A great leader learns to delegate effectively, not only for time’s sake, but to use all the resources you have available to you and to help grow, stretch, and support yourself and others. 

I’d like to share with you some key lessons I’ve learned in the process of delegation.

1. Find out what your strengths are.   There are so many assessments you can take now that will help you tap into your strengths if you are unsure.   Also, ask those who know you best and I’m sure you will get some great insights.   Capitalize on these strengths.
2. Find out what the strengths are of those around you.   Not just those on your team or who you work with, find out the strengths of those in your network, those at home, and those in your community.   If we tap into the strengths of all that support around you, image what can get accomplished!   Also, the energy that drives us is when we are doing work aligned to our strength and passions, so not only are we more effective but we create more positive energy which raises our game to the next level.
3. Give back.   Learn the importance of mentoring and letting those who are just starting out in business and in life try new tasks and stretch themselves.   Even if it’s an area that is one of your strengths, allowing others to stretch and learn on their own is sometimes much more effective in the long run than you doing the work.  They will be forever growing and enthusiastic about the opportunities you give them and you will also gain insights from them on new ways of thinking.   You can expand your reach and spend more time on real strategic thinking.
4. Seek out.  If you realize you are not as strong in an area as you’d like and your network doesn’t have that skill, don’t be afraid to seek out help and advice from those you don’t know.  Find a company or individual that has that strength and ask them what they would do or how they see the problem.   Even if you decide to do the task yourself, learn from them and seek out their advice.   This is so true if starting a new business.  Find other businesses in your line of work and see what they are doing and doing well.   Learn from them.  Seek out advice and lessons learned from them.  Ask others for recommendations.   I’ve learned that others are eager to share their insights and really help you in any way they can.
5. Try, try, again.   Even if the delegation doesn’t work out as you had hoped, take that as a learning experience.   What additional skills did I need to have?  What didn’t work well?  What other options might I have next time?   Don’t give up on it.   Keep trying.   You will learn, grow and flourish by expanding your delegation skills.    To delegate effectively takes time and practice just like any new skills so don’t give up on it if you don’t see immediate results.   In the long run you will reap great benefits.

Delegation is critical to your success in not only leading teams but also in leading your life.  Delegation at home and at work is essential to you being able to reach and fulfill your dreams.   Learn the art of delegation and flourish as a leader.   Everyone around you will benefit.   What other lessons have you learned in your quest of being a good delegator?   Please share it with us.

This week’s word is all about the importance of planning.  As a project manager and business executive, I know just how important it is to have a solid business and project plan to help guide me toward a path of success.  Most individuals who run a business have a business plan and most projects I know of have project plans.  So why then, as a career and leadership coach, do I see so many women who have not developed a career plan for their own life?  Why is it that so many busy professionals are too busy to create a plan of success for themselves?   If you don’t have a plan, now is the time to create it.  There is no better time.   Your success depends on it.

Here are five simple yet effective ways to create your own personal plan for success:

1. Define what success means to you.    Look at all dimensions of your life (in coaching we typically look at 8 dimensions of your life to include:  health/wellness, financial, parenting/family, career/professional, spiritual awareness, education, fun/enjoyment, and relationships).   What are your goals and dreams in each of these areas?    What is your ideal you when thinking and looking at an ideal vision of yourself in these areas?   Be as specific as you can about what you are doing, feeling, seeing, and achieving.   Feel free to create a vision board or as I do a bulletin board so you can see this vision each day.  (Check out my vision board system at http://coaching4abundance.com/store/vision/)
2. Define small steps you can start taking right now (no more than 3 total) to start moving toward your vision of success.  Be sure they follow the SMART (Simple, Measurable, Accountable, Realistic, and Time-Oriented) goal setting principals.
3. Take action and monitor your progress.   Use a journal or notebook or document/app on your iPad to track progress and help you monitor your results.   Make adjustments as necessary.   Update your steps on a weekly basis.
4. Get an accountability partner, someone who you can report your progress to.  This can be a coach, friend, co-worker, or family member.   Someone who will hold you accountable for your actions. 
5. Celebrate each small step you take to help motivate you along your journey of success.  Build momentum toward living your life of success.    Every day you have something to celebrate so do so.

Remember to look at your plan on a regular basis and update as necessary based on any changes in your life.    As you meet your goals and take your steps, look at what are the next steps you should take to move toward your vision.   Do not allow other plans (e.g. project plans, business plans, company evaluation plans, etc.) to replace your own personal plan.   Be in charge of your future and look at your holistic self. 

Use your plan to help you make decisions.   Just like with a project or business plan, your plan is there to guide you along the way and help you make choices that align with your vision.   So when you are making decisions about your life, use your plan to help guide you toward decisions that align with your personal plan for success.      As part of our support of women with careers in technology at The Metis Movement (www.metismovement.com), we work with our members to create individual career/life plans for their success so they can look at the support they need to be strong leaders in their life.   Take charge now and be a leader in your life; have your own vision and personal plan of success!   Share with us your personal plan for success!

I know that in practice, this is easier said than done.  When something doesn’t happen the way we had planned on it happening, we tend to want to place blame on ourselves, those around us, or the situation.  That is the easy way out.  However, instead of placing blame we need to take action and understand what we learned from the event and move forward with that knowledge. 

As a project manager and Quality Assurance (QA) specialist, I am all too familiar with performing after action reports or close out reports that look at the lessons learned on the project.   What I certainly support in my dealings with projects, is that you don’t wait until the project is over to create an after action or close out report, you keep track on a regular basis of what surprises you encountered.   You might have heard of the “no surprises” rule whereby you encourage your team to be open and not hold back any surprises they might be finding.   I like to think of it as a “gift.”   What gifts did you encounter this week where you were able to learn and grow from the experience or what gifts did you face where you had to think of a new way of doing things?  What challenges did you face that allowed you to dig deeper within you or with your team, to collaborate on potential solutions?  Doing so is really a gift and should be celebrated and encouraged as part of a team or project.

Looking for these “gifts” each day allows us to continue to expand our thinking, grow as individuals and teams, and allows us to push ourselves to a higher level of play.   If we are afraid of “making a mistake,” we tend to hold back and not try new and different ways of doing things.  We sub-optimize ourselves and our teams.   I love that mindset of “no mistakes” because if we know there are no mistakes we can make, maybe we will shoot for the moon.   I’m sure John Glenn (who I have a special place in my heart for since I was born on the day he first orbited the earth) had a mindset that there were no mistakes.  Wow look at what he achieved in his lifetime (and is still achieving). 

So I encourage you to be bold, think outside the box, and don’t get down on yourself when things don’t go the way you had planned or hoped they would go.   Life is an adventure and what an adventure you are on if you are learning, growing and stretching each day!   Let’s all shoot for the moon (and beyond!) and look for the gifts to treasure each day of our life.

Busyness actually serves to wear down your internal system and create stress that can bring you harm.  You can become so busy that you wear yourself down and you can’t even see things for what they are.  Life becomes a blur.  In turn, you can’t accomplish all you had hoped to.  It can be a hard cycle to break and one that actually can sabotage your career, your personal life, or both.  You might think you are expected to do it all, but you are not.  You might not think you can balance it all, but you can.  You have the power within you.  You just have to create boundaries and a new way of working.  You need to be aware and present about what you are committing yourself to do and make the right choices for you.  Not the choices you think others want of you, but the choices that will allow you to be successful with your life.   No one else can say what is important in your life, only you can.

So, what can you do right now to help you toward a path of making conscious choices and creating boundaries that will help you be successful in your life?

1. Stop doing as much as you can.   It’s not the amount of activities that you do that makes you successful, it’s the quality of the interaction and results that make it happen.   This holds true at home and at work.   Ask yourself what is the most important thing I have to do today (at home and at work)?   Focus on doing that one thing.   Don’t worry or focus on everything else.  Be sure you celebrate getting that one item done and done well!  That will motivate you to continue this approach and not get dragged back in to those old habits.
2. Start to put your focus on the major tasks you have committed to first.   Don’t multitask but really give quality time to that task.   Check and see how you feel afterwards about the progress you have made.   Is there something you could have done even better to focus your time and attention on that task?   Practicing this full attention process can be difficult with all the distractions we have around us so look to minimize distractions (e.g. turn off your phone).
3. Stop taking on so many activities.   Give yourself some space and time to allow for time outs (thoughtful reflecting) and overflow (when tasks go longer than expected).  If you are constantly running late for activities, you are overloaded and need to take some items off your plate.   Look at one or two tasks you can commit to in each area of your life and make a conscious decision to not take on more activities unless you “give up” one item on your plate.  It’s like when you are at a smorgasbord and see all the amazing items you want, but you only have one plate and you have to make choices of what items are most important to you and can fit on your plate.   For instance, you decide to volunteer and serve on a non-profit board.  What are you “giving up” to do so?  Maybe it’s time watching your favorite show on TV or a trip to the gym but don’t take on the new activity/task without understanding what you will no longer do.   Don’t just keep piling items on your plate.  The plate will break and you will get sick!
4. Start putting boundaries around the time you have given for a particular activity and look at outsourcing or getting others to help take over non-priority items.   If you have committed to spending quality time with your family from 6 – 8 pm at night, make that time sacred and do not allow other activities to take over.  I didn’t say it would be easy but you have to make choices and stick to these choices.  It’s well within your control.   If you have decided time with your family is more important on Saturday morning than cleaning your house, outsource your house cleaning to a maid.   If you can’t afford a maid, maybe choose to incorporate house cleaning with the time you spend with your family getting them involved in the tasks and looking at ways to make it fun together.  
5. Stop worrying about what you didn’t get done.   Start celebrating what you did accomplish.  You were meant to complete the tasks you completed.  Be happy with your accomplishments and look to another day to get the other tasks done.   In most cases, especially if you are prioritizing tasks, you will have gotten what you needed to get done that day.  If not, you should ask yourself what help do I need to get this done?  Celebrate the steps you do take.   This will cause you to move forward and take action.  Worry bogs you down and causes inaction.

When you realize that the world is moving at the same speed regardless of what you are doing, you can either choose to enjoy the ride or have it speed by in a blur without being able to see the beauty.   It’s amazing how seeing the view can allow you a whole new perspective that will result in a clear definition of what needs to get done.   When you are in fast motion, you get so caught up in the speed that you really miss that view.   Don’t miss the beautiful view.   Choose wisely, set boundaries, and be fully connected with the interaction.   You will begin to see some powerful results that you hadn’t dreamed possible.   It’s amazing how the picture can become crystal clear.

So what does this mean for you?  Here are a few lessons I have learned when it comes to motivating yourself:

• Focus on “seeing” your positive outcome.  Isn’t that much better than being nervous and telling yourself several ways that you might not succeed? I believe in the power of visualization and what it can really do to help you focus and get the outcome you desire.
• Find out what really motivates you.   Maybe if you are trying to lose weight, you feel motivated in fitting into a nice new outfit or one you haven’t been able to wear in a few years?   For me I know music helps inspire and motivate me.  I also love to dance. What are your motivators?
• Positive thinking.  When I’m in a 3^rd set of tennis or running in a race, I can’t help but think that I will win or I will get to the finish line.  Why think anything else?  Positive thinking will help lift your spirits and really provide that much needed spurt of energy to get you to where you are going.  Don’t underestimate it!
• A plan of attack.   No matter where I am in a match, I’m always thinking strategy and how can I either improve my attack or accentuate the weaknesses of my opponents.  Even if I have won a set, I ask myself these questions and create a plan of attack or battle plan for my success.   Having a plan allows you to focus on moving forward and executing steps toward your goal.  You can modify your plan if it doesn’t seem to be getting the results you had hoped, but having no plan is a surefire way to sabotage your success.  Even if you have a successful outcome, without a plan, you won’t know how you got there and what worked or didn’t work as effectively as you’d hoped.  So create a battle plan for your success!

Using these simple tools, you can motivate yourself and see a path for your success in the future.  Whether you are playing a tennis match, working to achieve a lifelong dream, or trying to build a successful career, creating motivation in your life is really in your hands.  Doing so can have a huge impact!   So search and find what motivates and inspires you.

For all of you in the Atlanta Area: Come out and join one of my two upcoming workshops!   Build your confidence, momentum and mindset for your success!  Raise your energy level!  You deserve it.

• Be A Woman Warrior – Unleash the Power within You! Sat Apr 21^st from 1-4 pm at the Decatur Healing Arts Center, to register or get more information go to:  http://www.beawomanwarrior.com/
• Be Healthy, Wealthy & Wise.   Sat, Apr 28^th from 8:30 – 11:30 am at the Decatur Cornerstone Bank Community Room.  To register or get more information go to:  http://metis-health-wealth-wise.eventbrite.com/

Why rejoice?  Each day there is so much we can be thankful for and celebrate.  However, as women, we tend to down play our accomplishments and successes.   We feel it is too self-promoting, fake, and even self-righteous to boost about what we have done.   We expect others to notice our accomplishments and reward us for that.  As young girls we were told to be seen but not heard.   So that attitude tends to manifest itself in our everyday lives as we grow older and we find it hard to boost about our successes and accomplishments.    Unfortunately, that practice does not help us to achieve the success we desire.  That attitude actually de-motives and downplays our accomplishments.  It’s sort of like raining on your own parade.   I want enthusiasm, I want motivation, and I want confidence in those I choose to take leadership roles.   So I want you marvelous, accomplished, and dedicated women to stand up for what you are doing, be strong leaders in your life, and be women warriors!

As a leader of a very large team, I was shocked to see the number of men that worked for me that had no trouble letting me know about what they had accomplished and what they wanted to do in the future.  Did a single woman seek me out in advance to tell me about what they had done and accomplished?  Unfortunately, they did not.  I really was surprised by that, since I had some fantastic women on my team.   If I praised their work, they would down play their accomplishments and give credit to the entire team or others on their team.   Now, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t recognize the team, but we also need to rejoice and give credit where the credit is due.  You led the team.  You motivated the team.  You inspired the team.  So you should rejoice in what you were able to foster.  You should let others know of your accomplishments and how you led the team or chose the right players to be on your team. 

This can be hard for many women.  Practice does help you to feel more comfortable sharing your successes.   Also, the practice of rejoicing can lift your spirits (and your teams) and allow you to soar to new heights.  Don’t sell yourself short.   Be proud of what you have done.    Practice, practice, practice the art of rejoicing.   You will be amazed how wonderful it will make you feel.  Just typing the words rejoice makes me want to sit up and yell “halleluiah!”  I’m loving what I am doing, I’m proud of what I am doing, and I’m enjoying every moment.   Relish your accomplishments, be proud, and enjoy your success.   Lead a passionate and inspired life and don’t hide your accomplishments in a bush (Oh, No!).  Shine, shine, shine and rejoice some more!

So what can be done to help you stay calm and collected rather than racing at 100 miles per hour?  How can you not get caught up in the rat race that is encouraged by our society today?   I have a few suggestions to share with you that I have used to help me maximize my wellbeing and my effectiveness, allowing me to staying calm, collected and purposeful about what I am doing.

1. Quiet Your Mind:  Take a moment in the morning, one or two minutes is enough though 10 minutes is ideal, to meditate, do a few yoga poses, or simply take some long deep cleansing breathes.  Doing so sets a great tone for the day.  Don’t get up and start the rush game.  Feel free to use an affirmation to help you set the stage, something like “I love to be purposeful and present in what I am doing today.  I choose to be calm and collected.”    
2. Take Time Outs:  When you start feeling anxious, rushed, or overloaded, take a few minutes of “time out” to clear your mind.  You might take a short walk down the hall or around the block or simply step back from what you are doing and focus on something relaxing such as listening to a song that will pick up your spirits or soothe your mind.  I find that when I take these “time-outs,” I come back refreshed and ready to do some amazing work.  When I work myself into the ground and try to rush around, I make mistakes, get frustrated or angry, and feel drained.  Again, the time outs can be just a few minutes and you will notice a big change in your productivity.
3. Say “NO” to Multitasking:  No matter how tempting it is, your brain simply can’t function at peak performance when doing multiple tasks.  Therefore, you are sub-optimizing your effectiveness and not really doing your best on any of the tasks when you choose to multitask.  So make a decision that you will focus on one task at a time and reap the benefits.   If a task is not progressing the way you’d like, move on to another and come back later to this task.    
4. Be Present:  Once you choose a task, talk with a person or be in a meeting, be fully present with that person, meeting, or task.  Really become an artist at active listening and focus on the task at hand.  Enjoy what you are doing in the moment and avoid thinking about anything else you have to accomplish that day or in the future.  If something distracts you, write it in your notebook for future reference and then tell yourself to refocus on the task you have in front of you.  When you start practicing being fully present, you will start contributing more, get tasks accomplished faster, and see elevated results. 
5. Make Choices:  You are the key to allowing yourself to stay frazzled, busy, and out of control or to shift to a mindset that allows you to be calm, collected, acting with purpose and effective to maximize your wellbeing.   Your choice!   When you start to just say “My choice is” instead of “I have to”, your mind shifts and you start making choices that are right for you.  You do not have to do anything.  You choose to do something.   So I challenge you to choose to be calm, collected, and in control of your destiny instead of allowing yourself to be so busy!   Choose the task that is most important at that moment and focus on that task.   At the end of the day, choose to be satisfied with what you have accomplished and celebrate these accomplishments. I like to say, “I did what I was intended to do that day.  Yeah me!”   

If you follow me on twitter this month (http://www.twitter.com/lyanders84), I am going to be sharing 30 ways to help you be more calm and collected.  So choose to take a moment to follow me and start practicing these principal right now.  It’s never too late to take control of your life rather than having your life control you.   Be a leader in your life, find the abundance that is right in front of you, and reap the benefits.

I know that is easier said than done.  This week I’ve been faced with a few adversities myself and they are not pleasant.  I would certainly love to not have to deal with them.  However, in order for me to be successful with my passion and my purpose, I have to find a way to motivate myself to continue forward toward my dream.  

Here are the steps I’ve taken to help me do just that.  I hope you can benefit from them and allow yourself to learn from adversity, allowing it to make you stronger, and allow yourself to appreciate all you have in your life. 

1. Access how you are really feeling about the adversity.  Be honest with yourself and allow yourself to “grieve” just a little.  Find a way to let your frustration out, don’t bottle it up.  Maybe a scream, a good run, or a nice glass of wine can help soothe you and release some of the tension.
2. Brainstorm ideas or new possibilities to help overcome the adversity.  The sooner you can get to this step the better.  Tell yourself, “Ok, so now this has happened, what are the new paths I have in front of me based on this new information and learning?”  As others to help you brainstorm options as well.    
3. Create a plan of action that will get you moving forward toward your vision, your dreams, and your goals.   Remember there are endless possibilities to get to your destination, so start moving forward and see which one might be your best option.  Don’t get stuck in the brainstorming and planning.   However, taking a few minutes to create a plan that you can use to guide you and help you gauge where you are going can be invaluable.   So don’t skip this step!
4. Act.   You learn from doing so each step you take, no matter how small, is teaching you something and getting you closer to achieving your dreams.  You can modify your plan but it’s very hard to realize your goals without taking action.    Action is really what gets the results even if the results aren’t what you had expected.
5. Celebrate.   On women warriors, we always remind you to celebrate even your smallest victories.  The same is true here.  You want to celebrate each step, each learning that you take because you are moving forward on your journey and realizing your dreams.   Even with adversity, you can celebrate.  Celebrate that it was not worse.  There is always someone who is in a worse situation with you.  So celebrate your progress, celebrate your learning’s, and celebrate all the wonderful things you have in this moment. 

Sometimes you have to fight for yourself, for your dreams, and for your passion.   Adversity allows us to appreciate these facts and the struggles we encounter along the way.  Doing just that, in and of itself, can be extremely satisfying.   Maybe that was the purpose all along!    Enjoy your journey and the challenges and adversity you face along the way.

How many of us are doing all the time? I’d wager a guess to say 95% or more of us are doing rather than being in the moment. I even had a hard time writing this article without using the words “doing” for what I am focused on at the moment! A research study recently done by Harvard University shows that people thought about something other than what they were doing nearly 47 percent of the time and that was when they were still “doing” something rather than focused literally on just enjoying or being part of what was happening around them. The study also reported that on a 100-point happiness scale, people rated themselves an average about 9 points lower when their minds were somewhere else rather than focused on the present activity.

As I was walking my dog this week, my mind wandered (again not focused on the being) to a discussion I had with my son on his progress report. Instead of being grateful of the work he was accomplishing and all he has done this school year, I focused on the one class that he wasn’t doing as well in. I looked at the glass half empty instead of half full. Once I realized this, I made a point to thank my son for sharing his progress report and for being present in his classes. I saw immediately the impact this had on our conversation. I think next time, I will be more grateful for what my son has given me rather than on anything lacking. I’m blessed to have such great children; that’s for sure!

What can we do to better practice the art of being? Certainly slowing ourselves down to focus on what is in front of us is a good first step. Activities like meditation and yoga can certainly help with that. Also, being able to stop multi-tasking is another way to really focus on the here and now. Turn off those cell phones and computers when you are on a conference call or in a meeting. Really concentrate on focusing on the task right in front of you or the person right in front of you and put your whole energy toward that activity. You will be surprised how much you accomplish and how the work elevates to a new level. When walking my dog, really appreciating the beauty of the day (I can take that with me when I return to work at my desk) and the beautiful flowers that are blooming. What a wonderful world we live in!

You can also work to get yourself into a graceful and grateful frame of mind by creating a gratitude journal where you can list 2-3 things you are grateful for each day. This process creates a pattern of positive thinking and allows you to focus on the glass half full. You will be amazed at how your energy shifts and you start seeing all the good that is around you (rather than focusing on what you don’t have). Once you do this, you start opening your mind to new opportunities, new possibilities, and a wonderful perspective that will keep you motivated , energized, and focused to be the best you possible. I choose to continue working on the best me possible. It’s certainly a work in progress but I’m being present and positive as much as possible on my journey. What about you? Here’s to your success!

Allowing that kid in us to come out, allows for different perspectives, reduces our stress, and can even free up our mind to think outside of that box (or even in new dimensions).   Taping into that kid can allow us to understand that life can be simple (you don’t have to make it so complicated), it can be fun, and you can relax and enjoy the ride.  The creative, kid like qualities we all have can support us, motivate us, and allow us to grow in ways we thought not possible.

As those of you who follow my radio show, Women Warriors (www.blogtalkradio.com/womenwarriors) know, I like to have fun and certainly incorporating fun into your life each and every day helps you get through some of those tough times, inspires you when you least expect it, and allows you to dream big no matter what age you are. 

I was also in Las Vegas this week and talk about a city dedicated to having fun!  I’m not a big gambler (as my family knows) but boy do I love all the cheering, lights, and glitter that makes Vegas so darn fun!  Where can you see the world all in one place, enjoy ice cream and chocolate fountains at 2 am, and see circus acts, comedy shows, and people from all walks of life?  How fun is that!   I know that when I’m in a place like Vegas or even Disney, I feel just a bit more energized, relaxed, and full of possibilities.  I see things in a whole new light.      

You don’t have to go somewhere to experience the kid inside of you (as you can see from all the wonderful photos, videos, and memories shared with Oreo), you just have to allow yourself those wonderful moments and a chance to create new possibilities on a regular basis.  Benefit from the kid in us and use it to your advantage.  Dream big, enjoy and savor those moments, and have some fun!  Experience the kid inside of you and see how successful and abundant your life can be!