Living to Lead

by Dave Ferguson

  • Home
  • About Dave
    • TESTIMONIALS
  • Coaching
  • Speaking
  • Books
    • DAVE’S RECOMMENDED READING LIST
  • Retreats
  • Blog
  • Media
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Archives for values

What Will You Add This Year?

January 23, 2019 By Dave Ferguson Leave a Comment

What will you add this year?
Image Credit: Shutterstock

 

In the previous article, I posed a question: “What will you subtract this year?”

Apparently, it hit a nerve, as it was one of the most-read articles to date. It was all about ways to better use time – to free up time for the things that matter most to you, personally and professionally.

If you have not read that article, take a moment and do so now…before the next distraction or demand hits.

In this article, I want to address the phase that comes after subtraction: What do you need to add?

Have you ever had a marathon office cleaning session, where you managed to clear your desk? It felt great, right? You could sit down to work with a clear mind. That usually lasts about…one day, or for some, one hour.

Why is this?

The return of overwhelm comes because there is no process for preventing it.

Step 1 was Subtraction – Declutter those things that adversely impact your time.

Step 2 is Addition – Determine focus and create a process that keeps you from returning to overwhelm.

Here is a personal example.

Several years ago, I was a successful executive. I also owned and operated several side ventures and a good amount of real estate. On the wheel of life, “Work” was taking over, which is common among executives. But with so much focus on work, as you would surmise, other areas began to suffer.

After a wakeup call with regard to my health, I realized I needed to declutter some parts of my life to create greater margin, which I did.

But that wasn’t enough.

Fill the void.

Here is a fact of life: Voids will be filled.

That empty spot on your desk; the open calendar space; that time you decided to use for exercise…these will all be filled.

The question is: Who or what will fill the void?

Jim Rohn said it well: “If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan.”

This is why Step 2 is just as important as Step 1.

Step 1 creates margin.

Step 2 determines who or what fills it.

I had managed to create margin, which is both an accomplishment…and a considerable adjustment.

I quickly realized I had to take another step – the step of intentionally filling it.

I determined my three main priorities and created boundaries on time spent working, and scheduled in time for exercise, reading, and being out in nature to fill those spots previously used for work. My calendar was full, but full of very purposeful commitments to each area of life.

“Wait a minute!” you may be thinking. “First you advocate subtracting to create margin, and now you’re refilling the margin?”

Exactly.

Only this time, I did it with great intention. And that has made all the difference.

It has provided a measure of balance in other areas of life, and contrary to what you might think, business and career have improved with the broader focus to all areas and less time in just work. In fact, I am now a healthier and more energetic leader than I was before.

No matter your position in leadership, I urge you to take these two steps. As a leader, you must be strong for your team, and energetically, you set the pace. Addressing all areas and not just one will help you be a more effective leader.

For Step 2, review your wheel of life.

Honestly assess each area as I do with my coaching clients to determine where adjustments need to be made.

  1. Spiritual Health
  2. Personal Development
  3. Physical Health
  4. Business and Career
  5. Relationships
  6. Financials

Where do you need to add?

Where do you need to subtract?

Create margin, then fill it intentionally. Be the best leader you can be.


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.

What Will You Subtract This Year?

January 9, 2019 By Dave Ferguson Leave a Comment

What Will You Subtract This Year?
Image Credit: Shutterstock

 

Back in the 1990’s, it was all about “collecting.” Baseball cards, toys, coins, comic books – you name it. If you had an interest, there was a “limited edition” just waiting for your purchase. This ran in tandem with a housing market where people were leveling up to bigger and better houses. All these things also elicited another big increase – a sinister side effect that eventually came back to bite us economically – and that was the level of consumer debt.

As with all things that fall prey to a frenzied pace, there came a time of rebalancing. It was ushered in as a housing bust. Suddenly, the market had an influx of expensive houses full of expensive collections that no one was buying.

Then came a new generation whose interests were more in the range of “tiny houses” and minimalistic lifestyles, and where now older and wiser Baby Boomers were seeking to downsize in similar fashion to their younger counterparts.

A similar frenzy occurred in the internet world as well. The frenetic pace of internet marketing coming at the average consumer from every conceivable angle reached a peak. As in anything, there is a need for balance.

And today, people are seeking that balance – in their work, personal development, relationships, finances, and health.

As a coach, I work with leaders across many demographics, across the country, and around the world. And in each case, the reason we work together is to identify those areas of imbalance and make the needed adjustments.

  • This may be the worn-out executive who is weary of the financial responsibilities that come with keeping a company profitable and making payroll week in and week out in a highly competitive marketplace.
  • This may be the entrepreneur who has hit the wall on capacity and is fast becoming a victim of his or her own success.
  • It could be a leader who has climbed the ladder of success only to realize it was the wrong ladder for them.
  • It could be a very successful leader who suddenly finds themselves in need of a new challenge, a retreat, or a combination of both.
  • Often, it is a leader who has devoted so much to a successful career that their health and relationships are in jeopardy.

The point is, leaders are people, too. They push too hard, strive for too much, and, yes, even leaders need to take the time to declutter some part of life and work and do some rebalancing.

And so, as we begin a new year, I challenge you to consider where you need to recalibrate.

I am not going to challenge you to take on new initiatives and new endeavors – not yet. Not until you have first considered what you are NOT going to do this year.

Ask yourself, “What do I need to release this year in order to gain margin for the things that matter most to me?”

Here are some considerations for decluttering.

1. Work

Are you finding yourself working all the time? Do you stay late most nights, work weekends, catch yourself checking email in the middle of the night? This level of work will crowd out all other areas of life if you let it. I know, as I spent my many years trying to do it all as well…until the day I got a wake-up call regarding my health. Don’t wait until you hit that wall. Set boundaries for yourself regarding work.

And, by the way, do your team a favor, and don’t email them in the middle of the night, on weekends, and at all hours. Be respectful of your time and theirs.

2. Volunteer Work

I am a major proponent of giving back and supporting my community. But ask yourself if all the obligations you have make sense for you. It is easy to fall victim to volunteer overcommitment. Does the volunteer work fit your values, your schedule, and your passion? Then by all means, continue.

But if those volunteer opportunities have simply become a source of dread, with no purpose behind them, then it may be time to do some shifting. The fact is, organizations are best served by those who have the passion and resources to do the work well. If you can’t be that person, allow someone else to take your place who can fill that role with passion and purpose.

3. Screen Time

Nothing has had more impact on society in recent years than screen time. We are bombarded everywhere with screens – tablets, TVs, mobile phones, movie screens, digital signs and billboards, and JumboTrons™.

According to a shocking study by Nielsen, “American adults spend over 11 hours per day listening to, watching, reading or generally interacting with media.”

The greater impact may be what we are missing during those 11 hours each day. What could you do with 11 extra hours a day? Think about that.

While all our devices and even social media have some benefit, I challenge you to see if you are gaining 11 hours’ worth of benefit from them each day. If not, it may be time to set some limits. Don’t miss the game by giving all your attention to the JumboTron™.

4. Meetings

Teamwork is important. Communication is essential. But ask yourself if you are having meetings that do not result in actions taken, problems solved, or goals determined. If meetings are needed for a specified purpose, then, meet. But if they are simply obligatory because they are on the calendar and have become routine ruminations of the same weekly cud, it may be time to seek more productive endeavors.

Click here for some additional ideas on ways to have productive meetings.

5. Projects

For many of us, activity is key. Idleness is a function we avoid at all costs. But activity is not the same as productivity. If you are always moving, pushing, and ideating, it may be time to stop for a bit and just “be.”

This is another leadership lesson I have learned through the years. You may observe I spend regular time at the beach. This is my time to “be.” During these times, I am giving my mind time to reflect and recharge. It is often during these times of “inactivity” that ideas come, or resolutions present themselves.

Ask yourself if all the projects currently on your plate are the right ones for you at this time. Or are they simply ways of keeping yourself busy?

When you focus in on the one to three projects that will get you to where you want to be, you have a greater chance of success. When you focus your activities on that narrowed field, you can reach your goals. And when you schedule fewer activities on your calendar, you can, ironically, accomplish far more than you imagined.

It may come as a welcome relief to many to have read an article about “less” in a world that constantly demands “more.”

What will YOU subtract this year?

—

Here is a complimentary tool to help you narrow your focus…and broaden your success.

 


Looking for a leadership development program you can use with your team? Check out the Boss or Leader: Lead and Learn Kit. It is affordable, effective, and provides high impact. Be a leader who makes a difference!

Click here for details.


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.

Leaders in Pursuit of Purpose

December 5, 2018 By Dave Ferguson Leave a Comment

Leaders in Pursuit of Purpose
Image Credit: Shutterstock

 

You have accomplished a great deal as a leader. Maybe you started a business and hit your initial income goals. Or perhaps you have climbed the ladder of success in your field to a very high level.

Others look at your life and think you “have it made.”

But you know the dirty little secret.

Something is missing. You don’t know what…but something is missing.

While you put on your success face during the day, your nights are filled with restlessness.

While you go through the motions of your work and daily life, there is a sense of apathy, boredom, or dread.

The work you used to love now feels uninspiring.

You may realize your career success has impacted other areas of your life, and not in a good way. Perhaps your health, relationships, or sense of personal fulfillment have suffered.

You read books like Purpose Driven Life, and while the messages are good and sound, you still have that gnawing sense that something is missing.

That “something missing” is, indeed purpose.

Purpose is the driving factor of human beings. We are either living our purpose or searching for it, and it seems elusive. In a sense, purpose is our highest potential – it is the ultimate reason we exist. Even those who are living their purpose will plateau at times and experience a sense of rudderless-ness.

Here are signs you are struggling with purpose.

  • Boredom
  • Apathy
  • Dread
  • Lack of fulfillment, even though you have everything you need and more
  • Resentment toward those who are living their purpose
  • Fear that you may never find your purpose
  • Issues in other areas of life beyond work: relationships, spiritual, health, or personal finances, for example
  • Restlessness and feelings that something is missing
  • Frustration or anger

What to do when you are at these points.

  • Understand this is a normal part of being human

Humans are designed for purpose. Each of us comes equipped with innate strengths, and we have a unique blend of skills and life experiences as well. We seek to use these tools to fulfill our purpose. But we are human. We don’t have it all figured out yet. And that is okay. The act of seeking, striving, plateauing, and then resuming our pursuit is…life. The key is to expect the ups and downs of fulfilling purpose, and work with it.

  • Rest

It is hard to bring your fullest potential in your work when you are exhausted. As a leader, managing your energy is critical. You must be at your best in order to lead your team to be their best. Stephen Covey’s Habit #7 – Sharpening the Saw – is a critical habit for long-term success. In this day and age, more is expected of leaders than ever before. Competition is fierce. Margins are tight. Challenges are many. Sharpening the saw is not only a good suggestion; it is an essential life practice.

  • Look for a new challenge

Some leaders are blindsided when they reach a level of success – something major to which they have aspired – and then find they are not satisfied with that success. This is because there is still more potential.

The cure?

Rest, then pursue a new and higher challenge. You may not “feel” like pursuing a new challenge, but once you begin, you will once again resume your path to purpose.

  • Face your fears

Fulfilling your purpose and reaching your highest potential can be fear-inducing. What if you miss the mark? What if you pursue the wrong purpose? What if your ladder of success is pinned to the wrong wall? These are fears of failure.

What if you do succeed? This is the fear of success, and it has the same effect as the fear of failure – stagnation.

Give yourself permission to experiment, fail, and even succeed. Everything you learn along the path of life and work is of value to you in your pursuit of purpose. Don’t wait until you know your purpose – start from where you are, and purpose will reveal itself with more clarity as you go.

  • Focus on legacy

We often confuse accomplishments with purpose. Purpose is bigger than accomplishments. It is the core of who you are as a person, and what you leave behind for those who follow.

In this sense, you lay a path to purpose day by day, but you may never fully realize that purpose in your lifetime.

Think of the many authors, architects, artists, and leaders from history. Many died penniless, perhaps with a sense of purposelessness. But their legacy lived on, well beyond their lives. They had done what they were gifted to do, and that was their purpose. They may not have realized it, but their lives served great purpose.

Leaders would do well to seek to serve with the gifts they have been given, and let purpose unfold in its own time.

In the classical Christmas movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, George Bailey thought he had purpose. He was going to travel and see the world. He was going to have an adventurous life.

But the reality of his life took a different turn. He worked in his father’s struggling business, stayed in his hometown, married, had children, and lived in an old drafty house. His life seemed purposeless to him.

But when given the chance to see how life for others would have been if he had never been born, he realized his life had even greater purpose than he imagined.

As you go about your day-to-day life and business, focus not on purpose, but on service. How can you, as a leader, serve others? This creates legacy.

 

“The Bridge Builder,” a poem by Will Allen Dromgoole says it well.

When a man was asked…

You’ve crossed the chasm, deep and wide,
Why build this bridge at evening tide?

 

He said….

There followed after me to-day

A youth whose feet must pass this way.

He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;

Good friend, I am building this bridge for him!


Looking for a leadership development program you can use with your team? Check out the Boss or Leader: Lead and Learn Kit. It is affordable, effective, and provides high impact. Be a leader who makes a difference! Click here for details.

Boss or Leader | Lead and Learn


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.

Three Ways to Create Your Own Business Health Plan

October 24, 2018 By Dave Ferguson Leave a Comment

Three Ways to Create Your Own Corporate Health Plan
Image Credit: Shutterstock

 

You decide to get in shape. To you, this means increased strength and better health.

As one who has taken that journey in recent years, I can tell you that between that decision and that result is an intense cycle of challenge and growth. You challenge muscles you have not used in years. You push them to their limits. And they grow.

As they grow, you become stronger, more stable, and healthier.

And, despite millions of dollars spent on magic formulas, there really are no shortcuts.

No challenge…no growth…no strength.

In today’s business world, there are companies, leaders, and teams who need to get in shape. Maybe their earnings are anemic; their expenses are out of control; their leadership is weak; or their teams are apathetic.

How do you create your own business health plan?

You do it the same way you gain health physically. You apply challenge.

Here are the three areas of growth.

1. Grow Yourself

What you learned decades ago in business school was just the start of your education. What have you done this year, this month, and this week to grow personally and professionally?

Have you read a book, attended a workshop, gotten counsel, or taken a class? Have you taken the time to learn from your people?

Good leaders constantly look for opportunities to be coached, challenged, and inspired. You have to – because others depend on you to be the best you can be. You will never be perfect; but you can always be growing and learning.

Strong companies are dependent on strong leadership. There are myriads of examples out there where an otherwise strong company was taken down by a weak leader. You owe it to yourself, your team, and your company to grow and strengthen yourself as a leader.

2. Grow Your People

Just as much as you need to grow as a leader, each person on your team needs opportunities for growth, challenge, and inspiration as well. The act of being challenged, then coached and guided through that challenge to a new plateau, builds a person’s self-esteem just like exercise builds muscle.

Leaders can be good at issuing challenges; but they may not be as good at coaching and guiding. This leads to employees – perhaps even some of yours – who may be thinking or saying some of these statements.

“I used to love my work; now I get a knot in my stomach every Sunday night as I get ready to go back to work on Monday.”

“I am not sure I am up to the challenge of this new position.”

“I have lost my creative inspiration for my work.”

“I have no idea what is expected of me. I feel like I am just putting in time until I can retire…and retirement is years away.”

“I have given my heart and soul to several companies; and, in the end, I am just as unemployed as the next victim of downsizing. Why bother?”

Today’s employees have been through more than their fair share of employment issues. In many cases, their self-esteem has taken a proverbial beating in the last few years of corporate downsizing and increasing adoption of artificial intelligence.

It has affected their vocational health.

What they are really saying is, “Challenge me. Coach me. Inspire me. Give me an opportunity to grow.”

As a leader, you are responsible for advancing the vision of your organization. In order to do that, you need a strong team. You are given the opportunity to not only build a strong team, but to build strong people. Meeting this opportunity and challenge not only strengthens you as a leader; it strengthens each team member. It is a win-win situation.

There are no more loyal employees than those who are given the chance to grow personally and professionally in their work – and who are guided in doing so by a leader who truly cares about each individual.

Will you be that leader?

3. Grow Your Business

How can you build a healthy business? The same way you build a healthy physical body – you grow intentionally.

Ask yourself:

  • What challenges can my company help others overcome?
  • What guidance or solution can we offer our clients and customers?
  • How can we inspire others to improve their lives or businesses as well?

Take some time to assess the functional health of yourself, your team, and your business.

  1. Vision – What does good health look like?
  2. Assessment – Where are you now? What are your numbers? What is working? What is not?
  3. Challenge – What challenges do you face?
  4. Fitness Plan – How can you overcome those challenges?
    • What new habits do you need to incorporate?
    • What old habits do you need to release?
    • How will you hold yourself, your team, and your company accountable?

Do you want a healthy business and life?

Start with vision, assess where you are, face the challenges, and create a plan for growth!

 

 


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.

The Core Role of a Leader

September 12, 2018 By Dave Ferguson Leave a Comment

The Core Role of a Leader
Image Credit: Shutterstock

What is the job of a leader?

“Get things done.”

“Produce results.”

“Set and achieve goals.”

All these are great, but they are not the core role of a leader. In fact, “getting things done” can actually keep a leader from leading.

The Core Role of a Leader

The core role of a leader is to develop the team that…gets things done, produces results, and achieves the goals that have been set.

If you are trying to do it all yourself, you are limiting yourself, your team, and your organization.

If you develop others, there is unlimited potential to what can be achieved.

How can you develop others?

1. Create a system of support.

Founders of companies very quickly realize there is more work than time, and so they hire a team. But if they have not taken the time to build a system for their business, they only make more work for themselves.

Team members will rely on them to answer questions, explain procedures, and direct them at every turn. Many leaders throw up their hands in despair and utter something like, “I can do it faster and better myself!”

And they begin a cycle of looking for the “perfect” team member to solve all their problems, not realizing it is not a people issue, but a systems issue.

Make it a priority to have systems in place to support your team – processes and procedures, the tools to do the work, and a centralized knowledge base. If you don’t have time to build it yourself, enlist the help of your current team to do so. You relay the big picture of what needs done and have them help you build out the details. If you have done your due diligence and hired dedicated employees, you can build the necessary systems together in this way.

2. Create a culture of respect.

You as the leader set the tone for your organization. If you hire people for their strengths and respect those strengths enough to seek their advice, you create a culture of respect. And you can bet the rest of your team will follow your example.

The fact is, no one knows everything. And the good news is, you as a leader are not expected to know everything.

To succeed, you must identify “experts” in those areas in which you do not excel.

Here’s a real life litmus test.

Have you ever noticed how a leader treats his or her assistant? It is a good indicator of their leadership. Do they show respect to their assistant as a qualified professional in their area of expertise, or do they treat him or her as a commodity that is easily replaceable and of little value.

Three things happen when you respect each member of your team: they respect you as the leader, they respect other members of the team for their individual gifts and strengths, and they commit to using their strengths to help build the organization.

Do you want to lose credibility fast in the eyes of your employees? Show disrespect to just ONE of them.

The choice is yours. One action will build a team that builds a strong organization; the other will tear it down.

3. Create a path for growth.

“The only way to advance is to leave the company.”

Sadly, some of the best talent in an organization goes right out the door, taking their experience, skills, and strong work ethic with them. This is often because they have outgrown a role and are ready for a new challenge, but they get overlooked or don’t have the opportunity to grow within their current company.

A wise leader will create a path for growth and will encourage each team member to advance along the path that best fits them.

Before you spend thousands and thousands of dollars on recruiting outside candidates, take a look around your current team for qualified candidates.

Think about it. When you hire from within, you save the costs of advertising and recruiting, save the time of an extensive interview process, and save considerably on the time and cost involved in new client onboarding and training.

If you have created a clear path for growth and identified qualified candidates from within, you can invest in more targeted growth training. This not only saves enormously on costs, but yields a higher return on investment.

4. Create a means for accountability.

Ah, the once-a-year annual review. Most leaders dread it; and most employees hate it.

Think about it. You go through the year working with someone, essentially saving your feedback, comments, and accolades for one time a year. Where is the real value in that?

Instead, consider that you are not in a leadership position to fill out paperwork. You are there to develop people. And consider that this should be a daily process, not a once-a-year process.

As you go through each day, observe your people. Are they doing a good job on something? Tell them immediately, and be specific in your compliment. This helps them grow. If you wait until the end of the year, you will forget about it.

If they are doing something incorrectly, or you notice they are not performing up to their normal high level, take the time to guide them into correct procedure or to determine and deflect issues that may be undermining their performance.

Here’s a point many leaders miss: Accountability goes both ways. Let your people know that you want and value their feedback as well. Be open to listening to their point of view. There is room for growth in every leader.

5. Create a network for sharing.

Through decades of coaching and executive level leadership, I have noticed a common characteristic that tends to prevent leaders from reaching their greatest level of achievement. That characteristic is the tendency to “hold things back” from their people.

For some, it is out of consideration and concern: “I don’t want employees to worry that their jobs may be impacted.”

For others, it may be out of pride or ego: “I don’t want anyone to know I’m failing here!”

Either way, you are limiting your greatest power – the power of a network.

There was a company that was struggling. Creditors were breathing down the proverbial neck of the organization. Some savvy employees knew there were issues. In fact, as they gathered for lunch one day, they identified, in a matter of minutes, a few small changes that would have saved several million dollars for the company – enough to turn the tide.

But, sadly, the leader of the organization wasn’t listening.

He went to great lengths to put out a “We’re doing great!” message.

All the while, many could see, “The emperor was naked.”

This failure, rooted in pride and evidenced as lack of transparency, resulted in the loss of a company – a company that could have survived if only the leader had tapped into the power of his network.

Don’t be a naked emperor.

Encourage communication across your entire organization – from the corner office to the field office. Keep your ear to the ground to learn of problems before they become crises; and to elicit new and profitable ideas from those on the front lines. Listen to the accountants who see where costs can be contained, and to customer service representatives who know the needs of your customers.

If you want a company that is sustainable, create a network of individuals who openly share their thoughts and ideas across your organization, and to you as their leader.

Taking Action

I encourage you as a leader to take out a 3 x 5 card or a sticky note, write “Develop Others” on it, and do that every day. As you go through the day, ask yourself, “Does this help to develop others?”

Use that as the lens of your effectiveness. If you apply these five tenets for developing others, it will solve a large percentage of your organizational problems.

Beyond that, this practice will help you create the one thing that becomes very important as you progress through your life and career: it creates legacy.

 

 


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.

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • …
  • 12
  • Next Page »
Dave's Recommended Reading List
Dave Ferguson
Tweets by AskCoachDave

Quick Links

About Dave
Coaching
Speaking
Book
Retreats
Blog
Media
Contact

Dave’s Recent Posts

The Tripod of Success

Five Landmarks of Leadership

Leadership Island

Six Elements of Growth

Schedule a Consultation

To schedule a consultation with Dave, click here.


Email: Dave@LivingToLead.com

Copyright © 2020 Dave Ferguson · Living To Lead · Contact · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Disclaimer