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Audience Development Group, Business management, Inspiration, Management, Midweek Motivator, Motivation, Tim Moore
I’d really rather be writing about The Final Four, Spring Training, or the new first-trumpet in the local symphony. Alas, over the last five years, we’ve felt an obligation to our readers to write about what they’re talking about, what they’re feeling. Sometimes the right thing to do is the least fun of all.
From all corners come questions or admonitions from people in the trenches and in the wood-paneled office; what are we really doing here? There are exceptions of course, those organizations that side-stepped the siren song of group-growing at any cost, but they’re an island of contrast in a sea of uncertainty and fear. Reggie Jackson once said, “a great manager has a knack for making ballplayers think they are better than they are.” Grand slam, Reggie! For those in the trenches slugging it out day-by-day here are some ideas to ponder. First, never demean the time you spend in the trenches or brand yourself a third class passenger. If you really pay attention to the ways of the organization you can learn a lot about how companies work and how to optimize your time there. Second, use the time when you’re not center stage to strengthen your ability to perceive. There are a number of major stars who “sat on the bench” watching the periphery of their company; like attending a graduate course on “how it really works.” Third, keep reminding yourself that however negative or backward leadership might seem, remember that attitude is the mother of all good fortune. In a couple of occasions across my career I knew people were saying, “well, he was at the right place at the right time,” and that’s probably a fair statement. But I never felt guilty about it because it would have been pointless. Instead I was there to make the most of the situation and I knew there were uncounted numbers of mid-managers in corporate America who started everyday with fear and ended it with uncertainty; people truly afraid they’d be cut with the next round because they hadn’t been promoted fast enough. Regardless of your company’s size or stature you may fall into the trap of developing “trench stigma” because you’ve been down there a while. People in this rut are unlikely to emerge not because they’re not good enough or haven’t been advanced fast enough, but because they radiate defeatism and anxiety. When you put your full effort into a day, no matter how discouraging the environment might be, much of the chaos and self-doubt vanishes. Recently while flying home from a fatiguing but stimulating market trip just as I reached to shut off my phone, a call came through. A guy named Chris Merrill was calling and it made my day. “I want to thank you for working with me. I probably wasn’t that good when you started coaching me, but the things I learned really helped. I just accepted a job at KOGO in San Diego!” In fact Chris had loads of potential and if I assisted him it was only through helping him see what he didn’t see in his former role in a quality but limited setting. Pat Riley believes a manifesto for confidence comes from the depths of discouragement, when hidden agendas are brought into light after the supply of scapegoats are exhausted, as the first seeds of trust are sown and teammates start acting positively for each other, no matter how discouraging the climate around them. Regardless of the circumstance there are only two options in business and in life: either you’re in or you’re out. There’s no in-between. |
Sincerely,
Tim Moore Managing Partner Audience Development Group
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