Absolutely Positive!

I write a lot about leaders striving to be better (including me!) Often those messages are embedded in real life examples of leadership failures (including me again!).

But here's the thing...so much of what happens around us...to us...and for us...is because of...

...us!

All In My Mind
I am often 'accused' of having such a positive outlook that I don't have a real grasp of reality. I LOVE THAT! So what it is that has made the Jay-Filter so effective despite problems, stress, mistakes, pressure, even bigger mistakes, and failure?

Every corporate setting I've been exposed to (large or small) comes with a dose of the aforementioned challenges. Dwelling on those problems, for some, is a competency they have perfected after years of practice.

I don't love that.

However, finding the opportunity in every problem that blows up in our face...seeing the potential...interpreting the chaos as a challenge to be world-class...is something that has made an enormous difference in my life, both personally and professionally.

Stop It
Have you practiced your negativity skill a bit too long? Is complaining about everything that is wrong with the world your comfort zone?

Why?

Does it make you feel better?
Does it improve the operations of your organization?
Does your team create amazing results because of the negative environment?

Um, no, no and no.

How About You
Life is full of negative things...that isn't going to change. What can change however is what you do about them. 

Get fired up!

Laugh off the madness, and charge ahead (even if you don't know what to do next)!

...and most of all...find the good each day! It's all around you!

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Setbacks and Kicking Ass

It’s funny how profoundly our mood affect us. We can go from feeling like we could conquer the world, to feeling like we’ve been conquered in a matter of moments. I had one of those dramatic swings last week when I was settling down to work at a local Starbucks.

Long story short….spilling coffee on your MacBook Air can change your mood…and your plans for the next few days…fairly quickly.

Moving Backwards

The danger of these unexpected detours in life is that we can sometimes frame our whole life by what is happening in the moment. Although I remained surprisingly calm, didn’t utter a word, and went about cleaning up (and attempting to drain) my computer, my mind was racing.

Here we go again.

Why do these things keep happening to me?

I can’t take another expensive hit right now.

Whine, whine, whine, whine….

Negative self-talk is an insidious adversary. It can shift from an unfortunate moment, to the definition of all your moments. The end result is not progress, in fact it often feels like life has been thrown into reverse.

Kick Ass Instead

I’ll admit, I was rattled for the next day or two. The negative questions kept creeping into my mind as I had my computer checked out…realized I needed a new one…and was given a “gift” of a fully functioning hard drive with no loss of data.

It was a lot to process. But something happened as I allowed myself to wallow in self-pity for a while. I decided setbacks are just that…a setback. They do not define my life. They don’t define yours either. Yes, now I have to scramble to load software and get caught up this week. That’s okay.

This first awkward week of the new year will not define me as a person. My mindset to kick ass all year will!

How About You

What is your mindset coming into 2016? Are you fired up; or, feeling like you’re on fire? Either way, it’s the long view…the energy you bring to power through challenges…and the commitment to kick ass all year that will make the difference.

I’d love to hear from you.

No Excuses. 

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Powering Through

Sometimes we face challenges as leaders that burn a tremendous amount of energy in the moment. That moment can last days or even weeks. That moment can be downright draining.

Did any of us really believe that leading was going to be easy?

Expectations

Oh to be twenty-seven again as I landed my first management job. I was fired up, ready to make a difference, and had absolutely no idea what I was doing.

Sure I had "learned" from ineffective leaders both at part-time gigs as a teenager, and again in my first corporate-type position. But watching others struggle, and having to literally walk in their shoes, are two very different things.

I started to realize that leading was going to be anything but easy.

Attitude Is Everything

The more I encountered difficult issues however, the more I decided to forge ahead. The greater the conflict, the more I knew that I should be in the middle of it and not running the other way. I came to appreciate how important a positive attitude was relative to effective leadership. I wanted more...even if I didn't know what "more" meant.

"I ask not for a lighter burden, but for broader shoulders."

– Jewish Proverb

How About You

Now that I have more leadership miles on me, I'm able to understand what it is that I need to keep going. Interpersonal skills, a strong internal and external network, and the courage to keep powering through are all essential parts of my leadership journey. What is it that helps you keep moving forward?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



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Somebody Save Me

"Change is good!"

"The only constant around here is change!"

"Change brings innovation, breakthroughs, and progress!"

"If you can't change, it may be you that is the problem!"

I Get It
I have completely bought into the "change-is-good" mindset at work. I've pushed myself, and my team to try new things, explore social tools, collaborate with marketing and end up with something as cool as this. I can not thank the team enough for all of the work that went into this whole year of change.

I'm good with change at work. At home...well...

No Choice is the Best Choice

Sometimes when we're faced with a series of changes, expected or otherwise, we hold back or try to delay following through, even if we know we must move forward. Change is tough for me. It might be tough for you too.

One of the strategies that has helped me power through these anxious moments is accepting the fact that "it's going to happen." Funny how a simple little phrase has fired me up to try all sorts of new things, embrace new things, and accept new things.

"It's my attitude that has made the difference, not any edict, or regulation, or mandate. I'm the one that makes it happen in the end."

How About You
When the never ending series of changes bombards you each day, do you cry out for someone to save you? Or, do you take advantage of those moments so you can actually try new approaches that might feel a bit awkward at first, but release you to make a breakthrough in the end?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



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