doug smith training

Here are some photos of some brilliant, terrific, fun learners in leadership workshops this week.

If you're going to wait for someone to tell you what to do they're going to expect you to do it.

Get ahead of that drama. Take initiative. Set your own plan. Get things done.

It's what high performance leaders do.

-- doug smith

You can't train for the olympics by watching a three-minute video.

And yet, some people think you can learn leadership that fast. You can't. Besides, imagine all the cat-video distractions you'd encounter along the way.

High performance leadership takes real training, real devotion, steady discipline, and constant learning.

Oh, and it never ends.

-- doug smith

What you learn is up to you.

-- doug smith

Are you an assertive leader?  High performance leaders must be assertive. They need to express their expectations clearly and frequently. They need the courage to stand up to aggressive behavior without getting aggressive themselves. That's where the science of leadership can meet the art of leadership: knowing how much to dial up your assertiveness and knowing how much to keep steady, to keep centered.

Holding your ground and holding your own does not mean holding anyone else emotionally hostage. People will disagree. Strangely enough, some people will fail to meet your expectations. We can deal with that without getting started on raging, yelling, or berating. All of those aggressive behaviors produce side effects and none of them are desirable.

Instead, breathe. Think things through. Work on the relationship and the results will follow. Focus only on the results and the relationship could unwind.

Bullies get paid back when they least expect it. Why not treat people with respec…

It's tough being a front line leader. Everyday someone challenges you on some point that you thought was obvious or long-ago decided. Every hour some customer demands the impossible. Every week some team member leaves, or contemplates leaving, sending the recruiting process into overdrive.

It's tough.

As leaders, we must be up to the challenge. We must toughen up. We must build muscle around the soft underbelly of centered leadership - not as far as the iron fist inside the velvet glove - but close.

Our goals matter. Our team matters. Our support of the organizational mission must be unwavering and courageous.

The rewards of effective leadership extend much farther than the financial, though. A leadership job well done results in more powerful people. It results in teams that achieve its goals. It results in people going much longer and farther than they'd ever imagined. Leading at its best helps people serve with joy and inspiration.

I recommend it highly.

Get a grip on …

A problem is just an unfulfilled goal.

-- doug smith


I have a challenge for you. It's not that hard, but it does take practice. Here it is: instead of thinking of a problem as a problem, turn it into a goal. Instead of thinking about what is causing you unhappy results, focus on the results that you DO want and identify all of the ways to achieve those results.

Turn that problem around. Make it a goal.

A problem is just an unfulfilled goal. Take care of the goal, and say goodbye to the problem.

-- doug smith

The problem with some problems is your adversary's failure to see it as a problem.

-- doug smith

Some problems are more like conflicts. The symptoms are clear, but the "problem" for you could be an "asset' for someone else. As long as someone is gaining from the situation, it's tough to convince them that there is a problem.

When that happens, your adversary is not going to willingly change things. You'll need to show them how the status quo is not only unsatisfactory for you, but also contains a downside for them -- maybe not now, but eventually (and decisively.)

And if you can't find that, you may need to create it - or live with the current situation.

The problem with some problems is your adversary's failure to see it as a problem. Clear the fog for them. Show the pain.

-- doug smith

The more resistance you get the more impact you could have.

-- doug smith

Leaders create change. Change causes resistance. Lately, it seems that we are given lots of change without any influence over what that change will look like. It's easier to simply force the change than to build consensus. That's fast, but I doubt that it's sustainable.

As high performance leaders, let's do better than that. Let's handle resistance by listening. There might be merit in the resistance. There is, at least, human nature and feelings involved. Every time leaders bull doze a change thru, something is broken: trust.

How do you handle resistance? If your changes are creating vocal resistance, it might mean that your change is truly important. It could also mean that it's off-base. But, forcing it thru doesn't increase its value.

The more resistance you get the more impact you could have -- if you take the time to explore what that resistance is all about.

-- doug smith