ideaPraxy is growing!!

January 21, 2016

ideaPraxy is growing. We are excited to welcome Leslie Cline to our team. Leslie’s passion and experience has been in building high performing teams in the financial and professional services industries by blending strong leadership skills and strategic planning with a focus on implementation. Leslie has spent over 20 years in senior management and executive roles building marketing and business strategies in markets around the globe. “I am thrilled to be joining Cliff and the ideaPraxy team. They have a strong record of being catalysts for their clients by increasing growth and revenue”, says Leslie. “Making a difference is what matters.”

Tools I Use To Stay Organized: Tasks

January 7, 2016

Even though I run a small business and consult on the highly linear topics of strategy and tactics, I am a creative. Although creativity enhances my abilities to contribute in problem solving and the aforementioned strategy and tactics, it can also manifest itself in me noticing every proverbial “squirrel” that runs by.

Sowing and Reaping

November 6, 2015

Sowing and reaping are such important principles to grasp and believe in when you are leading. In fact, I believe they are the fuel in the engine of moving anything or anybody anywhere.

But first you have to believe it works.

It’s About Them….

October 29, 2015

The older I get the more I realize how completely self-absorbed I am. It’s terrible. I say I am self-actualized, but often that is just a fancy hyphenated word defining the phrase “really accomplished navel gazer”.

At some level starting ideaPraxy a few years back has taught me to be far more focussed on my clients and their needs. At a much deeper level, being married and having four children has caused me to understand far more deeply I must give of myself, because it is about them.

Reality Check….Time to Re-Boot

September 30, 2015

One of the things that I find difficult about putting myself out there – like in this blog – is that I am trying to impart helpful or motivational information to inspire and maybe even positively transform people’s lives and businesses. So I put my best thoughts and ideas out there, and hope for a positive influence.

Are You on “Their” Radar?

February 2, 2015

Who are they? They are your prospects and your past clients. They are your network and your industry contacts.

Often the challenge of a small business or even a leader in a large organization is that when business is booming, we gladly leave behind the “gruelling” task of relationship management. We don’t have time for that golf game or dinner event. We don’t drop a line or make a call for a few minutes to check in with someone.

So You Want to Raise Some Money

June 17, 2014

As a musician I get a kick out of those who approach me and say, “I wish I could play and sing like you.” Invariably I respond with a simple answer. “Start, take lessons, look up how to play on YouTube for free, it’s all there for the taking.” There is some natural gifting required to truly master a skill, but like anything else in life it simply takes a lot of practice and hard work. But people often respond with an excuse: there’s no time, no natural talent, etc. I don’t buy it. There is usually a lack of either desire or humility to start from a place of beginnings. Everyone wants to be a pro without working at it.

Organizational Culture IS Your Leadership Test – Part 2

April 25, 2014

One of the most difficult tasks in leadership is to fire people. Senior leaders are among the few with the authority to do it but, sadly, few of them exercise that authority – often to the detriment of themselves and their organization.

What to do when you get a flat tire…..

July 17, 2013

I am a novice cyclist and have been trying to get more into it. Last week I took my bike in to get tuned up and get a tire replaced. This morning, trying to get more consistent I woke early, added some air to the tire (within PSI guidelines I might add), and boom it burst! Best laid plans. I had a flat tire, so I ran. I am not a big fan of running. Cycling is easier on the body and therefore easier to do for longer periods of time which equals more calories burned.

To be honest, I wanted to go inside, make a coffee and workout another day, but I knew I had to keep the momentum that had been building over the last few weeks. It is the same in our organizations too. Keeping the ship moving half way towards the goal when something breaks is better than not moving at all.

What to Do in “The Overwhelm”

July 1, 2013

What do great organizations have in common? Leaders who are able to clearly define the best course of action and make correct, timely decisions toward that course.

The best organizations rarely experience significant drift; that is one of the things that makes them great. But what if you are finding there are several things pulling you away from the course you know you should be on? In my experience you are most likely already in, or will soon experience, a state of overwhelm.

In those times I am reminded of the old book “E-Myth” by Michael Gerber. Although a book aimed at the small business entrepreneur, some of its concepts are applicable to even the largest organizations.

One of the key points of E-Myth is teaching technicians who have launched a business to work on their business, not in their business. Overwhelm often occurs when we become focussed on tasks instead of the big picture. Leaders must make sure that all of the necessary functions within an organization are integrated and accomplishing their part of vision actualization.

The most difficult part of taking the step back from the busyness of tasks is that it will test your leadership to actually lead towards the vision. This will mean re-evaluating your teams roles, their performance, and perhaps even their ability to stay on the team. At the end of the day, however, a team will be more impressed with a leader’s calm approach to vision accomplishment then they will with overwhelmed busyness.

Category: Organizational Leadership