Manufacturing Excellence - Inspire, Lead and Succeed with a NEW DYNAMIC!

Strong lives are motivated by dynamic purposes.

~ Kenneth Hildebrand

2011! Wow, I can't believe it! It's time to wipe the slate clean, focus upon your new goals and chart your course. Instead of settling for mediocrity focus on the changes you want to make within yourself. Even though I am not a big fan of New Year resolutions, a new year gives us a great opportunity to start looking at things in a different way. There are so many exciting possibilities in our world but so many times we are not able to see the forest for the trees.

Sometimes I wished that I could help people to clear their minds of all their knowledge, past experiences and beliefs in order to make a fresh start possible. Why? Well, I am certain this would drive individuals to be more curious and to ask more questions. They could start to have new experiences and form new beliefs that would allow them to take action and to make necessary decisions in order to move forward. 

Countless times people give me the feeling that they know everything and there is nothing left to learn. I sincerely hope that you are not one of these people because this would mean that your ego has taken over and you have become a legend in your own mind.

How can you be too smart to continue to learn? In my opinion the smartest people are the ones who ask the most questions because they are curious to know if there is a better way. 

Don't get me wrong, I think self-confidence and self-worth are two very important skills to have but not at the expense of developing and growing into the best person you can be.

How did you start your first work day in the New Year?

Frustrated and stressed, or relaxed with a smile on your face?

Have you ever considered the example you set for others? 

Are there some bad habits that you would like to replace with good ones?

Where might you be in denial?

What are some of the decisions you have been avoiding?

Remember, whatever you do in official meetings, on your tours throughout the plant, casual meetings with family and friends, meaningful questions will always change the dynamic. Having said this, I am not referring to questions that result in fault finding and blaming because you want to bring the energy up, not down. 

I encourage you to allow yourself and your people to grow, and this means making mistakes! Unfortunately we have the "first time right" mentality but if we don't allow ourselves to make mistakes in order to improve the process, how can we become the best?

What changes do you want to make to be a better leader?

No, let me rephrase that:

What changes will you make to be a better leader?

Don't judge yourself by your intentions, judge yourself by your actions!

So, what actions will you set in motion to lead with a new dynamic in 2011?