faith centered leadership

The Mighty Ones

August 31, 2014

The Mighty Ones

The applause was deafening. The congratulations overwhelmed your email box. The press clippings were glowing. Everyone was buzzing, because your recent product launch was successful. Last quarter’s earnings beat even the analysts’ predictions. The company’s stock price was up 15%. Operating costs were down, and sales volumes were number one in the industry.

So how do you follow that act? All of this excitement doesn’t build a platform upon which to rest. Instead it forms a bar, higher than the last one, over which you must hurdle. After all, the stockholders expect more earnings. Customers expect better products. Employees expect more career opportunity. And so it goes. How do you manage all of these expectations for continuous improvement against the best strategy for the company’s growth? How do you compete for market dominance without succumbing to market vulnerabilities?

This is the pivotal point. The choices you make will become either a stepping stone to greater success, or the rock that trips up your company, your team, or your own leadership success. Companies and people don’t automatically enter a “safe” zone when they reach a measure of accomplishment. But in some cases, their behavior suggests that they think their momentum can’t be stopped.

You’ve heard the saying, “the higher you climb, the harder you fall.” While that doesn’t necessarily have to be the case, in the midst of success, it’s important to remain grounded; like holding onto a guardrail.

Jim Collins, author of the best-selling books Good to Great and Built to Last, provides an explanation on how once-mighty companies fall. He highlights five stages in his book How the Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In.

Hubris born of success. Here an organization or team exhibits extreme pride and arrogance based on past accomplishments.
Undisciplined pursuit of more. Companies in this stage overreach, become obsessed with growth, and fail to manage the process and pace effectively, ultimately undermining their long-term value.
Denial of risk and peril. By this stage, companies are so caught up in successes that they become blind to the possibilities of failure.
Grasping for salvation. This is the moment where the company’s decisions lead to new life or certain death.
Capitulation to irrelevance or death. At this point organizations are spiraling out of control and either give in to certain death, or shrink into irrelevance.

So how does one avoid this death spiral, whether within your team, your organization or for your own leadership abilities? Here are a few tips from my playbook.

Build a culture of humility. Keep the focus on the value you provide to your customers; and the “why” of your organization. What’s the impact if you cease to exist? It’s really not all about your company. It’s about the value you provide to others. This is a giving mentality, where long term relationships, integrity and quality products or services are most important; instead of a getting mentality, where there’s constant pressure on the customer to buy.
Find your truth teller. Unfortunately, some leaders surround themselves with other leaders who will tell them what they want to hear. Or they don’t create a culture where their team feels comfortable fully informing them about business issues. Make sure you surround yourself with people who are encouraged and willing to speak up and say the difficult things or raise questions that may be contrary to the prevailing direction.
Strike your balance. If you try to be all things to all customers; if you overreach in too many different directions, you lose your balance and end up grasping for a lifeline. A tightrope walker is constantly shifting his weight to keep his center of mass above his feet. This alignment is critical in your organization or team to ensure stability between competing priorities.
Exhibit learning leadership. Only when the leader of the team demonstrates a continual desire to learn, to admit faults and deficiencies, and to seek input from the entire team and others outside the company, will others in the organization follow suit.
Master discipline. Establish a system that produces results, and keep repeating it. Measure the right factors. Ensure team members are learning agile and will support the culture. Focus on a consistent vision. Stick to what works.

Note that these recommendations have nothing to do with functional or technical skills. You can hire individuals on your team to fulfill those roles. This has everything to do with pure leadership; influencing others to move forward in the right direction, based on the right decisions. These are important steps in building a “mighty” organization. So, are you a “mighty” leader?

From Irritation to Innovation

June 30, 2014

Priscilla Archangel

Inspiration, Leadership, Results

From Irritation to Innovation

Elizabeth Holmes hates needles. To her, the idea of being poked by a needle and withdrawing blood is more than just unpleasant. When she knows that she has to give blood, she becomes consumed and overcome with the thought until it’s finally over.

So it should be no surprise that at age 19 she founded Theranos, a ground-breaking blood diagnostics company that 11 years later is worth more than $9 billion. The company has patented its secret technology of performing 200 different blood tests (soon growing to over 1,000 different tests) without using a syringe. They use a few drops of blood drawn using a finger stick to minimize discomfort, and collected in a “nanotainer”; a container the size of an electric fuse. Her board is stocked with powerful blue chip members including former cabinet secretaries, former U.S. senators and former military brass. Theranos’ innovative technology is poised to transform health care technology at no more than half the cost of similar tests using current technology.

Holmes leveraged a process that irritated her to innovate a new method of getting it done.

Productive Dissatisfaction

Tony Fadell was building a vacation home for his family. One of the seemingly mundane decisions was selecting thermostats, but he wasn’t satisfied with his choices. So he developed the Nest Learning Thermostat, a digital and WiFi enabled device that conserves energy by learning its owners’ habits. He also designed the Nest Protect which uses new technology to detect smoke and carbon monoxide.

Fadell’s real goal is to use technology to redesign and control all technology in the home. He was successful in raising startup capital as a result of his Apple pedigree, and extensive connections in Silicon Valley. He previously led the team that created the iPod, thereby rejuvenating Apple and transforming the music industry (yes, I love iTunes), and assisted in the development of the iPhone. Fadell left Apple in 2008 (along with his wife who was an HR executive there) and his thermostat irritation became the epiphany to innovate his next career move. As evidence of his success, Nest was purchased by Google earlier this year for $3.2 billion.

Innovation Mindset

Holmes and Fadell were irritated by processes and technology that others accepted as status quo. Obviously this wasn’t just a minor irritation either. Most of us would have dismissed it, avoided it, complained a bit while it was on our minds, then moved on to what we believed were more important things. We would think that change wasn’t needed, or that technology couldn’t effectively be applied to it and scaled for use. Instead, they saw it as a challenge and took the opportunity to do something about it. They had a mindset for innovation that they applied to their environment.

At the time, Holmes was a sophomore at Stanford, and according to her chemical engineering professor, viewed complex technical problems differently than other students. She dropped out shortly thereafter and persuaded her parents to invest her education fund into the business start-up.

Fadell’s tenure at Apple was distinguished by asking lots of questions, challenging Steve Jobs, and building his network in the “valley” outside the company; something normally reserved for Jobs himself. He didn’t conform to the typical concept of the Apple executive.

The Key to Innovation

So what is the key to your innovation? What is it that irritates you, but you find it difficult to simply walk away or ignore it. Instead, you keep trying to figure it out. This may be your opportunity to move from irritation to innovation; to find new approaches to address old ways of doing things. Though Holmes and Fadell applied innovation on a large scale, you can easily do this within a smaller sphere of influence; in your work team, organization, community group or family. Here are a few simple steps.

Tap into what’s irritating you. What problem needs to be solved? Chances are it’s right in front of you.
Find the benefit. Who will it add value to? Identifying your stakeholders will help you to target what action to take, and encourage you to stick with it for their benefit.
Ignore the naysayers. What do you believe is possible? If you don’t have faith in yourself, no one else will either.
Identify all the assumptions associated with the status quo. Why do people do it this way? Calling them out individually helps to break the innovation opportunity down into workable sizes for better analysis.
Methodically challenge each assumption. Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? By the time you’ve asked “why” five times, you’ll uncover some suppositions that really don’t have a strong foundation.
Think of a new approach. What if we did it this way instead? Then think of another different approach. This practice gets you into the mode of change.

If you’re really irritated, true innovation will typically involve transformation, not evolution. It will yield a totally unexpected outcome that represents a leap ahead, not just a step forward. So embrace that impatience and exasperation with the current situation, and press forward to a new mindset of innovation.

Read the articles on Elizabeth Holmes and Tony Fadell in the June 12, 2014 issue of Fortune.

Photo courtesy of iStockphoto

Lead with Your Why

May 31, 2014

Priscilla Archangel

Leadership, Purpose

Lead With Your Why

In his book Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take Action, Simon Sinek describes our why as “our driving purpose, cause or belief”. This why never changes, no matter what we do. A critical role of leaders is to define and communicate the why of their organization in a way that unites the leadership team and all employees around it. A shared why among the leadership team translates into alignment and consistency in decision making regarding the company’s products and services. It drives brand marketing; financial and legal matters; and treatment of employees, customers and shareholders. A shared why will also keep the organization focused on what they’re doing and how they’re doing it. This becomes a standard or benchmark against which all strategies are measured to ensure they deliver on the brand promise.

Start With Your Why

When Bill and Melinda Gates we seeking a new CEO to lead their $40 billion foundation, they led with their why when they enticed Susan Desmond-Hellmann to accept the position. At the time she was passionate about her role as chancellor of the University of California at San Francisco, thus wasn’t initially interested. But after two months of conversations, she decided to accept the role because their vision, mission and plans gave her an opportunity to be a part of a team that could change the world. The interview process between the Gates and Desmond-Hellmann cinched the deal because it brought out the shared why that motivated each of them to action. While it was possible for the Gates to find someone capable of performing the role as CEO of the world’s second largest foundation, it was even more important to find one who shared their why, who shared their passion for improving the lives of women and girls in developing countries, and eradicating disease. And sharing that why made all the difference.

Rapper and music producer Dr. Dre (Andre Young) champions the why for the Beats by Dre brand, and Beats Electronics, which was co-founded by he and music mogul Jimmy Iovine. They produce the high-priced Beats headphones and provide a streaming music service. Dr. Dre maintains a focus on what’s “cool” by ensuring they have the best quality sound, and overseeing marketing strategies in minute detail. He’s known as a perfectionist, a workaholic, and eschews market research in favor of his gut instinct, which has paid off handsomely for him in past music endeavors. This was reinforced when Apple recently purchased Beats Electronics for $3.2 billion.

Steve Jobs was similarly known for avoiding market research because in his opinion, the customer doesn’t know what they want until someone shows it to them (yes, I didn’t know how much I needed my iPad until I got one). Jobs was famous for his product launches where he educated customers on the capabilities of new products and how it would help them. He spoke from the passion of his why instead of using a hard sell mode.

Know Your Why

The leadership of the Gates, Dr. Dre and Steve Jobs to define and communicate their company’s why attracts others who share the same why, and want to help them bring it to life. The why attracts customers to products and employees to positions. We identify with companies and brands that share beliefs similar to ours, that support causes we believe are worthy, and that provide services we feel are valuable. It takes focus for leaders to be clear about their why and to continuously steer their organizations in that direction, avoiding distractions and seemingly logical arguments to veer off track. It requires a deep-rooted understanding of what you want to accomplish, and a personal belief in your ability to do so. It requires the ability to block out the glittering lights of other leaders’ why, that may look cool, but doesn’t match your passion and motivation.

The driving cause or belief of your organization should evoke emotion and passion. It should be motivational. Sinek says that making money is the result, not the cause, and companies should think, act and communicate starting with their why. It engages employees and customers. So though you may think is obvious to all your stakeholders, take a moment to query those around you. If you’re not hearing consistent responses there’s an opportunity to provide clarity to your team and begin to drive that through all their decisions.

So know your why. Show your why. Grow your why.

Photo courtesy of iStockphoto.

Read about Dr. Dre and Apple here.

Read the interview with Melinda Gates and Susan Desmond-Hellmann in Fortune here.

The Giving Challenge

July 1, 2013

Priscilla Archangel

Character, Priorities

The Giving Challenge

What would you do with $4.5 billion? Most people would start with a list of how they’d invest it and what they’d purchase. But John and Laura Arnold have decided to give it away. John began his career as a successful natural gas trader at Enron. He left before it went bankrupt, and founded a hedge fund. He’s known as an introvert, very smart and low key, but diligent in his research of every detail around his oil investments. His ability to correctly anticipate gas and commodities prices paid off handsomely so that in October 2012, a few years shy of age 40, he closed his fund and retired.

He and Laura, a Yale grad and former corporate attorney, then focused their energy on the John and Laura Arnold Foundation, with the vision of giving money where it can produce the most good. For example, they’re funding projects that could make a difference in criminal justice sentencing guidelines, or how our bodies process food which could impact how obesity is treated.

The Arnold’s know that some of their projects will fail, but they’re betting on the upside risk that some will be a big success and will positively impact society. Their style of “high impact philanthropy” is increasing among the super wealthy. Rather than simply writing a check to the many existing worthy causes, they’re looking for opportunities to fund social initiatives, eradicate societal ills and solve vexing problems. They want their money to have a long term effect.

They also don’t believe in “dynastic wealth”, or giving the money to their three children, because they feel it’s important for them to learn to create wealth for themselves. They’ve seen too many examples of children who’ve made poor decisions with such an inheritance, and don’t want theirs to feel entitled. John and Laura also think it’s a mistake to believe that having more money makes children happier or more productive. They share the perspective of other billionaires like Warren Buffett that there’s no value in gifting large sums of money to their kids.

While most of us can’t directly relate to building this level of wealth, much less giving it away, their story raises some questions that we can relate to.

Are you making money for what you can do with it, or for how you can help others? Even while the Arnolds were massing their fortune, they were talking to others about causes that they could fund. So as you’re making money are you thinking and talking about who you can help, or just what can you buy? Are you looking for opportunities to help others? Are you looking for meaningful causes that can benefit from your support?

Do you believe your giving can make a difference in the lives of others? Maybe you don’t have “high impact” funds, but low impact is better than no impact. If you’re able to help only one person and make a difference in their life, then it’s a worthwhile effort. You can pay it forward.

Are you giving a gift that keeps on giving? Yes, there are times when many people need a “fish”, but at the same time they need someone to “teach them to fish”. So will your gift help better a life or a situation long term?

Are you taking a risk with your giving? Philanthropists know that the organizations they give to won’t always be successful in their mission. There are risks involved, and the greater and more game changing the potential impact, the greater the potential risk. But sometimes those are the causes that need benefactors the most.

Do you investigate the credibility and effectiveness of the organizations that receive your money? In spite of the risks associated with various social initiatives, you should still scrutinize the organizations that receive your hard earned funds with the same degree of detail that you would scrutinize a potential investment decision. You do have a responsibility to ensure that you properly evaluate their track record of accomplishing their goals, and reaching the target market.

Is your giving reactive or proactive? Requests for donations come from many sources. There are appeals for support from robocalls during the dinner hour, panhandlers on the street, co-workers’ fundraising initiatives, church building drives, political campaigns, financially strapped friends, and educational institutions. Many of these entreaties are for worthy causes, but every worthy cause isn’t the right cause for you. You are chief steward of your resources, and it’s important to proactively determine your giving priorities, and the circumstances under which you’ll respond to such requests instead of letting someone else determine them for you. This will provide the framework for you to appropriately respond when the time comes.

So if you don’t have $4.5 billion, let’s start a little smaller. What would you do with $450, or $4,500 or $45,000? What are your giving priorities? What organizations would you allocate it to? How would you use it to make an impact in the world around you? Spend some time pondering this, and as you do so, you’ll begin to find more meaning in your giving. You can make a difference at whatever level you are…..just give.

Source articles from WSJ.com and ChristianPost.com

The Spark that Ignited a Firestorm

May 27, 2013

Priscilla Archangel

Courage, Leadership, Purpose

The Spark That Ignited a Firestorm

Caine was a nine year old boy trying to keep himself busy during summer vacation. He spent his days with his father who owned a used auto parts store. The store had a lot of empty boxes in the back room, so Caine had an idea. He began creating arcade games out of the empty boxes and setting them up in the front of the store. Not just one game, but many games, intricate games. There was just one problem. Because most of his father’s customers purchased via the internet, there wasn’t much walk-in traffic, and no one was interested in playing his games. Until one day, Nirvan Mullick walked into the store looking for a part for his car. He was Caine’s first customer, and he thought Caine was really bright. So Nirvan had an idea to bring a lot of customers to Caine’s arcade. He created a flashmob event that brought hundreds of people to that small store. And Nirvan’s small gesture was a spark that ignited a firestorm and changed Caine’s young life, and along with the lives of many other children and adults.

Caine’s Arcade

It turned into a Global Cardboard Challenge with over 270 Events in 41 countries, celebrating creativity and community around the world, while raising funds for various causes. Watch the videos to find out what happened and how a seemingly chance meeting sparked a firestorm.

www.cainesarcade.com

Then think about these leadership lessons from a nine year old boy. In fact, are you a better leader than a nine year old?

You’re never too young to develop and use your gift.
Follow your passion. Find your magic moment, your spark. That’s where your leadership will shine.
The best gifts serve others. How are you serving others with your gift?
Success in leadership doesn’t happen solely based on your own actions. You must walk with others in your leadership journey.
Don’t sell yourself short. Even when it doesn’t look like much, things can change quickly.
If you build it will they really come? Maybe not, but maybe so. But even if they don’t, there’s a lesson in the process alone.
Never discourage creativity, even when it doesn’t look like reality. Instead provide encouragement in constructive ways.
Always be ready for your big break. You never know what opportunity is right around the corner.
One simple idea may be more powerful than you could ever imagine.

You Dreamer!

March 29, 2013

Priscilla Archangel

Capability, Leadership

You Dreamer!

Disruptors, innovators and entrepreneurs; that’s how Forbes Magazine describes their 30 Under 30. These are the 30 brightest stars under the age of 30 in 15 different fields such as media, music, energy, education, sports, marketing and advertising, finance, and science. I call them dreamers. As leaders in their respective fields of expertise; many of them accomplished feats that most people haven’t even dreamed of attempting. Their inventions, innovations, creative thinking, physical abilities, and thoughtful approaches have had a major impact on society and culture. Several that most impressed me were:

Joshua Sommer – Seven years ago as a freshman in college he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Instead of accepting the low possibility of survival and lack of treatment options, he cofounded the Chordoma Foundation dedicated to raising money to fund research to cure it.
Hugh Evans – Founded the Global Poverty Project committed to ending extreme poverty, and developed an innovative means of raising $1.3 billion in new funding commitments.
Leslie Dewan – Is developing a new kind of nuclear reactor with a plan to power the entire U.S. with zero carbon emissions and eliminating mountains of nuclear waste.
Matt Mullenweg – Launched WordPress open source blogging software at the young age of 19. It’s now used by 17% of all websites.

Qualifications

But how did they accomplish so much at such a young age? As I read their stories, several qualities were obvious.

Dreaming – Every great accomplishment starts with a dream, and a great dream combined with great desire leads to destiny. The dreamer believes in the possibility of what appears to be impossible; believing that as they move toward their destiny, the pathway will emerge. A great dream may look fragile to the outside world, but is intense in the mind of the dream holder.
Selective hearing – They ignore the naysayers, those who would try to tell them that whatever they’re attempting isn’t possible; that no one has ever done it that way before. They don’t buy into the status quo and accepted ways of doing things. They chart their own path.
Sacrifice – Being the best at what you do only comes with hard work and lots of it. That won’t seem “fun” to others, but there is nothing else these dreamers would rather do than to work to pursue their dream. In fact, what others perceive as sacrifice, brings pleasure to the dreamer.
Failure – This is simply the process of eliminating options that don’t work. Thomas Edison reportedly failed 1,000 times before he succeeded in making the light bulb. But Edison says that he discovered 1,000 ways NOT to make a light bulb. (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090218050711AAw6KhA) So learn from every mistake. Failure with a purpose equals progress. John Maxwell’s book on Failing Forward says that the only difference between people who achieve and those who are simply average is how they handle failure.
Perseverance – Giving up is not an option. Setbacks can be turned into setups. Difficulties, roadblocks and financial worries are simply tests of your commitment. They build commitment just like lifting weights builds strength.

Your Dream

I believe that everyone has a dream of accomplishing something that is bigger than them, but few people follow through on it. For some people, that dream is vivid and tangible; they can almost reach out and touch it. They think about it daily, devise plans to work toward accomplishing it. Others are still discovering their dream. And still others have almost abandoned theirs. Maybe it once existed in the recesses of their mind, but was beaten still further back by constant affirmations of impossibility.

Children are often great dreamers because they haven’t yet learned all the reasons that adults have bought into about why their dream shouldn’t come to pass. They have:

No boundaries to confine them.

No past to live up to or sustain.

No thing to lose and everything to gain.

No fear of failure.

So what is your dream? You may have to reflect back on your early years to remember what it was, and what happened to it. Can you recapture the passion you once had for it? Can you regain the excitement you once felt as you replayed it in your mind? Can you take one step to redirect your path toward accomplishing that dream? Let go of the things that restrict your ability to dream. Instead, dream big and make something happen.

What’s in Your Hand?

February 28, 2013

Priscilla Archangel

Leadership, Purpose

What’s In Your Hand?

Moses was an elderly man, used to working alone with his animals. He spent much of his time in the desert with the hot sun beating down on his head. One day passed like the next. He thought that this was how his life would end. His life didn’t seem to have a compelling purpose. Was he content, or had he just given up?

Then God spoke to him. God was concerned with the same issue that concerned Moses. God wanted to deliver His people from their Egyptian oppressors, and He wanted Moses to be a part of that plan. God wanted to use a nobody like him, to be a somebody to others. Moses couldn’t even imagine doing any of the things that God mentioned. The only skill he had used for the past 40 years was leading a flock of animals here and there, making sure they were safe and had food and water, learning the terrain of the desert, and using his rod to guide them and keep them together. Surely God was mistaken. He wasn’t capable of doing such a great thing. He was just a common shepherd.

(more…)

Exposed

January 29, 2013

Priscilla Archangel

Character, Leadership

Exposed

“Secrets suck,” said Tyler Hamilton, former cyclist and team member of Lance Armstrong on the U.S. Postal Service Team. Hamilton was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal’s Jason Gay the day after Oprah Winfrey aired Armstrong’s recent admission that he took banned substances to enhance his cycling performance. He doped, and he lied about it. Armstrong said that he wouldn’t have won seven Tour de France medals without having done so. Over the years, others accused him of doping, and he not only vehemently denied it, he also bullied his accusers. Meanwhile he made tens of millions of dollars from endorsements, and started the successful Livestrong Foundation to support people with cancer and to further cancer research.

Hamilton himself exposed his own secrets regarding their drug use in his new book “The Secret Race,” with co-author Daniel Coyle. When he began talking with Coyle, his words came out very slowly, like water trickling from a faucet. The process of exposing his dishonesty to the world was slow and difficult. Hamilton saw the same difficulty in Armstrong’s public confession with Winfrey. Hamilton’s point was that the process of admitting and confessing a very public and long held deception is a slow progression, best mastered one step at a time.

Lies

Come Clean

Hamilton and Armstrong aren’t the first to go through such a process. Other high profile leaders have been forcibly exposed or “come clean” and admitted the truth after years of pretense and cover-up. But such behavior is not limited to public figures. People at every socioeconomic level are vulnerable to it. The desire to conceal past wrongs; present a more positive image of oneself; to be smarter, better, stronger and more successful than others becomes compelling and sometimes addictive.

Bernie Madoff was revered for the returns received by investors in his funds until the truth about his Ponzi scheme, thought to be the largest financial fraud in U.S. history at roughly $65 billion, was uncovered. He pleaded guilty to all the charges and is now serving a 150 year prison term.
Russell Wasendorf, Sr, founder of PGFBest attempted suicide after federal regulators discovered that hundreds of millions of dollars were missing and from and non-existent in his company’s financial accounts.
Trevor Cook deceived more than 700 investors in a Ponzi scheme worth hundreds of millions of dollars. He’s now serving a 25 year jail sentence.
President Richard Nixon lied about his actions related to the Watergate scandal and ended up resigning.
President Bill Clinton lied about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky and was subsequently impeached by the House of Representatives.
Tiger Woods’ multiple marital infidelities were exposed leading to the loss of his marriage and several sponsors, and seemed to negatively impact the quality of his golf game.
James Frey’s autobiography, “A Million Pieces” was Oprah’s book club pick until it was discovered that key portions of his story were fictitious. He returned to Oprah’s show to tearfully admit that substance abuse was the cause of his lies.

While the act of lying is no worse whether you’re famous or unknown, whether it’s “big” one or a “little white lie” (what is that anyway?), the difference is in the impact on the people who look up to you for leadership, those who believe in you. Those are the people who are hurt.

Lies

Just like your mother told you when you were a child, if you tell one lie, you have to tell another to cover it up, and still another, until it’s difficult to remember who you lied to and which lie you told.

The purpose here is not to castigate Armstrong, Hamilton or anyone else who may be guilty of this. All of us on some level may have perpetrated a lie at some point in our lives; and hopefully, thankfully we repented and were forgiven. Rather the purpose is to understand that lying or any behavior that presents an image of someone we’re not, of a capability that we don’t really possess, of a behavior that is not truthful, is a secret that eventually will reveal itself.

When we lie to others, we’re keeping a secret that is a contradiction from the truth. We have to continue to repress the truth and “justify” the lie….that it’s for the good of others, that it’s not anyone else’s business, that it’s not hurting anyone, that others can’t handle the truth. The reality is that we ourselves can’t handle the truth; that we’re running from reality; that we don’t want to fall off the pedestal that we’ve been placed on. But coming off that pedestal has to happen for us to face our humanness, our flaws, sometimes our demons, and begin the road to recovery. Few secrets can be kept forever. Someone knows, someone tells, someone makes a mistake in the cover-up ritual. It can be painful, and unfortunately, some have preferred suicide rather than facing the truth. But the truth eventually brings peace and healing as we reconcile the facts of who we know we are, with who others know us to be.

As leaders our responsibility is far greater to be authentic, admit and learn from our mistakes, and encourage others to do the same. Whether leading a team at work, or leading your family, whether a public pronouncement or a private commitment, like Tyler Hamilton said, “secrets suck”. They can cause internal stress and anxiety that knows no relief until the truth comes out. So focus on truthfulness because that’s where you’ll find peace.

Read the article in the Wall Street Journal here.

Other sources A and B

Get It to Give It

November 1, 2012

Priscilla Archangel

Character

Get It To Give It

The vast majority of people are working to get more money. With the state of the economy, the amount of debt at a national and individual level, mortgage/rent payments, car loans, school tuition, medical bills, food, credit card debt, and the desire to “keep up with the Joneses”, it all contributes to a need to get more money. Ask someone what they would do if they were given a million dollars and they would generally give you a long list of bills to pay off, goals to save for, or things to buy for themselves or their family members. Whether your net worth is a negative number (with lots of digits) or a positive number (with lots of digits), almost everyone is working to get more money.

<1%

So that’s the 99% of us. What would the 1% do? Or maybe it’s the .0001%?

The October 8, 2012 issue of Forbes profiled the 400 richest people in America, worth anywhere from $1.1 billion (a three way tie between Dan Snyder, Paul Singer, and Denise York) to $66 billion (Bill Gates). I was admittedly fascinated with the diverse sources of their wealth, along with their personal stories, because the focus of many of the articles was their philanthropy. Rather than just watch their wealth increase, they were using their money to make a positive impact on society and the world.

For example, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was established in 2000 as a continuation of Bill’s philanthropic efforts started in 1994, and their goal is to spend all their money in the foundation within 25 years of their demise. Warren Buffett gave approximately $31 billion to their foundation in 2006 with the stipulation that it be spent within 10 years of his death. And hopefully you’ve heard of the Giving Pledge started by Warren Buffett and the Gateses. Since June 2010, over 90 billionaires have signed the Pledge to give away half of their fortune to the charities of their choice by the time of their death. But Chuck Feeney is a role model. Feeney used to be on the Forbes 400 (although it was later found to be an error), because though he has earned $7.5 billion over his lifetime, he’s given so much away that he only has about $2 million left.

Secret Giver

Feeney, now 81, made his fortune by founding the Duty Free Shoppers almost three decades ago. But rather than just amass his fortune, he secretly transferred his ownership stake into the Atlantic Philanthropies. While Forbes Magazine thought he was a billionaire, he instead had given his assets to his charity. Feeney has given to charitable causes on five continents, often anonymously. Charities have to compete for the money and present a plan of action with objectives to be met. If they fail to meet those objectives, their funding is in jeopardy. He frequently requires that his giving be matched by other wealthy people, local governments, or charities. He focuses on getting the highest value for his donations, and hates waste of all types. Feeney did much of this in secret, seeking anonymity and shunning the spotlight. Only in recent years has he allowed a biography to be written, and permitted others to understand what he’s trying to accomplish. His philosophy is “Don’t wait to give your money away when you’re old, or even worse, dead. Instead, make substantial donations while you still have the energy, connections and influence to make waves.” Click here to read the article.)

Feeney and a number of other billionaires profiled in the magazine feel that giving is a duty and an obligation. David Rubenstein (private equity billionaire) summed it up with the following.

“How much can you give to your children before you completely spoil and ruin them? Very few people who inherit gigantic sums have gone on to change the world for the better. Generally the people who’ve changed the world for the better are people who made it on their own and ultimately didn’t want to just distribute wealth to somebody else. If you can give away as much money as you can while you’re alive, you’ll realize the benefits that I just mentioned. You’ll feel much better about yourself—and your children will feel much better about you.”(Click here to read the article.)

Your Turn to Give

So right now, though you may be in awe of Feeney and others, you (like me) probably can’t relate to them because you haven’t yet made your first billion dollars. Well maybe there’s something else you have to give to others…something you have a knack for attracting or acquiring in abundance that has little value when hoarded for yourself; something that causes others to look upon you with respect and amazement; something that was earned through hard work and focusing on your passion. This “thing” will be different for everyone, but generally encompasses your time, talents or treasures. These are the most valuable of your assets, often intangible but observable in the results they produce.

The question is whether you gather it merely for your own value so that others can note your accumulation of it; or whether you gather it to benefit others. You see, we all can be billionaires in some way, just by having an abundance of something valuable that others would desire to have. Just as the billionaires in this edition of Forbes have developed their various passions to accumulate wealth, so those of us in a lesser financial situation can pursue our passions for the benefit of others. We can “get it to give it”.

So no need to wait until to accumulate your first billion. Start now to make a difference in the lives of those around you.

Solve a Problem

September 30, 2012

Priscilla Archangel

Capability

Solve A Problem

Kevin Plank recognized a problem. As a football player at the University of Maryland, he became increasingly focused on the fact that after they played, the cotton t-shirts worn by the players under their pads were constantly soaked with perspiration. Kevin felt that the weight of the shirts negatively impacted their performance on the field. Already an entrepreneurial hustler on campus, Kevin decided to find a way to develop a shirt that would draw moisture away from the body. He started with a synthetic fabric made from women’s undergarments, and a friend joined him in marketing their product to sports teams and retailers. His brashness, creativity and pure hustle paid off, and they were eventually able to sign well known endorsers. Today, his company, Under Armour has a full line of athletic clothes, undergarments and shoes for men and women. They went from their first big sale in 1996 to becoming a publicly traded company in 2005, and their 2012 second quarter apparel net revenues increased 23% to $253 million compared with $205 million in the same period of the prior year. (Click here to read the full story by Monte Burke in the September issue of ForbesLife.)

Plank’s solution to a problem became his key to success. Problems are all around us every day. The question is whether we recognize situations around us as “problems”, and what do we do about it. This requires attention to our surroundings and issues, and a willingness to own a role in developing a solution.

A Peanut and a Sweet Potato

George Washington Carver is a perfect example of this. According to Os Hillman in his book Change Agent: Engaging Your Passion To Be The One Who Makes A Difference,(p. 104) Carver lived in an era of pervasive racial discrimination when he encouraged southern farmers to plant peanuts and sweet potatoes because their land was depleted due to planting too many cotton crops. They initially criticized him for this suggestion, believing that the market wouldn’t support it, but nonetheless began to do so. Carver, a Christian from an early age, would get up in the morning and go out to the fields where he sought the wisdom of God on what to do with these crops. God obviously answered his prayer because he subsequently created three hundred products from the peanut, and one hundred from the sweet potato. This revitalized the economy in the south, and made him a friend and confidante to presidents and business leaders. Why? Because they recognized that he was a problem solver. He had the ability to recognize problems where others overlooked them. Then he was willing to own the problem and take on the challenge of addressing it. Finally he had the vision and creativity to develop and implement a solution.

Your Personal Problem

Unfortunately too many of us look past the problems surrounding us with the attitude that we have no ability to impact or address them. We feel powerless and incapable of coming up with a solution, and look to someone else to handle it. But there’s nothing special about Kevin Plank or George Washington Carver. They simply opened their minds to future possibilities, and didn’t let their circumstances limit them. Both had a vision to see a problem situation and identify a potential resolution for it. They didn’t blame others around them for these problems; they stepped up and took responsibility for the solutions. Individuals who demonstrate this skillset are valuable members of any team

Each of us has a problem or set of problems assigned to us from God that we are uniquely equipped to solve. God is exposing the problem to us, and drawing us to Him so that He can reveal the solution. Based on our instincts, interests and initiative we can be a change agent in our environment. Joseph demonstrated this capability in ancient Egypt when he interpreted the King’s dream of the coming seven years of plenty, followed by seven years of famine. Then he provided a proposal on how to prepare for the famine. He was instantly appointed second in command in the kingdom. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have used their billions in assets to address global issues of hunger, poverty, education and health care. Every problem solver won’t reach the same number of people, but every problem needs to be addressed.

So what problems has God assigned to you? Be diligent in discovering them because solving them is your pathway to your purpose and your road to success.

The Mighty Ones

From Irritation to Innovation

Lead With Your Why

The Giving Challenge

The Spark That Ignited a Firestorm

You Dreamer!

What’s In Your Hand?

Exposed

Get It To Give It

Solve A Problem

Leadership Tips