Your Big Five Leadership Priorities
June 17, 2013
Don’t Cut Yourself with Your Double-Edged Sword
July 8, 2013
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I’m not going to tell you my password, but I’ll give you a clue. It’s a reminder to me, from me, to work on one of my leadership development challenges—a skill, attitude, or behavior I want to improve.

post-it_work-on-it1In this way, every time I open my laptop computer, I not only have to think about what I want to change, I have to write it. No way I’m going to forget my good intentions when I use this very effective Environmental Reminder.

If my password version feels a little too much like writing “I will not pull Bonnie’s pigtails” on the blackboard a hundred times, then don’t make your password your reminder. Instead, think of another way to remind yourself to focus on the leadership issues you are currently working on.

My CoachQuest grads have come up with ingenious ways to incorporate Environmental Reminders into their everyday environments. One man tacks Post-its to the rear-view mirror of his car. He’s currently posting, “Did I make anyone feel Red today?” If the answer is yes, he commits to rectifying the situation.

Another grad currently enters “Make one team member feel Valued, Heard, Seen, Respected today,” so that it comes up as her smart phone home screen.

In CoachQuest Leader-as-Coach Workshop, we drive home the point that the coaching quest is a program of continuous improvement. You will always have issues to work on. In your world of constant change and in the context of your ever-evolving leadership development, you may very well need reminders.

The Road to Hell
Is Paved with Good Intentions

Anyone who has ever started on a diet or made a New Year’s resolution knows how easily and quickly good intentions fade away. That’s why I urge you and all my CoachQuest Leaders to use Environmental Reminders.

So make your digital calendar send you a weekly email reminder such as, “Solicit feedback from one of my employees today.” Post “Reflect” on your bathroom mirror. It’s up to you how to use Environmental Reminders. Be creative, but do it.

Consider learning more about Environmental Reminders and developing your leadership skills alongside other leaders at our next CoachQuest Leader-as-Coach Workshop. Register today. I invite you to share with us the environmental reminders you use.

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Helanie Scott
Helanie Scott
Helanie (pronounced yeh-LAH-nee) Scott, CEO and founder of Align4Profit in Dallas, Texas, has driven stunning leadership and cultural transformations for an impressive list of organizations. She has mastered the ability to connect with her audiences in the boardroom, classroom, on stage, or in one-on-one coaching sessions. Helanie’s Align4Profit clients rave at the way her engaging programs freshen outdated mindsets and deliver results-oriented, aligned action.