Leaders set the organizational culture and that will never change. Accept it and choose your leaders wisely. On the other hand, if you happen to be a leader, it is equally as important to take your responsibilities seriously and act in such way that promotes quality, accountability, and communication across all areas you lead. Whether you like it or not, …
Our leaders lack self awareness
Self-awareness is essential for everyone, and it is even more important for those in leadership positions with strategic responsibilities. Leaders must know what their strengths are and even more importantly they must know what are the areas where they are not as comfortable at this time. Continue educating yourself, continue expanding and building your experience portfolio, but be aware of …
Don’t be average
Average. Even the word itself sounds mediocre and boring. Average, is not what you want to be. Recently, I have watched a video by Grant Cardone, a man who has succeeded against the odds and is a force of nature in the business world (sales in particular), which has reminded me of this overwhelming epidemic of being good enough to …
Your first client is your boss
Your first and some would argue most important client is your boss. Now, before you go on about how you are really working for the entire organization and want to help everyone (which is absolutely the right way of thinking and acting) take a minute and think about the opening statement a while longer. Your future success is (in part …
Major accomplishments are marathons, not sprints
Accomplishments require effort, commitment, focus and skill. Major accomplishments require more of each of those attributes and then some. Keep focusing on making progress each day even if that progress are small steps, as one day, all of those small steps will be added together into a successfully completed marathon. Now, that I have reminded myself of that as well, …
Don’t hold grudges, they limit your success
Holding grudges will hurt you as much as the other side. At times, some actions or words can’t (and probably shouldn’t) be forgotten, but in business it is nearly pointless to hold grudges. Disagreements of the past should not determine your partnerships, collaboration and mutual success of the future. Put egos aside and work together towards achieving your organizational vision …
You will grow and you will learn, but you will never “make it”
Each of has has our own goals that we want to accomplish and those goals are frequently modified before they are actually realized. As we achieve our goals, we set news ones and that process never ends for most people. There is always something we want to accomplish, whether professionally or personally and as such one rarely even reaches the …
Be mindful of the present, but staff for the future
Build your teams thoughtfully. As opportunities open up to add new staff, carefully consider both your team’s and organizational needs then staff accordingly. Don’t simply replace “like for like”, but rather focus on both current needs as well as your future strategic direction you are planning to take. Each member of your team has a role to play and is …
Control and own your life
Life! You only have one and it is yours to live, so please take ownership and control of it. The overwhelming majority of your life is (or should be) within your control and as such let’s drop excuses, finger-pointing and blame. Be cognizant, mindful and aware of the feelings and needs of your family, friends, coworkers and others, but ultimately, …
Business logic goes before technology
Business logic, processes and policies need to be in place before a technological solution can be selected. Additionally, start from the desired outcome then reverse engineer the process and steps needed to get there. During this process you must establish ownership and accountability of each of the steps and a clear timeline and what happens when and by whom. Only …