Leadership Solutions

Leadership: Scary Costumes

Some people will put on costumes today.

And others (most of us) wear a costume all year long.

The important point, here, is whether your costume fits.

That is, if you were starting over and could be anything you wanted to be, what would you choose?

Of course, you have to limit yourself to realistic choices, which eliminates being a comic character. After all, this is real life.

It does, however, include roles such as: business owner, teacher, software expert, basketball coach, author, and so on.

Some people are stuck in a costume that they fell into or received or accepted. And they have struggled pretending to be effective in that role ever since they put it on.

So, while children are out pretending to be something else so that they can go door to door begging for treats, take a moment to remove your costume.

Then examine it.

And ask yourself if you want to put it back on.

If so, then continue.

If not, then go to work figuring out what you really want to be at this time next year.

Because if you choose well, you will have an easier time collecting rewards as you go from day to day.

Much success,

Steve Kaye
714-528-1300
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Leadership: It's 95 and Snowing?

Last week, the sun was shining in Southern California with an eerie yellow-orange tint while white flakes floated in the air.

But this wasn't snow.

It was ash.

And that's very sad because this ash was the all that remained from trees, buildings, and homes.

The fires are largely under control now.

But the reminder lingers that people are powerless when nature decides to move.

For example, fire does not ask permission or call for an appointment. It simply shows up and takes what it wants. And when combined with strong winds -- 90 mph gusts were carrying burning boards -- it becomes a formidable force.

Now arguments are starting over budget cuts, aircraft availability, land development, and so on.

Certainly, wiser decisions could have reduced some of the damage.

Which brings us to an important point.

All of the mistakes can be traced to the same failure: pride. That is, some people thought they were bigger, stronger, and tougher than reality.

It's a lesson that leaders need to remember because pride has ruined every enterprise that ignored the limits of realistic achievement.

Fires will come and go. Lessons will be learned and forgotten. But one fact remains.

Nature (as well as science and truth) will always have the last word.

Much success,

Steve Kaye
714-528-1300
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Leadership: Life Puzzle

We're all trying to solve a puzzle.

And it's the same puzzle.

It's the one that explains why you're here and what you're supposed to do. It's the one that tells you how to be the person you were meant to be.

And so we search.

Part of this search requires us to ask ourselves questions. And most likely they will be the same questions each time you pick up the puzzle.

So you ask them again and again and again.

Then you ask them again.

Because each time you ask, you add a small piece to your understanding.

You see, the answer to this puzzle is inside you.

It's not something you'll find in a book. And it's not something that someone can give you.

And the answer only reveals itself, bit by bit, as a result of the events that bump into us.

That's why it's a lifelong puzzle.

So, keep searching. Keep questioning. Keep paying attention.

The more you look, the more you'll find.

Much success,

Steve Kaye
714-528-1300
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Leadership: Custom Fences

There's a pivotal scene in "Gone with the Wind" where Scarlett O'Hara says, "I'll never be hungry again."

It's dramatic.

It's gripping.

It's sad.

Why? Because in that moment she defines the rest of her life. She makes a commitment that works like a fence, keeping her on a path toward ruin.

So what about you?

Do you have a pivotal scene like that in your life?

Did you end a chapter stating "I'm never going to let that happen" or something like that?

Certainly this can be good if it helps you avoid being in such a situation again, i.e., getting hurt, making the same mistake, suffering another loss, and so on.

It can also work the other way.

Take a moment to consider how this decision has shaped your choices.

Specifically, has it led you to reject valuable options? Has it caused you to make decisions that started other problems?

Realize that every fence serves two purposes -- it keeps things out and it keeps things in.

Action: Check if the fences in your life are serving the purpose that you intended.

You might want to move them or perhaps instal a gate so that you can travel more freely.

Much success,

Steve Kaye
714-528-1300
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Leadership: Beyond the 1st Answer

Tell me why you work.

Most people will say, "Make money."

That's nice.

And it's really not enough, because everyone works to make money.

So, once again, why do you work?

I'm waiting to hear you describe the purpose that keeps you going.

In fact, what purpose would keep you going even if you were unable to make money doing it?

In sessions where I facilitate planning, I often ask simple questions more than once. I do this because the first (sometimes the second, sometimes the third) answer is so ordinary that it's meaningless.

After some prodding, owners have told me that they started their business to:

"To help people in my homeland earn a fair wage."

"To promote peace in the Mideast."

"To safe options for shoppers."

Now, these are answers that inspire.

So, what is your purpose?

And I'll keep asking until I hear one that inspires you.

Because when you follow it, I can promise that all the other forms of success will follow.

So, why do you work?

Much success,

Steve Kaye
714-528-1300
blog
Website

Leadership: Success Story

It's an old story.

And it's your story just as much as it's my story.

For me, it goes like this:

I started with an idea.

And someone expressed doubt that it was possible.

I took a step.

And I was told it was the wrong step.

I asked for help.

And no one replied.

I fixed the first step.

And I was told to do it differently.

And so on.

You can add the details that color this into your own experience.

Here's the point: I'm making progress. Of course it's difficult. And there are more obstacles ahead.

But, so what. If this were easy, someone else would have done it.

Key point: Keep going. Those obstacles are there to test your resolve.

Much success,

Steve Kaye
714-528-1300
blog
Website

Leadership: Which Comes First

It's an ancient question:

Does good thinking lead to good living or does good living lead to good thinking?

Certainly, one leads to the other. And each reinforces itself by enhancing the other.

Yes, we all practice both of these. But the key to genuine success comes from perfecting them.

So that brings us to another question:

Where do you start?

I don't think it matters.

It's more important to begin somewhere: either with good thinking or good living. You could even begin with both.

So, make this your priority for today.

Do one additional good thing. It might be a courteous greeting to a clerk, a moment of reflection to focus your thoughts, or a decision to do something healthy for yourself.

Think one additional good thought. You might reflect on how some one has helped you, find a positive lesson in a recent stumble, or consider how wonderful you really are.

Benefit: Good thoughts and good living lead to serenity, confidence, and strength.

Much success,

Steve Kaye
714-528-1300
blog
Website

Leadership: Four Tests

This happens every so often, perhaps many times each day.

You come upon a task that you just do not want to do.

So you pause and consider the options.

1) Do it now
2) Ignore it
3) Delay it
4) Give it away

This is useful because each option represents an important test.

Important tasks need to be done and now is better than later. In this case, the task tested discipline.

Low value tasks should be ignored. Here, the task tested priorities.

Controversial or complex tasks may benefit from taking time to reflect on the best approach. This time, the task tested wisdom.

Some tasks either are someone else's responsibility or they can serve as a learning experience. Now, the task tested delegation.

And all four options test decisiveness, which is a characteristic of effective leaders.

Much success,

Steve Kaye
714-528-1300
blog
Website

Leadership: Plastic House

You may have heard about this in some far out fable: It's a showcase house that people share with their furniture.

I visited one when I was in high school; a friend lived there.

I had to enter by the back door and stay in the kitchen. From there I could glance along a plastic runner into a dark museum covered by plastic sheets -- lamps, chairs, everything.

The furniture lived in the good half of the house, and the family lived in the rest.

So, what's the point?

Do you use everything that you own?

If not, there are two possibilities:

1) You own too much.

In that case, give the excess to a charity, like Goodwill. This will free you from being a museum care taker, which wastes time that you could spend on things you enjoy.

2) You're depriving yourself.

In this case, use the rewards that you earned to enrich your life. Many things last longer when they're used. That is, they deteriorate, go out of style, or become dirty when left alone.

Key Point: The art to efficient living is achieving joy with having enough, but not too much. Realize that no one is going to sit in a retirement home, wishing that they had:

1) Bought more useless junk or

2) Kept their favorite things in storage

Much success,

Steve Kaye
714-528-1300
blog
Website

Leadership: Inspiration

She's young, wearing a red blouse.

And she's holding onto a walker (leaning on it, actually) as she struggles on, each step requiring a deliberate, determined effort to move her crooked legs.

So far, it's taken her a minute to travel 30 feet.

What's your reaction?

Here's what I see:

1) Courage

She could find dozens of reasons to give up and to stay home. But she's out here, going to work. Many people with much more, strive for less.

2) Pride

Rather than hide in drab colors, she wore bright red. It shouts, "Hey, I'm pretty, too. And I deserve to be noticed." We can say the same thing, "Hey, I'm special and deserve to be noticed."

3) Joy

Of course, her expression shows the pain of working so hard to move. And inside, there's joy because each step is a victory. We need to find joy in our victories, however small, because they mark our progress.

Much success,

Steve Kaye
714-528-1300
blog
Website