Standing ovations are earned – every day

As a public speaker, I can assure you, there’s nothing more fulfilling than earning a standing ovation. It’s not just acknowledgment of a job well done, it’s recognition for performing at a level that truly touches the hearts and minds of the audience in a most memorable way. When you go to a Broadway show, the performers know that the only way to earn that coveted standing ovation is to play their parts full out from curtain up to curtain down. Standing ovations are earned by giving it all you’ve got.

A few years ago, we were having dinner at one of my favorite restaurants. The meal was so extraordinarily wonderful that we gave our rave reviews to our waiter. Delighted to hear the accolades, he said, “The praise should really go the chef – it’s his first night with us.” I replied, “Can we go into the kitchen and deliver the praise personally?” Clearly taken by surprise, he escorted us into the kitchen where the four of us said, “Bravo.” There were smiles all around. I bet that chef still remembers how his opening night earned him a standing ovation.

The 100-day dash to the holidays

Wednesday is the first day of fall. Yup, the kids are back in school and summer is coming to an end. Before you get lost in memories of those warm lazy days, consider this: Wednesday, September 22, marks the beginning of the 100-day dash to New Year’s Eve. Thanksgiving is just two months away and the holidays are three months. Your scoreboard for the third quarter is about to become a historical record of a win or a loss. All that remains is the final quarter of the business game.

Will you lead your company to wrap up 2010 with a major win? I’m not talking a “big” win. I’m talking about a major win. Think of a major win as the last game of the World Series where the players on the winning team are jumping all over themselves, high-fiving and generally acting like kids. There’s nothing like a major win to ignite the collective passion of an organization.

The last 100 days of the year offer up a unique opportunity. With New Year’s Eve as the target date, it allows you build a higher-than-normal sense of urgency around key goals and objectives. It doesn’t matter if the first three quarters of 2010 were lackluster or brilliant, this is the final quarter of the game and time for you and your team to go all out to end the year on the highest note.

Why success in leadership is a moving target

Consider for a moment that you’re exploring a new career opportunity. The job description reads something like this… “Candidates must be prepared to accept relentless change, succeed in areas outside his or her comfort zones, make decisions that will impact the livelihoods of others, work as many hours as necessary to produce measurable results, accept responsibility for the mistakes of others, be able to handle high levels of stress, know how to manage cash flow, and be held personally accountable for the success or failure of the business.” Wow, I bet you’re saying to yourself, “This sounds like the job opportunity of a lifetime!” Actually, I bet you’re thinking that only a nut case would take a job like that. Guess what? You’re a leader and that job description is yours. (Hey, it’s mine too.)

Leadership is something you can get better at – but never perfect. This simple truth is why leadership is, and always will be, a moving target. The best leaders work hard at enhancing their leadership skills. They hire coaches to push and hold them accountable. They live the concept of continuous improvement. The bulk of the leadership population seems to be on a quest to find the “magic pill.” They do seek to improve and step up their game, but mostly when situations push them to. The rest just don’t get it and find more ways to hold the title of “leader” but don’t do the work. They function in a world of blame and excuses. Tough stuff to read – but true.

There’s an excuse for that!

Thought of something you’d like to do on your iPhone? Voila, “there’s an app for that.” Yup, there are apps for just about everything and more are on the way that will do things you never dreamed possible. And like iPhone apps, when a project doesn’t get done on time, when a procedure isn’t followed, when a mess is left for someone else to clean up, “there’s an excuse for that.” There’s an excuse for almost anything that gets done wrong, gets done late or doesn’t get done at all.

We humans have been perfecting our excuse-making skills since childhood. While playing with other kids and losing a play, remember the, “I wasn’t ready,” or, “My shoe was untied,” excuses? By the time we get to high school, excuses have evolved to a more creative and imaginative level such as, “My dog ate my homework.” By the time we enter the workforce, the art of excuse-making reaches the pinnacle of refinement. Here, excuses sound like, “My alarm didn’t go off,” or, “I didn’t know,” or, “I thought so-and-so was going to do it,” and let’s not forget the ever-popular, “It’s not my job.”