Inspiring Conversations, LLC

We often think of New Year's as the time to start fresh and make those famous resolutions. But any time is the right time to take control of our lives, to choose how we will live. Real success in life is about balance, about choosing priorities, and then following a plan to focus on the things that are most important to us. The following suggestions can help.

1. Take time to decide what you really want this year. What would make it a great year, a fantastic year for you? Dream and scheme, and then dream bigger! And write it down, just for the fun of it.
2. Mark one day each month, just for you. Use ink, not pencil, and schedule an appointment with yourself for one full day each month. Have fun and renew yourself, just for the joy of it.
3. Take more vacation than you had planned. Look at the calendar and write in a couple extra weeks off! Do things you enjoy, but mostly relax. Go camping, rent a cabin at the beach, and visit old friends.
4. Commit to a project you've dreamed of but haven't done. This is not a "should" or a "have to," this is one of those, "I've always wanted to but never did" projects. Learn to ski, write a book, visit Niagara Falls, start a business, or run for mayor. This is your year!
5. Buy four books you've always wanted to read, and schedule time for them. Put it in your appointment calendar as "continuing education" or "research," and enjoy!
6. Start a special savings account to prepare for something huge!
7. Renew relationships with family and friends. Every week, send a note or make a call, and re-connect with the people who have helped you along the way.
8. Every day, tell someone you appreciate them, that you are grateful for their help. Practice the attitude of gratitude!
9. Raise your sites and increase your goals. Whatever you hope to accomplish in the next year, double it, then commit to making it happen! Push yourself for greatness and settle for nothing less.
10. Be kind to yourself and those around you. Be gentle, practice patience, expect the best and settle for nothing less.

– Dr. Philip E. Humbert originally submitted this piece. Reprinted with permission.

By Susan Nielsen

Each quarter, I attend a development conference held by Resource Associates Corporation, a company with which I am affiliated. In January 2008, a fellow affiliate, Kathy Bowman-Atkins, presented a keynote speech on the topic of planning a "BHAG"—a Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal—for the year. She described the idea (as defined by Jim Collins in his book, Good to Great) and challenged each of us to choose a BHAG, then partner up with a "BHAG Buddy," another person in the room with whom we would forge an accountability partnership to achieve our ambitious goals. I'm always game for such challenges, and in fact most of the people in the room seemed to give this challenge serious thought.

By the end of Kathy's presentation, everyone I could see had chosen a buddy, and by the end of the weekend most had made plans to follow up and begin work on the BHAG project. It took me some time to ponder what grand and monumental achievement I wanted to target for the year, but ultimately I settled on being "all-in." I felt that I was only partially committed to certain things (like exercising regularly) and I wanted to shift my thinking and my approach. I added my BHAG to my 2008 strategic plan summary, and set up a call with my new BHAG Buddy, Tracy Lundquist, whom I barely knew but who happened to be sitting closest to me during the presentation. And so it began: Tracy and I scheduled calls roughly every two weeks, and got to exploring what our respective BHAGs would look like in concrete terms. And as winter melted into spring, wonderful things started to happen.

Some of our calls were intense, difficult, even painful. Some of our calls were fun, and occasionally silly. We laughed and cried and beat our heads against really tough challenges, and discovered the gifted coach in each of us. We bolstered each other in defeat and reveled in each other's victories. And lo and behold, we found our BHAGs materializing. And while I can't honestly say I'm quite there on "all in," I'm absolutely a thousand times closer than I would ever have been otherwise, and I have a lifelong friend and invaluable partner I might never have discovered in the absence of Kathy's challenge. Tracy and I will continue our calls and I look forward to what more we will create together.

What's your BHAG for 2010? Got a buddy? It's a powerful relationship that will help keep you focused and on track.

– Copyright protected worldwide. Susan Nielsen. (888) 850-2206 Ext 701

By Arno Ilic

There are many different points of view on leadership. Some elements of each perspective may diverge, but most will agree on a key tenet. Leadership should come down to one thing: achieving the intended result whether by yourself or through others.

What differentiates true leaders from those who rule by fear or manipulation is a genuine concern for those who depend on your leadership. They are able to provide vision and goals for their teams. Doing so does not guarantee results but it is the first piece of engaging employees. For if they do not know why they are doing something, chances are the employees will go through the motions of getting things done. A true leader is able to inspire others to perform at levels they did not think they were capable of.

Not many companies would feel comfortable allowing a stranger onto the work floor or office to ask their employees what the company’s strategic plans are and how their job fits into that plan. The fear of course is that they will not know. How can your employees be truly motivated if they don’t know?

Some leaders actually believe they can motivate employees. True motivation comes from within. When was the last time someone motivated you? Did you feel motivated when someone threatened you? Leaders can create the space in which motivation happens. My greatest productivity gains came when employees were informed of corporate goals and clearly understood expectations of how their work fit into the strategic initiatives. This enabled them to be engaged. Letting them figure out how they are going to achieve their goals and providing guidance where needed works far better than giving step-by-step instructions. This allows for their creativity to come through. They may surprise you and in some cases have better ideas than some Industrial Engineer who has each process worked down to the millisecond but fails to get the employees’ buy-in because they were not part of the process.

Goals should be achievable and attainable—start goals small and move them forward to bigger goals. Managing the outcome is achieved through ensuring that employees have the tools and processes in place to achieve their objectives and are engaged in doing so. Leaders who employ bullying tactics rarely succeed in attaining long-term results. The behaviour probably stems from learned habits which were formed by observing others. They may have had limited success with this technique and now think that this is the way to go.

When you care for employees who are placed in your trust, you develop a partnership. Each has a different job to do and no one is superior to another. If you start from that premise, leadership becomes much more natural. You can share small milestones as well as major successes with your employees. You engage them when they are not well and send them home if it is in their best interest. If they are returning from an absence, talk to them as an interested partner. To achieve your bottom line results, keep your focus on the work area. Rarely have leaders achieved true success by managing the numbers.

– Copyright protected worldwide. Arno Ilic. (888) 850-2206 Ext 705

Build Camaraderie

Team-building doesn't have to be time-consuming. You can help your employees get to know one another better simply by incorporating team-building exercises into your regular staff meetings.

One employer, for instance, opened a meeting by asking participants to take turns sharing three statements about themselves: two true and one false. Their coworkers then had to guess which statement was false. The exercise took only a few minutes, helped workers gain insight about their colleagues, and generated a lot of laughter.

– Adapted from "Team building for positive change," by Freda Turner, on the CEO Refresher Web site.
Contact Jeff Johnston.  (888) 850-2206 Ext 704

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.
— Milton Berle

I've found that luck is quite predictable. If you want more luck, take more chances. Be more active. Show up more often.
— Brian Tracy