I have a fierce determination to pursue my dreams, advocate for myself, and be the voice for others but I keep striving to level up to a whole different level. It doesn't matter how long you've been in the game, there's always something to learn. We simply need to approach every learning opportunity with humility and an unrelenting pursuit. Here are 3 key traits to drive action:

1. Courage. Boldly taking a step in pursuit of your goal. If you want to fully and truly be the leader you wished you had and you want to live the life of your dreams, you have to take the step you're afraid to take. Fear cannot be the boss of you. Commit to not making your current situation a prediction of your future. You have to do things you couldn't imagined doing one year ago. 
2. Focus. Have your vision, make values-based goals and align every decision, behaviour and word with your vision, values, and goals. There is an abundance of information (not necessarily factual) to distract you from your true pursuit. Know your values and know your goals. Shut out the naysayers. Open the door wide for your cheerleaders.
3. Endurance. You'll hold little value to things that have been handed to you on a silver platter. You have to put in the work and it might be hard slugging. You're probably thinking, "I could never do that!" Firstly, whatever you believe to be true is true and, secondly, those are the challenges in which you have to level up to if you want your vision to become a reality. It will be hard and there will be times when you will need to persevere against external forces and, unfortunately, your own saboteurs. Remain steadfast in your pursuit.

I've elevated these qualities within me through the years. I know that you have goals and a spirit that remains untapped. When are you going to listen to the voice in your head or all of your cheerleaders telling you to go for it? I can help you. I'm your biggest cheerleader:)

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High fives to all of you for continuing to put one foot forward during one of the greatest economic disruptions in history. Although some of us have returned to the office and children have headed back to school, COVID-19 continues to impact our daily lives.   

When the pandemic first began, you and your leadership team likely shifted all attention and resources to understanding and mitigating COVID-19's immediate threat to your business, employees and markets. Though eyes will need to remain on short term contingency planning, leaders must shift their focus on inspiring a shared vision for the future. Sitting in that space with your leadership team and your organization's employees helps to create a shared understanding of what's possible in the future. It creates excitement and engagement towards the organization's goals and aspirations. This is even more applicable if your business was forced to pivot in light of the current economic state of the world.

James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner, authors of The Leadership Challenge, define leadership as, “The art of mobilizing others to want to struggle for shared aspirations”.  They also highlight leadership practices that inspire a shared vision:

1. Talking about future trends that influence how work gets done.
2. Describing a compelling image of what the future could be.
3. Appealing to others to share an exciting dream of the future.
4. Showing others how their long term interests can be realized by enlisting in a common vision.
5. Painting a big picture of what you aspire to accomplish.
6. Speaking with genuine conviction about the higher meaning and purpose of the work.      

Employees wish for a new reality and believe that something better is over the horizon. Leverage the enthusiasm to propel your business forward! The responsibility falls to leaders during this time to help their teams envision the new world. Now is the time to create that vision, take action and lead your team towards it.

Your team is craving visionary leadership now more than ever. It is the positive change they need to see in the world.

If you're unsure of how to start, connect with me and I'll support you and your leadership team to envision and take action towards a better future.

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I have a feeling many of you are like me in that you really enjoy enriching conversations with people - familiar faces or fresh ones. It's one of the many things that fill my cup. One of the questions I'm often asked and was just asked once again last week is, "How do you do what you do?" That's a pretty broad question so I always ask them, what exactly do they mean. Inevitably, they respond with, "How do you have the courage to do all that you do at work and at home? I just don't have your confidence." 

It doesn't matter the number of times I'm asked this question, I'm instantly humbled. 

One of the things about me is that I march to the beat of my own drums. As my business names implies, I'm The Live Fiercely Coach. I named my business as such because I live life fiercely. Of course, I clue into social norms and cues, and align myself with the right side of the law, but otherwise, from my lens, the world is my oyster (and I believe it's yours, too!).

To live life fiercely, your mindset has to be clear, your values must be the driver of your decisions, and your goals must light a passion in you that even the greatest ninja warrior couldn't slow you down. 

I welcome you to embody my mantra. It will change your life forever!
 
"Think of the career and life you dream. 
Ignore all the naysayers. 
Surround yourself with cheerleaders. 
Go after your dream with fierce determination." - Michele D. Cameron

Life is to be lived fiercely, my friends. Now is the time to fulfill your dreams. I can help you.

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Have you ever attended a meeting that felt like a waste of your precious time? Did you start thinking about the 100 better things you could be doing other than sitting in that meeting?  

I had a leader who had a habit of creating an agenda and like clockwork, about 20 minutes into the meeting, threw the agenda out the window and started digressing to talk about anything that came to their mind. It was frustrating. It threw off my whole day's schedule! I tried to tell them there was a better way but it didn't matter. They used the same approach every meeting. 

Are you guilty of leading meetings where your employees are thinking the same thing? Be honest. What does your team think about your meetings with them? Have you asked for their feedback?
​ 
Effective communication is a skill especially as it relates to leading diverse teams. We either over or under communicate, are micro managers or relinquish responsibility all together, or we switch between the two options. Trust me, fierce friends, there is a better way. Lead one-on-one meetings with your team members with the below guiding points so they're empowered to succeed: 

1. Frequency – To lead your team effectively, look at having regularly scheduled, one-to-one, weekly or bi-weekly meetings. Regular meetings allow you to empower your team member’s progress on goals and projects, to get a status update of their work, remove obstacles, guide and coach them, and share relevant information.  
   
   
2. Structure – Your conversation with your team member should be focused on: 
   1. Getting updates from them. 
   2. Knowing where you need to make key decisions to allow them to move forward and then making those decisions.
   3. Staying connected on their progress towards their quarterly goals. 
   4. Learning the problems blocking their progress and supporting them to determine the best solution (remember, you don’t have to have all of the answers and, likely, the answer lies within your team member – coach them towards it!). 
      
      
3. Duration – Have you had meetings with your leader that seem to go on forever? Why is that? No agenda? Deviating from the agenda? Whatever the reason, it’s painful! It throws off your schedule for the day, if not, the whole week’s schedule.
   
   Aim for less than one hour. Have a shared agenda and stick to it. Provide advance notice on any topic that you need to dive deeper on so they are prepared. Do your best not to go over the meeting end time by building the agenda together and accurately estimating time for each item. If you find that you will need to go over time, let them know as soon as you are aware and ask if they have time to continue or if another time is preferred. You may be their leader, but you’re not the only person they’re meeting with that day.
   
   
4. Commitment – From time to time we have to adjust to unexpected changes in our personal or work priorities. Sick children, last minute project deliverable, and other events require us to monitor and modify our schedules regularly. Although you may prefer a different meeting day/time, your team member may have scheduled other meetings knowing that they’ll be able to speak with you and get answers from you about their projects at the regularly set time. Do your best not to reschedule or cancel your weekly meeting with them.
   
   

Approaching your team meetings with the above in mind will increase your bandwidth and will result in an engaged, highly productive and well-resourced team.

What are your thoughts on these guiding points? What have you found to be effective with your team meetings?

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