An extraordinary team is an ordinary team with an extraordinary commitment. The extra refers to their commitment, not the players. Relatively speaking, any team can be extraordinary. To be extraordinary, you must align yourselves, and be resolute in your collective commitment. This means a firm determination, shared by all. When push comes to shove, an extraordinary team will always find a way – even…
It’s simple really, yet so few of us do it. Paying attention to all we procrastinate is an opportunity for delegation. Most leaders are poor at delegation, or at the very least, they delegate the minimal amount at the most commonly understood level. What if you could delegate 80% of all you do to others who were amazingly capable of doing a better job of the task at hand? What…
Are you becoming the person you want to become? The narrative around becoming the best version of yourself is ample these days. How do you get about it? It’s not a series of tactics changing behavior temporarily that empowers this. You won’t read, listen, or watch the secrets to becoming whatever that is for you. Sure, you have to do some introspection and realignment based on your habitual, repeated behaviors. The…
Do you have a structured work week? I do, and most of the time it helps me stay on track, ensure I’m doing all the right things to connect, fulfill my promises, and have enough space for all we couldn’t predict. Mostly, it works. And then, life happens. There are interruptions and changes. Sometimes, it’s challenging to have interruptions – you can set up the ideal conditions for focus…
Change is challenging. It’s an undoing. For me, I seem to do mass amounts of change at once; a little at a time doesn’t register my attention. My greatest lessons come from pain, and growth is the outcome. Really, life is an undoing unless you hang on. Letting things do and undo is always occurring. When it’s not, it’s usually because we’re hanging on. Hanging onto ideas, the past, preconceived notions, our expectations, what we believe is right or how we’d prefer…
For any successful leader, forgiveness is a vital virtue. Amid the relentless pursuit of excellence across diverse roles, the truth is evident: we can’t do it all, all the time. Moments arise when our aspirations surpass the constraints of time and energy. While successes abound, sometimes we must make sacrifices to accomplish all we do. Self-forgiveness, especially for irreparable instances, can be challenging. Those missed family events,…
One of the requests I make at the workshops I lead is to “be willing to receive as much as you give.” Believe it or not, this is a challenge for many leaders. Are you a good receiver? When people compliment you, do you immediately reciprocate with a compliment back out of habit, obligation, or discomfort? Many people do. Do you receive help or assistance well? One of…
Curve balls. They happen. It’s when the stuff you couldn’t imagine or wouldn’t know was coming shows up and interrupts the previously scheduled plans you’ve had. They happen in small ways every day. If you’re over-scheduled, there’s no room for them and they result in anxiety, stress and broken promises. There’s a simple fix for this one – schedule less, say no to more. Otherwise we should all expect interruptions and curveballs when overscheduled so we minimize our reactions. The larger ones,…
In the whirlwind of any overscheduled day, my favorite quote attributed to Gandhi will cross my mind: “I’m so busy today, I’ll have to meditate twice as much.” Amidst the multiplying meetings, tasks, and continuing needs of others, the thought of pausing to meditate seems unrealistic and counterproductive – as if volunteering the time slipping through my fingers. But then,…
Tao Te Ching says “Your conversations help create your world. Speak of delight, not dissatisfaction. Speak of hope, not despair. Let your words bind up wounds, not cause them.” This is a great reminder for me. I’m the person who enters the space and sees what’s off. Whether it’s in my home, at work, or out in the world, my brain is programmed to make things better. It’s a ninja skill many…