Do you feel satisfied in the progress you’re making on your goals? Like many of you, each new year I set my sights on next steps, progress, growth and achievements. I set BIG, scary goals. However, setting goals isn’t the hard part. Following through is.
Only 46% of Americans who set goals at the beginning of the year make it past 6 months. Establishing a goal review process can greatly increase your chances of following through on those lofty intentions.
Have you ever been oblivious to what was going on around you because you were so immersed in something? I sure have. Sometimes we get absorbed in a movie, a big game, a well-written book, surfing social media or just good conversation and lose awareness of our surroundings. What would you say if I told you we can harness that same phenomenon in our work?
When emotions take over, it gets ugly. Golfers throw clubs. Football players back their teams up 15 yards. Basketball players swing elbows. If only everyone could keep cool.
No one sets a goal to pursue a life of mediocrity. Yet many of us find ourselves on the path of least resistance, whether we meant to be or not. Then we find ourselves searching for meaning, fulfillment, growth and impact, but not finding them. That’s because we’re on the wrong path. We need to move from a life of mediocrity to a life of stewardship.
Why is effective communication essential for team success? Communication builds empathy and understanding and gets people on the same page. Effective communication breeds synchronization, an alignment of purpose and effort. Highly effective teams, regardless of context, thrive because team members are synchronized with one another.
“Do more with less” has become the mantra of today’s businesses. Sixty hour workweeks seem to be taking over. We complain about lack of time and manpower while more items stack up on our task lists. However, I remind you that necessity is the mother of invention. Allow me to introduce you to Parkinson’s Law and how we can embrace the pursuit of efficiency.
No one likes to lose. And yet, in the 64 team bracket that makes up the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament known affectionately as March Madness, 63 teams go home defeated. Or do they?
While conversing with my father-in-law as the Wichita State Shockers took on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the round of 16, I was reminded of a truth I’ve encountered many times in sport: sometimes you lose and sometimes you get beaten. Casey Stengel, a big leaguer, said, “most ball games are lost, not won.” Let’s take a deeper look at that statement.
“I’ll just do it myself.” Have you let that sentence pass your lips before? I know I have. Delegation can be a serious challenge for leaders. Often those in a leadership role got there by doing all things themselves and doing them with excellence. It can be hard to ease off the reins. However, for teams and businesses to grow, leaders must overcome their internal barriers and delegate.
Progress and accomplishment increase motivation and energy. Distractions, on the other hand, suck the wind out our sails and leave us feeling drained. Yet, if we can remove our distractions and overcome them, we’ll gain great satisfaction in our work. We’ll feel as if we achieved something…because we did.
This is a test. Don’t think of a red apple. Don’t think of a yellow taxi. Don’t think of a cup of coffee. Did you follow my instructions? If you’re human, probably not.
Our brains play tricks on us. They filter out key information. As you just experienced, one way your brain does this is by blinding you to the word “don’t.”
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