“To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour.”
― Winston S. Churchill

If you want to become a leader, you need to decide to step up and lead.

You’re not always going to be in an official leadership position, but don’t let that stop you. When the team needs you, be ready to go. You don’t need a fancy badge or title. You simply need to recognize the situation and take appropriate action.

Train yourself for that moment. Learn about leadership. Read, observe, study, and practice. Yes, practice. Practice the techniques of leadership. Practice humility, communication, relationship building, and decision making. Practice bravery, empathy, and harnessing your intuition.

Then lead.

Don’t force anything, and don’t stop being a good follower. Just lead where you’re needed. Volunteer to lead small projects and small teams. Put what you’ve learned into practice and adapt to the situation. Finally, like all great leaders, never stop improving.

“No one can make you jealous, angry, vengeful, or greedy — unless you let him.”
— Napoleon Hill

There’s a lot of stuff in life that you have no direct control over. Let that stuff go. Don’t waste time stressing about anything you can’t control.

You can’t control:

• Other people’s opinions
• Other people’s feelings
• Other people’s actions
• The economy
• The weather
• Your past
• The passage of time
• Death

You can absolutely control:

• What time you get out of bed
• What time you go to bed
• What you eat and drink
• How often you exercise
• The content you consume
• Your attitude
• Your words
• Your happiness
• Being grateful

“The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.”
― Theodore Roosevelt

My question for employers is: Do you want the best talent, or do you want the best talent that lives nearby or will relocate, and will make the commute every day?

If you don’t hire and keep the best talent, someone else will take them. And that company will win.

If you want the best people, give them flexibility.

Don’t measure butts-in-seats. Measure meaningful results.

Some jobs require or work better on-site. Think hard about the tradeoffs.

“He who knows how to use both large and small forces will be victorious.”
― Sun Tzu (孫武)

Small teams get big things done. They have vision and purpose, and they have people who take ownership. Collaboration happens naturally, and communication is simple and effective.

Small teams have shared energy. They take advantage of their size and embrace the constraints and pressure they constantly face.

On small teams, people hold each other accountable, but also hold each other up. It’s easy to see the people who are unable or unwilling to perform and help them or remove them.

But small teams also have big challenges. There’s not a lot of room for mistakes. Time constraints are always present. Prioritization is critical.

If you’re on a small team, here are some ways to step up your game.

1. Be a leader. You don’t need a title to lead the people around you. Lead through words and actions.
2. Communicate constantly. If you’re behind, if you need help, let the team know as soon as possible.
3. Look out for your teammates. If someone on the team is struggling, or distracted, or having a bad day, pick up the slack.
4. Never question intent or effort, but be ready to question strategy.
5. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, but learn from them and share the learning.
6. Prioritize what matters. If it doesn’t matter to the mission, find something else to do.
7. Wear multiple hats. Saying, “It’s not my job,” doesn’t help the team.
8. Stay positive. When things are going wrong, stay calm, slow down, and fix the problem.

“If your words or images are not on point, making them dance in color won’t make them relevant.”
― Edward Tufte

Most PowerPoint presentations are pretty bad, but it doesn’t have to be that way. A little effort and planning can go a long way towards keeping the audience interested and engaged. So, here are four simple tips to quickly level up your next PowerPoint presentation.

1. Spend your time improving content, not colors.
2. Present one idea at a time.
3. Read your notes, not your slides.
4. Rehearse your presentation out loud.

“Sallah, I said no camels. That’s five camels. Can’t you count?”
— Indiana Jones, The Last Crusade

What do you need to get done today? Write down up to three things. That’s your limit.

Forcing yourself to limit the list means you have to prioritize. Pick the tasks that will make the day a success. If those tasks are all you accomplish today, you should be happy with the results.

If you’re not sure what should go on the list, answer two questions:

1. What tasks are necessary so my life doesn’t get worse?
2. What tasks move me significantly closer to my goals?

Be ruthless in your prioritization. It’s amazing how many “necessary” tasks can be delayed indefinitely. If you don’t need to do it today, leave it off. You can always do more once you complete the list. Remember: If everything’s important, nothing’s important.

Once you have your list, start knocking out those tasks. Pick the easiest item if that gives you a psychological edge. Go for the hardest first, if you want to feel the relief of getting it done. It doesn’t matter, because you already limited the list to only the important stuff.

Now for the hard part. Repeat this process tomorrow. And the next day. And the next. At the beginning of each day, prioritize your list and get moving on those tasks. After a week or two, look at your progress. Check in again after a month or so. After a year of hitting your three most important targets each day, that’s over 1,000 items checked off. Enjoy your victories, but keep moving forward. Don’t stop. There’s so much more to achieve.

“One must know oneself. Even if it does not help in finding truth, at least it helps in running one’s life, and nothing is more proper.”
― Blaise Pascal

Don’t be…

• Don’t be arrogant.
• Don’t be impulsive.
• Don’t be passive.
• Don’t be lazy.
• Don’t be soft.
• Don’t be impatient.
• Don’t be indecisive.
• Don’t be unfeeling.

Instead be…

• Be prepared.
• Be observant.
• Be logical.
• Be calm.
• Be confident.
• Be brave.
• Be humble.
• Be kind.
• Be strong.
• Be adventurous.

There are hundreds of “be this” and “don’t be that” goals. Create a personal list and try to live up to it. Don’t make it about who you are. Make it about who you strive to be.

“People who have expertise just love to share it. That’s human nature.”
― David Baldacci

Everyone is an expert at something, and that means you can learn something from anyone. It also means you need to be willing to ask for help from anyone.

It can be difficult and humbling to admit that someone else is better than you at something. At the same time, if everyone is an expert at something, that means you’re an expert at something too.

“The only disability in life is a bad attitude.”
― Scott Hamilton

A positive attitude can mean the difference between success and failure. The right attitude can transform a miserable situation into a story-producing adventure.

Here are a couple of ideas that will help train your mind to always have a positive attitude.

1. Start every day with gratitude. It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it. In a world that makes it easy to focus on the negative, actively choose to focus on the positive.
2. Reframe problems as challenges. A problem is an obstacle that holds you back and leads to failure. A challenge is an opportunity to grow, a chance to improve, and a moment to be great.
3. Embrace change. Change means stress for most people. But without change, you can’t grow. Change is inevitable, so instead of fearing change, embrace it and learn to use it to your advantage.

“Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.”
― Stephen Covey

Management without leadership is just like anything else without leadership. It’s inferior.

We need managers. Mangers help us do what we need to do a little bit better, a little bit faster, and a little bit cheaper. Good managers take care of their people and help the team operate efficiently and effectively. All managers should also be leaders. Without that leadership piece, the team won’t have a clear path to follow. They’ll struggle to find the “what” and “why” of the tasks they perform.

But leadership isn’t reserved for managers or people with “leader” in their title. Leadership isn’t limited to certain positions of authority.

Everyone needs to lead. You need to lead yourself, your team, your subordinates, and your boss. No matter where you are in the chain of command, you need to show others the way and put the success of the team first. Every position is a leadership position.