What’s In Your Briefcase?

Everyday when we come to work we bring "stuff" with us. These things can influence---either positively or negatively---how we work, how we interact with other employees & peers, and how we treat & serve our customers.

So, what’s in your briefcase?

• Your Photo ID (with a smiling face)
  A positive attitude! To move forward, you have to stop looking backwards. Football teams only score by someone falling forward with the ball three yards at a time. We all know that we’ve had some obstacles that we’ve had to overcome in the past, but if we continue an atmosphere of rehashing the past, we’ll never positively move into the future. Remember: "Attitude, not aptitude, equals altitude."
  
• Team Jersey
  Do you consistently promote the team? Do you wear your jersey at all times? Are you distracted by something? You can’t play for the Celtics and for the Lakers at the same time. Where your heart is, is where your mind will be too. And what you demonstrate to your customers (and team mates) through company pride & enthusiasm will be make a huge statement about yourself.
  
• Glasses
  Vision. Can you clearly see and share the vision with others? Albert Schweitzer said in his waning years, "My eyesight grows dim, but my vision is clearer than ever." How clear are you on the vision? But not only is vision important, but so is perspective. Great leaders & salespeople not only see things from their own perspective, but also from the perspective of their client’s and support teams.
  
• A Magnifying Glass
  Do you have clear focus? Do you understand your gifts and are you working in those gifts? Anytime you work outside of what you’re gifted with, you’ll always find yourself struggling. Focus on your gifts and work in those; discover others who are gifted in the areas you are not and partner with them on projects & objectives.
  
• A Mirror
  Integrity. Always, without fail, guard and protect your integrity. Don’t carry it on the tip of your finger, allowing it to occasionally fall off so you can slip out of your integrity for even a moment. If necessary, put it in a backpack and strap it around yourself! Do whatever it takes to consistently display the highest morals/ethics and great integrity no matter where you go or what you do. The three self-tests for integrity are: You have nothing to prove, nothing to hide and nothing to lose.
  
• A Good Book
  Personal Leadership Growth. What are you doing to grow your leadership, sales & people skills? You should constantly be growing these skills including taking personal time to do so. As the "CEO of yourself", you lead in your career, in your home, in your church & in your community organizations, you should always be stretching yourself to be a better leader.
  
• Your Watch
  How are you doing with your self management? Are you busy or are you effective? You may be at work for 10 hours or more a day, but are you generating the same amount of productive hours? Do you schedule meetings one after the other and are never getting anywhere on time? Always leave a cushion between meetings so you don’t leave others being unproductive when you’re not where you’re suppose to be due to a delay. And, how are you doing with your "enjoyment" time---your personal leisure time. You have to schedule in time to relax, refresh, re-energize yourself not only for yourself, but also for your family; in the end, it even helps your work better.
  
• Your Phone
  How are your communications skills? Do you actively communicate with your support teams about jobs, objectives, customer issues and projects? Are you properly working with your teams prior to quote presentation? Are you presenting to your clients/prospects professionally?
  
• A Gift Card
  How generous are you? When it comes to giving, stop at nothing! We all go through life with either a ‘scarcity mentality’ or an ‘abundance mentality’. The ‘scarcity mentality’ tells us that we’re never getting what we deserve; that we have to take all the recognition for ourselves because it’s ours; we are jealous of our peers; and that we should never share information. The ‘abundance mentality’ tells us that there’s plenty for everyone; that we celebrate when someone has a win; that we give all the credit for a job well done to the support team; that we share what we know so that others can benefit and possibly bring the team to a higher level. Do you have an attitude of gratitude and send THANK YOU letters to your customers? Zig Ziglar says that the way for a person to become successful is by making other people successful! Remember the saying, "Give without remembering, but accept without forgetting."
  
• A Dictionary
  Do you have your processes right? Do you cooperate or manipulate? Do you communicate or delegate? Are you an encourager or discourager? Do you look for potential or problems? Are you concerned with influence or affluence? Do you evaluate and/or consider giving of yourself to someone based on their self-worth or their net-worth? Do your words contain: team, we, our, us, solutions, etc.; or do they contain: mine, me, I, they, problems, etc.?
  
• A Light
  Are you full of enthusiasm? Who wants to work with a 25-watt bulb? Wouldn’t you rather be around someone who is pumped and enthused about what they’re doing? Always be the most enthusiastic person in the group. Be a 100-watt bulb and turn the light on others!
  
• Your Will
  What impact & legacy are you leaving? When you move on, either by position change/promotion, relocation, retirement, etc., what will be left for others to follow? Will it be a path blazed with excellence and progression, or something else less desirable?
  
  
  So, what do you bring to work with you in your briefcase? Be careful what you pack.