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How Is That Pain In The Neck Affecting Your Productivity?

The pain in my hip and lower back was severe. After sitting in a plane seat for a few hours I could hardly get up to walk through the airport. As the pain subsided I rationalized that I must have "pulled something" and chose to try and resume business as usual. Then, when I least expected it, the pain would return. "I've just got too much to do to let this slow me down," I thought. I resisted for a couple of weeks until I just couldn't take it anymore.

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Why Imperfect Progress Helps Pummel Your Perfectionism

Perfectionism wreaks so much havoc in our lives. At work we fail to take action on an issue or challenge because none of the solutions offered are without some negative consequence. We resist learning a new skill because we aren’t “good at it” the first time, or worse yet, we’re afraid to show our mistakes to others.

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3 Words That Will Expose Your Resistance To Change

While catching up on some of Godin's posts a couple of weeks ago, I came across one that really rattled me as I read it. Three Ways To Add Value focuses on three words that can quickly expose how little time we daily dedicate to moving ourselves, our team, or our organization forward by acting on change. See which of these words best describes where you spend your time:

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What Stirs You To Change?

A speaker once caught my attention in a unique way. He began by saying, "What can't you stand anymore? What is that image or thought that stirs you to change your behaviors? He continued by giving an example near and dear to my childhood-Popeye the Sailor Man!

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Why You Need To Allow YOU To Be A Priority

What a memorable day at my house last Sunday. Because it was Father's Day, my amazing daughters and wonderful wife went the extra mile in making the day special. There was the incredible lunch, time spent reminiscing about parenting, and a whole host of other moments directed toward me.

In the past, such days have made me uncomfortable.

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Four Fresh Ways To Conquer Your Email Overload

Someone with a really warped sense of humor designated the second week in June as National Email Week. I don't know about you, but taking time to celebrate a "productivity tool" that causes me such consternation doesn't seem appropriate.

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3 Pesky Weeds That Can Strangle Your Team's Growth

I must say I'm not proud of this picture of one spot in my vegetable garden. One of the new favorite leafy vegetables for my family is swiss chard and those are the plants with the reddish-purple veins you see in the photo. In my part of the world they grow best in spring and early summer so we need to maximize their growth before the heat (and insects) overpower them.

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Do You Need To Think More About Your Future?

This week I am exhibiting at the Association For Talent Development (ATD) Conference and Expo in Atlanta Georgia. Over 8000 learning and talent development leaders from around the world will be here. I absolutely love this opportunity to reconnect with past clients, make new connections, and just have some really memorable conversations about how to grow the talent within an organization.

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The 3 Signs You Need To Stop Attempting Too Much

I have a list of time management challenges that I use for discussion in one of my training programs. When I ask, “Which one seems to impact you the most,?” a surprising number of participants respond with, “Attempting too much.”

I personally see value in having more planned for your day than you might reasonably get done.

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How To Get Control Of Your Infobesity

You’re probably nodding at your screen right now, saying, “Yes! That’s my world.” I think it is for all of us. Just like we are prone to eat too much, we easily allow ourselves to intake too much information.

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3 Simple Questions To Energize A Discussion About Change

At many of the conferences or corporate meetings where I am asked to speak, there is almost always someone talking about innovation. I hear things like “We need to develop more customer-centric ways of doing business” or “Leverage technology to increase speed to execution,” or one of my personal favorites, “Increase collaboration across the enterprise.”

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Why You Need To Make The Tough Decisions

My travels last week included flights on Delta airlines during their struggle with cancelled flights due to a major weather system affecting the east coast. As I sat at the airport all afternoon Thursday I could see that my return trip on Delta wasn’t looking good. I gave some quick thoughts to other options, but chose to wait it out and hope for the best.

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Three Things You Need To Stop Trying To Control

Merriam Webster defines control as "To exercise directing or restraining influence over." And while I'd like to think I am not a "control freak," I must confess there are times I am THAT type of person. I expend an enormous amount of energy trying to bend and shape every situation to align with my desired result. As you know, that is exhausting, frustrating, and rarely leads to the best outcomes!

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"Spring" Your Leadership To The Next Level

The Vernal Equinox occurring in the US and Canada on Sunday March 20 marks the official start of spring. As one who loves to see things grow, this time of year holds tremendous promise as I start my garden, nurture existing plants, and tackle the ever-present weeds that have been growing for some time.

I've written in the past how successful leaders need to be gardeners. With that in mind, what might you do differently in your work if you looked at March 20 as marking a period of renewal and growth for you and your team? Some actions might include:

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How To Stop Sounding Like An Alien To Your Team

This past weekend I watched the science fiction movie Arrival. While it’s one of those movies I need to watch a second time to really appreciate all the plot twists, there is a powerful "teachable" moment in the movie when the main character, Louise, is asked by the military commander about her methods to try and communicate with the aliens who have landed on earth.

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Three Signs That Show You Are Growing As A Leader

One of the activities I use in leadership training is an exercise where individuals have to build a structure using simple materials to support a rolling ball. While the activity is in process, I love watching individuals exhibit many of those early signs of leadership, and I think they are the same ones you need to stop and celebrate when you recognize them in yourself or others on your team.

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Three Weeds You Need To Address As A Leader

One of the strategies in my new book, Always Growing, focuses on how to handle the weeds as a leader. Those attitudes, activities, and circumstances that drain the physical and mental resources of you and your team as you work so hard to achieve better results.

Three weeds I see that are always ready to "pop up" and inhibit the growth of your team include:

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