Category: General

It’s that time of year again. As you prepare to do your holiday shopping, don’t forget about the wonderful teachers in your life! With that being said, where do you begin? What do teachers really want for Christmas?

My sister is a teacher and I recall her saying once that teachers like to receive gifts that can be used up not items that sit around (think candy or other food items, lotion or hand soap, or candles).

In preparation for writing this blog, I surveyed a few of my teacher friends and got some great insight. Consider these 3 top picks while you’re making a list and checking it twice:

1. Gift cards (restaurants especially!)  Darden gift cards can be used at several restaurants.
2. Movie tickets (You can’t go wrong with a Fandango gift card!)
3. Handmade gifts from students (Check out Teacher Gift Ideas on Pinterest for handmade & other ideas.)

Having been a homeroom mom more than once for my children’s classes, I remember always receiving a “favorites list” from PTO about the teacher. I always sent that out to all the parents so they were in the know on what the teacher liked if we weren’t planning a group gift. So, you might also consider contacting your homeroom mom if you have elementary/middle age kiddos. If not, just ask! Create your own “favorites form” to be completed by the teacher you are shopping for. Knowing what the teachers like always makes the job easier.

Happy shopping!

Have you already started to think about your 2014 New Year’s resolutions? Before you do, consider how you can be most productive is a good way to frame those resolutions before you attempt to define them and then tackle them with the onset of 2014.

Fast Company devoted much of its latest issue to productivity by highlighting productive people. These people all found their productivity sweet spot in a variety of ways. I could find no consistency in the activities or routines each person established, but there were several insights gleaned from the ways these highly productive and successful people in all walks of life found their sweet spots:

1. Find what time of day you are most productive and maximize it. Find yourself getting the most done before lunch but waning by the time 2 pm rolls around? Get up early and maximize that time. Tackle your most important tasks in the morning. Hit your stride and motivation after dinner? Set aside your big tasks or activities that require the most thinking for that time of day.
2. Eliminate distractions during your most productive times. You are definitely a morning person, but the first thing you do in the morning is check your email and you start your day bogged down before it even really begins. Don’t open your inbox until you’ve tackled what’s most important. Find yourself feeling inspired around 9 pm but your habit is just to sit in front of the TV? Turn it off. Distractions could be as simple as spending too much time making decisions that are simply distractions. For example, one person highlighted in Fast Company said she eats the same thing for lunch everyday. It eliminates the time it takes to get the lunch together and to think about what to eat. Supposedly college football’s most sought after coach does this too.
3. Find what inspires you to be productive and engage in those Activities. Are you fueled by a good workout; a good conversation with certain people who stimulate your thinking or a good read that gets your creativity flowing? Set aside time to do these things. These activities are just as important if not more than getting to those tasks that demand your productivity.
4. Use productivity “tools” to help you maximize your productivity, not as solution to lack of motivation. I’m intrigued by the productivity app Carrot. Apparently (I don’t use it) it lets you load your to-do list, and when you check things off the list, you earn points to get things for being productive. There are also apps and websites allowing people to earn money for losing weight. You pay for the service, and hedge your bets. But guess what? These sites make money. Why? Because most people don’t see their goals through to the end. People don’t lose weight not because the tool doesn’t work, but because the tool doesn’t generate the motivation needed to be successful. So vet your tools wisely. Use them because they help you manage your productivity not motivate it.
5. Be passionate. It’s hard to sustain productivity if you aren’t passionate about what you spend most of your doing. As Joe Berkowitz stated in his feature in Fast Company, “If you love what you do, it’s easy to be productive.” Being productive for the sake of productivity isn’t actually productive. It’s just spinning on a wheel that leads to nowhere and helps no one. Find what cranks your tractor and spend more time on it.

What tips do you have for maximizing productivity as we approach a new year with new resolutions?

Welcome to the October 6, 2014 edition of the Leadership Development Carnival!

Enjoy these great posts from 29 of the best leadership bloggers. Every quote is a
link to tweet. Feel free to share with your networks!

Lolly Daskal from http://www.lollydaskal.com/ presents Take a Hard Look in the Mirror “When the life you lead reflects your inward self, you can then truly lead others.” @LollyDaskal #leadership #leadfromwithin

John Hunter from Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog presents Take Advantage of the Strengths Each Person Brings to Work   “Take maximum advantage of people’s strengths while minimizing the impact of weaknesses.”@curiouscat_com

Joan Kofodimos from http://www.teleosconsulting.com/category/anyone-can-lead/ presents
From Leading a Team to Leading Leaders “Has the scope of your role increased? To scale yourself, your mindset needs to change.”@JoanKofodimos

Karin Hurt from www.letsgrowleaders.com presents Managing the Strong, Arrogant, Obnoxious Type. “Be the brave leader who has the tough conversation which changes the game, and helps them truly realize their potential.”@LetsGrowLeaders

Jim Taggart from www.changingwinds.wordpress.com  presents Lead Through Mutual Commitment, Not Compliance “Throw managing through compliance out the window and embrace leading people through mutual commitment.”@72keys

S. Chris Edmonds from http://drivingresultsthroughculture.com  presents Out of TuneS. Chris Edmonds shares how an out-of-tune mandolin can keep leaders from making assumptions & “best guesses” regarding a team.@scedmonds

Mary Jo Asmus from www.aspire-cs.com  presents Leadership practices for presence and focus“Developing focus can benefit from “a practice” – something that takes you out of your normal routine and helps you to focus on the “here and now”.”@mjasmus

Joel Garfinkle from Career Advancement Blog presents Be Carried to the Top: 5 Support People Who Can Help You Get Ahead“Support from others is a valuable commodity in any situation; it’s a necessity when you navigate the corporate landscape.”@workcoach4you

Miki Saxon from www.mappingcompanysuccess.com presents Stain or Paint? What’s Your Preference?“For culture to work its wonders it must sink deeply into the organization as opposed to slapping a quick coat on the surface.”@OptionSanity

Julie Winkle Giulioni from Julie Winkle Giulioni blog presents Persistence and the Panoramic View “The difference between success and failure (or considerably less success) may be just one more try.”@Jule_WG

Paul LaRue from www.leadchangegroup.com presents Is Hope a Leadership Trait?  “A leader’s ability to inspire hope will reap enormous benefits for your organization and your people.”@paul_larue

Randy Conley from Leading with Trust presents 6 Strategies for Helping Your Team Manager Change  “Those who plan the battle, rarely battle the plan – 6 Strategies for Helping Your Team Manage Change.”@RandyConley

Dan McCarthy from About.com Management and Leadership presents The Top 10 Challenges a Manager Will Face“The top ten issues that can keep a manager up at night, with a “sleep aid” for each one.”@greatleadership

Tanveer Naseer from Tanveer Naseer Leadership presents A Cornerstone In Today’s Leadership“Learn why compassion is critical in today’s leadership and what 3 measures you can employ to demonstrate compassion in your leadership”@TanveerNaseer

Jennifer V. Miller from The People Equation presents: 3 Things Every Leader Should Ask at Update Meetings“Leaders – Meeting with your direct reports? Ask these 3 things to stay in the loop.”@JenniferVMiller

Dana Theus from InPower Consulting Blog presents: 5 Steps to Getting Back in Control“No one can ride your life for you and learn to master the hills coming on your journey, exceptyou.”@DanaTheus

Jesse Stoner from Jesse Lyn Stoner Blog presents Forget the Bus! Develop Talent to Create a Fast, Nimble Fleet“The best way to infuse your organization with talent is to develop it. http://ow.ly/BWCbD #leadership”@JesseLynStoner

Mark Deterding from Triune Leadership Services, LLC presents: Focus on a Better Future“Servant Leaders stay focused on a better future!”@mwdeterding

Wally Bock from Three Star Leadership presents: 3 Things I wish I had learned soonerI’ve learned a lot in over four decades in business. Here are three things I wish I’d learned sooner.”@wallybock</>

Beth Armknecht Miller from Executive Velocity Leadership Development presents Do Your Future Leaders Have EQ?“When identifying future leaders, don’t forget emotional intelligence. Here’s how to find out they have EQ.”@SrExecAdvisor

Susan Mazzan from Random Acts of Leadership presents Are You Challenging Yourself  “If you want to make a change in yourself, all you need to do is take on a challenge big enough to change you.”@susanmazza

Art Petty from Management Excellence blog  presents The Pursuit of Excellence is a Choice “Real firms strive to pursue excellence. In these firms, the pursuit is a deliberate choice backed by leadership courage.”@artpetty

John Stoker from DialoqueWorks presents Can You Talk About What Matters Most?“Like anything else that you desire to improve, you need to dive in, make the attempt, and learn from your mistakes.”@JohnRStoker

Lisa Kohn from The Thoughtful Leaders™ Blog presents: How safe are you from people who push your buttons?“Lisa Kohn shares five ideas to help you prevent your button from being pushed, build a buffer zone, and protect yourself from the button-pushers around you.”@ThoughtfulLdrs

Nick McCormick from Joe and Wanda on Management presents: Hard Work: Prison Sentence or Dance-worthy?“Hard work is a prison sentence only if it doesn’t have meaning.”

Neal Burgis, Ph.D. from Practical Solutions Blog presents Extraordinary Introverted Leadership “It has been found that many leaders who create & produce high performance levels have actually been introverted leaders”@exec_solutions

Jon Mertz from Thin Difference presents 3 Ways to Break Trust and 1 Way to Build It. “The Impact of Leadership Intention & Action Alignment”@ThinDifference

Michael Lee Stallard from michaelleestallard.com presents 3 Ways to Improve Your Health and Lifespan at Work “Genetic research suggests people who seek purpose through their work will live healthier and longer lives.”@michaelstallard

Susan Fowler from susanfowler.com presents Don’t Confuse Motivation with Engagement “Motivation is the moment-to-moment experience that leads to active disengagement, engagement, or employee work passion.”@fowlersusann