'Tis the Season

'Tis the season to evaluate and plan. Here are 10 tomes to help advance the process:
1. Clutter. Get rid of it. Any and all extraneous material or paper. Chances are there's another copy somewhere anyway.
2. Eliminate cliches once and for all. "Talent management" seems to have pushed aside "leadership development" to no avail. "War for talent" should be erased for eternity. But that's another story.
3. Coaching vs. advising. It seems as though everyone is a coach these days. Sigh. How many can honestly say that they consistently provide selfless advice and service? Tough question with no perfect answers.
4. Don't discount 2007 as an off election year. It's make or break time on a host of matters, most of which centers around a War that no one wants to acknowledge but wants to go away.
5. Change or Else. It's our adopted theme for the coming year so please hold us to the fire. Right now it's somewhere between a seminar/speaking topic and new partnerships and affiliations. Stay tuned for more in the coming year.
6. Dancing with the Transformation Stars. We're desperately in search of figures, executives, etc. who have demonstrated successful transformation from one profession or station to another entirely new field or endeavor. Key criteria: They lived to tell about it.
7. True success. Hint: Try defining success on your own terms and see what you come up with. Answers may startle you.
8. Embrace fears or insecurities instead of running from them. Easier said than done but critical. Far too few practice this one.
9. Laugh, think and cry. The late great Jimmy Valvano (former basketball coach for N.C. State University for you non-sports types) had it right with his daily motto: Laugh, think and cry and your day will be complete. Tissues, anyone?
10. Finally, instead of worn out resolutions, try this exercise: Where are you going to create the most value next year? For whom and with whom?