Leadership Thought #286 – You Either Hit Your Goals Or You Don’t
As we finish off the final accounting on 2011 it’s a useful exercise to reflect on the past year and how we actually performed against the goals we set out at the beginning of last year. I believe you start by being honest with yourself about whether hit your goals or you didn’t. There should be no wriggle room or rationalizations. Progress is certainly good, but it is no substitute for achievement. Too often in business and life we accept less than stellar results.
Leadership Thought #326 – Daily Habits Make A Difference
A career and life is just a series of interconnected days. Success comes about by developing constructive daily habits. Most people tend to “wing it” instead of creating some sense of consistency and discipline in their lives. As a result, they regularly end up dealing with the consequences of undisciplined behavior. Sure some people get lucky, but this is a relatively small number and not a good life strategy. I’ve observed the following success behaviors in my clients, colleagues and friends:
Leadership Thought #250 – The Importance of Personal Discipline
There are way too many things competing for our time as adults. It’s easy to get lost in the fog of responsibility and fall behind. If we are honest with ourself, we end up using our time very inefficiently and often make it up as we go along. As a result, there is usually some level of imbalance in our life as we prioritize what is most pressing or convenient. The problem is that gaps unattended only grow with time and at some point the chasm becomes too difficult to navigate. The very thing we value most, our own independence and freedom, becomes victim to the personal stress created by not being disciplined about our decisions, time and activities. Paradoxically, we end up with the outcomes we most wanted to avoid.
Leadership Thought #204 – Your Business GPA
…the ultimate goal of any business should be to have high quality employees who are focused on providing value-added services to a loyal and growing client base in an efficient and profitable manner.
Daily Leadership Thought #182 – Focus First on the “What” and “Why”
We need to be able to distinguish between what is truly important and what is not. If we cannot do this, then we end up exhausting our internal resources and ultimately yielding opportunities to others who manage their time and energy better.
Daily Leadership Thought #74 – Plan Your Work, Then Work Your Plan
Successful people rarely “wing it.” Sure some individuals do win the lottery or get disproportionately lucky, but for the most part, success is the result of focused discipline exhibited in small steps taken each and every day.
Concern For Our Kids…
The goal of any society should be to secure the future of the next generation by providing them with the skills, talents and attitudes necessary for both survival and success. It is a certainty that every generation will have to deal with some level of uncertainty and challenge as they assume responsibility for their own destiny (and that of others).
Daily Leadership Thought #55 – Fitness Matters!
Leadership requires you to be at the top of your game physically, emotionally and intellectually. If you want to operate at a high level for any extended period of time you need to be mindful of this fact.
Daily Leadership Thought #48 – Focus and discipline will beat IQ points every time
Focus and discipline will beat IQ points every time. It’s not the most intelligent person who typically wins in business, but instead the individual who stays focused on and committed to their objectives despite the inevitable obstacles and other distractions that will appear.
Daily Leadership Thought #18
Address your biggest challenges/opportunities today; Don’t procrastinate