Are you seeing clearly?

Over the past week, many of us have had the opportunity to spend time with friends and family.  Many of us will hear stories of successes and accomplishments that our friends and other family members have had, and as a result be envious to have their success.  What we often don't realize, is that the same people who we are envious of, may actually be trying to compete with us.

Life doesn't need to be a competition, but should rather be enjoyed for the moment that you are in.  Here is a clip that in my opinion illustrates how we can get so caught up in winning and losing that we forget to recognize success and accomplishment.

Take the time to recognize the successes you are having and the impact you have on a daily basis.  If you don't, you may not recognize success when it is right in front of you.

What accomplishments are you going to enjoy this week?  If you think about it, I guarantee that you have had some that you haven't given yourself enough credit for!

Have a great week!

Inspect what you Expect

One of the greatest attributes of a leader is to be able to develop those whom are being led, as well as become a leader among their peers.  As a leader of people, it is drilled in that in order to be successful an effective leader must delegate.  What happens often times is that leaders delegate tasks, however, they do not effectively follow through to make sure assigned tasks are completed competently and on time. 

When assignments are not effectively executed, many leaders become managers, or even worse, micro managers because in their minds, they can not trust that when they delegate the task is able to be completed.  As a result, a leader can never truly develop their direct reports. 

It is important to remember that most tasks fail not as a result of the person the task is delegated to.  They typically fail because the assignment of the task has not been set up properly.  There are a myriad of leadership classes that leaders can learn the principles of effective delegation, but here are a few key reminders.

• Provide background  - What is the problem that is needing to be resolved and why is it important to the organization?
• Gain commitment - Is this a problem that has relevance and is not perceived as simply busy work.
• Resources needed - Who and what is required for effective execution?
• Time frame - When does the task need to be completed?
• Checkpoints - When will there be progress reports?
• Review - Once the task is completed, ensure that feedback is provided to the person that the task is delegated to.

Feedback throughout an assignment is essential, but in setting up the task assignment, it is important for the leader to allow two way feedback to all of the above points.  A sure way to see a task fail is if the person responsible for completing the task gets the feeling that they are flying blind.

By allowing mistakes and course corrections to occur, leaders develop others by providing them valuable experience and instilling confidence in others abilities.  At the end of the day, we always need to be thinking succession planning.  The best way to do that is by allowing others to drive results and providing individual feedback when timely and appropriate.

Remember, leadership is not about us, it is about the constant strengthening of the organization and applies to all organizations.

Have a great end to the week!

It's a Journey, not a Sprint!

As many high schools, colleges, and universities prepare for commencements over the next month, many students will enter the "real world".  As stated in the song "Closing Time" by Semisonic, "Every new beginning is some other beginnings end."

For students they may enter the workforce, the military, or choose to continue their education at one of this country's institutions of higher education.  When the pomp and circumstance is over, each person will now have to make their individual decisions for the rest of their lives.  Some will make good decisions, others, not so good.

In my house, we have volume's of the "Book of Dumbass" as we affectionately refer to it.  Each day we live, we add another page, each month another chapter, and each year a new volume.  My boys know that each decision they make has a consequence, both positive and negative, and my wife and I hope we have instilled good decision making qualities in both of our sons.  For them making a bad decision is not the end of the world, as we all have made them in our lives.  Life is a journey, not a sprint. 

It is important throughout our careers and our lives that each of us remember that what we do is a journey, not a sprint.  We need to enjoy all that our experiences offer us.  You hear professionals comment all the time how the low points in careers made them stronger and better equipped to make tough decisions, or execute a plan, or a play in the future.  The experiences we all have as professionals and individuals provide us the tools and resources to draw upon to make better future decisions.

As leaders, it is up to us individually to mentor those around us.  Allow others to draw on our experiences, but also allow others to make mistakes as they create their experiences.  Losing or failing should never deter anyone.  Look at Abraham Lincoln.  Business failures, bankruptcy, elections losses, and ultimately became one of the most important figures in American or for that matter World history.  For him, life was a journey, not a sprint.

I had the privilege to coach youth football with someone in Oklahoma.  One of the mantra's of that team was "Never, never quit".  We would chant it before each game.  It instilled an attitude of long term success, even if the short term results were not successful.  Each player that played for him is developing into a winner in their own rights, both on and off the field.

As each person begins their next chapter in life, remember it is a journey, not sprint.

Your Wonderful Life

Everyone has a bad day.  It is easy to get caught up with what isn't going right, however, it takes some real effort to recognize what is right when things seem they are going in the opposite direction. 

Today was my birthday.  I usually don't worry about my birthdays, because they really haven't been that important to me.  I would rather celebrate others, than celebrate myself, that's just the way I am.  I had an epiphinany today when I had over 100 of my friends post on my Facebook wall, text me, or call me directly to wish me a Happy Birthday.  I thought back to one of my favorite movies of all time, "It's A Wonderful Life" and the main character, George Bailey. 

George has many of the same stressors that many of us face on a daily basis.  Financial issues, work issues, regrets, and so on.  George has the perfect storm brewing when all of these stressors hit at one time.  Through his "guardian angel", Clarence he learns that even though things are really bad at that moment, he actually is a positive influence on others around him.  At the end of the movie, after Clarence takes him on a historical journey of his life and the impact that he has had on others, he realizes that his life is meaning. 

Clarence sends him a message at the end of the movie that says, "Dear George, remember no man is a failure who has friends. Thanks for the wings, Love Clarence."  This is a very powerful quote, and one that I remember everyday. 

Whenever you are having a bad day, remember that you truly have A Wonderful Life.  Each of us have guardian angels that we will never see, never know, but have an influence over us.  They help us make good choices each day, if we allow them to.  Just as George Bailey had to allow Clarence to show him he did matter, each of us have to be open to input from others.

I am not a religious person by any means, but I am a believer that everything happens for a reason.  We face situations each day that challenge us in many ways.  Know that you have friends that you may not talk to every day, but friends that truly do care about you and reenter your life at critical moments for a reason.  This was my lesson of the day.  Take the time each day to recognize those who have a positive impact on you.

"Remember no man is a failure who has friends."

By keeping this quote in mind, you can't help but have A Wonderful Life!