I have to be honest.  I have no idea who this guy is. My guess is he is a special forces guy in the military. My guess is he is part of an elite fighting force. My guess is he has had more training and leadership development than any of us will ever receive.

Given all that, he says there are three things that he looks for in a teammate. 1) Dependability – be where you say you are going to be when you say you are going to be, 2) Skilled – that you are very good at completing the task that you are charged to do, & 3) Selflessness – making sure the needs of others are taken care of before you take care of your own.

And, the one he says is the hardest to do and the most important to do is selflessness. Putting the needs of others before yourself – not once in a while or when it is convenient, but when it matters.

Your Turn: On a scale of 1-10, how selfless are you? How well and how often do you put the needs of your teammates/classmates/friends/family ahead of your own?

]]> https://spinnersjoy.com/3-most-important-attributes-in-a-teammate/feed/ 0 https://spinnersjoy.com/behind-a-winning-coolest-thing-contest/ https://spinnersjoy.com/behind-a-winning-coolest-thing-contest/#respond Fri, 09 Aug 2024 12:38:12 +0000 https://spinnersjoy.com/?p=72386
Now in its second year, the California Manufacturers and Technology Association’s competition is a helpful advocacy and outreach tool.

Associations looking to expand their advocacy efforts and building public awareness have known that one popular move is to create a gamified experience. March Madness-style brackets and innovation contests can put a spotlight on a particular industry’s efforts both to legislators and the general public.

That’s particularly true in manufacturing, where state organizations in Illinois, Delaware, and elsewhere. That success prompted the California Manufacturers and Technology Association to launch its “Coolest Thing Made in California” contest last year, which proved successful enough for it to return last week for a second year.

“What we were hearing from our counterparts in different states across the U.S. is that it really helps highlight the diverse manufacturing industry with the public,” said Ananda Rochita, CMTA’s VP of communications. “It’s an opportunity for them to understand our industry and see all the different companies that are making products right in their backyards.”

More than 90,000 people voted in CMTA’s contest last year.

CMTA produces the contest on a shoestring, with Rochita along with two other members of the trade association’s 12-person staff gathering nominations, tallying votes, and encouraging participants to spread the word. The range of manufacturers represented in last year’s contest gave CMTA confidence that it was on the right track: Though Tesla and a pair of aerospace firms were finalists, so was a family business, Carmazzi Caramel Corn, promoting the idea that the state supports both small and large manufacturers. (Another benefit: Carmazzi joined as a member after the contest.)

In addition, the initiative proved successful enough that it attracted sponsorship dollars: This year, the bank JPMorganChase has a naming arrangement with CMTA where its brand is used in all of the association’s promotions of the contest. “It was a year-long process for them to understand us as a brand,” Rochita said. “They’ve attended a few of our events and got a taste of what we bring to the table.”

But the key to the contest’s success is that it’s driven as much by the public as the manufacturers: People are invited to nominate any company that manufactures in the state (it need not be headquartered there), and their votes determine the finalists and winner. Last year, more than 90,000 people voted, and the campaign reached more than 95,000 social media accounts—enough that the state’s lieutenant governor, Eleni Kounalakis, made the official presentation of the award to Tesla last year. 

That experience showed CMTA the importance of strength in numbers, both among the public and members. “We’re the main advocate for the manufacturing industry here, so through this process, we got a lot of attention from legislators,” Rochita said. “We also got a lot of interest among our members and prospects, a lot of manufacturers who weren’t in our membership and that found out about CMTA through the competition.”

The post Behind a Winning “Coolest Thing” Contest appeared first on Associations Now.

Author: Mark Sanborn

Mark is recognized globally as an expert on leadership, customer service and organizational performance.

A member of the National Speakers Association Speaker Hall of Fame, he is the author of 8 books including the international bestseller, The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary
Into the Extraordinary.

Mark teaches his clients to BE EXTRAORDINARY.

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The U.S. and China: The Struggle for World Leadership

In 2004 I wrote, The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary into the Extraordinary. The 20th Anniversary Edition released June 1. 2004 I wrote, The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary into the Extraordinary. The 20th Anniversary Edition released June 1.

The book is about real life (then) postal carrier, Fred Shea, who was a shining example of turning the ordinary in the extraordinary and the four principles I outlined in the book.

Many have read it and thought of it as a book about customer service, and it large part it is. But while The Fred Factor is always about service, Fred isn’t always in the customer service department.

While Fred was provided extraordinary service to the people on his postal route, other “Freds” who practice the same philosophy aren’t always in the customer service department.



And that is a challenge.

No matter how good the service rep may be, a technician at a job site can undo his or her best efforts. No matter how committed a bank teller may be, bad leadership can demoralize that individual or short-circuit best efforts by implementing bad policies.

Being a Fred isn’t about the job you hold but how you do the job. Freds can be in any department, and in the best organizations they are in every department.

Anyone can be a Fred, if they choose, and I believe everyone should aspire to be a Fred. It is important for their own success, and for the success of their organizations.

Scholastic Inc. has been in business for nearly 100 years. With $2 billion in revenue and more than 9,000 employees in 16 countries, one of their missions is to help keep books alive. Scholastic is clear about their commitment to a child’s best educational interests.

That mission informs and inspires employees throughout the organization.

Then President and CEO, the late Richard Robinson, visited a warehouse. He asked a forklift driver at a distribution center, “What is your job?” He didn’t mention his forklift or distribution. He said, “My job is to help children love to read.”

Great leaders and organizations know that forklifts and distribution centers are means to a greater end if you have the right mission.

Anyone can be a Fred. And the more people in more departments in your organization who are, the more extraordinary your organization will be.

Mark Sanborn is an award winning speaker, leadership strategist and Leadership Expert in Residence at High Point University, the Premier Life Skills University. He also advises executives and professional speakers on how to speak more powerfully. For more information about his work, visit www.marksanborn.com. 

Author: Mark Sanborn

Mark is recognized globally as an expert on leadership, customer service and organizational performance.

A member of the National Speakers Association Speaker Hall of Fame, he is the author of 8 books including the international bestseller, The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary
Into the Extraordinary.

Mark teaches his clients to BE EXTRAORDINARY.

In today’s world of work, being inclusive as a leader isn’t optional. In many companies I work with and consult, inclusion is used as a mere buzzword that doesn’t translate into any tangible behavioral change. The reason I feel leaders who preach inclusion and not practice it is because it is hard. Paying lip service to inclusion may give you some brownie points, but practicing inclusion leads to remarkable results. 

Practicing Inclusion is Transformative

When Satya Nadella took charge as Microsoft’s CEO, the company was struggling with fairly rigid culture and stagnation. Nadella emphasized the importance of being a learning leader, adopting a growth mindset and working collaboratively with empathy. He worked hard at breaking down silos, encouraged employees to learn from each other, be customer centric, embrace diverse perspectives and work as one team to accomplish common goals. He conducted regular town-halls, institutionalized mentoring programs, conducted open forums to elicit ideas and concerns.

“Inclusion is not a matter of political correctness. It is the key to growth.”– Jesse Jackson

The culture shifted over the years, so did the outcomes. Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform was accomplished through a rigorous cross-functional collaboration. Under Nadella’s leadership, Microsoft transformed into a dynamic and forward-thinking organization resulting in growth and innovation.

Nadella’s story underlines what research from McKinsey & Co. suggests: That companies with diverse leadership are 33% more likely to achieve above-average profitability. 

The Boldly Inclusive Leader

In this context, I read Minette Norman’s book “The Boldly Inclusive Leader” with great interest. The book is a compelling guide for leaders to foster a more inclusive workplace. Norman provides actionable strategies and insights to build an inclusive culture through foundations of continuous learning, active listening, authentic communication, and creating psychologically safe environment for people to thrive. For me, Norman’s insights on being self-aware and being willing to embrace discomfort stood out. She reframes difficult experiences as “learning opportunities” and encourages leaders to reflect on their biases when dealing with people.

A Sketchnote on What Boldy Inclusive Leaders Do

The book is a must read if you are looking for a powerful and actionable guide to being more inclusive. Here is a sketchnote synthesizing some of the key ideas that truly stood out for me:

Updated: Visual Leadership Pack HD Sketchnotes

If you liked the sketchnote summary above, check out the Visual Leadership Pack of HD Sketchnotes – a compilation of high-resolution sketchnotes with 90+ powerful (and timeless) ideas to elevate your leadership and learning game.

My book, The Fred Factor, talks about how to turn ordinary into extraordinary by using the real life example of Fred Shea, my postal carrier when I first moved to Denver. To read the first chapter, The First Fred I Ever Met, go here.

What follows is a summary of what “Freds” do in their work and in their lives. I hope it stimulates your thinking about what you can do to turn ordinary into extraordinary.

1. Freds go beyond what is expected, doing ordinary things in an extraordinary way.2. Freds love their work.3. Freds care about the people they work with and for.4. Freds go the extra mile in providing service.5. Freds have a signature difference they strive to make each day.
6. Freds work with passion.7. Freds are creative problem solvers.
8. Freds build and maintain positive relationships.
9. Freds stick to their values. 
10. Freds are team players. 
11. Freds pass on their values to the next generation. 
12. Freds make significant contributions on their community.13. Freds offer their best.

Mark Sanborn is an award winning speaker, leadership strategist and Leadership Expert in Residence at High Point University, the Premier Life Skills University. He also advises executives and professional speakers on how to speak more powerfully. For more information about his work, visit www.marksanborn.com. 

Author: Mark Sanborn

Mark is recognized globally as an expert on leadership, customer service and organizational performance.

A member of the National Speakers Association Speaker Hall of Fame, he is the author of 8 books including the international bestseller, The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary
Into the Extraordinary.

Mark teaches his clients to BE EXTRAORDINARY.

We often take decisions based on what matters the most to us “at that point in time”. Revenues going down? Take up that dreaded project which you wouldn’t take otherwise. A friend wants you to speak for free at an event? Say yes, because he is a friend afterall. A product being offered at really low cost? Buy it, it’s a great bargain. 

You only realize later that the project you took up ate all your team’s time and resources to the point of making losses and losing reputation. That free speaking gig meant hours spent preparing for it, away from your family and friends. That product that looked like great bargain ended up being a crappy product that felt like a waste.

Every “Yes” contains a “No” to something else, and vice versa. (Courtesy: Nicholas Bate) 

This happens all the time, in personal as well as business context. That’s because we take these decisions very lightly without doing critical thinking. But then, there are invisible costs that we can only feel, but cannot tangibly count. How would you measure loss of reputation because of that failed project, or lost productivity addressing something that could have been avoided completely?

Critical decisions are not binary but multifaceted. When stakes are high (personally, emotionally, and professionally), it helps to carefully consider different facets of it. This is not about discouraging quick decisions, but encouraging thoughtful decisions when it matters. I am a big fan of taking quick decisions, acting and adapting/learning our way into doing things right when stakes are low. That’s how we learn – through small experiments, reflection and putting that learning into our next step. 

In this context, I read this wonderful post from Frank Sonnenberg offering a useful checklist to consider when making decisions. He says,

When making decisions, most people view cost as an important consideration. While price is undoubtedly crucial, what about invisible costs that also come into play? For example, what are the long-term effects of your decision? Does your choice align with your beliefs and values? And of course, have you considered how your decision impacts your relationships? Simply put, hidden costs may be invisible to the naked eye, but they’re very visible to your wallet. Overlooking these factors can cost you a bundle.

Here is a #sketchnote summary of how Invisible costs can cost you a lot. 

Related Reading at QAspire.com

Updated: Visual Leadership Pack HD Sketchnotes

If you liked the sketchnote summary above, check out the Visual Leadership Pack of HD Sketchnotes – a compilation of high-resolution sketchnotes with 88+ powerful (and timeless) ideas to elevate your leadership and learning game.

Ten Pivotal Tips to Boost Your Leadership Skills