doug smith training

It's not automatic. It's not free. The impact will stay with you as long as you sustain the habit. The discipline to develop discipline will multiple your benefits. Work hard, work steady, and keep your promises. It all grows from a foundation of discipline. -- doug smith  

How does it feel when you miss on a goal? Frustrating? Disappointing? Sure, it is troubling to miss on a goal that once seemed so certain, but is it the worst that could have happened? What did you learn? How did you grow? What mistakes can you avoid in the future? There is much to be gained from every goal, even those that we do not achieve. You won't achieve every goal that you set, but the attempt is always better than regret.  -- doug smith

Highly structured? Wildly improvised?  Harmonic, or distorted? Fast or slow? Analytics help, but there's nothing quite like a touch of the poet in solving problems. The deep pondering, the pedantic piecing together, the frantic splash of passion. Whether or not they know it every problem solver has a touch of the poet. Are you in touch with your touch of the poet? -- doug smith 

Other people can help, but achieving your goals is up to you. -- doug smith  

Are you on course to achieve your biggest goals? Is your plan in motion and working? Of course! Will you need to make some adjustments along the way? Of course! If your goal really matters -- to you with some intensity, you will do what you need to do in order to achieve that goal. If it doesn't really matter, there's almost nothing to be done. You need the joy. You need the spark. You need the course of action that lights you up so much that it lights up your path to success. The reason for your goal is as important as your goal. Why does your goal matter? Why now? Why you? Does that level of focus really make a difference? Of course! -- doug smith  

Last week I had some fun, with two different classes, in an activity to re-invent games with no losers. The only other condition was that each game also had to be fun. As it turns out, competition is not necessary in order to have fun. The creativity won the day as games developed without any losers. Imagine that. Playing a game without disappointment. Playing a game of cooperation, of collaboration, of mutually beneficial outcomes. It's possible. It's fun. And, there are no side-effects. The games we play form us in ways we may not expect. If we can invent more games, more situations, more relationships where everybody wins imagine what a world that would be. -- doug smith

If you think about something that needs to be done but don't do it now, when will you do it? Now would be good. Now is the time. -- doug smith  

I often ask my classes "What's the difference between conflict and problem solving?". The leading answer is "competition." Conflict is a problem with opposing solutions. Two opposing goals. Competition. That can still be resolved, but it may need to be managed. Recognizing what you've got is a good start.  -- Doug Smith

If you take your goals seriously they will take you where you need to go. -- doug smith  

When is the best time to achieve a goal? Achieving a goal on time, on the deadline, is great. What's even better? Achieving a goal early. It's the surest way to achieve it at all. Early is great, so you're never late. -- doug smith  

The best customer service comes from products and services that work flawlessly and do not require heroics from the customer OR the service rep. -- doug smith  

Do you ever feel like you have too many goals to get any of them done? Just deciding what to do first would be a big help. Try having to lists of goals -- and A-List and a B-List. The B-List goals get promoted when the A-List goals get done.  It's like putting your winter clothes in the other side of the closet until the season rolls around again. -- doug smith  

Every goal leads to another goal. If you've achieved your goal, the next goal gives you increased opportunity to grow. If you've missed your goal, the next goal gives you a chance to learn and correct. Nobody achieves all of their goals but every goal gives you something. Get that goal done and see what great goal comes next. -- doug smith  

It would be nice to win the game. But, do you ever feel like you're in a game that keeps shifting the rules and making it easy to make progress but impossible to win? You've probably noticed lots of game elements creeping into service. Points, incentives, expiring coupons followed by new expiring coupons, leader-boards...on an on a relentless attack on service comes from playing a game designed -- you guessed it -- to maximize profit. If the customer is happy, fine, but the point is to make money. Not to put too fine a point on it but that's a lousy point.   What if there could be something better? What if customer service excellence became playing a game where the customer always wins and that makes you happy? You don't have to. "give away the store" to achieve a winning game for all of the players. Just stop stacking the rules against customers and watch how much more they will want to do business with you. -- doug smith  

Everybody likes to win. Can we win when it's not even a competition?  Sure we can.  When we can will without requiring that someone else lose, the win is magnified. Celebrated. Treasured. Try saying the words "you win" and see how it changes the outcome so that you win, too. It's not surrender -- it's collaboration. -- doug smith  

You can achieve many great goals on your own. Getting help from others will increase your successes.  Why would anyone help you? Maybe if they owe you a favor, but much more likely it's when your goal ignites something in them. Lights up their enthusiasm. Makes them more motivated. A poorly written goals is easily ignored. A great goal, one that is clear, gains interest and support. Write a great goal and see what it attracts. Great goals gather enthusiastic support.  -- doug smith

It's the system. Or maybe it's the process. It might not be you at all. It might not be your team at all. Personal problems come from things we say and do, and they can also come from an unfair, deeply flawed system. Personal problems can also be caused by broken processes.  And yet we often try to solve problems with personal solutions: work harder, work faster, work smarter, muscle up and carry on. Can't you just solve your own personal problem? Personal problems with systemic causes are hard to solve with personal solutions. Personal problems may not be personal -- the system or process doesn't care who you are -- but they're still problems. -- doug smith 

Using time productively is of course important. Managing work and activities, reducing wasted time, optimizing performance, these all matter. And you know what else matters? How you feel about it. The time is yours. Even when other people make decisions about your time, your approach to what you do is always up to you. It's not just what you do with your time that matters, it's also how you feel about what you do with your time. What's your answer? -- doug smith  

  There was a time when time seemed to close in on me like a shrinking cell. I could hear the ticking like a serious soundtrack constantly reminding me that urgency had to rule or time would shrink away. But time doesn't shrink away. Time does not care what you do about it and if you hear ticking it's from a real clock, not your lost time. Time is not a ticking clock, it's a fluid sea of possibility. Find the wave and ride. Connect with your school of creatives and invent new boundaries. Swim and win. The possibilities are endless. And...so is time. -- doug smith

The bad news is that you are the biggest thief of your time. The good news is that you can change that. We all waste time. We can all waste less. Productivity is a choice. -- doug smith  

  Have you ever held onto a problem just because you couldn't find the perfect solution, an elegant, efficient, bruise-free choice?  That effort -- for perfection -- has slowed me down a number of times. Perfection can be such a bother, because nothing is perfect in this life and never will be.  There's no perfect way to solve a problem -- but you don't need perfection to solve it. If you can find the best way, that is certainly good enough. -- doug smith

Do you know what is the best thing about potential? You've always got more. It's the same for capacity -- you can always dig deeper, extend farther, lift more.  Think about some of the best things you've ever done. You're amazing, aren't you? There's more in the tank. There's great work ahead.  The best you can do is better than you think it is.  Won't it be fun when you discover that? -- doug smith  

  "It's all in the details." "Measure twice, cut once." "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." "Get it right, get it right, get it right..." Details. As a front line leader it is ever so tempting to pour on the details until they completely cover every possible contingency. As a highly analytical person, I've given into that temptation many times. The risk to making instructions too detailed is that they will not be followed. That doesn't imply malice, it simple acknowledges that: our attention spans are short no process is perfect anyway action creates momentum That third one is key. Action creates momentum, so get moving. Correct as we proceed, but for heaven's sake, get moving. -- doug smith

It might seem that all you need to achieve that goal is a little help. A bit of a boost. Someone to provide feedback and encouragement. You're right. If all you need is a little help to achieve your goal, then definitely go get that help. The person who could help you really does want to help you.  -- doug smith  

  It''s a challenge to your composure, to your centeredness. It's an attack on your boundaries. How do you react? Nothing gives anyone the right to impose their problem on your property. While it's not cause for aggression, it's also not cause for surrender. Stand strong. Remain resilient. Be bold yet kind. A smile works as well during a refusal as it does during a deal. Smile, stand strong, or move along.  When the need for creativity arises, creative problem solving is on your side. Bring your adversary into the picture. Ask, instead of demand. Then collaborate on a creative mix of solutions with at least one too good to refuse.  -- doug smith

You don't always find what you're looking for but if you keep looking you'll find something good. -- doug smith  

No one needs to convince you that big goals are important to your success. One of my favorite bosses had an expression she used cheerfully and often: "Go big or go home." Small goals matter, too. They build practice. They build skills. They create great habits that lead to completing your much larger goals. Small goals, once achieved, are great sources of joy. What small goal are you working on today? -- doug smith  

It is not always the answer, but surprisingly often it is: It's easier to hire a motivated worker than it is to motivate an unmotivated one. That's not the end of the story. It could be great hiring advice though. Whatever the technical skills are for people you are interviewing to hire, be sure to ask some questions about motivation that can't be answered with a yes or no. Questions like: When were you the most motivated in your life? What kinds of work motivate you? What's your approach to a work day when for one reason or another you don't feel very motivated? If you had been here for one week, what would we see that shows us how motivated you are? Start there, and follow-up with more questions. Give each candidate time to convince you whether or not they will bring motivation to your organization.  You can teach people almost anything, but it's always easier if they are already motivated. -- doug smith 

Things change. Problems deepen.  Solving a persistent problem might require us to let go of what has fixed it in the past.  -- doug smith

Are you a strong starter, a strong finisher, or both? (Let's not even consider "neither" as a viable choice for any high performance leader.) Time will tell, as my grandmom used to say. Time will tell. However you approach performance, the performance will emerge. It just depends on whether you want to celebrate that performance or regret it. The test of time does not grade on a curve. What you want will require work. The goals that you set will need a plan that you work on relentlessly.  Are you going to achieve your best goals? The test of time will tell. -- doug smith  

  We can push really hard on hard problems and not get anywhere. The problem may be too fixed to get fixed. It may be too tough to push over. It feels like the problem is going to win. What if you didn't push? What if you took a quiet, calm, centered approach to truly observing the problem. What exactly is going on? Who is being served or deterred? Hard problems can benefit from soft solutions. What do you think? Is it worth a try? -- doug smith

Do you have a regular morning routine? Setting a routine that establishes good habits is a great way to continue your grown, energize yourself, and get each day started right. Only you can determine what should be in that routine -- some people are heavy on exercise, others in medication, prayer, or contemplation, others in reading, writing, whatever sets you up for success. It takes discipline to get a healthy routine started. Distractions happen. Once the routine that works for you is in motion though you'll find it easier and easier to stick with. Once you realize that it works, why would you ever stop? You could probably measure this level of success. Plenty of people do. This is a case where the metrics don't matter as much as the intangible results -- clarity, composure, centeredness, even comfort. The comfort of a regular routine is an unquantifiable bliss.  What's your morning routine? -- doug smith

Life is opportunity. What we believe can uncover -- or cover over that opportunity. What you believe is up to you. -- doug smith  

Change is hard for some people, whether that means adjusting to change or driving change, the change comes hard. For others, it seems easy because they don't stop to consider what their change initiative will do to others. Either that, or they don't care. That feels easy at first -- push hard enough and your opposition will move. Drive insistently enough and people will toe the line. At first. That degree of change will also spark resistance. It will make enemies, active as well as passive aggressive. The change slips in and then falls apart. That's not what anyone wants. The reality is, if you want to change people, you need to consider those people. Ask them. Work with them. Get them involved and listen to their feedback.  It's more work, and it produces more lasting works. One person's disruption strategy is another person's aggravation.  Aggravate people enough, and they will find ways to push back. What's your secret to human change? -- doug smith  

How do the people on your team feel about themselves? How about you? How do you feel about yourself? Self-esteem matters. The way we see ourselves influences the work that we do. If you want healthy, vibrant, vital work from your team, why not make sure that the way that they think about themselves is strong? There are few things stronger than healthy self-esteem. To strengthen self-esteem among your team members: Appreciate good performance by providing specific compliments Spend time talking one-on-one with team members just to let them talk about what interests them Smile The list is longer than that of course, but start with those three things and you'll like the results. And that is good for YOUR self-esteem, isn't it? -- doug smith

  As a leader, do you ever sing the side-hustle blues? That's when your team seems distracted because they're tired from working multiple jobs. When I worked in food service it was all around me: team members who were already wrestling with variable schedules and also juggling multiple jobs. Maybe because they enjoyed their other gigs -- like the musicians, actors, artists, and writers on the team. Or maybe because otherwise they couldn't make ends meet so there were the side-hustles in driving, delivering, retailing, and add-on food service shifts.  People are wonderful and their potential is unlimited but their physical selves are not unlimited. Which can bring on the side hustle blues when people are tough to schedule, hard to motivate, and just plain tired. You'll never eliminate the gigs that team members enjoy, nor should you. Those are not the ones really sapping the energy as much as those that they are in only for the money. Employees won't need an only-for...

Positive thinking might not fix everything that's wrong with the world but it will re-direct bundles of misdirection. How we look at people affects how we see them, which effects how they see us. Why not manage that better? Of course! Trying to mend a broken relationship? Appeal to their better self. Hoping to influence a stranger? Appeal to their better self. Building a better team for better performance? Appeal to each team member's better self. Appeal to someone's better self by first knowing that it is possible. Their better self is there even if you haven't seen it yet -- even if no one's ever seen it yet. What if you could be the person who sparks the inspiration in someone to grow better and better still? You can. -- doug smith  

Problems bring pain. Maybe it's physical, or emotional, or logistical-- as long as the problem is there, so is that pain. When we solve the problems in front of us we can put the pain behind us. -- doug smith  

Successful goals are supported by productive habits. Some productive goal-achieving habits include: Working on your goal everyday Scheduling time to work on your goal Breaking your goal down into smaller, easily achieved tasks Telling other people about your goal What other productive habits do you use? -- doug smith  

We're all busy. No one can do everything. Creating meaningful goals matters in order to use our time and resources responsibly. Even when the intention is good, a bad goal is a burden. Unless the goal is important, is is worse than unimportant, it is a distraction.  You don't need more distractions, do you? -- doug smith

Who do you get to help you solve your problem? You, of course, that's a given. Also, people who will be impacted by any solution you try. People who are feeling the effects of the problem right now. Even (especially) people who you think may be at the root cause of the problem. Get the benefit of many ideas. Enlist the help of people who will care how it turns out. Collaborate to gain commitment. Engage the right people in creating problem solutions so that they don't become the wrong people while implementing them. -- doug smith  

How many solutions does your problem need? Sometimes the answer is just one more. It could also be that your problem needs twenty more before you find the one that sticks. Finding solutions is the fun part anyway so just keep going.  Create more solutions to a problem than you need in order to find one that works. -- doug smith  

We're all in a hurry. Urgency is a way of life. When we're working on a problem it feels as if the faster we solve it the better. But, have you ever solved a problem only to shortly discover that you haven't solved it at all? New complications arise. Surprises confound you. The problem roars back. The worry creates the hurry. The rush is not enough. Better to find the actual cause of the problem and face that issue.  Taking time to analyze a problem will save time in solving it. And that saves time overall. That pause you take may be more important than you thought. -- doug smith 

Your goals matter to other people when other people matter to you. -- doug smith   

We do get to choose.  It's as easy to be positive as it is to be negative and the results are much more pleasing. What's your choice? -- doug smith 

  Think about the most likable person you know. It's probably someone who makes you smile, who cheers you up, who says positive things during an otherwise tough day. The most likable person you know is friendly. They treat people with kindness. They do their job without complaining, completely and competently. They clean up after themselves and sometimes even for other people without being asked.  The most likable person around just seems to make everything better. Could that be you? You're the most likable person you know if that's what you decide to be. Try it for a day -- you might like it. -- doug smith 

It's so tempting to get louder when your words aren't delivering the results that you want. I've done it. Raising the volume feels like action, it's more of a reaction. Emotions are so powerful that they can make us forget what we're thinking. Emotions are also contagious, and that extra volume invites a loud response.  If you've ever been in an argument where you're shouting at each other, you know how ineffective that is. Saying something louder does not make it more true. Winning leaders manage their emotions. They check their thinking to see if it aligns with their goals. It could be easier to meet someone halfway than to pull them all the way to your way of thinking. That doesn't mean we need to compromise every time -- but we do need to show that we're willing to consider someone else's point of view. And then, that we do understand that point of view. Louder is seldom better. (Unless you're playing guitar, then loud could be good...) -...

As leaders our development is never done. There is always more to learn, more to master. It's possible to get the "people part" of leadership right and still fail as a leader. Strategy, critical-thinking, planning, and problem solving are still critical.  What have you learned today? -- doug smith 

How is your sense of urgency? When something is important, do you ramp up a bit, do you ratchet up your resources, do you move faster and more decisively? Most leaders can tell just by looking at someone whether or not they have a sense of urgency in that moment. There's an important feature in that skill: in that moment. Just because someone doesn't look urgent right now doesn't mean that they aren't sometimes quite urgent. We can, and should, practice urgency without burning out. "In that moment" matters. That's one of the benefits of deadlines: creating those moments of urgency that we might otherwise lack. There's nothing like a deadline to make you increase your sense of urgency. And usually, more urgency translates into more speed. We do want to get things done, right? -- doug smith  

Leadership carries many responsibilities. One of them is the responsibility to improve things. People, products, processes -- none of these are perfect. As leaders, we can help them get better or we can keep them right where they are. Given a choice why not allow things to get better? -- doug smith  

  Focused leaders have zero time for inauthentic messages. They tell the truth unconditionally and insist on the truth consistently. Be a leader who can handle the truth. Be a leader who tells the truth. -- doug smith