How to Put Your Whole Self In #3

Put Your Tears In...

Tears often well up in the eyes of people who feel happy or sad. Tears genuinely reflect deep emotion. How deeply are you tied to what you do each day--at home, work, church, school?If you have no tears to shed over the results, you might not be tied closely enough or might not be investing enough.

Go ahead, invest a bit more. 

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Copyright 2010 Kelly A. Tyler

Put Your Whole Self In! Life and Leadership the Hokey Pokey Way
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How to Put Your Whole Self In #2

Put Your Ears In...

Bodies are made with two ears and one mouth, so use them accordingly: listen twice as often as you speak. Pay attention to what others say, and do not say, so you can respond in the way most likely to achieve desired results. (Excerpt from the new book,  Put Your Whole Self In! Life and Leadership the Hokey Pokey Way.)

Sales people are notoriously bad at listening; although, many think they are good at it. If your process includes a pre-planned pitch to deliver at your first meeting or phone call, you are not listening.

A sales rep for a copier company called me at my home-office recently. His very first words to me were, "Are you the person in charge of purchasing equipment?" The next sentence was about how much money he could save me if I purchased a new copier machine from him. I explained my work and that the maintenance required for a machine in my home would not save me money. He argued that it would.

If only that example was rare. You've probably had similar experiences. If you are a sales person, or if you need to sell your coworkers on your ideas, do not emulate those poor role models.

Listen more than you speak and you will improve the results of interactions with others. And, that helps you be all-in.
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Put Your Whole Self In! Life and Leadership the Hokey Pokey Way

Please click here for more information

Leadership Run Amok at The Masters

The Masters Golf Tournament, America's most important golf tournament, began in Georgia today. As is customary, the Augusta National Chairman, Billy Payne, held a press conference kicking off the event.

After discussing the roles legends Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer will play at the opening, Mr. Payne used his annual press conference to publicly admonish Tiger Woods.

See for yourself:


(Video from www.Telegraph.co.uk)

As an observer and commentator about leadership, Mr. Payne's admonishment struck me for several reasons:

1. Piling On. Was it necessary for Tiger's immoral behavior to be spotlighted at this opening event? Did Mr. Payne think his was the lone voice the world needed to hear from on the subject? We get it. He failed in his personal life. If Mr. Payne felt the need to discuss Tiger at all, he could have discussed Tiger's return to golf. Mr. Payne is, after all the leader of a golf tournament, not the leading moral compass for America.
2. False Outrage. Did Mr. Payne express disappointment in Tiger's behavior prior to Tiger's fall from grace? His outrage appeared tardy and phony.
3. Misplaced Outrage. When is Mr. Payne's concern about how women and minorities are treated in golf in general and at Augusta specifically going to be expressed? When asked about this as the press conference, Mr. Payne said the club was private. He is more upset about the world's greatest golfer's private life than he is about supporting discriminatory membership of a private club. Mr. Payne feels it is acceptable to proclaim outrage over a golfer's private life but not over a club's.
4. Errant Expectations. "Our hero did not live up to the expectations as a role model we sought for our children." Mr. Payne said during the press conference. As others have said over the last five months, proclaiming an incredible golfer a "hero" is just silly. If Mr. Payne set Tiger up to be a "hero" for his children, it is his own fault the expectations were not met.

While he did go on to discuss other topics, Mr. Payne came across like an executive who couldn't wait to have his moment in the spotlight, rather than as a leader with the tournament top-of-mind. When leaders put ego ahead of purpose, they tarnish the purpose. Mr. Payne tarnished the prestigious tournament because he considers himself more important than the tournament. He is a leader run amok, and the tournament has barely begun.