Creating the “Not to do” list.

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It’s all a choice, I remind myself as the work piles up and I start frantically going through it. This is the busy season. I am coaching, training, planning, creating, talking to clients. And it’s all good, don’t get me wrong. I love it all. And if I continue to do it all I will not keep the standard of service I am so proud of. So, enter my wonderful team. They are competent, willing, there. And I need to give away more of what I am doing so we can thrive together.

So, first, I put myself on the task of deciding what I will NOT do. If you are ever faced with an impossible TODO list, this should be on it, before all else. High achievers have a hard time getting things OFF the list, even if they resent the time spent going though it all and even when they experience the frustration of never completing it fully. Letting go is harder than it seems. Just this month, two of my coaching clients were struggling with this very experience. Used to getting everything done, they were both drowning in unsolved issues and incomplete lists of things that should get done. Though each one of them finally moved forward in a slightly different way, I want to share some of the learning that is prompting me (yes, me and not a friend of my coachee) to create my NOT TO DO list effectively.

1. What can my team do just as well as me? It might be more than I had thought. They’re hotshots, too! ;) LOL

2. What will my team be honored to do, challenged to try, happy to excel at? After all, I do love giving people jobs they cherish, experiences they feel excited to try and willing to pursue.

3. What would benefit someone in my extended team and our work at the same time? Expansion is the name of my current game. So, reaching out to people I have not yet hired but would love to work with, on a project basis has worked for me in the past. Also, bringing some old colleagues back is refreshing. Some of them are even more awesome now than I remembered.

4. What do I not do well? Gasp! Yep…there are quite a few things. If they are not taken care of by someone else on the team,  those are better outsourced, automated or really experienced if what you want is to learn more about them. Asking for help can take some time, so maybe I’ll bump a few of those right into that TODO LIST, and add them as a learning experience and expert help combo.

So, that’s that! My current thinking on not to do’s and how I am going about it. More ideas, anyone?

 

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Social Media: The great amplifier.

As many of you know already, I am a huge Social Media enthusiast. More and more I find myself talking about it privately, speaking publicly and sharing what I have learned with more and more others. I truly enjoy tweeting, blogging, participating actively on LinkedIN and Facebook, and nowadays, yes, also pinning! Google+ has

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How a Wider Perspective Makes You a Better Leader.

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As leaders become more prominent in their organizations, they tend to have much to do and a few key people to do it with. To zero in on their vision, they might create their dream team and continue to explore new ways of changing the

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Listening to your body is a balancing act.

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Marathon runners know it and so do singers, maybe other professions experience the same. In general, it’s a good idea to listen to your body and connect your mind, body and soul for a more fruitful existence, a better gauge of your reactions, more understanding of yourself.  These are three

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Randall on Relaxation

Recently my good friend Randall Krause of Hymla was generous enough to do a free webinar for us called Relaxation 101. Check it out! We think it is awesome! Thanks Randall.

NOTE: ONLY THE INTRO is in Spanish. The webinar is in English so hang in there!

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Do you see what I see?

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The first struggle of a leader is to convey the vision. That wonderful state of things that drives her every move and keeps him motivated to tread on. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could just plug some technology in and it would pick our brains and show on HD TV exactly what the

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Is Patience a Leadership Virtue?

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I am reposting this here with permission from my friend Karin Zastrow. Karin is the author of Direct Leadership and we love to bounce ideas around. This time, we will be doing so in front of you, the readers of this blog, as I intend to write a companion post

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An innovator or a nut?

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I’ve done some brave things in my life. Lately, a few that are big stretches for me, daring to move out of my comfort zone and risk not being liked (gasp)! Most recently I did a remote session via Instant Presenter to a live, very touchy-feely group in San Francisco, at the Human Element

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Is self-esteem the enemy?

This morning I came across an article published by a religious group in which working with self-esteem was portrayed as dangerous, not only to religious beliefs but to reality-based decision making. After moving past my own defensiveness and professional slant, I do see how it could be misused and misinterpreted that way, but I

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Are you easy to work with?

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Have you ever realized that some people just get help from everyone? Colleagues want to work with them and collaborate in any way possible. Their work becomes better and naturally creative as more and more people include them. They learn fast and become resourceful as they find themselves involved in different projects. So, how

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