Recently, I was talking with a friend of mine who owns his own business. For the most part, he’s happy with the way things are going. His people have been with him for a long time and the processes they’ve created run smoothly. The company’s revenue and profitability are good and he has a sizable group of loyal clients. The one thing, however, that he really wants to change are the company’s goal setting practices. That, he feels, has been a weak muscle and one he’d like to start building. His instinct to incorporate more clear and focused goal setting practices into the company is a good one. Goal setting and action planning are key to a company moving in an intentional direction. Proactive goal setting, though, requires an all important ‘pre’ activity. That ‘pre’ activity is the time and attention required to get clear on where you are now and where you want to go. This is not a step you want to skim over. In most cases, this step unleashes the energetic fuel that will be needed to complete or exceed the goal. Without becoming clear on the want and desire, the effort can become dry and mechanical…not so compelling. Business theory and logic may try to gloss over it, but we human beings spend a lot of time being. Being is alive, it’s emotional and it’s creative. All of which, prove advantageous for setting goals and making them happen. Rationale and reason are invited to the game, but alone they lack the compelling ‘why’ that sustains the action and keeps things moving forward. That’s why it’s critical that people set their own goals and participate in determining their own course of action to realize those goals. Goals and action plans laid on people lack ownership and a personal why. They may work as an ultimatum, but rarely as a powerful impetus for action. Leaders worth their salt, want their people to be personally involved in the forward movement of the company. Without it, it’s back to the mechanical. Emotion and desire forge commitment. They are the glue that connects people to the mission and vision. As importantly, they are the fuel that propels action and companies forward. Plug into your desire. It’s the rocket booster of action. Discover 8 Powerful Ways to Energize Your People!...

  True leadership development is essentially code for stepping into one’s own human potential. It is so much more than running a good company, making wise strategic decisions or inspiring people to follow. Those are the external manifestations of a good leader. It’s the internal manifestations—one’s personal evolvement and maturation that inform the action and behavior of a person as leader. That is the core differentiator between lackluster, good and great. In our culture, we have become so mesmerized by the external symbols and trappings of what we currently perceive to be ‘successful’ leadership, that we may have disconnected from the deeper truths of what it means to be a great leader. Yes, financial generation is tremendously important in the business sector, but what about those internal human attributes that characterize a person of note. A person we can look to and witness integrity, fairness, hopefulness, courage and compassion. In this chaotic world, that is becoming more critical in a leader, not less so. As social animals, we need each other to survive…whether we choose to admit that or not. And we also need one another to demonstrate what’s possible from a human development perspective in this planetary experience of life. Leadership is a big part of that modeling and informing. The question then becomes what is a leader modeling. Is it simply a mindless drive for the material or is it something more. Is it in the way they carry themselves during a crisis or how they reach out to someone in need or how they make decisions aligned with truth and integrity. Leaders that possess an integrated heart, mind and gut are those that will move this world forward. Extreme rationalism, disconnected from healthy human emotion will not inspire. Extreme emotionality, untethered to sound emotional intelligence can be destructive. Each of us has the opportunity to intentionally step into our own personal leadership and cultivate those attributes that are real and substantial to our forward movement as a species. Whether we assume a title of leader or not, we will always have one follower…ourselves. That’s where true leadership begins. It is and always has been, an inside job. Be the leader you wish to see in the world. What are the leadership qualities you most value? If you could use some help getting clear, contact us. It’s critically important to your company, your people, your influence as a leader and your future, to be clear. Sign me up for a Strategy...

It’s easy in business to get pulled away from that which really needs attention. There are so many variations on blinking lights and buzzing alerts that the ‘Butterfly Syndrome’ is easily activated. If you aren’t familiar with the Butterfly Syndrome, it’s that attention shifting behavior, where we move reactively from one thing to the next. Email can be an attractive Butterfly and so can social media. Of course smart phones are the Monarch of all attention catching Butterflies. Their compelling pull can lure even the most focused of business folk. For me, the biggest issue with the Butterfly Syndrome is that it can be so effective at keeping us from locking our attention on that which is most important or critical. Whether it be taking the time to increase our awareness around a particular area, crafting a plan of action, implementing that action or bringing it to completion, Butterflies will be flitting along the path. Staying with the program and keeping it moving forward requires a steadiness of mind and a pledge to largely ignore those beating wings. Of course, some Butterflies require attention in the moment. This, of course, increases the challenge. Simply ignoring everything that flutters around isn’t realistic. To be able to attend to that one important Butterfly, do what needs to be done and return reliably to the work at hand is an art. It requires the skill of discernment and the discipline to return to the intentioned activity—the Butterfly master program. As long as business and life continue to introduce new exotic variations of Butterflies, we will be invited to develop our attention-placing and focusing abilities. Humans, over the last many decades, have taken a hit in this area. It’s time to muster our will and not be seduced towards ever-shorter attention spans. Placing attention and holding it for longer than seven seconds is a choice and a practice. It is essential to all aspects of fulfilling life and work. Butterflies can be great. It is however, a decision, conscious or unconscious, as to when we look at them and for how long. Attention and focus are the precious skills of our time. We get to choose when, how often and how well we pay attention and focus. At work, in life, it matters. Getting clear and calm helps you develop both skills. Discover 6 Ways to Create a Calming Moment…at...

As a business owner, there is an interesting corollary between hats and trust. In that, I mean the number of hats I feel compelled to wear in my business is oftentimes directly related to the level of trust I place in those that work in and for my company. Or, more accurately, do not place. My perceived workload as well as my concern about the health and future of my business are nearly always a barometer of how well I am trusting the vibrant resources in my midst. Trust is a big deal in business. It cannot be commanded nor intellectually generated. Once established, it can disappear in a flash. Trust is experienced not in the mind, but elsewhere. It can inform the mind, but it’s held in the heart. Which is why it can be such a challenge to foster in business. Workplaces are not traditionally environments where we allow our heart access. The truth is, if you want to activate trust within a company, the human heart is going to need to be involved. Otherwise, it’s simply a mental concept, impotent and without value. The best way to understand how to develop trust in others is to understand how it develops within ourselves. While our openness and ability to trust varies dramatically, the elements that foster it are shared. Consistency, honesty and empathy are critical to building trust. Whereas inconstancy, duplicity and indifference will prevent it from developing and ravage what trust exists. There is no tactical game plan for building trust in a company and without it, the true potential of any given enterprise will be largely unrealized. Leading is about vision, mission and action. Most importantly, however, it’s about developing trust within oneself and within the hearts of the people of the company. The level of trust each person experiences within the organization for the organization, will directly impact their work and performance. Trust engages the heart and spirit. It’s the vital component between lackluster and good, good and great. Leaders begin the work of building trust in others by first trusting others. Need trust? Becoming aware of that 24/7 security vigilante otherwise known as your ‘ego’ will help.  Discover 7 Ways to Quiet Security-Seeking Egos in the Workplace right...

Okay, I’m going to publicly admit something here. I am not a great networker. One to one relationships I love. Small group interactions I like. But being with groups of people in a networking setting…well, traditionally that hasn’t been my thing. Now, as a business leader, I recognize that this particular ‘thing’ is an area I need to work on. Entering networking groups comfortably is a skill I want to master. Is it a natural talent for me? Nope. Is it a skill I can develop over time? Yes, indeed. That’s a pledge. What I have come to learn, is that the act of stepping into a leadership role, whether in my business or other areas of my life, requires the humility to witness my weak muscles and the desire to build them up. Not in a self-critical sort of way, but from the place of desiring a greater level of excellence. It’s critical to hone these skills and it matters that I do. Not only to the growth of my company, but to those that follow me and those that I serve. It’s an absolute imperative. While leadership skill development areas abound, my experience has taught me that one particular area of skill seems to cry out for attention the most often regardless of business size. That is the area of emotional intelligence. When I speak of emotional intelligence I’m referring to a body of skills which include: Self-awareness Self-regulation Motivation (defined as “a passion for work that goes beyond money and status”) Empathy for others Social skills, such as proficiency in managing networks and building relationships To my mind, that is the stuff of great leadership. Emotional intelligence is really more a matrix than a mere set of skills. While comprised of distinct components, the development of one area likely informs and influences the others. So it is with my networking aspiration. My networking practice is social skill development. Through the process of building my muscle in that one area, I will automatically touch upon and enhance the others. Now that’s efficiency. There is a vital inter-connection between developing emotional intelligence and building a strong business. Especially in the area of leadership. Think about it—every item on that list tends to be that which we most powerfully relate to and admire in others. It’s a body of skills that both generates high regard and gets things done. Emotional intelligence or EQ is a massive aspect of great leadership. Attending to the numbers, paying attention to the metrics and reaching revenue goals is a vital part of the game. Developing and enriching one’s EQ, however, is the real game changer. So where are you on the EQ scale?...

Guns, batons, switchblades…none of these are legally allowed in the workplace. I’m sure you’ve seen the sign posted prominently in the foyer. Rather, other types of weaponry are stealthily brought into the office, in case of offensive or defensive need. Add to that, a wide array of personal shields and armor, at hand and ready to fend off possible attack. Though you may not see these armaments brandished or secured in a shoulder holster, trust me, they’re usually there. The workplace began and continues to emerge as an environment where control, ego battle and ego survival run rampant. Work has been equated to a war zone, a jungle, a battleground and a field of competition—all places replete with fear, anxiety and the threat of defeat or death. News Flash!! Those types of environments are not places where most people want to hang out and work. And, there’s a really good reason for that—they do not feel like safe places to be. Paranoia and anxiety are not reliable promoters of excellence, potential or creative genius. Now, I can hear the flak (also known as an exploding shell) from one or more of you regarding the tone of this piece. Is she kidding? Is she some sort of a peacenik? A Commie? Okay, maybe no one’s asserting I’m a Commie, but you get the message. And, I understand this response, I do. In large part, I attribute such responses to the state of being inured. Otherwise known, as the mindset we fall into and accept as gospel when we are immersed in a certain perceived reality. The weapons we bring into the office today are not made by Smith and Wesson or Rockwell Collins. They are not as tangible as all that. So, what are they? backstabbing, badmouthing or slurs stealing someone else’s idea setting someone up to fail or ‘throwing someone under the bus’ using another person for one’s own gain brownnosing lying, cheating or withholding information for one’s own advantage exploiting or treating others abusively forming cliques or blackballing Shields and armor, too, are different from military theaters. In business, they take the form of: doing just enough not to get fired not connecting with coworkers choosing not to be loyal to the company not speaking up pretending to be sick when you’re not coming in late and leaving early not wanting to take on anything new or put yourself on the line hiding in a cubicle or behind a computer As you can see, the work-based weaponry is different from that found on military battlefields. But, it still serves the same purpose as all swords and shields—attack and protection. For companies that want to increase employee performance and...