Have you ever sat down and thought to yourself, what do I really care about? When all is said and done, what are some of the values that I hold most important to myself. If you haven’t done this, you certainly should, it may change how you approach things. Secondly, it may change how you lead your team, and those around you.

Sometimes we can get lost in the “busy-ness” of going through life that we almost go on autopilot from time to time. This is easy for me as I am a full time college student with two jobs, and a freelance web business. It is easy for me to go into the motions of just doing things, and not paying careful attention while I’m doing them. I’ve recently developed a list of values for me and the people that I lead throughout the week that will, hopefully, keep us out of autopilot.

1. Believe that we are right for the job – This one is huge. Those that believe they are right for the job at hand, and those that don’t, are normally right. It all begins with the person and their drive to want to reach the same goals that you want to reach within your organization. It is no accident that the people within your organization are where they are at the moment. They either have a specific need that they fill well, or they are a valuable and trustworthy member of the organization. Regardless, they need to be asked constantly, “why do you think you are the right person for the job?” Although they may be valuable now, value starts to depreciate as people settle into procedures. Eventually, they may start to doubt why they are doing what they are doing, and doubting people don’t work very well. You must also believe that you are where you are for a purpose, because you are the right person.  Here are some other ways to figure out who the right people are.  (Links to an external site.)

1. Details will make the team go from good to great – It’s all in the details, the things that sometimes get overlooked for the big picture just may be the thing that send your organization to the top. Take Space Mountain at Disney, on its own it would be a fun coaster that everyone would probably enjoy. However, uncle Walt didn’t just want a coaster for his park, he wanted an experience. So, he enclosed it, added a ton of theming, and added lighting to make you feel like you are in space. The effect is, a typical unmemorable coaster is now one of the most iconic coasters in the world. With your organization, to go from good to great, you must examine details as if they are major. Click Here (Links to an external site.) to find out more about detail-oriented people.

1. Beware of sideways energy – Ok, many of you probably responded to the last point with something like, “How do I know I’m wasting too much time on the main things?” That is a valid question that can be answered simply, when the main thing starts to suffer the minor things need to step back. Take Space Mountain again, if there was a major track issue with the attraction, and the coaster was at risk of derailing, Cast Members would not spend time redoing the gift shop first. In other words, look for major things that need to be addressed and focus on those, then after, focus on the minor things. Sideways energy is spent because people are focused on details that don’t matter, and they start to consume their time.

This list is organic and ever growing, as it should be. Take some time to reevaluate your organization and how you are leading. Develop your own standards and values, you may just see a huge change in others.