Category Archives: Mentorship

Sometimes Good Enough is Good Enough

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Entrepreneurship, Leadership Development, management, Mentorship, Personal Development, Planning, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help

Sorry if I am the one to burst your bubble but nobody is perfect. Not even you. You do not need to handicap yourself by carrying around that kind of burden. Aim for the bull’s-eye? Absolutely. Strive for perfection? Yes – always – but understand that sometimes you cannot attain the unattainable. Sometimes you are going to fall short and miss the target. Do not beat yourself up over it. You can take pride in the fact that you did your very best. That you gave it your all. And if you truly gave it your all, then you have no more to give. You can only give 100%. Learn to accept that what is is, short comings and all. Eliminate the stressors in your life, chances are you will live longer.

Worth Remembering … “An environment that calls for perfection is not likely to be easy. But aiming for it is always good progress.” – Thomas Watson Jr.

According to most psychologists’ people move in the direction that is opposite to the direction they want to avoid. In other words, perfectionists strive for perfection because they do not feel that they are perfect. Because they somehow feel inferior to other people in certain situations and try to overcome their perceived short comings. In the long run, striving for perfection can destroy your self-confidence. In most cases perfection is highly overrated.

Worth Remembering … “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.” Vince Lombardi

Paralysis by analysis. Over thinking can be a deal breaker. There is no such thing as the perfect plan. You cannot think of everything that could or would go wrong. If you wait for perfect before executing your plan, when early action would have been preferable, you stand the chance of missing your opportunity for success. In most cases perfection is highly over rated. Sometimes good enough is good enough.

Copyright (c) 2020. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Not to be reproduced without permission. To find out more about \Brian and what he can do for you and your organization visit: https://briansmithpld.com or contact him directly at: brian@briansmithpld.com

Why Women Should Rule The World

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Leadership Development, management, Mentorship, Personal Development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher, Uncategorized

Why Women make better leaders can be summed up in just one word – “Empathy”. Empathy, the ability to be able to see a situation from another persons point of view. Women seem to be come by it naturally, while most men have to work at developing it. If there ever was a time for true leadership, it’s now. Dee Dee Myers, author of “Why Women Should Rule The World” believes that women are more successful running businesses because women can make people accountable for their actions, but they are also there to support them.

Women around the world are rewriting history. It’s easy to argue that men haven’t been doing such a great job lately. That’s not meant to be a political statement, I’m just stating the facts. Anna Crowe, CEO and Founder of Crowe PR believes that most women have a strong understanding of what drives and motivates people to perform at their personal best, and how to acknowledge different people for their performance.

“Many women, especially moms, are trained caretakers and know how to deal with crisis situations at home with compassion and patience. These attributes become very relevant when a women leader is dealing with crises situations whether this is related to HR or Clients.” – Huma Gruaz

Putting gender aside. Do you have what it takes to be a world class leader?

  • True leaders understand themselves and how their attitude affects others.
  • True leaders understand that they must communicate in a way that others will understand.
  • True leaders understand that every situation is different, so they know they must behave and respond differently. One leadership style does not fit all.
  • True leaders realize that they need their people more than their people need them. They understand that success is a team effort.
  • True leaders know they don’t have to have all the answers, so they need to surround themselves with people who do.
  • True leaders above all, understand that they must lead by example.
  • True Leaders park their ego at the door and do what they need to do to complete the task and to reach the goal.
  • True leaders understand that it doesn’t have to be just their way.

“Women make great leaders because we are flexible and agile. We can see the direction we thought we should take and we regroup and change course for the better. ” – Danita Harris

I could go on, but I think you get my point. Women deserve far more credit then they have been given. Gender shouldn’t be a factor in whether a person has what it takes to be a true leader. True leaders must master the ability to connect with others and build collaborative teams. True leaders must master the ability to communicate in a way that others will understand. True leaders must master the ability to teach others what they need to know and delegate successfully. If you’re looking to develop 21st Century leadership skills, then take a page out of their play book. You’ll be better for it and so will the people you lead.

Copyright (c) 2020. Brian Smith. Power Link Dynamics. To find out more about Brian and what he can do for you and your organization visit: https://briansmithpld.com or email: brian@briansmithpld.com

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You Always Have a Choice

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Coping with Stress, Enduring Principles, Leadership Development, management, Mentorship, Personal Development, Personal Values, Personality Types, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, Teacher, Uncategorized

Attitude – your attitude is 100% in your control. It’s a choice that you and only you get to make 100% of the time. Only you get to decide how you are going to react in any given situation. Only you get to decide when you’ve had enough. Only you get to decide if you don’t have the strength to carry on – to start again on a new path or stay the course. The only difference between those who succeed and those who don’t are in the choices they make. You are the boss of you.

Worth Remembering … “I have not failed 10,000 times. I have discovered 10,000 ways that do not work”. – Thomas A. Edison

I love playing golf. There is just something about it that appeals to me. I think it’s the ultimate game of risk and reward. I can either go for the green in two by taking it over the water and missing the sand trap or bail and take the safer shot by avoiding the water and reaching the green in three. I’m a high handicaper. I know if I don’t take chances and stretch myself I’m never going to improve my score. In a lot of ways golf imitates life. You can either play it safe or take a chance and go for the green in two.

Worth Remembering … “If you want it – go for it. Don’t always play it safe or you’ll die wondering”. – Unknown

If you aren’t taking chances and making mistakes then you aren’t growing. Growth happens outside of your comfort zone. We are the result of our choices, nothing happens by chance. Wishing and hoping won’t make it so. If you aren’t happy with where you are then you need to make a choice. In the words of Larry Winget – “Shut up, stop whining and get a life. Your success is your own dam fault”.

Don’t despair. All is not lost. You always have a choice. Take a chance and go for the green.

Copyright (c) 2020. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. To find out more about Brian and what he can do for you and your organization visit his site: https://briansmithpld.com or send an email: brian@briansmithpld.com

Establishing the T Word

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Customer Service, Dealing with Difficult People, Leadership Development, management, Mentorship, Networking, Personal Development, Personality Types, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher, Uncategorized

Trust – a five letter word that makes all the difference when managing and leading others. Without trust you won’t be able to do either one very well. Trust doesn’t come automatically just because of the title you’ve been given. You must earn it one person at a time. Establishing trust between you and the people you work with and interact with is a 3-step process that I refer to as the 3 R’s – Rapport, Relationship and Respect. It’s a process that everyone must go through before you can establish trust.

Worth Remembering .. “In organizations where people trust and believe in each other, they don’t get into regulating and coercing behaviours. They don’t need a policy for every mistake … people in these trusting environments respond with enormous commitment and creativity.” – Walter Wriston

Step One: Building Rapport. Find out something about the person you are working with other than the work that they do. Do they have hobbies? Are they married? Do they have children? What do they like doing in their spare time? You need to be able to carry on a conversation with them about a subject that they like. Idle chit-chat is important if you want to tear down any walls that may exist between you and them. Building rapport will help you do that.

Step Two: Developing Relationships. The second step in establishing trust is to develop a relationship. You can’t have a relationship with anyone unless you have built rapport first. Successful salespeople understand the value of building relationships with their clients. They understand that clients choose to do business with people they like. The same holds true for the people you work with. People like to work with people they like. If they like you – chances are they will follow you because no one wants to let a friend down.

Step Three: Establishing Respect. The third step to building trust is respect. You won’t respect anyone that you haven’t developed a relationship with first. However, keep in mind that respect is reciprocal – you can’t demand it. Respect is a two-way street. You have to give it to get it – and you have to give it first if you expect to get it back. You may not like or agree with everything that others have to say – but you need to respect the fact they they have a right to express their opinion. You can agree to respectfully disagree.

Worth Remembering … “I’m not upset that you lied to me. I’m upset because from now on I can’t believe you.” – Nietzsche

After respect comes the “T” word – trust. You’ll never trust anyone you don’t respect first. Sometimes managers and leaders need others to take a leap of faith. Sometimes managers and leaders don’t have all the answers and need others to trust them that they have their best interests in mind. If you have navigated the 3-step process successfully you will have established trust. Without it – you have nothing.

Copyright (c) 2020. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Not to be reproduced without permission. To find out more about Brian and what he can do for you and your organization visit: https://briansmithpld.com or contact Brian via email: brian@briansmithpld.com