Last week I introduced a new format to the weekly emails I send you. Each week you’ll get an update on the newest episode of the Catalytic Leadership Podcast, see the 3 books I’m currently reading, read 2 quotes that grabbed my attention this week, and find 1 story that made me think. I’ll also share resources from time to time that I think you might find helpful.
I’m always looking for ways to “make it better,” and I’d love to hear your feedback. Thank you for being a part of Catalytic Leadership!
This week’s episode of the Catalytic Leadership Podcast:
How To Cut Your Stress In Half Immediately, with Robin Sacks
How can you cut your stress in half immediately?
What is the secret to self-confidence that every one of us already has?
I hear people talk about “mindset,” but what does that mean and what does it have to do with confidence or success?
This week on the podcast, William interviews Robin Sacks. Robin’s Philosophy is Simple: you are over-thinking everything!
Robin helps smart people get out of their own way so they can show-up with real confidence, stress less, and accomplish more, regardless of the situation. By teaching clients how to shift their self-talk, body language, and mental-game, they feel more calm, show-up with more confidence, and feel more in control of their stressors.
Why is That Important? Because confidence, self-talk, and effective communication skills are the keys to mastering real-life situations in the moment – any moment. And nobody ever teaches us those skills!
The great thing to know is – these skills can be learned.
Professionally, Robin is a confidence coach, professional speaker, author and motivator. Robin has facilitated personal and professional development workshops internationally for companies including Microsoft, Panera, and American Greetings. An award-winning journalist herself, she has also trained Emmy award nominees and an Emmy award winner. Personally, she is a mom, wife, and friend.
Her book, Get Off My Bus!: How to Get Clarity, Get in the Driver’s Seat, and Get Moving in Your Life!, was nominated for Small Business Trends’ Small Business Book of 2010 and is available everywhere.
3 Books I’m Reading This Week
Rewire Your Mindset: Own Your Thinking, Control Your Actions, Change Your Life! by Brian Keane
From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life by Arthur C. Brooks
The Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership by Tim Elmore
2 Quotes That Grabbed My Attention
“Measurement is fabulous. Unless you’re busy measuring what’s easy to measure as opposed to what’s important.” –Seth Godin
“Teams and organizations do not drift toward greatness; they must be led there.” —Mark Miller
1 Story That Made Me Think
“Forty-six percent of new hires fail within the first eighteen months of employment, and of those failures, a remarkable 89 percent are due to personality or attitude issues. Only 11 percent are for lack of skill. In other words, 89 percent of those who fail are not a fit for culture.
”Just hire their hands.” This mindset probably has deep seated roots going back over a hundred years. Of course, no modern day leader will say ‘just hire their hands’ out loud, but in reality, every leader who ignores fit for culture is hearkening back to Frederick Taylor and ‘scientific management.’
In Taylor’s system, the role of the worker was to work. The supervisors were to do the talking, and the leaders were to do the thinking. This way of running organizations was a byproduct of the Industrial Revolution and the advent of the assembly line. The challenges were compounded by the high number of immigrant workers, which created huge language barriers between workers and their employers. This led to an approach in which work was broken down into small, repeatable steps – executable without thoughts – and could be timed and measured, hence ‘scientific management.’ The legacy of Taylorism still looms over organizations today like a century-old hangover.
The cost of this mindset and approach is incalculable. The untapped potential, the stolen engagement, and the stifled creativity could transform the world – if leaders would change their approach. Thankfully, some have.”
–From Culture Rules: The Leader’s Guide to Creating the Ultimate Competitive Advantage by Mark Miller
Is culture one of the metrics you use when you hire?
I think Miller is spot on. Fit for role AND culture are both essential.
In my book Catalytic Leadership, I describe the 5C model I’ve used for years in evaluating potential candidates:
– Character – a non-negotiable for me for any role. Can they be trusted? Do they have integrity to do what they say they will do?
– Competency – can this person do what the job requires?
– Chemistry – is there good chemistry with the rest of the team with whom they will be working?
– Commitment – are they “job surfing” or will they commit to their next season with us?
– Culture – every organization has a culture – are they a good fit for ours? Are we a good fit for them?
Asking these questions (and more) on the front end takes a lot more time and energy. But the results are so much better.
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That’s it for this week’s newsletter. Let me know what you think!
–William Attaway
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