One of the most difficult things for leaders to achieve is proper balance between their demanding work schedule and their home life. Not only do we struggle to find the right time allocation for each, but we also need to be able to separate the two in a way that doesn’t blur the lines between our professional and personal realms.

This challenge is compounded when leaders encounter a situation that demands more than its “normal” time requirements, such as when work stresses spike or when something at home requires more of our time, energy and emotional bandwidth than usual.

This is exactly what happened to Brian Harper, CEO of Rouse Properties, a private real estate investment trust headquartered in New York City.

Naphtali HoffAugust 10, 2017Comment

Why I Wrote My Book (and Why You Should Too)

The day has finally arrived. I have published my first book. This book, a guide for folks transitioning into and within leadership, is the product of three plus years of effort, including settling on a topic, identifying a target audience, doing lots and lots of writing, testing my content online through regular leadership posts, finding an editor and publisher, and working through the complex, lengthy publishing process. (Even after getting the publishing in order, there’s so much marketing required in order to get the word out. And to think that I just assumed that if I write the book it’ll be enough.)

Without question, this is an exhilarating feeling. Not only am I proud of what I have achieved, but I am super excited to know that I can now share my ideas and experiences with so many others.

I often reflect on how I got here and how difficult it may have been had I tried to achieve this goal as a full time head of school (my previous position). Leaving aside the fact that my experiences in that position provided much of the fodder for my text (something that I likely could not have shared freely while under contract), I think that the rigors of full time employment would have made such an undertaking daunting, to say the least. Without having real control over my time and with the many demands of school leadership, how could I have possibly seen this process through? The likely answer is that I wouldn’t have. And I suspect that many leaders with great content, ideas, anecdotes, experiences and achievements feel similarly.

Naphtali HoffAugust 8, 2017 Comments

Leadership Lessons (to Emulate and Avoid) from the Animal Kingdom

Summer is the time of year when we most connect with nature and wildlife. The warm weather encourages us to get outdoors and enjoy all that the environment has to offer. For students of leadership, there is much to be learned from the great outdoors and in this post I will focus on what we can learn from animals, both in terms of what to do and what to avoid doing.

Three to emulate

1. Lions – Lions are known as kings of the jungle and fierce predators. But lions are also extremely caring animals within their pride. For example, lions are among the more equitable species. They tend to breed cooperatively and assist each other in rearing offspring. They also are more equitable in sharing their food. Lesson: Despite their power and rank, true leaders know that caring for others within their organization is a true mark of their success.

2. Leopard – The leopard is a highly agile animal that adjusts its efforts to suit its needs. Sometimes it relies on stealth, at other times speed, and at other times agility. For example, it can track its prey on the ground and also climb trees to hunt. It can move silently though the forest and at the same time marshal a burst of speed to close in. Lesson: Leaders and organizations that are adaptable can be assured greater opportunities to achieve success than those that rely on a more limited mindset and skillset.

Naphtali HoffJuly 31, 2017Comment

How to Start Your Day off Right

One quality that sets apart the super-productive from many others around them is their morning rituals. The things that these people do each morning set the tone for their day and help them to maximize their focus and productivity.

Of course, there is no particular list of foods and activities that all industrious and successful people subscribe to. What we do know, however, is that nearly every one of these men and women have one that they follow religiously.

While I do not include myself in the above category of success, I do work hard each day towards that goal. Part of what I do each day (or at least on a scheduled basis throughout my week) is to follow a regimen of prescriptive activities that guide how I start my mornings and get each day off right.

Follow a regular routine – My days end each night at about midnight. I shoot for six hours of sleep a night, so in most cases I am up at 6:00. My body has become conditioned to this scheduled so even on days where I don’t have an alarm set, my biological clock kicks in. This is important because our bodies perform best when they are able to adapt to a regular, comfortable schedule.

Naphtali HoffJuly 24, 2017leadership, morning, ritual, production, productivity, impactful, naphtali hoff, day, right footComment

Why I Set Goals This Morning (and Why You Should Too)

As I see it, the benefits of goal setting are many, including:

They help you organize your thoughts – You probably have many things on your unofficial to-do list. Setting goals allows you to select from that list and set some direction. (Note: Daily goals are even more effective when they are developed in the broader context of monthly or long-term goals, such as the need to complete a client project or write a book. When you do this exercise in that context, it produces a broader sense of clarity and direction and can better inform what each individual day should look like.)
They help you prioritize – Along the same lines, goal setting allows you to look at the list that you’re created and determine what the priorities are within the list. What are your must-haves and what are the things that would be nice to achieve but are less imperative?
They allow you to better organize your day – Based on what needs to get done and the available time slots (45 before lunch, 20 minutes until carpool, etc.) you can slot things in where they have the best chance of getting done while also factoring in the rest of your agenda.

Naphtali HoffJuly 19, 2017goals, goal setting, organization, purpose, executive coaching, leader, leadershipComment

Some thoughts about Today’s Milestone

According to LinkedIn, today represents the fourth anniversary of my coaching practice. In truth, today is simply the day that, back in 2013, I updated my LI profile to reflect my new work (I had officially been at this two weeks prior to that). Nor does it factor in all of the planning that led up to my “launch” (such as discussing, debating, pondering options, networking, branding, etc.) or the many weeks of relative radio silence that followed (the only noise at times was that of crickets and the wind blowing my shingle back and forth).

Nonetheless, I look back at this four-year journey I have so much to be excited about and proud of. For starters, I have had an awesome ride that I could have never predicted. All I knew when I first started out was that I was trying to transition into the coaching space in a brand new market where I was a relative newbie. Who and how I would serve were complete unknowns to me, as was the very survival of this ambitious (some called it “gutsy” or even “reckless”) endeavor. But I did know that I would give it my all and make every effort for this to be a success.

Naphtali HoffJuly 17, 2017Comment

Leadership: It's what you make of it

A parable is told about a pencil-maker who was preparing to put an important pencil in a box. Before doing so, though, he took the pencil aside. “There are five things you need to know,” he said. “If you can remember these five things, you will become the best pencil you can be.”

You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to in someone else’s hand.

Sharpening is painful, but it is critical if you want to write sharply.
Since you have an eraser, you can correct most mistakes you make, though some may be harder to erase than others.
Remember, it’s what’s inside that’s most important.
Whatever surface you on, make sure you leave your mark. No matter how hard, rough, or easy, you must continue to write.

This parable shares powerful lessons for every leader.

Naphtali HoffJuly 17, 2017Comment

Leadership Lessons from a Geese Gaggle

Much has been written about leadership lessons that can be learned from flying flocks of geese. Their formations, how they support each other in takeoff, the way that they rotate leaders and communicate (as in honk) have all been well documented. But this gaggle demonstrated their form of leadership from the ground level.

The following were my takeaways:

Maintain priorities – As all of this was going on, the adult geese made sure to keep everyone in line and care for their young. Sometimes leaders can get so caught up in their projects or problems that they fail to keep their ship in order, keep folks informed, and consider everyone’s needs. Steady leadership demands that even in the most difficult situations leaders remember those that are most vulnerable and also critical to their success, namely their people.
Stay the course – It would have been most logical and obvious (at least from my perspective) for the geese to simply fly off in the face of danger. Perhaps they didn’t because their young wouldn’t have been able to keep up (see #1 above). Either way, they showed a sense of calm commitment to the course and were able to get where they wanted despite the obvious threats that surrounded them.

Naphtali HoffJuly 10, 2017Comment

How New Leaders Can Use Values to Hit the Ground Running

Check out this video to learn more and remember to leave comments below!

Naphtali HoffJune 25, 2017Comment

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