Leadership Lessons from “Greyhound” with Tom Hanks on Apple TV.

I must confess….my boss recommended that several of us watch “Greyhound”. His reasoning was quite simple. There was a great display of leadership throughout the movie by Tom Hanks character, Commander Ernest Krause with many lessons that could continue to lead us through the COVID-19 pandemic.  Just as many of us have had to adapt to a new normal while leading others (formally or informally),  the path to watch this movie changed. It was originally planned for release in the theaters in June, but was sold to Apple+ TV to allow for the films release. I am glad that Apple bought this movie and gave us all the opportunity to watch a great film.

The film was based upon the 1955 book “The Good Shepherd” by C.S. Forester.  It tells the story of Captain Krause leading his first war time ship in the Battle of the Atlantic a few months after the United States entered World War II. He was in command of a large convoy of ships that were from different countries tasked with protecting a merchant ship that was under attack from German submarines. There was over 50 hours that the convoy did not have air support from one point to another on open water. As Captain Krause leads the group through these un-supported hours, his remarkable leadership was on full display.

First, he made strong connections with his team & other commanding officers. He valued everyone’s opinions, relied on their expertise, praised them and trusted that everyone would do their job properly. In every sequence of the film, there were numerous examples of this coming to life. The most memorable was the interaction between the sonar technician and the Captain. 

Second, he was emotionally intelligent. There were moments of sadness, weakness and frustration throughout the movie. In each of these moments, he knew what he had to do to lead his team effectively. He showed compassion and strength in every situation. He never raised his voice, talked down to anyone or made them feel less than from a failure. He knew his job required that he get the very best out of everyone around him to survive.

Lastly, he was confident even as a beginner. This was his first commanding position. He was decisive, confident and knowledgeable. He knew when to ask the experts around him,  but made the final decision as a well-experienced commander would. He reminded me that being surrounded by expertise can help fill in any experience gaps.
This movie was enjoyable and I would definitely recommend it. I know it’s not a book for my year of reading, but it’s safe to say that 2020 has taught me to expect the unexpected, embrace change and lead with heart (ALWAYS).

Stay tuned for what’s next in 2020!  🙂 

“Living with a SEAL” by Jesse Itzler

In the midst of COVID-19 “Spring Break” with my family, I spent my time focusing on three things: 

1. Creating memories with my family (cooking together, eating with no devices, picnics in the neighborhood or a quick walk with the dog).
2. Giving myself time to read, workout and reflect on the real meaning in all of this.
3. Reflecting on how I can continue to grow as a leader.

Number #3 is what lead me to read “Living with a SEAL”. I have been curious about this book after seeing David Goggins on a morning show and reading his book “Can’t Hurt Me.” This book is about Jesse’s time living with a SEAL (David) for 31 days. It takes you through his journey physically and mentally during this time.

I have always been fascinated with the human mind and truly believe that any limits we have are those that we place on ourselves. How else can you explain all of the mental, athletic and spiritual feats that happen throughout the world everyday?

My top three leadership lessons from this book were:

1. When you feel that you can not go any further, have barriers placed in front of you and want to quit, Don’t! You will never grow as a leader if you are not uncomfortable. Jesse was given many workout challenges that made him uncomfortable, but he never regretted completing them once they were done. 
2. Relationships can evolve over time. A professional relationship can become personal and vice versa. The best relationships are those with a foundation of mutual trust and respect. Jesse and SEAL demonstrated this as their relationship evolved throughout the book. They started the book as acquaintances and end up as friends. 
3. The human mind maximizes or minimizes our growth as a leaders. Our thought process is what helps us all achieve greatness!

My biggest takeaway from this book was in the power of the individual to unleash their potential.

Cheers to unleashing your potential and Book #6!

“Digital Minimalism”: Choosing a focused life in a noisy world by Cal Newport.

I started Book #4 , ”Digital Minimalism” by Cal Newport in  early March before COVID-19 shut down the world. As a Gen X’er, I remember the world without technology at your fingertips. 

I remember what it feels like to use the phone in the kitchen and have to whisper so your parents would not hear what you are saying. I remember seeing my best friend’s dad with a car phone and wondering why he wanted to have a phone in his car. I remember getting excited about call-waiting, call-forwarding and caller-ID. I remember the first time I used an Apple computer in high school to edit my articles for the yearbook. We only used computers to type & edit our papers. I remember my first beeper and the first time I received   “143” or “911” (of course it was never an emergency). And my first phone, don’t even get me started, but you get the picture. Things were different then and things are different now. 

“Digital Minimalism” reminded me of my younger days and how much easier communication & human interaction was. I had several take-aways from this book personally and professionally.

1. It’s important to reflect on how you use technology and what benefits it gives you. If you feel anxious, overwhelmed, depressed, you probably need to re-evaluate your relationship. It will make you a better _______!
2. If your stuck on the digital roller-coaster, set boundaries for yourself. This can involve a schedule or setting parameters for when you will use technology.
3. The benefits of improving yourself through learning a new skill, hobby, language, etc. > the time you spend scrolling, liking, posting.

Stay Safe! Stay Healthy! Love one another and keep on reading!
On to Book #5

Leadership lessons from “Year of Yes” by Shonda Rhimes

I started February 2020 with several choices for Book #3 in my reading resolution for 2020. The choices became overwhelming as I sought out recommendations from others. I know I could have much worse problems than too many good books to read.

The decision became what book should I read next….
I chose “Year of Yes” by Shonda Rhimes after reading a sample on my IPad. Typically, I enjoy having a physical book in my hand to read, but I thought I would try something different. 

I am not a big TV watcher and I had not seen a full episode of any of her shows, but I have heard her name from her “Year of Yes” events and thought I could learn something from her. Similar to what she does with a good script, she brought to life her background and year of growth in vivid detail! I ended the book feeling that I made a new friend.

Leadership Lesson #1: It’s almost impossible to reach your full potential personally or professionally if you are not vulnerable. Shonda had many examples of how she said “no” previously to events or something that she was uncomfortable with. When she said “yes”, she grew as an individual.

Leadership Lesson #2: Creativity in an individual and a team creates success! Be willing to imagine, be open to dream, don’t put limits on yourself. The foundation of Shonda’s success was in her imagination. She surrounded herself with creative like minded people.

Leadership Lesson #3: We all need our personal Board of Directors to keep us on the right path. Shonda surrounded herself with a solid group of people who helped her through her “Year of Yes” and personal/professional challenges. 

It was a challenge to pick my top 3 leadership lessons from this book. There were numerous lessons from this book and not enough space to capture them all. This book will leave you reflecting on your own “Year of Yes”.

Cheers to 2020 and Book #4!

Leadership Lessons from the “The Passion Paradox” by Scott Magness and Brad Stulberg

In full disclosure, I started book #2 “The Passion Paradox” last fall. I paused on the book as my work-life balance was leaning more heavily to the work side and thought it best to pick it back up when I could devote more energy to reading.

There is something about drinking a hot cup of coffee or tea, curling up with a blanket and sitting in a little nook of my house with a good book that is hard to replicate. It creates a great sense of calm for me and it was something I was looking forward to as I started 2020.

I chose “The Passion Paradox” as my second book for 2020 because I throughly enjoy the content that both Scott Magness and Brad Stulberg put out into the universe. They are both extremely motivational with a practical balance with great lessons that can be applied to any professional or personal endeavor. I knew this book would have some great leadership lessons that would inspire me and continue my growth.

Lesson #1: Our time, energy and attention are all finite. Make sure that your decisions and goals line up to your personal and professional passion. Invest your time and energy where it matters most!

Lesson #2: Self-awareness is an important skill in achieving your professional goals. The more self-aware you are the better equipped you are to lead other people, adjust focus to achieve your goals and grow as an individual. 

Lesson #3: Success comes from owning your story when passion is lost or shifts to something else. The stories that we craft and narrative that we tell ourselves can drive us to greatness or take us off course. We decide our path.

This book was a great reminder that passion can lead to great professional success with a healthy dose of self-awareness, reflection and action. 

Cheers to 2020 and Book #3!

Like many people, I started the morning of January 1, 2020 reflecting on the end of 2019 and the start of a new year and decade. I thought about my successes, failures and the many lessons that I learned along the way. It gave me a great opportunity to think about how I wanted to start the year and what resolutions I could commit to. 

I decided that my resolution for 2020 would be to read two books a month (of different genres) and extract leadership lessons that I could apply to my professional career. I decided my first book would combine my love of running with an awe inspiring goal and that is why I chose “North” by Scott Jurek. The thought of covering all 2,189 miles of the Appalachian Trail in forty-five days seemed reasonable, right? It may have seemed like an unimaginable feat, but did provide some valuable insights into team work and leadership. 

Lesson #1: Your team is your greatest strength or weakness, treat them kindly always! There were numerous examples in the book of how Scott interacted with his fans (always with grace) and crew (asked for their suggestions, thanked them for their support and called on them when needed).

Lesson #2: When you are at your weakest moment not knowing if you can take another step, remember why you are there! Just like Scott, we are all great at something, but can always have moments of weakness. In moments like these, he remembered why he was there and how good the ultimate goal would feel once accomplished.

Lesson #3: You can have years of success, but still need to prove yourself. Scott had years of experience as a successful trail runner and won numerous awards, but he was still questioned by those he interacted with in-person and virtually. He used that energy to create success and accomplish his goal by creating a plan that was modified as needed to keep him focused. 

This is a great book that I highly recommend. It was a wonderful reminder that the limits we have are truly those we place on ourselves.

Cheers to 2020 and Book #2!