A few years back I read a book “One Word That Will Change Your Life” by Jon Gordon and Jimmy Page.  This one idea has been very impactful to me personally as well as professionally over the past few years.  The concept is that you choose 1 word to try and live your life towards during the year.  In 2016 my 1 word was “intentional”.  Every action that I took during the year I would try measure up to see if it was helping me be more intentional.  With the help of the Freedom Journal written by John Lee Dumas and my daily journal using workflowy I was able to accomplish so much more this year than in years past.  The key was that I really had to make choices and be intentional with my time.  Every time we say yes to something we are actually saying no to something else.  If you want to learn more about “one word” & “Jon Gordon” search for it on youtube. 

• I heard a quote by John Quincy Adams the other day that boiled down leadership into 1 sentence.  “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”  That pretty much sums up our job as a leader in a nut shell.  Given this definition it doesn’t even take a title to be a great leader.  Think back to a time where you felt you worked or played for a great leader.
• The worst thing a leader can do to try and attain long term success is to use the power of their position to get people to follow.  This is a leadership shortcut designed for those that do not want to take the time to build relationships along the way.  This may work for a short time but this type of leadership is not sustainable.  The number 1 step to being a successful leader is that you must care.  You need to care about yourself, you need to care about the purpose and most importantly you need to care about the people you are trying to lead.   
• The other interesting point about the quote by Adams is that he uses the words “your actions” to start the whole quote.  This may sound subtle but notice he didn’t say your words.  The leader has to be setting the example to get 100% buy in from the team.   
• As I look forward to 2017 I have put quite a bit of thought into the one word that I will try to base my life around.  I have decided that my one word for 2017 will be inspire.  I really feel that this one word hits both my personal as well as my professional goals for 2017.  As I continue to write this blog I hope it can inspire some of you along the way.  Feel free to reply with your “one word” for 2017.