High Performance Leadership

Judging someone does not change them. Still, don't high performance leaders need a sense of judgment? Forgiving someone does not correct the fault. Still, isn't forgiveness necessary for a growing leader? Changing does not change the past. Still, leaders always change. Purity is a tough standard to match. Maybe pause perfection long enough to improve. -- doug smith

It would be easy to skip my morning, or afternoon, or evening push-ups. Heck, I did skip them for most of my life. But regular exercise is a discipline that won't do itself.  We don't have to like or enjoy discipline-building habits in order to need them. The drills prove, over and over, that we do. Start small if you need to, but definitely start.  -- doug smith

Bold assertion here, but here goes. The truth is always incomplete. We simply can't know all of the facts all of the time with 100% certainty, especially considering that the truth is filtered by our perspective. You likely believe some things that you didn't previously believe. Most of us do. We get more information, and what we see (and experience) as the truth shifts. As my friend and fraternity brother, David Spiegel might say, "shift happens." Clarity is essential for high performance leaders. A muddled message translates to a troubled team. But clarity is not necessarily fixed.  To speak with clarity tell the truth while remaining curious about what the truth is. Even people on the road to perfection (especially people traveling in that direction) should keep learning. As a recovering know-it-all you can be sure that I will tell you once I have figured out the absolute truth. I'll be wrong, of course. What do you think? -- doug smith

Unless leaders coach for performance the performance will slide.  Your people need you. Your coaching matters. Keep coaching your brains out! -- doug smith

There's no reason to believe in false choices. There are always more choices. If you can't find them, create them. High performance leaders are creatives so create the best choices for you.  -- doug smith

You can get the recognition you need without stealing any appreciation from anyone else. We can enjoy the successes of others -- it does not take anything away from us.  -- doug smith

There are many meanings contained in what I consider the five core leadership strengths: courage, creativity, clarity, compassion, and centeredness (the skillful use of the other four.) Here's a humble point on two of them: Courage is knowing when someone can do better. Compassion is knowing when someone has done all they can. Push when pushing is needed. Support when to push would be wrong. How do you know, as a leader, when to push would be wrong? It's wrong when it doesn't make things better. It's wrong when it hurts someone.