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At a recent Toastmasters Appreciation Brunch, guest speaker Eric Solowka delivered a keynote presentation on leadership. Part of his point of view is the concept that leadership is challenging and requires courage to help change the status quo. By standing up and challenging the status quo, of course, we become targets for those in favour of keeping things the way they are.

When I consider political leaders, the evidence mounts; from Winston Churchill, to Pierre Elliot Trudeau, to Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher, to Rob Ford. And consider business leaders. We just have to look to Hewlett-Packard to see how recent CEOs have caused disruption amongst not just the investor community, but also their employees: Carleton S. (Carly) Fiorina, Mark V.Hurd, Léo Apotheker, to recently appointed Meg Whitman.

I mused about this “leader as a target” at a microscopic level – namely, how as it relates to the workforce. How much does our perception play in how we react to others? Consider the “leaders in the making” whom we encounter on a daily basis.

Consider a new employee with a new idea of how things are done is potentially challenged and negated by those used to the “way things are always done.” Interestingly enough, the new person might not even be aware of what the general consensus is or how a suggestion might impact how she is perceived amongst her new colleagues.

Does this make her a “leader”? Is she intentionally a change agent? Do we dislike/distrust her methods because we fear for our jobs? Even if her suggestions warrant consideration, why do we resist them vehemently?

Publicly, we applaud “leaders” yet privately we seem to shun them. Preferring the stability of being a “team player” and yet, leaders have the courage to change practices and incite innovation and growth to organizations.

Being a leader in this context certainly takes courage.

Have you made your New Year’s resolutions yet? Are you procrastinating? Setting a couple of goals – or even just one – doesn’t have to be a big and seemingly ominous step.

Here are some tips:

1. Look back at the previous year. 2011. What stands out in your memory from the year? What major accomplishment(s) or disappointment(s) stand out?  Maybe you had multiple achievements? Write it or them down, along with the dates.Some thoughts: a balanced budget, a holiday, a new job, a new relationship, completing a course, the ending of a relationship, a lost job opportunity, etc.
2. Everything in life is a learning experience. So what did you learn from each positive/seemingly negative experience?On a personal note, I once took a job without investigating its culture. I didn’t ask the tough questions. Questions such as, “what is an example of your strong commitment to team building?” Or, “how does the ‘work-from-home’ initiative work?” I ended up working for a company whose cultural approach wasn’t a match to mine. Not that there was anything wrong with them, but we weren’t met to work together.
   • Benefits: worked with some very interesting people,
   • Lessons: ask questions, think critically, don’t take comments at face-value
   • Goals: investigate new employment opportunities a little more thoroughly before committing to a long term relationship.

   “Lessons” sounds so serious. Really, I re-learned what I already knew. I knew I should have asked more questions. I suspected that I should work on my own. This experience reaffirmed and reminded me of my values.

3. Goals emerging from this experience.This may sound like a stretch, but consider some possibilities.One year, I operated with a balanced budget. In fact, I was able to save quite a bit of money that year, by simply keeping track of how I purchased products and services. I set up an automatic savings account and just followed my plan. After a month or so, I was in the habit of spending money that I had, and felt inspired by my growing bank account.My goal for the following year was to continue to work within my budget. Maintain the status quo, which was both easy and challenging simultaneously.

Here is a tool for you to use as you reflect on 2011 and look forward to 2012.

Any questions or feedback, please let us know.

Reflection and Goal Setting Tool

Do you ever run into the age-old dilemma of too many things to do, not enough time?

This is a common challenge facing, well, everyone, but especially those of us new to management, entrepreneurs, new employees, and parents.

While the challenge might be more evident when we start something – IE, a job, career, business, or family – the challenge can hit us when we either feel overwhelmed or just stagnant.

Regardless of our mental state, which is a topic for a different post, “stuff” has to be done. Consider these handy tips to help keep you focused on the task at hand.

1. Create a to-do list
Yes, this might seem obvious, but create one the night before, or perhaps at the end of the previous day. Having the tasks listed when you start your day, can help keep you focused on what happened earlier and your intentions from the previous day.

2. Cross items off your list
Once they have been achieved. This simple action will help maintain a feeling of accomplishment and productivity. Keep that momentum going by tackling more items.

3. Post your long-term goals where you can see them
Perhaps on a bullentin board or calender. Someplace that is easily viewable to help keep you on target for your overall purpose. Perhaps this is your raison-d’etre, or your mission statement?

4. Clean up the clutter
But don’t distract yourself from your list. Use the clean-up as a break, or as a way to clear your head. Cleaning up an emailbox, or shuffling papers on your desk can provide a sense of accomplishment, but it can also be a procrastination activity. Consider a couple of 5 minute breaks to delete emails or file some papers, or do it at the end of the day. Focus on the time-sensitive issues at hand.

5.Be patient
Patience is one of the key secrets to success. Try to not be too hard on yourself. We intuitively know that everything will come with time, but that can be difficult to remember. Take a deep breath, zero in on your list, and trust that you are moving towards success.

We can all feel overwhelmed, or perhaps underwhelmed, at times. Try to push those emotional reactions to the side for a bit, while concentrating on what you would like to accomplish today.

In speaking with a fellow entrepreneur this morning, we discussed some of the challenges entrepreneurs, and small business owners, and, well, people face on a regular basis.

One of which was self-doubt.

Self-doubt is a valuable state, yet also one that can be detrimental. It can cause us to re-evaluate our goals, our actions, our intentions – all of which can be good and productive. We can be forced to see if what we are doing is serving us well. If it will help us achieve our dreams – and the dreams of our customers.

It can also, however, lead us to criticize and change paths. It can result in our inability to move forward, leaving us stuck in a state of inertia, procrastination, raise alarm bells in our own ability to achieve what we set out to do.

And how can we deal with that nagging voice? How can we recognize both its validity and its staggering ability to render us in a state of refusing to try new things, to experiment, to give ourselves a chance?

Some suggestions:

1. Meditate on your overarching goal.

Ask yourself: What are you trying to achieve? Why? What is your purpose? Is it entirely self-serving, or do you have something to share with others? What you are trying to achieve, will it ultimately benefit others?

2. Talk to people.

Ask them those same questions. Ask not only your friends and loved ones, but also those who might be interested in your services. Are you approaching your goals in a way that resonates with others? They should provide you with an angle you hadn’t before considered.

3. Trust yourself. Be patient.

Two tips for the price of one to close number 3. After thinking about yourself – your goals, your strengths, your passions – and talking to some trusted sources, trust that you will make the right decision. By moving forward with a sense that you can achieve what you set out to do, you will be ultimately fulfilled.

But patience is key. Hope for miracles, but recognize that some things take longer to achieve than others.

And good luck.

We might each describe “leadership” in different ways. But I was struck by how Dave Walsh, the Canadian Country Manager for Cables To Go, defined it in an interview with Robert Dutt on www.channelbuzz.ca.

The context around the conversation was how was Dave going to grow his business, aka, become a cable leader in Canada.

Now, for those of you not in the Canadian IT industry, there is a belief about cables. Mainly that they aren’t sexy. And “sexy” in IT is what sells. Blackberries can be sexy. iPhones, sexy. Cables, not so much.

Rob asked how Dave was going to grow his business with an “unsexy” product. By making it sexy, of course.

How so?  By pointing out the revenue benefits of cables. Resellers can make money on cables. They can make a lot of money, according to Walsh. That is sexy.

And by making money, they will sell more products. By selling more products, can you see the link? Cables To Go will increase its marketshare.

Look at your business. Do you make money? Can you make more? Can you enlist sales agents – resellers, representitives, partners – and help them make money by selling your products/services?

Food for thought from an intelligent, well-respected, and business-savvy IT-industry professional.