Well, was he right that when you find something good, people want it? Yes, but what he was wrong was the fact that they would find you. No, they won`t find you. This environment of needs and timing means that you listen to them and find them. So, the needs around you, you need to apply the hearing test. If you`d like maxwellpodcast.com, we`d love to hear from you. We are always looking for questions or suggestions on how to improve, but we love hearing your voice because your voice makes us better. These are all interview notes that I have. Mark, I`ll give it back to you for a final word and finish this. Last time, I wrote about the difference between good timing and procrastination, and added some tests you can apply to find out if you`re putting off decisions that need to be made.
Just as there are two sides to every coin, there are two extremes when it comes to acting. Procrastinators are. This lesson is not for these low-level executives. They don`t care. It is for senior managers. Leaders who value others. Of course, they have to get others to do certain things at some point. That`s what leadership is. Through influence, senior leaders must be able to bring others to join them and the vision while accomplishing the mission. These senior executives know that timing gives them leverage. Now, after that, Jason Brooks, my cohort today, will join me to explain this application of the timing test. If you want to download the notes, we have notes for you, you can go to maxwellpodcast.com/timing, and you can click the Bonus Resource button and take the worksheet and fill in the blanks and spend John Maxwell, Jason Brooks and I talking to you about the timing of testing in times of crisis.
I can`t wait to share with you, but before that, here`s John Maxwell. Have you considered the impact of timing on your leadership (influence)? That`s huge! High-impact leaders know a secret: they use timing to leverage their influence. Because of this insider knowledge, they are methodical and patient. You will always wait for the right moment to do the right thing for the right reason. Edwin Kiester Sally said: “Our lives are a sum of our choices, whether in the professional or personal sphere. And with every decision comes a crucial point where you have to decide. Deciding too quickly can have catastrophic consequences, and delaying too long can mean missed opportunities. Often this is just as important when you decide as the decision itself.
And it`s like the law of timing in the 21 laws of leadership. When you lead is just as important as what to do and where to go. Let me put it that way. The only difference between a long foul ball and a home run is timing. It`s just a matter of timing. It`s not power, it`s not strength, it`s not distance, it`s timing. A long foul ball, you just tipped over it a little too fast. Home run, same momentum, same rhythm, nothing changes except the timing. And yet, you don`t count for anything and you basically count for everything. When action and timing come together, great things happen. Organizations are achieving their goals and gaining momentum.
If you look at the history of an organization, you will find a pivotal moment when the right leader took the right actions at the right time and changed the organization. For a senior executive, timing is an issue when it comes to dealing with those low-level leaders who don`t care about learning the principles of high-level leadership. The senior leader needs to know when it`s time to remove them from the team. The duration of their wait depends on the level of the driver who makes the withdrawal. A lower-level leader will bear it and take care of it, hoping that it will “turn the corner” and “see the light.” The first test we want to apply to this environment of needs that surrounds us is what I call the hearing test. In other words, am I listening? Am I aware of the needs of others? Normally, we are more aware of our own needs than that, but is there a sense of awareness that other people around us express, show, demonstrate needs? And if so, what does this mean for me and how will I apply it to my timing decision? Let me read you a classic example of people who go in one direction and suddenly see that the needs of others are going in a completely different direction. Shortly after World War II, two younger brothers from Kansas City decided to start their own business, and with $25 rent for an office in a real estate office, they founded the United Business Company, which offered an accounting and debt collection service. Kathleen Eisenhardt, associate professor of strategy and organization at Stanford University, studied fast and slow decision-making at 12 Silicon Valley companies.
It took quick decision makers two to four months to make important decisions, such as launching a new product. Meanwhile, they surprisingly gathered more information, brainstormed more alternatives, and thought about issues more vigorously than slow policymakers. But they didn`t try to gather all the information or strive for 100% agreement. In contrast, it took slow decision-makers up to 18 months to reach a similar decision. They sought complete control of the facts and full consensus, and when they reached an agreement, the decision was often irrelevant. Quick decision makers knew the danger of getting bogged down in data to the point of never seeing the big picture and making the decision. The moral is very simple, be careful not to create paralysis of the analysis. Consider the elements of a good leadership calendar.
The next time you have an idea, ask yourself a few key questions: If you want to increase your influence through timing, you need to develop your leadership intuition. The extent to which you learn, apply, and apply leadership principles determines the degree of intuition you develop and the depth with which you understand the impact of that moment on your ability to influence others. Craig, who finally found out that the doctor knew this well before he even did the doctor`s visit, and said, “Why did you ask 21 questions?” And the doctor said, “Because it`s one more than 20.” And I thought, wow. I mean, right now, Jason, did it kill me, because in Murphy`s Law, especially in times of crisis, you`re doing a good job of predicting what might go wrong? And there is now so much uncertainty that we almost gave ourselves an inner pass to try everything. Throw it on the wall. If it sticks, that`s great. And I`m really trying to figure out what could go wrong. When it comes to leading others and the intuition of a low-level leader, his first thought is, “If they realize me, I can get them to do it.” You`ll often hear them say to their boss, “If you want me to succeed, these people need to start reporting to me. I need authority. When you hear this or similar statement, you will see a low-level leader begging for power and influence through position.
They know that`s all they have. Without the power of position over others, they have no influence. People just won`t follow them because they don`t have to. In this case, the timing is irrelevant. Combine these three advantages that high-level leaders have, and you can easily imagine how much their influence will be affected across the board.
