"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...

“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” Abraham Lincoln

For those who are in the position of leading and developing others understand the wisdom of these quotes. Because you get the insight, you are able to develop high performers, a positive team environment, and continually adapt your style to bring out the best in others.

Successful leaders seek the positive in others and are able to attract and retain people, achieve results, and make the world a better place.

Seeking the positive does not make you Polly Anna, it does make you an uncommon and accomplished leader.

A real leader who has real success, Robert, has built a strong company by:

• focusing on the bold goals,
• helping others to see the vision,
• rewarding achievements,
• maintaining a focus on the performance and not personality
• seeing others shortcomings with humor and humanity
• celebrating the uniqueness of each individual

“Of course there must be lots...

"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:

• 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 makes sure everyone has the same clarity of purpose and objective
• He is not afraid to ask hard questions
• He lets others know he will partner with them to build their success - and...

"Leadership is a practice, not a position. " Bobbie Goheen

Leadership is not an easy practice. Once a leader gains a skill it is clear another must be developed. Front line managers and supervisors are very adept at developing skills because they are bombarded with everyday interactions that demand their growth and adaptability.

"As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others." – Bill Gates

As you move up in any organization it requires far more intention and focus. Most of the skills required are to deal with the hidden or unhidden emotion of others. Once this skill is developed you have the ability to move mountains based on your ability to listen, understand, and have each individual heard and honored for their contribution. You do not have to agree with them, you just need to understand their perspective.

Related: 7 Tips for an Effective Quarter

When you understand others perspective it is easy to find collaborative solutions or adapt...

“Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world.” Arthur Schopenhauer

This is one of the most simplest pieces to share. I'm lucky, I get to work with very cool leaders and entrepreneurs. And I get to see ( and experience) why others move ahead and others struggle. The key to flow and grow vs struggle and strife, lies simply in perception. Leaders who have the ability to see their thoughts as perceptions and see where those perceptions are useful or not, have the greatest ability to achieve growth and success.

Related: Review Your Goals

“The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend.” Robertson Davies

One key area you can see this is how people build businesses and organizations. Leaders who understand that how they built the business is not how they need to grow it are the ones who create strong sustaining performance. They change their perspective to see the business as organic and are able to step in the right...