High Performance Leadership

  We are driven to extremes. We whipsaw and swing wildly when little swings will do. We fail to compromise because we're so far in one direction that we can't even hear the sounds from the other direction. We solve, and in so solving create even more problems. What if the problem is extremes? -- doug smith

Many years ago when I was music director and touring with Child's Play Touring Theater we were putting together a show for children with a work-related theme. Children are often fascinated by jobs, by what their parents do, by what they see adults doing in the world. It was just one of hundreds of shows that we did, but I remember one song from that show that I wrote especially. The first verse was: there's a little bit of work to be done an American phenomenon there will always be a little bit of work to be done to be done, to be done, by everyone... I can't take credit for the lyrics because we used poems and stories written by children as the basis for our material. It was fun. And it reminds me today that what was true then is still true today. There's a little bit of work to be done. We have problems to solve. We have goals to achieve. High performance leaders are never finished. Even as I near retirement age (don't fret, my bills will keep ...

Is it hard to see the value in problems? No one asks for problems. But the really big ones offer great opportunity for change. The really big problems create such a disturbance that the status quo just won't do. We do something about them. Sometimes a box full of problems can lead to a warehouse full of success. One solution leads to another. One burst of creativity builds more capacity. New standards are set and people grow. Where are you in your box of problems? -- Doug Smith

How do you feel when you realize that the cause of your problem is you? I'll admit it, it's so easy to blame something else for anything uncomfortable but often the root of the problem is something I've done, thought, or ignored. Awareness isn't always easy; it's just necessary. Often we are the cause of our own problems without realizing it. That's why we need feedback. That's why we need help. That's why we need enough self-esteem to admit when we're wrong. How do you feel about that? -- Doug Smith

It seems faster. It seems more efficient. Why not simply give your constituents no choice by changing what needs to be changed and removing the old way of doing things? Because, well -- people don't like that sort of thing. And when they don't like something you can count on lots of resistance. There's not much point in solving a problem by creating new ones. Centered problem solvers do better than that because they know that a solution that needs to be forced is probably not going to solve your problem. We might as well find a solution that our constituents embrace -- even when that is more work. What do you think? -- Douglas Brent Smith Looking for a way to solve more problems in your organization? Why not bring our workshop Centered Problem Solving to your location.

My job is to help as many people as possible, solve as many problems a possible, as quickly as possible. That should keep me busy for the rest of my life, don't you think. But you can play, too. You can join in at helping to solve problems. Why not start with your own? Or start with someone else's so that you can gain the confidence and skill you need to solve just about any any problem? Why do you think that people have problems? What do you think prevents people from solving problems? Maybe it's because of one of these three things: 1. They don't know. They don't know that it IS a problem so the situation continues. This applies to many personal and relationship problems but it could apply to just about any problem. They don't know how to solve it. Surely we would solve any problem if we simply KNEW how to solve it wouldn't we? Usually, unless: 2. They don't care. No one is likely to solve a problem that they don't care about. Why would some one no...

What does kindness have to do with leadership? Only a truly centered leader can co-create the kind of organization that makes a positive difference in the world, that sustains the most life-affirming values, and that binds people together in mutually beneficial ways. Centered leaders focus on positive acts of kindness. It is amazing how many of our problems relate to unexpressed kindness, or the lack of kindness. So much of what we endure is unnecessary. So much of our potential is within our kindness. What little acts of kindness can you as a leader perform today -- for your people, for your customers, for your world? This can take the form of: - kind words - anonymous gifts - skillful coaching - forgiveness - help - smiling - playfulness - a generous sense of humor What other acts of kindness can you think of? -- Douglas Brent Smith

What do you do with a performance problem on your team? How do you know what is causing your team member and your team to miss a goal or deliverable? Do you automatically think of it as a people problem, or do you dig deeper? High performance leaders identify the causes of performance problems in collaboration with the people involved. If your evidence is pointing to one individual, talk with that individual about what is standing in the way. It may surprise you. Think of track that runners use during a race. They start in different lanes, but all of the runners share the same track. If it is muddy, it effects them all. If it is in perfect condition, they all have conditions that are conducive to running their best race. But some will contend for the win and some will simply finish the race. It doesn't make them bad people, it just means that there will almost always be faster runners in the race, and runners that will not quite compete with those faster runners. In a way, that...

How do you know when you're ready to grow? Since we basically have two choices: growth or decay, our best choice is always growth. The need for growth is always around us and some signs are more clear than others. Having problems, for example, is a clear sign that we're ready for growth. We need to grow to acquire the skills we need to tackle those problems. We need to grow beyond our limitations. We need to grow as people in our key strengths of clarity, courage, creativity and compassion. We need to grow. So if you have problems, don't let them shove you in the direction of giving up to decay. Instead, smile and take them as the dashboard for growth that they are. Having problems is a great sign that you're ready to grow. -- Douglas Brent Smith Leadership Teleclasses and Workshops

When we find ourselves in the middle of a problem, fear can slow us down. Fear can immobilize us just as we are about to achieve our goals. Fear can be a signal, but it does not have to be a brake. Fear is feedback, not your fate. -- Douglas Brent Smith http://frontrangeleadership.com Solving Problems | Achieving Your Goals

As a leader, how much attention do you give to improving processes? Do you watch your team install a process and then simply let it flow on and on -- or do you drive a constant focus to improve that process? Too often I've seen leaders spend their efforts trying to fix people , when the center of their problems is usually broken processes and procedures . Any process can be improved until it's no longer necessary. And then you can shut it down. It's work is done. So keep improving those processes. If you're still doing it, you can still improve it. -- Douglas Brent Smith http://frontrangeleadership.com