High Performance Leadership

Delight in imperfection and you'll be constantly delighted. -- doug smith

My former acting coach, Brian McCulley once said that "done is better than perfect." I don't think he meant to minimize quality, because that is also important. But sometimes urgency is more important than perfection, considering that we'll never achieve perfect. There are no perfect people. There are no perfect products. There are no perfect processes. We may travel John Wesley's road to perfection without ever getting there. That is completely fine. I've learned to seek wisdom rather than perfection since discovering the endless amount of personal flaws has destroyed any illusion of perfect. Still, I travel that road, whether it's driving or as a passenger. It's a good road, even when it never ends. I've also learned not to let it grieve me.  We are all here to improve. Let's keep improving. When we look into the mirror, let's not expect perfection. Let's not let disappointment cloud our days. Expecting perfection is not a...

Whether you're flying or falling, land on love. Start to finish, it's your best choice. -- doug smith

High performance leaders do not make -- or accept -- excuses. -- doug smith

Think of competition as encouragement to grow. -- doug smith

Life is filled with disappointments. We can wallow in them or we can swim thru them to the other side. On the other side is an answer. If it's not the right answer, it's still the perfect answer because it leads to whatever is next. High performance leaders remember a key ingredient is love. When we encourage, when we coach, when we poke and prod and push, we do best when we remember to keep love in it. The kind of love that remembers that some part of everyone is broken in some way and maybe, just maybe, our little love is the glue that can hold it together. Come to love when it's tough. Come to love when it's harsh. Come to love when you're broken. Come to love when the only love you can think about walks out the door and slams it tight. It's not over for you, for your team, or for your hopes and dreams. The seeds are still there, in your own little love. Because your little love is huge. Because your little love will see you thru. And because it is a...

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...