Maybe you get tired of me saying this, but I lived a blessed life.  I have an amazing family, and a group of friends and business associates who encourage and inspire me everyday.  Jim Rohn was known for saying, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” There may be some debate in that, but I remember the first time I heard this quote–it absolutely resonated with me and I instantly became more aware of my friends and business associates.  I finally recognized that who I was hanging out with would eventually have an impact on who I would become.  It wasn’t just the time I spent with my closest friends that I began to scrutinize, but even the amount of time and types of people I chose to have brief encounters with for coffee, lunch or business meetings.

Since I’ve put boundaries around my self and my time, I’ve found virtually every area of my life to have simplified, improved and become more harmonious.  One of the great people I’ve chosen to spend more time with this past year is my friend Brian Goodell.  We met at a conference last year, and I was immediately drawn to his humble, approachable, positive, transparent, self-confident nature.  I seem to like these qualities in people, and I liked Brian immediately.

As it turns out, Brian has an amazing back story that I’d encourage you to learn more about (watch this video).  I’ll plant the seed with this–he has an inspiring come-from-behind story, winning two Olympic Gold Medals in 1976 in swimming, has had a successful entrepreneurial career, and is a highly requested speaker and success coach for athletes and business folk (check out his website here, and his slideshow here).  During one of our lunches this past week, we were discussing the speaking engagements we have on our calendars, leadership practices we’ve witnessed (good and bad ones), the importance of positive mental imagery and hard work, how we could assist each other towards meeting our goals, and diets (we were eating sushi).  As I returned to my office from lunch, I realized that I always leave my chats with Brian feeling inspired, uplifted, and blessed.  Shouldn’t every day, and every interaction be like this?

We also chatted briefly about Brian’s ‘76 Olympic teammate, Gold Medal decathlete Bruce Jenner--what a hero he became to the nation.  I had to chuckle though, because I was reminded of the classic John Belushi SNL skit, Little Chocolate Donuts. You’ll grin just watching this, but take particular notice of the lit cigarette at the end.

Who do you want to become, and who are you spending time with?

As I add more & more activities to my plate (more hotels, new business endeavors, writing, talks, coaching clients, etc.), I’ve been asked to share some simple tools I use to prioritize and stay connected with team members.  I’ll be sharing more of them in greater detail from time to time…and you can be sure we’ll have some great tools for you on the Tools For Success website when we launch in a few months (stay tuned).

The one thing that has worked for me over the years is my Daily To-Do sheets.  Although I love how technology has made most of what we do a lot easier, my old-fashioned, manual, paper Daily To-Do list is still my most effective (and beloved) tool–and I carry it virtually everywhere.  I love it because (like me) it’s simple, and it allows me to “download” my thoughts as quickly as they come to me so that I can keep my mind free of clutter.

I have one page for each day of the week, stapled together, with a section for each person who is a direct report, and then a couple areas for projects, phone calls, and miscellaneous.  Each line item has a small box where I can put initials of someone I am delegating to, or where I can rank projects based on priority.  I print these on colored paper so that it stands out on my desk, or in my briefcase.

What I really like about my To-Do sheets is what’s at the bottom of each page:  First, I have a daily reminder to “Avoid anything that I am not passionate about, or doesn’t use my strengths as: Strategic, Maximizer, Futuristic, Achiever, and Relator.” These strengths were identified through the book Now Discover Your Strengths. Second, it includes a few questions to ask team members as I meet with them (I don’t ask the questions every time, and I ask some team members more than others) to quickly get useful information and stay focused.  I don’t recall where I found these questions (sorry to whomever it is that developed them) but they have worked well for me:

1. What DECISIONS do you need from me?

2. What PROBLEMS are keeping you from your priorities?

3. What PLANS are you making (which we haven’t discussed)?

4. What PROGRESS have you made since we last spoke?

5. On a scale of 1 – 100, how are you PERSONALLY?  Why?

6. In what areas can I keep you and your family in my THOUGHTS and PRAY for you?

Without my To-Do list and calendar (I use Outlook and then print out a paper copy to keep with my To-Do list) I would be absolutely lost!  And I have lost it before…I’ve left it at hotels, restaurants, client offices, and even clothing stores in the past, and then paid FedEX to have it sent back to me.

I encourage you not to get seduced by the sexiest looking tool out there.  Instead, go for the tools that actually add efficiency and productivity to your life–whether it is electronic or manual.  I’ve left my paper Daily To-Do list in the past, but have always returned to her as my faithful friend.

If you’ve ever wondered why some organizations thrive, while others seem to shrivel up and die, you may want to look closely at their culture.  I was honored recently to have been asked by author Dianne Crampton to write the Foreward for her upcoming book, TIGERS Among Us, which stresses the importance of winning team cultures and why they thrive.  She shares with us stories from world-class organizations like Zappos.com, cut flower grower Dos Gringos, and advertising agency Tribe Inc., and offers tips, inventories and exercises throughout the book.

Here is part of my Foreward for the book:

“If your goal is to build a high functioning organization that redefines success for you and your team, you have the right book in your hands.  History is replete with stories, from boardrooms to battlefields, of smaller organization out-maneuvering and out-performing their larger, better-funded adversary.  How is this possible? The common denominator is found in the organization’s team culture and the unparalleled loyalty of its members.

When I met Dianne Crampton in Los Angeles last year, I was immediately intrigued as she shared with me the premise of this book.  I’d been blessed to serve on elite teams while in the military, and had significant…” (read the complete Foreward and first chapter of TIGERS Among Us by clicking here).

In preparation for the launch of this exciting book, Dianne has made available a couple of free gifts for us.  If you’d like a free white paper on How to Reduce Team Conflict, as well as a Team and Leadership Newsletter containing tips and strategies for building your team, please visit the TIGERS Among Us website.  By signing up, you’ll also receive updates on the upcoming book release.

Here’s to your success!