As the title of this week’s post says, we all work. Some for money, some as a volunteer, and some in the home, but it’s fair to say that in general, we all work. Because working is such a norm in our lives, we don’t often take time to think (see last week’s post Take Time to Think) about what we actually want from work and prepare to move forward in a way that gets us where we want…
Last week in Two Powerful Tools from One Powerful Leader, we described how visionary leader Kathy Broadwater utilized virtual departments to get work done at the Maryland Port Authority. This week, we’re sharing her approach to solidifying those virtual departments by creating a specific charter or compact to ensure that everyone is clear about the goals and deliverables, how the work will be done and who will do it, and to formalize the commitment to being a part of this…
One of the key aspects of being a good leader is determining the road forward and figuring out how to stay on that road despite the sometimes unfavorable conditions. We often meet individuals who turn off the road to success for what appears to be an immediate gain without considering how this short-term diversion will impact their long-term goal. Each of these distractions puts them on the road to nowhere. We’ve been working with a lot of organizations of late…
“Mountaintops inspire leaders but valleys mature them.” — Winston Churchill Leadership isn’t just inspiration, it is also the ability to get things done. We’ve met many leaders, young and old, who have wonderful ideas (they can see the mountain tops), but they have no idea how to turn those ideas into reality (walking through the valley). When we work with leaders, we are always asking them to keep an eye on the mountaintops that will inspire their teams but to…
“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” — Will Rogers This quote by Will Rogers is both humorous and wise. It is important, in our lives and in our work, to have a vision for our futures. For many people, when they finally create a compelling vision for the future, they are excited about being on the right track. They have a sense of where they want to go and the…
If you have taken the time to articulate your Purpose, create your Vision Statements, identify the 5 – 7 major Obstacles to living your vision and identified some first Action Steps to get around the obstacles and a move toward living your vision – congratulations! We are really impressed with your commitment to creating a life that is good for you! If you haven’t completed all of these steps, we hope you will look back through each of the…
Last week we challenged you to become a proactive employee. In response to that post, we got a lot of email asking for guidance in how to become a proactive employee – in a world that won’t slow down. In our twenty years of experience, we have found that proactive employees – proactive people – are successful in large part due to their ability to think strategically in planning for themselves, their departments, and (when they have the power) their…