{ WISE WORDS }
Words
Issue 7 Wise
By Robert Clare ACIB, DipFSL, MCIBS, Director of Innovation Capital robert.clare@innovationcapitalteam.com 07503713425 • www.innovationcapitalteam.com
WISE WORDS: Writing this short article comes at an interesting time for me as I embark on my second career, this time as a business owner. The key phrases below are all borrowed from song lyrics that have become touchstones for me, plus a final few words from someone very special to me. SOMETHING THAT I SAID... In recent years I have been lucky to lead many people, which is both a privilege and huge responsibility. The responsibility of leadership really hit home when someone I hadn’t seen for years said to me “I remember what you said back then and it really helped me, thank you”. I don’t remember the earlier conversation at all and it really emphasised to me that as the boss what you say and do can have a huge positive or negative impact on people, especially in off guard moments. I’m quite an avid reader of leadership books and leadership has been described as a performing art with the added challenge that you’re always on the stage. I know it’s not rocket science, but it is easy to be caught off guard. Many people have recounted stories to me of things I have said that they have remembered and acted upon, which is at the same time both humbling and scary – leadership is a responsibility, not an accolade.
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THE SMALLEST SOFTEST VOICES... The full lyric is “sometimes the smallest softest voices come up with the grand, biggest solutions” and is a reminder to me to seek out the quiet voices and to listen very carefully to everyone’s contributions and ideas. I have chaired thousands of meetings, and I always see that role to include making sure every voice is heard.
“Leadership has been described as a performing art with the added challenge that you’re always on the stage” RISE ABOVE, I’M GONNA RISE ABOVE... I try very hard not to get wound up by the little things in life that can be so annoying. I think an over-reaction to petty things can indicate an inability to deal with the real issues at hand. I’m human, so I could list plenty of things I’d
like to consign to room 101, but in business, certainly, I often find myself saying ‘rise above it’. Somehow it helps me to keep my focus on the bigger issues. It also gives me that moment of thinking time so that I respond rather than react to issues, and I take my finger off the ‘send’ button until I’ve really thought about what I’m about to say or do and what I want the impact to be. JUST A TOUCH OF SELF DESTRUCT... The full lyric on this one is “a lot of heart, a little luck and just a touch of self destruct” which I have adopted as my personal motto. We all go through trials and tribulations in our business and personal lives, and for me these words are a reminder to put my heart and soul into the things that really matter, be persistent and resilient, take the luck that comes my way and sometimes take a chance. YOU’RE AN IDIOT... I’m really a 52 year old child, and every time I get told “you’re an idiot”, which is frequently, it is a reassuring reminder that I haven’t lost my sense of fun. It does have a deeper meaning, though, in terms of continuing to learn from other people, never thinking I know it all, always asking ‘dumb’ questions and never thinking I’m the smartest person in the room.