Forget resolutions - Create your Lost Discipline List

What are the three top reasons you don't achieve what you set out to achieve?

Can't answer that question straight away? Then you are wasting your time with your goals, New Year or otherwise.  Having worked alongside many of the top leaders in the world's most innovative companies there is one crucial element that sets apart exceptional leaders: discipline.  Knowing how to accelerate your discipline and being conscious of the triggers that cause you to loose it can transform your results and your reputation in 2014. 

Before you write another list of resolutions for your work and life, it is important to take time to reflect on why you didn't set out to achieve what you planned or hope to.  This may take ten minutes or a month depending how honest you are with yourself or if you have ever given this thought before.  

Some tips to create your Lost Discipline List:

1. Take yourself back to January 2013, what hopes and aspirations did you have for 2013? Which did you not achieve? List all the reasons why you didn't.  Go beyond easy answers that blame conditions out of your control and focus on what you could have done differently.
2.  Use the 'Toddler Why Test' by asking yourself why, why, why, but why? until you get to the cause of what is getting in your way. 
3. You may want to review your Lost Discipline List with someone you trust and can have a candid conversation with so you can be sure you are identifying the true root causes of your lost discipline. 

Once you know your top three causes you can address them and get on with setting goals that you can actually achieve and exceed rather than lofty resolutions that will be forgotten by February. 

If you are in the top 5% of exceptional performers who always exceed what they set out to achieve, make sure you know the factors that accelerate your discipline so you can replicate your success in 2014. 

Click here to hear the top goals exceptional leaders make happen every year.  

Happy New Years Eve!

Val

Your #1 investment: YOU!

Val Wright, Leadership and Innovation Expert with Alan Weiss, the official Rockstar of Consulting, at the Million Dollar Consulting Mentor Summit, Kiawah Island, SC.

Successful leaders forget to invest in themselves; exceptional leaders make it their number one priority.

I am no exception to this rule.

Leaders have significant responsibilities and multiple demands on their time.  Many have achieved rapid success beyond their wildest dreams.  Some plateau while others continue to accelerate their impact and success.  What sets those exceptional leaders apart from the crowd? - The answer is how much they are willing to invest in themselves and continue to experiment.

When I launched my business I realized I needed expert help, so I invested in a mentor who could help me with the business side of my business.  Libby Wagner, a poet, author and speaker, provides me with real time support in areas I was unfamiliar or uncomfortable with.  The investment I made in Libby has shown exponential returns and I continue to learn with every conversation.  When I share this story with some of the leaders that I coach, they are surprised that I have a mentor; but why wouldn't I?  Everyone can accelerate their results and impact, you just have to be willing to reflect, listen and act.

My mentorship is part of the community of Alan Weiss, the Rockstar of Consulting who has written over 50 books and 500 articles on the subject.  Right now, I am returning from the Million Dollar Consulting Mentor Summit, where Alan Weiss brought together his world wide mentor community for reflection, connection and learning.  In Kiawah Island, SC, I joined an elite gathering of some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world.  They are thought leaders in their fields of expertise and have both financial success and discretionary time many would envy; yet they continue to learn, grow and invest in their personal development.  I have learned so much this week, which will accelerate the success of my business.

In my conversations this week with this elite group of thought leaders, I realized there are four common characteristics of exceptional leaders, which spans any industry or profession:

     1 - Curiosity

     Successful leaders can appear arrogant, their past achievements can create a bubble around them if they don't keep striving for improvement, meanwhile the world passes them by.  Curiosity requires an open mind, a willingness to consider different views and a genuine interest in learning.  Be curious, ask questions, seek to understand others and identify who you can learn from.

     2 - Generosity

     Exceptional leaders are generous with their advice, feedback and praise.  I love learning from others and sharing my lessons.  Dedicating time to share the journey that brought you success will pave the way for others to follow you.  Exceptional leaders are thoughtful and deliberate about teaching other and giving appropriate kudos.

     3 - Reflective

          Even when you are running fast and making bold gargantuan decisions, you have to dedicate time for reflection and self assessment.  You will set yourself apart from the crowd by creating opportunities for considering how you can accelerate your impact and results.  Find someone you can reflect with; a trusted colleague or hire a coach.  

     4 - Passionate

          You have to love what you do and have the awareness to know when you are in your zone of happiness.  Exceptional leaders orchestrate their work and support system so they are most inspired and motivated.  Everyone I met this week was in their favorite job of their lives, creating dramatic results and loving their work.  Can you say the same about your work today?

Rate yourself against the four characteristics above using this scale:

• Superpower - It comes naturally.
  
• Energy Sapper - I can do it, but it takes effort and deliberate attention.
• Danger Zone - Others do this much better.

I advise the leaders that I coach to take credit for your Superpowers, develop a plan to practice your Energy Sappers and your Danger Zone areas are areas we spend more time and attention to correct.

What is the first step you could take tomorrow to improve?

If you want to discuss how this applies to your own leadership call me today on 206 321 7511 or email me at val@valwrightconsulting.com

Val Wright

 

Reorgs are futile: don't waste your time

After last weeks highly anticipated reorganization, the reality will have begun to sink in for many Microsoft employees this week.

"Who has power?, can I make this decision?, do I like my new boss?, do I want to stay here in the short or long term?"; are many of the questions employees will be asking. 

Steve Ballmer made a critical mistake last week, he failed to announce compensation changes that reinforce the collaboration he is seeking from his new strategy.  Read what I told Fast Company.

I am not a fan of reorganizations, because the design and execution is often flawed.  They generally don't work, demoralize teams, confuse customers and waste hours of leadership and employee time.  

Here are the top six mistakes leaders make when reorganizing:

• Excessive focus on organization charts
• Building an organization around one leader, then pretending they didn't
• Creating an organization structure that doesn't scale
• Ignoring how compensation and goal setting reinforces the behavioral changes required.
• Failure to involve the right people in the design and talent assessment phase
• Assuming you can send an email announcing the changes and you are done

Steve Ballmer is driving gargantuan change by removing the mini-ceo roles and creating one massive 100,000 person functional company at Microsoft.  It will require leaders role modeling behaviors for the whole organization.  Was the Surface price cut the first of those decisions under the new reorganization? If so, it would have required significant collaboration between three of the executives who report to Ballmer.  Read what I shared with the E-Commerce Times.

What will the first company wide Microsoft strategic choice be that optimizes for Microsoft, rather than the team or individual needs? That will be the test if the reorganization has worked.  

When you consider reorganizing your business ask yourself these three questions:

1. How exactly will a reorganization accelerate your business results?
   
2. Does this fit into your business and leadership plan for the next three years?
   
3. How will you know you have succeeded?
   

If you can answer these three questions and avoid the common mistakes you will avoid an exercise in futility.

Val