I have had the great pleasure to work with many wonderful people and organizations over my career. As I look back I am rewarded with thoughts of the growth I have seen in those I coached or who participated in training programs. I have often asked leaders to consider what legacy they will leave by being a leader. I hope my legacy is one of helping people develop leadership skills that matter for getting peak performance in their teams.

I am ready to move forward to new challenges working on projects that have not been identified yet. I am ready for a new chapter in my life and am already involved in several areas of interest. This will be my last blog and it will be taken down in a few months. Best wishes to everyone for success.

As we are starting into the next year of political mania, the presidential “wannabes” are trying to say that we will be better off with one of them. How do we know we will be better off? The power of the government does not rest in the hands of any one person. I am not in favor of any particular party or person at this point, but I do find it interesting to listen to all the hype about how it will be better “if only” another person were in office.

I think the “if only” that needs to be considered is how we individually become accountable and hold our elected officials accountable. What are we investing of ourselves to make sure we are good citizens of the U.S.? What are we contributing to the process so that it can be successful no matter who is in the presidential seat?

Anyone who owns a business knows that you can be the best manager or leader in the world, but with the wrong employees you will not succeed. Whatever president we have needs to know that we citizens want to work for the greater good of the U.S. We can complain about how bad things are, or we can do whatever small things we can to make our lives better. Let’s spend our energy in watering and fertilizing the grass we have. Make a difference in the world around you by being helpful, creative, and loving. Then help others around you do the same. You will gain resilience and strength, which are the basics for weathering change positively. And, you can count on change happening.

It just goes to prove what I have always said, and that is to deal with issues as they arise. Don’t bottle it up. What this leader had to say was right on, but the words were preachy because there was so much emotion tied to them. It seemed that it was spontaneous as well, which is another recipe for disaster.

Whether you are addressing an issue with one or a roomful, it pays to think about what you want to say so that you can be tactful, professional, and address only the issue, not blame the person. Once people feel they have been damaged, their response will be to put up their defenses. When that happens, they are not listening; they are only figuring out how to flee or fight back.

Being tactful and professional is not very easy when you are in an emotional state, which is why you should always address issues before they get you into that state. It is much easier to talk about an issue calmly when it has just happened. Be specific about what you saw/heard and want changed. Then be quiet and allow the other person to respond. It is less likely they will get defensive when you are specific and timely. It is very embarrassing to think you have been doing something that irritated another or made repeated mistakes but no one has said anything until much later. You thought you were just fine. So, find a time to discuss it very soon after the occurrence of the problem.

Finally, put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Why would a reasonable person do what the other person is doing? It is easier to talk calmly when you try to see the other side and you will get a better reception for your thoughts.

Any time you make new goals, resolutions, or practices, you have to define a way to make it consistent. Develop a way to monitor and keep you on track. It’s like starting a diet and saying, “I’ll just cut back on what I eat.” However, you don’t keep track of what you eat, so you don’t really know whether you cut back or not. Then you wonder why you didn’t lose any weight and give up.

The same is true of any goal you have in an organization. Working to change behaviors is hard work. Old habits die hard because we feel more comfortable and competent in them. We don’t like the learning curve and incompetence that comes with trying something new. If you are trying to build a stronger culture of employee involvement you have to keep reinforcing the values and behaviors that will gain you the results you seek. Watch for people doing the right things and recognize them. If people are falling back to the old ways, say something. Talk about natural consequences. What is likely to happen if you don’t change? What will happen to jobs, your customers, your business, or your employees? Be vigilant and don’t allow complacency to set in.

If you want 2011 to be any better or different than 2010, it takes work to consistently move you toward your goal. Take it a day at a time, but measure your progress. Look for small incremental movement. Doing makes it so.

I recently received an award from my local chapter of ASTD, a training and development professional society. It was for my distinguished service to the chapter over the years as a resource. I have always been willing to help by providing information, assistance, referrals, and anything else that was needed to help the chapter members gain value from being there. It has made me reflect on my career and value my contribution as a resource.

As a leader you are a resource to your team and to other teams who need what you have to get the job done. You are a resource for materials and equipment, direction, research, networking, rewards, and many other things your team needs. Have you ever thought about the many ways that you serve others by leading? If you believe in servant leadership, as I do, then serving others is the only way to achieve success. By serving others we help them be successful, which reflects back on us. Our teams don’t succeed because we made them, they succeed because we allowed them, encouraged them, and supported them. As a resource, we contribute value.