• What are your top three priorities?
• What activities are you currently engaged in that further those priorities?
• Which activities do not?
• Do you currently have any white space planned into each week?
• What two activities can you eliminate or delegate in order to create some (or some more) white space?

Leaders lead lives of significance because they align their activities with their top priorities.  Narrow your priorities and pick your top three.  Then make sure that you are spending your precious time only on those activities that matter most.  Finally, plan white space into each week for some much needed rest, relaxation, rejuvenation and to address those pesky “emergencies” that tend to derail your over-scheduled life.

Do you have any other suggestions as to how to make your annual performance reviews more accurate and/or productive?  We would love to hear your thoughts!

• Listening. A simple caretaking gesture is to ask someone how their day is going and then really listen to their response.   Ask a couple of follow up questions after they fill you in on their activities of the day.

• Surprise someone with service. Every office, team or family has less desirable jobs that must be done.   Instead of letting someone else do the dirty job alone, step up today and help them with that chore no one enjoys.

• Plan for “leadership time.” Leave an hour of your day tomorrow unscheduled so that you can spontaneously check in with a colleague or offer support to a family member.   Strive to place this hour of opportunity on your calendar each week.

• Focus outward. Resist the urge to get caught up solely in your “to do” list.   Each morning make sure you are aware of the projects and deliverables your team members are working on.   Simple awareness of the challenges others are facing allows you to create opportunities to assist, support and recognize achievement.

Don’t get caught up in the reasons why you don’t have time to serve others.   Instead, hold yourself accountable to taking three action steps on behalf of others each day.   Small outreaches make a tremendous difference to others.

What are the key differences between being a leader and being a manager?

A simple way to remember the key differences between being a leader and being a manager is to look at it like this:  you manage things, you lead people.  Management is about staying on top of budgets, projects, resources, data and deliverables.  Leadership is all about people.  A leader is someone who can influence outcomes and inspire others effectively.  Both skills sets are important to build.  In our professional culture management skills are more common than leadership skills. 

What are key leadership traits?

The best leaders focus on meeting and exceeding performance standards, being accountable by owning problems and their mistakes. They also are focused on serving others and can act decisively when needed.  In addition to demonstrating these fundamentals well, the most trusted leaders are those that have the courage to be authentic and know how to keep their emotions in check so that their behavior is inspiring, not alienating.

Does every manager need to be a leader?

The most successful managers are also leaders.  Have you ever had the experience of working for a bad boss?  The reason why you had that tough experience is because you worked with someone who had authority, they were a manager, but they had limited leadership ability.  The best bosses, and the most influential colleagues we’ve had, are memorable because they demonstrated leadership on a regular basis.  The consistent, simple gestures of leadership make such a difference to those we know at work and in life.

Can anyone become a leader?

Leaders are made, they are not born.  Leadership is a choice.  If you choose to become a stronger leader then you can.  Our society often ties the term “leadership” to power, prestige, notoriety or a fancy job title.  These notions of leadership are false.   Management titles are bestowed upon you.  Leadership development is a path you must choose to pursue.  You don’t need a power position to achieve success as a leader.  Some of the best leaders we’ve known were the credible individual contributors on teams–those who understood that high performance, service to others, accountability and decisiveness are qualities that earn you respect.  By studying leadership practices you can improve your ability to influence outcomes and inspire others–the two capabilities leaders excel at.

For many of us, we call them heroes who continuously earn our praise.

I love that Jim Joyce, the umpire who is now nationally known as the man whose bad call kept a young Detroit Tiger pitcher from earning a perfect game, was named the best umpire in the league in an exclusive poll taken in the past week.   (http://content.usatoday.com/communities/dailypitch/post/2010/06/jim-joyce-voted-mlbs-best-umpire-in-espn-poll/1)

To me, this proves that at the end of the day, our society values accountable leaders who do not hide from scrutiny, but rather are upfront and honest in their shortcomings.

Jim Joyce’s story isn’t a sport’s story.  It’s a leadership story.  Accountability is so rare in our society it’s amazing how when we see it – on small or grand levels – we applaud and celebrate it.  So why then, if accountability is so valuable, do people tend to hide from it?  Here are my thoughts – I’d love to hear yours:

• No one likes being wrong
• We expect perfection from ourselves (though no human being is perfect …)
• We are afraid of the outcome if we admit our failures or mistakes
• We don’t want to upset expectations
• No one likes their judgment questioned
• We have egos … precious, fragile egos
• Deflection and blame can take the attention away from ourselves

Most of these reasons, or rather “excuses,” have to do with our own insecurities, fears, and lack of confidence in ourselves.  It takes a pretty amazing leader to look beyond their insecurities to do what is right (not what might feel good in the moment).

We all can practice accountability daily, and in turn channel and project our inner Jim Joyce.  We have to start by acknowledging that we’re not always right and if there is a problem, and we’re close enough to it to know about it, then we probably had something to do with it.  Also, try repeating a mantra I learned in the Marine Corps … it’s humbling and grounding: I am responsible for all that I do and all that I fail to do.  When you don’t hide from your mistakes and instead acknowledge them, you are able to make great growth as a leader and earn the respect and trust of those around you.

My daughter attends a preschool that is affiliated with a local college.  One of the things that I like best about my daughters’ pre-school program is that it actively employs undergrad students to help out in the classrooms throughout the day.  The college students are always energetic and enthusiastic and my daughter truly loves each and every one of them.

So, a few weeks ago as I was picking my daughter up from school, I stopped on the playground to talk to the school’s director.  As is always the case at the end of the day, I had arrived at the same time as several of the other parents.  While we were talking, both the director and I witnessed another parent approach one of the young female college students and hand her a card that was obviously hand-made by this parent’s pre-school child.  As the card was passed, the parent told the student, “You know, my daughter just thinks the world of you and hopes that you will be in her classroom in the fall.”  At the time, I thought little about the encounter other than the fact that it was a nice thing to say.

This morning however, as I dropped my daughter off at preschool, I had the opportunity to have a brief conversation with the same young college student.  As we discussed her plans for the summer, she told me that she had just enrolled in summer classes because she had decided to change her major to early-elementary education and needed some additional credits.  I asked what had influenced her decision and among a few other reasons, she pulled out the same handmade card from her backpack and showed it to me.  It read, “You are going to be a really great teacher.  Thank you for playing with me this year.”

I know that the card was not the sole impetus in this young lady’s decision-making process.  However, the little card had a great impact on the student.  In my opinion, what the card did was help this young college student to define the WHY of her future career selection.  And that means everything.

Out of gratitude comes greatness!

That one extra task, whatever it may be, can throw off your whole schedule!  Whatever that one thing is, it is not as important as being on time!  Five minutes may seem small in the grand scheme of things, but being even a few minutes late to a scheduled appointment shows others that you disrespect their time.

The next time you find yourself looking at the clock trying to determine if you can complete one more task in the minutes that remain, decide instead to head immediately to your appointment.   If you arrive early, all the better!  Use that time to mentally prepare yourself for the task at hand.  By doing this, you will find that you are more present, less stressed and perform at a higher level than you would have otherwise.

• Before offering a revolutionary idea, or disagreeing on any matter, know exactly what you want.  Then be certain that what you say is factual and devoid of emotion and rhetoric.
• Express your innovative ideas – and ensure that your dissent must be accompanied by an alternative.  Present your alternative in full and persuasive detail. 
• If you are able to swallow whole your disappointment to carry out a decision with which you do not agree, well and good.  Do it. 
• If you’re unable to countenance the decision as made, do not denigrate it.  Do not withhold your best effort to make it work.  Quit – just quit.  Take your frustrations elsewhere.
• As a leader, make sure that you clear a path for ideas – and that the road to the top is wide open for ideas.

Love to hear your thoughts and perspectives on how to successfully disagree at work …

Monday mornings can be difficult.  The return to work after a busy, fun-filled weekend can sometimes seem like a let down.  Here is a great tip that can immediately brighten your attitude on Monday mornings:

Plan a feel-good event into every day. What makes you feel your best?  Do you get a high from a good morning run?   Are you happiest when you are surrounded by the company of good friends?  Do you recharge your energy by being creative or reading a good book?

Everyone has activities, interests and relationships that make them feel good about themselves.  These must be cultivated on a regular basis.  To be your best, you must feel your best.  Whether it is a competitive tennis match, coffee with a colleague or a creative writing class, make sure that you have a feel good event planned into each and every day.  Then brighten your attitude and feel great on Monday morning by thinking about all of the things you have to look forward to this week.