Maurilio Amorim

Month: May 2011

Leadership Style: Opportunity vs Crisis

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.

William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night

I understand where Shakespeare is coming from even though I’m not sure anyone is truly born great. But the last part of that sentence has always caught my attention: some have greatness thrust upon them. Sometimes a strong leader guides us into new opportunities. Other times a wise leader guides us through difficult situations. But in each of those cases, the quality and heart of true leadership is forged out of either the crucibles of opportunity or crisis.

As I look back in my own life and weigh in my own leadership style, I am coming to the realization that I am probably a better leader during crisis than I am during the season of opportunity. I’m not sure it’s complacency or content, but I find myself staying too long in the status quo–you know, maintenance mode. But most every major achievement during my professional career has been the byproduct of successfully navigating a crisis situation.

My own business, The A Group was started due to a failed and fraudulent relationship that forced me to be on my own. Those difficult days gave birth to an amazing business that I’m thankful for and proud of its work. Even the extremely talented team that I work with every day was assembled after a tough season. I entrusted my company to the care of someone who didn’t have my best interest in mind and had to rebuild my team again. Both crisis were catalysts for the necessary change that help me move forward.

No matter what type of leadership is natural for you and me, we will never be great leaders until we master the pursuit of opportunities as well as the navigation of crises. To me that means pushing forward more aggressively during the opportunity times.

What about you? Which leadership style are you naturally drawn to?

May 16, 2011
Summer Essentials Part 1: Shoes
Nothing says summer more than the right shoes. Recently, men’s casual shoes options have grow beyond flip flops and boat shoes. But if you’re going to sport some sweet summer footwear you should keep a few dos and don’ts in mind.

Dos:
- Clean your feet. Cut your toenails. I know it’s obvious, but it needs to be said. I’ve seen some of your feet. If you’re gutsy, go a step further and have a pedicure. Your feet and those who look at it will thank you.
- Have more than one pair of flip flops
- Pair sockless dress shoes with jeans or even shorts. This is a bold move and for the fashion forward. You can’t be timid and pull this off.
- Have fun with bold colors
Don’t:
- Wear your ratty flip flops to work. When in doubt don’t wear it.
- Wear socks with your sandals (even if you’re European, this is America)
- Wear black slacks with light-colored footwear unless it’s jeans. Very few people can pull that look off. If you have to ask someone if it looks good, then don’t do it.
Dean McDermott is secure enough not only to get his pedi, but also get color on his nails. If you don't live in Hollywood and are married to a star, I would stay away from nail polish.

This is not for everyone, but this look is growing on me. If you're in your 20's and early 30's you'll look fashionable. If you're in your 40's, you'll look like a dufus.

Preppy is making a strong come back with the college and young career crowd. Boat shoes work great with all things preppy.

What’s your favorite summer footwear?
May 13, 2011
Partners, Lovers & Investors You Should Avoid Like the Plague

The best way to get out of a bad situation is by never getting into one in the first place. I have been fortunate to have avoided some very bad relationships over the years. These have been both personal (crazy girlfriend) as well as professional (bad business partner). In retrospect, there were signs along the way that have helped me walk away before it was too late. Here are the types of people you should avoid like the plague.

The Jerk. I remember having dinner with a potential business partner. He was trying hard to court me by having dinner at a very expensive restaurant. Our server made a mistake with this man’s appetizer. Suddenly, the cordial and fun individual sitting across from me turned into a tyrant, throwing a hissy fit over lettuce instead of spinach. The poor waiter apologized profusely and remedied the situation almost immediately. But that was not enough for the Jerk. He still wanted to complain at length to the manager. At that moment, I knew I wanted nothing to do with the guy. Later on I heard he bankrupted several business. He never delivered on his promises.

The Jealous. She was a lovely girl and very attractive. We went out several times and things seemed to be going well. One day, I found myself worrying about “checking in” several times a day and also feeling guilty every time I talked with another single female. Suddenly I realized that the young lady I was dating had some serious trust issues and no matter how much I tried, her insecurities became a full-time job to manage. I know guys who after decades of marriage, still have to call their wives multiple times a day for no apparent reason than just “check in.” Years later, I’m so thankful that the woman I eventually married is secure enough to allow me to travel the world on my on my “International Man of Mystery” pursuit.

The Micromanager. Sometimes partnerships are formed where one side brings capital (cash) and another expertize and sweat equity (everything else). Early on my entrepreneurial career I was offered a lot of money for a piece of my young business. The man wanted to be a silent investor and assured me that I could run the day-to-day operations. I knew this potential investor through another relationship, but not very well. As I spent time with him, I realized that he couldn’t just be an investor. By seeing how he operated his businesses and his own family, I quickly realized the man needed to know everything about, well, everything. While he was successful in making money, his employee turnovers were horrific. People didn’t stay long and those who stuck around were miserable. Money is great, but peace of mind is better.

What other types of people should we avoid?

May 12, 2011
Could a Fitness Goal Help Your Career?

Sometimes we need goals that have nothing to do with our careers, financial future or performance. From time to time I find myself focusing on seemingly inconsequential, somewhat irrelevant goals that from a glance can be seen as a distraction from some of the critical parts of life. For me these usually are fitness goals: run a marathon, have my personal record on a race, do a certain number of pull ups or drop to single digits in my body fat (if you know how much I love to eat, you’d know that’s almost an impossibility). So why bother with them, you might ask. Here’s what these goals do for me.

Forced disciplined. I’m a disciplined person by nature, but when I’m focusing on a fitness goal I get in a whole new level of commitment. Interestingly, that discipline spills over other areas of my life including professional and relational.

Broken routine. One day you wake up and life is a series of predictable activities. I often find myself going through my daily routine without much thought or focus. The interjection of a new goal, by the nature of it, disrupts the status quo and forces me to do things differently, and more importantly, intentionally.

Heightened performance. I found out that each time I met my fitness goals there was a major psychological boost in my professional performance as well. I cannot quantify it, but a shift happened in my thinking that simply says “if you can accomplish this, you can take the next challenge in your professional career.” These fitness goals somehow transferred a sense of confidence to other areas of my life, embolden me to get past performance and thinking plateaus.

For me, reaching these goals give e more than just a sense of accomplishment, a plaque and a t-shirt. These are personal morale and productivity boosters that help me work through the moments I might feel stuck or not sure of my own abilities to go to the next level.

Have you experienced anything similar? What was the outcome?

May 11, 2011
Lakers vs Mavericks. Talent vs Character.

I’m not a Mavericks or a Lakers’ fan. This post is not about basketball, but about character. Yesterday, Lakers center Andrew Bynum was ejected in the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals sweep by Dallas after a dirty foul on Dallas Mavericks reserve guard J.J. Barea. With the Mavericks winning 98-68, Barea drove to the basket and put up a floater. Bynum entered the lane and delivered a hard elbow to Barea’s ribs. Barea landed hard on the ground as the referee immediately called a flagrant foul and threw Bynum out of the game. You can watch it in the video below. It was so bad that ESPN announcer, Mike Tirico said “And that is one of the biggest bush league things I’ve ever seen! That is terrible!“. Interestingly, Bynum had just come off a two-game suspension for another flagrant foul.

Here what Mr. Bynum's behavior tells me: 1. Our talents can only take us as far as our character is able to hold us. 2. Talent alone does not make a man. 3. Last year's trophy means nothing. 4. Our true self will come out when we are under the most stress. 5. Our actions, not our intentions define us.
What else would you add? Am I being too harsh?

May 9, 2011
My Mother’s Day Strategy

Sunday is mother’s day. Somehow my boys, 16 and 12 still rely on dad to make sure mom has a good day. So as I was thinking of how to make the day more special for their mom, and my wife, I decided to share them with you.

First I got a hold of a great book from best selling author, Dr. Meg Meeker “10 Habits of a Happy Mother.” Dr. Meeker is a Pediatrician, mother and best-selling author of six books. She is the country’s leading authority on parenting, teens and children’s health. I even thought about buying one for my mother as well until I realized that she doesn’t read English and the book is not available in Portuguese. (You can win a free copy today by stopping by Dr. Meeker’s blog www.megmeekermd.com ). But beyond the book gift, I also thought of some more personal ways to make Gwen feel special on mother’s day:

Cooking her favorite meal. She loves my lemon linguine with cheddar chicken.

Not asking her to pull my finger for an entire day. Who said I can’t sacrifice for those whom I love?

Cleaning the house in my underwear. (Ok, the underwear part is for me and not her.)

Getting the boys not to argue for an entire day. Who am I kidding? If I could do that I would have my own TV show.

Buying fresh flowers instead of taking some of the neighbors’ roses. (Don’t judge me, I was desperate last year).

Forgoing my daily reminder of how blessed she is to have me as a husband.

How are you making your mother/wife feel special this weekend?

May 6, 2011
Before You Quit Your Job

We all have thought about quitting our jobs because we just can’t take the pressure, the abuse or both, and life is miserable. Some of us have actually done it. Several times. I remember lying in bed years ago and thinking of the different scenarios on how to quit my job. I was planning the perfect way to finally let my boss know what I really thought of him. But for the majority of us who walk away from a job because of frustration, we seldom quit because of ideological, organizational or even monetary issues. The truth is that we don’t quit our job; we quit our boss. Before you walk in and give notice along with a piece of your mind, consider this:

Incompetent people don’t last. In most organizations incompetence only lasts for a while. Granted, some places have a higher tolerance for poor performance than others, but the weak link eventually gets replaced. If your frustration stems from working for an incompetent person, you just have to outlive their tenure. Do your job well and stick around. Your promotion might be coming sooner than you realize.

There is no such a thing as the perfect environment for you, or anyone else for that matter. For your work nirvana to exist, only perfect people would be allowed to work there. And the day you and I show up at the place, perfection would cease. Sometimes we are as quick to idealize another environment as we are to vilify our current one.

Bad days happen. That’s just life. Even the brightest of environments is not immune to dark days, sometime a string of bad days or projects, and clients from hell. Don’t ever make a life-altering decision at the end of a taxing and discouraging day. An emotional decision is one you’ll always regret.

Leave well. If you must leave, then do it well. As much as you want to let you boss know what you think of her, this is not the time to do that. No one ever regretted being gracious and walking away with dignity and poise even if you know you’ve been wronged. The truth will eventually come out. It always does.

Sometimes you need to walk away from a bad situation, or should I say, from a bad boss. I did once, and it was the right thing to do. However, before you do, make sure it’s the right move at the right time done in the right way.

Have you ever quit a job? How did it go?

May 5, 2011
Tricking Your Children. A Bad Parenting Moment.

There a a lot of books and blogs on good parenting. Focus on the Family has been helping Christian parents for decades. A lot of family experts talk about “teachable moments.” My contribution to parenting comes from a different angle altogether: what not to do. From time to time, I’ll share with you some of my “unteachable parenting moments.” Hopefully they’ll prevent you from making the same mistake with your offspring. Here’s a Bad Parenting Moment you should not repeat.

Tricking your children into going on a scary ride will not get them passed their fear of rides, but it will ruin the rest of your Disney vacation.

That was my brilliant idea several years ago when we took the boys, age 5 and 9 to their first trip to Disney. My rational was simple: ride the scariest ride on all of Disney World early on the first day. Once they’ve gone through it and lived, they would look forward to go any other ride in the entire park. Nope.

The Tower of Terror was our first ride on our first day. I omitted some key points about the attraction when I told them there was a cool movie inside. I failed to mention that there was an 13-store elevator drop. Make that an over-and-over elevator drop.

My plan back fired. “You tricked us. You lied to us,” the white knuckled, shaking and visibly upset children confronted me afterwards. “But you made it, and wasn’t it fun?” “NO!!!” On the second hour of our week-long vacation, the boys were not willing to go on any other remotely thrilling ride. After this harrowing experience even the Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups looked threatening. It was a very long week for all of us.

Have you ever tried to trick you children in doing something and backfired?

Please do share. It will make me feel better.

May 2, 2011