doug smith training

How do you look at problems? Do you see them as annoyances, or do you recognize the challenge? The way you look at your problems determines what you do with them. You could be annoyed -- or you could solve a challenge. It's your choice. -- doug smith  

Every decent goal comes with a reward. In addition to achieving the desired performance, you often get rewarded with recognition, with promotions, with smiles. Achieving your goals gets things done. When is the best time to achieve your goals? As soon as you can. The sooner you achieve a goal the sooner you can reward yourself for achieving your goal. What are you waiting for? -- doug smith  

Are you good at everything? Me, either. The list of people who are good at everything is short. That's OK. You don't need to master everything, but you DO need to master something. What are you working on to master these days? -- doug smith  

Healthy self-esteem doesn't mean that you're always right -- it means that you're alright even when you're wrong. -- doug smith

We sometimes keep score too quickly and too soon. A pause in our pace might recalibrate the race. That problem is probably solvable, even though it does not feel that way right now. Remember all the problems you've already solved and you'll feel better about solving the next one. You are remarkable, you are experienced, and you are ready for this challenge. That is precisely why this challenge is facing you now. -- doug smith

You've probably heard this expression since you were a child: "do as I say, not as I do..." or some variation. And yet, as leaders, we often expect people to adopt a change we haven't fully supported or even adopted ourselves. That new software. That new attendance policy. That reviewed customer service skill. We cling to the past even as we promote the future. That's not for you. If you are a leader in a hybrid environment and you spend every working day at the onsite work location -- what kind of picture of hybrid does that paint for your team? How supported will your hybrid team members feel if they can only gain your support in the office? If you catch yourself promoting something that you don't do, that's cause for reflection. Asking someone else to change something you haven't already changed is curious indeed. If people have to ask "why" then it's clear you're not already doing what you want them to do. -- doug smith  

What you learn today is valuable for every day that follows.  Learn it now -- you may not get another chance. -- doug smith 

Stop setting goals you don't believe in.  They will only slow you down. -- doug smith 

How resilient are you? Would your team say the same thing? So many times in life (and in leadership) I have been disappointed. Whether it was circumstances, scarcities, or troubling people, it felt easy to give up.  But even when the cards seem stacked against you -- even when defeat seems certain -- if you persist you will learn far more than you ever thought possible. I remember a time long ago when as a high school coach for a middle school basketball team, drawing a bunch of inexperienced and un-developed players and doing my best to coach them beyond their perceived weaknesses into an enthusiastic team capable of embracing of who we were -- rank underdogs who were surrounded by supremely talented teams who always won more games than us until the playoffs came, the games mattered more, and somehow we managed to hustle our way to a trophy. It was fun, but just before it became fun it was a lot of hard and sometimes discouraging work. When in your life do you remember overcoming ...

Moods are contagious. Leaders touch so many people -- in person and virtually -- that our moods spread far and wide. What kind of mood do you want to increase? What if we worked more at sharing happiness? Tell people the news that uplifts them about how their performance makes customers happy. Share recognition for that big project that you just finished. Smile as we greet our team members and our customers and our peers.  Sharing happiness increases it. Isn't that a great idea? -- doug smith

Have you ever worked for a cranky leader? Someone who can't be happy no matter what? Grumble, grumble, grumble! It's easy to fall into a habit of frowning, scowling, and growling. Easy, but silly -- because it does not good, I've tried being cranky and it just makes things worse. Stay positive, be positive, create positive change. Your mood is SO contagious, why not spread a positive mood? -- doug smith  

"I don't like change..." "What is it about change that you don't like?" "All the disruption! All the chaos! I just get used to something and someone changes it." "What's your plan?" "Excuser me?" "What do you plan to do about it? "What CAN I do about it? Change just keeps coming at us relentlessly. I hate it!" "What if things are actually getting better?" "Impossible!" "Think about it. What if you could have frozen time fifty years ago? Would you really rather work in a coal mine? Would you really rather deal with unchecked disease and infection? Sure, things are challenging now, but if you go back into any period of time in recorded history, things were much worse." "So what should I do about that?" "Maybe stop complaining. Maybe stay positive. Maybe, as as responsible high performance leader work to create positive change." "Hmmm." What do you think...