Goals & Resolutions

 

Have you set goals for 2023?  Are you a New Year’s resolution person?  Is change on your horizon?  So here is the thing about goals and resolutions…

 

Nothing changes if nothing changes.  That sounds simple and obvious right?  Well it is, but it is not so simple to put into action.

• You will not improve your relationships if you do not change your behavior and/or expectations.
• The weight will not simply fall off of you without you modifying your diet and/or exercise.
• Do you want to quit smoking?  You better have a very specific plan of exactly how to do that and be ready for the pain.
• Is a higher income your goal?  What are your plans to sell more, increase margins, start a new business or change jobs?
• Maybe there is a personal life or faith resolution you have in mind.  Those can be really tough.  They take real discipline to achieve.
• You won’t save more money without spending less!
• You can’t run, cycle or swim in the mornings without getting up earlier.

Change and personal growth is hard.  It takes work, dedication and discipline.  Most importantly it requires a change in behavior.  Nothing changes if nothing changes…

 

Happy New Year and good luck with your 2023 goals!

Leadership Is Responsibility

 

All the effective leaders I have encountered – both those I worked with and those I merely watched – knew four simple things: a leader is someone who has followers; popularity is not leadership, results are; leaders are highly visible, they set examples; leadership is not rank, privilege, titles, or money, it is responsibility. Effective leaders delegate, but they do not delegate the one thing that will set the standards. They do it.

 

Point: Don’t expect to retain the respect of your employees if you completely delegate the central function of your enterprise, whether it is healing patients or selling bonds.

 

Today’s MMM was taken entirely from the thoughts of Peter Drucker in the book, “The Leader of the Future”.

Praise

Never underestimate the power of praise.  I have wrote before about making sure that praise is given in public.  More importantly, make sure that praise is given period.  It is a huge motivator for people.  For many it can be more powerful than money or advancement.  There is just something warm and positive about being recognized for a job well done.  For managers it may even make sense to combine both praise and constructive feedback in the same conversation.  It can lessen the impact of the negative and help provide motivation for improvement.  This is not just about your role at work.  It applies to home life and as well as any volunteers roles you may have.  You do not want to be known only as a negative critic.  The bottom line is that praise should be a daily part of a good leader’s routine.  Consider this quote…

“I have yet to find the man, however exalted his station, who did not do better work and put forth greater effort, under a spirit of approval than a spirit of criticism.”

-       Charles Schwab