Debra Kasowski

Above Mediocrity: How are You Measuring Up to Your Potential?

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Do you ever wonder how you are measuring up to your potential? Do you think you’re taking enough action and stepping out of your comfort zone? Do you ever wonder what the secret to success is?

You’re not alone. Many people have studied success for years. I myself have been studying success for over 20 years.

What it really comes down to is a person’s daily habits, attitude, and expectations that they set for themselves. If you truly want to be noticed and stand out from the crowd you cannot settle for mediocrity. People start to get comfortable, complacent, and maybe even a little lazy when it comes to expanding and stepping into their potential. They talk a great talk but they’re not always willing to take the action required to sow the seeds that lead to success.

“The potential of the average person is like a huge ocean unsailed, a new continent unexplored, a world of possibilities waiting to be released and channeled toward some great good.” – Brian Tracy

Complacency creeps in when people stop expanding their social circles and networks, learning and growing in their area of expertise, stop appreciating others because they assume that you already know how they feel, and they put their health on the back burner. Over time, complacency can damage relationships, career growth, and your health. Isn’t it funny that many claim that these things are what matter most?

How are you measuring up?

beauty child at the blackboard

Is it time to raise your bar of excellence?

Successful people do not strive for mediocrity or being average. They are looking for ways to be a little bit better today than they were yesterday. They are not willing to settle and fit in to what others say or think they should be like. Successful people do great things through small acts with intention and purpose.

You can start raising your bar of excellence by expecting more of yourself and inspiring others around you by the way you live in the choices you make.

Here are some simple ways in which you can start taking small steps to make big shifts in your relationships, your career growth, and your health. Focus on what you say is most important to you and you’ll reap rewards of happiness, health, and prosperity.

Read one nonfiction book per month. If you can read more books, fantastic! Increase your knowledge in your expertise or another area of interest. Commit to taking action on something learned in the book.

Connect with like-minded individuals. Join meet up groups, associations, and organization in which people have a common interest and also push you out of your comfort zone into dreaming and thinking bigger. You probably have heard the phrase that you are the average of the five people you hang out with the most. Surround yourself with people that you can learn from and who inspire you.

Develop your people skills. Many people take developing their people skills for granted. As you climb the ladder of success, the more people will not just focus on your skills and abilities and how smart you are, the more they look at how you interact with others. Learn to become a better communicator. Listen to the people you interact with. Put aside distractions and pay attention to the subtle tones and movements and body language. Always find a way to leave a conversation in which people are better because of your presence.

Become an action taker. Do not become known as someone who just talks about what they say they want to achieve. The most memorable people are the ones who take inspired action. People often hesitate because of the fear of failure; however, if you evaluate your probability of success you can start taking calculated risks. Each small success will build momentum. Success is short-lived by complacency. You will want to continue to challenge yourself and raise your bar of excellence.

“If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.”-Thomas Edison

Hire a coach or find a mentor. You can accelerate your success by being coached through your challenges or being mentored by someone who has been where you want to be. Learn from these individuals and ask powerful questions to help you become more knowledgeable and resourceful.

Successful people do not try to do everything themselves nor do they try to take all the credit. They work with teams and incredible individuals who make them shine and raise their bar of excellence. When you take time to make these changes in yourself and look after your health, you will become an unstoppable force to be reckoned with. When you start taking one action each day, you will be taking 365 more actions than many people who are wishing for things to happen. Instead of wishing, you will be making things happen. Everyone has the same amount of time in their day but the difference maker is someone who takes action.

DEBRA KASOWSKI, BScN CEC is an award-winning best-selling author, transformational speaker, blogger, and Certified Executive Coach. She has a heart of a teacher and is certified in Appreciative Inquiry and Emotional Intelligence. She is a contributing writer for Diversity Magazine and Fabulous at 50 magazine. Debra Kasowski International helps executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations boost their productivity, performance, and profits. It all starts with people and passion. www.debrakasowski.com

10 Things You Need to Stop Doing in Order to Start Seeing Results

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businessman showing Stop doing what doesn't work words underneath his shirt over blue sky

When people think about productivity and performance, they often think about how many items they accomplished and crossed off on their to-do lists. However, if your total focus is on what you should or could be doing, the list could be endless. It is easy to get caught up on the to do list but we fail to notice that if we spent more time stopping what we should not be doing we could increase our productivity, performance, and start seeing the results that we really want.

Start creating a Stop Doing List:

  1. Stop being distracted by your cellphone; put it away. When you take time to put your distractions away and actively listening to what the other person is saying and paying attention to their body language you will start to pick up clues can learn so much more about the other person. This will help you ask better questions and strengthen relationships. Putting away your distractions allows you to do the work you know you need to get done like finishing a report, making a phone call to a client, or sending out that welcome package.
  2. Stop talking about yourself and your role. Take time to find out more about your employees are your customers instead of focusing on yourself. You will learn more about their needs and their wants and how you can best serve them. People are not interested in you and what you role is and how great you are. They want to know what is in it for them – make the conversation about them.
  3. Stop making rash or impulsive decisions. Feeling frustrated or angry? Step away from the situation get some fresh air. Gather more information. Separate the facts from your emotions. Take some time to assess and weigh your options. Give yourself a specific amount of time before you make a decision, hold a difficult conversation, or invest your money. For example, some people wait 24 hours before making a major purchasing decision. This time frame allows for them to think through their decision before making it final.
  4. Stop blaming, complaining and making excuses. These behaviors are just the deflective mechanism for not taking full responsibility for one’s actions, behaviors, and life. You need to own what you do and what you say and take personal responsibility for what you can influence. When you avoid speaking up when you see a gap or something wrong in a plan, you must accept the consequences. If you want different results, you must speak up and provide information that may be necessary to get the results you need. Complaining does not solve anything; it allows you to vent. Action creates results. Excuses are just reasons why you’re not fully committed to what you said you wanted to do. Personal accountability starts with you committing to what you say you want to achieve and taking the actions necessary to make it happen.Portrait of a beautiful girl showing stop sign with palms isolated on a white background
  5. Stop making assumptions and judgments. When you make assumptions and judgments, you are making them based on your own personal beliefs and experiences. You are painting everyone with the same brush. A better approach would be to come from a learner’s perspective and ask questions to gain more information. Start challenging the assumptions and judgments and discover if they are really true. You may find that some of those perceptions are totally off-base.
  6. Stop making everything a competition where someone has to lose and someone has to win. You will gain greater strides when you start working with people than working against them. If someone is better at something than you are, ask questions and learn from them. Hone your own skills to be better. Leverage your strengths versus focusing on your weaknesses.
  7. Stop putting off what needs to get done. You need to ensure that you are managing your priorities. Focus on where your greatest return on investment of your time, money, and resources come from. Work on what you need to get done first before answering e-mails that often request things of you.
  8. Stop reacting and getting defensive to change. Change represents progress and movement. People often react and get defensive when they lack information and they make snap judgments. Get more information so that you can respond to a situation and communicate your needs and get what you want.
  9. Stop putting in the last word. Everyone does not need your two cents about how great you are and how you are the only one who makes great decisions or is successful. You may be great but you don’t want your last words to linger making others feel poorly about themselves. When a conversation is closed, leave it at its highest point instead of ending with, “By the way…”
  10. Stop making decisions that are not aligned with your values and what you say is important to you. Your life and where you are, are a product of all the decisions and choices you have made thus far. If you want different results, you need to start making different choices. Take time to figure out what is most important to you and ask yourself why you decide to do what you do. When you know your “why”, you will make better choices.

BONUS: Stop worrying about what other people think. Do you want to become what they think of you or what you think of yourself? Seeking other people’s approval is exhausting of your time and energy. Be yourself!

What you do on your to do list is just as important as what you need to stop doing. When you focus on what you need to stop doing, you will realize that you will tend to your priorities and start seeing your productivity, performance, and even profits start to grow. You are in control of your results.

What things can you add to the list?

DEBRA KASOWSKI, BScN CEC is an award-winning best-selling author, transformational speaker, blogger, and Certified Executive Coach. She has a heart of a teacher and is certified in Appreciative Inquiry and Emotional Intelligence. She is a contributing writer for Diversity Magazine and Fabulous at 50 magazine. Debra Kasowski International helps executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations boost their productivity, performance, and profits. It all starts with people and passion. www.debrakasowski.com

7 Steps to Making Better Decisions

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21379811_mlLet’s face it; problem solving and making decisions is not everyone’s cup of tea. Yet we make decisions every day. We decide what to wear, what to eat, and where to or not spend our money. Sometimes we even give others the authority to make decisions for us. This act alone can be dangerous if we have no insight into what some of those decisions might be.

After all, you have probably heard the phrase, “Your life is a product of all the choices you have made.” It may be that because of those choices; you look around and think to yourself, “How did I end up here?” You may be paralyzed from making a decision for fear of making the wrong choice and started asking anyone and everyone for their opinion. It’s great to get advice but ultimately you must own your choices and take full responsibility for your actions.

As long as you are not doing anything illegal, the world won’t come crashing down if you make the wrong choice. You are human. No one is keeping a detailed log of your mistakes. Everyone has made a bad decision at one time or another and if they tell you they haven’t, they are not being truthful. I do not know of a single person who does not wish that they said or did something differently. The most important thing in making mistakes is to learn from them. What would you do differently the next time?

In my nursing career, I can tell you that a knowledgeable nurse is the one who has been exposed to some of the most challenging experiences and is not one quoting from a textbook. Not every learning situation can be simulated but it can be discussed or one can self-reflect. I know this holds true for leaders in many professions.

Some decisions are simple whereas others are complex. We must be mindful of our self-talk when it comes to making decisions. Self-doubt can creep in. Leaders must be courageous and learn to make informed decisions. You can readjust if you make a wrong decision. Every wrong decision made hopefully gets you closer to the right decision.

Making decisions expends energy, time, and even money. The more you wait for the right moment to make a choice, it may be costing you.

Decision making can be simplified by breaking down complex decisions into small pieces. Start asking questions to develop clarity around the problem, issue, or decision you need to make.7912002_ml

Start with getting all the details. What is the situation? What background information do you have? What is the current status of the situation? Do you need information from other people (Facts, figures, or statistics)?

Brainstorm solutions. Mindtools.com suggests a method called “starbursting”, a brainstorming technique focusing on generation of questions rather than answers using Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? As a coach, I know that the most profound answers come from asking great questions. The more thoughtful questions you ask the more thoughtful answers you generate.

Discover the options available. What are the possibilities? What choices do you have?

Weigh out the benefits or risks. What are the benefits and risks of each option? Who or What will be impacted? Do the risks outweigh the benefits?

Mitigate risks and break down roadblocks. What has to be done to mitigate risks? Do you need more information? What are the gaps or challenges that need to be addressed?

Be clear on the outcomes you want to achieve. What are the potential outcomes or results? It is easy for people to state what they do not want but they have trouble being clear on what they do want. No problem – reframe what you don’t want into what you do want.

Prioritize your best options or solutions and make your decision! Be mindful of your emotions as a person’s emotions can easily influence their decisions. It is important to weigh in on the knowledge, facts, and information you have collected. There is room for a “gut” check but do not rely on this intuition alone. Have you ever made an assumption and discovered you were completely wrong? It is important to challenge your assumptions in order to discover if your assumptions hold true.

Making decisions does not have to be stressful. Chances are you have made many decisions before – simple and complex. Think about the process you used to move through those situations. What would have made these decisions easier?

Remember some decisions require you to act in a timely manner. By practicing these steps in making decisions, you will get better with each decision and new experience you have. Don’t be afraid to make a decision or put yourself in new situations that require you to make more complex decisions.

What would your life be like if you grabbed the opportunity to trust yourself and make a decision? Would life look different? Would you be doing what you are doing? Would your results and outcomes be the ones you wanted?

DEBRA KASOWSKI, BScN CEC is an award-winning best-selling author, transformational speaker, blogger, and Certified Executive Coach. She has a heart of a teacher and is certified in Appreciative Inquiry and Emotional Intelligence. She is a contributing writer for Diversity Magazine and Fabulous at 50 magazine. Debra Kasowski International helps executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations boost their productivity, performance, and profits. It all starts with people and passion. www.debrakasowski.com

 

How to Cultivate the Leadership Skills of Your People

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The constant debate of whether or not leaders are born or made is a challenge many organizations face. Many organizations are driven to perform, produce, and profit. After all, you are not in business unless your business is making money.

If you are a leader, you know you cannot motivate anyone to do anything but you can “flick the light switch” for that “ah-ha” moment by askin

Meeting with people around a table with a white puzzle with a red piece standing apart

g questions and encouraging self-reflection. There are several ways you can cultivate leadership skills in your people.

Create a Strong Vision. If the people you lead can see themselves engaged in your vision, you will have willing participants. However, if they cannot see where they fit into your plan, you may encounter resistance or cynicism. A strong vision gives people something to look forward to in anticipation.

“It’s not what the vision is, it’s what the vision does.” – Peter Senge

Offer Educational Opportunities. Education comes in a variety of forms: TED Talks, Journals, Leadership Books, Case Studies, Audio books, You Tube Videos, Workshops, and Conferences. Encourage book discussions or presentations on a workshop they have attended. When your people are learning and growing so is your organization. Education is often one of the first areas cut when their needs to be a cost savings when it should be the last. You never know what creative ideas your people may come up with when they have new knowledge and develop their competencies.

Make Mentorship or Coaching Available. A mentor or coach can help answer questions and challenge assumptions. They can act as a strategic thinking partner. A mentor can share their personal experiences about how he or she handled a particular situation. Whereas, a coach ask questions that encourage self-reflection about potential next steps. Growth is accelerated when you have this type of support system in place.

Encourage Open Communication. Create opportunities for your people to share their successes and challenges so others can learn from them. Take time to acknowledge their efforts. You create unity among team members when they feel their voice and ideas are heard and considered. When your people know that you value them, they will be more engaged in supporting the vision.

“Leaders who make it a practice to draw out the thoughts and ideas of their subordinates and who are receptive even to bad news will be properly informed. Communicate downward to subordinates with at least the same care and attention as you communicate upward to superiors.” – L.B. Belker

Allow for creativity and calculated risk. Organizations advance when they allow their people to get creative and express their ideas. As a leader, you can ask questions so they evaluate the risks and benefits of their ideas. If you do not allow for creativity, other organizations will surpass your organization.

It is important to tap into the diversity of organization. Take time to learn about the knowledge, skills, and abilities the people in your organization have. Some people may be savvy in social media or have strong writing skills but their current role does not allow for them to showcase these talents. As a leader, we need to discover some of these hidden gems that may propel your organization forward. Working from a place of strength is one of the most powerful ways to grow your organization so that it is performing, producing, and profiting. It begins with developing your people.

DEBRA KASOWSKI, BScN CEC is an award-winning best-selling author, transformational speaker, blogger, and Certified Executive Coach. She has a heart of a teacher and is certified in Appreciative Inquiry and Emotional Intelligence. She is a contributing writer for Diversity Magazine and Fabulous at 50 magazine. Debra Kasowski International helps executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations boost their productivity, performance, and profits. It all starts with people and passion. www.debrakasowski.com

Are You Punishing Yourself from Being Successful?

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Sometimes fleeting thoughts can cause turmoil…

No one ever said that chasing your dreams would be a smooth ride. It is more like a roller-coaster full of ups and downs. Definitely not for the faint of heart but it can be exhausting to the point where you say “That’s it! I give up! If I shut everything down, everyone around me will either back off or be happier if I just stop all this nonsense.”ID-10096420

Before you do, I want you to stop for a minute. Let’s really think this through. Let’s say you do stop due to the pressure of your environment or the belief you have in yourself to make things happen. You may make the choice to do exactly that and accept a different routine as a new normal but eventually you will be miserable and potentially resentful for giving up on your dream or goal. Your unhappiness will overflow into all the other areas of your life: your decisions, the way you communicate with others, and your interpersonal relationships. If you try to please everyone else, you are suffocating your purpose and your passion. What are you teaching people around you? How is quitting going to serve you? Part of you will die.

There is a distinct difference between being no longer passionate about what you are doing and quitting because others do not want you to fail or they are worried about how you will change when you reach your goal. Take notice. Their fears have nothing to do with you! It is their stuff about how they feel about stepping out of their comfort zone and going after their dreams. People want you to succeed and they want to help but they also want to protect you from taking a risk and failing. The greatest thing about life’s failures is that you can get up, learn the lesson, try again or change things up. Surround yourself with people who believe, encourage, and support you and who would not ask you to quit.

ID-10089448You are sabotaging your own success when you step back or worse, stop taking action steps in order to calm the waters of other people’s fears, doubt, or criticism. The number one sign you could be sabotaging your own success is procrastination – basically, doing anything else more pleasurable other than what you need to be doing. Consistency is needed for success to be achieved. It is all the small action steps that set you up for achievement.

People may fall along the wayside for a short time or even longer. They may be caught up in a cycle of envy, unworthiness, or re-evaluation of their own lives. They may compare where they are to where you are. Their imagination could be running wild. They may have realized that they have settled or not challenged themselves or do not wish to do so. They may even think you no longer accept them as they are while you chase your goals. The funny thing is – we do not go after what we want to leave people behind. It is awfully lonely if we cannot share our successes with others.

Stop punishing yourself! Let the way you live inspire others. Recognize everyone is on their own journey. We do not have the same passions or purpose. Holding yourself back to please others does not serve any one. You have set the bar for yourself – do not lower it. Encourage others to raise their own standards of what they expect of themselves. You are not the judge – they are. The goals and dreams you are pursuing are YOURS and no one else’s. If you do not follow your passions and what you believe to be your purpose, we all lose. Punishing yourself to fit into the crowd serves no one.

Be the best version of yourself by being the person you know yourself to be. Your happiness will flood the hearts of all you interact with.

Please comment and share with others so they do not stop chasing their dreams.

DEBRA KASOWSKI, BScN CEC is an award-winning best-selling author, transformational speaker, blogger, and Certified Executive Coach. She has a heart of a teacher and is certified in Appreciative Inquiry and Emotional Intelligence. She is a contributing writer for Diversity Magazine and Fabulous at 50 magazine. Debra Kasowski International helps executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations boost their productivity, performance, and profits. It all starts with people and passion. www.debrakasowski.com