Jeff McManus's Blog, page 19

Why Implosions Effect Your Leadership

The Atlanta Fulton County stadium, originally built in 1965, costing $18 million, took just under a year to build. And it took 27 seconds to bring it down with close to 1,250 pounds of dynamite and 350 pounds of charge. The explosives sent an estimated 140 million pounds of concrete and steel plummeting to the field the Atlanta Braves and Falcons once called home. The stadium was mighty in size and reputation, seating 60,000 people and hosting 32 years of Atlanta history—it’s where Hank Aaron br...

Surviving the Fire – Why Your Hardest Trials Will be Your Best Leadership Lessons

The Sequoia tree is the largest tree grown in the world. The Redwoods may be taller, but in over-all size, the Sequoia is king. I am anticipating the day I see these magnificent wonders in California. Recently I was reading about the unusual black burn marks on the base of each tree. Fire helps the tree grow. With a 21” thick bark, the tree can withstand extremely hot temperatures, and it not only survives, but it will also thrive. The only time a Sequoia is in danger from fire is if the fire re...

We Put People First. But Do We?

“Our most successful leaders are people who put other people first … in the long run, that’s exactly what makes them successful.” 

~Blake Roney, American businessman

A worker was driving his company’s large commercial truck to the recycle station for emptying, when he noticed an older gentleman sitting on a bench on the side of the service road. The gentleman looked tired and dazed. The worker slowed down, stopped, and asked the older gentleman if he was okay. The man replied, “Can I get a...

Beating Burnout

“In a culture where people believe that working hard can overcome any obstacle, reality teaches us that we have limitations. We burn out.” ~Jay Wren

It’s real and it can happen to even the best leader. Burnout is very common particularly in high performance leaders with as many as 72% of them admitting to it openly. In my experience, it is my best leaders I have to watch out for when it comes to burn out. They are problem solvers, love a challenge, and find satisfaction in accomplishment. The...

Should Leaders Teach Employees to be Adaptable?

“Adaptability is about the powerful difference between adapting to cope and adapting to win.” ~Max McKeown

We all know the stress and frustration of having to adapt our personal and professional schedules due to an unexpected occurrence. Your team is no different. In our industry change is inevitable and happens at a moment's notice. During a typical workday how does your team deal with unexpected change or roadblocks, a.k.a. “zingers?”  Did it come with a lot of drama or was it just part of ...

Self Doubt

“Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” ~William Shakespeare

Have you ever been asked to run an area you have never run before and have no idea how to do it? It’s a scary feeling…to know you DON’T know. You have to remember, you may not know how to do everything, but there is a reason why you were asked to over see it. If we don’t remember that, we run the risk of doubting ourselves, our abilities, and goals. Self-doubt is putting all the a...

Fighting Discouragement

“Pushing yourself to be the best is unsustainable. Simply push yourself to be better than the day before.”

~Simon Sinek

In the Book Chop Wood Carry Water, Joshua Metcalf uses the story of one boy’s journey, John, to become a samurai warrior. In one part of the story John is learning how to overcome discouragement and how he can be his own worst enemy by how he thinks and conducts his self-talk. Akira, John’s teacher, shares with John that he must keep his guard up and fuel his heart with e...

Growing Positive Leaders

“ The greatest day in your life and mine is when we take total responsibility for our attitudes. That's the day we truly grow up. ”

~ John Maxwell

The old saying goes, team leaders’ attitudes are caught more than they are taught. It is very true. Picking your next team leader will make a difference not only in your production and growth, but also in the culture of the team and organization. Pick wisely.

Unfortunately, thinking negatively is second nature to a lot of people. New team leade...

How To Create Buy-In

“Behavior precedes belief – that is, most people must engage in a behavior before they accept that it is beneficial; then they see the results, and then they believe that it is the right thing to do….implementation precedes buy-in; it does not follow it.”

― Douglas B. Reeves

Buy-in is that quality that is hard to teach, but you know when people have it. Leaders who focus on getting buy-in from their team members do it for a reason. Chick-fil-A is an excellent example of employee buy-in. T...

Grow Yourself First

“You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.” ~Jim Rohn

A while back I had breakfast with a remarkably successful business owner who was producing well over seven figures. His company employs over 275 people in an intense outdoor work environment. During these trying labor shortage times where we are seeing the great resignation, employees leaving a company for more mon...