The Right Kind of Intermission

Think back to yesterday. Did you take a break to relieve tension or stress? If so, did it involve using a different part of your brain? If not, you probably didn't take full advantage of the time spent.

If many of your recent tasks have been highly mental and you need a break, take on a task that is highly physical. If your work is physical, take on a mental task. You'll be surprised how one nourishes the other.

Don't Put It Off Until Next Year

Christmas decorations are already in the stores. The northern hemisphere is growing colder and leaves are changing. There is a tendency to start thinking about hibernation and planning for what you want to accomplish in the upcoming year-even when it is just October.

But, why wait until January to start your goals or resolutions? Start now. Don't wait until you are older, richer, better looking or can't get up off of the couch due to those extra pounds. Thomas Dreier said, "The best preparation for a better life next year is a full, complete, harmonious, joyous life this year." Begin where you stand, with the resources that you have and get to it. Otherwise, you will wake up and find that another year has past and you haven't accomplished what is most important to you.

Coach, Don't Criticize

In our book, Juggling Elephants we point out that, "The relationship between the ringmaster and the performers affects the success of the circus." One key area of building or tearing down your relationship with the other performers in your circus is how well are you providing feedback or correcting others when a mistake is made. Do you tend to coach or do you just criticize?

When mistakes are made, emotions tend to be added to the dynamic of the situation. You may be mad, frustrated or confused that the mistake was made. The person that made the mistake might be embarrassed, discouraged, defensive or oblivious. Your natural tendency might be to just quickly point out the mistake, tell them to fix the problem and then move on. Addressing a mistake poorly can just add fuel to an already smoldering fire. Turning your back and not taking advantage of the moment to teach or help others improve is just being selfish.

There are plenty of critics out there pointing out what is wrong with something and then conveniently moving on. Next time that you see the opportunity for improvement consider the following:

• Stop. It is easy to ignore an opportunity to coach


• Think. Don't jump into a potentially flammable situation without taking the time necessary to properly organize your thoughts


• Listen. How did the mistake happen? What were the causes? What is their side of the story?


• Teach. Share knowledge, experience and how to...


• Discuss. Work together to come up with a potential third alternative on how to improve and keep the mistake from happening again

It would be nice if there were more coaches that are in it "for the season" and who not only point out the problem, but also help create a solution. Be the coach and not the critic.

Rewarding Your Peformers

In our training programs, we highlight the fact that when we are so busy trying to get it all done that we don't often take the time (it's actually an investment that pays HUGE dividends) to recognize the work of the individuals around us.

Dan Rockwell writes a marvelous blog series entitled, "Leadership Freak." A post some time ago addressed the need to reward your employees if you are a manager. In his blog, 20 Low Cost Rewards That Fuel Performance, he provides an outstanding list of ways you can show your appreciation to the performers in your circus. Try them today to give some much needed "standing ovations" to those around you.

Some Syrup for Your Pancakes

The story is told that Henry Mancini's daughter Felice wanted to give her dad a special gift for his birthday. So, she wrote him a poem entitled, "Sometimes." Mr. Mancini loved the poem so much that he set the poem to music and it was first performed by The Carpenters in1971.

Sometimes not often enough
We reflect upon the good things
And those thoughts always center around those we love
And I think about those people who mean so much to me
And for so many years have made me so very happy
And I count the times I have forgotten to say “thank you”
And just how much I love them

More than "sometimes" we would should thank those around us for all that they have done for us and express how much we care about them. That is the stuff that makes the whole journey worthwhile.