The Tools of Your Art

Focusing on what we do is very difficult at this time of year (as you can see by the later than usual post!!)

Time seems to tick by quickly & with so many away or starting vacation in this week of North American holidays (July 1st in Canada, July 4th in the US), many people are simply not around.

Focusing becomes difficult.  If everyone else is out playing, then I should be too, right?

Not true.  This is the perfect time to focus on what you do.  Think of the quieter time as a gift - a moment to reflect on what you do, why you do it and the tools you use to create your art.

What tools do you have?  What forms your palette, brushes and creative material?
Reviewing and reflecting on this can help you refocus for the rest of the Summer and prepare you for the back half of 2015 (I know....uggghhh, I did write that!)

So start here:

• what tools do you use to track your work, your performance or your clients? (idea:  Freshbooks & time tracking, Trello & Evernote!)
• are there better ways to tweak your outputs?  or do you really need to? (idea:  post it goals for the day & week planned out over the summer)
• what tools do you use for learning?  how much time do you spend in learning mode? (idea:  download audiobooks for your daily walk or run)
• what tools do you use for creating?  what is obsolete & what is your go-to tool?  is it effective, still? (idea:  seek out cool tools on Indiegogo or The Grommet)
• where do you use your tools?  and consider how?
• example:  I read many books and post it note them to death....now when the weather is beautiful I get my butt off the couch or kitchen stool and head to a deck chair in the breeze...same work, new space...gives me new & fresh perspectives too.

Take a moment and tell me about your tools, share some tools you like to use & what value they hold.  Everyone creates differently, so sharing this information can help others move in new directions too.

Why Not Today?

There comes a time when we need to heed our own advice.  It has been a struggle for me for most of the last 2 months to get my routine in place so that I am productive, focused and shipping regularly.

Now I have arrived.  And at the same time, know that I need to continue to focus so that I don't get derailed.

Here is advice and a few comments I have received/gleaned along the way:

• focus on the One Thing - what is it and do all roads lead there
• the issue with this is that while the One Thing is a super idea, we are always juggling more than One Thing.
• it is difficult to work on more than 3 projects at any one time if you are really trying to move the needle
• breaking the year down into projects over months and putting hard timelines in place for main components (development, marketing, launching, revisiting) certainly helps put perspective around workload and ability to ship
• life happens
• things shift and opportunities come to you - selecting the right ones to put into play that align with your goals and values is critical
• learning to say Yes and to say No is hard...having a strong plan for the year (Thanks Michael HYATT B.Y.E.) helps keep the focus on what the right response should be at this time

Crashing through the pace that the world is currently throwing at us, we all need to understand how to keep the focus and ship.  What other ideas do you have on shipping regularly and sticking to your plan?

The Morning Start

Tough to get started some days isn't it? Well, here are a few tips:


1- before getting out of bed, take three deep breaths, in and out, trying to make your back sink into the mattress and feel the stretch throughout your body.

2- still in bed, point your toes down and up three times, feeling a beautiful movement in your legs

3- get out of bed and go to the nearest mirror and say 'good morning ME'....and mean it.

Bonus Tip:  write out 3 things you are grateful for...even if it is simply the fact that you woke up, you are ready to start the day, and the day is Friday!

Now you are ready for a quick shower, leisurely cup of coffee with your breakfast, and whatever the day may bring.
 
As a leader, how do you start your day with your team?  Is it a positive start?  Does everyone know where they are heading?  Is all focus placed on the mission for today?  If not, how can you get there?
 
Imagine if everyone loved coming in to start their day at work because it was so positive.

My Travels in Coaching

My travels in coaching have taken me on somewhat of a fishing expedition this year.  I have spent some time reflecting on my journey and have had some eye-opening thoughts.  I'm going to let you in on what I learned this past year:

1. keep focused on the main thing - it's easy to get distracted and go off a tangent because there are so many things to do as an entrepreneur
2. work your numbers monthly - I need to stay on top of my bookkeeping - not my favourite thing, but I do need to do it more regularly (watch for this as a goal in 2011)
3. there are many people out there excited about their business - I learned a great deal from them by asking questions and listening
4. be selective - by attempting to be involved in everything, I would have no time to work with clients properly or on my business at all, let alone find time for family and balance
5. people are ready to share - experiences, challenges, ideas, referrals - I just need to ask and do the same in return

Now, if every time I went fishing, I caught fish like these, I would never have to buy fish again.  Taking time to reflect and look at your business from a different vantage point can help you see new things, or old things in new ways.

Lead, Follow or....

Having trouble deciding how to handle a situation?  Whether it is at work or at home, even in your community life, there is always one way to handle a situation -

Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way!

You need to decide what role you will take.  Will you be the leader?  Make the decisions and focus the group on execution?  Or will you follow - be the support to another, putting action to the plan?  Or lastly, will you get out of the way - let things happen around you without participating, being involved? 

There will be times when you need to be in each role. Sometimes the role of the leader is to just 'get out of the way' and let the team do what they need to do.  There can even be times when other leaders step up and you get to follow - like it or not - and while that can be a humbling experience, it can also be a space in time that you can observe others, and learn from their leadership and team dynamics.

So consciously decide everyday what you will do - Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way.

Get More Out of Your Team

If you want to get more out of your team for any of these reasons:



• Because the number of people on your team has been reduced and yet you’re expected to produce the same or better results.
• Your team is not producing the results that are expected from you. You are concerned that your bosses and/or superiors or other stakeholders and peers are not going to be happy about that.

• Members of your team are undermining each other or worse undermining you, causing conflicts and frustrations for you and you’d like to turn your team in to a well oiled machine...

Then, I’d like to help you squeeze the most out of your team by offering you a special one-on-one "Modern Leadership Mastery Coaching Session".


During this session we will…


• Create a crystal clear vision for the results that you want your team to produce, for the way that you’d like your team to interact with each other and for the kind of people you would like to have on your team.

• Uncover hidden challenges that may be sabotaging your success with leadership and team building.

• You’ll leave the session renewed, reenergized and inspired to create a powerful results-driven team that gets things done so that you can be the office hero and still have a flourishing personal life.


Claim Your Free Coaching Session - send a comment below and answer the following questions:


1. How long have you been in this leadership position?

2. What are the biggest leadership challenges you're facing today?

3. On a scale of zero to 10 how important is it to you to get better results from your team?

4. What are your ultimate aspirations and goals as a leader?

Be sure to also include your name, phone number and email address when you reply so that someone from my office can get back to you and schedule your session within the next 24 to 48 hours.  The personal information you provide will not be posted on the blog - only comments about the blog will be posted!

Looking forward to helping you build the organization visualize everyday!

For more information on leadership coaching visit Solstice Group Coaching.

What's Next? Time to Think About It

If you have not taken a few moment this week to think about what is next, you need to stop everything you are doing and get to it!

Why?

1. You need to consistently look at the future to see where you are going. 
2. Understand if there is a gap between where you are now and how you are going to get to your vision of the future.
3. Determine if you are focusing on the appropriate tasks to get you there.
4. Look at the obstacles that could creep up, and think about some ways to overcome them
5. Pat yourself on the back - looking at the future means you have a plan

Get back to work!  You are on your way:)

A Point Above the Rest

You Can Be A Point Above the Rest

You are a Leader

You don't need a title to be a leader. Your leadership is reflected in your actions, your values, your words...simply - in who YOU are in your work, your community and your life.

Leadership is an attitude ...and when you are leading a team, their attitude reflects your leadership.
Points of Leadership:

1. Disciplined
2. Decisive
3. Focused
4. Visionary
5. Empathetic
6. Energetic
7. Communicator
8. Sets Example
9. Develops Others
10. Build Teams

We are all leaders, and we can move this world to a new vision of the future.

         

Have Courage

There are a lot of words that can describe courage - bravery, guts, nerve, daring, pluck, even audacity and heroism. If you act authentically, you will definitely be a person who has courage. Courage is not only for leaders and risk-takers; courage is a trait you have when you act within your values.



Acting authentically tells us that you have a set of values that reflect in every decision that you make, every action you complete, every thought that you have. Many times we can be pulled in directions that may not correspond to our values. This is the time that courage steps up and helps us to find the decision or action that keeps us true to ourselves. You could call yourself ‘plucky’ at this time!


Having courage to do what is right, even in the face of doing what is easy takes courage and the risk you assume by doing so, may lead you to understand how you operate in the face of adversity and pressure. Keeping a strong focus on our values makes having ‘guts’ easier.


Following that, we can also say that standing up against what is wrong and speaking out to defend others who need it can certainly be called courageous and brave – think of the last time you spent a few minutes debating right and wrong with someone. Did you step in to the conversation to make a point because you felt compelled to help them understand your viewpoint? Did you take a risk by doing this? You acted with your conscience and values – congratulations! You are courageous.


Here are a few circumstances that define courage:


Following your heart instead of your peers


Staying out of gossip and disrespectful behavior


Letting others take the lead for their own benefit instead of your own


Taking responsibility for your actions


Apologizing


Sticking to your message, even when others do not agree


Follow the rules – be the example that everyone follows


Look for better ways to do everything – challenge and continuously improve


How courageous are you?