Posts from — November 2007

During recent discussions about the best approaches to leadership and change for individuals and organizations, a number of friends and I realized that our society is being moved more and more into a constant game of musical chairs.

For those of you not familiar with this game, it’s actually something children play for attention and agility. You take a group of kids and provide chairs for them. The number of chairs is one less than the number of kids. Then the music begins to play and when it stops all the kids circling the chairs rush to take a seat. The one who doesn’t find a chair is out of the game. In the next round, everybody gets back up, one chair is removed and the music begins playing again. At the end of the game, only two individuals are running around the last remaining chair and when the music stops, the person who gets to sit on the last chair is the winner.

The question is: “Is he or she really the winner”?

What’s interesting is that during the game more and more people get eliminated and have to watch, rather then being involved. In addition the notion of the winner as one person is manifested in the game. Often the last person, the perceived winner, in actually hated by all the other players.

Why am I writing about children’s games? Lately it appears our society is moving into the game of musical chairs all over. In American Idol we are to elect the last one standing and crown him or her the winner. In some cases, it’s not even the most talented person, but the most popular person, who wins. In Dancing with the Stars, 50% of the vote comes form the public, most of which has no clue what the important aspects of ballroom dancing are – so guess what – they vote by what’s most popular, appealing and looks the prettiest.

A new show in TV called Phenomenon doesn’t celebrate the amazing abilities of the artists but eliminates everybody but one person and then crowns that person to be The Phenomenon, same with Survivor, American Inventor, and a host of other shows using this format.

It’s not only on TV. In music we award the one who is most popular or has the most sales of records, and CD’s. In politics we are moving towards unilateral action against other countries. In business we see more and more slogans claiming to be the bets, the biggest, the highest, the one and only.

What happened to community, working together, achieving more as a team then the some of its parts?

As leaders and influencers and change agents, it becomes more and more important to bring the notion of team, community, common ideas, agreed upon vision, and achievements in a group, department, division, or company back. If we want to succeed in the future, we need to pool our abilities, knowledge, and strength, rather than playing a game of musical chairs on all levels, only to be surprised that the winner is hated by all other players and lonely in his or her glory.

Axel Meierhoefer, President AMC LLC

Well, probably not. But sometimes one could think we are – at least as long as we are doing what we have been doing.
Some people use the following definition for insanity:

Insanity = Doing the same thing the same way every day
and expect different results
There is a tendency to keep doing what supposedly has worked. As leaders and managers we establish rules, procedures or inherit policies that worked in the past. We develop new goals, strategies, and visions, but initially start implementing them with the same rules we have in place. That by itself would not be insane, but if we don’t check how our actions work out or try to keep achieving the goals or realize the new vision with the same old methods and approaches, we are setting ourselves up for failure.

Those among us who are more blessed or have the rare ability to see the big picture would immediately ask:

“Are you insane? Why would you try something new or solve a problem with the same old methods that got you into this situation in the first place?”

So what can we do? I suggest to work on the knowledge it takes to solve problems and overcome hurdles. Knowledge is something that doesn’t disappear. Once gained or created, it remains.

When you have knowledge, learned something new, and now know something you previously didn’t, you have cause to be proud of yourself and have increased confidence.

That gets you on your way towards a better future. Keep in mind:

Knowledge + Confidence = Success

Axel Meierhoefer, President AMC LLC

How much effort does it take to lead?

As I told you in the last post, I gained a lot of energy from the event I attended last weekend in Sedona. One of the interesting bids of info was my upcoming attempt to contribute to a new book. It’s going to be a collection of short stories, similar to the Chicken Soup book series. To prepare for it, I read one of the older books in the series. In it I found a great passage from Peter Ng.

Peter said:
“The world is constantly changing: economic conditions are changing, more demanding work conditions, and increasing social demands. We must constantly reveiw our lives and cater to the changing requirements. Yesterday’s success formula may not be suitable for tomorrow.
The decision to re-focus will bring you into a new world of adventures, opportunities, excitement, recognition, and great success.

People are constantly striving for more control over their lives. Some will inevitably fail because they have no idea what they can or cannot influence. Many people believe life is predestined, and this only adds to their frustrations. As pressure builds, people either push harder - hoping to force the changes they want - or give up completely by resigning themselves to the fact that they are only human.”

Here is the kicker:

“It takes as much effort to lead an unfulfilling life as it does to lead a life filled with joy and accomplishment.”

With that profound knowledge, it makes so much sense to attempt the things that bring us joy, make us smile, let’s us celebrate the small things that go right, and then the big things, and then the bigger things, and then joy itself.

So let’s strive to lead a life with joy and accomplishment and let others know. Spread the joy…

Axel Meierhoefer, President AMC LLC

Hello dear readers of this blog

I am back from a weekend in Sedona - no, not for pleasure, I was there as a guest of Debbie Allen and Patricia Drain from the Maximizing Success organization. A few years ago I had attended an event in Phoenix which set me on the track I have been on ever since. At the time I got fascinated by  Laural Langemeier and her teachings. I jumped into one of her coaching programs and became friends with my coach, Barbara Galyen. From both of them I learned how to structure AMC Consulting LLC and what to do with the finances.

Then it was off to find clients and I did not too bad. Our company is growing and we are on the verge of creating an e-commerce presence in addition to our off-line endeavors. Going to Sedona to attend Debbie and Patricia’s event was just what the doctor ordered.
I learned something form every speaker and got many useful ideas. I also connected with a number of very interesting people, some of which can potentially help AMC LLC into a much more prosperous future.

You might ask yourself: “Why is he telling us this and what does it have to do with leadership, coaching, personal development, etc.?
For me it has everything to do with it. If I learned one special thing this weekend, it was this:

You got to surround yourself with people who are better then you, have achieved more then you, and can help you get to where they already are!

Doing it in Sedona has an additional benefit. The surroundings are amazing, the area is known for its amazing energy qualities, and a life balance and business development with all lie minded individuals get’s your juices flowing and the inner energy through the roof. I am full of excitement, energy, drive to move forward and ready to take the next step. That’s what 2 ½ days can do.

If you have never done it before, and you either have a business, work in a good business, or want to become your won boss, visit one of the events that Maximizing Success, or Gina Gaudio-Graves offer. You can also first try a free event with Laural Langemeier, if you are looking for life changing advice. Either way, if the short days of fall and winter start getting to you and your energy level is getting lower and lower, don’t let you followers, co-workers, and family members suffer. Take action and attend an event that gives you new ideas and moves you forward.

Oh yea, I also learned something else. Simple people like me can become co-authors with famous and extremely successful people. You will hear more about it in the future and at some point get an opportunity to purchase the book one of my stories is going to be published in. Steven E makes it happen and he will help me in the next 8-10 months. So much for now.

To your success

Axel Meierhoefer, President AMC LLC

In my practice as a consultant and coach I have an opportunity to learn form many people and get to listen to many stories. One thing that has fascinated me in the last few years is the frequency with which people in mid- and upper level management and executive positions actually believe they are leading when all they are doing is managing.

When I ask them the questions: “Do you manage or do you lead?” Many folks look at me puzzled and reply: “Isn’t that pretty much the same thing?”

Well, no it isn’t – not by a long shot - and for everybody who wants to be or become a leader it needs to be very clear what the difference is.

Sometimes in life we run across something or an event occur with and around us that can change the direction we take. This happened to me in 2003 when I participated in an elective class for a Masters Degree in Organizational Management. Jeff Stauffer, my professor and now a good friend, taught an elective class about organizational change.

He asked us, the students, to review the situation of a company and come up with a strategic plan to generate positive change. As a guideline we were to use the steps described in John Kotter’s book “Leading Change”. This class and what I learned became the trigger for all or most of my decisions in business and my life. It helped me to understand how change works and what the difference between management and leadership is. -If you want to know what happend to me and what John Kotter had to say, click here-