High Performance Leadership

"It's just too hard!" they said, "and I can't find the motivation." "Where do you think motivation comes from?" "Powerful speakers, wonderful leaders, carefully written goals...I don't know." "You probably DO know. All of that is true -- we can find motivation in our circumstance, in our leaders, in our goals, but even if motivation smacks us in the face with a big wet kiss, unless we do something about it, what does it really mean?" "Is that supposed to be motivating?" "Only if you want it to be..." "But things are so tough!" "Sure they are. Always have been. Not likely to change. If the world was easy the soft would rule. If you don't want to BE ruled, you might need to find some inner motivation -- especially when you need it." Motivation matters most when times get tough. Find your motivation wherever you can. The reality is, motivation comes from yourself. -- doug smith

Forgive mistakes, but give the feedback. -- doug smith

Your best performance should be your baseline, not your ceiling. Keep learning. Keep growing. Keep working. -- doug smith

High performance leaders find out what their teams need. Teams won't always ask for what they need in a productive way. They might simply slow down or stop being productive. When they do, there's always a need, frequently one that they cannot fulfill on their own. Better communication... Motivation aligned with their skills... Personal development... Interpersonal intervention (when people just can't get along)... Clarification of goals, duties, responsibilities... The list is long. Do you know what your team needs? What are you doing to fulfill those needs? -- doug smith

If conflict is inevitable, shouldn't we just get really good at resolving it? -- doug smith

Go ahead and build your team -- just let the team do most of the building. -- doug smith