I recommend everyone read the top selling book – Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson.  Although the story line is simple – there are many profound lessons that apply to life and business.  How do you handle change?  Are you still searching for the cheese where it used to be?  Are you going to where the cheese is today?  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

 

In the turbulent corporate world it is important to anticipate, recognize, and understand change.  Who Moved My Cheese? is a book which describes how to deal with change. 

 

Who Moved my Cheese? is a story about how two mice and two little men look for cheese in a maze. The cheese pictures what we want to have in life, whether it is a small income or a life of luxury.  The maze pictures where we spend our time looking for what we want.  Some people are content with what they have and resist change, while others are constantly looking for new opportunities.

 

The mice are named Sniff and Scurry.  Sniff sniffs out changes early and Scurry scurries into action.  The two little men in the parable are Hem and Haw.  Hem denies and resists change because he fears that something worse will happen.  Haw learns to adapt in time when he sees that change can lead to something better.  Throughout the book these four characters search and jog through the maze, occasionally getting lost.

 

On their journey the four characters barely survive until they finally see the “light at the end of the tunnel” and proceed to eat lots of cheese and are very happy.  Then things begin to change.  Sniff and Scurry soon notice changes in their environment.  Hem and Haw, however, think they are “out of the woods” and take the cheese for granted.  These two develop a comfort level in their newly found stash of cheese.  Gradually the cheese begins to dwindle.  Sniff and Scurry are not concerned.  They see that the cheese is not going to last forever so they put on their running shoes and search for new cheese.

 

Meanwhile, Hem and Haw do not notice the dwindling supply of cheese.  They are not alert to what the future holds for them.  When all the remaining cheese is finally consumed, Hem and Haw throw two huge fits like little babies.  This does not bring the cheese back, yet they remain unwilling to search for new cheese.

 

Change occurs and Hem and Haw are left behind.  Hem is bitter and reluctant to leave the cheese station in order to find new cheese.  He is very stubborn.  He is too set in his ways to make the necessary changes.  He thinks he deserved the cheese, and wants the cheese to be returned.  He is not interested in searching for new cheese.  His old cheese is the only cheese he wants and he refuses to leave the empty cheese station.  Many people stick with old ways of doing things because it is too frightening or difficult to change with the times.

 

Haw begins to be concerned that they are spinning their wheels. For a while he hopes that the old cheese will return.  He is afraid of venturing back out into the maze, so he waits with Hem.  Finally, after being very hungry from the lack of cheese, Haw, out of desperation, decides to go search for new cheese.  This takes a great deal of strength for Haw to face his fears and to leave Hem behind.  On his journey Haw leaves several notes on the walls of the maze as he learns new truths.  A few of the writings are:

 

The more important your cheese is to you, the more you want to hold on to it.

Smell the cheese often so you know when it is getting old.

Movement in a new direction helps you find new cheese.

The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you find new cheese.

Haw eventually finds his way to the new cheese. There he discovers Sniff and Scurry, who have already found the fresh cheese and have been enjoying it for some time.  Haw is sorry that he had not set out in search of the new cheese sooner.  However, he misses his friend Hem, who took himself too seriously.

 

This entertaining little parable is a quick read which illustrates that sometimes we get too accustomed to our cheese being in a particular place and fail to notice when the supply gets smaller or is about to disappear.  Then when we finally notice, we are often too frustrated to look for alternative sources of cheese, or else we eventually start looking while losing valuable time. 

 

Some people, of course, are more astute and prepare themselves for the inevitable after observing a dwindling cheese supply.  This book illustrates how some people foresee that they are going to need to make major changes in their lives.  Therefore, they start searching for new alternatives before the change actually has to be made.  When the change finally must be made, they are already prepared to take the appropriate actions.

 

This story is simplistic, but there are good philosophical points made throughout the book.  It points out these basic concepts:

 

1. “They keep moving the cheese.” (Change happens.)

 

2. “Get ready for the cheese to move.” (Anticipate the change.)

 

3. “Move with the cheese.” (Actually make the change.)

 

4. “Enjoy the taste of new cheese.” (Enjoy the fruits of change.)

 

Many reviews give Who Moved My Cheese? great marks and compliment its easy reading and brevity.  The book is very simple and makes a great point. As you read this book you will probably start relating the different characters in the book to people that you know, and how they react to change. Who Moved My Cheese? is not just for business professionals or organizations, but can be very helpful for everyday life.

Learning is critical to your success and is a lifetime activity.  This is why I spend so much time teaching others how to learn.  When a person learns how to learn – their only limit to their success is their hunger to keep learning.  Here are my favorite quotes on learning.

 

Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards. – Vernon Saunders Law

 

 

If you take things for granted heres somethings to ponder about…

 

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness…you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

 

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation … you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

 

If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death…you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.

 

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep…you are richer than 75% of this world.

 

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace … you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy.

 

If your parents are still alive and still married … you are very rare, even in the United States and Canada.

 

If you can read this webpage, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

 

Take nothing for granted. – Unknown

 

 

When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves. – Unknown

Three lessons that will make you think about the way you treat others…

 

First Important Lesson – Cleaning Lady

 

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one: “What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?”

 

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

 

“Absolutely,” said the professor. “In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say “hello”.

 

I’ve never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

 

Second Important Lesson – Pickup in the Rain

 

One night, at 11.30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him.

 

Seven days went by and a knock came on the man’s door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached.. It read: “Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband’s bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others.”

 

Sincerely,

Mrs. Nat King Cole.

I was notified that the above story about Mrs. Nat King Cole is an urban legend and did not happen.  I have kept the story in for the principles taught and to notify everyone who has previously read this story that it is an urban legend.  Thank you, Orrin

 

Third Important Lesson – Always remember those who serve

 

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 -year-old boy entered a hotel

coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him

 

“How much is an ice cream sundae?” he asked.

 

“Fifty cents,” replied the waitress. The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.

 

“Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?” he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.

 

“Thirty-five cents,” she brusquely replied. The little boy again counted his coins.

 

“I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left.

 

When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. there, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies.. You see, he couldn’t have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip. – Author Unknown

 

 

The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them. – Mark Twain

 

 

I’ve Learned….

 

I’ve learned – That our background and circumstances

may have influenced who we are,

but we are responsible for who we become.

 

I’ve learned – That sometimes when my friends fight,

I’m forced to choose sides

even when I don’t want to.

 

I’ve learned – That just because two people argue,

it doesn’t mean they don’t love each other

And just because they don’t argue,

it doesn’t mean they do.

 

I’ve learned – That sometimes you have to put

the individual ahead of their actions.

 

I’ve learned – That we don’t have to change friends

if we understand that friends change.

 

I’ve learned – That you shouldn’t be so

eager to find out a secret.

It could change your life forever.

 

I’ve learned – That two people can look

at the exact same thing

and see something totally different.

 

I’ve learned – That no matter how you try to protect

your children, they will eventually get hurt

and you will hurt in the process.

 

I’ve learned – That there are many ways of falling

and staying in love.

 

I’ve learned – That no matter the consequences,

those who are honest with themselves

get farther in life.

 

I’ve learned – That no matter how many friends

you have, if you are their pillar

you will feel lonely and lost

at the times you need them most.

 

I’ve learned – That your life can be changed

in a matter of hours

by people who don’t even know you.

 

I’ve learned – That even when you think

you have no more to give,

when a friend cries out to you,

you will find the strength to help.

 

I’ve learned – That writing, as well as talking,

can ease emotional pains.

 

I’ve learned – That the paradigm we live in

is not all that is offered to us.

 

I’ve learned – That credentials on the wall

do not make you a decent human being.

 

I’ve learned – That the people you care most about in life

are taken from you too soon.

 

I’ve learned – That although the word “love”

can have many different meanings,

it loses value when overly used.

 

I’ve learned – That it’s hard to determine

where to draw the line

between being nice and

not hurting people’s feelings

and standing up for what you believe. – Author Unknown

 

 

It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he has already learned. – Anonymous

Here is a true inspirational story by Jaye Lewis that describes the power for good that teachers/mentors have in a person’s life.  If you are in a leadership role, then you have the platform to make a difference in others lives.  Are you using your leadership to pour belief and love into others?   Many people think leaders do the most work, but I would say leaders do the most for others so they can do their own work.  Your leadership results will be directly proportional to the deposits you make into others lives.  A leader cannot be hid because they are surrounded by others leaders developed by those deposits.  As a leader, focus more on helping people see the greatness in them rather than your own greatness.  Remember, “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”  This will make all the difference!   I hope you enjoy this true story.  God Bless, Orrin Woodward  

 

Steve, a twelve-year-old boy with alcoholic parents, was about to be lost forever, by the U.S. education system. Remarkably, he could read, yet, in spite of his reading skills, Steve was failing. He had been failing since first grade, as he was passed on from grade to grade. Steve was a big boy, looking more like a teenager than a twelve year old, yet, Steve went unnoticed… until Miss White.

 

Miss White was a smiling, young, beautiful redhead, and Steve was in love! For the first time in his young life, he couldn’t take his eyes off his teacher; yet, still he failed. He never did his homework, and he was always in trouble with Miss White. His heart would break under her sharp words, and when he was punished for failing to turn in his homework, he felt just miserable! Still, he did not study.

 

In the middle of the first semester of school, the entire seventh grade was tested for basic skills. Steve hurried through his tests, and continued to dream of other things, as the day wore on. His heart was not in school, but in the woods, where he often escaped alone, trying to shut out the sights, sounds and smells of his alcoholic home. No one checked on him to see if he was safe. No one knew he was gone, because no one was sober enough to care. Oddly, Steve never missed a day of school.

 

One day, Miss White’s impatient voice broke into his daydreams.

 

“Steve!!” Startled, he turned to look at her.

 

“Pay attention!”

 

Steve locked his gaze on Miss White with adolescent adoration, as she began to go over the test results for the seventh grade.

 

“You all did pretty well,” she told the class, “except for one boy, and it breaks my heart to tell you this, but…” She hesitated, pinning Steve to his seat with a sharp stare, her eyes searching his face.

 

“…The smartest boy in the seventh grade is failing my class!”

 

She just stared at Steve, as the class spun around for a good look. Steve dropped his eyes and carefully examined his fingertips.

 

After that, it was war!! Steve still wouldn’t do his homework. Even as the punishments became more severe, he remained stubborn.

 

“Just try it! ONE WEEK!” He was unmoved.

 

“You’re smart enough! You’ll see a change!” Nothing fazed him.

 

“Give yourself a chance! Don’t give up on your life!” Nothing.

 

“Steve! Please! I care about you!”

 

Wow! Suddenly, Steve got it!! Someone cared about him? Someone, totally unattainable and perfect, CARED ABOUT HIM??!!”

 

Steve went home from school, thoughtful, that afternoon. Walking into the house, he took one look around. Both parents were passed out, in various stages of undress, and the stench was overpowering! He, quickly, gathered up his camping gear, a jar of peanut butter, a loaf of bread, a bottle of water, and this time…his schoolbooks. Grim faced and determined, he headed for the woods.

 

The following Monday he arrived at school on time, and he waited for Miss White to enter the classroom. She walked in, all sparkle and smiles! God, she was beautiful! He yearned for her smile to turn on him. It did not.

 

Miss White, immediately, gave a quiz on the weekend homework. Steve hurried through the test, and was the first to hand inhis paper. With a look of surprise, Miss White took his paper. Obviously puzzled, she began to look it over. Steve walked back to his desk, his heart pounding within his chest. As he sat down, he couldn’t resist another look at the lovely woman.

 

Miss White’s face was in total shock! She glanced up at Steve, then down, then up. Suddenly, her face broke into a radiant smile. The smartest boy in the seventh grade had just passed his first test!

 

From that moment nothing was the same for Steve. Life at home remained the same, but life still changed. He discovered that not only could he learn, but he was good at it! He discovered that he could understand and retain knowledge, and that he could translate the things he learned into his own life. Steve began to excel! And he continued this course throughout his school life.

 

After high-school Steve enlisted in the Navy, and he had a successful military career. During that time, he met the love of his life, he raised a family, and he graduated from college Magna Cum Laude. During his Naval career, he inspired many young people, who without him, might not have believed in themselves. Steve began a second career after the Navy, and he continues to inspire others, as an adjunct professor in a nearby college

 

Miss White left a great legacy. She saved one boy who has changed many lives. I know, because I am the love of his life.

 

You see, it’s simple, really. A change took place within the heart of one boy, all because of one teacher, who cared.

Here is a fantastic article by leadership guru Warren Bennis.  Many leaders on the Team display these qualities and characteristics.  In order to have a learning organization, the top leaders must model: dedication to the cause, magnanimity in success and failure, humility to admit you do not have all the answers, openness to hear different opinions, and creativity to develop new techniques without losing the core principles.  I would have to give the Team leaders high marks on these leadership qualities.  My goal has never been to just talk about leadership, but to lead.  I can write books all day long, but I have the most enjoyment helping someone else develop the abilities to lead and the belief in themselves that they can lead.  The two greatest commandments from God can be summed up as – Love God with all my heart and soul and Love others as yourself.  When we get our own heart right with God then the next most important thing is to serve others and teach everything we have learned.  I love my life because I spend it learning, growing and sharing.   I can mentor people when they have a specific business they are attempting to build and we can confront reality and change what needs to be changed.  I cannot mentor someone who is not pursuing a specific goal with a hunger to achieve it.  Are you leading a team or merely talking about leadership?  There is a MAJOR difference!  Here is the article and please share how you are doing on developing these qualities.  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

 

Integrity means alignment of words and actions with inner values. It means sticking to these values even when an alternative path may be easier or more advantageous.

 

A leader with integrity can be trusted and will be admired for sticking to strong values. They also act as a powerful model for people to copy, thus building an entire organization with powerful and effective cultural values.

 

Dedication

 

Dedication means spending whatever time and energy on a task is required to get the job done, rather than giving it whatever time you have available.

 

The work of most leadership positions is not something to do ‘if time’. It means giving your whole self to the task, dedicating yourself to success and to leading others with you.

 

Magnanimity

 

A magnanimous person gives credit where it is due. It also means being gracious in defeat and allowing others who are defeated to retain their dignity.

 

Magnanimity in leadership includes crediting the people with success and accepting personal responsibility for failures.

 

Humility

 

Humility is the opposite of arrogance and narcissism. It means recognizing that you are not inherently superior to others and consequently that they are not inferior to you. It does not mean diminishing yourself, nor does it mean exalting yourself.

 

Humble leaders do not debase themselves, neither falsely nor due to low self-esteem. They simply recognize all people as equal in value and know that their position does not make them a god.

 

Openness

 

Openness means being able to listen to ideas that are outside one’s current mental models, being able to suspend judgement until after one has heard someone else’s ideas.

 

An open leader listens to their people without trying to shut them down early, which at least demonstrates care and builds trust. Openness also treats other ideas as potentially better than one’s own ideas. In the uncertain world of new territory, being able to openly consider alternatives is an important skill.

 

Creativity

 

Creativity means thinking differently, being able to get outside the box and take a new and different viewpoint on things.

 

For a leader to be able to see a new future towards which they will lead their followers, creativity provides the ability to think differently and see things that others have not seen, and thus giving reason for followers to follow.

 

Here is an inspiring article by Robert Morrisette on having the courage of your convictions.  I love the opening definition of courage – not the absence of fear, but the perception that there is something far more important at stake.  Wow!  I could not have said it better myself if I took the next year.  Courage is not the strength inside of you as much as the strength of your convictions.  Courage is really a matter of what you are focusing on.  Study any person of courage that you know.  You will find that what drives them is a conviction that is worth paying any cost for.  Without this conviction you will not pay the price.  Cowards have no convictions worth dying for and that is why they never truly live.  If you are focused on God’s Glory then you can endure many setbacks, failures and heartaches because you know there is something far more important at stake.  If you are focused on what is happening to you then you will shrink back from God’s Glory to self comfort.  Have there been moments in your life where you had to decide on doing what is right vs. doing what is comfortable?  Lives are defined by those special moments when we must choose between comforts and convictions.  I pray you choose wisely.   Here is the full article.  Ponder on these points as we celebrate another Lord’s day.  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

 

I have heard it said that courage is not the absence of fear, but the perception that there is something far more important at stake. Having such a “something” gives us the ability to resist giving in to fear and to eventually rise above it. It is only in the presence of fear that true courage can be exercised, but without this “something”, how can we see beyond those things we’re afraid of?

 

Before I go further, let me say that I am not talking about appropriate fears, such as of immediate danger. Rather, I am speaking of the times when we are consumed by what we are afraid will happen, thus denying that God is in charge and that He is good. These are beliefs supported by lies that encourage us to focus on our present circumstances and past experiences. So often at these times it is hard to see what good is to come, because the uncomfortable feelings make us want to run and hide. Fear wants us to believe lies about our value, potential, abilities, influence and place in God’s heart. It wants us to fix our attention on the negative things that others may have said or done to us. Fear wants us to get our eyes on anything but the Father. When we give in, fear once again defeats us, seeming to reinforce the “truth” of the lies we have believed. It is very debilitating. Yet, if we can get to the place of conquering it, on the other side of fear is great reward.

 

When I was teaching my son to ride his bike without training wheels, he was very fearful of falling over and getting hurt. As I helped him practice, there were moments when he did fall over and, yes, he did want to quit. In the midst of this process, I kept encouraging him to try again. I held for him what he was not able to see, that he had it in him to do it even though he did not realize it yet, and that there was a great reward waiting once he learned to master balancing his bike.

 

Then it happened. He rode his bike without my help. As his confidence grew, he began mastering turning, then riding on dirt, going down a hill, riding with one hand-all of it. The amazing thing was his own words, “You were right, Daddy. This is fun!” His fear was overcome by accomplishment, replaced with the joy of riding a bike and an attitude that said, “What can we do next?”

 

Many people develop a practiced response to circumstances where fear is involved: they avoid them. They let fear rule them instead of caution them, thus allowing it to rob them of the good things in store. My son had fear because he was going beyond what he was used to doing. It made him aware that he might get hurt and should therefore take things slowly, but he did not allow it to keep him from trying.

 

The enemy knows who we really are, what potential we have, and the Father’s love for us. He also knows that we are not aware of many of these things ourselves. If he cannot keep us from being saved, he definitely does not want us to take hold of these truths. He knows that one of the greatest threats to his kingdom is more and more of God’s people realizing how the Father sees them. It is what we have not come to fully believe that is a threat to him. If we choose to believe God, refusing to allow the enemy’s lies to sow the seeds of fear in us, he knows that we will become a growing threat to his kingdom as God works through us.

 

So why doesn’t God just vanquish fear when we cry out to Him? Why do we, His people, even have to experience fear at all?

 

I will offer two reasons, although there are probably more. The first is that the Father wants to heal those places in us and times in our past when we did submit to fear. He does not want to condemn us. Rather, He wants us to renounce the decisions and judgments we made long ago and receive His forgiveness so these past choices and old beliefs no longer interfere with the present. In order to deal with these areas, He will allow present circumstances in our lives that are similar to those in our past. Often we will be able to recognize that this is happening when we experience more fear than the present circumstances warrant, and find ourselves wanting to flee or respond inappropriately. In such times we need to ask God, “What circumstances in my past made me feel this way and caused me to respond the way I’m wanting to respond right now?” As He shows us, we are to pray through these instances, forgiving those who have hurt us, and asking God’s for the lies we believed. If we avoid the opportunity to trace our fears, we miss the opportunity to conquer them. But the Lord is faithful, and He loves us. He will bring another circumstance into our lives at a later time.

 

The second reason is that the Father wants us to know and experience the truth that fear does not have mastery over us-we only believed it did. He does not allow things in our lives in order to makes us feel bad about ourselves or so we can fail. Instead, as the loving Father that He is, He holds for us what we are unable to see for ourselves at this time. He knows we have yet to see our potential. He knows that He has something great waiting for us on the other side. As we chose to cooperate with Him, believing that He is good, trusting Him, then we will come to see and experience it too.

 

The Lord is completely committed to you. You are loved. Often the very thing you have been asking for resides on the other side of the fear He would have you conquer. Keep in mind that you have authority over an area to whatever degree you have conquered it. Take courage, knowing that the “something” that is bigger than your fear is the Father’s love for you, His goodness and faithfulness to bring you into the good things that await you. Resist fear, realizing that the Father believes in you and holds for you what you have yet to see-your potential to succeed. Press through, knowing that you will enter into a deeper knowledge of the love He has for you (Romans 5:2-5).

 

Robert Morrissette is the Director of Prayer Counseling and Internship Coordinator at Elijah House. The purpose of Elijah House is to share the love of Jesus to restore broken relationships and bring healing to hurt and wounded hearts, lives and relationships; to call God’s people to “restore the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers” and to “restore all things.”

Here is an excellent article by Brent Filson on leadership feedback.  I believe it is of the utmost importance that you listen to the feedback from those that you lead.  Without feedback, you run the risk of leading people into irrelevancy.  I may not like the feedback, but I don’t like irrelevancy at all.  It is important for the leaders to get the truth from the troops so they can make accurate decisions based upon the facts.  So many leaders cocoon themselves around yes men and straighten deck chairs while the titanic sinks.  What type of leader are you?  Do you act like you have all the answers or are you humble enough to seek feedback.  The leaders of today must know that no one person can have all the answers and only a team will win big!  I am so excited about the meetings at my house the last couple of days.  We had an incredible discussion on the future of leadership support to build a 21st century community that will make a difference.  I believe we are on the verge of something revolutionary and can’t wait to share later this week!  Enjoy the article, seek feedback and get ready to grow.  God Bless, Orrin Woodward

 

Life on our planet flourishes through feedback. If life forms don’t develop feedback loops and get good information about how well they are interacting with their world, the world eventually kills them.

This holds true with leaders. Leaders must get feedback as to how they’re doing — otherwise they won’t be leaders for long.

One kind of feedback is results. After all, leaders do nothing more important than get results. You should understand the kinds of results you’re getting, if they are the right results, and if you are getting them in the right ways.

There is another kind of measurement that is as important, and sometimes more important, than results. It’s a measurement most leaders overlook. That measurement has to do not with you but with the people you’re leading.

To explain what that measurement is, I’ll first describe a fundamental concept of how one goes about leading people to achieve results.

There’s a crucial difference between doing a task and taking leadership of that task that makes a world of difference in the task’s accomplishment.

For instance, if one is a floor sweeper, doesn’t one best accomplish one’s task not simply by doing floor sweeping but by taking leadership of floor sweeping?

Such leadership might entail:
— taking the initiative to order and manage supplies,
— evaluating the job results and raising those results to ever higher levels,
— having floor sweeping be an integral part of the general cleaning policy,
— hiring, training, developing other floor sweepers,
— instilling a “floor sweeping esprit”that can be manifested in training, special uniforms and insignias , behavior, etc.
— setting floor sweeping strategy and goals.

Otherwise, in a “doing” mode, one simply pushes a broom.

You may say, “Listen, Brent, a job is a job is a job. This leadership thing is making too much of not much!”

Could be. But my point is that applying leadership to a task changes the expectations of the task. It even changes the task itself. Think of it, when we ourselves are challenged to lead and not simply do, our world is, I submit, changed.

Whenever you need to lead people to accomplish a task, challenge them not to do that task but to take leadership of that task.

This gets back to the key measurement of your leadership. Your leadership should best be measured not by your leadership but by the leadership of the people you lead.

Now, in becoming leaders, they can’t simply do what they want. They must come to an agreement with you as to what leadership actions they will take. You can veto any of their proposed actions. However, use the veto sparingly. Cultivate your confidence and their confidence in their leadership.

When you evaluate the effectiveness of your leadership by the feedback loop connected to their leadership, you are assessing your world as it should be, and great results will follow.