High Performance Leadership

Problems can be solved by using your strengths to overwhelm your weaknesses. What are you good at? I don't me "pretty good" -- I mean what do you do that is consistently topnotch? What do you do that is so good that people are willing to pay you for it? We all encounter problems. As leaders, people look to us to solve those problems or facilitate the solution of them. Some problems are easy (solving attendance problems can feel difficult, but the bottom line is that people must be to work on time or find someplace else to work...) and some are so difficult that they can't be solved, only managed (dealing with government regulations, reducing expenses without reducing staffing...). How we solve our problems makes all the difference in the world. Using our strengths puts us in an energized position of expertise and ability. We are much more likely to stick with the search for a solution until we find something that works. Working from our weaknesses ...

The phone rings. It's darker than usual. Who would be calling now? You stumble to find the source of the ring. That's not even what your phone sounds like. You pick up the receiver. No one's there. It's your wake up call. Now you remember: you're away from home. There's work to be done, and you did ask for this reminder to rise up early and to get started on your goals. Wake up calls are sometimes disorienting. They can take us by surprise, even when we expect them. How does that make sense? Examine your history of wake up calls and look for patterns. The patterns are likely there. What is your wake up call? What have you put in place to get you going, to get you oving in a strange place, at an unusual time? We live in unusual times but hasn't that always been the case? What do we have to prevent us from slipping into a muddled routine accepting everything and leaving our own assumptions untested? What can rattle our cage? We need wake up...

High performance leaders remain vital by continuing to learn. They learn by taking training, continuing their education, reading, exercising their creativity, exploring what makes them curious, helping social agencies...countless ways to continue learning. What are you doing to keep your learning active? What have you learned today? -- Douglas Brent Smith http://frontrangeleadership.com

L eadership is not being in charge -- it is taking charge when help is needed. When you find yourself in a situation where you are wondering who's in charge -- that's the universe telling you that it's up to you... Are you ready to lead when you're needed? What are you doing to improve your leadership skills so that you WILL be ready? -- Douglas Brent Smith http://frontrangeleadership.com

Athletes, actors, and musicians train every day. Shouldn't leaders train regularly? When was the last time that you attended any leadership training? When will you attend more opportunities for learning? What could happen if you neglect your leadership development? How much more success could you achieve by improving your leadership skills? -- Douglas Brent Smith http://frontrangeleadership.com

Leaders can afford more mistakes than misunderstandings. Mistakes are part of moving forward. Mistakes mean that you are taking chances. Mistakes mean that you are pushing your boundaries. No one wants a surplus of mistakes, but if you must choose between making mistakes and creating misunderstandings, the choice is clear. Misunderstandings create tension. Misunderstandings fog your communication and even damage the organization. Avoid misunderstanding by creating open and honest communication, lots of feedback, and brightly shining clarity of purpose. How do you bring clarity to your relationships? What will you do today to prevent misunderstandings? -- Douglas Brent Smith Learn more in the workshop: Communicating for Results

The best leaders build organizations that become ready to move forward without them. They do this thru skillful coaching, frequent training, and attentive focus toward develop their own individual courage, creativity, clarity, and compassion. How are you developing your organization? Will your team outlive your involvement? -- Douglas Brent Smith http://frontrangeleadership.com