Goals vs. Dreams

Right now, think of the song lyrics with the word "dream" in them. What comes to my mind immediately are some of my favorite songs (oldies, but goodies):  i.e. Over the Rainbow, Climb Every Mountain.   Even Disney uses "Where Your Dreams Come True" as their tag line. What images come to mind as you think about these lyrics? How do these images differ from those when we hear the word "goal"?

We all have dreams, but why do we stop dreaming?  Or do we?  In this 24/7 crazy world in which we live, we get too busy to dream.  According to the book The Dream Manager by Matthew Fox, our primary responsibility of all relationships is to help each other fulfill our dreams.  In addition to colleagues, we can be dream managers for spouses, children, and friends or even for people who just pass through your life.  What are the dreams of the people who are most special to you?  Do you know their dreams? If we knew their dreams, we could help them live those dreams.  We would want to help them become their dreams.

Dreams are invisible, yet powerful.  Disney makes them comes alive.  Can we do this for each other?  Why don't we do this?  When we answer this last question, we will know what we have to do.

 

Made to Stick

Last summer I read the best selling book, Made to Stick:  Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, by Chip and Dan Heath.  It was not until after I read Drew McLellan's piece in the Des Moines Business Record about the book that I decided it would be a great book to require my marketing students to read.

While the book is researched based, it is easy to read and to understand.  The book is filled with interesting examples of how to apply the six principles compacted into the acronym SUCCESs:  simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotions, and stories.  As I reread the book with my students, I realized this book is just as much about leadership as it is about marketing. 

Even though many of the applications are marketing oriented, making ideas "stick" is just as significant for leaders.  Anyone who is in a position of influence (teachers, coaches, lawyers, parents), should read this book.  When we say something to someone, we probably want them to remember.  Learning how to make your ideas stick, should be important to all of us. 

This I Believe

As I drive home at night, I almost always listen to National Public Radio's All Things Considered.  One segment of the program is called "This I Believe."  People submit essays on whatever topic they choose and the purpose is to share what they believe with others.  Whenever I hear this segment, I am moved by the passion with which people write and I am impressed with their deep thoughts.  I can't help but start thinking about the essays I might write about the topics I care about the most. 

So last year in my leadership course, I had students write an essay on what they believe about leadership.  Using this format as a template, students could cut to the chase and talk about what they believe.  I think this directness can benefit all of us and help us focus on our values and what is important to us.  It was a good exercise that I will continue in other settings.

Here are a couple of other belief statements from other bloggers:
- Ramblings from a Glass Half Full
- Converstations

What do you believe?

Ignatian Principles

I came across these Ignatian principles and felt they were worth remembering and definitely worth sharing:

• We're all leaders and we're leading all the time, well or poorly;
• Leadership springs from within.  It's about who I am as much as what I do'
• Leadership is not an act. It is a way of living; and
• I never complete the task of becoming a leader.

If leaders would remember these principles and try to practice them, we would all be better off.  While they may sound simple, they are difficult to consistently practice.  But let that be our goal.

Learn the value of storytelling

In the book Made to Stick by the Heath brothers, they talk abut the value of storytelling as a way to get your message to "stick."  They remind us that telling stories is a simple way for people to remember your message.  This is just as true for leaders.  What is the message you want people to remember?  What stories do you want people to say about you as a leader or about your organization?

I often say that if you want to change the culture of the organization, then change the stories you are telling.  One way to do this is to ask people to share stories.  A few of the organizations I have interviewed for a study share stories in a tangible way.  Leaders ask employees to submit stories they want to share that reflect organizational values.  Then there is a review committee that selects a limited number that are published in a publication.  At one organization, they are into their eighth publication.

They told me that having these books of stories written by employees has been one of the best ways for them to share, reinforce, and communicate what is important to the organization.  These stories are shared in interesting and creative ways such as the reading of a story before the start of a meeting.  Since the stories are short, they can be shared with new employees or even candidates when they interview for positions. 

People remember stories and they share them--good and bad.  What do you want them to remember about you as leader?  What stories do you want them to share about you? 

Becoming a Dream Manager

Do you know the dreams of those around you?  What are your dreams?  Based on a true story, Dream Manager by Matthew Kelly tells the story of Simon who is the Dream Manager.  He believes that people will be more loyal, have a higher morale, and be more productive if he can help connect them to their dreams.  So Simon asks employees to share their dreams and he helps them develop plans to reach them.  When people achieve some of their dreams, they respond positively.  The organization benefits and employees benefit so it is a win/win situation.

When was the last time you were asked about your dreams?  Do you take the time to ask others about their dreams?  While the message of this story is simple, it is also profound.  Simon summarizes by saying, "The primary responsibility of all relationships is to help each other fulfill our dreams."  Since leadership is about relationships more than it is about position, helping others fulfill their dreams should be our goal.  Envisioning this philosophy of leadership brings up different behaviors and attitudes than thinking of leadership as position, power, and control.

John Maxwell, an authority on leadership, says that "leaders touch a heart before they ask for a hand."  If others are going to follow you, it is important to inspire something in them.  I believe he is also the person who said that "people don't care what you know until they know that you care."  Helping people connect with their dreams is just as important in families as it is in the workplace.   

If we aspired to become dream managers, then there would be few bad boss stories to enter into the bad boss contest.