doug smith training

Centered problems solvers know that while people are involved in problems, it does no good to ascribe blame. Whose fault is it? It almost doesn't matter, and looking for whose fault it is will distract you from actually solving the problem. We were all involved. When we look at it that way, and determine how we can each help contribute to a solution, the problem because more manageable. Solve the problem and let the people be the people. We need to solve problems without making each other the problem. No need to add a problem to your problem. -- doug smith

Taking a problem personally just makes it harder to solve. You've got the problem, AND you've got the upset. Shake free of the upset when you can (hint: always) and stop taking it personally. The solution is waiting for you to discover/invent/explore it -- do that instead of making stuff up in your head about how it's all about...you. Taking a problem personally just makes it harder to solve. -- doug smith

Centered problem solvers don't know everything, but they do know this: blaming someone for your problem just gives you another problem. Skip the blame. Create a solution. -- doug smith

Are you good at criticism? I am. It's so easy to find what's wrong with something and there have been times when I'm more than happy to share that criticism. What I've learned, though is that criticism may be necessary but there are useful and not useful ways of delivering it. Negative energy comes from negative input. If all I communicate is what is wrong with what I see, it both shuts down the desire for feedback AND distorts what I see. It would be extraordinary for anything to be all wrong, or all right. There are degrees of excellence. High performance leaders work to increase the degrees of excellence. That is helped by respecting whatever we're evaluating. Share your observations, certainly. Just be sure to observe what works as well as what does not work. Balance criticism with hope and confidence or the criticism will do more harm than good. And high performance leaders are all about doing what's good. -- doug smith Leadership Call to A

Are you working on building your team? If you're not building your team, it is slowly falling apart. One of the best ways to build your team is to get to know your people. Spend time with them. Create deeper conversations. Talk about what's important to them. To be a better leader, get to know your people. -- doug smith

People make mistakes. High performance leaders and their teams find ways to learn from those mistakes AND to let go of the negative energy that mistakes can produce. Who needs the side-effects? What use is the guilt? High performance leaders inquire, listen, stay curious, and learn. There are likely more emotions and facts in play than you realize. By taking time to stay curious and learn, it's easier to understand what happened and take steps to do better the next time. And isn't that what we want? To do better the next time! Patience empowers forgiveness. Take a breathe. Practice patience. -- doug smith

It's frustrating to misunderstand a problem, or to deal with someone you are certain has misunderstood the problem. In that situation, influencing clarity is more difficult, and finding a solution stays clouded in ignorance. The most troubling problems are rooted in ignorance. You know that feeling that you're dealing with someone who just doesn't know what's going on? The frustration it causes, the distortion it encourages, the ignorance it perpetuates while frustration mounts? What if you're that person, and you don't even know it? The most troubling problems are rooted in ignorance, and sometimes we're the ones who do not know. Centered problem solvers make room for that possibility - the chance that they do not know what they do not know. It's not the solution, but it's a start. -- doug smith