doug smith training

Possibilities are always expanding. Keep expanding, too.  -- doug smith

  That problem might be one possibility away from being solved -- but it might take many possibilities to find that one. -- doug smith

Is your team creative? When you need to solve a problem, does the team create lots of possibilities? Rather than lock in on what is already in motion, what if you found something completely new, completely different? Possibilities open us up. Curiosity gets us closer to what we haven't been able to see before. Answers to deep questions, solutions to problems, resolutions to long-standing conflict, innovative products and services -- all come from opening the door to possibilities.  Create more possibilities, create more success. -- doug smith

Are you searching for more possibilities? Are you generating more ideas? There could be more possible ways to solve your problem than you will ever think of, so keep thinking, keep exploring. Possibilities equals power. -- doug smith

Have you ever noticed that a lot of people default to no? If you ask them for something -- no. If you offer something for sale -- no. If you promise a truly great experience in exchange for a small investment -- no. We are hard wired to say no. The trouble with that is that we miss yes. One of my favorite movies is "Yes Man." I know that it is a silly movie. I know that it's broad and insane and not at all realistic. But if you haven't seen it, give it a chance. Say yes. It's all about a character played by Jim Carrey who is in the habit of constantly saying no. Then one day he goes to a Yes Convention (or something like that.)  And of course, since it's a seminar, his life is changed. He begins to say yes. At first very reluctantly, but once he gets in the flow of it he says yes to everything -- too much in fact, putting himself in danger. Of course he does, it's a movie. I like the yes man in yes man better than the no dude. I do not say ye...

Problems pile up. Answer hide. Frustration builds. Still, there are always more answers. There are always more possibilities. Our biggest challenge is to give up before we have explored enough possibilities to find a winner. There's a winner (or two or more) in there. Keep digging. Keep generating ideas. Keep focused on possibilities. We may never run out of problems but we'll also never exhaust our possibilities for solving them. -- doug smith Leadership Call to Action: Stay curious!

Disagreement is easy. Criticism is easy. Curiosity takes more initiative and courage and it brings about better understanding, openness and increases your chances of reaching agreement. Stay curious! How do you stay curious? Ask questions. Pause. Listen. Listen to understand, not to debate. Remember when you were ten years old and you were filled with questions? When was the last time that you were truly open to possibilities? When was the last time that you stayed curious when your inner judge wanted to evaluate? Stay curious! Imagine what you can learn, just by staying open. The possibilities are limitless -- as long as we don't limit them. Stay curious! -- Doug Smith

Have you seen the movie "Yes Man"? The premise is that the main character goes to a seminar where he learns to say yes. To everything. Yes to fun. Yes to adventure. Yes to romance. It gets him delightful surprises, and it gets him into trouble. There are real risks in saying yes to everything. Somethings need a solid, firm, NO. I do like how the movie points out that we are open to many more possibilities when we do say yes. So often we say no much too quickly. So often our reluctance and our fear get in the way. We have a better chance of achieving our goals and solving our problems when we get into the habit of saying yes to possibilities. When we figure out a larger list of choices, we dramatically improve our ability to succeed. Letting more creativity into our life by acting more creative requires yes, yes, and more yes. Creativity means saying yes to possibilities. How's your yes today? -- Doug Smith

Do you focus mainly on possibilities or on limitations? We need people who focus on limitations so that we can determine how to overcome them or avoid frustrating our efforts. We need people who focus on possibilities because the answers are out there, we just need to find them. There are always better ways to communicate. There are always better solutions. There are always new ways to bring joy and to reduce suffering. These are all in the possibilities that we develop. I'd much rather talk about possibilities than limitations . Often, by expanding possibilities we overcome what we had perceived to be as limitations. We can get creative. We can patiently pursue perfection without judging our imperfections. Possibilities are our future. Without thinking critically of those who think critically, I like the expanded (and expanding) view. What's your view? -- Doug Smith

Are you stuck? Is there a goal running away from you or hiding? Could it be time for your creativity to emerge full speed ahead? I like to think that the answer I can't find is simply the answer I haven't found yet. It's still a possibility. It's still out there, awaiting discovery. It's still available, looking for the open door. There is no shortage of possibilities. We just have to find them. What are you doing to look? How are you seeking the answers? What are you doing today to find the possibilities? -- Doug Smith Front Range Leadership:  Training Supervisors for Success  doug smith training:  how to achieve your goals