Leadership Solutions

Leadership: Nested Fears

Everyone has at least one fear that they are willing to share.

It's the safe one.

And it serves as a mask for the real fear.

This real fear is the big one that rattles around in the basement. It's the fear that has managed to control all of your decisions. And it's so powerful that it shuts down everything when you get close to it.

That is, people will do anything to protect the fear that paralyzes them.

Now, if you're brave enough, here's process that might help you find it.

This is useful because once you know what it is, you can throw it out.

Really.

You can kick it in the pants. Or drop it in the trash. And then laugh at it as it tumbles off out of sight.

So, if you are ready, start by asking yourself, "What am I afraid of?"

Then challenge your answer by asking, "Why am I afraid of that?"

Then challenge that answer by asking the same question, "Why am I afraid of that?"

Keep asking this question until you find it.

Realize that it can be ugly down deep in the basement.

But once you toss it out, you'll feel relieved. It's as if you woke up from a bad nightmare, which is exactly what every fear really is.

Key Point: Fear is a handicap that we give ourselves.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

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Leadership: Big Nine

I thought there would be more.

But there are only nine.

Yesterday I checked how many meeting facilitators in California had earned the Certified Professional Facilitator (CPF) designation from the International Association of Facilitators (IAF).

Of course, this is important because (drum roll, please) I'm on that list.

Earning the CPF from the IAF is a commendable achievement because it's difficult. You have to do more than just be in business or collect a long list of clients.

First, the IAF requires an extensive application, which includes comprehensive descriptions of prior work, approach, and philosophy. This can easily exceed 2,500 to 3,000 words.

If they judge this as acceptable, then you are admitted into the certification process, which now costs $1,500.

Then you are asked to select a facilitation project for the certification exam.

Once you select this, you are assigned a "client" whom you then contact to discuss the project. It's important to note that the skill-based part of the certification process begins with this call. The assessors are monitoring how you interact with a client to determine the meeting goals, prepare an agenda, and advise on logistics.

This last step is the full day certification exam, which includes two interview exams and a demo facilitation. The demo facilitation tests 1) your approach to meeting facilitation and 2) your ability to identify and then deal with someone has been asked to disrupt your meeting.

The point: If you want professional facilitation, ask for a facilitator who has earned the CPF. That way, you know you're working with an expert.

And by the way, if you are a meeting facilitator, I encourage you to apply for the CPF. It's a designation that means something.

Key Point: When you want a job done right, work with an expert.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

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Leadership: New Tool for Better Meetings

Finally, someone made one.

This tool could revolutionize the conduct of meetings.

It's a handy timer that displays how much a meeting has cost.

See: Bring TIM

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For years I've been telling people to calculate the cost of a meeting, and then post that number on the agenda that they distribute before the meeting.

And for years audiences have responded with laughter, as if to say, "You've got to be kidding if you think I'm going to let anyone know how much money I'm wasting."

Or maybe they think it's funny that anyone would publish an agenda before a meeting.

Or maybe they think it's funny that anyone would set goals for a meeting.

Of course, we know that the people who laugh at setting goals and making plans are the very people who are unemployed right now. (If you doubt this, ask a homeless person to describe his or her plans for earning an income.)

So, for the rest of you who have jobs that you want to keep, here is the tool that you have been waiting for.

Order one today.

Or, better yet, buy one for everyone in your company.

They'll be delighted. And it could save your business.

Key Point: You have to measure the things that you want to manage.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

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Leadership: Business Opportunities

The photo of this flower contains four business lessons.

1) Wildflowers in Sequoia National Park were especially beautiful this year in July. So, there were many to choose from. I found this flower because I was looking for photogenic images.

Lesson: We must seek opportunities in order to find them. While this may seem trivial, too many people simply wait for solutions to appear instead of actively working to find them.

2) There are thousands of these flowers growing around the Wuksachi Lodge in Sequoia National Park. So, I had to find the one that would make a good photo. I spent almost 20 minutes searching for this one, which was clean, attractive, and oriented toward light. Others were less suitable.

Lesson: We have thousands of opportunities to choose from. Success comes from finding the one that fits our criteria.

3) Taking this photo was only the first step. Since I always take many frames (such as a dozen), I had to select the best representation of what I wanted to capture. Then I cropped the photo to emphasize the flower and applied a few adjustments that sharpened the image.

Lesson: Most opportunities are raw material for something better. Thus, we have to apply extra effort to achieve significant results.

4) This flower is less than a quarter of an inch high. A postcard sized view of this plant appears below.

So, taking this photo requires professional quality equipment such as the Nikon D300 with the Nikon 105 mm Micro lens. Then I used a solid tripod, a cable release, and the mirror up setting. Obtaining the details shown in the first photo would have been impossible without these tools. 

Lesson: Real business opportunities require real investments to obtain professional quality results.

Key Point: Finding and cultivating opportunities requires deliberate leadership skills.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

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Leadership: Now It's 52

Here's another milestone.

Yesterday (July 26)  I completed Journal number 52. If you've read past blogs, you know that this means I have filled 52 journals since January 1999.

Such an achievement happens for some very important reasons.

1) Commitment.

I commit to write for an hour every morning (unless I'm working with a client at that time).

Lesson: Your success, too, comes from committing to do the work necessary. Schedule your key tasks so that they become part of your daily routine. Then completing these tasks becomes automatic.

2) Acceptance.

I consider my journal a mental playground. And thus, I accept whatever I write. Whether it's clever, funny, useful, or otherwise, I accept it.

Lesson: Success begins with acceptance. If you did otherwise, you could argue your way out of continuing. And then you'd find a way to stop, which would end the journey toward your goal.

3) Improvement.

I edit and revise potentially valuable ideas. Then I use them in articles, blogs, books, and presentations. 

Lesson: Everything can be improved. Thus, seeking a better way is part of achieving excellence. And excellence leads to success.

4) Benefit.

I derive a huge benefit from my journal writing. It has led to ideas that improved my presentations, earned money, and resolved problems. It has also been a source of entertainment. (I laugh out loud at some of the funny stuff.)

Lesson: The benefit is your reward for working. So, there must be a benefit that brings you back (or keeps you employed). Thus, find a benefit for everything that you do.

Note: The idea for this blog came as I was writing on the last page of this journal. I asked myself, "What steps did I take to fill this many journals?"

Key Point: Write in a journal. It can change your life.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

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Leadership Solutions: Make the Phone Your Business Partner

Too many people try to save money on the one thing that must work perfectly.

It's their business phone service.

As a result, they repel or lose customers.

Here are recommendations that apply to both large and small companies:

1) Use a land line phone service. Cell phones and internet phone services sound terrible. This hinders communication because the other person has difficulty hearing (and understanding) what is being said.

2) Hire people in your country for customer and technical support. Yes, I realize that the people in offshore call centers are wonderful, caring, intelligent workers. Unfortunately, the phone connection to their site is always poor. (Sometimes it's worse.) I have spent hours on the phone asking them to repeat what they said because I was unable to hear it or understand it.

3) Have a human being answer your phone. Voice menus and robots are insulting to the people who call. And by the time callers finally reach a person in your organization, they are often so upset that they waste your employee's time complaining.

Recognize that all business is conducted through communication.

Thus, make the pathways for communication as clear and open as possible.

Key Point: Your phone system is the life line for your business.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

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Leadership Solutions: The World Is Waiting

Did you show up today?

I hope so.

Because the rest of us are depending upon you.

This includes your colleagues, clients, friends, neighbors, and family.

And by showing up, I mean: Did you do the absolute best that you could with the precious time that you had?

For example, did you learn something new? Did you take smart risks? Did you honor your commitments? Did you help others? Did you make something better?

Were you fully present?

If you were, congratulations and thank you!

If not, then you let us down.

You see, we're all connected. And our success as human beings depends upon everyone.

So, we need you.

Every day.

Doing the best that you can.

Key Point: Thanks for being there. We need everyone.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

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Leadership Solutions: Major Lesson

One of the most valuable lessons that I learned from writing in a journal is this:

Small things done consistently over long time become huge results.

You see, we don't succeed in an instant. It takes many small, consistent, positive efforts.

There are many examples of this.

Someone who consistently exceeds expectations will receive raises and promotions.

Someone who saves routinely will become wealthy.

Someone who writes a page a day will produce a draft of a book within a year.

Someone who reads frequently will become knowledgeable.

Someone who consistently delivers predictable results will earn trust.

And so on.

Notice that every achievement is simply a matter of investing small, manageable bits of our lives in learning, building, and connecting.

It's so easy that anyone can do this.

The key is consistency

And it begins with a decision to start.

Key Point: Make investing your life strategy.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

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Leadership Solutions: Can You Answer This Question?

Do you know what your job is?

And everyone shouts back, "Of course I do!"

Good, then write a paragraph describing it. (I'll wait.)

Now, here are four tasks, in order of increasing difficulty.

1) Ask yourself if your job description matches the way that you spend your time at work. If so, good. If, however, you spend most of your day in meetings talking about assorted stuff, such as last night's ball game, then there's a problem.

2) Ask your boss to describe your job to you. (Caution: this step assumes that you work for an enlightened leader who values personal development.) Then compare that description with the one that you wrote. If there's a difference, you now have something to talk about.

3) Ask key members of your staff to describe what they think your job is. Then compare these descriptions with a) each other, b) the one you wrote, and c) the one your boss gave you. Any differences reveal the need to explore the reasons why.

4) First, write a description of each person's job in your department. Then ask each person to tell you what they think their job is. Compare their answers with the one that you wrote. As before discuss any differences.

Important considerations.

1) Expect that this project will lead to amazing conversations.

2) Some people will want to know why no one ever told them what was expected of them before.

3) When you ask questions like this to members of your staff, some of them will try to please you by attempting to guess the correct answers. So, you may need to ask more than once.

Key Point: You (and others) must know what you're expected to do in order to do it.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

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Leadership Solutions: Another Upset

For a while she was depressed.

Olivia had seen an article on tiger cubs in the July issue of ZooNooz.

And she noticed that tiger cubs have really large paws. And they have spectacular colors, with a mix of orange, black, and white. And they grow up to be large, powerful, magnificent tigers.

In comparison, Olivia is just a 10-pound house cat. With small paws. And ordinary brown fur.

So, Olivia spent most of the day on the back of the sofa, staring vacantly out the window.

Then, on her way to the food bowl, she looked at the magazine once more.

And she discovered that those tiger cubs live in an exhibit where thousands of people parade by to gawk at them.

Olivia yowled in disbelief. It almost sounded like an angry tiger.

By the next day, everything returned to normal. Olivia has accepted being a house cat. In fact, I think she's a bit proud of it.

She also realizes that every role in life has its advantages and disadvantages. Fame, for example, has a high price.

So, she asked me to write this article.

She wanted me to tell you that we need to accept ourselves as being the wonderful unique works of art that we are.

Then we need to do our best to be our best. Because there's still a little bit of tiger in each of us, even if you weigh only ten pounds.

Key Point: Be the best at who you are.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

714-528-1300

Author, Speaker, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator

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