High Performance Leadership

Do you have great ideas you've never implemented? Most of us do. They come to us at odd times. They float thru our minds in the middle of doing something else. They emerge as suggestions for that project action plan but never quite make the plan. And we have great intentions, too. We'll improve our performance. We'll create better teams. We'll make a better world. Tomorrow. When our ideas are ready. Our ideas are ready. The time to act is now. Let's put our best ideas into motion and when we find their weaknesses make the corrections in motion. People will remember what you've done, not what you meant to do. What will you do today? -- Douglas Brent Smith

Are you dealing with one or more struggling team members? Does it seem like nothing works to improve their performance? Have they been struggling long enough to try your patience? Any leader with a large enough team (and sometimes, that's only two people) will be faced with struggling team members. Maybe they don't keep their promises. Maybe they miss their deadlines. Maybe they seem disengaged. Centered leaders find out why a team member is struggling and then help them to improve -- or move on. As tough as that may be, sometimes the best thing that a struggling team member can be helped to do is to move on. But that is not the default strategy. Start by helping. Start by listening. Start by focusing on the struggling team member's goals. Those goals may need to be re-calibrated. Deadlines might be moved. Additional team members may be brought in to help. When centered leaders stay curious and flexible a struggling team member can navigate thru that struggle. Somet...