This Week I Learned...

         In an effort to help me get a fix on some of the things I read over the week, I'm going to start writing up a few quick thoughts to summarize what I've gone over. Hopefully some of you will find it interesting and might see something that slipped by you over a busy week. I look forward to hearing your thoughts, and probably mentioning some things that slipped by me. Enjoy!

          By now everyone is aware that Russia is reasserting itself, and attempting to regain the clout that they once held. But Russia’s plans go a lot farther than simply stirring the pot in the middle east and upending the pot in Ukraine.  No one, for the foreseeable future,  is going to challenge the U.S. for the role of World Superpower. It is a role that, for the moment, everyone is content to leave to the U.S. What some nations, notably Russia and China, do want is to be Regional Superpowers.

                Russia has been taking several steps to strengthen its position, beyond locking up a strategically vital harbor in the Crimea. Perhaps the most interesting step is the creation of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU),  which is based on and is designed to compete with the EU. Set to come on line January 1, 2015, the EEU currently consists of Russia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Belarus.

 Also set to join is Kyrgyzstan, a small nation that sits between China and Kazakhstan, though its government is less than excited about the prospect. The sanctions imposed on Russia for its actions in Ukraine have hit the surrounding nations hard, and Kyrgyzstan is also facing a sever energy crisis, forcing the nation into accepting Russia's overtures.

                Russia has also been reaching out to North Korea. Choe Ryong-hae, reportedly the number two man in North Korea, wrapped up a series of meetings with Russian leaders this week. Russia is looking to run a gas pipeline and a power line though the North and into South Korea. Besides giving Russia another market for its energy, this would add to the list of countries who depend, to some extent, on Russia for their power. Much of the EU is heavily dependent on Russia for oil and gas, and this provides Putin a valuable asset in diplomatic disagreements. North Korea is trying to lessen its heavy dependence on China, and Russia appears happy to oblige.

                Russia was one of the few nations to come out of World War II with not only the military machine and diplomatic clout to be a Superpower, but also the appetite to fight for it. After the collapse of the USSR, the clout and machine disappeared, but the appetite did not. As I said above, no one really wants to be The Superpower, but as growing nations continue to modernize and grow, so will their desire to become dominate voices in their regions.

Leadership Thoughts from 'Draft Day'

I went into 'Draft Day' hoping for something akin to 'Moneyball' and was not disappointed. Kevin Costner plays the GM of Cleveland Browns who is pressed by his owner into making a costly trade for the #1 overall pick in the Draft. Everyone agrees that a particular Quarterback is far and away the best in the draft, however Costner was set on a Middle Linebacker with a devastating pass rush, and his Coach was set on a running back with deep roots in Cleveland who would take the pressure off the good quarterback already in Cleveland. On top of all this, Costner learns the day before that the girl he has been seeing secretly, who is also the analyst in charge of the salary cap for Cleveland, is pregnant. So, here's the few thoughts.

1. Leaders take responsibility. When he announces to the team that they have the #1 overall pick, Costner acknowledges that they have not scouted the QB as well as they should have. "That's my fault, that's on me. But we're going to get it done now." He settles the issue and moves to address it. Similarly, he pulls aside his cap analyst and apologizes for not having the right reaction to her pregnancy. "I'm sorry I didn't get all excited and start talking about what color we were going to paint the baby room. I didn't respond the way you needed me to and I was wrong". He doesn't try to pin the blame on her, or explain it away. He acknowledges his failures, and then moves to correct them.
2. Leaders are not door mats. While he is quick to accept blame for his own failures, he does not give everyone else a free pass. When Cleveland's current QB trashes his office, frustrated by the apparent snub of being replaced, Costner does not apologize or try to be understanding, but puts him in his place. On Draft Day, the GM's responsibility is to acquire the best players for the team, not mentor and manage current members. When Costner finds his scouts looking at pictures of the QB in the Draft with his girlfriends instead of doing research he does not apologize for the culture he has created or for not providing oversight. "I am working very hard to not loose my shit on all of your right now, and you are making it extremely difficult." Leaders carry much of the responsibility, but they should not try to carry the responsibility born by their subordinates.
3. Good leaders know when to push their subordinates and when to let them work. Cleveland's owner can be debated, but I believe he made two decisions that helped Costner succeed. First, he impressed on him the importance of making a 'splash' in the draft, and then toward the end of the film, he shuts up when Costner tells him "give me five minutes and then if you don't like what I've done you can fire me." Sometimes the boss has to be the fire that gets his people moving. Without his involvement, Costner would have drafted the MLB at the 7th pick, instead of getting two great 1st round players. The owner never anticipated what Costner would do, but he provided the impetuous for Costner to be great. 
4. Good leaders know how to gauge intangibles. A lot of people said that Costner 'went with his gut' when decided not to draft the top QB. But he didn't. He found ways to gauge the things few other people looked at. 
1. He evaluated response to failure. By watching how the QB reacted to getting sacked, he saw someone without guts, who got rattled easily when things broke down and someone who focused on not getting hit over executing the plan.
2. He evaluated honesty. By looking at how the QB responded to the 100 dollar bill test and how the answered tough questions, he saw someone more concerned with appearances than dealing with reality.
3. He evaluated people skills. By looking at how the QB worked with his team mates, Costner saw someone who had red flags among the people who knew him best. 

If you haven't seen the movie, I highly recommend it. Leadership is, in part, a study of people, which is what 'Draft Day' ultimately comes down to; How does someone near the top of an organization work with, motivate, and evaluate members and potential members of the organization. Know your people, and you will be a good leader. 

Intentions and Decisions

During the sermon yesterday, the pastor made the statement that  'Intentions do not shape outcomes, your decisions do". The world is full of people with good intentions. Christians are known for their good intentions, but they are not known for their good decisions. 

Great leaders, people who truly make an impact make the right decisions at the right time. 

It is easy to have good intentions, but we lay the groundwork for our impact in the little decisions we make alone. More often than not, greatness is achieved not by making one or two large, far-reaching decisions that have great impact, but rather by thousands of small decisions that alone seem insignificant, but when strung together have great impact. 

As I am trying to get into better shape, I can intend to be better, I can even decide on the morning of my running test that I will be faster, but it will do me little good. I am made better by consistently deciding not to sleep in, by deciding to put in the extra work out, by deciding to do an extra five minutes, I can get a little better. By consistently making the right decisions we can act on our intentions to achieve our goals. 

Intentions are important, but they must be followed by disciplined decision making. So take a few minutes and think about what your goals are and what decisions you are making to achieve them. You have made the first step, now follow through.