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Posts Tagged ‘Vision’

Intentional Leadership — Month Four — Focus

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

Focus: A state or condition permitting clear perception or understanding. A point at which rays (as of light, heat, or sound) converge or from which they diverge or appear to diverge;specifically: the point where the geometrical lines or their prolongations conforming to the rays diverging from or converging toward another point intersect and give rise to an image after reflection by a mirror or refraction by a lens or optical system.

Thank you, Merriam-Webster online!

Without focus, our efforts are haphazard, expending energy without clear direction. With focus, we can channel our energies and efforts toward clear objectives. We can set and stick to priorities. We filter the information we are drowning in — more than 3000 messages per day according to some sources — able to determine what is truly relevant to you and your mission and ignore the rest. Focus allows us to make decisions in line with our values, beliefs, priorities, and goals. We are able to clearly articulate our vision and guide others. We operate effectively, efficiently, productively; working smarter not harder.

Think of the difference between the light channeled by an incandescent bulb and that of the light channeled through a laser. The first gives you diffused, gentle illumination; the latter gives you a single, super-concentrated beam, intense enough to cut through steel. The difference between the two is simple: Focus.

What you accomplish will be determined by your ability to focus your thoughts, your energy, your efforts. When you have focus, making decisions and taking action is easy. Without it, you will drift through your life, randomly moving with the flow of whatever current you are caught up in. The choice is yours.

Before we begin this fourth month of our Intentional Leadership journey, take some time to consider these questions:

What goals are you currently focused on?

Who best understands your career focus?

How do you maintain your focus in light of the myriad daily distractions you encounter?

When has your clarity of focus inspired someone else to take action?

I’m excited to move into this next stage of our journey. Are you ready? “See” you tomorrow!

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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 — D1, W2, M3 — Excellence

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on March 18, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Leaders have a number of qualities and traits in common, regardless of where they are from, where they are currently, what kind of business or industry they work in, or what level of the organization they are in…and two of those common traits are discontent and passion. They are discontent when it comes to their performance. Leaders are rarely satisfied with how things are because they know they can do better. They are passionate about excellence. Couple these two traits and you find someone who is driven to excel. Leaders are alway thinking about and working on improving their personal performance and that of their teams and organizations.

Think about an organization that stands out in your mind as being outstanding. What are the things that come to mind that leave you with the impression they are superior?

Customer service?

Superior products or services?

Price?

Where do you think it starts? I think it starts with finding the right people for the right positions, who are also passionate about whatever it is your company provides. Often times, companies feel pressured to fill vacant positions and they rush through the screening and hiring process. Sometimes they get lucky and find a skilled candidate who also fits with the culture. Sometimes they settle for a candidate who has the skill but doesn’t really fit the culture. This is a recipe for disaster in a lot of ways.

But lets focus on finding the right candidate — both skilled in the work and a good fit for the culture. These are the folks who share your values and are committed to your vision. If you treat them well and ensure they have the support and resources they need to do their jobs, they will take great care of your business and your customers. It’s an intentional process; it doesn’t just happen.

As a leader, what standards are you setting for your team, with respect to excellence?

What kind of a role model are you for your team or organization?

What are you doing to inspire them to internalize excellence as a value?

What can you do to create a culture of excellence in your workplace?

Remember, excellence is intentional; it doesn’t just happen!

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Intentional Leadership — D2, W4, M1 — Vision

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

Today, we’re going to take some time to evaluate our effectiveness related to defining and communicating our vision.

Take a few minutes to reflect on these components and and rate your effectiveness:

Remember, 1 = weak and 10 = strong.

How well are you able to cast and define a vision for your team/organization?

WEAK  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  STRONG

How well can you explain your vision — simply and concisely — to your team/organization?

WEAK  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  STRONG

How effective are you at communicating the vision over time?

WEAK  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  STRONG

How well do you link goals, milestones, and strategy to your vision?

WEAK  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  STRONG

How do you rate your employees’ level of commitment to your vision?

WEAK  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  STRONG

How honest were you with yourself in assessing your effectiveness above? Following this assessment, what areas of vision definition, communication, and reinforcement do you need to spend more time and energy on?

What resources do you need to grow in your weaker areas (books, mentors, experts, outside perspectives, focused practice)?

What are you risking if you do not improve? How could that affect your team and organization?

We are coming close to the end of month one, focused on vision. If you have work to do in this area, time is of the essence!

“See” you tomorrow!

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Trumpeting the Vision — D4, W3, M1 — Intentional Leadership — Vision

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , , , , on January 31, 2013| Leave a Comment »

As we near the end of the week, let’s work on the communication plan you began to think about yesterday.

If you haven’t gotten that far, why not start with a plan for the next month?

Again, you’ll need to define the key messages — what do your people really need to hear, know and understand?

When do they need to know? Creating key messages tied to your key milestones will help you lay out your timeline.

What vehicles can you use to spread the word? Remember, anything printed or visual needs to be a secondary or even tertiary form of communication — reinforcing messages you’ve already shared in person. After all, if something is really important, shouldn’t your team/organization hear about it first from you? Then you can use memo’s, newsletters, posters, and other visual communication tools to reinforce what you have shared in person.

Define how you will reinforce the actions and behaviors you need your people to take and demonstrate.

Give some thought to the celebrations you will have (they don’t need to be super-spectacular spectacles!) as your team/organization reaches those critical, initial milestones.

Be sure to put all of these things on your calendar. As you know, if you haven’t made it a priority and blocked out the time to take care of it, all that other daily stuff will become your priority. It will be easy to get to the end of the month and realize you haven’t accomplished all you wanted to — so take the time to schedule your actions now.

Create your vision.

Articulate it simply.

Share your passion for it.

Demonstrate your own commitment to reaching it.

Reinforce the behaviors you see in others striving for it, as well.

Drive to completion.

Celebrate along the way.

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Trumpeting the Vision — D3, W3, M1 — Intentional Leadership — Vision

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

So, what did you learn yesterday about the communication methods you are using to share your vision?

Spend some time today to reflect on what you’ve learned, what it means, and what you now need to do to communicate your vision more consistently and effectively, so it sticks, with your team/organization.

Is it time to refine your vision statement more clearly and simply?

Have you clearly articulated the “Why” behind your vision? What’s the compelling reason for you to strive for it? What will happen to your team/organization if you don’t reach it?

If you haven’t heard this already, it might be helpful to know that the most popular radio station in the world is WII FM (or What’s In It For Me?). You need to be able to help your people make the personal connection between themselves as individuals–then the team, then the organization–to your vision. If you can do this effectively, you will be way ahead of the game. And the way to do this is to really get to know your people, what inspires them? What motivates them? What do they want to do, be, or have more of?

Do you need to put different benchmarks in place to measure your progress along the path to your vision? If so, what are they? And what are the key milestones you will need to reach along the way?

Once the measurements have been clearly defined, how will you celebrate when you reach them? And how will you reward your team members for their efforts?

Next, it’s time to thoughtfully map out your communication plan: Audience, Key Messages, Vehicles (primary and secondary), Timing, Owner, Outcome, Status, and Review. Successful leader-communicators consistently spend 80% of their time (with respect to communication) planning the communication and only 20% actually communicating. While it may seem counter-intuitive because it’s so easy to open our mouths and speak, truly effective communication does not just happen!

Your plan is nearly finished! Now, outline the key action steps needed to implement the plan, including who owns each action, what the expected deadlines are, and what the outcomes should be.

Now that you have an initial draft of your plan put together, who can you ask to review it? Find a trusted advisor or mentor and ask for their candid feedback before you take the plan to your team/organization.

It may sound like a lot of time-consuming effort, but I promise you the time you spend thoughtfully considering and planning your work will pay off in the end, with a more thorough, thoughtful, carefully crafted approach and it will show in the results.

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Trumpeting the Vision — Day 1, W3, M1 — Intentional Leadership — Vision

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , on January 27, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Welcome to week 3 of our Intentional Leadership journey!

Today, we will focus on the incredible volume of messages the average person is exposed to in a day — anywhere between 247 and 3,000 — depending on which source you pull the research from,  and those sites are focused only on commercial (advertising and marketing) messages; what might the number be when you factor in all the personal and directly-related business messages we deal with in a day? Hard to wade through, aren’t they?

This is one reason we must “trumpet the vision” as we are working to inspire and motivate our organization. It’s oh-so-critical to make your vision as crystal clear and simple as possible, and then to say it over and over and over, and celebrate it, and link it to action… many times a day, every single day.

It probably sounds boring and tiring, but it’s true. People need to hear things a minimum of 12 twelve times, through a variety of different mediums, before they truly begin to notice and attend to a message. Repetition is critical. This does not mean you need to say exactly the same words the same way every single time.

Indeed, what will be more effective is to weave your vision into messages at a variety of levels. Connect it to the major initiatives your organization is undertaking. Tie it into what lower level teams are working on. Draw the lines to how individuals are helping your organization move closer to the vision.

Don’t necessarily be subtle and don’t assume they will quickly see all the connections you see. Draw them the picture over and over and over. Make the connections for them.

Today’s exercise is to spend some time considering how your vision has historically been communicated and reinforced. What has worked the best?

If you’re not sure, spend some time talking with your people today and ask them what the vision is. If they can’t tell you simply, you have some work to do.

If that’s the case, take some time to articulate your vision and really consider if it’s simple enough to grasp quickly. Think about how you can make it more real for your team or organization; what picture do you need to draw for them so they get it?

Who can help you? Remember, you need not be the only vision ambassador; you know the people who get it — enlist their help in communicating and reinforcing your vision throughout the organization, in a variety of different ways.

Let me know how I can help you.

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Organizational History — Intentional Leadership — W2, Day 3 (M1) — Vision

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , on January 23, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Now that you’ve given some thought to the history and values of your organization, and what value they offer in terms of your vision, it’s important to know what your peers and employees know about your history and values. Not only what they know, but also how they interpret the history and values; as you are surely aware, “one size does not fit all” in terms of perception of things.

Before you can make progress towards your vision, you will need to assess the level of commitment your employees have to your organization. To do this, you may ask a few simple questions:

What historical facts do you know about the company?

How would you define our organization’s values?

What is our vision — what are we trying to achieve?

What is it about our vision that draws you to the organization?

What role do you play in achieving our vision?

How does the organization keep you connected to our vision and values?

The key here is to truly listen and make note of the things they tell you, especially if what they say is unexpected or counter to your beliefs and understandings.

I suspect some of the answers may surprise you. Pay close attention, though, as you may gain some invaluable insight into the collective mind of your employees that can help guide you in what you need to do next.

More tomorrow!

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