doug smith training

The sooner we stop blaming the world for who we are the faster we can become who we want to be. What if we started right now? -- doug smith  

What's your focus on coaching and where does it start? People do respond too coaching. When asked what kind of leader someone wants, very often they will say "someone who is a good coach." We like coaching. We benefit from gentle guidance and persistent insistence on improvement. But where does it start? With goals? With targets? Does it start with charts and plans? Coaching doesn't start with performance; it starts with a relationship of understanding. As a coach, work on understanding first. As someone being coached, work on understanding first. Coaching starts with understanding. -- doug smith

How far can your team go? How much work can your team do? How successful can your team become? I have two answers to all of those questions. The first answer is "amazingly so." The second answer is harder, "only as far as you allow." Your team's biggest limiting factor is you. That's hard to hear, perhaps, but also liberating. Grow yourself and you will grow your team. Limit yourself and...well, you get the idea. In order to build your team you might also need to build yourself. Build your ability to listen. Build your ability to take charge. Build your ability to solve problems. Build your ability to lead. Build yourself. Your team will follow. -- doug smith

Work on yourself and then working on others gets much easier. They're more receptive, and you're more prepared. -- doug smith

How often do you share your problems with other people? There was a time in my life when I kept everything to myself, considering it too personal and figuring that no-one had time to help me with my problems. But, you know what? Sometimes we share problems even when we don't share. People can tell. Problems effect performance. Problems effect service, Problems rob us of happiness and sap us of our energy. We need to solve our problems, not hide them. You might not solve that problem by talking about it, but what if you did? Centered problem solvers create dialogue. They listen and share in order to reach mutual understanding. The first step to mutual agreement on the solution to a problem is to understand the problem AND each other. Got a problem? Talk about it. -- doug smith

Have you ever seen a leader so effective that they couldn't get better? Me, either. Unless we are constantly developing we are falling behind. Let's keep growing. The best leader you can be is still there ready to be developed. Keep going. -- doug smith