Celebrity Leadership vs. "We" Leadership

I hope you spent some time at the end of December turning everything off. Did you think about how far you've come?  About your foundation and where your company is now?  Is your company on course for the future?

Did you like your answers?

January is the best time of the year for conversation, before everything starts to get really busy. Invest your time this month in your people and be sure to talk to different people within your company. With the future in mind, think about the type of legacy you are creating for your business.  And, have you and the individuals you speak with embody the same culture that built your very foundation?

Ask yourself this: would your company exist if so-and-so were no longer there? 2017 has seen the celebrity leadership model fail time and time again, bringing down entire companies. A solid, well-run company should never find themselves at this extreme. Our Five Star business model places the spotlight on teams, not individuals. At Forte Designs, we emphasize building a team of leaders so that more than one person carries the responsibility, the wisdom and, ultimately, your foundation into the future. By sharing the leadership with a group of leaders, they become your catalyst. A leadership team also provides security so no earthquake riddles your foundation with cracks. 

Our advice for January? Engage your employees in conversation and really listen. A human-to-human connection in this era of technological changes will ensure healthy growth for your company in 2018. 

Growing Your Career into a Healthy New Year

Clutter. clutter clutter. Immediately the word conjures mounds of collected, no-longer-useful material goods. Clutter is not always physical. Clutter is a concept that quickly clouds our thinking, too.

At the end of they year, clean out the clutter for new opportunities and new thoughts.  This year, don't just roll into the next one. Take stock of 2017 and step with intention into 2018. 

You spend most of your time in your career, so enjoy it! 

Before entering into the new year, stop and think about how YOU can grow yourself. So much energy is spent dwelling on someone or something else that negatively impacted our own planned steps: "My company didn't do this," or  "They decided it wasn't the right time," etc. Know that whatever you are doing, you are learning. Learn to appreciate the unexpected, like this double iris that bloomed in my garden this winter! A bump in the road, does not set you off course.

It is your responsibility to take care of yourself and know your own value. So, this December, build a strategy for the new year. Give yourself an end-of-the-year invitation to grow. Create a checklist that allows you to put away all the mental clutter from the last 12 months. Take time for a little self-examination, then refresh and refill. 

I find this daily foundation in my life to be extremely helpful: 

1) Listen to new ideas

2) Collaborate with Others 

3) Be Healthy

4) Be Helpful 

5) Be Grateful 

5) Reflect 

Staying healthy and engaging with others in meaningful ways outside of work are key elements of your happiness. And that happiness extends into your performance and, ultimately, determines your success at work. 

How to Help this Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving, remember what it means to help.

H is for Humor
E is for Esteem
L is for Listen
P is for Praise

When is it time to move on?

In this blog, I write a lot about the balance of career, family and community with mindfulness, fulfillment, slowing down and…turning it off. My hope is to provide some sound advice and encourage continued growth on a healthy and interesting path for all.

The toughest question when I consult is: How do I decide when it is time to move on to something new?

Sometimes that work-life balance may be achieved but perhaps the path is not as happy or as interesting as it once was.

Your answers to these questions are good indicators:

- Do I still enjoy my work?
- Do I still feel passionate about what I am doing?
- Is my work appreciated?
- Do I find that I am still able to add value to the company for whom I work?

- Does the leadership reflect the core values and the reason why I joined the company in the  first place?

- Am I staying fresh in my work and growing my skill set and talents?

- Is the work still inspiring or is it just way to “pay the bills”?  

- Do I continue to add value to the well being of the company?

- Does my mission still align with the mission of the company?

How were your answers? If they were mostly negative, then it might be time for some deeper reflection.

A couple of colleagues shared that headhunters had recently approached them. Often, this is a compliment to the person and their reputation in their market sector. I shared with them that they could see what they had to offer, as it is a great way to measure your current situation and compare it with other opportunities.

I believe that there are times when we should move on…and the reason is not always monetary. It is up to each and every one of us to believe in what we are called to do and to trust in the creation of our own destiny.

Harvest Season and New Beginnings

At the end of the summer season of gardening, we were given an extra blast of record-breaking heat. Just when we thought we were finished, all of a sudden, there was more work to do.  There is always more to do..!

Sometimes all I want to say is, "We survived!"  Garden work really is about surviving and making it through another season of life.

We've all had that feeling when work feels endless. Stop to remind yourself of the cherished memories over the years of coworkers and accomplishments gained.  Be reminded that there are cycles of seasons at work, too.

Summer season gives me the perspective I need to withstand new challenges put in front of me. I work hard and enjoy the progress. Who doesn't! That is the meaning of work.  

It’s a new season.  A new cycle. Let go of any doubts or confusion and welcome in the harvest. There is much joy as things slow this time of year. 

Embrace Change

In 2015, I wrote, “What is Change?" Since then, I can’t even begin to tell you how much change I have experienced! Some of it has been physical; some of it has been with my staff. Some of it has even been political. Some of it has been set in motion by me, and I’ve been a receiver of a lot of changes around me that impacted and changed me.

Yet, I still see change as a process of flow. It is the flow. It is the essence of life. It’s not about boredom or redundancy and it’s never a good thing to idle through change. Don’t shut off the heart when going through change! Trust in the ebb and flow. Transition -- how we handle it and what it teaches us -- is the greatest joy of being human.

So often we look at change as negative.  Yes, change is not always a choice; it may be a loss, or something we had not anticipated to take place in our lives.  How much my life has changed in these last several months! And though some of the changes seemed to be ever so difficult, many of the changes have really helped me to grow, learn and stretch myself in new directions.

The more I welcome and embrace change as a gift of opportunity, I find I actually think differently. Change simply means not getting “stuck” in the routine.

Every six months, I like to do a self-assessment to make sure that I am tuned into the changes that are happening around me so that I am still reaching and growing. It’s a lot like pruning and cleaning a garden to keep it fresh and healthy through the seasons. During a process of change, take a moment to be quiet and listen.  You’ll start to enjoy the new precisely because it is different! 

As we begin to welcome in the cooler air and rich colors of the autumn season, I encourage all of us to embrace the many changes ahead as a positive experience of “newness”—a refresh and refill for one’s soul. 

The Sustainability of Endurance

Are you able to hold on and carry it through?  You can get it over the one-yard line and the thirty-yard line, but can you make it to the goal? Our greatest challenge is to have the endurance needed in this age of technology to ride  comfortably with its cycles and  its fickleness.

The utopia of a Spring garden—its newness and bloom surprises—is quickly followed by the Summer months of July and August. The garden grows double-time, basking in the vitamins from the sun and warm weather. This is the season that puts me to the test. Longer and more frequent days are are required in the garden, trying to stay ahead of the growth, the bugs and other challenges. The peak of summer gardening is all about endurance.

I often find myself asking, “Can I ever get ahead of the upkeep and care?” And, the funny thing is, after a long week of labor in the garden, I am always rewarded.   When I sit in my favorite spot over looking the garden at dusk, I relax and take in all of the joy it brings me. I know that it is never fully complete or finished. I accept that it is a work in progress. Actually, I love that it’s always a work in progress. Isn’t it all? The splashes of colorful flowers dotted across he varying hues of green are a backdrop for a very special kind of dance where humming birds and butterflies flow to the rhythm of the gentle breeze.  And it’s never the same performance twice.

We must all endure through seasons of extra work, some emotional or physical strain, and longer hours at different times in our lives. Just remember, no two days are the same. Each day is a new performance in the greatest work-in-progress of all: life.