Give the gift of your presence this holiday season. Bless yourself and everyone around you with this one-of-a-kind gift. The gift of presence is about giving your time and being who you are where you are.

Remember that you are a human being not a human doing. All the activities, action items and to-do’s keep you busy doing instead of spending time being with the people who are your real priority. Intentionally invest your time being with someone who matters to you. Then be present through focus:

Focus your thinking – your thoughts have three possible dimensions. You can think about the past, the future or the present. Intentionally focus your thoughts on what’s around you in the present. Observe what’s happening right now. You may discover something amazing you’ve been overlooking.

Focus your conversation – during conversations listen well and be fully present with the person talking. Enjoy the interaction, the present moment and let things flow naturally without planning your next response.

Focus on your breath – take deep belly breaths and focus on feeling them fill up your lungs. Focusing on your breath is a quick way to bring you back to the present.

When you are present there is certain stillness and centeredness inside that enriches you and everyone around you. Be a present through your presence, it’s the gift only you can give!

If only 10% of happiness is a result of circumstance, where does the rest come from? Research shows that there are a few behaviors that make up the difference. These behaviors include investing in relationships, seeing the glass half full and expressing gratitude. You can enhance your happiness by incorporating the following actions into your life:

• Thankful Thursday – set a reminder on your calendar to take time each Thursday and intentionally appreciate someone. Send a note of thanks, make a call or write an email. Explain why you are thankful for him or her. You could also express thankfulness for something he or she did. When you make the effort to thank someone each week you are helping happiness happen by investing in relationships and expressing gratitude.

• Gratitude Account – make a list or begin a journal of gratitude. The list should include everything that you are grateful for; everything that you have, that you are or that you get to do. There was a time when our life was at a low and creating this list was a powerful reminder of what was good and wonderful in life. It definitely increased our happiness and helped us refocus on what mattered!

• AM Appreciation – each morning make it part of your routine to appreciate two to four things. It can be as simple as appreciating a steaming hot cup of coffee or the wag of your adoring puppy dog’s tail. Our days are filled with Negative Nellies, depressing disasters and tales of economic woe. You will help happiness happen when you decide to start your day positively and with appreciation.

During the upcoming holiday season we wish you an attitude of gratitude and the happiness will follow!

This week I had the pleasure and priviledge of co-facilitating an incredible three days of StandOut work with TMBC. Over 2,200 people had the opportunity to understand how they can get their edge and win at work. To learn more about StandOut go HERE

Defining success seems like it should be really easy.  I frequently ask project managers, team members, sponsors and executives to “tell me what success looks like.” I am always amazed at the wide variety of answers I get.  Many times the definition that is shared provides a perspective that refines the project understanding and makes the difference between a project that is delivered and a project that is a resounding SUCCESS!

S – simple

U – user focused

C – clear

C – complete

E – everyone is aligned

S – sufficient level of detail

S – supports strategy

If success is complicated and convoluted, how will you know when it’s achieved?  That’s why the first component of a success definition is “simple.” The definition must also include the perspective of the end user or the person being impacted by the project.  What do they need to be or do differently when success is achieved?  Clear and complete definitions means that assumptions are made explicit.  If there are three countries that will use a new process, then the three countries are identified.  This is the difference between saying Singapore, Australia and Malaysia versus the Asia Pacific region.

Alignment is something that takes place as the definition is formulated.  By having discussions with leaders to clarify the success definition the ongoing alliteration enables alignment.

Some people prefer a lot of detail and others want brevity.  The success definition must contain sufficient detail for someone to understand it but not so much detail that it becomes verbose. Finally the definition of success must support the strategy of the organization.

There is a trend taking over corporate IS/IT called “Shiny Object Syndrome.” You have seen and heard the technologists who are fascinated by new technology.  Like raccoons, they are constantly in pursuit of the next shiny object.  Recently I was talking with an Associate Director at a Fortune 100 company about my concerns. Not only did he agree with me that he suffered from “Shiny Object Syndrome,” he proudly stated that he brought lots of shiny objects back to the nest for the team to implement.

The issue with Shiny Object Syndrome is that it delivers a solution to a problem or set of requirements that was never defined.  Users are not consulted or engaged until the shiny object is delivered.  The technologists suffering from Shiny Object Syndrome are so delighted with the shiny objects that they lose sight of the value they should be delivering to the end users. The people who are getting buried in shiny objects do not understand their purpose or use them properly.

It’s time to stop the madness and begin with SUCCESS in mind.  What is success?  The technologist raccoon with the most shiny objects does not win a prize.  By understanding what is needed to achieve success and it is possible to identify the people, processes and shiny objects that support accomplishing success. So begin with the clear, complete definition of success and find the shiny object that best accomplishes that definition.

Compounded Learning

No matter where you are at in life, learning is the required discipline for advancement.  Graduating from high school or college should never mean the end of learning.

There are many perspectives on professional development.  The last chapter in John Kotter’s Leading Change has had a profound impact on my perspective of professional development.  Kotter talks about two specific cases in which unimpressive people transformed themselves into incredible leaders.  The secret to their success was compounded growth.  Just like money in the bank grows through compounded interest, an investment in learning pays dividends over time that produces leaders.