Never Forget Who You Are

You frequently hear reports of leaders who for a time “forget who they really were” and who lost touch with reality amidst the trappings of success and their station in life. Many a state governor, congressman and business executive have fallen prey to this fall from prominence and public grace.

 

Several recent events reminded me of the story about a former United States Under Secretary of Defense who was delivering a corporate speech to a gathering of over one thousand business executives several years ago.

 

During his presentation, he paused for a moment to take a sip of coffee from the Styrofoam cup which he was holding. As he briefly gazed at the cup in his hand, he interrupted his presentation to then say…

“When I spoke last year at this same venue for this very same event, I was at the time the Acting Under Secretary of Defense. I was flown to this event business class. When I arrived, there was a car and driver waiting to take me from the airport to the hotel where someone had already checked me in. I was then taken directly up to my room.

The next morning we I came downstairs, there was someone waiting in the lobby who then took me to this very same venue where I was taken to the back entrance and then escorted directly to the green room… At which point I was served a cup of coffee in a beautiful ceramic mug.

It is now a year later… and I am no longer the acting under secretary. This year I flew coach and then took a taxi to the hotel where I checked myself in. This morning, I took another taxi to this same venue… walked in the front door… and found my way back stage on my own. At which point I had to ask… Do you have any coffee? After which someone simply pointed to the coffee machine over in the corner. I then poured myself a cup of coffee in this Styrofoam cup.

The object lesson is this… the ceramic mug of coffee was never meant for me. It was meant for the position that I held. What I ‘deserved’… was a Styrofoam cup.

As you become more successful… As you do well in life… You will be rewarded with many advantages. People will refer to you as ‘Sir’ or ‘Ma’am’… They will carry your luggage… They will hold doors open for you… They will bring you a cup of coffee or tea without you even asking for it. But it’s not meant for you, it’s meant for the position that you hold… And when you move on… they will give all of those things to your successor.

Never… ever… forget who you are… and that what you ‘deserve’ is a Styrofoam cup.”

I can personally relate to the former Under Secretary’s message, as I have had a somewhat similar experience a few years back myself. After boarding my U.S. Airways flight from Dulles International to the Denver International Airport in Colorado, I soon found myself along with the rest of the passengers and crew grounded on the tarmac for over three hours due to several mechanical difficulties with the aircraft.

After finally disembarking from the disabled aircraft, we boarded another plane for the flight to Denver. Unfortunately, by the time that the plane finally took off, it was more than apparent that I would miss my connecting flight out of Denver to Helena, MT. Moreover, the 10:20 PM, flight was the last flight out for the night. Therefore, I was destined to be stranded in Denver later that night.

Prior to the delayed take off from Dulles, I placed a cell call to my client contact in Montana to inform them of the unexpected delays and that I would miss my connecting flight in Denver. I was advised to just relax and enjoy the flight and to call them once I had landed at Denver International.

Upon touch down in Denver at 12:30 AM, I immediately called my contact who instructed me to proceed to a specific gate at the airport where a car and driver would be waiting for me. They reassured me that I would not be spending the night stranded in Denver and that the driver would explain things more fully from there.

As I proceeded through the airport terminal, I saw extensive lines of my fellow co-passengers waiting to deal with a customer service representative about their unanticipated circumstance and how the rest of their night would unfold. Then too, I didn’t exactly know how mine was going to unfold either.

When I got to the specified gate, I was met by a very polished chauffeur who whisked me away in his limousine and then informed me that we were going to the commercial side of the airport where a private jet was awaiting me. My first thoughts were… are you kidding me? Are you talking to me?

A few minutes later we arrived on the commercial side of the airfield which was completely dark with the exception of one brightly lit facility which belonged to a corporate charter company. As I entered the facility, the gentleman at the front desk inquired… are you Mr. Swank? To which I replied yes. He (the owner) replied… I don’t know who the heck you are… but you must be someone who is pretty darn important to get me and a top notch private pilot out of bed in the middle of the night!    

He then introduced to me to my pilot who escorted me to our corporate charter. Moments later, I found myself viewing a gorgeous western night sky while aboard what I equated to be my “Pretty Woman” flight (hope you grasp the movie reference). A little over three hours later at 3:40 AM, we quietly and discreetly touched down in Helena, MT where my contact was patiently awaiting my arrival.

For many people, this event may have seemed very surreal. After all, it was potentially a once in a life time experience. While my ego could have soared for a moment, it never did. For I realized that it was entirely about the agenda for the next business day… it wasn’t about “me”.

In closing I, like the former Under Secretary urge you to keep your head about you and to realize the perks which you enjoy are for the position you hold or will one day hold and are not for you. The top CEO’s of America’s Fortune 500 companies typically only have an average tenure of about three and one half years.

So, never ever forget who you are and where you came from. Your deserve a Styrofoam cup… just as I deserved coach and a night stranded in Denver.

The Leadership Academy… Learn more. Do more. Become more.

Copyright © 2015 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC

When Your Inherent Your Leadership Role

No sooner had GM’s new CEO Mary Teresa Barra reported for duty on January 15, 2014, that she immediately found herself seated in front of congress having to answer for GM’s failure to effect recalls in a timely manner and for a number of consumer deaths that were associated with the delayed recalls in question.

 

This past week General Motors announced the additional recall of yet another 8 million vehicles with faulty ignition switches. Over the course of just the past six months since CEO Barr’s arrival, GM has now issued over 28 million product recalls.

 

CEO Barra's recent experiences serve to remind leaders everywhere of the immense challenges that must be faced on a daily basis. Leadership truly is the fulcrum of change. Clearly, leaders would love for their future leadership role to be the successor for a highly successful leader that is retiring after a long tenure of service. The opportunity to take over the helm of a well-oiled machine and then keep it running smoothly, simply isn’t by any measure the reality of an authentic leader.

 

The factual truth is that the average tenure of a Fortune 500 CEO is just 3.5 years. As CEO Barra can attest to, leaders are replaced for very real reasons and the incoming leader is typically going to inherit a multitude of challenges which must be addressed forth with.

 

If there is a downside to leadership, it is that every role that you undertake will require you to assume full responsibility for your predecessor’s failures and short sightedness. Regardless of how competent a leader may truly be, he or she is going to have weaknesses and blind spots. Even the very best of leaders can never get every decision right.

 

When successful organizations acquire one of their competitors that are struggling or failing, they have several courses of action which they can pursue. They can elect to acquire only the company’s assets, without taking on any responsibility for the competitor’s liabilities. Conversely, they can also choose to buy out the competitor lock, stock and barrel, including all debts, liabilities and operational headaches.

 

As an authentic leader that is positioned on the front lines of day to day operations, scenario #2 above will invariably be your plight. Whatever the magnitude of the situations that you may have inherited, you now own them… lock, stock and barrel. Your leadership responsibility is to meet these challenges head-on, while creating effective solutions.

 

In the circumstance of GM CEO Mary Barra, not only has she inherited 28,000,000+ recalls, she has inherited total accountability for them. Although the manufacturing deficiencies did not happen on her watch, CEO Barra must now address the engineering, sub-contractor and manufacturing glitches after the fact. Such is the true nature of leadership.

 

The GM situation serves to reveal just how deep the tentacles of flawed leadership that have preceded the current leader can reach. In like fashion, the extent of the cost fix that is required to correct such circumstances can be exorbitant. Simply consider the GM situation as it now stands.

 

While there are a variety of recall issues that must be repaired, for the sake of analysis, you would have to project at a minimum that the replacement cost of each defective part is at least $100.00 per vehicle. The labor involved to then remove the defective part and subsequently install a new component would again involve a minimum of two labor hours at a going labor rate of approximately $90.00 per hour at your typical GM dealership. 28 million recalls at $280.00+ each equates to a staggering recall repair cost of approximately 8 billion (that’s with a “b”) dollars or more.

 

Allow me to put that in context for you. GM’s North America sales were 1.9 million vehicles in 2013 and 1.8 million vehicles in 2012. 28 million recalls at the rate of 2 million sales per year equates to 14 years’ worth  of vehicle sales. GM’s annual profit in 2013 was 3.8 billion dollars, while 2012 came in slightly higher at 4.9 billion dollars. The final cost of GM’s existing recall scenario will without question completely eradicate all of the company’s substantial profits for the past two years.

 

This brief is being provided to stress the point that new leadership roles are akin to icebergs, in that there is far more to be dealt with than what is visible at a surface level. As an authentic leader, you must perfect your skills for both that which can be reasonably anticipated, as well as those situations than cannot in any way be perceived in advance.

 

In the final analysis, an quintessential part of leadership is being adequately prepared for the unexpected.

 

The Leadership Academy… Changing the way organizations and people work, perform and live.

Copyright © 2014 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC | All Rights Reserved.

Is It Time To Rediscover Your Life?

Will your life “tomorrow” be different from your life today? What about your career or business?

 

Sadly the answer for the vast majority of people is that little, if anything, will actually change in their life over the next twenty four hours or beyond. The reality is that they aren’t doing one single thing to be proactive about changing what needs to change in their lives.

 

One of the significant issues that my individual clientele, business owners and corporate clients must come to grips with is the same issue that I now ask you… What is the one thing that absolutely has to change in your life?

 

The companion question that also requires your complete honesty is… What is the consequence if it doesn’t change?

 

In almost every instance, the answers to these two insightful questions come to mind in a virtual instant, because they are already weighing heavily on your mind. Simply stated, the answers are immediate and obvious to you because you already know exactly how it will affect your life.

 

The true oddity here is that most people utilize superficial thinking and problem solving in dealing with their lives. Consequently, the decisions that they make and the actions that they take are likewise superficially based on what is immediate and obvious to them. Yet, even when you know exactly what needs to change in your life and why… You still choose to do nothing. This principle holds true for both your professional life, as well as your personal life.

 

Come tomorrow, you will invariably execute the exact same hum-drum routines in the exact same order as you did today. Will this simply occur out of established habits that have you running on auto pilot? The factual truth is that you are far more likely to make a clear conscious choice to not step outside of your comfort zone.

 

While this is your “reality”, it is not the reality that you should be opting for. You don’t have to live a lukewarm life, nor do you have to be lukewarm about your work. There was a time years ago when you were full of excitement, optimism and passion for what you were going to do with your life.

 

What has actually happened to you over the years, is that you have allowed the predictability of your responsibilities to rob you of your zest for life and the meaningful work that you do. You have become far more focused on perceived material necessities, than on your beliefs about what is truly important in life. Somewhere along the road of life, you swapped your passion and spirit of adventure for complacency and a false sense of security.

 

The proof lies with the tens of millions of adult American’s who sat comfortably at home watching Macy’s Fireworks Spectacular on TV (or other such events) on the evening of July 4^th. Have you become one of them? Yet, there was a time in these same people’s lives when they would have clamored to get the best possible spot to view the live fireworks event in their home town.

 

Over this past holiday weekend, the Hallmark Channel was airing Christmas movies. Concurrently, many retailers were also attempting to cash in by having Christmas in July sales. It would be my observation that there is a take-a-way that you could apply to your life here. Think back to last December, what were your hopes, dreams and goals for the coming year? The great news is that half of the year is still in front of you and it remains filled with endless possibilities for real achievement. Be gracious enough to give yourself permission for a do-over.

 

Virtually every electronic device that you own has a “reset” feature or button. There is no time like the present to hit your reset button and reboot your life, career or business. There is absolutely nothing standing in your way… but “you”.

 

Call a timeout and then get your life, goals and priorities straight. Stop taking the easy way out. Stop living life vicariously through other people. Decide what it is that you truly want. Dust off a dream and then pursue it with everything you’ve got. Determine what’s missing in your life. Press past your fear and do something that you have never done before. Dare to live your life boldly.

 

When you do, not only will you take back control of your life… You’ll discover a new found zest for living like never before!

 

The Leadership Academy… Learn more… Do more… Become more….

Copyright © 2014 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC | All Rights Reserved.

2014 Your Best Year Ever

2013 is in the history books and whether it turned out good, bad or mediocre, your results are official. And although the New Year is barely a week old, many people’s wishes for the New Year (resolutions) have already veered of course and into a ditch alongside the road of life.

No need to worry… there are still 51 weeks remaining to make 2014 your best year ever! The all important question is what will it take for you to be able to state on December 31, 2014 that “this was my best year ever?”

» What exactly would have to happen?

» What would have to change?

» What will constitute real success for you?

The question that I am really asking you is this… How do you define personal success on your own terms? If you find yourself struggling to come up with a clear definitive answer, the first thing that you need to know is that you are not alone. The vast majority of people worldwide don’t actually know what it is that they want for their lives or what they want to happen in their lives. This accounts for the very reason why 95% of all people fail to keep their New Year’s resolutions. It is this same lack of clarity about what they want the sets them up for the trap “when this or that happens” I will be happy > I will have arrived > I will be successful.

However, the temporal rush of the new luxury car, tropical vacation or dream home soon wanes. People then find themselves all too quickly back in search mode for the next great thing that is destined to make them feel fulfilled this time.

Unfortunately, it just never quite works out for them. The reason is that true success does not equate with the outdated bumper sticker that says “He or she with the most toys wins”. Authentic success is something far more than the accumulation of “stuff”.

The key to defining what success is centers on your ability to determine what it is that you want out of life and why it will provide real meaning and value to your life.

As for your own New Year’s resolution, if you haven’t fallen off of the horse yet… that’s great. The thing you need to be crystal clear about is that you are not going to accomplish what ever your resolution is solely on the basis of your own will power. It simply doesn’t work that way.

Whether it’s simply this year’s resolution or something more substantial such as making 2014 your best year ever, the truth of the matter is that you are going to need an actual “plan”. Even if you claim to know how you are going to do it, the facts and statistics are clear that the general ideas rolling around inside of your cranium aren’t going to get the job done. More than likely those thoughts and ideas are a bit fuzzy and won’t provide you with a decisive course of action that will result in eventual achievement.

Real success at any level requires a roadmap to follow in order to get to your eventual destination. For instance, if you lived in New York City you couldn’t just jump in your car, start it up, put the transmission in gear and drive to Los Angeles without a roadmap. And just in case you have a lot of stuff including a GPS, your global positioning system is nothing more than a computer driven interactive “roadmap”.

Success is out there for the taking… If you are willing to do what it takes. So decide what you want for your life this coming year, make a concrete plan on how to get it and obtain what ever help you need to assure your success. When you do, you’ll be able to say that 2014 was your best year ever!

Copyright © 2014 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC | All Rights Reserved.