"Discipline is the consistent application of certain mindsets and actions that are vital for your success" - John Manning
If there’s one thing that I’ve learned about goals and
just plain getting things done, is that you need to break them down to work on
them in pieces. It holds you accountable and makes life a whole lot less
complicated and overwhelming. In tackling any project I take it one step at a
time and pace myself so that I can succeed and, in the case of learning, absorb
information.
About this time of year I look around my gardens that all
are at their peak and in bloom. The butterflies are dancing, the bees are
swarming for nectar, and the bugs are munching on everything. There are days
where I ask myself “How did I ever do this?” When you look at it as a whole it
is overwhelming that not only do I keep adding plants to my garden, but I am
increasing the upkeep. I know that visitors always ask how I do it all and many
of my friends think that I am crazy.
The key to maintaining a garden lies in baby steps. Don’t
try to start and finish a garden project in one weekend. It always takes longer
and you will either abandon it or do a half ass job. I can always tell people
who have fallen into this trap as I drive around and look at neighborhood
yards. You know who you are…. The little 3 foot pond plunked into the middle of
the yard growing algae. The collapsing fire pit with plants plunked in here and
there…..
It has taken me almost 2 months to trim and chip my
garden beds. I’m still not done putting in 14 yards of woodchips. Life has been
busy and things get in the way. I commit to stay on task by doing a few
wheelbarrows a day, weeding for 10 minutes a day, watering every few days. The
list goes on and on however, I take it in stride and work towards my end goal
step by step. This not only keeps me on task but maintains my sanity while
minimizing my frustration at with my own impatience.
Bottom line? Don’t be a weekend gardener. You will quit
and never start up again. Take one task at a time. You will accomplish your end
goal, you won’t feel overwhelmed or frustration, and you won’t hate working in
our yard. You may even learn to love it!
Like gardening, I am continually trying to learn and
grow. I strive to refine my leadership style and discover how I can be a more
effective transparent and effective leader in everything that I do. I was
fortunate to be given one of the best tools around to help guide my leadership
in baby steps. I recently read the book “The
Disciplined Leader: 52 Concise, Powerful Lessons Keeping the Focus on What
Really Matters” by John Manning. This little gem is the kind of book that I
keep on my nightstand to wake up to and digest quick leadership lessons before
starting my day.
Manning is very passionate about the fact that the best
leaders are disciplined. They focus on what is important –PEOPLE – in order to
get results. To this end, he offers 52 great concise yet powerful lessons to
read at leisure and digest. They focus on 3 key areas:
Ø
Leading yourself
Ø
Leading your team
Ø
Leading your organization
Each lesson is followed up with tactics, practical advice
and 2 action or reflective ideas which is why I loved the format and lessons. I
can read just one at a time or skip around and still find relevancy and
application to my day. The lessons are very hands on and user friendly. It’s
like having a leadership bible at your fingertips. I enjoyed the easy reading that really helped
me to set a leadership plan for life. The meaningful aspect about Manning’s
lessons is that they are applicable to both your professional and person life.
Manning focuses on the concept that we are all too
familiar with, the Pareto Principle or the 80/20 rule. 20% of your efforts
produce 80% of your results. The same applies to your customer profitability
and the productivity of your key employees. By focusing your efforts on what
really matters – your people – you will bring out the best in everyone and this
is really where the gold is. Learning and using the lessons in this gem of a
book will really help you to apply the 80/20 rule and guide you to plan what to
do, when, and how. Both you and your team will win.
The best way to use this book is to read the lessons and
then sit back to reflect. Pick the top 3 lessons that resonate with you in
terms of developing your leadership, your team’s leadership, and bring out the
best in your organization. In short, you should have chosen 9 lessons, 3 from
each area. Prioritize the top 5 lessons out of all of the lessons. Really focus
on them and use them as action steps for your leadership development. Manning offers a helpful template to use with
your key action steps for each that you have chosen to grow as a guide. Ta Da!
Your leadership lessons are handed to you on a silver platter to begin your
growth and development.
I love the engaging leadership action steps at the end of
each lesson. There are very relevant and engaging examples to guide you. You
will feel more equipped to set goals and not overwhelmed. Pick up this great
book today and begin learning in chunks but applying to your life in mass! A great read!