Food for thought for your development and leadership success

Personal Development Thought
"I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was
yesterday." Abraham Lincoln
Learning Every Day
You are never too old to stop learning, and we should all look to learn
something new every day. I had read a number of years ago that a great
question to ask your children each night is: "What did you learn at school
today?"
Let's ask the question of ourselves: What have I learned today?

Leadership Development Thought
"The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to
say thank you." Max DePree
Thank you
Saying "Thank You" is important for leaders. Thank you shows that you
appreciated what your people have done. That appreciation helps your
people to develop pride in their work, and pride is one of the best
motivators of performance.
Thank you - two words with magical powers.

Team & Organisational Development Thought
"No matter what accomplishments you make, somebody helped
you." Althea Gibson
Team - it's all about Helping each other
You can spot a successful team in minutes. It's the team with members that
are always trying to help each other, and you see it in the behaviours of
everyone. They are asking each other questions and sharing ideas with each
other all the time.
How much have you helped your team members this past week?

"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way
things turn out.” John Wooden
Always Make the Best of Every Situation
The people who get ahead in life always make the best out of every
situation. They take what life presents to them and as the old saying goes;
"Turn lemons into lemonade!" Look at every situation that hits you from
the "bright” side. You will never see the opportunities to handle it better if
you are "in the dark", being negative.
Make the best of every situation you encounter this coming week.

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more
and become more, you are a leader." John Quincy Adams
Set your Goal to Inspire Others
The easiest way to grow your company and your organisation is to inspire
your people to "keep on learning and growing". Growing people are always
looking forward, and ready for new and even bigger challenges. Better yet,
your people who are continually learning and growing are pulling others in
your organisation along with them. You've created role models that people
are now trying to emulate.
Think of ways to inspire your people, and you will be amazed at the results.

"The achievements of an organization are the results of the
combined effort of each individual.” Vincent Lombardi
Make sure Everyone is Contributing
Every successful team or organisation has everyone contributing, and not
just the stars. A good leader finds each person's best abilities and organises
the work of the team to use them. When a leader doesn't do this, he or she
relies only on the stars to carry everyone along. This only works in the
short-term, as your stars will begin to feel discouraged that they are
carrying the entire load.
Use everyone's unique abilities for the team to achieve more.

"The sun's energy warms the world. But when you focus it through a
magnifying glass it can start a fire. Focus is so powerful!"
Alan Pariser
Don't be an Octopus on Roller Skates
What does an octopus on roller skates look like? There's basically lots of
motion and no direction. That's how we all are at times when we are not
focused and taking actions in all different areas. This is the time to step back
and review where our focus should be and re-focus all our energy towards
it.
Step back, review, and focus your energy.

"Leadership is the special quality which enables people to stand up
and pull the rest of us over the horizon.” James L. Fisher
People Like to be Pulled, Not Pushed
If you want to influence another person, it always difficult to push them
there (at least - that type of motivation does not stick.) You need to
describe the "why" (the direction) in such a way that they are "pulled"
toward where you want to go.
Pull your people along. Don't push them.

"Any organization will be only as successful as those at the bottom
are willing to make it.” General Bill Creech
Empowered Organisations are More Successful
The most successful organisations have all their people feeling empowered
to do what is necessary to satisfy their customers. In Disneyland®, the
sweepers in the park are often asked by the guests (customers) for help. Did
you know that they are empowered to remedy any guest problem right
then with a solution that they feel is best? That's empowerment - enabling
people to satisfy "customers".
Empower all your employees to "satisfy customers".

"It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else."
Erma Bombeck
Courage Enough to Show your Dreams
A great way to understand your determination to reach your goals is having
the courage to show your dreams to others. If you do, you will encounter
negative people who will always be getting joy in telling you why it can't be
done. However, by constantly taking action towards those goals, any
discouraging comments to you will just not stick. Your actions will coat you
with "Teflon".
Taking action builds the courage to show your dreams.

"Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to
remain cool and unruffled under all circumstances."
Thomas Jefferson
Cool under Fire, a Great Example
Leadership is often about setting a good example for your people to follow.
Remember; your people pick up your behaviours much more than you
think. A great example for them to pick up from you is to be cool under fire.
If pressure situations arise, you can address them in a cool, relaxed but
focused manner; and your people will copy that in the future.
Set a great example by being cool under fire.

"Nothing will ever be attempted, if all possible objections must first
be overcome.” Samuel Johnson
Accept that not Everyone will be Aligned
Everybody likes to have all their fellow team members always working
together and agreeing all the time. However, there will be times when this
is not possible, as the changes necessary for success are too drastic for
some individuals in the team (and they are usually the poor performers).
In times of change, don't worry about the poor performers who might not
be aligned.

"Experience tells you what to do; confidence allows you to do it."
Stan Smith
Experience by Itself Doesn't Do It
Experience provides you with the ability to do what needs to be done.
However, as the quote above says, it is the confidence that you have in
those abilities (the experience) that helps you do it and do it well.
Continually look to build your confidence and get the most from your
experience.

"Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you
are, you aren't.” Margaret Thatcher
Great Leaders Just Get on with It
What separates the great leaders from the others is that they don't need to
tell others that they are "great". In fact, they open up to their people on
their own improvement opportunities, and even share how they are
addressing them.
Great leaders focus on getting things done, not talking about it.

"The question is, then, do we try to make things easy on ourselves
or do we try to make things easy on our customers, whoever they
may be?" Erwin Frand
Make Things Easy for your Customers
You see it so often in big companies. They create processes that make life
easy for people in each department, but not for their customers. The
customers are why everyone in the company is there, and making things
easy for customers is just good business.
Always focus on what's best for your customers.

"The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”
Stephen R. Covey
Focus on your Main Thing
All successful people keep a very strong focus on the most important goals.
By focusing on those top goals, it gives them a very clear decision criteria on
what they say yes and no to. Do you use your top goals to provide your
decision criteria?
Your success depends on how well your focus on your Main Thing.

"Whenever an individual or a business decides that success has
been attained, progress stops.” Thomas Watson Jr.
Success is Earned every Single Day
The world is full of companies that were once successful, but no more. The
leaders of companies that are successful long-term understand that success
is earned every single day.
Never assume that Success continues automatically once gained.

"It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping
others to succeed." Napoleon Hill
Help your other Team Members
Successful teams have members who are always looking to help their fellow
team members. There's an old saying that when one teaches, two learn. By
helping each other, the whole organisation is now growing at a faster pace
than before.
When you help others, you also help yourself as well.

"The very act of setting goals and writing them down increases your
likelihood of achieving them by about 10 times." Brian Tracy
Write Down your Goals
Goals give you focus and direction in whatever you want to achieve in life.
Most people don't have goals, and the ones that do; usually don't write
them down. Writing goals down creates two vital benefits: 1) It brings more
commitment and 2) It helps you to keep that focus - by reviewing them
every day.
You will see the power when you write down your goals.

“The leader is a teacher who succeeds without taking credit. And,
because credit is not taken, credit is received." Lao Tzu
Don't Worry about Getting the Credit
In many different surveys and books you see mentioned that the leaders
who are not looking for their own personal glory are the most successful.
These leaders understood that their success came from their people and
giving them the credit for making things happen.
Remember, you receive the credit by not taking the credit.

"One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man
cannot make a team.” Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Integrate your Talent into the Team
Every team and organisation has their stars (the talent). However, the
successful teams and organisations integrate their talent into the team in
order to get the most out of the entire team. Too often we see leaders
focusing only on how to make use of his or her stars, and they lose the
advantages of their stars' positive impact on the performance of others and
the team as a whole.
Integrating your talent will make the entire team perform better.

"Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their
jobs." Malcolm Forbes
Persistence - Turns the Average into Superstars
Read the stories of successful people, and you will be surprised that the
majority is not really any smarter than others. What makes the difference is
the discipline and persistence to keep driving towards what they want, even
when the way becomes difficult.
Persistence is really the foundation to their success.

“The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more
followers." Ralph Nader
Leaders Create more Leaders
In many organisations you see leaders creating followers, not more leaders.
These types of leaders rely on the power of their position, and want
everyone to follow their orders. True leaders focus on growing their people
into leaders, and lead from their own personal power. These types of
leaders are so confident in themselves, that they get pride in growing
leaders within their organisations that are even better than they are.
How is your production of leaders in your organisation?

"A successful team is a group of many hands but of one mind."
Bill Bethel
A Team's Success is in their Shared Thinking
Today's business environment is so fast-paced that everyone is always in a
hurry to do something right away. However, when the rush to action is
done before the team has the same thinking (i.e. on their goals, etc.), these
early actions might not be producing the desired results.
Spend time upfront to get Shared Thinking within the team.

"While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is
busy making mistakes and becoming superior." Henry C. Link
Take Action, Make Mistakes, but Succeed Faster
There are many people in the world who have the same ideas as those who
became successful, but they always hesitated in taking action on them.
These people often feel inferior and that they are not capable of doing it or
worthy of the possible success. The people, who became successful, just
took action, made mistakes along the way, but reached the success they
were after.
You need to take the action first, regardless of how you feel about it.

The cynic says, "One man can't do anything". I say, "Only one man
can do anything." John W. Gardner
A Leader Makes the Difference
Look at any successful organisation or team effort, and you can trace back
the reasons to their success to one individual who made a difference. One
person feeling empowered can always make a difference in any position
they are in life.
Don't wait to be empowered. Empower yourself to make a difference now.

"In order to have a winner, the team must have a feeling of unity;
every player must put the team first-ahead of personal glory."
Paul Bear Bryant
Putting the Team First
Any successful team, whether in sports or in business, always had a group
of individuals looking at the teams success before their own. You can see
clearly when this doesn't happen in sports. You notice the star player trying
to do everything on their own, and does not include others in the team. This
reduces the effectiveness of everyone in the team, and the same things
happen in the business world.
Always put the team's goals in your mind first.

"Inspirations never go in for long engagements; they demand
immediate marriage to action.” Brendan Francis
Inspiration to Action: Make it Fast!
You see it all the time in successful people. They are always taking action
right away on their inspirations and ideas. Unsuccessful people just keep
"thinking" and never get to "Action" until it's too late.
At the time the inspiration comes, think "Action" right away

“The operative assumption today is that someone, somewhere, has
a better idea; and the operative compulsion is to find out who has
that better idea, learn it and put it into action – fast." Jack Welch
Develop a "Learn and Apply" Culture
An organisation that is not looking for better ideas to apply to it is really
going backwards. Great leaders, such as Jack Welch, have always
encouraged their people to learn from others and apply those learnings
right away.
Search for the better ideas and apply them fast.

"Organization doesn't really accomplish anything. Plans don't
accomplish anything, either. Theories of management don't much
matter. Endeavours succeed or fail because of the people involved.
Only by attracting the best people will you accomplish great deeds.”
Colin Powell
Get the Best People for your Organisation
An organisation is only as good as the people in it. Many times there is such
a hurry to fill positions in our organisations, that we settle for people who
are available at that time. Every time you settle for someone other than the
best, you create another limiting factor for your organisation’s
performance.
When you settle for someone other than the best, you are really settling for
something other than the best for your organisation as well.

"Ask yourself a question: Is my attitude worth catching?"
Zig Ziglar
An Attitude Worth Catching
A great question to ask yourself is: Do I have an attitude worth catching?
Would you be proud of yourself if people have caught your attitude and
said to others where they got it from? If not, choose today to have a
different attitude and approach to your life.
Have the attitude that others would want to catch.

"Dare to go forward. Courage is the mark of greatness in
leadership." Brian Tracy
Courage to Move Forward
Courage is probably the attribute that separates the great leaders from the
good leaders. The good leaders stop short of what their true potential and
the potential of their organisation could be. The great leaders have the
courage to take the necessary decisions, even when they are not popular (at
least in the beginning).
Have the courage to move both yourself and the organisation forward.

"Every idea you present must be something you could get across
easily at a cocktail party with strangers." Jack Welch
Communications drives Successful Organisations
All successful initiatives are driven by the good communications between
the individual and teams in the organisation. Clarity in the communications
keeps everyone aligned on the key initiatives and what's needed to achieve
them. However, to keep the whole organisation productive, brevity along
with that clarity can provide the best combination for successful
communications.
Keep your communications as clear and as short as possible.

"I not only use all the brains that I have, but all that I can borrow."
Woodrow Wilson
Drawing on the Power of Others
Have you ever noticed that the most successful people are the ones asking
for help the most! If fact, that might be one of the reasons that they
became successful. One of the fastest ways to develop is to draw on the
power of others by asking for help and asking questions.
Don't be afraid or bashful to ask for help.

“Executives who get there and stay suggest solutions when they
present the problems.” Malcolm Forbes
Encourage your People to be Solution Focused
You can always see the mindset of people when they present problems. The
people who are solution focused will always present the problem along
with some possible solutions or approaches to take. Think back of the past
month: How have you presented problems to others?
Be prepared to suggest solutions when presenting problems to others.

"Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly, and
they will show themselves great.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Develop Trust in each Other
Leaders really understand the power of "Trust". However, great leaders
help their teams understand that power as well. Team members that trust
each other will accomplish much more than those who don't. Yet, there
often is spent such little time on developing that trust.
Trust is the foundation of great teamwork, and spend the time to develop it.

"In preparing for battle I have found that plans are useless, but
planning is indispensable.”
Dwight David Eisenhower, USA General & President
Do your Planning to Build your Confidence
The world is changing so rapidly these days that plans we make are quickly
out of date. However, planning is still very important. By thinking through
our goals and how to take action on them, we develop the confidence in
ourselves to make it happen (even if circumstances change).
Don't skip your planning time this week.

"Simplicity is an indispensable element of a leader's most important
functions." Jack Welch
Drive People to Keep Things Simple
People tend to make things more complex than they are in order to appear
more intelligent. It's the leader's job to drive simplicity in the discussions in
order for everyone to understand and take the necessary action. The best
leaders are the best simplifiers.
There's a reason why they always say, "Keep it Simple".

"Connected individuals and their knowledge, not the corporation,
are becoming the key organising unit.” Stan Davis
How Connected is your Organisation?
The most successful organisations have strong processes in place to connect
their people from all the different areas of the business. Share your
knowledge and ideas with others and you will not only have a much more
fun place to work, but a more successful business as well.
Share the knowledge and ideas in your organisation to achieve more.

"Success is not a lucky break. It is not a divine right. It is not an
accident of birth. Success is a choice.’’ Rick Pitino
Success is a Choice
You can really simplify the reason why some people are successful and
others are not to the fact that successful people have made a "choice". They
have decided that everything they need to do to reach what they want in
life will be their #1 focus. When presented with different options in using
their time, they will always make their "choice" the option that is taking
them closer to their #1 focus.
Make the choice for yourself today.

“Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me
and I'll understand.” Chinese Proverb
Involve your People
The best leaders involve their people in both discussions and decisions
whenever they can. They know that people who are involved up front will
take more ownership of the actions later on.
Involved people take ownership of what they do.

"Teamwork is the fuel that allows common people to attain
uncommon results." Unknown
Driving Teamwork vs. a Group of Individuals
Many leaders tend to rely only on the stars in their teams to get things
done. This can sometimes work effectively in the short-term, but never in
the long-term. Good teamwork across the team (i.e. sharing roles,
responsibilities & deliverables) is what makes a team truly effective in the
long-term.
How much of a team is your team?

"A professional is a man who can do his best at a time when he
doesn't particularly feel like it.” Alistair Cooke
Even When You Don't Feel Like It
This is one of the major differences between professionals and others.
Professionals are always doing their best, even when they don't feel their
best. They have the determination to be the best they can be in all
situations.
Don't let how you feel stop you from always doing your best.

"Emphasize everything and you emphasize nothing."
Herschell Gordon Lewis
Emphasise What's Important (and only that)
Leaders often fail in their roles because they were not good at giving their
people and their organisations a clear focus on what is important. When
everything is considered the same priority, organisations and their people
are constantly changing their focus and accomplishing very little.
Focus your attention and communications on the top priorities to keep your
people focused as well.

“Maturity is the capacity to endure uncertainty."
John Finley
An Organisation that Works Through Uncertainty
The organisations that are in the best condition for long-term success are
the ones that can perform the best through change and uncertainty. They
look at uncertainty and change as an opportunity versus a problem or a
threat.
Encourage your organisation and co-workers to look at change and
uncertainty as an opportunity.

“The poor, the unsuccessful, the unhappy, the unhealthy are the
ones who use the word tomorrow the most." Robert Kiyosaki
Eliminate "Tomorrow" from your Vocabulary
People who always say "I will do that tomorrow" never accomplish what
they want to in their lives. They are continually pushing what they want
further and further into the future, and the future never comes. We all need
to eliminate the word "Tomorrow" from our vocabulary.
Imagine what you would do and accomplish if there was only "Today”.

"Leaders and Managers are different...managers ask How? Leaders
ask Why? Managers say 'Do!'... Leaders say 'Let us Do'...."
Doug Firebaugh
"Why” & "Us" - Two Powerful Leadership Words
"Why and "Us" are two very powerful words for leaders to think about all
the time. First, a key role of the leader is to explain "the Why" behind the
direction of the group. And second, it's important that success comes from
the contribution of "all of us". Successful leaders have these two words in
their minds everyday.
Explain "the why" and how "all of us" contribute in every communication to
the group.

“Organization can never be a substitute for initiative and for
judgment." Louis D. Brandeis
Everyone with the Freedom to...
All organisations that provide excellent customer service give their people
the ability to take initiative and to use their own judgment in providing
service to their customers. The best processes in the world will not work
every time, and people need to feel empowered to do what is necessary to
solve customer problems.
Ensure everyone has the freedom to take initiative and use his or her own
best judgment in serving the customer.

"The only opinion about your dream that really counts is yours. The
negative comments of others merely reflect their limitations - not
yours." Cynthia Kersey
Your Opinion of your Dream is What Counts
Too often people let others influence their behaviour and they stop driving
towards their dreams when they get some negative comments. Look at all
the breakthroughs people have made and you would notice that they all
believed in their dream and didn't let the negative comments of others
distract them from that dream.
Your belief in yourself is more powerful than what any other person might
think or say.

“The task of a leader is to get his people from where they are to
where they have not been.” Henry Kissinger
Leaders Always Move their People Forward
Successful organisations have leaders who are constantly setting challenges
in front of their people in order for their people to use their full potential.
When the people use their full potential, the organisation achieves it's full
potential as well.
Leaders help their people see their potential and motivate them to use it.

“The nature of the global business environment guarantees that no
matter how hard we work to create a stable and healthy
organisation, our organisation will continue to experience dramatic
changes far beyond our control." Margaret J. Wheatley
An Organisation Seeing Change as Normal
Today's business environment is changing at a much faster pace than ever
before. What made an organisation successful can be impacted by changes
that can happen in a very short time.
The organisations that embrace change become the leaders of change.

"Don't be a time manager, be a priority manager. Cut your goals into
bite-sized pieces. Each small priority or requirement on the way to
the ultimate goal becomes a mini-goal in itself.” Denis Waitley
Focus First on Priorities, Not Time
I don't know why they are always talking about time management. You
cannot manage time; you can only manage your priorities and your focus. A
great way to use your time effectively is to have defined the key activities
(in advance) that will deliver on your priorities.
Focus on your priorities and the key activities that will deliver them.

“The signs of outstanding leadership are found among the
followers." Max DePree
Your Power comes from your Followers
Successful organisations have leaders who are constantly setting challenges
in front of their people in order for their people to use their full potential.
When the people use their full potential, the organisation achieves it's full
potential as well.
How inspired are your followers?

“Fun is only real and sustainable if it feeds off the team's purpose
and performance aspirations" Katzenbach & Smith
Having Fun - Aligned with "Winning”
You see it many times in teams. They don't have a strong focus on their
purpose and they seem to just be playing around. However, that playing
around is usually short-lived, and in fact it often becomes boring. Having
fun while pursuing a strong purpose is what creates a very energising
atmosphere.
Always align the fun with the purpose and performance of the team (i.e. the
"Winning").

"If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the
habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a
prevailing attitude." Colin Powell
Strive for Excellence in Everything (big or small)
Colin Powell talks about something that people take for granted. We often
concentrate on putting our best efforts on the big & important activities,
and sometimes "cut corners" on the small things. It would be great for us to
develop the attitude that we will strive for excellence in everything we do,
no matter how small the activity.
Make excellence both an attitude and a habit.

“The way employees treat customers reflects the manner in which
they're treated by management.” James Perkins
Your Leadership Style Impacts Customer Service
The way you treat your employees has an impact on how they will then
treat others. Your people view you (as their leader) as a role model and pick
up your habits both consciously and unconsciously. Make sure they pick up
the right habits.
As a leader, your habits influence your people's habits more than your
think. Your customers know.

“Dependent people need others to get what they want.
Independent people can get what they want through their own
efforts. Interdependent people combine their own efforts with the
efforts of others to achieve their greatest success." Stephen Covey
Interdependence Drives a Successful Team
You see it in sports all the time. It is not always the team with the best
individual talents that wins the championships. Team members who work
together and support each other perform at higher levels than a group of
individuals.
Drive interdependence and watch your team's performance increase.

"It is easy to sit up and take notice. What is difficult is getting up
and taking action.” Al Batt
Get Up and Take Action
Many times when we read an article or excerpts in a book we sit up and
take notice. We say, "That's interesting, I should try that." However, should
is not "will" and it never happens. Too often we stop at sit up and take
notice..
Don't stop at sit up and take notice, "Get Up and Take Action".

“It's easy to decide what you're going to do. The hard thing is
deciding what you're not going to do.” Michael Dell
Be Clear on your Team's Priorities
Today's business environment is changing fast. The organisations that can
adapt, and adapt quickly, will win in the marketplace. That means that they
are continually evaluating priorities and deciding what the organisation will
do and won't do. It's a key responsibility of the leader to make sure the
organisation is working to the right priorities.
Give your people clear directions on what's important.

“When's the last time you washed a rental car?"
Crew Chief to General Bill Creech
"Own" versus "Rent" your Responsibilities
General Bill Creech decentralised the Tactical Air Command in the late
1970's. This was an organisation of over 150,000 people in the USA Air Force
that was responsible for keeping the planes flying. After organising into
teams and giving teams complete responsibilities of a group of planes, they
increased up-time for the planes dramatically. Why? - Because now the
teams have "owned" their planes. They even painted their team's name on
the sides of the planes they maintained.
In your organisation today, are your people "Renting" or "Owning" their
responsibilities?

"Fascination is one step beyond interest. Interested people want to
know if it works. Fascinated people want to learn how it works.”
Jim Rohn
Be Fascinated with What You are Doing
Many people say that they are interested in something. However, interest
never lasts and never drives a passion to understand things below the
surface. Being fascinated does. It produces a drive and energy to not only
learn more, but also accomplish more.
Move from interested to fascinated and your life will be transformed.

“I have learned that people will forget what you said, people will
forget what you did, but they will never forget how 'You' made
them Feel." Maya Angelou
Make People Feel Great about Themselves
The best leaders understand it is how they make their people feel that
makes the ultimate difference for their organisation's performance.
Confident, empowered and knowledgeable people will always deliver more,
and it is the leader that creates the feeling that they can do it and do it well.
Enable your people to have the belief in themselves, and they will amaze
you with what they will accomplish.

“The secret is to work less as individuals and more as a team. As a
coach, I play not my eleven best, but my best eleven."
Knute Rockne
Work Together as a Team
Teams and organisations never perform to their maximum capabilities if the
people do not learn to work together. You can have a team of stars, but if
they don't work together, the talents of each individual will never be used
to the fullest.
Remember, the "best eleven" will always perform better than the "eleven
best".

"A goal is not the same as a desire, and this is an important
distinction to make. You can have a desire you don't intend to act
on. But you can't have a goal you don't intend to act on." Tom
Morris
Turn your Desires into Goals
We have our desires for our lives, but what makes the difference is acting
on those desires. A good habit to get into is the following: Next time you
think of a "desire", take a minute to think about two things. 1) How you
would feel if that desire became a reality, and 2) What action could you
take today that would move you closer to that "Desire"..
Move from the Desire to "Action" and create the "Goal".

“Management works in the system. Leadership works on the
system." Stephen R. Covey
Leaders Work "on" the Systems
Managers often take a view of their responsibilities as just making things
work, and feeling powerless to do anything about the system. Leaders take
a different view on their role, and work on the system to make it better.
They challenge assumptions routinely, and by helping to make things better
they energise their people..
Managers make it run. Leaders make it "better".

“All winning teams are goal-oriented. Teams like these win
consistently because everyone connected with them concentrates
on specific objectives. They go about their business with blinders
on; nothing will distract them from achieving their aims." Lou
Holtz
Goals & Specific Objectives Focus the Team
Great team leaders focus their time on continually communicating the goals
and specific objectives of the team and the team members. This helps
everyone to maintain a clear and consistent focus on their objectives, and
the entire team to reach their goal (i.e. winning).
Focus your team with exciting goals & objectives to achieve.

"I never hit a shot, not even in practice, without having a very sharp
in-focus picture of it in my head." Jack Nicklaus
Have a Clear Focus (Picture) in your Head
As it is in golf, it is the same in our lives. We are always more successful
when we have a clear in-focus picture of what we want, and keep that
picture in mind in everything we do. If the picture is clear, your actions will
be clear as well.
Have a clear focus in everything you do (whether it's something big or
small).

“You can accomplish anything in life, provided that you do not mind
who gets the credit.” Harry S. Truman
Don't Worry about Getting the Credit
Great leaders never worry about stroking their own ego. They are always
giving credit to their people who make it happen, and keep encouraging
them to accomplish more and reach their full potential.
Give your people the credit and talk up their accomplishments.

“The costs of getting burned once in a while are insignificant
compared to the benefits that come from people feeling free to take
risks and be creative." Southwest Airlines Employees - book "Nuts!”
Encourage each Other to Take Risks
You can always recognise a successful team and organisation by whether
the people feel confident enough to take risks and try something new.
Growing as a team and an organisation is all about trying new things.
Sometimes they work and sometimes they don't, but for sure everything
will stay the same if you don't take the risks.
Focus your team with exciting goals & objectives to achieve.

"Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing
to be wrong." Peter T. Mcintyre
Not Being Afraid to be Wrong
The successful people in life are not afraid to be wrong. Look at any
entrepreneur and you will find that the numbers of business failures (let's
call them feedbacks) are much more than the number of successes.
However, by constantly trying something new, they hit upon some
successes that went very big.
These entrepreneurs were not afraid to be wrong. How about you?

“I admire employees who see themselves as having a direct
relationship to the success or failure of the company they work for.
When employees believe they are important to the company, their
work reflects that loyalty." Donald Trump
Communicate their Importance
As a leader, the most important job is to communicate to your people in
ways that everyone can see how they contribute to the success of the
organisation and the company. This way they see their importance, and
their performance and behaviours will reflect that. If they don't feel
important, you will get a different performance and set of behaviours.
If you are a leader, spend a few minutes this week on how you could
communicate to your people on why they are important.

"No person was ever honoured for what they received. Honour has
been the reward for what they gave." Calvin Coolidge
You Get Help, Based on How You Provide Help
When working in a team, everyone performs better when they help each
other. The help really gets set in motion when each team member decides
to help others in their team before expecting help for themselves. This
encourages an environment of giving versus taking.
Look to help your team members, and you will get help in return (and often
when you could really use it).

"When you're finished changing, you're finished."
Benjamin Franklin
Never Finish Changing (i.e. becoming better)
To be alive means to grow and change every day. Ben Franklin was really
correct, as you are finished when you stop changing. That's what happens
to people who retire and don't have any goals to strive for. They have then
just stop growing and changing.
How have your changed this past week?

"The best leader is the one who has sense enough to pick good
people to do what he/she wants done, and self restraint enough to
keep from meddling with them while they do it."
Theodore Roosevelt
Pick Good People and Set the Direction
A leader's most important role is pick good people to be on his or her team.
However, it's also important to provide those people with an environment
where they can use their own intelligence and creativity to get the job
done.
Practice self-restraint and your people will practice real ownership as well.

"Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins
championships." Michael Jordan
As a Team, Everyone can Achieve More
Teams do not become successful just because they have a superstar on their
team. They become successful when they are using the strengths of each
individual to the benefit of the team. This is true in sports, but also true in
business.
Use your strengths that benefit the team.

“Keep in mind the difference between a winner's and loser's
mentality. Winners focus on winning big - not just how to win, but
how to win big. Losers, however, don't focus on losing; they focus
on getting by!" Bobb Biehl
Focus on Winning Big
Successful people focus on ambitious goals and winning big in everything
they do. It's not just for the sake of winning. Their ambitious goals drive
them to become the person they need to be in order to achieve them.
Never settle for just "Getting by". Focus on "Winning Big" and becoming the
person to achieve it.

"If you want to know the temperature of your organisation, put a
thermometer in the leader's mouth.” Rick Warren
What's your Temperature?
If you are a leader, it is you who are setting the temperature for your
organisation. If you are "hot" with lots of energy and enthusiasm, then your
organisation will have lots of energy and enthusiasm. What's your
temperature today?
Keep your temperature "hot" and your organisation will be the same.

"The success of my business depends entirely on the character of
the people conducting it.” Charles R. Walgreen
Hire for Character
Too often we rush the hiring process because we need the resource ASAP.
We hire for the skills and experience without fully understanding the
character of the person. Let's take the necessary time in the hiring process
to "Hire for Character".
Hire for Character to build a successful organisation.

"A healthy attitude is contagious but don't wait to catch it from
others. Be a carrier." Unknown
Choose to Have a Healthy Attitude
Too often people are waiting for others or events to help make them feel
better. They say," I will be happy when"... They are waiting for some
external changes in order to improve their internal feeling.
"You" decide your attitude. Why not make it a "healthy" one.

"Every leader needs to clearly explain the top three things the
organization is working on. If you can’t, you are not leading well."
Jeffrey Immelt
Provide your People a Focus
There is always too much to do these days. Organisations are most
successful when the leaders provide a strong focus for their people. People
with a strong focus then make the right choices on a daily basis in order to
make sure they are working on the right things.
People with a focus will amaze you with their results.

"Meetings are a symptom of bad organisation. The fewer meetings
the better.” Peter F. Drucker
Need a Meeting - Make Sure it's Necessary
How many times do you come to a meeting and not really understand its
purpose and what should be the successful outcome? Probably too often! If
people think up front on the purpose and successful outcomes of meetings,
we would probably need fewer meetings, and those we do need would be
much shorter.
Set a goal to have fewer meetings from today.

"It is not who you know, but who wants to know you."
Patricia Fripp
People Wanting to Know You
They say that networking is a great way to grow your business and uncover
more opportunities. However, it is not just knowing more people, but
having more people want to know you. If you keep this in mind, you will
take a different approach to your networking.
Be a person other people want to know.

"Leadership isn't about the size of your office or the title on your
business card. It's about the depth of your commitment and your
passion to get good things done." Robin Sharma
Commitment and Passion
A leader's true power never comes from a title or the size of the office. It
comes from that inner drive of commitment and passion for the vision &
goals that is reflected in the outward actions of the leader.
Show your commitment and passion, and your people will then do the same.

"When a team outgrows individual performance and learns team
confidence, excellence becomes a reality." Joe Paterno
Team Confidence
You see it often in sports with teams having great individual talents, but
they never play as a "team". They never achieve the success as a team that
their individual talents would suggest. Sure, each individual may have their
own confidence, but they never really put the team above their own
desires.
When team confidence is high, success for the team will be there as well.

"Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a
man of value." Albert Einstein
Become a Person of Value
Many people wish to be successful, but often don't realise what it takes to
get there. The real path to success is to become a person of value (your
contribution). The value you provide others determines your paycheck.
Seek first to become a person of value, and then success will naturally
follow.
What value have you provided this past week?

"The very essence of leadership is that you have a vision. It's got to
be a vision you can articulate clearly and forcefully on every
occasion. You can't blow an uncertain trumpet."
Theodore Hesburgh
Have a Vision and Communicate it Clearly
Your people work well when they know the direction the company wants to
take. This helps them to make the right decisions/choices everyday to keep
the progress going towards the vision. Effective leaders both have the vision
and communicate it very well.
Provide the vision and communicate it daily in every way.

"Once an organization loses its spirit of pioneering and rests on its
early work, its progress stops.” Thomas J. Watson, Sr.
Keep the Spirit of Pioneering
Does you team continually look for better ways to both get the job done
and work better as a team? Once a team begins to rest on their successes,
then the energy starts to go. Keep striving to improve every day and
encourage the same in your team members.
Encourage the spirit of pioneering and your team will not only show
progress, but also have fun along the way.

"It’s possible for a person to have an overwhelming number of
things to do and still function productively with a clear head and a
relaxed sense of control." David Allen
Keeping Your Focus (what's in & what's out)
If you are goal oriented, you will be always trying to do more than you
actually can. So, having more to do than you can do is normal. However,
you need to constantly decide the priority on your focus so that you will be
making the right choices on what you do. People who take time each week
to review their focus, will then make better choices and be more relaxed.
Take the time to keep your focus.

"Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough
ahead to motivate them." John Maxwell
Great Leaders - Lead from the Front
Leaders who are very successful always understand their people, but more
importantly they "lead from the front". These leaders are always staying in
front of their people by driving their own growth faster and constantly
thinking ahead. By being in front, they can help their people grow faster
and their organisation accomplish more.
Be close to your people, but with your thinking far enough in front to
motivate them.

"An organization's ability to learn, and translate that learning into
action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive business advantage."
Jack Welch
Teamwork - Learning and Taking Action Together
An organisation that is constantly learning is also action oriented as well.
The learning triggers new ideas and the energy to then put those ideas into
practice. When your organisation stops learning, it's the beginning of a
downward trend in performance.
Set learning goals for both yourself and your team.

"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to
please everybody." Bill Cosby
Don't Try to Please Everybody
Bill Cosby's quote above is so very true. Whatever we do, we will never be
able to please everyone. Some will like us, some won't. Be strong and
focused in the direction of your goals, and your key positive people will be
with you.
As I heard the other day, "Some will, some won't, so what!”.

"A good leader inspires others with confidence in him; a great
leader inspires them with confidence in themselves." Unknown
Inspire Confidence in your People
Many times leaders only focus on getting their people to respect them and
follow them. However, as the quote above says, great leaders go further
and inspire their people with confidence. They provide opportunities and
coach their people to continually grow their abilities and their confidence.
Make inspiring confidence in your people a priority.

You don’t pay me to give you happy talk, you pay me to tell you
what I think.” Colin Powell to President Bush
Encourage People to Speak Up
Some times weak managers don't like it when their people speak up. A
strong manager likes his or her people to be open and honest. He or she
knows that ideas and plans become better and stronger when there's a
great active dialog. A little disagreement is never bad. However, once a
decision is made, everyone needs to then support it 100%.
Encourage your people to tell you what they think.

"Procrastination is giving up what you want most for what you want
now." Harold Taylor
"Do" Today to "Become" Tomorrow
Everyone has dreams or goals for their better tomorrow. However, getting
to your better tomorrow is all about doing what we need to do today and
every day after that. What we "do today" is what will help create the
tomorrow (the future) we want.
Remember, What you "Do Today" creates your Future.

"Managers help people to see themselves as they are. Leaders help
people to see themselves better than they are." Jim Rohn
See the Potential in Your People
Managers utilise their people as they see their skills today. They are only
focused on getting the work done. Leaders focus on two things, both getting
the work done (& done well), but also growing their people to the
capabilities the leaders see in them. They continually look for
responsibilities that will stretch their people to use the capabilities the
leader sees inside them.
See the potential in your people and give them the responsibilities to use it.

"When one teaches, two learns."
Robert Half
Create Mentors to Grow your Organisation
Mentoring is an excellent way to grow the capabilities in your organisation.
Creating mentors is one of the fastest ways to grow your organisation and
one of the most rewarding for your people. People being mentored benefit
from another's experience, and the mentors benefit by the feeling of
growing other people. Look to create mentors at all levels and use them to
grow your people faster.
Mentoring, one of the fastest way to grow your organisation.

"The will to succeed is important, but what's more important is the
will to prepare." Bobby Knight
Will to Prepare
In the above quote, Bobby Knight highlights the importance of the "will to
prepare". It's really the precursor to success, and it's the real reason why
people always say the following about successful people ("They were so
lucky!"). The real reason for their success was not luck. It was the fact that
they were prepared when the opportunities came their way.
John Wooden says, "When opportunity comes, it's too late to prepare."

"Outstanding leaders go out of the way to boost the self-esteem of
their personnel." Sam Walton
Boost Self-Esteem
Everyone knows that people who feel good about themselves accomplish
more than people who don't. If you are leading people, then helping to
boost your team members' self-esteem can really make a big difference to
the performance of your team. How often do we see leaders do just the
opposite and make their people feel inferior? A good question for this
week: "What can I do this week to boost the self-esteem for the people in
my team?"
A person who "believes" or "feels they can do it" can accomplish anything.

"Business success is always defined by the quality of the overall
customer experience before, during and after a transaction".
Forrester Research
Describe the "Customer Experience”
A good way to build alignment in a team is have a discussion on the
"Customer Experience". It focuses everyone on how the customer sees and
experiences the company's services, and a good discussion just naturally
begins on what changes in processes can be made to improve the
customer's experience with the company.
Build your target "Customer Experience" in your team's minds, and watch
your business grow.

"No steam or gas ever drives anything until it is confined. No
Niagara is ever turned into light and power until it is tunneled. No
life ever grows until it is focused, dedicated and disciplined."
Harry Emerson Fosdick
Focus all your Energies
Each of us has unbelievable potential inside us. However, we often do not
focus this energy on our key focus areas, and instead spread our time too
thin across too many areas. Success comes from focusing and dedicating to
a few key areas, and then being disciplined enough to keep that focus every
day.
You are not using your full potential until you focus and dedicate yourself to
a limited set of key areas.

"We sometimes receive letters from businessmen who say they are
too busy to read. The man who is too busy to read is never likely to
lead." B. C. Forbes
Continue your Own Development
Successful leaders are always reading to further their own development.
Reading helps them to build an even stronger foundation of both
knowledge and insights, as well as keep them current on areas impacting
their business.
Jim Rohn likes to say, "Leaders are readers."

"A group becomes a team when each member is sure enough of
himself and his contribution to praise the skills of the others."
Norman Shidle
Be Confident and Encourage each other on
Teamwork does not come only from the ability of everyone in the team to
contribute their key skills, but also from each team member recognising the
key skills of others. Praising each other encourages everyone to do more
(and become more), helping the team to accomplish great things.
When you see your team members praising each other, you know your team
will be successful.

"There is no security on this earth. Only opportunity.”
Douglas Macarthur
Focus on the Opportunities
There is really no security in life. Many times people will not take risks and
seize the opportunities because they feel safer if they don't. However, the
world is changing so fast these days and not changing is more risky than to
make the changes.
Remember, life is more in your control when you are seizing the
opportunities and view change as "security".

"A big man is one who makes us feel bigger when we are with him."
John C. Maxwell
Make Them Feel Bigger
Leadership is not only about getting things accomplished, but having your
people see and do things that they never thought they could have done.
Great leaders see the potential in their people and find challenges for them
to use that potential.
When you see the potential in others, you make them feel bigger.

"In teamwork, silence isn’t golden, it’s deadly."
Mark Sanborn
Keep the Discussions Flowing
Great teamwork is all about communications. Teams often succeed or fail
not because of the talent in the team, but the degree to which they
communicate with each other and work together.
Therefore, if the discussions are not flowing in your team, get them going
quickly.

"You will never change your life until you change something you do
daily." Mike Murdock
It is What You Do Daily
All change begins by changing something you do daily. Therefore, if you
want to have a different life, the start needs to be with what you are doing
on a daily basis. To make the change permanent, you need to put the power
of discipline behind it to make the change a habit.
What should you be doing daily that you aren't doing now!

If I went back to college again, I'd concentrate on two areas:
learning to write and learning to speak before an audience. Nothing
in life is more important than the ability to communicate
effectively."
Gerald R. Ford
Learn to Communicate your Ideas Well
Leadership is really about getting people aligned behind a direction and
everyone seeing their role in making it happen. Communication is then the
key to not only describe the direction with passion and clarity, but also to
communicate it in different ways for everyone to see what they can do to
help make it happen.
Develop the skill to communicate and it will provide power to all that you do
as a leader.

"If it's part of the culture, it can lead to real change."
Rey Ramsey
Make it Part of the Culture
For change to really take hold in an organisation, it must become part of the
culture and impact how everyone goes about his or her daily job. Too often,
companies will try to make their changes too quickly and the impact is no
more than window dressing. Change must become part of the culture so
that it drives the decisions and choices that people make on a daily basis.
Focus on making it part of the culture.

"If you are going to do what everyone is doing, you are probably
only going to have what everyone haves." Bob Proctor
Strive to be Different
Look at any successful person, and you will see qualities in them that are
very different from the average unsuccessful person. Successful people
know that they will never get what they really want unless they break away
from the "crowd" and be different. How about you? Are you comfortable to
remain with the crowd?
Be different and break free from the crowd.

"Leadership is a matter of having people look at you and gain
confidence in seeing how you react. If you’re in control, they’re in
control." Tom Landry
You are a Role Model
Great leaders use their power as a role model to the fullest. They know that
how they respond to situations/problems every day sends a signal to their
people on how each of them should respond as well. When the leader
shows confidence and control, so will his or her people.
Use your most powerful leadership tool. Be a great role model.

"The one thing that matters is the effort.”
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Make the Effort
The best way to get help from your co-workers is to make the effort
yourself as well. People respond to others who are dedicated and make the
effort. It is magical how the help you need appears when you need it, when
you have put your own effort in first.
If you make the effort, help always appears.

"The greatest discovery of our generation is that a human being can
alter his life by altering his attitudes." William James
Your Attitude Creates your Life
We have all heard this thought before - "Your Attitude Creates your Life".
The important thing for all of us is not to just practice this in our daily lives,
but to make it a foundation of our lives. People with positive / can do
attitudes get more of what they want in life than others. They stand out
from the group, get noticed, and attract the help they need.
Choose the attitude that will create the life you want.

"Coaching isn't an addition to a leader's job, it's an integral part of
it.” George S. Odiorne
Coaching - it's a Key Part of Leadership
Coaching has become an integral part of a leader's role these days. We are
moving to a much more flexible working environment, where people can
now work from anywhere. This drives leaders away from managing
activities to managing "outcomes". A leader then manages the "outcomes"
agreed with their team and helps coach them to take the right decisions and
actions in order to achieve the agreed "outcomes".
Is coaching an integral part of your leadership style?

"Team player: One who unites others toward a shared destiny
through sharing information and ideas, empowering others and
developing trust." Dennis Kinlaw
Be a Team Player
It's important to be an individual and drive yourself to what you want in
your career and in your life. However, when you are part of a team, it's vital
to be a team player, and sometimes this can be a difficult thing. A team
player doesn't mean that you just agree with everyone else, but that you
open to share your ideas, listen to others, and do all the things you can to
develop trust with each other in the team (even if you disagree at times).
Be a team player this week and your team will achieve more.

"Nothing can add more power to your life than concentrating all
your energies on a limited set of targets." Nido Qubein
Hold the World Back an Hour a Week
A big key in reducing your stress levels is once a week to hold the world
back for an hour. This means to take a look at all you are doing or want to
do, and reviewing your priorities. This hour is a great time to understand
what you are committed to do, and what should be put off due to your
available time and focus on those activities that are taking you closer to
your goals.
Take an hour each week to understand all that's on your plate and where
your focus should be.

"The failure to follow through is widespread in business, and a
major cause of poor execution.” Larry Bossidy
Follow Through
It is so critical that a leader follows through on the commitments made by
their team. When a leader follows through, he gets an opportunity to
coach his team members if they are behind in their commitment. Also, by
following through, you are reinforcing that meeting commitments are
important and driving the right behaviours in your team. If you don't
follow through, you are reinforcing "something else".
Follow through and notice the behaviour changes in your team.

"It's the personal stories, the opportunities for people to share, that
re-energizes me and gives me enthusiasm. It makes me want to do
more." Martin Yan
A Short Presentation on Themselves
A great way to create better teamwork is to have each member do a short 5
minutes presentation on themselves. They should each have at least one
interesting fact about themselves that others might not know, and also talk
about their background. It's a great way for people to know each other
better, and create instant topics of discussion at breaks in the meeting and
there after.
Have your team present themselves in your next meeting.

"The more you like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, which
makes you unique." Walt Disney
Like Yourself First
Walt Disney was 100% right on this one. We need to like ourselves first
before we take the actions that use our God-given talents to the fullest. No
one has ever risen above the pack that never liked themselves first.
Like yourself first and focus on the actions to really use your unique talents
each and every day.

"Nothing is so potent as the silent influence of a good example."
James Kent
Set a Good Example
Great leaders never forget that their behaviours set the example for their
team. They know that what they do as a leader always has a much bigger
impact on their people than what they say. Therefore, you could say that a
leader's actions speak louder than their words.
What do your actions speak?

"The ratio of We's to I's is the best indicator of the development of a
team." Lewis B. Ergen
Promote the Use of “WE”
Whenever you hear team members speak together and use the word "I"
routinely, you know that they are not really working as a team yet.
Productive teams use the word "We" throughout their conversations, as
they know that the whole team achieves more when they work together.
Observe the number of "I's" and "We's" in your team conversations this
week.

"All successful people men and women are big dreamers. They
imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then
they work every day toward their distant vision, that goal or
purpose." Brian Tracy
Tell the Truth in Advance
Successful people imagine the future they want and do the daily positive
self-talk to themselves as if they have already become the person they
needed to be in order to achieve it. Some people might not really believe it
at first, but they keep the self-talk going. Other people tell them they are
really lying to themselves, but they are not. They are just “Telling the Truth
in Advance”.
Tell yourself the Truth in Advance today and everyday.

"Leaders think and talk about the solutions. Followers think and talk
about the problems." Brian Tracy
Think and Talk about Solutions
There is an interesting question I heard recently, "What side of the problem
are you on?" Leaders are always on the solution side. If you are focusing
your team on taking actions, you are encountering problems all the time.
Watch your language this week and stay focused on discussing solutions.
Your people will pick up on this and soon you will have a team of leaders
instead of followers.
Think and Talk about Solutions all the time this week.

"When we opened Disneyland, a lot of people got the impressions
that it was a get-rich-quick thing, but they didn't realize that behind
Disneyland was this great organization that I built here at the
Studio, and they all got into it and we were doing it because we
loved to do it." Walt Disney
Build a Team that "Loves to do it.”
Too often we rush to fill vacant roles and do not take the time to get the
right people on board. To build a great team, we need to have people who
will love what they do. People who love what they do never make
boundaries in their work, and do whatever is necessary for their customers
and their co-workers.
Look for people who will "Love what they do".

"Procrastination is a 1000 percent unequivocal commitment to
failure, and if you are any kinder with yourself about it, you are
going to stay in that loop." George Zalucki
Procrastination - Think of it for what it is
The quote above by George Zalucki hits us hard, and it should. When we
procrastinate, we are not only not getting done what we should, but we
often try and rationalise why we shouldn't get started right away. By
procrastinating, we are creating our own failure.
Keep in your mind the "true" definition of procrastination.

"Nobody in your organization will be able to sustain a level of
motivation higher than you have as their leader." Danny Cox
What's your Level of Motivation?
We all have noticed what Danny Cox says in the above quote. A leader's
level of motivation is always setting the tone for his or her organisation.
There is no better way to create an energetic organisation than to be an
energetic leader
Take a minute to reflect on your level of motivation, and remember the
impact you have on your organisation.

"In the end, all business operations can be reduced to three words;
people, product and profits. Unless you've got a good team, you
can't do much with the other two." Lee Iacocca
Get the Right People on the Team
Success always starts with "people", and having the right people on a team
is key. The most successful teams were not put together by chance. The
leaders of these teams have always put getting the right people on their
teams as a #1 priority.
Think "people" first, always...

"There is always more to do than there is time to do it, especially in
an environment of so much possibility." David Allen
Comfortable with What You are not Doing
Everyone has more to do than they can do. The more goal oriented and
action oriented you are, the more you try to do. Stress often comes from
not being comfortable with what you are not doing. We all need to review
all of what we are "doing and not doing" routinely and define our priorities
to be consistent with our goals.
Understanding our focus and our priorities makes us comfortable with what
we have chosen not to do (and thus we are not stressed about it).

"Effective communication is 20% what you know and 80% how you
feel about what you know.” Jim Rohn
Personal vs. Position Power
Using your title or authority is leading according to position power. It's gets
things moving, but doesn't really motivate your team for the long-term.
Using personal power, sharing why the team's goals are important,
coaching your people, and recognising achievements is motivating your
people. They are then getting that desire (the feeling) to achieve the team's
goal from within themselves.
Leading from Personal Power is key to your team's long-term success.

“Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a
team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work."
Vince Lombardi
Have Team Members Chair Parts of Meetings
A great way to grow people and teamwork is to have different team
members chair a part of your meeting each time. They get experience in
leading a discussion and the meeting often becomes productive as other
team members help the person leading to succeed. Why? - Because they
might be in those same shoes the next meeting..
Share leadership of your meetings with your team.

"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you
going." Jim Ryun
It's All about Creating a Habit
Many people listen to a motivational speaker and get very "motivated" to
take action. However, most never keep the action going long enough to
create a new "permanent" habit, and you never get long lasting change
unless you create a new habit.
Focus on creating new habits, and no change will ever seem impossible to
you.

"Be willing to make decisions. That's the most important quality in a
good leader.” General George S. Patton
Decision Making – An Key Quality for a Leader
Consensus will only get you so far. There are always several possible
directions an organisation can take, but it is the organisation with a leader
who makes the strong and consistent decisions that is most successful (and
creates long-term success).
Get comfortable making decisions.

“It is not the employer who pays the WAGES - he only handles the
money. It is the PRODUCT that pays the wages." Henry Ford
Focus on the Product (the Outcome)
That's a great quote by Henry Ford. It is not the employers that pay the
wages, but the customers who buy the quality "Products" a business makes.
If you get your employees focusing on the Product (the Outcome), they get
more energised than just focusing on their individual activities in isolation.
Focus your organisation on the outcome, not just on the activities.

"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines
what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it." Lou Holtz
Ability, Motivation & Attitude
A great three words to keep in mind. You see so many people in life with
the ability (some with loads of it) and not achieving the success that their
ability could create. What's missing in those cases is the motivation and
attitude to both "believe and make it happen."
All three will make you a success.

"Managers control. Leaders create commitment."
John Zenger
Create Commitment
That's a great quote above. "Control" is never empowering and you never
get the best from your people unless they take ownership for their
work/responsibilities. "Ownership" drives commitment to get it done, and
all successful leaders are great at creating the commitment in their people.
Focus on creating commitment in your people.

"Most teams aren't teams at all but merely collections of individual
relationships with the boss. Each individual vying with the others for
power, prestige and position." Douglas McGregor
Is your Team a "Team"?
If you are a leader, it is worth taking a few minutes to think about your
team and how everyone works together. If you find yourself being the focal
point too much, and there is not enough interaction across the team, you
might need to make some changes in your leadership style and focus.
Move from a group of individuals to a "Team".

"My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life, but
doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the
next moment." Oprah Winfrey
Do your Best Everyday
Successful people know that if they consistently do their best, the
compound impact will have them achieve what they want. On the other
hand, unsuccessful people are very inconsistent. They only do their best
when they feel just right, and then are always falling short of what they
really want.
Remember, doing your best today sets you up for even better tomorrow's.

"If you don't give people information, they'll make up something to
fill the void." Carla O'Dell
Keep your People Informed
Today's business environment is so competitive and many companies are
going through rather large changes. The leaders who communicate as much
as they can to employees always have much more successful changes than
others. When people lack information, they always dream up the worst
scenario, not the best..
People with all the information help make things happen…versus complain
from the sidelines.

"Once an organization loses its spirit of pioneering and rests on its
early work, its progress stops.” Thomas J. Watson, Sr
Create & Reinforce an Environment of
Innovation
If you look at companies who are successful year after year, you will always
see an environment that encourages innovation. This innovation doesn't
only come in the product development areas, but all across the company.
Continually innovating keeps them ahead of their competition
However, whenever innovation stops, the end has started.

“The great breakthrough in your life comes when you realize that
you can learn anything you need to learn to accomplish any goal
that you set for yourself. This means there are no limits on what you
can be, have, or do." Brian Tracy
It's Just a Decision to LEARN
Talk to any successful person, and you will hear that anything they have
accomplished in life has been based on a learnable skill. The difference
between the successful person and others is that he or she has made the
decision to dedicate the time to learn those skills needed for their success.
Remember, you have no limits to what you can accomplish. It is just a
decision you need to make to LEARN.

"The speed of the leader is the speed of the gang."
Mary Kay Ash
As a Leader, You Set the Speed of Others
Leaders always have more power in the way they do their work, than in
what they say. The leaders who have a sense of urgency will show those in
their organisations that speed (i.e. a sense of urgency) is one of the keys to
success.
Be the right role model and set the speed of your organisation; every day,
every hour.

"Accept complete responsibility both for understanding and for
being understood." Brian Tracy
Accept Responsibility for your Communications
The majority of people who use email don't really accept responsibility for
their communications. To those people, when the email is sent, their
responsibility ends. Actually, the goal of any email message is to drive some
sort of decision or action on the other end. Therefore, having a
communication that is understood and acted on is the real target.
Set a target in your communications for your messages to be understood
and not just heard.

"Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes."
Zig Ziglar
Keep your Expectations High
Expect the best, and you have a much better chance of getting it. However,
most people only hope for the best and expect the worst. Zig Ziglar is right.
We need to expect the best, but also have our backup plan just in case
things don't go as planned.
When you expect the best, it adds energy to your actions.

"If you just set out to be liked, you would be prepared to
compromise on anything at any time, and you would achieve
nothing.” Margaret Thatcher
Respected is more Important than being Liked
Too many leaders set out to be liked by their people. This leads to many
compromises and also some inconsistent decision making (sometimes going
with the advice of the last person in!). Successful leaders know that the goal
is to be respected and that not everyone will like them.
Lead with conviction. Sometimes you are liked, but always you are
respected.

"What you do off the job is the determining factor in how far you
will go on the job." Zig Ziglar
Responsible for their Own Development
For an organisation to be really successful, it needs their people to take
some responsibility for their own development. If an organisation's people
always rely on the leaders for their development, they will never grow fast
enough. It is the development that people do off the job, that makes them
more effective on the job.
Encourage everyone to have their own "Self Development" plan.

"If you know what to do to reach your goal, it's not a big enough
goal.” Bob Proctor
Set Goals that will Stretch You
Goals are important for all of us because they make us "self-directed" and
not directed by others. However, for goals to be powerful enough to
transform our lives, they need to stretch us to become more than what we
are today.
If you already know how to reach your goal when you set it; is it really
stretching you enough?

"Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from
something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision.
They have to have the skill, and the will. But the will must be
stronger than the skill." Muhammad Ali
Grow your Will
Look at any successful person and you will see people with a wide variety of
skills and levels of skills. However, the one thing in common with all of
them is their "Will" - the Will to Win or the will to become more than what
they are today.
Is your Will stronger than your Skill?

"Lack of forgiveness causes almost all of our self-sabotaging
behaviour." Mark Victor Hansen
What's Good for the Team is Good for You
You see this in many organisations where failed personal relationships
between team members really bring down the productivity of the whole
team. What these team members don't realise is that their lack of
forgiveness is impacting their performance more than any other person in
the team.
Remember, lack of forgiveness always impacts you more than others.

"He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything
else.” Benjamin Franklin
Forget Making Excuses
The quickest way to understand people is by observing whether they are
making excuses or not. The more excuses, the less you probably can trust
them. Why, because we know only too well for ourselves, when we make
excuses. We feel we have let ourselves down.
Forget the excuses and just keep moving forward (taking action).

“Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in
actions." Harold S. Geneen
Set an Example with your Attitude and Actions
Every leader is really in "show" business. People are always observing their
leader; seeing his or her attitude, how decisions are made and what actions
are being taken. Actually, people often pick up the boss's habits (attitude &
actions), whether good or bad.
Always put your best attitude forward, as that is what your people see first.

"You don't get harmony when everybody sings the same note."
Doug Floyd
Welcome the Differences
Take a look at any team, and you will find the most creative and productive
teams with all types of people in them. Often, the teams are with people
you would have never thought would get along. The differences are what
makes the ideas generated more robust and the discussions much more
lively.
Enjoy the differences and your team will be more creative and more
productive.

"Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of
travelling." Margaret Lee Runbeck
The Way to Travel, not the Destination
You hear so many people saying: "I will be happy when!" They are always
setting conditions on their happiness. Happiness is not a result of something
you do or happens to you, but it is a way of thinking. The happiest people
determine upfront that being happy is the way they want to travel.
Think of happiness as a way of travel, not as a goal to be reached.

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more
and become more, you are a leader." John Quincy Adams
Inspire Others to Become More
The very best leaders inspire their people to keep on learning and to do
things that they didn't see possible by themselves. The ability to inspire
creates energy and excitement, and instills passion into everyone.
Set a goal to inspire others to become more (you are really growing more
leaders in the process.

"All employees must be able and willing to assume a leadership role
when the need arises, regardless of their job title." Connie Podesta
An Organisation of Leaders
In all organisations, there are times when everyone needs to step forward
and take a leadership role on an initiative (however big or small).
Organisations with people willing to step forward will always create more
success than others.
Taking on a leadership role means taking on responsibility and ownership,
and that's what makes things happen.

"It is in your moments of decision that your life is shaped. Develop
your decision-making muscles.” Tony Robbins
Make that Decision Today
Many of us think about doing something and never get around to that key
step - just "Making that Decision" to do it. Making that decision is key. It
brings about a commitment in ourselves to then carry it out. Very often the
missing step is to just "Decide".
Think about an area in your life where you have a decision pending and
"Make that Decision Today”.

"Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let
them surprise you with their results.” George S. Patton
Talk with your People on Outcomes
Too often we try to take the easy way out and just tell our people how to
do something. It's an easier way, but not the best way to develop our
people. The goal is to get an "Outcome" accomplished (i.e. something
achieved). We should concentrate on discussing outcomes with our people
and support them in finding their way to achieve them.
As General Patton illustrated in the above quote, let you people figure out
their own "how", and they will surprise you with their results.

"Laughter is the closest distance between two people."
Victor Borge
Take the Team Out for some Fun
A great way to drive better teamwork within your team is to take them out
for some fun. Doing some team events or sports together can really help
people to know each other better. It's away from the stresses of their daily
jobs and into an atmosphere where it's all about having fun. We don't do
these types of events with our team often enough.
Why not take your team out for some "Fun".

Food for thought for your development and leadership success

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Food for thought for your development and leadership success