You impress me

I didn't know what you were going to do.
I didn't know how it would turn out.
It wasn't easy going through this with you.
I had hopes, but were afraid to express them.

You decided to do what you did.
It was your call.
You did it.
I'm impressed.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com
Fort Wayne, IN

Don't try to figure it out

Just when you have it all figured out, what happens? Often, the opposite does. You can spend a lot of time trying to analyze, but maybe it's not worth it. You learn what you can, but mostly, you have to accept the result. Then you can predict what happens next. But we all know what usually happens.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
Fort Wayne, IN
http://www.labov.com/

Leadership

Leadership straddles the easy stuff. On one side, you can be the tough guy. You can tell your team to buck up, to deal with it. On the other side, you can give in and concede against your beliefs.

Leaders have to be the moral compass and do so in a way that inspires. It's not easy because it's not a black and white situation usually. It's quite lonely sometimes.

And the other thing about being a leader? You can't expect to get positive feedback for doing the right thing. Often, it takes a lot longer than you think. But that's why it's called leadership.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
Fort Wayne, IN
http://www.labov.com/

Passion Junkies

If you need excitement and drama in your life, then maybe you stir things up and blow things out of proportion. A lot people do that. They cause a little trouble and create nothing particularly good.

But if you you are restless in your pursuit of great ideas, or breakthroughs, or maybe you are looking for magic and won't stop until you get it, then you're a passion junkie.

Some great companies were created and run by passion junkies who drove people nuts but also changed the world for the better.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
Fort Wayne, IN
http://www.labov.com/

I'd rather do it myself

I'd rather do it myself...

Don't look over my shoulder.
I want to do it my way.
I want to prove I don't need you.
I'm better than you if you'd just leave me alone.

It's great if a person wants to do something on their own as long as the goal is about the team or the customer or company. If it's to prove independence, there's nothing good or admirable about it.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
Fort Wayne, IN
http://www.labov.com/

It's all my fault

It's all my fault...

My team is great, I let them down.
I didn't know what to do and made a mistake.
The customer expected more and I came up short.
I couldn't fix the problem.
It's all me, it's all my fault.


Sometimes we take full credit for a failure when we truly were not alone in it. We could have demanded more of our co-workers or even our customer. It's almost as easy to take too much of or all the blame as it is to deflect it all.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
Fort Wayne, IN
http://www.labov.com/

It can't be my fault

It can't be my fault...
The customer is mean.
My co-worker didn't return my message.
I thought you were doing that, not me.
I can only do so much.
You promised me it would be easy.
I'm the boss, you're supposed to figure it out.
You won't give me a chance.

Sometimes we spend more time preparing to explain our failures than we do trying to avoid failing at all.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
Fort Wayne, IN
http://www.labov.com/

Is it possible?

I was watching a ball game, and afterwards, the coach of the losing team told the players they didn't come to play, that they were all asleep and disinterested.

I wonder. Is it really possible for a dozen people to be asleep or disinterested at the same time? If the team had won, would the coach have said the same thing, or would they have been praised for their resilience or whatever?

I think as coaches (because that's what we are in business), we have to dig a little deeper than to yell out cliches that really mean nothing. It's too easy to watch the scoreboard and declare that we lost because we all didn't care. It's tougher to identify what we did right and to isolate what one or two or five us could have done better.

I don't think we should praise a bad performance just to be nice, but I believe if we take the title of coach or manager, we owe to the team or company to be just as a "awake" and engaged as we want our players to be.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
Fort Wayne, IN
www.labov.com

Little Things

We all want to make huge strides now, but that's tough to do. That's why we lower prices, change policies, and add stuff. All in the name of progress.

It's not all that concerting, but I believe it's the little things that can tell you whether or not you're on track. Is morale up? Is there an excitement about the new product internally? Are there some breakthroughs that haven't yet resulted in sales?

We can look at end results (and we need to), but they only tell a portion of the story. The little things make the big things possible, usually not the other way around.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
http://www.labov.com/

Precision

Precision. It's a word seldom used today to describe companies or experiences. Usually we talk about attention to detail or quality, yet precision can be a little different from those terms.

I experienced a private country club that was extraordinarily precise. All tee times were adhered to, you could not fall behind or you'd risk being sent a warning letter from the club. On the positive side, their dining area had no menu--you could order anything and they'd fix it for you. When you entered the property, they knew who you were (even if you were a first-time guest) and they were very attentive to you.

This club had a unique relationship with its members. Their members were almost fearful--they didn't want to get in trouble or be viewed as slow players.

It might be worth noting that this club has a waiting list and is very expensive to join. Precision has its cost and its magnetism.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
Fort Wayne, IN
http://www.labov.com/