Guest writer David Griffith continues his Muddy Boots blog series this week with “520 Chestnut Street.”

I have lived and worked in the Philadelphia region on and off for the last 45 years. For many of those years, I walked past Independence Hall on my way to work. On occasion, I would go in, usually at an off-hour, and look, be quiet, and think of the history that has taken place within these walls.

Now more than ever, I marvel at the wisdom of these founders and the men and women who have continued the work that started at 520 Chestnut Street. It is said that “democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.” The wisdom of the three branches of government and the associated checks and balances. Flawed, most certainly, but a remarkable resilience in the face of challenges from within and without.

As we are near our 250th anniversary as a nation, we feel we have some decisions to make. Our history is that of a nation of immigrants and immigration. Legal immigration has fueled our growth, and the diversity brought has been a source of strength. Our history on race and gender equality has much pain and continues to be a source of friction, disagreement, and injustice. 

How we move forward will set the stage for the next 250 years. It is critical we look forward and not backward; we look for the opportunity for growth, not the decay of the status quo. To find the common ground and include all Americans. There is a reason people want to move to America. Opportunity.

Imagine if thirty percent of people who live in poverty found the opportunity of a living wage job. Why would we not want the growth that would follow? A country and government with a strong private economy in the right balance focused on growth and all that implies drives opportunity. Imagine thirty percent more consumers.

However, that vision requires a strong, independent economy, a focused government operating under the rule of law and the checks and balances of the original founding vision, and a practical and strong public policy that drives the conditions for growth, innovation, security, and opportunity.

The time has come for the next 250 years. I would suggest we look back to move forward. We have our differences, but we also have the opportunity to gain experience from the differences and, in doing so, find the common ground we all crave. And that would be authentic leadership. 

The us, them, needs to become the we.

As in “We the people.”

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A Time to Astound

A Muddy Boots Blog

Our new guest writer, David Griffith, returns with part 3 of A Muddy Boots Blog: A Time to Astound.

The principle of Muddy Boots is straightforward. You put on your boots, go into the world, ask questions, listen, learn, and act on that knowledge. The asking is easy. It is listening that is hard. So, too, is the acting on the knowledge part. That thought is brought into focus by a quote from Thomas Edison that I recently reread. 

“If we did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves.” – Thomas Edison

Hold that thought and do a little bit of self-reflection. 

How many times have you tried and doubted your ability to pull it off? If you look back and are honest with yourself, you have some examples. In my experience and observations as a manager over 40-plus years, I have seen individuals exceed their own expectations time and time again. 

Opportunity is how we inspire the leap, the stretch, to try and discount the fear of failure. There lies the art of management, both of ourselves and the individuals we lead. 

If you create a safe space, support risk, and challenge yourself to get out of your comfort zone, your team will not only astound themselves but also delight your customers and stakeholders. Do not miss the opportunity to learn and grow, even when you fall short, as scar tissue from such an event is often the best teacher and sets the stage for future success. 

It is also an opportunity to coach. To be straightforward, coaching is not telling an individual what to do. It is often the questions you ask, testing the data, understanding the why of an approach, and the support and space to try. There is a place and time to say no, but use that as a coaching moment by explaining why. 

History tells us that performance breakthroughs come from pushing the limits and often doing the uncomfortable. As I have said here, doing the uncomfortable is where I have learned the most. It is rarely fatal. Granted, there are many ways to improve the odds of success, like collaboration, being open to a range of thoughts and experiences, data, pilots, etc. All that, but in the end, you still need to take the leap—both yourself and your team. 

As we emerge from COVID-19, the election, climate changes, and policy uncertainty and take on all our challenges, we would do well to listen to Edison’s advice. We are capable of more in so many places and opportunities—not just ourselves but the people we lead and the customers we serve. 

It’s time to astound ourselves. 

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Laying Down and Picking Up

Contributor David Griffith brings his follow up guest post with “Laying Down and Picking Up.”

I retired the first time at 60 and the second at 70. For the first time in 48 years, I could sleep in. That was 15 months ago, and I have continued to reallocate my time, but I have also learned some things.

Going from 80 MPH to 0 is very tough when you run hard. A good friend reminds me that when you do nothing, you are dead. Fair, but I have also lost one older brother in his mid-80s, and I have another fighting dementia also in his early 80’s. 

 

I have been a member of a YPO forum for some 30 years and one of our good discussions is how do you want to play the back nine? So, while I believe in the kingdom, and that faith comforts me, how do I/we want to play the back nine?

Jacqui and I are committed to giving back. We have been blessed to have had solid careers, are comfortable, and have our kids close. We also have terrific friends. My first decision was to move from being the leader to being a coach and advisor. 

 

At 60, I stepped away from Modern but remained Chairman. 

 

At 70, I retired from Episcopal Community Services. 

 

In March this year, I will step down as Chair of the Academy of Natural Sciences and the Drexel board.

I will fish and travel more, but the joy now comes from being a coach, advisor, and partner with Jacqui’s causes. 

 

I now serve on several private company boards as a director, I joined a family business firm and coach individuals through the firm, and I work with some non-profit organizations and foundations whose mission aligns with our view of the needs and challenges of our time.

There is great joy in being a coach and seeing the individuals you work with benefit from your scar tissue. To focus on talent and team. 

 

I have learned not to tell but to ask the right questions, to teach an organization the power of radar and the value of time to react to change, to share experiences and mistakes, to challenge an individual with the potential to stretch, to learn the power of listening, asking questions, and yes, to wear muddy boots.

I would share that there is a time to lay down and a time to pick up. That time is a gift. That experience can be both an example and an inspiration that you can indeed do more. As Yoda said, “There is no try, only do.”  Accountability is a wonderful gift to give, as is experience to individuals and organizations.

At ECS, I learned the expression, “To go fast, go alone, but to go far, go together.”

So, I am on the back nine, laying down the old, picking up the new, and going together with some new friends.

Life is good.

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Muddy Boots Basics

We are proud to introduce our new contributor, David Griffith, making his debut guest post this week with “Muddy Boots Basics.” Here is David, in his own words:

I have had a diverse career, starting with IBM, ROLM, and MCI and then moving to The Modern Group, Ltd., and Episcopal Community Services. These days, I serve on several boards, both for-profit and nonprofit. I do a bit of consulting and coaching working with my long-time colleagues at Delaware Valley Family Business Center. Jacqui tells me I am flunking retirement as she goes out the door to another meeting.

Like many colleagues, I have considered retirement for some time and concluded that doing nothing meant being dead. Interestingly, when I was an active CEO with “retired” board members, I was always fascinated by how they had their solid advice and wisdom on a given issue. Now I know, as I am one. It is called experience or, as I prefer, “scar tissue.” 

Yes, technology, AI, work-from-home, and the internet have all changed the marketplace, but the fundamentals are the fundamentals. Talent, Customer focus, Listening, speaking last, Radar, Governance, Strategy, Gross and Net Profits, Cash flows, and Debt vs Equity are pretty much the same across the business landscape.

Experience shared is a tremendous gift, and accountability is a powerful tool for any leader. Yes, it is always darkest before it turns absolutely black, but the sun does come up. It is good to have people who know this around you when the lights go out.

I am reminded of a similar lesson from my nonprofit days at ECS. The best advice I ever got was from an experienced Rector who served on our board. Remember, he told me, “Preach the gospel, and sometimes use words,” meaning that actions matter way more than talk. I have seen the power of examples, the notion that offices eat last, that if the team does well, it’s the team; if not, it is yours. Listen with intent and value on-the-ground experience. Experience is invaluable and is a gift when it is shared thoughtfully.

So, retirement is a chance to give back, share lessons learned, learn some new tricks, and coach as you would have liked to have been coached. You have an opportunity for legacy with your community, organizations, and family and extended family. You can only fish so many days a year, though I am working on the correct answer. We all have something to share, help carry a load and leave a little less mess. Experience matters, but only if it is open to new ideas, approaches, and risks. The combination is powerful.

Sometimes, all it takes is to be there, listen, and share.

Muddy Boots Basics.

Last week I had the opportunity to speak to an assembled group of leaders of family businesses sponsored by the Delaware Valley Family Business Center. They asked me to share my perspective, aka scar tissue, on the attributes of leadership observed over my years in business and my service as a board chair with privately held for-profit organizations.

I shared five core attributes.

Muddy Boots. 

Leaders who put on their Muddy Boots and go into the field and listen to the answers to two questions. 

  1. How are we doing? 
  2. What can we do better? 

Leaders do not manage the business from behind a desk. The listen to customers, competitors, employees, thought leaders, educators, to the people closest to the work. They seek outside advice and perspective.

Time. 

They are intentional with their time. “They do the important, not the urgent.” They carve outthink time. They are curious. They find the pain and fix it. They invest in learning and talking with contrarians. They think not in the present but three to five years out.

Elephants. 

They create environments where it is safe to name the elephants. They focus on the hiring and the care and feeding of talent. They work to be the dumbest person in subject matter areas. They understand that a bunch of talented people are more valuable than one individual telling people what to do. The world needs inventors and implementers. They understand that inclusion is a seat at the table and that the bigger the table, the better the decisions.

Personal Brand. 

People know what they stand for. They live their mission, their vision, and their values. People understand what their North Star is. They are consistent. They are both firm and calm. They run to the fire, not away from it. People want to work for them. They care more about other people’s success than their own. They put their crew first, and their crew knows it.

Balance. 

They understand that while focus is important, so too is balance. They understand that shareholders are not the only stakeholder, but so too is family and community, employees, vendors, and customers. They understand and act that they are part of a much larger system and that we all carry the responsibility to pay it forward. They do not put greed ahead of grandchildren.

In the end, leadership can be summed up in the concept of legacy. True leadership understands that it is never about them. Rather it is about the organization they lead and the people they serve. They understand that old African proverb that “to go fast, go alone, but to go far, go together.” Leaders pull the rope; they don’t push it. 

They understand that personal achievement and economic security is a function of stakeholder service. All of your stakeholders. Especially your future ones.

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