Some people measure quantify first and quality later. Some people measure money first and impact to the team later (not even second!). How you measure productivity might determine your character and your reputation. Put people first. -- doug smith
Get good at something that won't obsolete itself. For example: emotional intelligence creating great conversations encouraging people leadership What would you add to the list? Which ones are you developing? -- doug smith
"You've got to be there. Big decisions are being made!" my former boss told me a long time ago. "If your voice is in the room you might be heard..." It was good advice then and it still is. Show up. When there's a goal you're working on and an opportunity appears to advance that goal -- show up. When changes are being made that will affect you -- show up! When it matters to you -- show up. You won't always get what you want by showing up, but you never will if you don't! -- doug smith
Build things that people need and you'll always be needed. Just remember, you may have to change how you build those things. People's needs change and those needs are often more complicated than they seem. There is also a power difference between "classic" and "obsolete." As hard as it is, leaders need to navigate that difference. Build things that people need -- practical goods. And keep improving how you do it. -- doug smith
People do want to be challenged, but only by people who walk the talk. Leaders who demonstrate the character and discipline that they demand from others. What would your team look like if everyone on your team performed exactly like you? -- doug smith
Resistance to change is our most natural and unproductive impulse. Helping people thru that change changes their lives positively. It's s something that high performance leaders do. -- doug smith
Adversity creates urgency for you goals. You might not want the conflict, but it just might catalyze your actions toward success. Find the good in it and move ahead. Any important goal will spark a bit of conflict. Use that energy to help you achieve your goal. -- doug smith
Everybody wants to win but to win within the rules is the road to excellence. Any cheating at all cracks the character that holds long term quality together. Win, sure. Win within the rules. -- doug smith
If you can't seem to hire good performers with a solid work ethic, you might need to develop them. Maybe start by showing them what that looks like, or as John Maxwell has said "Know the way, show the way, and go the way." You know, walk the talk. I know a LOT of leaders who complain about work ethic. Maybe they need to let their people see them work... -- doug smith
Ever fall in love with a plan? We can plan so thoroughly that the plan feels invincible, but it's not. We can plan with such precision that we think we're ready for anything. We're not ready for anything. Things have a way of changing in ways we did not expect. If your plan was made before things hanged it's time to change your plans. We don't need to get upset. We need to get up and going. -- doug smith
Have you ever been so focused on a goal that you missed an opportunity? The trouble is, by the time I realize that's happening, the opportunity is gone. Forever. It does take focused effort to achieve our goals, but not so much that we lose track of reality. Not so much that we miss what's going on around us. That goal IS important, but only until it isn't. Move forward, but keep processing. Keep learning. Keep feeling. Keep ready for the next surprise. -- doug smith
Leaders must first understand ethical behavior, then operate ethically, in order to promote ethical behavior. People will believe what they see and feel. -- doug smith
Old advice could still be good -- if it ever was good. Some old advice does not age well and so we throw it out. Stock market tips from 1980 won't do you much good today. Fashion statements from 1990 probably won't serve you well now. But some old advice holds up well. Take care of others. Tell the truth. Always do your best. Lots of old advice is still great advice. What's your best advice? -- doug smith
