doug smith training

If you take your goals for granted, so will everyone else. Keep your focus on your goals! They won't get done without you! -- Doug Smith

Goals that are aligned with your mission should not cause you stress. They don't cause you stress because they are compelling, important, vital, and necessary. If you do feel stress, think of that as eustress, or positive stress. It's the boost of energy to complete the task. It's the electric anticipation of a job well done and success. -- Doug Smith

Development Exercise:  Write 5 goals for the day and achieve them all by noon. If it's past noon now, do it tomorrow. See how it makes you feel. Then, in the wise words of the shampoo bottle: rinse and repeat. -- Doug Smith

People are more likely to help us achieve our goals when they know about them. Communicate your goals! -- Doug Smith

When is your team building job as a leader finished? If your answer is "never" I'd have to agree. Teams are in constant change.  As leaders we must constantly challenge team members and help them grow -- both individually AND as part of the team. That takes some attention away from the day-to-day tasks that consume our time, but it is as important as anything else we do as leaders. Team building is never done. What will you do to build your team today? -- Doug Smith

What's your most challenging project or goal issue? For me it is following up. I enjoy initiating ideas, forming plans, and even executing key tasks. What I need to focus more on is following up. To assume that people will stay on task or remember exactly what I've requested (or offered) is risky for a leader. People may be doing the best that they can, but often that means that they aren't doing everything we'd expected. That's no reason to get angry. That's no reason to feel disappointed. But it is a reason to follow-up. I resolve to check in more frequently on a plan, to pay closer attention to details, to assume nothing. My plan for getting thru those problems that are the most persistent? Set the right goals, design a strong plan, and then follow-thru, follow-thru, follow-thru. How about you? -- Doug Smith

Even the best leaders can't solve everybody's problems. Strong leaders develop their team's problem solving skills. Training, practice, projects: three ways that high performance leaders develop their people. How are you developing your people this week? -- Doug Smith