doug smith training

Things change fast. Things don't ask, they just change. Where do we go from here? Wherever you are, there is room to grow. We may stay idle for awhile. We may sleep, rest, nurture. When we are ready, let's grow. Where to begin? Start with what's possible and grow. Ready when you are... -- doug smith

My former acting coach, Brian McCulley once said that "done is better than perfect." I don't think he meant to minimize quality, because that is also important. But sometimes urgency is more important than perfection, considering that we'll never achieve perfect. There are no perfect people. There are no perfect products. There are no perfect processes. We may travel John Wesley's road to perfection without ever getting there. That is completely fine. I've learned to seek wisdom rather than perfection since discovering the endless amount of personal flaws has destroyed any illusion of perfect. Still, I travel that road, whether it's driving or as a passenger. It's a good road, even when it never ends. I've also learned not to let it grieve me.  We are all here to improve. Let's keep improving. When we look into the mirror, let's not expect perfection. Let's not let disappointment cloud our days. Expecting perfection is not a ...

You never know how influential you might be until you try to expand your influence. You never know when the smallest problem solving step might lead to an evolution of ever expanding and more effective steps. You might think you know, you might not. Expand it. Grow it. Get to know people and work on that problem. When a problem is beyond your influence, build your influence. -- doug smith

It may be a few less than 21 rules, because he does lose count, but the ones that he shares are pure gold and highly recommended for managing remote teams. It's longer than most videos we watch (just over 21 minutes) but if you manage virtual teams you will likely benefit from this advice. Many are familiar, but I learned a few, such as: The most important order of communication priority is: video, audio, chat, email Keep a chat window open all the time Set up a meeting rhythm -- a regular meeting time when everyone on the team MUST attend virtually (using a program like Zoom or GoToMeeting) Take advantage of overlapping hot zones of time -- convenient times to meet no matter what time zone a team member is in Test potential employees with short term work before hiring them for long term work (what TimeDoctor does is hire two party time team members expecting to choose the best of the two to become full time) Meet in person - a least annually schedule an all team in p...

Do you know what your team's potential is? How about the potential of each of your team members? Potential is valuable. It tells you that you can keep going during tough times. It tells you that your capacity is wider than you imagined. Potential is fuel for success. You've got to tap into it, of course, and DO something -- but it is vastly available energy. How much energy? If you imagine that everyone on your team has limitless potential you could be right. I'm going with that notion -- how about you? -- 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

Kindness may come at a cost, but that cost is covered by an endless, limitless currency. There is no limit to love. -- doug smith

The person you were in the past remains in the past. You are now in this moment the person you create. -- doug smith

One goal at a time. Ask an expert on goals how to get the most done and they will likely answer "one goal at a time." You can't do everything at once, but you can certainly do something right now. One goal at a time. Make that improvement. Develop that team member. Fix that process. Restore a resilient workforce. One goal at a time. How do leaders lead? One goal at a time. -- doug smith

The right perspective can put your problem down to size. maybe it's big, maybe it's not until you really see it you don't know what you've got -- doug smith

Who likes rejection? Me, either. And yet there is something even worse than rejection. Something that gets us all worked up and nervous, something that creates the kind of environment where rejection becomes certain: fear of rejection. Fear of rejection is far worse than rejection. Make the request. Listen for the answer. Move ahead. -- doug smith Leadership Action Plan Leaders must deal with rejection on a daily basis. Today, the very next time someone rejects one of your requests, pause in silence for three full seconds.  Stay curious, and find out what they might need in order to give you what you requested.

Your enthusiasm for a goal is enough. Get started. -- doug smith