Archive for February, 2010
Truman Thursdays: Leaders at All Levels Speak on Leadership February 11 2010 no responses
For this week’s Truman Thursday video, I asked three leaders at different levels to talk about what they’re looking for in a leader.
First up is the senior non-commissioned officer on the USS Harry S Truman, Chief Master Chief Walker. The group I was in spent some time at breakfast and lunch with the Chief. We heard about him, however, for the entire 24 hours we were on the ship. He is a presence. In last week’s Truman Thursday feature, Executive Officer John Meier told me that his own leadership style had developed from working with Chief Master Chief Walker. The only time on the trip that I saw any stress in one of the lieutenant commanders who was our escort was when it looked like the group might be a minute or two late for the breakfast the Chief had organized for us at 0630. The Chief, who is retiring in March, after a 30 plus year career in the Navy, is a key player in keeping the Truman ship shape.
Following the Chief is one of the pilots attached to the ship. His name is Lt. Long and he flies F-18 Hornets. He’s a member of the Gunslinger Squadron VFA-105. We talked in the squadron ready room on a stormy, flight deck rolling evening when the pilots were doing night operations. If you think it would be hard to land a jet on an aircraft carrier at day in good weather, you should see what it’s like in the pitch dark with rain blowing sideways. We watched those operations for about an hour that night and everyone in the planes and out did an amazing job.
Finally, you’ll hear from Rear Admiral Boensel who is the commander of the naval bases in the Mid-Atlantic. He stopped in to say hello to our group when we returned to the Norfolk Naval Air Station and was nice enough to give his take on what he looks for in a leader.
(By the way, in case you’re wondering, the clips interspersed between the interviews are of an EA-6B Prowler on the flight deck and a monitor in the Truman’s air traffic control center of an F-18 taking off.)
What to Do on a Snow Day (or whatever your version of one is) February 10 2010 3 responses
As I write this in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC, it is snowing steadily and the winds are blowing. We’re on our way to another 20 inches on top of the two feet or so of crusty five day old snow that we already have. Federal government offices in the region are shut down for a third day in a row and probably will be tomorrow as well. It’s looking like school will be cancelled through April and I think the sound I hear in the distance is that of the calendars of busy people being blown into smithereens.
If you live in the Midwest or Northeast United States, you are learning to deal with the question of, “What do I do on a snow day (or days)?” As a public service for immobile leaders, I offer some suggestions below and encourage you to add yours. (After all, are you so busy today that you don’t have time to leave a comment?) If you are among the group of leaders elsewhere in the world who can literally get where you need to go today, I encourage you to read along anyway. Perhaps you can learn from or offer some encouragement to those of us who are stuck.
Herewith, some suggestions for what to do on a snow day:
Video Book Club – Drive February 9 2010 3 responses
This week’s Video Book Club selection is Drive
It’s an important topic for people leading an organization or a team. Of course, it also applies to parenting, self-management and lots of other domains.
Here’s my quick take on the book along with a limited time offer from me:
What keeps you motivated? What tips do you have for strengthening the three key elements of motivation that Dan outlines in his book?
Who Are You Playing For? February 8 2010 3 responses
In retrospect, it wasn’t really a fair fight. The Indianapolis Colts were only allowed 11 men on the field while the New Orleans Saints had 12 throughout the Super Bowl.
It’s rare when a team and its fans bond in the way that the Saints did with the people of the Gulf Coast. The result seemed truly magical. Sure, when the Saints won 31 – 17, there were the inevitable shots of Bourbon Street being flooded with celebrants. What put a lump in my throat and gave me a chill was when Rachel Nichols, a reporter for ESPN based in New Orleans for the Super Bowl, said that during the game the streets were absolutely deserted because everyone was inside watching the game. She said the only sound was when the Saints made a big play like recovering their onside kick at the beginning of the second half or when Saints cornerback Tracy Porter ran an interception 74 yards for a closing minutes touchdown that sealed the game. Nichols said at times like that she could literally feel and hear the cheers echoing throughout the city of New Orleans.
Like I said, it gave me chills.
When I woke up this morning, I was thinking about the game and the question that kept turning in my head was, “Who are you playing for?” In his post game press conference, Saints quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees answered that question:
“We played for so much more than just ourselves; we played for our city. We played for the entire Gulf Coast region. We played for the entire Who Dat nation that has been behind us every step of the way. What can I say? We've been blessed with so much. It's unbelievable… Four years ago, whoever thought this would be happening. 85 percent of the city was under water. People were evacuating to places all over the country. Most people left not knowing if New Orleans would ever come back, or if the organization would ever come back. Not only did the organization come back, the city came back and so many players, our core group of players that came in that year as free agents, we just all looked at one other and said, 'We are going to rebuild together. We are going to lean on each other.' That's what we've done the last four years and this is the culmination in all that belief."
So, hats off to Drew Brees and his Saints teammates who became a part of the city they won a championship for. Hats off to Saints head coach Sean Payton, who made the right calls in the game, but laid the foundation four years ago when he brought his team to the field of the Super Dome, showed them scenes of a Katrina-devastated New Orleans on the Jumbrotron and told them that they were playing for a community that needed healing and redemption.
When you can define a purpose that’s bigger than yourself or something as narrow and ephemeral as winning a championship, you create the conditions for something lasting to happen. The cliché in sports is that when you win a championship, they can’t take that away from you. As the final seconds ticked away last night and Drew Brees took a knee to close the win, the people of New Orleans, Louisiana and the Gulf Coast got something that can never be taken away.
And now, as Mardi Gras starts early this year, to Saints fans everywhere, “Laissez les bon temps roulez!” You’ve earned it.
Truman Thursdays: Executive Officer John Meier on What He Looks for in a Leader February 4 2010 2 responses
Here's the latest installment of interviews I did with leaders on my recent visit to the USS Harry S Truman. The featured officer this week is Captain John Meier, the XO of the Truman. As the number two leader on the ship, Meier is looking for three things in his leaders and they may not be what you'd expect.
From the flag bridge of the Truman, here's Captain Meier:
Tips for Younger Leaders (that apply to leaders of any age) February 3 2010 5 responses
Lately, I’ve been working on a second edition of my book, The Next Level
In her Linked In profile, Frances describes herself as Dynamic Connector of People and Ideas. That is what you call truth in advertising. She is a woman who comes up with new ideas and makes them happen. As an example, check out this article from the Washington Post on her nonprofit, the Greater Washington Clothing Swap. I first met Frances last year when she was a manager at the ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership and I was a speaker there. She told me then that she had read my book and found a lot in it that applies to young professionals. I wanted to hear more so we had lunch last week to talk about it.
She had a lot of great observations and advice for young professionals moving into leadership positions. I wanted to get some of them to you sooner rather than later, so here are a few of her tips. (By the way, I think these apply to leaders in any age cohort. Wisdom for all ages. Thank you Frances!)
Video Book Club: Slowing Down to the Speed of Life February 2 2010 no responses
If the title of this week’s selection resonates with you (and I find it does with most people), then you need to spend a couple of hours reading it. Slowing Down to the Speed of Life
What Leaders Can Learn from Obama and the GOP February 1 2010 one response
Early last week, my 10th grade son asked my wife and me for ideas on a speech he has to write for his composition class. The assignment is to write a speech that fills in the blank on, “I have a dream that…” After thinking about it for a few moments, my suggestion was “I have a dream that our political leaders will actually work together for the good of the country rather than always positioning themselves for their next election.” He liked that idea and is writing the speech. (Every so often, you come up with an idea that your teenager thinks is a good one. Savor those moments.)
So, I have to say that I saw a glimmer of my dream late last week when I watched the highlights of President Obama and House Republicans having a spirited, substantive and civil conversation about the issues of the day on live television. The setting was a House Republican conference in Baltimore. For the most part, both the President and the Members of Congress were impressive. The Republicans asked tough questions in a firm but civil tone. The President listened and usually answered multi-part questions point by point.
The following 3:00 minute clip from C-SPAN via You Tube is pretty representative of the entire 82 minute meeting.
I don’t know about you, but I’d like to see more of this in the future. You may say I’m a dreamer, but more televised sessions like this in which everyone feels compelled to act like grown-ups because they’re on live TV might be what we need to raise the level of discourse and problem solving.
In the meantime, I think there are a few specific things that leaders can learn from how both the President and the Members handled themselves. It’s a fairly common occurrence for leaders in organizations to have the need to address a skeptical audience. To get some good ideas on how to handle it, watch some excerpts from the entire event and look for the following:
Scott Eblin is an executive coach, speaker and author of 
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