How easy is it for you to find time and space in your calendar to work on the really important things to you?

You know, the things that will advance your business or improve how you work?

Here’s a thought.

What if the act of creating space for meaningful work is just as powerful as the space itself?

If creating space in your business feels like a big lift, I want to invite you to think about how the practice of creating time and space for important initiatives is a fundamental skill a founder and owner can cultivate.

We can all relate to the owner that wears all the hats. Bookkeeping, Sales, Customer Service, Leader, HR, Manager, etc. You may be at this stage right now.

Even when you have team members occupying these roles, the work of an owner and founder is rarely a calendar of open space.

However, the owner and founder that is able to create some white space is the one that goes farther. Their companies seem to advance, evolve and grow further…

Are you making decisions aligned with your Mission?

First off, do you have a clear sense of your mission now? If you’re a business owner, what is your business’ mission?

If you’re a leader, what is your personal mission for leadership? What are you trying to accomplish in your organization? Is it aligned to your company’s mission?

If you are clear on your mission, then that’s the first step to ensuring that your decision-making is aligned and you move each day to fulfill your mission.

Being able to recover from setbacks, challenges, and major difficulties not only applies to your personal life but also applies to your work and career as well.

A number of people leave jobs where they’ve experienced high stress, overwhelm, and even workplace trauma. 47% of working Canadians agree that their work is the most stressful part of their day. (Source: Workplace Strategies for Mental Health: Morneau Shepell. (2017). Media Room)

Finding your own ways to recover from setbacks and tough situations can help you move forward and cultivate resilience for future challenges.

And, as a leader, resilience can help you lead and expand into new opportunities. Having personal experience in cultivating your own resiliency can also help you support the people and teams you lead.

Here are some strategies to consider if you’re interested in continuing to build your own resilience:

There’s a lot of advice out there on leadership and sometimes it can make one feel that we have to have things perfectly figured out to be a good leader.

So, I’m suggesting that if you feel that way too, let’s agree that we can let that idea go completely.

In fact, I believe that’s the beauty (or challenge) of leadership…much of the learning is experiential and you have to live it, learn it, and be willing to try things out. Some will work, some will not. And, some will be painful and messy.

However, I think the intention, effort, and a mindset of continuous improvement can go a long way in expanding your leadership skills and creating a high-performing team.

This is a collection of ideas to inspire you in your leadership to dig in and explore ways to take your leadership to the next level so you can heighten results from your team…

We can’t talk about leading in 2021 without taking into account the emotional state of our employees and our teams.

You may have seen some of the latest research around the Mental Health statistics for employees.

Here’s an excerpt from the Morneau Shepell Mental Health Index report from December 2020. The Mental Health Index report measures the current mental health status of employed adults amidst the Covid-19 pandemic across Canada, the US, the UK, and Australia.

I’ll start by asking you as a business owner & leader - what do you need right now?

Maybe it’s a few more ‘deals’, maybe it’s to finish a project before year-end, maybe your work is winding down and you’re still shopping and thinking about preparing to celebrate the Holidays, and maybe it’s…rest.

Whatever the answer for you, I wanted to add some thoughts about what to consider as you wind down this tumultuous year.

If you’ve often wondered how you can get your team working towards goals with the same sense of urgency that you have — you are not alone.

As a leader, meeting deadlines and goals are important, and yet you can’t accomplish this unless you have the whole team on board.

So what do you do when everyone isn’t on board? Or, have the same sense of urgency that you do?

The life of an entrepreneur and Leader is fraught with traps….

• dealing with all the things that come at you in a day

• having multiple decisions to make

• dealing with competing priorities

• balancing day-to-day tactical items with strategic planning

Even if you’re a whiz at ‘getting things done’, we’re human and it’s impossible to be good at all the things.

Any one of the above items can suck the time out of our schedules in what seems like the snap of a finger. Yet, we so often think about these things in terms of the time we spend. Or the time they take.

How about instead of looking at these things that take up time, consider asking yourself

Let’s talk about WHY you started your business:

Was it to:

• Have flexibility and freedom

• Secure a financial future for your family

• Make a difference in the lives of others through your products & services

• Make a greater impact more broadly on the world

• Do what you love to do

Do any or all of these reasons ring true for you?

With the current light being shone on systemic racism, I see many of you checking in on your own understanding of what this means.

As am I.

If I were to ask you this question, “What is the mark of a good Leader?”

What attributes would come up for you?

What often comes up would be attributes such as:

• They are Visionary

• They develop others

• They set the goals for the organization

• They are good communicators

• They navigate change

Another that I’d like to add to the mix here, is: They recognize when they may not have all the answers.

I write this as I sit here in the sun - taking my work outside to write to you today - because…..why not?

We, in the northern part of our hemisphere, are starting to experience the lovely warmth of spring and anticipating the coming summer days.

Some of us may even be starting to experience a relaxing of some of the restrictions that we’ve been living with for the past 2 months.

As the weather warms and I think ahead to the summer months - approaching summer this year is unlike any other spring ever. Usually, I have things very planned out. I know which weeks will be vacation, I’ll have everything booked, kids’ camps/activities booked and it will usually be mostly all set by now.

This year, in a year where we’re unsure from one week to the next what will be open or what we will be able to do, the coming months may look very different AND my level of planning around it has shifted.

Sometimes you just need a good book. And, if you love learning, a great book can go a long way in business.

If you’ve got a fellow business person or leader in your life and are looking for a gift that has the potential to make an impact for them, then this is the list for you.

Or maybe, in this season of giving, you’re looking to provide a gift to yourself.

Here are 4 business books that had a major impact on me and I know countless others.

Connecting to your work is easy for some and can be difficult for others. There are many factors that can impact how much you connect with the work you do, such as your career stage, proper job fit, etc. etc., but regardless of where you are, there are things that you can do to enhance your enjoyment of your work.

It’s something you may…or may not have heard before.

It's knowing what needs to be done in your business or in your career, but you just can't make yourself do it….

This power is not to be underestimated.

Your Intention can make profound things happen. It can create changes or actions that may feel small at the time but can have a big impact on how your life events unfold.

We are a culmination of our experiences and environment.

We are the main protagonist in our story. We hold on to our stories of who we've been and they become our identity.

But, what happens when a part of our story no longer serves us? What happens when we hold onto a part of our story that actually limits our future growth and success?

A decision so powerful it changes the course of things.

At first, it’s not visible on the surface, to anyone else.