Great Leaders Transform Activities into Purposeful Action

“When you engage in systematic, purposeful action,

using and stretching your abilities to the maximum,

you cannot help but feel positive and confident about yourself.”

Brian Tracy

All too often, people engage in work or relationships without consciously evaluating what they want. As a result, there is confusion and missteps on how to move forward in their roles and responsibilities.

The key to productive, effective and even efficient performance is to focus on the purpose. When we align our thoughts, attitudes and behaviors towards achieving goals that are directly related to our purpose, we accomplish amazing results.

Great leaders understand this philosophy and make sure that all the team players fully understand, can articulate and embrace the purpose of their job. Priorities are much easier to establish. Goals become more focused. Synergy is prevalent.

Being a transformational leader takes commitment, openness and accountability. Influencing people to fully engage mind, body and spirit to achieve synchronicity will always optimize potential. It all starts with purposeful leadership.

An BIG Impact on Performance and Productivity

Productivity and profits are plummeting, at least it seems that way. The more the focus is on the crises, drama and time wasters,the less thought and time there is for high degrees of productivity and performance.

To turn around that drain on financial, talent and natural resources, the focus needs to shift to the potential. A few years ago I was asked to work with a large critical care department that had 6 different directors in half as many years. In the staff interviews, one common theme kept cropping up - leadership. The lack of leadership, the autocratic leadership, the punitive leadership, the disappointed leadership. Not once, not once did the staff mention anything positive, all were beaten down, but not broken. They had tremendous spirit they wanted to be asked. They had ideas to share, the courage, talent and conviction to do the job - but no one would listen.

After the interviews, I met with the Chief Nursing Officer to discuss the finding. I asked her who she believed were the leaders in the staff. Again, never did she mention anything positive. She launched into what a poor group of performers were in that department. She knew that without someone from the outside coming in to turn them around, they would never be effective and able to provide quality care.

Next, I asked, "Who has the potential to be the leader?"

She stopped briefly and then replied reluctantly, "Well certainly they all have the potential." She proceeded to tell me all the reasons why that would never happen. After all she'd been there for years and had continued to see disinterest and disruptive behavior. She needed some one to turn them around. Then she asked me, "What can you do to enhance productivity and performance?"

I knew that she wouldn't like my suggestion, but I knew it was the only answer, "Focus on their potential."

We both agreed that they needed a strong, positive leader to help accomplish significant change. She decided to continue to search outside and we said our good-byes.

Less than six months later, that same CNO contacted me and asked me if I could refer her, she was looking for a new job. No one helped her focus on her potential and the productivity and performance continued to decline.

Sad story, and unfortunately true all too often. When we fail to focus on the Potential, the performance and productivity will always fall. What are your thoughts?

The Mind is the Master Weaver

"They themselves are makers of themselves"

...by virtue of the thoughts which they choose and encourage; that mind is the master weaver, both of the inner garment of character and the outer garment of circumstance, and that, as they may have hitherto woven in ignorance and pain they may now weave in enlightenment and happiness.

James Allen

(As a Man Thinketh)

Our abilities, our intellect, our education are not what is holding us back from success in work and life. What is holding us back is our thoughts. Conversely, our thoughts are what lead us to greater degrees of success and achievement. All actions are directed by what we are thinking at the time and even though we may make a conscious decision to take action, something holds us back - the subconscious. Our subconscious mind helps or hinders us in getting the job we want, the income we desire, the relationships we seek.

A great deal of time is often spend on evaluating what has happened in the past. As we review and reflect our past accomplishments, it become essential to understand simultaneously, that we have undermined or enhanced our own outcomes. If we have not identified those limiting subconscious thoughts, our ability to take positive action to achieve our goals is greatly decreased. For example, an important objective is looming that we are responsible for, but there are repeated interruptions by others requests for help and assistance. These interruptions cause us to become distracted missing targets and responsibilities to others and ourselves. What set us up for failure? Our thoughts. We thought others had a greater need - our work isn't as important. In reality, we haven't thought about creating healthy relationships and limits that support collaborative success.

Our relationship with ourselves is another one that requires serious attention. Another example, I woke up this morning before 5AM and thought instantly, about writing. The bed was nice and warm, I was really comfortable. My second thought,writing can wait. I closed my eyes, snuggled under the covers and my thoughts returned to writing. I realized that I had a great idea - noticing how my thoughts affected my success or derailed me. With a sigh (not a really big one), I got out of bed and started to write. One goal for the day accomplished just as the sun was rising.

A great way to start the day. When we learn to think that our contributions and performance are important, we will stop being derailed and start achieving greater degrees of success. Notice the next time you are off or on track to success. Actively asking, "What am I thinking about right now?" when struggling to get something accomplished becomes a powerful habit for increasing the ability to refocus on what is important.

As James Allen wrote, "The Mind is the Master Weaver." Actively think about what you want to weave today.

Attitude = 100% - No More-No Less

All too often, I hear people say, "I'm doing 120%." In fact, I was one of "those" proclaimers for many years. Then a few years ago, someone share a simple equation that virtually changed my life -That day I learned that when I performed at 120%, my family, my friends, my colleagues, only had to do 80%. The more I did, the less they had to do. Come on, you do the math. In work, in life, in love, in joy all we have to do is 100%. Then, others have their own space and their own "attitude" to do theirs.

Great equation for success - it certainly has increased mine.

Promoting Health & Wealth - My Performance Nets My Results

As we evaluate our Wheels of Life, what becomes even more evident how much thought, or lack thereof, goes into how we are performing to achieve the results-The Success - that we want out of life. Our performance is directly related to our level of competence. Even more importantly, our performance is absolutely linked to our belief in ourselves and our abilities to accomplish what we really want.

Behavior studies show that our mind functions between the conscious and subconscious level - once again, I'd like to reiterate that on average we operate only about 10% in the conscious realm. Our performance therefore is generally 90% in the subconscious or HABITUAL state. Keeping this information in mind, I realize that treating results achievement as a process rather than random events actually increases my degree of success and positive outcomes. Very simple concept which takes a tremendous amount of focus, planning, personal accountability, flexibility and honest reflection.

For me, the most important competency is honest reflection can be summed up by in the words of James Allen, author of As a Man Thinketh, English poet and philosopher.

Circumstances don't not make the man, they reveal him.

How we respond to circumstances, events, situations that show up for us is a direct correlation to how successful we will be in our work and life.

One how to that I practice daily is to journal about my results. I use my time with a journal to write, reflect, evaluate and measure to become more conscious of those behaviors that I own which have caused me to fail and/or succeed. One of those behaviors that I find shows up for me, and as I work more and more with others I find it is showing up for them too, is that our response often times is defensive (again, think of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - the need for safety and security.) Whenever I perform from a defensive position, I immediately sense that I am at a disadvantage and my results are certainly affected. Therefore, it becomes important for me to think and act more proactively.

Let's think about the word proactivity (defintiion according to The Dictionary by Farlex)

1. tending to initiate change rather than reacting to events

2. (Psychology) Psychol of or denoting a mental process that affects a subsequent process

This simple how-to approach is to Act As If. This becomes great way for me to net very different and much more successful results.

Act As If:

• I am willing to learn from mistakes
• I am excited about the new job, new assignment, new idea
• I am a great leader, team player
• The other person has a right to their opinion.
• That others have great ideas too

Practicing this Act As If approach often transforms my results most times almost instantaneously. How about giving it a try and let me know how it works for you?

All the best in health and wealth,

Laura

Promoting Health & Wealth - Design Your Work for Flow

The organizational or "work" side of the life wheel is once again divided into four major components or quadrants:

1. Focus
2. Goals
3. Results
4. Attitude

I realize that these are relatively simple, everyday words. But, as I continue with this exploration of the Flow - life becomes much easier if we at least start with a mutual understanding of these words (or any words for that matter). So here are basic definitions compliments of The Free Dictionary by Farlex

Focus - A center of interest or activity.

• Time - A period necessary or available for a given activity

Goals - The purpose toward which an endeavor is directed; an objective.

• Skills - Proficiency, facility, or dexterity that is acquired or developed through training or experience.
• Knowledge - The sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned.

Results - The consequence of a particular action, operation, or course; A favorable or concrete outcome or effect.

• Performance - The way in which someone or something functions.

Attitude - A state of mind or a feeling; disposition.

• People - Humans considered as a group or in indefinite numbers.

Exciting and really interesting topics. Until tomorrow - back to research and discovery.

All the best in health and wealth,

Laura