Tag: vision

Number One Thing to Do

Out On The Ledge - Chicago
Out On The Ledge - Chicago

First of all, thanks for coming back. Can you believe today is Christmas eve?

Do you already now what I’m going to say?

It’s simple. Deceptively simple.

The number one thing to do is to create a compelling vision.  Period.

Compelling.

Not long winded. Not fancy. No big words.

It must also be impossible.  And it must be for some bigger purpose, meaning, not for yourself.

When you learn how to harness this powerful leadership success tip, there is nothing that can stop you. Nothing.

Well, hold on, there is one thing.  Do you know what it is?

Tomorrow is Christmas day and it’ll be my gift to you.

Epiphany For Culture

Good is the Enemy
Good is the Enemy

Driving to Church last Sunday, it hit me. An epiphany. Not a Christian epiphany, a corporate epiphany.

Do you ever wonder why some succeed and some don’t? Or wonder why some achieve excellence and others remain behind, being good or very good?

The secret?  It’s so simple that most of us, myself included, bypass it or drastically discount it.

If you’ve ever read Good to Great or heard from others who’ve described what the bestselling business book is about, you know that good is the enemy of great.

And because of this, there’s one simple technique that we can all learn from history. And I’ll share it with you first thing tomorrow.  Want to guess what it is?

Leaders Focus On Culture

Of the things a leader can spend time doing, maintaining, growing and reinforcing corporate culture should be on the short list of critical success factors.

Can you imagine trying to be world-class with an average corporate culture?

Can you imagine a team of highly energized, focused, and driven professionals in an average corporate culture?

What would happen if a great organization took it’s corporate culture for granted?

What would happen to a good (not great) organization that elevated it’s corporate culture?

The other day, I went outside my Hotel for a breath of fresh air. During a ten minute break to take a walk, I shot a half dozen “one-take-You Tube videos”.

Most of them were about culture.  You can observe a lot by watching:

Maybe you are all set with your corporate culture. Maybe you have a great personal culture for you and your family. You do focus these business applications to your personal life, right?

The View Never Changes If

If you’re not the lead reindeer, the view never changes. Being emplyed is like that too.  And it reminds me that as a leader, it’s incumbent on me to see the future and describe to others what it looks like.

Someone has to set the vision.  If it ain’t the leader, what have you got?  Seriously.  If the leader doesn’t do it, you’re in serious trouble.

Imagine these guys without a lead reindeer:

PS. Okay, so they’re not exactly reindeer, but you get the point. Make your day great. You know where you’re headed, right?

What Will GREAT Look Like?

What will GREAT look like for you in 2010?

I can’t imagine being a professional and not being a LinkedIn member. But it’s not unreasonable at this point for many to still not be involved.

My wife is not on LinkedIn, however, I do believe it would benefit her to get started.

Anyway, through LinkedIn, which I read daily, I followed a link  – “What Will Great Look Like For You In 2010?” A quote from that link sparked today’s blog post.

So there are two messages today:

  1. Social media, like anything else, works best when used frequently
  2. All five of my blogs are free

A reader commented a few months ago, “You never ask for anything.”

It was, and still is, a question that leaves a funny feeling in my gut.

Why would anyone invest in five daily blogs, reveal secrets, success tips, insightful thinking, be vulnerable and transparent, and never ask for a nickel in return?

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” — Howard Thurman