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Posts Tagged ‘Focus’

Intentional Leadership — D1, W1, M5 — Passion

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , , , on May 7, 2013| Leave a Comment »

I’ve been a professional communicator for 20+ years. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to explore nearly every aspect of corporate communications over the course of my career: Advertising, marketing, public relations, community relations, media relations, fund-raising, and internal communications. Having worked my way through all of those audiences, I was most interested in internal communications. In fact, for some time, you could say it was my passion — at least in terms of work.

You see, I’ve long believed that if you take good care of your employees, they will take great care of your business. So, they have always been my primary audience, and certainly first priority in any communication effort. However, over time, I lost interest in being the tactical communicator, and refocused my efforts on teaching my colleagues to become more competent, confident communicators themselves. I’ve been moving in the direction of developing others for a long time, and was moving down that path before I realized where it was leading me.

I’ve since been fortunate enough to have the epiphany about my true passion in life! Yes, I do still believe in taking care of one’s employees and that they will take care of your business; that hasn’t changed. But my beliefs about that have expanded enormously. It goes far beyond just communicating with them; it’s about developing them, helping them recognize and reach their potential.

Today, I can tell you my passion is for development — mine and other’s. I am passionate about personal growth, leadership, effective communication, and building healthy, smart teams. This passion is so strong, it is nearly all consuming. I see opportunities for growth in nearly everyone and every situation I encounter. I am driven to work on these opportunities — pouring into others everything I am able to share, with a focus on adding value to others — nearly all the time.

In fact, it’s not work any more…pursuing this passion is my opportunity to create my life’s masterpiece; to be able to blur the line between work and leisure.

Have you wrestled with finding your true passion in life?

Take some time today to describe your journey of discovering your passion up to this point.

Follow your passion, and success will follow you. ~Arthur Buddhold

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Intentional Leadership — M4 — Focus Wrap-up

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

Another month has gone by; we are now one-third of the way through 2013! Time to wrap-up our thoughts on this past month’s topic: Focus.

My mentors frequently remind me to “spear fish” rather than “net fish” when I’m looking to build my tribe. While I might like to fantasize that everyone will want what I have to offer, and all will hunger equally for growth and learning, it’s not true! Not everyone is interested in growing, stretching, learning, becoming more. And that is ok; it is as it should be. You see, I want to work with a specific sub-set of the population and most likely, you are part of that group, if you are reading my blog.

Here’s where my focus is:

Imagine a world filled with light…light that allows clarity of thought, of beliefs, of values, of purpose, of vision; light that fills you with hope and the expectation of positive outcomes; light that fills your soul; light that allows you to see yourself – the best possible version of who you are truly meant to be.

Imagine this world inhabited by growth-oriented individuals, teams, and organizations seeking greater levels of awareness (of self and others), operating intentionally with thought given to outcomes and implications, striving to achieve higher levels of performance in whatever they choose to do.

Imagine a space that is safe and comfortable, yet stretches you at the same time. A space that is thought provoking and soul-searching. A space that challenges you to be, do, and have all that you dream of and long for.

Welcome to my world. I am the Sunshine and I am here to beam those rays of light on you as you grow into yourself and your potential.

This is my BIG DREAM as defined in the OPUS (my life’s masterpiece) that I am authoring. The whole point of working through the Deeper Path / OPUS process is to gain crystal clarity (FOCUS) on what I want in my life.

Grasping for everyone to work with me will leave me exhausted, frustrated, and likely without the quality clients I desire, and certainly less than the results I seek to achieve. For example, there are a lot of companies out there, many of whom could change their performance in amazing ways with the kind of focus I can facilitate, but they don’t WANT what I have to offer. And, truth be told, I don’t want to work with them, either! I want to work with the ones who want to improve and are willing to do the work to make it happen.

I also consider myself fortunate enough to have clear focus when it comes to peripheral opportunities. About 18 months ago, I was approached by the Executive Director of the state-level of a well-known, reputable charitable organization. She was looking for a new Board member who had communications and public relations background, which I do. She asked me to join her Board. I was flattered to be sure; who wouldn’t be? My expertise was recognized and she believed I could make a positive difference in the future of her organization. But I knew, even then, it was not part of my OPUS. I  knew my future was in growth and development, and perhaps in teaching others to communicate more effectively, but not in being the tactical communicator any longer. And, while I respect the work this organization does, it’s not in my area of passion. The answer to her request was easy, “I’m honored, but no thank you!” No regrets; it was, without a doubt, the right decision for me. And I chalk it up to focus and clarity.

I want to work with people like you, my faithful readers, who are interested in being, doing, and having more in their lives and are willing to take the initiative and make the investment to move forward into your future, your potential.

As a leader, it’s up to you to select the vision most worthy of your time and attention, and fix your gaze upon it. You will encounter numerous distractions on your journey and your ability to focus will determine your level of success and satisfaction with your results.

As we have spent this past month thinking about and working on Focus, what have you discovered to be the greatest distractions for you?

How will you stay focused on your journey, now that your level of awareness has been elevated?

Having talent is a good thing, but it’s not nearly as important as seeing a clear picture of where you’re going and staying focused on getting there.

I will leave you with this parting thought, from Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers, which I’m currently reading:

What makes someone the best of the best in their chosen field? Talent certainly helps, but there is more to it than that. And there have been numerous studies focused on figuring out exactly what that something else is.

“The emerging picture from such studies is that ten thousand hours of practice is required to achieve the level of mastery associated with being a world-class expert — in anything,” writes the neurologist Daniel Levitin.

What are you doing to get to your 10,000 hours? Or have you not quite figured out your area of expertise (focus), yet?

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Intentional Leadership — D5, W4, M4 — Focus

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

It’s been a beautiful, sunny, warm, and really great week here. Hope you fared as well.

I am still on a bit of a high from my speaking engagement on Wednesday, at the Women in Leadership Luncheon put on by the Mid-Ohio Valley Chamber of Commerce. My plans are to rest and play… mostly! And, yes, there will be some work. On my business, on Empowerment Mentoring, on Women in Leadership Luncheon prep, but mostly fun. A lot of women worked hard over the past few months to pull it together, and it all worked smoothly.

What’s in store for you this weekend?

What relationships need your attention?

What time and space do you need for yourself?

What projects are you working on?

What do you need to do to set your self up for success in the coming weeks?

My community has a neighborhood yard sale twice a year, so I’ll be in the garage all of Saturday morning selling all that “stuff” we were sure we needed, and may have for a while, but no longer do…Hoping someone else loves it as much as we did once and will have a use for it.

Have some reading to do to catch up. I’ve been so focused on What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, that I’m a bit behind on my reading list. Just started Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers. I loved The Tipping Point, so I’m confident this one will be engaging, as well.

Have some homework, so to speak, in preparation for my trip to Guatemala in June with John Maxwell, the John Maxwell Team, the John Maxwell Company, and Equip.

I am preparing to roll out my new Empowerment Mentoring program next week at the Chick-Fil-A Leadercast, and will start those lessons mid-May, so still a little work to do there to set the program up. It’s going to be great — I have really great material, and am really excited to be able to offer these lessons to my tribe!

And I have some contacts to make, following up on requests for information and new people in my network.

Exciting times, indeed!

Have an intentional weekend, and I’ll “see” you Monday!

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Intentional Leadership — D4, W4, M4 — Focus

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

As we near the end of our fourth month, it’s time for more reflection.

Get out your journal and spend some time writing about what you’ve learned this week, and over the last four weeks, about achievement through focused tasks.

Then, take it one step further. Is there a destination you dream of reaching in your life and/or career?

What is your dream?

What are some of the steps you’ll need to take to start to build the momentum you’ll need to get there?

Take your first focused step forward today!

Looking forward to hearing where you’re headed and the steps you are taking to get there.

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Intentional Leadership — D3, W4, M4 — Focus

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , , , on May 1, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Having done some reflection, let’s get some other perspectives. Today, gather your team or peer group together and cast a vision for the power of focus.

What are some examples of the positive results you have seen of increased focus in your own life that you can share with your team?

How can they apply what you’ve learned from your experience to something they are working on?

Challenge them to think about their top three objectives for the next month. Ask them to write them down and share them with the team. Also, ask them to make note of the potential distractions that could keep them from meeting their objectives. Take it one step further, and challenge them to develop a plan to eliminate or diminish those distractions.

Schedule a special team meeting for the end of next month to review your team’s progress toward their objectives, recount the distractions they encountered and how they dealt with them, and be sure to celebrate the achievements — accomplish due to clear focus.

Go ahead, write them down, now…What are your top three objectives for the next month?

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Intentional Leadership — D2, W4, M4 — Focus

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

Today’s the day to spend some time with yourself, reflecting.

Answer the following questions to help you explore the results of focus:

Have you ever finished several separate mid-size tasks in succession to one another? What were they and what was accomplished in each one?

When you focused on and finished these tasks, what effect did it have on you, on others, and on your company or organization?

What influence or trust did you gain from your peers for finishing these tasks?

When you finish tasks well, how can that build trust with others and create momentum to open up future possibilities for you?

The quality of the time you spend on these questions will define the quality of your answers, which in turn will affect the quality of your results.

As always, you will get out what you put in!

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Intentional Leadership — D1, W4, M4 — Focus

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

As we begin week four of our month on Focus, let’s consider the fruits of being focused.

Focus allows you to see through all the other stuff, the every day events that some might consider distractions, but what we really know to be simple, every day life, and continue to forge ahead toward your goal.

Focus allows you to keep going, even when things get hard and you want to quit, because you know the feeling of satisfaction that awaits you at the other end…when you have accomplished your goal.

Think back to what you may have read about the 1936 Olympics. Most of the world was focused on race issues, pitting white athletes against black athletes. Jessie Owens did not allow himself to get caught up in the rhetoric; he focused on running his race.

As he entered the Munich Stadium, Swastikas were everywhere; the stadium was filled with white spectators…including Adolf Hitler. As we know Hitler and his contemporaries viewed blacks as less than human, inferior to whites in every way.

If this was not a moment fraught with distraction and stress, I can’t imagine what would be.

What did Owens do? To be sure, he felt the weight of the moment. Win or lose, he knew there was risk regardless of the outcome.

While we can’t know what he was thinking, we need only to read the stories to know what he did. Jesse Owens rocketed out of his starting stance and flew past the competition to take the Gold in the 100-yard dash. He did the same in the 200-yard event. He also won the long jump and ran the lead leg for the 4 x 100 relay.

Clearly, Owens retained his focus on what he had set in front of himself, rather than allowing himself to become distracted by the loud and very obvious controversy. He achieved his goals; he earned respect; he brought hope to others.

While our situations are certainly less dire, we are still often surrounded by a wide variety of other issues, people, and situations attempting to grab out attention and divert our focus.

Effective leaders block out the noise, fear, and anxiety, choosing instead to retain their focus and move confidently in the direction of their visions, goals, and dreams. When you do this, when you display this kind of focus and courage in the face of adversity, you earn respect, give others hope, and build momentum.

What do you need to do this week to focus on your “100-yard dash”?

What benefits will you reap when you remain focused in the face of distraction and move confidently in the direction of your vision?

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Intentional Leadership — D5, W3, M4 — Focus

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , on April 26, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Happy Friday! Time for your Friday ritual.

Are you like many, so excited to have made it through another week that you rush into the weekend without giving it much thought? Or do you take the time to thoughtfully plan ahead, considering the attention some of your relationships might need, or the rest or reflection time you might need? I’ve been working at this, since we started this journey together in January. I don’t always get it just right, but I am much more thoughtful about my weekends these days, and what I can do to think ahead and plan for the next few weeks, as well.

This weekend, my plans are to rest and prepare for a couple of big events coming up in the next couple of weeks. Of course, there will be play time, as well; one cannot not have play time with a six-year old!

While I did get my flowers planted, I didn’t make it to the nursery for the lavender, and I could freshen the mulch in my beds. I have some fine-tuning to do on the keynote presentation I will be making on Wednesday during the Women in Leadership Luncheon put on by the Mid-Ohio Valley Chamber of Commerce. That’s going to be a fun event! The theme is What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, based on the best-seller by Marshall Goldsmith. In addition to my presentation, we will offer a self-assessment on global leadership for the attendees to work through and discuss; great tool for increased self-awareness and potential growth and change opportunities in the future. In the afternoon, we will have a panel of successful women in various stages of their careers who will share their stories of points in their career where they stumbled and had to learn new behaviors to support their growth to a new level of their work.

If you haven’t read this book, and you are feeling stuck in your work, I recommend you pick up a copy; the answer may be quite plainly spelled out in the book!

There are, of course, a number of other things going on these days, but these are the big rocks for my weekend.

How about you?  What’s on your weekend list?

With our attention turned to “focus” this month, what has changed for you in how you look at and plan your time?

Who will command your time and attention this weekend?

What activities will you fit into the weekend?

What planning or preparation do you need to do for the coming weeks?

Have a great weekend, and I’ll “see” you Monday!

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Intentional Leadership — D4, W3, M4 — Focus

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , on April 25, 2013| Leave a Comment »

This has been a fast week for me. What about for you?

What benefits have you experienced from identifying and removing distractions this past week to stay focused on your project?

What do you need to do to maintain this kind of focus over time?

How could being this focused increase your production and fulfillment at work?

I encourage you to really spend some time with these questions and your journal today.

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Intentional Leadership — D3, W3, M4 — Focus

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , , , on April 24, 2013| Leave a Comment »

How many projects are you currently working on? Today, let’s focus on just one.

Pick one and recruit some others on your team, or within your organization, and strategize how to get it done. Then, ask each person to write down all their thoughts about the potential distractions that could keep you from completing the project. Share everyone’s list of potential distractions, then as a team discuss how you can eliminate or protect yourselves from the distractions.

As a team commit to the actions defined above and to remain focused on the project until it is completed. Agree to a plan and move forward.

First step: Name the project.

Second step: List the names of the people you will recruit to help you.

Third step: Describe how they can help you.

Fourth step: Take action!

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