You can do a few things superbly well, or do many things averagely well… if you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will.
Heroes are no better than the rest of us. They just stay in the battle five minutes longer.
I want to fail trying. I don’t want to fail watching.
A Guaranteed Way To Be Noticed And Differentiate Yourself
Throughout history, the Jewish people have been one of the most persecuted people but also the most prosperous. How is it they always find ways to succeed and thrive in very difficult circumstances?
In his book “Thou Shall Prosper: Ten Commandments for Making Money” Rabbi Daniel Lapin talks about a key view of the Jewish people: they are always looking for ways to add value. If you make “Always Add Value” your mantra in the marketplace you will be noticed and differentiate yourself from your competition. Rewards, recognition, and resources follow those that always add value.
The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever (Box of Crayons Press, 2016)
If you want to be great at leading, coaching, consulting and helping develop others then you should read this book. We simply talk too much for others when trying to lead them. We hinder their growth, impose our own thoughts and ideas, and hold them back. Learn how to listen well and lead others by asking great questions. This book has 4.7 out of 5 stars on Amazon and 365 customer reviews.
Trapped By Titles
Our culture likes titles. Companies get fixated on organizational charts in an attempt to match the perfect titles with the right people at the right layers (and then change them again next year.) Individuals obsess over and chase after the recognition that goes along with titles. People drive their identity and self-worth from the role listed on their business card.
Titles are important and do have a role to play to bring clarity and avoid confusion. However, often times we allow our title to limit our success.
It’s Never Too Late… 4 Steps To Recover From Failure
“I blew it.” “The opportunity is gone.” “It’s too late.” “I failed again.” Have you ever heard those statements in your mind? For some, those words are like a MP3 that plays on repeat. We hear them every day and sometimes multiple times a day. Some of us have others around us that remind us of how inadequate we are.
As we work through regret, missed opportunities, and mistakes we often times focus on wishing we had a RESET button or a DO-OVER. Life very rarely gives us do-overs. However, you can have a MAKEOVER.
No One Likes This But We Can’t Get Away From It
3 Steps To Dealing With Tension In Life
No one likes tension. However, we live in a world where tension is inevitable.
Here are points of tension that you may deal with this week:
- maximize profit vs. more revenue
- demands at work vs. time with family
- coaching an employee for development vs. for performance
- strategic vs. urgent
- save vs. spend
- working with an employee vs. helping them move on
- working hard vs. taking time to rest
No one likes tension but it’s impossible to live a day without having to deal with it. You can’t ignore it. You can’t avoid it. So how do we deal with it?
How To Respond To Critics
Who was the last person to hurt or offend you? It probably didn’t take long for you to remember. That’s a problem.
We live in a culture where we are flooded by messages that interrupt life. While you read this post it’s likely you’ll receive multiple emails, a text, updates on Twitter and Facebook, and maybe even a phone call. As a leader it’s likely some of these messages flooding your life will be negative or critical. It’s also easy for people to hide behind a keyboard and make statements about people that they would NEVER be brave enough to say face-to-face. I’ve noticed people are much bolder when writing an email, opining on a blog, or sharing a headline on Facebook. We have a culture of cowards where instead of face-to-face discourse many of our critics hide in their rooms behind a keyboard.
They Picked Their VPs
Who is by your side?
The people you spend time with define you. It’s an election year and much of the focus over the last few weeks has been on the vice-presidential picks of the candidates. While the VP is never at the top of the ticket, how and who the presidential candidates select as their VP says a lot about who they are, how they will lead, and the people that will influence their decisions. Who is by your side? Who do you surround yourself with?
I’m not sure five people is the magic number, but the people around you define you. This is especially important in two different areas: