High Performance Leadership

  Patience. I didn't see the need to mature until I matured. You're probably leading some team members who have not yet figured that out. Patience. -- doug smith

  What's the problem with keeping score?  How we measure things keeps changing. Is it better to be the fastest in your field, or to be the one who endures? Is quality more important than quantity? What if you run out? Peter Drucker is often quoted for his insightful line, "what gets measured gets done." We do need to measure. We do need to differentiate. We also need to remember that scores lead to surprises: people learn how to game the scores, customers shift their interests, metrics morph into new configurations. Keeping score only matters until it doesn't matter -- and that can happen in a heartbeat. Are you ready to change? Are you ready to change how you measure that change? --

  Some days it's easier to preach than perform. Resist that temptation. -- doug smith

  There is a field of perfection in sight. Head in that direction. The journey never ends, but it does get better and better. -- doug smith

  Maps are useful. Pictures help us to understand. High performance leaders rely on maps, charts, and visuals to help communicate and influence. A good map can even help you find your way to your mission. Find a good map. But pay attention to the terrain -- things are always shifting. -- doug smith

  Even if you think you've reached your peak, that mountain keeps growing if you do. -- doug smith

  Find the most positive choice. Choose that. Repeat. -- doug smith

  Do you ever overthink?  I've done it way too much. It gets in the way, and I can turn mildly tough stories into deep dark tragedies if I'm not careful.  Personal relationships, business decisions, activity selections... Thinking too much can get us into as much trouble as thinking too little. -- doug smith

  Contentment is a learnable skill, not an accomplishment.  -- doug smith

  Humility is the beginning of understanding. Everything that comes before is illusion. -- doug smith

  Sometimes our secret agenda is so secret that it fools ourselves. -- doug smith

  The search for universal rules rules out universal rules. -- doug smith

  Happiness is a product of service. You can look for it in a million other ways. You can invent reasons why you can avoid the secret, but the secret remains. Joy comes from sharing. Love comes from caring. Happiness is a product of service. -- doug smith

  Have you ever had a hero who let you down? We all change. We create expectations that accompany our record. Things we think today might change (will change) tomorrow. What once seemed smart might tear us apart.  During the constant transformations that we all experience, a former hero might seem to have lost credibility. Maybe they lived thru a candle. Maybe they said something that no longer resonates but instead alienates. Who hasn't made mistakes? (don't think about that one too long -- we all have!) The source of your wisdom may not always be wise. Keep learning. -- doug smith

  Have you ever had a boss who seemed to ignore you? Feedback was rare, expectations were hidden, they only seemed to talk when it meant confrontation?  That's not motivating, is it? What IS motivating to team members is when their boss pays attention, when their boss knows and understands what is going on. There are so many questions you can ask and find the answers to just by paying attention. Questions like: Who needs more training? Where are the customer complaints coming from? Are there any resources we need to replenish? What are we always running out of and why? How can I be the best possible boss right now? See your team members. Listen to what's going on. Spend time with each and every one of them. Supervisors can motivate a lot by paying attention. People will notice. -- doug smith

When is No Excuses Day? Every day.  Start tough. Stay tough. Play fair. No excuses. -- doug smith

You don't have to believe someone's truth to believe that it's their truth. There's no cost to understanding. -- doug smith

  I've said it before, and I'll keep on saying it because it makes the difference in a leader.  High performance leaders get to know their people. There is no substitute for time spent talking with people who matter most. -- doug smith

  Do your team members know your expectations? Have you told them, directly, what you want? High performance leaders communicate their expectations frequently and precisely. There should never be any doubt. -- doug smith

  It's a good start when you give it your heart. -- doug smith

  Never confuse the patience to forgive with permission to harm. -- doug smith

  Set goals that set you up for success. You deserve it. Today's the day. -- doug smith

  My first emotional reaction is often wrong and always incomplete. Pause. Breathe. Experience. That next response could be much better. -- doug smith

  Every useful answer started as a brilliant question. -- doug smith

  Does it feel like we are constantly adjusting to change? Imaging how your team feels! High performance leaders are constantly driving change, making things different, pushing and prodding people out of their comfort zone. That's not easy for them. Work has been stormy for awhile. Edges have pushed past the center. Gravity has pulled us in. Sparks fly, flames rise, trouble keeps pounding on the door. It's not our fault; it's all our fault. Change must continue because that's where the growth lives, in transformation. But like a caterpillar mumbling WTF, we're all a bit spun dizzy by the pace of it all. High performance leaders stayed centered. Ease into the adjustments and stay both courageous and compassionate. The best is still ahead, but we've got to weather the storms in the way. -- doug smith

  One of the worst things I've ever done, and I do hope to get forgiveness on this sometime, is to give someone the "silent treatment." In anger, in frustration, in doubt, in fear, I've kept silent when someone needed to hear something very important. It might have been assurance. It might have been an explanation. It might have been encouragement. Maybe it was just the quiet humble truth. Why did I do that (and honestly, why so many times?) There is no reward. Withholding carries its own punishment: the unresolved, the unexplained, the unbound. Tell the truth. Tell it right away. Your heart needs the feeling, and your head needs the truth. -- doug smith

  High performance leaders recognize and appreciate the work of their team members. You might think that they are fine, you might think that they are self-motivated, and maybe they are -- but everyone craves recognition. We all want to be appreciated. What gets appreciated gets repeated.  What gets neglected feels disrespected. Let your people know that you care! -- doug smith

Have you ever rehearsed something that you need to say? Oh my, have I ever spent way too much time rehearsing things that  I needed to say. Things that made me uncomfortable, things that made someone else hold themselves accountable, things that could be misunderstand. And, so I rehearsed. And rehearsed. And rehearsed. Trying so hard to come up with the right words to say that I didn't say anything. Sometimes it's less about what you say and more about your willingness to say it. -- doug smith

  Ethical leadership requires diligence. Expect your integrity to be tested every single day. -- doug smith Read more on this here .

  High performance leaders get to know their people. Talk about more than work. Talk about more than goals. Smile. Ask questions. Spend time with each and every team member. The more they get to know you, the more they want to do for you. The more you get to know them, the easier it is to figure out how to help them do their best. High performance leaders get to know their people. How are you doing on that? -- doug smith

  We are never finished with developing our communication skills. Don't stop now, you're just getting started. -- doug smith

You can, and probably will, spend hours preparing a fifteen minute presentation. Whether it's in front of a live crowd or virtually, it is important to get your slides right. They are important. But, they aren't everything. The thing to best prepare is your self. You are your most accurate instrument. Are you tuned? Are you prepared? Are you warmed up? People won't remember your slides. They'll remember you. -- doug smith

  Do liars frustrate you? They absolutely aggravate me. Especially since they usually KNOW they are lying, and often KNOW that you KNOW they are lying, and still they lie. It's nonsense. You can't stop a liar from lying, but you don't have to play their game. -- doug smith

  Every day your truth is tested so you might as well make it true. -- doug smith