Leadership

Our neighbor goes for a walk every morning. He waves enthusiastically to everyone he sees. His smile goes from ear to ear. He carries a big bag of treats for all the dogs he meets. He doesn't even own a dog. Our neighbor knows attitude is everything. He always picks a good one. Our neighbor goes to the local grocery store every Saturday morning. He knows all the bakery employees. He buys donuts for all the kids who are shopping with their parents. Every one...without exception. Our neighbor...

Almost every organization would like to remove delays to unlocking their team's capacity to generate & implement great ideas. If you can identify & develop new opportunities quicker, your business model has a better chance to survive. No answers here just some thoughts on how these might be related. I'll procrastinate tomorrow... Graphic from www.jamesclear.com We've all received & given feedback on this topic. For the proactive person, someone who lags a bit can be maddening.

Why do we do the things we do? If we're honest with ourselves, we know our actions are driven by two things: motivation & ability. Ability to do anything is influenced by external help and/or environmental structure. Motivation is connected to our internal belief system, our values. Intrinsic The things we value most in life are our internal motivators. They are our core values. The things we sacrifice for, stand up for and are prepared to die for if it came to that. They're super...

Remembering a venture into the Agile software development "pairing" concept. January 2018 After the holiday break, we found ourselves rested but in need of new focus. So naturally, we scheduled a meeting. The agenda was simple; bring your best ideas. After absorbing some of the wisdom inside Richard Sheridan’s " Joy, Inc." , my excitement had peaked for new possibilities. After all, the first quarter of each year is a great time to recapture momentum. Our small team procures, delivers &...

Had the good fortune of carving out some time to finish a book that has made a quick impact on my life; " Triggers " by Marshall Goldsmith. The most powerful aspect of this book for me was self questioning . Heard about this technique from one of his social media posts & had been half-heartedly going through the motions of this technique. I needed some coaching on it for sure. He states that active questions make the most difference because of how they frame the responsibility. They...

As fun as it might be to live in the magical world of Harry Potter, sadly we don't. And there's no "silver bullet" to fix issues. If you're someone who knows your team can be better and wants it to be better, here are a two that will help quickly! Make RECOGNITION a resource This goes way beyond just saying "thanks" to a team member. Developing the ability to both give & receive gratitude authentically is a must. These human skills are a great way to increase psychological safety on your...

What we know compared to Google isn't much. None of us knows everything. Here are some thoughts on leveraging your expertise. Have a clear mission & focus! Peter Drucker , the great teacher, said you should be able to fit your mission statement on a t-shirt! Reach out & meet the greatest people in the world in your topic area & ask them to be your mentors. Learn from them. Get clarity & make your t-shirt. Parallel Allies! Who are the experts who can help you with your...

Clues to guide leadership development often prove to be more art than science. Many of these concepts live in the part of our brain that deals with feelings & not language. This fact alone can make conveying them difficult at best (I'll still try!). Here are some of the pieces we can utilize to begin the journey of putting together our leadership puzzle. PASSION We all find time to do the things that are most important to us. What do you spend 5 hours doing & it seems like 5 minutes?

It happens every day... You're driving on the highway and inevitably there's someone driving crazy. Going faster than everyone. The cost of a ticket isn't a deterrent. Rules don't apply to them. They're dodging in & out of the lanes like it's the Indianapolis 500! This has a major effect on you and those around you. You put on the brakes. You change lanes. Your pulse goes up. You have passengers double check their seatbelts. You're on high alert! The dialogue in your head might look...

Each of us probably have items we've held onto for a long time. The sentimental value pulls at our heartstrings so hard we can't seem to let them go. One such item for me is a New York Yankees hat. The Story My wife & I were on the road together in New York. One of the stops on the tour was New York City. We found ourselves with some time one morning & decided to venture out to discover downtown. It was a gorgeous sunny day & I wasn't prepared so naturally, I bought a Yankees...

An Abraham Lincoln quote comes to mind, who I thought you might like to have quoted at this point.. 😉 “The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew .” Annual Message to Congress-Concluding Remarks, December 1, 1862 Developing our Mission, Vision, Priorities helps us rise with the challenges in front of us. They help us lean into, even...

In our U.S. Air Force, there are Officers & Enlisted. Officers have ranks of 2nd Lieutenant to 4-Star General. Enlisted have ranks of Airman to Chief Master Sergeant. There is one special position in the Enlisted ranks that only 19 people have held. It's the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force ( CMSAF ) position. Had the opportunity a few years ago to hear CMSAF #5, Robert Gaylor speak. Here's the video from his presentation at TEDx Scott Air Force Base: A Motto For Life: Robert...