Leadership Quote: What Is Important Is Seldom Urgent…

by Elisa SpainNo Comments

 

This month’s leadership quote:

“What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.”

-Dwight Eisenhower

 

Mother Theresa, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin and other great leaders, past and present, all had the same 24 hours in a day that we do. And, yet we yearn for more time. “If only I had more time,” we say, “I could accomplish so much more. I could do the things I really want to do. I could have more balance.”

What if, instead, we simply paused each day and asked these two simple questions that Benjamin Franklin asked himself at the beginning, and at the end, of each day:

• What good can I do today?
• What good have I done today?

What if we then set out to prioritize our day, according to the Eisenhower quote above. Making immediate time for the urgent/important, saving time for the important/non-urgent, ignoring the non-urgent/non-important and then delegating the urgent/non-important?

How would you feel if you could answer Mr. Franklin’s important question, to your satisfaction, at the end of each day?

Elisa K. Spain

Leadership Quote: Success Is Getting What You Want…

by Elisa SpainNo Comments

 

This month’s leadership quote:

“Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.”

-Dale Carnegie

We can always count on Dale Carnegie to remind us, attitude is everything.  In his books and in this quote Dale reminds us…when we take the time to celebrate what is, in ourselves and others, happiness is the result.

Elisa K. Spain

Leadership Quote: If We Only Focus On Fixing What's Wrong…

by Elisa SpainNo Comments

 

This month’s leadership quote:

“If we only focus on fixing what’s wrong, we forget to notice and build what is good and strong.”

-Rebecca Wilkinson

So often in our quest to be better, both as people and in our companies, we forget this advice. No question, sometimes fixing is what is required, technology becomes outdated, systems break down, etc.

And many times, the best approach is first to notice what is good and strong and then work to build upon it. Or as I am fond of saying, “discover both our’s and our company’s genius and then work to become excellent at what we are already good at.”

Next time, you make the list of what needs fixing, perhaps draw a line and then make a list of what is good and needs building.

Elisa K. Spain

Vistage CEO Confidence Index: Optimism Among Small Firms At Highest Level In 3 Years In Q1 2015

by Elisa SpainNo Comments

 

The quarterly Vistage Confidence Index is now available.CI-graph-q115-280

Confidence among CEOs has remained higher for a longer period than at any other time in the past ten years, according to a survey of 1,541 small- to mid-sized business owners. The survey, which took place from March 9 to March 18, 2015, provides a clear snapshot of current economic, market and industry trends.

The Vistage Confidence Index was 105.8 in the 1st quarter of 2015, between the 107.5 in the 4th quarter and 101.3 in the 1st quarter of 2014. The recent survey represented the eighth consecutive year-to-year increase, a new record for the persistence of optimism. The small 1st quarter loss involved all components, although none registered a significant decline. The stability in CEOs’ confidence stands in sharp contrast to the slowdown in the pace of economic growth at year-end, which has persisted into the 1st quarter of 2015.

Below are some key highlights from the Q1 2015 Vistage CEO Confidence Index (all members surveyed):

  • 61% of CEOs said the economy has improved in the past year – the third highest level
    since the start of 2005.
  • 45% of CEOs expect the economy to improve in the next year, well above last year’s 37%.
  • 36% of CEOs said that locating, hiring, training, and retaining staff was the most significant
    business issue they are currently facing.
  • 48% of CEOs plan to increase investments in new plant and equipment, and CEOs expressed
    the most expansive investment plans during the past four quarters that any other time since 2006.
  • 77% of CEOs expect their revenues to increase in the year ahead, unchanged from last
    quarter and above last year’s 74%.

Elisa K. Spain

Leadership Quote: Compete With Things To Come…

by Elisa SpainNo Comments

 

This month’s leadership quote:

“Compete with things to come – not with things that were.”

-Carlos Rizowy

 So easy to look in the rear view mirror and ask ourselves, what’s coming? And, what Carlos reminds us is that what we see in the rear view mirror are only the things that are present now. The things to come require “eyes down the road”, as they say in driver training. It is only when we are looking down the road that we can see what we will be faced with and, therefore, will be competing with.

If we wait until it is in front of us, it is, at a minimum, more costly and often too late to respond.

Elisa K. Spain

Leadership Quote: Innovation Is Hard…

by Elisa SpainNo Comments

 

This month’s leadership quote:

“Innovation is hard because ‘solving a problem people didn’t know they had’

and ‘building something no one needs’ look identical at first.”

-Aaron Levine

Steve Jobs is noted for “solving a problem people didn’t know they had” time after time, first with the Mac, then ITunes, the IPhone, the IPad, etc. etc. And most of us will acknowledge that Steve was a rare genius. So… what can the rest of us mere mortals learn from Steve about innovation? Here’s what I observed that Steve did:

  • He was focused – He started with the desktop and it wasn’t until he built that market that he designed products for other needs, with his first big breakthrough the IPhone 
  • He was observant – He carefully watched what his customer did, saw the gaps, watched what was frustrating for them
  • He was determined – I recall reading that when he first came up with the idea of ITunes there were many barriers to making it happen, one by one, he broke through them all

While coming up with the innovative idea may initially seem to be the hard part, my sense is innovation is like everything else in business, it’s executing on the right things at the right time.

Elisa K. Spain

 

Vistage CEO Confidence Index: Optimism At Highest Level In Ten Years in Q4 2014

by Elisa SpainNo Comments

 

The quarterly Vistage Confidence Index is now available. CI-graph-q4-280

Confidence among CEOs reached its highest level in ten years in the Q4 2014 Vistage CEO Confidence Index survey. The gain
in the closing quarter of 2014 was largely due to more favorable assessments of the current state of the economy as well as more favorable prospects for economic growth during the year ahead. The Vistage Confidence Index was 107.5 in the 4th quarter of 2014, up from 103.4 in the 3rd quarter and 101.5 in last year’s 4th quarter, and the highest level since 109.8 was recorded in the 1st quarter of 2005. The data indicate that most firms believe the economy has made substantial progress and will continue to grow in 2015.

Below are some key highlights from the Q4 2014 Vistage CEO Confidence Index (all members surveyed):

  • 63% of CEOs said the economy has improved in the past year–the highest since the Q4 2004 survey.
  • 49% of CEOs expect the economy to improve in the next year, up from 38% in last quarter’s survey.
  • 62% of CEOs anticipated expanding their workforce in the year ahead, the highest level since 64% was recorded in Q1 2006.
  • 77% of all CEOs expected their revenues to increase in the year ahead, the highest level since 2006.
  • 62% of CEOs expected profits to increase in the year ahead.

Elisa K. Spain

Leadership Quote: Success Is All About Growing Others…

by Elisa SpainNo Comments

 

December’s leadership quote:

“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself.

When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.”

-Jack Welch

While personal growth and development is lifelong, it is only through developing others that we achieve measurable results in our businesses. As a Vistage chair and leadership coach, I have the opportunity to observe every form of leadership. Here is what I see… it is those leaders that truly invest time and money in developing others that cross the dividing line from operator to leader.

No coincidence that nearly 20% of Vistage members produce annual revenue >$50mm; while less than 1.5% of US companies overall produce more than $25M in annual revenue and less than .27% produce more than $100M.

Elisa K. Spain

Today Is Giving Tuesday

by Elisa SpainNo Comments

 

Today, on Giving Tuesday, nonprofits, families, businesses and students around the world come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give. Here in Illinois, Donors Forum, led by Eric Weinheimer (former member and friend of Vistage), is coordinating this initiative. They have one bold goal: #ILGIVEBIG, $12 million raised by Illinois nonprofits from 100,000 individual donors — in one day.

To celebrate today, I created a matching gift opportunity.

Many of you know about my passion for The CARA Program, a true social innovator (the only social purpose organization nominated for the Chicago Innovation Award).

Right now, anyone who chooses to give to this mission, I will match that gift, dollar for dollar, up to $5,000 (total gift of $10,000).

To make a donation of any amount, click here.  (And, please add “Elisa Spain Matching Gift” in the comments section to ensure your gift is matched.)

Thank you in advance for joining me on Giving Tuesday with a donation to the Cara Program, or to the social purpose organization of your choice.