A few phenomenal questions for leaders

Whether you have been at the top of your org-chart for years, or are still hoping for a shot at being “buck-stop” for your organization, it takes constant attention to sharpening your skill set, balancing sharing your vision with ensuring effective execution, and straddling that fine line between inspiring and motivating versus coddling and enabling. 

One of my main inspirations, Christine Kennedy, a leader among leaders and vice president of the Lynchburg Regional Chamber of Commerce, posted a Twitter update that linked me to a Michael Smith’s 20 questions to ask other leaders, as presented by Michael Hyatt on his blog.  I highlight a few of my favorite questions here, and might even post my own thoughts on a few of them in the coming days.

As an organization gets larger there can be a tendency for the “institution” to dampen the “inspiration.” How do you keep this from happening?

How do you encourage creative thinking within your organization?

How do you or other leaders in your organization communicate the “core values”?

How do you encourage others in your organization to communicate the “core values”?

How do you help a new employee understand the culture of your organization?

What is one mistake you witness leaders making more frequently than others?

What is the one behavior or trait that you have seen derail more leaders’ careers?

What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time?

Bonus Question: What do you like to ask other leaders when you get the chance?

A day in my life

Often, readers come to “know” online personalities by the words they write online.  But they rarely get to see life more literally through the web relationship.  Today, since my “world” is in one of its most remarkable visual phases, I thought it would be fun to share some of the sights you would encounter if you spent the day hanging out with me.

The first set is a day on the job.  I definitely have an all-American beauty as a home base.

For larger images, click here.

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Oldies but goodies.

Some of my photos from my international travels are posted on a site other than Flickr, and I was sharing with a friend.  As I did, I realized they brought back some great memories.  I don’t want to lose track of them, so figured I would post them here.

Hope you get a chance to take a look: http://photo.net/photodb/member-photos?user_id=476796

A fantastic creative jump-start for camera-ists.

I ignited my own passion by taking a trip to a nature center. Whatever it takes, don’t let your love for photography be shoved aside by work, volunteer commitments, or other requirements of life. Make a little time for photography. Here are some awesome and fun suggestions from a guest poster on Darren Rowse’s exceptional website.

Linky link here.

Fall is my favorite season. The reasons: they’re all around us. A pictorial.

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All images were taken on October 20, 2009, during an outing with my 11-year-old daughter’s class to Lynchburg College’s Claytor Nature Study Center.

On the ride home, I decided to turn right instead of left.  That delivered me to the not-yet-blazing-with-foliage Blue Ridge Parkway, passing the Peaks of Otter, a dozen scenic overlooks and the most relaxing drive back to my office imaginable.

Enjoy some of the early autumn foliage I saw.  Days like that inspire and reignite my passion for photography.

Testing Windows Live Writer

A friend suggested I test Windows Live as my blog updater tool.  I took a deep breath and voluntarily subscribed to a Microsoft utility.  Now let’s see how it goes.

Here’s to cross-platform magic.  The internets truly is amazing.  How long will it be before consumers expect nearly everything to be free; and as easy to use as Facebook? 

It provides a reasonably scary outlook for those who make a living creating and delivering content, in my opinion.  Your content will have to push people to take some ACTION that is a revenue generator.  Forecast: partly cloudy with a chance of eeking out a subsistence wage.  Laissez les bon temps rouler, or something like that!

A short recipe for success in LIFE.

Set your sights as high as you can, and know that every day you do more to help others than you do to help yourself is a day you invest in your future success.

That something does not have to be enormous. Lifting someone with kind words and good advice. A small service that makes their path easier. Whatever you do, no matter how small, do it with the conviction that it will be the difference between them floundering and flying.

Special thanks to a chat with Tyler C. who inspired me to share this brief insight. Read more about Tyler’s life these days as an exchange student in Austria.

News that is not news

Why is NBC’s Today Show presenting Michelle Obama’s family history with shock and awe? An African-American woman has ancestors who were slaves? My Lord, how bizarre.

I am glad that this is considered “news” this morning because it means there are no terrorist acts, child negligence or abuse, or other horrid lead stories.

In the words of Norah O’Donnell, it is truly remarkable that an African-American descendant of a former slave girl lives in the White House!

No, it is neither news nor remarkable. What is remarkable is that it took 140-plus years after the end of legal enslavement on our shores for an African-American man to be considered so safe, so intelligent, so capable that he was electable. What is remarkable is that in our quest for true diversity, we have so few stories of minority leadership in numbers that are representative of the general population’s diversity. What is remarkable is that Obama’s election, for cynics, is a complete acquittal for every crime of discrimination being promulgated in the American corporate, academic and social community. What is remarkable is that the Obama’s personal story is so remarkable. What is remarkable is that there is so little true racial reconciliation and mutual understanding and respect. And all sides own that failure. All of that is remarkably pathetic.

And the sorrow of the matter is that behind Barack Obama, there seems to be a cold, bleak chasm separating him from any other African-American or female, or other minority (since we’re on it) candidates who are electable. Not qualified, mind you . . . electable. Let the newsmakers start reporting on that. That might be news.

360 words of thanks from an alumna to the LC community

Today, I joined a college president, a chaplain and two deans to present a former student with her Lynchburg College degree and Alumni Association certificate. Looming ahead is this weekend’s Homecoming festivities and Alumni Board meeting, and the moments we spent with student J, and her mother and boyfriend, gave us all perspective on why we work so hard to maintain and strengthen our community.

Student J, you have to understand, suffered a debilitating aneurysm one semester before she was to graduate; perhaps only a week before she was to schedule her final college hurdle – student teaching. Student J was one of the most promising education majors in her class. When you talk to her family, you hear them fighting emotion to make sense of the change in focus. They went from planning the life of her dreams to making her comfortable in a state of immobility; and learning to communicate with eye movements and eyebrow hikes.

A SILENT THANK YOU
As one, then the other of us made our presentations to Student J, the emotion of the moment was overwhelming. There were no dry eyes. As a former professor’s words were lavished upon her, a single tear escaped the corner of her eye. Every drop of air was sucked out of the room as we were assured by her silent applause that she was fully present in her moment.

With great difficulty, I made my way through comments that felt trite after her eloquent quietness, and we prepared to leave. A simple prayer to close our event brought the seven us together as family in Student J’s impeccably maintained world. The joyful emotion of the ceremony gave way to a joyful celebration.

Student J’s single tear, her mother’s emotion-strained voice, the quaking silence of her boyfriend — proof that good men still exist — gave testimony to how much these brief minutes meant to them.

A COMMUNITY WORKING TOGETHER IS POWERFUL
So as we head into Homecoming weekend, I assure you we will witness many emotional exchanges, and watch numerous honorees wax eloquent about their richly-deserved recognitions. But it will be Student J’s single tear that will define the amazing impact our work can have on other people.

So for all my colleagues who work equally hard, with great passion, please know that what I had the privilege of witnessing today was an expression of thanks to you, too.

Let them eat cake!

My wife has launched a new cottage business called Buttercream Cupcake Bakery, and it has been extremely well received. While you can’t possibly know how good they are, I am helping with her marketing and photography, and being paid in cupcakes. And now I have a cupcake addiction I can’t shake.

Enjoy a few pictures!

If you live in the Lynchburg area or will be traveling through, let me know and I am sure she will be happy to get you hooked, too.