This Week in Leadership
The Friday Five - Issue 21
Challenging leaders to maximize their potential
Terry Wetzel ~ Summit Leadership Development
Spring Cleaning
Today is the first day of spring, although it does not look like it in Wisconsin. For leaders, spring cleaning isn't about grabbing a mop; it’s about an audit of calendars, meetings, and legacy processes. If a standing meeting has lost its spark or a reporting requirement is just creating digital dust, now is the time to give it a toss. By clearing out the low-value noise, you’re making room for the high-impact projects that move the needle. A clean slate doesn't just look better — it runs faster. So, open a window, let some fresh air into your strategy, and get to work on the things that actually matter.
Your Team or Your Customers?
In a recent conversation, the question came up: should a leader focus on their team or their customers? My stance is that a leader’s primary customer is their team. Focusing solely on the external customer at the expense of the internal team is a recipe for failure — exhaustion and disorganization eventually catch up to the bottom line. Leadership is about internal support: providing clarity, removing obstacles, and equipping your people to win.
Action Overcomes Anxiety
Anxiety about a project or situation feeds on idleness. It takes hold while you sit and scroll on your phone, while you overthink your situation, while you compare yourself to others, while you try to create the perfect plan before starting. When you take action, you starve anxiety of what it needs to survive. The answer is found in the action.
Excellence and Thoughtfulness
Will Guidara’s book Unreasonable Hospitality says that excellence and thoughtfulness are different concepts. Excellence is a baseline but not a ceiling — it is being precise, efficient, and consistent. Thoughtfulness, however, is the human connection, the intentional listening, and the willingness to go off-script to make someone feel seen and heard. Excellence is about the service or product you provide; thoughtfulness is about the colleague, team member, or customer. For a leader, being excellent makes you good, but being thoughtful is what makes you great.
Rules
For a leader, personal rules are the ultimate tool for efficiency and effectiveness. They are pre-decisions that protect you from your own moods and the fatigue of a high-pressure day. As a manager, you make hundreds of micro-decisions daily. Should I respond to this email now? Should I push back on this deadline? The amateur negotiates each case, wasting willpower. The pro has rules: "I don't check email before 9:00 AM" or "I never say 'yes' to a project in the meeting where it's proposed." By setting a rule, you make the decision once. You don’t have to force yourself; just follow the rule.
Quote of the Week
“I follow three rules: Do the right thing, do the best you can, and always show people you care.” — Lou Holtz
Book of the Week
The Power of Moments by Chip and Dan Heath is a book that helps us understand how moments can inspire, stick in our minds, and create personal and professional value. It will help you realize that life is a collection of moments that can have an impact and offers a reminder to not miss these moments that shape our lives. This is a great read for anyone looking to get more out of what a busy world can cloud over.
That’s it for this week
Be epic, not average. The world has enough average.
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The photo in today’s web edition was taken at a super secret lake in Forest County WI.
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