Leaders ViewPointe

A Disney View On What It Takes To Succeed

"The secret to making dreams come true?  Curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy."  - Walt Disney

Dreams, goals, ambitions, objectives and challenges.  It doesn't matter what you call them.  The things that stir our thoughts, keep us awake during the day and inspired while we sleep, demand some kind of action.  Dreams, the kind that prompt us to be more than we currently are, stretch us to a place of discontent.  We cannot go back to existing like we always have.  Once sparked by an idea or desire, we are drawn into a grand scheme and feel a compulsion to do something about the dream.

Sadly, many people only dream and then foolishly hope for it to magically come true.  That may be because of misleading inspiration, such as:

When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires will come to you

If your heart is in your dreams, no request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star as dreamers do

Like a bolt out of the blue, fate steps in and sees you thru
When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true

Wishing is fun; but dreams only come true when you take the right actions that move you closer to the reality.  Take a closer look at Walt's success philosophy and see how it fits your current dreams.

Curiosity - This is where dreams begin.  This is the proverbial "drawing board."  Every invention, modern or antiquated, is the product of curiosity.  For every new convenience you and I enjoy, some one has dared to ask, "I wonder what would happen if..."  And the dream begins.  Your path to new solutions and exciting adventures begins in that exhilarating moment when you shift your thinking from critical mentality to creative possibilities!  Go ahead, ask what could be. 

Confidence - Confidence is trust and hope.  The conductor of a train was walking through the passenger cars collecting tickets.  He happened upon the Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.  The Justice could not find his ticket and became very upset.  He looked through all his pockets and bags.  No ticket.  He emptied his wallet.  No ticket.  The conductor tried to ease the situation, "Sir, don't worry.  I know who you are and I know that when you reach your destination the ticket will be found.  You can mail it to us."  His kind words did not comfort the Justice.  In fact, he seemed to be more agitated then before.  And he replied, "My good man, my problem is not - where is my ticket? The problem is where am I going?"

Confidence is the trust that you know where to go and the hope that you will arrive!  To make dreams come true you need to have confidence in your self, your abilities, and in other people who can help you get where you hope to go. 

Courage - This is  what makes the dreamers become the doers.  Courage is the ingredient that gets dreams off the drawing board.  What good would Walt Disney's dreams and sketches of Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs be today if he had not tried to put them on the big screen?  No one else had ever attempted such a risky venture.  While Hollywood called out "Lights, Camera, Action!" he had the courage to act on his belief.  Dreams + Courage = Action!

Constancy - It is not a new concept.  The winners in life are not always the people who can sprint to the front of the line.  Most often the winners are those who don't give up.  You can count on set backs and delays.  Sometimes you have to go back to the drawing board.  The adjustments you make to the little things along the way are what eventually produce the bigger picture.  Your dream may take a while to come true -- make sure it is a dream worth your life time!

Leaders ViewPointe:

• Which element of Disney's "secret" do you feel is your strength - Curiosity, Confidence, Courage or Constancy?  Why do you believe that is your strength?
• Which one of these dream builders do you need to "animate" because it gets pushed aside when things get hectic?  What will you do to keep this in motion?
• Remember: All four must be in the "picture" in order for your goals / dreams to be realized. 

Click on the Title above to respond or comment on this blog.  Leaders ViewPointe is for leaders to exchange ideas, challenges and dialog about current leadership issues.  What current issues would you like Steven to address in the next few months?  Let us know at steveniwersen@kc.rr.com .

For more info on Walt, check out this article from Time Magazine.  It provides some great insight as to the value of his quote above.

More details into his life can be found on Wikipedia

For more on curiosity, check out Jim Canterucci's thoughts on the subject.

John Maxwell on Confidence.

Reflection: How Leaders See Reality

Reflection.  Intriguing word.  What is the implication? 

To reflect is to observe the “image” of reality.  A mountain lake reflects the image of the sky, mountains, and trees.  The moon reflects the light of the sun.  A mirror reflects the image of whatever is near.

Reflection, as a personal intellectual exercise, is to observe what is perceived as our reality.  It is looking closer and noticing, with intentional care, the truth of what exists in our life.

Intentional Leaders regularly take the time to reflect on what is near:

• their priorities and time management,
• the morale of the employees,
• the satisfaction of the customer,
• the financials,
• and even mistakes made along the way. 

This information gives them insight for better decision-making and for taking responsibility.

Poor leaders are more concerned with their “image” and spend little time in personal reflection exploring how their actions and interactions impact the eventual outcomes.  Taking time to reflect is perceived as a waste of time, because they couldn’t possibly need to improve; besides, all of the problems are really someone else’s fault.

Ineffective Reflection is looking only at the perceived image or our interpretation of the truth.  This leads to poor decisions; or worse yet, a false sense of contentment that leads to complacency. Effective Reflection allows us to consider the validity of perceptions (our own and others).  It allows us time to learn from the journey, the mistakes and the right actions.  And times of reflection give us a “ViewPointe” in which to look for new opportunities.

One point of caution: if we spend all of our time observing the reflection, we will miss the majesty of the real thing.  What a shame it would be to hike through the mountains to a glacial lake only to look at the reflection and never look up to see the mountain itself!

Take some time this week for some personal reflection.  Are you on the right path for developing others?  Are you on track with your career goals?  What's working and what needs to change?

Take some time this week for a "team-development" reflection.  Facilitate a discussion with those you lead and find out what they perceive.  The discussion could be very empowering and improve the overall focus.

Improving Your Personal Focus

Focus - the significance of which determines not only your perspective, but your final outcomes.  A telescope out of focus gives a blurred view of the intended sights.  The information is incomplete and the interpretations could lead to dangerous results or failed efforts.  Blurred vision prevents us from having clear objectives.

Often, the remedy for a blurred telescope view is a simple adjustment at our end of the scope. That simple move brings everything into focus; and then what is far off/distant is now closer and easier to define.

Two Questions To Ask Yourself:

1. What is my focus? 
2. Are there adjustments that need to be made?

Every "sighting" that becomes clear in the scope remains in focus only when two conditions exist: the object remains stationary and you are not in motion.  Therefore, a simple principle of success is evident; if your goal is in constant focus through the "telescope" of your plans - you are not moving toward your goal.  Each time you take a step forward the goal will be closer, but will become blurred.  This is not because you have failed to understand the goal or that the goal is unattainable.  It means that you must be prepared to make changes in your immediate situations in order to keep the focus clear.

We can not depend on the old settings of yesterday.  Our position and the conditions have changed.  We must intentionally adjust to stay in focus.

We must also understand that sometimes the goal moves.  If you have chosen to focus on something that is moving forward or subject to cultural or relational changes, it will be shifting not just in focus, but often out of your "sights".  They say it is hard to hit a moving target; it is more difficult to keep it in focus.

It is then imperative that your focus anticipate the goal's direction and that you continue to move toward it.

Application Steps: I need to...

• Identify my desired destination/goal.
• Evaluate any blurred vision.  Is it blurred because I'm moving forward or because I've failed to make some adjustments?
• Remember that blurred vision can be a sign of progress. What progress has occurred recently?
• Make some adjustments to stay focused.  What adjustment "at my end of things" can I make today?

Visit www.todayspointe.com audio series for ways to improve your personal focus.

Are Your Goals Good Enough For You?

I watched my dog hunting in the backyard and learned some valuable lessons on goal setting, teamwork and success.

She had scented on to something in the backyard, something in the grass.  She was wandering aimlessly through the yard.  Sniffing.  Observing. Then something caught her attention.  Ears perked up.  Nose twitched.  She stood still and stared at one spot in the grass.  Slowly inching forward, she pawed at the target.  Then she would jump back; only to start the procedure again.

She circled the spot.  Got more daring and hovered closer for longer periods of time. This "target", this prey, had her complete attention. The uncertainty of what the prey might do to her did not dissuade her devotion to hunt it down.  She was cautious, yet daring; and approached it from every direction.

I couldn't help myself.  I joined her in the hunt.  I had to know what was so important.  What mysterious thing was hidden in the grass?

As I moved closer, she looked up at me with anticipation.  She gave me one of those looks that says, "Oh good, reinforcements.  Yes, you can help me, this time."  So with her permission, I leaned in and looked.  I couldn't see anything.  I leaned in even closer.  She moved closer and pawed at the ground.  My presence gave her a boldness.  And still, I couldn't find the prey.  I looked at the dog.  She was looking at me, "What is the matter with you, can't you see it?"

There I was now on my hands and knees pawing at the grass.  My dog sat down and watched me!  i brushed my hand over the grass spot a couple of times and then I saw it.  A dead bug the size of a quarter!  My dog had devoted her time, energy, every inch of her being to the pursuit of a dead bug!  And her devotion, her passion so inspired me, I willingly joined the effort to hunt for a dead bug!

I rolled my eyes and brushed the dust from my knees as I walked away.  We exchanged glances.  The dog looked at me like I was a quitter - a failure.  I looked at her like she was a foolish dog.

She went back to her pursuit.  And I sat there with my coffee reflecting on the whole experience.  I learned a few simple truths.

1. All too often, we expend ourselves in pursuit of useless ventures.  We give tremendous effort to chasing "dead" objectives, even after knowing that it is a waste of time.  (Are your goals good enough for you?)
2. We will never know the importance of a goal until we circle it a few times and give it our best attention.
3. Overcoming our timidity is the only way we can get close enough to our goals.  Sometimes having someone to share them with ignites the boldness we need.
4. Our devotion and actions in pursuit of the goal will attract others and inspire their desire to join the hunt.
5. Make sure that what you invite other to is truly inspiring and worth the effort, or they'll look at you and think you're foolish.
6. Finally, if we gave the same effort to our priorities that a dog gives to a hunt (not allowing anything else to distract), we would be outrageously successful.

Happy hunting!