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Posts Tagged ‘Attitude’

Intentional Leadership — D3, W3, M9 — Attitude

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , on September 11, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Let’s focus on others for a bit. Take some time today to notice others who demonstrate a positive attitude and acknowledge it. At the end of the day, send a personal note (hand-written would be much more powerful, but email would suffice, if you must!) to the one person whose attitude stood out the most.

At the end of the day, answer these questions:

How did it make you feel when you went the extra mile to recognize people with a positive attitude?

How do you think it made them feel, especially the person who received your note?

Do you think they will be more likely to display the same kind of attitude more often around you and others? Why?

When you are int he midst of difficult circumstances, do you think making small positive choices such as recognizing others’ attitudes will make a difference in your own life?

I’m certainly not perfect in this area; like most people, there are times when life gets to me, and it’s reflected in my attitude and demeanor. I try to catch myself and make an adjustment quickly, as I know it’s my choice. I try to be mindful throughout the day that my attitude has the potential of making or crashing someone else’s day, and I’d much prefer to be well thought of when I’ve taken my leave…which means to me I need to focus on and demonstrate a positive attitude. I have to say, that on those occasions I grudgingly have pushed myself to adjust and do or say something nice, I’ve immediately felt better for the effort.

Let me know how it works for you.

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Intentional Leadership — D2, W3, M9 — Attitude

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , on September 10, 2013| Leave a Comment »

What’s going on in your life and/or work right now that you know you need to deal with, but your actions might be interpreted as preferring to ignore reality?

Get your journal out and briefly describe the situation and the challenge you face.

Dig deep and come to terms with why you don’t want to address the issue…Write it out.

Describe what could happen if you address the issue.

What impact might it have on your life? The lives of those around you? Your team? Your Organization?

Describe what can happen if you choose to not address the issue.

What are the risks, implications, consequences of not acting?

What action steps can you take in order to bring resolution to this challenge?

What would happen in your life if you consistently made choices to address issues like this?

How would that affect your attitude when you face similar situations/challenges in the future?

For me, there’s a level of satisfaction in addressing the things I don’t want to address but know that I need to. I don’t mean to confuse this with pleasure — as it isn’t necessarily fun, but there is satisfaction in tackling the hard and sometimes unpleasant stuff.

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Intentional Leadership — D1, W3, M9 — Attitude

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , , on September 9, 2013| Leave a Comment »

If you’ve been in any kind of leadership role, and I suspect you have — or aspire to, since you’re reading this blog — you know what it feels like to be doubted, assaulted, ridiculed. You’ve likely faced embarrassing moments, ridicule…had your decisions and judgment questioned by others.

The question is, how do you respond? And, I do me an”respond” — meaning thoughtfully, intentionally choosing what you will do or say, rather than reacting, which is immediate, emotional, and usually thoughtless. The point is, you get to choose your attitude during these trying times.

Consider one who has gone before us…

President Truman faced his share of doubt, rejection, and failure…let’s consider his story for a few moments:

When he first proposed to his girlfriend, Bess, Wallace, she rejected him. He pursued her, anyway, and eight years later they married.

He was rejected when he tried to join the Army because his eyesight was poor. Refusing to be kept from serving his country, he memorized the eye chart so he could pass the test! He later won distinction for courageous leadership in battle.

After WWI, his business failed. He moved into a career in public service, as a judge and later was elected to the US Senate.

Although he was considered unfit to be a US President, he successfully led us through the end of WWI; he is now regarded as one of the greatest presidents!

Expected to lose the 1948 election, newspaper printed that his opponent, Thomas Dewey, had won! Imagined Truman’s delight in their misprint the next morning!

If you stay the course, and I hope you do, you will go through these trying times, over and over. You will have to filter and choose the messages you will listen to and the stories you believe. You will have the opportunity, several times a day, to choose your attitude. I hope you choose well.

Spend some time in reflection today: How do you deal with assaults on your attitude?

Describe a time when you felt as if your attitude was under attack. How did you respond?

What did you learn?

What would you do differently today, as a result?

How can your choices influence your attitude?

How can your attitude influence your choices?

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Intentional Leadership — D5, W2, M9 — Attitude

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 6, 2013| Leave a Comment »

I don’t know about you, but this week seems to have gone by fairly quickly. Yes, I know, some of us had Monday off for the Labor Day holiday, so it makes sense, as the “work week” was shorter than usual…but my days felt as if they went by slowly, so how it’s Friday already is a bit of a mystery to me!

I did accomplish a lot, however; I am caught up with my Maxwell Growth Plan, and have finished re-reading The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth. It really is a great book; in fact, I think I’ll organize another Mastermind Group on this one soon, as there is much to be gained from it, if one is willing to do the work. In reviewing the 15 chapters, here is where I think I’m at:

Laws of Intentionality and Awareness — feeling pretty strong with these two, as they are the two key topics I teach on as the foundation for growth, leadership, better communication, building healthy teams, and greater success and satisfaction in whatever you choose to do with your life.

Law of the Mirror — I used to expect others to add value to, or invest in, me before I did so myself. This may seem like a good plan; in fact, we might think it’s someone else’s responsibility — like maybe our employer’s. Let me tell you, though, if you wait for someone else to value you, you may be waiting a long time. If you set a low price/value on yourself, you can’t expect others to raise it. So, now I am well aware of the value I bring to any situation and I am the first to invest in me.

Law of Reflection — surprisingly, I need to invest more time in this area. I do take time to think and reflect, but not often or long enough, of late. I’ve been feeling a little scattered and overwhelmed. I think it’s for good reason, at some level, as I have access to so much great content to teach, material to learn from (I have no fewer than 45 books on my bookshelf today that I’ve not read, yet, and am in the middle of four books right now), a talented and generous team of mentors and coaches to learn from. I need to spend some quality time in reflection and get myself back on a focused, purposeful path.

Law of Consistency — another area I am working on. I do many of the things I need to do to move myself forward, but not always as consistently as I know I can.

Law of Environment — I am blessed in this area. Being part of the John Maxwell Team, I am surrounded by approximately 2,700 coaches around the globe who share my passion, are also in growth-mode, and are at varying stages of progress in building businesses and serving clients.

Law of Design — another area I’m working on. I have some great systems in place in some areas of my business, but have opportunity to develop and implement a few more that will greatly benefit me.

Law of Pain — managing bad experiences for growth. Have had my share of these, to be sure, and my philosophy is this simple: If I’m still waking up every day, even after something happens that I may have thought was devastating, then clearly I have work to do, so I better learn the lesson and get back at it! I’m not saying it’s easy or painless, but I simply don’t know what else to do!

Law of the Ladder — this one is focused on building one’s character. I’m certainly not perfect. As John Maxwell often says, “Each of us is just one step away from stupid!” I’ve made a number of blunders throughout my life, and I’m sure I’ll make more. I strive to be a person of integrity, honor, and authenticity. I do my best to do it right (with increased self-awareness and intentionality!) the first time, and am quick to acknowledge and make amends for my goofs.

Law of the Rubber Band — I recognize that if I am in a place of no tension, then I am not growing. Rubber bands are useful only when they are stretched, and I am not growing if I am not stretched. I think I’m pretty well in this area.

Law of Trade-offs — one must give up to grow up! I do well here, as well. I’ve traded what many might consider “fun” time (camping, bar-b-ques, outings, etc…) to study, train, coach, teach, read, write, etc…I’ve also invested a lot of money into my growth, especially over the past couple of years, rather than spending it on material things, trips, or even putting it in savings. It’s an investment in me and my future, which I have full confidence will return great dividends over the course of my life.

Law of Curiosity — let’s just say that my level of inquisitiveness has been annoying to some! But I refuse to stop exploring, seeking truth and understanding, and, yes, continuing to ask “why?” until I understand something!

Law of Modeling — finding a model or mentor to learn from. Again, I have the faculty on the John Maxwell Team, John Maxwell, the other 2500 John Maxwell Coaches, a number of gifted authors, and others I actively learn from daily.

Law of Expansion — is about increasing one’s capacity for growth and, in turn, for serving others. This is my calling, my passion, my focus.

Law of Contribution — be a river (let what comes into your life flow thru you to serve others) rather than a reservoir (keeping everything that comes to you only for yourself). Again, my purpose, passion, calling…I seek opportunities daily to pour into others.

So, there’s my assessment of my progress and areas of focus within my growth plan at this point. That may be more than you are interested in, but there it is!

So, on this Friday, I will be meeting some new people whom I anticipate being able to add value to in the areas of communication, conflict resolution, and team-building. I have a coaching session in the afternoon. Then, I will be looking to the weekend. I plan to jump onto a conference call with a number of other coaches who are also teaching the Empowerment Mentoring lesson series to learn more about teaching through story-telling. I have some writing to do, will build in some reflection time, and have some family time.

Of course, there’s the need to look ahead, planning for the week, so I am set up for success when Monday morning comes, and I have a couple of workshops to plan for in the coming weeks.

What about you? How will you spend your weekend?

What and who need your attention?

What do you need to do to nurture yourself?

What could you be doing to prepare yourself for success next week and in the coming weeks?

However you choose to spend your weekend, I hope you make it intentional and with a positive attitude!

“See” you Monday!

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Intentional Leadership — D4, W2, M9 — Attitude

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , , on September 5, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Today, let’s spend some time in visualization. Give some thought to where your life will be in one month, three months, six months, and one year, if you follow through on the actions you outlined yesterday. How will others be impacted if you choose a positive attitude rather than a negative one? Write out your thoughts, connected with specific people.

One Month

Three Months

Six Months

One Year

Remember, this is a journey and a process. Don’t set yourself up for frustration with the expectation you must be perfect and respond perfectly to the events that happen in your life. The idea is to experience the experiences, feel the feelings, and make a choice in how you will respond and move forward. My yoga mentor, Diamond Dallas Page, advises us to “live life at 90%,” meaning that 10% is what happens to us in life and 90% is how we choose to deal with it. He focuses on the 90% and strives to make the most and best of that…essentially, choosing one’s attitude.

What will you choose?

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Intentional Leadership — D3, W2, M9 — Attitude

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , on September 4, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Do you have your journal handy? We’re going to follow-up on yesterday’s exercise.

Review your answers to the questions from yesterday. When you’ve done this, do you find your attitude is most negative in your personal or professional environment?

Once you’ve determined that, write down three specific ways you can choose to respond (remember, responding to something is thoughtful and intentional, rather than immediate and emotional) positively, instead, in those situations.

For greater accountability, make a copy of this list and share it with someone close to you. Ask that person to check in with you from time-to-time over the next month.

Remember, you can answer them anyway you like, but the proof is in the pudding, as they say…and if you aren’t actually doing what you say, it will be evident in your behaviors!

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Intentional Leadership — D2, W2, M9 — Attitude

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , on September 3, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Let’s spend some time on a personal inventory today. Get out your journal and list three people in your personal and professional lives that have impacted you; include both positive and negative influences.

Make two columns on a page, one headed Personal Life, one headed Professional Life.

List three people in each column and place a – (minus) or a + (plus) next to each name, based on their influence on your life. Then answer the following questions:

What common threads do you see among those who were positive influences?

What common threads do you see among those who were negative influences?

When you evaluate your current circumstances, in both your personal and professional lives, is your attitude the same, or different, in each aspect? Describe your current attitude in both areas of your life.

As we’ve discussed, there are times when the only thing we can control is our attitude. When you look at the areas above that you marked as negative, wht choices can you make to be more positive in those circumstances?

One of the more positive influences in my life was Mac Bledsoe (if you’re a football fan, you might know him as Drew Bledsoe’s dad). Mac was a teacher when I was in high school, as well as the football coach. He taught a few classes, but the one that made the most impact on me was a class he called “I Can” and it was based on the philosophies and teachings of Zig Ziglar. It’s been 30 years since I was in school, but I can still remember Mac and the many lessons he taught me, as if they were just last year. Thank you, Mac!

I look forward to hearing what you’ve come up with through this exercise.

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Intentional Leadership — D1, W2, M9 — Attitude

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , , on September 2, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Over the course of your life, you will experience a variety of things that will have the power to influence your outlook in both positive and negative ways. As I suggested last week, as we started this month-long focus on attitude, each of us gets to choose how we interpret and react or respond to each of those events.

When I was in high school, I was active in student government, wrote for and eventually became editor of the school newspaper, and was very active in planning school events, like homecoming week. We also had a program called Jr. Miss. This was a national program, and while it might appear to be a pageant program, it is based on scholarship, personality, and talent — not on beauty, and there was no swimsuit competition!  Girls were invited to participate in the program during their Junior year of high school; the winner would spend the year representing her community at other pageants, in parades, county fairs, local events, at a variety of speaking engagements, and competing at the state level pageant (the winner of which would compete at the national competition that was held, at that time, in Mobile, Alabama).

My perspective on Jr. Miss was that it was something the popular, wealthy girls won. I had my share of friends, to be sure, and was included in a lot of things, but was never in the “in” crowd, and certainly was not from a wealthy family. But, when I received the invitation to get involved, I said, “What the heck! This looks like fun!” Of course, I never expected to win.

In fact, at the time, I was also running for student body president for my senior year of school. That was truly where my attention and energy was focused. And for a while, I was the front runner. My opponent was a girl who rubbed a lot of students the wrong way. Part way through the campaign, she switched places with the person who would have been VP, had she won, and he was much more liked by most of the school.  So, with him in the President position, and her in the VP position, the vote was much closer, and I lost by a few votes.

I was crushed! I really wanted the position. And yet, the Jr. Miss pageant process was still on-going. Because I was participating in this on a lark, as they say, you can imagine my surprise — and delight — when I actually won the Jr. Miss position!  Remember, it wasn’t what I most wanted, but I determined to make the best of it.  I choose my attitude, deciding to learn what I could, represent my community well, and sharpen some skills that I knew would serve me well later in life.

It offered me the opportunity to travel around certain regions in my state, visiting with a lot of people I never would have been in contact with in other circumstances: Community leaders, local legislators, other students, and people younger than me. I had the opportunity to speak at fairs, other pageants, in front of civic organizations, at schools, parades, and at community events. I was able to influence other young girls who were interested in growing and taking on bigger challenges. And I received scholarship funding for college, and who wouldn’t be thankful for that?!

All of these skills and experiences have served me well ever since. And I’m thankful for having had the opportunity to participate, and for all of the opportunities I’ve had since then. Had I chosen to wallow in self-pity over my defeat during the student body elections, I would have stunted my growth, at least for a while. I could have become angry, bitter, etc…I’m so thankful I didn’t.

What experiences have you had that have influenced your life and your attitude? Write them down.

Outline whether they were negative or positive and what you did or didn’t do as a result?

What gratitude do you have, or what regrets do you carry, as a result?

How do these experiences influence who you are today?

Whom are you influencing with your attitude and how you respond to the events in your life, both good and bad?

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Intentional Leadership — D5, W1, M9 — Attitude

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , on August 30, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Happy Friday! What attitude have you chosen for yourself today? I choose “having another great day!”

I’ve spent the past few days participating in the WV State Chamber of Commerce Annual Business Summit. There are approximately 800 business leaders and legislators in attendance, so you can imagine that it’s a busy event with a full agenda. Healthcare and education issues are hot on the agenda.

It’s been a great opportunity to reconnect with some friends from my Leadership WV class (2011), catch up with some business associates, and meet some new people. I’ve had some unexpected insights, and realized this week that a certain era in my life has just come to an end. It was a somewhat bittersweet moment, this realization, but I know it’s time to make this change. All in all, it’s been time well spent in a beautiful and unique location (The Greenbrier Resort, White Sulphur Springs, WV). And this afternoon, I will zoom home to my family.

By now, you know the Friday drill, right? It’s time to give some thought to our weekend agendas. For me, it will be family time; I’ve been traveling quite a bit these past 6 weeks, or so, and that means not as much time with my family as I’m used to. So, for the holiday weekend, we will have some fun together; very much looking forward to it.

I will spend some time preparing for Tuesday’s Empowerment Mentoring lesson — You Are Perfect — as well as working on my calendar for the next few weeks. I have some teaching opportunities coming up, so need to polish up a couple of lessons, and I have several coaching sessions scheduled.

So, what’s on your weekend plan?

Who do you need to spend time with?

Will it be a fun weekend or a work weekend?

A personal time weekend or a family time weekend?

What do you need to do to set yourself up for success in the new week? And in the coming weeks?

Whatever is on your agenda, I hope you spend the time intentionally.

“See” you Monday!

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Intentional Leadership — D4, W1, M9 — Attitude

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , on August 29, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Spend some time with your journal today, writing about someone you consider to be a role model in having a positive attitude. What do they do that demonstrates this?

What impact do they have on you and others?

How might you benefit by making an adjustment in your attitude?

Also, take some time to write about the insights you’ve had this week, our first week of focus on Attitude. How can you apply what you’ve learned about the importance of attitude on the outcomes in our lives?

How can what you’ve learned help you to become a more effective leader?

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