Filed under: Action
Dear Blog Followers:
As we round the corner into another year, here’s what you can look forward to from me this coming year. I have spent the last 9 months completing many important projects in my own Life and Leadership Business. One of my focuses has been to add clarity to what I feel is a new definition for Leadership during our changing times. Therefore, I have interviewed, read and conversed with many of the world’s leading thought agents on the subject. The result is an approach to Life and Leadership challenges that will assist you in creating the most powerful year of your life.
Each month you will receive two blog posts from me. These posts will be centered around 12 key leadership attributes. Each of these 12 principles, when applied, will assist you in becoming more effective in all areas of your life.
As we move through the year, I invite each of you to get involved with the process. Please feel free to add comments and deepen the conversation. I see all of us as wisdom leaders and my point of view is that we all have something meaningful to add. I feel that the more each of us shares, the more we can learn for ourselves. If you know anyone that you would like to be involved in this process please feel free to forward the blog subscription link to them.
The first element of leadership to be discussed is Truth. Find out how living in your own truth will set you free to accomplish anything that you would ever want in life. Discover how living without truth leaks our velocity and power as human beings and has us struggle to live the lives we really want. I assure you this will be an inspiring way to begin our New Year.
Best
Stephen “Hu” McGhee
303-887-8404
Stephen McGhee Leadership Inc.
http://www.mcgheeleadership.com
Filed under: Commitment
Dear Blog Followers:
As we round the corner into another year, here’s what you can look forward to from me this coming year. I have spent the last 9 months completing many important projects in my own Life and Leadership Business. One of my focuses has been to add clarity to what I feel is a new definition for Leadership during our changing times. Therefore, I have interviewed, read and conversed with many of the world’s leading thought agents on the subject. The result is an approach to Life and Leadership challenges that will assist you in creating the most powerful year of your life.
Each month you will receive two blog posts from me. These posts will be centered around 12 key leadership attributes. Each of these 12 principles, when applied, will assist you in becoming more effective in all areas of your life.
As we move through the year, I invite each of you to get involved with the process. Please feel free to add comments and deepen the conversation. I see all of us as wisdom leaders and my point of view is that we all have something meaningful to add. I feel that the more each of us shares, the more we can learn for ourselves. If you know anyone that you would like to be involved in this process please feel free to forward the blog subscription link to them.
The first element of leadership to be discussed is Truth. Find out how living in your own truth will set you free to accomplish anything that you would ever want in life. Discover how living without truth leaks our velocity and power as human beings and has us struggle to live the lives we really want. I assure you this will be an inspiring way to begin our New Year.
Best
Stephen
Projects almost never go the way I suspect that they will. They seem to take longer or have more obstacles than I can plan for. As some of you know, I have created a project called The Aconcagua Man Project. This project has required great patience from me. The preparation, planning, time, resources, obstacles, and disappointments have tempered me to my core. This 9 month leadership project is a physical, emotional, mental and spiritual kick ass journey that culminates in our summiting the highest mountain in the world outside of Asia. The Mighty Mountain of Aconcagua will require me taking one day and one step at a time. It will likely temper me and 6 other men in our personal leadership as we deal with temperatures ranging from 90 degrees Fahrenheit to a freezing 50 below zero wind chills.
I suspect that you too have a project that is testing your fortitude? One of the many benefits in planning and executing my climb of this Argentinean Giant are the subtle differences about when to press on something and when to allow something. This has me looking more fully at the higher forms of leadership. How about you? What is your Aconcagua? What leadership mountain are you climbing? I would love to hear about it? And mostly I would love to hear what you are learning.
It would be easier to avoid projects like these. You and I could sit back on the couch and watch life go by. Ultimately, that idea sounds better to me than it really is. It only works for a while. I feel these projects assist us as leaders to fine tune our greatest Selves.
We leave for Mendoza on January 16th. I return safely to Denver on February 9th. As you are interested in our journey please subscribe to the daily dispatches of our expedition at http://www.theaconcaguaproject.com. Also, any positive MO-JO you want to send our way would be greatly appreciated.
How has being patient served you as a leader? When does being too patient work against you? In joy the journey.
Onward and Upward
Filed under: Sharing
The world is stingy. This is juxtaposed by generosity. I am not talking necessarily about money. I am talking about generosity of the human spirit. The great leaders I know are generous with inspiration and enthusiasm. These men and women give it freely, because they know that “it” is free to give. Others hold back and withhold like they might run out of their own Love.
The most powerful source of energy we have available to us is Love. Now, before you accuse me of going woo woo on you, just stop and consider the possibility of the statement. Name any great artist, pop musician, athlete, parent, CEO, etc…and I will show you a man or woman who loves what they are doing. Now, show me a person that is cynical and resigned about what they do and I will show you someone that is withdrawn and spilling that negativity into their own world.
None of us can lead effectively from a place of fear and stinginess. Today, and as always; I invite you to consider sharing the most powerful source of energy you have available to you. Share it with reckless abandon and see what happens. The misnomer is…that as I share more of my inspiration the less there is to give. That has never been my experience. The stingy times of my life have been my most miserable times of my life. If I am stuck in my Self Loathing, I can’t find a way out. Once I realize that sharing myself generously translates into emerging results, the sooner I am back on track. It builds on itself.
My client Jeff Patterson recently had this realization. He made a decision this week. I could see and feel it. He never told me this and I have not talked to him about it. I just see the result. His presence is so full of Love that you cannot help but want to listen to him and be around him. Is that a result? You tell me? Is that powerful? You tell me. Do yourself a favor and check Jeff out at http://www.seedcoaching.com . He is powerful with his enthusiasm of life and business.
This week, I encourage you to let go of any self imposed limitations you may have about Love. If you feel it makes you weak then consider what judging others has done for you in your life? My question for you this week is: How could I love my team more? (neighbors, boss, parent, kids, teacher, etc)
One of the most powerfully loving teams I know of is my Aconcagua Man Team. If you have not already done so, please go to http://www.theaconcaguaproject.com and follow our summit of this great mountain in January. I plan on sharing our climb by satellite phone, so you can follow our enthusiasm all the way to 22,834 feet.
Loving YOU
Filed under: Action, Vulnerability | Tags: Leadership, self empowerment, self growth, stephen mcghee
We have gotten lazy in the name of introspection. Yes, I feel that introspection and “knowing” thyself is of incredible value in terms of life and leadership. Yet, I find that many of us are using “process” as a way to rationalize our non-action. Why? Because it’s easier for me to sit on my duff in the name of process rather than to take an action that actually accomplishes something.
Being in One’s process is overrated. After awhile it’s like a stinky shoe. The smell won’t go away, unless I do something to make it smell better. As a professional leadership coach I have the amazing gift in my life to create results with people and businesses. I love it, because I have the opportunity every day to see what works and what doesn’t work for people. Mostly the difference between a non-result and a result lies in traversing the gap between process and purpose. Consider that in every moment you are living in a vacuum of space and time. Inside of that vortex is a choice between thinking about doing something and actually doing something.
For example I can sit at my computer and be in a process about what to write or I can just begin writing. The cursor on my computer screen could care less. I don’t initiate my purpose until I actually begin typing something.
I ask you to consider this week the value in being on purpose. What would your experience be today if you were fully on purpose? Most people say they feel more enlivened and their life reveals a quality of depth and meaning. Some of us question what it means to be “on purpose”. Can you see that the very question pulls you into process rather than execution? It’s a slippery egoistic way to keep you on the couch as opposed to serving the world.
Leadership is tricky because the moment you move to purpose there will likely be someone standing there to question your process. Can you see the conundrum? This is where you will find resolve from one moment to the next. I find that the commitment lies in the very depth of my intention. That defines my purpose.
Also, you might find solace in the idea that process never ends. It never ends because it is similar to a “loop” in a computer software program. It keeps seeking to find something. The problem is that there is often no answer to the question that I am processing. Can you hear that?
I have two questions for you today. One, what is your purpose today? Two, what will you do to convert your purpose to action?
Have an purpose oriented day filled with action.
The mastery of precision inspires me. It’s a rarity in a world of get quick fixes. If you want to be reminded of the excellence in leadership, I recommend an evening out to your local symphony orchestra. The focus required to bring together a band of wind, percussion, horns etc….is a pristine example of sharpness. The results are magical and far reaching. People are touched by that kind of commitment. Why? Because for me sitting there, it seems effortless and as the Orchestra leader waves his wand with such alacrity, the entire team of musicians responds with ease.
We all know that to achieve a level of mastery requires thousands of hours of practice. Leadership is no different. And yet, even though the moments of graceful motion that come together in our lives and business may at times seem illusive, they do occur. And they occur through our commitment to being excellent at what we do. The sage leaders of our past will often talk of finding excellence in simple things. Choosing excellence is sometimes inconvenient. It’s not easy because so much of our world is wired against it. Most Companies speak of excellence in product satisfaction and yet when push comes to pull, the Customer Service agent will look at me with trepidation when I ask for the quality that was boasted about.
My message today invites us all to bridge the gap from complacency to excellence. Impeccable performance is a way of BEING. Sure it involves a skill to conduct a great symphony. And the perfection that I witnessed the other night was intentional, as well as technical. It was beautiful. Sometimes I well up with emotion when I experience this level of impeccability. It’s emotional to watch an athlete win a Gold medal because we all know what went into that performance. Or to watch an actor win an Oscar for an excellent performance can be equally inspiring. Leadership inspires the BEST in the people around him/her.
This week, I encourage you to hold yourself and the people around you to a higher standard. Today, stop for a moment. Consider an area that you could move from a 7 to a 10. What would the result be for you? How would you feel? It would require you slowing down in most cases. I suspect in the long run, you will save yourself a boatload of time by being excellent. It’s a conundrum in a world that works against excellence. Let’s get the product out the door. It’s a “test” version. It’s too darn easy to rationalize our discontent through performance. In this moment, I encourage a new sound. The sound of excellence is pervasive and it cannot be denied you as a powerful leader.
So in short, have an excellent week.
Filed under: Commitment, Leadership | Tags: aconcagua, Leadership, stephen mcghee
If I don’t love what I am doing, I ought not to do it at all. Why? Because if I am doing something because I think I “have” to, my performance is weak. I know this to be true for me, as there have been times in my life where I rationalized my half enthusiastic participation in the name of appeasement. Today, and in my life; I refuse to allow that way of being to exist.
Yes, I realize that many of us reading this message feel we have no choice in what we are doing. It would be ridiculous of me to argue your point, because I too have been the master of effectively arguing for my own limitations. I don’t see it as wrong or bad. I see it as life affirming and interesting. It’s more intriguing for me when I can love the journey of leadership no matter what I am doing. If I am doing it, then on some level, I have chosen it. Right? I mean nobody is twisting my arm to do my work, or write my blog or to get my butt to the gym. I do it because I choose it. If I don’t choose it, I am not going to do it. Can you hear that?
It shows up for me all the time. I did a training climb on Monday night that I did not want to do on that very afternoon. When I showed up for the actual climb, I chose doing it. http://www.theaconcaguaproject.com This is the Journey of Leading ourselves and others to more consistent results. I find it easier than fighting my way through something I have already said YES to doing. There have been many times in my life and business that have had me on my edge!!! Once I make the decision, I am going to “Lead Into” the steps required to get the job done. I am going to love each step. I can even love the steps I hate. Make sense? If I don’t want to do what I choose to do it’s psychotic on some level.
This week I inspire you to choose the Journey of Leadership by loving something you think you don’t want to do. I am not asking you to jump up and down like a ninny although you might try that to. I am encouraging you to see how quickly you can shift the outer choice to an inner appreciation of what you are doing. I mean it. Try it. If you are going to sit in the meeting, then love it. I mean enjoy that pain in your legs after your Cross Fit training.
The world and life is full of yuck. The journey of leadership encourages YOU and me to love the YUCK too.
Have an amazing journey.
Filed under: Commitment | Tags: deuce lutui, Leadership, stephen mcghee, Steve Hardison, TBOLITNFL
Deuce Lutui is the best offensive lineman in the NFL. It’s irrefutable to anyone that talks with him. Why? His Personal Internal Commitment to himself is to be the BEST. You can’t be the best at anything unless you can get your head around it first. So, what does Deuce Lutui have to do with you and me? Everything! His demonstration of leadership is inspiring people all over the globe. One day Mr. Lutui had a revelation. His epiphany starts in the psychology of who he is to himself. Never mind that the Ultimate Coach Steve Hardison (http://www.theultimatecoach.net ) lifted Deuce’s 360 lb frame into the heavens by challenging his very existence into a reality. Let’s forget for a moment that the cellular make up a Tongan stud like Lutui is to be humbled and to be a good servant. What Mr. Hardison helped Deuce to realize is that his beliefs around being humbled were in direct conflict with his abilities to be great! There is a tendency in some of our DNA to play it safe. I know full well how to rationalize my less than stellar performance in the name of humility. It’s total BS. Belief Systems are slippery…so why not pick a belief that radically supports the ultimate goal? That is to be the BEST.
I invite you to consider how you feel when you see a great skater receive a gold medal after 15 years of practice, or perhaps an Oscar winning actor that gets a great message to the people. Personally, I loved when Roberto Benigni went crazy at the Oscars; because he knew what he had done was amazing. The point is that each of us has greatness and as a leader you can choose the propensity to bring it forward in yourself and in those around you. We watch movies of the hero’s journey because ultimately we want to see people win. If we want to see others win, why not choose winning for ourselves.
Every single person reading this post has brilliance inside. If my personal internal commitment is to “get by” then guess what? I teach my mind, heart and body to respond to my lackluster performances. If however, I make the inner commitment to being outstanding at something, all things seen and not seen move forward to accomplish that mindset. I am not saying it will occur without serious sweat and maybe even tears. It will require the best of YOU. Great leaders expect high standards in their people. They inspire us to be our greatest selves and they will do just about anything to encourage that to happen. The point is that each of us has greatness interwoven into our Soul. Perhaps the Soul itself is so great that our current endeavor is to get in touch with it. As a leader you can choose the propensity to bring it forward in yourself and in those around you.
Today, I invite you to read the whole story on Deuce Lutui. Go to http://TBOLITNFL.com and read up on The Best Offensive Lineman In The NFL. It’s a story full of life and living as a leader. It’s a story about Personal Internal Commitment. It’s a love story of the greatest proportions. And I ask you, my friends, to discover your own PIC as you navigate your way to the very tip top of your personal and professional objectives.
Have a GREAT week.
Stephen
Your future can only be bright if you can see it as illumined. As you look into the negative influences of the past, the future becomes cynical as well. This may sound obvious and yet many of us still get stuck. How do I know? I am a “listener” of language. There are generally two kinds of communication. One is a communication of what went wrong that carries a sense of being victimized from the things that didn’t work. The other is a conversation of possibility. I am not here to judge or make either position wrong. In a way, it’s as if I am a scientist of communication. Having listened to many hundreds of leaders create their future, it’s become obvious to me, which one will actually create a magnificent future and those that won’t.
As you accept that living in the past is debilitating your ability to create more powerful results, an internal freedom emerges. This freedom is steeped in discipline and an inner desire to create a more compelling future. In fact, I encourage us to consider having a future that is so big that you have no idea how to actually fulfill on it. I recommend you declare a future that makes you into a bigger more loving leader than you could ever imagine yourself to be. That future will actually “want” YOU. It will pull you into the future.
Now to do that, you must spend less time telling yourself about how “right” you are about what “wronged” you. It has no value really. It helps us survive at best and most leaders I know are not interested in surviving. Most leaders I know are interested in making a difference. Once you have indentified a future worthy of your attention, then I encourage you to share it with people. I don’t mean talk about it. I mean share it until is sinks into the flesh of your heart. I want you to tell people about your compelling future until your voice hurts from talking about it. Why? Because you then won’t be talking about the crap you don’t like about the past. It propels you into the future.
Consider the great leaders of our past. They all had a big vision and most of them were pretty good about telling others about it. When JFK suggested putting a “man on the moon before the end of the decade” he (and NASA) had no idea “how” to do that. The how will come to you as you lean into your future. Walt Disney was another one that was amazing at seeing something and moving his life in that direction. Disneyland was a bare lot at one point and that is not what Walt was seeing. He saw the whole thing before his very eyes and then he shared it with anyone that would listen.
So, today; create a future for YOU and begin living into it. What will it be? It will be whatever you say it is. Make it big and bold and speak it into existence. As you do that, begin to notice what happens in your body, mind and Soul. Some of us may feel nervous. That’s ok too as it’s a newer focus. Many of us will feel the energy pulse through the veins of creation as you share the Future of Leadership with those around you.
As always, I love hearing from YOU on what you are making happen.
There is a place deep inside of me that knows the truth. If I am moving too fast, I wonder what I am distracting myself from. That’s my cue to slow down and tune in. That’s when the inner leader emerges with clarity and resolve. I know what I need to do. It takes courage to slow down. It requires patience to find it. What am I trying to find? I must find my balance. Otherwise, I move past the lessons, the solutions and or the client opportunities. Actually, I miss my whole life.
How many of you can relate? Almost everything our society points us toward is about going faster. BEING balanced requires a certain counter intuitive leadership. It can feel lazy to be balanced. Why? I think it’s because so many of us are living lives where we are constantly trying to keep up with the list. Yes, the list we created or the list that was agreed to. I was in a beautiful mountain resort this last weekend. The leaves were golden with a hint of Fall in the air. I really found my balance again. It only took a few days. I found the place inside me that is balanced, rested and calm. From this place, I am a stronger coach. I can serve people better. This all important message in Leadership never fails to temper me. I am tempered by my own distractions as I find the inward balanced. I love this place. I must admit, I had lost it for awhile. Maybe even for a long time? I am not sure how it snuck in.
I can tell you that when I feel this way, the most important word in the English language is NO. NO, I won’t do that. No, I am not available at that time. Keep in mind people, you are not a robot. You are an amazing human being and without balance what are we? I/we are crazed lunatics (drama for impact) finding our way through a sea of confusion. It never works in the long run. In my book, I tell a story (download at www.miracleleader.com) of a dying friend that I had the opportunity to ask a question of. I asked, as you look back on your life; what one thing would you do differently. She said, I would have said NO more to things I thought I had to say YES to. I thought that was profound. I never forgot the look in her eyes.
Now, like everything that comes in your inbox you have a choice you can make right now. You can slow down right now and consider how “balanced” you are being. Are you experiencing equanimity? If not, it’s ok; as it’s not a sin. Its can be adjusted. It can be solved as you become aware of the identity you may have that pushes you around. NO, it’s not your boss, your mother, your spouse, or tax payments. The only way any of us can become out of sorts is as we allow ourselves to get off balanced.
I encourage you today, to assess your situation. What can you do to experience more peace inside your Self? You will lead other people more effectively. I find if I catch it sooner than later, it’s easier to move back to that soft spot faster. If you open this message on Friday, you most likely have a non-work weekend ahead. Now, the really cool thing about leadership is that practice assists me in finding my balance more readily. What that means for me, is that I can actually be busy and still be balanced. And if I am not willing to practice my core leadership skills, I cannot call on them when I need them the most. I thank God for the skills I have learned.
Have a balanced week or two.
Loving
The Get Real Blog 