I witnessed an extraordinary event a few weeks ago.  Although at the time, I did not realize that it was extraordinary at all.  And the event wasn’t extraordinary because if it’s grand nature.  It was extraordinary because of the grand impact that came from the simplest of gestures.

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!

Do you find that you are constantly running five minutes late for appointments?  Even if you strive not to over-schedule, you can still fall into the “I can get one more thing done” trap.  Have you ever tried to check your e-mail one last time before running out the door only to get caught up in a response that takes longer to draft than planned?

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.

My husband recently threw me a copy of the Marine Corps Gazette, saying, “I tabbed an article that you would find interesting.”  It was an article written by a Marine who served for General Victor Krulak titled “Rubrics for Officer Dissent.”  The author, Lieutenant Colonel Bryan (ret), wrote about working for Gen Krulak and how he used to take notes about his boss’s perspectives and insights.  The insights the author went on to publish were geared toward how to disagree with your leadership team – I thought that I would share a few of those bullets, as they are so relevant to many of us who may disagree with workplace policies/procedures and decisions (but aren’t certain how to go about addressing them):

• 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 …

Be honest, when you woke up this morning – before you even opened up your eyes – what thoughts went through your head?   Were you thinking about all of the exciting things that you have planned this week as you sprung out of bed to tackle the day?  Or were you thinking about all of the things that you didn’t want to do today as you rolled over to hit the snooze button.

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.

You have a lot on your plate.  You are constantly busy.  But are you making headway on your to-do list – are you really accomplishing your goals?  One of the biggest mistakes that we can make is to equate busy-ness with progress.  The best way to avoid this potentially costly mistake is to identify achievable milestones for daily progress.  Ask yourself, “What things do I need to accomplish today in order to achieve my ultimate goal in a timely fashion?”  Once you have identified those things, make them the day’s priorities.  Discipline yourself to pay full attention to those milestones before you get sidetracked with other daily responsibilities.  By identifying accomplishable tasks and prioritizing appropriately, you will have a method of ensuring progress and ultimate success.