“Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out”

John Wooden

Most successful leaders and top managers are really good at what they do, which is why they are in the position that they are but is possible that their success is holding them back. Many leaders are afraid that no one else can do their responsibilities as good as they do, because of that they end up working longer hours, they end up working during the weekends or days off and they even end up working while on vacation. Does this sound like you or someone you know? Well if it does, I have good news for you: delegation is your remedy.

Mentor. Delegation is something that successful leaders fear because they are afraid no one is going to do a task as good as they do, the first step is finding a mentor or a team of mentors, these are individuals that already work in your organization and are willing and eager to learn, young people who aspire to move up in the organization, who want to learn more  or simple just want to be more involved in the organization

Delegation is not a process where you find someone to do you work for you, rather is a process that involves trust and where both parties are building a meaningful relationship and getting something out of it. As a successful leader you must be willing to invest your time training your mentee, grooming that person to be able to step in your shoes and complete some of the task assigned to you.

Relevance. The second step in delegation is relevance, when a leader or a subject matter expert (SME) took on the position they are in, there were some expectations about their work. Is important to note that leaders and SME are to do the work that is relevant and that only they can do, so before delegating task is important to know if such task can be delegated at all. Once a leader or SME determinate that a task can be delegated then they can approach a mentee to discuss the details.

Supervise. Delegation does not mean that you assign a task and then is off your plate, as a successful leader you are still responsible for the task and for the mentee’s success and learning. Depending on the complexity of the task, the leader of SME is to constantly monitor and provide feedback, the task is not complete until the leader or SME sign off on it.

Analyze. Finally, as a leader you have to bring the delegation full circle and analyze with your mentee on how was the task, did it come out good? what opportunities were missed? What did you learn? What can be improved?

When selecting a task to be delegated consider these principles:

• Can this task be delegated? As a leader there are task that only you can do
• Is it the correct condition? is the person who you are delegating available to do this task.
• The correct person? does he/she have the abilities to complete the task?
• Supervision? As a leader or SME do you have the time to supervise the task

So, stop letting success get in your way and start delegating. There are some good mentees out there who are willing to learn and can help you carry your success.

“Getting lost in the ‘big picture’ often prevents us from cherishing the ‘small moments’ that make it all worthwhile…” 

― J.R. Wirth

We all heard that saying (if you haven’t, you are about to) “stop and smell the roses” do you really have to “stop and smell the roses? Well the short answer is no, but in reality you should. While this might sound like a made up line to make you feel good about yourself or a nice slogan in an office wall, the truth is that there are several reasons why you should take the time to be grateful for what you have and take the time to enjoy life.

 Productivity levels have substantially increased in the last fifty years from about $40.00 output per hour to over $110.00 output per hour, meaning we are working harder, smarter and being more productive overall. While that is fantastic, and we economist love that, we need to ask ourselves at what cost? Life satisfaction index have dropped in the last few decades and it looks like we are having less time to ourselves, less time with our friends and family, less time to be grateful and we are not taking the time to enjoy our successes.

As technology has provided us with more ways to stay connected and accomplish more, it appears that more and more is demanded of us and that there is less and less time to enjoy what we have. But here are some simple tips of what we can do to change that: We all work really hard at what we do, when we you feel frustrated, discouraged and in a bad mood, think what is the reason you work so hard for? Why do you do what you do? Maybe is your family, your personal development, money. It does not matter what it is, what is matters is that you work hard for a reason and keeping that reason in mind will help you be more grateful and appreciate what you do. So next time that you are too busy, take a deep breath and remember why you are doing it

There is always a reason to be grateful. I know sometimes it seems like things are going really bad and then they get worse, but there is always something to be grateful for, even if is just for the fact that we are alive.

Appreciating people and significant events in your life will make you happier, is not secret that people who appreciate what they have are happier, when you are faced with difficult times remember that happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.

There is always a reason to be grateful. I know sometimes it seems like things are going really bad and then they get worse, but there is always something to be grateful for, even if is just for the fact that we are alive.

Appreciating people and significant events in your life will make you happier, is not secret that people who appreciate what they have are happier, when you are faced with difficult times remember that happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.

Appreciating people and significant events in your life will make you happier, is not secret that people who appreciate what they have are happier, when you are faced with difficult times remember that happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.

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“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst”

William Penn

How many times have you heard someone say, or maybe you have  “I need more hours in a day”; how many times have you realized is getting close to the end of your work day and you have not done everything you needed to do for the day?  Well if that is your case you are not alone. The truth is that most people fail to manage their time and find there are unable to achieve what they have set up to do in the first place. Here are some steps that can help you manage your time better and do more:

Know your limits. The first step in time management is to know your limits, know how much you can produce and what you are capable of achieving, if you are trying to do too much you will probably end up doing less than what you can do, you will be stress out and you will feel overwhelm.

Game plan. Have a goal on what you want to achieve, you can do this daily or even weekly, plan on what you want to achieve for that day or that week, if you show up to the office or to you workplace and you don’t have a solid plan on what you want to do, more likely, you will end up being unproductive and unable to do what you need to do.

Categorize your priorities. Now that you know what you want to achieve or what you need to do, create four buckets, in the first bucket place all tasks that are important and urgent, these will be tasks that your boss or your clients expect you to do by certain deadline, the second bucket will be tasks that are important but have low urgency due to extended deadline or other circumstances, the third bucket are tasks with low importance but high urgency, these could be projects you are working on your own, and the final bucket are tasks that are low in importance and low in urgency.

Assign specific time to your buckets. Now that you have those four buckets, assign them specific times to work on. For example, you might want to work on your first bucket from 8 am till 11 am, then on your second bucket from 11:30 to 1:30, etc.

Leave free time. As you assign specific times to your buckets make sure you leave 20% of your time unscheduled, use that time to cover last minute tasks, emails, text messages, urgent conference calls, etc. this way you can manage last minute eventualities without sacrificing your schedule, if you end up not needing the full 20% use the time it to get ahead on the first or second bucket.

Take breaks. Is important to take frequent breaks, make sure that you not working for too long on one task. Avoiding fatigue or getting bored with a single task is important in order to keep working effectively, also you can choose to work on bucket one from 8:00 to 10:00, bucket two from 10:30 to 11:30 and then return to a task from bucket one from 11:30 to 12:30.

Don’t multitask. Sometimes it feels like a file download is taking forever, why not check your emails while is doing that? Or look for that folder your boss wanted? While multitasking might seem like a good way to do more with less in reality you will end up doing less or doing it less well. While our brains can handle more than one task at a time, it can only focus on one important task at a time.

Try these steps and measure your goals, you will notice the difference and you will realized that you don’t need more than 24 hours in a day.

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I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars.

Og Mandino

One of my favorite times of the day is “sunset time” the time when the sun meets on its setting until is no longer visible. During summer and fall months sunsets are at its best, the beauty of the sunlight as it enters the planet give us unique colors that cannot be enjoy during peak daylight. While we know better, the impression is that the sun is leaving us and is hiding behind the horizon, yet there is a lot we can learn from the sunset every day.

Just like the sun has bathed us all day with powerful life-giving sunlight as it disappears on the horizon, it gives us a gentle good bye. This is one aspect we can practice every day as we leave work or finish another hard earned day, many times we give a great effort during the day, just to be tired and moody we then transmit it into our coworkers, our friends and even our family; what if we can be thankful for the day, rejoice for what we have accomplish and reflect on what we failed to do and what can we do better tomorrow; then, just like the sunset we can be gentle to those around us.

The sunset reminds us that the sun is gone for the day, but we know it will come back tomorrow. There is nothing we can do to recoup the past, what we failed to do today is a missed opportunity or sunk cost, but that does not means is wasted, we can still learn from our mistakes and failures and to better tomorrow, the sunset reminds us that after taking a break the sun will be back with its full force and continue to provide light, warm and life. If we had a great day today is important to remember that tomorrow is a new day and a new opportunity to have another great day or at least give our best effort.

The sunset reminds us is time to get some rest, as darkness covers our planet and the sun is gone, we also need to rest. In order to give our best tomorrow, we have to make sure our bodies and minds are rested and fully prepared for the next journey. Is important to work hard, play hard, party hard, but is also important to rest well, if we are to meet our challenges, goals and aspirations we also have to make sure we are at our best, rested and prepared to meet those new challenges head on.

The sunset reminds us that while the night is here, the sun continues to shine somewhere else. As we face difficult situations and are confronted with setbacks in our personal and professional lives is important to keep in mind that we must never surrender to despair and we must keep in mind that if we continue to work hard and do the right thing these bad experiences will also past and the sun will shine once more.

Finally, the sunset reminds us that while the destination is important, we must enjoy the journey. Next time you see the sunset ask yourself what can I do to make tomorrow better?

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Regardless in which continent you live we all have one thing in common, we share the same planet. Regardless if you believe in climate change or you think is a hoax one thing we can all agree on is that we have to take care of our natural resources, after all who does not like to enjoy a beautiful sunset, a walk on the beach, eating seafood or the simple pleasure of a cool afternoon in the desert? We all have something we like about the environment and we all depend on our planet for our existence

Because the planet is a “common good” many of us take it for granted. Many people demand that our governments and big corporations do more to protect our environment and our natural resources; and while is true that those in leadership positions can do more than most of us, the truth is that each and every one of us can do more to protect our planet. We are all called to protect our natural resources and protect those animals and plants that cannot protect themselves.

We are going to have a footprint on the environment, and we are going to consume resources; but here are three areas we can all work on to help the planet and thus help ourselves:

• Reduce: we all have room for improvement in this area, how many car trips do we take a day? Can we combine errands and reduce the use of our vehicles? Can we use a bike for short trips? Can we spend less time at the shower? Sure, we can find ways to cut our impact, especially when 40% of the food we buy ends up in the trash.
• Reuse:  every time we reuse, we are saving resources, while there is an environmental impact in getting those goods ready to be reusable, generally speaking, that impact is less than getting a new good. So, if you enjoy coffee in the morning maybe you can get a refillable mug.
• Recycle: if you have to use disposables items, make sure you recycle. While we have done significant improvements in our recycling capabilities there is plenty or room for improvement. Even in this day and age 91% of the plastic is not recycled and ends up on landfills, oceans or deserts. We can all do better, and we should all do better.

The time is now, and the place is here, we are all called to protect our planet, our natural resources, the animals and the plants that share our amazing home called earth. I am asking you to think about what you can do to reduce your environment footprint. Here are additional resources and ideas about what you can do to help our planet:

10 Ways to Take Care of the Environment

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2002/aug/22/worldsummit2002.earth21

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The light bulb is perhaps one of the greatest inventions of the last 150 years, yet such invention had not been possible if Thomas Edison would have given up after 999 fails. While Mr. Thomas persistence is remarkable the most remarkable part is his willingness to succeed. When he was asked how it felt to fail so many times, Mr. Edison answered “I didn’t fail 999 times, the light bulb was a 1000 steps invention” Mr. Edison knew each time he failed, he was getting closer to the invention he wanted to achieve.

Persistence is an important part of success but is more important to make sure we are on the right path. As Albert Einstein once said “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expect different results” we have to make sure we are not just going because we want to be going. As we are faced with adversity, we must not give up and we must stay focus on our goals and on what we are trying to achieve, but we also must reassess what we are doing and why we are not achieving our goals. Is not enough to continue on our path, we must find out what can we do better.

We should never take the easy way out, but that does not mean we have to make our lives more complicated or that must continue in our path simply because that is what we want to do, here are four simple steps that we can do to analyzed if our efforts are worth it:

• Why are we doing what we are doing? If we know why we are doing what we are doing, then we can assess to see if is worth the effort.
• Why did we fail? If we can pinpoint the source of our failures, we can correct it.
• What can we do to improve? Once we have identified the source of our failure, we can focus on correcting those mistakes
• Keep our goals in mind. Only by continuing to keep our goals in mind we can stay focus on continuing when difficulties arise.

“When the going gets though the though gets going” it is important that we know we are on the right path so we can continue to get going thru the difficult situations. Today I am challenging you to look back at something your tried and failed, and follow those four steps above, then reconsider if it was worth it or if you just were not though enough to follow the highest road.

Leave a reply below and tell me your thoughts.  

I think it has happened to most of us at one point or another; we see other people succeed while we appear to be stuck on the mud, unable to move forward we feel paralyzed and frustrated. How many times have we applied for a job we know we are the perfect match for? Just to be turn down, how many times have we tried to get that promotion? Just to see it go to someone who we think is less qualify. How many times have we sat in front of our boss expecting a good review? Just to heard we are not performing at the level expected of us.

The truth is that we can feel sorry for ourselves, we can blame others for these failures, we can make all the excuses we want, but at the end of the day we have to look in the mirror and be honest with ourselves. The main question we need to ask us is: why other people don’t see what we see in ourselves? There is only one way to fix it and that is to become a better version of ourselves. First thing we need to realize is that we don’t have to reinvent the wheel, we don’t need to start from zero, all we have to do is look inside and see what we need to improve.

There are two main ways you can improve yourself. First one is “less is more” that is right, when it comes to becoming a better version of ourselves. Getting rid of bad habits, bad comments and negative influences can help you become a better version of yourself. Think for a moment, how many times we failed to be team workers and just worked to make ourselves look good? The second is to look for areas where we can improve, maybe we are good at analyzing data, what if we can add solution to our analysis? Then we can provide additional value to our organizations.

Is important that we are honest with ourselves, as we lay to bed each night take the time to look back on our day, find what we did well and think how we can improve it, find what we didn’t do well and figure out how to correct it. The only way we achieve our goals is by becoming a better version or ourselves.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton