Executing Your Highest and Best Use

We hear a lot about Unique Abilities, Natural Talents and Strengths. Many consultants and advisors will give advice about the importance of only doing what you do best. But, most executives continue to struggle with the execution.

Recently I was given great advice on how to get and stay in my unique abilities. The advice was focused on how you look at your life and job.

Most people look at themselves as a job label first and then they look at their contribution. A CEO will say, I am the CEO of XXX before he or she will state the value they bring to the world. This was me. I would respond to the question of what I do as, "I am the President of Sitkins International", or "The writer of Make the Noise Go Away", or other titles I have gained. Unfortunately, this focus on the job or product is forcing me into doing things that are not my unique abilities.

What should I say? "I am the voice". Let me explain the voice. The voice is speaking, writing, motivating, encouraging. The voice uses my unique abilities of creating intellectual capital and opening new files for people through my speaking and writing. My unique ability is my voice to others.

So why is this such a revelation and so important to doing what I do best? I am now able to look at the companies I work in, and the products I am involved with, and the world I live in (philanthropy as well) and be "the voice". That is my job.

My job is to be the voice at Sitkins International, Benefits Growth Network, Make the Noise Go Away, LGL Business Solutions, World Vision, and others. Now, this doesn't mean I am the only voice in these companies. It means I have to be focused on using the unique abilities and talents around the "voice" if I want to make the biggest impact for others and for me.

It is amazing how worthless I become when I get involved in the other stuff around the business. Now that I have identified this unique ability brand, I am free to do what brings the highest and best use of my abilities to the company.

My advice to anyone who wants to make a big impact on their work and world is to identify your unique ability and natural talent. Pull yourself back from the company title. Brand your highest and best use as what you do. Then serve your company with these skills. Treat it like a consulting gig that you only get paid for doing this skill. It will make a huge difference.

Consequence Decision Making

Ever heard of consequence decision making? Probably not. If you are like most Americans or Canadians you have been to the school of "don't bring me a problem, bring me a solution."

I was at a class about 15 years ago when I heard that message and I just couldn't accept it. It was early in my career but I had been around long enough to know that I didn't see how bringing a bad solution was any better than brining a problem.

Every problem has multiple solutions. When someone can't solve a problem and they continually bring those problems to management (or others) to solve, it may not be a lack of solutions issue. It may be that they don't know how to think.

Recently I was with a consultant who works with 20 somethings. He mentioned that one of his biggest issues is these 20 somethings were so scheduled all their life, and their parents made all the strategic decision in their lives, that they don't know how to think strategically. This is a current problem. Now look at the educational system and see that since the Industrial Revolution, we have been educating people under core strengths manufacturing principles. That means we want everyone to know the exact same things. Ever hear of "common sense"?

So what does this mean? We are not teaching people to think. So, if I was told to give authority to a bunch of people who are not trained to think, by asking them to bring me solutions not problems, I would quit my job.

In the book Make the Noise Go Away - The Power of an Effective Second in Command, I address this problem with a different solution; The Consequence Worksheet.

I found that teaching people to think past problems and potential solutions and into the consequences of those solutions will make them much better problem solvers. One employee came to me a few years ago and asked me what to do about a client situation. I asked her to brainstorm as many solutions as possible based on the desired end result she wanted. Then I told her to come up with as many consequences (positive and negative) that she could for every solution. I told her to come back for help after she finished that small project.

She never came back! I went to her a few days later and asked her if she still needed help. She told me the solution was very clear when she went through the exercise. She also told me she was surprised that every solution had both positive and negative solutions, but it was very clear what to do when all consequences were listed side by side. If we teach our people how to think through problems to the consequences of possible solutions, we will make more of our noise go away.

The Consequence Worksheet can be found in Make the Noise Go Away - The Power of an Effective Second in Command. It is a powerful tool to make the noise go away!

Leadership Challenge

Leadership has been written about more than just about any other topic. Consultants make big paychecks writing and speaking on the topic. Why is it such a hot topic that never seems to go away? Because people can't put their finger on what it really looks like.

Leaders come in many different forms. Jim Collins describes the leader in "Good to Great" as a humble introverted type. Most authors describe leaders as extrovert, driven, and strong people. We hear about encouragement, love, vision, innovation, speaking skills and many other attributes that leaders will possess.

Well, I believe these are symptoms of a leader but not the core. A leader expresses themselves in these ways but it is not why people follow them.

Lets start by defining a leader. We will use the simple definition of "one who is followed". Sorry, I am too simple to go any further than that.

So, why would someone follow?

Trust is the best answer I know. Stephen Covey expressed this in his book "The Speed of Trust" recently. He identified four areas of trust (in my words - Sorry Stephen):

1. Intentions

2. Behaviors

3. Skills

4. Results

If a leader shows great intentions to the people he or she is leading. They will have confidence they can trust them enough to follow. If a leader has behaviors that support the good intentions and they take the time to show how much they care about those who are following, the followers will want to follow.

Skills are a big one. Many people have great intentions and behaviors but they are not worth following. Why? They have nothing worth following. A follower wants to know a leader has intellectual capital, strong skills to get results, can offer to do something better than they can do themselves, or finds ways to bring new hope on a continual basis. They have to see a skill that makes them believe they are following something that will make things better.

The last item is even more critical. RESULTS. No results, no followers. Can you imagine being put into a battle troop where the commander has the highest loss of soldier rate? I would want to go out with a leader that has NEVER lost a soldier. I would want to work for a leader that has proven he or she will take you to great results.

The bottom line is a leader has to be trusted. To accomplish this trust they have to be others focused, listen, and enjoy others results more than their own. Then they can start filling these four trust buckets up with deposits to make people want to follow.

Thanks Mr Covey for the insights. I think it is the magical formula for leadership. Great speaking, introversion, extroversion, encouragement, innovation, and other media will be how we express this trust.