ANTICIPATION

This past Wednesday morning I woke at about 4:00 AM.  My mind was working in overdrive considering all that needs to be accomplished over the next few days and weeks.  I had the “to-do” list at my fingertips, but one of the things that was preventing continued sleep was this week’s newsletter.  What could I write about?  Normally by this point in the week the first draft is complete and I am in the refining process, but Wednesday I remained in bed trying to think of a topic.

STEPPING UP

This past week we had an opportunity to witness someone “ Stepping-Up”. On Monday evening I celebrated with friends as Villanova won the NCAA Basketball Championship.  If you had the opportunity to see the game or view any of the highlights, you probably saw that the camera spent a great deal of time following #10, Donte DiVencenzo.  DiVencenzo is known as the “Sixth Man”; the player who is not a starter, but comes off the bench far more often than other reserves.  

DELIBERATE PRACTICE

Winning comes down to the daily choices we make. 

It’s not something that happens in a single day.  It happens as

the result of weeks, month, years – even

decades of hard work, focus, and dedication.

Whoever chooses to put in more hours of deliberate practice

is going to have the edge!

I hope you had a great week and had some time to digest last week’s newsletter.  I spent much of this week reading about and watching people practice.  Three of our readers contacted me and all named the same person as an excellent example of someone who utilizes purposeful practice as a means of improving performance.

PRACTICE??? MAN WE’RE TALKING PRACTICE

We’re talking about practice.

We’re talking about practice.

We ain’t talking about the game.

We’re talking about practice, man.

                                                                                                                                 – Allen IversoN

Dare I say, “Welcome Spring?”  Hopefully some warmer weather is in the forecast and we will soon be able to put away the snow shovels.  If you recall, two weeks ago my newsletter considered the idea of leadership development.  I wrote that the potential for leadership lies within each one of us, but it blossoms only when nurtured, cared for, given attention and cultivated.

LEADER, TEND TO THYSELF

If you don’t love yourself you cannot love others. 

If you have no compassion for yourself,

then you are not able to develop compassion for others!

                                                                                                                                            – The Dalai Lama

For the past week I’ve been reading and having discussions with friends regarding the importance of empathy as a trait of effective leadership.  There is no shortage of research that supports the idea that leaders who establish organizational cultures which embrace empathy and create work environments that serve to enhance engagement, foster productivity and improve the organization’s “ bottom-line”.