I have two really exciting, practical tools that can open many doors. Whether you are in business development, looking to enhance your transformational leadership, or experiencing challenges with interpersonal communication.

1. Courage – The time has come to find the appropriate way to ask or say whatever you have to say or ask.

2. Prefacing - Ask, “Would it be appropriate if I asked or told you _____________- - or, “What would be the appropriate way to ask you or tell you _____________?” or even “What would be the BEST way to _____________________”

Take the courage to practice this bold communication - comb through all the obstacles - get to the heart of the matter. You will find the increased level of connectedness you begin to create with people very rewarding.

Here is the final installment of our series, “6 Things Really Thoughtful Leaders Do,” inspired by Kevin Daum’s article in Inc Magazine.

In the final segment, Kevin writes, “Thoughtful leaders are rarely stuck in analysis paralysis…They know when to finish the thinking and make great things happen.”

It may be somewhat cliché to talk about action – everyone knows that everything in leadership management and business development boils down to action. So let’s explore how to unleash action by addressing the obstacles we face that can stop us from taking action, especially those bold moves, thoughtful focus sessions or highly influential relationships we strive might build.

Fear: That could include fear of failure, fear of success, fear of communication or intimidation. Face your fear head on by dissolving the limiting belief and mustering up courage!

Prerequisites: Sometimes we get to a certain point and realize that we may have skipped a step. Sequence counts! Just call a time out and put in what’s missing – you’ll also learn how to break down tasks into a work flow for the future.

Habits: Our productivity level and rhythm. Get bold and stretch your stamina!

Assignment/delegation: Sometimes we get stuck wondering “should I be doing this – am I best suited for this? “ Do it, delegate it or dump it!

This is the 5th in our 6 part series "The 6 Things Thoughtful Leaders Do" as inspired by Kevin Daum’s article in Inc Magazine.

Kevin write, “Thoughtful leaders are naturally empathetic, They have a love of humankind and are fascinated by offensive or bizarre behavior rather than affronted by it They make people around them feel important and worthy of time and energy.”

In my words, they are always dwelling within the realm of “what’s going on for us, mainly you, as it relates to what WE are up to?”

Most people otherwise get stuck in their own heads and the question “How am I doing?”

From a practical perspective, shift your attention to what you see and hear and ask more questions more often to find out what’s going on in someone else’s head. If you do, you’re more likely to create more win-win scenarios.

As described by Kevin Daum in the Inc. Online Article “6 Things Thoughtful leaders Do” - Kevin says, they “love to get smart. Their insatiable need for knowledge drives them to read, discuss and absorb complex concepts and broad perspectives. The joy of the learning journey thrills them more than any degree or accolade.”

I find this to be absolutely true and one of the most important elements of successful business leadership. Knowing blocks learning – learning and seeking to observe and learn more brings us into the present and feeds growth.

I know I strive for this myself. Maintaining my MCC Master Certified Coach (MCC) credential requires 40 hours of “Continuing education” every 3 years. However, I engage in between 90-100 hours per year (average of 2 hours per week because I SO love what I do and I’m always fascinated by the fact that there is always something to learn about how people perform and behave (and how to stimulate better performance).

What about you? What new challenging skills will you aim to learn over the next year? You'll not only gain the subject knowledge required, but you'll stimulate your desire and aptitude to learn more. Listen here to learn more!

According to Inc. Magazine, the third thing that thoughtful leaders do when providing transformational leadership is; reflect.

When you are exploring your leadership style, business development goals or team management approach, it’s valuable from time to time to reflect on your interpersonal communication and performance.

Even if you are mostly required to make reflexive, quick decisions, there is a value to deep thinking. The implications of bigger decisions require deep consideration and as much input and insight as you can possibly gather.

Reflecting as a New Year approaches is also a very wise way to put your past behind you (as in “this too shall past”) as well as celebrating and reflecting on your successes. Your victories and progress will “back you up” when you leverage what you’ve learned, the relationships you have build and the credibility (and confidence) boosters you can reflect on. When you truly reflect on everything that is relevant to a situation or your life, you can ultimately get to a “blank slate” mindset for the future and then set goals with the belief that anything IS possible.

Listen to the recording here, and also consider these categories for a year-end reflection.

List your…

- Greatest Victories

- Most interesting developments

- Worthy progress

- Good things to have sustained

- Challenges not quite overcome

- Biggest problems.

-Saddest losses

Congratulations on completing your year with a powerful reflection and an eye toward the future.

And best wishes for perfect health, prosperity and a Happy New Year!

According to Inc. Magazine, the second thing that thoughtful leaders do when providing transformational leadership is; explore.

Whether you are dealing with small business development, team development, executive leadership or just exploring leadership styles, begin to consider what great leaders do that makes a difference.

Thoughtful leaders…

- Are driven to open closed doors, to ask and to listen – to go beyond.

- Ask- “ who, what, where, when, how and “who else can help” questions - to search for truth.

- Are open to all possibilities because all possibilities are worthy of consideration.

- Are naturally curious and open to deeply listening, leave a person feeling they are "gotten", heard, and appreciated.

- Connect on a deep level through exploration with a sense of non-judgmental curiosity.

What about you? How will you explore a new frontier this week? Take a quick listen here for some ideas to help you explore for yourself.

This weekend my “Thoughtful Kick-Starts” partner, Kat McKee, found us an excellent article at Inc online called, “6 Things Really Thoughtful Leaders Do.” The first one points to the power of observation, which is clearly paramount in executive leadership, especially transformational leadership, as well as in business development and all interpersonal communication.

In the article, author Kevin Daum observes, “Thoughtful leaders … are masters of watching and listening to everything happening. They… notice behavior, culture and patterns with great interest…They have heightened awareness of tone, mood and feelings. You can see they are actively engaged.”

Click the play button below to listen to our brief conversation on the subject for more insights on how this element can enhance your interpersonal relationships and expand your own capacity for observation and thoughtful insights. To your success!

The power of gratitude, both in business and in our personal life. Gratitude is the gateway to happiness, and this really is true. If you take a moment to consider anything you are grateful for, you will experience happiness.

In fact, some people recommend, like my colleague Melissa Schnapp of LifeStep Coaching, suggested that every day you write down 3 things that you are grateful for. If you do this every night, you are going to go to sleep with calmness and wake the next morning set up with an attitude for gratitude. What is the use of this in business? How does this set us up for success?

Studies show that happier people work better. That should include you and the people around you.

So on Veterans Day, we reflect on those who serve our country, who give their lives so that we can live ours in freedom. We can do so with a great level of gratitude, and really appreciate the freedoms we have in this country.

We can look at this whole month as gratitude month as we move toward Thanksgiving and spending time with the people we care about.

So what about you and your business? what are the 3 most important elements, what can you be most grateful for in your business today and every day? What will you honor by expressing your appreciation, for your team's efforts, intent, results? Express that every day and you are going to have a happier experience and be more energized to do more work and you are going to be more successful.

Today we will be concluding our series of Fun at Work Work$, and we will be talking about some Do’s and Don’ts when integrating fun at work.

It is very important to administer the precise dosage of sportsmanship. So, here are some guidelines:

Don’t force it. - It is very important to recognize signals of people who are NOT in the right mindset for the game.

Do make sure integrity is honored. – It is also important that when attempting to recruit others into transforming work into a game, that you yourself are a fun person.

Do engage the depths of your listening power. Do not try to combat objections or resistance with sales like rebuttals. – It is important to just listen and acknowledge whatever the person may be experiencing.

Listen here for more insights and consider for yourself – how can you apply these concepts to energize your own workplace?

Today we are going to distinguish a very interesting flip around the word “stress”.

But what is stress? For today, we will define it as “the feeling of having too much to handle”.

According to the American Psychological Association:

69% of employees report that work is a significant amount of stress.

41 % say they typically feel tense or stressed out during the workday.

51 % say they are less productive at work as a result of stress.

52% have considered looking for a new job, declining a promotion, or simply quitting based on workplace stress.

Here’s the shift: What is excitement? Today, we will define it as “the feeling of something big about to happen”.

Listen to the story of Carly Simon and Bruce Springsteen, two performers with opposite experiences of stage performance. They optimize the difference between dysfunction and vitality.

As you listen, consider for yourself:

How can you switch your mindset from losing the battle, to playing to win?

What will you take on this week by actively choosing excitement over stress?