Burke Alder - Leadership and Business Blogs
LEADERSHIP LOUNGE™
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The other day, I was scrolling through my Apple Note App and came across leadership notes I took while listening to Carine Clark speak at the Grow Data Driven Summit a few years ago. Carine’s topic was about leadership principles she wished someone would have told her early in her career. Her words and advice were a breath of fresh air.
Chasing Mavericks is a movie based on the true story of Jay Moriarity.'s journey to surf Mavericks, a big wave break in Northern California. Mavericks is a famous surf location about 2 miles from the shore outside Pillar Point Harbor, just north of the town of Half Moon Bay. Waves can routinely crest at over 25 feet and top out at over 60 feet. In the movie, Jay Moriarity's mentor (Frosty) Rick Hesson teaches him four pillars to survive and surf Mavericks. The four pillars can be applied to your life and help you set up for success.
Growing up in the world of competitive freestyle skiing, you learn very quickly that you can be good with your athleticism, but you need to be even stronger with your mental game. We have all heard the saying about how success in sports, life, or business is 90% mental and 10% skill. I believe that. My success in sports, life, and business have been when I've combined mental strength and preparedness with a foundation of skills.
Challenges arise in business and life. Many times these challenges create roadblocks. Roadblocks impede progression. Last week I heard an awesome business leader, Paul Anderson, speak on 6 steps to eliminate roadblocks. Step one is to identify the root cause. It's important that everyone involved with the roadblock help to identify the root cause. It might help if you answer this simple sentence, "The roadblock is being created by (insert root cause)."
The other day I was scrolling through my Facebook feed and came across an image that outlined ten things successful people do that unsuccessful people don't. I really liked the list and I thought you might also. Successful people compliment others while unsuccessful people criticize others. Successful people forgive others while unsuccessful people hold grudges. Successful people embrace change while unsuccessful people fear change.
I'll start with one question about your business work day, "How many hours do you work uninterrupted? When I mean uninterrupted, I am not just talking about people that stop by your office or desk looking to chat, collaborate, or just ask an important question. There are other distractions or productivity killers that can cause each of us to lose our productivity, distract us, drain our energy, and make us feel like we're running around in circles. Here are seven ways to increase your personal producitivty.
Everyone has moments of creative genius. Marketing ideas that are as big as life and their outcomes even bigger. So, how can you make the creative process and it outcomes more consistent. That's what this blog post is all about. You will learn four simple steps to tap into your creative genius on a regularly basis. In 1972, Alka-Seltzer launched one of the greatest ad campaigns in history. The campaign helped trible their sales and put their brand on the map. They used four simple steps.
Your ability to build strong teams of talented, smart, and engaged team members will make or break your company. It will be the difference between ok results and great results. To build a strong team, it first starts with knowing two truths team members bring to work each day. I've been talking to Ty Kiisel, a good friend and Forbes writer, about these truths over many months. Below is a summary of our thoughts on two important truths that make a positive impact on team member engagement and business success.
Learn two important success factors of great leaders. I believe success in life and business are influenced by persistence and determination. It's always the last 10 yards that are the hardest. It's always the extra effort that helps you discover your real potential. It's the storm before the calm that makes the sunshine meaningful. It's moving forward when others doubt you that you'll find success. It's always finishing, no matter what, that makes the great champions. So many people come so close only to lose the prize because of the lack of persistence and determination.
