Jot Once, Remember Anywhere 

OK, notetaking isn’t exactly a leadership skill.  But, I happen to be compulsive about taking notes in meetings of all kinds, so this article drew me in.

Today’s newslink has some great tips for all different ways to jot quick notes to yourself – and keep them organized and handy.  From old-fashioned pen and paper to the best smart phone apps, click HERE and you might find a new tool to help you keep track of all the great ideas and many to-do’s that randomly come up in your day (or, maybe even the middle of the night)!  Today’s article was published online January 26 on FastCompany.com.

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

Dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you’re willing to pay the price.

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Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.

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Some of us will do our jobs well and some will not, but we will be judged by only one thing-the result.

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The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual.

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.

Introduce the activity to your team : “We are going to play a game that will show us some important things about communication. Pick up your sheet of paper and hold it in front of you. Now, close your eyes and follow the directions I will give you—no peeking! And, you cannot ask questions.”

Give the following directions, while doing the same with your own sheet of paper.  Pause a moment after giving each instruction to give the group time to comply:

“The first thing I want you to do is to fold your sheet of paper in half.  Now tear off the upper right-hand corner.  Fold it in half again and tear off the upper left hand corner of the sheet.  Fold it in half again.  Now tear off the lower corner of the sheet.”  (Do not specify which one.)

After the tearing is complete, say something like “Now open your eyes, and let’s see what you have. If I did a good job of communicating and you did a good job of listening, all of our sheets should look the same!” Hold your sheet up for them to see. It is unlikely any sheet will match yours exactly.

Observe and comment on the differences. There will probably be some laughter.

Ask the group why no one’s paper looks just like yours. (You will probably get responses like “You didn’t let us ask questions!” or “Your directions could be interpreted in different ways.”)

Then, lead into a discussion on the need for clear, concise, two-way communication in the workplace and on your team.

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.

Stop Online Piracy Act.*

I don’t know enough about it, yet. I do know that bloggers are one population that could be seriously impacted.

You may have noticed yesterday that many tech websites were either blacked out or carried links to information about SOPA. The photo above is what wordpress.com (hosts this blog) looked like.

This post, however, is not just about SOPA.

Today, I am thankful to live in a society that allows, encourages, and embraces protest.

There are many countries around the world that would not tolerate such a protest. People are jailed everyday because they marched against a proposed government action. There are societies that would not allow the sharing of information about the potential impact of a new law. There are places, not too far away, where the government controls not only the law, but the dissemination of information about the law. In some places still today, disagreeing with the government is justification for that body to kill its own citizens.

The internet may have gone dark yesterday, but many were enlightened because of it. How great is that?

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*Interested in learning more about SOPA before it goes back before Congress next week? Click HERE to read the actual text of the bill as registered with the Library of Congress.

For additional opinions… THIS link will take you to an Op-Ed piece from Mashable; one man’s opinion on the dangers of SOPA. CNNMoney explains the pros and cons in THIS article, even though their parent company, Time Warner, supports the bill. Although nearly everyone agrees that content rights need to be protected, it is the possibilities of going too far that many are worried about. in THIS November NY Times editorial, the newspaper explains.

Here’s something to consider…when you are celebrating your 90th birthday, what will people say about working with you?

It takes 20 years to build a reputation and 5 minutes to ruin it. If you think about that you will do things differently. – Warren Buffett

A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well. – Jeff Bezos

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.

For this new year’s week, I challenge you to develop some stop, start, continue resolutions for yourself.  Complete the three sentences below.  Write down your answers.  Save them in a file, tuck them in a drawer, add them to your calendar at the end of the quarter.  Then, on some selected date, review your progress toward achieving them.  Good luck!

I resolve to STOP:

I resolve to START:

I resolve to CONTINUE:

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.

Many people make personal resolutions to do something different in a new year.  Lose weight and exercise more.  Stop smoking.  Spend more time with the family.

What about resolutions for your business or career?  Today’s newslink is to a list of ten action items for the new year, compiled by IDG Enterprise CEO Michael Friedenberg.  Click HERE to read his list, published December 15 on CIO.com.  Add a comment below and share what you would add.

Happy New Year!

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

The movie is the true story of recently widowed father of two, Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon), who decides to buy a run-down wildlife park and move his family there to give everyone a fresh start away from sad memories.

Of course, memories aren’t so quickly left behind and running a zoo isn’t easy, either!  This heartwarming story takes viewers through the evolution of the family’s grief and recovery, with a sprinkling of humor.  One of the life lessons in the story is something handed down from Mee’s father to him, and from him to his children:

You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.

Think of these words when you’re about to have a difficult conversation; be brave enough to say the first words.  When attempting to do something you’re unsure of, twenty seconds of courage will get you started.  When choosing a new path, bravely take that first step.

When making New Year’s resolutions later this week, be brave enough to think big!  What do you want to change?  What do you want to start?  What do you want to stop? Remember, all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage.  Something great will come of it.

Happy 2012!

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.

Sometimes, the hardest part of business is the softest part.  Commonly known as soft skills, things like inspiring teamwork, sharing a vision, welcoming two-way communication, can be the most difficult for many people in management positions.  However, they are critical for leadership.

Today’s newslink is to a CIO.com article written by Madeline Weiss and June Drewry, published  December 15.  Click HERE to read the full article, with three “soft skill” techniques for leading organizations, especially important in hard times.

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

One of the harder things to measure and impact is a person’s attitude, yet it can be one of the most important things that contribute to a favorable reaction.  You may have heard this story before, but it is a favorite illustration about positive attitude:

Many years ago two salesmen were sent by a British shoe manufacturer to Africa to investigate and report back on market potential.

The first salesman reported back, “There is no potential here – nobody wears shoes.”

The second salesman reported back, “There is massive potential here – nobody wears shoes.”

Both salesmen saw the exact same thing.  Nobody wears shoes.  Yet, one salesman viewed that circumstance as an overwhelming challenge to success while the other saw it as a clear opportunity.  Their attitude toward the situation made all the difference.

How do you look at challenges that face you?  What attitude do your team members observe in you?

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.