High Performance Leadership

  Finding someone to share your goal with doubles your chances of success.  Partners provide energy. Team take us to new levels. People push us on. I'm going to start collaborating more...how about you? -- doug smith

Does your ego ever get in the way? Leaders do need healthy egos. We must demonstrate belief, confidence, and assurance. All of that requires healthy self-esteem that allows us to stand up to resistance and push thru difficulty. It's possible, though, for that self-esteem to turn into self-aggrandizement if we're not careful. How can we manage our egos? The best way I know is by developing the kinds of strong, open, honest relationships with people that allow others to provide feedback. Have a friend who is willing to tell you when your ego is bloated or your assumptions are presumptuous. Develop the resilience and resolve to realize that, gasp! you are not always right. Especially when we begin operating fast and relentlessly the safety valve of honest people keeps us out of trouble. Also, everyone we deal with has an ego. Our team members, our customers, our bosses. Egos are everywhere and whether they are confident or hesitant we deal with them in the middle of worki...

If you abandon any part of your team, your whole team will feel expendable. That's NOT what you want. The lesson? Be careful about how you say goodbye to your team members. Be careful about who you ignore. And, be careful about taking anyone on your team for granted. -- doug smith

The job of a leader is to take care of, not advantage of, team members. -- doug smith

Teams are built from the inside - and from the outside. I saw a message from a famous person today touting the merits of promoting from within. It build morale, it sends a clear cultural message, it motivates people on the team. That's all true. It's also true that our teams may not have every strength that we need to make it to the next level. It may be necessary to add some spice to keep growing. Promote from within? Absolutely! AND build your team by constantly looking for talent interested in joining your cause. Who do you know who might serve your team incredibly well, but is not yet part of your team?  Have you talked with them lately? -- Doug Smith

Does your team believe in itself? Here's how you know that a team believes in itself: Each person on the team can tell you the team's vision and mission People are remarkably not focused on the clock Smiles! Team members are enthusiastic and positive Team members come up with new ideas Problem solving is a way of life, not a chore A team must believe in itself to succeed.  What are you doing to help your team believe more fully in itself? -- Doug Smith

An effective leader creates energetic teams. You could also say "co-create" to show how much collaboration has to do with it. True enough, collaboration IS essential. Effective leaders get things going. Effective leaders bring their own creativity to the team. We don't need to wait for effective collaboration to get creative and energetic. The energy you bring pushes the team one way or another. Which way will you choose? -- Douglas Brent Smith

Centered leaders stay ahead in the field without getting lost in the weeds. How do they do it? By getting precise, open, honest feedback and using it. By keeping their focus on their vision, regardless of the distractions. By building teams of energized, focused, centered team members. Sound tough? That's why it's a full time job. -- Douglas Brent Smith http://frontrangeleadership.com

Have you ever had people on your team that didn't seem to belong there? For whatever reasons, they seemed unhappy and discontent. Despite your best efforts to engage them, they didn't quite connect and in fact stubbornly resisted connecting. Most teams get some reluctant team members. Effective teams do something about it. It's an act of kindness to help reluctant team members either move forward or move on. Sometimes moving on is the best thing for them. It even strengthens your team. It's not something you do casually or without compassion. It's something you do carefully and intentionally. But sometimes it has to be done. HOW TO TELL IF SOMEONE IS CONNECTED ON YOUR TEAM - Do they participate enthusiastically at team meetings? - Do they come up with new ideas? - Do they support the ideas of others? - Do they support and exemplify your team's values? - Do they work to support your team's vision? - Are they helping your team to meet it's goals? - Do the...

Is your team complete? Have you built the perfect work group capable of achieving every goal you could ever conceive. Probably not. Centered leaders realize that a team is never fully complete and needs constant change. Not change just for the sake of change -- but meaningful, mission-based, vision-focused change. Are you ready for that? What will you do today to bring that closer to reality? Douglas Brent Smith http://frontrangeleadership.com

What are the missing pieces on your team? What part your main process break down just when you need them the most? Who on your team is performing with a mixed sense of priorities or is lacking connection with the team's vision? High performance leaders find and fill the missing pieces on their team. What missing piece are you working on today? -- Douglas Brent Smith http://frontrangeleadership.com

A single leader cannot do it all. A single leader who tries to control every decisions is bound for failure. People need input in what their team does and where they go. Powerful teams share responsibility, and responsible leaders realize this before it becomes an issue. But it's not too late. If you are not already sharing responsibility for your team's success, why not start today? What will you do TODAY to increase the involvement of your team and to share responsibility? -- Doug Smith http://frontrangeleadership.com