As I prepared some space on her desk yesterday for the memorial that we knew would spring up today, I noticed several quotes taped to her desk, tucked away just behind her keyboard.  When I saw the one below, I immediately thought of sharing it through today’s Tuesday Tidbit.

“Lead people to their own greatness.”  Through these words, she’s leading us still; let’s honor her memory by rising to the challenge.

Rest in peace, Leslie.

Tuesday Tidbits are weekly messages I send to my leadership team. They are generally short & sweet, often focused on leadership or teamwork, always positive and, hopefully, motivational. I hope you also find some meaning in them.

Every parent of the forty who were recognized last night can have a bursting heart this morning.  Today, I am also thankful for the diverse talents among the entire group of honorees.

There were doctors, lawyers, military professionals, and authors.  We were introduced to local legislators, musicians, and entrepreneurs.  We met a man who owns a racing team and another who writes a food blog. We heard success stories rooted in a wide variety of pursuits.

Every one of these men and women are deeply involved in their community.  As impressive as their personal resumes are, it was great to see the that they also used their passion, skills and commitment to help the underserved.  Many of the Forty under 40 serve on non-profits boards, mentor youth, advise start-ups, or have founded their own community service organization.  They fight hunger, cancer, and child abuse.  They preserve neighborhoods, cultures, and history.

I come away from these types of events hopeful for our future.  We are lucky to have the honorees’ enthusiasm, energy and smarts to lead us there.

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Preparing for the move has included some tough decisions.  Do we really need to keep the faded print that we won’t hang on the wall anymore…just because my parents gave it to us? (No.) Do we need to keep the big clunky, chunky 10 year old TV….just because it still has a clear picture? (No.)  Should we hold on to my grandmother’s porcelein coffee and dessert sets…even though we just display them but don’t use them?  (Yes!)

Taking our teams into the future requires the same examination and, sometimes, very tough questions and answers.

Are you retaining people on your team who were once team leaders but aren’t willing to learn new skills for continued success?  Are you tolerating less than good productivity because a team member is a really nice person and great at organizing pot lucks?  Are you hanging on to processes that don’t work, just because that’s the way we’ve always done it?  Are you investing too much time trying to ‘save’ someone, when they have proven to be unwilling to save themselves?  Are you asking people to follow you, but you aren’t being a good follower yourself?

The right questions today can set the stage for a bright future.  I’m keeping that in mind with every item I’m choosing to take with me to our new home.  We all need to consider that as we take our teams to our new future.

Tuesday Tidbits are weekly messages I send to my leadership team. They are generally short & sweet, often focused on leadership or teamwork, always positive and, hopefully, motivational. I hope you also find some meaning in them.

The number 19 way to show your value reads:

19) Learn the difference between e-communication and real communication. Communicating with people is an opportunity not only to transfer information, but also to build relationships with them at the same time. With all the forms of electronic communication available today, our conversations are becoming more and more impersonal.

“Not only are texts and e-mails inefficient and sometimes carried to ridiculous extremes, they are also costing us our personal relationships,” says Loomer. “I want employees who will interact with people and solve problems. If you can’t interact with people directly, you have no value.”

I know as well as anyone that it is much easier and quicker to tap out an email and move on. If you find yourself doing that same thing, stop and think for a moment – is the email going to move the relationship forward, backwards, or stall it? Then, decide if you should hit “send” or walk to someone’s desk or pick up the phone and have a real conversation.

Tuesday Tidbits are weekly messages I send to my leadership team. They are generally short & sweet, often focused on leadership or teamwork, always positive and, hopefully, motivational. I hope you also find some meaning in them.

Integrity has no need of rules. - Albert Camus

The glue that holds all relationships together — including the relationship between the leader and the led — is trust, and trust is based on integrity. – Brian Tracy

Your reputation and integrity are everything. Follow through on what you say you’re going to do. Your credibility can only be built over time, and it is built from the history of your words and actions. - Maria Razumich-Zec

Tuesday Tidbits are weekly messages I send to my leadership team. They are generally short & sweet, often focused on leadership or teamwork, always positive and, hopefully, motivational. I hope you also find some meaning in them.

One of the strategies she shared definitely applies to what we do everyday.

We all have big goals, in both our personal and professional lives. Sometimes, our goals can be so daunting they almost paralyze us. Alison suggested chunking the big goals into manageable increments. She shared this story of her experience as the team neared the mountain’s summit:

On the way up to High Camp, we were at 26,000 feet. This is called the “death zone.” At 26,000 feet, your body is slowly dying. You are taking 5 to 10 breaths for every step. After we made it to High Camp, we headed to the summit at 10:30 pm. We needed to be at 29,300 feet to reach the summit. I got overwhelmed as I did the math of how long it would take to get there by taking a step, 5 to 10 breaths, another step, and so on. I took the strategy of breaking it down into smaller increments. I picked out a rock a few hundred feet in front of me and focused on making it to the rock. Then I would find another goal.

Instead of worrying about going another 3000 feet, she set her sights on the rock a few hundred feet away. Then, perhaps another rock a couple hundred feet ahead. By setting smaller goals aimed at the larger goal, the task seemed more manageable and the goal achievable.

What big goal do you have? If you are sometimes overwhelmed by the magnitude of it, try Alison’s strategy. Set smaller goals, always moving in the right direction. Reach them, create new ones, steadily moving toward the big goal. Soon, like Alison, you’ll reach the summit of your Mount Everest, too.

If you are interested in the rest of Alison’s strategies, click here to read her story.

Tuesday Tidbits are weekly messages I send to my leadership team. They are generally short & sweet, often focused on leadership or teamwork, always positive and, hopefully, motivational. I hope you also find some meaning in them.

The scenery is incredible.  Living in the relatively flat Ohio landscape, the Rockies are a sight to behold.  Today, we are driving across the state and I’ve been told that the scenery will be even more spectacular.  I can’t wait.

I’m meeting really good people, too.  Hard-working, salt-of-the-earth kind of folks.  They care about each other, they want to do well, they want to make a difference, they are excited about the opportunities of our growing company.

Today, I am thankful for the reminder that most people simply want to add value.

Yesterday, I met with someone who had recently been promoted to a frontline team leadership position.  I asked her what was the most challenging part of her new position and what was the most rewarding.  Her answers?  The most challenging for her is the mastering the multi-tasking it takes to be successful.  The most rewarding?  (This is as close a quote as I can recall…)

I feel like I’m really making a difference.  I’m helping other people be successful.  I feel like I’m adding value.

How important for all of us to remember. 

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Tomorrow is Administrative Professionals Day.  I don’t think our office is any different than most when it comes to the value of our administrative professional, a.k.a. Stacie*.  Anyone who needs to know almost anything, find almost anyone, or generally accomplish the impossible knows that she is one to count on.

She handles a wide variety of duties from executive travel arrangements to coordinating community giving events.  She probably knows more than anyone about the business because everyone trusts her with important, often confidential, information, challenges and projects.  She listens with a smile, follows through on every commitment,  and never says, “that’s not my job.”

She deserves much more than we can give her, but that’s not a reason to just let the day go by.  Let’s create a “gratitude jam!”  I’m challenging everyone to write a notecard, send an email or stop by her desk and share gratitude for whatever she has done to help you – and you know she has done something!

*Fill in your administrative professional’s name here!

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If you’re lucky enough to have an administrative professional that you can’t imagine working without, be sure to express your gratititude and appreciation.  On the way in to work tomorrow, stop and pick up some fresh flowers, write a heartfelt card, and send him/her home early.  Then, try to do the work yourself.  Whether you manage it well or not, you’ll really be filled with gratitude on Thursday when he/she returns!  (And, since that will be “Thank you Thursday,” you know what to do!)

No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude. ~Author Unknown

Tuesday Tidbits are weekly messages I send to my leadership team. They are generally short & sweet, often focused on leadership or teamwork, always positive and, hopefully, motivational. I hope you also find some meaning in them.

Take seashells, for example.

These three jars of shells are in my office, reminders of favorite vacations at the shore and various other beaches. 

You can probably tell that the shells are not all the same.  Some are large, some are small.  Some are plain, some are a little fancier.  There are all different colors in the jars, too.  That’s about all you can see when you look at such a large number of shells at once. 

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Imagine, though, what you might see if you took the time to step a little closer to the jars and really look at the shells individually.  The deep orange, pink, and gold; the light brown, gray, and off white.  Some shells swirl, some fan wide, some are ridged.  Some are round while others are long and thin.  Each one is unique.  Each one is beautiful in its own way.

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Taking the time to really look at the shells also provides the opportunity to look past obvious chips, cracks and even gaping holes and focus more on the beauty that is there.  Below are two pictures of the same shell.  When I found it, it was lying on the beach with the hole on top.  Not really the most attractive thing.  I stopped, picked it up, turned it over and marvelled at the beauty of nature’s colors  inside.

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What does this all have to do with diversity and leadership and teamwork? 

Think about your team members.  Do you just see them as a group?  Or, do you take the time to see the unique gifts of each person?  Do you see them as a single unit,”my team,” or have you discovered what makes each individual different from the rest?  Do you turn away from that one person who perhaps doesn’t make a good first impression or have you taken the time to find the beauty that might be hidden deep inside?

Whether seashells or people; richness and beauty lies in diversity.

Tuesday Tidbits are weekly messages I send to my leadership team. They are generally short & sweet, often focused on leadership or teamwork, always positive and, hopefully, motivational. I hope you also find some meaning in them.

No matter how much a leader might benefit from observing another leader’s actions, or contemplating another’s philosophies, the leader will never BE that other person.  So stop trying.  Instead, use the lessons from others, such as the life and times of Steve Jobs, to strengthen your skills, hone your ideas, develop your approach and live your life.  Remember, YOU are the leader your followers are inspired by.  You.

Today’s newslink is to an interesting commentary on this subject, written by Steve Tobak and published April 10 on CBSNews.com.  Click HERE to read the full article.

Newslink: Leadership features articles about the development and practice of leadership skills in today’s business world.