Don Hadley

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During the course of my life, as we have studied successful people in all positions, industries and organization sizes, we have noticed certain commonalities of attitude and habit.  These commonalities not only improve current situations and circumstances, but also improve life over time.  These same approaches have value and power in our personal lives, not just in business.

The sum total of them cause:

• Self awareness
• Maturity
• Great relationships
• Ever increasing results

But how do you get there?   What are some of the tools?

1. Get people’s hearts:  

If we don’t get their hearts, we won’t get their heads and their hands.  Too often we hear why something won’t work or what the obstacles are to the objective.  We hear unassailable logic that makes sense but does not pull people into the game.  The question gets asked, “Why won’t they do it?  It makes sense and it works.”  All of these impediments and others are a function of not getting someone to want to do it.  It comes from not having enough “fire in the belly” nurtured by the leader.  

2. Communication with Destination:

Everyone’s life has challenges.  There is also constant conflict between personal and career, sales and production, today’s urgent tasks vs. next year’s strategic needs, etc.  Leaders and aspiring leaders need to communicate more often and with additional clarity and context for decisions.  Lack of clarity and consistency either causes others to slow down or stop work, or to continue the same old thing.  Burnout can set in when people don’t see the destination or feel like they are making progress towards it. 

3. Be comfortable with being uncomfortable:

If we don’t venture into the unknown and try new approaches, we will lose our ability to compete and be valuable to the world.    Staying with the known and familiar makes life easier in the short run but you rarely get the home runs.  Trying to drive a new path to work, reading a book and trying a new idea, or attempting to create a new service for your business takes guts and being uncomfortable.  You may fail: the new path to work may make you late, the book idea does not work in your situation, or the new service loses money.  However, everyone we know that is successful has failed a great many times and the learning from these failures and risks is what made them successful. 

4. Stay open and learn from every interaction and experience:

Part of enjoying the journey is feeling the progress, the wind in your hair, and knowing that we are continually getting better.  This is important.  All of the failure, or perceived failure from #3 above can suck the life blood out of us.  By keeping a perspective of learning and looking at the long-term of where we have come from, we can keep the creative energy needed to develop at a faster pace, as well as to recover quickly and efficiently.

5. Have a purpose that makes a difference:

Even the most selfish of people desire to be valued, feel appreciated and esteemed.  If each of us has a clear understanding of both our natural strengths in addition to strengths we have developed from experience, we have increased confidence and ability to interact in situations effectively and make a difference that truly helps others.  As leaders, coaching and challenging others with energy and excitement in ways that brings out other’s purpose is one of the best ways to lead.

6. Be great at the basics:

Keeping a ‘to-do’ list, communication that motivates others, looking ahead for prevention of issues, etc. are what allows us not to “major in minors”.  We have seen many people who have tremendous potential, but they allow their career (and usually their personal life as well) to be a constant tyranny of the urgent and everything is an emergency. They get dragged into dealing with “stuff” that adds little value, while the truly valuable results of their relationships and career languish and decay because of the lack of focus on the most important things.  Knowing how to keep the small stuff at bay and focusing on how to improve will get better results and a more enjoyable life.

If you are struggling to get your team and culture to higher levels of self-awareness and maturity so that you – and they – can have deeper relationships and superior results, call us at 800-786-4332, or email us at info@appliedvisionworks.com