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Our Random...and sometimes, not so Random Thoughts

We hope you find some of the following articles to be of some assistance to you in your personal or business life.

Ways to Improve as a Leader

4/29/2016

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If you want your team or department to excel, the members must be committed to improving existing skills and learning new ones. Yet as many leadership gurus will tell you, team members rarely rise above their leadership. If you want your team to improve – both as individuals and as a collective – you, their leader, must set the example.
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What can you do to effectively set the bar higher when it comes to personal and professional development? Here are just a few ideas to get you started:
  • Create both a personal and business vision. – A wealth of knowledge is our fingertips and we could immerse ourselves in a number of various studies in order to improve. You must choose to study the topics that will enable you to achieve your vision. That’s going to be difficult if you don’t have one.
  • Be a goal setter/achiever. – Based on your vision, create a strategy to accomplish it. Once you have a strategy, break that down into bite sized pieces. These are the goals you set for yourself or your team that propel you forward. I know you’ve heard this before. But be honest – are you setting goals and working every day to accomplish them?
  • Practice excellent time management. – Again, this is not a new idea. Despite the fact that every person reading this blog has heard or been taught about time management, time management experts tell us that only around 10% of us actually practice it. An excellent resource to help you work on both your goals and time management is Brian Tracy’s book, “GOALS! How to Get Everything You Want – Faster than You Ever Thought Possible.”
  • Discover your strengths and the strengths of those with whom you work. – The Pareto principle poses that 20% of our effort leads to 80% of our results. One of the reasons this is true is because we waste 80% of our time, energy and other resources doing things we are not truly equipped to do. To immediately increase your productivity, discover your strengths and passions and invest more of your time doing those things you enjoy doing and are good at. Delegate the tasks (if you can) that do not fall within your area of expertise. By discovering the strengths of your team members, you can assign those tasks to your team members who have the strengths and passion to accomplish them. This increases not only your productivity, but theirs and the entire team. An excellent resource for this point is Tom Rath’s “StrengthFinder 2.0.”
  • Recruit a Coach. – We all perform better when there is someone in our lives who is holding our feet to the fire, encouraging us to stretch beyond our comfort zone. Check out this short video which features 2 highly successful individuals speaking on the topic of having a coach: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLF90uwII1k
 
Obviously there are many, many more things you can do if you are seeking to improve your leadership skills. These would be a great start for someone who is either just beginning their leadership journey or sees a need to tune up their management abilities. Feel free to contact me at chris@mahan9group if you’d like to investigate ways the Mahan 9 Group can assist you in your quest to be an excellent leader.
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Start with Yourself

4/22/2016

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Socrates is credited with saying, “Let him who would move the world first move himself.” In my last blog entry, I stated, “…a true leader is one who first and foremost knows how to lead him/herself.” Allow me to begin to elaborate on this truth.
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If you want to be the kind of leader who is making an impact on your organization, you must begin by making a commitment to grow and learn as a leader. No matter how proficient you may be at the moment, you have not yet reached your full potential. One of the realities of leadership is your team or your organization will never rise above the level of your leadership. An incompetent leader will always be leading a team who fails to produce as required. A mediocre 
leader will never inspire his/her team to greatness. An excellent leader will motivate his/her team to achieve more than they ever dreamed possible.

Practically speaking, that means if you want your team or organization to excel, you must be in a continual state of growth, development and improvement. You must be getting better at all aspects of leadership. Your drive for self-improvement will be the example that leads your team in their quest for excellence.

Make that commitment to grow and learn. Start today by performing an honest self-evaluation of yourself and your leadership. An excellent tool to assist you in this examination is John Maxwell’s “Leadership Assessment” which you can find at http://www.centerstreet.com/The5LevelsOfLeadership_Bonus.pdf.

If you are going to grow as a leader, you must accurately identify where you are today and where you desire to be in the future. Once you have your starting point and final goal firmly in mind, create a plan to help take you from where you are to where you want to be.
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In my next blog, I’ll continue to address specific ways you can improve as a leader. If you are looking for assistance in assessing your current leadership or are looking for a coach to work with you in your leadership development, drop me a line at chris@mahan9group.com. 

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The Value of Having a Coach/Mentor

4/20/2016

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​There are numerous types of leaders. Some are leaders because they have been given a job title and their position provides a measure of authority over those under their direction. If this is the kind of leader you are and you are satisfied with this type of leadership, then this article is not for you. This is for the person who knows that in order to achieve real leadership, one must continually be growing and learning. A true leader is one who is seeking to learn new skills and perfect existing ones. One way to view this – a true leader is one who first and foremost knows how to lead him/herself.
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A great leader is one who has the ability to inspire her team to achieve greatness beyond what they imagine for themselves. She does this by energizing her team, by helping them discover innovative ways to achieve their goals, by providing necessary guidance to keep the team on track, coaching them through times of difficulty and setback and encouraging them to execute their plans. She creates an atmosphere where team members can thrive and succeed.
What some leaders do not realize is that before they can do these things for others, they must first do them for themselves. A true leader is one who understands and acts on the knowledge that they are responsible for their own mindset, attitude and actions. In order to be the best leader – the best person – he can be, the true leader creates an atmosphere for himself that enables him to flourish and prosper. He clearly knows the goals he has set for himself, seeks inventive ways to achieve those goals, motivates himself to action, coaches himself when things don’t go as planned and finds ways to keep himself energized throughout the process.
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The wise leader is the one who also knows he/she can’t do this alone. That is one of the great values of having a mentor or a coach who assists you in your development as a person and as a leader. We all need someone who challenges us to effectively lead ourselves before attempting to lead others. Who is the mentor/coach in your life that is helping you? If you don’t have such a person, begin seeking out one today.
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If you want to truly develop as a leader, you must be working on self-improvement and self-growth. You’ll find it much easier to do with the assistance of a coach or mentor.
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Stumbling Blocks or Stepping Stones?

4/18/2016

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​There are those who view hardships as something to be avoided at all costs. When an obstacle pops up in their life, they seek a way to avoid it. They search for the easy way out, the path of least resistance, the route that promises the minimal amount of pain. However, while those who choose to live in this manner might manage to avoid difficulties and remain free from the agony that often accompanies such hardships, they are also among those who settle for much less than life really has to offer.
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Those who desire the most that life has to give know there is a price to be paid. Sport champions know that excellence in performance, along with its accompanying glory, requires hours of practice typically fraught with pain and suffering. 
They are willing to endure the hardship and pay that price ​because the desire for the prize is much greater than the desire for comfort. The same is true for those who desire greatness of any kind in their life. They know there is a process that enables them to move from where they are to where they want to be. Their vision is so clear and their desire to see that vision fulfilled so intense that momentary setbacks or temporary obstacles are never strong enough to dissuade them from the pursuit of that vision. They know the process will include adversity so they are not surprised, nor unprepared when it comes.

To enjoy success, one must be committed to view obstacles and hardships as stepping stones used to achieve an objective. When viewed in this manner, those adversities are welcomed, rather than avoided. They are perceived as opportunities for growth. The person pursuing their vision with vigor sees difficulties as doors through which they must pass on their way to the realization of their goal. The average achiever sees adversities as stumbling blocks while the over achiever treats them as stepping stones. This difference in attitude is one of the marks that differentiates the one who settles for mediocrity from the one who strives for excellence.

What are the obstacles that appear to be standing between you and the success you are currently pursuing? What will be the outcome if you choose to avoid the obstacles rather than face them and work through them? You might avoid some pain, discomfort or uncomfortableness. But at what price? If, instead, you squarely face the impending difficulties and work to remove the obstacles, what benefit will it provide in the quest of your vision? In what way will you be better by overcoming the hardship rather than by avoiding it?
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If you don’t already do this, begin today to see obstacles as stepping stones. Understand that by crossing them, not only will you be closer to your goal, you will also be better off – stronger, more competent, more self-assured in knowing that no matter what hindrances might lie in wait – they will surely fall in the face of your conviction and resolve.
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Don't Give Up!

4/15/2016

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History is full of tales of men and women who gave up their dreams when success was just barely beyond their reach. They experienced failure after failure or encountered more daunting obstacles than they anticipated. Discouragement settled in, replacing the excitement and enthusiasm for the vision that once beat in their bosom. These are the men and women whose names we have forgotten. They rest among the average, the mediocre, the underachievers of the world. Frankly, that is company I would rather avoid.

Success and achievement belongs to those who face their fears with a resolve not to back down. They see obstacles as opportunities to grow and learn. Discouragement is nothing more than an inner voice they have learned to silence. ​The idea of quitting – of giving up – is as unnatural to them as refusing to breathe. Victory belongs to the man or woman who knows what they intend to accomplish, how they will realize that goal and who exercise persistence in the pursuit of that objective.
Practically speaking though, most of us are not programmed to persevere. To persist in the face of discouragement is a conscious decision we must make each and every day. But when you look at the masses, you quickly perceive how difficult this daily choice can be. Something inside most of us clamors for us to avoid pain and disappointment at all costs. We have been programmed to believe that few things in life are worth it if they involve an intense struggle. How terrible it is that we have been so easily deceived by this lie.

We can get by in this life while avoiding difficulties. But do you want to just “get by?” Or do you dream of something greater for yourself? Are you attracted to lofty ideals and believe that you can achieve far more than what others typically achieve? If you aspire to true greatness or dream dreams that are out of reach for most, you must persevere in the face of discouragement, failure, setbacks, or obstacles. You must not give up. You must not quit!
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Finding the strength to persevere even in the most difficult of circumstances can be an overwhelming task if we attempt to face it alone. That is why there is great value in having a coach or mentor in our life. Having someone to walk alongside us to provide both external motivation and assist us in the development of our own internal motivation can be the difference between quitting and failure or persevering and success.
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Key Qualities for Success

4/13/2016

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What does it take to stand out from the crowd in today’s workforce? In the competitive environment that exists today, there are many around us with more education, greater skills and richer experience. That doesn’t mean we have to fade into the background and become invisible to those who exert sway over the direction of our careers or influence our level of compensation. It does mean we have to intentionally examine ourselves to determine what we must do in order to even the playing field. We can also listen to those to whom we are accountable in order to discover what they consider the greatest attributes they seek in their employees.

​Brian Tracy, in his book, Goals!, relates an interesting finding from a survey reported years ago in Success magazine. In the survey, CEOs were given a list of 20 employee qualities 
​and asked to select the most important. Two topped the lists of 86% of those surveyed: First, the ability to set priorities; Second, the ability to get the job done quickly. Tracy writes, “Nothing will help you more in your career than to get the reputation for being the kind of person who gets the most important job done quickly and well.”

The ability to prioritize is crucial if you desire to be a valued employee (more so if you are self-employed!). One key in the process is to determine what is most important to those to whom you answer. What appears to be a priority to you may not be to them. Working hard on the wrong thing first could be detrimental to your reputation and/or career.

Getting a job done quickly and correctly involves several things, including goal setting, time management and self-discipline. Self-discipline enables us to combat procrastination and to remain persistent despite any obstacles or setbacks we may encounter along the way. Time management aids us in allocating our time and energy in the most efficient manner while goal setting facilitates an organized approach to the task at hand.
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You may not be the person with the most advanced degree, complete skill set or years on the job in your workplace. You can still stand out from the others by developing the ability to prioritize and by being known as the member of the team who can always be counted on to get the job done quickly and correctly the first time.
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Your Inner Voice - Friend or Foe

4/11/2016

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Cartoonists have often rendered our inner voice as an angel sitting on one shoulder while a devil sits on the other. When it comes time to make a decision - especially one where we have a choice to either do the right or wrong thing - the angel tries to persuade us to make the correct choice while the devil tempts us to evil. Their depictions are meant to entertain and possibly cause us to chuckle. But the truth of an inner voice having influence upon our decisions and actions does not reside only in the imagination of cartoonists.

Many have written and lectured on the value of positive thinking. Others have expanded on that idea by encouraging their readers/listeners to put that positive 
thinking into words. As Dr Shad Helmstetter, author of What to Say When You Talk to Yourself, communicated, it is not enough to simply change our thinking from negative to positive. In order for positive thinking to truly take hold in our lives and have a productive effect, those positive thoughts must be put into words. By vocalizing our positive beliefs about ourselves we can take advantage of the phenomenon Napoleon Hill in his book, Think and Grow Rich, called "auto suggestion." By repeating positive beliefs about ourselves, our skills, abilities and our circumstances, we can shape our subconscious mind which can have a tremendously positive effect on our thinking and performance.
 
The problem most of us face, according to Helmstetter is that up to 77% of our self-talk is negative. Our inner voice is telling us we can't do something or that our ideas and dreams are impractical and or unattainable. That message is repeated over and over again in our heads until, after a while, we believe it. Then, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. We limit our own happiness, satisfaction and success in life because our inner voice has convinced us we either don't deserve, or are not capable of, attaining anything better.
 
The good news is we have the power to change the language of our inner voice. We can make a conscious choice to eradicate the negative statements that weigh us down and replace them with positive ones. Just as those negative thoughts and statements are certain to create equally negative results in our lives, positive ones can affect us in a constructive way by leading us to become more optimistic and confident.
 
Two simple things you can begin doing today to take control of your inner voice and harness it for good. First, write out a few positive, encouraging things you can say to yourself. Write them on a card or memorize them and read or repeat them to yourself several times throughout the day. Do this for at least three weeks and you will discover that your subconscious has accepted those statements as truth. Second, whenever your inner voice speaks with negative thoughts or promotes a defeatist attitude, consciously (and if possible - out loud) stop what you doing and tell your inner voice it is wrong. Challenge the negativity and verbally tell yourself the positive opposite of what your inner voice has just expressed. Again, do this for at least three weeks and you will be well on your way to eradicating the negative self-talk that may be the last obstacle between where you are today and where you desire to be tomorrow.
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    Chris has an opinion on just about everything - Just ask Lisa. And he's usually right - just ask him! (LOL)

    Lisa isn't the one who always has something to say, but when she does, it is usually worth taking a moment to listen.

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