As human beings, we are constantly striving to better ourselves - to sharpen our skills and make ourselves more effective at home and at work. 

But once we accomplish our current objective, how do we decide what to work on next? How do we make sure we are always moving in the right direction?

I find it’s often best to start by considering your “constituents” - the people you most want to help or support - and figuring out what actions would be most beneficial to them.

You’ve got a colleague who hasn’t performed at their best lately. Maybe they messed up the last client project. Maybe they’ve been making the same mistakes for a while now. You’re feeling like they’re making you or the company look bad. It seems like they just don’t get it, or they just don’t care.

What do you do?

I have a love-hate relationship with the phrase, “Don’t take it personally.”

On one hand, it tells people to stop caring about the things that are important to them. It derides them for being passionate and investing in something. That’s never a good thing.

On the other hand, however, it’s definitely possible to get too emotionally involved in a project or initiative - to get too close to the problems and the personalities involved.

When this happens, we tend to lose sight of the bigger picture. We abandon our tried-and-tested processes and procedures and begin making raw, knee-jerk decisions.

Do you want a long, successful career or do you want to run hot and burn out fast? I know which one I want!

As leaders, it’s important to set ourselves up for sustainable success that builds on itself over time. A big part of that is pacing ourselves. Long term success is a marathon, not a sprint. Knowing when to push and when to stay patient is an invaluable skill in your leadership toolkit.

Powerlifters have their own jargon for this concept: they call it “phase potentiation.”

When I played sports as a kid, my coach often told me, “Play to win. Don’t play to not lose.”

At the time, I did not understand the distinction. After all, “winning” and “not losing” are the same thing, right?! 

As I matured, however, I realized there is a huge difference between these two approaches, and they almost always result in very different outcomes.

Being knowledgeable is a good thing. I’m a huge proponent of lifelong learning. There’s always something we can learn more about—especially as we strive to become better leaders!

With that said, there’s a difference between using your knowledge for good and using it...unproductively. 

Sharing your knowledge is a good thing. You should use it to help the people around you, whether you’re encouraging the growth of your junior colleagues or working with peers to find a solution. 

Does this sound familiar? Your team has been ticking along nicely for months and you think you are finally getting the hang of this management thing - when one of your direct reports who manages a team informs you they are leaving the company to pursue another opportunity.

Suddenly, it’s panic stations. 

We’ve all got goals. There’s something we’re after, or something we want to be…

Action is next. Could you prove you're doing something with your actions? Put aside your own thoughts and intentions. Would an outside observer agree? Press it further, pretend for a moment you were in a court of law. Would your “argument” hold up? Or, would there be enough "evidence" to "convict" you?

As leaders, our ability to create a positive work environment is essential to getting the most out of our teams. We want our employees to feel empowered to learn, grow, make tough decisions - and even make mistakes. 

But how can you create this kind of culture? The way you interact and communicate with your people is key.

A former client of mine, let’s call him Sean, truly exemplified this concept. Sean’s job was to lead specialized manufacturing and construction projects. He had been in the field for years, and was very good at what he did.