Okay Leadership students.  Take out your pen and paper and answer this question for today’s pop quiz:

What is your vision for how you will change or grow as a Leader between now and December 31st?

Pause to think about your answer before reading further . . . .
Labor Day is upon us.  A change of seasons.  With it, daily indications that the worst of the economy’s downturn is behind us.  Some leaders have been stuck in neutral with their companies — trying every trick in the book but unable to grow sales.  Others have continued to (painfully) cut employees and close stores — trying to stay afloat and ahead of the lenders.  And some have been weathering things well, but have shifted themselves into neutral for summertime.
Well, it’s time to get to work — opportunity awaits!  What is your vision for where you want to be 120 days from now?
One of my favorite depictions of a Leader challenging his troops to embrace a compelling and personal vision is found in the opening scene of the movie Gladiator, where Russell Crowe, as General Maximus, commander of Caesar’s armies, gives his Roman soldiers a pep talk just before a final and gruesome battle with the Germans.  The soldiers are primed for battle, heavy with armor, their horses chomping at the bit, the Germans across the way taunting them, ready to kill.

“Three weeks from now, I will be harvesting my crops.  Imagine where you will be, and it will be so.  Hold the line! Stay with me! If you find yourself alone, riding in the green fields with the sun on your face, do not be troubled. For you are in Elysium, and you’re already dead! . . . Brothers . . . what we do in life . . . echoes in eternity!“

Where do you imagine you will be in four months?  What will you be doing that will make you more effective as a Leader?
I encourage you to get a solid picture in your mind before you return to work next Tuesday.  As always, here are some thoughts to get you started:

• Check your emotions. That’s right, check in with your emotions because they have such an impact on your actions.  Do they tilt positive or negative right now?  When it comes to vision, positive emotions create a content state of mind that is open to all ideas — negative ones tend to close down creativity, leading to “tunnel vision.”  A positive outlook also enables more complex and flexible thinking.  If you’ve been fighting the funk, figure a way out.  When I am struggling with negative emotions, I will often turn to a longtime, trusted friend for an up-lifting conversation.

• Connect with your purpose. Why are you here?  Why are you essential?  Who is counting on you?  To do what?  The business challenges of the past year have forced many of us to drift from our core purpose as a Leader and its time to get re-centered.  It has been 120+ days since I last wrote a Leadership Learning blog post.  During a vacation two weeks ago I realized I had drifted over the summer from my primary business purpose to “coach, speak and write to Leaders.”  Returning to write this post represents my attempt to re-connect with my purpose.

• Clear the clutter. Inventory your last few days.  What activities did you spend time on that were a distraction from your primary leadership role?  Why are you doing them?  Do they consume 20 percent of your time? 50 percent?  Is there someone else that should be doing them?  Isolate the admin and “busy-work” that others could do and get it off your plate.  I’ve taken the step of hiring a new assistant who will begin to take over my travel arrangements, scheduling, finances, research and certain administrative tasks involving clients.  My goal is to reduce my involvement in such activities from 40 percent of my time down to 10 percent or less by December.

Louis Nizer was a noted Jewish-American trial lawyer who, among other achievements, wrote a New York Times best-selling book,  authored the forward to the Warren Commission report that investigated JFK’s murder, and helped create the motion picture ratings system as general counsel of the Motion Picture Association of America.  Nizer had this great thought on vision —

“A man’s life is colored by the dye of his imagination.”

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Note to Friends: If you (or someone you know) have ever wondered whether Leadership Coaching is right for you, “Who Needs an Executive Coach?” at Forbes.com is a short, to-the-point article that could help you decide.  At no charge or obligation, I always offer a one-hour initial coaching conversation that gives a Leader a better idea of what coaching is and how it can make a difference.  Call or email me if you want to know more!

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FORWARD THIS TO A LEADER.