High Performance Leadership

Sometimes I like to imagine that I can go back in time and fix some mistake. Something I said, but shouldn't have...something I didn't say, but should have. A look, a sigh, a moment taken distracted when someone needed my attention. Could I just please fix all that? We are who we are and we got here the way that we got here. There is no changing that. And -- there's no stopping us from learning. From it, and from more. To keep learning. We can't fix the past, but we can learn from it. To say what we want to say. To do what we need to do. To grow instead of standing still. To make the gesture, hold the hand, hug the friend, attend to the one in need. We can learn. -- doug smith

Are you stretching? Are you expanding your boundaries? Are you trying new things and developing new skills? No matter how much we resist it, we are born to stretch ourselves and test our limits. Stretch. Repeat. Don't stop. -- doug smith

Doubt is a butt-kicker. It slows down performance. Do you know what's way better than doubt? Preparation. Training. Persistence. Discipline. Working harder everyday to get that job done and achieve that goal. High performance leaders are as capable of doubt as anyone. What they do differently is assess the doubt, look past the fear, and persevere. -- doug smith

It's not easy. Forgiving others is tough enough. Forgiving ourselves is monumental. We can never completely fix a wrong. The long tail of short comings seems to last forever. But why get stuck there? Unable to fix the past, let's forgive and move forward. Let's work to make something better. Let's work to make everything better. If we can forgive our past we can work on our future. -- doug smith

Work is rapidly changing. Yesterday's highly valued competencies are becoming expected. Supervisors find themselves ill-equipped to handle the production needs and people needs of their teams. The journey from goal formation to goal achievement is covered with roadblocks. Challenges face us from every direction. The best way to navigate those challenges is by learning. Constant, relentless, patient, persistent learning. Every leader in your organization is on a journey. Do they have the training they need? -- doug smith

Did you ever have someone who kept insisting on a particular deadline, whether or not the deadline made sense? I've had bosses who set arbitrary deadlines and then treated them as if they were the most important thing in the world. One in particular kept asking his favorite question, "Are you done yet?" Deadlines ARE important. What we are working on is important. Deadlines matter. But why we are doing what we are doing may determine how much effort and urgency we give to the task. Why matters. Importance is relative. Priorities are necessary so that we spend our limited time working on what truly matters most. Why is more important than when. As a leader, when you are delegating, help the team member identify why they are doing the assignment. As a highly productive, high performance leader, when you prioritize your own tasks, ask yourself why number one is number one in order of priority. Why matters. Why is more important than when. Wouldn't you rath...

Failing one test is study for the next. As adults, the learning never stops. We get to repeat the lesson until we LEARN the lesson. I've learned to take my lumps and keep learning. Keep getting better. Study harder, work harder, and fill the gaps. We all fail sometimes. Let the learning continue! -- doug smith