Compete defined- strive to gain or win something by defeating or establishing superiority over others who are trying to do the same

"I have been up against tough competition all my life. I wouldn't know how to get along without it." Walt Disney

Collaborate defined - work jointly on an activity, especially to produce or create something

"The secret is to gang up on the problem, rather than each other." Thomas Stallkamp

To Compete or Collaborate, that is the question.  The answer is both are good and can be done is a way that creates new pathways for all.

• There are people who are more collaborative by nature and they achieve great outcomes.
• There are people who are competitive by nature and when they work together as part of a team they create great outcomes.

It is not really collaboration or competition, it is the focus on a clear goal and outcome that creates benefits for all.  We have seen the beauty of this model over and over in many ways:

• The iPod - music...

“If knowing yourself and being yourself were as easy to do as to talk about, there wouldn't be nearly so many people walking around in borrowed postures, spouting secondhand ideas, trying desperately to fit in rather than to stand out.”
― Warren G. Bennis

In this world of busyness it is easy to be caught in the current and float, rather than  swim.  To be a leader in your profession or tribe requires coming from your center, your truth.  In addition, you need to be able to clearly articulate what is important and why.  You can no longer "walk the talk". This world needs you to "talk what you are walking" so people can see the path and the road ahead.

“...once you recognize, or admit, that your primary goal is to fully express yourself, you will find the means to achieve the rest of your goals...”
― Warren G. Bennis,

Here are seven practices to keep you center and grounded as a leader:

1. Expectation - understand in every situation what...

“In life, change is inevitable. In business, change is vital.”
― Warren G. Bennis

Change is around us all the time.   The role of the leader is to define where they want to maintain focus and growth.

These skills become absolutely imperative to guide yourself and others through change:

"The art of life is a constant readjustment to our surroundings." --Kakuzo Okakaura

1. Awareness - maintain a close connection to the market and your customers.  Understand what is important to them, their vision, what they are investing in, and what keeps them up at night.

2. Purpose - have a clear vision and purpose of your company, organization and/or team so that when the confusion and distractions abound ( and they will), you can come home to your purpose, your vision, your goals.

3. Decisive - the ability to make decisions is imperative to creating flow in any organization.  The truth you need as a leader is that sometimes people will make wrong decisions.  How...

"At the heart of science is an essential balance between two seemingly contradictory attitudes--an openness to new ideas, no matter how bizarre or counterintuitive they may be, and the most ruthless skeptical scrutiny of all ideas, old and new. This is how deep truths are winnowed from deep nonsense." - Carl Sagan

One of the keys to true and solid strategic thinking is to let your mind dance in the unknown, the impossible, the improbable, the extreme, the nuts, and the crazy.   By allowing yourself the freedom to explore beyond your frame of thinking, tapping into your counter intuition, you begin to expand the possibilities and probabilities of the future.

As a leader you need to ensure you are constantly testing your limits in this way. To do this requires you to daily attend the university of life.

Below are practices to support your development:

• Surrounding yourself with people you are not comfortable
• Eat foods outside your norm
• Go to the streets/keep your street skills...

"Successful people maintain a positive focus in life no matter what is going on around them.They stay focused on their past successes rather than their past failures, and on the next action steps they need to take to get them closer to the fulfillment of their goals rather than all the other distractions that life presents to them." Jack Canfield

Anne is a leader and entrepreneur who has created her own science for success.

One of her key practices to creating consistent and ongoing success, is the ability to set clear goals, communicate them, define milestone metrics, and manage to the milestones. This ability to define a vision, build a plan and take it seriously is why her company and team continue to have smart growth.

You might say this is not rocket science...and your are right. What makes it work is Anne always tells the truth, if something is working she celebrates. If it is not, she calls it out and looks for a way to make it work. Anne does this by:

1. Clearly identifying...

All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them." Galileo Galilei

Miguel has a long history of creating success for himself and others. There are many qualities that make him an outstanding leader. The one that stands out to me as foundational to his success in any scenario is the ability to seek truth.

Miguel has an innate sense to seek to understand a situation. Because of this he is able to use his time and talent well to help others achieve their goals. Here are the skills he practices that allow him to build incomparable sales achievement with his teams and developing high performing leaders:

1. Discover

He asks questions to ensure he and the other are on the same page
He does his home work and educates himself before stepping into a presentation or conversation
He is not afraid to ask hard questions
2. Align

He makes sure everyone has the same clarity of purpose and objective
He lets others know he will partner with them to build their...

"In the last analysis, what we are communicates far more eloquently than anything we say or do." - Stephen Covey

In an increasingly dynamic and complex world, the ability to communicate well becomes the differentiator in successful leadership.

Here are 10 good ways to begin as successful communications practice:

1. Step into the tension when you notice conflict and work to understand the situation, the expectations, and best outcome for all involved

2. Reach out and connect with others to build a relationship rather than wait for a business transaction conversation. Face to face, Skype, or phone.

3. Appreciate the difference in others, whether it is in culture, thought, background, etc. take time to celebrate how differences make the whole better

4. Speak the truth in terms of what works or does not work for a given situation or communication. The ability to speak the truth grows yourself, others and the opportunities.

5. Develop others by helping people to tap into underutilized...

“Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious...and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
Walt Disney

As you climb the ladder from supervisor to executive do not forget the core quality that made you successful....curiosity.

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”
Albert Einstein

Curiosity did not kill the cat, curiosity is what allowed you to become a successful leader. It is also the lack of this quality that makes leaders fail. When you think you have all the answers, or you know what the other person will say, or you know what they are thinking, or you know better .... you are toast.

“Somehow I can't believe that there are any heights that can't be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four Cs. They...

“Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious...and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
Walt Disney

As you climb the ladder from supervisor to executive do not forget the core quality that made you successful....curiosity.

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”
Albert Einstein

Curiosity did not kill the cat, curiosity is what allowed you to become a successful leader. It is also the lack of this quality that makes leaders fail. When you think you have all the answers, or you know what the other person will say, or you know what they are thinking, or you know better .... you are toast.

“Somehow I can't believe that there are any heights that can't be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four Cs. They...

“Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.” Tom Peters

If you get lost in the busyness of the day, remember the ONE thing you are required to do is develop strong leaders.

Leadership requires you to see the greatness in others and support them until their total abilities are unleashed. This is not easy and is often thankless work. That said the moment you see another at their fullest potential is indescribable and deeply rewarding.

"My main job was developing talent. I was a gardener providing water and other nourishment to our top 750 people." — Jack Welch

Here are a few practices successful leaders do to create great leaders around them:

1. They set a high bar and provide situations and opportunities for people to grow.

2. They collaborate with their team to define clear goals and expected outcomes and then they get out of the way. They do not get involved with the how.

3. They develop the critical thinking skills of others.

4. They let go...