High Performance Leadership

Have you ever seen someone who is so flexible that it's hard to know where they stand? There have been times when I felt that way myself. It feels free, but then limits because it's so hard to make a decision. How do you choose? What's best? I've since learned that it helps in making decisions to rely on a solid set of values, a strong sense of purpose, and a committed set of goals. Everything else, from projects to past times, falls in line with those three things. When you add your sense of faith to your values (or as one of your values) it becomes much easier to see when it's necessary to be flexible and when it's necessary to remain firm. High performance leaders maintain flexibility without losing focus.  They know when to be flexible and when to be firm. How about you? -- Doug Smith

Does this sound familiar? "I don't have enough time! I don't even have time to decide what to do next!" It's a familiar cry with some of the groups I facilitate. Working on their productivity, they can barely find time to work on their productivity. Start simply. Start at the top. Start where the most leverage brings the bonus opportunities: prioritize. Decide how you will decide. What makes something important to you? It's up to you. It could be your mission. It could be your faith. It could be your circumstances (gotta pay the bills!) What is it for you? Decide how you will decide and then decide. Priorize. Sound too simple? It's a place to start. What's most important in your life? -- Doug Smith

Team enthusiasm comes from embracing the team mission. Do they know what it is? Are they excited about it? Does it drive your decisions as a team? If not, find out why. Clearly define that mission. Focus on that mission. You'll like the results. -- Doug Smith

Are your goals aligned with your mission? That, of course, implies that you immediately know your mission. So, if you don't, isn't it time to either: a) memorize your mission, or b) create your mission? We achieve our goals in order to achieve our mission. When we've created true alignment in our efforts, when our goals support and bring about our mission, we gain the leverage to accomplish great things AND enjoy the process. What do you think? -- Doug Smith

Remember that advertising slogan for a very questionable publication that kept saying "Inquiring minds want to know"? We all have inquiring minds. We all need to know. And what we need to know the most is why. Why do we do what we do. What makes what we do cool, important, necessary? It's never just a job. It's never just an interaction. There is always a reason why. Know why. Figure out your why. Identify your mission. Then roll with it. -- Doug Smith P.S. My good friend David Spiegel has pointed out that Simon Sinek is a great source on WHY. Here's the video where I first was drawn to his thinking on this:

Do you ever answer the wrong question? I do that sometimes. Instead of keeping my focus on the goal, or the mission, I can become fixed on what I just want at that moment in time. When that happens, I ask the wrong questions, such as "how can I make myself happy right now?" and "why am I so confused?" The right questions focus on the big picture. The right questions focus on goals, visions, and values. Answering the wrong question will likely slow you down. Here's are questions that help me -- What's my goal? Does this goal match my values? My vision? Is this the best use of my time right now? Will this even matter a year from now? What questions work best for you?  -- Doug Smith

Have you ever committed to a goal too quickly? I sure have.  It sounds great and I want to please the client and before I know it, there's a commitment to a goal that eventually loses steam. It might not even make sense. It often is unachievable. Let's not do that. Instead, let's take a moment (at least!) to think it over. Does the goal match our values? Does the goal support our mission? Do we have the resources and motivation to achieve the goal? Sometimes we need to ponder a goal a few days before committing to it. Acting fast is great. Acting foolishly is costly. Unless the delay seriously compromises the ability to achieve that goal, it might be worth considering. Are you rethinking any goals that you've already committed to? -- Doug Smith

Have you ever had to work with someone who does not share your values? In all honesty, I think we all do that all the time. Our values are important, and we strive to live by them every day, but not everyone shares those values and yet we do need the help of people who have different values. It IS so much easier to work with people who share our values. Shared values build trust. Shared values build understanding. Shared values build collaboration. But sometimes we have to be a role model for those values and hope that our demonstration of our values in action will show their merit. By being a positive example of our values in action, we might just encourage other people to embrace those values. And by showing our willingness to work with people we disagree with we can show how we facilitate, rather than force, our way of living. It's harder to collaborate with people who don't share our values -- but not impossible. Who have you been avoiding because of their value...

You can probably find over a hundred thousand references in ten seconds that advise you chase your dream. Find that sense of mission and build your life around it. So you know. You think about it. Maybe you even do it. Chase your dream because that's what you want, because that's where your gifts are ready to serve, because life's too short for crappy work. Do your best work on what you do best. Isn't that the secret you already know? How are you doing at it? You might as well chase your dream -- that's where the energy is. Anything else is killing time. And times way too valuable to squander. -- Doug Smith

Who is getting younger? None of us. As a member of the baby boom generation I see my hair turning gray, disappearing (well, alright so it's already gone) and my face getting that cowboy in the son rugged look that reminds me more of my dad than me. We all get older. No matter how old you are, have you asked yourself what you want to leave behind? What do you want to be remembered for? How will this place be better off because you were here. Big or small, we all have an impact. Big or small we all make a difference. In large part, we get to decide what that difference is. I'd like for people to explore, discover, and develop more centered leadership because I was here. I'd like for people to remember me as helping them develop their clarity, courage, creativity, and compassion. There's still so much work to do on that I'd better have another forty years or so to do it. But it's my vision. What's your vision? You're in charge of your legacy. Is...

Do you ever wonder where your best choices are hiding? I've had times when I felt painted into a corner by circumstances. It's easy to get emotionally stuck in that corner. Easy, but not very useful. Climb out of that trap and look for possibilities. Creativity teaches us that there is always a new way to see and do. There is always a new combination, a new set of rules, a new world of possibilities. Simply looking for those possibilities is usually enough to uncover some. I've know people who give up on their dreams because they no longer seem possible. What I've learned about that (having let go of a few dreams along the way) is that it is well worth the time to figure out what is it about that dream that appeals to you. What makes that dream cool? Why do you want it? What do you want out of it? Maybe there are far more choices and permutations to that dream that you'd considered. Living your dream could be much more flexible than you realize. The next t...

What is your primary goal as a leader? I consider my primary goal to be "helping people to achieve their goals." The most challenging thing to that is that I don't succeed unless others do. The longer I work, the more I am convinced that is true no matter what your primary goal is. To the extent that we help others, enrich others, empower others -- that's the degree of success we achieve. What if your success depends on your ability to bring success to others? Will it change the way you do business? Will it change the way you look at others? Will it recalibrate success? Sure. We have goals for ourselves. What I'm wondering, though, is how much more do we get when others do well as well? I'm thinking that the answer is: a bunch more. What do you think? -- Doug Smith