Episode Transcript
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Stephen McLain (00:00):
Hi, this is
Stephen McLain of the Finance
Leader Podcast.
This is episode number 133.
I hope you are having a greatweek and accomplishing much.
I believe that in the midst ofchaos and in confusing times,
leaders need to step up evenmore.
We need to establish a clearpath when everything around is
unknown and unpredictable.
(00:21):
Leaders need to be laserfocused on the goal so they can
continuously lead their teamsthrough any crisis or anything
that is unknown.
This is such an important topicthat I decided to share a
replay of episode number 116,.
Stay focused and avoid the usualdistractions to achieve success
.
What we let distract us willown our energy and our time.
(00:47):
Our habits and routines must bestrong to overcome any
distraction that can lure usaway from accomplishment and top
results.
Stay focused on your goals.
Ensure you are scheduling andkeeping your weekly team meeting
and the one-on-one sessionswith each team member.
Let your team talk over whatmay be stopping them from
(01:07):
accomplishing their goals.
Help your team get focused.
Help them with better habitsand coach them to success.
As the leader, you must be theconstant, steady variable.
When things are changing allaround, they need to look to you
, so you must be rock steady inyour attitude, your demeanor and
in the execution of your dailyduties.
(01:29):
They will follow you.
So this is why you need to seta strong, steady, focused
example.
So please enjoy this encore.
Replay of episode number 116.
Stay focused and avoid theusual distractions to achieve
success.
I'll be back next week with anew episode.
You can find more resources atfinanceleaderacademycom.
(01:49):
Please enjoy the rest of yourweek and thank you for listening
to the Finance Leader Podcast.
Enjoy this week.
I'm talking about stayingfocused so we accomplish our
goals, we complete our taskswith excellence and we lead our
teams with purpose.
(02:09):
What we let distract us willown our energy and our time.
Our habits and routines must bestrong to overcome any
distraction that can lure usaway from accomplishment and top
results any distraction thatcan lure us away from
accomplishment and top results.
I want you to create a visionof success for yourself, to stay
focused on what you want toachieve.
(02:30):
We will overcome anydistraction and obstacle that
gets in our way.
That will be our pledge toourselves.
Please enjoy the episode.
Welcome to the Finance LeaderPodcast, where leadership is
bigger than the numbers.
I am your host, Stephen McLain.
This is the podcast fordeveloping leaders in finance
and accounting.
(02:51):
Please consider following me onTwitter, facebook, instagram
and LinkedIn.
My usernames and the links arein this episode's show notes.
Thank you.
This is episode number 116, andI'll be talking about staying
focused so you stay on trackwith your goals, and I will
highlight the following topics.
Number one change your habitsso you avoid the usual
(03:14):
distractions.
Number two create a visionboard to help turn your dream
into reality.
And three schedule and documentyour goal achievement plan.
Ll Cool J said it best stayfocused, go after your dreams
and keep moving toward yourgoals.
How many of you feel the newyear is moving along fast?
(03:37):
It always does.
Life gets at us and time slipsaway.
This is why it's so importantto become focused, to become
goal oriented and to decide tobe deliberate with our time and
our energy.
Do you want to accomplish thatbig goal this year?
What is going to stop you?
What can you do to prepareyourself for goal accomplishment
(03:59):
?
How can you guard your mindsetfor growth and development?
That is why we need to bedeliberate about where we use
our time and our energy.
Last week, in episode 115, Italked about using a SMART goal
planning and setting system tohelp us better dissect and put
together a plan that makes sensefor us.
(04:21):
Smart stands for Specific,measurable, achievable,
realistic and Time-bound.
I encourage you to plan yourgoals using the SMART method and
also to have a written planthat can be reviewed and updated
.
On Finance Leader Academy, youcan download the free
goal-setting workbook.
And also, please sign up forour mid-year goal review
(04:43):
challenge, which will begin inJune.
More information on that willbe shared later.
Please listen to last week'sepisode if you missed it, or
please listen again if you needto.
I believe it will help you.
We have big goals and I know weall want to accomplish all of
them.
Sometimes it's us that stops usand we need to review
(05:05):
everything we do so we setourselves up for long-term
success, and it can be anythingthat tries to take our
concentration away from us.
What we let distract us willown our time and our energy.
What often distracts you fromworking on a goal?
What distracts you from anytype of self-improvement task?
When you get distracted, ittakes you away from your goals
(05:29):
and it takes you away from yourdream.
Now there are good distractions, like your child who needs some
help with homework.
That is a great distraction.
So go do that activity becauseit matters much in the long-term
plan of your life, but what Iam referring to is going off to
do some meaningless activitywhen you could be working on a
(05:49):
goal like watching one moreepisode of that TV show instead
of working on a class that canhelp you grow a skill or some
other critical development piece.
It comes down to which activityis more important to you.
Keep your mind and your eyes onthe bigger prize.
Now we need to address ourhabits.
(06:10):
Do your habits support goalaccomplishment?
Do your habits support aproductive day?
We all need to develop betterhabits.
If you want to begin withbetter habits, to set yourself
up, begin with a more productivemorning and evening routine.
How you begin your day and howyou end your day factors into
(06:31):
our overall productivity notjust goal accomplishment, but
also your general approach toany work that you do.
Are you getting enough rest,actually enough good rest?
Do you have a process that setsyou up for restful sleep?
Are you drinking enough waterand have a nutrition plan that
supports you feeling energized?
(06:52):
Please consult your doctor orother certified professional to
develop a plan that makes sensefor you.
We briefly talked aboutdistractions and habits and
having a written plan, but Ialso want to mention again,
because it is so important, thathaving a supportive inner
circle is a must.
(07:13):
The closest people in your lifehave a lot of influence over you
, what you do and even how youthink.
Do the people who are closestto you also believe in personal
growth and development?
Do they have a growth mindset,or are they huge distractions
who take you away from goalaccomplishment?
You have to assess and make adecision who you will allow to
(07:37):
get close to you.
Additionally, you must have avision for yourself.
Have you ever completed avision board?
A vision board is a visualrepresentation of what you want
to accomplish and what isimportant to you.
I don't think I've ever doneone before.
I have often used post-it notesto remind myself of what I am
trying to get done.
(07:58):
A post-it note on my monitorhas been my way to remind me why
I am showing up every day.
I am really looking at visionboards right now.
A lot of people have beentalking about creating a vision
board to capture in one place togive powerful visual reminders
about me and my goals and mydreams.
I am working on one.
(08:19):
Another important aspect ofstaying focused is documenting
your success, which includes allupdates as you complete your
goals and any changes you have.
This helps you to see what youhave accomplished, what you are
working on and where you stillwant to go.
Our success often relies on ourproductivity, which is
controlled by our distractions.
(08:39):
You may have a new TV seasonyou want to watch desperately,
but you also know you need todedicate some time to goal
achievement.
You can set online timers for15 or 20 minute work sessions.
Stick to those timers.
Put down the phone, set theroom mood to productivity, maybe
with some music or totalsilence, set the right lighting
(09:01):
and then work intensely for thatset time.
Document what you got done andreview your progress.
How do you set yourself up forsuccess?
That is what today's discussionis all about.
If your long-term goal is to bea CFO, then what key decisions
about your life and career doyou need to make?
What roles do you need tostrive for like team manager and
(09:22):
director?
What organizations oropportunities can help you along
more than others, and what keyskills and credentials do you
need to develop and achieve?
These considerations should beincluded in your written
individual development plan.
Now let's talk about stayingfocused so you stay on track
with your goals.
Number one change your habits soyou avoid the usual
(09:45):
distractions.
Distractions can easily derailyou from success.
Again, what we let distract uswill own our energy and our time
.
Our distractions did become ourfocus and the good distractions
are okay.
Will you allow this?
Is watching another TV showgoing to help you achieve your
dreams?
Not at all.
(10:05):
How do you want to prioritizeyour time and your energy?
Our goals are important.
They often tie into our dreams.
For me, my dream keeps me goingand on track every single day.
My daily hope lives in the factthat I know I'm striving to
achieve my long-term dream.
I live knowing that tomorrowwill be better than today
(10:29):
because I will do a little morework on my goals and strengthen
my mindset.
I know that improving ourmorning and evening routines can
set us up for more and betterproductivity.
How we arise in the morning andwhat we do at night to prepare
will pay huge dividends.
At night, do you prepare whatyou will wear the next day?
(10:50):
Do you put together all thethings you will need, or do you
run around in the morning in afrenzy?
Number two create a vision boardto help turn your dream into
reality.
How do you capture the visionyou have for your life.
Having a visual you can reviewcan be powerful for setting your
mindset right, for helping usgetting even more intensely
(11:11):
focused, for knowing and puttingon paper or a screen what you
want to do so you commityourself to high accomplishment.
I like the idea of puttingtogether a visual representation
of where you want to go.
It serves as a reminder thattomorrow will be better than
today, as long as we staycommitted, growth-oriented and
(11:33):
focused.
By developing a long-termvision, it can help you see and
feel where you want to go andwhat you want to do.
A short-term vision board canalso be very helpful.
Maybe there are key decisionsto be made or maybe you have
entered a period of life thatrequires you to think only out a
few months.
Capture what you want to do toget past this time so you can
(11:57):
see it and envision how younavigate the current situation.
Number three schedule anddocument your goal achievement
plan.
A written individualdevelopment plan becomes our
gateway to goal accomplishmentand to success.
You are more likely toaccomplish your goals if you
write them down and by trackingyour progress.
(12:18):
I recommend that you scheduleyour goal tasks on your calendar
, if you plan and own yourcalendar, you will also have a
greater chance to succeed.
Use production countdown timers.
Adopt prioritizing your tasklist, learn to say no and learn
to ask how really importantsomething is against the big
(12:38):
picture so you can prioritize.
Update your progress regularly.
I love to mark off progress onmy to-do list and my goal list.
Don't a lot of us Personallyown your progress by using the
tools available?
When you complete one objectiveor one goal, you will get
personal pride in youraccomplishment and then you can
(13:00):
complete more, which will giveyou momentum.
After you build momentum, youcan be unstoppable, and that's
where I want you to be A strongmindset on the path to dream
fulfillment.
Use the momentum of checkingitems off as they are done to
keep going strong all year.
As a quick summary, we have agreater chance of success if we
(13:23):
change our habits.
We have a physicalrepresentation of our vision
vision and if we develop awritten plan that tracks our
goals and updates our progress.
We must build successful habitsand look to a future point
where our big dream is fulfilled.
This can help us continue tofight through the everyday
craziness while we work onourselves and work on our life
(13:46):
and purpose-filled goals whilewe work on ourselves and work on
our life and purpose-filledgoals, I know this community can
get a lot done because we dealwith chaos and crisis from the
moment we log on each day.
Ensure you carve out time andenergy for yourself and your
dreams.
Now for action today.
There are a few actions Irecommend you get done today.
(14:06):
The first item please do anhonest review of your habits and
what gets you distracted themost from accomplishing your
goals.
Make changes today.
Second, start to develop aphysical representation of your
vision.
It can be a sketch, a photocollage or write out a paragraph
.
I often use the post-it notereminder, but I am looking at
(14:27):
doing something with images.
This can be very powerful.
And finally, ensure you have awritten plan for your goals and
update it regularly.
Today I talked about stayingfocused so you stay on track
with your goals, and Ihighlighted the following points
.
Number one change your habitsso you avoid the usual
distractions.
Number two create a visionboard to help you turn your
(14:49):
dreams into reality.
And three, schedule anddocument your goal achievement
plan.
Actions relate toaccomplishment, which then
produces the results we arelooking for.
You can allow yourself to bedistracted and then derailed by
frivolous habits, or you canmake a decision today to be more
deliberate and smarter withyour time, get intensely focused
(15:12):
so you complete your goals andyou will make progress in your
career and in your life.
You decide where you focus youreffort, your time and your
energy.
You decide.
That's often difficult for somepeople, but you get to make
choices about what you worryabout, what you invest your
whole self into and what voicesyou let into your own bubble.
(15:35):
Next episode, I will be sharingan interview I had with speaker
and author Mark McMillian ofMcMillian Leadership Associates.
I can't wait to share someamazing leadership tips from
Mark.
I hope you enjoyed the FinanceLeader Podcast.
I am focused on helping thiscommunity to become more
confident finance leaderscapable of transforming
(15:56):
organizations.
You can find this episodewherever you listen to podcasts.
If this episode helped youtoday, please share with a
colleague and leave a quickwritten review.
Until next time.
You can check out moreresources at
financeleaderacademycom and signup for my weekly updates so you
don't miss an episode of thepodcast.
And now go lead your team andI'll see you next time.
(16:17):
Thank you.