Leadership

Hey there! I hope you’re doing great today!

Do you ever feel distracted?

Do you desire to accomplish more and use your time better?

If you’re like most people, you are bombarded daily with advertisements, social media, and all sorts of people and other things demanding your time.

To overcome this, you must create a greater sense of URGENCY in your work and life. How do you do that? Set deadlines and write down the cost you’ll pay by not meeting the deadline.

My mentor Kary Oberbrunner is leading a group of us through a course to help us become “unhackable” in work and life. In one of his sessions, he stated “If I want my time to count, I must count my time. Desire without a deadline is simply a pipe dream.”

Wow! How often do you have dreams and goals that just never happen because you’ve not given yourself a deadline to accomplish them? How often are you counting your time? Do you have real dreams you’re going after or just a “pipe dream?” What is it costing you to not take action with urgency?

Block out some time in the next 2-3 days to write down the dreams and goals that you have. Then give yourself a deadline to take action on those items. Your dream may take months or years to achieve, but what will you do in the next 30 days? What will you do next week? What will you do today?

Create a sense of urgency in your life to achieve your goals and dreams by setting a deadline. Then, block the time on your calendar for when you will focus on taking action. I guarantee this will help you block out distractions and accomplish more. I’m experiencing this lesson in real time even as I type.

I would love to help you become “unhackable” in your work and life so you can achieve your goals and dreams. If you recognize that having a coach to hold you accountable and teach you how to overcome the distractions and barriers in your life is valuable and needed, contact me at [email protected]. My dream is to help YOU achieve your dreams!

Go Be Intentionally Great today!

Have you ever considered that your life’s purpose isn’t just for or about you?

Many of us struggle in life wondering what on earth we’re here for. You may ask questions like:

• What is my calling?
• What should I do with my life?
• Isn’t there more to life than what I’m experiencing?

You’re not alone. I remember pondering these questions as a teenager when my high school graduation loomed and having no clue what to do with my life. Then an international trip outside of my comfort zone happened and a mentor stepped intentionally into my life. I finally had vision for my life. I realized that I was being called to equip others to clarify their life purposes and break through barriers so they could reach their potential. I couldn’t say it that clearly back then, but that’s what was in my heart and mind.

Maybe you’re much older and still wondering what your life purpose is. It’s okay. I want to encourage you today that you were created with a great purpose for your life. If you’re still breathing, you have a purpose!

But here’s the thing – your purpose isn’t just for or about you! There are people right around you that need you to live a full life of purpose. They need you to be inspired and motivated at home, at work, and in the community in which you live. They need you to care about them and use the abilities you have to help them live better lives and experience better work environments. You are important and needed!

But how do you discover your life purpose? This can be a detailed discovery process that takes time, but here are four areas that point to your purpose:

• Abilities – What gifts, skills, or abilities do you have that can help and serve others?
• Experiences – What experiences have you had (good and bad) that can help others? Quite often, the pain we go through points to how we can help others most.
• Passions – What excites and motivates you? What do you daydream about? What makes you laugh, cry, or sing? What gets you moving in the morning?
• Needs – What are the needs you see and hear of right around you? Who is in need? What are the needs?

While we could dig much deeper into each of these areas, use the questions from each area to process on your own. Click HERE for a recent free teaching call I recorded called “How to Clarify Your Purpose & Go After Your Dreams in 2017!” I believe it will help you.

Also, maybe you have a big dream or some key goals you want to work on or accomplish in 2017. If that sounds like you, check out my upcoming Master Class on John Maxwell’s book “Put Your Dream to the Test.” For only $49, you will receive 6-sessions of teaching and coaching on Tuesday nights at 8pm EST, January 17 – February 21, 2017. You will learn 10 key questions to use as a filter for any dream or goal you have. This is the upfront work that should be done before taking action. Act fast because registration closes tonight, January 16th, at midnight! Click HERE for more details and to register.

Your life matters and not just for you! Others need you to live a life of purpose each day. You can do it. I believe in you!

Be Intentionally Great today!

Happy New Year!

I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. I know I did! During the holidays, I heard about and read “The 12 Week Year” by Brian Moran. This is an incredible book that not only redefines a year and how to quadruple your results, but it gives a specific plan of attack. I highly recommend you pick up a copy! You can click HERE to learn more about it and purchase it at Amazon.com.

Today I want to share one key thought that is foundational to getting the results that Moran writes about. To get the results that you desire, you must work each moment, day, and week with intentional and effective execution. Too often, we set big goals, but we don’t take the action required to get the results. Without action, the results will not come.

What do you want to accomplish in the next 12 weeks?

What are your big goals?

What strategic actions must you take to reach those goals?

Do you have a plan to effective execute those actions?

Some of us are naturally action-oriented. However, we can also lack strategy. As my mentor John Maxwell says in his Law of Priorities, “Leaders understand that activity is not necessarily accomplishment.” You must take the time to set goals, determine strategic initiatives needed to achieve those goals, then take action. Moran says that goals are reached moment by moment, day by day. He emphasizes that we can control our actions much more than we can control our results.

Too often we set annual goals and then procrastinate on tackling them until the last quarter of the year. Why? Because of the pressure of a deadline! Moran wrote “The 12 Week Year” to redefine the year to be every 12 weeks where we consistently feel the deadline approaching and celebrate our wins. Deadlines prompt us to take action. 12 weeks is a time frame that is long enough to accomplish significant goals, but short enough to put healthy pressure on us to take action.

As you get into the rhythm of your work after the holidays, I highly encourage you to pick up this book, study its material, and start making your own 12 Week Year plans. Take intentional, effective action and watch the results that you get!

Be Intentionally Great in 2017!

Do you need help setting goals, determining your strategic initiatives and putting an action plan together? I would love to help. Simply email me at [email protected].

You have the capacity to be a great leader. Do you believe that?

I’m not saying that you will necessarily lead a revolution like Martin Luther King, Jr. or Nelson Mandela or Mahatma Ghandi. What I am saying is that you have the capacity to influence the people around you in a big way.

John C. Maxwell famously teaches that “the true measure of leadership is influence – nothing more, nothing less.” You influence people each day – family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, etc. You even influence yourself and self-leadership is the toughest form of leadership!

Listen to what Alan Hirsch writes in his book The Forgotten Ways – “To be a great leader in this sense is to inspire, evoke, and nurture something correspondingly great in those who follow. Through an integrated life, great leaders remind their followers of what they can become if they too base their lives on a compassionate notion of humanity framed by a higher moral vision of the world in which we live.”

The reason you can become a great leader is because you have the ability to inspire, evoke, nurture and remind people of what they can become. You can point out the strengths you see in them. You can encourage them to use their talents. You can push them to develop their abilities. You can give them HOPE by speaking words of affirmation and encouragement to them.

Think about it…how often do people speak encouraging words to you about your strengths and talents? If you’re like most people, it’s not often. In fact, most of us take these things for granted in the people we’re closest to.

If you want to become a great leader – and I hope you do – start paying attention to the people around you and help them see the value they contribute to the world. Encourage and challenge them to step into their gifts and grow to the next level. Be a messenger of hope by pointing out what is often overlooked.

Be Intentionally Great today!

At the risk of being cliche during Thanksgiving week, I want to simply say “Thank you!” You are why I do what I do. I am passionate about coaching people to clarify their life purposes so they can break through barriers and reach their potential. I am passionate about guiding people to grow in leadership so they achieve greater influence, impact, and income. I am passionate about helping teams and organizations develop healthy cultures that truly make a difference for employees, customers, and clients.

As I reflect on the past 16 months since I started my blog, I feel very blessed and honored that you have chosen to connect with me. I hope that what I share is encouraging and valuable to you. I hope that as you apply the principles that I’ve found so valuable over my years in leadership that you will have a greater personal and professional life.

As you enter this week of Thanksgiving, I encourage you to reach out to those who are connected to you and let them know how you are thankful for them. One of the great things about annual holidays like Thanksgiving is that they give us a consistent rhythm in our lives to stop and reflect amidst hectic schedules. Don’t let this week slip by without sharing your thankfulness with those that impact you.

Idea – write at least five notes or cards to people who have made a difference in your life this year to express your thanks. In our culture, we don’t receive many letters or notes encouraging us. Stand out this year by giving the gift of your written thoughts.

I hope you have a fantastic week and please know I am praying that you and your loved ones have safe travels as you spend time celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday.

Be Intentionally Great today!

For months I’ve closed my blog posts with the phrase “Be Intentionally Great.” Today I want to drill down on what this really means. If I ask 100 people what it means to be “great,” I’m confident I would hear about 100 different answers.

Dictionary.com gives a few ideas on what “great” is:

• unusually or comparatively large in size or dimensions
• large in number; numerous
• unusual or considerable in degree, power, intensity, etc.
• wonderful; first-rate; very good
• being such in an extreme or notable degree
• notable; remarkable; exceptionally outstanding
• important; highly significant or consequential

As you can tell, defining greatness is difficult. There are many views of what “great” is. I want to share a key principle that has the power to change your life, your family, your workplace, your community, and ultimately our world. My view comes from not only a mentor or friend, but someone whom I call Lord and Savior. I consider Jesus Christ to be THE ultimate leader and model for all humanity. If you are not a person of faith, please hang in there with me for a moment to consider how Jesus defined greatness. Regardless of your faith beliefs, this principle is powerful.

One time Jesus was teaching people about how to live so they could honor God. In the midst of many teaching points in Matthew 23, he simply says “The greatest among you will be your servant.” (v. 11) This was an eyebrow-raising idea in the first century. Think about it. In a culture where class systems were strong and divided, Jesus says that those who are greatest are actually those who serve others. Kings had servants. Political and religious leaders were fighting for positions where they would be served. Society was set up in a way for people to strive for more and more power. And then Jesus flipped it upside down by saying that those who serve are actually the greatest. What?!

Servant leadership has become a buzz concept in the business world over the years. We are hearing more and more leaders talk and write about this. Why? Because serving others rather than expecting others to serve you changes culture!

In a world where people are claiming “greatness” all the time and trying to become “king of the hill,” we need people to become great by serving those around them. Instead of a Mohammed Ali type proclamation of “I am the greatest!” we need servant leaders who put others first and help people achieve more and reach their potential. We need leaders in all sectors of society to look around at their followers and choose to lead them by serving.

Do you want to be truly great? Start serving the people around you. Start by serving your spouse, kids, parents, co-workers, neighbors, and even the strangers that you meet. Les Brown famously states “You have greatness within you!” I agree with him because every one of us can serve others. Greatness isn’t about being #1 and putting ourselves on a platform above others. Rather, it is about helping others shine and succeed. Being great is about helping others reach their potential – to become the best versions of themselves.

Are you still not convinced? Think about this – Who do you love to be around – someone who is always promoting how great they are or someone who helps you feel or become great? I know the answer is easy for me. I want to be around people who lift me up and motivate me to be better. I want to be around people who expose my blind spots and help me grow and achieve more. I want to be around people who have my best interest in mind rather than seeking to force their agenda on me. I bet you do too.

As you move forward in your week and even in your life, my hope for you is that you will truly “Be Intentionally Great” by finding ways to serve those around you. I know you have greatness within you because every one of us can serve the people within our reach. I believe in you. Go out and test this principle out.

Be Intentionally Great today!

Have you ever had a vision for something and then been frustrated because it didn’t become reality soon enough?

Have you ever wondered why you had a vision that seemed impossible to achieve?

Have you ever given up on a vision because you grew impatient waiting for it to happen?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, I hope this teaching will help you understand what must happen to fulfill your vision. There is a three phase process that we must go through and it’s not for the faint of heart.

Phase 1 – The Vision

In this phase, you receive a vision about what you can, should or want to do. The vision energizes you, excites you, and motivates you to take action. For some, you may buy web domain names, set up Facebook pages or groups, call/text your friends to share what it is, set up a crowd funding page, start writing a blog or book, etc.  You are inspired and flying high. But then something happens…

Phase 2 – The Valley 

Once the initial surge of energy wears off from receiving the vision, you get distracted or discouraged. You feel like nothing is happening. You wonder if you really “saw” the vision. You feel confused about what actions to take or who you can ask for help. You become impatient. You wonder if you can even achieve the vision. Self-doubt creeps in. You may even battle depression because it feels like there is a huge gap between where you are and where the vision is.

In the valley, you are being prepared. Most visions are WAY bigger than us. We have a lot of growing to do in order to accomplish the vision. And growing hurts! Jim Rohn once said, “Don’t wish it was easier. Wish you were better.” A friend of mine shared the illustration of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. We all want to become the butterfly, but a transformation has to happen inside the cocoon (aka “The Valley”). And that transformation requires growth, which means we are stretched, pulled, challenged, and the rough edges must be chipped away. That hurts! That is what happens in the valley. But there’s hope…

Phase 3 – The Victory

When you endure the valley and grow into the person you need to become to achieve your vision, victory is coming your way! This is when the vision becomes reality. You open for business. You launch your product or service. You publish your book. Whatever it is, it’s now “go time!” This is when you become what others see as an “overnight success.” People who haven’t watched you struggle through the valley think you had an idea one day and the next day it became a reality, but you know better. That is why victory tastes so sweet.

Think about victory in the sports world. All the training. All the sweat. All the injuries endured. And then the team is lifting the championship trophy or receiving the gold medals. You can’t wipe the smiles off the players’ faces because they finally achieved what they envisioned before the season began…maybe even since childhood.

And guess what often happens? You get a new vision. Something bigger than the last. Something that will require you to go through the valley again so you grow even more. But you’re battle tested now! You’ve gone through the pain once and you can do it again. You’re ready for another victory. So you press on and go through the process again. You’re a champion. You’re Leading Life BIG!

Are you ready? Are you up for the process? I sure hope so because the world needs you to accomplish the vision you have. Please don’t hide it. Press on and grow to achieve it. And know I’m here cheering you on.

Be Intentionally Great today!

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