- Be a continuous learner – what got you into the CRO role won’t keep you there.
- Create a culture of innovation – willingness to try new things without the fear of failure.
- Demonstrate teamwork and camaraderie – people will watch and observe your behavior before they act.
- Focus on the people – this means getting to know your colleagues beyond their quotas.
- Be authentic – this equals consistency and predictability. Wild mood swings are often due to people transitioning from their “real” self to their created façade.
- Be vulnerable – show you’re human, it’s okay.
- Confront reality – denial wrecks your credibility. Quotas are huge, don’t act like they’re no big deal.
- Provide a path to success – it may be a difficult path but a path none the less. Remember, the leader’s job is to provide the vision…the possibilities.
- Be honest – shoot straight, share what you can, not only what you must.
- Always have an active ear – listen…actively. People want to know how much you care before caring about how much you know.
- Never surprise your boss – understand what’s important to the CEO and how/when to best communicate.
- Be deliberate in your actions – an environment of uncertainty is a byproduct of hedging bets. Your team will know if you’re not all in.
- Be kind – nothing in this job should justify taking someone’s dignity.
- Be gracious – say thank you. Give credit and recognize people consistently.
- Look for the good – every day find a good deed, or success from a colleague, and then share it.
- Know your numbers – where are you this month to quota, next month, and quarter standings.
- Know your business – what external factors may arise to get in the way of achieving your goals and those of your colleagues?
- Always be planning – “In preparing for battle I have always found plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower
- Stay fit – CROs tend to be the heartbeat of a company. Work hard to have and maintain a healthy heartbeat.
- Always, always, remember (and thank) those who helped you arrive – family, friends, former bosses, mentors. No one gets to where they’re going totally alone
Tag: Personal development
Growth Through Adversity
Our lives are filled with crucible moments. Situations that shape and mold who we become as people, workers, managers, and leaders. These moments, whether we face them in our personal lives, or professional life, shape the core of who we become. They inform, and direct our future beliefs, habits, and behaviors. They can strengthen or weaken, improve, or deteriorate.
Most of these moments are unplanned. They sneak up on us and force our hand. They force us to buckle, retreat, or forge ahead. These moments-in-time, although difficult to persevere, help strengthen our constitution…or weaken us. The choice really is our own. How we react to adversity is in fact a choice. Famous, U.S. Men’s Hockey Coach, Herb Brooks, said, “Great moments are born from great opportunities”. First let me say I have great admiration for Herb Brooks and his legacy. That said, if I may be so bold, I’d make a minor change to his quote and add that great moments are born from either a great opportunity, or adversity. After all, it’s friction that creates the most beautiful, and valuable diamonds in the world. The same can be said about our greatest leaders – past, present, and future. While not always pretty, the world’s great leaders have experienced their share of friction, adversity, and disappointment. From Washington to Reagan, from Henry Ford to Steve Jobs, from Sam Walton to Elon Musk, each of these leaders experienced their share of hardships and challenges…crucible moments that shaped their views, perspectives, ideas, and leadership styles.
Spend some time taking inventory of your crucible moments. I was first exposed to the concept of life journey lines when working for Lorrie Norrington who at the time was the EVP with Intuit in the early 2000’s. In fact, Journey Mapping is still very much a part of Intuit’s culture. Looking back, Lorrie is still one of the most influential leaders in my career. She taught me the importance of quantifying my capabilities and having the confidence to embrace them and act. Creating a life journey line is an effective way to identify one’s crucible moments, and more importantly understand how those moments shaped us and the new skills and capabilities we acquired because of those moments. Taking the time to think about these critical moments in life helps to provide clarity on your capabilities. Steve Jobs famously said, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backward.” That’s not to say, or suggest, we should live in the past, but rather to understand our ability to endure, preserve, learn, adjust, and succeed.
What are your crucible moments? How did they shape you? What changes did you endure? Positive or negative?
Every person we encounter on a day-to-day basis has gone through, or is currently going through, a crucible moment. Our ability to empathize is critical. How we assess these moments, and learn to adjust and adapt, based on this new knowledge and experience, is what enables our future success…and the success of the teams we lead.
Leaders are not born, they’re developed
I recently had dinner with one of my top sales people in San Diego this week and the conversation got around to whether people are born as natural sales people, or leaders.
I’ve never been a believer that people are born into a specific life path. What I believe is that each of us is born with a set of talents, capabilities, and competencies. We are all born with a specific attitude as well. A mindset, a glass half full, versus half empty thinking. A skeptic, an optimist, or pragmatist.
Here’s where the conversation gets fun. Believe it or not there was an interesting life lesson that has stuck with me for years from a rather unexpected movie – RAMBO III. In the movie the character of Colonel Troutman gives a pep talk to John Rambo. He tells the story of a sculpture who finds a perfect stone. He drags it back to his workshop and creates an incredible statue. When his friends compliment him on his creation, he says, he didn’t create anything. The statue was always there…he just chipped away the small pieces.
We are all born with natural talents. Some are blessed with athletic abilities, others with analytical strengths, others with caregiver strengths. The difference between those that achieve their full potential versus those who don’t, is finding a mentor(s) who helps validate and provide direction for your unique set of skills.
What if there was no Earl to Tiger Woods? What if no Joe to Michael Jackson? What if no Kurt to Michael Douglas? There are thousands more of these examples of folks who are not in the limelight but succeeded because they benefited from someone who recognized their talents and provided direction and encouragement. I’ve been incredibly blessed to have had a number of bosses throughout my career who have guided, counseled, and encouraged me to embrace my skills, take chances, and stretch. Without them, I am certain I would not have accomplished what I have thus far. And while I’m now considered “middle age”, my need for their input, guidance, and counsel still remains strong. Being a continuous learner never stops…until the heart does.
So what if you don’t feel like you have a person like this in your life? What do you do to find someone to fill this gap? The answer is easy. Look around. That person is probably closer to you than you think. It could be a spouse, partner, boss, friend, someone at the gym, someone sitting next to you on a plane. In fact, my love for American history was born on a flight I was on in 2004 when I met a gentlemen who asked me what types of books were my favorite to read. Foolishly I said none. He said, how can you spend so much time on a plane and not read. He told me I was missing all kinds of opportunities to expand my thinking. When we landed he gave me a book that became the catalyst for creating my voracious appetite for reading. That book was called His Excellency on George Washington. I can’t count the number of books I’ve given away over the years to people who I just met in similar situations. You never know who, or how you can impact the life of a stranger for the better. It’s incredibly heartwarming and fulfilling.
Life lessons are everywhere. Sometimes you just need to put down your phone, take out your ear buds, and just be…be present. Take an inventory of all the things you’re good at. Jot down what you like to do. Assess the crowd you hang with and identify a few people to approach to help you clear away those stones. Remember, the statue is always there…it’s just how badly you want to chip away at the stones to show your uniqueness and value to the world.
Growing Through Adversity
Positive growth can happen even under the toughest of conditions. Perseverance, determination, and the ability to adapt are what’s needed to push through the challenges and capture the growth that’s yours. New skills, new perspectives, new ideas.
As I walked around our property today I saw this beautiful petunia growing in-between some pavers. Oddly this is not a flower we have planted anywhere on our property, yet here it is. With temperatures in the high 90’s this past week, and no rain or water, seeing this thing of beauty grow in the most difficult conditions made me realize how possible growth is in any environment.
It reminds me of the line in Jurassic Park – “Life will find a way.” You really can do anything you set your mind to.
Kindness – The Greatest Difference Maker
What makes a friend, a friend? What makes a candidate worthy of extending an offer of employment? What makes a great boss? What makes a life-long partnership work – personally or professionally?
In pondering these questions they have led me to other questions such as who do I like spending my time with? If I was stranded on a desert island for a month, who would I want to be with? What type of person? Who do I turn to when I’m happiest? And who do I turn to when I need help?
There are many ingredients that go into making a great employee, boss, spouse, and friend. Yet when all those ingredients are boiled down, there is one that rises to the top…kindness.
Intellect without kindness is arrogance. Discipline without kindness is abrupt. Motivation without kindness is dominating. Persistence without kindness is simply annoying. Determination without kindness is Machiavellian.
Sure, we all need a level of intellect, discipline, motivation, persistence and determination to succeed. And yes, there are many who succeed with these attributes in the absence of being kind. Why is that? Kindness costs nothing. You don’t have to take a graduate course to learn kindness. Maybe that’s the problem? Have we lost the ability to see the simplicity of success when kindness is added as the final ingredient?
Kindness doesn’t mean losing. Being kind doesn’t mean taking the back seat. Kindness does not operate from a position of weakness, but rather a position of strength. Being kind is a conscious choice. Your buyers feel it, your employees feel it, your spouse feels it, and yes, strangers feel it. That random act of kindness from someone you don’t even know that puts a smile on your face and warms the heart. We can all learn from kindness, and kindness is ours free to give. It’s your choice.
A Thought on Empathy
Life is about perspective. It’s how we experience situations and the lens through which we view things…good, bad, or indifferent. Empathy is a powerful attribute for us all. Being able to relate to each other is what makes human beings…human.
I just watched the movie The Forgiven starring Forest Whitaker and Eric Bana. This movie is based on real events that took place in S. Africa. It is incredibly moving and serves as proof that it is possible – even under the worst circumstances – that we can all find common ground, forgive when needed, and find a positive path forward. Rarely have I seen something so powerful in a film.
#Empathy
#Coaching
#Selfimprovement
#SelfAwareness
12 Things Great Leaders Do Daily
By definition a leader is a person who leads or commands a group – at least that’s what Professor Google says. My definition is a bit different. Who wants to be commanded? Sure there are times, situations, and circumstances when being in command is required. Directing, ordering, and controlling are verbs that often come to mind when we think of leaders.
Just about anyone can be taught to do these things. Just about anyone can dish orders, direct others, and attempt to control. Many “leaders” regardless of training can do this for some period of time before being discovered as ineffective. Great leaders however, take a different approach. These leaders must do all the directing, ordering, and controlling as previously mentioned but it’s how they accomplish these things that set them apart.
Great leaders are great because they:
- Understand how to empathize
- Effectively communicate their vision
- Ask great questions, deep questions that provide insight
- Act in their own authentic way, not trying to be someone else
- Adopt a beginners attitude
- Surround themselves with people smarter than they are
- Spend time on self-reflection, how they operate and the result produced
- Network and connect with others to learn
- Ask for, and accept help when needed
- Lean on mentor(s) for coaching and perspective
- Roll up their sleeves, never asking others to do something they haven’t or wouldn’t do themselves
- Inspire others through their words, actions, and behaviors
So start today with some self-reflection. What are you doing? What do you spend most of your time on? How do you interact with those around you? What’s the reaction of others when you walk in a room, speak during a meeting, engage with others in a break-room? Consider this list and strive to embrace each one in a genuine way and you’ll find your results improve in a timely manner.
Strive For Mastery, Not Perfection
Recently I was having a conversation with a long-time mentor, coach, and friend. I was sharing my thoughts on a new endeavor and happened to mention that I was “trying to perfect” the thing I was working on, before attempting to market it. My mentor stopped me in my tracks and said, “Not perfect. Don’t focus on perfect, you’ll never get there. Focus on mastery. You want to be a master. No one is perfect, nor will anyone ever become perfect. But you can become a master.”
While certainly a profound statement, it wasn’t the first time I had heard this. In fact, I recently went back and re-read one of my favorite books by Seth Godin, Linchpin. For Seth fans, you’ll know that he strongly believes in creating remarkable experiences. In Linchpin he talks about being an artist. Making your work, art…and art by definition isn’t perfect. Some of the most valued art in the world is not “perfect”, instead it was created by a master, and even loved for its flaws.
Mastery is an ongoing journey while perfection suggests you’ve arrived, you’ve made it, you’re done. What lies after perfection? What’s left to learn? What’s left to develop? What’s left to explore? What’s left to invent? The world is a timeless collection of things and events that simply prove perfection isn’t possible. Instead, the world is changing, evolving, reinventing every day, minute, and second.
So with that, I will begin reframe my perspective to focus on mastery rather than perfection. By accepting mastery as my goal versus perfection, it empowers me to accept life’s fact that there’s always something new to learn and invent. Will you join me on the journey to mastery?
Your Ability To Change Determines Success or Failure
Our ability to change determines our probability to succeed. Of course success has many definitions. Success may look like a college degree, a new car, losing weight, obtaining financial freedom, paying down debt, finding a new job, rescuing an animal, raising money for a nonprofit, starting a business, or growing a business.
No matter what you’re doing in life, your ability to manage change, embrace change, affect change, and ultimately lead change will determine the outcomes you produce. When people fail to change they don’t grow. They don’t expand their knowledge, or insights, or perspectives. They remain static within a dynamic world. When businesses fail to change the results can be stressful and sometimes catastrophic. Downsizing, layoffs, reorganizations, increased leverage, bankruptcy, and in worst case scenarios complete shut downs happen due to a failure in the ability to change.
How can you prepare for change?
- Read more, and if you’re not reading at all, get started. Create a mix of categories including business, leadership, inspiration, fiction, and history. There is so much to learn from others who have come before us, as those who are currently on their own journey.
- Conduct a personal self-assessment. What are your strengths? Stop worrying about your weaknesses. Play to your strengths. In baseball, pitchers are known for having a perfect pitch. Could be their fastball, curve, slider, etc. Perfect your strengths so much so that your weaknesses are irrelevant.
- Find a mentor. Someone who will be brutally honest with you about you. A great mentor will help you become more self-aware. They can identify blind spots. Blind spots may or may not be weaknesses. The key is to understand what they are, where they are, and when they show up. A blind spot may be how your temper flares when things don’t go your way. Once you’ve identified the blind spot you can work on techniques that can help change your behaviors.
- Accept who you are. Sometimes the changes required to go from Point A to Point B do not align with your “who”. Don’t settle. When you attempt to do things that don’t align with who you are authentically, you will create stress in your life, and in the lives of others. Be happy with who you are. Don’t try to be someone you’re not. Once you’ve accepted who you are you can chose those situations or activities that excite you from a change perspective. If you love turnarounds but hate mature businesses, don’t force a change to work at a mature business. You love the excitement of turning something around. Chose to do that and whatever changes you’ll face in a turnaround situation you’ll embrace and thrive upon.
- Reflection time. Build time into each day to reflect. Just 15 minutes each day will help you sort through what happened, how you acted, and the outcomes. More than likely you’ll arrive at the realization that a different action would have created a different reaction. It’s cause and effect. Take the time to think about your day, those you encountered, and what took place.
- Ask for help. Change is tough. Even if you’re changing an area that excites you, inspires you, and motivates you, chances are it also scares you. Going through change alone is even scarier. Having a strong support network is critical. Family, friends, mentors, leaders and teammates can help you with change. I also personally believe that having a strong spiritual belief and faith provides a sense of calm during the storms of change.
Leader or Executive – Which Are You?
The dictionary defines an executive as someone who has administrative, or supervisory authority within an organization. A leader is defined as simply one who leads.
I’ve been blessed throughout my career to have encountered some of the best leaders in the business world. Many of these leaders took a personal interest in me and my development. The coached me. Guided me. Taught me. They invested in me. These same leaders who I once worked for have become mentors later in my career. They are the same people I turn to for coaching and advice today who taught me years ago. They stood by my side then and they’re still with me today.
From them I learned the importance of kindness, and the power of paying it forward in the business world. And just how do you pay it forward in the business world? By leading. Just as I had someone take an interest in developing me, I too have taken people under my wing to teach them. Leadership is about giving not taking. Taking is easy. Giving is tough.
Leaders inspire. They provide vision. They create excitement. Leaders instill trust. They stand firm in the face of adversity. They provide strength and confidence. Leaders create an environment where learning takes center stage. They have a beginners attitude. I’ve worked for plenty of executives who believe they know everything, yet I’ve never worked for a leader who behaved that way. Leaders know that to continue leading they must continue to learn. When the learning stops, so does the leading.
The good news is that it’s a choice. It’s a conscious choice to lead. It takes time, courage, discipline, a sense of humor, and perhaps most importantly leadership takes commitment. Commitment to keep learning, to keep teaching, to keep giving. I’ll take a leader any day of the week over an executive.
Joseph DeRosa 