doug smith training

Do you ever ask yourself "what's wrong with that person?" It can be difficult to see why someone else can't just do what we did to succeed -- because they aren't us. Maybe they'll need to do it their way. -- doug smith

Can you think your way to success? Is positive thinking enough. Optimism is great, but you've got to mix in plenty of action to achieve your goals. You've got to do something. As a chronic thinker, I am sometimes prone to procrastinating on what matters most. That's not a good idea and I do not recommend it. I've learned that even if the first halting steps are incorrect, some motion is better than stasis.  But thinking about success helps. It can get you unstuck. It can fill you with optimism. And that I do recommend. Thinking about success usually comes before achieving it. Just do something, too. -- doug smith

A good goal can survive setbacks. Stay relentless on your plan. -- doug smith

Feeling stuck? Open up. Quicken your pace. Get bold. Set a goal that gets you going. A bold goal prods action. Why wait? -- doug smith

Do you tell people about your goals? When you do, it helps you clarify what you want. It also builds in a bit of accountability. If I tell my best friend about a goal, she is definitely going to check up on me to see how that's going. I'd better get it done. If I am hesitant to tell her about a goal, it could mean that I'm not yet taking that goal seriously. Or, maybe it's not yet clear what the goal should be. Take your time enough to get your goal right. If you catch yourself changing your goal when you tell people about it you should probably change your goal. You might as well work on what is important to you. -- doug smith

Is there something on your mind that you are not talking about? Do you need a conversation with someone but keep avoiding it? It's tough, isn't it? The conversations that feel like the toughest only get tougher the longer they are delayed. Talk about it. Talk about it now. -- doug smith

Situations, processes, designs, conditions, relationships -- so much up for grabs. Working together to solve a problem fixes far more than just the problem. Why not work together? -- doug smith

Are your goals worth your time? Find a goal that makes you tingle with anticipation. That's the kind of goal that's worth your time. -- doug smith

Do you get stuff done? At the end of the day, isn't that what leaders are paid to do? Oh sure, to do that means you must communicate effectively, build cohesive teams, solve problems, and improve performance. That's all part of the job. But mainly the job of leadership is to get stuff done.  High performance leaders find reasons, and ways, to get things done. How are you doing? -- doug smith

It's not easy for me to admit when I'm wrong. It's even harder if I don't see that I am, yet somehow...later on, my perspective shifts and I see what the other person must have been seeing differently. That's one reason I've learned to pause before defending a message. I'm still working on it. We usually do have a moment to pause and think thru our response. What if you are wrong?  When we are wrong and we admit it, we can usually recover the damage that might have been done. We can, with dignity and respect, restore the relationship to what it was before we said what was wrong. It's a big if, it's a might if, and it's an if worth considering. It hurts to admit you're wrong, yet when you're wrong it hurts more NOT to. -- doug smith

When faced with a series of choices, how do you decide? Do you allow your goals to provide you with a sense of direction?  Well-written, strongly considered goals do not waste your time - they save you valuable decision-making moments by fixing your direction. Faced with a dozen doors, any one of which could be (and would be) fascinating, you choose the door in the direction of your goal.  That's why it's so important to take your time about your goals. To head consistently in the right direction, to make the best choices, let your goals be your guide. The most powerful goals are nonnegotiable. The time to negotiate your goals is before you commit to them. Once the commitment is there, act relentlessly on your goal.  -- doug smith

We are all deeply flawed people constantly choosing between improving or deceiving.  You are not fooled when you improve. No one else is fooled when you don't. -- doug smith

If someone wanted to discuss a problem with you right now, what would you say?  Some days, I just don't have room for any more problems, how about you? Some days I just want to get thru and get some work done. How about you? Some days, though, there is an opportunity to talk about what's going on and if that opportunity passes, it's gone forever. I remember a long car ride up the mountains to Breckinridge, Colorado one Valentine's Day when a problem (or hand-full of problems) unfolded a great opportunity to talk. For reasons still unknown to me, I could not talk. The words would not come. My body language didn't communicate what I was thinking and (perhaps) what I was thinking was too sad to say. I don't know. I wish that I did. What I didn't know at the time was that moment, during those steep climbs, there was an opportunity to resolve problems and that opportunity would never come again so freely, so safely, and so sincerely. It faded away. It was still a

Faked respect is worse than no respect at all. -- doug smith

There's a lot of arguing going on. Does it seem to you like it's getting worse each day? People are losing friends, people are ignoring each other, people are letting logic slip out of their heads while the emotional train takes over. It doesn't have to be that way. You have some control of whether or not (and how) you argue. The next time you are about to argue, try keeping this in mind: the impulse to argue is a signal to stay curious instead. Maybe you'll learn something. Maybe you'll teach something. There's plenty of room to interact respectfully. -- doug smith

If you had to guess, do you think that you use the word "yes" or the word "no" more often? Why does it matter? Of course we have to say no sometimes. If you chase every goal you won't achieve any of them. But I find myself saying "no" sometimes before I've even given it much thought. It's a default impulse (no!) designed to keep us safe. The problem is, it keeps us isolated, too. It keeps us stuck. Leaders who say yes more than no are easier to follow. Enthusiasm matters. Passion engages. Certainty build confidence. Try this: the next time you're give then choice between yes and no, pause. Silently count to ten. Then, consider, why not? Why not yes? Yes! -- doug smith

Winners should not forget that losers never forget. Are you meeting their needs, too? -- doug smith

You don't need permission to focus on what matters most. -- doug smith

Do you ever wear yourself out trying to help someone else solve a problem? It is so tempting to come up with solutions. Even when you're sure they will work, will they really?  I'm working on taking a pause. What is the request? What is the need? What is my role? You may not need to solve someone else's problem -- they may just need your attentive listening. -- doug smith

Develop your character and let your ego take care of itself. -- doug smith

All true leaders encounter conflict. It's what you do with it that defines your character. -- doug smith

Once you know how to achieve your goals it's just a matter of will. -- doug smith

How do you know if your goal is the right goal?  We have so many goals to choose from. Some agendas get in the way of others. Some goals might even be mutually exclusive -- you can achieve one or the other but not both. But some goals create more possibilities, not less. Some goals promote both sustainability and growth. Some goals are all win and no loss. The right goal keeps the wrong problem from harming you. Take you time in committing to a goal. And then, give it all you've got. -- doug smith

Clarity on your goals gives you strength. -- doug smith

Does the way you look at a problem affect the problem? How does your own focus influence what happens in the process of solving a problem? What if we could think of someone who gives us a problem as a new collaborator? -- doug smith

True story: when I was much younger I was known to tell a tale or two. They were usually rooted in reality, but I'd embellish the truth to make it more interesting. Like that story I'd tell about my trip to McSorley's in New York when I ran into John Lennon. We had a nice conversation. Except, he wasn't there. I thought of him, and he lived in New York at the time, but seriously was much more likely to be on the other side of town. Go figure. How many times did I tell that tale? Maybe once or twice. Once to my best friend at the time. Did she believe me? Not if she knew me well enough... How about you? Do your fish stories end up with bigger fish than you actually caught? Do you augment reality with some great tales? I got a great gift last December from one of my good friends and fraternity brother, David Spiegel. It's a coffee mug with the saying "Keep telling the stories" written on it. I love it. I don't think that he meant "tell tales."

How much time do you spend motivating your team? Trick question? How about this for a bold answer: all the time. Every moment that you spend with your team is an opportunity to motivate.  When you inspire your team their performance elevates. But, where to begin? How do you get that fully energized, totally motivated team? The first step to motivating others is wanting them to be happy. Wanting them to be happy enough that you ask. Wanting them to be happy enough that you collaborate on creating an environment where their happiness can flower and grow. No problem, right? Try this: ask them what motivates them. What energizes them? What gets them excited? And then?  Listen. -- doug smith Call to Action: Stay curious about what makes your team members happy. Ask!

We do not have to create teams where people either win or lose. We do not have to create organizations where people either win or lose. We do not have to create societies where people must either win or lose. We can make better choices. As high performance leaders, we can co-create better outcomes; ways for all of our constituents to benefit. We can even compete without tearing down our competitors. What if every action you made as a leader improved the world, instead of producing a little tear in the fabric? Zero-sum leadership is not sustainable or defensible. Lead without producing loss, or face your own eventual loss. -- doug smith

Problems keep us sharp as long as we don't keep them in the dark. -- doug smith

When in doubt about what to talk about with your team, talk about goals. -- doug smith

Teams need constant attention. You get them where you want them and then they change. Just like relationships. The dynamic is always moving. High performance leaders move with the team, gently directing and redirecting and communicating as much certainty as you have available. Your team might need to grow before it knows it. Your team might need to slow down and focus. When we can put our coaching hat on and guide the ingredients we need become more clear. One-on-one conversations, powerful meetings, meaningful goals, clear roles...the list is remarkably stable even though the players are not. You can build a team or tear it down. It's your choice. -- doug smith

Communicate as if your career depended on it. It does. -- doug smith

What we learn becomes more important when we apply it. Learn, apply, learn again. -- doug smith