Still Stretching

I'm driving my daughter to take the ACT (college prep) exam today. Ugh. I hate those things: the stress, the waiting for the results, the exhaustion when complete. And that's just me the parent. I bet it will be hard for her, too! Ha!

The funny thing is, I think I have declared at least twice in recent memory that I had taken my last standardized test. I'm sure that after the GRE exam for graduate school I thought I was done. I was certain that after taking the Professional Engineer exam I would never take another one of those killer tests. So guess what I did this week? I signed up for another! I will be taking the Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for new construction exam in June.

Ugh. I don't know the first thing about it. I looked at the study guide and I don't recognize any of the topics or sample questions. So why put myself through this? Do I like the pain? Do I not have enough to do already? Am I a glutton for punishment? No, no, and...maybe!

I am trying to push myself. Like so many of you, I think it is important to keep learning new skills, to demonstrate to myself that I have not finished learning, that I can still stretch, that there is still room for improvement (and in my case...a lot of room!). I am not the smartest guy in the room by any measure but...this is a challenge. And I like challenges!

I read a story several years ago about a 90 year old woman who was returning from a lifetime of missionary work. She had labored for decades in remote parts of countries that most of us would never include on our fantasy vacation list and was finally coming home. And at 90+ she certainly was ready. So in the interview they asked her what she intended to do now that she was finally home. Would she ride out her last years in a retirement community, enjoying a well earned break? Not this one! I was floored when I read that she wanted to learn to play the piano, pick up a new language, write a book, and visit some other unheard of countries! She was still growing. Wow!

That is what a lifelong commitment to learning and growing is all about. None of us can ever say we have reached our full potential. And none of us should ever believe that we are no longer going to challenge ourselves to improve, to stretch, to be the best we can be.

So, I'm taking another test. I'm going to study up, learn a new skill, and become a LEED Accredited Professional! I don't know how...but I will!

How about you? What new challenge have you taken on? How are you improving -- personally, professionally, spiritually? We all need the growth that comes from stretching. That's Leader Business.

Leadership Muscle Density

There are two schools of thought on how to improve on a physical weakness. Let’s take something we have to do in the Army for our Fitness test – pushups.

School of thought #1 says to break the training down to specific muscles. Do focused chest exercises: high repetition, low weights; low repetition, high weights. Do bench press, incline press, decline press, flies. Use barbells, dumbbells, and machines. Work shoulders and triceps with the same sort of variety. Alternate push/pull exercises. Alternate your grip. Change your diet: more protein, less carbs; more carbs, less protein.

Will it help your pushups? Probably.

School of thought #2 says if you want to be better in pushups – DO PUSHUPS!

Will it help your pushups? I guarantee it.

So much of leadership training is the same way.

School of thought #1 says to read books, listen to books on tape, download books on your ipod. Go to seminars. Get a mentor. Attend schools. Work on communication, listening skills, counseling techniques. Get training for time management, project management, and resource management. Get the picture?

School of thought #2 says to be a better leader, start leading! Volunteer to take on a difficult project. No matter how small, step forward and lead a team. Be a coach or a girl scout leader or a volunteer board member. Lead something, lead someone. Just do it.

Now mind you, I’m not suggesting there is no place for school of thought #1. There is a need for all of those elements. But there is no substitute for learning by doing. There is no better way to become a better leader than to jump in and start doing it. Make mistakes, learn, and get better. Try different things.

There is no better way to get better at pushups than to do pushups -- first 1, then 10, then 50. And there is no better way to become a better leader than by leading -- one person, than 10, then 50.

Each repetition of pushups builds muscle density. Each leadership rep does the same thing.

How are your “workouts” going? That’s Leader Business.

My Greatest Failure

I have been conducting a number of job interviews lately for senior leaders in my organization. One of the questions I use frequently is, "What is your greatest failure, and why?" I am interested in seeing how candidates think by identifying where they came up short, and what they learned from it. I'm looking for risk takers and people who understand that failure is so often an opportunity to learn and grow.

What I have been hearing far too frequently is something like this: "Wow...I didn't see that coming. I don't know that I've ever really failed at anything. I'm not sure how I'd answer that."

I have a big problem with this answer. Are they suggesting that they've never taken on a major challenge with significant risk? Do they think that they have performed as well as they can...every time, that there is not another level of performance. Do they really think that they can do no better? Are they not committed to constant improvement and continuous learning? Have they never put themselves in difficult positions or taken on big projects, some of which inevitably come up short?

I'd have no problem answering this problem. I've made plenty of mistakes. I've failed more often than I likely would have time to address were I asked this question. I'm not perfect. Ask my bosses, my subordinates, my family! I've had plenty of opportunities to learn from my shortcomings.

I've hired someone that I later regretted. I failed to keep superiors informed of looming problems -- that they later learned of from someone else. I failed to recognize excellence in my subordinates when they did well. I did not anticipate problems. I did not complete a mission on time, on budget, or with the quality that was expected of me. I have aimed high...and landed low!

Shall I go on? I have failed plenty. But I believe that each of these was an opportunity to learn. I'm better now because of these personal and professional setbacks. I have increased my leadership muscle density through multiple repetitions of trial and error. And now...I'm bigger, stronger, faster than I might have been had I never failed!

So how would you answer this question? If you think you've never failed, are you taking on big enough challenges? And if you are, either personally or as an organization, are you taking the time to learn (see After Action Reviews -- AARs), to identify how you can take your performance to the next level? Are you lifting heavy enough weights to take your leadership to the point of failure?

No leader should struggle identifying where they have came up short. It is clear that whether personally or professionally, failure is the seed of future greatness. That makes it Leader Business.