Observations on Leadership

“Everything rises and falls on Leadership.” ~ John C. Maxwell

In less than six months, I will be assuming a new leadership role, that will consist of 2 one-year terms, at our synagogue.  When I talked about goals, laser like focus, etc., this upcoming point in my life sits on my mind.  To be honest, I am excited about the journey and looking forward to the opportunity to do good things, however, I am nervous about being (for lack of a better term) “the guy.”  While I have led projects over the past 20 years and have been involved in this organization for several years, this will truly be the first time that, as the quote famously attributed to Harry S Truman goes, “The buck stops here” will apply to me.  I have, of course, been reading on the topic of leadership and taken the time to observe others. 

Below are some of the things I have come to realize:

• Leadership is not about me; leadership is about us.  This should not be about a personal dictatorship, but needs to strive to meet the goals of the organization and the people involved (membership, etc.).
• I might sit at the head seat; I might lead, but, leading an organization is a group thing.  There should never be a point where I do everything, especially on my own.  There is the old adage that begins, “it takes a village to…”  We all succeed / fail as a group. 
• Failure lies with me; successes lie with the team.
• It is important to lead with a team:
• Provides mentorship / transition
• Peter Drucker was a proponent of a Management Committee – if one person is down for the count, there is someone else there to step in.  Continuity is also assured.

• Decisions are not about what I decide and what I want, more of, this is what we decide and what we want.
• I go and you follow is a misconception of leadership.  As John C. Maxwell has pointed out, if you take the hill and no one goes with you, all you have done is go for a hike.

At the end of the day, I know that this role will help me to grow / develop as a person, and a worthwhile opportunity.  This is a chance to learn how to get better at building bridges, making connections, remembering to include others, and, fostering a sense of community.  These are the real tasks involved in leading.  Managing budgets and costs are things that are familiar to me (for that matter, to any Project Manager, or, corporate budget holder).  I look forward to the journey ahead and for all it will offer (positive and negative), and, of course, look forward to sharing insights along the way and glad for receiving any feedback.

The Morning Routine

Ring, Ring…there goes the alarm…again.  I know that I have hit the snooze button already, but another snooze would be great.  Another nine minutes…

How many of us do this?  The truth, for me, is that half the time, I should just get up, as my mind is already off to the races, thinking about the day ahead or attempting to remember that vivid dream that I had during the night.  There are some mornings, however, where I am just tired.  It does not help that it is dark out when I need to wake up.  Truth is, in these cases for me, without the alarm, I would keep on sleeping.

One of the thought leaders that I have followed during the past couple of years once talked about joining the 5:00 Club.  This was 5:00 in the morning.  He proposed that while the rest of the world (at least in one’s time zone) is still asleep, the idea is to use the morning time as an opportunity to be productive.  That time of the morning is a quiet time of the day when there is nothing vying for your time.  Also, you tend to have a fresh, relaxed brain.  Prior to this, I always believed that I do not need to have a lot of sleep and can survive on 5 to 6 hours; this idea of a 5:00 Club made all the sense in the world to me (my alarm is set for 5:00).

Once I am up, however, I do love my routine.  I spend some of the morning time doing 10-15 minutes of exercise.  I also cook myself breakfast – yes, I know that this takes time, but it ensures that I have a healthy meal to start the day.  While I eat, I use the time to watch something online to inspire my day.  And, I have time to sit and write.  This is my creative outlet and I usually have more fertile thoughts early in the day.  I do keep an eye on the clock, so that I have time to finish getting ready and am out the door on my daily commute to work.  Sitting in the bus is also valuable time, to socialize with friends, spend time to read, or meditate (OK, sometimes I do doze off).  I sit at least 20 minutes on the bus and have 15 minutes on the subway, so I make good use of this time.

“But, Wayne, think of all that sleep time that you are missing.”

Let us recap to see the benefits of my morning routine:

(1)    I eat a healthy breakfast each morning, something that we learned as children is important. 

(2)    On some mornings, I have some form of exercise, something that is physically good for the body. 

(3)    I write daily, something that earlier in my life I wanted to do and now a productive part of my day. 

(4)    Watch something inspiring, as something to learn or to use during the day.

(5)    I am wide awake, ready to face the day when I leave for work and already have a sense of accomplishment.

What do you do as part of your morning routine that helps start your day?

Enjoying the Downtime

While remaining focused on our goals, it is equally important how we spend our downtime.  I have always been a fan of developing hobbies, something that we enjoy and do to relax, something we enjoy to stimulate our minds, and something that if we had more time, we could delve more into.  Developing appropriate goals and being focused on accomplishing them take time, effort, diligence and concentration.  If we spent all of our time within that bubble, we would miss everything else that goes on around us.  We do need a chance, as Darren Hardy uses the phrase, a time to rinse and recharge.  A chance to take some time away from our goals, creates some space for our mind, body and soul to refresh themselves. This downtime inevitable can lead to a fresh prospective on the tasks in front of us.

For me, that would mean something related to music.  I started playing music right before I turned 9.  I went for an introduction class to learn…the accordion!  I did not know any better at the time.  However, it was a great instrument to learn, and one I took lessons on through High School.  The instrument was portable and I could play any type of music.  It also provided a starting point to learn other instruments over the years.  With playing music, also comes listening to music.  Going to concerts is a chance to enjoy someone else creating, plying their craft and listening to learn what they are doing. 

Case in point – last night we went to see Billy Joel at his monthly gig at Madison Square Garden.  As a fan, it was great to hear all the songs (that we know) being played lived.  As a musician, it was great to see a musician on stage, still having the “chops” and enjoying himself.  I have been to concerts where some musicians do not enjoy themselves; because they get tired of playing the same “hits” over and over again (Mr. Joel was one of them many years ago).  Last night was a relaxed man, doing what he loves (“I have the best job”), and engaging the audience.  It was a late school night for us, but well worth it.  As the musicians that we grew up with are thinning out, it is important to still catch them while we can (case in point – Tom Petty).

While the old adage is work hard, play hard; the rest of the world does not stay in a state of suspended animation during our relaxation time.  While engaging in our downtime activities, there are still opportunities to learn, engage and better ourselves.  Some hobbies actually help to keep one’s mind active, develop skills and, potentially, provide insight to be used elsewhere.  Working hard and staying focused to achieve our goals is important, but it is equally important to value our downtime, spending the time with your family, doing things with your friends, and enjoying hobbies.  Together, they make for a balanced lifestyle and the opportunity to get to where you want to be.