leadership dot #1681: bark

Although winter is in its early stages, many dog owners and their canine companions are experiencing cabin fever. While merely walking your dog in frigid temperatures seems unappealing, perhaps a novel experience will entice you to head outdoors.

One option is Skijoring -- a Norewgian sport where harnessed dogs pull their owner on skis across cross-country ski trails. Horses have also been known to participate and pull their owners as well. Apparently both human and animal receive quite a work out from the event.

If something indoors is more your style, you can have fun with that as well. Our city offers an indoor dog park at the arena, which includes a "barkaoke" where owners can sing with their dog (no indication as to why anyone would want to do this), and a "Barka Lounge" with adult refreshments.

Perhaps you don't have a dog or maybe you're not in a winter climate. Take lessons from these activities anyway to craft a silver lining out of otherwise undesirable circumstances. If your clients have a change in seasons or needs, can you offer something creative to make a positive outcome from it? If there is something that you dread, can you put a new spin on an activity to help the downside become more palatable? Your clients may have a howling good time because of it.

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leadership dot #1680: alarm

I was in a parking lot when a car alarm went off. I did nothing. Everyone around me did nothing as well. The car made noise and flashed its lights for a few moments, then went silent without intervention.

What is the point of a car alarm? Does anyone respond to them? Do they truly aid in theft reduction or deterrent? Or, more likely, it is an idea that sounded good, but really has little value in practical application.

Do you have "car alarms" in your organization -- something that is in place, but not adding much value, or something that generates angst but turns out to be nothing? If people are ignoring you as they do car alarms, it should be a warning sign.

Alarms that go off but mean nothing diffuse the reaction to legitimate alarms that merit a response. Remember that childhood fable about the little boy who cried "wolf" once too often, and only sound the alarm when a reaction is expected.

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leadership dot #1679: small pieces

My favorite place to eat when I return to my childhood home is a greasy pizza joint. Unlike most places today that cut the pies into about 8 large slices, they cut the pizza into little squares instead. As a result, there are 30 or more pieces -- that seem like bite size pieces -- luring you into a false sense of quantity.  Over the holidays, my brother lamented: "I always eat too much when we order these."  He is not alone.

I think that how this Ma and Pa pizza parlor cuts their product can become a metaphor for how other things in life work. If we only focus on the small -- tasks, things we eat, time -- we often overindulge because we don't have the perspective of the big picture. How many times have you wasted five minutes that becomes ten, then twenty? We never set out to waste an hour, rather we spend it five minutes at a time without realizing it.

Think about how you will cut up your pie in the new year. Will you focus on a few big "slices" or will you let the smaller pieces disappear without intentionality? 

leadership dot #1678: out of sight

A friend asked me for a Christmas wish list and I asked for a hat -- a very specific hat that I saw in the local Dick's Sporting Goods. When he went to purchase it, the hat was gone and the clerk could not locate one for him. As a result, after Christmas I was on a hunt to find the item myself.

We went to Dick's to check that no more had come in/been returned, but no. So imagine my surprise when I looked on-line at Dick's and found that I could pick up the hat in the store -- in my store -- on the very same day. When I was there, I explained the situation to the manager, who unapologetically said that it had been in the back room the whole time. 

What is laying around in your "back room?"  Do you have resources that are being underutilized because no one knows you have them? Are there valuable supplies or services that could be put to good use if they were shared instead of stored? Are there physical things that could be moved out or given away to make room for more productive tools and treasures?

Don't be cavalier about the opportunity cost of what is lost in the background in your organization. Either feature your offerings in the front 'window' or remove them from 'inventory.' Having services no one can access services no one.

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leadership dot #1677: forgive and forget

I recently ate at Chipotle and got a smile when I read their napkin: "This napkin is made from 100% recycled content. It could have been a losing lottery ticket or a frustrating furniture assembly manual in its past life...forgive and forget."

As you use the start of the new year as a time for reflection, think about what you have been in your past life that you would like to forgive and forget. Were you an overly aggressive co-worker? An absent friend? An angry partner? An over-spender or over-eater? Part of the silent majority?

Forgive and forget. Let yourself off the hook and then resolve to do better in the new year. If Chipotle's napkin can have a new start, you can recycle yourself too.

leadership dot #1676: bullet

Looking for a different way to stay organized or to track your goals in the new year? The latest trend in personal project management is the bullet journal, so named because you can keep lists and monitor progress in short bursts or bullets.

Even better, the "BuJo" is completely tailored to your needs, as a bullet journal is no more than a blank notebook that you create into a comprehensive compilation of all you wish to record. (Often the journal has dotted pages instead of line to make the customization easier.) The bullet journal could include fitness goals, to-do lists, expense tracking, gratitude reflections or bucket list items -- whatever is important to you. For sample pages, see this.

As with any tool, there is an on-line community waiting to assist you in its set-up and use. Founder Ryder Carroll also provides background and information at bullet journal or via a 4-minute video tutorial. The key to this system is that, once it is set up, it allows for quick entries, so in theory you will actually use it instead of abandoning other more daunting systems.

If your organizational system isn't working for you, or you'd like a creative outlet to capture all your plans and dreams, you may want to give the bullet journal a try. There's no such thing as a silver bullet, but perhaps a multi-colored bullet will help move you toward success.

Photos from cerriesmooney.com

 

Photos from Edie:

leadership dot #1675: success habits

Well, here it is, a new year and time to make new resolutions. No matter what you are hoping to achieve, making the most of your time will help you turn resolutions into habits. Inc. author Jeff Haden has compiled a list of 10 strategies that will help you develop routines to excel in 2017:

1. Get positive by starting the day with a mantra you say out loud.
2. Start your day by being proactive (working towards your goals) vs. reactive (checking email)
3. Visualize your success by imagining in your mind how you want your day to unfold.
4. Commit to reading one chapter of a book each day.
5. Find a mentor to hold you accountable.
6. Spend time writing every day.
7. Make a small daily to-do list of the day's priorities (use a Post-It Note to keep the focus on just the most important things)
8. Take regular breaks (Haden lists out a system for you to follow)
9. Break your day into chunks with blocks of time designated for certain activities
10. Theme your workdays/week by focusing on different tasks on different days 

All of these techniques may not work for you, but undoubtedly one will. Haden's article gives additional information and rationale for each of them, along with several bonus worksheets and habits. Start 2017 off on a positive note and adopt one new strategy to make this your best year yet.

Source: Want to be super successful? Science says do any 1 of these 10 things by Jeff Haden, Inc.com, published December 13, 2016.

Thanks Tim for sharing!