Photo From Seth Godin's Linchpin
Ever catch yourself, in a random moment, maybe eating lunch, or watching an inspirational movie or commercial, thinking to yourself…
I should have.
I would have.
I could have.
But now it’s too late.
No.
It’s not.
It’s never too late.
Is it?
Oh, I know what happens, we get so busy, because we’re not very organized, and so we fool ourselves into thinking our dreams are impossible.
Is Disney World Our Hometown?
Living in Central Florida, surrounded by Palm Trees and Sunshine is well, glorious. (That’s just wrong to write something like that in the middle of Winter, isn’t it?)
Alright, let’s try this – living next to Walt Disney World, with all it’s Theme parks, luxurious Disney resorts, stunning landscape, friendly Cast Members, spectacular entertainment, and first class dining is well, glorious. (Okay, strike two, right?)
Well, last night I began planning today’s work. It started with a vision for what I need to do today and how well it should be done.
Is there ever a day when we can not worry about delivering exceptional customer service, or as Disney labels it, magical Guest experiences? No seriously, Disney has a standard where 99 out of 100 is failure. There is never a day where mediocrity is acceptable. NEVER.
One of the secrets of great leaders is to begin the day’s work the night before.
But you already knew that, right?
Heads Or Tails?
Age-old question.
What do you think? What’s your opinion?
“It depends,” is the first thing that comes to mind. Mostly the long hours are worth it. If.
If?
Yes, if.
If it drives your ego, your title, your salary, your corner office, your feeling of self-worth – then no.
If it drives your ability to make a difference: to expand your reach, your relevance, your impact – then yes.
The challenge, when you’re insanely busy, is to not confuse the two.
Any one need a quarter?
Got It?
Leadership thinking 101:
BFO = Blinding Flash of the Obvious.
Then:
Finally:
Got it? Good. Now let’s all go do GREAT work today! Bring it on!
It Could Happen
You Never Succeed By Being A Follower.
There are probably exceptions to this rule, but let’s be real. The exceptions are just that, exceptions.
Please don’t get me wrong, following is good. And safe. And mostly predictable.
And then there are the questions of when, where, what, how and why?
Whatever it is that is important, should be visualized and evaluated.
Then, there is that simple choice: Follow or lead.
And in my case, this took a lifetime.
Time For Business Week?
“Guest Blogger” today is Alaina Love from The Purpose Link, sharing her Business Week article: “You Can Lead. But Can You Inspire?”
Click here to read about the ten attributes senior managers need to lead their organizations through the recession and the demoralizing consequences on their workforce.
You see it and hear it every day. In the world news and in the hallways of your own organization. There are demoralizing consequences from this brutal recession.
We are way past managing in today’s world. You know it and I know it. The antidote is inspiration.
Which leads us back to the original question, “Is there a doctor in the house?”
Got Dreams?
“You’ve been thinking like an adult since you were a kid”, she said in response to a story I had shared from my youth.
Told her about wanting to be a Physical Education teacher to help make people healthier, and help make the world a better place. I was in 8th Grade.
So here we are 37 years later, back on the mission to help make the world a healthier place.
Got dreams?
Man's Best Friend
The answers are obvious to the person who thinks things through, paying particular attention to what’s common sense.
What did you answer from yesterday’s choices?
The correct answer is open the window, let the dog sniff and reward the dog for waking you up.
You get bonus credit if you made an additional choice that wasn’t offered (on purpose), to grab a flashlight and take your dog outside to sniff even more thoroughly.
Why not yell at your dog to shut up and be quiet? After all, you work hard, you’re exhausted, and you have a big day tomorrow.
What Are You?
What are you, if you are anything but unforgettable?
These things make a strong case for one target. Unforgettable.
Intimidated?
Because you don’t have time to read this.
Because you don’t have time to follow this leadership blog.
Because you keep quoting others and have no quotes of your own.
Because you keep waiting for someone else to change.
Because you feel life isn’t fair.
Because you talk a good talk, but don’t walk a good walk.
Because you’re afraid.
All of these things can be dealt with. But you don’t know where to begin.
Begin here.
One small daily step at a time.
Humans want quick fixes.
When will you finally accept that life doesn’t work like that?
Life works the opposite.