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By Courtney Clark
The world is always changing: trees grow and trees get cut down. The “latest” technology becomes outdated in months. Even YOU aren’t the same person you were last year. We know change is a given. But one of the hardest things for many people to grasp about change is that it happens with or without your consent. You can fight against changes, or you can begin accepting change and figure out a way to make the most of it. The easiest way to get on board with change is by recognizing the advantages that change brings. Five Advantages of Accepting Change 1) More time. Most people who resist change find that their resistance efforts are futile. Your time is important, and it could be put to so much better use. So, why waste time resisting change? 2) Less misery. Change may feel miserable at first, but fighting a losing battle also results in misery. Getting on board with change produces less stress in the long run, and gives you a chance to make something good come of it. 3) Increased progress. When you get on board with change, you have the ability to make the most of your new situation. Change offers new opportunities and choices. 4) More control. Fighting change reinforces a sense of lack of control over life circumstances. When you turn your focus inward and spend your time controlling what you can control in the situation, you’re likely to realize a more favorable outcome. 5) More opportunities. Change can feel paralyzing. But successful people are more likely to use change as a springboard to a new, brighter future. No, those opportunities don’t happen by default. It takes work to discover them and nurture them. But it only happens if you actually reframe change as full of possibility. It’s okay to feel intimidated by change. The unknown is always scary! But the quicker you commit to taking that first step forward into change, instead of trying to avoid it, the quicker you’ll get to take advantage of the success that change can bring. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success!
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By Roger Crawford. This was originally published on Roger's blog.
How do you define winning? Typically, we think of winning as being victorious over another person, about being #1, the best of the best, a world champion. I want to encourage you to rethink what it means to win. Here’s why: I’ve accepted that regardless of how hard I train or how often I practice, I will never be the best Roger in tennis! No matter what, he will be superior to me on the tennis court, and I have a better chance of surviving the Hunger Games than beating Roger Federer. Granted, very few of us can compete with the great Federer, but we can compete with ourselves to be better today than we were yesterday. You can’t control another person’s excellence, but you can control yours. Consider this: Winning is not just about beating your opponent or finishing first in a race, but if only one person can achieve the ultimate victory, how can you also be a winner? Ironically, the best way to win is by consistently beating yourself. When your entire focus is on what others are doing, you won’t be doing everything you can to become your best self. You win by beating your anxieties, limitations, and self-doubt. It’s about beating self-imposed obstacles and rising above your current level of performance. Your self-confidence is increased when you consistently better your best. The more you improve, the more you trust yourself and the more you realize what you are truly capable of. External wins begin with internal wins. By looking at winning from this perspective, you can finish second and still have a huge win. In the same respect, someone might be victorious but still lose if they don’t realize their full potential. Think about it, if winning is about beating yourself, it isn’t necessary to have an opponent. The only real competition is you. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By Mary Kelly
Succession planning is an important process for any business. It helps you to prepare for the future and ensures that your business continues to operate smoothly. However, many businesses do not have a plan in place. This can lead to problems later down the road. Here are five tips to help you prepare for your succession plan. Tip 1: Define Your Goals, Objectives, Timelines When it comes to succession planning, one of the most important things you can do is to define your goals and objectives. This will help ensure that the new leadership team is aligned with your company’s overall mission and vision. This will also help you to identify who should take on which responsibilities in the event of an unexpected change or sudden emergency. Establish clear and concise goals and objectives for your organization during the transitional period. It is important to set timelines for when each goal should be accomplished, so that everyone knows what is expected of them. Tip 2: Assess Your Current Business Leadership Situation One of the most important steps in preparing for your succession plan is assessing your current business leadership situation. This helps you identify areas you may need to improve, as well as identify potential successors. Additionally, it can help you determine how soon you might need to make a transition. Tip 3: Research Potential Successors for Top Leadership Positions When it comes to succession planning, it is important to have a plan in place. But what if you are not sure who the right candidates are for top leadership positions? Start by researching potential successors for top leadership positions. Get input from your team. Ask your employees who they think could be a viable candidate for the next position and why. This will help you get a sense of who is qualified and who would be a good fit for the role. Look at industry trends. What other companies are doing? What successful leaders have been replaced in recent years? This information can give you an idea of who might be a good replacement for you, or provide pointers on how to improve Tip 4: Steps to Start Now There is no one-size-fits-all answer to creating a business leadership transition plan, as the specific details of your situation will vary. Draft an outline of who will take over each position in the organization. This will help ensure that everyone is on the same page and understands their role in the future of the company. Establish timelines for each position, and make sure that all stakeholders are aware of when they need to be ready to step into their new role. This will help avoid any surprises during the transition process. Create reasonable timeline for completing each step, based on current realities and anticipated timelines for key personnel transitions. This will help ensure that your transition goes as smoothly as possible while still meeting important objectives. Develop a communication plan to keep everyone informed of progress throughout the transition process. This will help build trust both within the organization and with major stakeholders. Tip 5: Start Implementing the Succession Plan Sooner Rather Than Later When it comes to succession planning, the sooner you start, the better. The sooner you have a plan in place, the easier it will be to execute and ensure a smooth transition for your business. 1. Define who will be responsible for each stage of your succession plan. This will help ensure that everyone is on the same page and knows their role in the process. 2. Create an action plan for each stage of your succession plan. This will outline what needs to be done and when it needs to be done to smoothly transition your business into the next phase. 3. Assess your current situation and make necessary changes based on what you know now. Executing a succession plan is important for any business. It can help ensure that the business stays afloat and continues to operate smoothly while the current owner or management team transitions out of their role. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By Marilyn Tam
Bill, CEO of the industry leading company smiled, nodded and said, my people will go through walls for me. He was confident that his team would follow his direction in the upcoming challenges. We were working together to significantly improve the standards for the industry, and there are potentially significant obstacles along the way. Making dramatic changes are disruptive, and some of the team may resist and/or sabotage the process. What about you? Are you certain that your crew would stand with you when you lead them into demanding situations? This is the test of leadership. This is the heart of leadership.Leadership’s task is to get to the heart of the matter. Today’s tight labor market and proliferation of remote work have given workers more employment options. People are seeking reasons to be committed to an organization where they are spending the bulk of their time. According to Harvard Business Review and Gallup research , people are looking for meaning and growth in their work even before a bigger paycheck. Microsoft, one of the world’s most respected and highest ranked company’s CEO, Satya Nadella states that empathy is the center of their agenda for innovation. Respect, understanding, and support is at the core of their flourishing and ability to attract, retain and develop their team. Satya Nadella, CEO MIcrosoft states ”Empathy is the center of our agenda for innovation”On the employer review site Glassdoor, Microsoft is rated 4.5 out of 5.0 by their employees. This rating is second only to Bain and Company, a company also known for treating their team with heart, after all as a consulting company, Bain and Company must treat their biggest asset, their consultants well. They need their workers, without them they have absolutely nothing. Building our heart — mind connection is essential for personal wellbeing as well as a leadership skill. Deborah Rozman, President & CEO of HeartMath, author and psychologist knows this very well. Her organization is founded on guiding and training leaders on how incorporate heart into leadership. Frequently, accumulated stress results in anxiety, anger, depression, sleeplessness, illness, and more. When your physical, mental and emotional systems are aligned, you are more able to access your heart’s intuitive guidance and connect with your higher creative potentials and enable you to manage and interact from compassion and understanding. Recently Deborah Rozman and I discussed why and how to lead, recruit, retain and motivate an organization’s teams. The podcast and video are now offered on HeartMath’s website and on Youtube. A leader with heart means that they listen, build confidence and respect, while establishing and executing on the mission and purpose of the organization. They sincerely appreciate, understand, and train their workforce with understanding and compassion. And the results are remarkable and well documented scientifically. Exactly what is needed for the current times, when workers are looking for meaning and connection in their work. How to build your heart-mind coherence? Below are five tools you can use from HeartMath and my experience, to support your development of this powerful connection: 1. Establish a quiet and safe environment — where you can take a few moments to reflect and center. You can be inside a building or in nature where you can spend by yourself for the duration of the exercise, which can be as short as a few minutes to 30 minutes or more. 2. Heart Focused Breathing — turn your focus to your heart/chest area and breathe from there. Take slower and more conscious breaths. Notice how that relaxes your body by gently sensing into each limb, your torso and your head and shoulders. Close your eyes and continue to breathe in this manner. 3. Enliven a positive mindset — recall and hold a pleasing and fond incident or memory and/or invoke gratitude and a feeling of love. Keep that feeling in your mind and heart. Continue your heart focused breathing. 4. Hold that positive mindset and relax in that space for 3 minutes or more. You can stay in this condition as long as you are comfortable. Notice how your body and mind continue to unwind and de-stress. 5. Slowly open your eyes — and consciously re-enter the physical space you are in. Acknowledge your strengthened coherence between your heart and mind. Gently move your body and resume your day with renewed energy and insight. What happened to Bill and his challenging project? He incorporated the 5 mind-heart coherence steps into the beginning of his strategy meetings. He shared the bold and potentially hugely rewarding venture with his team. Indeed, his team stood with him as they took on the biggest and riskiest project in their company history. They exchanged ideas, outlined opportunities and pitfalls that are inherent in the ambitious venture. They bonded and felt safe to share, innovate and co-create. Now six months later, they have secured the foundation of what will be the next step forward in their company’s future. Even a solid team needs a boost when the stakes are very high. In our assessment review, Bill gave me a high five as we celebrated the enthusiastic reception to what was a perilous journey. They are not home yet, but they know the way, and the 5 mind-heart coherence steps are now part of their meeting protocol. The heart in leadership is now part of their company culture. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By John O'Leary. This was originally posted on JohnOLearyInspires.com. When John O'Leary was 9 years old, he suffered burns over 100% of his body and was expected to die. He is now an inspirational speaker and bestselling author, teaching more than 50,000 people around the world each year how to live inspired. John's first book, ON FIRE: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life was published March 15, 2016. John is a contributing writer for Huff Post and Parade.com. John is a proud husband and father of four and resides in St. Louis, MO. Order John’s book today anywhere books are sold
“John, everything is going to work out fine.” With these words, my sweet dad was trying to encourage me and cheer me up. It wasn’t working, though. After being burned as a little boy and spending five months in a hospital, I was finally about to go home. From my wheelchair, still connected to a heart monitor, with a feeding tube snaking up through my nose, body wrapped in bandages covering either open sores or fresh scars, it sure didn’t feel like everything would work out fine. Unbelievingly, I looked back at my dad and responded: That’s easy for you to say. You’ve got Mom, a family, a job, and a home. Dad, I may never have those things. And for many years, some of them difficult, I was proven right. Although passionate, precocious, and courageous as a little guy, there were many moments in my life dominated by fear. I was anxious about how people would respond to my injuries, saddened by all I could not do, and angry at the potential life robbed from me. And I was definitely afraid, perhaps even certain, I’d never have anyone to share that life with anyway. During those years, I was completely preoccupied with what I wanted for my life, what I needed from a relationship, what someone else could do for me. My focus was entirely on me. This emphasis on self, by the way, is one strongly encouraged by the society in which we live today. We’re challenged by self-help gurus to focus singularly on our personal lives and our individual versions of happiness. Our celebrities share the freedom they’ve found in letting go of expectations from others and choosing themselves first. Celebrations of self-care are everywhere on social media. Many spiritual teachers and new age preachers share how to find personal peace and individual success. Paradoxically, it’s in letting go of our self-centered desires we find serenity. It’s in faithfully keeping our hearts open to serving others – even sometimes having them broken by those we love – that the meaning, joy and real peace we seek is gradually revealed. This realization began for me in my early 20s. After years of rejection, self-pity and self-doubt, I stopped trying to convince others I was lovable and just started loving others as they were. I let go of my fear of being alone, and embraced the gift of time by myself. I let go of operating from a place of self-centered fear and began leading and living from a place of unconditional love. No strings attached. No expectations. No agenda hidden or validation sought. In other words: I loved. On this Valentine’s Day, whether you are going on a hot date with your special someone, heading out with dear friends, or longingly waiting for the phone to ring, be reminded of the overwhelming demands true love requires and the profound blessing it delivers in return. Ultimately, the way we discover the love we seek is to let go of our needs, remain absolutely vulnerable in the face of fear, say yes to serving others, allow our hearts to be broken repeatedly and strive diligently to make our lives about something far bigger than ourselves. This reality may not trend on social media, it may not sell Valentine’s Day cards, chocolates or lingerie, but it will ensure authentic peace for this day, the thrill of hope for tomorrow and a life of sincere significance. It turns out Dad was right. Everything is going to work out fine. Today and always, I want to remind you of that same truth in your life. This is your day. Live Inspired. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By Kenneth Kaufman
In behavioral economics, the sunk cost fallacy describes the tendency to carry on with a project or investment past the point where cold logic would suggest it is not working out. Given human nature, the existence of the sunk cost fallacy is not surprising. The more resources—time, money, emotions—we devote to an effort, the more we want it to succeed, especially when the cause is an important one. Under normal circumstances, the sunk cost fallacy might qualify as an interesting but not especially important economic theory. But at the moment, given that 2022 will likely be the worst financial year for hospitals since 2008 and given that the hospital revenue/expense relationship seems to be entirely broken, there is little that is theoretical about the sunk cost fallacy. Instead, the sunk cost fallacy becomes one of the most important action ideas in the hospital industry’s absolutely necessary financial recovery. Historically, cases of the sunk cost fallacy can be relatively easy to spot. However, in real time, cases can be hard to identify and even harder to act on. For hospital organizations that are subsidizing underperforming assets, identifying and acting on these cases is now essential to the financial health of most hospital enterprises. For example, perhaps the asset that is underperforming is a hospital acquired by a health system. (Although this same concept could apply to a service line or a related service such as a skilled nursing facility, ambulatory surgery center, or imaging center.) The costs associated with integrating an acquired hospital into a health system are typically significant. And chances are, if the hospital was struggling prior to the acquisition, the purchaser made substantial capital investments to improve the performance. As time goes on, if the financial performance of the entity in question continues to fall short, hospital executives may be reluctant to divest the asset because of their heavy investment in it. This understandable tendency can lead the acquiring organization to throw good money after bad. After all, even when an asset is underperforming, it can’t be allowed to deteriorate. In the case of hospitals, that’s not just a matter of keeping weeds from sprouting in the parking lot. The health system often winds up supporting an underperforming hospital with both working capital and physical capital, which compounds the losses. And the costs don’t stop there, because other assets in the system are supporting the underperforming asset. This de facto cross-subsidy has been commonplace in hospital organizations for decades. Such a cross subsidy was probably never sustainable, but it is even less so in the current challenging financial environment. This is a transformative period in American healthcare, when hospital organizations are faced with the need to fundamentally reinvent themselves both financially and clinically. The opportunity costs of supporting assets that don’t have an appropriate return are uniquely high in such an environment. This is true whether the underperforming asset is a hospital in a smaller system, multiple hospitals in a larger system, or a service line within a hospital. The money that is being funneled off to support underperforming assets may be better directed, for example, toward realigning the organization’s portfolio away from inpatient care and toward growth strategies. In some cases, the resources may be needed for more immediate purposes, such as improving cash flow to support mission priorities and avoiding downgrades of the organization’s credit rating. The underlying principle is straightforward: When a hospital supports too many low-performing assets, the capital allocation process becomes inefficient. Directing working capital and capital capacity toward assets that are dilutive to long-term financial success means that assets that are historically or potentially accretive don’t receive the resources they need to grow and thrive. The underlying principle is a clear lose-lose. In the highly challenging current environment, it is especially important for boards and management to recognize the sunk cost fallacy and determine the right size of their hospital organizations—both clinically and financially. Some leadership teams may determine that their organizations are too big, or too big in the wrong places, and need to be smaller in order to maximize clinical and balance-sheet strength. Other leadership teams may determine that their organizations are not large enough to compete effectively in their fast-changing markets or in a fast-changing economy. Organizational scale is a strategy that must be carefully managed. A properly sized organization maximizes its chances of financial success in this very difficult inflationary period. Such an organization invests consistently in its best performing assets and reduces cross-subsidies to services and products that have outlived their opportunity for clinical or financial success. Executives may see academic economic theory as arcane and not especially relevant. However, we have clearly entered a financial moment when paying attention to the sunk cost fallacy will be central to maintaining, or recovering, the financial, clinical, and mission strength of America’s hospitals. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By Josh Linkner
In the context of seemingly endless volatility, the pandemic has led many of us to pause in order to reassess what it really takes to win in this new era of business. What leadership attributes are needed right now to create a sustainable competitive advantage? In the past, it was enough to be a thoughtful and deliberate manager, executing a plan with precision and accuracy. Today, however, leaders have to embrace a new set of roles and responsibilities to remain relevant and effective. Building on your previous training, let’s explore the five new faces of leadership: 1. Sherpa – The leader of a mountain-climbing expedition’s sole purpose is to help others reach the summit. Sherpa leadership isn’t about individual achievement – you are in your role to serve others – your team, your customers, and your community. If your team knows you are there to help them succeed, they’ll give back far more than any rah-rah speech or management technique of the week. 2. Provocateur – Tip-toeing around deeply entrenched viewpoints is less productive than trying to fry eggs on a hot sidewalk. A key role of great leaders is to challenge everything and be a poking-stick of change. A healthy disdain for the status quo is the hallmark of leaders who shape history. Don’t let fear glue you to conventional wisdom. 3. Futurist – Aiming our efforts at last year’s market data will yield a surefire miss. Effective leaders must clearly articulate a compelling vision of what lies ahead, and ensure their organizations are ready to seize it when that window opens. Imagine all the possibilities, and never allow the past to restrict your imagination. 4. Storyteller – Getting your message to stand out and be heard above the noise can be tougher than running a four-minute mile. Make sure you’re crafting your story – to both internal and external audiences – in such a compelling way that it cannot be ignored. You must communicate your purpose and a clear plan of how you’ll get there if you expect your team to leap forward with urgency and alignment. 5. Speed Demon – The world of getting things 100% right before hitting the market is long over. Today, we must execute and problem solve with ferocious speed, making regular adjustments in real-time. Complete business cycles can now last weeks instead of years. Accordingly, we must build a culture that embraces speed in all aspects of business – from innovation to customer delivery to hiring to technological advances. On the highway, speed kills. In business, speed wins. We all know that the surest path to obsolescence is hugging the status quo. It’s time to relinquish the mindsets and techniques of the past in favor of approaches better suited to the challenges of the day. Good leaders may stay the course, but great leaders reinvent. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By Chip Bell
She had the entire line of the check-out counter completely mesmerized. It was as if she was using us as her test audience for a comedy try-out. And she was funny and entirely unleashed. Yet, she never slowed her rhythmic action on the grocery story register and pushing groceries to the bagger on her left. “Do you think she is being sincere or is this just an act?” asked one patron to another just a few steps ahead of me in line. “Frankly,” the woman replied, “I am so tired of plain vanilla service at places like this, I am thoroughly enjoying her show.” The comment made me think about a new tree in the front yard at my river house in North Georgia. It is a Bloodgood Japanese Maple planted last year. It will ultimately reach 20-25 feet tall with a branch spread of 20 feet. But this is its very first Fall. When we walked out of the front door, my wife commented. “It’s showing off!” We stood for a while admiring its beauty, its command of its environment, and the compelling influence it seemed to have over any living creature in its visual path. My thoughts returned to the check-out clerk in the grocery store. What does it take to get associates to “show off?” Instead of hiding under a “don’t asked me anything” curtain of invisibility, what if they were attentive guides and enthusiastic helpers? What if they had special hosting talents which they were excited to share with customers? What if they took a keen interest in a small child in tow or an elderly parent under the watchful eye of a customer? What if they performed a unique heart-warming extra for customers? Encourage your employees to “show off” their best stuff. Let them “steal the show.” Your customers will demand an encore and return with the family, their friends, and their funds. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! |
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