7 Steps to Writing a Personal Development Plan

Many of you may have written your personal development plan (PDP) for this year at the end of last year.  Do you remember all of what you wrote?  Have you been tracking how you’ve been doing?  Has the plan been placed on the sidelines because there have been too many fires to put out?

Let’s whip out your PDP and see if there is a way to write it where you really do remember your goals and feel, not only inspired, but actually achieve them.

When I first started corporate coaching, many of the PDP’s I saw were littered with intangible or vague goals. For example, one client wrote that one of his PDP goals for that year was, “To become a better leader.”  While that goal sounds good on the surface, there is no way to clearly tell if they achieved that goal.  This is in part because they have not defined what they mean by “better leader.”

The other thing that I noticed is that several had too many PDP goals… one client had 11.  Most had at least 5.  When I asked them how many of their PDP goals they did achieve, the answers that came back were embarrassingly sad.  Most could not tell me all their goals.  When they looked up their PDP, the number hit was less than 25%.  I could completely relate to them as I have at different times in my life designed elaborate goals for myself.  If I was asked the same question, I would have been in a similar place.

So, how are you doing so far this year?  Are you on track?  How about your team?  Are they on track?  If you are, that’s great!  I would love to hear your thoughts as to what helped you and your team get there.

If you are like most out there, you have already forgotten your PDP or have only focused on one or two areas.  I would hate for you to feel bad or defeated.  If you’ve forgotten, I bet your team has as well.

To break this pattern, you just have to rewrite your PDP in a way that is tailored to your core.  If you do, you will find all the motivation you could ever want to achieve it.

How to Write a Personal Development Plan

Here is what has worked for me and many of the clients I have coached.  When writing your PDP goals you need to...

1. Know the most essential part of your role.

What is the most indispensable part of your role?

Whatever that is, go all-in on that part.  Does the way you spend your time reflect a focus on that most indispensable part?  You want to develop your main PDP goal around that area.

In my role as a coach, counselor, and corporate trainer, the most essential part of what I do it is to connect to my clients at a core level–to get to the heart of their concerns and address their issues.  If I whittled that down even further, I have noticed that if I nail what is at the core of their concerns, addressing the issues becomes a lot simpler.

2. Know your essential intent.

I have shared about the book Essentialism by McKeown in previous posts.  If you have not read Essentialism, I would highly recommend that you put that book at the top of your reading list. One concept in the book is that each of us has an essential intent, which has to do with what you were built for.  Look across your life... what do you naturally do better than others?  What are some themes that help you excel in your personal and professional life?  What accolades have you received? What do those accolades have in common?

When I was trying to figure out my essential intent, I asked my wife, friends, clients and mentors what they thought it was.  The most common response was that I get to the heart of the matter quickly.  That is, if a friend is talking about something, a client has an issue they want to address, or if a group wants me to deliver a workshop on a given topic, as they are speaking, I am listening for what is at the root of their words.  Then I repeat back to them what I sense the core is to make sure that I understand.  If I am off, then I keep listening and asking for clarification until I get it.

When we work from our essential intent, motivation comes easy.  We are in our strike zone and we typically feel more alive.  Therefore, finding your essential intent is, for lack of a better way to say it, essential.

3. Line up your essential intent with the most essential part of your role.

As you can see, I built a business around my essential intent.  How about you?  Does your role fit your essential intent?  If not, is there a way that your role could be tweaked so that it fits your essential intent?  If not, could it be a sign that you were not built to do what you are doing?  (If you want help discovering what you were built to do I have a rough draft of an e-book that my team is working on.  I would love insights to improve it so I would be happy to send it to you.)

Now look at your team.  Do you have the “right people on the bus?"  Are they in roles that allow their essential intent to shine?

If your essential intent and essential part of your role line up then great.  Now, how could you better align your essential intent with the most essential part of your role to maximize your time and efforts?

4. Make it tangible.

If I say my PDP goal is, “I want to get to the heart better,” then defining “better" would be the first step.  I would define “better" as having more moments where my clients say something to the effect of, “That’s it!” (implying what I said was the core of the issue).

Next, look for how your goal could happen.

Three options for improving the ability to get to the heart better are:

1. I could improve listening skills.
2. I could learn how to ask better questions.
3. I could also work on how I repeat back or paraphrase what I hear my clients say.

I had a client say that part of his role is that he needs to make speeches from time to time.  He hated public speaking but truly was in the right role for his essential intent.  The problem he had with delivering speeches was his nervousness.  So, he set a goal of “not getting obviously nervous when he presented."  This is not a tangible goal.  How would someone observe that he achieved it?  So we broke down the signs that showed that he was nervous which included:

1. Shaking hands
2. Becoming tongue-tied
3. Forgetfulness

When asked which of those would he want to focus on he said, “Definitely my hands shaking.  That starts the downhill spiral for me.”  So that was the tangible goal we set.

5. Create a S.M.A.R.T. goal.

As you may have seen elsewhere, the acronym S.M.A.R.T. stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound.  As I look at mine, one way I can get to the heart faster is by improving my listening skills.  So my S.M.A.R.T. goal for this year is:

“By December 31, 2016, I want to have implemented 2 better listening principles or techniques to such a degree that 3 longer-term clients say I have improved my listening skills.”  Obviously, I will let them know I am looking to improve my listening skills and would welcome their feedback at the end of the year.

6. If there is another thing your company is insisting that you work on then make that the other S.M.A.R.T. goal.

In many of the companies I coach for, the leader who brought me in already has ideas as to what they want to see their direct reports work on.  I encourage those leaders to look at the most essential part of their direct report’s role and to choose a goal that helps improve that one area.  I also ask them how they would know that goal is accomplished.  Then I suggest we bring the direct report into the conversation so all of us can turn that goal into a S.M.A.R.T. goal.

7. Ask how they want to be held accountable for those two goals.

What is implied in the above points is that killer PDP’s have one or two areas to work on for that year.  If your direct reports make significant progress in just one or two areas you will notice much higher engagement.  You will notice that they love their work more.  You will sense the confidence in them grow and the desire to have new challenges increase.  They will also value you immensely.

Now when it comes to accountability, they may not need as much.  But draw them into the process so that the accountability fits their personality and style.

Developing a killer PDP will turn those who are meant to be on your team into highly engaged and productive people who genuinely want to exceed expectations.  Your job as their leader would be to create an environment where they can flourish.

Ryan C. Bailey is an Executive Coach who helps business leaders develop in-demand high performing teams.

9 Ways to Increase Your Motivation and Engagement

I am working with a group comprised of eight teams.  Prior to the current head of the group taking over two years ago, their engagement scores were deplorable.  Three teams ranked their engagement at 0%.  None of the rest scored higher than a 60 percent.

When the current head came on, she noticed that some of the team leads were not the greatest fit.  She replaced them and began to work hard to increase engagement.  She gave her time to help them heal from the previous head, who happened to be quite toxic.  She created incentives and showed the group how to work toward excellence.  The current head is sharp, strategic and knows how to connect to people.  She also temporarily threw work/life balance out the window in order to get her team to a better place.

With the latest engagement survey results in three of the teams, we are now at 100 percent!  The next highest had an 87 percent.  There were the three teams who now rank between 35 and 60 percent, and still one team scored 0.

My Observations

As I observed the entire group in action, it was noticeable that some in the group were fully motivated and others were just existing.  They wanted to do the bare minimum to get by.  When the group leader and I talked about it, she said that despite the changes she has made and ways in which she has tried to gain engagement, there was “lip-service movement”.  In other words, no action was taken to increase their own engagement.

The results of lack of engagement are palpable.  It is like the little yeast that goes through the whole dough.  Those who are fully engaged have to fight the demoralizing impact of that yeast.  Moreover, those who are not engaged are not as fulfilled as they could be.  This impacts, group culture, productivity, and the opportunities the team pursues.

Now the current head may need to replace more people.  She is trying to give them a shot at turning things around.  She asked if I would deliver a workshop on internal motivation.  This blog presents the 9 ways to increase your motivation that we discussed in the workshop.

Whether you find yourself with high or low motivation, I hope these steps will help you go even higher.

Even if you personally have low engagement, these steps will help you grow so that you can spend your hours at work in a much healthier way.

Increase Motivation and Become Full Engaged

1. Set a Clear Vision of What you Want.  What do you want out of life?  What is your end?  Do you have a clear vision of where you are ultimately heading in this life?  If not, take the time to crystallize it.  If you don’t know how to do this, email info@ryancbailey.com and I will send you free workbook called, "Call & Design."  It gives you eight proprietary exercises that will help you discover what you are called to do and how you are designed to do it.  The exercises are a lot of fun and have gotten great results for clients over the last 10 years.
2. Focus on What is Essential.  What is the most essential part of your role?  As the book Essentialism by Greg McKeown describes so well, if you go all in on that essential role, not only will your engagement go up, but you will also reach excellence in your role
3. Investing + Sacrificing = Full Commitment & Greater Love.  Do you want to love something more?  Do you want to love someone more?  All you have to do is keep finding ways to invest in it and sacrifice for it.  If you find yourself struggling with engagement, it could be in part because you have not fully committed to your role.  Those who are fully committed enjoy their lives more.
4. Repeat What You Did in the Past that Led You to be Fully Engaged. Think to the past.  When have you been fully engaged?  What led you to be fully engaged during those times?  Look for what is in common in those times and apply those things to your current circumstance.
5. Address What Has De-Motivated You. What has led you to lack motivation?  Are you coming out of a tough time?  Do you need to heal?  Is your environment toxic?  Whatever it is... address it.  If it doesn’t feel safe going directly to your boss, look for ways to forgive in order to relieve the burden of bitterness.  If the situation is truly toxic it may be time for a change in role.
6. Use Positive Re-Frame. The words you choose convey the beliefs that are hidden in your heart.  If you use victim language ("There is nothing I can do,” “It's hopeless," etc.), you are reinforcing the belief.  Fight the belief by moving into a positive frame of mind ("I will find three options that will make things better for me in this role.")
7. Make it Fun.  In a previous blog I wrote about how I hate paperwork but yet I have to do it.  So I created a “Paperwork Playlist” and filled it with songs that I enjoy listening to.  The catch was that I could only listen to the songs when I was doing paperwork.  I am happy to report that my big box of paperwork is now empty.  I had more fun completing the paperwork than I ever have before.  What’s your version of making it fun?
8. Master Your Role. Those who master their roles truly excel and enjoy their work.  Their engagement is high.  Remember number 2 above: "Focus on what is essential." Nail that piece and then continue to advance excellence throughout your role.  The more you go for excellence the higher your engagement and motivation will be.
9. Become Indispensable. If someone wanted to replace you with a far better version of you, what would they look for?  These are the characteristics that you should be looking to move toward.  Doing so will increase your motivation and get you fully engaged.

As you start to employ some of these steps, you should see your motivation and engagement improve.

Looking forward to hearing how it goes for you!

Chew on This: Which step will you start with to advance your engagement?

Ryan C. Bailey is an Executive Coach who helps business leaders develop in-demand high performing teams.

7 Steps to Becoming a Better Listener

Have you ever had someone really listen to you?  I don’t mean half-heartedly listening, but rather when someone truly wants to understand what you are saying, what you are not saying, and captures your perception better than you expressed it.

The first time I remember experiencing this type of listening was a tremendous experience.  The professor was fully present with me.  It felt like I was the only one that mattered to her even though she had a class to start lecturing.  In just a couple of minutes I felt valued, understood, and I felt important.  I was energized by the exchange.  I felt confident.  I knew I was trusted.  I became fully engaged and was grateful.  That led to me wanting to make her proud and to really excel in her class.

Have you ever had someone who you could tell wasn’t fully listening to you, but was only listening to reply to you?  Of course you have.  This is the norm.  At times when I am with someone who is listening to reply, I feel like they value time or being right more than me.  I often feel like the person doesn’t really get what I am saying or get me.  This usually leads to an increase in misunderstanding, which then leads to a lot of wasted time.  Sometimes these misunderstandings lead to conflict, lingering resentments, and lower engagement.

You can supercharge your team by just becoming a better listener.

So how do we truly listen to understand?  When a direct report speaks to you:

1. Rephrase what you have heard them say or what they did not say.  Ask “Am I off?” Once they are done speaking, don’t reply yet.  Instead capture what they said in a single sentence and then follow it with the phrase, “Am I off?”  So, one way of saying this is: “Jack, let me make sure I understand what you have been saying.  You have shared....  Am I off?”
2. Listen for what is not being said.  Ask them what the repeated phrases mean to them.  Also, look out for something they are they afraid to acknowledge or say.  Ask them about that, “It seems like you are struggling with _________.  Am I off?”  If you are wrong, the “Am I off?" phrase helps them to know that you are really trying to understand them.
3. Turn on empathy. Empathy fosters connection.  It also leads to you understanding them better.  This helps you to really capture what they are perceiving.
4. Turn on your curiosity.  When we become curious, we allow ourselves to fully focus on what they have to say.  Set the goal to being able to capture their perception and give it back to them before you reply.  This shows them that you value them.
5. Listen for what is said. What words or phrases do they repeat?
6. Ask clarifying questions to make sure that you really want to get what they are sharing with you. If they share something that isn’t really clear, ask them about it.
7. Don’t reply until you have heard them say something to the effect of “You get me.”  Often you will know that they felt heard when you see them smile.

Chew On This: What benefits would you gain by becoming a better listener?

If you have any questions feel free to email me at  ryan@ryancbailey.com or call (404) 421-8120.

Ryan C. Bailey is an Executive Coach who helps business leaders develop in-demand high performing teams.

Leadership: What's Personality Got To Do With It?

How well do you know your employees?  Do you get how they are wired?  If you understood how they were wired, how would it impact the way they serve one another, your clients, the company as a whole?

As businesses grow, you as a leader cannot do everything on your own.  You must delegate to other people, which requires working with various personality types.  This can be a good thing.  Hopefully those who report to you have a variety of personality types that can benefit the company.  The more diverse the personality types, the better; they can catch blind spots, they have a wide variety of strengths benefiting the company, and more growth can happen for all.

However, different personality types can also present challenges.  For example, there can be more conflict than you are comfortable with as people misunderstand why other personality types communicate the way they do or work the way they do.  Some can seem frustrated or stressed by an assignment while others are energized by the same assignment.

Most leaders use the one style they feel most comfortable using or the style they believe will be most effective.  Some employees respond and others don’t. This leads to spending time and energy trying to bring up those who are lagging or to higher turnover in the hopes of finding more motivated employees.  Without realizing it, these leaders may be working harder than they need to be.

Quick Fix to Help Understand Differing Personalities

Want a simple fix that really works?

Administer the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).  It is the most-used assessment across the globe with over 2 million taking it every year.  It only takes ten minutes to complete, yet the results are powerfully long lasting.

You will gain insight and understanding on how each of your employees is wired and you will quickly learn:

• How to work successfully with each of your employees
• How to motivate them
• How to avoid frustrating them
• What pitfalls they need to work on
• What the warning signs are when they are stressed out
• What they look like when their stress has reached a chronic level

Think of how this would impact your leadership.  You would know how to adjust your style to empower those who work with you.

Using Myer-Briggs Personality Test in Hiring Process

Now let’s take it a step further.  What if you used this as part of your hiring process?  Among the other things you do to determine if someone is a good fit, the MBTI can also help you find the right personality type for the current needs of your company.

Leadership is about bringing different personalities to work successfully together to reach a vision.  When leaders understand how those different personalities are wired, they are more than well on their way to achieving their greatest goals with less effort than they have done so in the past.

Chew On This: How would knowing the way each of your employees is wired impact 2016?
 How would each of them knowing how the others are wired impact your company?

If you have any questions feel free to email me at  ryan@ryancbailey.com or call (404) 421-8120.

Ryan C. Bailey is an Executive Coach who helps business leaders develop in-demand high performing teams.

A Tip to Boost Empathy

Empathy is a critical component in developing high-performing teams and organizational culture that others want to work in.

Empathy–the ability to understand and share the feelings of another is a skill.  Some personality types are gifted with strong degrees of empathy (i.e. ENFJ, INFJ, ENFP, INFP), and others are gifted in different areas.

If you struggle to be empathetic, here is a tip that has helped my clients to super-charge their ability to empathize.  According to the Discrete Emotion Theory, there are 6 basic emotions:

• Anger
• Disgust
• Fear
• Happiness
• Sadness
• Surprise

Tell yourself stories of times when you felt each of these emotions.  Since these six exist in varying degrees, it may be easier for you to pick times when you felt these emotions more intensely.  As you tell yourself the story you should sense yourself feeling that particular emotion in the present.  If you are not then you are not giving yourself enough details of that story.  So really get into it.

Practice telling yourself those stories until you can feel those emotions in the present.  Let yourself get a little freaked out by how much you can influence your own emotions in this way.  The more you practice, the faster you can experience the emotion in the present.

Now, when a colleague, direct report, etc. is talking to you, identify what the emotion is that they are feeling.  You can do that by listening to what emotive terms they use (i.e. "I felt hurt;" "I was enraged;" "I was thrilled;" etc.).  You can also test it by saying something like, “It sounds like you were angry.  Am I off?”  The “Am I off?” is important because it shows you want to understand them.  If you are off, they are less likely to be offended or to feel like you don’t value them.

When you hear the emotive term, silently start to tell yourself a story of when you felt what the other felt.  If you’ve practiced, you will feel the emotion they are expressing pretty quickly.  Because the other person senses that you feel what they feel their connection to you will grow.

They will feel like you genuinely get them.

Chew On This: Think of a time when you were absolutely cracking up with laughter.  Describe the story until you are laughing in the present.

If you have any questions feel free to email me at  ryan@ryancbailey.com or call (404) 421-8120.

Ryan C. Bailey is an Executive Coach who helps business leaders develop in-demand high performing teams.

When Two Departments Collide

What is it like for you when you know two of your departments are clashing?  What’s it like watching the waste, turnover, and disengagement?  What have you tried to do to bring unity to the company?  Have you grown frustrated?  Have you become resigned that it will just be that way?

You are not alone.

Workplace conflict across departments is common and, unfortunately, extremely costly.  Often times the way leaders try to resolve these inter-departmental issues is by focusing on the present situation instead of focusing on the interpersonal dynamics.

For example, let’s say a marketing department comes up with a slick campaign that requires a little more budget, but the finance department won’t release the funds. Maybe a leader would come in and just try to resolve the issue by seeing what the options are for finding the funds from less important projects or by trying to reduce the campaign.  Whatever solution is found, one department is likely to be disappointed.

Instead of focusing on the present situation, focus on the heart.  Get each department to clearly articulate what their core drivers are.

Discover Core Drivers

One way to discover the core drivers is by asking marketing what the slick campaign represents to them.  Ask finance what the holding of the funds represents to them.

At first they may think that what you are asking for is obvious to all, but ask them to really get to the core.  Listen for values that can’t be further reduced.

So, for example, the core is not about making more money or staying on budget.  The core is about something deeper.

An acronym that I use to help me know when a team has gotten to the bottom of it is the acronym “SLAVES.”  It stands for:

• Security
• Love
• Acceptance
• Value
• Enjoyment
• Significance

Listen for a tailored message that encompasses one of these six core drivers.  Make sure both departments understand each other’s core drivers.

Have each of them spell out what it means to them when the core driver is achieved.

Now, once you know what the core driver is, address the problem from that perspective.

Conflict Resolution

If achieving high levels of enjoyment is what drives marketing, then have marketing AND finance partner together to see how else this high enjoyment can be achieved.

If finance wants security, have both finance AND marketing work on solutions for they can achieve greater security for finance.

Both working together to generate solutions on behalf of the other will lead them to learn how to use their differing skills, personalities, and drives for each other’s benefit.  This will bring unity.

At the end of the day, destructive workplace conflict is a people issue more than a philosophical issue.  When people are united and know they have each other’s best interest at heart, constructive conflict can help to generate the best possible solutions for all.  High performing teams know what that is like.

To resolve destructive conflict quickly, define what the core drivers are.  Then have those in conflict partner together to find ways to meet those core drivers for one another.

Chew On This:

• What is your core driver?


If you have any questions feel free to email me at  ryan@ryancbailey.com or call (404) 421-8120.

Ryan C. Bailey is an Executive Coach who helps business leaders develop in-demand high performing teams.

Delegation Has to Start Somewhere

Is it hard for you to delegate? Does it sound like more of a chore to try and deal out tasks to others rather than to just get it done yourself?

If you answered yes, your reasoning is probably valid. It would take too much time to teach someone what you already know how to do. And, what if they mess up and do the task incorrectly? Then it will take even more time to fix. 

While these things may be true, this isn't a healthy outlook.

No matter how large or small your company is, you're probably surrounded by employees. While each employee has duties that they are responsible for in order to help make the company run efficiently, they are there to help you as well. You hired them and created their position, therefore you can edit their job descriptions.

As a business owner, it may be tempting to pile many of the to-do's on your plate. But, this will lead to burnout and a stress-filled life.

I realize that there only certain things that you as the CEO can do. And, this is a prime reason why delegation is important. Here are some quick rules to start delegating more consistently:

1.  Track your time for a week to determine the ongoing responsibilities that you deal with yourself.
2.  Review these responsibilities and only keep on your list the things that no one else can do or can be trained to do. This should not be a long list.
3.  Add the remainder to a delegation list.
4.  Prioritize the delegation list. Start with the items that take the most time and are frequent. This will justify training someone else to do it or taking the time to plan out the delegation and review the work.
5.  Begin delegating the top 5 things on the list.

Remember to delegate responsibility with the tasks. The person needs to understand the big picture and have the authority to get the job done.

In the long run, delegating helps you and empowers your team. This will provide more bandwidth for your company as whole and allow you to grow.

Delegating to your employees displays your confidence in them to handle the given responsibilities. This builds a community of trust between you and your team.

But, the trade off is to clear up your daily agenda in order for you to be more effective as a leader and to build trust between you and your employees.

If you have any questions feel free to email me at  ryan@ryancbailey.com or call (404) 421-8120.

Ryan C. Bailey is an Executive Coach who helps business leaders develop in-demand high performing teams.

How To Manage Your Time Well

In life, we are given many responsibilities. Those responsibilities multiply as you age, take on new hobbies/projects and get new jobs. And as a busy CEO, they inevitably grow even more. Before we know it, looking at our list of responsibilities can get overwhelming.

Family. Company. Finances. Employees. Resources. Abilities. Time. And the list goes on…literally.

While they are responsibilities, they're also blessings, and it is also our responsibility to be a good steward of these blessings.

Arguably, one of the most difficult things to manage is our time.

Everyone has 24 hours in a day. And each day, we wake up and choose how to spend those 24 hours.

I think it's safe to say we rarely end our days by climbing into bed and saying, "Wow, that was a perfectly scheduled, well-managed day." Many of us often feel like we're running ragged, dividing our time up to so many different people/things and trying to get it all accomplished.

Do you find yourself saying or thinking, "There just aren't enough hours in the day…?" Is it more rare to have a blank date on your calendar rather than one filled up from morning to night? Does your to-do list grow longer as the day goes on?

We must manage our time well in order to keep up productivity and efficiency. And, it is possible.

We can be in control of our schedules. We can manage our schedules, rather than have our schedules manage us. I know it can seem easier said than done.

Let's look at a few practical ways to manage your time well.

• Utilize Your Mornings – I'm not sure what time you wake up in the morning, but the earlier you can wake up before work, the more time you have to get stuff done. I know it sounds like a no-brainer, but this can really have an effect on the remainder of your day. You have to evaluate your personality and see what will benefit you to accomplish in the morning in order to start your day on the right foot. Maybe it's spending time thinking, responding to emails and going to the gym. Maybe it's making a well-balanced breakfast, spending quality time with your kids and setting aside time to blog/journal. It could be meeting a friend for coffee, taking your dogs for a walk or reading a couple chapters in your favorite book. Everyone is different. Find out what you can do in the morning to utilize your time well. It feels good to check things off of your to-do list before you begin your workday.
• Make a To-Do List – You may or may not be a list person, but this is a surefire way to really stay on top of your day-to-day schedule. Use what works well for you: iPhone notepad, sticky notes, a physical journal, alarm reminders. If you take a couple minutes each night to write down what has to be accomplished the next day, you will be able to better manage your time in order for those things to get accomplished.
• Take Breaks – Everyone needs a break. I know your days may seem like you don't have one second to rest, but this is important. Our brains can only focus on one thing for so long. After a certain point, our striving becomes counterproductive because of our state. Don't forget to give yourself some grace and take a second to focus your mind elsewhere. Take a short walk, call a friend, watch a funny video clip, read an interesting article. These will help break up your day, increase your mood and boost your motivation.
• Delegate – This can be hard for some. Why ask someone else to get something done when you can just do it all yourself? However, it is beneficial when you can give some tasks to your employees. It allows you to be more productive and get done what is actually important for you to get done. It builds trust between you and your employees when you delegate an important task for them to complete for you.

As you can see, it only takes a few small changes to make a big impact in managing your time each day. These strategies are essentially tools to help you take control of your day and be as productive as you can.

Which strategy do you think would help you manage your time better? 

Ryan C. Bailey is an Executive Coach who helps business leaders develop in-demand high performing teams.

The Benefits of Choosing a Healthy Lifestyle

When we think of the word "healthy," many of us picture a pair of running shoes or fresh-cut veggies, dumbbells or a kale smoothie. But, a healthy lifestyle isn't solely about exercising and clean eating. Although those things are certainly beneficial and necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle, there are other factors that help as well.

Choosing to adopt a healthy lifestyle also includes getting proper sleep and managing your time well, along with many other things. But, before I dive into describing these areas that we can improve in, I want to first bring your attention to the word at the beginning of this paragraph: choosing. It is important to know that practicing a lifestyle of health is truly a choice. Not only that, but it is a commitment.

You have to want it. Because if you want it, you'll work hard to pursue it. The reason you want to pursue a healthy lifestyle versus being on a "health kick" is because one is lasting, and it's easy to know which one that is.

Why pursue a healthy lifestyle?

We know the consequences of our bad choices, don't we?

When we don't manage our time well, it's easy for us to become overwhelmed, stressed and anxious.

When we don't eat healthy foods, we are not giving our bodies the proper nutrients they need to get us through the day. Instead of having energy and feeling good, we get stomach aches or become sluggish.

When we don't get a good night's rest, we quickly see the result. Crankiness. Short temper. A hectic, rushed morning.

When we don't regularly exercise, we gain weight more easily and are not able to properly strengthen our muscles. Gaining weight allows us to have an increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.

Along with knowing the consequences for unwise health choices, we also know the benefits of our good decisions.

What Constitutes a Healthy Lifestyle?

There are many ways you can do this, but I am going to highlight 4 key areas in which making small, positive changes can make a big, positive impact.

1. Exercise regularly.

It can seem overwhelming at first, but give yourself some grace and do what works for you. This doesn't have to look like swiping your membership card at the gym every single day. There are plenty of ways to get active.

Join a yoga class. Take your dog for a run. Ask a friend to play tennis. Swim a few laps.

If you think exercising as a desire to stay active to keep your body healthy and not a strict contract, it's much easier to stick to and much more fun.

2. Adopt healthy eating habits.

Yes, it is better to eat natural, unprocessed foods. And there are tons of books, articles and resources out there to help you make better eating decisions. But, this goes beyond the content of your food.

Start practicing portion control. American portions are incredibly large. Cut your meal in half and box it up for later. You'll be surprised at how full you can actually get by eating less. It's okay if you're hungry 2 hours after lunch, eat a small snack. It is better to eat six small meals each day than three over-sized meals.

Drink plenty of water. Your body needs it to survive. Drinking water helps energize your muscles, lubricates your joints, and helps nourish and protect your brain. Not to mention it is extremely good for your skin. The benefits seem endless.

3. Get enough sleep.

I can't stress this enough. According to Healthline, 1 in 3 Americans don't get enough sleep at night.

Sleep is your time to recharge. Your body needs to rest and regain strength and energy. Most adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night. A lack of sleep can lead to health problems, aging skin, a decreased mood, weight gain and other issues.

Try going to bed at an earlier time. Make yourself some herbal tea. Read a book. Turn on a sound machine.

Whatever helps you drift off, invest in it and stick to it. You will wake up in a better mood, feeling more energized and ready to take on the day... guaranteed.

4. Manage your time well.

This is an important one because it affects so many other areas of our lives.

Our planners and iCals get filled up so quickly nowadays. It's more rare to have a day without commitments than it is to have a day filled with scheduled responsibilities.

When we're so busy, it's easier to skip the gym (who has time?), pick up fast food in between meetings (it's convenient), work late into the night, which can steal hours of sleep (stuff needs to be done).

I absolutely understand that there are things that have to get done. But, there are 24 hours in a day. So, let's manage our time well. Let's plan ahead, set boundaries, create a schedule, and most importantly... stick to it.

This way you can have family time, me time, social time, work time, etc. and not feel frustrated or stressed out.

Be Disciplined and Reap the Benefits

When you discipline yourself in these areas, you will reap many benefits.

• Health
• Increased mood
• More energy
• Health
• Less stress
• Business success

You will see success in so many areas as you make this lifestyle choice. The benefits are worth the hard work and diligence it takes to continue on the healthy path.

Ryan C. Bailey is an Executive Coach who helps business leaders develop in-demand high performing teams.

Video Blog: Laugh Folder

Our days can become stressful quickly. For example, after a great breakfast and a nice morning drive, you can arrive at work to find your email inbox full and 13 new phone messages. And if that wasn't enough, your coworker tells you that your boss is sick and you're leading his meeting in 20 minutes. The to-do lists seem to grow as the day goes on. Laugh your stress, anxiety and pessimism away by creating a laugh folder. In it, you can put funny clips, jokes, and memories of times that absolutely cracked you up. This is a great way to relax and refocus.