Articles

Work Less – 3 Ways Smart Leaders Do to Get Better Results

The Work Less – 3 Ways Smart Leaders Do to Get Better Results is a guest post by Victor Prince. Victor is co-author of a new book, Lead Inside the Box: How Smart Leaders Guide their Teams to Exceptional Results. He is a consultant and speaker who teaches strategy and leadership skills to clients around the world. You can find him online at victorprince.com.

At the core of leadership is change that leads to better results. Some leaders try to get more out of their teams and organizations by simply working harder and longer. Smart leaders, however, have figured out that they can get better results by reducing efforts in a few key areas.

In their new book, Lead Inside the Box, Victor Prince and Mike Figliuolo offer 3 Ways that Smart Leaders Work Less to Get Better Results…

Job Description – 5 Reasons Your Team Needs It

The Job Description – 5 Reasons Your Team Needs It is a guest post by Dr. Ryan Hartwig. Ryan is co-author of Teams That Thrive and associate professor of communication at Azusa Pacific University. Find him online at ryanhartwig.com and on Twitter.

What if every team in your organization had a job description? What if every team had clarity about the team’s purpose, and how that purpose was different from other teams and individuals in the organization?

In today’s world, it’s common for most positions in organizations to have a written job description. The job description provides focus, clarifies expectations, delineates qualifications for job candidates, and outlines the criteria for performance evaluation.

But what about teams?

Obstacles – 3 Ways to Handle Them at Work

This week while traveling, I had conversations with several people about how tempting it is to compartmentalize areas of life like OBSTACLES. Maybe it helps us feel better about ourselves. Maybe it puts problem areas in a neat little box so we can push them out of sight and out of mind.

Think about this – OBSTACLES are inevitable. They’re a natural part of life and work. Right?

So, if they are to be expected, even unavoidable, why the need to label them?

The fact that we label obstacles makes them scary. Conjures up anxiety.

What if we simply viewed them as a part of life – and a part of our work?

Obstacles occur to help you determine if you really believe in the vision.

Yet most people never get past the obstacle. So they never accomplish their dream. They never live out the vision.

So today, when you face obstacles – and you will – here are 3 ways to handle them…

1. Quit calculating the size of the obstacle and remember the size of your vision. Keep your eye on the vision. Focus on it. Fanatically.
2. Find a solution instead of letting the obstacle become an excuse.
3. Prepare for future obstacles. If they stop you, you will never breakthrough. You’ll never experience the miracle. And your vision is worth it.

Your life matters immensely. And your work matters. So don’t give up. Don’t quit. Not today.

What obstacle are you facing that you need to move past today?

The ONE Thing YOU Have to Offer the World

The ONE Thing YOU Have to Offer the World is a guest post from Chad Allen, a writer, editor, and speaker. He’s the creator of Book Proposal Academy and serves as editorial director for Baker Publishing Group. Connect with him on Twitter and his blog.

“A lot of other people have written about this. Is there room for one more? Does it make sense for me to write about it too?” As an editorial director for a book publisher, I get these questions a lot!

In fact, I asked the same questions. I remember emailing blogger and author Jeff Goins and asking about starting a blog on writing, publishing, and creativity. I asked, “Don’t you, Michael Hyatt, and Todd Henry pretty much have that covered, or is there room for one more?”

Culture-Shaping Leadership Requires Sacrifice

It’s tempting. To believe that freedom, power, and wealth are at the pinnacle of leadership. But leadership – real leadership – is not about position. It is not about perks nor about power.

Leadership is all about sacrifice. And the more you go up, the more you must give up.

Because leadership always requires sacrifice.