Recognizing People. Inspiring Greatness.
S. Max Brown's blog
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IN THE PRESSClick here for articles.jpg) In the last ten years, Max has made nearly one thousand presentations in locations all around the world. He’s taken clients rappelling off the Great Wall of China, facilitated at the Parliament of World Religions Conference in Spain, and spoken in hundreds of cities including Athens, Bangalore, Hong Kong, Paris, New York, and Sydney . . . Nebraska.
With his experience in leadership training, speaking, and facilitating around the world, Max brings a global perspective to the challenge of motivating people. Audiences at companies such as American Express, GE, HSBC, and Jones Apparel have raved about his interactive, engaging style. As a result, he travels 200,000 miles per year to deliver presentations to clients around the globe!
Max laces his presentations with stories and examples that inspire people to act. He is consistently given high ratings including an “all-star” recommended speaker designation from the International Association of Business Communicators. Max has a certificate in Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University, a master’s degree in Organizational Learning from George Mason University, and he is a member of the National Speaker’s Association.
He and his wife, Sally, live in Salt Lake City, Utah and they are the proud parents of two amazing kids. Previous adventures include living five years in Shanghai, China.
Read his blog at http://rideau.com, listen to the weekly RealRecognitionRadio.com radio programs and meet him on Twitter @SMaxBrown.
 Unbroken Louis Zamperini
MEET MAX |
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“Humility isn't timid or weak. |
“Daddy, please put it away,” she asked for the third time as she positioned herself right in front of me. I finally relented and she promptly thanked me for listening. Once again, I had let my own inflated sense of self-importance rise above the needs of my family and my promise to be present. While we had a great afternoon playing together, I quietly pondered what would have happened if my daughter hadn’t been so persistent. How many times have I let my ego take over and disappointed someone that wasn’t as persistent as my daughter was that day?
Nothing derails a leader, a business initiative, a relationship, or even a noble cause faster than ego. Yet we often go to work without a thought for how much ego actually costs. Often rewarding those that seem overly confident, we never stop long enough to calculate the liability or opportunities lost due to arrogance. Worse yet, we often suffer from blind spots that subtlety trick us into believing that ego is someone else’s problem. Imagine how much more productive we could be with a little humility.
Humility is one of the most critical, yet overlooked and misunderstood, virtues of great leadership. Despite decades of research to support the importance of it, many still discount the need to embrace it. Perhaps it is because humility has suffered from a perception problem – viewed as a weakness or a vulnerability that can be trampled on by others. The only problem with this perspective is that it is wrong. Humility isn't timid or weak. It is confidence, wisdom, and grace combined with an acknowledgment that we are all imperfect.
“As a trait, humility is the point of equilibrium between too much ego and not enough. Humility provides the crucial balance between the two extremes,” declares David Marcum & Steven Smith in their book titled, “Egonomics.” Indeed, humility is the ability to be happy with who we are, and the realization that we’re still incomplete.
Humility is the ability to recognize that we are better together. As we become more aware of those around us, our own needs actually begin to overlap with others in a united effort towards mutual success. Instead of viewing the time spent playing with my daughter as a chore, I realigned my own definition of success to remember that family relationships are a critical source of happiness in my own life. I’m grateful for a daughter that persistently and patiently reminded me of this priority.
Imagine how much more productive we could be with a little humility.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
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This past weekend, I had all kinds of things to accomplish before I flew out again for another week of presentations. Everything was going according to plan until I realized my two-year-old son wasn’t feeling well. Indeed, all he wanted to do was sit in my lap.
How do I define success?
This past weekend, I had all kinds of things to accomplish before I flew out again for another week of presentations. Everything was going according to plan until I realized my two-year-old son wasn’t feeling well. Indeed, all he wanted to do was sit in my lap.Have you ever had one of those days when things didn’t go as planned? If so, how did you respond? For me, I find that I respond better to this question when I ask this question first: “How do I define success?”
Since having kids, it has taken me a while to learn that my agenda is no longer my own (I’m a slow learner). Fortunately, many years ago, my wife and I decided that our relationship, and the relationship that we have with our kids, is a priority that cannot be compromised. In fact, our family relationships are a big part of our definition of success.
This isn’t easy considering my hectic travel schedule. Needless to say, when I’m home, I’m working to be more present with my family. I would love to say that I have it all figured out, but I am still a work in progress. So, how did all of this translate in my actions this past weekend?
Gratefully, I realized that my son, and my family, needed me more than my “to do” list. More importantly, I needed them more than my “to do” list as well. We cooked comfort food and spent a lot of time just reading books, driving, playing games, watching movies, and sleeping. When the weekend was over, I still had a long list of projects left incomplete (including this blog), but I actually drew closer to our family definition of success.
Indeed, the hours spent holding my son reminded me of what life is all about.
Have you ever had one of those days when things didn’t go as planned? If so, how did you respond?
Is it time to revisit the question and ask: How do I define success?
Is it possible that if you left some things incomplete you could actually be closer to your own definition of success?
Monday, March 28, 2011
If you haven’t read the Harvard Business Review this month, you should. Why? Here are just three of the articles highlighting research that will rock, push, disturb, and ultimately change the way we do business:
Gender, Leadership, & CSV
If you haven’t read the Harvard Business Review this month, you should. Why? Here are just three of the articles highlighting research that will rock, push, disturb, and ultimately change the way we do business:- “How Women End Up On the “Glass Cliff,” by Susanne Bruckmüller and Nyla R. Branscombe. They report that people prefer leaders with stereotypically male strengths, when a company is running well. However, “when a company is in crisis, they think stereotypically female skills are needed to turn things around.”
- “Finding Hard Ways to Measure ‘Soft’ Leadership,” led by Herminia Ibarra. Professor Ibarra is analyzing her list of “The Best-Performing CEOs in the World” and checking to see if there is a common thread in how these leaders approach leadership. She asks, “Can we provide hard evidence of the benefits of ‘soft’ leadership?
Why is this important?
Because “distributed leadership, empowerment, and knowledge networks are still viewed as indulgent.” If they can identify the common “soft” traits of the most successful leaders, they “may be able to predict which leaders will add the most value” to their organizations in the future.
- “Creating Shared Value,” by Michael E. Porter and Mark R. Kramer. “Not all profit is equal. Profits involving a social purpose represent a higher form of capitalism, one that creates a positive cycle of company and community prosperity.” Creating Shared Value (CSV) is different than Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in that it creates both economic and societal value. While CSR focused on reputation with little link back to the company, CSV combines company and community interests. This is “capitalism unleashed” to create the next wave of growth.
Why does any of this matter? Because organizations that want to compete in the future will adopt new ways of doing business. Instead of answers though, I have questions. Questions that I hope will stir some reflection and some dialogue regarding our current state of affairs, and where we are headed. I don’t ask merely to be provocative, but to start a conversation that will hopefully provide some clarity into this new way of being (and leading):
- Are we hearing more about women in leadership due to the financial crisis (based on the first article sited)? How have we limited and destroyed value because of our reliance on dominant male strengths? Would the financial crisis have happened at all if we had more female leaders?
- Decades of leadership theory have suggested that we are better when we learn how to become more “emotionally intelligent,” but the ability to implement “softer” skills in the workplace have often been perceived as a career ender for those that want to climb the ladder. Is it possible that this resurgence in softer skills training has also come as a result of the financial crisis?
- Why do we tend to punish men when they demonstrate “soft” leadership? Do we shame men that show compassion? Why is it considered a weakness to be vulnerable and transparent when we know that trust is built on these “softer” skills?
- Likewise, how do we demonize strong women? Do women feel compelled to “man-up” in order to compete? Does “manning-up” wipe out the strengths women naturally bring to the table? Do we take some pleasure criticizing those that seem to “stray” from the societal definitions of normal? What impact do we have on future leaders that don’t feel like conforming to the status quo of gender stereotypes?
- What do great companies do to sustain their growth year after year? How do they treat their employees? How do they view their role in society? How does CSV change the way we all do business?
What do you think?
Friday, February 4, 2011
How do you get senior leader buy-in for your wellness initiatives?
Beyond Workplace Wellness
How do you get senior leader buy-in for your wellness initiatives?On the next episode of Real Recognition Radio, Diane Wiesenthal, the Vice President, People and Organizational Services for the Canadian Wheat Board will give our listeners the answer.
Once you have buy-in what is the most important step that leaders must make to move forward with wellness initiatives?
The Canadian Wheat Board has been designated as a ‘Top 25 Employer’ in Manitoba in 2008, 2010 and 2011, and as a member of the corporations’ executive team, Diane has led the human resource function of the CWB to be consistently recognized as a strategic and innovative leader in its HR programs.
Don’t miss the next Real Recognition Radio program to find what is beyond workplace wellness.
Monday, January 17, 2011
MOJO is purposeful, powerful and positive. So how do you acquire MOJO and what do you have to do to keep it?
Mojo: Achieving Purposeful, Powerful and Positive Results
MOJO is purposeful, powerful and positive. So how do you acquire MOJO and what do you have to do to keep it?
On the next episode of Real Recognition Radio Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, bestselling author of MOJO: How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back If You Lose It, willshare the four keys for developing and keeping MOJO.
Dr. Marshall Goldsmith is the million-selling author or editor of 31 books, including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers, MOJO and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. Recently a global study sponsored by The London Times and Forbes, recognized Dr. Goldsmith as one of the fifteen most influential business thinkers in the world. His books have been translated into 28 languages and become bestsellers in eight countries.
Dr. Goldsmith teaches executive education at Dartmouth’s Tuck School and frequently speaks at leading business schools. He served on the Board of the Peter Drucker Foundation for ten years. He has received numerous professional acknowledgments from organizations including the Institute for Management Studies, the American Management Association, BusinessWeek, the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Forbes, the National Academy of Human Resources and many more. His work has been recognized by almost every professional organization in his field.
Don’t miss the next Real Recognition Radio program to learn how to get your MOJO working for you.
