Tag: #leadership

Keep Your “Stupid” On A Leash

It’s hard to believe my goofy dog, Cliff, still gets to claim the ‘puppy’ card. He’s pushing 90 lbs and is only a little over a year old—his paws are practically snowshoes, and his body is diligently working quickly to catch up to their size.

Leash training has been an absolute joy with Cliff. And by “joy,” please note the heavy, dripping sarcasm that would make a jaded comedian proud: HE IS A MENACE! He’s easily one of the biggest and strongest labs we’ve ever owned, and again, he’s just a one-year-old.

He pulls like a freight train, his mighty paws sometimes losing traction as he chuff, chuff, chuffs, dragging his human workout partner along for a ride. It often feels less like a walk and more like trying to lasso a bull in full stride; your only real option is to hold on for dear life and pray you stay upright. This usually leads to unclasping the leash and allowing him to run free.

I know, I know. All you classical conditioning gurus out there are probably sighing so hard your lab coats are flapping. Go crazy on the leash, and eventually, we let you run free. Taught him a great lesson indeed. 

Now, “running free” is an entirely different kind of monster. Cliff doesn’t just trot politely by your side; he enters a blistering paced hyper-exploration mode, running non-stop circles to investigate every single scent, puddle, butt, field, brush, or forest in his line of sight.

Before you jump to conclusions—no, the title of this story is not referring to Cliff. The truth is, we all have an inner “Stupid” that constantly tries to be let off its leash. While it really should be kept in a high-security kennel at all times, the reality is that we all make “Stupid” mistakes, “Stupid” decisions, and “Stupid” statements and the list goes on and on…..

I believe the true mark of maturity isn’t that we finally stop doing dumb things (let’s be honest, we’re human; that’s not happening). Rather, it’s how we handle ourselves when our unleashed “Stupid” decides to go for a run.  

Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and helpful to one another, tender-hearted [compassionate, understanding], forgiving one another [readily and freely], just as God in Christ also forgave you

Where The Lesser Value Means More; Pareto Principle Redefined

You may have heard the phrase, “What you put in is what you will get out,” which essentially means the quality of the output is directly proportional to the quality of the input. There is also another principle that most people wouldn’t recognize when defined by the principle’s founder Vilfredo Pareto in 1896, but its meaning becomes clearer when it is defined simply as a rule. When applying this particular rule, it is better to be represented by the lower percentage value, even though experience suggests that the lower value might be inflated by roughly 10%. The rule that I am referencing is the 80/20 rule, which states, 80% of your results are produced by 20% of your efforts or in other words the vast majority of outcomes (80%) stem from a minority of inputs (20%). When correlated to manpower it can be stated that 80% of productivity correlates to the efforts of 20% of your workforce, which is an unequal distribution. This doesn’t mean that 80% of the workforce isn’t contributing but more-so the contribution of the 20% carries the weight. While the Pareto Principle suggests that 20% of a group drives 80% of its results, modern shifts in work ethic—particularly evident in the current generation—suggest an even sharper divide. We may be approaching a reality where 10% of an organization’s workforce shoulders the weight for the remaining 90%. It’s a compelling thought but the reality is that we all have a choice. Do we want to be part of the least that gives the most or part of the most that gives the least?

Your Future is a Product of Your Influences. Choose Wisely!

Oftentimes corporations will implement professional development, corporate events or team-building activities to get employees out of their element and into scenarios that promote reflection and growth as it pertains to the company mission, vision and values. There is an activity where a group leader stands on the top of a picnic table surrounded by employees. The leader challenges each member one-by-one to attempt to pull him off the table while he tries to pull them onto the table. If he pulled them onto the table they would have to stay up until he pulled everyone on or until he was pulled off. If he was pulled off of the table the person who pulled him off moved to the top and all others returned to the bottom, where they continued the activity until everyone had a chance at the top. The goal was to pull everyone up and not be pulled down. In the end the lesson was and still is very simple. It is easier to be pulled down by individuals than it is to pull them up. It’s even harder to pull up an entire group….and for the record exhausting both physically and emotionally. Remember the importance of surrounding yourself with positive influences that pull you up.