Outcomes are determined in the micro decisions and actions, much more than they are in macro big ones.

It is important to think big and to aim high and visualize macro outcomes as these outline the goals to get to and greatness to aim for. However it is also important to know that results are reached and quality achieved by the micro actions, decisions and learning that we do each and everyday. Vision lies in the big, but success lies in completing the small building blocks. Or as I prefer to say we aim for macro goals but achieve them via the micro actions, improvements and decisions we make each day. The micro actions done well in multiple areas is the 5% edge great team of personal leaders have over good ones. Continue reading “Visualize macros but work on micros” →

Creating a culture of purpose in the work place and managing well your emotional bank accounts with your staff are two very important ways to create motivated team players. However people’s powerful sense of self-interest should never be underestimated and understanding the WIIFM – what’s in it in for me? – of your staff will be important to bringing out the very best in your team. WIIFM in the work place in its most basic form is what an individual is getting out of a situation, from: a decision, the success of a project or for getting past a challenge. WIIFM is where our minds often end up when we analyse our feelings about something we have done or something new we are about to face. Continue reading “WIIFM Factor: What’s in it for me?” →

The value of adding the right new members to your team can never be underestimated. As a manager you should be actively involved in the recruitment of new staff. Good recruitment is not just about getting someone with the needed experience or qualifications, it is in fact far more personal than that, it is much more about judging how the candidate will fit into your team and the goals you have to achieve. Continue reading “Recruiting the right people for your team” →

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances” – Viktor Frankl

Viktor Frankl’s Logotherapy is based on the premise that the human person is motivated by a “will to meaning,” an inner pull to find a meaning in life. According to Frankl: “We can discover this meaning in life in three different ways: (1) by creating a work or doing a deed; (2) by experiencing something or encountering someone; and (3) by the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering”. Logotherapy “the will to meaning” is thus very relevant and significant in the work place as we experience all three indicated points during our work. We daily create “work” and do “deeds”, we work in teams of people and experience new things and naturally work is often challenging and stressful. Continue reading “Logotherapy: creating a culture of purpose” →

“Can’t do” is the start of all excuses

It can not be underestimated how important it is to be a “yes i can” manager over “no i can’t”. A “yes I can” leader does not put limits on what they can succeed or on skill-sets they can improve in or learn.  Even more importantly, they do not allow “I can’t” mentalities among their team. A “I can” mentality is one that ensures your first response to challenges is seeing them as possible to be overcome. You may not yet know how to jump the hurdle in front but by having a “i can” trigger you accept it will be possible to do so in the future and commit to doing the action or learning needed to get there. Continue reading “Ask and learn instead of saying can’t” →

The best way to be the best is learn from the best.

As the saying goes “there is no substitute for experience”. I personally believe the saying should be “there is no substitute for GOOD experience” as experience itself does not help you to become better unless it were part of a learning process, hence a GOOD experience. A fast track way to learning the things only good experience can give is having a mentor.  The value of having a mentor is they can assess your actions and decisions through the context of comparing to the experiences they have had them-self. Mentors who are skilled at giving feedback can then break up things into small parts so you can learn and “benefit” from their experience. Continue reading “Find a mentor” →

It is not being busy that matters but what you are being busy about.

Great managers are nearly always strong at time prioritization and likewise a common feature of weaker leaders is never having enough time! When you see one manager succeeding and another struggling in the same responsibilities, at first glance it is easy to think that one manager has less tasks or responsibilities and hence more time, but invariably when one looks at things in more detail, the difference is more to do with use of time than amount of tasks. Managers who have learned to prioritize and use time well have taught themselves to identify and think about what they, and their team, have to do within a hierarchy of prioritization. Continue reading “Working and thinking in Quadrant II” →

A great leader inspires those around them.

A manager at the top of their game is a great influence on those around them. Inspirational leaders form a circle of influence that inspires those around them to achieve more. Circles of influence are dependent not on established authority and “rank” but rather on the soft positive influence that makes people want to contribute. There is a shared investment in the purpose of the project, a belief in the importance of professional development of all members and finally the trust that all members “what’s in for me?” are represented. Striving to create positive circles of influence should be a key objective of all managers. As not only will these circles of influence create positive team dynamics, they can also be great support structure for you too.  Continue reading “Circle of Influence” →

Make progress or make excuses

One of the foremost characteristics of successful people is an inside-out personality. As a leader it is critical to be accountable for your actions and mistakes and to get your team to do so too. An inside out personality is when you view yourself as the source of change, the solution to the problems you have. When something goes wrong, you look inside and ask yourself: what can i do to better the situation? This very action, ensured by taking a % of the blame, pushes you towards being accountable, over being a victim and hence you make progress over making excuses. Continue reading “Inside-Out and the 90/10 principle” →

Focusing is about saying “no”. Steve Jobs

The most important decisions are not the “yeses” that take you forward but the “nos” which protect your focus and time and hence allow the “yeses” to succeed. It is a fallacy to believe you will always have time for everything, as when you take on the workload and strain of management this will not be the case. Therefore how you use and, perhaps even more so, how you protect your time will be vital to your success as a leader. It is good habit as a leader to remind yourself that perhaps your most important decisions are what you say “no” to. Continue reading “Importance of saying “no”!” →