Own the Variable

How would you lead if you couldn’t change the variables? Your team, your circumstances, the market?—?all locked and out of your control.

How would you create change if you couldn’t use your authority? How would you move people forward if you couldn’t pull them along?

The old school way of leading has been crumbling for years?—?and no shot across the bow has been louder than that of the ushering in of millions of Millennial workers who demand a new of working. This isn’t another “millennial myth busting” post. Frankly my dear, I think what millennials are demanding of the work place is what we have all wanted all along anyway.

As I’ve traveled the country speaking and consulting on culture + collaboration at work, I pretty frequently see that managers think the answer is out there somewhere else. They feel if they only had something someone else had that they could nail it. Want better service? Hire nicer people. Need more innovation? Hire more creative folks. Want better managers? Poach away from other brands.

I wrote some more about this over on on my blog if you want to read that -- otherwise, here is the final paragraph to get you started.

So my call to action for you?—?start with yourself. Where can you be more creative? How can you inspire service? What is your response when something goes wrong? What negative behaviors are you letting slide in yourself and the leadership team at your organization? What do you expect of your team?—?and how are you showing that for them?