As a leader, how often do you just act without considering the consequences?

How do you react when you decide that the best solution to a problem is to change a person?

Think about how you would feel if a boss decided you were the problem and forced you to change the way you worked or your attitude, without even considering things from your point of view.

According to an article in the Harvard Business Review (Carucci - 9/27/2019), here are four ways to handle emotionally needy employees in the workforce:

1. Test The Person's Awareness - Most people don't realize how their emotional issues drain the people around them. A simple way to gauge if people are aware of how their emotions affect others is to have one-on-one meetings and ask them directly. Depending on how they react, make sure you can back up your thoughts with specific examples.

2. Be Direct About Your Emotional Boundaries - When you set clear boundaries for yourself and your team, you force the other person to consider if and when to seek emotional reinforcement and when to refrain from it.     

3. Treat Needy People As If They Are Strong, Not Fragile - If you have an employee who doesn't respond well to criticism by withdrawing or going silent, in a private meeting, reassure them you care about their feelings and want them to be an engaged part of the team, but be direct that their behavior is being perceived negatively by the other members.  

4. Don't Allow Gossip About A Needy Team Member - The more team members talk about the needy person instead of to them the more isolated they feel and the more needier they become. When one team member's imperfections become fair game to mock or gossip about, everyone's are. This erodes trust and safety among all the team members.

The goal of a leader is not to make snap decisions that cause people to change and disrupt the dynamics of the team. The goal should be to study the emotional needs of the team members and develop strategies tailored to each person's emotional needs. 

Doing this provides each member of the team with a safe and rewarding place to work because their leader meets their emotional, as well as physical, needs.

Leave me a comment about how you handle the emotional needs of your team and watch the video below to learn more about the importance of studying a problem before you come up with your solution.   

What one thing is limiting you from reaching your goals or getting what you want out of life?

According to 19th-century German scientist Justus von Liebig's Law of The Minimum, a plant's growth is limited by the single scarcest nutrient, not total nutrients. For example, if you have everything except nitrogen, a plant fails to thrive.

According to Liebig, "The availability of the most abundant nutrient in the soil is only as good as the availability of the least abundant nutrient in the soil."

Most complex systems (and human beings are complex systems) are the same, which makes them more fragile than we assume. 

So what is that one habit or trait you are lacking that is preventing you from thriving?

According to an article in The People Development Magazine (Davis - 8/3/2020), here are three reasons why people fail to reach their goals:  

1. No Written Game Plan - Without having a written plan for what you want to accomplish, and how, your goals remain out of sight and not uppermost in your mind.

2. Your Goals Are Too Vague/Broad -  The more specific your goals are, the easier they are to accomplish.

3. Self-Doubt or Fear of Failure - Although you may have the best of intentions, negative self-talk prevents you from acting on your goals.

If you are one of those people who are reading all the "right" books, surrounding yourself with people who are making you better, and have a burning desire to achieve your goals, but can't seem to make any headway, maybe you are lacking one important ingredient that is keeping you from moving forward.

Maybe the best thing you can do for yourself is not use the shotgun approach where you are trying every trendy recommendation from the self-help gurus. Maybe you should focus on the single-bullet approach and try to determine what is the single most important habit or trait you are lacking that is holding you back from reaching your goals.  

Please leave me a comment about some additional practices or routines you believe will help people reach their goals, but may be lacking from their success routines.

How difficult is it for you to keep a good idea moving forward?

Sometimes, even the most powerful and influential leaders have trouble keeping the momentum of a good idea going.

According to an article from LinkedIn (Burton - 12/3/2021), here are some tactics you can use to keep your momentum going:

1. Start With A Small Simple Step - While it's not wrong to make plans, you need to be realistic with your ideas and start with small steps to make progress.

2. Take Action -  Don't wait until everything is perfect. Taking that first step is the easiest way to build momentum. 

3. Seek Advice From Others - Instead of wasting time on problems you don't know how to fix, seek advice from people who can help you work the problem.

4. Plan And Learn To Delegate - Nobody can be on top of every detail of every project. Delegating important components of a project to the right people can help keep the momentum going.

5. Build On Previous Victories - Understanding that you can not force results or get people to act, you need to be patient and let the momentum move at its own pace.

6. Organize Yourself - Spend time each day (or the night before) planning what needs to be accomplished tomorrow.

7. Share It With Others - Sharing your victories with others generates the momentum you need to keep the project moving forward. 

Momentum results from continuous execution and improvement. You can't force it, but you can nudge it to keep it going. There is no magic formula for generating momentum, but it is achievable with commitment and hard work.

This week, as we celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States, check out the video below to see how some of our country's greatest leaders had a difficult time pushing forward the idea of a national holiday to give thanks for the abundant blessing we enjoy as Americans.

Also, please leave me a comment about what you are grateful for this Thanksgiving season.  
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