This article was written by LOLLY DASKAL – @LOLLYDASKAL and was originally posted on Inc.com
Intelligent and successful leaders all do one thing better than anyone else. They are constantly asking themselves questions to stay relevant and insightful.
Whether you’re running a company, heading up a startup, or leading a team, asking yourself these questions every day will help you get the most out of your work and leadership and make the difference in your success:
1. Did I work toward my goals today?
Successful leaders understand the importance of goal setting in everything from long-term vision to short-term motivation. Focusing on your goals helps you organize your actions and make the most of your ambition and aspirations.
2. What bad habits do I need to stop?
Your bad habits–and we all have them in some form–may be damaging your credibility and your business. It is well worth putting in the daily time and effort to overcome them and replace them with things that will serve you better.
3. What motivated me today?
Motivation is the force that keeps pushing you forward. It is your internal drive to achieve, produce, and develop–and it’s always to your benefit to pay attention to the things that feed your personal motivation.
4. Have I been the kind of person I want to be?
Character rules. You’re not born with the qualities that make up your character, but they develop as you go through your experiences, your failures, and your wins. Govern your sense of responsibility and responses to events to develop the character you’d like to have.
5. What mistakes did I make today, and what can I learn from them?
We all experience failures and mistakes; it’s how you respond that makes the difference. You can choose to see failure as proof of your inadequacy, or recognize it as an incredible learning experience.
6. What am I grateful for today?
There will always be bad days and good days, bad luck and good luck. Through it all, gratitude remains among the most useful tools to have. It shows you what really matters and what’s important, and it keeps you levelheaded and focused on what is important.
If you want to create a shift in your business and your leadership, make a daily practice of asking yourself the right questions–because it is the right questions that lead us to the right answers.
Follow Lolly on Linkedin or Twitter and her blog at www.lollydaskal.com
Arielle Dixon 