As a leader, how willing are you to open yourself up to the possibility of looking ridiculous in public?  Do you believe your employees will think less of you if you do something completely silly and off the wall? 

Leaders often complain how difficult it is to connect with their employees.  While our employees may have different life experiences, the common thread that can tie us together is laughter. 

I got to witness this first hand this evening, at a minor league baseball game.  The company where my husband is employed had a family outing at the ballpark.   Anyone who has ever attended a minor league baseball game has seen the lengths the staff goes to in order to entertain the crowds during a break in the action.  What makes these events especially funny is the fact that they pull spectators out of the crowd and attempt to make them look foolish. 

Tonight was no different.  The staff made the rounds to select people to participate in the different events, and my husband either drew the shortest straw, or was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.  He and one of his employees were picked to participate in one of the events.  While they nervously anticipated the middle of the 8^th inning, they were getting advice and/or ribbing from the other employees. 

Their time finally came, and they were led out onto the field for their “physical challenge” of running, doing push-ups, sit-ups and jumping jacks.  And sure enough, my husband rolled with it, and did a great job all the while getting cheered on by his fellow employees. 

He was not exactly thrilled about going out onto the baseball field for the purpose of publicly embarrassing himself, however, it sent a great message to his employees – don’t take yourself too seriously, and you open up an interesting dialogue with your staff.  After the race was over, my husband kept running into co-workers who were cracking up over the videos they shot of his performance, asking how soon the video would appear online?  (For the record, it only took me about an hour to post it online – with his permission of course!)

If you jump way outside your comfort zone, this could be your golden opportunity to connect with your employees, to show them you are just like everyone else – you like to have fun and have a good laugh, even if it means you may look a bit silly in the end.

Spring in Oklahoma is not for the faint of heart.  The weather is very unpredictable, and you can almost bet between the months of April-June, you will probably spend some quality time in your storm shelter.  This is just a way of life and most people who have lived here for any amount of time are used to this.   However, mention the word snow and there is some kind of crazy hysteria that breaks out – causing one to head to the local grocery store to stock up on supplies for what is certain to be the end of time. 

I’m sure you are wondering where I might be headed with this?  I have often thought about leaders and their level (or lack thereof) of calm in stressful situations.   There are leaders who could be facing a nuclear disaster but you would never know it – they maintain the same calm, even demeanor.  On the other hand, I have had the opportunity to work for leaders who fly into a panic if there is no coffee in the break room.  And while I do consider coffee a very important part of my day, I certainly would not become panic stricken over it.

A leader sets the tone for the entire organization, (thanks for pointing out the obvious – right?)  What happens when you have a leader who loves to hit the panic button on a regular basis?  Does your organization join in on the fun, or do you try to keep your wits about you to maintain order? 

How do you handle stressful situations within your organization?  Are you successful in keeping your cool, or do you get a high out of whipping everyone into a heightened frenzy?  As I used to say to my staff when things would get a little scary, “it’s my job to let you know when it is time to panic, and we have not reached that point.”  Although everything would be falling apart around us, I never wanted my staff to really see how freaked out I was, as I felt it was counter-productive.  They would spend more time being stressed instead of maintaining the course and serving the guests.

Think about this the next time something challenging happens within your organization – when is it time to panic?

How does ego impact leadership?  Have you thought about leaders whom you believe to have a pretty healthy ego.  How do you feel about their leadership skills?  Are they considered to be a strong, competent leader based upon their strong personality?  I believe the argument might be made that ego and leadership could go hand in hand.  In most cases, you would want a leader who has confidence in their abilities.  On the other hand, at what point does a confident person’s ego get in the way of effective leadership? 

Are you the type of leader who is so confident in every move you make that you consider yourself the supreme being within your organization?  Do you trust others to know all of your employees and take care of the day to day operations, while you take care of the “important” things?  Do you believe that everyone looks up to you and knows your name because you are so important?  If you answered yes, then I have two thoughts for you.  One, maybe you should take another look at your leadership style, and two, thank you for taking the time out of your important day to read my blog! 

I just provided you with an extreme example of ego clouding up the leadership picture.  Don’t get me wrong, confidence in leadership is very important, without it you cannot lead effectively if you always second guess yourself?  However, this can be a very easy trap to fall into if you are not careful.  Consider this scenario, you take a leadership role within an organization where you have the best intentions about doing the right thing.  You are making excellent decisions, everyone thinks you are a rock star, and BANG, your head swells up to the size of Texas.  With your ego clicked into high gear you suddenly you have all of the answers (I mean who else is as smart as you, right?), and you cannot possibly be bothered to get to know your employees.  Unfortunately, this scenarios happens more often than most people care to admit!

If one’s ego gets out of control an otherwise normal, well-adjusted person can become a leader whom everyone would rather run away from instead of follow.  Employees can tell the difference between confidence and a severe case of egomania.  If you are too important to treat your employees with respect, should you be shown the same courtesy?

What impact on leadership do you think ego plays - does it help or hurt a leader?           

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Sounds like the title of some really bad “B” movie, don’t you think?  I’m not referring to the loaf of bread sitting on our counter, that I cannot remember the exact date when it was purchased.  This is an amazing story about nasty bread and great customer service recovery.

The other night, my family and I stopped by the local Dave & Buster’s because we figured our daughter would enjoy playing some games after dinner.  Our experience was what one would expect - we placed our order with our very friendly and helpful waiter, Chris.  Our food was delivered, and we began to eat.  Fortunately, I just happened to look up at the very moment my husband was about to take a bite out of his sandwich and noticed the bottom of his roll was covered in mold.  I guess my “Oh my gosh, don’t eat that!” startled him enough to drop the sandwich in time! 

No more than 30 seconds went by when the dining room manager Jack, happened to stop by to see how our dinner was going.  We showed him their version of a Chicken Parmesan Sandwich (with a penicillin chaser), and needless to say, he was horrified.  He removed the sandwich and said he would be right back.  He returned along with our server and they were completely apologetic and wanted to know what they could do for us.  My husband ordered a different meal, and Jack said he would personally get that out to him quickly.  Next, Jeremiah, the general manager even stopped by our table to apologize and see if he could do anything for us.    

We thought they handled the situation well, they acknowledged the issue, apologized for the mistake, and got my husband a new meal rather quickly.  As we were sitting there eating, Jack came by to check on us and provided us with a card to play some games on them.  And to top it off, as we were finishing our dinner, Chris came by with a complimentary dessert.  They didn’t just provide us with some very nice gestures, they also backed it up with their caring attitudes.  When our daughter was finished playing games, she was short a few tickets for an item she wanted to get, and Jeremiah gave it to her anyway.  He told my husband that they wanted to make sure we had a positive experience so we would give them another chance.

This organization really understands the concept of service recovery!  We were surprised at the level of caring by the staff at Dave & Buster’s in Tulsa.  We simply (and calmly) pointed out the issue and they sprung into action to turn around our experience.   We realize that we do not live in a perfect world and sometimes these things happen.  How an organization responds to them is what separates ordinary from extraordinary.  We will definitely return in the future, as we are always willing to patronize an organization that understands what exceptional customer service is all about.  

You know the old saying about all work and no play, and how we could become really dull people? 

Does your organization have a culture of play at work?  Of course when you are gainfully employed, you are expected to show up, work hard, and meet/exceed the expectations of your employer.  Unfortunately in my own personal experience, I have never read a job description that included having fun as part of my position.   I have encountered many organizations that had “fun events” where we had the opportunity to engage in some sort of “fun” activity.  These were well orchestrated events that typically took a certain degree of planning and preparation. 

Why does fun at work have to be planned?  Doesn’t it take some of the fun out of a “fun” event when you are told that you are allowed to have “fun” between the hours of 3:00-5:00PM on the first Friday of the month?  Some may argue that they have a business to run and there is no room for goofing off.  I would agree that it is very important to ensure that everyone understands their responsibilities and takes care to project the professional image of your organization.  However, I would challenge you to consider how incorporating fun into the workplace serves more than one purpose.  It is not an open invitation to prevent your employees from getting the job done.  We all like to laugh, and sometimes engaging in fun can bring people together, relieve stress, and can also help your employees recharge their creative juices.

A great example of this idea has been used by my husband.  He installed a small, child’s basketball hoop outside of his office.  At first, people weren’t quite sure what to make of this - most just passed by and ignored it.  Eventually, as people would stop by to see my husband, he would toss them the small beach ball and shoot hoops with them, all the while discussing issues, problems, challenges, or nothing in particular.  In some cases, he has used a quick game to help defuse an angry or over-stressed employee,  all the while modifying the mind-set they may have been stuck in at that moment.  A little friendly competition has helped him bridge the gap between different groups of people.  Employees from all different levels within the organization come together for a little fun and relationship building.   

In some instances, leaders may find it difficult to relate to their employees, as they may have very different life experiences.  Think about the idea of fun, regardless of who you are or where you come from; everyone likes to laugh and have a good time.  Why wouldn’t you encourage your employees to laugh more - don’t happier employees provide better customer service?  

When was the last time you had fun at work?

It seems as if you cannot turn on the television or look at your smart phone without learning about a new scandal rocking the world of college athletics.  This makes me think about the power of media and how an inappropriate e-mail, phone call, or simply being caught in the act by a quick thinking person with a smart phone, can bring down an entire organization.

When one of these scandals break, everyone seems to play the ostrich - bury your head in the sand and pretend that it didn’t happen.  Ever play that game as a child - if I close my eyes, no one will see me!  Are coaches conditioned to play the ignorance card when something amiss happens?  Or better yet, is ignorance to a situation expected from the leadership of their organizations?    

The first question we need to explore is the role of leadership in these situations.  Do college athletics reside in a bubble, isolated from what most would consider reality?  Are those who become part of the sports culture held to a different leadership standard?  Unfortunately, our culture has inflated the importance of fame, creating situations where individuals in power are held to a different standard than the rest of society.  The college coach is portrayed as a leader beyond all reproach, there to mold young men and women into the leaders of tomorrow.  The coach is there to ensure their team wins, all the while following the rules which governs their sport.  What happens in reality may be different, as we have witnessed in the recent months.

Along with this label also comes the power to enact change.  Winning has become more important than doing the right thing.  Sometimes leaders need to make decisions that may not be embraced by all.  What happens when a star player is caught doing something illegal?  In so many cases, these issues get covered up or trivialized, as no one wants to be responsible for benching the star player and putting their perfect season in jeopardy.  Think about the downfall of the Ohio State football program.  Players were engaging in activities identified as illegal by the NCAA, and these activities were ignored by the coaches until it was too late, and the proverbial “cat was let out of the bag.”  Coaches feigned shock, players were suspended, and soon the career of a storied coach was left in shambles.

Let’s explore the reasoning behind the challenges surrounding the college athletic culture.  In many cases, college athletics have become a huge revenue stream into a university.  A winning team is a multi-million dollar operation at a large university.  The team wins, the fans are happy, and the “ugly outside influence” otherwise known as the boosters begin the river of money back into the university.  Let me clarify the idea of the booster - one who is an enthusiastic supporter of a team.  In college athletics, a booster is not only one who buys season tickets to the football or basketball games; but one who also supports their team by the “enthusiastic” contribution of money.  In my opinion, many of the scandals that have rocked the athletic departments of many universities in the recent years, has stemmed from the ability of outsiders to negatively influence athletes, coaches, and university leadership.  Money talks, and those with the biggest wallets have been able to carve out a space of importance for themselves within athletic departments all over the country.  In the case of the University of Miami, a booster who contributed significant money to the football program supplied players with numerous benefits that were against NCAA guidelines, as well as illegal.  This creates a very sharp double-edged sword - the university benefits from the cash flow provided by the boosters, appropriating money for scholarships, etc.  However this river of money creates a different problem, those who donate the most expect unlimited access to the players. Think about an impressionable 19 year-old player who has the adulation of an someone who is providing the player with anything they want.          

Think about your business for a second.  What happens when a mistake is made under your leadership, do you lie, steal and cheat to maintain your position?  Or do you stand up and honestly address the situation?  The sports culture is no different than a business and a coach can get fired for sub-par performance.  I think we can all agree that no one really wants to lose their job, especially in these challenging economic times!  However, does that give credence to the idea that it is okay to plead ignorance or simply cover up mistakes as they happen?  Mistakes and lies will not fix the problem, they will only exacerbate it when the lies catch up with you sooner or later.

As some of you have noticed, my posts have been a bit sparse lately, or really just non-existent!  In addition to writing, I have recently taken on a consulting engagement, which has added a great deal of fun and challenge to my life.  Taking on this additional responsibility made me think about the reasons people constantly mitigate their risks, refusing to step out of their comfort zone and do something different.

I came to the conclusion the other day that fear is a very powerful emotion, one that can stop us from finding our true path in life.  I stop and think about all of the different experiences presented to me that were scary, but I chose to do them anyway.  I’m not talking about jumping out of a plane scary - I’m talking about the kind of scary when self-doubt crawls into the recesses of your mind, and prevents you from trying something new, or making a bold decision in your life. 

For example, when I was considering the idea of putting a few of my articles out on Amazon.com and Smashwords.com, for sale, I was nervous.  Why would I be willing to open myself up to the potential of people reading my words and telling me I stink?  Then I thought about the opposite - what if I wrote something that inspired someone to think differently or take action in a positive way?  In the end, I brushed my fears aside and charged forward with my writing career, and I am truly glad that I did.  Yes, I did receive that negative review, but it did not deter me from continuing down this path.  I needed to put it in perspective, I could not expect to be all things to all people, there would be those who just didn’t understand my message, and that was okay.      

When opportunity knocks on your door, do you answer the door or slam it shut?  Do you allow fear to hold you back from finding your passion?  

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Thank you for reading!