High Performance Leadership

I went thru a grumpy period in my life. It was like a rut that was so deep no light could get in. It fed on its own bumpy grumpiness until that's all I could feel. Yuck. Forget that now. Now, I start with a positive thought. I could be wrong about finding the silver lining, but I've learned that I won't see the silver lining unless I look for it, and that's the place to start. Even the smallest positive effort has a positive impact. Let's start there. -- doug smith  

  Should high performance leaders smile more? If you've ever worked for a leader who did NOT ever smile, you probably yearned for a bit more human touch from them. How can you know that you're pleasing your leader if they remain cold and unfeeling? Sure, it can be annoying if a leader is happy-go-lucky all of the time. Tough leaders face tough situations with toughness without tearing their people (or themselves) apart.  Smiling is essential. Smiling keeps us grounded. Smiling puts positive energy to work for us, regardless of what's going on. Think about it: you can smile whenever you want to, it is completely up to you. When you do smile, it makes you feel better. When you do smile, it makes other people feel better, too.  There is more power in your smile than in anyone else's smile. Go for that power: smile. -- doug smith

Take a deep breath while you contemplate something or someone you are grateful for.  Pause and repeat. -- doug smith  

What if we lived like a teacher teaching the unknown, reaching the loved, and preaching possibility? What if we did our best to bring out the best in everyone we encountered? It may not be possible to do that all of the time, but it is certainly possible to do that more often. Let's do that more often! -- doug smith  

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

Something someone said in one of my workshops keeps popping back and I'm glad that it does. We were talking about dealing with difficult people, with difficult situations, with difficult times, and he said he approaches everyone from the same hopeful stance of "unconditional positive regard." It's not something anyone has to earn. It's not something anyone can push away. It's a calm, focused, giving, loving way to look at those around us. Who around us? Everyone. I have failed at this many times, even since hearing the words of "unconditional positive regard" and yet I do not surrender to the negative that creeps in when I'm off my game. Like a gentle redirection, like a soft return to the breath, I can think "unconditional positive regard." Today is a great day to create a great day! -- doug smith

Have you ever noticed that people tend to default toward rejection? A "no" comes quicker than a "yes." That's annoying to a sales person, but it's big trouble for a team leader who has a team stuck in the status quo. For teams, for leaders, there IS no status quo. A leader's job is to provoke change, to spark action, to get stuff done. High performance leaders provoke. Not to be bossy, but to be effective. When people aren't responding it's time to lead with more strength, more resilience, more persistence. It's time to provoke. How do you provoke? Keep asking questions. Keep communicating your expectations. Talk about it at length -- so much that if your team member is tired of hearing from you simply say that they will hear less when they have done more. High performance leaders provoke positive actions. And, they don't stop until those positive actions start. -- doug smith

Here's another guest entry from my friend and fraternity brother, David Spiegel.  Late yesterday afternoon, as I was finishing my last run of the day, my daughter Becca called me. She was having one of those "I think you need a Snickers" days. Without rehashing each and everyone one of the multitude of things that were annoying her, suffice it to say she was less than a happy camper. As she ranted on and on, barking about the challenges of the day, each description ended with her saying "what does it matter?" She was not questioning the event itself. She was questioning why she bothers to make the choices she does, trying to create the life that she wants. What does it matter if I watch what I eat....the scale doesn't move! What does it matter if I workout as much as I do? The damn scale still doesn't move. What does it matter that I get blood work done? The doctor doesn't care to understand my lifestyle. He has pre-f...

Do you ever get stuck in a negative phase? When things get rough (professionally OR personally) it can hit me right in the leadership center and throw me off kilter. That's no way to set an example and it's no way to lead. People count on their leaders to keep their focus and remain positive, even when the world is throwing a crap sandwich down the lunch box of life. Sometimes I have to talk myself into a positive point of view. When I do, it works. So if you need to, talk yourself into it. Stay positive. Given the choice between falling into the gnarly crack of negative thinking and keeping the course with positive energy, I'd go with positive. How about you? -- Doug Smith

How do you feel about your goals? If they are big, noble, ambitious, and fun you probably feel good about them. If they are small, inconsequential, and discordant with your mission or values, you might not feel so great about them. We get to choose. Our feelings will tell us all about our goals and their importance. When we feel unhappy with our goals, it's not our feelings that are out of whack - it's our goals. Our goals should make us feel good about ourselves. Our goals should tell us that we are working on important things and making a positive difference. Our goals should show us that we are growing. Our goals should bring a smile to our faces. Maybe not all of your goals will set the world aglow or keep you grinning. But, shouldn't some of them? -- Doug Smith

The trouble I have with setbacks is that I usually make more of them than is necessary. I interpret the results, which distorts the facts, which increases the feelings, and then it feels like a mess. It does not have to be that way. Setbacks create opportunity. Maybe a situation didn't turn out the way we planned. New facts abound. Something must be done. We might need to focus more carefully on our mission and our goals. But it's a setback, not a disaster. Centered leaders use setbacks to pivot toward the direction of their mission. It's not a time to agonize. It's a time to change. Positive change. Here's something positive I'd like to share: for every setback I've experienced (and there have been plenty) within a year of that setback I feel better, stronger, happier than ever. Not at first. Not even in a week. But by keeping my goals in view and my heart moving forward and my mind positive, better things happen. Think about one of your setba...

Sure, these guys have thorns - but aren't they pretty? How does it feel to be pulled into a negative state? For me, it's a bit like an old ride in a amusement park. You think you're going into a fun house, but it turns out there's nothing fun about it. Poorly paid teenagers hassle you with textures and unwelcome contact. Distorted sounds surround you. Lights flash unexpectedly and you could just about swear that a rat just ran across your feet. Not fun. Who would willfully choose a negative state? Circumstances sometimes suck us in. Darkness descends around us without our knowing why and certainly without choosing it. But let's not stay there. Let's escape negativity. Let's work as centered, mindful, high performance leaders to stay aware of our mental state and choose our best path as often as possible. And, it's usually possible. Centered leaders find ways to escape negativity. Ways like challenging an out of bounds criticism. Staying cur...