doug smith training

Be careful of what bridges you burn, you may have forgotten something important. Stop. Think. Breathe. Ask. That fire will burn fast enough if you need it. -- doug smith  

Do you ever lose your patience? High performance leaders sometimes focus so much on results that we get impatient about it. That's not all bad. Leaders need a sense of urgency. Just as long as we don't take it out on our team members. Press, don't distress. Push, don't crush. Every day provides opportunities to practice patience. -- doug smith

If your boss is rough on you, that could affect how rough you are on your own people, but it should not. Leaders don't get to hand down the trouble. Abuse shared is multiplied, not diminished. Having someone lose patience with you is no reason to lose patience with them. Centered leaders focus, breathe, and maintain. It's what you'd want, and therefore what to deliver. -- doug smith

People make mistakes. High performance leaders and their teams find ways to learn from those mistakes AND to let go of the negative energy that mistakes can produce. Who needs the side-effects? What use is the guilt? High performance leaders inquire, listen, stay curious, and learn. There are likely more emotions and facts in play than you realize. By taking time to stay curious and learn, it's easier to understand what happened and take steps to do better the next time. And isn't that what we want? To do better the next time! Patience empowers forgiveness. Take a breathe. Practice patience. -- doug smith

Big goals take strength. Ambitious goals take courage. Any goal worth anyone's attention will meet with resistance. Work thru that resistance. Stay the course. Stay patient even when other people, broken processes, and stupid events get in your way. It's not the end of your goal, it's just a moment in a test of your will. Are you certain about your goal? Is it important to you? Is it noble, worthy, and helpful? Then see it thru. When the goal is strong enough, your patience is long enough. See it thru. -- Doug Smith