Happy Tuesday!

Today I am in Washington, DC with part of our team at the ATD ICE conference. We are exhibiting (booth 1107 if you are here) and I am speaking this afternoon.

My talk is titled: Leadership Styles Are Overrated: An Alternative to Lead Effectively Now. I’m sharing some ideas from my latest book, Flexible Leadership (if you want a copy of the slides, reply to this email).

In the first article below you will see something I’ve learned watching people on the exhibit floor – and I translate the lesson for all of us in other situations. The other article is about something I think about (a lot) and think all leaders need to consider – but I’m not sure I’ve ever written about it.

My point?

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Make it a great Tuesday and remember…

You are Remarkable!

Kevin 😊

Do You Arrive Ready?

Part of our team is in Washington, DC exhibiting at the biggest conference for learning and development professionals in the world, ATD ICE. (I‘m presenting today at 2 pm, if you are here.)

After the first day watching and interacting with participants, I have some observations which apply to all of us far from the show floor. First the observations, then the lessons…

People arrive on a show floor with a variety of experiences and goals – I talked to people yesterday at both their first and 44th ATD conferences. Our experience says something about how we arrive, but I don’t think it is the biggest factor.

• Some people roam, without much direction. It might say something about their overwhelm of how big it is, or that they like the adventure of serendipitously finding something they are interested in.

• Some people walk the floor in a consistent pattern. They take a logical approach, and “don’t want to miss anything.”

• Some travel in groups. If three people from a team or organization are together, they can hear the same things and “debrief” and discuss what they heard at one booth as they walk down the aisle.

• Some travel alone. It might be because they are the only ones from their organization, or it might be a conscious choice to explore on their own.

• Some are in search of swag from the booths. Maybe they have a kid at home who likes strange items (or office supplies). Or maybe they have space in their suitcase.

• Some have a specific goal for stopping. If we ask them about their focus for the conference, they are very clear about what they want to achieve.

• Some seem excited. It emanates from them, and their passion for their work and/or the event helps them make connections, be memorable, and even sometimes get better swag from a booth (maybe ours?)

• Some seem exhausted. Yes, there may be more people in this camp at the end of the day, and the truth is that energy level will impact their success – whatever their goal is for walking the show floor.

I’m (trying) not to judge any of those observations. There is nothing inherently wrong with any of those approaches. But here is what I know.

Everyone who attends will have an experience. How valuable, interesting, fun, motivating, enlightening (whatever the goals might be), will depend on how ready people are when they arrive.

If there is intention behind the approach, whatever it is, people will be far more successful in achieving what they desire.

If you want lots of swag, you better bring (or find) a big bag.

If you have a specific goal, make sure you stop at any booth related to your goal (and pass by others at least until your mission is completed).

If you want to explore it all, keep our energy up (and stay hydrated).

If you want to network, talk to people.

If you want to meet someone, make the time to seek them out.

Hopefully the translation of this principle away from a conference isn’t lost on you. Wherever you go today – a meal, a conversation, a meeting, a coaching session – arrive ready. Know what you hope to achieve, stay focused on that, and your odds of success will be much higher.

Two Perspectives All Leaders Must Consider

The title makes a definitive statement - “must” is a strong word. And observing leaders for over thirty years, I know that not all leaders think about what I’m about to tell you about. But all the most effective ones do. That means that if you are serious about being an effective leader, “must” is exactly the right word.

Everyone knows these two perspectives, but not everyone thinks about and acts on them both consistently. Here are those two leadership perspectives…

Thanks for reading. Please reply at any time with questions or feedback for our team.

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