I am especially intrigued with the year 2020 and the possibilities it will bring. 

For those that have one of my Intentionality Pennies you will remember that I intentionally chose the year 2020 to be stamped on it – to provide for hindsight and foresight.

But before transitioning into a new year it is important to take time to reflect on the past year to determine which things to take on the next leg of the journey, and which need to be left behind.

Your creative and emotional brain (Limbic) functions best in a peaceful and quiet setting without stress and interruption. That is why reflection does not generally take place during the busyness of most schedules, and why it is important to periodically set aside time for this valuable activity.

Healthy organizations typically undertake annual retreats, which include time for reflection.

To facilitate effective reflection do the following:

• Set aside a period of uninterrupted and undistracted time—usually involving no cell phones or computers. Set aside more time than less—typically a good amount of time is 1-4 hours. Plan for longer as it will often take an initial period of time to simply unclutter and slow down the brain, especially if this is not a regular activity.
• Have a supply of blank paper (at least 4 pages), a few pens, and a number of highlighters (green, yellow, and blue will be needed). This is a time for effectiveness, not efficiency. Most will use more paper than less. So bring more than seems necessary.
• Find a quiet, positive, and tranquil place where interruption is unlikely. Some call these their “happy places.” It is important that there is nothing about the location that is stressing or that invokes negative memories as this counteracts the reflective process.
• Bring a snack, not a meal, along with drinking water. Keep it simple and conducive to thinking, not sleeping.
• Relieve bodily bio needs in advance to avoid the need for finding a bathroom in the middle of the reflective process.
• To start the reflective process, write a list of as many things that you’re thankful for. Gratitude is an incredibly cleansing activity that will create a positive environment for your Limbic brain to function better.
• After writing out a list of gratitude items take two separate pieces of paper and write “Things that went well in 2019” at the top of one and “Things that went poorly in 2019” at the top of another. Write out as many things as possible on each of the two sheets. When you feel you have exhausted each of the lists try to add at least three more to each sheet. Some of the best thoughts are hidden under a bunch of clutter and need to be mined for.
• Next take the “Things that went poorly in 2019” sheet and categorize each item as:
  • Things that need to be avoided in 2020—indicate these by running a line through those items;
  • Things that brought value, but should be done differently—indicate these by highlighting them in blue.
• Next take the “Things that went well in 2019” sheet and categorize each item as:
  • Things that need to be continued, or increased, in 2020—indicate these by highlighting them in green;
  • Things that need to be continued, but improved—indicate these by highlighting them in yellow.
• Take a fresh piece of paper:
  • Write “My 2020 Commitments” at the top
  • Create two columns with the following headers:
    • Things I will STOP doing in the next year—and make a list of the crossed out items from the “Things that need to be avoided in 2020” sheet.
    • Things I will FOCUS on in the next year—and make a list of the green highlighted items from the “Things that need to be continued, or increased, in 2020” sheet
  • Spend the rest of your reflective time on this sheet and consider what your year will look like if you truly stop doing the items listed on this sheet and focus on the other items.
• At the end of your reflective time:
  • Put the “Gratitude” and “My 2020 Commitments” pages in a place where you can review them at the start of each day in the next year.
  • Schedule a time to review the “Things that went poorly in 2019” and “Things that went well in 2019” sheets with your team in order to:
    • Align around your perspectives of things that need to be eliminated (or delegated to others) and things that need to be focused on
    • Brainstorm around things that need to be done differently. Assign each item to an individual who will own the improvement process.
    • Brainstorm around things that need to be continued, but improved. Assign each item to an individual who will own the improvement process.

Reflection is done by few. That is why most people are caught in the vicious cycle of insanity—doing the same things over and over and expecting different results.

Great leaders, however, take time to reflect and adjust the trajectory of their year to focus the time and energies of themselves and their organizations on those areas which will produce the best results in line with the vision and mission of the organization.

How will you transition into the new year? With a time of reflection? Or by staying in the whirlwind of the vicious cycle?

Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.

Where do you draw the line?

Each of us is different and has varying needs, desires, talents, capabilities, capacities, and tolerances. And to achieve our natural best we need our own space in which to operate at our own pace. 

Are you proactive in clarifying your “space” and drawing the line with others, which is healthy, or reactive, which often leads to dysfunction and disconnect?

Since not everyone respects other people’s spaces it is both healthy and necessary to designate our space with an appropriate fence [boundary] – most times figuratively…sometimes literally. This is especially true for people with more passive personalities who feel pressured by those with more aggressive personalities. 

It is also true in business settings where there is immense pressure to produce [more] and where goals and lines of authority are not clearly communicated. How much is enough? When do we stop? Who has the right to tell me what to do?

Most people are afraid to say no and/or set boundaries for fear of losing their job or a relationship. We need our jobs and we have an innate need to be connected with others. That is why many people agree to do things they either don’t want to do, are not well suited for, don’t believe in, or which push them beyond healthy limits. Hence, it is important for everybody to learn how to establish appropriate boundaries, because living without boundaries is a recipe for disconnection, dysfunction, discontent, and burnout.

In the New York Times bestseller, Boundaries, Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend help people learn when to say yes and how to say no in order to take control of their life and set healthy boundaries with their spouse, children, friends, parents, co-workers, bosses, and even themselves.

In this book they help people answer many tough questions, including the following:

• Can I set limits and still be a loving person?
• What are legitimate boundaries?
• How do I effectively manage my digital life so that it doesn’t control me?
• What if someone is upset or hurt by my boundaries?
• How do I answer someone who wants my time, love, energy, or money?
• Why do I feel guilty or afraid when I consider setting boundaries?
• How do boundaries relate to mutual submission within marriage?
• Aren’t boundaries selfish?

Great leaders create healthy boundaries because their goal is to create teams where individuals operating at their natural best come together to produce extraordinary results as part of a synergistic team.

Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.

…before trying to be understood!

Ready…fire…aim.

This is what happens when somebody takes action or gives orders before truly understanding.

The shortest path between two points is a straight line. Understanding is like drawing a line between what a person says and our understanding of what they mean—resulting in clarity.

Too many people, including managers, don’t listen to what others say, nor seek understanding before giving instructions or trying to solve issues. Then they wonder why things are done wrong or wrong things are done.

Most people want to do the right thing and proceed in good faith, based on their own understanding. Great leaders don’t assume. Rather they ask questions, listen for their own understanding, and get on the same side of the issue with others. This avoids mistakes, lost time and resources, and angst. 

Managers tend to tell, while great leaders ask questions and coach. Telling requires no understanding, while coaching does.

In order to collaborate with others it is important that we seek to understand, before trying to be understood. In fact, according to Stephen Covey, author of Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, understanding is a critical element in making the transition from independence (working by ourselves) to interdependence (working with others).

When leaders [seek and] gain understanding they are better able to inspire, coach, and provide meaningful direction.

Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.

There is no question that many meetings are unnecessary and could easily be replaced with an email or even a text…

That being said, the more I learn about what makes a leader effective the more I am convinced that meetings are one of the most misunderstood, yet most important, tools available to a leader. 

To better understand how and why meetings are so important let’s first establish a common understanding of what leadership is and what meetings are.

Meetings, by definition, are simply the coming together of two or more people. Hence, one-on-ones are meetings. Huddles are meetings. Any time people get together for virtually any purpose it is a meeting.

Leadership, by definition, is the act and process of intentional influence. Hence, leaders do their best and most important work when they are in front of people intentionally influencing an environment of trust within which team members connect, collaborate, innovate, align around common goals and values, solve issues, and inspire action.

Unfortunately, most leaders and managers do not know how to conduct a good meeting. As a result their meetings tend to be disjointed, boring and unproductive. That is why so many managers only hold meetings when they have to put out a fire.

In contrast, Patrick Lencioni, a Nationally recognized expert on leadership and meetings, says that, “Meetings are the linchpin of everything. If someone says you have an hour to investigate a company, I wouldn’t look at the balance sheet. I’d watch their executive team in a meeting for an hour. If they are clear and focused and have the board on the edge of their seats, I’d say this is a good company worth investing in.”

Lencioni’s book, Death By Meeting, helps leaders better understand and utilize this powerful tool. It is a simple read, written in the form of a business fable, and with a helpful summary of principles, concepts, and practical tips.

Lencioni emphasizes the importance of utilizing different meeting formats for different meeting types (daily huddles, weekly tacticals, quarterly strategics, etc.) and avoiding what he calls meeting stew—combining all topics into a single weekly or monthly staff meeting.

Lencioni also explains the importance of having healthy conflict in meetings. He points to what makes for a good movie…struggle…man against man, man against himself, man against his environment, etc. It is not merely the presence of struggle itself that captivates us. It is the overcoming of what seems like insurmountable odds that gives each of us hope relative to our own struggles.

I liken healthy conflict to the pulling of splinters before they fester into bigger issues (see HERBISM #16 Leaders Pull Splinters).

To avoid meeting soup, and the resulting ineffective, long, and boring meetings, it is better to separate the topics and to have more and different meetings that are focused and relevant. I explore the importance of understanding, and more effectively utilizing, the different meeting types in my article Attempting a No-Huddle Offense? How’s That Working For You?

One of my favorite meeting formats for the most common meeting type, the weekly tactical, is the Level 10 meeting format. This format is presented by Gino Wickman, in his book Traction, and in the following video: 

The whole point of a Level 10 meeting is to keep the team aligned around, and tracking towards, common goals. 

A Level 10 Meeting utilizes a simple format which follows a consistent pattern each week—positivity, accountability to commitments, alignment around values, and a focus on priorities—to ensure the team is making continuous progress towards common goals. 

There is no agenda to develop in advance. Rather, the Level 10 Meeting format builds the agenda during the meeting itself and thereby keeps the team focused on what is most important to the organization each week. 

Consistency is critical. The team needs to schedule 60-90 minutes each week – same day, same time, and same group on people. Also, start on time and end on time.

Shorter meetings are fine, if there are fewer issues to resolve, but do not shortcut the format. Longer meetings should be avoided so as to not conflict with everybody’s other scheduled events. Topics not dealt with in one week should be tabled for the next week, or a separate meeting should be scheduled to deal with the remaining items.

The format ensures progress is made each and every week!

Also, as necessary, the leader needs to mine for conflict when it seems participants are withholding important facts, thoughts, or feelings.

The effectiveness of your meetings is a direct reflection of the effectiveness of your leadership. So, to increase the effectiveness of your leadership, internalize the ideas and concepts above and start doing better meetings.

Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.