Where do you draw the line?

Each of us is different and has varying needs, desires, talents, capabilities, capacities, and tolerances. And to achieve our natural best we need our own space in which to operate at our own pace. 

Are you proactive in clarifying your “space” and drawing the line with others, which is healthy, or reactive, which often leads to dysfunction and disconnect?

Since not everyone respects other people’s spaces it is both healthy and necessary to designate our space with an appropriate fence [boundary] – most times figuratively…sometimes literally. This is especially true for people with more passive personalities who feel pressured by those with more aggressive personalities. 

It is also true in business settings where there is immense pressure to produce [more] and where goals and lines of authority are not clearly communicated. How much is enough? When do we stop? Who has the right to tell me what to do?

Most people are afraid to say no and/or set boundaries for fear of losing their job or a relationship. We need our jobs and we have an innate need to be connected with others. That is why many people agree to do things they either don’t want to do, are not well suited for, don’t believe in, or which push them beyond healthy limits. Hence, it is important for everybody to learn how to establish appropriate boundaries, because living without boundaries is a recipe for disconnection, dysfunction, discontent, and burnout.

In the New York Times bestseller, Boundaries, Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend help people learn when to say yes and how to say no in order to take control of their life and set healthy boundaries with their spouse, children, friends, parents, co-workers, bosses, and even themselves.

In this book they help people answer many tough questions, including the following:

• Can I set limits and still be a loving person?
• What are legitimate boundaries?
• How do I effectively manage my digital life so that it doesn’t control me?
• What if someone is upset or hurt by my boundaries?
• How do I answer someone who wants my time, love, energy, or money?
• Why do I feel guilty or afraid when I consider setting boundaries?
• How do boundaries relate to mutual submission within marriage?
• Aren’t boundaries selfish?

Great leaders create healthy boundaries because their goal is to create teams where individuals operating at their natural best come together to produce extraordinary results as part of a synergistic team.

Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.

…before trying to be understood!

Ready…fire…aim.

This is what happens when somebody takes action or gives orders before truly understanding.

The shortest path between two points is a straight line. Understanding is like drawing a line between what a person says and our understanding of what they mean—resulting in clarity.

Too many people, including managers, don’t listen to what others say, nor seek understanding before giving instructions or trying to solve issues. Then they wonder why things are done wrong or wrong things are done.

Most people want to do the right thing and proceed in good faith, based on their own understanding. Great leaders don’t assume. Rather they ask questions, listen for their own understanding, and get on the same side of the issue with others. This avoids mistakes, lost time and resources, and angst. 

Managers tend to tell, while great leaders ask questions and coach. Telling requires no understanding, while coaching does.

In order to collaborate with others it is important that we seek to understand, before trying to be understood. In fact, according to Stephen Covey, author of Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, understanding is a critical element in making the transition from independence (working by ourselves) to interdependence (working with others).

When leaders [seek and] gain understanding they are better able to inspire, coach, and provide meaningful direction.

Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.

There is no question that many meetings are unnecessary and could easily be replaced with an email or even a text…

That being said, the more I learn about what makes a leader effective the more I am convinced that meetings are one of the most misunderstood, yet most important, tools available to a leader. 

To better understand how and why meetings are so important let’s first establish a common understanding of what leadership is and what meetings are.

Meetings, by definition, are simply the coming together of two or more people. Hence, one-on-ones are meetings. Huddles are meetings. Any time people get together for virtually any purpose it is a meeting.

Leadership, by definition, is the act and process of intentional influence. Hence, leaders do their best and most important work when they are in front of people intentionally influencing an environment of trust within which team members connect, collaborate, innovate, align around common goals and values, solve issues, and inspire action.

Unfortunately, most leaders and managers do not know how to conduct a good meeting. As a result their meetings tend to be disjointed, boring and unproductive. That is why so many managers only hold meetings when they have to put out a fire.

In contrast, Patrick Lencioni, a Nationally recognized expert on leadership and meetings, says that, “Meetings are the linchpin of everything. If someone says you have an hour to investigate a company, I wouldn’t look at the balance sheet. I’d watch their executive team in a meeting for an hour. If they are clear and focused and have the board on the edge of their seats, I’d say this is a good company worth investing in.”

Lencioni’s book, Death By Meeting, helps leaders better understand and utilize this powerful tool. It is a simple read, written in the form of a business fable, and with a helpful summary of principles, concepts, and practical tips.

Lencioni emphasizes the importance of utilizing different meeting formats for different meeting types (daily huddles, weekly tacticals, quarterly strategics, etc.) and avoiding what he calls meeting stew—combining all topics into a single weekly or monthly staff meeting.

Lencioni also explains the importance of having healthy conflict in meetings. He points to what makes for a good movie…struggle…man against man, man against himself, man against his environment, etc. It is not merely the presence of struggle itself that captivates us. It is the overcoming of what seems like insurmountable odds that gives each of us hope relative to our own struggles.

I liken healthy conflict to the pulling of splinters before they fester into bigger issues (see HERBISM #16 Leaders Pull Splinters).

To avoid meeting soup, and the resulting ineffective, long, and boring meetings, it is better to separate the topics and to have more and different meetings that are focused and relevant. I explore the importance of understanding, and more effectively utilizing, the different meeting types in my article Attempting a No-Huddle Offense? How’s That Working For You?

One of my favorite meeting formats for the most common meeting type, the weekly tactical, is the Level 10 meeting format. This format is presented by Gino Wickman, in his book Traction, and in the following video: 

The whole point of a Level 10 meeting is to keep the team aligned around, and tracking towards, common goals. 

A Level 10 Meeting utilizes a simple format which follows a consistent pattern each week—positivity, accountability to commitments, alignment around values, and a focus on priorities—to ensure the team is making continuous progress towards common goals. 

There is no agenda to develop in advance. Rather, the Level 10 Meeting format builds the agenda during the meeting itself and thereby keeps the team focused on what is most important to the organization each week. 

Consistency is critical. The team needs to schedule 60-90 minutes each week – same day, same time, and same group on people. Also, start on time and end on time.

Shorter meetings are fine, if there are fewer issues to resolve, but do not shortcut the format. Longer meetings should be avoided so as to not conflict with everybody’s other scheduled events. Topics not dealt with in one week should be tabled for the next week, or a separate meeting should be scheduled to deal with the remaining items.

The format ensures progress is made each and every week!

Also, as necessary, the leader needs to mine for conflict when it seems participants are withholding important facts, thoughts, or feelings.

The effectiveness of your meetings is a direct reflection of the effectiveness of your leadership. So, to increase the effectiveness of your leadership, internalize the ideas and concepts above and start doing better meetings.

Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.

From an early age we have all had the need to know why…

Why do I need to share my toys…why shouldn’t I hit my sibling…why do I need to eat my vegetables…why do I need to go to bed so early…why do I need to make my bed…the list goes on.

As we have grown and matured the need to know why remains, although the questions have gotten more complex.

Why am I short/tall, thin/fat, male/female…why do some people succeed while others fail…why do we exist…

Even though some questions cannot be answered in our lifetime we still have an innate need to know why…what is our purpose?

Science tells us that knowing and connecting with “why,” or our purpose, is directly tied to motivation. There is a part of our brain, the limbic part, that is our “why” center. It is also the part of the brain that influences 75% of decisions and behaviors. Another way of looking at this is that things that align with our sense of purpose highly affect our motivations.

Dan Pink, author of Drive, has done extensive research into what ultimately motivates humans and has found that there are two categories of motivators: Extrinsic (external— outside forces or those that are imposed on us by others) and intrinsic(internal—those that come from within us).

The following YouTube explains Dan Pink’s research in simple terms:

In a nutshell, extrinsic motivators work well when we are doing less cognitive work, like manual labor or repetitive work, but intrinsic motivators work better when we are doing more cognitive work, like solving problems, innovating, designing, collaborating, leading, etc. 

Dan Pink suggests that the three types of intrinsic motivators are:

• Autonomy—the ability to self-direct our activities
• Mastery—becoming better at our work and hobbies
• Purpose—doing things that align with our values and what we believe is important.

Unfortunately, too many people are in jobs that do not align with their sense of purpose. Sure these jobs pay the bills, but the people are not inspired in the morning on our way to work, nor feeling fulfilled at the end of the day on their way home.

Great leaders understand that as a result the average American worker is only 40-70% engaged in their work and that 30-60% more engagement can be achieved by hiring workers whose sense of purpose aligns with that of the organization. Then once on board, they understand the importance of helping workers become their natural best while trusting them to further the organizational purpose (vision) without micro-management.

Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.

What does brushing your teeth do for you?

Without asking a follow-up question, “how often do you brush your teeth?,” it’s hard to provide a proper answer. 

If your response to the follow-up question is “once every few months” then I would suggest brushing your teeth does very little, no matter of how intensely you brush, except maybe remove some of what has accumulated and a hint of fresher breath.

If your response to the second question is “twice daily, 365 days a year” then I would suggest brushing your teeth does a lot, not only keeping your teeth clean and providing fresher breath year-round, but also promoting better tooth and gum health, minimizing cavities, and significantly increasing the life of your teeth.

Doing something once, or sporadically, regardless of the intensity, is rarely as effective as doing something less intensely, but regularly, repeatedly, and consistently.

Simon Sinek does a good job of highlighting this reality in the following short video:

So simple and profound, yet such a struggle for most people.

From what I have learned from research, consistency is just not a part of our human nature—at least not for most people. Some personalities, those high in compliance, find consistency much easier, but the rest of us find it a struggle. Why?

It seems that other desires compete for limited resources, which include: time, money, energy, etc. For example, the rush of endorphins from eating sweets competes with our desire to lose or maintain our weight, going out with friends late into the evening competes with our need for sleep, hitting the snooze button competes with our morning exercise routine…and so on. Sound familiar?

Research also shows that while consistency is hard to achieve it is easier to sustain and more effective than the start/stop lives we typically live. 

The condensed version of the research suggests that will power is a depleting resource in our brains. Every time we start a new routine it takes will power to overcome inertia and the other competing interests and desires. Habits, on the other hand, do not utilize will power. 

That is why good habits are so powerful and why lifestyle changes produce better results than intense diets, exercise programs, or binge anything.

The auto industry seems to thrive on intensity: getting each month off to a fast start, pushing for a strong finish, contests, incentives, spiffs, hype-filled sales meetings, meetings only to deal with issues, etc. all only elicit temporary bursts of effort.

That is why great leaders promote consistency, by instilling daily disciplines, rather than relying on periodic intensity.

So what can you do to become more consistent and reap the benefits of consistency? The intentionality model has the answer:

For more insights go to https://healthydealer.com/intentionality_model/

Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.

You can observe what people [really] believe…by their actions.

You can also observe what people are truly committed to…by the results they produce!

I am surprised how many people make grand statements in meetings, in front of their boss and/or peers, but then don’t follow through. Hollow words may allow people to escape awkward moments but they also become the hallmark of ineffective teams. 

The same is true when it comes to customer service. Too many [sales] people, service advisers, and other public facing people make statements and direct, or indirect, commitments in order to win business or smooth over difficult situations. Yet, too often these words lack commitment. Why? It’s simple. Because they sell from a perspective of “commission” rather than from “conviction” and are not held accountable for following through. 

It’s just not right and it’s no wonder that trust in business is so low. Not surprising is how and why organizations who follow through on their commitments stand out in such stark contrast. 

It’s time for people to take radical responsibility for their words and commitments. In fact, it would be better not to make a commitment and yet take appropriate action than make a commitment and not follow through.

Want to be a great leader? Take radical responsibility for your words and commitments, by doing the following:

• State your intent in simple terms
• Don’t make statements that you cannot or will not fulfill
• Put forward your best effort moment by moment and day by day
• Humbly ask for feedback and accountability
• Evaluate results at regular checkpoints
• Adjust your behavior as necessary if the results at any point indicate that your current plan will not achieve the stated intent.

Here is a video that provides more insight into this HERBISM.

Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.

After two years of weekly HERBISMs, we come full circle with this week’s reminder to begin with the end in mind.

I was reminded of the importance of clarity of the end-goal while doing a project this weekend with my grandson. Partly to keep us busy, but also for bonding and to give our grandson exposure to building things with his hands, it was suggested [by his grandmother] that we build something in the garage. With Christmas coming it was decided that a nice gift for his sisters would be doll beds.

I seized the opportunity to expand the teaching moment to include a little design work by creating a blueprint of the doll beds before actually going out into the garage.

There are three kinds of people:

• The Impromtu-Doers who have an idea, grab materials, and start building. This can often take longer, involve a number of missteps and do-overs, and result in a lower quality product. 
• The Plan-Doers who think through the project, design it on paper (or a computer), compile a list of materials, and build according to the plan. Even though time is spent in design the project overall usually goes quicker, involves fewer missteps, and results in a higher quality product. 
• The Buyers who would rather go to the store and buy a finished product.

I’m a Plan-Doer. Always have been. It’s not only in my genes, but I had many opportunities to learn and do while growing up.

So my grandson and I collaborated and then drew up plans for a couple doll beds that could be used individually or stacked to create a bunk bed. We gathered the materials (I have lots in my garage), cut the pieces as specified, and assembled the beds according the plan. Overall the project took a couple hours and turned out quite decently.

Being a Plan-Doer is especially important when working with others. Not only does it get everybody on the same page during the planning stage, but it ensures that execution is both effective and efficient. Effective because everybody knows exactly what the end result is supposed to look like and efficient because parts of the project can be delegated to different people working independently, and brought together in the end.

Small projects can benefit from the planning-execution model, but becomes exponentially more helpful the larger the project. Whether it’s building doll beds, developing a golf course, or taking a trip to the moon the same planning-execution model can be applied for greater success.

Begin With The End In Mind is habit #2, from Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, right after Be Proactive.

In HERBISM #2 it was stated that the core role of a leader is to get a team from HERE to THERE, where THERE is the desired End.

Whether you call it the End, the THERE, or the Destination the key is that you have clarity of where you are trying to go.

As stated above, clarity of where you are trying to go not only gets everybody on the same page during the planning stage, but ensures that execution is both effective and efficient. Effective because everybody knows exactly what the end result is supposed to look like, and efficient because parts of the project can be delegated to different people working independently, and brought together in the end.

Great Leaders are either inherently Plan-Doers, or humbly accept the fact that this is an area of weakness and find a Plan-Doer to partner with.

Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.

Some people simply stir the pot. Great leaders, in contrast, are intentional disruptors—they see things that can and should change and feel compelled to act.

Intentional disruptors seem to have uncontrollable passion—they are hungry for more, better, or different—and that is why they disrupt.

Innovation would not take place without intentional disruptors.

Unfortunately, there are not enough intentional disruptors to go around. That is why the term status-quo continues to persist.

While there are many closet disruptors—those who see possibilities, but lack the courage to step forward. Mostly they are inhibited by fear or a lack of confidence. Either way, they see what needs to change, but keep it to themselves. It’s unfortunate.

My fourth grade teacher saw signs early and called me out for being a disruptor. At the time it was less intentional and therefor perceived as a negative attribute because of how some of my behaviors disrupted her day [and the rest of the class]. 

I am pleased to report that I have since learned how to be an intentional disruptor and gained confidence to speak out at more appropriate times. Now, as a business/executive coach and consultant people ask me to help them disrupt their current situations in pursuit of better outcomes.

In one such situation I was asked to spend time observing in a client’s Quick Lane Auto Center. They had been experiencing a fair amount of customer dissatisfaction and wanted to get insights into what could and should be done to improve the customer experience and related CSI scores.

After a mere 30 minutes of observation I was feeling sensory overload. There was so much that needed to change. So much right there in plain sight. Yet, day after day, the auto center kept doing things the same way to the chagrin of customers. For example it was not uncommon for the wait for an oil change to be more than three hours, which can be a significant issue when customers are expecting a “quick lane.”

It’s impossible that I was the only one with the ability to see it. There were lots of others that could and should have seen the issues and the many areas of opportunity. The managers of the auto center are good and intelligent people. Then why didn’t they disrupt a system that was causing so much pain for customers, while limiting future growth opportunities?

The answer is actually quite simple and fairly common for many organizations—the managers are too busy and lack hunger. They can’t handle their current volume of customers, hence the long wait, so why would they improve things to attract more [and make things worse]?

And there is the difference between disruptors and others:

• Intentional disruptors have uncontainable passion, while others have lost their hunger.
• Intentional disruptors can see what could be, and it energizes them, while others only see what is, and it stresses them. 
• Intentional disruptors feel a responsibility to act when things are not right, while others are able to somehow block out the cries for help.
• Intentional disruptors have courage to challenge the status-quo, while others don’t want to cause waves. 

Want to become a better leader? Learn to become an intentional disruptor!

Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.

Conviction: A firmly held belief or opinion.

Most people do whatever is convenient and/or expedient. Great leaders on the other hand follow their convictions even when those convictions are inconvenient and/or involve sacrifice.

In this way convictions are closely tied to integrity—being true to oneself.

I witnessed an incredible example of following one’s convictions when I visited Chick-fil-A’s Support Center [Head Office] recently.

During the Culture Tour we walked through a recreation of Truett Cathy’s Dwarf Grill, Cathy’s first restaurant. I was surprised to see a cigarette machine as it did not seem to fit with what we know of Chick-fil-A. 

After sharing a few other historical insights our tour guide turned out attention to the cigarette machine. He informed us that in the early days of the Dwarf Grill the cigarette machine generated more revenue than the rest of the restaurant did.

As I understood the story, one day a young restaurant employee wanted to buy cigarettes from the machine that was prominently situated in the restaurant. A conversation ensued between Truett and the young employee wherein Truett challenged the young man to delay his purchase until the following day and until after he had created a list of the pros and cons of smoking.

The next day the young employee presented his list to Truett. On the pros side he had listed the “fun” elements of smoking and said it was cool. The only con he wrote down was that Mr. Cathy did not think smoking was a good idea. 

In that moment Truett felt convicted that the cigarette machine represented a contradiction between his words, beliefs, and actions. As a result he removed the cigarette machine, despite the profits it generated.

We all make decisions and don’t always see areas where our words and actions do not align. True integrity and living our convictions, however, requires us to deal with inconsistencies when they are brought to our attention.

In the car business staff are faced with many choices between following convictions or pursuing profits (gross). Let me be clear, there is absolutely nothing wrong with profit, and even making a really good profit. The challenge exists where our practices are not aligned with our convictions. To allow such inconsistencies to persist is extremely confusing to staff and makes the establishment of an effective culture difficult, if not impossible.

I love the way one dealer directed his team: Make as much money as you can, but earn every penny of it.

Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.

Tachometers are a very helpful tool to drive efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability.

If short term effectiveness is all that mattered operators would run engines at or near their redlines. 

If efficiency is all that mattered operators would run their engines at or near idle.

For peak performance great operators understand that somewhere between idle and redline is optimal, with increases and reductions relative to specific requirements.

The reality is that every engine has a range of performance depending on what the operator wants to accomplish and the operator must make choices as to when to idle, when to increase revolutions, and when to push the limits. 

One thing that all operators intuitively understand is that running an engine at its limits is not a sustainable long-term strategy. 

According to an article in Harvard Health Publishing (https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-truth-about-fats-bad-and-good), a publication of Harvard Medical School, your body needs some fat from food. Fat is a major source of energy. It helps you absorb some vitamins and minerals. Fat is needed to build cell membranes, the vital exterior of each cell, and the sheaths surrounding nerves. It is essential for blood clotting, muscle movement, and inflammation. 

Further, according to an article in Medical News Today (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321612.php), being underweight can represent as many health concerns to an individual as being overweight can. If a person is underweight, their body may not be getting the nutrients it needs to build healthy bones, skin, and hair.

Some of the following risks of being underweight for people can also apply to business:

• Skin, hair, or teeth problems
• Getting sick frequently
• Feeling tired all the time
• Anemia (leading to dizziness, headaches, and fatigue)
• Slow or impaired growth

Recently I facilitated a culture tour at the Chick-fil-A Support Center (aka Corporate Headquarters) in Atlanta, GA with fourteen leaders from one of my client dealerships. The Backstage Tour was incredibly impressive and we were all struck with the intentionality of this highly successful family-owned organization. 

The Support Center is home to 1,800 Chick-fil-A Team Members (aka employees). During the tour one of the participants commented that Chick-fil-A would probably be able to do what it does with 10% less staff in the Support Center. This comment got me thinking…actually questioning whether Chick-fil-A could execute the same formula and achieve the same results with 10% less staff. 

Sure the Chick-fil-A Support Center could function with 10% less staff. They would seemingly be more efficient, but would they be as effective? 

Chick-fil-A could also eliminate the free lunch that they serve to their 1,800 team members every day. Further, they could also increase the rate they charge team member for child care in their onsite facility that currently cares for 650 children at a rate of only $13/day. There are many things Chick-fil-A could do to reduce costs [and increase profits], but at what cost?

I believe that one of the reasons why Chick-fil-A has been so successful is that they have are very intentional about their ‘formula’ and they are not willing to compromise just to make additional short-term profits.

Chick-fil-A is in it for the long haul and to achieve more than just profits for the Cathy family. At the core of their philosophy is care—for both their guests (aka customers) and team members. And, as a result of sticking to their formula they not only enjoy an incredible loyal following of guests in their restaurants, but an industry leading retention of team members (98% at their Support Center).

So, when it comes to long-term sustainable growth great leaders understand that some fat is a good thing.

Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.