5 Rules A Dog Can Teach A Leader. D.W.R.W.D (Do What Rocko Would Do)

Every Sunday morning for approximately the past 10 years, I have gotten up early to get some work done and get my mind focused for the week ahead. The house is always quiet. It is before the kids and wife get up and I cook my famous "Dad Pancakes" (they really are better than mom's) It is my time to be focused. It is my time to be clear minded and intentional about what I need to do so I can "win the week". That being said, this quiet tunnel of focus is the best time in the world for me...With this weekly routine, and almost as reliable as the sun rising itself, is always our family dog and wonderful office companion Rocko.?

You can always come around the corner from the kitchen towards the foyer of our house any time after 6:00am on Sunday morning and witness the same thing. You will see me sitting at my desk as I begin to set my week up for success and my loyal companion Rocko, or "Rocko Boy" lying next to me at my feet. It is as good a combination as you can get for getting stuff done in my opinion. A combination of loyalty and love with our family pet that has happened so many times over the past 10 years.

However today is different. I knew it would be as I went to bed. We had to put our family member to sleep last night, not in the warm comfort by the foot of our bed or lying next to one of the kiddos in theirs... but in the cold, bright, sterile environment of a 24/7 veterinarian clinic. It was to be clear, one of the hardest things our family has ever done. It was not the way I envisioned it happening to be sure. He had been losing weight and appetite for quite some time and when they brought the X-Rays back and showed the mass in his right lung, we knew that our beloved family pet, my kids first best friend, and my Sunday morning work buddy was not going to be able to come back from it. In his prime, Rocko was a magnificent English Mastiff weighing 206 pounds of solid muscle :) As gentle as he was big and he was a good boy...

So, as I sit here trying to get some work done, I simply could not concentrate. I was missing the focus and the energy to get things done. I miss my friend. So, my mind began to wander about all the moments we spent together in this office... I thought about all the times I talked to him or asked him a rhetorical question as if he could understand me. He would raise his head up and look at me, sometimes getting up and putting his head in my lap as if to tell me I should just think about it some more. Just then... as I sat here in silence yet again on a Sunday morning, I realized he taught me so much about how to treat others and see situations clearly without ever saying a word. These were things that did not just happen on Sundays but every day for almost 10 years. So, I came up with 5 THINGS THAT ROCKO TAUGHT ME about being a leader. Truly... D.W.R.W.D (Do What Rocko Would Do)

Rule #1: Be the Person Your Pet Thinks You Are

When you are faced with a decision at work, be it a moral delema or a business decision that has "people" implications keep in mind that when you lay your head down at night you need to?be able to sleep.?Be the person your dog thinks you are is exactly that...?There is no more perfect example of what you could be at your highest human level than what your dog thinks of you everyday when you walk in the door.?They see you as the textbook definition of what being a good person is.?You are their "person" and you are the best possible version of you that could ever be.?Be that version of you at work when decision that effect people are involved.

Rule #2. Always Be Mentoring

I remember Rocko, when we got our other two small dogs a couple years back, would lead them to the door to go outside in the mornings to go to the bathroom... he would stand at the door and almost wait for them to come stand next to him so I could let them out. He knew that is what they should be doing and knew they needed to learn to go outside. Instinctive behavior? Perhaps, but it was a sign that he knew what to do and wanted to help.

When I first started out in sales, I had a few folks that I looked up to as "salespeople" but never anyone as a mentor. I relied on my grandfather and football coaches as sources for advice on life and I still to this day quote them and speak to the knowledge they passed onto me. I remember always wanting to be able to go to someone who did what did and get good advice. When you get to a place where you can pass along knowledge and help others get to where they want to be in their life and career you are obligated do it. (See Rule #1)?

Some of the proudest moments in my career are not the accomplishments of selling something or winning a sales award... it is mentoring people from traditional sales roles into VP and Sales Leadership roles. People calling me today for advice or connecting with me to talk through a decision that is weighing on them... Those long conversations talking about things that really matter to them both personally and professionally are the fondest memories I have as a leader.

Rule #3. Be Loyal and Be Patient

I see leaders give up on people way to easy... and way to often. Sometimes you have to really think about what you are doing to help them win rather than what they are doing when they lose. The key is to find people that truly believe this:

"Losing Hurts More...

Than Winning Feels Good."

If you find people like this, then you must be committed to letting them fail sometimes... You can do that because you know that whatever they did hurts them way more than it hurts you. Weak- and small-minded leaders jump all over people when they fail. It is almost as if they enjoy being in a position where they can tell someone they did something wrong. Sometimes you just must wait and be patient as they figure things out because good people with a good heart are hard to find. You must exhaust every avenue of helping them before you can say it is not working out. Rocko would lay his head on my windowsill when I would go to work... just waiting for me to come back. As a leader sometimes you must let people go and figure things out on their own but always make sure they know you are there for them when they need you. (See Rule #1)

Rule # 4. Get Rest and Spend Time Quality Time With Family & Friends

I always loved how Rocko would find the person who was relaxing the most and go and lay with them or in some cases "on" them. Nothing was more important than spending quality time with the people he loved most. You should do that as well... both at work and at play. (See Rule #1) That being said, I cannot begin to tell you how much time I spend working but I rarely, if ever, let it come at the expense of my family and getting rest. Most people think that a work life balance means giving up work to get more time with family. I view it differently because there is a 3rd component that no one likes to talk about in the work life balance formula. It is called Wasting Time. The balancing equation really should be Work, Life, Waste

If people were really logging how much time they spend, binge watching Netflix, eating pizza laying on the coach, or on their phones scrolling through Instagram, Facebook (META), twitter and Tiktok they would be shocked at how much wasted time they spend every single day.

You want to fall out of your chair...??? Go ahead Pick up your I-Phone and swipe left to see your daily & weekly productivity data. Check out your average time spent on you phone and apps. Look at how many times you pick up your phone everyday and more importantly, when you do it. To be clear, this is not about choosing life balance over work balance. It is about being more disciplined in your approach to your day and week. (May I suggest getting up on Sunday mornings and get some work done when things are calm and quiet.) Who knows... you may surprise yourself how much you get done in those 2 hours.

Get Up Earlier.?

Block Time.

Set Limits On Social Media.

Exercise Everyday. Yes... Everyday.

Surround Yourself With Postitive People.

However you figure it out... you are not only going to be more productive at work, but you are also going to be more engaged at home.

Rule #5. Things Are Not Always What They Seem

What do you see here in this photo? Most people who would see this photo would assume Rocko is getting ready to take a big bite out of my face. However, this is the exact opposite of what is happening... When Rocko was happy or wanting to love on you he would get real close and open his mouth wide like this and move close to you so that you put your face close to his... Because he was so big and intimidating some people would not go anywhere near him. That was unfortunate, because he was just a big gentle giant who wanted to be close to his family both physically and emotionally.

"I have learned over time to dig deeper beyond what people say. Always trust but verify, especially when someone's reputation or career is on the line. You can never and should never take the first version of any story as fact unless you saw it and you participated in the situation."?

Examples of this could be as simple as "Jane" from accounting appearing to be rude and standoffish while she really is a very nice person that just keeps her feelings close to the vest. It could be on the other side just as decieving when "Mike" from Marketing who acts like everyone’s best friend, really is a snake in the grass trying to get dirt on everyone so he can kiss up to the boss.

Sometimes it is deeper than that and with bigger implications if you are a leader. I have many examples of people coming to me with a story about someone doing something or saying something that, if taken at face value, would result in a write up & investigation or even termination. However, when asking the right question takes place we see there is a whole other side to the story and another shoe that needed to be dropped. Moral of the story is that you need to be a good human and give everyone the benefit of the doubt. (See Rule #1)

In Summary...

This Sunday morning session of getting work done has turned into an early afternoon article post on something that is heartfelt but business anchored. I hope that each of you get a chance to have a companion like Rocko in your lives to always be there for you and always remind you of what a good human you can be both in leadership and in life. (See Rule #1)