WOW!  So many emotions over the last few months as the dream of publishing a book became a reality.  The release of Leadership by Invitation: How to RSVP and Embrace your Role as a LEADER, has provided many lessons, many of which I did not see coming during my book launch.

As I put together my launch team, I really wanted to add value to them – the people who were willing to invest in me by promoting and creating a buzz around the release of the book. I had no idea it would become so much more than that.

I recorded videos and did a couple of special calls for my team with the intention of adding value to them.  I was able to talk a few friends and associates to give away some of their content as well to add the the fun.

Hats off to my team.  They blew away my expectations in sharing through their social media circles with links, comments and graphics.  I made a pre-release version of the book available and as soon as the book went live on Amazon, I was able to get several positive reviews.  Thank you Team.  I can’t adequately express my gratitude!

But it was the unexpected that really made this effort a success and it had nothing to do with the book – well not directly anyway.

Part of what I wanted to give me team was a “behind the scenes” look at how I wrote the book and why I wrote it.  I was overwhelmed but the impact that this had.  Inspired by my story, ebooks were published during the course of the launch and commitments were made by others to start writing their own books – or as I like to put it – “their own story.”

We all have a story to tell and I believe that story can help people – YOUR story can make a difference! [Tweet This]

In one of the bonus calls I did, I shared about where I got my inspiration to write the book and part of my own journey to start embracing my role as a leader.  The comments and conversations that resulted from sharing my story and my journey blew me away.  I never thought simply sharing my own experience could have such an impact.

I often use the phrase “The goal is never about the goal, it’s about who you become in achieving that goal.”  What I learned from this experience is that it can be much bigger than that.  Our personal goals can have a greater impact than just on us.

I have always been a big “story” guy, but I am more convinced than ever that more of us need to share that story.  It doesn’t matter if it’s in a book or from the stage – tell your story!  You can make a difference.

Look, I don’t know what your story is, but this I know: it needs to be told.  As much as your personal journey is unique to you, other people are facing the same challenges that you have overcome and you have the opportunity to make a difference in their life. The time to do it is NOW!

QUESTION TODAY:  What goals have you set?

CHALLENGE:  Make that goal a goal that will impact more than just you!

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===> LEADERSHIP by INVITATION now available on AMAZON <===

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Barry Smith  6/20/14   photo courtesy of Kendra Cagle   © Building What Matters 2014

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Sinek, the author of Start With Why, provides a deep look into what creates the most effective teams and more importantly, what keeps them working together, even during the most difficult of times.

This is one of those books that will take you a little bit longer to read because so many thoughts require you to take another look, just to make sure you understood the power behind them.  A phenomenal effort by Sinek, Leaders Eat Last not only looks at the dynamic of the team but of the individuals that make up that team.

What really sets this book apart is Sinek’s unique look at why some people make good leaders and others don’t and the “why” behind the results they get.  In this post, the second of four, I will attempt to capture the basic thoughts of the eight parts of the book.

PART 3: REALITY

THE COURAGE TO DO THE RIGHT THING – Sinek tells the story of an air traffic controller that broke the rules and as a result, saved over a hundred lives.  The point of the story is that sometimes it’s ok to break the rules, because it’s the right thing to do.

The bigger point of the story is that we have created a culture of non-thinking rule followers that use those very rules to justify making the wrong decision just because “that’s what they were told to do.”  Sinek goes on to discuss the idea of trust and offers this great thought: “We don’t just trust people to obey the rules, we also trust that they will know when to break them.”

SNOWMOBILE IN THE DESERT – Another great chapter!  We are the most advanced creature on the planet and yet, have the most difficult time working collaboratively towards common goals.  Sinek suggests that people are not the problem in most cases when discussing our cooperative efforts.

Our culture is so competitive that in most of the environments that we work in, we are judged on personal performance.  This creates a natural condition pushing us to do better than the next guy.  Sound like looking our for #1 to me.  Create an environment in which your people can thrive, and they will!  (Tweet This)

PART 4: HOW WE GOT HERE

THE BOOM BEFORE THE BUST – This is Sinek’s look at how the economic health of the nation has impacted leadership.  The roaring twenties were a time of prosperity and wealth never seen before.  Then the stock market crash hit in 1929 beginning a depression lasting until nearly 1942.  Going to war is widely accepted as the event that pulled us out of that depression.

The point he makes is that like in anything, there has to be balance.  He makes a great comparison between the good times and the bad – at least from a leadership perspective.  The generations that have produced great security and stability have focused on leadership and service, not excess and consumerism.  Hmm, isn’t that interesting!

THE BOOMERS ALL GROWN UP – Sinek takes a look at the three stock market crashes we have endured since the baby boomers took over running government and business.  There has clearly been a shift to the idea that people are as disposable as products.  We have moved away from a strong sense of community and now focus on protecting “what is ours.”

This may be one of the strongest thoughts in the book – “There are smart executives running companies and managing systems, but there seems to be a distinct  lack of strong leaders to lead the people.”  I wonder if the leaders still exist but there no longer exists a job description that includes them.  Just sayin’

Here is Sinek’s bottom line that I take away from this section of the book.  “It’s not how smart the people in the organization are; it’s how well they work together that is the true indicator of future success or the ability to manage through struggle.”  

Read that again and just think about it for a minute.  Does it apply to your current environment?

• Click here to read part 1

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Barry Smith  3/13/14   photo courtesy of amazon   © Building What Matters 2014

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One of the great things about being a coach is that you get to collaborate with other coaches and mentors on a regular basis.  Honestly, I think having a coach or mentor – someone to hold you accountable – is the best way to achieve any goal.  Speaking from personal experience I can say that my results increase dramatically when I have someone holding me accountable to doing what I say I am going to do.

One of my mentors, Kary Oberbrunner, recently posted this on his Day Job to Dream Job blog:

The purpose of your dream is not in achieving the dream itself, but rather the person you become in the process of achieving it.

I think I heard something like this before but it clearly did not stick.  This time it did.  I get this now.  It makes so much sense.  It’s really no different for goals.  When the goal is the goal, the focus is on the destination.  When the goal is about changing who you are, the goal becomes the bi-product of the transformation you go through.

I Don’t Want To Be What I Used To Be!

Maybe it’s the transformation that I have gone through over the past few years in my own life that has brought clarity to this concept.  But now that I understand it, everything I do has more meaning.  And not just to me, but to those around me as well.

In Guatemala last June, John Maxwell told me that; “Once you get a taste of significance, you will never settle for success.” (Tweet This / Share on Facebook / Post to LinkedIn)  Think about that one for a minute!

OK, so why does any of this matter?  If you remember from an earlier post, I mentioned that today in National Quit Day.  The average day that most people give up on their New Year’s Resolutions.  Do you possibly think that the reason they give up is because they are focused on the destination and let’s be honest, how much change can possibly take place in ten days?

I Want To Be Who I Am Going To Be!

OK – Problem identified.  Now let’s get to the solution.  Here is my advice.  The next time you set a goal, use the one you set ten days ago if you want, spend some additional time writing down (YES, I SAID WRITING DOWN) the person you hope to become in achieving that goal.

We are ten days into 2014 and I will go out on a limb here and assume that most of you have made some type of list of the things you want to achieve this year.  My guess is very few of you have written down who you would like to become this year.

I Can’t Find The Easy Button

Are you going to measure the success of this year by how well you achieve your goals? What if you fail?  What if life happens and you simply can’t attain your goals because of your circumstances?

Here is the good news about focusing on the journey instead of the destination. Setting out to change yourself does not really have much to do with achieving the goal. We can learn through adversity and we can change during the difficult times.  We can grow every day in any situation.  It doesn’t matter what life throws at us.

“That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

Nietzsche may give the best goal setting advice there is.  The problem is that most people don’t get stronger.  They give up or simply change direction because “it makes more sense.”  

As far as I am concerned, this may be the most important question I ask this year. “Who do you want to become?”  How about a bonus question to celebrate National Quit Day?  “What will you do to become that person?”

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Barry Smith    1/10/14   photo by author   © Building What Matters 2014

The post Quit Wasting Your Time Setting Goals and Focus On The Journey. appeared first on BUILDING WHAT MATTERS.COM.

I had lots of goals for 2013, and to be honest, some of them won’t be met.  The good thing is that in almost everyone of them that I will fall short in, I know why.  It may be due to being unrealistic to begin with, maybe it was lack of commitment on my part or maybe just the fact that some of my priorities have changed throughout the year.  But at least I can learn from these failures.

A few months ago, my mentor Kary gave a group teaching on having a solid core so you could show up with all your energy available to best serve your family, your clients or simply anyone that came across your path.  I really felt convicted by his words as I knew that my fitness goals were some that I was way behind on.

Most of you know I am always looking for the next “great” book to read and about the same time as I was trying to figure out how to reverse the downward trend in my efforts to improve my eating, exercise routine, and sleeping habits, a book comes out called EAT MOVE SLEEP by Tom Rath.  Now some of you may recognize Rath as the author of StrengthsFinder 2.0 and I found this title surprising given his previous efforts – that was until I found out the rest of the story.

As it turns out, Rath has been dealing with a very serious illness for more than 20 years and refusing to just accept his fate, he set out to find out how he could do for himself what his body would not.  For more than 2o years Rath has been studying how the food we eat, the exercise we do, and the sleep we get influence our body’s ability to function and take care of itself.

I am not really going to break down the book, but I would like to share what I have learned in each of these three areas.

EAT

If you would have asked me 3 months ago “how well do you eat?” I would have probably said that I don’t eat bad, but I don’t really eat good either.  I actually have stayed away from the really bad stuff (except ice cream and pizza of course) for the most part.  My big problem was that I skipped breakfast, snacked my way through lunch and ate a big dinner – because I was hungry – Hello! And then had a snack later at night to finish off the day.

Now I get it.  Get a good breakfast, snack on healthy “whole” foods and eat a normal dinner. If you are going to have a snack at night, choose something healthy like fruits or nuts.   I know everyone is different, but the elimination, for the most part, of all the sugars and carbs I used to eat and a better schedule has allowed me to lose 20 pounds in less than three months and I feel much better.

MOVE

My relative inactivity over the last 12 months has certainly had an impact on me.  Losing twenty pounds has helped but simply stated, I need to start moving more.  No extremes, but some consistency would be nice.  I have some colleagues holding me accountable to this so I intend on making solid, lasting improvements.

If you want to know all the things you didn’t know related to why it’s important to exercise, grab a copy of the book.  I learned a lot of new stuff and I thought I knew most of it already.

SLEEP

I find it interesting that Rath just happened to list these three things in the specific order of how well I am doing on them.  The bottom line is that you need 7-9 hours of sleep a night. That means my bottom line is at about a minus 3.  I have a much better understanding of sleep and what happens to your body when you don’t get enough of it.

So here is the bottom line that I believe will help anyone reading this.  It doesn’t matter how much you know about any subject.  What matters is how well you implement the needed changes in your life or business.  I am headed in the right direction and the reason is that I finally figured out that you can’t do it all at once.  You need to take it one step at a time and develop habits.  Get one thing out of the way and start the next.

A very important challenge today.  First, get a copy of Eat Move Sleep.  This book will provide some valuable information that can change your life.  Second, choose one of these areas – any one of them, and start doing something different.  Set yourself up for success and start today.

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Click here to get a copy of my Kindle Book “The Manifesto Of An Influential Leader”

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Barry Smith   11/21/13   photo courtesy of eatmovesleep.org   © Building What Matters 2013

The post How You EAT, MOVE and SLEEP Will Change Your Life! appeared first on BUILDING WHAT MATTERS.COM.

Kaye and Giulioni are the first authors that I have seen write completely from the “coaching” perspective.  The coaching philosophy I believe in suggests that results are brought about by answering the curious question.  This book is full of questions, and excellent questions at that.

Kaye and Giulioni do an outstanding job of mixing quotes, questions and action items to provide a must read for any leader or manager.  Below is a quick summary of the nine chapters that paint a beautiful picture of what your employees are really thinking.

1.  Develop Me or I’m History

Whether they have the awareness or not, employees want to know what is next, more specifically, what is next for them.  The simple fact is that without a way to grow, they will be unable to grow.  Remaining in the same place, doing the same thing, with the same skills is not sustainable.

2.  Can We Talk?

How often do you check in with your employees?  No, I am not talking about saying hello and goodbye at either end of each day, I am talking about really checking in.  How are they doing?  What is going well?  What needs improvement?  Taking the time to sit down with the people that are generating your income tells them they are important and they are valued and that you care about their future.

3.  Let Hindsight Light the Way

Looking back and evaluating what worked and what didn’t allows your employees to gain the clarity and focus needed to move forward in a positive way.  This type of analysis allows them to use the past to build their future and remember, help them grow or watch them go!

4.  Feed Me

I love this one.  Employees want feedback.  Why? Because it tells them if they are meeting up to expectations.  I don’t know how many times I have heard “If only someone would have told me where I was falling short, then I could have done something about it.”

5.  What’s Happening?

There is nothing more frustrating than feeling left in the dark.  As an owner or employer, you don’t have to tell them everything, but how about enough to keep them engaged.  Enough to keep them interested.  Do they even know what they are working towards.  Give them some ownership and watch them take a little more pride in what they produce.

6.  If Not Up … Then What?

It used to be that everyone thought the road to success was a vertical climb.  Not so much anymore.  Employees are more willing, in fact I believe more wanting, of a balanced career. One that gives them time for their family and personal interests.  If more pay comes with more time commitment and stress, you might rethink the job description.

7.  Same Seat, New View

If someone has mastered their role, you don’t have to send them up the ladder.  They may already be in their sweet spot.  But don’t assume this will last forever.  Allow them to be creative in their role.  Give them more responsibility to use their gifts and talents.  This will keep their job fresh and interesting.

8.  Advancing Action

This is a big one.  As the “boss,” your responsibility is to give the employee a way to grow.  It will be their responsibility to do something about it, but you need to create the opportunity. Set a clear course for them moving forward and watch them navigate it successfully.

9.  Grow with the Flow

Keep growth in the forefront.  Providing a plan and then following up six months later is simply rolling the dice.  Keep in constant contact, even if for only a few minutes.  This is a way to keep everything in check and provide an opportunity to change course if needed.

As the authors put it; “Grow for it!”  Simply put, career development in important. Continual communication and opportunities will result in continual growth and continual success.

A couple of questions for you today.  “Have you achieved everything you want for yourself and those working for you?  Maybe the more important question is; “What are you doing about it?”

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Click here to get a copy of my Kindle Book “The Manifesto Of An Influential Leader”

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Barry Smith   11/14/13   photo courtesy of Amazon   © Building What Matters 2013

The post Help Them Grow, Or Watch Them Go – What People Really Want appeared first on BUILDING WHAT MATTERS.COM.

This manifesto is the result of thoughts and concepts compiled over the last two years and that were used in creating my 5 Pillars of Influential Leadership.

In everything that I do, I try and add value and provide a way forward.  This manifesto provides a teaching technique similar to that which I used earlier this year in Guatemala with the John Maxwell Organization.  I was part of a team of about 150 coaches that trained over 20,000 Guatemalan leaders in the areas of leadership and personal growth.  We literally watched a Nation change that week and I want you to have this same opportunity!

Back to the definition.  I would like to better describe the “why” behind this manifesto based on the definition above.

A PUBLIC DECLARATION OF INTENTIONS

Clearly publishing a document on Amazon makes it public, but I would like to better address my intentions.  The intent of this manifesto is to provide a resource that is user friendly and easily put into use by following simple instructions and guidelines.  This manifesto is intended to be used by anyone that is currently facing any number of the challenges that I have identified.  It can be used one time or numerous times depending on the needs, desires and commitment of the reader.

OPINIONS

We all know about “opinions.”  I would rather describe my opinions as thoughts based on my personal experiences over the past 48 years on this earth, 30 plus years in the business world, 26 years of marriage, and as the father of two sons currently attending college.  I have drawn conclusions (ok – opinions) based on my experiences and trust me, I have had as many bad as good.  My hope is that you can learn from these experiences.

OBJECTIVES

My objective is simple.  To provide a tool that you can use to improve your personal or professional life.  Ideally, this would include your friends, family and your team at work.  I have seen this work!  It is important to know that this manifesto will not solve your problems or eliminate the challenges that you are currently facing.  That has to come from you.  This manifesto will however, provide you a way to accomplish that.

MOTIVES

My motive is also simple.  As stated before, this works.  I have used this in my own life to move the needle.  To improve my attitude.  To overcome adversity.  To not only change my circumstances, but change myself.  Have you ever had something you thought was really cool and you couldn’t stand the thought of keeping it to yourself?  You just had to share it with others.  Well, that’s what I am doing.  I want you to have it and use it.  My compensation is knowing that it made a difference in your life and hopefully in the lives of those around you. If you feel inclined, an amazon review would be much appreciated.

No up-sell or hidden agenda here.  I simply want you to experience the success that I have using this.  I encourage you to share it with as many people as you can.  There are no additional things to buy and you don’t even need to go anywhere.  Although it has been framed to be used in a group setting, the principles also apply to an individual.  So go on, check it out.  Trust me, you have everything to gain and really nothing to lose.

A very simple challenge today:  CLICK HERE

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Barry Smith    11/3/13   photo by Author   © Building What Matters 2013

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As he described the results we get when choosing one over the other, I found myself wondering how often I choose to wait for the door to open instead of using the “action” option and reach down, turn the handle and open the door.

It’s sort of funny – walking through doors – when you know what’s on the other side, you throw that thing open and walk right in.  But what happens when you don’t know what’s on the other side?  If you can muster up enough courage to open the door, you turn the handle slowly so you don’t draw attention to yourself and open the door trying to get a quick peak, just in case you’re not supposed to be in there.

Why shouldn’t you be on there?  There must have been some reason you wanted to open the door.  I think the reason we hesitate to open the door is that we are simply unsure of what’s on the other side.  It’s not something we are familiar with.  It’s outside of our comfort zone.

So let’s look at the options.  Well, I guess there are only two – open it or don’t.  How much of our lives are spent “not opening doors?”  If we desire to grow, we need to open doors.  We need to be willing to do what we have not done before.  We need to be willing to go places we have not been before.

I love it when John Maxwell tells the story of the man who said to him; “I want to do what you do.”  In classic “John Maxwell” form, he responds; “But are you willing to do what I’ve done?”  I love that!  Growth, in any area, is a journey.  That journey is going to require opening doors – lots of doors.

Here’s the deal.  You have got to take action.  If you spend your life waiting for doors to open for you, I hope there is a comfortable chair in the waiting room.  I look back at my life and can only imagine what was behind the doors I never opened.  But hey, no looking back – right!

Now I embrace the idea of opening doors, especially the ones that I have no idea what’s behind them.  Why?  For one reason, because I know there is much more to life that I ever imagined and I know, from lessons learned, that no one else is going to open them for me.

Now I must clarify – I believe there is a time when someone will open a door for you. But that only comes when they know that you would be willing to open it yourself.  We can’t make it in life by ourselves.  We need people to open doors for us.  But if you are not willing to walk through, you might as well stay in the comfy chair.

Here’s the point.  Don’t let your default be inaction.  Make your default doing that thing you haven’t done before or going to that place you’ve never been before.  That is where growth happens.  Not sitting in the chair.

My challenge to you today is to identify just one door that you have been afraid to open … and OPEN IT!  You won’t know what’s on the other side until you do.

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Barry Smith    10/21/13   photo by author   © Building What Matters 2013

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The main premise of John’s 74th book is that we don’t have to lose.  Rather, we can learn from our failures and mistakes.  John shares some of his greatest blunders and simply stated, he kept a positive attitude when it could have been just as easy to give in or give up.

I’ll admit that I used to be that way when things went wrong.  Blame it on the circumstances or possibly even on someone else just so I wouldn’t look bad.  I am over that mindset now.  Now I realize that failure is actually part of success.  When we understand this, we are able to maintain a positive attitude which allows us to remain focused on the original goal or objective we set out to achieve.

I want to discuss four ways that our “attitude” impacts our life.  These are not just opinions, these are thoughts based on my own failure and success.  I used to try and hide my failures and losses from others.  Now I wear them like battle scars and love to share with others, what I learned from the experience.

PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS

This could be your spouse, significant other, or even one of your kids.  If there is a problem in the relationship, I promise you that it has something to do with the attitude of one, or both of you.  My advice, remember this is based on experience, own your behavior and act in a way focuses on a solution.  A positive attitude can make all the difference in the world and may be your only hope to finding resolution.

BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS

I have watched it over and over, attitudes are contagious.  Much of the success we have in the business world relates in one way or another to teamwork.  When you are part of a team, you have a responsibility to your teammates to be an addition to the team.  This never happens with a negative attitude.  One single bad attitude can divide an entire team.  That being said, one positive attitude can be the catalyst to team success.

HEALTH

We all know that stress is bad for us, and on many different levels.  I am not breaking any ground here by telling you that your attitude will determine your stress level.  Notice that I didn’t say your stress will determine your attitude, even though it might, but here is the deal. When we have a positive attitude, we reduce stress.  A negative attitude creates stress.  Our attitude is our choice – something we have control over.  Stress is the result of our choosing to have a poor attitude or by allowing others to control our decisions.

SUCCESS

Here is the important piece to all of this.  What if you never lost?  What if everything you did was a win or a learn?  How would that impact your attitude?  Look, I get it, sometimes there is so much stacked against and we feel so overwhelmed that it is nearly impossible to maintain a positive attitude.  But this is what happens when we have that “positive attitude” mindset – we look at things differently and some of the things that used to get us down, now get us excited.  Excited to learn and apply that lesson to do or get better.  That is how we succeed.

So a challenge for you today.  Identify something in your life, right now, that has you frustrated or even angry.  Take a moment to reflect on what it is and what you can learn from going through this experience.  As John says in his new book; “Success lies not in eliminating our troubles and mistakes but in growing through and with them.”  

We all will experience difficulties in our life.  I believe our attitudes will make the difference between winning and losing.  So no more losing, only learning!

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Barry Smith    10/12/13   photo courtesy of Amazon   © Building What Matters 2013

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I grew up thinking that being a character was a bad thing … a trouble maker, an instigator, basically one who thrives on creating chaos.  It was not until later in life that I understood what character is all about.

You have probably heard the expression; “true character is how you act when nobody is looking.”  That may be true but what about when they are looking?  I won’t dispute the merit in that statement and I believe that it is probably true.  But I think the more important point is that who we are when nobody is looking shapes who we are when we are being watched.

I look back at my life and could easily site several times when acting as a character I was clearly acting without character.  Fortunately, I can say that those experiences have given me a good understanding of the difference between the two.

So how important is character?  Well, let me tell you what I think.  Character trumps just about every other personality trait we can have.  Why?  Because everything else flows through this idea.  People of poor character are seldom trusted or respected.  People of poor character are not committed or dependable.  People of poor character may equally demonstrate values in ethics or morals.

Simply put, if you lack character, you will lack the skills needed to be a leader.  Now maybe you are thinking “so what, I am not, nor do I want to be a leader anyway.”  Well let me share a little insight with you.  John Maxwell says that “Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less.”  He also says that “Everything rises and falls on leadership.”

You may or may not agree with those statements, but let me ask you a question.  Do you ever try and influence others to agree with you?  Have you ever tried to persuade someone to believe what you believe?  Thought so!

Here is my point.  Character represents who you are.  It doesn’t matter what you do, your ability to influence others is going to boil down to their perception of your character.

So how do you demonstrate strong character?  Simple – start by doing the right thing.  If you want to have more influence and heaven forbid, be an influential leader, you need to do more than just the right thing, you need to do the things that you don’t have to do.

Look around and see who you believe is an influential leader.  My bet says they are doing things that they don’t have to do.  Non-profit work.  Community involvement.  Donating time to help those lacking the knowledge or resources to do something on their own.  The list goes on.

No, you don’t have to do these things but guess what?  People of high character, no matter where you are, will be doing things they don’t have to do.

So let me ask you a question; “If asked, would someone who knows you refer to you as a character or a person of character?”  They don’t have to be mutually exclusive but they better be individually identifiable!

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SAVE THE DATE:  On October 10th, John will be doing a WEBCAST to teach from his new book and introduce the Maxwell Leadership Assessment.  CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE WEBCAST

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Barry Smith    10/7/13   photo by author   © Building What Matters 2013

The post Being A Character Does Not Mean You Have Character appeared first on BUILDING WHAT MATTERS.COM.

A great effort by Maruska and Perry. They have really provided a usable framework to discover, develop  and fulfill your potential.  It has only been the last few years that I have really started to understand my own potential and I owe most of that credit to the coaching process.

Most understand the idea of potential – it’s always there, it simply needs to be understood and acted upon.  I think this is where most fail to “reach their” potential.  They simply don’t know what they don’t know and it often takes an outside perspective with open ended questions to dig that potential out.

I will break their three “Keys” down using the chapters as a guideline.  There is not near enough room in this post to cover the abundance of insight provided here to take charge of your talent and start thriving in your career, organization and life.

KEY #1  POWER UP YOUR TALENT STORY

Be Your Own Hero

The authors build around the idea that we can all be an everyday hero.  All it takes is the belief that we can, and the confidence to do something about it.  Fears and limiting beliefs are what hold many of us back.  Embrace your talent and build on it.

Explore a Talent Catalyst Conversation

The authors suggest that it takes a Catalyst Conversation to incite change in the discovery of your potential.  I mentioned the coaching process earlier.  Having those conversations in which new questions can be presented.  Questions that help you change the way you think are what can take you to a level you didn’t even know existed.

Connect with a Catalyst

I agree with the authors that discovery is not enough.  There has to be accountability if you want to achieve success.  Your Catalyst Connection may be a coach, mentor or simply an accountability partner – but if you want to succeed, you better have someone!

KEY #2  ACCELERATE THROUGH OBSTACLES

Keep Your Hopes Humming

Fill in the blank; “I hope that ______.”  How many times have you said that?  I really appreciated this chapter.  Maruska and Perry make some great observations that when we are creatively thinking and maintaining a positive attitude, it keeps our hopes alive.  Every small win helps build our confidence which builds positive momentum.  There is a great figure in the book which portrays the cycle of Hopes==>Opportunities==>Actions==>Hopes and so on.

Grab Opportunities to Grow

Clearly our success begins with opportunity – some provided and some created.  Either way, you need to be operating at a level of awareness that will allow you to identify those opportunities and seize them.  If you are going to grow, you need to get better every day. Opportunities allow for this growth but only when we see them.

Challenge Yourself to Stretch

How many opportunites do you have inside your comfort zone?  Whatever your answer is, do you really expect it to change if you stay right where you are?  Simple to understand but difficult to achieve, stretching beyond where you are will result in opportunities that you don’t even know exist.  In order to be more, you need to be willing to do more.

KEY #3  MULTIPLY THE PAYOFFS FOR YOURSELF AND OTHERS

Create Enduring Career Assets

How do you create more wealth?  You make yourself more valuable.  Survival in life really depends on what you can provide to others.  So here is the big question; what skills or talents to you have and what is their value to others?  Consider how you can take what you know and use it to allow others to succeed.

Share the Wealth and Everyone Wins

This chapter, at least in my opinion, is really about legacy and more importantly, the legacy we leave behind.  When you truly embrace and maximize your talents, you can create a legacy that will continue to add value after you are gone.  Winning doesn’t have to end when you do!

Champion a Take-Charge Talent Culture

The final chapter is really a call to action.  I would suggest the question “What do you want?” When you realize what you want and do something about it, you can achieve it.  But there is a catch – Hope without a plan is nothing more than a dream.  Taking the steps to maximize the gifts and talents that you have will allow you to become more than you thought possible.

This was a great book and well worth investing the time to read it!  A lot of fresh ideas and examples that make you think.  There is so much to be gained, and given, when we apply what we know and use what we have to become all we can.  Maruska and Perry have provided the framework now it’s up to you.

Today’s question and challenge: “Have you taken charge of the talent you have and what are you dong to be your own catalyst to thriving in your career, organization and life?”

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Barry Smith    10/2/13   photo courtesy of the Launch Team   © Building What Matters 2013

The post Take Charge Of Your Talent – Unlocking Your Potential appeared first on BUILDING WHAT MATTERS.COM.