As a leader, to be at your best, it is important to have and maintain a high level of energy, be clear and present, and be consistent. But what does it really take for leaders to be at their best? It requires alignment between your beliefs and values, the performance of your body, and the knowledge of what works and doesn’t.
Your body performs well when you are at your best, as there is an appropriate balance of exercise and nutrition that works for you. There is a consistent “you” across all facets of your life. You don’t wear many masks; there is only one. You are at peace with your decisions, as they align with your values—allowing you to operate at an optimal level. And as a result, you sleep well at night.
Imagine. You are in your 70s, have a thriving business, and are a thought leader in your field. You have won multiple awards and exude more energy than people half your age. People ask you when you are going to retire. But, why would you? Life is fun, and you have a profound impact. For Alan Weiss, there is no work life and personal life. There is just life—a perspective he shares regularly through his books and seminars.
He has mastered the art of living holistically. And that life includes his family, his business, and his play time. Travel is balanced between family, work, and play. His days flow in a way that maximizes his impact and creates the space in his mind and body to be his best every day.
He holds degrees in political science and psychology and has worked with some of the top companies and leaders in the world. He has written 64 books, publishes prolifically, has won more awards than can be counted, and is a thought leader in his field.
Alan understands the symbiotic nature of people and business and what is necessary to constantly innovate to stay relevant. As the leader of a community of consultants, he demonstrates through action his view that to be successful, one needs to have a strong self-esteem, alignment with stated beliefs, and a healthy lifestyle to operate at one’s peak. He exemplifies outperforming personal expectations.
In this chapter, we will explore the success stories of Alan Weiss—along with Abraham Lincoln. We’ll also delve into past situations that caused turmoil in business. We will discuss what drove success or failure—and how you can surpass your own toughest expectations.
Why choose these two figures as focal points of this chapter, given that neither is a corporate executive? The two were/are crystal clear on their priorities and ordered/order their lives in a way that puts their priorities at the center.
In searching to find concrete examples of steps that specific executives took to embody a healthy mindset, I’ve found none. There are several studies, but they don’t allow for drawing a straight line between actions taken and results.
Fortunately, however, there is a complete view of Lincoln that allows us to see the foundational work he did to become one of the greatest leaders in U.S. history.
As for Alan, he is the one leader I’ve seen successfully balance all aspects of his life to be his best every day.
A few have come pretty close to finding this balance. Many leaders I’ve seen and worked with have done well in some areas and not so well in other areas. They’ve made a series of trade-offs to advance in their careers. Alan did too. He’s now in a place where he doesn’t need to anymore. But, it took work to get there.
Throughout this chapter, we’ll cover not only the ideal, but stories of executives who have done well on this front—and others who have not.
Pozzo Performance Accelerators:
- You need to be clear about your personal values to lead effectively
- To sustain a long career, you need to supercharge your energy and minimize stress
- Resetting your perspective and having a healthy mindset is necessary to staying focused and making good decisions.
Becoming a great leader starts within. The foundation for achieving your personal best can be visualized as three pillars covered in this chapter: energy, mindset, and values. To maintain that focus requires a strong support system. This will be covered in Chapter 10.
As a leader, you have responsibility for the people in your company. It is no longer just about you. The more senior you are, the more impact your decisions have on their lives. How you show up every day sets the tone for the business and impacts the environment your people experience (Figure 9.1).
Figure 9.1 Your personal best framework
Your decisions cause the company to grow or shrink. Growing companies employ more people and have a symbiotic relationship with the community. The opposite is true when companies are in decline. Employees are often laid off and, if in a small community, may have trouble finding work. As a leader, understanding and embracing the full weight of your role is important. It requires you to be at your best, not just for you, but for your family and your people.
Performance Accelerator 1: You Need to Be Clear about Your Personal Values to Lead Effectively
Being clear about values, and the alignment of personal values with business values, is one of the biggest flashpoints for conflict—internally with an individual, between a person and the company, and between individuals in the company. The reason it is a flashpoint is values are at the heart of what is right and wrong. If values are in opposition, it creates tension—not just a disagreement about how to proceed, but fundamentally that one person is right and the other is wrong. And if values are deeply held, the reaction is typically emotional.
As this topic is gaining wider traction and focus today, many executive search firms and companies are utilizing assessment tools to ensure fit exists between executives who are being hired and the business.
Turning Points
It was early in his career that Alan formed his perspectives on living a holistic life. A few years out of college, he was looking out the window, and it struck him: he couldn’t be outside and walk on the street unless it was lunch. It was not a job. It was a prison. And that scared him. With the support and consultation of his wife, he embarked on a winding journey of calculated risks and career moves that led him to his successful, thriving business today.
His journey included understanding what was important to him and putting those things at the center of his life. His family, hobbies, and helping others lead better lives topped the list. Because he is clear on his values and beliefs, they show up in what he does every day. There is no space between his personal values and business values.
This may seem like an extreme approach to aligning values between the individual and a business. It is true that many do not fully step out of corporate life to start their own businesses. But Alan’s move to a different career shows a thoughtful approach to finding a good fit based on values.
You’ve probably worked with people who didn’t seem to “fit” in your business, or you may have had times when you felt like you didn’t “fit.” Take a minute to think about why that was. What was important to you, and what was important to the business?
Finding Your Values
Because there is a symbiotic relationship between the leaders of a company and the company itself, it is critical for the values of the company and its leaders to be clear and aligned. Having clear alignment means that when actions are taken, they are understandable and reflect the underlying values. In other words, the values manifest in behaviors that advance the organization. This is typically transparent throughout the organization and creates a level of trust and respect.
Values inform behaviors and actions. They are at the core of why you act the way you act. But values aren’t typically chosen; they emerge based on each individual’s background. People believe what they see. Actions need to be aligned with stated beliefs. That is why it is so important that as a leader, you are clear about your values.
Think back to times in your life when you had strong reactions, both positive and negative. The strong positive reactions are generally times when there was a strong alignment with your values. The strong negatives were likely at times when something was in conflict with your values. Ask yourself why, over and over, until you get to the core of what specifically was causing a strong reaction in you. That will get to your core values.
If you haven’t already done so, take the time to write down your core values. Table 9.1 lists a few examples of core values.
Table 9.1 Sample core values
| Acceptance | Achievement | Adventure | Balance |
| Beauty | Boldness | Compassion | Challenge |
| Community | Contribution | Creativity | Curiosity |
| Fairness | Faith | Friendships | Fun |
| Growth | Happiness | Honesty | Humor |
| Inner Harmony | Kindness | Knowledge | Leadership |
| Learning | Love | Loyalty | Meaningful Work |
| Openness | Optimism | Peace | Recognition |
| Religion | Reputation | Respect | Responsibility |
| Security | Self-Respect | Service | Success |
| Status | Trustworthiness | Wealth | Wisdom |
Once you determine your core values, write them down and post them where you can see them every day.
The example in Table 9.2 is designed to keep you focused on your values through quarterly check-ins. It is helpful to gain unvarnished insights from others to ensure that your perspective on how you are living your values is in alignment with how others are experiencing you. Just make sure you ask the right people—those who want to help you grow and know you—not just anyone.
Table 9.2 Personal values worksheet
| Personal Values Worksheet (list 4–5) | ||
| Value 1 | Value 2 | Value 3 |
| Value 4 | Value 5 | |
| Quarterly Values Alignment Check-In | ||
| Am I living my values at work and at home? | ||
| Value 1 | ||
| Value 2 | ||
| Value 3 | ||
| Value 4 | ||
| Value 5 | ||
| Would my friends and family agree? | ||
| Value 1 | ||
| Value 2 | ||
| Value 3 | ||
| Value 4 | ||
| Value 5 | ||
| What changes are needed, and how will I hold myself accountable? | ||
| Value 1 | ||
| Value 2 | ||
| Value 3 | ||
| Value 4 | ||
| Value 5 | ||
The strongest leaders manifest their values. Those values show up in their actions every day. By checking in on your values, you’ll be able to pinpoint any gaps that may be creeping into your life and work culture.
Jim Hackett noticed that many of the struggles others experienced were because they had intellectualized their sense of values as good or bad. There was no heart and soul, no spirituality in incorporating values. As a result, when challenges arose, self-interest crept in and led to bad decisions.
Performance Accelerator 2: To Sustain a Long Career, You Need to Supercharge Your Energy and Minimize Stress
When Stress Wreaks Havoc
It was April 19, 2004. A gathering of 14,000 people from around the world convened in Orlando, Florida, for a biannual meeting of McDonald’s franchisees. What was about to happen would ripple through the organization and business community.
Sixteen months before the international franchisee meeting, James Cantalupo was brought out of retirement to serve in the chief executive role and revitalize the company. He was widely credited for growing the international presence of McDonald’s before he retired, solidifying its position. For the first time ever, McDonald’s posted a quarterly loss. Its former chief executive was forced out by investors and franchise owners. Sales and service had to be addressed quickly.
Having come out of retirement and approaching 60, Cantalupo was cognizant of the need for a succession plan that would allow for years of grooming to ready his successor. Charlie Bell was selected. He had grown up in the company, flipping burgers in Australia at 15. He worked his way up through the organization, being tapped as heir apparent to Cantalupo at the age of 42.
With the pressure of sliding earnings and stock prices, and the close eye of investors and franchise owners who had forced Cantalupo’s predecessor out, the timeline to transform the organization was short. The results came quickly. The menu was adjusted to address a more health-conscious consumer desire, and service levels began to tick up.
People familiar with the organization commented on the transformation of Cantalupo himself. After being overweight in the 1990s, he had become fit. His lifestyle was a challenge though. His international travel schedule was heavy, which for many, in combination with the pressure of a major transformation, results in high stress.
At 5:00 a.m. on April 19, 2004, just hours before he was to share the success of the transformation, Cantalupo suffered a massive heart attack that resulted in his death at the age of 60. All the top leaders and directors were in attendance for the meeting. By 6:45 a.m., Bell was immediately elevated to the top role. He was 43 years old and expected to serve in that role for many years to come.
It was about that time that Bell was suffering from stomach pains. Three weeks into his tenure as chief executive, exploratory surgery revealed he had colorectal cancer. Nine months later, in January 2005, Bell passed away at age 44.
Both losses had profound impacts on the company and families of the men who passed away at young ages. These are unusual examples of major health issues that were both highly publicized and in close proximity to each other. Having to appoint three CEOs in the space of a year and a half raised the touchy issue of the health of leaders that are integral to the success of an organization.
More than a decade later, on October 15, 2015, Oscar Munoz was 37 days into his tenure at United Airlines when his legs gave out, he became clammy, and he suffered a devastating heart attack. He crawled to the landline phone and called 911. It was early in the morning and other people were not around. He knew that cell phones didn’t show locations and that using a landline would alert responders to his location.
Munoz had been brought into United to turn around the struggling airline after its former chief executive was forced to resign amidst a corruption scandal. It was struggling with completing the merger with Continental Airlines, technology glitches, and poor customer service. Munoz had embarked on a listening tour, flying on cramped regional jets and hearing the complaints of people around the country.
The circumstances of Munoz’s heart attack are a bit unusual. He was a vegan and exercised regularly. At 56 years old, his exercise regime included bike riding, golf, and tennis. It was during his morning exercise that the heart attack struck. His quick action of calling 911 allowed him to survive after a heart transplant, and likely, so did his general health.
The information on the health and lifestyles of the three men is not generally available. These situations were extreme, but so too were the circumstances in their businesses. It is a reminder to step back and reflect on the relationship between stress and health. Among the top 10 health problems associated with stress are heart disease and premature death. These cases also highlight the impact on the business when top leaders suffer from major health issues.
The lesson for you as an individual is to monitor your stress levels and build in stress-relieving activities on a daily basis. In the midst of turmoil, it is hard to accurately assess the impact of stress on oneself. Having someone who can tell you when you are exhibiting the effects of high stress and push you to address it is important. In Chapter 10, we cover building a personal board of directors. Having one of your directors focused on this (which we will discuss later) is important.
There is a tricky line to walk between businesses and individuals, as health information is private and is a sensitive topic. However, if you are responsible for hiring people who will be leading the entire business or a portion of your business, understanding how they handle stress is important. Many assessments today attempt to address how stress is handled.
Separately, in conversations, asking questions about what actions people take to handle stress on a daily basis is important. You’ll learn a lot about how self-aware people are and how they address stressful times.
You and Your Energy
The personal energy necessary to sustain peak performance personally—and as a leader of a company—requires constant renewal. Finding daily, weekly, and monthly time-outs to recenter and fill up the energy bank, rather than depleting it, is critical to sustaining peak performance. As important as managing your time is managing your energy and minimizing stress. The following five key areas are necessary to achieve optimal energy while minimizing stress:
- Figure out who and what energizes and drains you.
- Get enough good sleep at night.
- Eat what works for your body.
- Exercise regularly.
- Work with your natural rhythms to the extent you can.
Profile in Success
Alan Weiss (Table 9.3) has mastered a holistic approach to life that allows him to maximize his energy. His laser-like focus allows him to quickly move through his day, spending and recharging his energy in a manner such that he is always at the top of his game.
Table 9.3 Profile in success: Alan Weiss
| Day Starts | 6 a.m. |
| Work Ends | 2 p.m. |
| Hobbies | Building models, reading, travel, wine, exotic cars, theater |
| Typical meeting duration | 15 minutes |
| Responds to e-mail and voice mail | Every 1.5 hours for 15 minutes |
| E-mail inbox | Empty at the end of the day |
| Exercise | Personal trainer 3× week for an hour |
| Sleep | 5–6 hours |
| Diet | Small meals frequently, dinner out 7 days a week |
| Vacation | Scheduled first—work scheduled to integrate with vacation |
| High-energy time | Morning |
| Breaks | Afternoon |
| Tips for success | You have one life, not a work life and a personal life. Integrate them |
| Learn to say no |
Alan has mastered the flow of his energy. He knows his natural rhythms. His high-energy time is in the morning and he performs his high-concentration activities then. In the afternoon, he builds models and does other activities that restore his energy. He gets enough good sleep at night and feels rested when he gets up. Exercise strengthens his body and clears his mind, reducing stress levels.
Alan was not always able to take this approach. Early in his career, he traveled much more exclusively for work and was not able to integrate his family as much. Over the years, he constantly reinvented himself in a way that allowed him to reach his ideal state that you see today.
Take a few minutes to plug your information into this matrix. How does yours compare? What do you notice? Are your meeting durations substantially longer? Are you getting exercise? How can you trim time busters to create time for things that matter to you?
There are ways to free up your time so that you can go to your child’s play or game. You may schedule time at lunch to exercise, or in the morning before work. The point is to take deliberate steps to schedule in the things that are most important to you.
The Energy Roller Coaster
Energy ebbs and flows throughout the day and can be impacted by when and what you eat, how you exercise, the intensity of interactions, etc. Sometimes your energy can seem like a roller coaster. Finding out what works best for you in terms of the types of activities and your energy is important to using your energy wisely.
For example, if you need to concentrate on an issue that requires deep thought, morning may be the best time. Walking around and talking to people to get a pulse of the organization may be best done on Friday after lunch, as people are mentally winding down. The point is to work with the natural flow of your energy to operate at your peak.
The Lunch Cacophony
We were all fairly new to Longview, and lunch was a time when we could get together. Pizza kept showing up. In an attempt to be healthier, the meals started shifting to sandwiches. The meeting length began to vary, as did the topics—starting in the morning with a brief lunch break, then resuming for the afternoon.
Being noise sensitive, I started to notice that about a third of the people in the room would cough for about an hour after lunch—a cacophony of phlegmy coughs. Varying the lunch made a difference. When we had a salad bar that was low on gluten and dairy, the level of coughing decreased. On sandwich bar days, it increased.
The people I tipped off were shocked as they listened to the room before and after lunch. If you asked people in the room, most would say they did not have any issue with food. But clearly, many did.
Conversely, I’ve been to meetings where the room was silent after lunch. In those cases, people talked while going through the buffet line about what they did and did not eat based on their preferences and what worked for them. They were all aware of what worked for them and didn’t. And based on the noise level, clearly, they were right.
Different foods work for different people. Go to any bookstore, and you will find a plethora of books on what to eat or not eat based on the latest study. There are perspectives based on body type, blood type, health issues (heart, autoimmune, etc.), and many others. I’m not a doctor, so I would always recommend that you talk to a professional on this topic before making radical changes. For a number of folks and for me, the best result came from working with a naturopath to test for food allergies and intolerances. It is pretty amazing to find out how much food impacts how you feel and your energy level every day.
The Energizer Bunny versus Dracula
Have you ever thought about how you feel after various interactions and experiences? Sometimes you feel like the Energizer bunny, because the interaction really got you pumped up. Other times, you feel like Dracula just sucked the life out of you. Some people really enjoy being in a crowd. For others, being in a crowd is draining. Maybe you drive down the street and enjoy the scenery, while others get frustrated sitting in traffic. Meetings, colleagues, friends, family, events, etc., will elicit a response from you that either excites or drains you. Table 9.4 lists an example worksheet that can help you track your energy. Add or subtract topics based on your own observation and reflection. Then spend less time with the people or activities that drain you and more time with the people and activities that energize you.
Table 9.4 Energy tracking sheet
| Impact on energy | ||
| Energizes | Drains | |
| Large parties or meetings | ||
| Making small talk | ||
| One-on-one conversations | ||
| Quiet time | ||
| Meetings | ||
| Debating the topic of the day | ||
| Meeting new people | ||
| Interruptions | ||
| Juggling multiple priorities | ||
Performance Accelerator 3: Resetting Your Perspective and Having a Healthy Mindset Are Necessary to Staying Focused and Making Good Decisions
A Nation on the Brink
Little is written about the depths of the inner mind of contemporary business leaders. The actions taken and leadership philosophies are the subject of a plethora of articles and books. But, we don’t get insight into their inner thoughts. To gain insight into the strength, humility, and self-reflection of truly successful leaders requires the ability to review diaries, correspondence, and insights of contemporaries.
Abraham Lincoln has been the subject of much examination in the century and a half since his death. Time has allowed for a holistic picture of the man and the leader. His writings have provided an insight into the development of his mindset and perspective over the course of his life.
Lincoln experienced melancholy throughout his life. Some have viewed this as depression. Others view it as part of his nature, a source of creativity and achievement. For Lincoln, it presented the opportunity for deep reflection. He exposed his fears and spoke openly—not only with doctors and family, but also with colleagues. He was able to leverage his fears to focus on his desire to accomplish something during his life.
He explored the psychology of the time, working to understand himself, improve himself, exercise discipline, and develop strategies to navigate the hard times. This was the foundation of his character. He understood deeply what was driving him and how to be deliberate about his actions.
It was from his early days of struggle that he learned how to read people and situations and shape events to achieve the outcomes he desired. This was clear when his competitors failed to achieve the nomination for presidency, and he prevailed. But this came only after he lost two bids for the U.S. Senate. His frame of mind was not that of failure, but of what could be done to achieve success next time.
He was able to see through the slights, disdain, and opposition of his rivals. His strong mental discipline allowed him to dismiss them internally and move on to productive matters. He saw their strengths and how their talents could steer the country through a troubled time. His own sense of humility and persistence won over his rivals one by one, starting with Seward.
Renowned for his sense of humor and gift for storytelling, Lincoln was able to lighten the mood when tensions rose—and lift spirits. His work early in his life provided him with an even-tempered and clear view of situations, allowing him to shift his own moods and provide stability for his team.
It was Lincoln’s self-knowledge and ability to regulate himself that allowed him to be an effective leader. His strong sense of self allowed his ego to remain in check, so he could take the actions necessary to hold the country together.
The Building Blocks of a Healthy Mindset
Leadership can be tough. It also can be fun. It requires hard choices. It also requires calculated risks. To be effective, it requires you to be in a good place personally. Self-reflection is crucial to learning and growing and making effective decisions. Leading an organization requires a strong sense of self, emotional health, and openness to different perspectives.
Given the symbiotic relationship between an organization and its leaders, it takes a healthy leader to have a healthy organization. Here’s what you need to do to find your building blocks:
- Get to the bottom of what drives you.
- Choose to be happy.
- Fail forward.
- See through actions to intentions.
- Surround yourself with positive people.
- Clear the mind.
- Have fun and laugh.
Lincoln is arguably the clearest example of the interrelationship between leadership and those he was leading. The past informs the future. It is a simple concept, but one that is not often considered from a personal perspective. Leaders unconsciously bring fears and behaviors rooted in childhood patterns and experiences into the business environment. These behaviors manifest as controlling activities, lack of trust, and inability to delegate. Few leaders have gone to the depths of Lincoln to achieve self-awareness. Those who have done so have tended to lead their organizations to a higher level of success.
Holding Yourself Accountable
Change only happens with constant focus and mechanisms to keep you on track every day. The best way to do that is ask yourself a series of questions at the end of the day to check in on your mindset. Marshall Goldsmith does this every day and has made progress on his personal goals because of it.
An example shown in Table 9.5 can be changed to suit your needs. The asking of questions is best done by someone else, as the tendency will be to defer to a later date. You won’t want to say no. If you stick with it, you’ll start thinking about what you need to do to say yes.
Table 9.5 Daily mindset check-in
| Yes | No | |
| Did I do my best today to have a positive outlook? | ||
| Did I understand what was driving my reactions? | ||
| Did I have fun and laugh today? | ||
| Did I do my best today to give people the benefit of the doubt? | ||
| Did I learn from my failures and setbacks today? | ||
| Did I let the little stuff go and move forward? |
Your Actions
Achieving your personal best requires mastering your energy, mindset, and values. Leaders who do this consistently position themselves and their companies to outperform expectations. Following are key highlights from the chapter:
- What actions can you take to remove the barriers between your work and personal life that create conflicts?
- How can you address gaps, if any, between your personal values and the values of your business?
- What actions do you need to maximize energy?
- What additional support do you need to reduce stress?
- What changes do you need in order to have a healthy mindset?
- What other gaps do you need to close after reading this chapter, and what resources do you need to close them?