The Dream Manager Blog

Inspect What You Expect

Matthew Kelly — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:48:31 -0500

Do the people around you really know what you expect? Perhaps you think you have made it clear, but they keep getting it wrong. If that is the case there is a fairly good chance they just don't know what you expect. Great managers make it clear what they expect, and then they inspect what they expect. This dual process drives excellence at any level within an organization. I know I need to get better at it.

A Summer of Systems

Matthew Kelly — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 14:11:21 -0500

Whether it is a system for paying your bills online or a system for customer service protocol at your company, it is time for more systems in your life and business. Systems take time to build... but save time once built. They also ensure that things get done properly even when you are not around. This summer build one new system in your life and your business. You will thank me...

How Do You Measure Commitment?

Matthew Kelly — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:07:39 -0500

I was reminded by a friend this week that hours put in does not equal Commitment. Commitment is measured by passion and energy. Do you expect your people to put in tons of face time? Or, do you expect them to bring the kind of passion and energy that produce results?

Too often if someone leaves at 4 p.m. to see their child play soccer they are seen as weak and uncommitted. Let's abolish that backward thinking as soon as possible. Lets stop managing face time and start managing results.

Exceed Expectations

Matthew Kelly — Thu, 27 May 2010 13:15:00 -0500

This is the key to success, personal fulfillment, being a great manager and being a great employee. Exceed Expectations. Exceed the expectations of your spouse, your boss, your direct reports, your customers. Make a habit of exceeding people's expectations.

The Edge the Best Companies Have Over the Rest

Matthew Kelly — Thu, 20 May 2010 09:28:11 -0500

What is the edge that the best companies have over the rest? It is not products and services, though theirs do tend to be better than the rest. It is not customer intimacy or industry knowledge or creative ideas, though they certainly do not lag behind the competition in these things. The edge is people. I was giving a full day seminar at a Fortune 500 company last week and one of their people stood up and said, "The thing I most like about our company is the people. I just like working with the people here." And that is priceless. It cannot be measured, but it adds to the bottom line in every way imaginable.

It is people who generate and deliver products, services, industry knowledge, innovation, customer intimacy and everything else that makes our businesses thrive. What have you done for your people lately?

Slow Down

Matthew Kelly — Thu, 13 May 2010 11:40:36 -0500

Believe it or not, you control the speed of your life. As hard as it may be to believe, you can change the speed of your life. I must admit I am addicted to speed and accomplishment as much as most, but lately I have confronted this uncomfortable truth, have been forced to do something about it, and have found the results to be refreshingly pleasant.

It's summer. Slow down a little. The summer will be gone before you know it. Get out there and enjoy it a little. Nothing feeds our passion, creativity, and excellence like a little carefree timelessness with the people and places we love.

Inspect What You Expect

Matthew Kelly — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 11:14:32 -0600

Managing people means holding them accountable. But too often we don't inspect what we expect or we inspect it too rarely. People need to be held accountable. They need coaching and encouragement. The reason I know this is because I need to be held accountable. I need coaching. I need encouragement. There are many things that make us all unique, but our need to be held accountable is not one of them. Inspect what you expect and your expectations will be met with ever-increasing frequency.

Think About the Future

Matthew Kelly — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 12:10:20 -0600

Leaders, innovators, and those that succeed in any arena, are tied to the instant gratification that rules our current culture. They trend to think about the future. What problems the future will hold, what opportunities will merge over time, and how their business or team will be threatened by the ever-changing environment.

It should therefore come as no surprise to learn that those who have a personal vision for their own future succeed more often and rise threw the ranks of any organization faster. Why? Not just because they dreams. But because dreaming has equippied them woth a set of skills that allows them to look into the future of every project they work on. Expand your vision. Develop the habit of looking into the future and you will change the trajectory of life... and your career.

It's all Relative!

Matthew Kelly — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:57:36 -0500

A friend of mine found out he had inoperable brain cancer today. Three months to live. Woke up with a headache two weeks ago, and now this. If you had three months to live how would you start living differently?

Feeling the Pain

Matthew Kelly — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:30:11 -0500

More and more people are finding themselves unemployed. It's a horrible thing to lose your job, and not just financially. We all have friends, family, and colleagues who are out of work because of the present economic scenario. So, what can you and I do? Two things. 1. Be grateful for our jobs. 2. Look for opportunities to grow your business. Growing businesses employ more people. We are all responsible in this way for getting our friends, family, and former colleagues back to work.