The Reader For Leaders

I was having coffee with a community leader the other day, a habit I like to do about once per month so that I can pick their brain for their secrets of success. As he told me his leadership journey and the leaders that made the biggest impact on his life, I noticed a pattern. He kept using the phrase “clarity of purpose” about the key trait of those he respected. And it was something he tried to emulate in his life.

He also shared that he has a filter for any job or volunteer opportunity that presents itself. It has to be:

• fun
• a meaningful opportunity to contribute
• a role that develops people

I have a personal filter for 2013 for my personal goals, or what I call a thematic goal (term used by Patrick Lencioni) for myself: it is to live my personal life more intentionally. It has 3 strategic objectives:

• Prioritize self-care
• Get our family financial future better planned for
• Make a bigger positive difference in my ever-expanding circle of influence

If you don’t have filters for your life, everything will just pour in–good and bad–and you most likely will not be making progress toward anything too significant. Take the time to develop filters, and then abide by them–and you’ll grow forward!

Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook at Growing Forward Services, or on Twitter @growingfwd, or at LinkedIn at Paul D. Casey.

Rick Martinez of Peak Performance Systems http://www.ppstraining.com/ is a good friend and great trainer and organizational-developer. Read his inspiration on your attitude choice every day!

THE CHOICE IS YOURS

A positive attitude is a choice. You can choose to be happy or you can choose not to. Henry Ford was fond of saying, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, either way you are right.”  Success in life is not what happens to you but rather your reaction to what happens to you.

Positive, happy people don’t let life’s bumps get them down.  Yes it is true that bad things happen, however happy people know that pain is inevitable but suffering is optional. Positive, happy people bounce back.  As Robert Schuller says, “Positive people turn their scars into stars.”

In the last 30 years many studies have shown that happy people are more successful than their negative counterparts.  Researchers have hard proof that our brains are hardwired to perform better when we are positive.  Shawn Achor, the Harvard researcher, has found that happy workers have higher levels of productivity, enjoy better relationships, produce higher sales, perform better in leadership positions, and receive higher performance ratings and higher pay.

The greatest discovery of the human condition is that you can alter your life by altering your attitude.  Whether you suffer or thrive, attitude determines the difference. If you have the will to remain positive, you have achieved half your success; if you don’t, you have achieved half your failure. The choice is yours!

Guest blogging for Growing Forward Services is a man I admire for his leadership skills. I met him through Leadership Tri-Cities, and I have on my schedule a time to pick his brain for gems of wisdom in how he leads at work and in our community. Enjoy!

A Pat on the Back

By John P. LaFemina, Ph.D. (www.linkedin.com/in/johnlafemina/)

“There’s nothing greater in the world than when somebody on the team does something good, and everybody gathers around to pat him on the back.”                                                                                                                                                           Billy Martin, NY Yankees

Patting people on the back for a good play is common in sports.  Unfortunately, in the business world, it is easy to take people for granted.  According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 64 percent of Americans who leave their jobs say they do so because they don’t feel appreciated.  Gallup reports that almost 70 percent of people in the United States say they receive no praise or recognition in the workplace.

As a culture, we don’t do a very good job of expressing our appreciation for one another, especially at work.  We tend to focus our time and energy on what we don’t like, what we’re worried about or what we think needs to be fixed.

What would happen if we started paying more attention to the good stuff?

Every day, every moment, each of us has a choice about where we focus our attention.  And while it is important to fix things that need fixing, we can choose to focus on the good stuff and appreciate the people around us at work.  We do great things here every day; and by choosing to look for them we can – with practice and courage – focus the power of appreciation in our organization.

So, what can we do to bring more appreciation into our team?

• Send a Thank You! card - with so much of our      communication on the computer, a hand written card makes a big impact.
• Say “Thank You” when you receive a compliment – by      accepting compliments from others; you help make it easier for you to give      compliments.
• Talk about the good stuff - Talk      about what is going well and what you like about working with your      colleagues.  Take the time to share      good news.
• Acknowledge people publicly – Even though      folks many get a little embarrassed, most people like being praised in      front of their peers.

When we focus on the good stuff, good stuff happens.  Choose your focus.  Choose your attitude.  Choose encouragement; and give your teammates a pat on the back!

“You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their, successes, and encourage them in their pursuits.  When we all help one another, everybody wins.”                                                                                             Jim Stovall

OK, maybe that’s too strong a title. However, you can choose to intentionally start your day out in a way that matches or reinforces your values–or you can be unintentional by sleeping late, rushing around, and missing opportunities.

Here are a few ways I intentionally spend my mornings. After I shower, I read my Bible, because it’s my connection to God and His wisdom, my top priority. Then I read professionally for a while in a book or magazine, to keep sharp with my leadership development. Usually, I eat a protein breakfast (could work on this one) to start my metabolism going on the right track for personal wellness. I kiss my wife before leaving, to make a positive connection with her as my #1 human priority, even if she’s still sleeping. And I pray with my daughter on her way to school, to ask for God to bless her in her day.

When I enter my office each morning, I have a few rituals. I plug in my fountain, which reminds me that I need to be a living river of God’s love to those I will come in contact with this day. I water my 2 plants, which represent one of my values of growth. I go to my calendar and cross off yesterday, reminding me that the past is the past and today is a new opportunity. And I tear off the next one-a-day calendar’s humor cartoon, which gives me a laugh to begin my day positively.

Before you dive into the business of your day, what do you want to move up your priority list, in order to lock in one of your personal values?

I dislike flying in airplanes. My wife is giddy about it. She holds my hand as my knuckles turn white whenever there is turbulence since I have motion sickness. So, last week when flying (pretty smooth flights, actually), I could see a parallel between turbulence in the air and trying to make a change in your life or organization.

At take-off or the beginning of a change-effort, there is a lot of speed and momentum, as the new idea lifts off the ground and tries to become the new normal. The plane and strategy slices through the air and rises higher and higher with exhilaration.

But the time when I’ve noticed the turbulence is the worst is in the time between lift-off and cruising altitude. That’s when the clouds and weather patterns rock the plane and mess with the leaders trying to implement the new change effort, seeking to de-rail it. It’s the toughest to hang in there at this time, but perseverance is necessary.

Then, at cruising altitude, they bring the beverage cart, and everyone settles into the change effort, seeking to incorporate it into the culture.

The second time turbulence seems the hardest to deal with is when autopilot is turned off and the descent begins. You have gotten very far in your new initiative and trying to make it permanent or bring it closure–and again the weather, or nay-sayers, buffet the plane as you start to see the finish line. If you can endure and keep making the adjustments mid-air, the runway to landing the project is just up ahead–and your efforts will produce the outcomes you are after.

I breathe a sigh of relief as the plane bounces onto the runway, the journey completed. Now it’s time to celebrate all the people who made the flight, or initiative possible–your team or partners who got you through the rough air.

What stage are you at right now in changing your life or organization–and are you experiencing this typical change process? At least you know what’s coming!

Did that title catch your attention? I hope so, because I think we all occasionally invest in things that are dead or dying–and it’s a wasted return on investment (ROI)!  There are the people that drain life from us, work tasks that are simply busywork, large blocks of time spent on ”screens” (TV, video games, mindless web-surfing, non-intentional social media), goals/plans that are not working despite best efforts, trying to please an unpleasable person/boss/culture, etc.

Time is so precious, and it can never be taken back. Treat it as sacred, not throw-away. Every minute can be used intentionally–even if you are intentionally relaxing!

I’d encourage you to instead invest in things that lead to productive personal growth. Learning experiences and materials, quality relationships going to the next level, specific goals that get you closer to your dream, trying something new to expand your horizons. It is within your power to make changes and alter your patterns that are putting you in a cul-de-sac (Seth Godin’s term) with no way out.

Get real with yourself about what’s dead or dying. Shift your energy away from it. New life might spring up twice as fast by investing in what has greater potential for your future.

If you’ve ever hiked to a mountain spring, you know the sight of fresh water bubbling up and gushing out. It just screams refreshment and nature’s best.  Similarly, take a walk around your own life right now and self-examine, “What are the fresh springs bubbling in my life? Where are the areas that are life-producing in others (and self) when I respond or take initiative?”

I did this self-coaching exercise last month in the quietness of a library, and here a few of mine:

• Taking leadership in a new area of my job, as directed by my supervisor, in a strengths-based role.
• Relationship-building in my 6-7 community connections groups
• Adding more value to people via social media (Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn)
• Being a hope-speaker and positive force to my recovering-from-surgery wife
• Receiving and embracing coaching/encouragement from a new mentor

Write down and share a few of yours–that’s where you are making the biggest impact! Then feed it some more!