John Manning's Blog, page 38

Adopt a Teamwork Mindset

For Disciplined Leaders, the performance of their team is everything. In fact, if their teams don’t perform as expected, it’s ultimately a poor reflection of the leaders themselves. So to make performance happen, you, the leader, must work to shift the spotlight for company performance from yourself to your people by embracing the teamwork mindset. Why? Using this frame of reference works! When teamwork is always top-of-mind, it can become a selfless and powerful way to lead (and live). What’...

Stop Trying to Be Right All the Time

Generally speaking, people like to be right, which is understandable because it can validate how intelligent, clever, or good they are. But there’s nothing more distressing (and annoying) than when someone—particularly a leader—insists on always being right. In fact, when a leader’s desire to display competence turns into a need to win at all costs, they can actually lose the respect of their team, undermining morale, performance, and productivity. This becomes particularly problematic in the...

Improve Execution

In the final month of the year you’re probably thinking about the challenges you’ll tackle next year. Like many leaders, you’re likely setting new goals or revisiting how to more effectively achieve current ones. So it’s a good time to discuss the subject of implementation because in spite of having great ideas and goals, it all comes down to how well you execute. It’s a common issue for leaders and organizations everywhere, yet it’s more than possible to become highly effective with implemen...

Plan Your Tomorrow ��� Today

How often do you start your day with little direction around what to do? Make daily planning a habit and it can trigger a multitude of benefits.

Plan Your Tomorrow — Today

How often do you start your day with little direction around what to do? Maybe you’ve got a general idea of the day’s game plan, but if you haven’t taken the time to write it down in advance, odds are, you’ll be less likely to achieve your goals. Disciplined Leaders make daily planning a habit because they know this keystone habit can trigger a multitude of benefits. For starters, planning ahead for tomorrow reduces stress—it’s a proactive approach for controlling your schedule versus allowin...

Up (and Maintain!) the Quality Factor

In recent news, there have been at least two major automakers reeling from vehicle recalls that will cost them billions when all the dust settles. Among other lessons, their woeful stories go to show that quality products and services are paramount to the long-term success of a business organization. Now, while that all seems like common sense, how often do you experience a business that isn’t focusing on providing quality products and/or services? Odds are, you encounter this issue at least...

Remove Roadblocks

No one gets jazzed about having “problems,” much less dealing with challenges. But as a leader, you’re going to experience roadblocks in your business, whether those are related to your team, external competition, unforeseen crises, or any other types of issues. What’s more, how you deal with your roadblocks can make or break your success. In fact, Disciplined Leaders make it a practice to view challenges as “opportunities.” As soon as they become aware of a challenge, they recognize that it’...

Find Encouragement from Others

As a leader, you know it is part of your job to motivate your team—your company’s most vital asset. It’s just a given—a necessary aspect of your leadership responsibility. But where do you get your encouragement when it comes to your job? Who, aside from perhaps a spouse or loved one, is consistently available to pipe up and give you a shout out whenever you need a little motivation, encouragement, or effective piece of advice? If you’re like a lot of leaders, you may struggle here. After all...

Avoid the Slippery “Hope Slope”

As a leader, you’re probably a hopeful person. By that, I mean you generally have a positive outlook about the possibility for success and a personal belief that you will find a way to make it happen. But as a leader, you’ve got to be careful with “hope” because it can become a slippery slope. For example, there are times when leaders recognize they’re in a precarious situation, and instead of taking action, they just hope things get better. At MAP, we coach our clients to understand that hop...

Check in on Your Values

When it comes to understanding your values, it’s not enough to simply know what they are. Sure, that’s important, but Disciplined Leaders learn to do more than just identify their values. They consistently use them, creating a daily mindset that puts their values in the center of all they say and do. So how well are you “living” your values at work? Do you regularly call upon these core beliefs when making important business decisions? If so, odds are that you’re feeling pretty satisfied with...