4 Easy Ways to Become a Leader with Executive Presence

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Become a leader with executive presence by being vocal, stating ideas with conviction, being decisive, and radiating calm.

Today’s post is by Joel Garfinkle, thoughtLEADERS instructor, executive coach, and author of Executive Presence: Step Into Your Power, Convey Confidence, and Lead with Conviction. (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

If you want to advance to high levels in your career—and make the greatest possible impact—you need to become a leader with executive presence. Here are 4 areas of focus I urge you to begin with. You can easily begin making these changes in your next meeting, one-on-one, or virtual call.

  1. Be vocal, yet concise.

No, this is not an oxymoron. Great leaders speak up often, participating actively in discussions—yet they don’t drone on endlessly. They make smart, incisive comments that spark discussion. They voice thoughts succinctly, so others grasp them immediately. They participate throughout every discussion, but they don’t dominate it. When they speak, others want to hear more, not less.

Many people fall into the “I don’t have anything to say” trap. But I promise you, you do have plenty to contribute. Challenge yourself to bring a mental list of key points you want to make in a meeting. As you speak up more, you’ll get more comfortable thinking of things to say in the moment. But even then, it will be helpful to gather your thoughts about each agenda item, particularly those that pertain to your expertise.

Every idea doesn’t need to be earth-shattering in order to advance the discussion in some way. For instance, you might make comments like these:

  • Summarizing how the group feels about the issue at hand.
  • Commending a colleague for her amazing work on a project being discussed, highlighting what might have gone unrecognized.
  • Pointing out where two disagreeing colleagues have common ground.

Speaking up in ways like these will benefit the group and give you a strong presence in the discussion.

  1. State ideas with conviction.

When you speak up, let your conviction for your opinions shine through. Practice eliminating qualifier words and phrases like “I’m not sure if it’s relevant, but…” and voice ideas boldly.

When you speak, try to project your voice so you’ll sound more confident. Use open body language, maintaining good posture, which will reflect in your voice as well. And when a topic comes up that you want to weigh in on, don’t hesitate. This will present you as more self-assured. Pay attention to your tone and cadence as well. If you’re speaking too quickly, you’ll sound more nervous. Use the power of the pause, or vary your pacing, to give your words the gravity they deserve.

  1. Be decisive.

Most of us are prone to deliberating for far too long unless we challenge ourselves to make decisions quickly. Building your decision-making muscle takes practice, but you will get more confident over time. Start by going with your gut about minor choices. Then, when faced with a big decision, set a time frame appropriate to the importance and urgency of the choice. Here are a couple of examples:

  • You’re considering whether you need to add a specific new role to your team. You meet with several people whose perspectives are most important, then consider their input during your weekly reflection time. As a result, you use your time efficiently rather than mulling over the possibilities in an unfocused way.
  • You need to approve or disapprove a proposed marketing strategy that diverges sharply from your current one. So, after watching a presentation by the marketing team, you meet with key staff to discuss follow-up questions. Satisfied with their thorough research and clear answers, you give the approval and announce the change enthusiastically.

You’ll never have all of the information, so prioritize taking action. Most leaders find it’s better to correct course later, if needed, then delay an important decision.

  1. Radiate calm.

In difficult situations, be the calm within the storm. Whether it’s a major crisis or an annoying problem, maintain your composure. You’ll become the person that others can rely on to steer the ship toward calmer waters.

Of course, that’s easier said than done. Here are some steps you can take to develop that calm presence:

  • Adopt simple practices you can do during your workday to find calm, like taking a short walk.
  • Try to remain emotionally balanced and mentally composed by sleeping, eating, and exercising well.
  • Pay attention to your voice—is the pitch rising? Take a breath and try to speak in a more relaxed tone.
  • Delegate effectively. Who can take on what roles to help? Giving people clear tasks will help them stay calm in turn, knowing they’re contributing to a solution.

It may feel counterintuitive, but by exuding calm, you’ll reconcile problems more quickly and with better results.

Follow these principles during the course of the day. They will benefit you in every situation, and you’ll find yourself drawing upon them countless times throughout your work week. Before long, others will begin to perceive you as a more capable and powerful leader, which will grow your influence, charisma, and ability to drive change. And most importantly, as you become a leader with executive presence, you’ll win their trust.

executive presence bookJoel Garfinkle is the author of Executive Presence: Step Into Your Power, Convey Confidence, and Lead with Conviction. He has 23 years of experience as an executive presence coach, conducting webinars, keynotes, and one-on-one coaching programs. He is recognized as one of the top 50 coaches in the U.S. Subscribe to his Fulfillment at Work newsletter and his YouTube channel, which has over 200 easily actionable 2-minute inspirational video clips.

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Even the Best Leaders Can Be Ageist – Make Sure You’re Not One of Them

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Learn how leaders can get ahead of any age-related problems in their workplace and create a truly diverse and age-inclusive workforce.

Today’s post is by Patti Temple Rocks, author of I’m STILL Not Done: It’s Time to Talk About Ageism in the Workplace (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

If there is a common trait among all the great leaders that I have worked with throughout my 4-decade career it is that they have high standards – for themselves and those they lead. They are measured (rigorously) on their performance so if you bring them a problem, they will solve it quickly. Sales are down? Let’s mix up territories. Growth has stalled? Invest in the innovation pipeline. Recession headwinds getting stronger? Tighten spending. Wrongful dismissal due to age discrimination lawsuit? Call HR and write a settlement check.

But there is another common trait I have observed among those leaders – at least the ones I admire and like the best – they genuinely and deeply care about their people. Those leaders would not just write the check to make the problem go away, they will understand that behind that litigation there is a much longer story and most likely an employee who is hurting.

Here is how leaders can get ahead of any age-related problems in their workplace and create a truly diverse and age-inclusive workforce.

Do Your Research. Assess Your Organization

The first and not surprising task is data based and straight-forward. Do some Google searching, and it will take no time at all to confirm that ageism is rampant in the workplace. In May of 2021, an AARP reported that an astounding 78% of workers between 40 and 65 had either witnessed or experienced ageism on the job. That is the highest number they’ve ever reported and up a whopping 17% since before the pandemic. Your Google search will also find all the stats on the cost of litigation and that the American Bar Association predicts even more age-related lawsuits post-pandemic. You will conclude that ageism is in the workplace is an issue

But…maybe you might think, ‘well yes, but not here.’ That is when you need to move on to the next phase of your research.

The Mirror Test

You can’t solve a problem you don’t understand so I recommend engaging your teams to hold a mirror up to your own organization. Direct your HR team to conduct an employee census to determine if the age groups that work for you represent the general population (spoiler alert: most do not). Look at the stats of the voluntary and involuntary quits. I can assure you very few of your voluntary quits will be over 50. Research shows that the most loyal and engaged employees are in that age cohort. Ask your recruiting department to review your job postings for ageist language. Your marketing team should review your website – all your external messages – to ensure that all age groups are represented visually as well is in the written word. Re-read your DE& I policy – does it specifically call out age as category for protecting (don’t be shocked if it doesn’t). What is your standard practice for discussing retirement with your employees? And if you have a practice at all, congratulations, you’re in the 10% club.

By looking honestly at your company, the chances are good that you will discover that ageism is an issue for your organization as well. And an issue that you must address.

But, as a leader as empathetic as you are decisive, there is a much more important task you must take on.

Lead by Walking Around

This is not a new idea – it was originated by HP’s David Packard in the 1940’s and popularized by 80’s and 90’s business guru, Tom Peters – but it remains viable today, even if walking around is now a Zoom call.

As concrete and definitive as some of the legal markers of age discrimination are there are many more that are not. Older workers talk constantly of feeling marginalized from being excluded from meetings or talked over in the meetings they are invited to. They don’t understand why they are no longer considered for training opportunities or for that new job opportunity in an expanding market or division. They tell me about having to smile through gritted teeth at some of the ageist comments or jokes people make. I suspect that much of this ageist behavior is non-intentional and likely based on some unconscious and long-held biases about older people in general. But intentional or not, these all add up to an employee who can’t help but feel devalued or diminished – some even go so far as to say they feel “invisible” in the workplace.

Ugh. It hurts my heart to hear about what the end years of long, successful careers are like for many. Leaders do so many things right to make sure they have an engaged, happy, and productive workforce but many miss the boat when it comes to ensuring the same for their older workers. No one should have to feel this way (presuming the obvious, that they are adding value to the company) simply because they got older.

I promise you, if you walk around – virtually or otherwise – and talk to your workers over 40, and especially those over 50 and invite them to talk freely and without judgement about their feelings and experiences as an older worker you will be both enlightened and motivated to do better.

I know I was.

Im Still Not Done BookOver the course of an impressive four-decade career, Patti Temple Rocks has held senior leadership positions in three different sectors of the communications industry: PR, advertising, and client side. She served as the Chief Communications Officer for The Dow Chemical Company and Chief Reputation Officer for Leo Burnett Worldwide. She is an inspirational leader, builder of teams, creative thinker, problem-solver, and agent of change.

The author of I’m Still Not Done: It’s Time to Talk About Ageism in The Workplace, Patti is passionate about discussing and fighting age discrimination and helping people understand how ageism stunts business growth and reflects poorly on our society. As a public speaker and consultant, Patti works with businesses that wish to change for the better and implement effective practices to fight ageism in the workplace. During her impressive career in marketing and advertising, her valuable ideas and strategies were implemented by world-class organizations including McDonalds, Unilever, Bacardi, and Walmart. To learn more about ageism and get in touch with Patti, visit http://imnotdone.rocks.

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Strategic Creativity is Your Secret Business Weapon

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Strategic creativity is a secret superpower. It provides a handle on what people desire or need—even before people know they want it or need it.

Today’s post is by Robin Landa, author of Strategic Creativity: A Business Field Guide to Advertising, Branding, and Design. (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

Strategic creativity is a secret superpower.

The person who possesses strategic creativity is tactical, resourceful, ingenuous, and extremely attractive (perhaps I’m getting carried away). An infiltrator, influencer, and eavesdropper. Strategic creativity provides a handle on what people desire or need—even before people know they want it or need it.

For you—sitting in the C-suite, a business owner, a CEO, or a business professional—to get what you need to launch a brand, organization, or individual, to move a brand forward, to grow business, or to raise funds, you need to understand how creative professionals work their magic to conceive and construct strategically creative solutions. You also need to know what will work and why it’s well-conceived, well-designed, and well-written; and why pedestrian ideas won’t get you anywhere except overlooked. Think of me as your personal “Alfred Pennyworth”—I’m your special creative forces wingman, who will supply all you need to commission and evaluate creative solutions.

It’s Really About the Insight into the Target Audience

A consumer insight is a realization—a real eye-opener—about the target audience’s need, behavior, or the true nature of how they think, feel, or behave—a human truth no one has yet noticed brought to light.

That insight warrants a response—a change in the way you look at a behavior, situation, branded product, or service—and it should be the catalyst for strategically creative idea generation and brand storytelling.

Insights into the audience are vital to breakthrough creative solutions. What does the audience need? Desire? Why does the audience do what they do? On which media platforms do they spend their time? Which causes do they care deeply about? Will they align themselves with your organization’s or brand’s values?

Jeff Fromm, president of Futurecast, believes that insights are more about the category than the brand; insights reveal more about how people want to feel, than what they think; and insights inspire new ideas, not the same old stuff.

Be An Antenna of the External Zeitgeist

It’s challenging to read the political news due to so many alarming events. If you can’t manage the political zeitgeist (though I heartily recommend being informed), at least stay abreast of the cultural climate that affects our collective critical and creative thinking. For goodness sake and your business’ sake, don’t be out of touch with what your audience (and beyond) is thinking and feeling or oblivious to the issues of a diversity of people and communities.

Once you are aware, make your organization or brand an antenna of the external zeitgeist, one that transmits relevant messages that will resonate.

Know What Drives People

Most of us in corporate leadership positions, advertising, marketing, and branding don’t hold PhDs in psychology, however we must have a handle on human behavior to best understand people. Human behavior is first and foremost a kind of investment. Individuals do what they do because of either implicit or explicit benefits. Ask: How does your idea serve the audience’s self-interest?

Respect Everyone

Commit to uplifting all members of society, including people living with disabilities, people who are unsheltered, different socioeconomic groups, races, ethnicities, gender identities, sexualities, religions, and ages.

Take up the mantra: Do No Harm. Nothing in culture happens in a vacuum.

Do your part to build a better culture, a culture of respect.

Employ strategic creativity. Quash pedestrian ideas.

An idea has the power to affect people; it can change the way people think about a brand, entity, cause, issue, individual, or even themselves. It can offer proof, create desire, or stir an emotion that imprints the message. An idea can reframe a conversation, do social good, taunt a competitor, empower, motivate, endear the audience, or simply entertain.

Put an end to pedestrian ideas. Because no one will take notice of uninteresting messaging.

My hope for you, dear reader, is that this knowledge will be your strategic advantage, equipping you with a secret superpower—Strategic Creativity. Please feel free to invent your own code name.

Carry on.

strategic creativity book

Robin Landa is a distinguished professor at Kean University (her Walden’s Pond) and a globally recognized ideation expert. She is a well-known “creativity guru” and a best-selling author of books on ideation, creativity, branding, advertising, and design. She has won numerous awards and The Carnegie Foundation counts her among the “Great Teachers of Our Time.” She is the author of twenty-five books including Strategic Creativity: A Business Field Guide to Advertising, Branding, and Design.

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How to Spot and Handle Red Flags with Your Leadership

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red flag

Leaders sometimes mistake form for function without truly understanding and appreciating the impacts on their teams. Failure to do so can lead to major issues. You need to think through what you want your team to deliver versus focusing on how they’re delivering it.

Today’s post is by Robbie Hardy, author of Upsetting the Table (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

RED FLAG. This was the text I received from a woman I had been mentoring for a year or so. She had recently been promoted to a senior management position in the software division of a large technology company. We had developed our own language for when she had a serious professional problem. Texting RED FLAG was a call to action.

We met that evening and she shared the reason for her text.

Eighteen months ago, her division had adopted the Agile methodology, which is basically a set of principles for software development where requirements and solutions progress with collaboration between self-organizing, cross-functional teams. Agile introduces a new way of thinking, speaking, and acting with its own vocabulary. Her division had fully committed to it and they had experienced extraordinary results.

Unfortunately, not everyone evaluated the results the same way. The chairman of the company had come to the last board meeting, very frustrated with her division explicitly. He told the CEO that there was a serious problem due to the lack of a solid roadmap for each customer. He proceeded to share a bound set of client and technology specifications, written in excruciating detail, from another company where he is a board member.

His colleagues were impressed and so the board, determined to have their own set of bound, detailed product roadmaps, voted unanimously to make it happen.

The RED FLAG text came after the senior management team was informed of the Board’s decision. The CEO was implementing quarterly all-day meetings to produce a similar set of customer and technology roadmaps to share with the board. The CEO reminded everyone that the chairman was also the lead investor, so it was VERY critical that this be given top priority. He then proceeded to announce that these all-day quarterly sessions would be mandatory and held on Saturdays.

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How to Find Your Internal Motivation in Difficult Times

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As a leader, you won’t always have someone to pick you up and dust you off when you fall. Develop a leadership maxim that motivates you to push through hard times.

As leaders, we’re always going to go through difficult times. When we were more junior we had other people to pick us up when we fell down. As a kid it was a parent or a coach who would dust us off and say “Get back out there.” We’ve had bosses who have been helpful when we faced crises.

But now, the higher you are in terms of leadership roles in your organization and the more people you’re leading, the fewer people there are to pick you up and dust you off. You need to be in a position where you can lead yourself out of those difficult situations.

Your team is watching you to see how you behave when you face adversity. Having a leadership maxim to help you motivate yourself and lead yourself through that difficult situation to get to the other side can be a very powerful tool to have.

I’d like to ask: when you fall down, how do you pick yourself back up?

For me my leadership maxim is “But man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed, but not defeated.”

That quote is from Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea. I read that book when I was in eighth grade. You’re not exactly the most cerebral kind of guy as a 15 or 16-year old boy but I remember reading those words “Man is not made for defeat.” To me, defeat is about giving up. It’s about surrendering. “A man can be destroyed but not defeated.” That maxim has served me very, very well through some very difficult times in my life.

I’ve relied on it to say “I can’t give up. I can’t be defeated. I need to pick myself up and get back out there.” That maxim drives my behavior.

As you think about motivating and inspiring yourself, what’s your anchor going to be? What’s that situation where you overcame a huge obstacle on your own? Or where you watched somebody else overcome something that was hugely challenging and you really respect the way they got themselves through it?

Do you have a phrase that you always think about when times get tough? That reminder of getting yourself out of that situation is what you need to have now so when you run into the next difficult situation, you can reach out, grab that maxim, find that source of strength, and reorient yourself to moving forward. Your ability to do so is what the members of your team are going to look at and say “Wow! The boss got back up! This was a really tough place to be and look at what they did! That inspires me as member of their team. I’m going to trust that the boss will always get back up and get back out there.”

Finding that maxim that can be that touchstone you can rely upon during difficult situations is going to be a critical aspect of leading yourself. Hopefully, you won’t need it very often, but when you do, you know it’s going to be there for you.

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

Want to learn more about developing your leadership philosophy? How about taking an entire course on it? Check out the video below to learn more about the course and get started. Or you can go directly to the course and start learning how to develop your leadership philosophy. The entire course is available at LinkedIn Learning. Enjoy!

Did you enjoy this post? If so, I highly encourage you to take about 30 seconds to become a regular subscriber to this blog. It’s free, fun, practical, and only a few emails a week (I promise!). SIGN UP HERE to get the thoughtLEADERS blog conveniently delivered right to your inbox!

The Secret Key to Maximizing Your Productivity

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A great executive assistant is only half the equation. Learning how to work with him or her effectively is the real key to maximizing your productivity.

Today’s post is by Jan Jones, author of The CEO’s Secret Weapon (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

For my new book, The CEO’s Secret Weapon: How Great Leaders and Their Assistants Maximize Productivity and Effectiveness, I interviewed the world’s #1 leadership thinker, Marshall Goldsmith and management guru Ken Blanchard, who expressed a deep appreciation for the value executive assistants bring to the lives of time-constrained executives. Business leaders Richard Branson, Donald Trump and others echoed their sentiment.

Yet, despite the ringing endorsements of assistant’s capabilities by these and other business luminaries, many executives don’t capitalize on this resource that can help smooth out their day and relieve them of untold minutiae.

By not capitalizing on the advantage assistants bring to the table, executives are cheating themselves out of an abundance of talent. While a minority of executives do this because they just can’t let go, many executives are oblivious to the expertise of their assistants because they’ve never learned how to utilize an assistant, or experienced top quality support before. But you can have this support if you consciously recruit and develop an assistant who can take on a leadership role and serve as your “right arm.”

To find your exceptional assistant, start with a candid analysis of yourself. What is your work style – big picture, or myopic? Do you prefer someone whose work habits mirror yours? Are you a micromanager? If so, you will be irritated with a self-starter who takes the ball and runs with it. If you don’t want to be bogged down with details, a self-starter will suit you just fine.

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Ultimate Influence Via the Parry

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fencing

Use this tactic of deflection to avoid needless conflicts and turn your adversaries into allies.

Today’s post is by Bob Burg, author of Adversaries into Allies: Win People Over Without Manipulation or Coercion (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

“Who is mighty? That person who can control their own emotions and make, of an enemy, a friend.” – Talmud

Our 16th U.S. President, Abraham Lincoln, was one of the best when it came to turning adversaries into allies.

“…{On one occasion}, when another official sharply criticized Lincoln’s judgment, the president responded to a reporter’s interrogation by saying he had great respect for the other man, and if this official had concerns about him, there must be some truth to it. Such discretion disarmed divisiveness that was intended to draw Lincoln into side-skirmishes, it won the hearts of his friends and foes and it allowed Lincoln to maintain focus on more important issues.”

What Lincoln did was to utilize the tactic of “deflection.” This means to softly “parry” a challenge or accusation, deflecting it into another direction where it misses entirely.

This is actually a common boxing move. When one fighter throws a jab, the intended target will, very coolly, simply wait until the punch almost reaches him. He’ll then just parry it away with a very slight flick of the wrist. Harmless.

Lincoln did it. You can too.

Use the Other Person’s Force…To Your Advantage

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Be a Better Leader by Wagging Your Tail

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dog in office

Dogs can teach us a thing or two. Have you ever thought about how to apply canine behavior to your leadership style? There are interesting approaches your dog would encourage you to try if you want to be a better leader.

Today’s post is by Krissi Barr, co-author of The Fido Factor: How to Get a Leg Up at Work.

If you’re like most Americans you love dogs. Unlike a goldfish won at a church festival, people form deep and meaningful relationships with their canine pals.

So what does any of this have to do with leadership? As it turns out, a lot.

Leadership is more art than science, and more emotion than logic. The actions and behaviors that roll up to form an effective leader, when you boil them down, are actually pretty simple. And they are very similar to why we love dogs so darn much.

Dogs are faithful, inspirational, determined and observant. These four core qualities—the Fido Factors—are the basis of the unexpected reason why we can learn leadership lessons from dogs.

Take a dog’s tail. It’s a crystal clear barometer of how they are feeling. Happy and it wags like crazy, guilty and it curls under out of shame. Dogs are simply incapable of hiding how they feel. They can’t lie.

Not so much with humans. Like a professional poker player, most of us have gotten very good at hiding our emotions in the workplace. And while there are times when that’s a good thing, more often than not we’d benefit from wagging our tail a little more.

Dogs don’t hide how they feel. Take a typical day coming home after work. There to greet you at the front door is your dog. His smiling face, a slobbery tennis ball in the mouth and a wagging tail tell you in no uncertain terms how happy he is to see you. This wear-it-on-the-collar approach to life is one of the reasons we love them so much.

Great leaders at work do the same. Well, maybe not the slobbery tennis ball. They aren’t afraid to open up and show emotion. As a result, coworkers feel a stronger connection to the cause.

Ask yourself this: when one of your associates comes back to the office after a long day in the field, how do you react? Do you wag your tail and celebrate their successes or do you hide your tail in your office so no one can see how you really feel?

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Avoiding the Pitfalls of Impromptu Speaking

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Speaking spontaneously can be a powerful way for leaders to communicate with their teams. But such spontaneity comes with many pitfalls that can derail the speaker’s message. Beware of rambling on, using inappropriate humor, and not staying attuned to your audience.

Today’s post is by Judith Humphrey, author of Impromptu: Leading in the Moment (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

A senior vice president I know had just joined a firm and was asked to speak at the next town hall. He was excited about the opportunity to address the company’s 3,000 employees and carefully prepared a scripted speech. But when he began to rehearse, the CEO took one look at the script, and asked,

“What’s that?”

“It’s my speech,” the new executive replied.

“Oh, we don’t give speeches here,” the CEO said. “Just talk to our employees.”

Fortunately, he had time to mentally master the thoughts he had written out, and he spoke without a text – to rave reviews.

Such spontaneous dialogue is the new normal for business leaders. No longer hidden behind podiums as their predecessors were, today’s leaders are far more likely to engage their audience in dialogue. These conversations might be interviews, town halls, elevator conversations, corridor exchanges, or brief remarks sparked by “Do you have a minute?”

As casual as these extemporaneous situations seem to be, they can be high stakes situations for leaders.

If you want to speak as a leader in impromptu situations, avoid the following pitfalls:

Pitfall #1: Not Preparing

Many leaders think of impromptu speaking as “winging it,” but doing so will lead to many stumbles – and who wants to be known for that track record?

Winston Churchill had fun with speakers who talk without thinking. He observed: “Before they get up, they do not know what they are going to say; when they are speaking, they do not know what they are saying; and when they have sat down, they do not know what they have said.”

As counterintuitive as it may seem, you can prepare to be spontaneous. There are times when you know you’ll be part of an impromptu event – a client chat, a conversation with a team member, a networking event, or a Q&A. Take whatever time you have to prepare notes, or a mental outline of what you will say. Even if you only have a few seconds, pause and decide what your message is.

Pitfall #2: Talking Too Much

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What do You do when the Career Punches Come?

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The ability to receive feedback, even when it’s critical, and bounce back from adversity are just two of many characteristics that make for a great leader. How many of these traits do you possess?

Today’s post is by Tim Cole, author of The Compass Solution (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

Here’s an interesting litmus test to apply to the headlines as you sip your coffee this morning or watch the evening news tonight. If you look for it you’ll see a common strain. Someone somewhere will be under attack, criticized for a failed policy, facing an indiscretion that has come back to haunt them, or for making a misstatement that is now being roundly assailed in the media.

Someone once said that the essence of story is and always has been conflict. If that’s the case then the daily news is the petri dish for great stories because it is rife with conflict.

I grew up in the corporate world and made my career there. I learned a thing or two about conflict and how to survive it. I learned even more about people and what distinguished a limited few from the masses when it came to how they dealt with adversity or more specifically, criticism.

Here is the insight I eventually gained (and unfortunately this was not an overnight process.)

Everyone is at their best when they dictate the game. Far fewer are effective when the game is being dictated to them. Said another way, if you really want to know the character of an individual, watch them when the bright lights of scrutiny, criticism, or adversity are being directed toward them.

Many lose their way then. I liken it to the same phenomenon I see in combat sports like boxing and mixed martial arts. The offensive dynamo that withers when the opponent punches back often suffers from what experts describe as the proverbial “glass jaw” meaning that part of the cranium shatters when it’s tapped very hard.

It is very, very real in the business world and I suspect in most careers. That poet laureate Mike Tyson might really have said it best: “Everybody has a plan until they get hit in the face.”

I’ve seen it in leaders at every level and in employees of every type and eventually coined the term, the Iron Jaw Seven to distinguish the truly resilient career travelers from the masses. The characteristics that distinguished this amazing minority are:

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4 Ways to Help Work and Life Coexist

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man laptop coffee shop

Studies show that the happier your team is, the more productive they will be. Here are simple strategies to keep them energized.

Today’s post is by William Vanderbloemen, author of Culture Wins (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

More and more studies are showing that how we feel about our work impacts how we feel about ourselves, our personal and professional relationships, and our job performance.

Successful companies are wising up to this and nurturing our mind/body connection and seeing a boost in higher quality work, retention and results.

Still not convinced?

Think of it this way: If you buy two pairs of running shoes and switch them off, they’ll last longer. The same is true with your staff. Give your team time to reset during busy work seasons, and they’ll be energized to do more work quicker and better.

Here are four simple strategies to having work and life not only coexist, but get along, and see great results:

Hit the gym

Organizations with a healthy work culture encourage their team members to be healthy themselves.

Give your employees the resources to take care of themselves. Provide a gym membership. Schedule a trainer to come to the office so people can work out while getting paid (not squeezing in during a lunch hour). Or, have a fitness challenge. People can train together for a race or see who can log the most steps in a month.

Encourage LONG lunches

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Six Definitions that “Innovation” Ain’t

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Innovation is the buzzword of buzzwords. But what exactly does it mean? And how are you most apt to achieve it?

Today’s post is by David Cutler, author of The GAME of Innovation (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

Innovation is the buzzword of buzzwords. Job descriptions seek “innovative leadership.” Organizations tout their “innovative culture.” Grants support “innovative solutions.”

But what exactly does this mean? And how are you most apt to achieve it?

Like many terms, innovation carries baggage. It means different things to different people, and common assumptions mislead. To better grasp its implications, consider what innovation is not.

Innovation is not technology.

Innovation is regularly confused as a codeword for technology. For example, cities aspiring to become innovation hubs may focus predominantly on recruiting this sector. Yet not all technology innovates. And only a fraction of creative thought emerges from this field.

While some of the biggest societal disruptions have undoubtedly been catalyzed by tech, the vast majority of this industry is hardly cutting edge. In fact, as the rate of change accelerates, the period during which even revolutionary products can claim innovation diminishes. (First generation iPhones may have rocked the world in 2007, yet a two-year old device today feels grossly inadequate and antiquated.)

Innovation does not describe the majority of activities pursued by even the most radical technology firms. Bookkeeping, logistics, customer service, HR, advertising, and tech support provide essential maintenance. Yet these tasks hardly require continuous reimagination. Existing solutions may already be adequate to outstanding.

Furthermore, technology is hardly the only field known for extraordinary problem-solving capacity. Visionary artists, scientists, marketers, educators, architects, social workers, entrepreneurs, and other creatives are just as likely to fit the bill. Communities concerned with bold thinking will be well-served by facilitating conversation and collaboration incorporating a diversity of perspectives. Doing so is not merely politically correct. It is essential to progress.

Innovation is not imitation.

Many organizations recognize the need to innovate. Despite historic success, unprecedented challenges necessitate feature tweaking or even deep, fundamental change.

For clues on success, a common practice involves studying direct competition. Bars, banks, and beauticians look to parallel entities, considering which principles might be adopted, adapted, or stolen. Doing so provides more than inspiration. It offers permission. “They do this and it seems to work. Maybe we should too!” This kind of idea appropriation may well solve your challenge, at least temporarily.

But innovation is contextual and a far cry from mimicking. In fact, the act of copying success often achieves the opposite. What was once a novel idea quickly becomes the trite, average state of affairs.

True, innovators are known for studying their competition. Much of the time, however, they look for pointers on what NOT to do. While the masses chase trends like lemmings, these leaders seek a path less travelled.

Innovation is not magic.

To the outsider, breakthrough proposals can feel like sorcery. Poof. Inexplicably, a spellbinding revelation appears. Challenging the status quo, some jaw-dropping vision achieves profound success in ways previously inconceivable. The wizard behind the curtain is heralded for brilliance and supernatural ability.

In truth, innovation—like magic—is not actually magic. It is a skill, akin to any other, that can and must be cultivated. Over time, creative communities compile a toolbox of tricks, protocols, and strategies that amplify their chance for success. Said another way, innovators have chops.

Innovation is not anarchy.

People often come to believe that innovation is a free-for-all. They suppose creative solutions are most likely to emerge when thinking is unburdened by constraints. The key is taking off the shackles, allowing imaginations to roam freely (like my kids after bedtime. . .).

While well intentioned, this couldn’t be further from the truth. The road to everywhere leads to surprisingly few destinations. Imagine ordering from a restaurant with a 96-page menu. At first, it feels exhilarating. You could order literally anything. But most of us quickly start experiencing anxiety, even paralysis. With so many options, which one is best? A likely outcome? “Uh, I guess I’ll have the cheeseburger.”

When seeking innovation, it is essential to establish clear, nonnegotiable limiters. The best constraints force problem-solvers to think differently, actively igniting creative impulses. For example, suppose I asked your company to brainstorm strategies for making more money next year. Without restrictions, proposals will likely resemble what you’ve always done. Or they might point to obvious, low-hanging fruit. But if I require that solutions must somehow involve surfing, or fashion trends, or farm animals. . . Now you have an intriguing framework to build around or push against.

Innovation is not anarchy. It requires clear rules, guidelines, and constraints.

Innovation is not everything.

The quantity of mission statements incorporating “innovation” is staggering. It often feels like a federally mandated term. Yet if this word implies everything and everyone, it is reduced to a meaningless piece of fluff.

If you and your organization claim innovation as a goal, resist the temptation of embracing an empty promise. Instead, substantiate this value by pinpointing specific examples of breakthrough achievement.

Innovation is not a big idea.

“Innovation” often references big, juicy, uncommon proposals. And while bold solutions are clearly important, they tell only part of the story.

Innovation requires implementation. Teams must have the discipline and commitment not only to dream, but also to execute. Otherwise you’re stuck with shiny overtures that make no tangible impact whatsoever.

If you and your team desire a better future or different outcome, the time to act is now.

Innovation is extraordinary problem-solving, and bringing the vision to life.

the game of innovation bookSpeaker, consultant, and facilitator David Cutler, author of THE GAME OF INNOVATION: Conquer Challenges | Level Up Your Team | Play to Win, is known for leading immersive “innovation GAMEs.” Cutler is a Distinguished Professor at the University of South Carolina, where he teaches innovation and entrepreneurship.

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