doug smith training

No one works for nothing -- even (especially) in a not-for-profit organization. Unless there is some kind of reward, even the most noble seeming work can get tedious in a hurry. If you are leading volunteers, what's the reward that they can expect? There are many possibilities, but you won't find them unless you search. Possible rewards include: Increased status Public thanks Recognition Sincere gratitude Forgiveness Promotional opportunities Smiles Time spent without demands Flexibility Listening As leaders, it's worth asking "what's the pay?" because those who are "working for nothing" are not. -- doug smith

  Teams are tricky. Just when you think you've got your team figured out, configured properly, fully set and ready to go, it changes on you.  Every time someone enters or leaves your team, you've got a different team. That's what makes recruiting, hiring, orienting, training, and development so important. If you don't develop your team the way you'd like them to develop, they'll change in ways that you might not care for. Team dynamics require us to build a team as a group, and also as a one-team-member-at-a-time proposition.  It's a project just juggling all of the pieces. It's a big responsibility and as a team leader there is no ducking that responsibility. I've tried -- you can't do it. Teams need their team leader's attention every single day. One on one conversations. Highly productive meetings. Occasional fun (and frequent sense of humor). Coaching to motivate when someone gets stuck. Prodding to get productive when someone gets lazy.

 "It's just too hard!" they said, "and I can't find the motivation." "Where do you think motivation comes from?" "Powerful speakers, wonderful leaders, carefully written goals...I don't know." "You probably DO know. All of that is true -- we can find motivation in our circumstance, in our leaders, in our goals, but even if motivation smacks us in the face with a big wet kiss, unless we do something about it, what does it really mean?" "Is that supposed to be motivating?" "Only if you want it to be..." "But things are so tough!" "Sure they are. Always have been. Not likely to change. If the world was easy the soft would rule. If you don't want to BE ruled, you might need to find some inner motivation -- especially when you need it." Motivation matters most when times get tough. Find your motivation wherever you can. The reality is, motivation comes from yourself. -- doug smith

It's a question so often asked: what do we do about people who just won't do their job? What's happened to any sense of work-ethic? It's not gone. There are still plenty of people who are dedicated and hard-working. Ambition is alive and well, and work-ethic thrives among many. Still, those who seem to just phone-it-in (often with their phones in their hands scrolling away) seem to have multiplied: they're everywhere. It is frustrating to work hard while standing next to someone who is hardly working. But that's not the way it has to be. There is joy to be found in the work, even if some people are not trying very hard to find that joy. People who won't do their jobs have not yet discovered the joy in their work. If that makes you sad, imagine how hard it makes them. Part of our job as leaders is to help ignite that spark of joy in people, to help them discover the joy of work -- any work. Some people do show up already motivated, and some people do not. Our

I remember some days when I just didn't want to go to work. Maybe it was the commute. Maybe it was the idea of upset customers. It just didn't feel like the fun thing to do. But, you know what? I had to go to work anyway, and whether or not I made the most of it, the work had to get done. And it did. Fortunately, in every job I've ever had I've been able to find joy in the work. Once that clicks in, the work goes better, the customers smile more, and life feels right. So, I decided to embrace my work, whatever it is, and not only do my best but also enjoy myself as I did it.  You have to do your job anyway, why not enjoy it? It's worked time and time again for many, many people.  -- doug smith  

  Moment by moment, some moments are tough. They can fill us with challenges, they can weigh us down. Inevitably, when we apply our best focus, when we stay with our values, we prevail. On to the next moment! This moment will pass soon enough. Breathe, and begin -- start the next better time. -- doug smith

  Where does YOUR motivation come from? It's worth checking in on that occasionally. When your motivation is energized, you can do so much more. When you really want what you're working on, you work that much harder. Maybe it's the goal. A great goal can energize you.  Maybe it's the motivation: getting you going to FIND and then achieve a great goal.  The goal can bring the motivation and the motivation can bring the goal -- you might need both. Why not get both going right about now? -- doug smith

  We live in a difficult world, in difficult times. It's easy to focus on the negative. It's tempting to become discouraged. We can't solve every problem or fix every situation.  Still. There is so much good, so many blessings, so many things to be grateful for. Why not start there?  Take a deep breath while you contemplate something or someone you are grateful for. Pause and...repeat. -- doug smith

What if everything is already working out for the best? If you're on the right path, keep moving. If you're on the wrong path, change. Isn't an optimistic journey easier than the alternative? Keep moving. -- doug smith

Proposition: Goals are rewarding enough that we shouldn't need rewards for achieving them. Rebuttal: you'll feel better after the reward AND it will often spur you on when the going is rough. (PS: the going is usually rough.) How will you reward yourself when you achieve your biggest goal? Figure that out, and the goal gets easier. You deserve it. -- doug smith

Brilliance seems rare because it often travels in disguise. It hides as hard work. It hides as perseverance. It presents as obsession. It moves with determination and makes its many mistakes all without stopping.  Don't worry about how brilliant you are. Work hard, and the brilliance appears. -- doug smith

  Have you ever experienced a leader who tried to motivate you thru fear? Fear of consequences, fear of failure, fear of your own loss of self-esteem? We used to call it "old school" leadership but it's made a return in some companies. Some leaders think that they have to bully people into doing what they want them to do. Even if that works on a short-term basis, it doesn't last. The side-effects are deep. The price is high.  Fear is a terrible motivator because it keeps biting even after it's achieved its goal. And that makes each consecutive goal harder and harder to achieve. High performance leaders can do better.  -- doug smith

  Are you catching resistance? Are things standing in your way. Set solid and clear goals. A solid, clear goal can withstand any judging. You've got this. -- doug smith

What have you learned today? That's the question I ask the most. I ask other people, and I ask myself: what have you learned today? We get energy from learning. We get experience and we learn some more. We work toward wisdom and we always learn more. Learn constantly, it's the best way to improve. It's our responsibility to get smarter everyday. And how do we do that? Keep learning! -- doug smith Call to Action: Play nice, work hard, be smart. Whatever that means to you today, please do more of that. The world needs your best!

It's easy to get discouraged. Work, people, even life throws more challenges than we expect or ever ask for. Keep going. Obstacles will slow you down and pull on your momentum until it screeches like the bad brakes on an old Chevy. Keep going. Tasks will blur together in a fog of business that makes that vision ever harder to see and follow. Keep going. Keep going. Your work is important, and it's just beginning. -- doug smith

Have you ever known someone who clearly hates their job? Their distaste reflects in everything that do, in the way that they treat their team members, and especially in the way that they treat their customers. Hopefully, that doesn't describe you. We all have tough times on the job, and most of us have started jobs that were not what we wanted to do. That doesn't prevent us from enjoying the work. How you look at your work matters. How you find value in the tasks that they do -- no matter how simple, difficult, or low-paying. I've had all of those conditions in jobs that I didn't like at first but gradually grew to love. How? By constantly improving. By treating people around me with respect. By having fun. There is dignity in work. There is value in getting things done. There is happiness to be found in serving others. Joy in the work is not just possible, it's natural.  Why run and hide from what is right in front of you: a better day created by doing better work.

Where do you keep your goals? Do you place them in a visible place you'll have to see every day -- maybe even all day? When your goals are visible you are much more likely to work on them. When you work on your goals you are much more likely to achieve them. Keep your goals where you can see them so you can see them thru. -- doug smith

You don't have to let anyone talk you out of a goal. The goal is yours, the work is yours, the reward is yours. Own it. Experience it. Work it. -- doug smith  

This is my favorite time of year. The weather is cool, but not cold. The air is crisp, but not bold. Colors are changing all around and (gasp!) pumpkin spice is widely available. What's your favorite time of year?  It's all available there for you to make each season as productive as possible. You are capable of even greater things than you've already accomplished. You are perfectly poised to lead the next great innovation, cure, or creation. Let the crisp autumn air boost you into motion. It's time to get stuff done! Create a great day, no matter what comes your way! -- doug smith

It's hard to achieve a goal without first identifying a benefit to you of achieving your goal. Identify your motivation. That will get you moving and make ever task related to your goal much easier. -- doug smith