Welcome to The Saturday Morning Muse! Today, I’m celebrating the release of my rock band’s new album with a message that dreams can come true at any age!   Here’s an excerpt: “But now it’s time for a new chapter—one where I stand and say “I’m not finished—I’ve got more to contribute.” It’s time to make the dream of creating a lasting work of art that will outlive me a reality. Just because I’m in my early 60s does not mean that I lack the energy to create new music to give to the world. Music that I’m deeply proud of and hope resonates with listeners of all ages.”   Stream Feel Something New by The Remainders  @theremainders  today: https://ffm.to/feelsomethingnewlp   Just FYI that we’ve launched the show as a podcast on your favorite podcast streaming services. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/saturday-morning-muse/id1741154728   #albumrelease  #newmusic #rockmusic #feelsomethingnew #leadershipdevelopment #growthmindset #personalgrowth #liveyourdream #dreamscometrue

Welcome to the Saturday Morning Muse!   Today, I’m talking about the skill of critical thinking and the essential sub-skills that are needed to build this skill.   Here’s an excerpt: “The challenge we face is that critical thinking is hard. The easy path is to not question, not ask ‘why,’ and not dig for deeper meaning and root cause. The more difficult, but ultimately more rewarding path is to challenge fixed belief systems, internal biases, and recognize that when we deflect and point fingers at others, three more are pointing right back at us.”   Just FYI that we’ve launched the show as a podcast on your favorite podcast streaming services. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/saturday-morning-muse/id1741154728   #criticalthinking  #skilldevelopment #continuousimprovement #leadershipdevelopment #lifelonglearning #growthmindset #activelistening #listeningskills #selfawareness #decisionmaking

Waking up this morning in Madison, Wisconsin enjoying a brief visit with our eldest son! Welcome to the Saturday Morning Muse.   Today, I’m musing about the skill of critical thinking and how to make progress on the lifelong journey to improve this skill.   Here’s an excerpt: “Since (a) an individual’s life experience is primarily defined by the decisions they make over time, and (b) critical thinking is a necessary condition for making better decisions; if an individual wants to (c) live a rich, meaningful life and achieve economic and professional success, then (d) it is essential to build critical thinking skills so they can make more good decisions than bad. Put differently, if an individual wants to be successful, by whatever definition of success matters to them, the path to success depends on investing in critical thinking and decision-making skills.”   #criticalthinking  #skilldevelopment #continuousimprovement #leadershipdevelopment #lifelonglearning #growthmindset #activelistening #listeningskills #selfawareness #decisionmaking

Well, the spooky season is officially behind us, so let the holiday season begin! Welcome to the Saturday Morning Muse.   Today, the topic is our historical learn→work→retire mindset and the dangers of succumbing to the allure of the easy chair.   Here’s an excerpt: “So what’s your plan for retirement? Yes, you may want to step off the treadmill of a fast-paced career path, but it’s essential that you not stand still. Standing still is the fast pass to a slow and oftentimes painful slide into oblivion. Instead, commit now to developing the habit of continuous improvement and lifelong learning. Keep moving in retirement. Give back. Mentor. Take a part-time job that fits your purpose. Living a full life means living a full life. Don’t give up on yourself.”   #retirement  #retirementmindset #continuousimprovement #brainhealth #lifelonglearning #growthmindset #lifeexpectancy #balancingact #selfcare #priorities #neuroplasticity #workaholics #leadershipdevelopment

Today, the topic is your civic obligation to VOTE and our collective duty to defend and protect the US Constitution.   Here’s an excerpt: “Are we perfect? No. Is the great American experiment in democracy worth defending and protecting? Yes. How do can we do that? Open your mind; break free of your information cocoon; get informed; know the difference between entertainment and hard, unbiased journalism; build your critical thinking muscles; don’t worry about what your friends or neighbors will say about your vote; and then VOTE on November 5th.”   Just FYI that we’ve launched the show as a podcast on your favorite podcast streaming services. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/saturday-morning-muse/id1741154728   #decision2024  #voting #civicduty #USConstitution #politicalpolarization #geopoliticaltensions #criticalthinking

What can we do to help reduce overall stress and anxiety levels in our communities?   This week’s Saturday Morning Muse is part 3 of 3 in our series that explores generational differences and offers solutions to high stress/anxiety levels. "These are just a few suggestions for how we can address the current epidemic of anxiety in the U.S. Increase financial literacy, get educated, adopt an agile, lifelong learning mindset, periodically unplug from social media, advocate for changes to our educational system to improve the skills of critical thinking, creativity, and decision-making, do what you can to reduce your impact on the planet, and understand when you’re being played by politicians and the media. We are all in this together. Support your neighbor, get to know individuals from other cultures and other parts of the world."   Just FYI that we’ve launched the show as a podcast on your favorite podcast streaming services. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/saturday-morning-muse/id1741154728   #decisionmaking  #anxiety #stress #genz #educationmatters #climatechange #politicalpolarization #geopoliticaltensions #criticalthinking

What can we do to help reduce overall stress and anxiety levels in our communities?   This week’s Saturday Morning Muse is part 2 of 3 in our series that explores generational differences and offers solutions to high stress/anxiety levels in our population.   "I can’t put enough focus on the value of education and good decision-making that’s accompanied by a lifelong learning mindset as ways to reduce stress and anxiety. Too many in our society are on auto-pilot, going through the motions of life. Life is happening to them. Self-reliance developed through learning and education coupled with better decision making skills is the path to making things happen in your life and taking control of your narratives and outcomes."   Just FYI that we’ve launched the show as a podcast on your favorite podcast streaming services. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/saturday-morning-muse/id1741154728   #decisionmaking  #anxiety #stress #genz #educationmatters #creativity #criticalthinking

Is stress and anxiety holding you back from reaching your goals? Does your internal balancing act between self-doubt and self-confidence tilt heavily toward self-doubt?   This week on the Saturday Morning Muse, I’m continuing last week’s conversation on self-belief with an exploration of the self-doubt and anxiety that can hold us back from achieving our goals and dreams.   Just FYI that we’ve launched the show as a podcast on your favorite podcast streaming services. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/saturday-morning-muse/id1741154728   Buy The Balanced Business on Amazon at:https://www.amazon.com/Balanced-Business-Organizational-Accountability-Workflows/dp/1637557507/   Buy Balancing Act on Amazon at:https://www.amazon.com/Balancing-Act-Teach-Mentor-Inspire/dp/1506276644/   Learn more about Andy at www.andrewtemte.com   Enjoy and have a great weekend…   #decisionmaking  #anxiety #stress #genz #financialliteracy #financialacumen #personalfinance #personaldevelopment #selfdoubt #selfconfidence

Do you believe in yourself? Do you believe in the power of your team? Is self-doubt holding you back?   This week on the Saturday Morning Muse, I’m using my prep for a big rock show as the backstory for a message on the power of believing in YOU.   Buy The Balanced Business on Amazon at:https://www.amazon.com/Balanced-Business-Organizational-Accountability-Workflows/dp/1637557507/   Buy Balancing Act on Amazon at:https://www.amazon.com/Balancing-Act-Teach-Mentor-Inspire/dp/1506276644/   Learn more about Andrew at www.andrewtemte.com   #leadershipdevelopment #selfdoubt #selfconfidence #believeinyou #believeinyourself #believe #teamwork #corporateculture #continuousimprovement

Welcome to the Saturday Morning Muse! We’re entering my favorite season of the year tomorrow – fall!   In last week’s Muse, I had an open letter to employers and leaders regarding employee engagement and policing return-to-office policies. This week is an open letter to employees regarding the same subject… Employee engagement is indeed a two-way street.   Enjoy and have a great weekend…   #leadershipdevelopment #employeeengagement #activedisengagement #disengagedemployees #badmanagers #badbosses #returntooffice #corporateculture #humanresources

I talk a lot about employee engagement in this forum and about the costs/dangers of employee disengagement. According to a recent Gallup survey, for the full year 2023, only 33% of employees are ‘engaged’ in their work—a slight uptick from the previous year’s number of 32%. More importantly, the proportion of employees who are actively disengaged fell slightly to 16% from a 2022 high of 18%. While this represents a small year-over-year improvement, Gallup estimates that the impacts of active disengagement amount to $1.9 trillion of lost productivity in the US. Putting it into perspective, that’s a whopping 8% of US GDP. Just imagine the lift in economic growth, equity markets, trade, etc., that would accompany a significant reduction in active disengagement! Learn more at www.andrewtemte.com.   #leadershipdevelopment #employeeengagement #activedisengagement #disengagedemployees #badmanagers #badbosses #returntooffice #corporateculture #humanresources

Is growth for the sake of growth a good thing in business? What’s the growth trap and how is it affecting the health of your organization? In this episode, I’m talking about mergers & acquisitions and the growth trap that many leaders unwittingly fall into.    Learn more at: www.andrewtemte.com   Enjoy and have a great weekend… #GrowthTrap #Mergers #Acquisitions #M&A #EmployeeEngagement #ContinuousImprovement #CorporateCulture

The question today is this. Is bigger always better? In zucchini, the answer is a resounding no. In business, the answer is a bit more nuanced, but bigger is certainly not always better.   As leaders, we routinely fall into what I like to call the growth trap. The growth trap shows up in various forms, but it can be a huge morale killer and represent significant risk to the business. One way the growth trap evidences itself is in your business’s annual budgeting process. Some companies take a thoughtful bottom-up tack in which each functional area of the business submits forecasts for the upcoming year based on inputs from marketing, sales, product management, operations and other client/customer-facing parts of the business...   For the full transcript and to learn more, visit www.andrewtemte.com/saturday-morning-muse  

Is it really the case that nobody wants to work anymore? Is it really the case that GenZ is lazy?   My advice is instead of looking down your nose and denigrating members of the generations that follow you, lend a hand. Use your gifts to mentor, lift up, and inspire those who are less experienced than you are.   To learn more about Andrew Temte, visit www.andrewtemte.com.

Working with Intention: Self-reflection and the use of the five whys requires an open mind and a strong ego in order to challenge potential unconscious bias and consider answers that may not be popular or fit neatly into existing narratives. Hence, it's seldom the case that meaningful results come solely from self-reflection exercises. To make more progress, we will need the help of our coaches and mentors.   Visit www.andrewtemte.com/saturday-morning-muse for the full transcript of this episode and to learn more about all things Andrew Temte   Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts at: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/saturday-morning-muse/id1741154728 

I do my best to keep The Saturday Morning Muse out of the political spectrum, but this week I will make an exception. As we march toward election day on November 5, 2024, it’s important that our voices are heard and that we exercise our rights to free speech. This episode is on the longer side of things and should be watched in its entirety. To do otherwise would mean that what I have to say has a high probability of being taken out of context and twisted for political gain.   Visit www.andrewtemte.com/saturday-morning-muse for the full transcript of this episode and to learn more about all things Andrew Temte

The sources of insecurity abound. Jealousy, unresolved failure, challenging relationships, lack of skill/education, poor planning, bullying, institutionalized bias, and the absence of a sense of belonging are but a few. To punch the point regarding the fluid nature of insecurity, just spend a little time with the preceding list and explore how easy it is to find examples where these issues apply both at home and at the office.   Subscribe to the show today on your favorite streaming service!   Learn more at www.andrewtemte.com.

A business is a collection of written and unwritten contracts with and between employees, vendors, governmental agencies, and customers. A high functioning business is one that takes those contracts seriously and establishes clear and concise rules of engagement along its vectors of interaction both internally and externally. To connect this back to previous conversations, a high functioning business builds and installs a management operating system that’s rooted in a foundation of continuous improvement and organizational health. Guardrails, systems, and processes are established and continually refined/reinforced to allow for trust to flourish.   Everyone wins when “my word is my bond” becomes woven into the fabric of your organizational culture. Accountability and trust simultaneously improve as the nooks and crannies to hide half-truths, speculation, and agendas that run counter to the company North Star become fewer and farther between.   Learn more at www.andrewtemte.com.

How can we reduce political polarization? I fear that we are becoming anesthetized to what would be considered vicious, uncivil, unacceptable, and unproductive discourse to a prudent, independent observer.

One of the unpleasant truths of leadership is that the people who populate your organization (at all levels) are constantly trying to divine your position on myriad topics - everything from purpose and vision to the stack ranking of current-period priorities. Like it or not, as a leader, you are a significant topic of conversation and your position on issues matters. The less visible you are, the more active the water-cooler will be. Infrequent communication from the top provides more oxygen for conspiracy theories and rumors to thrive. Conspiracy theories and rumors breed significant emotional waste that can negatively impact morale, engagement, and productivity.

The starting point for the journey to change your culture takes real courage and is an application of courage that doesn’t get nearly enough airplay. You see, the easy leadership road that leads to mediocrity is to hire people that look and talk like you and ensure that you remain the smartest person in the room. The more difficult, but more rewarding path is to find the courage to hire people who have the potential to surpass you, who think differently than you do, and who are willing and able to challenge you. 

By definition, when someone is listening, someone else is speaking - either verbally, through the written word, or both. To ensure that the conversation isn’t encumbered by unnecessary tension or spin, help your colleagues find their voice. How? It’s important to lead by example and the best way to do this is to shed your emotional suit of armor. Let your colleagues see that you’re human by being constructively vulnerable. Tell a story about how terrified you were the first time you spoke to the CEO of the business and how you navigated the accompanying anxiety. Hopefully, you can share an experience where a boss from your past showed compassion and helped you overcome your fears.

I believe in bringing more of one's “whole or best self” to work. I believe that a diversity of voices and lived experiences leads to a richer tapestry of potential solutions to business challenges and ultimately, better outcomes. Conversely, I believe that heavy conformance to preconceived norms and blindly following overpowering voices stifles creativity and leads to the adoption of a fixed, unyielding mindset. 

As time passes, the business matures, growth slows, and entropy sets in. Leaders and team members pull their heads up and take a look around at the state of their business. The common refrain goes something like this: “Wow, how did our culture deviate so far from our original intention? We need to get back to growth mode, but we also need a culture that will facilitate further growth, not impede it!”

Welcome to the Saturday Morning Muse! In this episode, I'm talking about what integrity means and propose a simplified definition. Here's an excerpt: "I propose that when we teach and coach the human skill of integrity, we must also add the words empathy, compassion, and understanding. As a result, the definition of integrity can be simplified to: Integrity: Compassionately doing the right thing." Learn more about Andrew Temte at https://www.andrewtemte.com.

This episode tells the story of 10-year-old Andy as a member of the La Crosse Boychoir, my mentor, Dan Johnson-Wilmot, and outlines three benefits of focusing on good posture for your personal and professional journey of continuous improvement. "Nothing says “you’ve got this,” more than good posture. Many people will tell you that “clothes make the person,” but those clothes have to fit onto a frame—your frame. So before you go out and spend big money on a new wardrobe to boost self confidence, make the time to invest in posture by strengthening both mind and body." Learn more about Andrew Temte at www.andrewtemte.com. #Posture #Self-Confidence #LeadershipDevelopment

My goal with this muse is to gently, but purposefully change the arc of the conversation in corporate circles around the concept of empathy and empathetic leadership. In my opinion, empathy is great, but it lacks two essential ingredients—the willingness/ability to help, and the ability to detach. Compassion represents a logical extension of empathy as it combines the ability to recognize someone else’s feelings and the motivation to help them do something about it. This addition of the motivation to help requires an ability to separate or detach oneself from the challenge the other person is experiencing. Without this ability to mentally detach, their challenge or pain becomes yours and carrying around that emotional burden will ultimately lead to your own exhaustion and burnout. Yes, it’s awesome that you feel another’s pain and want to help alleviate it, but if it’s at the expense of your own well-being, what’s the point? www.andrewtemte.com

Financial literacy is a woefully underdeveloped skill in both our homes and businesses. I frequently hear business leaders lament about the lack of financial literacy within their teams. In my first book, Balancing Act, I outline the four most important future-facing skills and financial literacy (and it’s more sophisticated cousin, financial acumen) is one of these four critical skills. So what is to be done to close the financial literacy skills gap? Use your annual budget process as an experiential learning opportunity for managers and key individual contributors in your organization.

Today, I'm musing about turning your company's budgeting process from wasteful drudgery to a value-adding exercise that helps develop individuals, teams, and builds your corporate culture. Optimally, your company’s budget should be an elegant financial expression of a tight, cohesive storyline that explains how tactics and execution in the upcoming year align with the company’s purpose, long-term vision, and master (or top level) goals.

So how do we balance control and empowerment? How do we create a high trust, high accountability workplace? We do so by installing a clear set of guardrails and guidelines within which the organization can function. Said differently, we install a “management operating system.”

Excerpt: If I’m living my personal purpose in both life and work and striving toward my long-term personal vision, then the likelihood that I feel unworthy of my successes is reduced because my success is more genuine to me and, no pun intended, purposeful. So if natural feelings of unworthiness and self-doubt creep in, I can remind myself that my success didn’t come out of nowhere, but was instead the result of planning, skill, and hard work.

Episode Excerpt: "What I do know is that reducing the negative feelings that accompany my imposter syndrome has distinct benefits. My anxiety is much more manageable, I’m happier and feel more fulfilled, and I believe I’m a better parent, partner, and friend. So how did I reduce my exposure to imposter syndrome? I defined and connected to my personal purpose."

Once you’ve come to terms with and start loving the unique human that is you, then achieving your definition of success boils down to relationships and results. For a deep(erish) dive into the relationships side of the equation, here’s the link to last week’s episode for you to review. [1960s elevator music plays] Now that you’re back, let’s tackle the second part of the equation, results. https://www.andrewtemte.com/

We fill our lives with busy and hurry—seldom, if ever, stopping to check in with ourselves and ensure we’re living out the promise of our purpose. One of my goals with the Saturday Morning Muse is to help drive a shift in perspective—from the negative to the positive—from “I have to,” to “I get to.” If you want to be an effective, compassionate leader in life and in business, start engaging in your own mindfulness practice. https://www.andrewtemte.com/

What’s the formula for career success? There are endless consultants and prognosticators who claim to have the golden ticket to success. I’ve thought about this many times throughout my career, and with nearly 40 years of experience under my belt, I can boil the formula down to two interrelated concepts: relationships and results. If, at first glance, this framework appears overly simplistic, it is. Each of these words encapsulates numerous competencies and take years, if not decades, to hone and perfect. So let’s spend a bit of time diving into the nuance behind this formula—today we’ll be focusing on the first part of the formula—relationships. https://www.andrewtemte.com/

We’ve all been there. The conference room is packed with attendees for the big presentation. The projector comes to life and the speakers begin walking everyone through the next big corporate innovation, the quarterly financials, or an update on a cross-functional project. The room is professional and focused, with the exception of Suzie and Quentin, who are whispering so loudly that their side conversation is impossible to ignore. As the presentation progresses, Suzie and Quentin continue to chatter periodically amongst themselves—unimpeded and oblivious to their surroundings. Nobody steps in to call them on their behavior. Why? https://www.andrewtemte.com/

There will be times when you’re the smartest person in the room and others when you need a helping hand. Your colleagues will quickly become exhausted by a know-it-all attitude and will begin to tune you out. Your value to the team and its leader will fall, and tough decisions will follow. https://www.andrewtemte.com/

What do your people want (other than more money)? They want clarity, autonomy, empowerment, respect, and organizational accountability. They want to make a difference and do good, meaningful work. They want to know that leadership cares and that everyone in the company is rowing in the same direction with the same commitment and vigor that they apply to their own work. https://www.andrewtemte.com/

Your people need to hear from you. Radio silence is a terrible management practice and is a big driver of employee dissatisfaction. In the case of our delayed flight, all the pilot needed to do was provide a 30 second update to passengers regarding why we pulled off an active runway prior to takeoff. That simple action would have prevented unnecessary spinning and emotional waste. You can prevent spinning, gossip, speculation, and emotional waste by being prompt, clear, and as transparent as possible during times of uncertainty in your business.

One of the biggest errors a leader can make is to hire team members who are direct reflections of themselves. Yes, it can be temporarily convenient to surround yourself with people who always agree with you, or who share your own perspectives, but in the long-term, this type of hiring behavior will hinder growth, innovation, and forward momentum. A balancing act all leaders must grapple with is the short-term benefit of moving fast with minimal drag from a personally curated “Team Yes,” versus the long-term satisfaction that comes from building a diverse team that will simultaneously challenge, support, and push the boundaries of your current state positions and thinking. https://www.andrewtemte.com/

Are you feeling disengaged or ‘stuck’ at work? Does it feel like you’re trudging through mud and that the light in your eyes has dimmed? From my own personal experience, it can be very difficult to pinpoint the root cause of these feelings and it’s even harder to break through to an improved state of well-being and engagement. Today, I’d like to share a tip that’s worked well for me when I find myself feeling negative, harried, and strained. https://www.andrewtemte.com/

Far too often, when confronted with a challenge, we talk. We talk to deflect. We talk because we don’t know what else to do. We talk to release nervous energy. To make matters worse, when we start talking, we usually start relaying a story of a similar challenge that’s happened to us. The individual who’s going through the challenge doesn’t want to hear about our suffering or similar situation, they want to be heard. https://www.andrewtemte.com/

There are many truisms in business, and one that doesn’t get nearly enough attention is that as a leader rises through the ranks of an organization, the amount they are discussed, analyzed, and talked about increases in a non-linear fashion. I would periodically get asked if this bothered me during my career, and I would typically respond with a flippant: “My ears stopped buzzing long ago.” Meaning that it no longer bothered me. While marginally humorous in the moment, as I look back, my response was less than helpful and certainly didn’t reach the mark of a teaching moment. https://www.andrewtemte.com/

Earlier this summer, I was in unavoidable earshot of a conversation between two acquaintances regarding team performance—specifically about an operational failure that had occurred in their business. They were lamenting about one of their co-workers, and the implication was that the co-worker was to blame. As a reminder, if I’m pointing a finger at someone else, three more are pointing right back at me. https://www.andrewtemte.com/

Resilience is defined as “the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties” (Oxford Dictionaries). The American Psychological Association defines resilience as “the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences.” In most definitions of resiliency, adversity, shock, and/or change occurs that an individual or system must adapt to. Individuals or systems that are resilient are able to absorb and adapt to said adversity, shock, or change more efficiently than their peers. https://www.andrewtemte.com/

Embrace the power of music. There’s an old saying that my father often repeats: “Keep a smile on your face and a song in your heart.” In this forum, I talk a lot about developing an agile, growth mindset and nurturing a strong portfolio of emotional intelligence tools. Embracing this old saying is one of many methods I’ve used through the years to keep my head screwed on straight and avoid the slide into a fixed mindset when the going gets tough. Yes, listening to your favorite music by yourself can be cathartic and healing, but periodically doing so in the company of an audience can be exponentially more powerful. https://www.andrewtemte.com/

On The Balancing Act Podcast, I routinely ask my guests for the advice they would give our listeners on how to optimize the balancing act between technical skill and human (a.k.a. soft) skill in the world of work. The answers to this question vary widely, but most answers share a common thread of building the skills of communication, active listening, presence, situational awareness, self awareness, and empathy/compassion. These are all the greatest hits of a solid emotional intelligence toolkit. https://www.andrewtemte.com/

The popular press is filled with “how to” guides on personal and professional fulfillment as well as tons of click bait on fad diets, how to get in shape, and develop washboard abs. Yes, it can be fun to vicariously live through others and dream of personal transformation, but those same dreams can be soul-crushing when we slide back into old habits and self-destructive behaviors and patterns that hold us back from making real progress. https://www.andrewtemte.com/