Posts in personal growth
How to Find the Right Person and Train Them, Part II

Finding the right person to delegate to may not be enough. Often, that person – experienced or not – is going to need to learn new concepts and skills to do their job correctly and efficiently.

One of the first questions you want to ask is, “what do you need to learn in order to do this task properly?” Once s/he has responded, add whatever you feel may still be missing. At that point, work to determine how s/he is going to get the needed training.

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How to Find the Right People and Train Them, Part I

Part of determining who to delegate tasks to will depend on who you have available as well as your purpose and intent when delegating. For example, tasking something to a new hire that you are looking to groom may look very different from asking a seasoned member of the team to complete the same task. One may be better equipped to do it today than the other, but that may not be your primary consideration.

Here are some factors to consider when seeking to identify the right candidate for delegation.

  1. The experience, knowledge and skills of the individual. What knowledge, skills and attitude does the person already have? How do they match up to the task at hand? What will they need to learn? Do you have time and resources to provide any training needed?

  2. The person’s current schedule and workload. Does the person have time to take on more work? Will this task require reshuffling of other responsibilities and workloads?

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12 Personal “T.H.A.N.K.S.G.I.V.I.N.G” Reasons To Show Appreciation

Thanksgiving is one of the most popular holidays of the year.

For many, it’s a time to be with family and enjoy delicious food (and some football).

It’s also the kickoff to the holiday shopping season.

At its essence, though, Thanksgiving is all about gratitude,

Whether you choose to remember how early American settlers survived a difficult winter or something more recent and personal, Thanksgiving gives us all opportunity to pause and reflect about all the goodness in our lives and say, “Thank you.”

🙏 “Thank you” for your gifts

🙏 “Thank you” for your opportunities

🙏 “Thank you” to the special people in your life

🙏 “Thank you” to the Being that produced you

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Tips for Getting Up in the Morning

I had a VERY hard time getting up this morning. For some reason, I was just exhausted. 😫

The thought of getting my day going just wasn’t resonating. I kept trying to justify staying in bed. 🛏

But I knew that I had a lot to do before heading out of town for a mini-vacation (finally!)

So, I reminded myself about what I would miss out on by sleeping in, including the kind of prayer service that most works for me and getting my work day started on time.

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What do you want to become independent of?

“Independence means that the amount of value you take from other people is equal to or less than the amount of value you put back. It doesn’t mean you don’t need other people. And it doesn’t mean you avoid other people’s help.” Scott Young

As we near July 4, we have many things to think about, such as…

🗽 The great country (USA) that so many of us live in, that grants us so many personal freedoms

🗽 The many sacrifices of others, on the battlefield 🔫 and in the political arena, to ensure and sustain those freedoms

🗽 The awesomeness of BBQs 🌭 and fireworks 🎆, even if they have nothing to do with independence

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Step Away to Step into Life

I have two clients that are a block away from each other in NYC. The walking time between them is measured in seconds and often I can schedule things to allow me to go from one to the other in short order.

But there are times when I have to schedule them on different days, which would be less of an issue if I didn’t live an hour away from them.

This past week, I took things to a new level. I visited one client on Tuesday and the other on Wednesday. In between, I flew down to Florida for an early morning talk to over 300 leaders. Including local commutes to and from the airport, my journey from one client to the other, though themselves separated by only one block, exceeded 1900 miles.

Talk about a long walk down the block!

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Become a Leader of Influence - Part III of An E.P.I.C. Solution to Undertstaffing

At the heart of great leadership is influence, as in the ability to influence others to do what needs to get done.

In a piece written for Forbes, Kevin Kruse defines leadership as “a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal.” I like his approach because it factors in some important primary leadership elements: (social) influence, others, effort optimization and goals.

Leadership is about influencing others, rather than demanding and coercing. It speaks to the ability to win people over to a new way of thinking and practice, though idea sharing, collaboration and role modeling.

While influence is important for every leader, it is especially critical when we’re understaffed and need to maximize every ounce of talent and time at our disposal.

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Celebrating Without Our “Things”

On Shemini Atzeres we also have no mitzvos. Unlike the holiday of Succos that precedes it, this day (two in the Diaspora) does not come along with any distinctive commandments, nor does it demand much in terms of advanced preparation. Neither does it seem to have any particular identity; perhaps it is the least understood of all of the Jewish holidays. What exactly is the nature of Shemini Atzeres and why did Hashem include this day in the Jewish calendar?

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