Are you comfortable calling yourself a leader?

I had the opportunity to watch a video of a short TEDx Talk from Drew Dudley on Everyday Leadership last week.

A leader who delivered a presentation used this talk as part of his session. It was a lovely surprise - to shift the focus from the speaker presenting, and let someone else build on and support your message. (Using a TED talk in your talk!) 

But Drew's talk was also a delight because it was brief, clear, and revolved around a key story of everyday leadership. 

He reminds us that we do things that can have a BIG impact on others… and not even be aware of it. We don't take credit it for it or acknowledge it. He says we should redefine leadership. We need to tell people they had that impact on us. That's a part of everyday leadership. 

Drew refers to these 'lollipop moments' - based on his story about handing out a lollipop earlier in his life. 

He believes we should thank the people who have had an impact on us, acknowledge them, create more of these moments and 'pay it forward'. It's an important part of leadership! 

So in your roles in your work, business, family and community lives, tell someone they were a lollipop moment - that they had an impact on you. Because you can be sure that you too have had a big impact on others. You are being a leader.

You matter so much to others.

Be comfortable with that.  

The Conference Cringe List - Part 2

Following on from, curiously, Part 1, there are more things at the events I am often speaking at or graphic recording for that make me cringe. These spotted in the past fortnight. 

Onward...

• Why that uninspirining 'holding slide' of the event logo, name and the word 'Agenda'? Bluh. It's so uninspiring. Use full size visuals or some slides (plural) to outline the agenda or use none.  
• The currency you need to focus on is time. That's what people are really spending when they're there. Make the event efficient, engaging, creative and 33 times worth the price they are paying to be there. 
• That theatre-style seating you've arranged and the interactive speaker you've got on the program, are not a match. If the room is jammed with seats because the venue you have is too small, you've failed. If you've attracted more people than you thought, you needed a bigger venue. 
• The long, seemingly unrelated items on the agenda are nauseating. Have section themes for focus and make it build up to a crescendo, not whimper off into a corner.
• That awesome adventurer/motivational/inspirational speaker you paid for (wow they were good!) has just been negated by your dull executive who wanted some 'air time'. What a waste of time, money, energy and the result of your poor planning and flow. The mood has changed and it's on you to bring it back up again. Good luck!
• And that dull executive that wanted the 'air time' - oh dear... so focused on trying to get a key message across, they had no heart, no soul, no passion. D-u-l-l. That equals no leadership. They're not as good as they think they are at presenting. You are stronger than you think you are to persuade and influence them to not do it or do it very differently.
• Doh - You made it about you the organiser again! Why do you say 'when WE were designing this day we thought...'. Just deliver a brilliant event. You'll be thanked for it. You don't need to claim the designer kudos in the first three minutes. 
• No I'm not going to 'bear' with you while you 'read this out' - and then you read a written story, list of points or other wad of information you're already feeling bad about reading out. Frame WHY you're reading it and then get on and read it with your best acting skills, as if you're an Academy Award winner on their 12th take. Sell it to me. I'm not bearing with you on anything, particularly if you ask me to.
• Ok, you have a cold or flu. Gee, thanks for telling me as your first key point. Now I'm not going to shake your hand or be within breathing distance of you, all day. No need to apologise. Don't say a thing about how you feel. Get on and do great work speaking, presenting, leading and inspriring.

Yeah, there are more. I'll definitely need a Part 3. 

Stop thinking, start living

I try and read the book Stop Thinking Start Living at some stage of each year.

It's a classic and a quick read and is a brilliant reminder to get outta your head and into yer life!

I might read it on a plane, while I'm staying in a hotel while away for work or simply pick it up and read a few chunks when I need it, or even when I don't!

When things get a bit much or you find yourself deep in your thoughts... too deep... this one can work so well. 

The first time I read it, I wrote up this page of dot points on a piece of bright pink fluro paper.

This page is a little faded now, but it is my list of reminders on a pinboard in my office to help me lead my own thinking better. It's my shortcut to the book, my key messages or my list of 'must try and dos'. 

While the dot point list has sentimental value, I find it challenging to recall any more than one or two from the list - no matter how many times I've read it. 

So this visual I created this afternoon will give my mind all the visual anchors it needs to recall the detail and retain the essence of my 'takeaways' of the book - so much better than the list. 

 It's my end of year wish to you that you too can stop thinking and start living - particularly at this time of year when families are together... or not, and friends are there for you... or not.

You are always there for you. So get on and live rather than thinking about living. 

Stargazing, grounded - or a balance?

Everyone is on a board - even if you don't think you are...you are.

On a board in your organisation, in your family, in community groups and through recreational interests. You may not be an actual director, but you're sure to be contributing to decision making, a vision, implementation and leadership activities through everything you do. 

I think Lucy Marcus' work challenging conventional wisdom in and out of board rooms is brilliant. She has some wise advice for corporate governance, no matter the size of the organisation.

While I was listening to one of her presentations in Australia a little while ago, I visualized her key points:

Some of these messages are clear and common sense:

- strong boards build strong companies 

- have diversity around the table

- be up to speed 

- contribute or exit.

But others are less often talked about around the table:
- the need to balance 'star gazing' with being grounded
- the characters in the play are often the same (I think this applies to any type of committee, group or team we are a part of)
- many board members are a little bit "huh???" when it comes to social media and social strategy ... so they're (you're) not actually up to speed then!

So whatever 'board' you're on, work at it smarter and harder - without 'over boarding'... otherwise get off.

I'd love to hear about your recent board experiences or thoughts on board leadership.

Visual Stories : a template

During my visit to New Zealand last week I enjoyed a couple of tasty dinners out with some of the great people from Agile Wellington Meetup and Boost New Media.

Over a glass of New Zealand Pinot Noir, I noticed how we shared story after story after story - personal stories, travel stories, food stories, funny stories, business stories ... laughter here and there, learning, sharing and connecting. 

Stories are certainly on the rise! Their value and impact when they are used to communicate key messages across teams and organisations is undeniable too! (You can read more about how to use stories in business in the book 'Hooked: How leaders connect, engage and inspire with storytelling', by my Thought Leadership colleagues Gabrielle Dolan & Yamini Naidu.)

 

While telling the stories is one aspect of great communication, recalling and revisiting them later on is another aspect that I think needs greater attention and focus.

In a client workshop recently, one of the senior leaders shared so many brilliant and inspiring stories throughout the day.  We heard sales stories, planning and project stories, tales of challenge and of achievement and so many other inspiring messages. You could see and feel how well the content, style and messages impacted on the team.

So that these powerful stories weren't 'lost', I visually captured them.


This is the type of output I captured for one of the team's sessions. Small circles or vignettes are great shapes to write some words and icons to remind the team of the key content from the stories being shared as we travel along throughout the workshop or meeting. 

Be sure to relax... you don't need all of the details covered in every story. I often say 'A small visual anchor can hold a weight of information'. You only need a small visual to remind you and others of the detail and content and how you felt about the story and its message. Given you didn't hear the leader's stories from last week, these visuals won't mean so much, but it's the style or design or approach I'm interested in you grasping. 

So... to make sure you don't 'lose the plot' when it comes to stories, I'm sharing my template.  It makes them Visual Stories and helps prolong their life beyond the telling in the here and now. 

Click to save it, print it out or sketch out your own series of circles (or other shapes) to collect the key points and learnings the next time you hear a great story you want to remember. Use one circle per story, or one circle for each key point or moral of the story.

In this way you can quickly review, revisit and retell these chunks of content and information.  

The end!