Impact Leadership @DannyLSmith

In-the-Box Thinking

2013-06-15T07:55:00.000-05:00

The purpose is to stimulate my creativity

from within, not construct from without

- Paul Martinelli

Thinking-in-the-box releases me from thinking I need to come up with new stuff. I believe the ideas, and what-it-takes-to-get-it-done is already inside me. Behavioral scientists say we only use a fraction of our abilities. Yes, maybe I need a bit of the stimulus I get by reading books, listening to speakers, seeking counsel, having good conversations, but I want to reconstruct and build on what God's given me.

I don't want to open that box up in front of St. Peter and find all the things God had in store for me that I didn't receive because I spent so much time piling unnecessary stuff on top of it.

Think-in-the-box and let me know if it frees you up just a bit, if your creativity expands.

To that end....have a great day!

A new generation being "formed"

2013-06-10T06:40:00.000-05:00

At 58, I'm a digital immigrant and not a native,

but I feel like a commuter.

Thanks to Hurdie Burke for sharing this Google publication

Google's THINK group have declared a new generation: Gen C.

A few highlights -

It's a powerful new force in consumer culture
It's about

creation
curation
connection
community

It's an attitude
It's a state of mind
It's not an age-group

In essence, the behaviors of this generation have less to do with the year they were born than their attitude and mindset...according to Google, who has defined this generation, only 65% of Gen C are under 35.

Gen C is also highly engaged in video, primarily YouTube and they are hungry for content they can share and talk about online. They also expect their friends to do the same.

Dig in the box long before thinking out of it

2013-06-07T15:40:00.002-05:00

We grow by dreams

2013-06-06T11:12:00.000-05:00

Goals and growth are properly fueled with DREAMS

What gives you the gumption to keep getting up, to keep-on-keeping-on? Dreams.

Small dreams, big dreams, dreams about a better life, a better job, better health, a house, a car...dreams. There are good dreams and bad dreams. There are dreams you should go after and those you probably shouldn't.

Woodrow Wilson said, "We grow by dreams. All big individuals are dreamers. They see things in the soft haze of a spring day, or in the red fire on a long winter's evening. Some of us let those great dreams die, but others nourish and protect them; nourish them through bad days until they bring them to the sunshine and light which comes always to those who sincerely hope that their dreams will come true."

Whatever you goals are, whatever growth you want, keep dreaming or start dreaming again. Whether their little dreams, or BIG HOLY AUDACIOUS DREAMS (BHADs).....just dream.

To that end......

Repeat Well, and Simply Lead

2013-06-05T07:30:00.000-05:00

Repeating myself

2013-05-31T07:31:00.004-05:00

I repeat myself over and over again for 3 big reasons:

I tend to forget things, I think it needs to be repeated

and sometimes I just like telling the story

As I move farther away from yesterday, I want to remind myself of a few things I said recently -

Daily Ps, The 6th P - Peace, Another P? Number 7

Stay connected to your confusion..

To that end.....Smitty, lead yourself well first and watch those rabbit trails you get led down. Pay attention to what's really going on!

Head down...

2013-05-29T07:37:00.000-05:00

Some days you just need to put your head down and pay attention.
These are the times when the focused disciplines show up as habits.

God Bless the USA - Lee Greenwood

2013-05-27T12:17:00.001-05:00

Solopreneur, not a sustainable business concept

2013-05-24T10:01:00.000-05:00

I don't struggle with the solopreneur concept,

it's just a bad concept and I don't struggle with it.

A solopreneur is defined as an entrepreneur who works alone, a company of one. You can not maintain a successful business by yourself. A solopreneur is a non-sustainable business model, concept and THOUGHT.

You can be the only "paid" employee in your company, but you still must develop a Team. We all need a team, paid or not.

Think bigger that one, bigger than solo.

To that end...

Clutter, and self-image...Raising Lids

2013-05-22T13:25:00.001-05:00

You can't outperform you self-image. Maxwell Maltz

Clutter. As I focus on the Ps (plan, pause, pray, patience, purpose, peace, persistence..is that the right Ps?), I'm reminded more and more of the clutter that gets in my way of the big R - RESULTS.

Clutter is not all about what I create for myself, but what others create on my behalf. Or is it what I allow others to create? Either case, I have to deal with it.

And such, it becomes the inability to create. The inability to move forward. Some might say it's a spiritual thing. Maybe so. But, as with a post last November......

Clutter snuck in.

And when that happens, this Choleric/Sanguine (D/I) gets caught up in the reactions.

What am I going to do? I'm Purposefully driving back through my Speed of Trust disciplines and behaviors. I'll Pay attention to my Integrity, Intent, Capabilities and Results as I practice the following 3, of 13 behaviors (can only concentrate on 3) -

Talk Straight, Clarify Expectations, Deliver Results

It's also time for a celebration - looking through the 13 behaviors, I realize how much better I am at practicing all of these than I was 5 years ago. Even a few months ago.

To that end....it's a GREAT DAY!

Clutter is also what's in your head

2013-05-20T06:31:00.001-05:00

Sometimes clutter is more than what's on

one's desk, inbox or desktop screen. It's also

what's in your head.

Sometimes, it's what's bothering you. It's what's weighing you down mentally. It's more than SQUIRREL! It's getting totally taken out of the game. It leads to roadkill.

Don't let yourself get taken out of the game by something you have no control over, but, recognize there might be changes that need to be made IF you are. But then again, maybe you do have control. It's just in a different sense.

Dig into what's causing the clutter.

Cleaning up the clutter will free you to be creative.

To that end..........what clutter is keeping you from what you want "to be?"

Squirrel Syndrome

2013-05-18T12:58:00.001-05:00

Cleaning the Clutter...repost

2013-05-16T10:48:00.002-05:00

The info I've been sharing about David Allen's talk to us at Leadercast has me working my Ps hard around the clutter thoughts. I knew I'd pondered this in the past but surprised how many blog posts I'd actually written the subject.

So, I'm taking a break for new content and pondering some old..

From February, 2012 - Habits and Clutter

To that end.....

Danny
Click here for Free Single Property Websites (and training)

#CFALeadercast Thoughts to Ponder, Number 2

2013-05-13T10:50:00.000-05:00

I can't please everyone because I'm a leader,

not a clown - John Maxwell

I quoted David Allen yesterday and his comment has stuck with me. Michael Hyatt's blog post on "My Takeways from the 2013 Chick-fil-A Leadercast quotes Allen well

There is an inverse relationship between what

is on your mind and getting it done. If it's on

your mind, get it out of your mind. Write it

down, so you can focus on the task at hand.

So.. exercising the 7 Ps around 1. cleaning my desk so I can make another one, and 2. writing thoughts and ideas down.

To that end....

#CFALeadercast Thoughts to Ponder, Number 1

2013-05-11T23:30:00.000-05:00

You're the most productive when you have the freedom

(and the room) to make a mess - David Allen

The old Greeks insisted that repetition was the mother of learning.

This week, maybe longer, I'm working back through my notes, public Tweets and other materials. Great info to ponder on, plan around, pray about how it can be used to add value, be purposeful about...

Thanks John and Antoinette Griffin for posing this question to Cathy, Rebecca, Sky and I.......

What leadership landmines do you have?

To that end.....

Another P? Number 7

2013-05-09T06:39:00.003-05:00

It's been suggested that I add another "P" to my list of dailies. Dan Adams and I were discussing the Ps and he mentioned

Persistence

I like it.

To that end....that's it. No more. 7 Daily Ps.

The 6th P - Peace

2013-05-07T05:35:00.000-05:00

I wrote Saturday about the 5 Ps: Prayer, Pause, Purpose, Plan and Practice.

Cathy, my wife and who I didn't know read these posts, suggested a 6th P...

Peace

To that end....

Daily Ps

2013-05-04T11:04:00.003-05:00

I like the letter "P." In 1994 I used 5 Ps to help me through the process of finding the right mortgage company and continued with it recently when looking for a bigger pond to swim in.

Mark Hairston text'd last night asking how the 5Ps were playing out at the new company. My reply was good, but my thoughts were around how I wasn't as focused, engaged and as productive as I thought I should be.

And this morning during my pause, prayer and reflection time - during the "Lord, give me my daily bread" - the 5Ps hit me again. But this time, it was

Pause - Prayer - Purpose - Plan - Practice

I believe I've been practicing these 5Ps but not Prposefully. So, I'll set some reminders during the day to regularly Pause, Pray, and check that I'm Practicing my Purpose and on Plan.

To that end....

Sometimes we just want it both ways

2013-05-02T20:24:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Bryan Anderson, Realtor Extraordinaire, for thinking of me when he saw this picture!

Leading Slow, but Steady

2013-04-30T07:02:00.002-05:00

After talking to a group of men once about living one day-at-a-time, one gentleman came up to me and said "I'm sorry, but sometimes that's just too long."

Here's to just putting one foot in front of another and accepting our daily bread.

To that end....

Case Study - Types of Followers

2013-04-25T07:54:00.000-05:00

There are different types of followers, but all leaders have followers.

Marketers are looking for followers, sellers..looking for followers.

The sooner one realizes this impact on one's life, one's business,

the sooner one starts moving down the right path.

To be a good leader, a good salesperson, a good marketer, you have to have followers and as we develop our own personal leadership, we will have better followers. It "magically" just happens. What makes a good follower? Can someone develop there "followership?"

Some of us think we don't have much control over those closest to us. I recommend those people read Maxwell's Law of the Inner Circle. In The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership John states, "a leader's potential is determined by those closest to him."

An earlier post in this blog about followers led to a discussion about some assessments say about one's "follower style." Did you know you have a follower style?

Here are 2 real life people (names changed) and their follower styles as described in the ABC (Assessment of Behavioral Characteristics)/DISC Assessment Evaluation -

Bob's Follower Style:

· He will tend to seek ways to be in charge and in control. Most likely, he will have difficulty if he is tasked with working under a micro manager. He can follow well as long as the understanding exists that the situation is temporary.

He will follow when he knows that the opportunity for him to advance is not far off.

Kandy's Follower Style:

· She follows well when she has plenty of details about the direction in which she is heading. She will tend to ask a lot of clarification questions and check for understanding as she goes. She will follow a leader best when she focuses on the task which is at hand and provides an abundance of information.

Though you might object with Bob or Kandy's follower style, you at least know this about them. If you know this pre-hire you can use this in the hiring process. If it becomes known post-hire, you at least know how to work with them and/or team him or her up correctly.

Just because the ABC/DISC says this is how a person follows does not mean this is the only way, but likely the best. Understanding these different "styles" will help you follow and lead others with better results.

My point...learn to lead, learn to follow and on a separate note, but related...learn to think about leading. What haven't you thought about leadership? What does leadership have to do with how you market yourself?

To that end....

Over on MarketSmarterNotHarder

2013-04-23T08:21:00.003-05:00

Click to read....#WhyUseTwitter? 2

Some days you just need to hunker down

2013-04-22T08:04:00.000-05:00

Some days you just need to make a list, hunker down and get'r done.

- Review Calendar for day

- Reschedule / Schedule by priority / urgent

- Review List

- Revise List

- Everything needed in briefcase for appointments

- Marketing purpose for the day determined

To that end....

#BrainStorming with Hurdie Burke and Mark Herbert

2013-04-18T20:20:00.000-05:00

Audio: Click Mic to Hear

Steps to Networking with Impact

2013-04-17T06:12:00.001-05:00

I don't like networking, but networking works. I connect with more people, I've built a large database and I've met some incredible people.

Networking has become a passion I want to get better at. I want to network better, build more relationships, learn about more people, make a difference in more lives.

Without a lot of explanation, here's the simple version of my initial process when meeting someone and the follow-up -

1. I ask "what industry are you in?"

2. I ask about FORM (family, occupation, recreation, money/mortgage/misc)

3. I ask for a business card and write something on the back

4. I put that business card in my right front pocket

5. When I get home, I put the card in a certain spot on my desk

6. I input business cards into my database during my morning desk time

7. Send an email 24-72 hours after the face-to-face meeting

8. 4-7 days after the face-to-face, I send an email asking for their LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook "business" names/links. Note....I want to have an email conversation if possible. 2nd note....I do these all separately, 2-4 days apart.

9. After exhausting the email strategy, I'll find and connect directly on social media.

10. I share, like and comment on their social media.

The intent is that over a 3-4 week period, the person I met face-to-face has received 3, 5 to 7 additional "handshakes" from me.

This is a process I control. I can't control return emails. I can't control them sharing, liking or commenting on my social media.

Marketing-Smart-Not-Harder is engaging in the process you can control.

To that end....