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A friend of mine challenged me. What 3 books have made an everlasting impression on your life or career? Wow, only 3! Dozens are very memorable. Reducing to 3 I thought was going to be an impossible challenge. But I had to try.

1. Getting Things Done by David Allen. This book I read several times, and in various stages in my career. It is a great reminder that only action gets results. It also help me define a process that allowed me to get more done in less time. When you apply the principles over years, it makes a difference.

2. The Leadership Challenge by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner. All the successful leadership teams I built over my career, I trained using material and ideas from this book. It allows leadership to be learned with an understanding of values, but ties together the leadership actions required in a leadership role.

3. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell. This book captures what a person needs to understand to find the leader within themselves. No other book allows a person to develop an understanding of leadership from 21 different, but related perspectives. It encourages people to reflect on their own development.

Books that I had a tough time not putting in the top 3 were First, Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, and Today Matters by John C. Maxwell. I really wanted to make a top 5 or 10 list.

That is my top 3. How would you define yours?

I have facilitated many mastermind groups on leadership principles. One of my goals is to help people become aware of the difference that can occur in their life when they begin to apply self-leadership.

People always enjoy the sessions, but most don’t change their daily actions. They are excited about the learning, but get stuck. Focused on the learning and not the application.

To be successful, you need to turn information into action. Results are based on action, not what is in your head. The five steps I have outlined for action are simple. But the desire to follow through has to come from within you. Here are the five steps that need to become a habit.

1. Reflect on your learning. Learning cannot be applied unless it is evaluated. How does this information impact the the world, other people, people around you? How important is this information in respect to your goals?

2. Evaluate how it affects your life. What does this learning mean to you? How can it impact your life? How can it help you achieve your goals?

3. Define an action you want to take. What are you going to do with the information? What do you know you need to do? What new action can you take that will help you achieve your goal?

4. Take the action. Do it. This is the stumbling point for many. If you have taken the time to learn, to reflect, to define the action, then why would you consider stopping before you take the action? Get over any fears within your head.

5. Repeat. It is a never ending process. These five steps need to become a part of your daily routine if you are going to live what you learn.

Do you struggle with accountability? Let’s discuss how you can improve your abilities.

Most people find it difficult to hold themselves accountable for major objectives in their life. It is not for lack of desire, commitment, or knowledge. Most people fail to be accountable to themselves only because they are the sole negotiator within their own mind. It becomes easy to let things slip when you only answer to yourself.

A coach or an accountability partner can help you develop the habit of being accountable to yourself. Coaching is becoming more and more common. It is moving from sports, to the board room, to business owners. It is about successful people becoming more successful.

What is the impact of not holding yourself accountable?

1. Lost Opportunity. Our path to success is never clear. If we delay our actions, then we are also delaying the failures, and the learning that will be required to reach your ultimate objectives. The opportunities that will lead to success are discovered in the doing, not in the planning.

2. Lost productivity. Failure to act on your initiatives in a timely manner delays your ability to reach your objectives. Being accountable means following through on your initiatives as planned, and on time. It requires overcoming obstacles as they are encountered.

3. Impact to Attitude. If you continually miss your own targets, it will degrade your morale. Your objectives will slowly transform from defined plans to just a dream. Your long term self-esteem may be in danger of deterioration if your behavior becomes chronic.

If you feel you are not accomplishing all that you can, and you need some assistance, let’s grab a coffee and decide how you can reach your goals.

If you spend more time organizing your work than the actual work itself, then you may need some productivity help. We need to be very aware of the time we spend actually working versus the time we spend preparing to work. Being effective is not the same as being organized. A person can be organized, but get very little accomplished.

Here are three things to consider if you want to increase your effectiveness, and not compromise your preparation and planning.

1) Stop procrastinating! Organizing work is easier than the work itself. We can find ourselves putting off the work because the planning is easier. If you find yourself procrastinating, change your planning time to the end of your day. Tackle the hardest work first thing in the morning, and delay more of your routine tasks until later.

2) Make organization a habit! If you are spending too much time on organization, then it is possible that you have not yet converted these tasks to habits. Habits are usually done quickly and without much thought. You don’t plan or spend much time brushing your teeth. That is how your organizational efforts should feel.

3) Keep It Simple! Using the latest software and gadgets may be more efficient, but they may also come with a huge learning curve. That learning curve is likely to be repeated as new features and versions are released. You have to decide what is the best balance for you. Sometimes the best solution is the simplest solution, a pencil and a piece of paper.

There are days I struggle in all three of these areas. But most days I can overcome these shortfalls with simple solutions converted to habits and a focus to achieve my commitments. If you need more help in these areas, I would be glad to grab a cup of coffee with you and learn about your obstacles.