Where Have All The Real Leaders Gone?

As the deadline of Tuesday looms large, and the possibility -- remote as it likely is -- of the country defaulting on its bills continues to exist (at least as of press time for TJOW), I have several thoughts, each more angry than the next.

1. Who are these people in Washington and what do they think they're doing with our money and our lives?

2. How much pain and suffering will more than a trillion dollars of cuts cause in an economy that is stagnate and fraught with high unemployment? (By the way, for those uncertain, this is a trillion dollars: $1,000,000,000,000. That's an awful lot of zeroes to have to cut from the budget.)

3. Did anyone in the House or the Senate study -- and pass -- arithmetic as a child? Asked another way, does anyone there know how to add? Since when does less income + less spending = more jobs? Maybe math works differently based on political party affiliation. You know, like science.

4. So, Social Security -- something we've all been forced to pay into our entire working lives -- is now considered an entitlement? Please.

5. Why is NO ONE talking about job creation?

6. So, this is what being held hostage feels like?

7. Is there a way to disband government and start fresh? How much does it cost to have Congress? Probably less than a trillion dollars, but not much.

8. Lastly, and most importantly, where have all the real leaders gone?

What we and the entire world are watching, live and in living color, is a train wreck. A train wreck of magnificent proportions. A train wreck of such staggering power that it will likely prevent significant economic growth for years.

And, no, we're not talking politics here (as much as I'd love to, especially since I believe we're watching the emergence of a third political party). Instead, this is about leadership. Or, in this case, the complete and utter absence of sound, effective, decisive leadership.

Where have all the real leaders gone?

You know of what I speak: The leader who defines an ambitious goal, engages people in the pursuit of that goal, and works tirelessly to achieve it. The leader who lets nothing and no one prevent achievement of that goal. The leader who captures our attention, our imagination, our admiration and, often, our heart. The leader who, with support from others, gets it done.

In this train-wreck of a situation, there's not a leader to be found. Instead, all we have is carnage.

Mr. President, this blog is for you.

Mr. President, you had a wonderful chance last week. There, before the nation (or anyone not watching Dancing With The Stars or whatever was on during your brief address), you could have explained the situation with brutal clarity and defined in a no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners way what you believed must happen to resolve this mess. To some degree, you did the first part. But on the second, Mr President, you whiffed. By a mile.

We know what you wanted to say. We could see it in your eyes: Increase the debt ceiling. No budget cuts while the economy is still struggling to right itself. (Actually, our vote is to increase spending to stimulate the economy, but that's somewhat beside the point.) No tax cuts. You could have explained why this is the best solution, even if it's contentious to many.

See, that's what real leaders do. They live by their convictions, not by the convictions of others. They do what they believe to be right. Even if unpopular.

And then, Mr. President, you could have done something truly remarkable. Something that would have captured our imagination, to be sure. Something bold, something honorable. Something a real leader would do. (And something suggested to me by that great political thinker and man about town, Jean-Paul Gressieux.) Mr. President, you could have then offered to not run for reelection had your proposal been passed by Congress.

A selfless act of courageous leadership. Standing by and for your convictions, by what you believe to be right for the country. Assuming, of course, that you do have convictions when it comes to the economy.

You could have changed the entire conversation. Instead of the debate being political -- with the Republicans and Tea Partiers eager to see you dethroned -- you could have made it a discussion about growing the economy. Imagine that.

You could have put the well-being of your people ahead of everything. You could have short-circuited the rhetoric of your adversaries. You could have changed the game.

That's leadership.

This, on the other hand, is a train wreck.

Cool Thoughts

New York City. TJOW comes to you this week from the amazingly warm city of New York. And when we say 'amazingly warm', we really mean hot beyond human comprehension. Friggin' hot. Heat that takes your breath away. Heat that enshrouds you, invades your pores, and saps every bit of energy. Heat that disrupts brain cell activity. Heat to make you cry.

How hot? 104 degrees in Central Park with, because someone has a sardonic sense of humor, high humidity. Weather you can swim in. Weather, we're told, that feels like 113. Like we have the capacity to feel the difference between 104 and 113. Maybe some can. To me, it's simply brutally oppressive.

I don't know about you, but once the temperature passes, say, 95, it moves into that range I refer to as Way Beyond Reason, or You've Got To Be Kidding, or, Why Did I Shower?, or, more aptly, Just Shoot Me, Please. Uncivilized heat.

New York is not alone, of course, as much of the nation has been sweltering and more for the last week. Newark, New Jersey, set an all-time high of 108, Washington, D.C., set a record for a peak heat index of 121 degrees, Philadelphia set a daily record of 103, Portland, Maine, reached 102 degrees. (Portland, Maine.) At that's just in the East. In some mid-west regions, around Oklahoma City for one, the temperature hovered at 100 degrees at midnight. That's just wrong.

To put this in some perspective, Phoenix was 103. In the summer. In the desert.

Have you tried cooking an egg on a sidewalk? Apparently, this is all the rage in many parts of the country. If you do, keep in mind that the same thing that's happening to that egg is happening to you. Be sure to wear sunscreen. We recommend an SPF rating of at least 2,000. Wear a hat. And, to play it safe, cover yourself with aluminum foil. (Shiny side out.)

So, as a public service to those suffering through what meteorologists have been referring to as 'a massive heat dome', 'an intense inversion layer' or 'extreme heat' (insert wisecrack here) -- and what we refer to as 'really atrocious weather' -- this week we offer Cool Thoughts. Not necessarily thoughts that will keep you cool, mind you, but thoughts we hope you find cool. You know, not cool -- but cool (a la the Craw, not the craw! for you Get Smart fans). But, who knows, maybe ideas can be both cool and cool. You decide.

• Doing more with more (see last week's blog) is more than a clever line. It's a concept to help improve performance, one designed to enhance quality and service. It's an approach to sustaining growth. And if you read last week's blog (we know who you are), you know that the second 'more' does not mean more people, more resources or more time. It means more engagement, more commitment, more mentoring, more enthusiasm, more fun. Our experience suggests strongly that your people have ideas about what to do. They need to be given the opportunity to explore those ideas in a structured way, refine them, and to be shown how to implement them effectively. That's where we come in. Literally.

• Working harder isn't the answer. Given that most equate 'working hard' with 'putting in way too much time', our clients tell us that many of their people have peaked or will soon do so. More effort is not the ticket to improved performance, nor is working smarter (whatever that is). What is viable is working differently. Creative, dare we say, elegant solutions come when leadership requests new ways to get things done. It's the 'new' in that statement that can drive breakthrough ideas -- and breakthrough performance.

• Behavior change -- real, lasting behavior change -- can happen while you watch. We've heard all of the rumors about change being cumbersome, difficult, and painful. There's undoubtedly some truth to these rumors, but we haven't experienced these problems. Our data is clear: People will change their behavior if there is a compelling reason to do so. And, given a compelling reason and effective change processes, they'll do it quickly. As a result, our approach to change is significantly different from others and, according to our clients, more effective. Check out Shiftpoint. It's an example of one of the highly effective behavior change tools in our quiver.
  

• Will the real leaders please stand up? If there was ever a time for leadership, this is it. I'm not referring to managers who simply call themselves leaders. I'm referring to bold individuals who set an ambitious, visionary goal, instruct her or his people to develop a plan to achieve it, and, once approved, empower (I can't believe I just used that word) people to implement that plan. With precision and speed. An individual who makes things happen with and through her or his people. An individual who leads change, who seeks and finds different, better ways to get things done. That's a real-deal leader. They can and should exist throughout your organization, not just at the top. And we can show you how to build them.

Cool thoughts. Maybe it will lead to a cooler week ahead.

Do More With More

As the economy stumbles along and our elected officials continue to squabble over how best to right our floundering ship from afar (There is a right answer, Mr. President!), the pressure on many at work continues to grow steadily. There's less of everything -- coworkers, assistance, support, resources, mentoring, time, fun -- and in many organizations, the decline continues. It's sad, but true. Meanwhile, increased productivity and greater results are essential. Sink in shark-infested waters, or swim to land -- where there roam hungry, carnivorous predators of all sizes and shapes. Either way, you're lifespan is severely threatened.

It's not a pretty picture, to be sure. (But there's undoubtedly a movie in it, because there's always a movie in it. Working titles for our script: "I'm Toast", "The Joy of Eating", "My Teeth Are That Into You", or "Eat, Love and Eat More".)

No, it's not a pretty picture, when the 'we-must-do-more-with-less' mantra is trotted out repeatedly. But of course, you say, welcome to my life: Longer hours (for the salaried employees among us), higher goals (for nearly everyone), a need to be connected to work 24/7, furlough days, salary cuts, a bonus a thing of the past, stock options underwater (for those 'lucky' enough to have retirement funded by company stock), frequent restructuring eliminating any chance of advancement, retirement only a dream.

At least I have a job, you say. And medical insurance. At least that.

We're here to say there's a better way. Doing more with less is so short-sighted, so last century. Instead, there's a way to increase profitability and, in the process, create a highly-productive, highly-engaging work environment that can sustain growth and, importantly, is a blast to work in. An environment that attracts top performers, retains the best, develops leaders and outperforms the industry. All said, a new way to compete.

We say, how about doing more with more?

The first 'more' in that question refers to more service, more quality, more performance, and more profit. The second 'more' refers to more engagement, more commitment, more mentoring, more enthusiasm, more fun. Definitely not more cost. Not necessarily more people, either. (But you'll need more people as your business grows and flourishes. And we promise that it will. Flourish, that is.)

The key? It's two-fold:

1. Live each day as if it's your first.
2. Get in touch with us. Now. While there's still time.
   

Our mission at The Schnur Consulting Group is to help you do more with more. To make your company incredibly successful -- through your people -- and to help you outpace the industry. In the process, we'll help you make your company a formidable competitor for years to come.

Isn't that what business is all about? Sustaining growth and profitability for the long-term? Outperforming the industry? Kicking ass?

We say it is. Losing is for losers. Winning is for those with intelligence, clever strategy, stamina, backbone, and a pile of people who will willingly and eagerly go to the mat for and with you.

Getting there is the challenge. And the fun. It's like living each day as if it's your first.

Call us; we'll explain.

They Got It Wrong

For years, we've been told that to enjoy life to the fullest, we should live each day as if it was our last.

The logic is simple: By choosing to live each day as if we have only one to live, we're bound to live that day more enthusiastically, more passionately, more thankfully. Overlooking the trivial -- which, not surprisingly, often accounts for a huge portion of the typical day -- and focusing instead on the truly important things will, the theory goes, help us live large.

It's a useful concept, a good one even, one that might motivate us to see beyond the minutiae, beyond the many aggravations that often prevent happiness and fulfillment and help us enjoy this life we're living.

But we are here to say that the idea of living each day as if it was our last is a shortsighted one. Backwards, actually. Because they -- whoever 'they' are -- picked the wrong day.

We at TJOW have a better idea. We believe that it would be a far better approach to live each day as if it were our first.

And, no, not Life: Day One. For many of us, that's too far back, with no useful memory of it. Being a newborn again is not what we had in mind. (But, come to think of it, being swaddled, kept warm by loving arms, and fed every few hours -- with absolutely no other responsibilities -- has its allure. Sounds like an idea for a new type of spa. Or a Woody Allen movie.)

No, not that first day. The other really special, memorable first days. The first day of kindergarten. The first day owning a bicycle. For many, that first Christmas. The day you learned to swim. That first sleep-over. The first day in Disneyland. Going to your first professional ball game (especially, for me, if it was at night). The first day of high school. The first day of driving a car on your own. The first day of college. That first big trip. The first day living in your own place. The first day meeting your sweetheart. The day you knew he or she was The One. The first day on that sought-after new job. The first day after getting the promotion. The first day being a parent.

There have been so many great first days.

Remember your first days? The anticipation, the fear? The mystery of the unknown? Not sleeping the night before, your mind filled with ideas too many to sort through? The electricity charging your every synapse, heightening the sensation at every nerve ending? How time seemed to stop, or at least, how it slowed to a crawl? Remember the excitement, the passion? Remember the joy?

That's being alive. That's living large.

First days are terrific in so many ways. The newness, the unknowing, the extent to which it's all so foreign, so amazingly new. Your senses are set in Overdrive. The colors seem brighter, the smells sweeter, the sounds more crisp. You notice everything. The stimulation envelops you, ensnares you. You become a very part of the moment, a very part of the place. You might forget to breathe, it's so exciting.

That's being alive. That's living large.

First days, by definition, are days of questions, of learning. Who are these people? What are these things? Why do things happen this way here? Where did all of this come from? When do I get to be a part of it? How can I make this a part of me? So much to assimilate, so many options.

That's being alive. That's living large.

The excitement, coupled with the learning, is what makes a first day, well, a first day. For that's what being alive, truly alive, is all about: Seeing for the first time, adding experiences, incorporating new ideas, exploring new concepts, feeling our way through a new world, becoming a part of it, and loving every minute of it.

(Tangentially, it's what we who spend our time as consultants do every day. It's one of the things that makes this line of work so very special. More on that next week.)

So, this week, live each day as if it's your first. Because there's nothing as exciting, as invigorating, as alive as that first day.