Leadership – Page 6 – Mark S. Brown

The 3 P’s of Success

Let me warn you, success requires more than just 3 P’s. On the other hand, success isn’t achieved without the 3 P’s. Here they are in no particular order:

Persistence. Following through on intent is the first step toward improving success. Generate the drive to continue working toward your success every single day. Don’t ignore the roadblocks, but learn from them. Adjust your course and keep going.
Persistence. Getting past the failures is not easy. This is where persistence really gets tested. When you feel you have run out of options, failure can seem overwhelming. But before you give up, think about other resources you may have to help you find a new path. This could come in the form of a mentor, a book, a historical figure, a role model, a friend, or a family member. Sometimes we can forget the image of success. Remind yourself about your goal, and discover the motivation to continue.
Persistence. Success doesn’t happen overnight. Most times success requires consistent effort over a long period of time. Small wins accumulate and allow for success on a much larger scale. Passion is the fuel that will keep you going when the path gets long. Connect your daily progress with the passion that created your goal in the beginning.

When is the last time you encountered failure, and decided not to give up?

Practice Your Leadership

Leadership is not a skill that is developed accidentally. Leadership is learned. We learn through our every day interactions. We learn from others when we choose to lead or when we choose to follow.

The opportunity that is typically lost in today’s fast paced business world is practicing our skills every day. Wouldn’t it be nice to take the time to think about the interactions we are going to have today, and plan to get better? Maybe a checklist would help us think about different aspects of the discussions we have scheduled.

Well, you can! Change the way you think about your leadership, and implement some daily practice. What will work for you to get better at leadership relationships?

What’s Important Now?

Are you busy and driven by what needs to be done right now? Is your list of projects long? Do you feel you always run out of time to get the best result?

If this describes the way you work, it is time for a little reflection. Pausing occasionally and thinking about the future outcomes you want to achieve can help you reach those goals. Having a clear picture of your destination makes getting there easier. Without taking the time to create that vision, you might find yourself drifting from your main journey.

If there was one best practice to help in this regards, everyone would learn it, and everyone would use it. Unfortunately, one solution does not work for everyone. Only through practice will you find what works for you.

There are a few things I do to help me. Maybe some of this will also help you.

1. For longer term projects spend 10 or 15 minutes every day to make some progress. It is easy to procrastinate when a deadline is six months away, but for me, the result is better if I spend just a bit of time working towards that deadline.

2. Before you spend too much time towards your goal, clarify it. Sit back and think about what success looks like. Develop a plan to achieve the specifics of that vision.

3. Know what is important today, tomorrow, next week, and next month. Keeping the deadlines for your responsibilities starts with knowing the expectations. If you are given a task, make sure you ask about the deadlines.

4. Minimize distractions and trivial tasks. Delegate, eliminate, and delete what you can. Then sharpen your focus on the few and important things that will matter.

Some days, it is easier to list this than to actually do them. But with practice, it does get easier. What methods do you use to stay on track?

Don’t Do It!

There are a few things a leader should never delegate. One of those things is vision.

If you are a leader, the vision for your team or organization must come from you. If your team’s vision comes from someone else, your leadership will be less bright to those on the team.

This doesn’t mean that you have to develop the vision yourself. It also doesn’t mean that only you can communicate the vision.

It does mean that you must embrace and live the vision that you want your team to aspire to achieve.

This is walking the talk. It is casting inspiration of the future. It must be done authentically, and with passion.

It cannot be delegated.