Oscar Peterson: A model of Engaged Performance.

Have you ever engaged this fully in your work – so much so that the work is transformed by you and you are transformed by the work?

Consciousness, Unconsciousness and Leadership | Slow Leadership

To be conscious, you need to view life, right here and right now, from the 25,000-foot level and ask yourself:
“What am I doing right here, right now?”
“Who am I being, right here, right now? Am I acting in alignment with my core values?”
“Is there harmony between what I think, say, feel and do, and if not, why not? How can I create that harmony for myself?
“What am I thinking about and what do I think about what I’m thinking about?” “Am I ‘going along to get along’ even though I know it’s inappropriate?”

Consciousness is about being decent right where you are. That’s who successful and truly respected leaders and managers are. It’s about showing character and working for the highest good of all concerned, right where you are today. That’s what successful and truly respected leaders and managers do. It’s about showing up, authentically, with integrity, and acting to make the workplace, and the world, a better place for everyone — even if it’s uncomfortable and inconvenient.

» Mondays with Mac: Embrace Change in Your Life- Simple Truths: The Blog of Inspiration

Comfort zones put padlocks on the doors to growth, discovery, and adventure in your life, but three keys that will unlock those doors are discipline, hard work, and faith. When it comes to progress, when it comes to change…Inch by inch, life’s a cinch. Yard by yard, life is hard. Unlock one door at a time, enjoy small successes, and soon you will have achieved your goals.

» Mondays with Mac: Reward the Gift of Imagination- Simple Truths: The Blog of Inspiration

One of the most amazing things about business (and life) is the power of one idea. And one of your greatest challenges as a leader is to understand how to find and nurture them.

There is nothing more rewarding than seeing your ideas come to life. And nothing more frustrating than seeing them die. How are you helping those around you nurture their ideas? What about your own imagination?…are you exercising it, or allowing circumstances to keep it unused?

Thought for today:

If you haven’t got time to do it right,
When will you find time to do it over?

» Mondays with Mac: Learn From Southwest Airlines- Simple Truths: The Blog of Inspiration

Success doesn’t happen by accident. It starts with unwavering commitment from the leaders to build a dedicated team of passionate people who serve their boss: the customer.

This is the ending statement of an post that is worth taking a minute to read, and several more to think about.

How often do you walk into Starbucks, go to the coffee pot at home or work, grab some chocolate or a bag of chips, or buy your favorite caffeinated beverage looking for just a little more juice, something to energize you, or to amp up your day just a little bit (there’s even an energy drink named Amp!)?

Sure you may like the taste of those treats, and even gain some temporary energy, but they aren’t a complete answer to your energy and attitude challenges.

Here are seven specific things you can do at any time (including right now) to amp up your energy and attitude – with no caffeine crash or calories!

Read Kevin’s Blog to hear about these seven ways.

Leading Questions: Tiger Woods – Better today than yesterday

“You don’t have to be a champion golfer or the CEO of a Fortune 100 company to have the kind of drive to be better every day like Tiger does. That has nothing to do with what your talent, and everything to do with your character. What Tiger has is a paradoxical belief in both the nobility and importance of being the best, and a humility to recognize that his greatest opponent is his own character.”

Take time to watch this (almost 28 minute long) video and to read the article on the Leading Questions blog. Both are well worth the time you’ll spend.

“Management has a lot to do with answers. Leadership is a function of questions. And the first question for a leader always is: ‘Who do we intend to be?’ Not ‘What are we going to do?’ but ‘Who do we intend to be?’” —Max De Pree, Herman Miller

As leaders we spend a lot of time focusing on action, on getting results. To do this, most of us track our actions with a “to do” list of some sort. However, great leadership is more than just getting results, it requires us to act from a deep sense of who we are. To have a foundation integrity and character that inspires and motivates others to trust us and in turn take action. As leaders it’s important that we manage our action, with a “to do” list, as well as our being, with a “to be” list.

Read more about this on “The Practice of Leadership” blog