Last week, I wrote about why it’s important that bosses take time off from work to go on vacation. It certainly was a timely piece and I’m grateful to see the enthusiastic response it garnered here in the blog comments section, on the various social networks, as well as being picked up as one of the top stories in last Friday’s SmartBrief on Leadership newsletter.

In that piece, I wrote that one of the reasons why leaders need to take a vacation is to “lead by example” in showing those under their stewardship how critical it is to take care of ourselves if we are to remain effective in our role. In an example of following the advice I share here on my blog, I’m taking a break from writing a new piece this week (along with a minimal presence online in general), in part to allow myself time to reflect on the ideas I want to share here in the coming weeks, as well as to prepare for a new feature I hope to launch on my site next week.

However, I don’t want to leave my readers without something new to read on my blog this week and so, I’m sharing a revised version of one of my blog readers’ favourite pieces I wrote last year. In this piece, I talk about how we can take the passion that fuels our drive to go out and do what we love, and transform it into that sense of purpose which ultimately allows us to succeed at reaching our goals. I hope you’ll enjoy it.

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Passion.

It’s something that you hear a lot about these days as one of the keys to success, if not personal fulfillment. Many articles have been written lately on how to harness or foster that passion, including my own piece on how our passions spring forth from our inner strengths. Where we run into problems, though, is when we create this expectation that passion can sustain our drive over the long run. To illustrate what I mean by this, Click here to continue reading »”3 Steps To Transform Passion Into A Fulfilling Sense of Purpose”

Being Canadian, I’m sure it comes as little surprise that I’m not much of a baseball fan (growing up, hockey, football and soccer were the sports I preferred playing). Of course, you don’t have to be a fan of baseball to enjoy or relate to the wonderful stories, both humorous and inspiring, which have become a part of this sport’s history. There’s one story in particular I’d like to share because of the lessons we can glean from it on how leaders can approach the challenges they face in today’s globally connected and engaged world.

When it comes to baseball heroes, few are as well-known and revered as Babe Ruth, or as he’s affectionately known by baseball fans “the Bambino”. While he certainly had a storied career in baseball, it was during his declining years that we get a real appreciation for both of his dedication and drive to honour the sport he loved.

In October 1932, Babe Ruth and his team the New York Yankees faced the Chicago Cubs in Game Three of the World Series at Chicago’s Wrigley Field. Although his team was performing well, winning the first two games in the series, Ruth himself was suffering from a batting slump. At the halfway mark of Game Three, Ruth was standing at home plate with two strikes against him when the crowd began to boo, adding to the heckling Ruth was already getting from his opponents in the Cubs dugout (a common behaviour among teams at this time in the sport’s history).

Faced with the natural decline in his physical abilities and this stream of negativity emanating all around him, the odds seemed to favour that the Bambino would strike out at bat. However, when the ball was pitched, Ruth not only hit the ball, but he hit it with such force that it ended up becoming one of longest home runs ever made at Wrigley Field.

After the game, a reporter went up to Babe Ruth and asked him what was going on in his mind at that moment. Ruth replied that he was thinking about what he always thinks about when he steps up to the plate – of “just hittin’ that ball”.

Ruth’s response is certainly a memorable and humble one, and I have no doubt that it’s moments like these in his career which transformed him from being viewed as a talented baseball player into a beloved sports legend. In addition to providing us with a glimpse at the man behind this legend, this story in its own way also helps to shed some light on three key attributes today’s leaders need to exemplify in order to be as successful as Babe Ruth when stepping up to the leadership plate. Click here to continue reading »”What Babe Ruth Can Teach Leaders About Facing Today’s Challenges”

Today’s piece is a guest post by Meredith Bell.  Meredith is the president and co-founder of Performance Support Systems, a software company based in Newport News, Virginia. She’s been an entrepreneur since 1982, when she discovered that she didn’t function well in a bureaucratic, political organization. For the several years she consulted to local businesses, helping managers develop the people skills they need to become effective leaders and build strong teams.  You can learn more about Meredith by visiting her blog, Your Voice of Encouragement.

Anyone who knows me well will be stunned to read the title of this post. How can I say there are negative aspects to ongoing self-development? I’ve always invested heavily in my own personal and professional growth – both financially and experientially. And my software company has been publishing assessment and development tools for the workplace for over 15 years.

But as one for whom learning is a passion, I’ve discovered there are some downsides. The four items listed here are related, but each presents its own challenge.

1. Accumulating a lot of knowledge without applying it in the real world
I admit that I rarely read novels. I prefer business books on topics like marketing, sales, leadership and personal development. That’s because I absolutely love my business, and I’m always interested in learning how to improve systems, relationships and of course, our bottom line. But sometimes I start on the next book before I’ve taken time to analyze and use the insights gleaned from the one I just read.

Lesson: For every book or program you go through, list the ideas that make sense for your situation. Then commit to implementing the one strategy that will make the biggest difference in your business or life, and hold yourself accountable for doing it. Click here to continue reading »”The Downsides of Being a Lifelong Learner”

Passion.

It’s something that you hear a lot about these days as one of the keys to success, if not personal fulfillment. Many articles have been written lately on how to harness or foster that passion, including my own piece on how our passions spring forth from our inner strengths. Where we run into problems, though, is when we create this expectation that passion can sustain our drive over the long run. To illustrate what I mean by this, let me share with you how I view my role in parenting.

When I talk to others about my life as a parent, it’s clear that this is a role I love doing. And yet, I doubt anyone would say that this is something that I’m passionate about. As I’m sure other parents can relate to, there are days where I would love to have a moment’s peace; a break from trying to figure out who did what to who and why. But even in those moments, I still enjoy being a parent because I love it.

And while it’s easy to assume that this love of parenting is merely an extension of my love for my children, the truth is the reason why I love this role – a job that for many of us will be the hardest one we take on in our lives – is because of the sense of purpose it gives to my life. That’s why even in those moments where being a parent presents those personal challenges, my drive to succeed in being a good parent never wavers because I value the purpose it brings to my life.

And that’s what we need to understand about our business and the work we do; that if we think the key to being happy with our jobs, with our work is Click here to continue reading »”How to Transform Passion into Purpose”