I learned about the theory of goal setting in school and like many of us, learned about the mechanics of goal setting on the job.
When my middle daughter, Grace, was seven years old I surprisingly experienced first-hand the power of thinking big. It came at the hands of someone quite small. Grace loved to play catch with Dad. The object we threw mattered little- a tennis ball, football, one of those squishy balls - but the challenge of consecutive catches mattered very much to her.
My family has a long tradition of thoughtful gift giving dating back to my Grandma Minnie. With legs too thin to hold up panty hose (she had to put rubber bands at the top to hold them up),
Grandma Minnie would go out and personally Christmas shop for her eight children and their families (including 20 grandchildren). She would hand pick items for each person. She was so generous in love, time, effort and gifts. My parents carried on the tradition of demonstrating love for their family through thoughtful gift giving and many other ways.
The sustained nature of the current remote working environment has moved past virtual happy hours and daily check-in calls to build a positive culture.
Continuing to lead remote teams is now forcing leaders to elevate their culture-building creativity and skills.
So, how do you build and nurture a positive team culture today and moving forward?
Success is a reflection of your commitment to excellence. And this is certainly the kind of year for reflection.
As the young lion looks at his reflection in the river, a rumbling voice from the heavens bellows, "Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than you have become." It is the voice of Mufasa talking to his son in The Lion King. Remember that?
Just as water reflects your image as you gaze into it, when you look inside yourself, you see who you really are – personal reflection is an internal mirror.
As I reflected on the life of our family dog, Sparky, I was struck by his gold standard of reliability.
Before Sparky went to doggy Heaven, he greeted me at home every time I walked in the door for 14 years. To put that into perspective, that’s 20,000+ times without failure! The same greeting, the same panting with excitement, the same wagging tail. He was as reliable as, well, a dog.
So, it made me think about my own human reliability:
