I was working on a non-profit and a fellow board member was in an uproar over something trivial. I didn't see the importance of his position, but he wanted me on his side. He implored me to be a leader, stand up!
Truthfully, I felt pressure to do something to show support for him, but I had a dilemma—what if sometimes being a leader is not standing up and throwing your weight around? If that's true, I would certainly be disappointing him. But the truth was I felt he was wrong, and I wasn't going to make him look better by standing by him.
Being a leader involves not making a move sometimes.
Barry LaBov
LaBov Marketing Communications and Training
www.labov.com
Monday, April 29, 2013
Thursday, April 25, 2013
The good doctor
I took my son to an eye doctor who specializes in baseball vision, Dr. Bill Harrison. He has worked for numerous famous baseball stars, including some Hall of Famers. It was a long drive (about six hours) to see him, so we made it a family weekend.
I hoped that Dr. Bill would be helpful; after all, he's worked with some of the best athletes in the world. I was more than satisfied with his expertise.
But I found it was his passion that was most impressive. He personally greeted us as we walked in, he spent hours with my son making sure he had the right corrections for his contact lenses and then we went to a baseball facility and worked on exercises that help hitters "pick up" the ball as it's traveling 80-90 mph.
Since then Dr. Bill has emailed my son to see how he's progressing and has called me to talk. That's passion, that's a person who is making a difference. What an inspiration!
You would think that the doctor would be too busy to waste time on a young boy and instead focus on other things, but for Dr. Bill his passion is helping people see better.
He's helped me see better, too—I see clearly how passion intersects with expertise and creates a magical experience.
Barry LaBov
LaBov Marketing Communications and Training
www.labov.com
I hoped that Dr. Bill would be helpful; after all, he's worked with some of the best athletes in the world. I was more than satisfied with his expertise.
But I found it was his passion that was most impressive. He personally greeted us as we walked in, he spent hours with my son making sure he had the right corrections for his contact lenses and then we went to a baseball facility and worked on exercises that help hitters "pick up" the ball as it's traveling 80-90 mph.
Since then Dr. Bill has emailed my son to see how he's progressing and has called me to talk. That's passion, that's a person who is making a difference. What an inspiration!
You would think that the doctor would be too busy to waste time on a young boy and instead focus on other things, but for Dr. Bill his passion is helping people see better.
He's helped me see better, too—I see clearly how passion intersects with expertise and creates a magical experience.
Barry LaBov
LaBov Marketing Communications and Training
www.labov.com
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Jump
There are so many chances to do something great, to save a relationship going bad, or to grab an opportunity and make it a reality.
Too often we look at those things as being available forever, but they're not. They come in the blink of an eye and they vanish just as fast.
The answer is to jump. Jump, run, act or do whatever you need to do in order to make that difference.
Barry LaBov
LaBov Marketing Communications and Training
www.labov.com
Too often we look at those things as being available forever, but they're not. They come in the blink of an eye and they vanish just as fast.
The answer is to jump. Jump, run, act or do whatever you need to do in order to make that difference.
Barry LaBov
LaBov Marketing Communications and Training
www.labov.com
Monday, April 15, 2013
Simple is Better
Sometimes we try to make things too complicated. Companies throw a bunch of people at a challenge and hope that one of them will find a solution. Or we take a project in too many directions and end up losing sight of or diminish the one great idea that could have made all the difference.
Keeping things simple can actually be harder than letting the details run rampant and roughshod over a project. Steve Jobs said, “Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”
In a world full of complications, details and distractions, simple can be a breath of fresh air. It can differentiate a company or product from its competitors. It can win you fans for life. It can earn you the respect and admiration of your peers. I’ll take simple over complicated any day.
Barry LaBov
LaBov Marketing Communications and Training
www.labov.com
Keeping things simple can actually be harder than letting the details run rampant and roughshod over a project. Steve Jobs said, “Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”
In a world full of complications, details and distractions, simple can be a breath of fresh air. It can differentiate a company or product from its competitors. It can win you fans for life. It can earn you the respect and admiration of your peers. I’ll take simple over complicated any day.
Barry LaBov
LaBov Marketing Communications and Training
www.labov.com
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Or you can decide to change
So, what do you do when an employee is being difficult and not pulling their weight? Well, usually, I would try to help them, coax them, mentor them, guide them and if that didn't work, maybe re-arrange what they are doing to increase the odds of them succeeding.
There is another option. That person could decide to do their job. Sometimes, that's how simple it is. For whatever reason, the person decides to work with others, to step up, to be a pleasure to work with instead of an anchor that has to be dragged around.
It can be easy and simple when the person just makes his or her own decision to change. Changing a person can be next to impossible.
Barry LaBov
LaBov Marketing Communications and Training
www.labov.com
There is another option. That person could decide to do their job. Sometimes, that's how simple it is. For whatever reason, the person decides to work with others, to step up, to be a pleasure to work with instead of an anchor that has to be dragged around.
It can be easy and simple when the person just makes his or her own decision to change. Changing a person can be next to impossible.
Barry LaBov
LaBov Marketing Communications and Training
www.labov.com
Friday, April 5, 2013
Mentor Schmentor
There's one downside to mentoring people: trying to mentor or help someone who doesn't want mentoring.
Often, because of my responsibility gene, I feel like I can help someone to achieve something great. I can see what they can be and I want to help. It took me too long to realize that it's a two-way street; that a person has to want input. Often that is not the case.
So, the best course is to not be a serial mentor. Rather, help only those who ask. That dramatically increases the possibility of success. And it saves time for the "mentee."
Barry LaBov
LaBov Marketing Communications and Training
www.labov.com
Often, because of my responsibility gene, I feel like I can help someone to achieve something great. I can see what they can be and I want to help. It took me too long to realize that it's a two-way street; that a person has to want input. Often that is not the case.
So, the best course is to not be a serial mentor. Rather, help only those who ask. That dramatically increases the possibility of success. And it saves time for the "mentee."
Barry LaBov
LaBov Marketing Communications and Training
www.labov.com
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Equality, love and peace
I believe that all of us are created equal. I also believe that after that point, all bets are off. Some of us go far, some of don't care, some of us are indispensable and others are very dispensable.
In business, we look at our employees as family, which is good for some things, not for others. I think we should care about each other and be there in times of need. I also believe that some people are just fantastic and they should not get the exact treatment of someone who punches the clock.
There are people and positions that are critical to your company. Likewise, there may be people and positions that are just not. Is it harsh to say that? At a CPA, the accountants are critical, but maybe there are some positions that don't make or break the firm. At a creative company, your strategists and idea people make or break you. Perhaps your bookkeeper doesn't.
When we combine those critical positions with fantastic people, we have an opportunity to really prosper. I suggest that we realize those positions of extreme importance and make sure our efforts are on securing the right people and rewarding them to achieve that critical performance.
Barry LaBov
LaBov Marketing Communications and Training
www.labov.com
In business, we look at our employees as family, which is good for some things, not for others. I think we should care about each other and be there in times of need. I also believe that some people are just fantastic and they should not get the exact treatment of someone who punches the clock.
There are people and positions that are critical to your company. Likewise, there may be people and positions that are just not. Is it harsh to say that? At a CPA, the accountants are critical, but maybe there are some positions that don't make or break the firm. At a creative company, your strategists and idea people make or break you. Perhaps your bookkeeper doesn't.
When we combine those critical positions with fantastic people, we have an opportunity to really prosper. I suggest that we realize those positions of extreme importance and make sure our efforts are on securing the right people and rewarding them to achieve that critical performance.
Barry LaBov
LaBov Marketing Communications and Training
www.labov.com
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