Song Of The Weekend: Bruce Springsteen – “Light of Day”

There’s not much I could add to the litany and reviews and articles that have been written about Bruce Springsteen except to echo that I believe he is certainly one of the top songwriters and performers of my lifetime.  He is an artist in the truest sense of the word and uses his considerable talents and abilities to reflect back on our human condition in all its various and sundry complexities.  He also courageously never shies away from social or political commentary in his songs whether you agree with him or not.  Taking the musical journey with Bruce is akin to looking into the mirror of your own life (and country) and reflecting back one where you are, where you’ve been and where you may be going. 

The song “Light of Day” was originally written by Bruce for the somewhat emotionally bleak yet powerful movie of the same title by Jonathan Demme and performed by Joan Jett and Michael J. Fox.  They did a great job, but no one can match the intensity of Bruce who has made it a regular staple in his live shows ever since then.  I like the idea that no matter what happens to us in our lives, we are just around the corner to the light of day…

Well I’ve been out of the woods for six days and nights now
Well I’m a little hot wired, but I’m feeling alright
I got some money in my pocket and a long lean ride
I got to make it down to Galveston by Saturday night, now

Well I’m a little down under, but I’m feeling O.K.
Got a little lost along the way

I’m just around the corner to the light of day
Well, I’m just around the corner to the light of day

Been driving five hundred miles, got five hundred to go, yeah
I got rock and roll music on the radio
I got a brother on a rig just off the gulf coast
He says the girls down there, well they’re really the most, man

Well I’m a little down under, but I’m feeling O.K.
I got a little lost along the way

Just around the corner to the light of day
Just around the corner to the light of day
I’m just around the corner to the light of day
I’m just around the corner to the light of day

Well I got thrown out of work on the Kokomo
Don’t ask me what I’m doing, I don’t know
I hope he wasn’t joking when he wrote me that letter
Things can’t get any worse, they got to get better

Well I’m a little down under, but I’m feeling O.K.
I got a little lost along the way

I’m just around the corner to the light of day
Just around the corner to the light of day
Just around the corner to the light of day

Related articles

• Bruce Springsteen Live at the Light of Day Benefit [Photos] (wncx.radio.com)
• “The Boss” Gets Angry On Upcoming Album (wncx.radio.com

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Leadership Thought #291 – Don’t Fall In Love With Your Own Opinions

There is nothing wrong with having strong opinions but always remember this doesn’t mean you are right.  There is a difference between a fact based opinion and experiential opinion.  In one case you are actually using hard facts and objective data to state you position.  In the other case, you are relying more on subjective experience and personal beliefs to make your point.  The dangerous thing about experiential opinions is that they are grounded solely on the personal filters of the advocate.  They are also based on a singular and usually somewhat stunted view of reality.  Being louder and more passionate about something will certainly garner attention, however, once again this doesn’t mean you are right and very often means you are rude, close-minded and/or a poor listener.

In all types of relationships you can either fight fair or fight dirty.  When I observe someone getting personally critical with another person and/or talking over them rather than focusing on the topic at hand, I assume they want to fight dirty because they know they have a weaker position or are simply intellectually lazy.  Leaders can’t afford to have their decisions overly laced with or influenced by their own or other’s strong opinions.  Reality has a way of overcoming obstinacy.  At minimum, professional reputation is a function of how you are perceived to think and make decisions, as well as how you comport yourself.  Power may provide you with the platform to be self righteous and a blowhard, but these same actions hinder your ability to create true followership and garner long term support.  You ever notice how the student in the classroom who thinks they are the smartest person rarely is and everyone else comes to this conclusion fairly early on.

Unfortunately, I believe America is becoming a country that is increasingly governed by and reveres strong opinions and ideology rather than empirical evidence and collective self-interest.  It has always been much easier to divide people instead of uniting them.  Most of us would rather validate what we already believe over accepting a contrary point of view.   We are great at preparing to talk, but terrible with active listening.  Defaulting to attacking someone else’s positions is an easy trap to fall into.  What we fail to realize is that progress is a direct result of challenging the status quo and opening our minds to new ideas and concepts.  As stated in many other blogs, no one person or group of people has the market cornered on good ideas. They just think they do. Once you think you know it all, please give the reigns of power to someone else. Of course it’s important to be decisive but make sure you committed to making the right decision not just doing what is intellectually convenient or plays to your own personal prejudices and/or vulnerabilities.  If you fall in love with your own opinions you limit your potential for results and for building strong personal and professional relationships.

Related articles

• Leadership Thought #276 – Never Argue For The Sake Of Arguing (edrobinson.wordpress.com)
• How to Disagree Without Arguing (kwaby.wordpress.com)
• On Logical Deduction: Fact, Inference, or Opinion (goingdeeperlineuponline.wordpress.com)
• NeuroPsychology Of Politics – Haidt Two (taxi-dog.com)
• The Dominance Paradigm (drjeffeisen.com)
• Opining on Opinions (johz.wordpress.com)

Leadership Thought #290 – 15 Relatively Easy Things You Can Do To Improve As a Leader Right Away

Growth and improvement as a leader doesn’t always involve heavy lifting or hard work.  Here are 15 relatively easy things you can do right away to improve your performance and results:

1. Go to bed 30 minutes earlier than is typical and stick to a regular bed time; sleep matters
2. Make a conscious effort to eat healthier and always have nutritious breakfast; the fuel you put in your body makes a big difference
3. Exercise 20-30 minutes per day including stretching; healthier body = healthier mind
4. Smile more often and greet people with enthusiasm; people want to feel liked and are attracted to positive energy
5. Say ‘please” and ‘thank you;” courtesy is always better than the alternative
6. Ask more questions and give less lectures; you don’t have all the answers and people want to feel listened to
7. When in doubt delegate; trust that other people can get the job done and if they stumble treat it as a learning experience
8. Only check your email 3x per day at set times during the day and leave a leave a message letting people know this; don’t become an email junkie
9. Clearly define success and manage to 5-7 Key Performance Indicators; stay focused on the metrics that matter most
10. Use a “to do” list to manage your time every day; strive to always focus on your top 5 priority action items
11. Schedule daily blocks of undisturbed thinking time and if necessary do this out of the office; don’t get bogged down in hyper-activity
12. Meet or have a phone conversation with at least 1 client per week; don’t get too distant from your customers
13. Have weekly 1-1 meetings with your direct reports and meet with your management team bi-weekly; keep everyone on the same page and coach them accordingly
14. Read for personal growth or professional development at least 15-20 minutes per day; keep your brain sharp
15. Keep a professional diary and journal 5-1o minutes each night; regularly debrief on your day and how it went

At first glance this list may seem overwhelming but it is not.  Start with a few items and then add others as you make progress. I guarantee you that the more of these items you embrace the better your results will become.

Leadership Thought #289 – It’s Not Enough To Be Talented

One of the reasons I like playoff football is because you really get to see what a team is made of.  Once the competition gets to a certain level, there aren’t any easy games.   You can’t simply get by on the other team’s deficiencies or a major talent disadvantage.  You actually have to go out and proactively win the game.  Besides the obvious need for athletic skill and preparation, you need courage, determination, and toughness to perform at a high level in the NFL.

There is no more stressful, maligned or integral leadership position in sports than the quarterback.  Winning big games involves making critical plays in the clutch and avoiding (and sometimes overcoming) costly mistakes, which isn’t easy when you are under constant pressure and threat.   Most of us don’t have to make split second decisions with powerful 250-300 pound adversaries breathing down out neck and looking to do us harm. It really is something to watch when an individual steps up in this situation and performs at a high level.  Think about it, there are only a handful of professional athletes physically and emotionally capable of pulling this off.  It’s even more difficult to do it consistently year after year.  This is what makes quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Eli Manning so special. 

You need more than talent to succeed as a leader.   You will have lead when it’s hard not just when it’s easy. Your mettle will be tested.  You will be under a constant spotlight and have no shortage of critics.  Sometimes it will feel like the cards are stacked against you and your options are limited. You will get knocked down repeatedly and have to get back up.  Others will look to you to solve problems they cannot or will not handle.  You will need to be resilient in the face of adversity and give your people direction and hope.  You will need to be the calming influence in the midst of a storm.  You must learn from your mistakes (there will be many) and use this knowledge to get better.  You will be humbled and sometimes lose even when you do your best.  You will have to regularly outwork, outthink and outperform your competition. 

It’s not enough to be blessed with natural ability and the wherewithal to seize opportunity. You have to want to win badly enough to put forth the required effort to continually succeed especially when it’s hard. 

Related articles

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Leadership Thought #288 – The Passing Of Coach Paterno

I can’t think of a more tragic way for the Joe Paterno story to end than it has these past few months. Not having any of the inside facts, it’s hard for me to fathom how he handled the Jerry Sandusky scandal.  It goes against everything you would imagine him standing for, but then again he won’t be the first or last person in life to be betrayed by a friend.  Sadly, in this case the betrayal and cover-up had devastating consequences for children. The actions by him and those around him in regards to this issue were inexcusable and the anger in response to it more than justified.

However, this stain on Coach Paterno’s record should not blot out all the other good things he did in his life which are considerable.   A few examples worth mentioning:

• In a day and age where coaches routinely jump ship for more money and/or prestige he remained steadfast and loyal to Penn State for more than 60 years;
• He took the student-athlete relationship very seriously and far outdistanced most of his peers in terms of graduation rates and the number of Academic All-Americans;
• His program was never sanctioned by the NCAA for rules violations and not many other top Division I football program can say that;
• His personal philanthropy was impressive.  He literally donated millions of dollars back to the university. If you’ve ever been to the library you can hardly open up a book without seeing his name as its donor;
• Everything your read and hear indicates that he kept lifelong relationships with many of his players and remained a positive influence in their lives long after graduation;
• The many small stories you never hear about his personal generosity towards non-star players especially those who were injured;
• He did all of the above and ended up with the most wins of any football coach in history.

The world lost a great football coach, leader and man over the weekend.  I wish it would have happened under a less dark cloud.  However, life doesn’t always work that way.

Related articles

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• Joe Paterno, 85, died as he lived – fighting to the end (georgemcginn.wordpress.com)
• Ex Penn State Coach Joe Paterno Dies At 85 (dabxblogger.com)
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• Former Pitt Coach Reflects On Paterno’s Passing (pittsburgh.cbslocal.com)
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Song Of The Weekend: Porcupine Tree– “Lazarus”

Thank goodness for British music magazines.  I am regularly introduced to artists that I never would have come across through other means.  So much of what constitutes popular music these days is formulaic and uninspiring (at least for me); however there are still many artists out writing great songs. 

The band Porcupine Tree has been around for a while now and I always look forward to hearing what they have to offer.  Steven Wilson is a very talented songwriter who can craft music on many different levels.  He has also been involved in many interesting artistic collaborations.  I am regularly amazed by his range and depth.  I’ve heard the band is well worth seeing live and hope to catch them one day.  I’ve chosen the song “Lazarus“ because from the time I first heard it, I lost track of everything else that going on around me and got caught up in the vibe of what he was trying to communicate – quite subtle yet powerful.

As the cheerless towns pass my window
I can see a washed out moon through the fog
And then a voice inside my head, breaks the analogue
And says

“Follow me down to the valley below You know
Moonlight is bleeding from out of your soul”

I survived against the will of my twisted folk
But in the deafness of my world the silence broke
And said

“Follow me down to the valley below You know
Moonlight is bleeding from out of your soul”

“My David don’t you worry
This cold world is not for you
So rest your head upon me
I have strength to carry you”

(Ghosts of the twenties rising Golden summers just holding you)

“Follow me down to the valley below You know
Moonlight is bleeding from out of your soul
Come to us, Lazarus
It’s time for you to go”

Related articles

• PORUPINE TREE Frontman Steven Wilson – “It’s Never Easy To Do Something Which Kind Of Shocks Or Confronts The Expectations Of Your Fanbase” (bravewords.com)
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Leadership Thought #287 – People Come and Go in Your Life And That’s Okay

Very few people are meant to take the full journey with you in life.  Sometimes you outgrow people, lose the interpersonal connection and/or leave them behind.   Instead of regretting the loss, cherish the time you had together and keep it as a fond memory.  I’ve written before how I believe that everyone’s life is a novel and sometimes new chapters require new characters.  It is all part of the process of growing, learning and evolving as a human being.  Most every transitional point in our life involves bridging a chasm of some sort and other people are usually the means by which we cross over.  However, they don’t all make the same crossing with us.

I sincerely hope that you have a close personal relationship with a lifelong romantic partner and best friend if that is what you desire.  While periods of aloneness are to be expected, a lifetime of being single can be difficult and lonely.  I also hope that if you are fortunate enough to have children that you have a strong enduring bond with them.   However, even these long term relationships change and end at some point.  Inevitably, someone will have to learn to carry one without the other person.  Unfortunately, the loss of people we love is a part of life.

You will encounter interesting, fun, caring and happy people along the way who make your life more meaningful and abundant.  This can happen in large or small doses.  Sometimes a small moment in time can make all the difference in influencing the person you become.  You will have the good fortune stumble across amazing mentors (if you are paying attention) who offer sage advice and model behavior you end up wanting to emulate.  You will also have to deal with individuals who are difficult to like or work with, but you’ll have to navigate these relationships anyway and make the most of the experience (or not).  There is always something to be learned from adversity and conflict.

We all go through stages in our life where our worldview changes.  Beliefs we once held firm begin to crumble.  Social circles form, break apart and reform differently.  People who were critical at some periods end up less important during others.  We can build and lose connections based on convenience, what we are doing, what we value, where we choose to live, our work/life circumstances, partner compatibility and our standard of living.  Sometimes ending something or allowing it to diminish is the wisest choice we can make.  Accept this reality as the natural course of events and don’t judge the other person or yourself too harshly when it happens.

There is certainly something powerful about the concept of loyalty and keeping lifelong connections, but for most people it is the exception not the rule especially with non-family members.  Moreover, the intensity of any given connection should be expected to wax and wane.   You can only go so deep with so many people at any given time.  Some changes to relationships are abrupt and unforeseen while others wither gradually right before your eyes.  It’s okay to decide that a particular relationship has run its course.  All you can do is be the best person you possibly can be in all your close interactions.  We all must all continually strive to seek out others who are good for us rather than a negative influence.

In all life throws at me I choose to be an optimist.  I believe all people you come in contact with at a certain level are there for a reason.  They hold a mirror up to your own soul and exist to help you become a better person one way or another.  When it comes to interacting with another human being there is only so much we can control in terms of the relationship.  All we can do is make the best of it whatever it is and be open to new people and new lessons along the way.  Don’t hold on to your past at the expense of your future.

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Leadership Thought #286 – You Either Hit Your Goals Or You Don’t

As we finish off the final accounting on 2011 it’s a useful exercise to reflect on the past year and how we actually performed against the goals we set out at the beginning of last year.   I believe you start by being honest with yourself about whether hit your goals or you didn’t.   There should be no wriggle room or rationalizations.  Progress is certainly good, but it is no substitute for achievement.  Too often in business and life we accept less than stellar results.

There are only five main explanations as to why people don’t hit their goals:

1. They didn’t believe in the goal in the first place;
2. There were too many other competing goals;
3. The goals are set too high and were unrealistic;
4. Lack of support/buy-in from others critical to goal accomplishment;
5. A significant personal or professional event intervened and diverted your focus.

First, too many people commit to things they think they should be doing rather than focusing on what they truly believe needs to get done.  Success requires some level of passion and commitment.  If the WHY isn’t big enough, then the HOW won’t matter.   It’s easy to lose focus and get off track if you aren’t really committed to the outcome.  Sometimes something sounds important and makes logical sense, but if your heart isn’t in it, it won’t happen.

Second, people have a tendency to set way too many goals.  In their enthusiasm at the beginning of the year they take a laundry list approach to everything they want to get done and lose all sense of perspective and prioritization.  If everything is a priority, then noting truly is.  Goals shouldn’t be something that would be nice to do, but rather those things you feel compelled to do because of their importance and overall impact on your personal or professional life. I advise my clients and friends to have no more than 5-7 major goals in a given year.

Third, there’s a difference to setting a stretch goal and being completely unrealistic.   There has to be some reasonable chance you can hit your goal. I do have some colleagues/clients who believe that if you set very challenging goals you may not achieve them but the act of trying to get there pushes you to perform at more elevated level than expected. Personally I don’t subscribe to this mindset, but even if you do, there should be some minimal threshold of what is acceptable progress and this bar should be relatively high otherwise you will get used to the idea of ”good enough”  which rarely ever is.

Fourth, no one lives in a vacuum. We are dependent upon other people all the time to get what we want and need.  If your goal requires significant input/effort/support from someone else, you better make sure they are on board with the goal in the first place.  The quickest path to frustration is to assume that your priority is someone else’s priority (even if you pay them to help you).  Goal alignment is the necessary lubricant for success if you want to have any chance of getting there

Finally, the first four reasons are within the realm of our control.  If we are aware of the obstacles going in we can do something about them.  However sometimes extraordinary (often unseen) events do occur and derail our focus and progress.  There is not much you can do when this happens except reprioritize your efforts around what’s now most important.  Instead of beating yourself up for not being successful, revisit what you originally planned and make reasonable adjustments based of the first four explanations and impact of what you are now dealing with. Don’t lose site of the original destination, but instead design a different possibly longer route to get there.

I encourage you never to get comfortable with non-performance.  It becomes too easy to rationalize why things didn’t happen and live a mediocre life.  As time goes by, the gap between who you wanted to be and who you have become only widens and leads to a negative self-image, bitterness, worry and discontent.  You either hit your goals or you don’t – it’s that simple.

Related articles

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Leadership Thought #285 – Compromise Doesn’t Mean Weakness

As a student of leadership it both frustrates and saddens me how rare compromise is these days in public and professional circles.  Our society was built based on a foundation of a win-win mindset.   Our founding fathers certainly had a wide range of differing opinions on how to structure our country and government, but after rigorous discussion and debate they were able to come together around a common set of principles and compromise to launch this new nation.  Of course some of them were visionaries and idealists, but they were also pragmatists and realists. They fully understood that while it may take a small group of people to start something, it ultimately requires a majority to see it through to fruition. Win-lose never works in the long term.

No one person is ever always right or always wrong.  Some people may have a better track record than others, but the moment they start believing in their own infallibility and consider themselves beyond reproach, they become vulnerable to the vagaries and nuances of life.  Moreover, they foster the resentment and the waning support of others who often wait/hope for them to fail and validate their own position.  In my experience, groups with a diverse composition of membership usually make better decisions than any one individual.  The landscape of history is full of failed dictatorships while democracies continue to persist.

Admitting you don’t know enough about something to make a good decision is a sign of wisdom.  Being open to alternative points of view and challenging you own conceits is the pathway to professional maturity.  Listening without judgment is a prerequisite for effective leadership. Arguing for the sake of arguing or being unyielding in your positions is sign of emotional immaturity and intellectual bravado.   This doesn’t mean that you don’t remain steadfast to core principles or have some non-negotiables, but if everything fits this description, then you are nothing more than a roadblock to success and progress.

All organizations are held together by their center not their polar opposites.  There is a time for debate and time for compromise.  There is a time to be cautious and time to take action.  You will never make everyone happy all the time, but you should engender confidence in most of your colleagues and subordinates that you strive to make well though out decisions after seeking critical feedback, weighing all the important variables and finding a common space of agreement. Compromise doesn’t mean weakness it connotes self-confidence and a commitment to something more important than your own ego and insecurities.

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Leadership Thought #284 – How Do You End Your Day?

In my experience, how you end your day says alot about you manage your time and priorities. 

Some people have a hard time calling it quits.  They keep working until the last possible minute to cram something else in.  Others work sporadically. It’s hard to draw any pattern as to when their typical day actually begins or concludes – boundaries are difficult for them.  Then there are those who end at the same time everyday like clockwork.    No matter what’s going on they pack it in and push it off responsibilities until the next work day.    In addition, there are also those individuals who work in peaks and valleys.  They put in the extra hours when they need to, but make it up at another time.  Lastly, are the people who continually blend work and personal time and work whatever hours are needed to accommodate this mindset. 

If what you are doing works for you and is achieving the desired results then stick with it.  However, if you are struggling or feeling like you are regularly “behind the eight ball,” then maybe you should consider another approach.

Ideally a person would want to use their time well and be highly productive and effective.  They wouldn’t get easily distracted or lose focus.  Instead of procrastinating on things they need to get done, they’d be disciplined about accomplishing what’s most important when it should get done with minimal stress.   The days would flow smoothly rather than bounce around between shifting priorities and putting our fires.   Time should be spent doing your own job not making up for the shortcomings of others.   We also need to be smart enough to ask for help when we are in over our heads.  If we are being honest with ourselves, we’d own up to the fact that most of the stress in our careers is self-created.  

The best days have a sense of self-confidence, properly channeled energy, and order about them.   You are rarely caught off guard and when the rare surprise happens it’s easy to manipulate your schedule to reprioritize things accordingly.  Everyone should be working from a master “to do” list that they revisit daily and prioritize given their role and responsibilities.  Life has always favored the prepared over those who “wing it” as they go along.  If you are in a senior leadership position this can be a bit more challenging because your work is less tactical and task oriented, but it is required nonetheless.  Thinking actually requires disciplined effort.

I also firmly believe that work should never be all encompassing and your goal should also be to have a vibrant personal life and create the boundaries and flexibility to allow this to happen.  One dimensional people always burnout in the long term and/or regret what they’ve given up to get where they are.  There are “do over’s” in life.  Once time has passed it’s gone.

Your goal should be as often as possible to end your days on a high note.  When you arrive home you should be able to leave work behind you because you have used your time well and are proactively focused on your deadlines and priorities.  Just as was the case with high school or college, cramming for your tests only leads to unnecessary stress, muddled thinking, silly mistakes and poor retention of information.

Related articles

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