doug smith training

  We are so easily distracted. Quick to catch the latest gadget, widget, or shiny object, we divert our attention from the task at hand and follow bunny trails into the forrest.  A distraction could feel like a goal. We get pulled into those kind of little goals, little tasks, that hardly relate to our purpose at all. Maybe, not at all. We feel busy, but where is it leading? Time spent on the wrong goals takes time away from the right goals. That is obvious but hard to remember in the middle of distractions. -- doug smith

Sometimes the work is hard. Challenges force us to get creative, to muscle up and make a difference. Hard work feels harder when it's resisted. Instead of resisting, dig in, get deep, get done. -- doug smith  

Leaders have problems just like everybody else and they have an unfair ability to spread those problems. They can, with their power and influence, make things worse. But they don't have to. You don't have to. Leaders can also use their influence and power to make things better. Working well with others, leaders can solve those problems. Let's take the better choice. -- doug smith  

It seemed like such a good idea. It was pushed thru with enthusiasm. But it didn't work. Not then. And, not now. Have you ever had an idea like that? It felt so good you practically fell in love with it. The only trouble is, it didn't produce what you expected. The sooner we let go of a bad idea the faster it can stop poisoning. Let go of that bad idea.  -- doug smith  

When a problem surrounds you it often confounds you. Keep focused on the goal beyond the problem. --- doug smith

We can't get everything done. Our team members can't get everything done. High performance leaders know that prioritization is a key to success. That could mean deciding as much what you won't do as what you will do. Have you ever put some thing off for so long that you eventually didn't need to do it anymore? (Honestly, doesn't it seem like that's the strategy for some procrastinators?) It's not all bad. We could simply be more intentional about it. While getting the important stuff done, we should feel OK about leaving some less important things undone. It's not procrastination if the thing you are avoiding is not worth doing.  Just don't do it. -- doug smith  

Inspire someone everyday. You can start with yourself. -- doug smith  

Which would you prefer -- a leader who knows how to do your job and could do it if you weren't there, or a leader who has never done what you do and couldn't do it if the business depended on it? As a leader, you could find yourself in either circumstance. In fact, the higher you go in an organization the more likely you are to be in charge of people who do things that you do not know how to do. You don't need to know how to do what your direct reports do, but if you do, that does add a layer of respect. But sooner or later, the respect will need to come from your skills a s leader. -- doug smith

Every conflict contains its own kernel of peace. It is not easy to find. Maybe it is too obvious. Your opposition may have figured it out and is holding out for an advantage. Or, maybe that's YOU. We get attached to our conflicts. They wrap around us, they addict us in the adrenaline rush of survival. We cover over solutions just to keep the conflict flames flying. But, it's a choice. Find that kernel of peace. Work it. Share it. Solve it. -- doug smith

It is natural to make mistakes when we find ourselves in conflict. It feels uncomfortable. We want to return to normal. We just want the conflict to stop. But, wait...before you stop that conflict too soon by giving in, please keep this in mind: In a conflict you aren't doing anyone else a favor by letting the other side win. If you lost then it's not over. You'll be back, somehow, someday, someway to try to even the score. And, if you aren't back, the conflict will linger in your memory as a smudge on what might have been. The hard part is finding a mutually beneficial resolution to the conflict. Short of that, just remember that it's not yet over. -- doug smith  

It's not your first choice, is it? That feeling of anxiety. That moment when turning away seems easier than facing a problem head-on. Fear stinks. What if we don't turn away? What if we use that moment of fear to mobilize, to actualize, to realize our potential? Fear is fuel. Use what you are afraid of to get what you want. -- doug smith

 Lead with your heart and with your mind, be bold, creative, clear and kind. -- doug smith