My frail, 86 year old mother sent me this recently:

"All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light from the shadows shall spring;

Renewed shall be blade that was broken,

The crownless again shall be king."

      -  J.R.R. Tolkien

  1.  "...All that is gold does not glitter..."

Stay focused.  Just because 2015 is starting off strong, does not mean it will end that way.  Focus on strengthening your leadership and company culture systems to improve profitability and competitiveness.

  2.  "...Not all those who wander are lost..."

Schedule specific time to think of new ideas and better ways to do things.  Early risers should do this late in the day and late nighters early in the morning.  Why?  Because when you are tired your mind is more open.  Also, be prepared to write down ideas that occur when exercising, showering...  (I use my phone.) 

  3.  "...The old that is strong does not wither..."

Do not abandon, but rather improve and strengthen the foundation of your proven leadership, service delivery and sales systems because they never lose their ability to positively impact your organization.

  4.  "...Deep roots are not reached by the frost..."

Deep roots provide stability in storms, reach water in drought, and nourish growth during the good times.  Invest money and time to strengthen your leadership and company culture systems so your Clients think only your company can meet their needs, and your employees have no desire to risk a new job elsewhere.

  5.  "...From the ashes a fire shall be woken..."

I spoke with a leader recently who had a partner that embezzled $1.3 million from him.  He has recovered and is now ready to invest to build a stronger, more profitable organization.  You can overcome any challenge.  There is time, and there are new opportunities. 

  6.  "...A light from the shadows shall spring..." 

There are times in your business journey when you need help from consultants who have "been there, done that."  Engage the light so you can become the light.

  7.  "...Renewed shall be blade that was broken..."

First you have to decide to replace your bad habits with new, more powerful ones.  Then you have to do the work.  The result is you are more powerful than ever.  Do not procrastinate.  You need your best "blade" to achieve the dreams you were designed to live.

  8.  "...The crownless again shall be king."

You hire top performers who are used to being winners.  Now you have to provide them a self-motivating work environment where they can be leaders with other leaders.  Your success depends on how well you enable your "crownless" to be queens and kings within your organization.   Then they take full responsibility to achieve results! 

Thanks, Mom.

TODAY IS A GREAT DAY for leaders who live intentionally.

Challenges come and go.  You can overcome anything if you invest to  improve your leadership and company culture systems so your people are prepared for battle and your clients are too loyal to leave.

Do you need help to develop NEW habits to overpower some less productive ones?  Contact us if you would like to talk through what you want to achieve.