The Distinct Leader

Are You Actively Choosing the Life You Want?

Choose the Life You Really Want

Where Has the Time Gone? How often do we say that to ourselves? It's the end of May! Can you believe it?

Our experience with time is one of the "things" in our lives that can be ever-present or very elusive. We can be pressed for time which shows in that moment we are very aware of it or we can be lost in time when immersed in a project we love.

You know elusive has an interesting definition in this context. It suggests that time is difficult to find or catch. Funny isn't it? Does time run away? Does it disappear? Where does it go?

The answer to all three?...no where. It's ever-present - a constant, deeply personal life partner. Life partner, you say? Yes, because time measures our life... our very existence, which we acknowledge and typically celebrate every birth date.

In fact, quite simply, time is our life in numbers.

I think this is why I've always had a fascination with time management because ultimately I see it as life management. So I conclude, if you value your life, you will value your time. And if you value your time, you will want to intentionally develop life (time)-management practices to ensure you are producing the kind of life you want.

As a popular companion to time management, I've also had a fascination with productivity in the most basic sense. When I think of productivity from a life-management standpoint, I see it as what one is producing from their life....as the definition suggests - cause to happen or come into existence. 

Here's what's really interesting about life. Every day we cause things to happen. We bring into existence thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that form our lives...that shape our reality. Now for most, all of this is automated from years of past conditioning. Those thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are also typically reactionary. 

This kind of living - from past conditioning and reactions - is independent of choice. And so, our lives are shaped by past experiences and reactions to whatever comes at us. I call this living like a pinball - being haphazardly shot about in a crazy boxed-in maze that seems difficult to control or escape.

There are some though that come to see that they do not want to live life this way. They want to live from choice and control. They also realize that achieving this will take lots of effort and practice.  Overcoming and overriding automatic responses to life will require a particular kind of muscle few have and are willing to develop.

I call this your emotional intelligence muscle. And as we all know, a muscle can only be developed and strengthened through lots of practiced repetition and perhaps a bit of pain.

So where are you in your life right now?.. Fulfilled, happy, exhausted, stressed? If there is a part of your life you'd like to adjust, reshape or experience differently? If so, here is a key tip to achieve that.

Coaching Tip:
Change - intentionally shape - your inner dialogue. Your inner dialogue is what you tell yourself reflected by your thoughts and feelings. You can change it - any time - if you choose to. We all are constantly telling ourselves stories about what's going on in our day. Yep, we have a running storyline that is either automatic or intentional (consciously chosen). At any time we can stop the automation and insert conscious scripting, like listening to the radio. We stop listening to one channel and turn the dial to a different one. We can choose what we hear and tune into.

Tools to Help
There are many resources to help you do this. However, I'd like to suggest somewhat of an interesting multiple-benefit approach - using a time management tool.

Most are designed to prompt you to stop, pay attention, and build awareness which creates the opportunity for change. You can't change what you don't see.

Additionally, those tools typically ask you to record or do some amount of writing. The neuroscience of writing vs. typing also has huge benefits. Writing activates various areas of your brain that typing does not. 

If you'd like to explore the concept of using time management as a means of cultivating change to improve areas of your life, I've created a resource called The Time Coach. It's a small book designed as a self-coaching tool through the lens of behavioral neuroscience. It prompts you to track and record what's happening throughout your day so that you can make incremental, continuous improvements in the areas that create your life - thoughts, feelings, decisions, and behaviors. The book asks you to do 3 things: Track, Record, Assess. - Book on Amazon 

Summary Points: Time management is life management - it's a way of tracking your life to see if you're creating the life you really desire. Chose to live from intention and choice vs. past conditioning and reactions. The quality of your life resides here. 

Check out The Time Coach at the link below, along with several free, complimentary recourses.
You can learn about our Time Coach here.

 

 

Time As a Business Partner

Leadership Mindset - Do You See Time as a Business Partner?
If you're not using it - you're losing it.

No matter what the corporate makeup of your organization  - for profit or not - the ability to be an effective steward of all resources is a critical competency for every leader and employee. Among those resources is time.

Have you ever considered time as a business partner? If not, you should.

Last e-coach we discussed ensuring you have a power hour and the benefits that can come from that. Well,  I made an assumption that anyone reading that e-coach was already a pretty effective time manager. And probably for many, you are.

However, if you are not... this is your coaching prompt because time is not only a key asset, the use of time determines your leadership effectiveness.

Here's how I see it: Time is...

• a coach
• a reality check
• a measurement
• a gauge
• a truth-teller
• a road-map

to name a few.

For example, in its basic form time is used in accounting - e.g. quarterly reports, monthly summaries..etc. It's used to determine how employees are paid - e.g. hourly...pretty basic stuff. It's so embedded in the standard operations of an enterprise (and our lives in general), I think we take it for granted.

So, the coaching question this week is how are you working with time as your partner? And, if you're leading leaders, how are they and their teams?

If want to improve how you use it. Here's a 3-step tip using the mantra - Plan it, Map it, Manage it

Working with a week at a glance:
1. Plan what you want/need to do (tied to vision & strategy of course, determined from your "power hour").
2. Plug it into your calendar. Beyond meetings, map out when and how long you'll work with needed activities.
3. Manage it - you might need to bump things around and re-prioritize as the week progresses.

These 3 activities - if done consistently - will significantly improve your outcomes because they incorporate key time management skills: time awareness, time estimation, and time navigation.

The Bonus:
Using a week at a glance - which I call a time map...
- documents your activity
- gives you a record to refer to when your memory fails you
- serves as a coach because it shows the reality of how you work, particularly how and why you make the decisions you do
- it also helps you stay on track related to your vision and strategy...tracking decisions and activities keeps you mindful of alignment

These are just a few bonuses of using a time map to truly make time a partner. Of course, ultimately your goal is to be effective - getting the most needed stuff accomplished. 

Coaching Reminder: Each month we have a theme. Download these, do the action items, build a notebook of proven activity & results (I call that a "performance tracker"), and teach others.

Stay Tuned: Next month's theme -Effective Coaching as a Leader ...are you one?

1 Simple Practice That Can Transform Your Leadership - Have a Power Hour!

1 Simple Practice That Can Transform Your Leadership - Have a Power Hour!

Did you know you have a power hour? Well...I mean you have one, but you may or may not be using it. To find out, read on...

As we continue our 2023 theme of writing your own story, (and for those you lead helping them write theirs) we need to keep asking the question - What will Your Story be in 2023? 

Continually asking that question is essential to keeping us tuned in and on course to what we really want. It will successfully help us manage the perpetual battle of external demands and internal wants and needs. 

Remember: Our ability to do this is also a reflection of leadership effectiveness, which we discussed in the previous e-coach.

So, how are we doing so far? It is now the month of March! Say what? Shocking I know! If your year has been anything like mine, it's been very busy and March has suddenly popped up like the daffodils in my neighborhood.

Whether your story is playing out as you envisioned at the beginning of the year or you're in March feeling as if you're in someone else's story more than you are in your own, there is hope!  I have a simple practice that can radically change your storyline even today!... because it certainly has mine. Remember, we're on this journey together. Everything I'm writing for you, I'm writing for myself as well!

What's the practice?...have a power hour.

What's a Power Hour?
A power hour is a designated time of the week, that is non-negotiable...meaning can't be moved or bumped. It is treated as sacred. 

It is the time of the week that you give space to your mind, heart, and spirit to breathe and express themselves. It is a time when you stop! and listen to what's being said.

This time is golden because you are connecting to and tapping into your power. Here are just a few of the things you'll experience:

• It will give you feedback from your internal voice, your subconscious, and spirit on decisions you've made 
• Express how you really feel about certain experiences that need to be addressed that you might otherwise minimize or ignore.
• Ideas for what to do next time.
• A flow of information (I mean this literally - it's like a download) as synthesized experiences that suggest areas of improvement & innovation.

This is just a sampling. Your power hour is where you give yourself a chance to think beyond a superficial puddle, but from a deep thought-filled reservoir.   Most people are puddle thinkers you know and you can't really lead - have a compelling new story - as a puddle thinker.

It is the one part of the week when you take back your time (your story partner) and check in on your vision and execution. It's like pulling off on the side of the road, checking your route to make sure you're going the right way before you get too far down the highway of 2023, going in the wrong direction.

So, as you can see, your power hour is critical. It is the core source of your leadership effectiveness and therefore ultimately its success. It powers your vision and empowers your leadership because you will hear and learn things that will transform your leadership beyond what you can see at the moment.  

The result? It will solidify your vision, and deepen your conviction, desire, and motivation to see it through while refining your weekly actions and outcomes.

In the creative thinking space, this is considered experiencing the role your subconscious plays as your guide and coach. And as I've mentioned in previous e-coaches, this is the way to get new results from new thinking vs. trying to get new results from old puddle thinking.

Coaching Actions:
1. I highly encourage you to honor your power hour. Commit to experiencing what it can do for you.
2. Keep a journal. Keep track of the "ah-has", learnings, and insights. You'll be amazed as you review them over time what was revealed.
3. If you don't have a power hour, determine when that will be in your weekly schedule and stick to it. 
4. If you have one and have not been honoring it, ask yourself why. You don't want to hear and learn in 6 months what you need to hear and learn today.  
5. If you are a leader leading leaders - help them integrate this into their schedule, hold them accountable, and ask about what they are gleaning from it. Teach and coach strategic thinking and planning.

Remember - Every day you are scripting the next few pages of your story by the actions you take. Let your power hour be your co-writer and director.

Coaching Bonus: The InFocus e-coaches are written for continuity in leadership learning and development. So, print them out, put them in your journal, or development notebook, use them in staff meetings, pass them along, or have your team subscribe. Here's the link: www.thedistinctleader.com

One of the Most MisUnderstood Qualities of Leadership - Vision

One of the Most MisUnderstood Qualities of Leadership  - Vision

 

You can look at just about any list of essential qualities for a Leader and vision is listed. What's interesting is I've discovered through the years of working with many leaders is there is a good number who really don't have one, so don't function from one, and don't practically know how to have it.

 

And yet, having a vision is an essential element of leadership. Why? Because the very point of leadership is taking those you lead to a new destination reflecting different and hopefully much better outcomes.

 

Now, in order to do that you have to be able to "see" where you're going. To see, you have to imagine. And as true leaders, we have to see different to get different.

 

Imagination is the gateway to new possibilities. It opens up the portal of potential and so makes it one of the coolest, most exciting aspects of our existence as human beings. 

 

Imagination gives us the power - gives anyone the power - to bring into existence something never before seen or experienced. That is just amazing! Yet sadly this magnificent feat of human power is so frequently taken for granted even in its most simplest form. For example, one simple element of process improvement occurs when someone "sees" something different, even if it's just a minor tweak.

 

This was my "ah ha" moment many years ago when I started conducting creative & innovative thinking workshops.

 

Creating a vision is activating the imagination for the purpose of seeing (envisioning) a new, different, improved state. Without it you are existing and managing the status quo...and that's not really leading.

 

Without vision, we live an illusion of leading...we are merely swimming in the status quo.

 

So, creative thinking should be on the essentials list. In fact, the IBM Leadership Values Institute several years ago deemed this the most essential quality for the future. Here's a great reference.

 

For a while, it was my most requested keynote and to date, for some clients, a mainstay in their employee development offerings. It's also what prompted me to write the creative thinking handbook Brain On Fire - How to Unleash Your Creative Superpowers.

 

In summary, vision is one of the most overused and underused elements of leadership...overused as a stated requirement and underused in reality.

 

Coaching Questions: Do you have a vision? Are you currently functioning and leading from one? Does your team have a team vision (what we call "shared vision")? In 2023, are you managing the status quo carried over from 2022?

 

My theme for this year thus far has been the concept of "refresh". Now you know - it's not just a nice thing to do, but essential for real leadership... leadership that truly makes a difference.

 

To Your Success!

JoAnn

 

Notes: 

> Brain on Fire - available on Amazon. 

>  Also, consider bringing a Creative & Innovative Thinking Workshop to your organization. It is one of the best resources for "team building" and provides a fun approach to nurturing healthy, constructive collaboration.

The Bad News for Your Career

The Really Bad News for Your Career

If you really want to have a successful, satisfying career for which you are appropriately compensated. I have news for you.  The current structure of HR and management in most companies will not help you achieve that. In fact, they are set up to do exactly the opposite.

The purpose of this piece is to say publicly, I have finally accepted the reality (and I’m sad to say) this is just not going to happen. There may be slight tweaks here and there, but radical  - nope - not going to happen. And this is really bad news for your career.

To learn how you can get the tools and support - go to www.thedistinctleader.com

 

6 Career Truths You Don‘t Want to Ignore

I'm about to give you the most honest, candid information you'll probably ever hear related to your career.

Consider it advice that has been accumulating for many years...which at this point might even qualify as wisdom. But, I'll leave that for you to decide.

Read the full text here: https://www.thedistinctleader.com/content/6-top-career-truths-you-cant-ignore/

Simple Really is Better!

In this episode, I address how the HR, training and development industry has made management/leadership so complicated...and it just really doesn't need to be. 

"And the shocking news flash!...it's not that complicated! (Now think of this statement in light of all the billions of dollars spent in the training and development industry each year). In fact the needs are quite simple and can be summed up this way:"

Billions of dollars spent....and what have we really gained...when really all folks really want it....

Read full post here; https://platform.joanncorley.com/content/sometime-simple-really-is-better/

Introducing The Distinct Leader

If you're anything like me, spring is a time when I take a moment to assess what's been happening since the beginning of the year - and what was and what could be as the year continues to progress. I set aside time to plan because I want to act with intention - to make the most of each day. I encourage you to do the same (and in particular with your professional development).

One of the new initiatives I'm super excited to introduce is The Distinct Leader, this all-in-one platform that holds my complete collection of offerings, including books, articles and courses. It's intended to be a one stop shop to serve as an expert professional development resource for leaders and managers.

Is Fear Undermining Your Leadership?

It's the most subtle, sinister of qualities that can unknowingly sabotage your leadership. Have you noticed? Learn more about how fear might be holding you back.

My Advice During Covid - Hang On To What's Certain

There is nothing new under the sun...ever heard that phrase. It from a biblical passage, Ecc. 1:9.

Well, in the time of Covid, you might be thinking...is that true now? These are unprecedented times. We're entering into a new normal (not a fan of that phrase)...but ok, yes things are definitely unsettling and uncertain. And, some elements of life may permanently change...or not. We'll see.

However, there are some very human, historical, and universal truths that are settled, certain, and will remain unchanged.

While we get tossed about by how we and others are describing this current experience, as someone who lives in the realm of human behavior in life and business, I can say - and I hope this is encouraging- there some things...and I dare say the most important things... that have not changed and will not change.

Read more: https://www.joanncorleyspeaks.com/2020/05/there-is-nothing-new-under-sun.html

This should be comforting news! There are some very important things that are unchanging in the midst of uncertainty that we can hold on to - anchor ourselves to - as we weather potential stormy times ahead. This is true both personally and professionally.