Same problem over and over again?

The universe will keep throwing the same problem at you over and over again until you figure it our and get it right.

Screwed it up?  You’ll get that problem again and have another chance to get it right.

Defered it?  Here it comes again.

Ignored it?  Hoped it would go away?  Back it comes.

Fixed it half-assed?  You’ll see that problem again.

Best to take your biggest problem, read some books on it, change your habits, learn some skills, practice and get it right to make it a strength, and get rid of it once and for all.  

A leader's biggest problem

A leader’s biggest problem is that they have not defined their job well.

All your problems and difficulties are of the leaders making. (With the exception of COVID shutdowns).

If a leader is having difficulty with people, then he has not focused on recruiting, training, communication and culture-building enough – or hasn’t caused such things to happen.

If a leader is having problems with the market he is in, then he has given poor thought to the selection of business to go into in the first place, and hasn’t rectified it since.

If the leader is having problems with the competition, then he hasn’t focused on innovation and marketing enough, or caused such things to happen.

What needs to be fixed?  What is MOST important now?  To set things right you have to see things right.  Then the leader needs to ask “Who and what do I need to be to solve this problem?”

Then, from that clear thinking, it takes courage and grit.

Goals accomplished and happy people

Leader – your job is to accomplish the goals of the organization while bringing out the best in other people.

Are you accomplishing your goals?

Are you bringing out the best in others?

When ideas have sex

This is a line from the book “The Rational Optimist” which I just finished and highly recommend.

Ideas are powerful.  If someone figures something out or creates a tool using their idea, and I use the idea to solve one of my problems and then make it better…this is how humans got to such levels of prosperity.

Talk about your problems to your team.  Ask for their ideas.  Share yours.  Put ideas together.  Crowdsource answers.  

The answers are there.  Cultivate the best ideas from the world and your team.

Prosperity = Time

The true measure of something’s worth is how long it takes to get it.  

If you can get it faster and more efficiently from others, trade makes your life better by saving you time.

People buy what you have to offer because to do it themselves would take longer for them to learn/get set up for/do.

Open markets and free exchange make people more prosperous.

Silent applause for monotasking!

If you take one thing at a time, you can do anything!

Clear your desk of everything else.  Pick one thing – the most important one.  Forget the rest.

Get to work.

You + Solitude = You squared

When you are free from the incessant stimulus of the outside world, you can use your controlled attention to create something new and valuable.

When is your time?

Hindsight, Foresight and Insight

Some leaders are always looking back.  Some just forward.  Some never look in very deep.  A leader needs to see it all clearly.  

Hindsight – how did we, he, she, get here?  What happened to cause our current situation.

Foresight – Where exactly are we going and how can we get there?  

Insight – What do we have to do today?  Who needs to do what?  What are the details that add up to create the results we are getting and need to get?

Do you have all three?

Bright colors cause happiness and joy

What colors are your offices painted?

Resources or resourcefulness

If you don’t have resources you’d better have resourcefulness.