Jeff McManus's Blog, page 5

Flying Above the Obstacles

“To conquer frustration, one must remain intensely focused on the outcome, not the
obstacles.” — T.F. Hodge

Ah, air travel—the modern-day test of patience and resilience. The weather never
checks anyone’s schedule and airlines never consult their passengers before making
decisions, so, yes, everyone traveling via air must find a way to remain calm and carry
on even as their personal schedules disintegrate before their eyes.

Recently, thanks to some overly ambitions rain clouds I found myself c...

Bring Your Fascinating Competence to Work

What is Fascinating Competence?

“You know, like nun chuck skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills… Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills!” — Napoleon Dynamite

While Napoleon Dynamite may not have won any best picture awards, the main character makes an important point: skills matter — and not just for impressing potential girlfriends. People are naturally drawn to others who possess abilities or knowledge they don’t have. This is what we call Fascinating Competence: ...

The Heart of Leadership: Investing in Our People

“You first must touch the heart before you ask for the hand.” – John Maxwell

 “Put your heart into it!” is an old directive we’ve all heard. As students, parents and teachers told us to put our heart into studying because grades and knowledge are important to success. As athletes, coaches encouraged us to play with heart because it makes us more skilled and therefore more competitive. Putting our heart into anything usually equated with a high level of enthusiasm, skill, and care.

Now we a...

When Opportunity Knocks – Be Ready

Famous DJ, Les Brown once said, “It’s better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have
one, than to have an opportunity and not be prepared.”

Les Brown knows that this simple truth makes the difference between those who simply wait
for an opportunity to arrive—and those who see an opportunity, seize it, and are ready to
maximize it. 

You may never know what high-level opportunity is going to come knocking on your door. It
may come as a phone call from someone looking to hire because someo...

Growing Appreciation

I’ve written often in this blog about the importance of showing gratitude as leaders; its importance in cultivating a team culture that is respectful; how it can drive more productivity; retain good employees and the list goes on. I personally try and encourage others to grow in gratitude.

Recently I came across a quote from Dolly Parton and my views on grateful leadership grew a bit more. She said:

“I make a point to appreciate all the little things in my life, because I learned earl...

Experiencing Explosive Growth: Are you ready?

Explosive Growth
Organizations that grow rapidly in size, money, or influence over a brief period of time are said
to be experiencing Explosive Growth. It especially refers to entrepreneurial efforts and happens
rarely enough for people to talk about it as exceptional; a wonder; a lucky break.

On a personal level, explosive growth happens not because of a lucky break, but by exercising
intention, dedication, and a desire to grow beyond self-imposed limitations. You’ve heard the
saying, “The harder...

Tearing Others Down Never Builds You Up

Tearing Others Down….

Bernard C. Meltzer hosted the radio call-in show What’s Your Problem? from 1969 through the mid 1990’s. He would answer questions professional or personal and would often counsel his call-in guests to “Before you speak ask yourself if what you are going to say is true, is kind, is necessary, is helpful. If the answer is no, maybe what you are about to say should be left unsaid.” Good advice.

And yet, at some point, most of us have witnessed or even participated in mak...

Beyond Limits

Limitations

What are your limitations? Are you the recent hire trying to prove yourself in a field of older, more experienced employees? Do you feel you will never learn as much as you should and therefore that promotion you want is off limits? Maybe you feel limited by organizational systems that were in place long before you got there and recognize that changing them is difficult…maybe too difficult?

If, as Oliver Wendall Holmes, Sr. once said, “All limits are self-imposed,” then perhaps...

What will you bring to this New Year?

January marks the start of a fresh chapter—a blank slate— and as Vern McLellan has said,
“What the new year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the new year.”
What will you bring? Over the years, I have found the following six action items can go a long
way in preparing for a successful and productive year ahead.

Reset Your Goals
“Success doesn’t happen by chance. It happens by planning.” — Benjamin Franklin
What better time than a new year to refresh your memory and envis...

Unexpected Possibilities

Have you ever been fired, laid off, or demoted? Have you ever felt the sting of losing the
support of your bosses or the respect of your peers? These moments can feel like a gut
punch, shaking your confidence and leaving you questioning your worth. Yet, as difficult
as these experiences may be, they can also open doors to wonderful opportunities and
personal growth. But in that moment, it simply hurts – making it easy to lose sight of the
big picture.

“Life is ten percent what happens to you and n...