Business Thoughts, Favorite Quotes, Rants and Observations

I’m not that great a guy, OK?

—-

“I’m not that great a guy, OK?

I’m just doing the best I can.”

==

John Kasich

————

“The difference between people who fail and people who succeed in many cases is not fear, it’s what they do with that fear.”

==

Donny Deutsch

——————–

I recently saw two people on television <at different times> that made me think about … uhm … following.

And by ‘following’ I mean working for someone or following a leader.

Now.

Talk with anyone I have ever worked for and you would most likely hear that I am not an ‘easy follower.’ What I mean by that is I like to lead and can be one of those ‘good difficult employees.’ I work hard, I think hard, I like my businesses to go hard, and I err on the side of doing what I believe is right <in terms of ethics and tangible decisions>.

That may sound good but it can sometimes put me in a different place & decision than the place & decision the people I worked for was thinking.

To be clear.

I never was adamantly stubborn on ‘I am right and you are wrong’ nor was I never willing to compromise and I was always willing listen … it was more “if you haven’t thought your decision out well I am not going to follow that decision without some challenging.”

I say all that because my business style made me very very aware of people I would follow.

Because of my style and business acumen I had to attune my leader antennae for leaders I would have a healthy respect for and would … well … work for.

<note: … I believe we should all fine tune our antennae on this>

Anyway. As for the two people I saw on television.

I have never met John Kasich. But I sense I would unhesitatingly work for him.

I have met, briefly <he would never remember meeting me>, Donnie Deutsch and I would have liked to have worked for him.

Let me begin with Donnie.

Prior to meeting him I was sure I would hate working for him. My sense was dictator style management, some version of narcissistic and a clear ‘my way or the highway’ decision making within his company.

I was wrong.

He has a wonderful matter of fact style of communicating, with a wonderful ability to communicate some insight in a few amount of words, an absolutely intense style of listening and is charismatic and engaging as a person.

And, after talking with a friend of mine who knew Donnie well and had been in a number of meetings with he & his team, I discovered he enjoyed hiring good people and getting out of their way as much as he could.

I walked away from him that one day saying to myself: “whew, I would work for him if he offered me a job.” <He never did>

And John Kasich.

In a world in which we shout at the top of our lungs that everyone is extraordinary and can do something extraordinary <which sets some fairly daunting heights in Life> all of a sudden on television, a man running for president says “I’m not that great a guy.”

Compare that to several hours later another man running for president says “I am the best” … well … so many times you had no doubt what he thinks of himself <”I am a great guy & people love me” is an exact quote>.

It reminded me that the line between humility and arrogance is massive. And that leadership is often defined somewhere in that massive space.

Regardless.

After listening to John Kasich … I thought to myself: “whew, I would work for him if he offered me a job.” <he hasn’t>

To be clear <part 1>.

This is not about me thinking I am exceptional in any way.

This is about recognizing following someone is not a decision to be made blindly.

Frankly, recognizing this can make or break your career.

I have a responsibility in the equation. In other words … if I choose to follow someone I have a … well … responsibility to follow.

That said … I do have some leader DNA in me which means that I have to find leaders who don’t just have a title which enables leading … but has a title and can lead.

This certainly makes it tougher for me to find a job but I also know that when I do find a job I am happier and more successful.

That’s the bargain I have made with myself and with whomever I follow.

To be clear <part 2>.

This isn’t about politics nor is it about who is actually the best qualified. This is about character and what inspires a person internally to be, and do, the best they can … and lead people in a way they follow.

I will clearly state that option one in my Kasich explanation <”I am not that great a guy”> is exactly where I am personally. But. I also recognize, and have friends, who need to attack Life differently in order to get to where they want to go.

Some absolutely do it with more élan and more outward confidence.

I am not one to judge for many many others are more successful than I and have walked a different path to get there.

But let me suggest the glue that holds the style and the substance together is character.

It’s what makes anyone stand out regardless of whether it is in times of stress or simple everyday moments.

Not only do I watch my own behavior and judge it on character I tend to watch everyone closely seeking signs of character.

To be very clear here. I am not endorsing anyone for president <I am simply in the “anyone but Trump” camp>. And maybe I am discussing some things that are important as we select a president … but I believe, more importantly, I am discussing leadership and following.

And, please, do not dismiss the idea of ‘following’ or being a ‘follower.’

99.9% of us are followers, i.e., we are following someone. We may chafe at that fact but it is the truth. I sometimes believe we do not think enough about “what kind of follower am I” and “what responsibility am I going to assume as a follower.”

Maybe we don’t because it kind of sucks to suggest “I am a follower.” But following is not a bad thing … if you are following the right ‘lead.’

We put leaders up on a pedestal – in terms of expectations, criteria and criticism – and we should. They are leaders for God’s sake … they are not us <nor should they be>.

But we should also be judging ourselves as followers – in terms of expectations, criteria and criticism.

All I know is that I accept I am a follower and I believe I have a responsibility in choosing who I will follow <in the choice as well as my behavior once I have made that choice>.

Lastly.

Donnie Deutsch and John Kasich.

Two people I would follow. Two people I would have worked for. I would imagine they wouldn’t give a rat’s ass that I typed that and said that. But I wouldn’t, and I cannot, work for anyone.

In fact … the list of people I wanted, and want, to work for is significantly shorter than all my fingers & toes <and I have all of them>.

Just listening to Donnie speak on TV the other day reminded me of the moment I knew I could work for him <and follow him>.

And let me share the moment I felt that way about Kasich <who I’m not voting for but would work for>.

There was a vivid demonstration of character in the presidential campaign the other day. One that makes you realize that there is hope within our leadership and that good still does reside in the hearts of people.

John Kasich often notes that sometimes you have to celebrate the success of others, and sometimes you have to cry with them.

At one campaign event Kasich demonstrated the kind of leader he is by showing empathy for, and with, a young man who after walking us through verbally a heart wrenching personal story suggests he has found ‘his president.’

<the video I am including is not the most used one … I included this one because it has the words and it follows Kasich … who has the character to walk toward the young man as he talks instead of maintaining distance as he listens ….

<I have also included the typical video clip you see of this event on TV>

This is what a leader should embody. Compassion, intense listening, character, heart, ability to create followers <with heart>.

To me? The moment when Kasich walks to him, hugs him and offers comfort cannot fail to not only touch you but remind you that character matters.

It should remind us that while character resides within us … that if we do it right … our character can uncover the hearts & soul of those AROUND us. And therein truly lies the power of character.

I am not that great a guy.

I am just doing the best I can.

Words to live by. Words to guide. Words that make you want to follow the person who says them.

In the end.

I wrote this not just to discuss the importance of character in a leader but to suggest that we, the ‘following majority’, should be consciously not just looking at our careers as “job responsibilities” but also “follower responsibilities.”

Throughout my career I have seen gobs of job descriptions which have made me salivate and think “I would do anything to have that job” and, yet, upon closer look have uncovered managers or leaders who I would hesitate to follow. Jobs are part of careers. And careers are bigger than jobs. And careers are often made, or broken, not by your job but rather by how you follow.And that is because, well, 99.9% of us are following and not leading.

Think about that.

=====

“any life, no matter how long and complex

it may be, is made up of a single moment.

the moment in which a person finds out,

once and for all,

who he is.”

–

jorge luis borges

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March 2, 2016 by Bruce

Written by Bruce

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