Litmus Test For Your Lineup

While boarding a plane last week I overheard two men talking about their "preferred status" with an airline. One guy said something like, "I really lost out last year. I was at 'platinum' level but my wife was expecting and I had to ground myself at the office for 3 weeks prior to the birth. Then, the baby came late and I had to stay grounded for another 3 weeks. Man, I missed out on so many miles and now am only a 'gold.'

I wonder if his comments would have been the same if his wife was standing with him? Somehow I doubt it. I kept waiting for him to say, "But the time with my wife and new baby was worth more than any miles I would have gained."

The incident got me to thinking... if you verbalized your reasoning for your lineup today with those audience members most important to you, would they be pleased? Or feel insignificant? If they wouldn't be cheering you on-do you need to change some of the acts in your lineup? Remember, you always gain something at the loss of something else-what's most important to you?

Wisdom From A Child

It has been an interesting 2 months around our home. Our family dog had puppies in early February and due to an unfortunate illness, she died when the puppies were just days old. Consequently, our family has been bottle feeding and raising them without a mother. They are healthy, fun and bring so much joy to my children.

My older daughter made an insightful comment just last week. She said, "It's kind of frustrating with the puppies. When they are young but can't do much, you have to spend so much time on them. Then, when they are older and are so much fun, you are so far behind on everything else that you can't spend all the time with them you want to." WOW! What a profound statement about the need for us all to be the ringmasters of our circus.

If we don't take care of our high priority items now, we severely limit our ability to get the most important things done later because we are always playing "catch up." What are you putting off today that may limit your choices of how to use your time and energy tomorrow?

National Boss (Ringmaster) Day

Today is National Boss Day. In Juggling Elephants terms, we would call a boss a "ringmaster." In celebration of this day, we thought it might be fun to highlight some interesting statistics about bosses from the October edition of Fast Company Magazine:

• According to a 2008 Yahoo survey, 43% of Americans don't like their bosses' management style.
• In that same survey, 55% agree that people don't leave companies, they leave managers.
• 32% of employees defy orders from their bosses although 86% of Americans give their superiors high marks.
• Companies with at least 3 women on their board averaged a 16.7% return, which is 45% better than the typical company.
• Last year, the highest paid CEO was Larry Ellison, who made 192.9 million dollars.
• The average US income in 2007 was $40,690. For CEOs it was $151,370, and for S&P 500 CEOs it was 8.8 million dollars.
• Of the Fortune 500 companies, only 12 have female CEOs.

Watching One Of The Great Ones

One of my training programs last week was a group of school administrators and school district leaders in California. They were a dynamic, engaging group and I tremendously enjoyed my time with them. I also had the unique opportunity to see a fantastic ringmaster in action.

I arrived early to set up for the meeting and was met by "Dave" the facilities manager. He greeted me at the door, ushered me into the meeting room and immediately began asking me what I needed to get set up. No matter what I asked, Dave either had it available or quickly contacted someone to take care of it. When he finished with me, he moved to the food service area and guided the group as they set up for breakfast. Next, it was time to greet the participants. He was everywhere!

Once the program started, I noticed that Dave would stop by from time to time, checking on things and making changes as needed. Always upbeat, he left a wake of smiles as he scurried around taking care of things.

The most telling moment about Dave came when I talked with him after the program. I thanked him for doing such an outstanding job taking care of all of us. His response, "This is my school, and whatever happens here is a reflection of me." Dave gets a HUGE standing ovation from me and countless others in that school system. I left that meeting having learned much.

Who could you observe today that could teach you something about being a better ringmaster of your circus?

The Ringmaster As A Parent

Kelly Ripa is a busy mom. While she is currently the co-host of the popular morning show, Live with Regis & Kelly, she has also pulled triple duty as a star on a soap opera and a sitcom. With that kind of schedule it would be easy to be overwhelmed, especially when you add the roles of mother and spouse.

How does she keep her wits about her as a parent? Here's one of her comments from a recent issue of WebMd Magazine:
Basically, it's my philosophy that doing the easy thing in the short term makes it harder for parents in the long run. Giving in when you want to say 'no' quiets things down momentarily, but you'll just have more of the same-and then some-down the road," says Ripa. "I'm big on letting my kids know exactly what to expect. I think children are consistency junkies; they need schedules and parameters, and it's up to us to provide them."

In other words, Be the ringmaster by acting with purpose and staying with the lineup you know will bring the desired results. Read the entire article at:
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/kelly-ripas-take-on-mothering