It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Southern California)
In this New Year I'm going to continue to explore some leadership quotes that might challenge us, inspire us or remind us of different aspects of the leadership journey. This is part of my personal journey to keep growing, learning and being stretched! Join me each Tuesday at 2:00pm (PST). It will take you just a few minutes to read through the 2 sections of this post, but don't miss the final section where I share some of the things I'm reading, listening to and enjoying this week.
You can find past posts on my website HERE.
Enjoy!
LEADERSHIP QUOTE:
"A person's success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have." Tim Ferriss
What does this stir up? Either write me HERE or comment at the end of the blog post HERE.
A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:
This is the final quote I'll share from Tim Ferriss. While I have listened and read to a lot of what Ferriss has produced, I will say that I don't always agree with 100% of what he shares, but it causes me to think.
The quote above is one of those for me.
Here's my question for you: Do you AGREE with this statement or do you DISAGREE with his quote?
I'll share below my personal opinion below, however there is a whole theme embedded in the idea of "uncomfortable conversations" and how we embrace them.
We can call this "managing conflict" or a term used is "crucial conversations". However we define it, it's simply the ability to have these kinds of conversations with people.
As Ferris addresses the theme of productivity in much of his work, he zeros in on the idea that FEAR often keeps us from doing what it is we were made to do or what it is we really want to do.
For many of us, having a difficult or uncomfortable conversation with someone is something that we tend to avoid, ignore or rush through as quickly as possible.
Do you AGREE with his statement that your ability to experience success is linked directly with your ability to have these uncomfortable conversations?
DEEPER STILL:
Now, to my personal opinion on this quote:
While I believe it's really important that we be able to have "uncomfortable conversations" with people around us, I don't believe it's the ONLY measurement of our success, but it can be ONE of the measurements of our success.
Years ago, I had a personal experience in "conflict management" that changed the way I have had conversations every since.
I was in deep conflict with a team member, and was avoiding the conflict and not embracing it head on. He called me on it, and face-to-face we had a series of conversations that led us through that situation, and also taught me the power and importance of navigating a conflict and not avoiding it.
That experience has shaped me as a leader, and I often wonder what I was like before that "uncomfortable conversation".
Since that time, I've read, practiced, failed miserably and have also grown in my ability to have these kinds of conversations, and it no longer paralyzes me, but it often energizes me: not the conflict, but the resolution!
Patrick Lencioni, one of my favorite authors, in The Five Dysfunctions of a Team talks about the fact that a meeting without conflict is an unnecessary meeting, and then he talks about how to use conflict to find truth!
All that to say, that I believe our ability to have these uncomfortable conversations is A measurement of our success, but it's not the only one. There are so many other things that play into our success, and that begins with defining what success really looks like for each of us, because it's different for everyone.
Talking about SUCCESS, how do you measure success in your life?
Things I'm Reading, Listening To and Watching This Week:
Find out more about Tim Ferriss
Here's a blog post from Tim Ferriss entitled: 30 Quotes I'm Pondering and Revisiting.
I'm not sure how I missed this series on Netflix, but I'm watching season 5 of Formula 1: Drive to Survive. I've never understood much about Formula 1 Racing, so I'm getting an education. I just realized there are 5 seasons of the documentary.
Family Win at the Irvine Park Railroad in Southern California! Got to enjoy an evening with our grandson and all of our kids!
LikeWise Worship is an organization we support that cares for Worship Leaders. They are growing and making a huge impact. Check them out...