Goal Processing: Success Test

Base your success as a leader on the health of your relationships first. Everything else should fight for second based on where you are in life.

Goal Processing: Managing Your Time

What is your task efficiency rate? We have always maintained that we are able to accomplish more than most around YourNextSpeaker because we get more done during the day. We maximize our time. Consider the following "time additives" to improve your efficiency:

1. Don't multitask. It tanks your productivity

2. Unplug. Turn the cell phone off. Turn off the wireless on your laptop (unless you are doing internet stuff.)

3. De-socialize. If you do have to be on the internet for something, close your Facebook notifier, turn off your email notifier, etc.

4. Retreat. Find a place where you can retreat from everything and really get important things done.

5. Leverage your gap times. Be productive between meetings, early in the morning, waiting in line, waiting in traffic, etc.

6. Hit the Pillow. Sleep is the best thing you can do to increase productivity.

7. Memorize in the morning. Your brain is most ready to commit information to long-term memory right after you wake up. This has nothing to do with whether you are a morning person or not. That is habit based. This is brain-research based.

Goal Processing: Map 'Em

"Its hard to tell just where you're at, when you're looking for something that ain't on a map."

Keith Anderson, Country Music Artist
From the song "I'll Know When I Get There"

If you want to actually accomplish them, get your goals on a map. Figure out the start, middle and end points and how to benchmark your progress. Then get to walking, running, riding, driving or flying.

Goal Processing: The Falicy of the New Year's Resolution

It is May 1. 122 days into 2008. Question: How are you doing on your new year's resolutions? If you are like most people, probably lousy. The reason why is because, by definition, the new year's resolution system is faulty. Most new year's resolutions are about changing behavior and you don't change behavior yearly. You change behavior daily. You just decide right now to do something or to not do something. What most new year's resolutions lack is the specific language necessary to invoke specific, daily behavior change. Of course, even with more specific language you still have to do the work to make the change.

Americans' Top Ten New Year's Resolutions

1. Spend more time with family
2. Start exercising
3. Lose weight
4. Stop smoking
5. Stop drinking
6. Enjoy life more
7. Learn something new
8. Get out of debt
9. Help others
10. Get organized

These are dreams, not goals. And certainly not "resolutions." Here is what they are missing.

1. A specific target (I will lose 10 pounds...).
2. A deadline shorter than a year (in two months...).
3. An action list (by replacing a stop to McDonalds with a stop to Subway, only eating half my meals, starting the day with a healthy breakfast, drinking more water, walking 30-minutes per day, etc...).
4. A compelling reason (because my cholesterol is 30 points too high...).
5. An accountability partner to help (and I will ask my best friend to hold me accountable to my plan).

This is also a great strategy to use with any resolution you set, new year's or otherwise.

Goal Processing: Don't Believe the No U-Turn Signs

Most people you know are conditioned to follow the "No U-Turns" signs in their leadership life because they don't understand the power of this concept...

1. If you want to change a leadership outcome (i.e. - the result of your influence), you have to change.

2. If you want to change, you have to change a pattern in your life. We are creatures of habit. We are what we repeatedly do. Your leadership influence is the sum of your life patterns. Meaningful change only happens when a pattern is changed.

3. If you want to change a pattern in your life, you have to identify a faulty pattern and replace it with a good pattern.

4. If you want to swap out a faulty pattern with a good one, you have to start with deleting the bad pattern first. Then learning the new pattern second. You can't do both at the same time. You have to make a U-turn.

The Driving Metaphor

You are currently driving west, but you know you are headed the wrong way. You are supposed to be driving east. So, you have to physically stop driving west, turn around and start driving east. You can't keep driving west (continuing the old pattern) while also making progress going east (starting the new pattern.) You can't do both simultaneously. You have to ignore the signs and make a U-turn.

This same concept works in your life. You have to ignore the physical, mental, emotional and social pressures of repeating the old pattern, stop that pattern and start a new pattern.

WARNING - This is going to require some heavy-lifting. The inertia of your old ways will be strong. Your habits are greedy. They do not want you to kill them. This is why most people you know take the easy road and simply don't do the work. They take the easy road of driving west. It takes time, energy, focus and determination to stop, turn around and drive east. However, anything worth doing is difficult. Especially in the complicated world of leadership.

So, start today. Identify a change you know you need to make. Find areas in your leadership life where you aren't accomplishing the results you want or need. Find a better pattern (via personal study, leaning on a mentor, good old common sense, etc.) and make a U-turn in your life. The habit you need to change might be a communication habit, a relationship habit, a learning habit, a temper habit, etc. The possibilities are endless. You know what you need to change. Stop expecting it to change itself, take control of the wheel and turn around.

Goal Processing: Og Words of Wisdom (Part 3 of 3)

Our final set of thoughts from Og Mandino as you work on your 2008 resolutions and goals...

Og Mandino Quotes (Part 3)

201. This day is all you have and these hours are now your eternity. Greet this sunrise with cries of joy as a prisoner who is reprieved from death.
202. This is the place.
203. This is the time.
204. This too shall pass.
205. Time teaches all things to him who lives forever, but I have not the luxury of eternity.
206. To conquer fear I must always act without hesitation and the flutters in my heart will vanish.
207. To enjoy success I must have happiness, and laughter will be the maiden who serves me.
208. To multiply your value you must multiply your actions.
209. To surpass the deeds of others is unimportant; to surpass your own deeds is all.
210. Today I begin a new life.
211. Today I shed my old skin which hath too long suffered the bruises of failure and the wounds of mediocrity.
212. Today I will multiply my value a hundredfold.
213. Today I will surpass every action which I performed yesterday.
214. Today you will be master of your emotions.
215. Today, I will act.
216. Tomorrow is the day reserved for the labor of the lazy.
217. Tomorrow lies buried with yesterday.
218. True wealth is of the heart, not of the purse.
219. Try again, make one more attempt to close with victory, and if that fails, make another.
220. Try, and try, and try again.
221. Understand and recognize the moods of others. Make allowances for their anger and irritation for they know not the secret of controlling their minds.
222. Unless you act you will perish in a life of failure, misery, and sleepless nights.
223. Unless you put your skills, mind, heart, and body to good use, you will stagnate, rot, and die.
224. Victory comes only after many struggles and countless defeats.
225. We must have the night to appreciate the day.
226. Weak is he who permits his thoughts to control his actions; strong is he who forces his actions to control his thoughts.
227. Welcome happiness for it enlarges your heart; endure sadness for it opens your soul.
228. What can take place before this sun sets which will not seem insignificant in the river of centuries?
229. What is success other than a state of mind?
230. When an act becomes easy through constant repetition, it becomes a pleasure to perform, and if it is a pleasure to perform, it is man's nature to perform it often.
231. When I am burdened with wealth I shall tell myself that this too shall pass.
232. When I am moved to praise, I will shout from the roofs.
233. When I am puffed with success I shall warn myself that this too shall pass.
234. When I am strangled in poverty I shall tell myself that this too shall pass.
235. When I am tempted to criticize, I will bite on my tongue.
236. When others cease their struggle, then mine will begin, and my harvest will be full.
237. When you are heavy with heartache console yourself that this too shall pass.
238. Where dry desert ends, green grass grows.
239. Where there are idle mouths I will listen not; where there are idle hands I will linger not; where there are idle bodies I will visit not.
240. Will my concern for this day not seem foolish ten years hence?
241. With each victory the next struggle becomes less difficult.
242. With love I will tear down the wall of suspicion and hate which they have built round their hearts, and in its place, I will build bridges so that my love may enter their souls.
243. Within you burns a flame which has been passed from generations uncounted, and its heat is a constant irritation to your spirit to become better than you are, and you will.
244. Yesterday's joy will become today's sadness; yet today's sadness will grow into tomorrow's joy.
245. Yesterday's success will not lull me into today's complacency.
246. Yesterday is buried forever, think of it no more.
247. You are a unique creature.
248. You are here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink to a grain of sand.
249. You are nature's greatest miracle.
250. You are rare, and there is value in all rarity; therefore, you are valuable.
251. You can accomplish far more than you have, and you will.
252. You can overcome seemingly impossible obstacles with ambition.
253. You have been given eyes to see and a mind to think.
254. You have but one life and life is naught but a measurement of time.
255. You have unlimited potential.
256. You may encounter failure at the thousandth step, yet success hides behind the next bend in the road. You will never know how close success lies unless you turn the corner.
257. You must fail often to succeed only once.
258. You must have objectives before your life will crystallize.
259. You must nurture your body and mind in order to fulfill your dreams.
260. You only have time to love.
261. You were conceived in love and brought forth with a purpose.
262. You will become great.
263. You won't know how close success is unless you turn the corner.

Goal Processing: Og's Words of Wisdom (Part 2 of 3)

Just a few more thoughts from Og Mandino as you work on your 2008 resolutions and goals...Og Mandino Quotes (Part 2)

101. I will work when the failure seeks rest.
102. If all things shall pass, why should I be of concern for today?
103. If I delay, success will become betrothed to another and lost to me forever.
104. If I have no other qualities I can succeed with love alone.
105. If I persist, if I continue to try, if I continue to charge forward, I will succeed.
106. If I stumble I will rise, and my falls will not concern me.
107. If you bring joy, enthusiasm, brightness, and laughter to your customers, they will react with joy, enthusiasm, brightness, and laughter and your weather will produce a harvest of sales and a granary of gold for you.
108. If you feel depressed - sing!
109. If you feel fear, plunge ahead.
110. If you feel incompetent, remember past successes.
111. If you feel insignificant, remember your goals.
112. If you feel poverty, think of wealth to come.
113. If you feel sad - laugh.
114. If you must be a slave to habit, then be a slave to good habits.
115. If you persist long enough, you will win.
116. If you waste today, you destroy the last page of your life.
117. Ignore the obstacles at your feet and keep your eyes on the goals above your head.
118. In setting my goals, I will consider my best performance of the past and multiply it a hundredfold.
119. Increase your knowledge of mankind.
120. It pays to be persistent.
121. Just as love is my weapon to open the hearts of men, love is also my shield to repulse the arrows of hate and the spears of anger.
122. Just as nature made no provision for your body to tolerate pain neither has it made any provision for your life to suffer failure.
123. Keep work and family separate.
124. Laugh and your life will be lengthened for this is the great secret of long life.
125. Laugh at goodness and it will thrive and abound.
126. Laugh at the world.
127. Laugh at your failures and they will vanish in clouds of new dreams.
128. Laugh at your successes and they will shrink to their true value.
129. Laugh at yourself for man is most comical when he takes himself too seriously.
130. Leave your problems at home.
131. Lift up a friend in need.
132. Lift your arms with thanks for this priceless gift of a new day.
133. Live this day as if it is your last. Seal up the container of life so that not one drop spills itself upon the sand.
134. Live this day as if it is your last.
135. Live today as if it is your last chance to prove your love and your greatness.
136. Look upon each obstacle as a lesson to be learned.
137. Look upon misfortune as opportunity in disguise.
138. Love the darkness because it shows you the stars.
139. Love will melt all hearts like the sun whose rays soften the coldest clay.
140. Love yourself!
141. Make every hour count and trade each minute only for something of value.
142. Make love your greatest weapon.
143. Make the hours ahead priceless!
144. Make this day the best day of your life.
145. Many face each obstacle in their path with fear and doubt and consider themas enemies, when in truth, these obstructions are friends and helpers.
146. Many succumb to despair and fail without realizing that they already possess all the tools needed to acquire great wealth.
147. Master your emotions so that each day will be productive.
148. Master your moods through positive action and when you master your moods you will control your destiny.
149. Meditation and prayer feeds the soul.
150. My desire to meet the world will overcome every fear I once knew, and I will be happier than I ever believed it possible to be in this world of strife and sorrow.
151. Nature knows not defeat.
152. Never allow yourself to become so important, so wise, so dignified, so powerful, that you forget how to laugh at yourself.
153. Never be satisfied with yesterday's accomplishments.
154. Never feel shame for trying and failing for he who has never failed is he who has never tried.
155. Never will I allow my heart to become small and bitter, rather I will share it and it will grow and warm the earth.
156. Never will I allow my mind to be attracted to evil and despair, rather I will uplift it with the knowledge and wisdom of the ages.
157. Never will I allow my soul to become complacent and satisfied, rather I will feed it with meditation and prayer.
158. Never will I labor to be happy; rather will I remain too busy to be sad.
159. Never will I overindulge the requests of my flesh, rather I will cherish my body with cleanliness and moderation.
160. Never will I scratch for excuses to gossip.
161. No longer shall my vocabulary include such words as cannot, unable, impossible, and quit.
162. No longer will I fail to call again tomorrow on he who meets me with hate today.
163. Obstacles are necessary for success.
164. Only a habit can subdue another habit.
165. Only action determines my value in the market place.
166. Only with laughter and happiness can I enjoy the fruits of my labor.
167. Only with laughter and happiness can you truly become a success.
168. People will always respond positively to joy and enthusiasm.
169. Persist and develop your skills as the mariner develops his, by learning to ride out the wrath of each storm.
170. Persist with the knowledge that each failure to sell will increase your chance for success at the next attempt.
171. Practice the art of patience for nature never acts in haste.
172. Put your uniqueness on display in the market place.
173. Rain cleanses the spirit.
174. Remember that as today's dead flower carries the seed of tomorrow's bloom so does today's sadness carry the seed of tomorrow's joy.
175. Remove from your vocabulary such words and phrases as quit, cannot, unable, impossible, out of the question, improbable, failure, unworkable, hopeless, and retreat; for they are the words of fools.
176. Rewards are great if one succeeds but the rewards are great only because so few succeed.
177. Seek constantly to improve your manners and graces, for they are the sugar to which all are attracted.
178. Set goals for the day, the week, the month, the year, and your life.
179. Should you concern yourself over events which you may never witness? Should you torment yourself with problems that may never come to pass? No! Tomorrow lies buried with yesterday, think of it no more.
180. Sleep in peace for you have not failed.
181. Small attempts, repeated, will complete any undertaking.
182. Smile and your digestion will improve.
183. So long as I can laugh, never will I be poor.
184. So long as there is breath in me, that long will I persist.
185. Strive for happiness and peace of mind.
186. Strive for happiness, to be loved and to love, and most important, to acquire peace of mind and serenity.
187. Strive to become better than you are.
188. Strong is he who forces his actions to control his thoughts.
189. Success comes to those willing to work a little bit harder than the rest.
190. Success will not wait.
191. Suffer me to know that all things shall pass.
192. The height of my goals will not hold me in awe though I may stumble often before they are reached.
193. The only difference between those who have failed and those who have succeeded lies in their habits.
194. The prizes of life are at the end of each journey, not near the beginning; and it is not given to me to know how many steps are necessary in order to reach my goal.
195. The problems of the market place will be left in the market place.
196. The slaughterhouse of failure is not my destiny.
197. There are good qualities in everyone.
198. There are lessons to be learned from failures.
199. There is no room in the market place for your family, nor is there room in your home for the market.
200. There is not time to hate, only time to love.

Goal Processing: Og's Words of Wisdom (Part 1 of 3)

Just a few thoughts from Og Mandino as you work on your 2008 resolutions and goals...

Og Mandino Quotes (Part 1)

1. Act now. For now is all you have.
2. Action is the food and drink which will nourish my success.
3. Action will destroy your procrastination.
4. All men must stumble often to reach the truth.
5. All nature is a circle of moods and you are a part of nature and so, like the tides, your moods will rise; your moods will fall.
6. All your problems, discouragements, and heartaches are, in truth, great opportunities in disguise.
7. Always let your reach exceed your grasp.
8. Always raise your goals as soon as they are attained.
9. Always strive to make the next hour better than this one.
10. Always take another step. If that is to no avail take another, and yet another. One step at a time is not too difficult.
11. Any act with practice becomes easy.
12. Apply all of your efforts to become the highest mountain of all and strain your potential until it cries for mercy.
13. Avoid with fury the killers of time.
14. Bad habits must be destroyed and new furrows prepared for good seed.
15. Bathe me in good habits that the bad ones may drown.
16. Be happy.
17. Be hungry for success.
18. Be prepared to control whatever personality awakes in you each day.
19. Become master of yourself.
20. Begin now to accent your differences.
21. Beginning today, you can increase your accomplishments of yesterday by a hundredfold.
22. Bury doubt under faith.
23. Cherish each hour of this day for it can never return.
24. Chuckle and your burdens will be lightened.
25. Concentrate your energy on the challenge of the moment.
26. Confidence will take away your fear.
27. Consider each obstacle as a mere detour to your goal and a challenge to your profession.
28. Consider each obstacle as a mere detour to your goal.
29. Count your blessings today.
30. Cultivate the habit of laughter.
31. Destroy procrastination with action.
32. Dismember fear with confidence.
33. Do not allow yesterday's success to lull you into today's complacency, for this is the great foundation of failure.
34. Do not be satisfied with yesterday's accomplishments or indulge in self-praise for deeds which are too small to even acknowledge.
35. Do not commit the terrible crime of aiming too low.
36. Do not dwell on the past.
37. Do not judge a man on one meeting.
38. Do not listen to those who weep and complain, for their disease is contagious.
39. Do not make vain attempts to imitate others.
40. Do not permit the petty happenings of today to disturb you.
41. Do not think of yesterday or tomorrow.
42. Do not waste a moment mourning yesterday's misfortunes, yesterday's defeats, or yesterday's aches of the heart.
43. Drink every minute to its fill; savor its taste and give thanks.
44. Drive a bad habit from your life and replace it with one which will bring you closer to success.
45. Each day will be triumphant only when your smiles bring forth smiles from others.
46. Each failure to sell will increase your chances for success at your next attempt.
47. Each frown you meet only prepares you for the smile to come.
48. Each minute of today will be more fruitful than the hours of yesterday. Your last must be your best.
49. Each misfortune you encounter will carry in it the seed of tomorrow's good luck.
50. Each nay I hear will bring me closer to the sound of yea.
51. Each rebuff is an opportunity to move forward; turn away from them, avoid them and you throw away your future.
52. Each struggle, each defeat sharpens your skills and strengthens your courage and your endurance.
53. Enjoy today's happiness today.
54. Failure does not course through your veins as you were not delivered into this world in defeat.
55. Failure no longer will be my payment for struggle.
56. Failure will never overtake you if your determination to succeed is strong enough.
57. For now you know one of the greatest principles of success; if you persist long enough you will win.
58. Forget the happenings of the day that is gone, whether they were good or bad, and greet the new sun with confidence that this will be the best day of your life.
59. Fulfill today's duties today.
60. Good habits are the key to all success.
61. Grant me compassion for weaknesses in others.
62. Grasp each minute of this day with both hands and fondle it with love for its value is beyond price.
63. Green grass grows where dry desert ends.
64. Greet the sunrise with cries of joy.
65. Happiness is the wine that sharpens the taste of the meal.
66. Have confidence that this will be the best day of your life.
67. I can accomplish far more than I have, and I will, for why would the miracle which produced me end with my birth? Why can I not extend that miracle to my deeds of today?
68. I consider poverty to be the mark of a lack of ability or a lack of ambition.
69. I have a choice and I will not let my life be fed to swine nor will I let it be ground under the rocks of failure and despair to be broken open and devoured by the will of others.
70. I have not time to hate, only time to love.
71. I need not wait for I have the power to choose my own destiny.
72. I shall live this day as if it is my last. And if it is not, I shall fall to my knees and give thanks.
73. I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due; yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge.
74. I will be successful.
75. I will command, and I will obey mine own command.
76. I will do the work that a failure will not do.
77. I will encourage my friends and they will become brothers.
78. I will endure sadness for it opens my soul.
79. I will form good habits and become their slave.
80. I will greet this day with love in my heart.
81. I will greet this day with love, and I will succeed.
82. I will laud mine enemies and they will become friends.
83. I will laugh at evil and it will die untasted.
84. I will look on all things with love, and I will be born again.
85. I will love all mankind.
86. I will love all manners of men for each has qualities to be admired even though they may be hidden.
87. I will love myself.
88. I will love the ambitious for they can inspire me!
89. I will love the beautiful for their eyes of sadness; I will love the ugly for their souls of peace.
90. I will love the failures for they can teach me.
91. I will love the kings for they are but human; I will love the meek for they are divine.
92. I will love the rich for they are yet lonely; I will love the poor for they are so many. I will love the young for the faith they hold; I will love the old for the wisdom they share.
93. I will persist until I succeed.
94. I will persist and I will win.
95. I will say it is done before the failure says it is too late.
96. I will talk when the failure remains silent.
97. I will think naught of my profession when I am in my home for this will dampen my love.
98. I will toil and I will endure.
99. I will walk where the failure fears to walk.
100. I will welcome happiness for it enlarges my heart.

Goal Processing: Resolution Help...

As you are working on setting your '08 goals, priorities and resolutions, review the 17 Goal Processing posts from the PLI blog in 2007.

2007 Goal Processing Posts

A few highlights...

• When you start telling yourself you can't do something, flip it into a positive and shorten it.
• Keep commitments to yourself first.
• As you reach for your personal and professional goals, a powerful question to ask yourself is this, "For what am I willing to sacrifice average?"
• How does leadership fit into your goals?
• Your job as a leader is to step back and look at where you and your team have your focus - is it on unchangeable conditions or solvable causes?
• God grant me... Processed Goals to live purposefully.
• If you can't be excellent at IT, don't be IT at all.
• You not only need to write down your goals, but you also need to write down the benefit of reaching each goal. Keeping your eye on your goal is important. Keeping your eye on the outcome of reaching your goal is more important.

Goal Processing: Baby-Step It

When you start telling yourself you can't do something, flip it into a positive and shorten it. Baby-step it.

Replace... "I can't communicate better with my boss."

With... "I can make better eye contact with Jim."


Replace... "I can't lose 40 pounds."

With... "I can eat only half of my meals today."


Comment back with some goals you are struggling with that are long-term and overwhelming and I will help you shorten and flip them...

Goal Processing: Keep Commitments to Yourself

Keep commitments to yourself first. This isn't a statement advocating selfishness. This simply means we can get too good at breaking commitments to ourselves. Once or twice, this isn't detrimental. Over time it causes serious damage to our motivation, our happiness and our stress level.

Don't disappoint yourself.

The SlideShow

Goal Processing: One More Benefit of Conferences

Setting personal and professional goals in a conference environment is different than in a home environment. The reason is because we stretch ourselves, our dreams, and our hopes a little further when surrounded by positive talk, positive people and positive thoughts. We set bigger goals. We set more challenging goals.

Its not that we are being wildly unrealistic while at remote locations or strange conference centers. We are simply tapping into the best of our abilities and setting goals based on how hard we can work at something as opposed to limiting our view based on how we are normally (which is average.) When at an out-of-the-ordinary experience, like leadership conferences, we tend to focus on the best of ourselves and our hopes.

The real secret here is to...

1. Make a point to attend conferences annually.
2. Set stretch goals that push our mental, physical, emotional and social limits.
3. Stay committed to these goals even when we get back to our normal, daily routine of life back at home and work.

Goal Processing: Sacrifice

As you reach for your personal and professional goals, a powerful question to ask yourself is this, "For what are you willing to sacrifice average?"

What do you want so bad that you will be willing to give up the anonymity, the comfort and the security of average? Within the answer to this question lies the energy and fervor (or lack thereof) of your journey towards your goal and, hopefully, greatness.

Goal Processing: Measure it for Meaning

This is the second of a series of posts in direct response to questions student leaders have asked us over the past few weeks. Thank you to those student leaders who took the time to voice your questions.

Q: How do I know that I am doing the job I am supposed to be doing as an elected student leader?

A. I picked this question to blog on today because I just finished a book that every manager/CEO/team leader/coach should read and implement. It is the Three Signs of a Miserable Job by Patrick Lencioni. Without giving away the plot, this student leader's question speaks directly to one of the three signs - not knowing how to measure your performance.

If I could sit down with every student organization advisor on the chapter, state and national level today and give them one metric to work on that would dramatically improve the impact of their organization, it would be to help their leaders (both adult and student) to know what success looks like in their job and help them measure it on a regular basis.

To the student leader wanting to know if they are doing a good job or not, your first step is to ask your direct report - the person who is directly responsible for helping you do a good job. Ask them point blank if you are doing a good job and ask for specifics. Formulate a list between the two of you of the measurable tasks/outcomes that would signify a job well done. This list might include the number of letters/e-mails/Facebook messages you write to members, the number of assignments you completed on time or early, the amount of hours you invested in a certain time period working on organization related items, etc.

After your initial conversation and brainstorm with your advisor, you will not only have a clearer understanding of how you are doing today, but you will have a list of benchmarks for the future.

Masterful Communication: A Better Brainstorm

You may be called from time to time to either lead and/or be involved in a group decision making process. These meetings can be effective or ineffective based on the process used. I was called to lead a group of 200 educators and staff members through the process of creating a new vision statement for the school district. We followed this technique and, had we at least 30 more minutes, we could have finished with a final product.

FYI: I didn't tell the group this before we started so as to not hinder creativity, but the best vision statements are short, simple, concrete and visual. They don't include everything we want to do in the future. They only include the most critical element(s) of a new future.

1. Break the big group of 200 into mixed (different roles, responsibilities, etc.) smaller groups of 8-10.

2. Have each group pick one of these four discussion areas: What is our greatest strength? What is our greatest challenges? What words should be included in the statement? Where could the vision statement be used? (Your questions may be different based on the type and nature of your final product.)

3. Give each group an easel pad sheet, a marker and 40-50 stickers. The poster paper and marker are used to capture ideas. Each group picks a discussion leader/scribe. This person numbers the ideas, labels the sheet (which discussion area), and signs their name on the bottom. The scribe should write very legibly.

4. Each group has exactly five minutes to discuss ideas. Do not judge ideas. This first round is about quantity. KEY POINT: the discussion leader/scribe cannot make judgements or throw out ideas - they only write. This is because they could have too much influence and power over the group discussion. They can encourage, ask for clarity and ask questions to get ideas flowing (not judgmental questions though.)

5. After five minutes each group gets a different group's discussion sheet. The new sheet has to be on one of the other three discussion areas. Their task is to add a few new ideas to the list, but mainly to go back through the previous ideas and make them more C.V.S. - Concrete, Visual and Simple. Round two is about quality.

6. After the five minutes is up, each group hangs up their poster of ideas. Each person then grabs three to five stickers and everyone walks around the room and puts a sticker next to an idea that THEY THINK SHOULD BE IN THE VISION STATEMENT. This is a critical step. Only vote on ideas that you think should make the cut.

7. After this step, we ran out of time. However, the next step would have been to take the most popular ideas, have each team get a new easel pad sheet and write down just those (preferably less than 10) and discuss pros and cons. The main output goal here is for each team to whittle the ideas down to their version of a great vision statement.

8. At this point, each team gets one last poster paper and writes their final first draft of their vision statement. These are hung up. Everyone gets ONE STICKER and votes on their favorite one.

9. You can do two things here. Take the winning vote as is or take the best parts of the top two or three and collectively make a final one. This really all depends on how the final ideas are structured.

10. This is a very thorough and quick process for taking a number of ideas, filtering them down and creating a collaborative piece.

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Goal Processing: Four (or Eight) Important Leadership Questions

How does leadership fit into your world?
(i.e. - Do you see yourself as a leader?)

How does leadership fit into your goals?
(i.e. - Will they make you a better leader?)

How does leadership fit into your teams?
(i.e. - Do you hang around leaders?)

How does leadership fit into your attitude?
(i.e. - Do you think/act in a leaderly way?)

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Goal Processing: Identifying the Cause

Expert leaders understand the importance of correctly identifying the cause of problems. We do an activity called Balloon Toss that clearly demonstrates this principle. The object of the leadership experiment is for a team of 6-8 individuals to keep 10-15 balloons in the air and in motion at the same time. The balloons are fed to the team one at a time, the balloons can't be tied together and the team members must keep one hand behind their back the entire time.

After the first round of competition is over (most teams don't figure out the best strategy during the first round), we discuss how to improve their chances of success during the second round. We begin this by discussing possible answers to the question, "What was the main reason you were not able to accomplish your goal?"

The leaders normally begin to list conditions, instead of causes. The say things like too many balloons, we could only use one hand, we didn't have a good plan, etc. These are true, but most of the conditions they list are unchangeable within the constraints of the activity (just like most of the conditions we are faced with as leaders every day.)

Once the leaders get bogged down in discussing conditions, they handicap their ability to 1) recognize a cause and 2) make any real improvement in their strategy for round two.

The primary cause for not achieving their goal of getting all balloons in the air at once was that the balloons were out of control. Once the leaders recognized this primary cause they were better able to creatively discover the best strategy for getting all balloons in the air at once!

Your job as a leader is to step back and look at where you and your team have your focus - is it on unchangeable conditions or solvable causes?

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General: Influence Signals

Following are five direct ways to signal a positive influence to others:

1. Care-isma - People naturally like to be around people who are pleasant, joyful and smiling. It is a natural response to a natural trait of influential people who are great at attracting others. Call it charisma if you want. I prefer to call it care-isma. It demonstrates you care about your attitude, you care about the influence you have on others, and you care about others.

If you want more influence, have care-isma.

2. Encouragement - Every person at some level wants, needs or enjoys praise from others. I recently encouraged a couple of my friends and they said they weren't looking for approval from others. Well, there is a difference between approval (which occurs after the performance) and encouragement (which occurs before and after the performance).

If you want more influence, encourage more.

3. Visit C.V.S. - If clarity in communication is integral to your responsibilities, get and digest Made To Stick by Dan and Chip Heath. It is relevant, timely and has changed the way we teach communication. In the book, they discuss the Knowledge Gap, which says that people get curious when they notice a gap between what they know and what they don't know. And if that gap isn't filled quickly, they either get more curious, irritated, stressed or simply check out. This dynamic happens everyday in your communication to others. You know things that others want or need to know. The more concrete, more visual and more simple you can make these communication streams, the better. Just remember C.V.S. in your communication - Concrete, Visual, Simple.

If you want more influence, visit C.V.S.

4. Take Responsibility - This is a simple fact of process - with more influence comes more responsibility and with more responsibility comes more influence. Accept more responsibility that is in alignment with your core strength and talents.

If you want more influence, accept more responsibility.

5. H.E.R. Work - As a Christian, I do His work. I strive to be a strong, Christian role model for my wife, my daughters and others. As a business owner, speaker and teacher of leadership, I strive to do H.E.R. work. Hard work. Efficient work. Remarkable work. Six words to sum up an influential person's work ethic.

If you want more influence, do H.E.R. work.

These five signals will demonstrate to others that you have chosen to use your influence (which is a given) for positive (which is a choice)

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General: Grant Me Leadership...

God grant me...


Vision to see opportunity.

Integrity to be what I say.


Innovativeness to create value.

Wise Judgment to choose right.


Service mindedness to be significant.

Processed Goals to live purposefully.


Emotional Maturity to act with control and grace.

Skill Assessment to engage my strength.


Fostered Relationships to experience the richness of life.

Masterful Communication to bring clarity into an unclear world.

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Goal Processing: 3 Mind-Altering Excellence Tips

For those students experiencing defining moments this month (and for those of us who need a defining moment), here are three mind-altering excellence tips...

1. If you can't be excellent at IT, don't be IT at all.
2. If you aren't failing, you aren't pursuing excellence. If you aren't learning from your failures, you will never be excellent and you should re-read number one.
3. If you aren't excellent today, there is a reason. Something needs to change, improve, or be gone. This is going to require you sacrificing something very, very important to you today. If you don't want to sacrifice, then re-read number one and find something else to be excellent at that are willing to sacrifice for.

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General: Understanding the Pitfalls of Missing Links

[Click on the image to view a larger version. Print the larger version for best read.]

The Personal Leadership Insight Blog is built around our ten PLI Essentials. As you peruse through the posts, you will find each post discusses one of the ten. For deeper study into each Essential, click on an Essential in the PLI Tags list in the right-hand sidebar.

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Goal Processing: 2007 Day 45

I read about 15 blogs religously. Kevin Eikenberry's blog is one of them. His insight and unique take on life and leadership issues are the primary reasons why. For those of you working on your PLI Essential of Goal Processing, Kevin has a few very important questions for you today. Read them here.

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Goal Processing: Are You Stretching Yourself?

This guy didn't get from the chair where he set his goal of climbing K2 to the side of the hill without stretching himself, literally and metaphorically...

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Goal Processing: Purpose = Passion = Performance

Quick goal check...

When you read the word Purpose, what word(s) come to mind as to your primary purpose for being on this earth? Write it down...

When you read the word Passion, what word(s) come to mind as to what you are most passionate about? Write it down...

When you read the word Performance, what word(s) come to mind as to what you are most skilled at? Write it down...


THE QUESTION - do these three sets of words line up? If not, you have just discovered one key reason why you are not, if you feel you are not living up to your full leadership potential in life.

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Goal Processing: GREAT Goals

What is it about January that makes all of us fitness crazy? Probably the combination of acute fudge and eggnog poisoning during the holidays and the tradition of renewal and self-promise that manifests itself as New Year's Resolutions.

Yet, the stores in the mall are filled with workout clothes (which will be at the Salvation Army in April). The TV commercials have a disproportionate amount of advertising for the Bowflex, the Air Climber, the Gazelle, and the Nautilus (which you can find on E-Bay in four months under either the fitness equipment section or the clothes-hanger section). The rotating white-box in my hometown's downtown switches from a temporary book store to a workout facility every year. The workout place opens in January, when we are all ready to look like Jessica Simpson and P-Diddy, and then closes in May, when we remember it is more important to look good on the inside than on the outside. The book store fills in the remaining months when their best selling books are probably The Biggest Loser Cookbook: More Than 125 Healthy, Delicious Recipes Adapted from NBC's Hit Show, Ultrametabolism: The Simple Plan for Automatic Weight Loss and, It's not Really That Important: Why do Today What You Can Just Put Off Again Tomorrow?

So, I don't think the question is, "what makes us fitness crazy in January?" I think the better question is, "what makes us lazy crazy in May?" (And no, I did not plan on that rhyming...)

Well, our ability to maintain a course of disciplined action is important, obviously. Most people think you get motivated first and then you start or continue doing something second. This can prove rich temporarily, but poor as a long-term strategy. The best strategy is to just start doing something first and then you will feel like doing it second. However, this takes the key ingredient of being a self-starter and a self-starter over the long haul. I think that is officially called a self-continuer, but don't quote me on that.

I believe we need to get better at setting the right type of goals. Consider this goal setting formula we created for our audiences....

GREAT Goals -

G - Genuine
The goal has to be something you have identified as personally important and relevant to your life today!

R - Real Benefit
You not only need to write down your goals, but you also need to write down the benefit of reaching each goal. Keeping your eye on your goal is important. Keeping your eye on the outcome of reaching your goal is more important.

E - Exact
This is the BIGGEST DOWNFALL of most goals that are set - they are too general, too vague, and too broad. Your goals need to be very specific. You need to be able to know exactly when you have reached them. This also allows you to benchmark your progress.

A - Accountability
The strongest motivation to achieve goals is a combination of self-motivation to act and having a support team around you for accountability purposes. Make a list of three trustworthy people and ask them to hold you accountable for achieving your goals.

T - Time Factors
There are three time factors to consider: Timeline - set a timeline to benchmark your progress. The right time - make certain the progression toward this goal fits into your life today. Give it time - great goals take effort, work, dedication, self-motivation and time!


It would be very valuable to our readers to see some comments on the goals you have set and what you are doing to help yourself accomplish them! Good luck!

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Goal Processing: The One Thing Widget

For me to be a great father to my two girls (well, one and a half - second one is due in a few weeks!), the most important thing I can do to reach that end is to be a great husband. That is the one thing I have identified in my life that will make the biggest impact on being a great father.

As you work on your PLI Essential of Goal Processing, remember that whatever it is you want to be, want to do, need to do or need to be, there is a great complexity to achieving those ends. However, many times there is a single widget, if you will, that once identified and mastered can be your sharp axe; you can get twice as much done with half the effort.

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