Angie Morgan's Blog, page 28

When You Know Better, Do Better

Accountability: Where Growth Happens















Many of us have painful, embarrassing memories of times when we were wrong.

Maybe it was:

In school, where the Socratic method was alive and well!  You were asked a question, gave a good guess, and then were told – publicly – how wrong you were in your thinking.
At work, when you spent hours pouring over a proposal only to discover – after you submitted it – that you spelled your prospective client’s name wrong.
When you arrived for an important meeting 45 minutes late because you made an error in your scheduling.
At home, when you were careless with your words during a discussion with your partner and best friend.  You said some things you shouldn’t have and you can’t take them back.

Chances are that you’ve been wrong not just once or twice.  Throughout your life, you’ve been wrong countless times.

Being wrong is okay.  In fact, if we all were to be honest with ourselves, we’ve made mistakes quite a bit.  Our goal in life shouldn’t be to avoid making mistakes and strive for perfection.  Our goal in life should be to focus on how we respond to those situations in which we either miss the mark or experience complete failure.  These are the moments when we need to rise to the occasion and demonstrate accountability the best way we know how: By being absolutely, 100% responsible for our actions (or inactions).

One of my favorite quotes is from the Maya Angelou:

“When I know better, I do better.”

When we’re wrong, rather than berate ourselves, we need to learn from our experiences.  Learning is where real growth happens.

Here are some ideas on how to grow from those less-than-best moments:

Acknowledge your role in the situation – don’t blame someone else or the circumstances – “I apologize for being late.  I made an error in my schedule.”
Excuses only satisfy the person who delivers them.  Know that your excuses exasperate the situation, so don’t offer them.  “I said (x) and I shouldn’t have.  I’m sorry.”
Stop and think about the error and what you could have done differently.  Reflection creates time for lessons learned going forward.
Don’t project your disappointment onto other people.  Just because you’re mad/embarrassed/frustrated doesn’t give you a right to take it out on other people.  Certainly, if the mistake happened because of a collective effort, there’s room for everyone to grow.  There’s no need to chastise others when, in reality, we’re all attempting to learn from an experience.

Your accountability level conveys your leadership ability.  The sooner you respond as a leader, the quicker you learn and grow from the situation.

Keep Leading from the Front!

– Angie

The post When You Know Better, Do Better appeared first on Lead Star.

Make Something Happen. Every. Single. Day.

Be Intentional with Your Dreams















“This isn’t random.”

That was my though last Thursday evening sitting in a theater as I watched the documentary After So Many Days.  A few weeks prior I had been asked to moderate the film with the producers as part of the Traverse City Film Fest.  My assignment, I was told, was chosen at random.  But as I was mesmerized watching this band go “all in” on their dreams, I knew I was fated to see this movie.

The band’s musicians, Jim and Sam, were sick of feeling in a rut.  Instead of waking up each day feeling like they weren’t doing all they could to be successful, they decided to make a change – a drastic change.  They were going on a tour to perform every single day for an entire year.   Even if that performance meant a pop up in a random liquor store, or serenade to a food delivery guy.  For one whole year, they were going to be relentless.

I encourage you to watch the trailer.  Once you’re done, ask yourself:

What dreams am I half-heartedly committing to?
What can I do today to ensure my success for tomorrow?
What if I were to commit to something for a whole entire year?  What would happen?

As for me, this film was an inspiration and a great reminder of the power of intention.  We can let life happen to use, or we can make life happen for us.

I’d love to hear from you – what are you pursuing with intention today to create your better tomorrow?  I love being inspired by others and their dreams, so shoot me a note!!

The post Make Something Happen. Every. Single. Day. appeared first on Lead Star.

Angie, I’ve Got Women Problems.

Angie … I’ve Got Women Problems.















Yep, someone actually said that to me.  (In jest, of course.)  This individual actually had good women problems!  He was an HR Leader who had a strong pool of women managers he was seeking to prepare for the next level of responsibility.  The challenge, though, wasn’t the capabilities of these women – it was helping them believe they could take on additional responsibilities.  (No worries!  Courtney and I were up to task.  It required a crash course in confidence for these women and everything turned out great.)

I answered a similar call for help recently from a friend and colleague, a senior leader in an organization.  He, too, had some challenges related to his female employees.  His problems were different, though.   He wanted to discuss how to talk with women in this post #metoo world.

I empathized with him, and was so glad he trusted and confided in me.  I get it.  I’m challenged, too, on how to engage in this post #metoo world:

Should I be offended if someone comments on my appearance?  Unless it’s said in a creepy tone, I usually take the compliment.
Should I still hug at work?  Does that put my male (and even female) colleagues in an awkward position? 
My language can be a little loose sometimes (thank you, Marine Corps).  Am I going to offend anyone by anything I say?
I call women “girls” … a lot.  It’s not intended to belittle or slight women.  It’s just kind of what I do … and sometimes I forget that I’m doing it.
I know that some men are really concerned about being alone with women.  Despite how I feel about the situation, my feelings will not change how they feel.  What role do I have in forcing the issue? 

Our workplaces right now seem to be a little tense around how women and men should engage.  Here’s some guidance that I offered my friend:

Hold a meeting with all employees and address the issue.  Seek to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable educating each other on what’s appropriate/not appropriate for them.
Explain yourself to others.  I’ve started to say, “Hey, I’m a hugger” before I go in for a hug.  I’ll then add, “If you’re not, let me know and I’ll respect that.”  I encourage others to educate themselves and their tendencies to others, too.  The more we share, the more trust we generate, and the more we assume good intentions vs bad ones when we make those unintentional slips.
When in doubt, ask or share.  I recently had a dear friend go through gender reassignment surgery.  When I followed up with they, I asked about their preferred pronoun.  I then confided that I knew very little about what they went through and if I asked a lot of stupid questions, or even questions that are inappropriate, it was my ignorance … and my hope is that they’d enlighten me.  (They did … they started by saying that to them it wasn’t gender reassignment – it was gender correction.  What ensued was a very positive conversation that helped educate me on their life story.)

Here’s what I believe: I believe we all want to be our best and work to bring out the best in others.  I think the world we’re living in is confusing, but if we all approach it with honesty and integrity, we’re winning in this journey.

I’d love to hear from you on what you’re doing in in the post #metoo world to better engage others and promote trust and respect.  Let’s take this conversation to LinkedIn, which is where this post will be after you this Leadership Moment.

The post Angie, I’ve Got Women Problems. appeared first on Lead Star.

Four Ways to Tell if You’re a Broken Record

Are You a Broken Record?















For those of you who didn’t have records growing up (and, yes, there are many of you!), a broken record is a record that repeats itself over, and over, and over again.  It never leaps to its next track, rendering that record … well … broken.

Using this image metaphorically, a broken record in the workforce is a person who repeats the same behaviors over, and over, and over again.  Now, that person isn’t broken, per se.  Rather, their tactics aren’t as effective as they once were and they are just stuck in an old, comfortable groove that worked well a long time ago, but isn’t as effective now.

Here are four signs that you might just be a broken record:

You fail to adapt to new technology
You don’t apply new learning or knowledge
You don’t seek out new training to advance your craft
You approach people and problems with the same approach you used to decades ago … and you get the same, frustrating results

Unlike a broken record, you don’t have to wait for someone to swoop in and solve your problems.  You can get yourself “unstuck.”  Here are some ideas how:

Pay attention to what frustrates you at work – is it a process, is it technology?  Seek to understand the source of your frustration so you can understand what’s really bothering you – it might not be the “thing” that you’re annoyed with.  It could be that what you’re attempting to learn is taking some time to adjust to, which is completely normal.  When you find the source, you’re closer to discovering the actions you need to take to address the situation.
Listen to what you talk about.  If you find yourself repeating yourself, or if you’re still complaining about the same things you’ve always complained about, then maybe you haven’t found closure or acceptance with the situation.  Develop your language so that you’re advancing your story and not getting stuck in an old, worn-out narrative.
Ask for feedback.  Share with people that you’re seeking to grow and develop and inquire with them ideas on the skills you need to develop in order to advance your career.  No one wants to repeat the same week, month, or year twice.  Feedback, when delivered with tact and accepted with appreciation, allows you to recognize areas where you can advance.

I think we all know what it feels like to be stuck.  While that comfort can be comfortable, it’s a dangerous place to stay too long.  As leaders, we want to grow and develop.  Check in with yourself on a routine basis to ensure your skills are relevant, your leadership is impactful, and that you’re moving closer and closer to your vision.

Have a great week ahead!

My best, Angie

The post Four Ways to Tell if You’re a Broken Record appeared first on Lead Star.

I’ll Tell You When

Do you ever find yourself giving advice to others about when they should do something?  

Last week, I found myself receiving a ton of advice from Dan Pink about the art and science of perfect timing.  He was visiting my home town, Traverse City, as part of the National Writers Series author interview program.  We spent a better part of the day together in preparation for our conversation on the “main stage.”

I was fascinated by the research he uncovered talking about timing in his recent book “When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing.”  Some of the ideas that struck me were:

When scheduling meetings, we often think about when people are available when we should think about what we want to talk about.  There are peak times for creativity that could increase the quality of the meeting.
Who made meetings 30 minutes or 60 minutes?  (Answer: Outlook calendar.)  Why can’t they be 13 minutes or 22 minutes?  When a meeting is done, wrap it up.
Midpoints in events – such as projects or change initiatives – can either drag us down or motivate us. This is good to know.  If you’re struggling during a midpoint, be mindful of why it feels like it feels.
Fun fact – if a 9 is the last number in your age, you’re more likely to run a marathon.  (There’s a spike of entries for people who are ending a decade – 29, 39, 49, etc.)
It’s always a great idea to take a nap at work – and a 10-20 minute snooze could be the break you need for a breakthrough idea.

As leaders, we’re always looking for ways to be more efficient, creative, and productive.  True to his promise, Dan gives us plenty of hacks in his book.  I highly, highly recommend it and plan to put into practice a few of the concepts this week as I strive to find ways to make the best use of the minutes I have.

Have a great week!  Happy Fourth of July!!

My best, Angie

PS  Do you have any great time hacks?  Let me know!!  amorgan@leadstar.us

The post I’ll Tell You When appeared first on Lead Star.

My Time Isn’t Yours to Waste

“You may delay, but time will not.”

– Benjamin Franklin

Maybe it’s my good ‘ole Marine Corps training, but I’m a stickler with time. If a meeting starts at 10:00, I want everyone to be there ready to go at 9:50. If I have an appointment at 3:00, I strive to be a little early to ensure any delay is not due to me.

My time is incredibly valuable to me. I juggle multiple priorities and a ten-minute delay here or there could result in a lost hour of productivity on any given day. This lost hour cuts into my life outside of work, which impacts my precious, precious to-do list.

I value my time. Recently, though, I wondered how much I valued the time of others. That was a humbling thought. I then thought of ways I may be unintentionally wasting other people’s time … here’s my list:

Failing to come to meetings prepared
Rescheduling meetings at the last minute
Unnecessarily cc’ing people on emails
Not moving people to bcc after their role in an email is over
Introducing people within my network to each other when I don’t envision a mutual benefit
Tasking people with projects when I don’t have full awareness of the scope of the project
Underestimating the time it takes to complete projects when I delegate
Not allowing for enough time in a conversation to cover all the agenda items

Leading others requires mutual respect. If I value my time, I must also value the time of others. Time is really one of our only non-renewable resources. What we – and others – do with our minutes matter.

I’d love to hear from you – what do you feel are the biggest time wasters in your day? If we all have greater awareness of when we undervalue people’s time, we can work to improve how we treat people’s precious minutes. Email me at amorgan@leadstar.us.

My best, Angie

The post My Time Isn’t Yours to Waste appeared first on Lead Star.

Crap Jobs … and What You Can Learn from Them

Crap Job?  You Can Still Have Fun!















I, arguably, had one of the worst summer jobs.  The summer before college I joined a youth crew with my state’s Department of Transportation and one of our less-than-best assignments was cleaning up road kill.  I’m not joking.  Yes … my coworkers and I had to remove dead animals (raccoons, deer, skunk, etc.) that had been hit by cars off the road.  We actually got paid to do this.  How much?  Not enough … .

Oddly, I look back on this job as not as unpleasant as it sounds.  Sometimes, it was actually – dare I say – fun?  Not doing the job.  But, rather, working with my coworkers (who were also my friends).

The State of Michigan entrusted us with a car (a cruddy brown sedan), a radio, a flashing orange light we could put on the roof of our car, flexibility, a loose job description, and shovels.

We all knew we had to take summer jobs to shore up our cash situation for college.  What made this job particularly interesting was that we got to work closely with one another and bond over the crappy work we were often tasked to do.

I don’t think there was a day that went by where:

One of us heaved (and the others laughed about it)
A song was on the radio and we all sang it at the top of our lungs
We swapped lunch items ensuring that everyone had their fill
We bartered with each other on who was going to be responsible for the next piece of road kill we’d encounter
We imagined how we could prank someone with the flashing orange light
We conjured up ideas on how we could do the least amount of work to get by and still feel proud about taking a paycheck  (in our defense, we were teenagers)

Now, as an adult and a consultant, I hear many people who don’t enjoy their work.  More often than not, it has nothing to do with the salary.  It’s about the environment.  Whenever I hear these stories my mind travels back to my youth crew days … crappy job, great environment.

The opportunity in front of us all is to imagine how we can help cultivate a right environment so that the work we do is done in the most enjoyable format possible.  We have all sorts of choices in life – we can choose to make work a fun experience for ourselves, as well for others.  I guarantee – the effort you put into making your environment be a little more fun will pay off in dividends.

Hey, I’d love to hear from you – what was your worst job and how did you make it fun?  Email me at: amorgan@leadstar.us

Keep Leading from the Front!

Angie

The post Crap Jobs … and What You Can Learn from Them appeared first on Lead Star.

Honoring America on Memorial Day

Reflecting Upon Our History 















Earlier this month I had the privilege of chaperoning my son’s 8th grade class trip to Washington DC, where we spent seven days touring our nation’s capital.  Our tour guides ran us ragged – it wasn’t a rare day when we woke up at 6:00 am and returned to the hotel by 9:00 pm.

We did have a special stop at the Pentagon, which was a definite highlight of the trip.  The students had a very special visit with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dunford, who spoke to the students for more than 10 minutes and took the time to answer their questions.  He reminded these students of the privilege of being born in America, the honor it is to serve one’s country, and the sacrifices our service men and women around the world make daily for our freedom.

He called upon these young men and women to seek opportunities to serve in their communities each day, as when we show our commitment to one another we help strengthen our nation, making the world a better place.  He challenged the students to pause during their trip to DC to think of the story of our nation and those who have given their lives so we can have all the liberties we enjoy.

The students, in awe of meeting such an esteemed leader, took his message to heart.  After the engagement, I observed many students tour the monuments with greater reverence, respect, and curiosity.  On our final stop at Gettysburg, I was blown away by how focused these students were on learning the intricate details of this battle, as they recognized the significance this fight played in restoring our Union.

In fact, Memorial Day began as a remembrance of the Union soldiers whose lives were lost in the Civil War; today, Memorial Day is a day to honor all those Americans fallen in service to their country.  In the spirit of General Dunford’s challenge to the students, we should pause today and consider how we can honor those who’ve given their lives for our freedoms.

Going a step further, I would also ask that you consider doing the following:

Attending a Memorial Day Service in your community
Stopping by a Veterans’ cemetery and reading the headstones, looking at the ages and names of those who’ve laid down their lives for their country
Asking a Veteran about the impact their service has had on their life
Watching a Memorial Service on TV and listening deeply to the words being spoke about our Veterans
Touring a war museum
Talking to your friends and family about the significance of this day to ensure it doesn’t get lost amidst any long-weekend plans

As for my family, we’re fortunate our church puts on a wonderful Memorial Day program and that our community hosts a Memorial Day ceremony.  I’m proud to bring my children to these events, as it’s my way of ensuring that the sacrifices of our bravest warriors aren’t forgotten by future generations.

Have a wonderful, reflective day.

My best, Angie

The post Honoring America on Memorial Day appeared first on Lead Star.

When Work Doesn’t Work

Reignite Yourself















Your career has its peaks and valleys.

Peaks are great, right?

You closed the big deal
Your proposal blew your client’s mind
Your team completed a project under budget and ahead of time

Peaks can give you the energy and motivation necessary to strive for even greater achievements.  Though, they never seem to last long enough, do they?

What’s more, once you’re on top of a mountain, the only next step is one that goes down.  If you take too many steps, you can find yourself in a valley – a lonely, dismal place.

Valleys can be:

Receiving a discouraging performance review
Losing a treasured client
Getting a demotion

This is when it feels like work just isn’t working for you.  While in a valley, you’ll consider career changes, experience self-doubt, and question what it is that you’re meant to be doing in the first place.

Sometimes it can be challenging to inspire yourself in these moments, which is when you need to seek out sources that encourage you and help you rediscover that spark within.

If this sounds at all familiar, visit The SPARK Experience and check out our videos, designed to give you the motivation you need to stay inspired.  At Lead Star, we’re on your side.  Being our best requires effort, and we’re committed to giving the resources you need to be your best.

– Angie

PS  Don’t forget to register for our next FREE Webinar in our series, which focuses on how to deal with stubborn people.  You can register here.

The post When Work Doesn’t Work appeared first on Lead Star.

Are You Playing it Safe?

Master Kevin: Is it okay to break your nose in class?

Kids in Tae Kwon Do Class: (Silence)

Master Kevin: Yes, it’s okay. The only place where you’re not going to get hurt is on the couch, eating cheese, wearing your footie pajamas and watching cartoons … .

I overheard this lesson at my son’s Tae Kwon Do class. As Master Kevin launched into a discussion about how life is hard, but it’s worth getting off the couch to live, I couldn’t help but smile. It was the exact lesson I wanted my son to hear. And while it’s a lesson I hope he picks up from my example, I’m real – my words and actions sometimes mean less to my son than the same words and actions coming from someone else.

So let’s talk about this life – this real world place where you’re bound to get your nose broken, your dreams crushed, your cage rattled, and you’re almost guaranteed to take a big risk and lose.

We might think: This place is tough. I should play it safe.

But there’s danger in safety, too. Safety means you’re not stretching yourself, pushing your boundaries, and daring into arenas where you can test yourself to see what you’re made of. Safety, too, can sometimes mean we become complacent – that even though we’re given this great gift of life, we squander it be keeping ourselves unchanged, the same.

I believe there’s a space between careless and careful when it comes to risk taking. Careless means we risk something very important to us that we shouldn’t – like gambling with our values. Careful means we hedge during risk taking and never put both feet in.

I like to call that space between careless and careful as “conscious commitment.” Conscious means that we’re eyes wide open when we realize what’s at stake and we’ve squared this risk with our value system so that “we’re good.” Commitment means “all in,” at all costs. There’s no hedging.

I believe there are things that you can consciously commit to if you really think about it. These are often our dormant dreams – you know, those things you think of doing but never really get around to. Revisit your dreams. Do great things. What are you waiting for? Since we can’t time travel, let me recommend that you choose to consciously commit soon … like today or tomorrow.

Best of luck on your adventure! Know that you’ve got a few cheerleaders in your corner.

-The Lead Star Team

The post Are You Playing it Safe? appeared first on Lead Star.