

Finally, 2300 (11 PM) arrives, I put one of the trampoline boxes on my cart, I look over to see my cadets, but they’re gone, and I pay “half price” for my item. The hardest part is getting that stinking box in my Jeep. As I’m about to walk away, that stressed-out manager comes over and thanks me for maintaining control of that pallet, which was empty by 2305, by the way. Kinda makes me feel good to do the right thing.

 

Integrity is doing what’s right when no one is watching AND when EVERYONE is watching. Someone is ALWAYS watching! Do the right thing anyway. We learn by watching. Make sure that what people are watching you do is BEING integrity.

 

Until next time, be GREAT! You ARE!

 

¡HEIRPOWER!

Leaving a 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 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! Anyway, 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, organization, that you’re a part of now, what gifts will you have left those who remain? What will they say about you? You know they will, right? What would you LIKE them to say?

 

A decade-and-a-half ago, a good friend and colleague rushes into my office, a concerned look on his face, and proclaims, “Chief!” “Sir,” I reply as I stand for him. He sighs with relief and looks me over as he says, “I just got an email from a friend who told me that Bob Vásquez had died! So, I came in as fast as I could to make sure it wasn’t true!”

 

Now, THAT’S never happened! Plenty of stories about me have been told, but I’ve never known THAT story to circulate! I immediately looked myself over to ensure I truly WAS still alive. I even pinched my arm, just to make sure. Interestingly, a gentleman by the same name HAD passed away. I know because I went over to the library and found the man’s obituary in the local newspaper. He was my age, had two daughters, was originally from New Mexico...there was an uncanny resemblance, not physical, but in life events. I bought a copy of the paper and cut out the obit to look at once in a while to remind me of the inevitable course of life. What’s NOT inevitable is my, your, legacy. I’ll ask again. What gifts will you leave behind? What will they say about you? 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!

Welcome Home!

 

My daughter, Elyse, graduated from the College of the Ozarks in Branson, Missouri. One summer, as we delivered her to the campus, we found out that they’d just opened the Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theater in town. 

 

You’re probably too young to know, but back in the day, all of us youngsters used to watch American Bandstand religiously. It was on television. In black and white. It came on Saturday afternoons. It was our connection to what was hip in the music world. It was hosted by the ageless Dick Clark. Ask your grandparents about the show and Dick Clark. 

 

So, the Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theater opens up in Branson the same weekend we’re in Branson. The headliner is Paul Revere and the Raiders, one my most favorite groups ever! I MUST see them! I ask Deb, Elyse, and her future husband, Jeremy, to join me. I cop some good tickets and we attend the show.

 

During the show, right in the middle, Paul Revere has EVERYTHING going on on stage that you can imagine, singers, dancers, smoke, fireworks, horses, you name it. As all of these things are happening at once, he, all-of-a-sudden, stands up from his keyboard and shouts, “STOP!” And everything does. And then he says, “All of you Vietnam War Vets, please stand up.” There were half a dozen of us in the audience. We all stood up. And then Paul Revere says, “Welcome home!” He then returns to the show. Sorry. I get a little choked up when I recall this.  

 

You see, all of us vets agreed that day that it was the first time anyone had welcomed us home. Some of my Veteran Brothers were in wheelchairs, some were supported by canes, all were older than I. When we returned from the Far East back decades ago, none of us had received a welcome of any sort. In most cases, it had been the opposite.

 

Many have sacrificed themselves, their health, mental and physical, to protect this great country of ours. Consider thanking them when you get the opportunity. As one of my new friends said that day, “We did it for you!”