What do the people who master their craft do differently than the rest of us? Deliberate practice.

Creativity is a sport in itself. You’re not going to reach the top of your game just by showing up and working 9-5. Putting in a lot of time might make you tired, but simply working a lot isn’t enough to make you a top performer. It’s not the same thing as deliberate practice. Most people who think they are working hard are merely developing the skill of being in the gym, not the skill of making baskets. What Allen Iverson was unable to grasp, is that practice is more important than just showing up to the game with your God-given talent. The difference between those with inherent talent and those who dominate the game is a commitment to mastering your craft, even without a crowd.

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I have been pondering A LOT lately some of the Hallmarks of Profound Leaders or Leadership (the ACT of leading).   Here’s my work-in-progress summary of effective leadership skills. More to come …(to add to the list and to augment each already on it):

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As I ponder the process of vision and goal setting, it’s becoming even more germane to life than even I (an admitted aficionado of such) believed previously. But elements of it also have become more pressing on me–”good Pee-Pee” (as my 2-year old would say) and M&Ms. Let me explain:

When we set goals, we also need to conduct a brutally honest assessment of where we are right now–our starting point.  If we have a VERY clear picture of where we are going (one that we can literally “taste”), AND a brutally honest assessment of where we stand right now; then going from one to the other, from A to B, becomes a largely formulaic exercise.

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How can you work smarter instead of harder?  How can you focus on goal accomplishment?  What can you do to increase your productivity at work?

Let's start big picture here and work backwards.

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