Guy Richards / Ordinary Life with a Brand Strategist

Innovation can’t be delegated

You can’t delegate innovation when you can see it in the black of your eyelids. You must forge ahead with little wins until you pass all the failure necessary to reach your win.

Transformational Movements

Problems are the catalyst to change, but only when they have a transformational leader who champions for a solution.

Here are three ways to identify a transformational movement:

1. Positive belief becomes contagious
2. A team is pushed past it’s natural ability
3. Deep relationships are created

…and the movement, brand, cause, makes headlines.

Deep Bonds

At the heart of a deep bond lies an experience.

I heard a story of a man who ran a manufacturing company that used giving as a way to engage his employees. He grouped his employees into teams of about five. He gave them each a few thousand dollars and a mission to collaboratively choose a worthy cause and raise as much money as they could for their charity of choice. The few thousand dollars was used as seed money.

The experiences that were created from this mission tightened his team and led to a stronger workforce and brand.

If he can do it!

Progression is excelled among friends that are driven to exceed the norm.

I have a group of people in my life from whom I borrow confidence. People who are driven by similar motives as me. When they win, I win and vice versa.

Isn’t it great to have a band of brother (or sisters) who push you past what you could achieve by yourself?

Two outcomes, one choice

A wise man (or women) listens to the counsel of his friends and adjusts accordingly.

A foolish man (or women) despises change and wrinkles up.

Your reach in the world

I know six CEO’s that have determined they have influence on 100,000 people through their positions in life.

They identified this by the affect their decisions have on others (employees, customers, vendors etc.).

You may be a stay-at-home mom who has two children, leads a book club and is a roller derby coach on Friday nights.

Or,

A single guy living at home who is in design school, works as a bike messenger and plays the bass in a band that does covers on the weekends.

Either way, your life is specifically positioned with the people you are around. You may have many years with these people or just a few hours left. But the real question is “how are you impacting them today?”

Excitement & Bad Decisions

When decisions have to be made, leaders tend to balance them between good and bad.

I would challenge that to say, when a leader is making a decision a key factor should be the “team’s excitement.”

I will make bad decisions on purpose (from other’s perspective) if it means making my team excited. The reason, is because I understand that team engagement is driven by excitement. What I mean is; say I make a decision to spend more money than necessary to benefit the team. Some could look at that as a wasted resource. But I look at it as a future investment in human resources. People know when you care about them. It is shown in your actions.

A team who knows they are loved is more engaged.

Invisible Line

There is a burden that only leaders can understand… an invisible line that once it’s crossed you can never go back.

To be elevated past the line means you have an opportunity to make a great impact. But it also means that those you lead will view you different. They will not understand your full responsibility or all the reasons you make decisions. They will suspect you have it easy, not understanding that you’re probably up most nights thinking how to minimize the burden of others.

For those who have crossed the invisible line I commend you, leadership is not all glamour as most non-leaders view it. But you know that.

I have found that the best way to engage those under the invisible line is to be over sensitive to unspoken communications.

1. If you’re on travel with an employee and there is one bed, sleep on the floor.

2. If you have a Snickers offer it (for real), then give away the bigger half.

3. If you have to make a hard decision, be the first to sacrifice.

These simple actions will be the roots of reaching the movements cause. But you will have to care about reaching the cause more than you care about your comfort.

Impact List

Every great leader that has used their position to positively influence those around them is a by-product of someone.

These are the rare people, that when they speak they empower others to push past their own boundaries.

These people are not necessarily rich or influential in culture but are willing to stand for what they believe, even in the face of opposition. The ones that say what they mean and mean what they say.

I know that time is a resource that is in high demand. So I’ll be quick.

1. Grab the closest piece of paper to you.

2. Think or those friends, pastors, authors, relatives, etc. that have had a positive influence on your life.

3. Write their names, titles and how they played a part in who you are today.

Now share the results with a close friend and enjoy the memories. Chances are, you are on someone else’s list because of the people on your list.

 

Dedicated to Ben.

“Working To Live”

I have found that many CEOs and employees get caught in the mentality of work to live,” rather than to make a difference.

Somewhere along the path their spark to use their insight, talent, time and resources as a platform to help and inspire others has been quenched. It’s like a racecar driver who starts his career with only one motive… to cross the checkered first. But soon looses his focus of winning and settles just to finish and pay his bills.

CEO or employee… yellow, red, black or white… will never make a huge impact with a “work to live” mentality.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

 “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.’”