Allow me to complete the sentence. The decisions you make today are the stories you tell TOMORROW. Think about it for a moment: We are where we are and doing what we are doing because of decisions we made prior. Each day, we have choices to make, such as what, where, how, and with whom. When you are in a leadership role with plenty of responsibility, several direct reports, and needing more days, choices are challenging. So, what is a leader to do? The first decision is to be very jealous of your time. This is where prioritization comes in. You likely have appointments on the calendar, a list of to-do’s, etc. The challenging decision is to determine WHAT you SHOULD [...]

I have been reflecting on the story of Sir Ernest Shackleton. He led the entire crew of his ship, Endurance, to safety after being marooned on an ice floe for 15 months. Forced to abandon his original plan to cross the Antarctic, Shackleton's story holds strong lessons for leaders facing uncontrollable change. Here are a few of his actions that you can put in place today that helped his people -- and will help yours -- keep the faith during periods of upheaval: Redefine achievable goals. People need clear goals to keep their spirits and productivity up. Shackleton told his crew they would live on the ice pack until it broke up and use the ship's lifeboats to sail safely. [...]