09:39 am | 0 recommendations | 5 comments

Ten Strategies for Developing the Art of Leadership

Many people are born leaders, yet the ability to lead is actually an art and an amazing collection of skills which can be learned and sharpened. The following top ten daily habits will help you and/or your clients grow as a leader personally, professionally, and spiritually. 

1. Spend 30 minutes each morning looking for "cracks" in the major areas of your life.
Your depth of character is key to determining your success as a leader. It is easy for us to say that we are "in integrity," but your actions are the real indicators of strength of character. Spend 30 minutes each morning looking at the major areas of your life: career, marriage, family, community, and spirituality. Write down any instances where you see "cracks" (you have cut corners, something is inconsistent, you have not kept your word, you have been dishonest, etc.) Do all in your power to repair those cracks by apologizing and dealing with the consequences of your actions. After facing up to past actions, begin a plan that will rebuild you and prevent you from making further mistakes.

2. Show up and be ten minutes early for every appointment.
Great leaders show up for every appointment, and they are always on time. Each day, practice not only showing up but being ten minutes early for each and every appointment. "The early bird gets the worm" has never been so true than when it applies to becoming a great leader that others want to follow.

3. Be dedicated to a high level of learning.
Great leaders are highly competent, because they are dedicated to a high level of learning, growth, and improvement. Spend 15-30 minutes each day devoted to learning something new. Do not settle for knowing "how" to do something. Dig deeper by asking the question "why" and then, go find the answer. Search the internet, interview an expert, or take a day trip to find the answer to a question that is on your mind or the minds of those who follow you.

4. Be simple and crystal clear in all communication.
As a leader, your communication should be simple, clean, and clear as a bell. Examine both written and verbal communication for simplicity and clarity. Use as few words as possible, and eliminate jargon and "big words" from your vocabulary. Express yourself in a way that your listeners can understand.

5. Surround yourself with A Players.
One of the secrets of a great leader is great people. Hire the right staff, surround yourself with a strong inner circle, and spend time daily with people who have a variety of gifts. With the support of a strong circle of men, women and children, you will be ready for anything that comes your way.

6. Develop a sense of commitment and responsibility.
People do not follow leaders who are not committed and responsible. Commitment and responsibility can be measured by the hours you spend and how you spend them, the money you spend and how you spend it, and by what you do for others. Spend 15 minutes each day analyzing your time, your checkbook, and your volunteer work. Look closely at how much time you spend with family and friends as compared to work, how you spend your money, and how you give back to the community. You may be very surprised at what you find.

7. Develop a positive attitude by altering your mind.
It is very possible to alter your attitude by altering your mind. Saturate yourself daily with motivational literature, positive people, and inspiring music/art. By conditioning your mind to be more positive on a daily basis, you will find that winning will be a daily reward of your life.

8. Accept responsibility.
Great leaders never play the role of a victim. They recognize that part of being a great leader is being ultimately responsible for all successes and failures. On a daily basis, analyze your current projects, and ask yourself "Have I done all that needs to be done? What have I not done that I should?" Once you have analyzed each project, if you find a weakness, go the extra mile by working extra hours, hiring an outside expert, or getting really creative to repair the weakness or to turn it into a success!

9. Make self-discipline a part of your lifestyle.
What do you need to develop self-discipline? Following a better diet or exercise routine? Getting up one hour earlier? Being rigorous with your spending? Learning something new every day? Eliminate excuse-making from your life, and begin to develop habits that will invite self-discipline to become the foundation of your life. Hire a coach to support you during the development of a routine of self-discipline, and remove rewards until the job is done!

10. Develop courage by facing fear.
By a show of courage, you will inspire others to follow and to walk in your footsteps. Spend 15-30 minutes each day doing something simply for the sake of developing courage: speak to an audience, make a difficult phone call, learn a new skill, write an article or a top ten, or visit someone you have always wanted to meet. As Eleanor Roosevelt acknowledged: "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do."

http://Edge-Book.com 

01:30 pm | 0 recommendations | Be the first to comment

My Top 20 Picks for Video Submission

Over the past few weeks, my co-authors from EDGE! A Leadership Story and I hired Steve Renshaw to help us create a movie trailer for the book. You can take a peek at the trailer here. Steve did a really great job.

And...as with all marketing, we went through and pulled the top video sites that we felt would be the best fit for the book, and I want to share with you my top 20 sites. These sites are based on having a strong Google ranking, professional look and feel and easy to maneuver.

If you don't want to load these manually, you can check out a service like Traffic Geyser.com, but the videos don't always make it over to the main site.

So...here you go...the top 20 video submission sites (the world according to Bea.) Also...these are not in any particular order. I just jotted them down as I worked with them over the last few days.

1) Google Video

2) Yahoo Video

3) Atom

4) Photo Bucket

5) Crackle

6) Veoh

7) You Tube

8) My Space

9) vSocial

11) Vimeo

12) Daily Motion

13) Motionbox

14) Metacafe

15) AOL Video

16) Bolt

17) Blip.tv

18) ProsperityCast.tv

19) Revver

20) SelfCast.tv

Check out the EDGE trailer here.

07:30 am | 0 recommendations | 1 comment

5 Critical Questions to Answer to Assess Your Networking Skills

People often describe themselves as master networkers. They attend gobs of events, pass out thousands of business cards and flit from group to group, doing everything they can to get people to buy from them. They spit out their elevator speech (quite frankly, I can’t stand an elevator pitch…I can smell one a mile away), often get confused in the delivering that boring speech, talk about themselves on and on and never stop to ask the other person “Tell me about you, and how can I help you succeed?”You see, I believe asking this question is the key to success with networking.

Ivan Misner, Founder of BNI, firmly states that the “Givers Gain” philosophy is what networking is all about, and at the end of the day, we can give…yet…we can only give so much before we get drained. So, in theory it sounds great to have thousands of networking partners. In reality, I have found that a human being can only hold about 5-7 key networking partners in their brains at one time. So, if you are trying to truly network (the operative word is truly) with thousands of people, you are bound to lose connection with someone along the way. As a matter of fact, if you are trying to truly network with thousands of people, there are probably many who you will simply forget about over time.

Over the last ten years, I have done a great deal of networking. I
don’t even want to add up the hours I have invested with this process.
But, at the end of the day, networking is fun for me. I enjoy both
online and face to face networking, but here’s my catch…I have to
really enjoy the other person, respect their work and believe in them
enough to tell others about them. I simply don’t get into networking
relationships with people who I don’t like or don’t respect. Some
people say I am just way to picky, and that is only one perspective.
The people who know me quite well say that I am being authentic in
building my network, and I would like to think that is true. You see, I
believe that it’s frankly abusive to get into a networking relationship
with someone you don’t respect enough to endorse their work, or to get
into a networking relationship with someone just because you want them
to give you a handout. And…if you are in one of those relationships, it
is probably because you “hope” that this person in some way is going to
help you along the way…and…it just doesn’t work that way. If you are
going to be masterful with networking, you have to begin by helping the
other person (trust me…most people won’t stop to ask you “How can I
help you?” It’s up to you to play that card first!)

If you are starting your networking process, OR if you have come to
the place in life where you know it’s time to perform a network
upgrade, I encourage you to answer these questions in determining who
you are going to bring into your close inner circle.

1) What qualities do you most admire in other professionals? Make
a list of the ten qualities you most admire, and look for these
qualities as you are networking. (I would place honesty, integrity and
respect at the top of your list…otherwise, you may attract dishonest,
disrespectful people who are not on the up and up!)

2) How can you help other people? Understanding
your value and how you can help others is a requirement for successful
networking. You may be able to bring a large group of people, fresh
ideas or your talent and skills to the relationship. The bottom line is
to get clear on your value and how it can make others’ lives more
successful so that you can speak this with certainty.

3) How can other people help you? It is critical to
understand that a networking relationship is about giving first and
then receiving. Don’t ever get yourself into a networking relationship
where you are the only person giving back to the relationship.
Resentment will build over time if you are getting nothing back in
return. Remember…your networking relationships should be
partnerships…50/50 give and take…not a situation where you are doing
all the work and getting nothing back in return. On the same note, I am
big on helping other people out one time without any expectation of
getting something back. If the relationship evolves to the point where
you can get into an ongoing cycle of giving and receiving, then
fabulous! Just know that you are probably going to do a few favors for
folks who never do anything in return, and that’s okay…it’s part of the
process.

4) How can your networking partners help each other?
It is important to understand that once you build out a group of 5-7
key networking partners, they will be getting to know each other and
helping each other out. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to
become the “connector” to a larger network of like-minded individuals
(the connecting thread is YOU!)

5) What are the red flags you want to avoid? I am
sure you already know the answer to this one. You are going to meet
people along the way who are needy, who want a hand out or who are only
into networking as a way to take advantage of your value or to ask you
to buy from them. Know the red flags ahead of time, and steer clear
from those people. I believe that just like there is a man for every
woman and a woman for every man, there are networking partners who were
born for each other…they all are not designed just for you, so raise
your bar on who you want to attract, then…go out and get ‘em, and have
fun along the journey!

http://Edge-Book.com

08:57 am | 0 recommendations | 1 comment

The Leadership Lessons We Can Learn from Ben Campbell in the Movie "21"

Vison. Hard work. Team work. These are all qualities that good leaders employ. It's also how Ben Campbell, the star character in the film "21," used them to his advantage. Here's what we can learn from an MIT mastermind about leadership.

Many kids grow up wanting to play for the Red Sox or shooting hoops and making millions for the NBA. In the movie "21" Ben Campbell (played by Jim Sturgess) grew up wanting to go to Harvard Medical School. But…there was just one tiny problem…he didn’t have the $300,000.00 it was going to take to make it happen.

So, Campbell, the most talented student at MIT, uses his mathematical skills (yes…he’s good with numbers), a few fake ID’s and creative disguises to join his brilliant stats professor (played by Kevin Spacey) and five friends in a plot of counting cards to break the Vegas casinos. And…he almost gets by with it.

As it usually goes in the movies, the mastermind plot begins to unravel, and young Ben Campbell has to decide which direction to turn…and in the end, he does the right thing.

I have to say, however, that I observed young Ben using some amazing leadership skills during the plot that we can all learn from. No...I don't condone counting cards (although I have heard that card counting is actually legal unless you are using an outside device...but maybe some of you who are Blackjack players can set me straight.) However, I am a BIG believer in these leadership skills that Ben applied to winning at the game of Blackjack:

1. Vision: Ben can see, taste and smell that Harvard Medical School ride. He keeps this vision front and center through both the highs and the lows.

2. Hard Work and Drive: Ben studies, reads and pours himself into the game of counting cards. He does not want to just learn the skill...he wants to be the best!

3. When you make the rules, you change the game: Ben and his teammates made the rules, so they change the game of Blackjack. In leadership, you have the opportunity to change the rules (legally of course) so that you get the results you want. If you are leading your organization by worn out rules, there is a good chance you are probably getting the pants beat off you by your competition.

4. Team Work: The game of counting cards is a team sport, and Ben plays the team according to the rules spelled out by the team. He watches his teams’ signals (Folded arms = Table’s Hot) listens to their language (the word sweet means the count’s at 16) and follows the system to build team chemistry.

5. Risk: Ben does something that most people don’t. He takes risk after risk by accounting for variable change. Brilliant!

6. Calm and Composure: Even when the pressure's on, Ben stays as cool as a cucumber...quiet, calm and quite composed.

7. Playing a System: In the movie "21", Professor Micky Rosa (played by Spacey) makes it very clear to the team that they are not "gambling" but that they are counting cards...a methodical system that works over and over again.

LESSONS LEARNED:

As the plot begins to unravel, young Ben Campbell does the right thing (you'll need to watch the movie to find out what that is,), and he learns these important leadership lessons:

1. Quick fixes almost always don’t’ last. The quick solutions almost always end in disaster.

2. Don’t justify your actions when you know they're crossing a line! Be very careful about saying “I’m only going to do this negative action one time or until x happens.” Before you know it…you’re hooked!

3. Pay attention to your gut. Ben knew early on in the process that something was not sitting well about this whole scheme, but as with all humans, he gets lured in by the thought of wealth, fame, the hot girl and the thrill.

4. When you create rules that you know are not on the up and up, watch out! The system’ll get you every time!

5. When you become so engrossed in your work that you ignore what's going on in the periphery of your life, there will be a cost to pay. Ben loses a lifetime opportunity in his quest for money, AND he almost loses his closest friends.

6. Let integrity guide your decision making. In the end, living in integrity and doing the right thing can bring you the greatest rewards in life.
I highly recommend this movie! I watched it two times in 24 hours, and I rarely watch movies two times:

Watch the trailer here:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZRzZX2aN3I0

http://Edge-Book.com

06:47 am | 0 recommendations | 2 comments

Leadership Coaching: The 360 Degree Review Process

A 360 Degree Feedback Review is a multi-source feedback, multi-rater assessment, upward feedback or peer evaluation designed to give you a panoramic view of your leadership capabilities. It is a process in which you evaluate yourself on a set of criteria, your manager or supervisor will then evaluate you, as do your peers, direct reports, even family members. Upon completion of the assessment, you will receive a gap analysis detailing how you perceive yourself versus how others perceive you. The 360 Degree feedback process involves both participants (the person or people being reviewed) and raters.

There is a great deal of controversy about the 360 Degree Feedback Process. Because the answers are so subjective, many leaders say they feel like a can of worms gets opened and that the lid should have stayed sealed. I disagree with this view. I believe the only way a leader can become a better leader is to find out from other people how they are perceiving him or her. While perceptions are always subjective and clouded by culture, personality and belief systems, at the end of the day, if you are a leader, others' perceptions are your reality.

As an Executive Coach, I conduct at least twenty 360 Degree Feedback reviews every year. I have found that one of the best approaches is the face-to-face interview with both team and board members and even family members when possible.

If I were to come into your life and talk to 8-10 people who know you best, on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the highest, how would they rank you in the following areas?

• Takes reasonable risks in order to improve the company;
• Looks at situations from multiple viewpoints in order to gain perspective;
• Offers employees challenging learning situations, specifically to build skills and produce bottom line results;
• Develops trust with employees;
• Communicates openly and honestly;
• Displays confidence when presenting ideas or expressing opinions to others;
• Listens carefully to others to understand their needs and concerns;
• Makes decisions that might be unpopular if it is in the best interest of the customer;
• Thinks about company growth and explores new ideas for organizational development;
• Looks for new ways to achieve a competitive advantage in current business practices;
• Demonstrates competence and credibility in his or her
  area of expertise;
• Attracts and retains top talent; and
• Leads with an authentic leadership style

If you are interested in participating in a 360 Degree Review, send me an e-mail to beafields@beafields.com. I am happy to speak with you!

http://fivestarleader.com

http://Edge-Book.com

07:32 am | 0 recommendations | 2 comments

Leadership Coaching: Why Tiger Woods Has a Coach

Why in the world do you think Tiger Woods has Coach Hank Haney by his side? Surely you know that Tiger can most probably kick the pants off Haney any day of the week. But, as with all top golfers (all topathletes
for that matter), they are crystal clear about one thing: You cannot see yourself playing golf, it is
extremely difficult to coach yourself, AND it’s darn tough to be objective about your performance. As a matter of fact, most of the masters, like Tiger are very, very tough on themselves. As Haney once said about Tiger: “People ask when he's going to get there. They don't understand that there is no 'there.' You keep improving. He thinks that if he doesn't, someone else will improve and catch him.”

In the book EDGE! A Leadership Story, we have our main protagonist, Mitchell James, play a round of
golf. Mitch plays the round early in the morning, alone with no one watching him. I won’t tell you what happens, but as the game goes along, things start heading south quickly, and during this game, Mitchell
James has an epiphany about life and about leadership…you can’t see yourself as you live your
life or live in a leadership role, and an outside perspective (such as a leadership coach) can really help you improve whatever game you are playing by giving you a bird's eye view of your game.

With leadership coaching, one of the ultimate goals is to support a leader in his or her own
development through the use of a variety of tools, methods and resources. I have discovered that, by engaging in life experiences outside of the work environment (by playing golf, tennis, painting, teaching, playing a card game or puddering around in the garden) and getting in touch with everything in the surrounding environment, the majority of clients can shift from simply learning extrinsically to experiencing intrinsically an epiphany—gaining a sudden insight into the reality or meaning of something initiated by the experience and then talking through that experience with
someone whose opinion you respect.

So, for today, consider these questions:

• When was the last time you experienced an epiphany?
• What did you experience?
• What in your environment (of life) was the catalyst for the epiphany?
• What did you learn about yourself, other people or life during this time?
• What changes did you make in your life as a by-product of this epiphany?
• How did the epiphany take you to where you are today?
• What new activities are you willing to experience in life in order to grow as a leader?
• If you had had a coach by your side during this experience and epiphany that followed, how would you have used the coach's skill, knowledge or insight to improve the game of leadership?

EDGE! A Leadership Story

10:06 am | 0 recommendations | Be the first to comment

Accountability Trumps the Blame Game Every Time

"When is John going to get me that report?"

"What is going on with the marketing report? When are they going to finish that thing?"

"I can't believe Mary is so late in making those phone calls."

"Okay...who dropped the ball this time?"

"Hey...that's not MY job."

Does this sound familiar? If so, your small business team may be faced
with a big challenge with accountability, which results in finger
pointing, frustration and broken trust...both with your employees and
your customers. Personal responsibility and accountability can put an
end to the blame game, saving your business thousands if not millions
of dollars by increasing productivity and overall job satisfaction,
which results in very satisfied customers. These five basic approaches
can support you in increasing accountability, which are simple, yet
they require actually building a culture of accountability for your
business.

Communicate the big picture
Accountability stands a better chance of succeeding if everyone in your
business embraces a larger responsibility for the success of the entire
company. Spend time talking individually with team members about how
his or her project affects the vision and mission of the business. With
this communication, people can make wiser decisions from the context of
the "big picture" rather than from the perspective of what may seem to
be a detailed and boring task.

State clear expectations
If one person on your team does not meet your expectations, the entire
team can fail. It is important from the very beginning of any new
project to state the expectations clearly and repeat them over and over
again until your team really "gets it." These expectations need to be
crystal clear, including dates, who is responsible for what, the
details of the task and how you want the finished product delivered. If
your expectations are fuzzy or confusing in any way, your team can
break down, and the fine and very important details can fall through
the cracks.

Accountability work groups
One of the best ways to achieve accountability is to develop shared
accountability among team members. Accountability within the team can
be accomplished by what Morris R. Shechtman calls "accountability
groups," groups which give team members the permission to speak and
listen in a way which is frank and open. This accountability group can
include 2-5 people and can then serve as a small unit of people working
together to confide in with struggles, weaknesses and insecurities.
They can then find creative strategies to work together in the
direction of the growth the team intends to achieve.

Move to action
In order for accountability to work, people have to know that failure of
completion will come with certain consequences, including written
warnings, loss of a bonus or extra hours served on a week-end to
complete the project on the table. Without consequences, your employees
won't take you seriously. They will think that they can use blame,
justification and rationalization as a way to deviate from being
responsible, because you have not followed through on what you said you
will do if the tasks are not achieved.

Reward and recognition program
Employees need to know in a tangible way their efforts are indeed driving the
company forward, and it is important for them to share in the fruits of
their hard work. The offer of increased pay and benefits (vacations,
time off and other perks) can keep accountability and morale high and
can motivate employees to continue to strive for high levels of
performance.

05:58 am | 0 recommendations | 1 comment

Ten Questions to Answer to Drive Innovation

Radical innovation is going to be a critical component in a leader’s
toolkit in the future, and this does not mean that you “try to
innovate” over a week-end brainstorming retreat. True innovation
happens by disrupting the current environment, challenging old
assumptions and even turning the culture upside down so that you can
take a creative idea, turn it into a product or service and
successfully move it to the marketplace.Each day I meet business
leaders, and one of the first questions I ask is “On a scale of 1-10,
with 10 being super sticky, how stuck are you?” Most people laugh, and
they usually respond by saying “I’m a 20 or a 25!” So, when you are
stuck, you have to break up the pattern . . . turn a table upside down
and figure out a way to still use the table as an eating surface, roll
out of bed on the other side, shave with the hand you don’t normally
use . . . do something to be disruptive. This is the same for
companies. What would happen if you do the opposite of what you’ve
always done? What would you do if you totally destroyed your most
profitable item and had to start from scratch? Or, how would an artist,
physician or scientist suggest that you change your products or
services?

When I coach business leaders on the topic of innovation, I always start with the following questions, making sure to get as many ideas as possible on the table. 

What have you done in the last year to get engaged with your imagination and the imagination of others?

Being stuck in a rut won’t get you very far when it comes to
innovation. Get out there and get your brain turbo-charged with
creativity. Art houses, skateboarding events, movies, food, music and
travel can serve as catalysts to get you thinking more creatively.

What is the pain being experienced in the marketplace?

People usually buy to address a pain or to solve a problem. Don’t
assume you know what pains people are feeling. Ask your clients and
perform as many interviews and surveys as possible to discover
repeating patterns of struggle.

What are people searching for online?

By using a keyword suggestion tool such as http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com,
you can discover current, relevant and popular keywords which can help
you consider where to go next in the marketplace. If people are
searching for it, that means they will most probably buy it.

What tasks can be achieved more efficiently and effectively in business?

Business leaders are constantly asking “What can we do now to
improve our efficiency and be more productive right now?” If your
product or service can help answer this question through your next
product or service, you can help fill the productivity void.

If you were to take your business and merge it with a
business that is completely different than your own, what products and
services would emerge?

If you are a financial consultant, and you merge your business with
a physician, what products or services would you develop? If you are an
ice cream shop owner, and you married your business with a law firm,
what products and services would you design? While these questions may
seem far-fetched, they can stretch your mind into new territory and
right into a new idea for your business.

What are the political pundits arguing about?

You only need to turn on CNN or Fox News for one hour a day to learn
what the big debates are around the world. Debate creates a craving for
a solution, and your next big idea might just be the answer to the
current great debate.

What seems to be constantly breaking, and how can you fix it?

People are sick and tired of complexity and things not working.
Broken technology gets in our way and sucks up our energy, time and
resources. People will buy a new product or service that if they know
it’s going to work and if their buying experience is hassle free.

Who are the most creative people you know?

When great minds mix together, the perfect innovation storm happens.
Look closely at your network, and bring together the smartest, most
wildly creative people you know for a few hours of fun discussion about
the next big, cool opportunity.

If you could change the world with the resources you have in
your life (including people, knowledge, money and time), what product
or service would you develop?

This is a question that most people hedge on by saying “Well, my
resources are really limited.” That is just ridiculous. Some of the
best ideas have been born by people with no money, sitting in a garage
with a friend and a $300.00 Best Buy computer. Sit down with a few
friends, and answer this question and by all means, don’t censor
yourself. Every idea is fodder for discussion.

Who is going out of business and why?

Doors to businesses are closing right and left, and the question is
“Why?” Something obviously went wrong, or plans were changed, or
something in the global economy is going awry. Get out there and find
out what shifts are happening in business. Your next product or service
may just help business owners keep their doors open.

What questions are you answering to help drive innovation?  Send me an e-mail to bea@edge-book.com, and I will add them to the list and give you attribution to your idea.

For more information on how to use coaching to drive innovation, visit us online today at http://Edge-Book.com.  

07:00 am | 0 recommendations | Be the first to comment

The 10 Critical Questions to Answer to Increase Productivity and Master Time

I am not a productivity expert, but I am well known for getting
things done and getting them done well, so I want to share with you a
few strategies which have worked for me so that you can also be more
productive.

The first thing to know is that we are in unique times. Because of
laptops and the internet, our work and personal lives are intersecting
unlike they ever have in the history of work. We lie in bed
checking e-mail. We are up at the crack of dawn to write our blog
entries (like this one today.) We can have a report faxed or e-mailed
to our homes 24/7. The question I hear from leaders each day is “How do
I deal with all of this so that I stay as productive as possible?”

My response is always to come back to the leaders I work with and ask them to answer the following questions:

1) What is the biggest project that is on your mind?

If you have something on your mind, and it’s not getting done, it
may never happen. The best way to address this is to sit down with a
piece of paper and get the project on paper with a list of things to
get done, completion dates and the names of people you will delegate
out the project to.

2) What is the weakest link in your time management system?

One of the tools I use quite often with my clients is the Time Mastery Profile.
With this profile, you will be able to quickly see the area which is
your weakest link in your time management system. The weak link might
be a lack of planning, procrastination, interruptions or poor
communication. Once you have identified the weakest link, sit down and
craft a plan to turn that weakness into a strength. Once your plan is
crafted, you must be willing to dedicate your time and energy to
changing that behavior around for at least one year (hey…it took you
20, 30 or 40 years to get where you are, so it’s going to take time to
turn the behavior around.)

3) What commitments are you not fulfilling?

I work with leaders each day who are just simply over-committed.
They are not only running a large organization. They are sitting on
multiple non profit boards, attending conferences and attending
meetings with strategic partners and political decision makers. Many
leaders will tell you that they often can’t meet about 50% of their
obligations. Look closely at your commitments, rank them in order of
priority, and politely decline from any commitments you know you cannot
meet (or delegate them out to someone who can meet them.)

4) What small tasks are you worrying about?

What are you thinking about? “I need to make a doctor’s appointment”
or “Send that thank-you note” or “The dog needs a bath.” Does this
sound familiar?

Last night, as I was going to sleep, I realized I had a radio
interview this morning at 7:45. I had been worried that I might miss
the interview, so I got up, wrote myself a big reminder and placed it
beside the phone. I was then able to go to sleep. Each day, we have
small “worries” that run in the background of our minds. They keep
playing and playing like a broken record. The best thing you can do to
relieve this mental stress is to complete a brain dump. Sit down, and
write out a list of everything that’s on your mind (including that
squeaky door that keeps irritating you every time you open it.) Then,
set out to knock out every “to do” on your list. You will find that
your productivity is so much greater once you get everything out of
your brain and on paper.

5) What is your magical time of day?

Each person has a time of day that is what I call “magical.” It’ s
that time of day when you are the least distracted and the most
productive. It’s that time of day when you can focus on one project and
get in the zone on that project. Consider carefully what your magical
time of day is, and dedicate this time to your most important projects.

6) What do you always find time to do?

There are tasks on your task list which always seem to get done.
Look closely at this list. From there, you will want to ask yourself
why these things are easy for you to do. Do you enjoy them? Do they
help you fulfill a core value? Do they allow you to feel a sense of
accomplishment? Do they spark your creativity? There are always “to
do’s” in your life which are working, and these accomplishments can
boost your confidence. Once you discover “why” they are working, use
these reasons as a way to look at why other tasks are difficult to
accomplish. As an example, if you value time with family in the
evening, and you are committed to an evening meeting that you never
seem to be able to attend, it is probably because this meeting is
bumping up against time with your family.

7) What projects are the most important to your overall life and career success?

It is so easy to put off bigger projects which may have a huge
positive impact in our lives, because they seem so daunting. I know…I
wrote two books in two years, and there were times when I wondered if
they would ever get done. The thing to know here is that you cannot
“implement” or “act on” a project. You can only “act on” each task
which is a part of the bigger project. The best way to approach a big
project is to sit down and write out each and every step you will need
to implement to complete the project and then implement one task each
day (or two tasks each day if possible) until the bigger project is
complete.

8)What seems to interrupt you?

Life is filled with interruptions. The first step in the direction
of reducing interruptions is to keep an interruption log for one week.
The log should include:

-The interruption
-The time of day
-The person who interrupted you
-The length of the interruption

At the end of one week, look closely at your data to spot trends in
your answers. You may find that a certain person interrupts you or that
interruptions are more frequent at certain times of day and so forth.
Once you have discovered the repeating patterns of your interruptions,
it’s time to start making some changes. Speak to the people who are
interrupting you, establish office hours, close the door and turn off
the phone during your peak productivity hours.

9) How many hours each day do you spend multi-tasking?

The multi-taskers of the world think they are getting a lot done (I
am admitting that I am a multi-tasker. Right now, as I write this
article, I am not multi-tasking. I am sitting in my dining room away
from my other toys and people). The Journal of Experimental Psychology has
discovered that it takes the brain four times longer to process each
task you are working on during multi-tasking. So, if you are
multi-tasking for one hour, you are actually working for about four
hours. The best approach with any task is to carve out the time of day
and a quiet location so that you can stay focused on that one project
only. Your completion time will literally be cut in half.

10) How often are you checking e-mail each day?

Many people think that checking and responding to e-mail is making
them more efficient, yet the reality is that checking e-mail multiple
times a day creates distraction and causes us to veer off in a
direction away from our most critical tasks. It causes a loss in
concentration and causes eye strain and fatigue. The best approach with
both e-mail and phone calls is to schedule two times each day to check
e-mail and to return phone calls. Use the time in between to work on
those tasks which are going to help you achieve your most important
projects and goals.

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