Time Management 101 Part 2

Last month I wrote a post about some basic Time Management techniques that work for me.  I just had another epiphany that I thought was worth sharing.

I dont know any “perfect” people.  I dont care how self-aware, self actualized, together, integrated, synergized, etc you might be, just about every conscious person is regularly working on themselves, working to improve on who they were yesterday.  Richard Branson is no different. Jack Canfield is no different. I’m no different.

So, today I noticed something different about my own productivity.  It is President’s Day here in the US and  the stock market, schools, banks and many businesses are closed.  In my world, that means two things:  I am not paying any attention to my portfolio and I have way less emails to “deal with.”

I got into my office this morning and just dove into work, productive and (theoretically) income producing work.  Not the usual time sink I find myself in for a typical Monday through Friday.

Often dominated by the markets and email.  Most books on trading I have read suggest that you really can spend only a few minutes a day (unless you are day trading) managing your portfolio.  You must have a system (which takes time to establish and discipline to implement) that includes taking profits and protecting losses with limits and stops.

Email should be addressed ruthlessly and quickly and only a couple of times a day.  I am “usually” good about this but not always (refer back to my comment about everyone can improve).  Somedays I am more “lonely” than others (working by and for yourself has it’s own drawbacks) and really am looking for someone to talk to.

The whole point of this is that because of an outside condition (President’s Day), I am able to free myself from distractions that I should be able to do on my own any darn day I want to.

Something to think about.

Of course, I could always do another blog post.  Or no….WAIT!  The spot market for gold is open in London.  Let’s go there!

Leadership

I was interviewed yesterday.  The conversation went really well with lots of interesting questions back and forth about my thoughts and experience in relationship building, energizing and motivating teams, delivering results and the like.

Then someone asked me the simplest question of the session and I didnt have a quick answer.  In part because I had too many answers to the question: “How do you define leadership?”

I thought about this for awhile afterwards: in addition to the many possible answers to the question, I came to the conclusion that part of my inability to articulate in words how I define leadership is because leadership is evident in the moment it is delivered, it does not necessarily lend itself to a simple verbal characterization.

Like Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said about pornography back in 1964: I don’t know if I can define it but I know it when I see it.

When his engines stopped and he knew his plane was going down, did Captain Chesley Sullenberger (pilot of the US Airways jet that went down in the Hudson with no loss of life) think: “Wow, I really need to demonstrate leadership right now.  All these people are counting on me.”?

Of course not.  He did what needed to be done to save the lives of his passengers.  That’s what leaders do: Whatever needs to be done to complete the mission.

Be courageous, empathetic, persistent, fair, selfless, conscientious, enthusiastic, generous, impartial, decisive, visionary, joyful, adaptable, knowledgeable, and stable.

That is how I define leadership.

Go ahead, ask me that question again….

This Is What Is Really Going On

“Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like.”

- Will Rogers

I think that about sums it up.  My level of “shock and awe” increases by the day as the Stimulus Bill becomes more like a pork barrel Spending Bill of days gone by.

Where is the adult supervision?

I AM an optimistic person.  I know that I and my family will be OK.  I am somewhat less assured that the broader swath of the population - those that think the government and the central banks actually know what they are doing - will make it through this ongoing financial mess we find ourselves in.

I am reassessing how to best help those that may not be OK on their own.  For now, I will continue to do what I have been doing: talk, mentor, coach and tell it like it is.

Ultimately everyone needs to make the decision to change their lives - if I can help to open a door or two for you, give me a call.