By Dave Clark

Some people call it an internal struggle. Others call it a “me-me” conflict. I like to call it my personal civil war. Many of us have one (or more) of these internal conflicts and they tend to cause us mental anguish, often on a daily basis.

This “me-me” conflict comes when either primary behaviors or motivators are contradictory to each other and clash. These conflicts make us want to go in more than one direction at the same time, creating internal discord. Learning to manage these internal conflicts is necessary in order for us to maintain our sanity, let alone be productive.

These conflicts explain why some people want to win the lottery but won’t buy a ticket. Or, why others who pledge to get in shape in the morning are spotted at the donut shop and fast food restaurant by lunchtime. With these opposing mental forces pushing and pulling us in different directions, we often concede to the behavior or driver that is strongest.

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By Steve and Jill Morris

Organizational Accountability is owning the consequences of your choices in delivering the agreed-to results that everyone owns but no one person controls, and helping other people do the same.

This definition requires that you to set up clear accountabilities based on agreed-to results, otherwise you are leaving accountability to chance.

• Are you taking the time to define, in the appropriate detail, exactly what you want others to agree to and deliver?
• Are you asking for agreements or are you just assuming that they exist?
• Are you confirming those agreements?
• Are you tracking agreements people make with you?
• Are you following up in a timely way to hold people accountable for the agreements they made with you?

There is nothing you have to learn to implement these ideas. To quote Yoda: “There is only do, or don’t do.” They just take practice.

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In this short video, Michael McAllister provides insights to apply innovation and explains how ideas don’t have to shake up the industry to have an impact.

By Lori McNeill

How often do we go throughout our days without truly thinking about how we can create success that day? Many of us simply live our lives day-by-day, going through the motions, without really considering what we want to accomplish. It’s easy to do this, especially in a world that is moving nonstop. You may get to the end of the week, only to look back and think, “How is it Friday already?” with no clear idea of what you accomplished—or if you succeeded. It’s easy to get in the habit of being busy and not taking time to reflect.

Why is it that many of us simply shuffle through life? It’s almost as though we get into a routine and don’t consider that there’s any other way. I have a client whose calendar is absolutely packed with back-to-back meetings. He attends so many meetings that he has little time to manage his team, think strategically, or manage his own task list. Many busy professionals can relate. Often I hear leaders say they never have time to eat lunch or get any kind of break in their day. Read More