I believe happiness is an attitude, not a state of being. And just as we can choose our attitude, we can choose to be happy. It’s not always easy, but I do believe there are choices we can intentionally make every day that will lead to happiness.
As a leader, you’re expected to have the answers. Whether the questions are coming from customers, clients, competitors, employees, or the media, it’s important to be equipped with the right answer at the right time. But there is something even most important for leaders than having the right answers.
It is incredibly, critically important for a leader to remain teachable and realize that he or she is not always right, and that the wisdom of others should be heeded, because “maybe they are right!”
When you experience a loss or failure, you can choose to change, grow, and learn from it. While this is much easier said than done, it is possible! And learning from your loss makes it less of a loss… and more of a win.
I will never forget a lesson I learned early in my career that I think helped serve to strengthen and increase my habit of reflection and analysis. I learned that perception truly matters.
No matter your position, and no matter how much experience and expertise you now possess, the fact is at some point you were a beginner. At some point you had to be taught. That’s true for all of us! But the more experienced and successful we become, the more difficult it is to remain teachable.
Leaders understand the challenges and the critical importance of getting new, valuable people on board with their product, service, or organization. But what do you do once you have them? What about after you’ve made the sale, delivered the service, or finished training the new hire?
Balance. It’s something I believe we all want, but all tend to struggle with. There just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day or days in the week to fit in everything we need and want to do. But maybe there isn’t a secret to balance, because maybe balance simply isn’t realistic.
