Russell's Rules: Just Do This ... Lead!

52 Rules
To Adopt,
Put to Work,
And Watch the
Results Grow

1. There is never
enough time and
that’s never an
excuse.

RussellWhite.com © 2011

Just Do This…

• Identify the “urgent” that demands time.
• Identify the “important” that is being ignored
because of the urgent.
• Discover what makes the urgent appear so
frequently.
• Focus on fixing urgent problems first. Not
repair, fix, as in prevent from happening again.


2. Resources are always
going to be limited
– use them all.

Just Do This…

• Stop hoarding financial resources.
• Invest them for the greatest returns.
• Assume some risk when investing in solutions.
• Expect to learn some expensive lessons.
• Expect to get great returns as well.


3. Change is always going
to be a challenge
– embrace it.


Just Do This…

• Announce the change before you start the
implementation.
• Train employees to deal with the changes
successfully.
• Get input in advance on how to make changes
from the employees who will be affected.
• Expect the change to take longer than expected --
it always does.


4. Everyone
is motivated
in his or her
own unique
way.


Just Do This…

• Get to know the basics about what is
important to your employees.
• Treat your employees like friends not
subordinates while at work.
• Clearly state why what you want is important.
• Set the tone in your own motivation.


5. An opposing view
isn’t always wrong.


Just Do This…

• List your top 5 corporate opinions (We will always
…, We will never …).
• List the merits of ignoring them.
• Review your core values, and develop a
completely different list. What did you learn?
• List the lessons you learned and identified for
growth potential.
• Take action on those lessons.


6. Somewhere,
there always
exists the right
answer
– go find it.


Just Do This…

• Determine if you are addressing a symptom of
a deeper root cause.
• Define the root cause.
• List possible “right” answers.
• Try one answer at a time.
• Document your solution — for the next time.


7. Goals are
achievements
of desire, not
implements of
pain.


Just Do This…

• Get employees involved in setting their own
goals.
• Celebrate goal accomplishment.
• Give them feedback frequently enough to set
them up for success.


8. People
work hard
if they
believe.


Just Do This…

• Decide how much you believe in the corporate
cause.
• Based on that, decide how much your
employees believe.
• List five ways to elevate your employees’
belief in you.
• Now put those five ways into action.


9. Trust is earned daily.


Just Do This…

• Make a list of who you trust and why.
• List the ways you engender trust from your
employees.
• Be open with communication and avoid closed
door meetings.
• Leave the spin stories alone and get to the
point.


10. Commitment can never
be forced.


Just Do This…

• Get employees more involved in decision
making.
• Encourage employees to suggest process
improvements.
• Debrief daily on customer experiences; what
can you do better?
• Listen to employees intently.


11.
Constantly
be in
learning
mode and
share it
with your
staff.


Just Do This…

• Subscribe to two business leadership magazines.
• Join a group of local leaders to exchange ideas.
• Have employees give book reports on pertinent
business books to the rest of the staff.
• Create a resource library for your employees.


12. No one cares as
much about your
performance
as you should.

Just Do This…

• Remember every day is a performance day.
• Get your employees excited about your
performance.
• Videotape your employees on the job.
• Watch the video with them and see how they
rate their own performance.


13. It’s always the right time
to train and develop people.


Just Do This…

• Make development part of everyone's annual
goals.
• Schedule annual training as you would vacations
for the entire staff.
• Don’t vary from the schedule regardless of the
year’s economic performance -- you are in it for
the long haul.
• Train yourself every bit as hard.


14. Your job is physically
demanding
– take care of your body.


Just Do This…

• Exercise daily for the mental health of it.
• Change your routine every 8 weeks.
• Keep a food log.
• Hire a trainer.


15. High
energy and
enthusiasm
set the
positive
tone.


Just Do This…

• Give them a reason to be excited about work.
• Cut disinterested parties from your workforce.
• Expect everyone to follow your example and
give their full energy available to winning!


16. Take the time to
really listen to what
they have to say.

Just Do This…

• Take notes during all important conversations.
• Listen to what your eyes are telling you and
learn to trust what you see.
• Give your employees your full attention as you
listen.


17.
Congratulate
and recognize
daily.


Just Do This…

• Recognize behaviors you want repeated.
• Send a handwritten thank you note to the
employee's home.
• Be consistent and limitless in giving earned
recognition.
• Make it a habit and not a fad.


18. Admit mistakes to those
you negatively affected.
Your credibility is riding on
it.


Just Do This…

• Swiftly admit the mistake to everyone affected
before misinformation starts.
• Leave out the spin control; be yourself.
• Learn from the "teachable moment" and focus
forward.


19. Tell it like it is. Your
integrity is riding on it.

I tell it
like it is
because it
hurts too
much to bite
my tongue.


Just Do This…

• Let the information flow unvarnished -- they
can handle truth.
• If the results suck -- call it like it is.
• When you are making a killing with record
profits -- let everyone know how they
contributed to the success.


20. Do something off the
wall occasionally
– people like to laugh.


Just Do This…

• Off the wall ideas come from off the wall
activities — tap into your creativity.
• Do something out of character to show your
human side.


21. Encourage
renegade ideas –
ideas are free.


Just Do This…

• Involve employees in creative activities to get
new ideas.
• Pose a problem with no boundaries on money
and time and see what solutions arise.
• Now figure how to make the solution work
within the constraints.
• Make this a daily habit.


22. Take swift action on
ideas that have value.

Just Do This…

• Generate fewer ideas but act on them.
• Track the idea’s progress so it doesn't get lost.
• If the idea is worth it, feed it with time and
money and enthusiasm.


23. Give credit
RussellWhite.com © 2011 where it’s due.

Just Do This…

• Loudly proclaim the success of others.
• Be sure to take more of the blame and less of
the credit for the results of your employees.
• Put your employees’ names up in lights and
they will push you up the career ladder.


24. No one cares about the
mundane in your life –
leave it outside the office.


Just Do This…

• Focus on the workplace tasks you use to build
success.
• Seek Employee Assistance Program help with
your distractions.


25. Be curious about
everything — explore.


Just Do This…

• Encourage curiosity in your work
environment.
• Test your personal boundaries and explore like
a child.
• Do something dramatically different -- just to
feed the curiosity factor.


26. Have a vision and share
it through your actions.


Just Do This…

• Verbalize your vision in everyday language —
not catch-phrases.
• Talk with your staff about the company three
years into the future and gauge their
excitement.
• Define the actions needed to make that vision
a reality in three years.


27. Be resilient.

Just Do This…

• Remember, it's never as bad as you think .
• Honestly believe it will get better — and it
will.
• Set the “speed of bounce” for your
employees.


28. If you
are coasting
– your team
will be, too.


Just Do This…

• Prevent coasting by tracking your
accomplishments.
• Set the bar for performance with your own
actions.
• When you find yourself needing to coast -- go
on vacation and coast away!


29. Take action on the
important and
be proactive on the urgent.


Just Do This…

• Keep the important front and center and keep
the urgent to a minimum.
• When you find yourself in crisis management
mode, stop and think about the important
that is not getting done.
• Then reprioritize your day as necessary.


30. Make hard decisions
without prolonged
deliberation.


Just Do This…

• Avoid “ready, shoot, aim” decision making.
• But “Ready, aim” is not enough. You have to
“shoot.”
• Make the hard decision, and then move
forward.


31. What was cutting edge
a year ago is now the norm
– keep reaching.


Just Do This…

• Know where to find the cutting edge and how far
away you are.
• Stay at the forefront of your industry —especially
in areas critical to growth and maximizing
performance.
• Compare your talent recruitment plan and your
competitors’ — this is a defining moment
between surviving and thriving.

32. Wisdom often comes
in silence – build quiet time
into each week.


Just Do This…

• Each week take two hours to find silence and
gain wisdom.
• Pose yourself a question. Wait for ideas to
come to you -- you will discover answers you
never thought possible.


33. Everyone is watching
how you perform.

Just Do This…

• Remind yourself you are a paid performer on a
daily basis.
• At the end of the day ask yourself -- did the
audience get their money’s worth?
• Deliver a performance worthy of a standing
ovation -- even if no one’s watching.
• Set the level of expectations for the rest of your
team's performance and accept nothing less.


34. Let your personal
confidence soar – but keep
your ego in check.


Just Do This…

• List the personal skills in which you are
completely confident.
• Demonstrate your confidence in your actions, not
just in your words.
• Leave the bravado out of the workplace -- people
know when you really are that good.
• The higher your confidence, the more capable
you will be.


35. Don’t expect to
have all the answers.
Just know where to
find them.


Just Do This…

• Start your own little black answer book today!
• Offer to be in someone else’s little black
answer book.
• Fill your knowledge gaps with the right
solution providers.
• Regularly use these resources — everyone
likes to feel valued.


36. Build on small victories,
and the big ones will
happen.


Just Do This…

• Note the small progressions toward bigger
goals.
• Define and drive the fundamentals of
performance.
• Focus on those fundamentals.
• Recognize the victories that will get you to the
top.


37. Celebrate
significant
accomplishments.


Just Do This…

• Set attainable goals that have reach.
• Provide group celebrations for
accomplishments.
• Once celebrated, bump up the goals.
• Keep the same scale for celebrations as the
accomplishments.


38. Have a personal strategic
plan for your life.

Just Do This…

• Make family plans and define goals.
• Make sure everyone participates and agrees
on the goals.
• Write down the plan and consider it as
important a family document as a will.
• Track your annual progress.


39. Get to the
real truth
by questioning
results.


Just Do This…

• Always ask for supporting data on positive
information and a plan for improvement on
negative information.
• Don’t be duped when you are told what you want
to hear.
• Value those who “give it to you straight.”
Recognize and reward their confidence and
honesty.

40. Challenge
the status quo.


Just Do This…

• Identify the sacred cows of your company.
• Create ideas on how one can be improved.
• Define the barriers to changing the status quo in
this area.
• Determine which should be the next one to
address.
• Repeat as often as necessary.


41. You are
watched
outside
work as
much
as you are
watched
at work.


Just Do This…

• Consider what areas of your life you hope
never see daylight.
• Define the changes you need to make to fulfill
your leadership role.
• List the behaviors you need to modify for the
sake of your integrity and leadership ability.


42. You plan will seldom go
as designed.


Just Do This…

• Make sure every plan has contingencies.
• Recognize the course corrections you need
and who is prepared to make them.
• Monitor your progress to make sure you stay
on course.


43. A valued employee
is going to leave you
– accept it and move on.

Just Do This…

• Prevent any one employee from being
indispensable with cross-training.
• Build in redundancies for skills, systems, and
talent.
• Be able to react quickly when you lose a
critical player.
• Be a talent scout at all times.


44. An
―It’s Showtime‖
attitude is key
to getting
through
the tough days.


Just Do This…
• Begin each day with an enthusiastic verbal
"It's Showtime!!!"
• Have a "pregame" routine just like great
athletes.
• Look for the positive in adversity and set the
tone for greater performance.
• Realize the hardest days provide the greatest
opportunities to show your stuff.


45. An internal sense
of accomplishment
should reward you
daily
on the positive.


Just Do This…

• List three daily accomplishments at the end of
each day.
• Direct your self-talk toward confidence and
away from berating yourself.
• Expect to see your best efforts daily.
• Leave the perfection expectation at the door,
and just give it all you got.


46. Responsibility is the
price of being a great leader.


Just Do This…

• Define your responsibilities on your job.
• Define your responsibilities to your family.
• Define your responsibilities to yourself.
• Identify those responsibilities you have let
slide — and pick them up again.


47. Your mind is your most
valuable asset.


Just Do This…

• Create a mental workout program.
• Exchange mental workouts with other
executives.
• Have mental wellness expectations for your
executives just as you do for their physical
wellness.


48. Love what you do or start
doing something you love.

Just Do This…

• Determine how much you love your job.
• Decide if that is the way you want your life to
be.
• Encourage your staff to find passion for their
work -- even if it means they need to find a
different job.


49. Watch people more closely
than financial reports to really
know what is going on.


Just Do This…

• Routinely observe your employees’ work.
• Provide feedback.
• Be around so much you become the fly on the
wall and not the elephant in the room.


50. If you aren’t
trustworthy,
don’t be surprised
… at anything!


Just Do This…

• Set the tone for trust in your organization.
• Let your actions speak louder than words.
• Build an environment employees believe in.
• Accept responsibility to overcome distrust.


51. Ask questions,
questions,
and more questions.


Just Do This…

• Start a 25 "WHY" program for all your
employees.
• Let them know when a positive change has
happened as a result of the WHY questions
you heard.
• Create better questions to achieve better
results.


52. Surprises are going to
happen -- be able to think
on your feet.


Just Do This…

• Identify your potential workplace surprises.
• Train your staff on how to react.
• Provide knowledge and preparation to
prevent panic.
• Expect the unexpected to periodically occur.


53. Push to do a little more
than you thought possible.


Just Do This…

• Define the extra step.
• Recognize employees who take the extra step.
• Tackle the impossible and make it possible.


803-984-9448
Russell@RussellWhite.com
Be sure to visit BizWizTV.com
for video clips of his
Business in the New Economy
show.

Russell J. White, president of Pinnacle Solutions,
is one of America’s leading authorities on
business in the new economy. He is an author,
consultant, international speaker, and business
expert on leadership and strategies for success
in the new economy.

Russell's Rules: Just Do This ... Lead!

Empfohlen

Empfohlen

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Was ist angesagt?

Was ist angesagt? (20)

Andere mochten auch

Andere mochten auch (10)

Ähnlich wie Russell's Rules: Just Do This ... Lead!

Ähnlich wie Russell's Rules: Just Do This ... Lead! (20)

Kürzlich hochgeladen

Kürzlich hochgeladen (20)

Russell's Rules: Just Do This ... Lead!