In the book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John Maxwell teaches about the “Law of the Lid.” The law of the lid states that leadership ability always determines the effectiveness of the leader and his organization. Some people who challenge us to live beyond our own limitations are referred to as Lid Lifters. Lid Lifters provide insight, guidance, and resources to help us to grow past our own inabilities and limitations.

We understand that many research and grant administrators in the university accounting system are faced with the daily challenges of leading others within their organization. We would like to extend to you some encouragement and help along the way. That is why our next blog series will be brought to you by one of IT Works’ Lid Lifters–Asa Beavers. The series consists of reflections on the following topics:

1. Going the Distance-Methods in building your organization
2. What Did You Do With Your Weekend?- Goal setting with passion
3. The Decision-Finding courage in risk taking
4. Losing Georgia-Defining disciplined work habits

There are some people you meet in life and you just know that when you walk away– your life has been enriched. Our hope is that time spent with Asa is time that will make a world of difference for you. So, enjoy some insight and food for thought from Asa!

Posted by Jim Wrenn, April 30, 2009 blogger@itworks-inc.com

As humans we tend to always be in a hurry. And for managers and administrators, nothing can ever happen fast enough. We take action on something and then almost expect an immediate result. But that’s not quite the way the world works. We have to exercise patience if we are truly going to get the lasting result we seek.

Speaking of exercise, I was out for a run last Saturday and in my state of “runner’s high” my mind wandered onto business. Saturday’s are the day of the week where I like to go out for a long, slow run. Some runners have called this their “LSD” training day, meaning long slow distance. This type of training is necessary if one is compelled to stretch their endurance and test their limits running marathons and longer triathlons. And I got to thinking about how I’ve told leaders to treat their organizations as a marathon, not a sprint.

As I put one foot in front of the other at a slow, steady pace I found my mind was clear and thoughts came easy. (I sure wish I could write as I run because the thoughts were really flowing.) My pulse was steady and my breathing relaxed. In other words, I wasn’t pushing myself so hard that I was out of breath and my body tense from exertion. And then the analogy hit me clearly… when we run our organizations like a sprint we impose mental and physical stress on our bodies as well as those who work for us. And the result? We may win a race but did we make the organization better for the long run?

If you’re feeling worn down running your organization, are you treating everyday like it’s a sprint? Chances are you’re in a constant state of busy-ness working “in” your organization, and not committing sufficient time reflecting on how the organization is operating and how to make improvements. Working “on” your organization is about building endurance. Like an endurance runner, it’s your LSD time. It’s a time where you can clear your mind, bring the stress level down, and concentrate on making things better. And things won’t get better overnight. It’s your own discipline, consistency and patience that will build an organization that endures. Happy training!

Posted by Asa Beavers, May 07, 2009, blogger@itworks-inc.com

Last summer, one American went about setting a record that maybe only those of us over 40 can fully appreciate. Dara Torres, a 4 time Olympic swimmer, qualified for her 5th Olympics in both the women’s 50 and 100 meter freestyle events. At the age of 41, she becomes the oldest American swimmer to ever compete in the Olympics, and over one weekend she won the 50 meter event at the Trials – some competitors were half her age – and set an American record to boot.

Genetics aside, she’s got something special that all of us possess but only few can ever fully tap into. She has that inner drive that only people who achieve world class status in their endeavors know about. You know who I’m talking about: Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Lance Armstrong, Bill Gates, and the like. In some people’s eyes they are super human; if not of body, certainly of mind.

Not all of us are going to achieve world class status, yet there are ordinary people with strong inner drive among us doing extraordinary things everyday. These are people who aspire to do more and are willing to put forth the effort to achieve something they desire. And guess what, they do have something in common with those who achieve world class status. They know how to go about goal setting. They surround themselves with coaches and advisors. They develop and implement a plan of action. They have the discipline to follow their action plan. And maybe most important, they are passionate about what it is they wish to accomplish.

Earlier this year I felt I needed something to push myself out of my comfort zone so I added a new challenge to my life. I made the commitment to complete a half Ironman Triathlon in September. Just to finish will be an extraordinary feeling of accomplishment for me. It won’t put me up there in the “world class” status, but my family and friends will think it’s pretty extraordinary.

So what was my weekend like? Training and looking forward to that feeling… How about you? Are you or someone you know working toward a goal that others may call extraordinary?

Posted by Asa Beavers, May 14, 2009, blogger@itworks-inc.com

Decision, decisions, decisions… We make them everyday, big and small, but how can we be confident that we’re making the right ones? I watch people everyday challenged by this very question – and the bigger the decision, the greater the potential risk, the harder it becomes to make a firm and timely decision.

I recently went through having to make such a decision. After investing five years building a business under a franchise model, I made the decision to launch my own independent consulting firm. Everybody has their own way in reaching important decisions. For me, I have always been someone who is a bit impulsive – I sometimes let my emotions get the better of me when making decisions. Not a good trait when making a major purchase, or when making a major business decision. But this was one of those decisions where I had to get it right.

The answer came quite simply when I dug deep into what I desired most–independence. When I chose not to allow the opinions of others influence my decision, or the potential or perceived financial risks, and I focused solely on acquiring facts and information, I was able to reach a definite decision. One in which I can demand the best of myself and which firmly states to the world that I know what I want and I’m willing to go out and get it.

As successful grant administrators and managers, you must form the habit of reaching decisions promptly and of changing these decisions slowly. As successful people do, you must rely only on yourselves to reach decisions and follow through on your decisions. And without a doubt, courage is always required to reach a definite decision.

Did I make the right decision? For me absolutely, because even the risk and uncertainty was not enough to keep me from reaching for what I want.

Posted by Asa Beavers, May 21, 2009, blogger@itworks-inc.com

Regrets are a terrible thing to have to live with. And you never know when one is just sitting there ready to reach out and give you that stabbing pain.

Several weeks ago I received a late night email from a client that I was scheduled to meet in the morning. This came from a husband and wife team, who own a business employing six others, and who I have been working with for over two years. Over the course of two years you really get to know not just the business, but also the details of the lives that run the business. The email was sent to inform me that our meeting was still on, but their spirits were in the dumps because the family dog, Georgia, tragically passed away the night before.

I met with the husband at our regularly scheduled time. The wife could not make it as she was caring for their two young children that morning. He was still visibly shaken from an ordeal that occurred just 36 hours earlier. He admitted he was looking forward to talking with me to share and get off his chest what turned out to be a terrible customer experience at the emergency animal hospital. Without sharing all the gory details here, suffice it to say that one would hope that when one takes an animal with an acute medical problem into an emergency facility that the staff would act quickly with a sense of urgency. That was not the case during this late night visit and it possibly played a role in the dog’s ability to recover.

Georgia passed away in the early morning hours after a very invasive surgery to try to fix the problem from which she suffered. A huge amount of emotion was released by this couple because of the sudden tragic loss of their beloved pet. But I was a bit surprised and moved to hear that part of that emotion was a feeling of regret.

As leaders and administrators, we realize there are certain sacrifices we make in our lives that are necessary to build strong organizations. Georgia came into the family as a puppy shortly after the couple married and she was the center of their attention at home. Then came the new business, and then came the first child, then the second child, and then growth of their business assumed more time. Georgia was nine years old when she passed away and the husband was regretful that he hadn’t spent more time with his beloved dog in recent years.

Very often as managers and administrators, we get all consumed with making our work our life. Regrets can be a painful feeling to live with, but there is an antidote to regret – it’s called discipline. Each of us have a certain amount of control in all we choose to do. Attempt to be more disciplined in your personal work habits and always make your family your priority regardless of what’s happening in your work. No regrets!

Posted by Asa Beavers, May 28, 2009, blogger@itworksinc.com