September 17, 2024

It's hard to look at the newspaper or turn on the TV these days without hearing about teleprompters. It reminds me of how teleprompters started my slow decay of being a corporate soldier.?

I was a young manager attending a national sales meeting for the Fortune 50 company that I worked for.??We were stationed in a large ballroom at a convention center—there were nearly 1,000 people in attendance.??Not being one to sit for long periods of time, I wandered out of the ballroom during one of the presentations.??Go the restroom and get a fresh cup of coffee—just killing a few minutes before re-entering the meeting.??Just walking around....

I turned a corner and walked down a vacant hallway.??There were seemingly vacant rooms, no sign of life. I saw a sign that read, "Rehearsals".??Hmm.... it might be some kind of entertainment group or something.??Wonder what it is???

I quietly and covertly stepped inside the room, and I saw something that forever changed my view on my company and corporate America in general.??There was my President of Sales, with someone who seemed to be coaching him, practicing his lines for his upcoming talk.??Like an actor getting ready to audition for a role, he was making sure he was buttoned up and nailed down before his keynote address to the sales leaders.

I exited the room and hustled back to my seat.??I sure didn't want to be seen by the big boss walking around while the meeting was going on.??He came up on stage a little later and he was flawless.??Delivered his message beautifully.??Read the teleprompters like a veteran news anchor...and he had absolutely no impact.

That day, a little bit of my soul was trampled on. My company had a thick culture. Business magazines of the day trumpeted us as the "Most Admired Company," and they always pointed to the culture.??

But that day, I noticed a change. It was becoming more about looking good than being good. Being slick and polished was taking the place of being authentic and real. Rather than seeking to impress, we were focused on being impressive.

Just one year before, I was at the same meeting.??The President of Sales at that time (he was retiring) gave a similar talk.??He rolled up his sleeves and came out to the front of the stage.??He stuttered and stammered.??He reminded me of a high school football coach.??He was anything but polished.??

I remember thinking, "Wow, if he can make it in this company, I will tear it up!"??The truth is, I would have followed that man anywhere.??I believed every word he said, and his call to action was met with enthusiastic applause.??A vast difference from the ultra-professional, near-perfect, tight performance I witnessed one year later.??It is a better performance but has no impact.

Authentic leadership isn't slick, polished, or impressive.??It's genuine and sometimes even a little bit messy.??It's built on trust.??It's based on real talk, from the heart, not from a teleprompter.?

If we want people to follow us, we need to understand that slick and polished must take a backseat to authenticity.??Trust is the foundation of following.??If our teams don't believe us—if we are superficial and Pollyanish—we lose our impact.

The Huddle?is a weekly newsletter that is designed for leaders. Leaders must be learners. There is never a?moment?when leaders arrive. It's a never-ending growth process. I hope this can be a resource that you can use to stay sharp and share with your team.

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With that, here are some things I ran across this week.?

Two Powerful Questions -?My clients often hear me say this: everyone deserves a coach.?

To hire someone and then, after a couple of weeks of onboarding, let them figure it out by themselves is a recipe for failure. Can you imagine a quarterback saying in the huddle, "OK, everyone, do what they think is best! Ready? Break!"

Questions are at the heart of coaching. It's Socratic. It's gathering information. It's training them, through your questions, on what your expectations are.?

I like this short article from the?Harvard Business Review.?It asks two powerful questions: Do you want help? Are you willing to sacrifice a bit of short-term?discomfort to get the results you want??

I hope you'll give this a quick read.?

The Illusion of Choice -?Top performers understand that choice is an illusion. If you want to be the best, there are few choices. It takes what it takes. Choice is an illusion.?

Think about sales. Many professional salespeople wake up each day and ask, "Will I prospect today?" In truth, the sooner you realize that there is no choice—the answer is yes—the more successful you will be. There is no choice.?

It takes what it takes.?

Here is a short take from the UCLA gymnastics coach. Though approaching it from a different angle, she talks about the power of choices and how they impact our success.?

Ego is the Enemy -?Ego. Can't live with it, can't live without it. Many successful people are driven by recognition, success, and accomplishment. To some degree, our ego keeps us in the game when things seem to be lining up against us.?

Someday, I'm going to make it...

But ego, as Ryan Holiday has coined, is our enemy. It causes us to show up as the smartest in the room. We tune out good ideas that aren't ours. We can slip into a selfish state that limits our effectiveness.?

I thought this was a good article from?Fast Company.?It offers?some self-awareness tips to help us when we start feeling a little too good about ourselves.?

Kipling Gone Sideways?-??What is the best purchase you have made that was less than $100? For me, it's a Field Notes wallet. It has room for my credit cards and cash. Plus, I can put a pen and a small notebook inside. It also serves as an excellent place to keep my monthly goals (cookbook for success) and an index card with two poems.?

The first poem is "Invictus." You may recognize the line, "I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul." It's an inspiring poem, one that Mandela recited daily during his long hardships.?

The other is "If" by Rudyard Kipling. "If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch..."?

I got a kick out of?this rendition from NFL Films. Made me laugh out loud.?

A quote to leave you with

Have a great week!