LeaderSavers

Live Your Legacy

The old pizza commercial that asked, “What do you want on your tombstone?” always reminded me of the Wild West, of gunfights at the OK Corral, and of the famous Boot Hill Cemetery.    It was a clever ad, but it made me think about things other than pizza.

It made me think about what one leaves to others – not money, but values.  I was a teacher for many years, and thought that success would be if just one student were to say, “You made a difference in my life.”  To my astonishment, many former students have said just that and more to me.

Knowing that somehow I made a difference was payback enough!  But I wondered just what they remembered from so many years ago.  Some said they learned to work hard and have a good time – in that order!  Others remembered that it is important to do your best always.  Excellence counts, not mediocrity.  And most important of all, treat everyone with respect.

What I am able to leave others is not money or things, but values.  It’s not what you have, it’s who you are.  What I encourage you to do is just this:  Rather than leaving a legacy, live your legacy.  YOU make a difference!

How to Keep Those New Year's Resolutions

Do you set goals and then forget about them?  How about those New Year's Resolutions that begin to disappear with the tinsel and leftover turkey?

Actually, making and keeping New Year's Resolutions isn't the dismal failure many imagine.  Several surveys indicated that 67% of respondents make 3 or more resolutions, and 63% are keeping their resolutions after 2 months.  Maybe there's hope for the rest of us, after all!

If you don't know where you are going, you'll probably end up somewhere else.  It's time to get clearer on our personal resolutions and turn them into clear and attainable goals.  One way is to  develop SMART goals that are:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Tangible

Here's a challenge for you:  Pick just ONE of your New Year's Resolutions and develop it as a SMART goal.  At the end of the year, take a good look at what you've been able to accomplish!

Do you know your top three goals for 2011? Get your complimentary Goals Report in less than 5 minutes here:

http://www.freegoalsreport.com/quiz.php?id=2993

An Attitude of Gratitude

As we Americans approach the Thanksgiving holiday, it's good to pause, take a good look at who we are, where we are, what we have, and express our thanks for the many blessings we enjoy.

It's too easy to fall into the "not enough" mindset, and it grinds us down, whether or not we realize it.  We tend to focus on scarcity rather than on abundance.  Rodgers & Hammerstein said it so cleverly in the song "There is Nothin' Like a Dame" from South Pacific:

It's a waste of time to worry over things that they have not.
We're thankful for the things they've got!

This Thanksgiving, focus on all that you are and all that you have.  Focus on abundance

What are YOU grateful for?  Here are just a few of mine:

• beautiful sunrises and sunsets
• a warm fireplace and a snuggly cat
• a loving wife, children & grandchildren
• great music to enjoy
• good friends & neighbors

I could go on and on -- and so can YOU.  Join me in choosing an "attitude of gratitude" this holiday season.

Happy Thanksgiving!

How to Lose Credibility

 It’s easy to lose your credibility – just ignore your GPS.  No, not the little gadget that provides roadmaps and driving directions.  It’s your Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling.

Don't Look at Your Feet

That’s what I used to bellow through my bullhorn when I directed a high school marching band.  Looking at your feet is a bigger problem than you might think.

 

Stir the Soup

A recent reading of Jon Gordon’s delightful and thought-provoking book, Soup, brought to mind some important points to remember about being a leader.  Gordon’s easy, story-telling style packs a lot of good points to ponder in a small package, and it’s well worth reading and thinking about how you “stir the soup.”

 

The Grindstone

When you put your nose to the grindstone rough

And keep it down there long enough,

In time you will forget such things

As brooks that babble and birds that sing.

And then, in time, the story goes,

These will all your world compose:

Yourself, the grindstone ... and your poor old nose!

(found on a trailside sign in Walnut Canyon, Arizona)

Is It Leadership - or Leader?

A recent discussion on a LinkedIn group about leadership prompted more than 150 comments at last count.  So many good ideas, suggestions, and food for thought!  What struck me was the number of responses that dealt with leadership rather than leaders.  What's the difference?

Which Way Is Up?

Picture yourself as an astronaut floating in the zero gravity of outer space.  Your feet point toward the floor of the command module, but your fellow astronaut’s feet point toward the window.  Which way is really up when your “up” is the other’s “down”?

Thoughts on Leadership

These "Thoughts on Leadership" were presented at a meeting of Delta Kappa Gamma, an international educational society for women, by a long-time friend, Barbara Chinworth, whose thoughts are reprinted here with her kind permission.

Leadership is a feather in one's cap ... or a pain in one's backside.

Leadership is on a moment's notice --- or for a term which can seem interminable.

Leadership is lonely ... but of necessity has a fellowship.

Leadership is an opportunity ... and an obligation.