This week's article is the third of three that highlight critical choices that you address daily.  You decide over and over each day:
--what meaning you give to situations you face,
--what actions you take in response to the many situations you face,
--where and how you focus your limited time and energy.

Oh, if we only had a meter that would allow us to tune to the most effective focus areas!  Ah, but making choices, even wrong choices, is part of the freedom God gave us!

Click here for "It's Your Choice--Where Will You Focus Your Time and Energy?"

Dennis

I encourage you to become more aware of conclusion-jumping and the rushed decision-making that consumes your life.

I described last week that there are at least five options for responding to any situation you face.  In each of the examples in today's article, “What Does It Mean?—You Choose!”, one option seems obvious, but really isn’t!

Ah, but making meaning is personal.  The meaning a situation has for one person may be very different for you!

Enjoy!  I welcome your comments.

Dennis

Faced with a given situation, how do you decide what you will do?  You may find a new perspective in this article, “It’s My Choice--What Will I Do?”

The situations you face today are dependent on your past choices  And your future situations will be dependent on the decisions you make today and in the near future.

Dennis

Sometimes, truths appear in country music songs in ways that no other medium can provide!

When I first heard "Back When I Knew It All," I thought about some of the young people who were a frustration as I worked to support and educate them.  And I thought about some of the demanding, top-down dictatorial leaders I have known.  Both are guilty of thinking they know how things should be!

As you read “Back When I Knew It All,” allow yourself to evaluate how cocky or naïve you might be!

Dennis

Most of the people I routinely deal with want to get better.  They want to make their relationships better.  They want the results they get from their daily behaviors to continually improve over time.  They want to reduce mistakes and eliminate rework.

Today's article, "The Ritual of Reflection," is merely a tool to help make that happen.  Anything you do can be made better if you'll just acknowledge what you did well and what you can do better next time.

Dennis

I conducted a "force-field diagram" comparing the advantages of hiring new leaders from the outside with the advantages of building leaders internally.  (If you don't know what a force-field diagram is, look up the term on the internet or send me a note, and I'll send you an article I wrote back in 2005 that describes the concept.)

I generated a pretty extensive analysis, which I thought would form the basis for this week's article.  However, as you read “What Will They Do When You’re Gone?”, you'll see that almost nothing from that preparatory work wound up in the article!  As I'm learning so clearly in my coaching work, there is huge value in having the individual do his or her own thinking!  Also, as you might guess, I come out on the side of developing your own future leaders, so the article would have sounded too much like a sales pitch!

Think for a moment about how succession planning is conducted in your organization.  If you are in a leadership position, do you spend much time on succession planning?  If not, why not?

If you are not among the top leaders in your organization, do you know how succession planning is conducted in your organization?  If you are not among the top leaders in your organization, is anyone making sure your leadership skills are being developed?  If your answer is "no," it's pretty likely that a succession planning process for your organization either doesn't exist or has resulted in a conscious choice to hire future leaders from the outside.  If you are career minded, that should be a factor you consider!

I welcome your comments, feedback, and suggestions!

Dennis

Do you ever just “go through the motions”?  That’s not very satisfying for anyone, certainly not those you lead!

“To Be Inspirational, Be Intentional” describes an unplanned, real-life experience that points out the value of imagining a desired future state and creatively thinking about what to do to get there.

I welcome your comments!

Dennis

Many people think that a leader is supposed to tell others what to do.

My counsel to clients, especially when they have competent, committed team members, is to ask open-ended, thought-provoking, and paradigm-shifting questions.  This approach stimulates and inspires productive behaviors that are likely to move the organization forward.

Two weeks of articles, “Questions Leaders Should Ask--Part 1” and "Questions Leaders Should Ask--Part 2", offer opportunities to build trust and to engage the leader's direct reports.

Dennis

Many times, others see us differently from the way we see ourselves.

You are not always able to accurately project how others are evaluating your trustworthiness.  Still, it is important that you make promises sparingly and keep every promise you make.

“Are People Able to Count on You?” is this week’s article, intended to stimulate your thinking about your commitments and reliability.

I welcome your comments!

Dennis

This week’s article captures the research of Alan Deutschman as he presented the conclusions from his 2007 book, Change or Die.

Deutschman’s presentation was given at the 2008 Georgia PRISM Award conference, where eleven nominee companies described how coaching had improved their bottom line results.

Deutschman’s research shows why coaching works.  Take a look at a shortened version of his comments in “When is ‘Good Enough’ no Longer Good Enough?”

Dennis