Authentic Leadership in Today’s World

Quotes:

“We’ve all become highly demanding of ourselves and of each other, and even more critical because of how powerful this tool in our pockets is.” (5:46) – Jim Robinson

“It’s not so much the writing of the goal, as it is the focus of the writing of the goal. Because your subconscious, your brain, is going to work all the time, trying to achieve what you just told it to do.” (10:40) – Jim Robinson

“Society is really going out of their way to destroy leadership… So stand up, be a leader and guide people to their next best level and be there for them.” (16:34) – Jim Robinson

“I think you wake up one day, you look back at yesterday and you say, ‘Whoa, those people were paying attention to what I was offering or what I was saying or doing.’ And in those moments is when leaders are born.” (23:06) – Jim Robinson

Authentic Leadership in Today’s World

“Authenticity is really about staying the course on your core values, even when you’re challenged. The more authentic you are in your core values, the bigger the challenges will be.”
(17:40) – Jim Robinson

Welcome to the FM Evolution! Host, Shawn Black, takes time to cut through this dilemma with our very own Jim Robinson for our leadership series. Jim is the President and CEO of CGP Maintenance and Construction Services out of San Diego, California. Beyond that, Jim is also a certified business coach, speaker, author, non-profit chairman, and top industry leader. You’ll want to listen, follow along, and take some notes because becoming an authentic leader is only the beginning!

To start, we broke down what made a successful leader in 2021. Jim honed in on two main points: being engaging and being inclusive.

You will always be busy, and just wanting to bring people in won’t cut it. You have to have other people at the table with you, Jim explains. An army of one gets nowhere. Practically this will look like taking the time to initiate and bring people into your decisions. This may be at lunch, or this may be with people who are not even on your payroll. Processing decisions and ideas will take intentionality.

In comparison to 50 years ago, engagement is the other key to being a good leader in 2021. The speed of everything running from sales to marketing to the turnaround has all increased substantially. Whether engaging your audience or employees, it is all about connectivity. Connecting quickly and authentically was the bread and butter of an effective leader this year.

“We’ve all become highly demanding of ourselves and of each other, and even more critical because of how powerful this tool in our pockets is.” (5:46) – Jim Robinson

When it comes to staying focused in a chaotic world, Jim points back to the advice a coach gave him years ago, use a calendar. When all else seems out of your control, when you become lost and discombobulated, go back and see what is coming up next and what you have done. Giving yourself reasonable time limits and keeping up with what you have done can be one of the easiest ways to ground yourself.

For Jim, the early bird does not just get the worm but conquers the entire ecosystem. His alarm clock goes off at 3:45 a.m, and so begins his morning ritual with coffee, prayer, meditation, a long walk, and reading through his goals.

“Statistically they say about 3% of the world actually writes goals.” (9:24) – Jim Robinson

Jim does not stop at personal development but sows into his company structure as well. This looks like having each team member write at least one goal for that week and turn it into him on Monday with a recap of it on Friday. He always wants to emphasize you may not always reach the goal you wrote, but that does not equal failure. Your brain attempted to solve the problem and self-development and follow through still occurred, which is never a loss.

Leaders are looked at with a magnifying glass, so when it comes to authenticity, there are a lot more ways to fail than to succeed. The more authentic you are when it comes to your values, the more roadblocks you will run into. Even when people disagree with your core values, they will still honor your consistency. Contradictions will equal inauthenticity. Those who compromise their core values will seemingly take the path of least resistance, but in the end, it can lead to the ruin of both yourself and your company.

We end with a word to those aspiring to be a leader. First, know it is a full-time job, Jim explains. You will need to show up over and over and over. Jumping in 100% will not be something you will regret, but it also will not be easy. The best things in life do not tend to be.

Keep Up with FM Evolution!

We seek to bring knowledge, advice, and even some laughs to those in the FM community. It is always a pleasure to have Jim Robinson join us, and we are thankful for leaders like him who not only spend time developing themselves but pour out their wisdom to others! Keep up with us weekly for more episodes with those who inspire, lead and make a difference!

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