What’s Going On
The buttercups are in bloom. One of my favorite times of the year. They give me an excuse NOT to mow the lawn. I milk this until the weeds are a foot high and I have to break down, drag the mower out and cut it all down.
This weekend, my Thomas Jefferson High School Class of 1970 turns 70. We’re getting together 52 years after we graduated to look at waistlines, hairlines, and wrinkles to celebrate that we’re still here.
Few of the folks that I thought of as friends back then are attending, but I’m looking forward to hearing the stories of those who do attend, hopefully to get to know them and possibly to make some new friends.
I’m doing a lot of work on the role story plays in effective leadership. Today’s story relates how my dad used story to establish his vision, and values as The Way on his jobsites.
The Right Way, The Wrong Way, and the Navy Way
When my dad got out of the Navy back in ’53, he had no idea what he was going to do for a living. His younger brother had apprenticed as a bricklayer while Daddy had been in the service and Daddy figured, “Why not?”
By 1960, he was running his own masonry contracting business. It was the Summer of ’63 that he first took me to work with him. I was 10 years old, soon to turn 11. I carried brick all day long. I had wanted to go to work with y dad as far back as I could remember, but I have to tell you by lunch that day I was over it.
I always thought Daddy was making a man of me, but when I became a parent I realized this had just been the daycare of the time. By the time I turned 16 and got my driver’s license I had five years’ experience under my belt, and he made me a foreman responsible for delivering men and material to the jobsites.
By this time I was starting to pay attention to ow the jobs were run. I would hear the men mutter and make sotto voce comments like, “The right way to do this is…”
Inevitably, someone would say this within my dad’s hearing and he would respond, “When I was in the Navy there was The Right Way, The Wrong Way, and The Navy Way, and on my jobsites there’s The Right Way, The Wrong Way, and My Way.”
After a while the men might have suggested alternative solutions, but nobody was stupid enough to refer to their suggestion as ‘The Right Way.’
Family, community, and business leaders are responsible for aligning their followers with the Mission/Purpose (why the group does what it does), the Vision (What they’re working to accomplish) and the Culture (The way we do things around here). Success is extremely difficult without this alignment.
I believe one of the most effective tools for this purpose, if not THE most effective leadership tool is story.
We’re all leaders, whether we like it or not. We start with leading ourselves and if we abdicate that responsibility we wander without purpose, without a North Star, without parameters by which to evaluate our actions. And even if we don’t have a title or position someone is always watching us, modeling their behavior on ours, whether we realize, recognize it or acknowledge it.
One of the stories I tell myself is someone is always watching, even if it’s just me. As such I examine everything I do through the lens of my two values (the measurable behaviors by which I evaluate my performance) of Respect, and Trustworthiness. Respect for myself, respect for others, and respect for my work. And striving to be worthy of the trust extended by my colleagues, my customers, and the communities within which I operate.
What’s Your Way? What stories do you tell yourself about why you do what you do? What stories do you tell yourself about what you’re trying to accomplish? And what stories do you tell yourself that exemplify the values that dictate The Way you do what you do?
Remember Socrates dictum, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
And while you’re thinking about it, look around, if you’re observant the odds are you’ll notice someone watching you; lead a life worth watching.
“The unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates
Featured Storyteller
Dorothy Erlanger
Dorothy Erlanger inspires others to take personal charge of their wellness and their life decisions. Dorothy posted an update on LinkedIn the other day talking about the struggles of getting up and getting back in the game post pandemic.
Dorothy’s one of my sheroes. Check out her profile and story by clicking here.
Listen, Sister! Finding Hope in the Freakshow of Life is a hilarious collection of short personal stories that turn awkward memories into much needed encouragement. Each tale of real-life shenanigans points out glimpses of God in the everyday and directs women to the source of true joy in their stress-filled lives.
Listen, Sister! Finding Hope in the Freakshow of Life is launching June 14, 2022.
You can pre-order it here: Listen, Sister!: Finding Hope in the Freakshow of Life by Tess Scott, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)
I Want to Hear from You
I’d love to hear about the leadership stories you tell yourself and those in your charge.
Drop me a line or two at [email protected] and tell me what you’d like me to write about.
Til next time,
Gayle Turner
Executive Producer.