This year I have undertaken the challenge of learning something new every day and posting these new insights into my journal. A picture of such a day is provided below.
The past few days have been especially fruitful. I want to share with you 10 leadership lessons I’m learning right now which I think will help you as well:
1. How To Sabotage Your Office And Workplace
As told in this article from Corporate-Rebels.com, a 1944 CIA document on how to sabotage organizational productivity in enemy countries has been made public. Its instructions have a startling application to today’s American workplace.
How to sabotage day-to-day business operations:
- “Talk as frequently as possible and at great length”.
- “Bring up irrelevant issues as frequently as possible”.
- “Haggle over precise wordings of communications, minutes, resolutions.”
- “Refer back to matters decided upon.”
- “Be worried about the propriety of any decision.”
How management sabotages the company:
- “Misunderstand orders. Ask endless questions or engage in long correspondence about such orders.”
- “In making work assignments, always sign out the unimportant jobs first.”
- “Insist on perfect work in relatively unimportant products.”
- “Hold conferences when there is more critical work to be done.”
- “Multiply the procedure and clearances involved in issuing instructions.”
How employees sabotage the company:
- “Tell important callers the boss is busy or talking on another telephone.”
- “Spread disturbing rumors that sound like inside dope.”
- “Work slowly. Think out ways to increase the number of movements necessary on your job.”
- “Contrive as many interruptions to your work as you can. When you go to the lavatory, spend longer time there than is necessary.”
- “Do your work poorly and blame it on bad tools, machinery, or equipment.”
These practices worked in WWII enemy countries and still work today.
2. To Learn How To Win You Must First Learn How Not To Lose
Last night the Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 17-14 with a last second one-yard touchdown run. It is a game the Irish should have never lost.
With less than two minutes remaining in the game and the Irish seemingly controlling the line of scrimmage, they elected to throw passes on 2nd and 3rd down stopping the clock. Instead of running the ball and chewing up the clock (their real opponent at the time), they were forced to punt the ball back to the Buckeyes with 1:26 remaining in the game.
Ohio State drove down the field and eventually won the game with :01 second remaining. Worse than their clock management, the Irish shockingly only had 10 men on the field for Ohio State’s last two plays!!!
To learn how to win, you must first learn how not to lose.
3. Previous Performance Earns Current Trust
In 1982, there were high hopes at Columbia Records for Bruce Springsteen’s follow-up album to the incredibly successful The River. But what they received was an acoustic collection of dark songs recorded on a cassette in the bedroom of a rented home in Colts Neck, New Jersey. The album would be called Nebraska.
Why would an iconic musician made such a commercially harmful decision? It is the question Warren Zanes explored in his new book Deliver Me From Nowhere: The Making Of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska.
Zanes writes on pages 204-205, “By 1982, Bruce Springsteen was also well past the point which Columbia Records was going to reject his proposed latest release. From Columbia’s perspective, there was no point in risking the relationship. … The Columbia executives certainly cared about the bottom line, but also knew plenty about the shape of long careers as opposed to those built on a quick rise and fall. There were albums that did something over the long term that couldn’t be measured with an accountant’s year-end tool.”
Columbia’s executives made a wise decision to have a long-term view of their talented performer. Springsteen’s next album would be the mega-hit Born In the U.S.A.
4. 4-Step Process From Desire To Death
“Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.“ – James 1: 14-15 (NLT)
NorthStar Church’s pastor Mike Linch made an interesting observation about the verses above. There is a 4-step process from desire which leads to death:
- Desire – “Temptation comes from our own desires”
- Deception – “which entice us and drag us away.”
- Disobedience – “These desires give birth to sinful actions.”
- Death – “when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.“
5. A Case For Limiting (If Not Cancelling) All Your Meetings This Week
In this post, Cal Newport tells the story of Zapier cancelling all their meetings for a week. This included all in-person and Zoom one-on-ones and departmental updates. The tech company referred to it as GSD (Get Stuff Done) Week. The results were startling:
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80% of respondents would want to do another GSD week in the future.
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80% of respondents achieved their goal(s) for the week.
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89% of respondents found communication to be about as effective during GSD week as during a typical week.
Maybe it’s time to clear some meetings off our calendars as well.
6. A Protest Vs. A Project
Seth Godin makes an interesting distinction between protests and projects in this post.
Protests send messages and let off steam. They are “momentary, temporary and urgent.” Protests are measured by a stopwatch. But they rarely change things because the status quo is the status quo.
On the other hand, Projects begin with a protest. But it takes a long-term systematic approach and outlasts the status quo. Rather than being measured by a stopwatch, projects are measured by the calendar. Projects are infinitely patient and therefore, can change much.
7. The Breadcrumbs Of Behavior
If people keep telling you who they are, believe them.
Polina Pompliano, author of
Unlike the regular customers mentioned above, I am rarely surprised when people are accused of unhealthy behavior or have moral failures. This is not cynicism. Everyone leaves breadcrumbs about their behavior. Good or bad, when they tell you who they are, believe them.
8. Identity Proceeds Activity
NorthStar Church college pastor Sellers Hickman made an interesting observation about the subject of idenity.
James 1:19 says, “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this:” (NIV).
Sellers noted the James defined their identity (dear brothers and sisters) before discussing their behavior. Too often we allow our what we do (activities and behaviors) to become our identity. Rather, we should allow our identity in Christ to determine our behaviors.
9. Process Proceeds Outcomes
“The mindset isn’t about seeking a result—it’s more about the process of getting to that result. It’s about the journey and the approach. It’s a way of life. I do think that it’s important, in all endeavors, to have that mentality.” – Kobe Bryant from his book The Mamba Mentality: How I Play
10. The Scott Williams Syndrome
On the September 21st edition of The GM Shuffle podcast, Michael Lombardi discussed The Scott Williams Syndrome when evaluating back-up personnel for your team or organization. Here’s the story:
On July 28, 1994, the Philadelphia 76ers signed former Chicago Bulls back-up center Scott Williams to a large contract. Williams would come into games only when the outcome was already determined. He performed well during those brief stretches of play and 76ers officials Harold Katz and John Lucas thought if Williams doubled his playing time, he would also double his Bulls output of 7.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
Unfortunately, in Williams’ first season with his new team, he averaged 6.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
The Scott Williams Syndrome is when you overvalue back-ups and think they will perform better with starter’s minutes and opportunities. Back-ups and second-tier performers are often that for a reason.
Next Steps
The next steps are for you. What are you learning today? Hopefully, something from the list above.
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