Daily Thought Archives: February 2010

February 1
STAYING WITH IT LONG ENOUGH
If we read about successful entrepreneurs, we see that they struggled along their way to success. In fact, it was their perseverance, after most would have quit, that enabled them to succeed. Success often comes when we stay with it long enough.

February 2
YOUR MIND IS YOUR RICHEST RESOURCE
Our life really begins in our mind first. The ideas we think of and the choices we make then result in the life we live. We need resources around us to then turn our ideas into action. However, what starts everything is having the idea first, and that comes from you & your mind (it's your richest resource).

February 3
BREAK AWAY FROM THE CROWD
People like to "fit in", and will do things that everyone is doing to not appear different. However, not being different is being the same as everyone else, and by default - that means being "average". Successful people are not afraid to be different, and break away from the crowd in order to achieve that success.

February 4
HAPPINESS COMES FROM FREEDOM & COURAGE
The happiest people have the freedom (the flexibility) to live their life their way. You could call it the "power of choice". However, this power is not a gift, but was earned by the courage to make choices early on in life to balance the short-term and the long-term. Their courage and choices created the freedom they enjoy now.

February 5
MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Life without a direction becomes one of repeating each day in the same way. It is the direction that drives our growth and the passion to achieve. Our direction comes from our goals, and we can judge each day by whether we have taken action that is taking use closer or farther away from those goals.

February 6
DEBATE, BUT WITH DATA
Debate in a team is good, as it helps the team to develop stronger solutions. However, a good debate needs the data for everyone to evaluate properly the right choices to make. Debate without the data will create arguments between team members that can never be won.

February 7
IF NECESSARY, USE WORDS
Leaders know that they are the role model that drives the culture of their organisation, and a role model is built upon behaviours (words & actions). Unsuccessful leaders focus only on the words, where successful leaders focus first on the actions. A leader's behaviours will always say more than their words.

February 8
SPECIFICS DRIVE ACTION
Sometimes we find ourselves not taking the action that we should, and often it is because we have kept what we want to do far too general in our minds. When we think in specifics, we then see more direct actions we can take - driving us to take them. So, when you find yourself not taking action, get to the specifics.

February 9
INFLUENCE FROM THE INSIDE OUT
Influence is never done from the outside in, but from the inside out. Successful leaders focus on getting their people to both "think & feel" about the topic, and this helps their people reach a conclusion on their own, versus just adopting the leader's ideas without thinking. Influence is getting others to both "think & feel".

February 10
ALMOST DONE IS THE ENEMY OF DONE
How many times have we told others,"It's almost done". We have probably done the easiest parts of what we need to do, and it's that small remaining part that will complete it. Why not replace almost done with a commitment, as - "I will be completing it by Thursday". Replacing almost done with a commitment always drives more action.

February 11
BOTH WHAT YOU SAY & HOW YOU SAY IT
Great communicators know that there are two parts to every message they communicate - what they say and how they say it. Actually, the more powerful part and the one that leaves the biggest impact on others is how they say it. Invest, more time in how you say it, and you also won't have to say as much to get the message across.

February 12
ENCOURAGEMENT IS THE FUEL FOR HOPE
One of the most under-utlised habits is providing encouragement. The best leaders understand the power of this habit, and use it in key parts of projects or initiatives when the going gets tough. It helps the teams to see the possibilities (gives hope) when all they can see are all the problems.

February 13
YOUR ACTIONS REVEAL YOUR VALUES
Values are important, as they are what draw you to or away from others. Some people have strong values and others are not sure what theirs are. For sure, everyone interprets your values based on your actions. Therefore, if your actions are not linked to your true values, then others don't really know the real you.

February 13
GREAT LEADERS DON'T MAKE ALL THE DECISIONS
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February 14
DETOX YOUR THINKING
Since our thoughts drive our actions, what we think all day is driving what we will accomplish. However, if our thoughts are cloudy, it might be time for a detox of what we are thinking. A detox, is about clearing the mind, and then defining & focusing on what really matters.

February 15
CATCH THEM DOING THINGS RIGHT
Everyone quickly notices when others do something wrong, and we seem to take for granted what they do right. The very best leaders are always catching their people doing things right. They are always spotting opportunities to highlight and even mention to others the contributions their people make.

February 16
FOCUSING ON YOUR PASSION
Everyone has a passion, and sometimes people define their passion a little too broad. With a broad passion, there are many things they could do within that passion. However, we make the biggest difference in our lives when we focus our passion to something we are unique at (meaning: using our talents to deliver a unique value to others).

February 17
WHO NEEDS TO BE INVOLVED?
As leaders, we are always defining initiatives for our people to achieve (the what), and the right people (the who) involved can make a big difference to the success of the initiatives. Therefore, successful leaders help their people to involve the "right who" early on in their initiatives.

February 18
GREAT LEADERS DEFINE THEMSELVES
One trait of successful leaders is the ability to define themselves. That means that they have invested the time to understand who they really are, and whom are the best people to surround themselves with (people with strengths to support their weaknesses). Successful leadership is a "team effort".

February 19
ORCHESTRATING CONVERSATIONS
You always have the ability to solve problems, and with better solutions, when you get the right people together and talking about the right things. Successful leaders are great at orchestrating the right conversations happening in their organisations, and this ensures that better solutions are being created.

February 20
WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW
The key habits and disciplines necessary for our success are not something we need to learn, but something we need to do. We already know the right habits, so knowing more is not the answer to what makes the difference. The answer is in us determining which one or two habits are key for us, and then making the decision to implement them.

February 21
CHANGE WHILE YOUR SUCCESS IS GROWING
Everyone seems to think about change when things are not going well. Thinking, "what do I need to change in order to turn things around?". However, to achieve consistent success, year after year, we need to change while our success is growing. Therefore, we should be thinking, "what do I need to change to become even more successful?".

February 22
OUR SWEET SPOT
Everyone is the happiest when they are doing what they love and that it is also something that they are very good at. You could call it a sweet spot. When we live in our sweet spot, we are using our unique abilities to deliver value that others can't.

February 23
RECOGNISED & REWARDED
Everyone has the desire to feel appreciated, and this applies equally to both our work life and private life. The best leaders are always focused on recognising the achievements of their people, and also look for innovative ways to reward them for those efforts.

February 24
OBSTACLES ARE ALWAYS THERE
In anything we try to accomplish, there will always be obstacles in our way. Successful people expect them, but don't focus on them. They focus on the goal and then are constantly looking for the best solutions through the obstacles and to keep moving forward.

February 25
IT IS A MISTAKE TO CUT OFF DIALOGUE
Everyone has disagreements with others, and often these disagreements lead to people no longer talking to each other. In almost everything in life, progress is only made through dialogue and teamwork. Therefore, it is mistake to cut off dialogue, and talking together is always the way forward.

February 26
MAKE THE EMOTIONAL LINK
Far too often we try to influence others with just logical explanations. However, having someone just understanding something doesn't always lead them to take action. It's often our emotions that drive us to action. That's why successful speakers focus on making the emotional link with the audience a priority in every talk.

February 27
COMMITMENT OF TIME REVEALS YOU
What we commit our time to is very revealing to others. It shows others what we consider to be important in our lives, and how we live reveals to others our values. Our time is really our life, so others understand us better by observing how we use it.

February 28
PROVIDING YOUR PEOPLE AIR COVER
Playing politics well is one of the keys to be successful in today's corporations. If leaders don't deal with political issues at their level, it often forces their people to deal with the issue at the operational level. It's then as if you are asking your people to fight a ground war, with no air cover!