Keep Your Eyes on the Stars, But Your Feet on the Ground

Leaders often have quotes that serve as inspiration.  These quotes can serve as a reminder of how they approach leadership, or maybe it is something motivational that keeps them excited, despite challenges that they may face. 

One such quote for me is from Theodore Roosevelt.  The original version was given when he was the governor of New York, and its most famous iteration was then given at the National Cathedral School of Washington , D.C. 

“Keep your eyes on the stars, but your feet on the ground.”  As I have spent time thinking about this quote, it has so many meanings that have touched my life.  Starting at the top, it highlights the importance of having goals.  Having a vision, setting it high, and shooting for the stars is the origin of the path to success.  It’s hard to progress toward a goal of any kind, if you don’t have a vision or desired destination to keep you moving forward. 

And at the same time, without your feet on the ground to move you, you might find yourself standing still, lost in what could be, with no momentum to make it a reality.  In the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, actor Gene Wilder quotes the first two lines of a poem by Arthur O’Shaughnessy.  “We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams.”  When viewed through the same lens, these two lines speak to both the need for dreaming and the action of doing.

By changing the perspective on Roosevelt’s quote, it also can serve as a lesson in humility.  As mentioned in a previous post, great wisdom can come from children’s cinema.  In the words of Judy Hopps in Disney’s Zootopia, as leaders we seek to “make the world a better place.”  But the best way to keep from losing your head in the clouds, is to have a reminder that it is the hard work put in daily, combined with having your feet firmly grounded in reality that can give perspective and direction on how to reach your goals.  Ultimately, I hope you are able to use this grounding and approach to reach your own stars.   

Today’s prescription:  I will maintain high goals, and I will strive to reach those goals by combining humility and hard work. 

Why W.A.I.T?

Today’s prescription is simple:  Nothing is truly accomplished alone. 

I’d like to challenge you to think of some of the accomplishments that you have had that you are the most proud.  Maybe it is a personal accomplishment, or maybe it is a professional one.  It could be an award, a promotion at work, or anything else where you felt like you made a difference.   How did that make you feel?  Really think about how successful, how proud, and probably how fulfilled you felt being able to achieve that goal? 

Now for the kicker, I want you to think about all the people who helped you in that pursuit.  Chances are good that you had plenty of help along the way.  Whether it was a mentor that reviewed your paperwork or provided countless hours of guidance.  Or maybe it was a team of individuals that you helped lead to a particularly great outcome. 

My whole career has been in a setting that has secure entry.  To get in, you have to pass through a set of doors that are controlled by another person.  In one particular location the phrase “We Achieve it Together” was painted on the wall.  I admit, I always found it humorous that I was standing, waiting for someone to open a door for me, and the acronym on the wall spelled W.A.I.T.  But this phrase really stuck with me, and should really be taken up as a leadership mantra. 

“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”  It is a very famous Harry Truman quote, but one that couldn’t be more true.  Let’s think about one scenario with two approaches.  You work collaboratively as a team leader with two other individuals on a big project.  Scenario 1:  You take credit for all the positive results of the project, and ignore (or at best downplay) the actions of the other team members.  Or Scenario 2:  You downplay your own involvement, and give credit to those members on your team for the success of the project. 

I am willing to bet that sitting here reading this that your first thought is: of course I would act like scenario 2.  However, life isn’t that simple.  What if the success of that project determined a promotion?  What if it was tied to a monetary bonus?  Are you willing to decrease or give up those opportunities to better and further your team?  I would pose a challenge that if you are not ready to do so, then you are not ready for taking your leadership to its highest levels.  And even beyond that, you are holding back the true potential of those you are working with.  As I have previously noted, it is easier to demotivate a motivated person than to motivate an unmotivated one.  And lack of recognition for accomplishments can be a great demotivator.  Which brings us back to Harry Truman.  When is our team operating at its highest levels?  When everyone is valued for their contribution and input.    

“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” – Ryunosuke Satoro.  I always enjoy quotes like this.  It shows the power we can have if we work together.  We all have challenges, fears of the unknown, and maybe even concerns about what the future looks like.  But if you can harness the potential of that ocean and direct it toward a common goal, you can bring about sustainable change that makes the world a better place. 

Challenges breed opportunity.  We can best take advantage of those opportunities together.  “If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.” -Booker T. Washington.   It is this quote that has inspired the logo for The Leadership Prescription.  Those that know me, know how much I actually enjoy children’s television.  There is often a lot of wisdom in these shows, and we will revisit this idea in the future.  I’d like to use one example from the PHS series Daniel Tiger, a newer spinoff of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood.  Allow me to quote a set of lyrics that fits right in with what we are talking about:  “Lifting something heavy, Can be hard to do alone, But you’re much stronger, With your friends than on your own, They are there for you, When you need some help, If you can’t do it alone, work together, It’s better to work together.” 

One simple way to start with this concept is to give credit, where credit is due.   When you have an opportunity to speak, make it a point to give credit to those colleagues who are doing great work.  Be deliberate about it, but be genuine about it.  Having your name put out for great work in a simple and genuine way binds you in to a leader.  It creates powerful teams, and powerful teams accomplish great things.  I know I look forward to hearing about all the great people that you get to work with, as well. 

So why W.A.I.T.?  Because it is the only true way to create sustainable change. 

Own your attitude to lead your team

“You’re grumpy today.” Not a statement you ever want to hear, but this was a statement that was recently made to me on a particularly challenging day. And this is exactly the type of statement that should make a good leader step back and evaluate the current state of things. Why? Because attitudes are contagious.

No doubt you’ve heard of someone having an infectious smile or personality. But have you spent much time truly thinking about the implications of that? What it really means: individuals have an ability to affect the way that others feel, simply by giving a smile or the way they act. And in many ways, this is common sense. But how do we use this knowledge to make ourselves better leaders?

The first step is to recognize this phenomenon and understand the power that emotions and actions can have. They can inspire us to be part of something bigger than ourselves, or they can destroy motivation and team dynamic. And as such, owning emotions and being a positive force can be a powerful tool in the leaders toolbox.

After I made my first professional move, I was visited by one of mentors. I was speaking to him on the phone, as he was preparing to leave his hotel to come pick me up to grab some dinner. He was asking for directions from the front desk, so that he could go meet his “friend.” I remember this moment vividly, and to this day I would be unable to put words to what this truly meant to me. This was someone I had looked up to during my career, and he just described me as a friend. It was a small gesture that he didn’t even realize he did, or the impact that it had. Check out Drew Dudley’s TEDx Talk where he describes these types of Lollipop Moments.

With such power in our smallest gestures, think of the good that could be done! And yet, it is much easier to demotivate a motivated team member than it is to motivate an unmotivated one. Too often when I speak with colleagues, it is the same type of small gesture that has had the opposite effect. Something small, and often innocuous by the sender, that brings down and kills the motivation of the receiver.

Does that mean we should live our lives in constant fear of hurting others feelings? Walking on egg shells with every interaction? Absolutely not? What does it mean? For starters, it means we should be aware. The old adage is that sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me, isn’t accurate. Words have power, and we should use this power wisely. Ask yourself, is what I am about to say going to convey the true intent of my message? Too often we are too quick to speak, when it is best to be quick to listen, and slow to respond.

And if we circle back to the gracious highlighting of my grumpy mood. I can attest, I knew the day was challenging, but I didn’t “feel” like I was acting any differently. The take home lesson was that on challenging days, I need to “measure twice, cut once” when it comes to my words and actions. Because those actions affect everyone on the team.

Today’s prescription: I will be aware of my attitude, and I will convey the positive support that I want to see in my team. Because attitudes are infectious.

Success in Leadership by Following the Rules of the Road

Today’s Prescription: Follow the rules of the road

Ever have someone tell you to “stay in your lane?” Many times this is not a compliment, and is usually in response to overstepping some boundary (real or imaginary). In contrast though, on my last promotion, I was complimented by a superior for not simply “sticking to my lane.” So what determines if this is seen as positive or a negative? Well that depends on how you got there.

Imagine yourself driving down the interstate, minding your own business, when suddenly a car aggressively passes you on the wrong side, changes lane without signalling, and makes an obscene gesture on the way by. Have a warm and fuzzy feeling? Of course not. You might even feel your blood pressure rising and be experience a low level of road rage just imagining this scenario. However, in reality, leadership that is aggressive, impersonal, and lacks respect has the same negative impact on those impacted.

Now imagine the same scenario, except the individual uses their turn signal, changes lanes, safely passes, and gives a friendly gesture while continuing on his merry way. Everyone feels much better as they continue on their day

So while that concept seems simple, what are the take home points to operationalize it? Consider keeping these points in mind to deliberately improve your leadership skills.

  • Know how to operate the vehicle
  • Know the destination
  • Maintain situational awareness
  • Communication is key
  • Take advantage of opportunity
  • Respect those on the road
  • Enjoy the ride

Know (learn) the basic operation of the vehicle: While in some ways this seems straightforward, it comes with a caveat. The leader does NOT have to be the best expert in the field. While understanding the craft or industry that you are working in is important, leadership is a totally separate discipline. And the best leaders can adapt and trust those working with them to ensure efficiencies are obtained. But the leader should work to maintain a basic understanding of the industry they work in. Without understanding of the basic workings, it becomes impossible to not only gain the trust of those working with you, but to have the vision to anticipate challenges and opportunities to truly thrive. Ultimately preventing truly knowing how to steer the ship.

Know the destination: Following a directionless leader is much like following a lost driver. And this direction needs to come from a study and at least basic understanding of the industry or aspect of life that is being overseen. Perhaps you’ve had this experience? Maybe you don’t know how your piece fits in to the overall company strategy? Or maybe your higher level leaders haven’t given clear direction. It leads to frustration and ultimately a loss of motivation. Teams in some settings may be to able to survive this, but they will never thrive.

Maintain situational awarenesss: One way to think of this is the difference between having a map, a GPS, and then also watching where you are going. A map is only as accurate as the last time that it was updated. Relying on outdated directions can lead to confusion and getting your team lost. Which leads you to increase your situational awareness of your surroundings. You have more of a GPS mindset, that is constantly monitoring changes in the roadways and rerouting for the best options to continue to move forward. But at the end of the day, if you aren’t looking out the window where you are going, you are sure to have a spectacular crash.

You can think of it this way: Good leaders have to have awareness at all those levels. Map: a historical knowledge of what worked; GPS: a monitoring of the overall progress that is reflexive enough to change with changing circumstances; and an in-the-moment awareness, to ensure immediate changes and threats are able to be dealt with. Awareness at all three levels will keep you safely traveling down the road of leadership.

Communication is key: But maybe you’re the leader that has a good handle on the operation, and you hold the directions needed to directly take your team to the highest levels of success? The largest pothole sitting in your future is communication. It is the ultimate key to success. You can have the best plans, but if you aren’t able (or don’t) communicate it to those who need to know, you can appear to be an absent leader. In his book “Call Sign Chaos,” Jim Mattis notes a three point strategy that I find a simple way to stay on track with communication. 1. What do I know? 2. Who needs to know? 3. Have I told them? These three simple questions can save you a lot of headaches and heartaches and help build strong cohesive teams.

Respect those on the road: You’re daily commute is probably enough to remind you that you aren’t the only driver on the road. And your actions can have effects on all of them, from the drivers (leaders) in front of you to those on your team riding in your car. In many ways, respect is the glue that keeps the “stay in your lane” comment a compliment instead of an insult. You as the leader dictate the environment. Driving erratically, selfish behaviors, or demeaning those around you will lead to frustration, jealously, and ultimate failure of your teams performance.

Enjoy the ride: The best road trips are fraught with challenges, and let’s face it – those make for the best stories. The road ahead may be smooth at time, but there are going to be bumpy roads and few accidents that happen. But failure isn’t a destination. Show respect for yourself. Humble yourself to the temporary failure, and learn from the mistake. Your humanity is in those mistakes, and your team can grow together from them. There are many wonderful moments that come from taking the journey into leadership. Enjoy the ride!

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go….” – Dr. Seuss

The Starting Dose

Today’s prescription: Take the first dose.

And with that, I’d like to welcome you to The Leadership Prescription. I am getting started with this forum with the hope of having a repository of my experience and knowledge for all things “leadership”. My dream has always been to make the world a better place, and I hope that the information contained here can be put to good use to develop leadership skills that can be used in every aspect of life.

Why do this?

  • Because just like learning to play a sport or musical instrument, leadership is a skill that needs practice to be developed properly.
  • Because everyone has unique skills and talents that they bring to the table, and has the potential to make a difference in the lives of those people around them.

I am a pharmacist by profession (hence the slightly corny, but hopefully lovable blog title), and in addition to my Doctor of Pharmacy degree, I also have Master’s Degrees in Forensic Science and Health Administration with nearly 12 years of experience in a unique practice setting. My passion lies in learning, teaching, mentoring, and the sharing ideas, and those that know me best know how much I believe in continuous quality improvement.

“You are not here merely to prepare to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.” – Woodrow Wilson