"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 identifyi...

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 underutili...

“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 are curiosity, confidence, cou...

“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 of the need to giv...

"In dreams begins responsibility." - William Butler Yeats

The ability to dream is one of the great responsibilities of leadership.

Everyday the noise of the world is wanting to engage you in the short term focus of the day. Yet the work, the real work is to hear the vision of the dream. Once you hear and see the dream you can help others focus the conversations, behaviors and actions to bring the vision to life.

Building the vision of the dream...the Longview ...is for the courageous few. Leaders are not rewarded for having a Longview. Today they are rewarded for the smart ideas they have to show short term growth.

Yet the truth of the future is held in nature. The strongest trees glow slow, steady and thick, fields produce more when they lay fallow one year, it takes years to raise a child, and the examples go on. To engage in growing good ideas, teams, businesses, etc takes the ability to see the Longview and it takes tenacity.

Having the Longview requires:

The ability to make ...

"As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live." Goethe

There is no word that creates more energy and discussion than this word. In leadership, so many passionate discussions are based around this word:

Do I trust this new hire?
Do I trust this salesperson?
Do I trust this business deal?
Do I trust my colleague?
Do I trust my new manager?
Do I trust this decision?
Do I trust the economy?
Do I trust the politicians?
Do I trust the media?
Do I trust the mail?

I am sure you could add a few.

Related: Leadership Requires Bravery

The list goes on and on... and if you listen closely and look you can see behind the questions is ....doubt. Doubt and uncertainty, are two words that have more energy than trust.

Leaders are dealing with these doubts, fears, and uncertainty of emotions every day. In a time of great unrest and change the core skills you need to be prepared with the shifting tides of doubt which erodes the trust you have built over time are as follows:

"When I’m trusting and...

"It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are." Roy Disney

Decision-making is a core leadership skill. The secret or trick is to know yourself. Good decisions will grow yourselves, your companies, your team, your family, and your community and will require you to be a bit (sometimes more than a bit) uncomfortable.

Related: Stepping Forward in Leadership

Thoughtful decision-making requires the following:

1. An understanding of yourself and your own value system (clarity here makes all decisions flow)

2. An understanding of the situation and what it means to yourself and others

3. Input from trusted peers who have different and contrary perspectives

4. The desire for personal growth as a leader

5. The willingness to hear the truth when you are in love with an idea or skeptical of it

6. The keen awareness when you decide that you are ready to "take the ride" because you will grow and change

"Do not plant your dreams in the field of indecision, where noth...

"The important thing is to strive towards a goal which is not immediately visible. That goal is not the concern of the mind, but of the spirit." ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Flight to Arras, 1942, translated from French by Lewis Galantière

The most important role any leader has is to dream and to have vision. Without this focus, all things become stagnant and uninteresting. The second most important role is to move towards it no matter how tedious and unpleasant some of the work or effort may be.

Related: Vision Planning for Leaders

"Goals are dreams with deadlines." ~Diana Scharf Hunt

Here are some general practices that keep you moving and flowing toward your vision, the dream.

If you dread doing it - make it the first thing you do in the morning and get it off your list
If you keep forgetting to do it - make a to-do list/reminder and then do it
If you second-guess yourself - go back to your first answer and get it done
If you want to leave it to later - move up to making it the fi...

"All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership."
John Kenneth Galbraith, U.S. economist, "The Age of Uncertainty"

The illusion of outstanding leadership is it looks easy. Yet behind the scenes, leaders grapple with complex scenarios, unclear situations, undefined possibilities, and regular risks. It is not an easy job....and it is a very satisfying job for those who are willing to put in the hard work, effort, and personal growth necessary to define new roads forward. Leaders who shine have the ability to step into the tension to understand a situation and let go of "what is the right way" and search for the "best way". They have a honed skill to not focus on who is "right or wrong" but to focus on what is the path forward that creates a new flow for all involved.

To do this it requires the core skills:

• Lis
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