Building Trust

To accomplish those things that matter most to you and whatever organization(s) you belong to it is vital that you work effectively with the other "performers" in your circus. A key factor in building a team and getting them to contribute (whether your team is a company or a family) is to build a culture of trust. Trust is one of those things that takes a great deal of work and time to build but can be destroyed in seconds.

Stephen M.R. Covey and Greg link have just written a new book on how to build trust and create prosperity, energy and joy in a low trust world. Consider what you can do to improve and create trust in your relationships. Also consider what you may be doing that is eroding the trust that you have worked hard to develop. Make a change and win!

First vs. Important

While perusing the news a few days ago, I saw an article about Iowa's place in the political landscape. The author of the article (not me) made the comment that Iowa was important because it was first not first because it was important. Again, I am not about to wade into a conversation about the validity or lack of basis for his comment, but it did cause me to think about how many people approach the acts in their circus.

What if, before you took on your first task, you thought to yourself, "Am I tackling this because it is important or because it is first? Too often we take on something because it is first in our mind, first in our lineup or first in someone else's priorities. It may be the first thing that seems easy on our list or the first item that won't cause us to have to do something outside our comfort zone. Sometimes "first" and "important" may be synomous, but many times they are miles apart.

My hunch is that if we all spent more of our time on the important, we'd get more of the things done that would make our circus more successful.

Time with a Child

The holidays are a great reminder of the importance of family and our relationship rings. For some, it is a chance to reconnect with their children or spend time with young people. It is easy to get back into focusing on one's personal and professional rings and forget the importance of spending quality and quantity time with children. Some find it easier to throw them a video game or put them in front of a movie instead.

What can you do this year to have an impact in the life of a child? It was Forest E. Witcraft who so "A hundred years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove. But the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child." Making a difference in a child's life takes work. It takes time and energy. Energy that is sometimes difficult to muster after a long hard day. But your efforts or lack thereof can truly be life changing.

Getting More Standing Ovations in 2012

Before you simply start tackling the bazillion emails in your inbox or trying to get your thoughts around 2012, why not take a short intermission and begin developing a plan to get more standing ovations in 2012? To get started, download our 3 Ring Worksheet and do two things:

• In the rings at the top, write your purpose statement or desired outcomes for each ring in 2012. Don't list specific tasks or acts, think more about outcomes or your overarching purpose.


• List the key projects (acts) under each ring that need to be completed this year for you to best accomplish your purpose or achieve your desired outcomes.

Having done these two things, you can start 2012 as a better Ringmaster of your circus!

Things To Do During Your Holiday Work Schedule

Regardless of whether you take one day or a week for the holidays, there is definitely a different attitude in the workplace during this time of year. Until January 2nd most people are still in "holiday mode." If you are at work between now and the end of the year, here are a few suggestions on how to make the best use of your time:

• Clean up. A clean and orderly work area is always a motivator to get to work on the right task and not be so distracted. Use the old TRAF acronym as you clean up: Trash, Refer, Act and File to get things in order.


• Reflect. Take a moment to think about the activities of the year. What have you learned? What wisdom gained do you need to "carry over" to this year's projects and plans?


• Create your lineup for 2012. Get a head start on planning projects and tasks for the new year. Not just the task, but how to best accomplish it. When you are juggling elephants the tendency is simply to do it the quickest way you can. There may be a way that takes a little longer, but could yield better results.


• Connect. This may be the time to build a better relationship with one or more of the "performers" in your work area. Whose support do you need as you look to your goals for 2012?


• Set some goals. Yes, it's cliche, but it is the time to more fully plan what you want to accomplish in 2012. In just a few days the elephants will once again come running through the door and you're going to need to have your "acts" together if you don't want them to crush the outcomes that are most important to you.