Productivity – Wes MD

How to Turn Any Organization Around

Recently, I was approached to help?a small, struggling organization. I’ve discovered that most teams or?organizations who find themselves in dire?circumstances such as this one tend to have a problem in?at least one of the common?areas outlined below. In this article I want to reveal five practical steps to?turn any organization around. One: Know How Your […]

Personal Development, Productivity

Are You Thinking of 2016 Yet?

It?s already November. I hope you are beginning to reflect on this year and plan for the one ahead. I want to share the three steps I am taking to close out 2015 and begin 2016. Block Time to Reflect and Plan I recently heard Alan Mulally speak. He is the former CEO of Boeing […]

Leadership, Productivity

Be a Leader of Ideas and Action

When the world-renowned Singaporean leader, Lee Kuan Yew, died this year, one of his greatest fans and exemplary journalist, Fareed Zakaria, said this of the beloved statesman: ?Men of great ideas are rarely also men of great action.? He added that Mr. Yew had both qualities, and in the opinion of Mr. Zakaria, this combination […]

Leadership, Productivity

Blocking Time to Think

When was the last time you blocked two hours just for thinking? Not to take care of the urgent, but the important. Not passive daydreaming, but active, intensive thinking about the big picture for your?organization. Time to answer important questions like what’s next,?or how do we get there,?or?why are we doing what we’re doing??It may […]

Productivity

My Morning and Evening Routines

The word routine used to bother me. Now, it?s music to my ears. Routines harness the immense power of habits?and lead us to success. The specifics of my daily practices will most likely not be something you want to replicate into your own life. Rather, my goal is?to convey the principles that support what I […]

Productivity

How to Make a Growth Plan

When I lead discussions about personal development, I always?ask who would like to experience personal growth? Everyone raises their hands. And I love that. But when I ask who has a growth plan… Silence. Usually, no hands are raised. In this article I’m sharing a link to my own growth plan template, along with two […]

Productivity

Values of a Great Team: Simplify

Simple is elegant, reliable, and beautiful. Great organizations work tirelessly to keep things simple.?This is another important element in our series on the Values of a Great Team: We simplify the process. If you are in leadership, creating procedures and practices is?part of our journey, and making them simple should be our goal. Why are […]

Productivity

Without Profit, You Will Be Limited

I have been writing at least two articles per week on leadership since September of 2012. And in all that time, I’ve never really written about finances. We normally don’t categorize financial health under the broad topic of leadership; rather it typically falls under business. And this is not a business blog per se. But […]

Productivity

Without Training, You Will Be Mediocre

So true, isn?t it? If your organization has not reached a point where training is systematic and part of the culture, your delivery will most likely become stale and your organization in danger of becoming mediocre. Training is the third of four organizational disciplines I want to share with you. The first was creating systems; […]

Productivity

Without Systems, You Will Be Small

Here is a leadership mistake that I have made often, and I think many other leaders make as well.?I get excited about an idea; I share a vision and get several great people to join me. We work hard; we build beautiful teams, and everything seems to accelerate at an impressive speed. For a while. […]