Do YOU Believe in the Power of 100/0

Have you ever felt bullied….misunderstood or unappreciated…either at work or in your personal life? I have felt that way multiple times throughout my career as I have come to realize that corporate America is not a meritocracy. To realize that unqualified…. overwhelmed…insecure…people can rise to leadership positions is something that happens and we have to find a way to move forward even in the face of what we feel we cannot accept. 

In recent years I have adopted the following two mantras that have helped me to move forward through whatever challenge I have faced….

1)      No one’s coming…no one cares…..so….I’m coming….I care!

2)      Courage is not acting fearlessly…it is acting despite being fearful

A Story.....

We also face these situations in our personal lives…especially in today’s world of social media with cyber bullying where people can hide behind a device. In an instant…nameless…countless others can jump into a conversation they have no part of …no understanding of….and send something viral.   This happened to us a few years ago with a problem our daughter was having at school. I won’t go into all the details, but suffice to say that she was being picked on by some other girls. This gave me one of those rare moments as a parent to use some of my “Mom wisdom” with her as she absolutely refused to get out of bed one Tuesday morning. She was what can best be described as, shredded. It was that heaving, sobbing cry. As I sat on the edge of her bed I said “It takes courage to show up every day. There will be many times in your life where you don’t think you can face what’s in front of you, but you always have to forge forward – it only gives those who are against us more power. Momma runs into that sometimes at work so it is something that happens to all of us.” My daughter, in between her tears famously said…….

”but Mom, you work with professional people who have a lot of experience and the kids in High School are all a bunch of SAVAGES!” 

That moment gave me great cause to pause because what I really wanted to say in response was.…”My sweet girl…those kids just get older and end up in the workplace ….so I know ALL about it! “

The Way Forward...

I really wish there was an easy answer for when we face these challenges in our lives and our careers. All we can really do is look in the mirror…hold ourselves accountable…hold others accountable for their actions…lead by example…and work to be the change we want to see in the world. I watched a short video by Dr John Izzo 100% Responsibility 0% Excuses who talks about how a bank became one of the best places in America to work and how successful it was. “The power of the bank is the power of Love….tough love” and 100/0. I had 100/0 on the door of my office for a long time – it was always a simple yet powerful reminder for me. Take the time to watch it…it’s worth it!

My commitment to myself is that I will always….

-         Push for what I believe to be right

-         Strive to leave things in better shape than I found them

-         Take great pride that we will NOT always get credit for the good deeds we do…and that regardless of others knowing it…doing good is always worth it…even if we are the only ones that know

-         Find ways show up and care (not only for me but for those around me)

-         Motivate myself (and others) to find a way forward – the answers are always within us even if we don’t initially see the way forward – don’t wait for someone else to do it for you.

 “Changing your attitude can change your life. Changing your life can changes the lives of others” 

Leadership Questions of the Week for YOU: When our people lack the courage to face the hard road ahead, how can we break down barriers to give them the way forward…and how do we give it to ourselves? How often in the last week did our actions speak louder than words and have an effect on those around us (positive or negative)? Can you think of a moment recently where you changed your attitude and it changed someone else? What if we all focused and talked about 100/0 – how would that help us be more successful?

Thanks for reading and remember....YOU make a difference!

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