Turn the Page

Earlier this week, we conducted and completed the quadrennial American Presidential election.

As a result of any election, people are now left elated or dejected. A slightly larger than majority group now has the candidate they voted for as the President-Elect.

The other group, nearly half of the US voting population, their candidate lost.

This is not a new occurrence. It happens at every election.

But it sure feels and seems like this time is different.

From the news media to social media and coffee shop waiting line conversations, the stakes for this election were higher than those for previous elections.

Maybe because one candidate was a combination of racial and gender minorities that collectively had never reached the final stage of the election as Kamala Harris did.

Another large factor was that a former President ran again for office after being beaten in the previous election.

Turn the Page

In her concession speech, VP Harris uttered the words many other lawmakers and pundits had shared—words I found myself elated to speak: It's time to Turn the Page.

Maybe you prefer the Metallica version, like I do, or the original by Bob Seger. Either way, the lyrics are the same, and on a lonely, lonely highway east of Omaha, the page is turning.

Trust me, this is not a track to convince you of anything political.

Like every other one I share, this newsletter centers on my experiences and how to apply leadership lessons to every facet of our lives.

We can want the page we have been on to continue. I could very well have wished and desired that the days before my brother died would extend much longer and farther into the future, but they didn't.

At the same time, there have been tumultuous times when I eagerly desired to turn the page, shoot, and skip chapters of my life to get to better days.

We can't get stuck on a page trying to create a narrative, adding words between the lines to change the story to our preference.

In the same way, we must communicate and lead.

Earlier this week, in my IDL Roundtable sessions, we discussed how leaders fall short during times of change when they don't communicate and allow others to fill the narrative void.

I have seen this happen so often and severely that it never surprises me, and I can almost predict the fallout.

A round of corporate cutbacks and layoffs without the leader owning the measure equals reduced performance, more requested time off, lower employee engagement, and increased turnover.

Vision

The Impact Driven Leader framework has three components: Awaken - Grow - Lead.

In the third triumvirate, Vision is the keystone to leading. Only with a clear and expressed vision can a leader encourage others to go with them to achieve a mission.

We tell our kids to avoid getting into a car you don't know where it's headed. This only leads to disaster and bitter consequences.

The same is true in other places of life; people won’t join you in the quest if you can’t clearly articulate what life will be like at the end of the book.

Everyone who leads someone, including yourself, is now in a place to curate and articulate a vision of what life is to come.

Will you read this page and turn to the next, or will you keep underlining and highlighting the page we have been on in hopes that the story stays that way?

Connect

The second facet of Lead is Connect. This section is as imperative to lead as is vision.

I can set the GPS, tell you all about the glories of our vacation and the adventure along the trail, and regale you with past experiences and future successes. But if I don't make a place for you on the bus, you’ll never go along for the ride.

In our world, we need to focus on connection more than ever, not justifying our choices but appreciating others.

Pointing fingers and blaming or gloating that your candidate won, regardless of the party, will not connect you with the nearly 50% that didn’t vote the way you did.

I recall being told this at some point: we are all stronger together!

My friend Carlos Whittaker and I recorded a podcast that will be released later this year. In it, we discussed the need to slow down. Let's try to see the bigger picture instead of racing for an ‘efficient’ solution, forcing an agenda, and decrying that we have the best answer. This usually involves a compromise rather than an absolute.

Slowing down to connect and hear others is being empathetic; it's leading!

Influence

If we clearly cast a vision and connect with others, we earn the opportunity to influence them.

As John Maxwell defines it, leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less.

But influence is not manipulation. Manipulation is persuasion for personal gain; influence is for collective gain.

Leadership is nothing without influence, and leadership is not manipulation.

The only way to influence is to gain the hearts and minds of others through genuine, heartfelt authenticity.

The Future

We control our future. It's the greatest freedom in the United States. Our attitude, mindset, and choices control our future. Sure, it is impacted by others, and that is life. But just like so much else, it's not what happens to us but how we respond.

We can impact others solely by Turning the Page and writing the next great adventure in the story.

Did you catch this podcast? If not, listen to it here.