In the process of business, the winds of circumstances blow in an unending flow that touches all businesses.
The major difference between the companies who successfully navigate the seasons of business and related [weather] conditions is their set of the sail. When the winds change, the business must change. We must struggle to our feet once more and reset the sail in the manner that will steer the business toward the destination of our own deliberate choosing.
The set of the sail, how we think and how we respond guided by True North (vision, mission, values), has a far greater capacity to destroy our businesses than any challenges the business will face. How quickly and responsibly the business reacts to adversity is far more important than the adversity itself.
Mike Nunn
How do I lead now? What does it mean to lead at this level? As I grew in my career with escalating leadership roles, I found myself asking these two questions but could not find a clear answer.
So, I dove into reading leadership books, interviewing leaders, and absorbing content. The result was this model I built, a map for creating high-performance teams and how to cohesively execute at all levels in business.
My Business Philosophy (Set of the Sail)
Husband and father first, passionate for life-long learning, driven to stay active, thriving on challenge, and focused on raising the bar through reflection and a continuous improvement mindset.
I believe that success at anything, for anyone, comes down to CHOICE and DISCIPLINE. Ultimately, being happy with your decisions and having the grit to stick with those decisions no matter what obstacles come your way. At the same time, always reflecting and being ready to pivot when life throws you a curveball or when the seasons of life change.
The only person I measure myself against is yesterday's version of me. Everyone is different, at a different place in their journey, has different resources, knows different people, comes from a different background, has different skills, and is completely not me. Why would I EVER compare myself to someone else. Be better than yesterday and raise the bar. Period.
"Go see, ask why, show respect." - Fujio Cho
Circle of influence and circle of concern. Know it and embrace it. I don't waste my time giving energy to things I can not control (aka circle of concern), like the economy, the person who cut me off in traffic, politicians, competitors (I don't even like saying the word competitor), weather, and so on. Instead, I focus and give all my energy to the things I can control, like my health, family/friend relationships, personal finances, work ethic, my leadership, and so on. As I focus on my circle of influence, it expands and more things enter my circle.
Ask of yourself: What is this teaching me? Instead of, why is this happening to me?
Too often I notice people in a state of negativity, pessimism, lamenting, complaining, defensive, or generally antagonistic. Why? All of these things are completely unproductive. Sure, you may get what you want in the moment, but your reputation will grow and it will precede you. BE positive, assume positive intent, and find ways/reasons for things to work.
How are you complicit in the things you say you don't want?
Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
People come to work to do a good job; treat them as such. No one intends to make a mistake. There is only a very small subset of society that intents to do harm and make mistakes - hopefully your interview process is strong and weeds these people out right away.
Too many people are looking for the shortcut. Not me. The intrinsic best parts of life come from the journey found only in the long game. Love, impact, legacy, relationships, and influence all come from the long game.
Still compounding.
My Mindset...
My Leadership Model
Still compounding. This site is a glimpse into the professional mindset, leadership, and style of Mike Nunn. If you're looking for more career details, please check out my profile by clicking on the LinkedIn logo.