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Posts Tagged ‘Planning’

Intentional Leadership — D5, W2, M4 — Focus

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , , , , on April 19, 2013| Leave a Comment »

It’s somewhat warm, humid, and rainy as I write this, and I am so looking forward to this weekend.

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.

I have flowers to plant in my boxes out front. Need to hit a local nursery to replace a few lavender bushes that didn’t make it last year (there’s always a risk when you buy them at 80% at the end of the season and they are totally root bound in their containers!). And on Sunday, will be the highlight of my weekend: An afternoon with a good friend, lunch, shopping, and painting. Yes, I said painting. We are going to a place called Uncork and Create for Mimosa Sunday. I’ve never been, but you go and paint a picture, and while you paint you may enjoy a glass of wine and snacks…if that suits you. I’m just really looking forward to the girl time and creative outlet. Don’t get me wrong, though…this activity will push me out of my comfort zone. I’m not a “visually” creative person usually. My creative juices normally flow along the lines of words, ideas, and concepts. So, I truly welcome this opportunity to get outside myself for a bit and see what happens.

Oh, and it looks like I’ll be spending a week in June, in Guatemala with John C. Maxwell, and a number of my fellow John Maxwell Team Members, teaching transformational leadership! How’s that for the opportunity of a lifetime? I’m more excited than I can say, and as you can imagine, there’s a lot of work to do to prepare for that!

Now, it’s your turn. What’s on your list?

Who really need your attention this weekend? You? Family? Friends? People you’ve not yet met?

What really needs your attention this weekend? Is it projects, rest, relaxation…?

What thoughts do you have about the level of focus you are applying to your life?

What’s in store for you this weekend, next week, and in the coming weeks? Are you taking the steps to set yourself up for success and fulfillment?

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

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Intentional Leadership — D5, W1, M4 — Focus

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , , , on April 12, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Good morning and Happy Friday!

Another week has flown by and we are at the end of our first week of Month Four — Focus.

This topic is a good one for me right now. I am working through the Deeper Path process, as I’ve mentioned, and it’s all about gaining clarity, developing a crystal clear plan for where I’m headed with my life’s work, which requires a lot of reflection and focus.

What about you? What are you thoughts on this month’s topic, so far?

What do you need to focus on?

Now for our Friday ritual, let’s focus on the weekend and the weeks ahead…

What really needs your attention this weekend? Is it projects, people, rest, , fun, relaxation…?

We’ve had a lot going on in our family this past week, so rest and reconnection are definitely in order. My son wants to spend his tooth fairy money on a wind-up turtle for the tubby, so we will go to Toys R Us.

Continuing preparation for the Women in Leadership Luncheon; it takes a lot more preparation than one might imagine to deliver an awesome keynote speech, and that’s my intention. I don’t want anyone attending the luncheon to walk away disappointed. I also just committed to sponsoring the Chick-Fil-A Leadercast being hosted at University of Charleston on May 10. So, I have some work to do polishing up my marketing materials for Empowerment Mentoring and a couple of Mastermind Groups (15 Invaluable Laws of Growth and Everyone Communicates Few Connect). I am still working my way through content in the John Maxwell Online University; this material is so good on so many levels, I will go through it over and over and over and over, and get something new out of it every time! Finally, I applied to be part of the team John Maxwell is taking to Guatemala in June to teach Transformational Leadership. This is an opportunity of a lifetime and I’m so excited! Can’t wait to hear if I will be included in the team. If the answer is “yes,” I have a lot of work in preparation for that, as well.

What’s in store for you this weekend, next week, and in the coming weeks? Are you taking the steps to set yourself up for success and fulfillment?

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

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Intentional Leadership — D4, W1, M4 — Focus

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

Today, I encourage you to spend some time journaling about the goal you accomplished this week using your objective statement and task list.

Did you do it?

Were you successful?

Were you more aware of the big picture surrounding the task and how it involved others?

As a result, were you able to come up with a task list more quickly from the objective statement?

Were your activities more focused this week than in previous weeks?

What have you learned, so far, about focus, that you can carry forward and increase your effectiveness going forward?

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Intentional Leadership — D3, W1, M4 — Focus

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

What important projects are you working on, either at work or at home? Pick one and take some time to consider what challenges you might encounter while working your way through the project.

Now, think of other people who have worked on similar projects. Pick someone you know well enough to connect with who will spend a little time with you. Then use the opportunity to discuss your project, the challenges you think you might encounter, and how you might navigate your way through those hazards. Get their input.

What insights do they have to offer?

How will you use it?

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Intentional Leadership — D2, W1, M4 — Focus

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

I’m working my way through a process called The Deeper Path, led by Kary Oberbrunner, a fellow John Maxwell Team member can coach who is guiding me through this amazing process he developed with his Builder, Chet Scott. Traveling The Deeper Path is all about gaining clarity and focus.

While I have what I believe to be a lot more clarity about where I’m headed and what I’m building in my life than many others, I know I don’t have it to the degree I need it to be truly fulfilled, successful, and reach my potential. The truth is, there is so much stuff going on around all of us all day long, so much noise, so many messages to sift through, so many people clamoring for our time and attention, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. It’s easy to get lost in all the stuff. It’s easy to be busy, and yet not feel productive.

I know I’ve been there, on more days than I like to admit to. Yet, I’m aware of this, and awareness is the key. Once you have come to this realization, you have the opportunity — and the choice — to do something about it, to do something differently.

You see, busy doesn’t necessarily equate to productive. To be productive, I need to spend my time on the “right” activities. To know what the “right” activities are, I need clarity and focus!

How do we get there? Begin with the end in mind: What objective are we trying to achieve? When you can write an objective statement simply and clearly, you understand what you need to do to achieve it, when you need to do it, how you will do it, what resources (people and other) you need, and what the result will be when you are done.

Let’s put it into practice. We will create a task list that will allow you to stay focused on your project, effectively thinking through from the big picture to the details.

Across the top of a piece of paper, write your task or goal statement. Then, below it write this — and do the ranking:

Priority (1 = Low and 5= High)   1     2     3     4     5

Impact (1 = Low and 5= High)   1     2     3     4     5

Define the following:

What tools will you use to accomplish this task? List all resources — tangible or intangible, including specific people (time, money, supplies, staff, other materials, etc…)

Who will benefit or otherwise be affected by the completion of this task?

What will be the result?

When you’ve completed this exercise, use the information to draft your objective statement. Here’s an example: “By the end of this week, I will have created a comprehensive client contact file, including communication preferences, connection time-lines, product and services preferences, and known networks/affiliations, which I will use to track my business and networking activities.”

Now, take a clean sheet of paper, write your new objective statement at the top, then create your thorough task list which will allow you to meet your goal. Make notes as you work through it this week on what worked, what didn’t what you added that you didn’t need, what you needed but didn’t think to list…We’ll do some reflection on this later.

Get to work!

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Intentional Leadership — D1-W1-M4 — Focus

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , on April 8, 2013| Leave a Comment »

This week we will spend some time studying the big picture — getting the lay of the land and understanding what it means for us in our teams and organizations. If you are a detail-oriented person, this could be a stretch for you, but I encourage you to work on this, because it’s critical to your success.

In order to be strategic in whatever you are doing, you need to be able to see the big picture. Once you have some understanding of the what’s happening in your industry, with your competition, and within your organization, then you can channel your energy and activity toward achieving some clear objectives designed to help you achieve your big goals. Only then can you shift your attention to the details.

Working as a professional communicator for the past 20 years, this is how I approach my work, whether the work at hand is in support of a corporate long-term strategic objective, or a one-time communication effort. I always ask my “client” what they are trying to accomplish? What end are they trying to reach? What do they want the audience the know, understand, and do as a result of the communication?

Once they are able to answer those questions, I am able to design a communication plan that will help them reach their goals. This includes segmenting the audience (I strongly recommend a precision targeted approach, rather than the shotgun — spraying your message over everyone hoping it will hit some of the right people — approach), gaining some understanding of what they know and what they need to know, defining key messages, identifying the best communication vehicles to use, outlining a timeline, and specifying who will deliver the message. Only then do we actually begin to craft the communication.

For those who are focused on the details or are impatient about just sending the message, it can be a painful process. But, I can attest that after 20 years of approaching my work this way, the results are worth it (proven by  both the clients who have taken my advice and achieved the results they sought, as well as by the clients who thought I was simply wasting their time and forged ahead with poorly developed communication and were significantly disappointed by their results).

I believe it was David Grossman who said (in his book You Can’t Not Communicate) that effective leader-communicators spend 80% of their time, with respect to a communication effort, actually planning for the communication and only 20% of it on delivery.

So, what’s your big picture?

What goals have you set in support of achieving that big vision for your work?

What about the goals you’ve set for the rest of your life?

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Intentional Leadership — D5, W4, M3 — Excellence

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

Good morning and Happy Friday! Time, again, for our Friday ritual: Planning for the weekend and thinking about the month ahead.

I can say, with full confidence, this week I was not just busy but truly productive in many respects. That’s not to say I completed everything I set out to this week, but certainly made a dent in my list and found myself in a place of deep introspection around my the work I’m doing with the Deeper Path Coaching Cohort.

And, after the emphasis on excellence these past four weeks, I am certainly much more aware of and intentional about how I plan for and execute my work and interactions with others. How about you? Where are you on this part of our journey?

Let’s look and think ahead into our weekend.

What really needs your attention this weekend? Is it projects, people, rest, relaxation…?

Rest is, again, on my list.

Some house projects and cleaning are calling for my attention.

Developing a team-building activity for an upcoming meeting; need to gather some supplies for that. Finishing up some projects. Have some writing to do. People to connect with. Letters to write.

The next month will be busy and filled with new opportunities. Exciting things coming my way!

What’s in store for you this weekend, next week, and in the coming weeks? Are you taking the steps to set yourself up for success and fulfillment? Are you feeling more confident about the level of excellence you/your team/your organization provide to your clients?

Have an intentional weekend!

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Intentional Leadership — D5, W3, M3 — Excellence

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

Good morning and Happy Friday!

Another week has flown by and was it busy! The question is: Was it productive? Or was it just full of “stuff”?

I’m still focusing on excellence in my customer service — both in responding to prospective clients and to my existing clients. Building strong relationships, with a foundation of trust, is critical to all businesses, to be sure, but especially to mine because I work in a very intimate space with my clients helping them to discover themselves, their dreams, their challenges, etc. So, I am truly focused on where I can inject some excellence into my performance.

Where can you intentionally inject excellence into your performance?

Let’s move into our Friday ritual…

What really needs your attention this weekend? Is it projects, people, rest, relaxation…?

Rest? I would like to think so, but at the start of this Spring Break, we have some travel and fun planned, so perhaps not as much sleep this weekend as we need; but fun? Definitely!

Still working on the preparation for the Women in Leadership Luncheon I am helping to plan, and will present the Keynote speech at, in May. Still working my way through content in the John Maxwell Online University. Still working to refine my “Dream” speech, and outline my OPUS — this is the plan for my life’s work — my masterpiece. I’ll share more about this as I move through the process. And, I’m still working on the new mentoring program I will launch in May. You can get a preview here.

What’s in store for you this weekend, next week, and in the coming weeks? Are you taking the steps to set yourself up for success and fulfillment?

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

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Intentional Leadership — D5, W2, M3 — Excellence

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on March 22, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Good morning and Happy Friday!

As my mentor, Paul Martinelli, would say: “Are you marinating in excellence, yet?” As with all things of value, we must immerse ourselves in the concepts we wish to master. Nothing of significance or lasting value happens overnight…so let us steep ourselves in these thoughts, ideas, and concepts this month

As I consider excellence, I am working on following up with people in a more timely manner, demonstrating my desire and commitment to serve others, and delivering exceptional value, every time. What about you? Where can you intentionally inject excellence into your performance?

I am coming to find this Friday ritual of thinking about and planning for my weekend, and the weeks ahead, more and more valuable each week. I am getting busier, meeting and connecting with a lot of new people, and my need to be focused and prepared is more and more critical to my success.

What really needs your attention this weekend? Is it projects, people, rest, relaxation…?

Rest? Definitely! We’ve been dealing with a lack of sleep at my house, caused by the annoying cough that is going around. You know the one, it surfaces mainly at night when you lay down to sleep…and so far, we have failed to find a cough suppressant that actually works!

Preparation for a Women in Leadership Luncheon I am helping to plan, and will present the Keynote speech at, in May. Along with my speech, I need to pull together a personal assessment tool that goes along with our theme: What Got You Here Won’t Get You There (based on the best seller by Marshall Goldsmith; if you haven’t read it and you are pursuing growth in your career, it’s a must read. In fact, don’t just read it — buy it and keep it handy! This one will serve you over and over and over…if you are open to the lessons and willing to do the work to apply them!). And, I need to do some work to prepare some amazing women for the panel discussion that will happen as part of this day of growth and learning.

I also need to get some exercise. My son and I enjoy our weekend neighborhood walks.

And, I’m still working on the new mentoring program I will launch in May. You can get a preview here.

What’s in store for you this weekend, next week, and in the coming weeks? Are you taking the steps to set yourself up for success and fulfillment?

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

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Intentional Leadership — D4, W2, M3 — Excellence

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 21, 2013| Leave a Comment »

As you’re aware, nothing of significance happens overnight; this is true with excellence, as well. Internalizing excellence, and truly embedding it in everything you do in your business takes time, effort, and intentionality.

What are some ways you could motivate, inspire, encourage your employees to further its commitment to excellence?

Sharing some examples of excellence in practice may be helpful. What organizations or leaders do you know who are well-known for demonstrating excellence either in their products, their services, or both? What do they do within their organizations to keep excellence top of mind? Who could you contact to learn more about how others do it?

Once you’ve done that, what have you learned, and how can you put those lessons into play in your organization in a meaningful way that fits your culture?

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