Watched a road crew at work the
morning while walking to school. The team leader was having a bad day. A bus
driver was hitting her horn because a traffic barricade was slowing her down.
The team leader yelled, threw a fist into the air and then kicked over the
barricade. One angry man.
Then he started yelling at his
crew. Mocking them. Spitting out his venom. Ranting like a madman. They looked
down at the ground and kept on working. I sense they felt humiliated by the
public spectacle. But their leader continued. Pouring his toxic waste out onto
the busy street for all to see. Tonight he’ll blame his crew for a
low-performance day. And probably scream at his kids.
Our team will never be greater
than “each one of us”. Each one of us set standard to which each one of us can
rise. Each finger affects the strength of the hand. When organizations bring me
in to help their people get to world class performance, I gently remind
everyone in the room that “everything begins with you”. I suggest that’s
mission critical idea. Forget blaming others – that’s just excusing yourself.
And it all starts with your inner world. “External leadership begins with
internal mastery” You can’t help in building an excellent organization until you
commit to becoming an excellent person.
That team leader I saw out on
the street might want to look in the mirror. Might want to cleanup his own
messes. Deal with character. Open his own heart. “Soft stuff, Robin” you say?
No, I really don’t think so. It’s hard stuff. (How many people have the courage
to do it?) The stuff that ultimately drives better business results. Boosts
profits. Gets organizations to greatness. And did I mention that it all starts
with you? Because it really does.
“You set the standard to which you all can rise. Each
finger affects the strength of the hand”
(these are not my thoughts J
and are copied from Robin’s book)
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