What Are You And What Do You Do?

Do you know what this is? Is it the moon? A view of earth from the space station? Actually, it’s a picture of the top of a wild mushroom I took while on a hike a few weeks ago. It can be fun to look at an unusual picture and try to guess what the object is. While that may be fun, it is not a laughing matter when potential clients and maybe even current customers don’t really know and understand what it is you do; and if that’s the case, there is a good possibility that they will not understand how it will benefit them to work with you.

As a professional leadership coach, I often have to explain to potential clients the nature of the service I provide. For one thing, the idea of a coach may seem foreign to their thinking and experience. For another, there are a variety of types of coaching out in the market place. I have to be clear in communicating my role as a leadership coach, my coaching process, and how my clients benefit from my services.

Do your potential and current clients know what you are and what you do? Have you communicated to them clearly what you do, who you do it with, and how they benefit by working with you? If you haven’t, they may end up thinking that you’re a mushroom.

Trail Blazer or Trail Blocker?

I was hiking along a trail some time ago and encountered a tree trunk that had fallen across the trail I was following. The picture of the fallen tree caused me to ask myself, “Am I a trail blazer or a trail blocker?” It’s a significant question, and one that a leader should ask himself from time to time. It is especially a good question to ask of yourself and those who form your leadership team when a project or strategy gets stymied.

A leader can become a trail blocker when…

1. All decisions and next steps have to pass across his desk for final approval. Granted as the leader you do have to make significant decisions, but the purpose of developing a team of competent people is to be able to trust them with significant decisions once the vision and strategy is fully developed. Perhaps the buck does stop with you, but that doesn’t mean that the vision and strategy should get bogged down while you make a decision.
2. He is more concerned with getting the credit rather than enabling his team to enjoy the accolades of a job well done. The leader who starts making decisions based on how it will make him look rather than on how it will enable his team to successfully complete the tasks assigned them, will be perceived as a trail blocker concerned only with his personal success.
3. He hesitates to pull the trigger on a new strategy, product, or service. Timing is essential to initiating a new project. Don’t over analyze your situation. Form your team, do the research, develop challenging goals, create viable strategies, and begin the journey.  As a basketball coach warns his team when drawing up a plan for a buzzer beater play, “Don’t get caught watching the paint dry.”

  Decide today to be a trail blazer, not a trail blocker.

Effectively Using a "To Do" List

The use of a “to do” list remains an effective tool for consistent productivity. In fact, most successful people I know utilize tools that enable them to consistently accomplish significant tasks each day. Here are a few observations about the effective utilization of a to do list:

1.   A “to do” list is an effective tool for managing your time and maximizing your resources. It helps to keep you focused on the main things and gives direction to your daily activities.
2. The value of a “to do” list is found in the value of the items on the list. Put on your list significant activity. The goal is to be productive, not just busy. If you keep this simple but profound reality in mind and apply it vigorously, you will probably cut the number of items on your to do list by 50% or better.
3. A “to do” list is worthless without a done list. Evaluate your day on what you actually did, not on what you intended to do.
4. At the end of the day, utilize the “to do” list to reflect on the day’s activities, evaluate the significance of what was accomplished, and to prepare for the next day’s activities.

 I still like the admonition, “Plan your work and work your plan.” Use a “to do” list to keep your plans on track.