As you lead your business or organization, it can get noisy and overwhelm can start to creep in.

Lots of information come in from different sources, and you must decipher which ones require your attention to move your vision forward.

Sometimes it can feel like there’s so much happening.

So much information you’re receiving that it’s hard to hear that still small voice inside that’s ultimately guiding you.

Sometimes the information is more noise and not helpful or necessary.

Other times, it’s needed for your business to succeed, but even in those cases, too much data can cause overwhelm.

This doesn’t mean you have to do everything yourself or at that very moment, but it does mean that you must decide if it’s important to do or not do and take action accordingly.

So how do you ignore the noise and focus on what matters?

Simply stop, get quiet and get back to basics.

By stopping and taking a moment to calm your mind and block out all the...

Whether you are new to your position or have been there for some time, there’s one activity you can do each day to make sure you are ready for the next opportunity.

This activity is applicable if you are an individual contributor or in some level of management.

It's one that may seem easy to do.

In fact, it may seem logical, yet it can be difficult to do on a daily, genuine, consistent basis.

Do you know what that is?

It's doing the best you can with the job you currently have.

This means putting your best foot forward to the assignment at hand or making sure you are prepared for the meetings you need to attend.

It means you aren't asking your boss every chance you get when you will move to the next level, but you are open to taking on new projects and opportunities if they present themselves.

It means you’re learning all you can for the responsibilities you currently have, so that you are able to do your job to the best of your ability.

It means you’re supporting...

So let's talk about continual learning, and specifically when you've invested money or time or both to advance or strengthen your skills as a leader. 

Perhaps it's a small investment relatively speaking like reading or listening to a book. Maybe it's a course or seminar you attended, or training your company has sent you to for the day.  Or perhaps it's working with a coach or consultant. And even it didn't cost you money, it was your time spent there, including the time spent creating the space to go and getting caught up again (or close to it) once you returned.

When you first went through the course, the seminar, or even worked with your coach, you probably took some notes as a way to help you process what you're learning. Once the course, seminar or coaching sessions are finished, you have every intention of fully implementing what you've learned.

Then more time passes, and although you know you learned a lot, you might feel like you should have learned more or that...

I really love on-line and in-person events. It’s a great way to connect.

My corporate experience included time attending trade shows and manning booths as well as being the project manager to pull entire shows together. On top of that, I’ve done a lot of book signings since being an entrepreneur, so I wanted to share some tips so that your next event is a great success.

Let’s get started!

1 - Get clear on why you are there

To get started, how would you answer this question: Why do you want to attend or even host an event? The reason this clarity is so important is that it shapes your mindset and energy for that event. Dive into this a little deeper with this article [What's the So What?].

When you’re in the headspace that says, “I’m glad to be here!” or “It’s going to be a lot of fun!”, then that comes through in how you engage and how you present yourself.

The same can be said for the opposite.

If you’re saying to...

As you lead your organization or business, time becomes a resource that you might feel you don’t ever really have enough of.

There’s always something that needs to be done. Something that requires your attention for the vision to move forward.

Just as some tasks or projects are completed, new ones are added to the list. It can be all too easy to not take a break because it feels like there’s much more to do. And even when you are passionate about what you do, you can still reach a point where taking time out for you would serve you more than continuing to tackle your growing to do list.

When those points come, do you take the break, leave the office or computer and really let your mind rest or is your mind still at work?

What if I told you that the break would do you more good?

What if I said that taking care of yourself needs to be on your priority list and not only when you are reach that breaking point?

It might seem selfish when there’s so much to do and...

It’s the start of another workweek, and you are getting settled at your desk to start the day.

You have your morning tea or coffee in hand and are probably scrolling through your to-do list or emails before you tackle an assignment or head to a meeting.

You come to work to make good things happen, so you want to be as productive as possible.

But do you really know what’s expected of you? Check out part two of this two-part series to make certain you do.

It’s the start of another workweek, and you are getting settled at your desk to start the day.

You have your morning tea or coffee in hand and are probably scrolling through your to-do list or emails before you tackle an assignment or head to a meeting.

You come to work to make good things happen, so you want to be as productive as possible.

But do you really know what’s expected of you? Check out this two-part series to make certain you do.

What's the "so what?"

So what does that mean?

When I was in the corporate world, I led many high level visibility projects, including employee recognition events and company trade shows.

And for each of these events, I’d ask what was the “so what?”

To put it another way, if I were to tell my boss or someone who might be expected to attend this event about it, and if they answered “So what – why do I care or want to be there?” I wanted to be able to answer it.

So – what IS the so what?

It’s the why behind the event or project. It’s the reason the event or project is important to do and in some cases, the reason it is appropriate at that time.

It’s the reason why someone wants to be there – not has to because their boss is expecting them to attend. It’s the reason why one project takes priority over another project.

The “so what” answers the question “What’s in it for me?”

It’s...

Let's set the stage a bit:  

It’s the start of the week, and you have a list a mile long full of tasks that need to be done.

You take a sip of your coffee (or in my case, tea) and wonder how you are going to get it all done.

Perhaps you start checking email, only to realize you need to make a phone call before you head to your first meeting – either virtual or in person.

After finishing the call, you realize you need to update a few notes to be ready for the meeting, but you still have to get this one email sent before you leave, so you switch gears again and finish the email.

Then with only a few minutes to spare, you scribble some thoughts on a sheet of paper and race to your meeting.

As the morning progresses and you are in another meeting, you realize there are some emails you want to check, so you decide that you can listen to the meeting and respond to a few emails, too.

Does this sound at all like something you’ve experienced?

If so, you probably...