Labor Days

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If you read the title of this newsletter, you may assume that the "s" on the end of Days was a mistake. It was intentional. As today is Labor Day in the United States, people are out and about trying to savor the last few precious days of consistent warm weather in most parts of the country. Some people are out on the lakes or rivers boating, some are barbequing and playing Spades or Dominoes, some are out at a park reading a good book, and others may be binge watching old nostalgic movies.

I spent part of my Labor Day weekend at a great bar at a local brewery (God bless the man or woman who invented the bar). I overheard a conversation in Spanish from the two men sitting next to me, but I recognized that the dialect was slightly different than what is normally heard in the United States. They were from Spain. We talked about one of my favorite trips to Costa Del Sol Spain, and I impressed them with my knowledge of Seville, which is where they were from. The conversation later turned to the philosophical differences in the US and European concepts of work and relaxation. What they said to me was not revolutionary, but they stated that, "We have noticed that Americans always focus on work, and they do not feel complete if they do not. We Spaniards value life and understand that there is more to life than work." Of course, my mind went to My Great Aunt EDNA and leadership, and I started to ponder the impact of hard work as it relates to Excellence.

My Great Aunt EDNA teaches that Excellence is a spirit, and that Excellence is the standard of operations for leaders that aspire to create a culture of leaders where greatness is achieved even in the absence of leadership presence. Whenever I initially present My Great Aunt EDNA to my new teams, I can see them cringe. Their first thought is that "This overachiever is going to work us to death!" Then, I hit them with the "No Meeting Friday" mandate, and they look confused.

My teams are not allowed to setup any meetings on Fridays after 12 PM. Inevitably, the next questions are "Why?" and "Then, what are we supposed to do?" Aunt EDNA answers them with "Whatever Excellence requires." For me, Excellence on a particular Friday afternoon could require me reviewing reports and work from my team and preparing my schedule for the next few weeks. Other Fridays, it requires me to get a massage or a pedicure to calm my mind and to prepare me for the challenging week to come. I actually monitor the calendars of my teams to ensure that they are not sneaking meetings in on a Friday afternoon. It generally takes a few months for the team to get it, but eventually I am swarmed with "Thank you" messages from most of the team members.

Excellence is not synonymous with exertion. In the same vein, mental rest is not synonymous with failure. What good is greatness without peace? What good is life without smiles? Can anyone debate that the architecture in Spain was completed in Excellence, and has withstood the test of time for centuries? My Spaniard friends later found out that I spent most of my youth growing up in Germany, and that I am familiar with the concepts of celebrating life as Europeans do on their holidays (which are frequent in occurrence).

As the Bible states, there is a time for work. Do not get this message confused in that My Great Aunt EDNA opposes hard work. When it is time to work, do it in the spirit of Excellence, or don't do it at all. Lead with the intention of introducing Excellence to your team in a work environment, but also demonstrate Excellence in life. All days do not need to be Labor Days.

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May your week be Excellent!???????