Mark S. Brown

Have you ever felt like you were working on everything that everyone else wanted, but had no time for yourself? If you fail to put into perspective all the priorities that you have in your life, you can quickly become drained of your energy.

If you are like me, you can divide your priorities into three categories:

1. Priorities that are required of you. You have no choice, but to keep these high on your list. Maybe they are activities that only you can do. Or activities that are required because of your position or occupation.

2. Priorities driven by desire. These are the priorities associated with activities that provide you joy. They energize you. You are always trying to fit these in your schedule.

3. Priorities that give you personal results. These are the priorities that help you sustain or grow your income. These activities are what provide you the ability to pay for your life.

The next time you updating your priority list, think about how you can make sure you are covering all 3 types of priorities. It will keep you in harmony with your long term plans.

If you would like to review your priorities and find more clarity in your actions, I would be glad to meet you for a coffee!

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.