Leadership Fitness in 5 Minutes with Gary Slyman

Thankful for each of you in the Great Transitions Strategies Community

There are over 45,000 veteran organizations, how do you know which one's to support?  Below are five that I have personally worked with or know others who have had direct positive impact from them.    Each of these help the veteran, their family and the local community.  Commit Foundation - helps veterans transition ( www.commitfoundation.org ) Project Opportunity, Baltimore -  provides 10 week en...

What intentional change did you try to make this year? What were the results? Were they positive or negative? What if you could apply some science to ensure you can make changes and they are sustainable?   Listen to hear the details and comment your thoughts below.

Self-Awareness. This is the most important element of your leadership. If you understand who you are you can lead well. I explore two parts of self-awareness, from the research and book by Tasha Eurich. 1. Internal - how clearly you see yourself, your insights, goals, the impact you have on others. 2. External- how clearly you see yourself as others see you.   They are independent of each other. R...

It's the end of October. Let's look back and evaluate how e have done this year and use it to plan the next. Take a look at the year. Look at January. Did you have resolutions? Have some goals? Did you have a word for your year? Did you set a resolution? Can you check them off? Why or why not? You still have a few months to check them off? What were your goals you set for yourself? Reevaluate thos...

Executive Presence - Authenticity  How do you ensure your authenticity?  Know your values and demonstrate them all the time.  Know your top values. Define your values Communicate them frequently Values drive us...we are daily trying to fulfill them. 

Our series on Executive Presence has ended, but now let's look at: How do You Evaluate Yourself? I suggest a 360 evaluation, that you write. Think about what you want to know. I recommend no more than six questions over the areas below, some with a scale and some with free form comments, keeping the questions short. Areas to explore... Executive Presence: Gravitas, Communication, & Appearance.   N...

Did you catch the Monday morning standup? Our series on Executive Presence is wrapped up, with guidance on creating an action plan.   Over the past few weeks we covered the three areas of Executive Presence: Gravitas, Communication, & Appearance.   Now let's make a plan. Work through the following: 1. What's the work that needs to be done? 2. Be specific 3. Be authentic   This is for YOU and those...

Executive Presence: Appearance Gravitas Communication Appearance * Two elements that affect your appearance. Fitness. Are you fit and able to handle the job. You don't have to be an athlete, but fit enough to do what your position demands of you. Do you look the part? Wearing the right clothes at the right time for the right event. Appearance isn't that important but it can derail you.  Appearance...

September is Suicide Awareness month. Those in your workplace are affected by suicide, there is a ripple effect and you as a leader can have an impact. Three areas to look at to prevent mental crises Effective behavior health Connectedness  Coping & problem solving skills  Considering the above and complete a before action report: What are your intended results? (e.g. zero mental health crises) Wh...

This past week I took a brief break from leadership lessons to remember 9/11.  September 11, 2001. Where were you? I bet you know exactly where you were. What were your thoughts? As we reflect on Patriot day we think about all those lives that were lost. If you weren't born yet, how has it affected life? Life has changed. Today is a time remember.

The next pillar in the Executive Presence series. Executive Presence: Communication Communication is pillar number two. Think through the following three areas. 1. How are you being heard? What's your voice, pace, and grammar? 2. How are you connecting with your audience? 3. Can you adjust your audience? Think about yourself and others that lead. Are you mastering the area of communication in your...

First pillar of executive presence: Gravitas Gravitas is a feeling about a leader. These are the elements that make up those feelings. Think about those you know with great executive presence and then think about yourself.     Performance under pressure - do you want to be close or around them  Decisiveness - ability to make decision in a timely manner with correct data and clarity  Integrity - ca...

Executive Presence Gravitas - what is your impact? What do you bring to the company? Especially in times of stress or chaos. Communication - both written and spoken Appearance - do you look the part? Think about yourself and those you work for. Do you have executive presence?

Do those you lead love what they do?  Each year Gallup publishes a poll about happiness in the workplace. There are 4 areas they explore. Take a few minutes to examine yourself and those you lead to see how you can improve. How well are they listened to? - people want to know you care and want to feel heard. Do they know the expectations? - over 50% of employees do not know what is expected of the...

What Would be the Impact on Your Life if you had Complete Control of your Calendar? Does that seem possible to you? What were your first thoughts when you herd that question? Here are four areas where you need a mindset shift. Boundaries - do you have time just for you? who has access to your calendar to schedule? Priorities - know what they are, looking at your calendar can show you.  Saying No -...

Are your unconscious biases or the unconscious biases of your organization limiting your success at your war on talent 1.  What are your hiring practices?   2.  Who are you excluding?   Work through these questions with me and make sure you and your organization are getting the best talent for your team.

War for Talent: What About Veterans? Are organizations overlooking veterans? There are over 9.8 million vacancies and not enough people to fill them. Veterans, are you becoming a student and educator to help the private sector how what you have to offer? Organizations are you trying to understand how the veteran community can help and fill these positions. Take time to understand each other and th...

Want to improve in a Professional Area? Find an expert!! And explore these three areas. Fundamentals - what are those fundamentals you need to master to improve in this area  Assessments - assess where you are in terms of the above fundamentals Practice - taking action so you can get better                  Remove frustration and accelerate your path by getting a professional. Two popular areas de...

A brief history and traditions of Independence day. Do you know the history? Do you know why we have fireworks?   Tune in to hear the details. How are you celebrating this 4th of July?   Miss previous standups? They are all on the podcast: Leadership Fitness: 5 Minute Leadership Lessons

We are half-way through our year.  Let's do a check-in on your goals and assess your progress.   Look at the following three areas.  1. What have you accomplished?   Did you catch the Monday morning standup?  Take time to look back, see what has been accomplished as an individual and as a team and then celebrate those things.  2. What has changed?   Look at your budget/revenue, schedule and perfor...

  Want to Build Your Influence Consider These Three Areas.   1. Be deliberate about the skills you want to develop 2. Build deep and real relationships 3. Develop deep expertise   Want to know more? Comment the word "influence" for more resources.

4 Areas to Evaluate How You are Supported & How You Support Those You Lead Information - Do you have the information at your fingertips to do what you need to do quickly, efficiently and effectively Rewards & Recognition - Are you recognizing the right people, at the right time, for the right reasons? Development/Education & Training - Do you have the correct trainings and education being offered?...

3 Criteria to Evaluate Your Decision Making You are a leader therefore you are a decision maker. How good are you at making decisions? Rate yourself 0-10, then ask those you work with to do the same. There are three areas I would ask you to look at to evaluate how you make decisions. Decisiveness - do you spend the right amount of time and give the right priorities to your decisions? Understanding...

This was a Memorial Day message but just as applicable for every day. For Gold Star families Memorial Day is every day. This Memorial Day take some time to honor and remember those that have given their lives for our freedoms. Maybe you don't know anyone personally but look around your community, often bridges or roads are named after fallen heroes. Participate in a parade or festivities that talk...