Living to Lead

by Dave Ferguson

You are here: Home / Archives for Drive

4 Steps to Create a Robust Work Regimen

By Leave a Comment

4 Steps to Create a Robust Work Regimen

Featured article by Dave Ferguson in CEOWORLD magazine. Reprinted by permission.

You do not need to be a morning person to be a good leader.

There are plenty of people who don’t rise before the sun, and yet manage to build empires. What they do have in common, however, is diligence.

Creating a work regimen is simply about habits. These are the small acts you perform throughout your day that help give you structure. This structure is what helps push us through the trying or mundane days (we all have them) and pushes us toward success when we lack the extra drive ourselves.

In short, crafting a work regimen will make you a more productive leader.

“But Dave, I have no idea where to start…”

I can’t create the perfect work regimen for you because successful habits are deeply personal. But I can offer up four important steps to creating one.

The Work Regimen

Step One: Always look ahead

Assess your schedule and to-do list at the beginning of each day. End each day by looking forward to the next. This should take 10 minutes tops. Surprises upset most of us — this is a sure way to head off the unexpected.

Identify the one task or project you want to complete most every day and block off your most productive time for this task. This ensures you will end most days feeling productive.

Step Two: Write things down

Whether you prefer a digital app to organize your to-dos and personal notes or you are more of a pen and paper kind of person — I promise you that writing things down will only make you more productive and accountable.

Don’t be afraid to be creative with it! A simple checklist may be the perfect option for you. Or you may find that a concept map is more effective. The point is that we don’t always know what’s best for us, and so it is important to try different things until we find our optimal solution.

Step Three: Make it work for you.

You can’t just adopt someone else’s regimen lock, stock, and barrel. Just because a habit works for a colleague or mentor doesn’t mean it will work for you.

By all means, take suggestions from these people in your life. And try them out — but without expectation. Point is, we are all different. Make sure your work regimen is yours.

Step Four: Give it time.

By definition, a habit is a behavior practiced over time. Your ritual will take time to establish. Be kind to yourself, and don’t get discouraged by slip-ups.

Remember, it is important not to try to overhaul your life all in one day. Like any other healthy change, it takes time in order to stick! But once you settle into your work regimen, you will find that it is much easier to handle menial tasks on autopilot, attack important tasks with focus and solve problems with creativity.

Dave Ferguson is “The Leaders’ Coach”, an internationally recognized executive leadership coach, speaker, facilitator, and author. Are you interested in talking to Dave about coaching or having Dave speak to inspire and motivate your team? “ASK COACH DAVE” at 704-907-0171 or at Dave@AskCoachDave.com.

 

Playbook for Setting and Achieving Professional Goals

By Leave a Comment

Playbook for Setting and Achieving Professional Goals

Featured article by Dave Ferguson in CEOWORLD magazine. Reprinted by permission.

Setting professional goals is generally never a problem for people. The majority of people aspire to do better and achieve more. They set goals for who they want to be as a leader, how their businesses should ideally perform, and the next steps for their professional careers.

Setting professional goals for a successful year is not the problem.

The difficult part is reaching them.

This lies in the execution. A gap exists between the planning and the executing. Professional goals can be frustrating for many people because they don’t understand why they can’t seem to reach them.

They are successful. They are driven. So what is the problem?

The answer normally lies in some combination of stress, motivation, and accountability. Any one of these things, if allowed to take over, can derail you from making progress toward a goal.

Fortunately, I have a playbook for alleviating this three-headed, goal-killing monster.

Break professional goals down into smaller pieces.

We are guilty of setting mammoth goals. If this sounds like you, understand that large goals are not achieved in one fell swoop. Breaking your goals down into smaller, more manageable pieces allows you to “cross it off” — which in turn allows you to feel the progress you are making.

Start breaking down larger goals by looking at them from the end. Work your way to where you are now. By logically working backwards you can obtain a better perspective of what you need to do to make your goal achievable, and set a plan of tasks accordingly. This will also help you create a timeline — if reaching your goal by a certain date is important.

Write down professional goals.

I talk all the time about the value in writing things down. Your goals are no different than your daily to-do list. If you don’t write a task down, it is less likely to get done. Period.

Writing your goals down also helps give them life; it makes them feel more real. Write your goals down, not in a manner or location that suggests they are something “to do,” but as inspiration — to remind yourself on heavy days what it is you are working toward.

Make your professional goals specific.

Another mistake people make is setting goals that are too broad or vague. To work toward a goal, you have to define the outcome and how you will achieve it.

If you have a hard time defining your goals, it’s a sign that you don’t understand them or don’t have much excitement for them. This combination will severely affect your commitment to seeing them through.

Share your professional goals.

One of the most significant issues in not meeting goals is accountability. Turns out, we are horrible at being accountable to ourselves. The good news is, we don’t necessarily have to be. By simply sharing your professional goals with others, you increase your external accountability.

Not only will you have someone (or more than one someone!) inquiring how it’s going, but you’ve invested in your future goals. Colleagues, peers, and mentors offer invaluable outside perspectives, and may see possibilities that your proximity blinds you from. This investment will provide not only motivation and accountability, but revive your excitement in your goals.

Understand your obstacles.

Identify any roadblocks in your way! Performing a “Check up” on your goals is an effective way to reveal any obstacles that might be between you and your professional goals. You may find that the obstacles in your way do not directly relate to the goal specifically, but rather in some form of the aforementioned three-headed goal-killer: Stress, motivation and accountability.

Cut this monster off in its tracks before it has time to attack. Success will be yours in no time. Once you master this cycle, it becomes easy to duplicate. Implement it for the year, and keep me posted on how you have eliminated the gap between the planning and execution of your professional goals.

Dave Ferguson is “The Leaders’ Coach”, an internationally recognized executive leadership coach, speaker, facilitator, and author. Are you interested in talking to Dave about coaching or having Dave speak to inspire and motivate your team? “ASK COACH DAVE” at 704-907-0171 or at Dave@AskCoachDave.com.

10 Valuable Attributes of Leaders Who Thrive

By Leave a Comment

10 Valuable Attributes of Leaders Who Thrive

We live in a dramatically changing marketplace. The dynamic leader knows how to stay relevant and expand relevant skills.

I have presented many times about good habits to practice, but it is equally important to discuss valuable attributes of successful leaders. I’m talking about those features that are inherent in us.

If you look at any business that weathered the Great Recession, or any business that shows continual growth, you will be able to identify many of the following valuable attributes in their leadership team.

  1. Stay curious. Many leaders who thrive are successful because they are “life-long learners.” They never presume to know it all, and constantly wonder how something can be improved.

Strengthen this attribute: Ask, “What if?” in every situation.

  1. Be creative. Leaders who thrive in a changing market do so because they are innovative. They work with what they have and produce things no one else imagined.

Strengthen this attribute: Hold brainstorming sessions with your team (or by yourself). No rules allowed — anything goes.

  1. Remain flexible. Leaders who thrive understand why organizations need to change. They also see the value in Plan B, C, D, and Z. Just because it wasn’t the first idea doesn’t mean it’s not the better idea.

Strengthen this attribute: Replace the word “failing” with the word “learning.”

  1. Be Passionate. Passion is what propels leaders who thrive to take risks when others won’t.

Strengthen this attribute: Eliminate the excuses you make to accept new challenges. Understand what is holding you back.

  1. Plan (but don’t over-plan). Leaders who thrive plan for potential pitfalls, difficulties and setbacks — but not so much that they overlook opportunity. Many leaders fall victim to over-planning.

Strengthen this attribute: View your plans as a road map, and let go of perfection.

  1. Maintain Self-Awareness. Leaders who are self-aware lead with a better sense of purpose and authenticity. This is because they are in tune with their strengths and weaknesses equally.

Strengthen this attribute: Ask for feedback from trusted peers and mentors — allow them to be your mirror until you can learn to be your own.

  1. Network. Leaders who thrive understand the strength of a team, and don’t presume they’ve gotten where they have on their own. They know that a certain amount of interdependence is more valuable than independence.

Strengthen this attribute: Set monthly goals of people you would like to connect with, email, or touch base with. Write these goals down.

  1. Doubt yourself (but not too much). Leaders who thrive are successful in part because they are not blind to challenges. Leaders who doubt themselves too much will eventually talk themselves out of trying. But a little bit of doubt is healthy, and keeps their leadership grounded.

Strengthen this attribute: If you doubt too much — ask yourself, “Is that thought unfounded?” If you doubt too little —ask yourself, “What are the potential pitfalls of this decision?”

  1. Be decisive. Leaders who thrive often do so because they make decisions faster than others.

Strengthen this attribute: Gather the “how,” “what” and “why” of every decision you face. Decisions are infinitely easier to make if you’re clear on their importance and impact.

  1. Remember the customer. Leaders who thrive know who their customers are, are familiar with their expectations, and are constantly reassessing their customers’ needs.

Strengthen this attribute: Let customers get to know you — communication is a two-way street and the foundation for any lasting relationship.

Remember, we all have the ability to be any one of these things — some features just may come easier to some than others. But this doesn’t mean attributes can’t be developed.

Take the time to get to know yourself and your team, and identify which of these valuable attributes come natural and as well as those you’d like to see more of. Practice makes progress!

Dave Ferguson is “The Leaders’ Coach”, an internationally recognized executive leadership coach, speaker, facilitator, and author. Are you interested in talking to Dave about coaching or having Dave speak to inspire and motivate your team? “ASK COACH DAVE” at 704-907-0171 or at Dave@AskCoachDave.com.

 

A 10-Step Process for Creating Work-Life Separation

By Leave a Comment

A 10-Step Process for Creating Work-Life Separation

Featured article by Dave Ferguson in CEOWORLD magazine. Reprinted by permission.

I like work-life separation, not work-life balance.
If I’m on, I want to be on and maximally productive.
If I’m off, I don’t want to think about work.
~ Dave Ferguson

There are way too many of us trying to juggle way too many responsibilities, all at the same time. You have seen it in meetings – a leadership team is gathered around a conference table, with most team members distracted by text messaging, shuffling papers, and “multi-tasking.”

You have seen it on the highways, often with dangerous consequences.

And you see it in restaurants as families eat together but don’t speak to each other. We are in one place but never fully focused. We fool ourselves into thinking we are highly productive, all while feeling more and more stressed because, in reality, we are not.

The devices and practices that were supposed to create work-life balance have actually created a significant and unproductive imbalance.

There is a need, not for work-life balance, but for work-life separation.

The fact is, there is no such thing as work-life balance. It’s a myth many chase. Essentially, there are seven areas of life: Faith, Work, Health, Relationships, Finances, Home, and Personal Growth. If you work 40 hours a week, you cannot possibly give 40 hours to each of the other areas in order to create a time balance between your work and the other six areas.

You intuitively know that. Yet, what do you do?

It is likely you attempt to multi-task, as in the examples above. This makes you feel like you are balancing work and life quite well, and being highly productive – but if you ask your team, your spouse, or your children, what would they say? Do they have your full attention when you are with them?

The case for work-life separation.

There is great value in the ability to focus on life one area at a time, giving it full focus with maximum productivity. In times past, this was somewhat attainable. You may have worked late at the office on occasion, but when you left the office, you were generally able to leave your work. In this age of technology, however, the work is always with you.

It has come to a point of addiction.

How do you create work-life separation?

Following the example of a program to overcome addiction, you can take these steps to gain focus and create targeted success, not just in your work, but in all areas of your life.

1. PROBLEM – Admit you have a problem that is out of control.

For varying reasons, people get addicted to work. For some, it is the adrenaline rush of getting results. For others, it is the fear of what happens if they don’t work. As with any addiction, it is either driven by pleasure or by pain…and more often than not, either way, it ends in loss. Heart attacks, relationship issues, or loss of “self” are often the outcome. Executive burnout is an issue we often address in executive coaching sessions.

2. ASSESSMENT – Determine which 1-3 areas of your life are most out of balance.

Take a personal inventory – and be real about it. For each of the seven areas of life, give yourself an honest assessment – a rating on a scale of 1-10. Many draw this out as a “Wheel of Life” – and the end result is very unbalanced wheel. As a leader, you may be tempted to falsely inflate the wheel, but be real and honest in your assessment. As noted above, the first step to fixing a problem is to first acknowledge it exists. As you are assessing the problem in detail, ask yourself how your team, your spouse, or your children would assess you in the relevant areas.

Determine the top one to three areas that are out of balance, and ask yourself what one thing you can do to improve in each area. Set those as your next goals. This gives you one to three targeted goals that will have maximum impact. In addition, improving your top three areas often has a cascading and compounding effect on other areas as well.

3. VISION – Create a vision for where you want to be.

The key is to STOP. No, you can’t stop working altogether, nor should you. That creates its own set of issues. But stop long enough to reflect on where you really want to go in life. You’ve heard the old adage “begin with the end in mind.” It is wise advice, even today. What is the end toward which you are working? What does success look like to you – not just in one area – but in each area of life?

4. VALUES – Determine your values.

Values are the principles by which you live. They are bedrock. List your top five values. Literally, write them down.

5. ACTIONS – Decide what actions you will to take to live by those values.

Living by your values is key, but it doesn’t “just happen.” You must attribute actions to each value and do those actions daily.

For example, if one of your values is health, the action could be movement.

Thus, if you claim that health is a value to you, yet you never leave your desk or get off the couch to exercise in any form or fashion, you have either violated a value – or it is not a real value to you.

If you are doing something that violates any one of your values, you will feel stress, anger, or frustration. Pay close attention to those things that make you feel this way, and you will likely find a violated value at the root.

 

Click to Tweet

 

6. HABITS – Replace bad habits with good habits.

Habits are essentially daily actions. Each day, you get to choose whether you will engage in good and healthy actions or bad and unhealthy actions. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “Sow a thought, and you reap an action; sow an act, and you reap a habit; sow a habit, and you reap a character; sow a character, and you reap a destiny.”

Are your daily habits – your repeated actions – based on values, vision, and your desired destiny? Your habits create your destiny. Are you making daily deposits toward the outcome you desire?

7. PLAN – Make a plan based on vision.

There are two ways to plan. You can start with all that is on your current to-do list and plan for how you are going to accomplish the items on the list; or you can start with a proverbial “zero-based budget” – a clean canvas – and create a plan based on the big picture first.

Start with vision. Where do you want to go, and how will you get there?

Then look at values – what daily actions will you take to maintain those values?

8. ACCOUNTABILITY – Finding a method to hold yourself accountable to your goals is imperative.

This can come in the form of your plan, a calendar, a timer, and someone who will serve as a partner in helping you reach your goals. This person must be objective – someone who will encourage your progress but also ask the hard questions when needed, someone who won’t let you give up on you. This is why successful people have coaches.

9. BOUNDARIES – Work-life separation requires boundaries.

You must first establish schedule boundaries – times when you will work, times when you will not work, and flex times when you will work if necessary. Communicate these to your team and to your friends and family.

Then…prepare to be tested!

Just as certainly as you set your boundaries, someone or something will push those boundaries. You must hold the line with rare exception. This may mean putting your phone in a lockbox at times, or having “digital detox” days. It may mean closing your office door to focus on projects, or turning off inbox notifications.

10. REVIEW – Review your progress regularly.

Consider your calendar, desk, and inbox. Is everything in those areas relative to your values, actions, and goals? Or do you see a lot of unrelated clutter?

Review your progress regularly to ensure your to-do list aligns with your values and priorities, and not those of everyone else.

As Jim Rohn so wisely noted: “If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are, you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.”

If you have been struggling with work-life balance, join the crowd. It doesn’t exist. But the good news is, you can create work-life separation.

Dave Ferguson is “The Leaders’ Coach”, an internationally recognized executive leadership coach, speaker, facilitator, and author. Are you interested in talking to Dave about coaching or having Dave speak to inspire and motivate your team? “ASK COACH DAVE” at 704-907-0171 or at Dave@AskCoachDave.com.

9 Ways to Deliver Customer Service Fireworks

By Leave a Comment

Promise Sizzlers and Deliver Fireworks

Think back over the last few days. Do you recall receiving great customer service from anyone?

Did you receive a prompt, friendly greeting by someone who showed they cared about your needs? Did someone deliver what they said they would deliver? Was there a cashier who thanked you for your business? Did a contractor show up on time and finish on schedule?

Leaders often fail to realize the impact of customer service on their business. Done well, it creates an outstanding company. Done poorly, it can be detrimental.

The often-heard statement, “We provide customer service excellence,” sounds great, doesn’t it?

We hear it all the time from companies and people. It’s in their promotional materials, their mission statements, and on their websites. They say it, and often advertise it right behind their so-called “service” counters.

But as the saying goes, “Actions speak louder than words.”

Outside a few rare exceptions, the best customer service we get these days is a flickering sizzler. It is time for some fireworks!


Here are 9 tips on how you as a leader can put the fireworks back into your company’s customer service.

These tips apply to anyone at any level who deals with the customers and clients of your business – either directly or indirectly. In fact, they apply to everyone.

  1. The right customer service attitude is critical.

As the leader, you have to set a great example when it comes to attitude. Choose to be positive all the time, and decide that you and your team will deliver customer service passionately. Ensure that everyone at your company is doing the same…not just when they feel like it, but with every single customer interaction.

  1. Don’t try to seduce prospects by over-promising goods or services to them.

When you do this, you open yourself up for failure. You should set realistic expectations, and give yourself some freedom to adjust where necessary. Deliver what you say you will…or more. But never less.

We’ve all heard the old cliché, “Under-promise and over-deliver.”

We tend to want to promise prospective customers more, so they feel the value. We also enjoy over-promising to make ourselves feel more valued. When you under-promise, you have the opportunity to continuously impress your client.

When you over-promise, you can potentially stress yourself out and look desperate. Even worse, you could appear to be a liar.

The great Henry Ford once said, “You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do.”

If you agree he was right, let’s agree we should build our reputations and relationships by what we actually do and how we deliver.

  1. Keep your word, but don’t make it your motivation to deliver.

Deliver because you should! If you are one of those people who is always in “promise mode,” slow down, and consider some other options.

  1. Don’t let “busyness” drive your work style.

Put nothing in front of providing the best service possible. Many people try to show people how important they are by how busy they are. Manage your workload, and use effective time management practices, but don’t be an expert in “busyness.”

  1. Deliver to your customers because you have the passion to do so.

Don’t do it just because you said you would. It’s very easy to spot someone who is just going through the motions. Today, people want to work with people they feel are truly engaged in the service or product. If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, find something to do that you can enjoy.

  1. Be creative and grow with the client.

Go in with the attitude that what the customer or client asked for is just the beginning of the relationship. This creates an opportunity for both of you to evolve. At the least, you will have a loyal client; but likely you will get additional business by their referrals.

  1. Keep your customers informed.

If you are running behind schedule because you see something you can do for them of added value and you need more time, let them know. They will both understand and appreciate your efforts.

  1. Deliver something extra.

Without asking if they need it, deliver an extra WOW! What happens beyond the agreed-upon deliverable is what makes the real customer service difference.

  1. Create your own style and deliver your product and/or services uniquely.

Wrap your services in nice packaging and top if off with a bow! The extra touches distinguish your company from the myriad of others out there who do what you do.

Today, there are many leaders trying to grow their business through desperate measures. They will put down the competitors, over-promise, cut their prices to the slimmest margins, and quite frankly, lead prospective customers on. It’s a race to the bottom of the barrel.

If you stay clear of these mistakes and move forward with the techniques described above, your business will stand out from the crowd, not only today but for the long run.

After all, customer service is about building customer relationships, and a good relationship builds a loyalty that keeps the customer coming back.

As a leader, you must set the standard and keep your finger on the pulse of customer service. It is the lifeline of your business.

Dave Ferguson is “The Leaders’ Coach”, an internationally recognized executive leadership coach, speaker, facilitator, and author. Are you interested in having Dave speak to inspire and motivate your team? “ASK COACH DAVE” at 704-907-0171 or at Dave@AskCoachDave.com.

 

Quick Links

About Dave
Coaching
Speaking
Book
Retreats
Blog
Media
Contact

Dave’s Recent Posts

Schedule a Consultation

To schedule a consultation with Dave, click here.


Email: Dave@LivingToLead.com