We lead people, we manage things. I love this old adage as I feel there can be confusion among leaders in the workplace. Managing, in my view, is less personal and more process. It involves the establishment of procedure and policy, organizing and synchronizing tasks and operations, and governing time. Leading on the other hand is the personal interaction, influence, and nurturing required of leaders to get the most out of the people associated with these tasks and operations.

Words matter, especially in leadership. For better or worse, people will latch on to what comes out of the mouth of their leaders. "But you said..." Because of this, leaders ought to be cautious and selective with their words. I do not mean overly cautious or fake. Leaders should absolutely be themselves but should operate with a heightened sense of what they do and say. My years of leading have strengthened me in this area. I'm clear on the tone I want to set and the culture I want to create no matter what the team and because of this I don't use these words or phrases.

As a young Army officer I heard this phrase - "make time" from several superiors. Truthfully, it bothered me. I was extremely busy and they were asking me to carve out time I did not have or was not afforded. "Easy for them to say," I thought. They had staffs and assistants to share their work with. I and my team were very lean. Because of this disdain, I've always hesitated to use the phrase on others. Indeed there were some who considered everything to be a priority, who rattled this phrase off without care and context. As I matured though, I began to look at 'making' time in a different light. It was not about having time. None of us do.

In the Army, every 12 months, or when a direct report would change, officers would receive an Officer Evaluation Report or OER. To support the writing of this OER, the Army created the OER Support form. This form was supposed to be a living document between rater and rated where accomplishments could be listed to inform the final creation of the OER. I hated the Support Form. Creating it felt like an act of selfishness. I felt like I was taking credit for the achievements of my people - work I had not done myself.

Do you have one of those people on your team, the 'problem machine' who has the personal capability to solve problems yet always seems to drop them on your lap? I've always coached leaders never to bring problems to their boss - bring solutions. When we present a problem to the boss, "we really need to revamp our PTO policy," or "I can't get the sales team motivated to achieve greater results in Q2," we are essentially giving them more work. What is a leader to do with these statements? I've seen some take ownership of these problems and become overwhelmed and ineffective. This starts the 'delegation' discussion. I've blogged about it and will do more as it remains a challenge. Here are some thoughts and philosophies on this matter.

Along with my leadership offerings, I've taken on a new business as its owner and president. It is a wonderful opportunity to build and lead a team of men and women, include their families, and manage a business in an ever-changing environment - a leadership laboratory if you will, where I can practice all of those things I preach through book writing, speaking and coaching.

Here I sit, in the Southern Appalachians, without power, wearing a headlamp and typing by the light of my computer. I’ve got 50% battery power and poor (barely a bar) cell phone coverage. Thankfully, we have a gas log fireplace and a gas stove. I’ve lived in much worse yet I’m already missing the comfort of modern amenities, especially the internet! Living in northeastern Tennessee, I believe I am or was at the epicenter of winter storm Izzy.

I'm having fun with these catchy subjects which rhyme with 2022. A friend shared this video by University of Alabama Football head coach Nick Saban. Perhaps it is timely and fitting this week as he and his team lost the College Football National Championship to the University of Georgia 33 to 18. Saban, considered by many to be the greatest coach in college football history, was speaking to his players just prior to football camp, the team's preparation for its regular season, about toughness - mental toughness to be exact. The core question he posits is, "what does it take to break you?" It is a short but poignant video which relates directly to leadership.

It's week 2 of 2022 and I'll stick to my theme of kicking off the New Year with a bang. It is still early enough to think about the year ahead and commit to challenges and changes for the betterment of your people and your team. In fact, I submit, it is never too late to commit to challenges and changes, in other words, start over after you've already started. I often encounter leaders who want to push the reset button. Reflecting on mistakes or poor guidance, or desiring to alter their leadership, they wish they could start fresh as they might with a new team, yet they feel it could be awkward or a sign of weakness. I disagree. If done correctly it could be a great way to refresh and motivate a team and to try better leadership practices.

This is a tough week, isn’t it? I recall how hard it was to return to the Army on the week following New Years and the Christmas holiday. The Army was this relentless, demanding machine (sound like your company?) and, especially in the early days of my career, I had bosses who made me feel guilty for taking time off. I’ve applied the opposite of that leading people, helping them ease back into the madness following time off. This first week of 2022 is especially difficult with the remembrance of January 6th, COVIDS’ next offspring and its impact, and the persistent polarization lead perfectly (I'm being flippant) by our political leaders. Let’s get to it.

Happy New Year! It’s nice to be back writing again. I hope your holidays were great. I’ve got hundreds of blogs in the cue for 2022 and beyond. I’m going to change things up a bit this year. I’ll be blogging on Mondays and Fridays - bookends for your week, leaving Wednesday’s open for book writing. Along with my leadership content, I’m going to weave in some veteran transition discussions following my 2nd book, “At Ease. A Soldier’s Story and Perspectives on the Journey to an Encore Life and Career.” Published on the cusp of the COVID Pandemic in 2020, I’ve found so many non-veterans have read and enjoyed it. I am talking about transition after all, something we will all encounter. I’ll also be sharing stories of a new business venture I’m leading beginning this month – both successes and failures. Help me widen my audience. Here is the link you can share with a friend (or forward this blog). https://www.robcampbellleadership.com/blogs. Simply fill out the ‘Stay in Touch’ block and off we go (or you can do it for them with their permission)!

As a leader and a person you are probably experiencing a range of emotions this time of year; excitement for the time off, apprehension or elation about reuniting with family, exhaustion or nostalgia and pride following a demanding year, and or anxiety or excitement about the year ahead. As you snuggle up to the fire with your eggnog do some introspection this year. After all, you are a human first before you are a leader and it is important to recognize and embrace this. Your buckets, just like the buckets of your people, need to be filled. I'm talking about human needs.

Imagining takes us back to our childhood where we operated without boundaries, pretending to be warriors or princesses. In unoccupied moments we travel backward and forward reflecting on events in our lives, actions we took, decisions we made (beating ourselves up perhaps) and projecting ourselves (and our organizations) forward imagining desired scenarios and achievements.

It is that time of year. Many organizations are hosting Christmas gatherings before they close the office for the holiday. These are important gatherings as they typically bring families together and focus on things other than work. People can shed the pressures of the office, 'let their hair down,' relax, and meet family and even children. Trust is formed in moments like this when leadership shows a true interest in the personal lives of its people. This social gathering of families should not be the only one of the year.

In a coaching session once, my client and I were talking about a meeting he had coming up in which he needed to present something controversial. An external agency had failed to perform to the level required and overall company sales performance fell below expectations for the quarter. He was struggling with how to present this to the company leadership. Long-standing relationships were involved and he risked tarnishing them. That said, he had a duty to expose the failures and offer solutions. I offered, "start with the ugly nasty truth, then polish it for delivery."

There is something about this time of year. While I'm warmed by the thought of reuniting with family, exchanging gifts, and catching a few extra naps, I feel pressure as the year speeds to a close that I owe my people something. Season's greetings is certainly in order but it's also my duty as a leader to close out the year properly - lift everyone's heads up, pause and reflect on the year's accomplishments and talk about the big picture. I'm talking about a State of the Union-like presentation and December is the perfect time.

Have you been to the grocery store lately? These places are getting so big they need a shuttle bus. I gain in age by the time I'm through walking the cereal aisle. Grocery stores have grown because of the expansion of brands and versions of products (like spaghetti sauce) but also because of the organic and gluten-free desires of the consumer. Try visiting a Whole Foods. I thought I was in a library. Everyone was busy studying the back of boxes in search of the truth. I gave the cashier my library card when I checked out and asked when I should return the lavender chips.

Frankenstein, a novel by English author Mary Shelley, tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a creature in an unorthodox experiment. The creature was a composite of whole body parts grafted together from cadavers and reanimated by the use of electricity (ref. Wikipedia). The story of the creature is a series of mishaps and ultimate death - an experiment gone wrong. A Franken-unit is a group formed from different individuals, groups and even resources. Much like the novel, it can be an unorthodox experiment destined for failure.

My uncle Eddie passed away this week. Along with passing my sincere condolences to his loving family, I spent some quiet time reflecting on his life and the impact he had on me as a child - more deeply than I had before. Eddie was a gentle man, unassuming but with a dry and surgical sense of humor. He wasn't the 'alpha male' in the room, directing and carrying the conversation but he could seize the moment better than anyone I know with a powerful statement or his timely humor. I'm sure Eddie had his moments of frustration and anger but I never witnessed those. He had an aura of calm and peace I always admired. The picture above is how I will always remember him.

Welcome Thanksgiving. We all have a lot to be thankful for and we ought to reflect on that as this week speeds by. And we ought to tell our people how thankful we are for them. After all we are not leaders without them. In the spirit of thank you, allow me offer some ways I have thanked my people.

1. Just by saying the word or phrase but by looking them in the eye. A heartfelt 'thank you' should be delivered as you pause, say the person's name, look them in the eye, and thank them.