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Five Landmarks of Leadership

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Five Landmarks of Leadership
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Featured article by Dave Ferguson in CEOWORLD magazine. Reprinted by permission.

Throughout history, landmarks have been used to mark important places and events. They represent boundaries, victories, memories, histories, and discoveries.

Landmarks help you know where you are and remind you of where you (or others) have been. They serve as guideposts for future generations.

Ancient wisdom admonishes us to “remove not the ancient landmarks.”

Why is this?

Because if we remove them, we remove those boundaries, victories, memories, histories, and discoveries that will protect us, guide us, and give us wisdom.

If you have been to a historic location, for example, you would never know that anything significant happened there if it were not marked. But because it is, you pause, reflect, and learn. This does not mean that all landmarks represent good memories or favorable histories. It means there is something to be remembered – a valuable lesson to be learned – from their presence.

Do you have these important landmarks in your leadership?

  1. Boundaries

An effective leader must have boundaries. What is your defined role? What are your values? What are your responsibilities? What are your goals?

Answering these questions helps you set the landmark of your boundaries.

Boundaries are important because they provide a perimeter of focus. They help you know where you “belong” and where you do not belong. They help you know when to say, “Yes” to an opportunity and when to say, “No.” They guard your character. They contain your energy, so you are operating at your best, with tight focus and high performance.

  1. Victories

Landmarks mark victories, and victories are born of challenge. Thus, landmarks are symbolic of overcoming a challenge.

Think back to the challenges you have faced in life and leadership. If you are like most, you will come to two conclusions: (1) They were some of the toughest times, and (2) They taught you some of your most important life and leadership lessons.

Mark those victories. Remember what you faced and how you overcame the obstacles. Remember who helped you during those times. Use this landmark to prepare you for future challenges. Develop your strategy and support team now before the next challenge comes. Looking back to the landmark of victory equips and encourages you for the next challenge you will face.

  1. Memories

What if you woke up tomorrow with no memory? That would be a tragic loss, to the level of losing your very identity.

Similarly, it is a tragic loss when you forget the important events, people, and experiences in your life that helped to make you who you are.

Take time to remember those who have made an impact on your life. If they are still alive, thank them. If not, share with someone a lesson you learned from that person. In doing so, you help carry their legacy forward.

Memories can be good or bad, but they all work together to make us who we are. They serve as guideposts for what to do and what not to do in life.

Take some time to write down the lessons you have learned from others and the experiences that have made you who you are. You are a unique collection of memories. Never forget. Always be thankful.

  1. Histories

History is essentially the story of civilization. Woven across centuries, it ties the past to the present and provides guidance for the future. History is the foundation of the future.

As a leader, it is good to reflect on the landmark of history.

What went right? What went wrong? And how can we make it better in the future?

The adage that “those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it” is true. You don’t have to make the mistakes of the past; but there is merit in learning from them. Before you move forward, check the historical landmark for perspective.

  1. Discoveries

Many of the world’s greatest leaders were “discoverers.” They had a natural propensity for learning and exploring, for finding new and better ways to solve a problem or meet a need.

Do you as a leader have landmarks of discovery?

What solutions have you developed? What problems have you solved? What new possibilities have you unearthed? Do you value activity over discovery?

Discovery is the creative and curious side of leadership, the landmark of significant growth and innovation. As a leader, and especially as a business leader, you cannot afford to lose this landmark.

Be a strong leader. Take time to visit these five landmarks regularly. Character, success, wisdom, identity, and innovation await you there.

Dave FergusonDave 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

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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.

Three Ways to Better Manage Your Expectations as an Executive Leader

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Three Ways to Better Manage Your Expectations as an Executive Leader

dave-ferguson-forbes-article Featured article by Dave Ferguson in Forbes Coaches Council. Reprinted by permission.

I talk a lot about the criticism that comes on the path to success. But what about the psychology of failure? Did you know that how you manage your expectations can define your performance as an executive leader?

Laird Hamilton once said, “Make sure your worst enemy doesn’t live between your two ears.”

Everyone falls victim to negative thoughts. They are often unpredictable and catch us off guard.

They come to tell us we aren’t good enough, that we are lazy, selfish, and that we just aren’t made of “the right stuff.”

Here’s the truth:

Having negative thoughts is a normal process on the road to personal and professional development.

Success and failure can be largely defined through how you manage your expectations. Setting tangible, concise goals and delivering those results help keep negative thoughts at bay.

Through my experience, there are three steps you need to take to effectively manage your expectations. Memorize and share them with your team to start building a culture of collaboration and transparency in your organization.

Base your own expectations in reality.

A common problem in today’s work culture is when an executive leader sets unrealistic goals.

When establishing expectations for a project, are you taking into account disruptions, setbacks, obstacles, and other interferences to the “ideal” condition? Do you have the tools you need in order to achieve your goals?

Taking time to reflect on these questions and assess your answers is critical. Basing your expectations in reality provides a better opportunity to position yourself to face criticism from others as well as from yourself.

Customize a clear and focused message.

Goals should not be kept secret. An effective executive leader clearly communicates goals to teams – simple as that.

Keeping information above water for all to see is critical to building organizational trust. Without that, you’re dead in the water.

When your message is clear and well-defined, people understand what to expect from you. You have also made your expectations their expectations — keeping you in control of your own “success” narrative.

Define benchmark goals to manage your expectations.

Are you your own worst critic? I know I am. We are harder on ourselves than anyone else could be, and yet we are statistically more accountable to other people.

This is why mentorship and professional coaching is a $2 billion industry. Developing personal accountability is directly linked to learning how to expertly manage your expectations.

I walk clients through breaking down large goals into smaller pieces. This makes them more digestible (and grounds my executive leader clients in reality).

Benchmark goals are an effective way to demonstrate progress, which in turn provides a healthy dose of motivation to push ahead.

Remember to recover from mistakes and always move forward. And be careful how you talk to yourself – you are listening.

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.

The Simple Cure for Fence Sitting

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The Simple Cure for Fence Sitting

We have learned what happens when you get stuck on a fence. As a leader, you must be able to lead the charge toward the goals and missions of the company. Sitting on the fence can have serious repercussions.

But how do you get off the fence and start making good progress again?

Here are the actions you as a leader can take, starting today.

1. Stop making excuses.

What have you been telling yourself you are going to do? You know, those things you start out by saying, “One of these days”, or “when the economy gets better”, or “when we get around to it”, or “I’m really going to have to deal with that situation or that person.”

Chances are, if you are goal-driven as most leaders are, things will never settle down. We also know that “one of these days” never comes, and the economy fluctuates like the weather. I can’t predict either one. I coach and consult with executives in businesses that range from banks and hedge funds to automotive enterprises and manufacturing companies, and I have yet to meet anyone who can predict the economy or the weather with 100% assurance.

If professionals with their hand on the pulse of businesses can’t predict an upturn, who can? You can’t base your actions on unknown intangibles, but you can base actions on goals, solid principles, and a strategy for dealing with obstacles.

Waiting for better circumstances is lazy leadership. It is time to get off the fence.

Be a leader who makes no excuses.

2. Face your fears.

Most of my clients know what my biggest fear is. I share it with them, because it’s a common fear that I’ve learned how to manage. By sharing these things, I help them. Will it always be lurking, somewhere inside of me? Yes! Does it prevent me from making decisions anymore? No!

I honestly believe that only fools are not afraid. Especially as leaders, we hate to admit our fears. We hate to admit them because we see that as a sign of weakness. The opposite is true. Admitting that we have fears is a sign of humanity. I can’t recall who said it but they were absolutely right when they said, “Courage is not the absence of fear, it’s making progress in spite of our fears.” Start facing them today, and you will progress.

Be a courageous leader who feels the fear but takes action anyway.

3. Start making progress TODAY.

Not tomorrow, not next week, and certainly not next month or next quarter. Don’t wait for New Year’s either (we all know how most resolutions turn out). You shouldn’t need to plan to get off the fence, it simply requires action. Right now, think of one major decision you have been refusing to make. Take time today to think about the reasons why you are not making the decision. Write them down and visualize them. Make a list of positives and negatives, and then talk to your advisors (totally objective ones if you have any).

As I learned that one day years ago, fence sitting is a very bad practice. The cure is found in recognizing that you’re stuck and taking swift action to get to the other side.

Be a leader who takes action TODAY.

If I can be of help to you or your leadership team, don’t hesitate to contact me. I know a thing or two about getting off the fence!

Dave Ferguson is “The Leaders’ Coach”, an internationally recognized executive leadership coach, speaker, facilitator, and author. For help in getting off the proverbial fence and on to success, “ASK COACH DAVE” at 704-907-0171 or at Dave@AskCoachDave.com.

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