Reframing failure
What does failure look like to you?
I heard a lovely quote today—from Adam Pearson, the actor and disability campaigner.
“Failure is not the opposite of success. Failure is part of the journey towards success.”
It’s easy to get disheartened by failure. Especially when you’re in a culture that tolerates failure or ridicules success.
However, as a leader, you need to embrace failure—and reframe it at every opportunity.
Leadership is a choice
We can all be leaders—if we choose.
To speak out. Or not.
To stand up. Or not.
To specialise. Or not.
I fervently believe that anyone can be a leader.
All it takes is a little courage.
Avoiding the illiterate class
In a competitive world, how do you get ahead—then stay ahead.
As writer and futurist, Alvin Toffler, said: “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”
It’s simply your ability to see something new or differently; to learn and unlearn; to react creatively in times of change.
And it’s a learned behaviour.
While some of us may be better at it than others, it’s a discipline. A skill we can cultivate over time. A way of life that starts simply by paying attention.
DTTTTTYT
I’ve been searching for an articulate way to capture what we do.
Six years on—and I think we’re there.
“Discover trusted tools and techniques to transform your team.”
This is our guiding mission. And I believe it says quite nicely what we’re about.
Discover—this plays to our policy of pollinating ideas. It also stokes a vision of constantly searching for new ideas, new ways to do things. Never complacent. Always learning.
Trusted—this plays to our scholarly by nature philosophy. We only promote practical and proven paths.
Tools and techniques—we prefer practical ideas over theoretical concepts. Period. We’ll then design them to be as easy to unpack as an Ikea bench.
Transform your team—we’re obsessed about helping leaders create step change improvement. Encouraging growth is our mantra. Fundamentally, we want to help you succeed. If your team succeeds, then you’ll succeed. And if you succeed, then we’ll succeed.
And so, DTTTTYT is our first seven letter acronym.
What do you think?
What’s the most helpful question you can ask your team?
Managers often tell people what needs to happen. Do this. Do that. Do the other.
Leadership is different.
It’s about supporting your team. And taking them with you on a journey.
But how?
Experience leaders will always keep a few key phrases or questions up their sleeve. Proven in the field. They know exactly when to wield them.
Sometimes direct. Sometimes disarming. They will often make you stop and think.
Here’s one from the top draw of transformational leaders: “What do you think?”
It’s a simple question. And often overlooked. But next time you’re about to deploy an arsenal of instructions. Stop yourself. And instead, ask your team their thoughts.
You might be surprised by their answers.
Change one thing—change everything
How do you create a step change difference?
It starts with a simple decision.
When you make Excellence your mission—you start to change everything.
We believe Excellence is an approach to life—not just business. It’s a mindset about how you do things. Not playing small, but stepping up and leading by example.
What got you here, won’t get you there
As a new leader, it’s tempting to repeat what previously worked. However, sometimes you need to unlearn what you already know. Accept that you could be wrong. Be willing to change your mind. And adapt.
Small rules vs big ideas
Have you ever noticed how small rules can get in the way of doing meaningful work?
Small rules are about management and control. About following the rules. Yes—important. But don’t let them derail you from doing the right thing.
The subtle art of persuasion
How do you make your meetings more appealing?
It starts with breaking down barriers, candour, enjoyment, getting off on a positive tone, starting on time…. first come first served.
VFTM
How do you stay focused as a leader?
This may sound like a simple question. In reality it can be hard—and nuanced.
People and politics. Poor expectations. Mismanaged expectations. The scope creep monster. There’s many reasons when staying focused can a challenge. So what can you do?
I suggest you write down the letters, VFTM.
VFTM stands for the Vital Few vs Trivial Many. A useful prompt for keeping the main thing the main thing. An opportunity to reject the non-essential and focus on what really needs to happen.
EGSP® Compass in print
The Twelve Scholars Leadership Playbook is your essential guide to leadership.
Inside, you’ll discover everything you need to know—and everything you need to do.
You’ll also find a comprehensive guide to using the EGSP® Leadership Compass.
What is your belief system?
What do you believe in? What are all the things that make you—well—you.
Here’s a list of our beliefs about leadership. Do you agree?
The world needs better leaders.
Leadership is required at every level.
Leadership is doing the right thing.
Leadership is giving a damn.
Leadership is very different from management.
The best managers are always leaders.
The best leaders are not always managers.
For organisations to grow, people need to grow.
The best leaders are always learning.
We can learn from failure.
We can learn from nature.
We learn most when we teach others.
Internationally Tracked
When did postage get so expensive?
We’ve had a few orders this week from across the pond. And true to word—we’ve ensured every book is intentionally internationally tracked.
Fingers crossed Storm Lilian doesn’t disrupt delivery.
YouTube reaches 550
A big thank you.
Today, our YouTube channel reached 550 subscribers. Although we haven’t posted a new video for a while, it’s reassuring to know that people value the channel. So thank you for being part of the journey.
Inspire, be inspired.
No bullsh*t strategy
What does your strategy look like?
This week’s essential read was No Bullshit Strategy by Alex H M Smith. I met Alex last month and immediately warmed to his frank assessment of business.
It’s a short read and gets to the point quickly (as you’d expect from such a title).
My biggest takeaways:
Ditch the slide deck. Write your strategy on one piece of paper. In simple language.
Writing in prose will allow people to internalise the strategy and repeat it in their own words. Everyone should understand your strategy—without further explanation.
Only strategies which your competitors might choose not to do are legitimate. Strategies which everyone would agree with, and which everyone would be keen to pursue, are illegitimate.
Great strategies produce companies which have no direct competition at all.
I’m now rewriting our own strategy—as a minimum viable strategy.
Film on Friday
Back to our YouTube Studio today to film new training videos. Our leadership course has moved on since last year. And so it’s time to update and refresh the opening tutorials.
Nothing too drastic. Just a few tweaks and minor adjustments. Always improving. :-)
An early scholar bee
Cheaper than Royal Mail, it was an early train to Manchester this morning.
The aim was to hand deliver copies of our Leadership Playbook and EGSP Wooden Block®, then be back home by mid-morning. It worked a treat. (Gotta get them steps in!)
Loved the early start. And seeing those Spanish tourists nurse a hangover. ;-)
The essence of ‘Leadership’
What’s at the heart of culture change?
From the outset, we’ve been helping leaders and their teams focus on three areas:
World class basics.
Do the right thing.
Give a damn.
As a leader, if you can stay true to these principles you won’t got too far wrong.
Blue sky thinking
Where do you go to clear your head?
For me, I head to the West Pennine Moors. And with my running shoes on, I can reach this trig point in less than 30 minutes.
This photo was taken last night. It’s looking west at Winter Hill.
From these vantage points, you can see Snowdonia, the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and the Peak District. That’s four of the finest national parks in the UK.
(You also get a stunning view of Manchester).
And so this is my playground. It’s where I go to clear my head. And get a good workout.
What about you? Where’s your special place?