DECK Leadership

When we speak to leaders at companies, one of the first things we tell them is that we aren't there to help them polish their management acumen. Instead, we are there to inspire them as leaders. There are plenty of programs, masked with leadership lingo, that focus on managing people and processes, with the primary goal of attaining financial success. We are trying to take things a step further and inspire leaders to reclaim the soul of the workplace by flipping the entire value structure on its head - where the wholeness of an individual is elevated above the processes that have been implemented for productivity. If managers want to become leaders, then the art of genuine relationships in the workplace must be reclaimed. When that happens, servant leadership and profound action naturally unfold. Vulnerability and empathy flow out of genuine relationships, almost always leading to action because you realize you are connected to (and responsible for) the person next to you. Kindness Wins, Ch 12 in #12SecondCultureBook #DECKLeadership #Diversity #Efficiency #Culture #Kindness #Leadership #ProvePeopleRight #KindnessWins #FailQuickly #EverythingMatters #ArrivalMindset #WhatIsYourWhy? #InspireGreatEfforts #InspireOthers #PitCrewChallenge Shaun Peet Michael Metcalf Jr.

Happy Independence Day!! We hope you are able to enjoy this day with your family and friends! #DECKLeadership #Diversity #Efficiency #Culture #Kindness #Leadership #ProvePeopleRight #KindnessWins #FailQuickly #EverythingMatters #ArrivalMindset #WhatIsYourWhy? #InspireGreatEfforts #InspireOthers #PitCrewChallenge Shaun Peet Michael Metcalf Jr.

Diversity is a wholeness that allows us to walk in the shoes of others, to overpower hatred or division, and to increase perspective. We utilize the acronym TEAM as a framework to go deeper with diversity. TEAM stands for thought, experience, age, and motor. Diversity of thought is a true variety of opinion – whether that be political, spiritual, or social. Diversity of experience is true variety of background – where there are people who come from different socioeconomic, educational, and family situations. Diversity of age can mean the obvious, but it can also mean the length of time someone has spent in a particular industry. Finally, diversity of motor is a true variety of personality – where people are both introverted and extroverted, both emotional and calm, both quiet and outspoken. We desperately need each other. We need the depth that diversity provides. Diversity Isn't Just a Black or White Issue, Ch 6 in #12SecondCultureBook #DECKLeadership #Diversity #Efficiency #Culture #Kindness #Leadership #ProvePeopleRight #KindnessWins #FailQuickly #EverythingMatters #ArrivalMindset #WhatIsYourWhy? #InspireGreatEfforts #InspireOthers #PitCrewChallenge Shaun Peet Michael Metcalf Jr.

“I’m just killing time trying to get to the end of the day,” is a workplace phrase uttered by someone devoid of both passion and purpose. Time is one of the only resources that we have that is finite. We cannot manufacture time or buy more of it. Someone who admits that he or she is wasting it to conclude the day is not a leader. When 2/10 of a second holds as much value to us as it does, there is no excuse to ever waste a second! (For perspective, it takes 2/10 of a second to blink your eyes. In NASCAR, the difference of 2/10 of a second on the racetrack equates to finishing sixth versus first. In prize money, that equals a difference of $1.1 million.) P=W/T, Ch 10 in #12SecondCultureBook #DECKLeadership #Diversity #Efficiency #Culture #Kindness #Leadership #ProvePeopleRight #KindnessWins #FailQuickly #EverythingMatters #ArrivalMindset #WhatIsYourWhy? #InspireGreatEfforts #InspireOthers #PitCrewChallenge Shaun Peet Michael Metcalf Jr.

It's too steep for the entitled. Too challenging for the selfish. Too long for the uncommitted. Too narrow for the distracted. There is only one path to the summit. Bring your best self, every day, every moment. It's you vs. yesterday. What are you willing to do today to climb the steep path to greatness? Arrival Mindset, Ch 12 in #12SecondCultureBook #DECKLeadership #Diversity #Efficiency #Culture #Kindness #Leadership #ProvePeopleRight #KindnessWins #FailQuickly #EverythingMatters #ArrivalMindset #WhatIsYourWhy? #InspireGreatEfforts #InspireOthers #PitCrewChallenge Shaun Peet Michael Metcalf Jr.

Nothing to add to this. These words were true in 2019 when I first read them and they still are today. Through all the ups and downs, it's the meaningful human connection moments that I think of most. Wish I had spent more time thinking about winning here than on the track.

Team members will come and go. Old racing teams will fold, new ones will form. Teams will transition and transform. There will be winning seasons and losing seasons. However, what we did as a team with regard to the human connection – whether it’s mowing a widow’s lawn, going on a retreat together, taking truckloads of bikes to a Ronald McDonald House, having deep conversations at work, volunteering at the Charlotte Rescue Mission, or simply giving a teammate space to have his final moments with a dying family member without having to think about work – will live on forever. The work will always be there, baiting us with its superficial importance. We’re the first to admit that we have made plenty of decisions in our coaching careers that have been incorrect, and we know we have made plenty of performance mistakes. But we want to be able to look back at our body of work and say, “We did this the RIGHT way.” People won’t generally remember the trophies, the hats, or the brand of victory champagne. Bonuses will be forgotten. What will be remembered are the memories of how people interacted with others. Kindness Wins, Ch 12 in #12SecondCultureBook #DECKLeadership #Diversity #Efficiency #Culture #Kindness #Leadership #ProvePeopleRight #KindnessWins #FailQuickly #EverythingMatters #ArrivalMindset #WhatIsYourWhy? #InspireGreatEfforts #InspireOthers #PitCrewChallenge Shaun Peet Michael Metcalf Jr.

One thing we implemented early on with our team was a wilderness experience at Mt. LeConte Lodge which sits high atop the Smoky Mountains. Originally constructed in the 1920’s, the lodge was built as a stopover for the Great Smoky Mountain Conservation Association. The value of Mt. LeConte for us lies in the fact that it is isolated from the rest of the world. There are no roads that can take you there. The only way to get there is to earn your way up via a steep mountain climb. When you arrive, there is no electricity or natural gas, no cell phone service, and only two spouts with running water. Silence abounds. Where this serves us well is that our crews are left with nothing to do but socially interact with one another. They don’t have to manage distractions because there are none. What emerges is a clear picture of who works within the group and who resides outside of it. With all the busyness stripped away, how we communicate and regard one another is on full display. Exercises and retreats like this position these crews to establish deep relationships and genuine connection.  Prove People Right, Ch 4 in #12SecondCultureBook #DECKLeadership #Diversity #Efficiency #Culture #Kindness #Leadership #ProvePeopleRight #KindnessWins #FailQuickly #EverythingMatters #ArrivalMindset #WhatIsYourWhy? #InspireGreatEfforts #InspireOthers #PitCrewChallenge Shaun Peet Michael Metcalf Jr.

In just a few weeks, we had gone from being one of the favorites to win the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup to legitimately wanting to quit our jobs. It was a disappointing end to an outstanding year for our race team and a difficult way for our pit crew department to end the season. Because we are so competitive, we can become just as performance-driven and results-obsessed as any leader. We found ourselves drifting back into horizontal thinking, replaying past races in our minds or getting anxious about failure. But as we sat at the banquet where our pit crew was nominated for (and eventually won) the Comcast Community Award, our minds seemed to become re-centered. We were so proud of our guys for being nominated for an award that went far beyond performance. They didn’t just volunteer in the community because we asked them to – they did it because they saw the deeper meaning of things. They did it because they were empathetic people. They did it because they had profound perspective. They did it because they were vertical thinkers.  Vertical Thinking, Ch 8 in #12SecondCultureBook #DECKLeadership #Diversity #Efficiency #Culture #Kindness #Leadership #ProvePeopleRight #KindnessWins #FailQuickly #EverythingMatters #ArrivalMindset #WhatIsYourWhy? #InspireGreatEfforts #InspireOthers #PitCrewChallenge Shaun Peet Michael Metcalf Jr.

Your arrival mindset doesn’t affect only your effort; it also affects the efforts of those around you. Showing up at work and complaining about how awful your life is because a barista messed up your latte not only allows negative energy into the workplace, but it could pale in comparison to the difficulties a fellow coworker might be experiencing. Imagine complaining about something as insignificant as your morning coffee to a coworker whose spouse was just diagnosed with cancer. You never know the weight of the cross that each person is asked to bear. If you come through the door when you first get to work talking about how tired you feel or how much you hate your job or how unfair your boss is, people won’t want to be around you. People generally aren’t drawn to those whose posture is negative or victimizing. People want to be around others who uplift them or make them better people. You know the type we’re describing … those whose positivity is contagious and inspiring. It’s only in negativity that gossip and “glass half empty” views thrive. Ultimately though, people inherently want to be inspired and prefer hope over despair. So, what type of person are you choosing to be today? Arrival Mindset, Ch 3 in #12SecondCultureBook #DECKLeadership #Diversity #Efficiency #Culture #Kindness #Leadership #ProvePeopleRight #KindnessWins #FailQuickly #EverythingMatters #ArrivalMindset #WhatIsYourWhy? #InspireGreatEfforts #InspireOthers #PitCrewChallenge Shaun Peet Michael Metcalf Jr.