Good Tuesday afternoon to you! It’s been awhile since I’ve had the pleasure of writing for you all and I’m very glad to be be back at it. Today we are going to explore one of the most essential set of things to consider at the very beginning of a facilitated session – The 5 P’s of Preparation.

While purpose is the key element of preparation, there are several other components as well. What does it take to be prepared for a facilitated interaction? Facilitators know that whether they are preparing for running a task force meeting, delivering a presentation or meeting with a customer, the secret to preparation is the same: they must achieve a clear understanding of the “5 P’s.”

• The “Purpose” explains the overall aim. Why are we holding this session?
• The “Product” defines the items that must be produced to achieve the purpose. What do we want to have when we are done?
• The “Participants” identifies the people who need to be involved. Who are the participants and what are their perspectives?
• The “Probable Issues” defines the concerns that will likely arise. What are the probable issues that will need to be addressed?
• The “Process” details the steps that will be taken to create the product, taking into account the Participants and Probable Issues. How will we go about achieving the purpose, given the product desired, the participants and the probable issues we will face?

Of course there can be numerous logistics involved in preparing for a facilitated meeting, such as timing, location, materials, etc. However, it is important to be aware of these five critical steps. Facilitators tend to focus on these elements to gain a clear understanding of what is to be accomplished, why and how.

Applying the 5 P’s

The previous section described the importance of understanding the 5 P’s. But how does one go about defining these elements? Who is responsible for providing the answers to the 5 P’s? As you will see, it depends.

Applying the 5 P’s to a Meeting

If you are the meeting leader, then prior to the meeting you will need to identify the purpose of the meeting and the desired products. Understanding these two will help you determine the appropriate participants. As you consider the topic of the meeting, the participants and past history related to the topic, the probable issues will likely become apparent. Once these other four Ps are known, you can then create the process (an agenda) for the meeting. The process will need to achieve the purpose, create the product and cover the issues you identified. As you will see in a subsequent chapter, “The Secrets of Start a Facilitated Session,” it is important that you confirm the process with the meeting participants at the very beginning of the meeting.

If you are facilitating a meeting for someone else, the person who answers most of the 5 P’s will likely be the “sponsor” of the activity. Just as with the description above of managing a task force, the sponsor can typically provide answers for the purpose, product, participants and probable issues. You as the meeting facilitator are responsible for determining the process.

—————————

For more resources, see the Library topic Facilitation.

__________________________

Michael Wilkinson is the CEO and Managing Director of Leadership Strategies, Inc., “The Facilitation Company” and author of the forthcoming “The Secrets of Facilitation 2nd Edition”, “The Secrets to Masterful Meetings”, and the brand new “The Executive Guide to Facilitating Strategy.” Leadership Strategies is a global leader in facilitation services, providing companies with dynamic professional facilitators who lead executive teams and task forces in areas like strategic planning, issue resolution, process improvement and others. They are also a leading provider of facilitation training in the United States.

Have you ever hired someone who did not live up to expectations? I’m sure many of us have at one time.

The purpose of the interview is to gather information to make an accurate selection decision. A successful interview will help you decide is there’s a match between the job seeker and the position.

The interview is the key to the entire selection process. A wrong decision can be very costly. It’s been estimated that replacing a key professional or manager can be three to five times their annual salary. Do you want to increase the odds for selecting the best person for your most critical positions?

Test your interview savvy by answering TRUE or FALSE to these 10 statements.

11. You should only be interested in the applicant’s technical qualifications and not waste time on their soft skills.
12. If an applicant fails to meet all job specifications, the candidate should be rejected.
13. You should provide an applicant with a complete job description prior to the initial interview.
14. Most interviewers listen to and absorb almost everything the applicant says.
15. Personal biases for or against an applicant weigh heavily in the hiring decision.
16. Hiring managers in most companies are excellent interviewers.
17. Once a candidate has accepted a job offer, all you have to do is wait until their start date.
18. You have a responsibility to describe the company and the company’s culture/values to job applicants.
19. In hiring, your judgment alone is usually enough for a hiring decision.
20. You should always offer the applicant the lowest possible starting salary you think the candidate will accept.

ANSWERS

11. FALSE. Soft skills like communication style, leadership, motivation etc need to be assessed and measured. Up to 90% of job failure can be traced to non technical behaviors, work attitudes and skills.
12. FALSE. There are no “perfect” candidates. Trade-offs must be made and you have to know what is an acceptable trade-off.
13. FALSE. You should provide candidates with an overview of a job, but never the complete job description before the interview. Since candidates are so well trained today, they will “deliver the expected responses,” and you will not discover the real person behind the “interview mask.”
14. FALSE. Listening is very difficult for many people to sustain. Therefore, write down only objective key words/phrases during the interview. By doing so, you’ll be able to listen and observe the candidate.
15. TRUE. Everyone has biases and personal filters. First, identify and understand yours. Then establish a clear and objective position description. This is a great tool in removing your biases.
16. FALSE. Hiring managers often have received little or no training in how to conduct interviews. All persons in a company who interview applicants should be given training. And update this training on a regular basis!
17. FALSE. Staying in contact with your new hire, prior to their first day, helps ensure their interest and buy-in to their decision. It’s another way to build rapport with your new employee.
18. TRUE. A good description of the organization and the job under consideration can do much to sell the applicant on your company. Today, more then ever before, candidates are looking for “fit” as much as you are.
19. FALSE. A mis-hire can cost you upwards of 4 times a person’s annual income. You expect a second, objective opinion from a qualified surgeon prior to a major operation. Why not ask for a second opinion prior to hiring a candidate?
20. FALSE. The salary offered should be in line with the going rate for the job.

Management Success Tip:

Allot enough time for each interview so that a sufficient depth of information is gathered. a 30 minute interview may be sufficient for an entry-level job. But, if you are looking for a highly skilled person, you will need more time to gauge qualification and fit. How will you score? Also see Part !: How Good Interviewer Are You? and Behavioral Interviewing.

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?

• Build your skills with The Effective Manager
• Sign up for Quick Wins: 101 Management Tips.
• Find performance boosters in the Smart Moves Blog.
• Fast track your leadership. Be part of a Success Team.
• Need a speaker? Get the Edge keynotes-webinars-workshops.
• Copyright © 2012 Marcia Zidle business and leadership coach.

What separates good leaders and masterful ones? Between those who just meet their organization’s and team’s expectations, and those who invite transformation into their organizations and teams? Between those whose services are viewed as a commodity and those who are known to be indispensable? The differentiator? The spirit of the fool.

Surrendering to Your Fool

Masters of all disciplines willingly embrace what George Leonard describes in his book Mastery as, the spirit of the fool. If you’re a leader who wants to have impact, it’s time to learn to embrace the spirit of the fool.

(Noteworthy point — this is different than the spirit of being foolish – showing up uninformed, unprepared, or trying to claim expertise outside your purview are several foolish behaviors of a leader).

The spirit of the fool is the willingness to be clumsy and awkward as you relinquish a hard-won competence in favor of a higher skill. It is the willingness to tread into unknown waters to courageously implement innovative ideas.

The Four Steps to Finding Your Fool

We resist embracing the spirit of the fool because it’s uncomfortable – it makes us feel silly and vulnerable as we flounder between competencies. Yet, just as building the strength of a muscle takes time, tenacity and practice, so does becoming comfortable in this liminal – and essential – space.

Here are four steps to finding and celebrating your inner fool:

Step 1: Come from Curiosity

The journey of the master is never complete nor should it ever be stagnant. Curiosity is the hallmark of one’s joyful desire to be a continual learner, always questioning if there is a better, more precise, more refined or more profound way.

Step 2: Create Emptiness

Like a full vessel with no room for more water, a full mind has no room for new ideas. Creating emptiness is an essential practice on the path of mastery. Implement a regular practice during which you to turn down the noise, clear the debris, and find the calm, fertile, still-point within yourself from which all creativity and innovation spring.

Step 3: Cultivate the Beginner’s Mind

The ‘beginner’s mind’ frees you from expecting an outcome based on what you have experienced in the past, and allows you to continually see possibilities in the current circumstances. It allows you to be innovative and dynamic in support of your team and its goals, instead of studied and rote.

Step 4: Take Courageous Action

It is one thing to think about being bold, innovative, and reaching for the next level of skill on your path to mastery. It is another to bare your vulnerable and inspired self to your colleagues and clients through action. THIS is where the spirit of the fool is most alive.

In an old parable, you have a cup in your hand and a quart on the table. In order to grab the quart, you must be willing to let go of the cup.

Are you willing to let go of the cup?

Have you ever hired someone who did not live up to expectations? Or have you seen how a bad hire can bring havoc to a team or department?

Then you want to make sure you are a good interviewer so that you can increase the odds for selecting the best person for your most critical positions. Don’t leave it up to first impressions, your gut or a recommendation from a friend. So how good are you?

Test your interviewing savvy by answering TRUE or FALSE to these 10 statements.

1. You should study the application/resume before conducting any interview.
2. It is your responsibility to maintain control over the progress of the interview.
3. During the interview itself, you should do about 50% of the talking.
4. An applicant with more than four jobs in five years should not be hired.
5. Write down every thing the applicant tells you so you can remember it.
6. A good way to commence an interview is to challenge the applicant to prove he can do the job.
7. Specific interview questions should be framed to elicit “yes” or “no” or similar, simple responses.
8. You should always review and update a job description before beginning your recruitment process.
9. Applicants can be encouraged to elaborate on their answers by your use of silence or non-committal remarks.
10. You can probe for more detailed information by asking behavioral questions.

ANSWERS:

1. TRUE. By reviewing the application/resume, you will determine the focus of the interview.
2. TRUE. If you don’t control the direction of the interview, it will get out of hand and become little more than a meaningless conversation.
3. FALSE. Always remember you cannot learn anything while talking. The applicant should talk most of the time. Keep your part down to 20%.
4. FALSE. Not necessarily. Determine the reasons for each change of job before drawing your conclusion.
5. FALSE: It’s best to record only key factors during the interview. Too much writing doesn’t allow you to concentrate on their responses.
6. FALSE. This will only antagonize the applicant and reduce your chances of building rapport. This often leads to the candidate becoming frustrated, defensive, and non-communicative.
7. FALSE. Open-ended questions are designed to probe deeply and elicit more and better information.
8. TRUE. Duties and responsibilities, education, experience and even technical and soft skill requirements can change. Without having accurate information, you set yourself up for potential disaster.
9. TRUE. These non-directive techniques are very effective, when used properly. Candidates “hate” the sound of silence and often try to “fill the dead air” with additional comments.
10. TRUE. Asking behavioral interview questions that probe for information and experience are highly effective and will assist in removing the “interview mask” from a candidate.

How many did you get right?
Do you need to learn or brush up on the keys to a successful interviewing? For example, writing comprehensive job descriptions, establishing job benchmarks, creating behavioral interview questions, developing a candidate scoring guide or refining your interviewing skills? If so,we can work with your hiring managers and human resources. Let’s talk!

Management Success Tip:

Never go into an interview unprepared. You’ll spend too much time talking about the weather or sports or job seekers hobbies – nice for conversation but hardly the basis for a sound hiring decision. Next post will be an additional 10 true or false questions. will our score go up or down? Also see Behavioral Interviewing.

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?

• Build your skills with The Effective Manager
• Sign up for Quick Wins: 101 Management Tips.
• Find performance boosters in the Smart Moves Blog.
• Fast track your leadership. Be part of a Success Team.
• Need a speaker? Get the Edge keynotes-webinars-workshops.
• Copyright © 2012 Marcia Zidle business and leadership coach.

One of the most business applicable concepts from the science of complex adaptive systems is that of emergence – the way a chaordic system produces order from apparent chaos. An example of this is the movement of a flock of birds or a school of fish. For a dramatic view of starlings flocking, watch www.vimeo.com/31158841. Notice how new members join seamlessly, how the flock divides, explores the sky, and comes crashing back together only to set of in a new direction without loss of momentum or injury!

Flocking results when a few simple rules are applied to a large number of independent, moving individuals producing coordinated behavior. Moviegoers have seen the results of computer programmers’ use of three flocking rules to create the coordinated movement of bats and penguins:

• Keep up with your neighbors
• Don’t bump into another
• Don’t stray too far from the group

The key to flocking is that each individual is free to choose their own course of action based on a few simple rules, hence their application to business. These rules must be designed to allow individuals to navigate the local dynamic environment and yet maintain their connection to the group as a whole.

Synchronizing Organizational Activities using Flocking

To make this real, let’s examine continuous improvement and create simple rules that capture its essence using Mike Rother’s book Toyota Kata as a guide.

Rule #1: Improve today in order to improve tomorrow.

Flocking rules are based on the interactions between the behaviors of individuals, or at least those behaviors that allow individuals to be part of the flock. Rother points out early in the book (p.38) that the Toyota Continuous Improvement Kata is fundamentally a philosophical stance – an infinite game (see James Carse) one that seeks to continue the game (improving) rather than win (solve a problem). This rule provides direction and vision without defining or determining what is happening “on the floor.” It sets up the key managerial action that Toyota employs for Continuous Improvement, go and see (p.135). The rule also creates a bounded space in which employees and managers can determine “how to do” something rather than try to define “what to do” (p.51).

Rule #2: Let the target condition, not the desired outcome, define the problem.

This replaces the concept that problems define the improvement. “[The] target condition is a description of a process operating in a way – in a pattern – required to achieve the desired outcome [a target].” (p. 103) The context that this rule creates help managers and employees find and use real obstacles that emerge from the process as a means of achieving the ideal state described by the target condition. (See p. 82-84 for a good example of this.) “It is the striving for target conditions via the routine of the improvement kata that characterizes what we have been calling ‘lean manufacturing’.” (p. 101) This rule focuses behavior without defining it.

Rule #3: Only work on what you need to work on.

This rule is complex and applied to diverse situations because it captures human activities (teamwork) as well as activities of work. For example, if a team cannot move forward in deciding how to design an integrated assembly line, the first target condition may be the team’s ability to think collectively rather than the design of the line (p. 108-111). A second example of using this rule asks: who needs to know? When posting work standards (p. 114) who is actually using this information – the manager or the line. Toyota believes it is the manager, so that they can “see what the true problems are and where improvement is needed.” The final example of this rule is its application to creating the target condition (p. 117-121). Rother emphasizes the need to accept a target condition that is vague when you don’t fully understand the current situation that is producing the obstacles you’re facing. By working on understanding the situation first the details of the target condition become clearer and options remain open even while specificity emerges.

Rule #4: Notice what does not go as planned.

Try as I might, continuous improvement needed four rules! As each step in continuous improvement is taken the “system responds” allowing learning and future steps to emerge. To make the most of this, managers need to see small problems or inconsistencies early and constantly experiment with production. These weak signals are moments of surprise that trigger a go and see inquiry as well as a rapid prototyping experiment. Key to this rule is to attend to the signal immediately while the experience is fresh and a quick experiment can be constructed to test your hypothesis.

Test these four rules of flocking and write your own. See what they teach you about how to lead by instilling new behaviors on your organization.

Rother, Mike. Toyota Kata: Managing People for Improvement, Adaptiveness, and Superior Results. McGraw Hill, New York, 2010.

Reynolds, Craig. Flocks, Herds, and Schools: A Distributed Behavioral Model. Published in Computer Graphics, 21(4), July 1987, pp. 25-34.

Carse, James. Infinite Games. The Free Press, New York, 1986.

In coaching managers on how to stop working harder and star working smarter, I introduce them to a tool called a priority audit.

It helps them assess a project-task-assignment, which can be as small as taking an hour or two or as big as something taking a few weeks or months, before diving in.

These five key questions will help you decide on the Four “D’s” of priority management: Do it – Delegate it – Delay it- Dump it:

1. Why am I doing this?
Ever find yourself working on something but you don’t know why? Someone just told you to do this or that? It’s pretty common I thing. It’s important to ask yourself (and others): What is this for? Who benefits? How does this help achieve our team, department or organization goals? Knowing the purpose, the rationale or the “why” will help you be better focused.

2. What problem am I solving?
What’s the real problem? What’s happening that is not suppose to happen or what’s not happening that is suppose to happen? Who owns the problem – is it me, my team, my department or someone else? Sometimes you’ll find that you’re working on what someone else thinks is crucial but is it really? That’s when it’s time to stop and reevaluate what you’re doing.

3. Is this actually useful?
Are we making something useful or just making something? It’s easy to confuse enthusiasm with reality. Sometimes it’s fun to build something that’s cool, but will it make a difference for the customer. Cool wears off, usefulness never does.

4. Am I adding value?
Adding something is easy, adding true value is harder. Is what I’m working on actually making the product or service more valuable for our customers? Can they get more out of it than they did before? There’s a fine line between adding value and just adding more features that few people want.

5. Is there an easier way?
There are lots of ways to do things, but for simplicity’s sake let’s say there are two primary ways: The easier way and the harder way. The easier way takes 5 units of time. The harder way takes 10 units of time. Whenever you’re working in the harder way you should ask yourself is there an easier way? You’ll often find that the easier way is more than good enough for now.

Management Success Tip:

This is the big question: Is it really worth it? This one should come up all the time. Is what I’m doing really worth it? Is this meeting worth pulling me and 6 people off their work for an hour? Is it worth getting all stressed out over ____________? You decide what to put in blank. Also see Manage Your Productivity, Not Just Your Time.

Now it’s your turn. Are you doing work that really matters or are you just putting in the time? What are you doing to work smarter rather than harder?

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?

• Build your skills with The Effective Manager
• Sign up for Quick Wins: 101 Management Tips.
• Find performance boosters in the Smart Moves Blog.
• Fast track your leadership. Be part of a Success Team.
• Need a speaker? Get the Edge keynotes-webinars-workshops.
• Copyright © 2012 Marcia Zidle business and leadership coach.

A New Series

In 2010, I posted a series here focused on leaders’ making great improvements in their effectiveness by working with their systemic story. I continue to do Leadership coaching with executives and continue to learn. Now, I am writing a book that will help leaders and others connect to their core through story work. This group of posts will be part of that work.

The Presence and Power of Stories

Our lives are full of stories. Stories are, almost literally, everywhere. They are so much a part of who we are and what we do as human beings that, like the air we breathe, we often don’t notice their constant presence. Stories are a key part of our movies, television, books, communication, religion, work, humor, conversation, and thinking. They are one of the primary ways we pass our experience, wisdom, and foibles from individual to individual, group to group, generation to generation. And most powerfully, our stories are a reflection of who we are at our core—who we are as individuals and as a species on the planet.

Stories cover the whole gamut of human experience, from our descriptions of the universe, e.g. the Big Bang “story”, to expressions of our deep inner selves–our core personal stories. While taking both into account, this work focuses primarily on the latter, our deep personal stories, how we can learn to know them more clearly, how they help us, how they can constrain us, and how we can, when we wish, learn to “see them anew” and create even more powerful personal stories that reflect not only our life experiences to date but also empower us to reach our highest aspirations for the future.

Stories and Leadership

Stories are critical for leaders. Every leader has a deep personal story, a “systemic story” that shapes her/his patterns of leadership. Recent work in leadership and leadership development suggests a new answer to the age-old question: “What makes a leader?” We have searched for, among other things, common traits, patterns of behavior, and core competencies that characterize leaders. But we are discovering that what makes the most powerful leaders, the authentic leaders, are not necessarily common traits, behaviors, or competencies. What makes the most powerful leaders is that they live in congruence with and become the masters of their own personal stories—that they live consistently from who they deeply are. This material is intended to help leaders, coaches and others become clear about their core and live from it creatively.

If you would like to learn more about story work and/or consider story coaching, feel free to call or email me at:

Steven P. Ober EdD
President: Chrysalis Executive Coaching & Consulting
Affiliate: Systems Perspectives, LLC
Office: PO Box 278, Oakham, MA 01068
Home: 278 Crocker Nye Rd., Oakham, MA 01068
O: 508.882.1025 M: 978.590.4219
Email: steven.p.ober@gmail.com
www.ChrysalisCoaching.org

Steve is a senior executive coach and consultant. He has developed and successfully uses a powerful approach to leadership coaching, Creating your Leadership Story, which enables leaders to make deep, lasting improvements in their leadership effectiveness in short periods of time. He and a group of partners created a breakthrough educational program, Coaching from a Systems Perspective, in which you can significantly enhance your abilities as a systemic leadership coach. See http://SystemsPerspectivesLLC.com.

Do you manage by walking around? What do you see? People excited about their job or people just going through the motions?

When employees care about their work and their company —when they are engaged—they use discretionary effort. This means the engaged computer programmer works overtime when needed, without being asked. This means the engaged retail clerk picks up the trash on the store floor, even if the boss isn’t watching. This means the nurse comes into your room to see how you’re doing in addition to just giving you your meds.

So how do you, as a manager or supervisor turn “it’s just a job” employees into engaged, energized employees?

Here are seven actions, that do not cost much if anything, yet have great impact. Which ones will work with your workforce?

1. Spend time out in the field.
Ask your employees how you can help make their jobs easier. Work alongside them and even let them teach you what they do. Southwest Airlines has a mandate that every manager must spend 1/3 of his or her time in direct contact with employees and customers to create a stronger feeling of teamwork.

2. Celebrate everything you can.
For example, meeting of short term goals, the end of the budget process, winning grants or new customers, extraordinary work, safety successes.

3. Hold informal “grapevine sessions” to control the flow of the rumor mill.
Managers must be prepared to listen and to be completely truthful and open. Even when they can’t share specific information, they can honestly explain why and when it will be available.

4. Let people know what they do is important.
Help your workers focus not on only a job description but also on how they fit into the big picture. That new sense of purpose will boost their self-esteem and motivation.

5. Don’t let respect slip under the radar screen.
If you treat your employees with respect you will earn their respect. For example, if you pay attention to and take care of your front-line people, they will in turn pay attention to and take care of the customer. Start with daily greetings. Remember their birthdays or other important dates. Take an interest in their interests. Say thank you for a job well done.

6. Take them serious.
There’s incredible brainpower all around you, so why not put it to work? You hired your employees because you thought they could make a valuable contribution. Ask for their suggestions to problems. Include them in decisions that affect their work. Give them enough authority that goes with their responsibility.

7. Work for your people.
Listen and act quickly on their questions. Clear the way so they can do their jobs well. Once people see their leader as acting for them, or on their behalf, they develop a personal loyalty that energizes their performance.

Management Success Tip:

So why is employee engagement so important? Here’s one way to answer that question: An employee that not only sees the glass half full but wants to contribute to the filling of the glass. That’s important because engaged employees lead to higher service, quality and productivity; which leads to higher customer satisfaction; which leads to increased sales (repeat business and referrals) which leads to better business outcomes.

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?

• Build your skills with The Effective Manager
• Sign up for Quick Wins: 101 Management Tips.
• Find performance boosters in the Smart Moves Blog.
• Fast track your leadership. Be part of a Success Team.
• Need a speaker? Get the Edge keynotes-webinars-workshops.
• Copyright © 2012 Marcia Zidle business and leadership coach.

The Big Lie

There’s a big lie you’re telling yourself. Not to worry, you’re not alone. Many of us are telling ourselves the same lie. The lie is that you want to be successful.

But the vast majority of us don’t want to be successful. Not really. What we do want is to be fulfilled. We want to be flooded with joy in our work and our play, challenged to our limits, living in great abundance, and knowing that we had the courage to create it.

Success vs. Fulfillment

Success and fulfillment aren’t mutually exclusive. And, in fact, they may well look the same from the outside. But they come from very different places.

The path of success is extrinsically motivated (doing because you think you should), while the path of fulfillment is intrinsically motivated (doing because, when you listen carefully, your heart tells you that you must).

The missing ingredient for most people who are successful, but not fulfilled? They have an idea — uniquely theirs — lurking in the depths of their soul that they have never brought to light, and on which they have never taken action.

3 Steps to Move from Success to Fulfillment

A vast majority of leaders have awesome Big Ideas. And, many Big Ideas die with their creators because the path of success somehow feels safer than the path of fulfillment. But, the best kept secret?

Once you make an unequivocal decision to honor within yourself the choices that fulfill you, the life force that is tapped swamps the draw of perceived safety that mere success dangles in front of us.

Is it time to move from success to fulfillment and bring your Big Leadership Idea into the light?

Step 1: Ask the Big Question.

Be willing to ask yourself, “Is this it? Am I doing what I’m here to do?” and then challenge yourself to sit still long enough to listen for the response. There is a still, quiet voice in each of us that knows the answer. The more respect you give it, the louder it will speak.

Step 2: Have the Courage to Act.

Being willing to release who you are in order to stretch into who you are becoming takes a lion’s courage. There’s part in each of us that will valiantly protect the status quo – “C’mon… why rock the boat? This isn’t all that bad is it? I mean I [pick one: get paid well, have the right house, drive the right car], right? Can the grass really be any greener elsewhere?” But the status quo impacts your spirit the way a room without oxygen impacts your body. It’s only going to stay alive so long before there’s nothing left to breathe.

Step 3: Embrace the Hard Stuff.

“Hard stuff” is the stuff shines a spotlight on the areas of yourself that are begging to be ‘scrubbed up’ so that you can evolve as an leader, as a manager, and as a person. It is the gremlin of scarcity that coaches you not to do it. It is the voice of the reptilian brain that beckons you to stay small. It is the insecurity that drives you to say ‘yes’ to any opportunity, instead of having the courage to say ‘no’ unless it is the right opportunity.

The ‘hard stuff’ is just a collection of opportunities disguised as challenges. Instead of avoiding them, embrace them and….well, let the games begin!

It’s as easy as that…. 1…. 2…. 3…..