Jon Gordon
Appearances
The Action Catalyst
CLIP: Steve Jobs' Reality Distortion Field
If you're complaining, you're not leading. Complainers focus on problems. Positive leaders focus on solutions. So we have to understand too that it's all about, you know, it's subjective. It's never objective. You talk about realism. You know, people say, I'm just being a realist. You know, I'm just being a realist. Well, yeah, you're being a realist. But guess what?
The Action Catalyst
CLIP: Steve Jobs' Reality Distortion Field
In his mind, like, no, you focus on your restaurant. At the time I owned a restaurant, that's something that's real. That's something you can make money at. Writing and speaking, doing that for a living. For him, he was being a realist. He wasn't even trying to be negative. He was just being a realist of how he saw the world. But I didn't see the world as he saw it.
The Action Catalyst
CLIP: Steve Jobs' Reality Distortion Field
I saw it through an optimistic lens. and I pursued my passion with a vision.
The Action Catalyst
CLIP: Steve Jobs' Reality Distortion Field
Time and time again, Steve Jobs' team would say it was impossible to create the software, the hardware that he wanted created. They talked about this in his biography. They called it his reality distortion field. And time and time again, he would actually convince them they could do it. They said he distorted their reality from pessimism, or some would say realism, to optimism.
The Action Catalyst
CLIP: Steve Jobs' Reality Distortion Field
And then time and time again, they accomplished the very thing that they thought was impossible because of his optimism. So leaders lead with this faith. They lead with belief. They lead with what's possible. So I think it's often dangerous to say, I'm just being a realist. I think it's okay to confront the reality, but why not say we could find a way to make it happen?
The Action Catalyst
CLIP: Steve Jobs' Reality Distortion Field
You know, when you looked at Ford, for instance, during the great recession, they had done everything right. They had done the restructuring. They were making great products. Now they had a great platform for the Ford vehicles. Allen did everything right. And yet the great recession hit and it looked like it was all for naught. But did they wallow? Did they complain?
The Action Catalyst
CLIP: Steve Jobs' Reality Distortion Field
Allen said, wallowing is not an option. Complaining is not a plan. We have a plan. And we'll continue to work towards it. If we have to adjust, we will. But positive leaders find a way forward. And without him, Ford doesn't turn it around. Without him, Ford doesn't save hundreds of thousands of jobs. Ford doesn't make it back.
The Action Catalyst
CLIP: Steve Jobs' Reality Distortion Field
So it's incredible of what they're doing and how they're accomplishing great things. What happens if a realist was in his role? What happened if that was the case? Uh-huh. I told my dad I want to be a writer and speaker. His response was, what the heck you want to do that for? That's a load of junk. That wouldn't amount to anything. My dad was a New York City police officer.