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One of my favorite Pat Riley quotes is, "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing."  Success is largely a result of the leader’s ability to focus, and to maintain that focus over time.

There are so many GOOD things that we can do in our lives, and these opportunities plead for our attention all the time.  But there are only a few, and sometimes only one, GREAT thing that we should be doing.  As the saying goes, GOOD is the enemy of GREAT.

For many, many people, maintaining focus is a major challenge.  They have plenty of talent, they are extremely motivated, they are empassioned by a cause, but they fall victim to their own lack of focus.  Distractions are like shiny objects on the side of the road, and some leaders never reach their potential because they are always scampering off to investigate some new fancy. When comparing two equally capable leaders, the one who maintains his or her focus the longest and most consistently will post results far in excess of the one who couldn’t.

There is another point in Riley’s quote: not only is it important to keep the main thing the main thing, but it is fundamental that we have a main thing.  How many people do you know who don’t really have a main thing?  There is nothing about their life anyone could point to and say, "That is what they stand for," or, "This is what their life is all about."  Sadly, this is true for many, many people.  In most cases, the main thing worthy of comment in many lives is insign ificant at best.  "Video games, fantasy football, golf, washing his sports car, etc." are the types of answers one might hear.  How about Mother Theresa?  Ministering to the poor.  George Washington?  Winning independence for the colonies.  Frederick Douglass?  Freeing the slaves.  Notice the contrast? 

One of our main goals in life should be to discover what God has built us to do, and then get about doing it with all our heart.  This will require pruning away some of the GOOD things to do, and focusing on the GREAT things.  We must discover what our main thing is.  Then we must work to make sure it remains our main thing.  And when someone brings up our name, and inquires as to what our main thing is, let’s make sure there is an answer.  And let’s be sure that the answer is a main thing worthy of the blessing we’ve been given!      

One of the key points in the Launching a Leadership Revolution book is that there are different levels of influence in a leader’s journey.  The five levels are:

1. Learning

2. Performing

3. Leading

4. Developing Other Leaders

5. Developing Leaders that Develop Other Leaders

Every leader must start at the first level of becoming a student.  Since leadership is driven by a leader’s hunger to change the status quo, that hunger naturally results in a leader’s desire to learn all he or she can about the endeavor.  Learning becomes a hunger in itself and one of a leader’s greatest joys.  As a leader learns, this knowledge isn’t simply to be had for the sake of intelligence, or for the sake of theory or mighty thoughts, although these are fine in and of themselves, but this knowledge is supposed to lead to action.  There are those who never leave the first level, and therefore their influence in the lives of others is limited to the relatively small reach that knowledge for the sake of knowledge alone brings. 

Most people move on to the second level, however, where their learning leads to performance.  It should be noted that the first level of learning never ends, but continues on while the leader is performing at level two.  Performing means that the leader actually demonstrates the habits of initiative and activation.  At this level the leader becomes the player on the field, scoring and winning. This performance, over time, becomes attractive to others.  This is what leads to the third level of influence.  Some people, however, never get beyond this level.  They don’t develop the skills to deal with other people, or they have character issues that keep others away.  Even though their performance is attractive and impressive, people don’t volunteer to be influenced by them.  Many, however, do move on to begin influencing others through the credibility of their own performance. 

At the level of leading, others are attracted to the obvious competence of the leader’s performance at level two.  The leader’s results speak for themselves, so people readily want to know what the leader knows and how to do what the leader does.  In effect, people are now allowing the leader to have influence in their lives because of his or her results as a performer.  The impact of the leader is really growing now.  Whereas the first level of influence impacted predominantly the individual doing the learning, only, and the second level of performing demonstrated the competence as a result of that learning, now others are enabled, encouraged, and led to have an impact themselves.  There is a process of addition going on where the leader is not the only one making a difference, but others are added to the equation and the overall impact is beyond what any one person could accomplish.  Many, many leaders never grow beyond this level.  They continue to learn, they continue to perform, and they lead people effectively, but they never realize that they should take the next step, or they never develop the abilities to do so. 

The next step is developing other leaders that can do everything the leader does, this is the fourth level of influence.  At this point, multiplication is going on because a leader reproduces his or her leadership abilities in others.  This level is where mentoring and leadership development come into play.  My friend, business partner, and co-author Orrin Woodward and I like to call mentorship the Lost Art of Leadership.  Purposeful mentoring is not done in very many organizations.  It’s as if leaders don’t realize that their job is to fill the "leadership pipeline" with people who can replace them.  But systematic mentoring and developing of other leaders is the difference between good and great organizations.  It is the art that separates the greatest leaders from the decent leaders.  Perhaps one reason mentoring is not more heavily utilized is that it takes an exceptional person to develop leaders that are potentially better than one’s self.  It requires humility! Leaders who are trying to build a kingdom for themselves will never make it to this level.  But those who truly hunger for significance and maximum impact will strive with full effort to learn how to operate at this level.

The fifth and final level is almost beyond scope for most of us.  It is the pinnacle of leadership influence, when a leader can develop leaders that develop other leaders.  The impact of this level is exponential in scope.  The work of the leader in developing other leaders of leaders usually goes down through the generations.  In fact, the cause for which the leader stood usually becomes associated with his or her name.  The fifth level of influence is only open to the most humble, serving, cause-driven leaders.  And it takes a significant amount of time and consistency to reach this level. 

Why is it important to understand the five levels of influence?  Firstly, because it is a road map for self-assessment.  A leader can look at the levels and quickly deduce where he or she stands, and therefore know exactly where to begin growing and developing.  Secondly, it is extremely useful for determining where the leaders in one’s organization are in their leadership journey, and it pinpoints what steps they need to take to advance.  Thirdly, it lets one know where each part of their organization is in its leadership.  Are the leaders in that area performing at level two, three, four? 

The five levels of influence are an exciting map of each of our leadership journeys.  Find out where you are in yours, seek out the materials and mentorship you need to move on, and enjoy the ascent as you make a greater and greater impact in the world!  God bless you on your journey!

The concept that leadership is service to others has gotten much coverage in leadership literature lately, but it is still a concept that seems foreign to many people.  When I get into discussions about leadership with people, they automatically think of the perks of leadership, power, prestige, and status.  But these things are not the true features of leadership.  Real leadership involves service, sacrifice, dying to self, responsibility, calculated risk taking, empowering of others, and struggle.

The decision to lead is a decision to take responsibility.  Automatically, the leader is asked to take responsibility beyond what others are assuming.  That is why I say that often times a leader is asked to carry an "unfair" load.  He or she is the one out front hitting the resistance first, clearing the path for the followers to come.

Jesus was, of course, the perfect example of leadership.  He came to serve, to show true humility, and to sacrifice for his beloved people.  His example towers above the pretenders who try to teach that leadership is stepping on others to get ahead, or power or position.  Jesus demonstrated just the opposite.  As leaders, we must be willing to serve others before self.  This is easier said than done, certainly, but is a source of great joy.  In fact, leaders are the happiest when they are serving others.  And I believe this grows with the leader.

What do I mean?  At first, a new leader might find it difficult to sacrifice their own self interest in the moment for the service of another person.  But then they make the sacrifice of time or resources on behalf of another and discover that it brings them happiness.  This makes it a little easier the next time.  Then, as the leader meets challenges, overcomes their own selfishness and learns to serve others more and more, the opportunities for service grow bigger.  And the leader grows bigger at the same time.  Eventually, what would have seemed impossibly difficult or imposing is handled by the leader without a pause.  The leader’s contribution and impact grow larger and more significant.  As this process continues, usually the leader’s impact and following expands beyond what he or she ever could have imagined at the beginning.  For this reason, the best way to begin growing as a leader is simply to begin serving.  Don’t worry about how far the journey will take you or what will be coming against you down the road.  Serve right where you are, giving of yourself to the people God brings into your life.  Make time for them.  Find out what they need.  Determine how you can help.  Care.  Share.  Give.  Grow.  And I think you’ll discover along the way, that the more you serve others, the more you receive in return.  It’s one of life’s most beautiful paradoxes, and I hope you enjoy it to its limits (if there are any)!

Henry David Thoreau said, "It is not enough to be busy, so too are the ants.  The question is, ‘What are we busy about?’"  We live in busy times.  Our technology makes everything much easier, but it also tends to make things more hectic, too.  Sometimes it seems that everybody is busy, busy, busy, that the world is all about hustle-bustle.  As a matter of fact, in segments of our society, people have taken to the belief that being busy is itself a sign of success.  The busier one is, the more important he or she must be!

Is this bad?  Certainly idleness isn’t desirable, either.  I recently posted an article on this blog about initiative, which would seem to suggest getting busy doing something or other!  Nobody likes a couch potato, and they escpecially don’t like the tater tots that couch potatos raise! 

The best way to look at this is perhaps to view "busyness" and "idleness" as extremes.  In the middle is effectiveness.  The most effective people in life are certainly not idle, but they really aren’t busy, either. 

Busyness really comes from a lack of ability to prioritize.  Each of us has only twenty-four hours in a day.  And life quickly becomes a struggle for what is and is not allowed to consume that time. When we properly prioritize our time, (and this goes beyond the mere concept of time management), we can work on the most important things first and allow the others to wait their turn.  One of the best pieces of advice I have ever heard in this regard is, "Only do what only you can do."  Only I can be a father to my children; only I can be a husband to my wife; only I can do what God has purposely built me to do, and I should be extremely careful to allow anything else into my schedule.  This can be taken to extremes, of course, and I don’t mean it in that sense.  We should always allow time for the unexpected but important matters: a friend in an emergency, a spontaneous hug, etc.  But understanding our purpose very clearly, and being realistic about what our main strengths and duties are in life, will free us to "keep the main things the main things."  Remember, the enemy of GREAT is GOOD.  There will always be a myriad of GOOD things we could spend our time doing, but they will always be done at the expense of the one or two GREAT things we could be doing!  Everything is a trade off.

Conversely, idleness is a form of wastefulness.  It is when we take the precious gift of time and return it unused.  Usually, it comes from a lack of purpose or understanding of what God would have us to do.  Sometimes it can be caused by doubts, fears, or hurts, as well.  But idleness is a theif that steals our life from us one minute at a time.  And this thief is very subtle.  Beware.

So why is effectiveness the balance between busyness on one side and idleness on the other?  Because I am the one writing this article and I say so! (just kidding.  I really just wanted to see if anybody actually read this far!)  Because idleness and busyness are actually different forms of the same thing: waste.  Busyness wastes our time just as severely as idleness does.  People with active personalities are more prone to waste their life with busyness, while those with more easy going personalities are more prone to do so with idleness.  Either way, effectiveness was held at bay.

Coach Lou Holtz once said, "Decisions are easy to make if you know what your purpose is," and I believe he is right.  If we are not clear on what our purpose is, we will not make decisions that serve that purpose!  Instead, we will make decisions that serve other ends, such as pleasure, comfort, happiness, personal peace and affluence.  Notice that these things are all temporal and temporary.  But if we understand our purpose, we will make decisions that are in line with that purpose and will be more effective in our lives.  And usually, these things are of a higher and more lasting calibre. 

So how do we fight off the evils of busyness on one side and idleness on the other?  We get clear about our purpose in life, prioritize accordingly on a regular basis, and do only what we can do.  Of course, life isn’t that simple, but these steps will get us a long way down the road to effectiveness.  As Orrin Woodward and I related the story of Mel Fisher in the Launching a Leadership Revolution book, "Today’s the Day."  In this case, I mean it a little different than Fisher did.  While he would use it when showing up on the dock each day before setting out to discover lost treasure, I mean it to aid in the understanding that today is really all we have.  Yesterday is a memory and tomorrow is up to God to provide.  Today is all we’ve got.  If we’re to live for God’s purpose and make something effective out of our lives, then truly, "Today’s the Day."

I will close how I opened:  It is not enough to be busy, the question is, what are we busy about?

Carl Sandburg said, "Nothing happens unless first a dream."  A dream is the root of vision.  A leader has a concept of a better future, situation, or outcome, and dreams of the day when it becomes reality.  The vision of the dream creates a tension on today, and that tension produces the hunger that drives a leader onward.

The concept of dreaming is imperative, and it is actually an exercise in discipline.  It is quite easy to slip into complacency and lose track of the dream we are chasing.  "Oh, I can work toward that tomorrow," or "I don't really need to accomplish that, I guess, it was just a crazy dream," or "I don't know what I was thinking, it all looks so unrealistic to me now."  These and many other phrases I have heard from people who were once infused with a dream only to have it fade with either the passing of time or when facing delays or challenges.  Or maybe the 'pressure' of the chase was too great for them.  There is a kind of tension around a leader's vision, a healthy anxiety deep down that says, "We aren't finished yet.  Remember the dream?  Remember the vision?  We should be doing something about it!"  Oh, those irritating inner voices!  Just like a child, they seem never to forget a promise or goal!  Losing one's grip on a dream, I suspect, is quite natural.  For all the people out there, only a small percentage really engage in the chase of a dream.  Of those, a still smaller percentage muster the courage to persevere no matter what.  To hang tough to the vision requires courage and mental toughness.  It also requires one to stay in close contact with their dream.

How is this done?  By refreshing the dream in our minds on a regular basis.  What was it that you saw when you first got that hint of 'what could be?'  What did you want to accomplish?  Whom did you want to help?  What rewards inspired your soul?  What made you 'come alive' in the first place? Answer these questions, and then get around that original source of inspiration on a regular basis to keep it fresh.  Refresh your dreams, and do it often.  Stoke the flames that ignite the hunger deep inside.  Then, look out world, because not only is it true that "Nothing happens unless first a dream," but it is also true that "nothing can stop a leader with a dream!"

The leadership principle, "Focus only upon what you can control," is critical to success.  Often, people get bogged down worrying or concerning themselves with things they cannot change.  As the saying goes, if you aren't part of the problem or solution, than it shouldn't be your concern.  Worry, fear, and anxiety often come from being concerned about things over which we have no control. 

What's the weather going to do?  What was that person thinking of me?  How did the President make that comment?  Why did that zit come back? What is Bin Laden going to do next?  Why are the Lions still losing?  Our minds get filled with questions that are outside our "Circle of Concern." 

Ideally, we should shoot to have our Circle of Concern the exact same size as our Circle of Influence, that is, the realm of things that we CAN control or have an impact upon.  We would have very little anxiety, and would be very effective, if the two circles overlapped and were matched in size.  Also, we would not waste time talking about or working on things that we really can't change.  Let's face it; there are plenty of things we CAN change and OUGHT to change that we SHOULD be working on instead.  Let's leave all that other stuff to the side.

"But if I'm concerned about it, doesn't that mean that I am assigned to get involved and do something about it?"  Maybe.  As long as it is within the realm of possibility for you to actually do something about it.  But putting valuable thought energy into something in which you can make no difference is a waste of time, energy, and talent, at least for now. 

The best leaders know this cold.  They find someting that needs changing, and they go after it with all they've got. They don't waste time and energy on topics and causes beyond their influence.  Then, as they grow in influence by focusing only upon what they CAN control, they eventually get a bigger and bigger Circle of Influence.  Ultimately, then, they can have a bigger and bigger Circle of Concern to match.  But it must work that way first. 

Work and focus within your Circle of Influence first, until it grows and grows as your leadership ability grows.  Then, your Circle of Concern can grow to match.  But worry about a Circle of Concern beyond the scope of your immediate Circle of Influence, and you've got a recipe for frustration, ineffectiveness, and failure.

Lead where you are, right now, with what you've got.  Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof.

Self perception and reality are often miles apart.  The result is what we might call self-deception.  Author Jim Collins, in Good to Great, discusses the importance of a leader being willing to confront brutal reality and take stock of it as it actually is.  Nowhere is this more difficult than when looking at ourselves!

There is a big trend in industry today to try and help executives address this very issue: 360 degree feedback.  Basically, it involves getting input from people all around you, whether subordinates, supervisors, or peers.  There are some merits to this approach, but there are also some dangers.  While it could be eye-opening to find out how people really see us, it can also do irreparable damage to confidence.  While much of the feedback is genuine and sincere, often times it can be cruel, vengeful, or political.  Are those giving feedback truly being honest?

The merits of 360 degree feedback aside, it still remains that we must get a clear picture of things in order to make proper decisions.  We must be clear about who we are, what we stand for, how we are coming across to people, and where we could improve.  I would venture to say that none of us operate without some level of self-deception.  But again, we have to be careful.  I generally see two types of people out there.  The first are quick to see their faults, realize they've got a long way to go, and operate with thin confidence as a result. They are quick to "beat themselves up" over failures or mistakes, and generally don't operate with boldness and daring.  Then there is the other camp.  This group is bold and forceful, and tends to think that most things they do are just fine.  They are slow to see their weaknesses and therefore slow to fix them.

A great combination would be to find a way to live in the middle (you knew that was where I was going!)  Somehow we must take stock of where we are, where we could improve, and see clearly our blindspots.  At the same time, we must continue to grow in confidence and purpose.  I believe that growing spiritually, keeping one's self on a continuous education program, and most of all, submitting to qualified mentorship are the answers to skating this middle ground.  As a matter of fact, one of the projects my friend and co-author Orrin Woodward and I are working on next is an exposition on mentorship.  It is truly one of the lost arts of leadership.

So get your spiritual life straightened out, get on a program of personal growth, and get a mentor.  Make these inputs in your life as common as eating good food.  We cannot afford to be self-deceived.  While we may be okay with ignoring our weaknesses, not many others will!    

My sons and I were leaving a used book store this morning (one of my favorite south Florida haunts) and one of them, arms loaded with a stack of books, said, "I wish I didn't have math to do today (he is home schooled) so I could read all these."  The cashier laughed, then I said, "I know how you feel!  I felt that way all the way through college!"

I have two engineering degrees from excellent universities, and I learned a lot during those years: systematic thinking and analysis, mathematics, mechanics, dynamics, circuitry, more mathematics, computer architecture, mathematics, physics, chemistry, mathematics, mathematics, mathematics, etc. etc.  By the time I graduated from those six grueling years I could reduce any equation that got within ten feet of me!  Complex matrices – no problem.  Quadratics, integrals, friction cones – child's play.  But I had never heard of Homer and didn't know how to pronounce Herodotus or Beowulf.  I had never heard of Machievelli, didn't know anything about the classics, learned only rudimentary history, and had been assigned to read a total of FOUR works of literature throughout the entire time!  I remember going to the campus book store and seeing all the cool history, literature, philosophy, sociology, and theology books and wishing I had time to read them.  But there was never time.  It took every ounce of my energy to keep up with my course load and stay on track for the Dean's List and scholarships in math and science.

Would I trade it?  Would I change it if I could go back and do it all over again? These are interesting questions.  I have no regrets about it.  I was supposed to learn what I learned and have those experiences.  Those years have become a part of who I am and what I know I can do.  Besides, I personally believe that there are not enough kids in North America focusing on math and science and keeping up with the global technology race.  As Thomas Freidman warned in The World is Flat, the West is losing its hold on the technical expertise of the world.  More and more American and Canadian kids are losing ground to those overseas who excel in technical educations.  Besides that, my education was hard for me, and it toughened me up and taught me to work.

However, and the point of this rambling, is I wonder how I might have gained a bit more of a "Classical Education" in the process.  How could I have been better exposed to the thoughts and ruminations of the top thinkers of history?  How could I have been given broader understanding of the human issues man has always faced?

I have been blessed with great friends and mentors who have shared their love of learning, reading, and study with me over the past fifteen years or so.  Through this process, what I might call a self-induced continuing education, I have filled in some of the blanks that I missed during the "math years."  This has been one of life's greatest pleasures for me!

What about you?  In the kaleidoscope of your life, whether you had formal education or not, what were the gaps in your learning and understanding?  What were you taught about the classics, history, mankind and the great questions of life?  Were you ever allowed or given time to THINK? Was your education vocational, or fundamental?

I hope more and more people realize that there just isn't time in a few short years of high school and/or college to learn everything necessary or desirable for life.  Continuing education must go on.  We alone are responsible for self-improvement, and it should be a life-long process.  Identify some areas where you feel you are not sufficiently informed, and get busy filling those holes! 

On this same theme, I would like to quote an excerpt from one of the world's foremost leadership authors, Warren Bennis.  His view is perhaps a little more critical than mine, but a great thought starter at any rate:

"Universities, unfortunately, are not always the best place to learn.  Too many of them are less places of higher learning than they are high-class vocational schools.  Too many produce narrow-minded specialists who may be wizards at making money, but who are unfinished as people.  These specialists have been taught how to do, but they have not learned how to be.  Instead of studying philosophy, history, and literature – which are the experiences of all humankind – they study specific technologies.  What problems can technology solve, unless the users of that technology have first grapples with the primary questions?"    

With that, I will leave you to ponder!