When we look at the various examples of effective and successful leaders, one of the traits we see that they share in common is exhibiting a strong sense of confidence. Now by confidence, I’m not referring to pushy, aggressive, or self-serving behaviour. Rather, I’m pointing to those leaders who create this air of calm reassurance about them, who are clearly happy with their lives and are comfortable with who they are; those who we often refer to as being “natural born leaders”.

Ironically, confidence is not something you’re born with, it’s something you develop from inside. And confidence is certainly not linked exclusively to positions of authority, but is something that everyone can nurture and develop in themselves. But how exactly do we foster this feeling of confidence, especially in those moments where we feel it starting to wane? To answer this, let’s look at the common traits found among those who exude a sense of confidence: Click here to continue reading »”Confidence – A Habit Worth Building”

This week I wanted to look at how our perspective in approaching a project or task can dramatically affect our ability to complete the work. In the first post looking at this concept, I demonstrated how striving for perfection, as opposed to aiming to make things better, is actually counter-productive as it limits the perspective to our own experiences.

Of course, there’s another factor that can impact our motivation and subsequent productivity in taking on an idea or fostering some form of change. In this case, I’m referring to those instances when we view these opportunities as something that’s “too difficult to implement” or which “we lack the resources to pursue” and subsequently, we end up doing nothing about it. As I’ll show in this piece, what we need in these cases is to re-adjust our perspective from one where we’re facing a single issue or challenge, into one where we tackle the individual parts of the problem. This will create an environment where we gain concrete, visible results that will help us push forward with the process. Click here to continue reading »”How to Transform Problems Into Wins”

As the end of another year slowly approaches, there is once again that discernible feeling of eager anticipation for what the upcoming year will bring. In many ways, this is quite natural and expected since, like a present wrapped in shiny paper, the new year entices us with the promise of better times and exciting possibilities. With everyone around us spreading good wishes for a prosperous new year, it’s hard not to feel buoyant that this change in the annual calendar won’t also help mark the transition to a new and bright chapter in our lives.

But while it’s natural to look forward to the possibilities a new year can bring, it’s also important that we not lose sight of the lessons learned over the course of the previous one. Whether it’s failures or accomplishments, both experiences are valuable tools that we shouldn’t overlook as we move forward into a new year.

So, how can we make each successive year better than the one before? As is the case in most aspects of life, it comes down to what questions we choose to ask ourselves. In this case, instead of simply asking Click here to continue reading »”Looking Ahead by Looking Back”

Over the last couple of days, I’ve been thinking about how we ascribe value to the relationships we have with others, be it of a professional nature or a personal one.  This came about when I found myself taking stock of my participation in one of the many project teams I’m involved with.  Following certain decisions that changed the direction the team was headed toward, I realized that not only would there be less for me to contribute to the project, but the personal goals that were the reason why I joined the team four years ago were now well out of reach.  On paper, it would seem to be an open-and-shut case as to what I should do.  But as we all know, life is rarely that simple.

You see, while there was clearly less of a benefit now for both the team and myself in maintaining the relationship, I also knew that I had four years of my time, effort and resources invested into the project.  As such, if I were to walk away, I would basically be giving all of that up without having attained the goals I had set out to reach as a member of that team.  It was such a difficult pill to swallow that I even considered the chances that an opportunity might present itself where the team’s direction would shift so that I could once again contribute to the endeavor.  Obviously, such an approach was playing the long odds.  It also made the idea of change – of no longer being a member of this team – that much harder to contemplate.

Of course, dealing with any kind of change in our lives can be a challenge, but it’s even more daunting when Click here to continue reading »”Letting Go In Order To Move On”