Thursday, April 14, 2011
Thursday, April 07, 2011
Work behind the dream
You've got to have a dream, but a dream alone won't get you there. There is always a price to be paid. I love chapter two in Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers, The Story of Success. It's called, "The 10,000 hour rule." Malcolm gets at the principle that achievement is talent plus preparation. He uses examples from Mozart to the Beatles to Bill Gates. Gladwell writes, "And what's more, the people at the very top don't just work harder or even much harder than everyone else. They work much, much harder." He gives great stories and illustrations of the elite performers (not just musicians) who had at least 10,000 hours of hard practice under their belts before they found success. Dreams are great, in fact, a must, but without drive they amount to little or nothing.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
Cell Phones
Wireless technology has forever altered the way we communicate. These days, payphones are practically nonexistent, and landlines seem headed for obsolescence, too. It's hard even to remember how we lived before the advent of the mobile phones.
However, as wonderful as cell phones can be, we have to put up with the nuisance of dropped calls. From time to time, we get cut off in the middle of a sentence or realize that we've spent the last two minutes speaking into nothingness due to a dropped signal. Losing connection can be maddening, especially when it happens during an important conversation.
Leaders, like mobile phone users, experience the occasional frustration of losing connection with those around them. One moment it seems as if everyone is on the same page, and then suddenly there's disconnection. People aren't getting the message. They're unresponsive. And, no matter how loud we shout, they don't hear us. What accounts for leaders losing connection with the people on their teams? Let's examine a few of the causes, staying with the mobile phone analogy.
The Tunnel
When traveling through a tunnel, whether in a car or subway, we often lose connection with those on the other end the call. The thickness of the surrounding walls prevents us from receiving a signal. Until we exit the tunnel, we're unable to communicate successfully.
As leaders, we go through tunnels when we focus exclusively on ourselves. Self-centeredness traps us inside of the walls of own perspective, and isolates from the outside world. We become blind to the needs of those around us and fail to connect with them as a consequence. Only when we move beyond self-interest are we able to gain awareness of the people around us and to interact with them in meaningful ways.
All Circuits Are Busy
Cell phone networks have limited capacity. A high volume of calls happening within a concentrated area can tie up all available circuits. When all circuits are busy, we're inhibited from reaching the person we're trying to call.
We can overload and overwhelm people by bombarding them with information. For a leader, a primary challenge of communication is to simplify the message in a way that's clear and memorable. When it comes to connecting with others, less is more. When we try to say too much, our words become white noise-a constant drone that's heard but not heeded. When we narrow our message, we give it greater force, and we allow people with limited bandwidth to latch onto what's most important.
Limited Coverage Area
Look at a coverage map from Verizon, Sprint, or AT&T, and you'll notice gaps. Even the most robust wireless network has areas without service. Those who find themselves outside of the range of a network miss incoming calls and cannot place calls to anyone else, either.
Every organization has a communication network to disseminate important information. Unfortunately, leaders sometimes fail to consider the coverage gaps that exist in their networks. When this happens, people end up operating from "dead zones." They're out of the loop, kept in the dark about decisions that affect them, and deprived of news that could help them to perform better on the job. Lack of coverage never fails to cause frustration and to hinder coordination between teams and departments.
Barriers
When positioned between the nearest cell phone tower and our location, obstacles like hills, mountains, or skyscrapers block us from transmitting or receiving calls. These barriers are too dense for a signal to penetrate. Of course, the same holds true for the person we're attempting to call. While the space around us may be free of obstacles, their reception may be obstructed.
Unresolved conflict serves as an impenetrable barrier, blocking communication between two people. Until we bring divisive issues out into the open and work through them together, we won't be able to connect with another person. We must learn to express our opinions graciously, and to disagree with others respectfully. Doing so melts away hostility and keeps the channels of communication open in our relationships.
Limited Battery Life
If you're like me, then you occasionally forget to charge your cell phone. Thankfully, our phones beep to alert us that they're running low on power. However, if we ignore the warnings of low battery life, we may suffer a dropped call when the phone shuts down. Until we recharge the battery, the phone is useless.
Everyone fatigues or gets worn out at some point. Usually, we're aware of the warning signs of oncoming exhaustion: irritability, frayed emotions, and heightened stress. When we do not heed the warnings, we impair our ability to connect relationally. Until we rest and recharge, we're touchy and ill-tempered, doing more harm than good on the job.
Unpaid Bills
If you neglect to pay your cell phone bill, eventually your wireless provider will cut off your service. Most people don't deliberately refuse to make payment. They simply have chaotic lives, and paying the phone bill gets forgotten amidst the clutter.
Leaders continually pay the price to communicate effectively. First, leaders put forth effort to learn about the people around them. They study the likes and dislikes of their people, discern what makes them tick, and communicate with them in a relevant manner. Second, leaders invest in relational connection. They spend time demonstrating a genuine care and goodwill toward those they lead. Third, leaders intentionally and purposefully acquire personal growth. They hone their ability to connect by practicing their speaking skills and becoming better listeners.
John Maxwell
However, as wonderful as cell phones can be, we have to put up with the nuisance of dropped calls. From time to time, we get cut off in the middle of a sentence or realize that we've spent the last two minutes speaking into nothingness due to a dropped signal. Losing connection can be maddening, especially when it happens during an important conversation.
Leaders, like mobile phone users, experience the occasional frustration of losing connection with those around them. One moment it seems as if everyone is on the same page, and then suddenly there's disconnection. People aren't getting the message. They're unresponsive. And, no matter how loud we shout, they don't hear us. What accounts for leaders losing connection with the people on their teams? Let's examine a few of the causes, staying with the mobile phone analogy.
The Tunnel
When traveling through a tunnel, whether in a car or subway, we often lose connection with those on the other end the call. The thickness of the surrounding walls prevents us from receiving a signal. Until we exit the tunnel, we're unable to communicate successfully.
As leaders, we go through tunnels when we focus exclusively on ourselves. Self-centeredness traps us inside of the walls of own perspective, and isolates from the outside world. We become blind to the needs of those around us and fail to connect with them as a consequence. Only when we move beyond self-interest are we able to gain awareness of the people around us and to interact with them in meaningful ways.
All Circuits Are Busy
Cell phone networks have limited capacity. A high volume of calls happening within a concentrated area can tie up all available circuits. When all circuits are busy, we're inhibited from reaching the person we're trying to call.
We can overload and overwhelm people by bombarding them with information. For a leader, a primary challenge of communication is to simplify the message in a way that's clear and memorable. When it comes to connecting with others, less is more. When we try to say too much, our words become white noise-a constant drone that's heard but not heeded. When we narrow our message, we give it greater force, and we allow people with limited bandwidth to latch onto what's most important.
Limited Coverage Area
Look at a coverage map from Verizon, Sprint, or AT&T, and you'll notice gaps. Even the most robust wireless network has areas without service. Those who find themselves outside of the range of a network miss incoming calls and cannot place calls to anyone else, either.
Every organization has a communication network to disseminate important information. Unfortunately, leaders sometimes fail to consider the coverage gaps that exist in their networks. When this happens, people end up operating from "dead zones." They're out of the loop, kept in the dark about decisions that affect them, and deprived of news that could help them to perform better on the job. Lack of coverage never fails to cause frustration and to hinder coordination between teams and departments.
Barriers
When positioned between the nearest cell phone tower and our location, obstacles like hills, mountains, or skyscrapers block us from transmitting or receiving calls. These barriers are too dense for a signal to penetrate. Of course, the same holds true for the person we're attempting to call. While the space around us may be free of obstacles, their reception may be obstructed.
Unresolved conflict serves as an impenetrable barrier, blocking communication between two people. Until we bring divisive issues out into the open and work through them together, we won't be able to connect with another person. We must learn to express our opinions graciously, and to disagree with others respectfully. Doing so melts away hostility and keeps the channels of communication open in our relationships.
Limited Battery Life
If you're like me, then you occasionally forget to charge your cell phone. Thankfully, our phones beep to alert us that they're running low on power. However, if we ignore the warnings of low battery life, we may suffer a dropped call when the phone shuts down. Until we recharge the battery, the phone is useless.
Everyone fatigues or gets worn out at some point. Usually, we're aware of the warning signs of oncoming exhaustion: irritability, frayed emotions, and heightened stress. When we do not heed the warnings, we impair our ability to connect relationally. Until we rest and recharge, we're touchy and ill-tempered, doing more harm than good on the job.
Unpaid Bills
If you neglect to pay your cell phone bill, eventually your wireless provider will cut off your service. Most people don't deliberately refuse to make payment. They simply have chaotic lives, and paying the phone bill gets forgotten amidst the clutter.
Leaders continually pay the price to communicate effectively. First, leaders put forth effort to learn about the people around them. They study the likes and dislikes of their people, discern what makes them tick, and communicate with them in a relevant manner. Second, leaders invest in relational connection. They spend time demonstrating a genuine care and goodwill toward those they lead. Third, leaders intentionally and purposefully acquire personal growth. They hone their ability to connect by practicing their speaking skills and becoming better listeners.
John Maxwell
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Kids
An Indian guide who displayed uncanny skills in navigating the rugged regions of the Southwest was asked how he did it. “What is your secret of being an expert tracker and trail-blazer?” a visitor asked him.
The guide answered: “There is no secret. One must only possess the far vision and the near look. The first step is to determine where you want to go. Then you must be sure that each step you take is a step in that direction.”
A dream is what you would like for life to be. A goal is what you intend to make happen. A goal is the near look; what, specifically, you intend to do on a daily basis to get there.
No matter what their current ages, try to determine the sensory learning style of each of your children: visual, auditory or kinesthetic. Visual learners understand and remember best what they see. Auditory learners prefer to hear and verbalize in order to comprehend. Kinesthetic learners need to involve touch and movement into the processing of new concepts, and to learn by doing. All of these styles have some overlap because we all use hearing, seeing and doing. But keep these styles in mind when you stimulate your children’s creative and goal-setting activities.
To build a pattern of positive expectations for your children, they need a way to keep score. Children know they are doing well when the task or project is well defined and the goals are clearly stated. How can a child experience the thrill of hitting the bull’s eye when he or she doesn’t know what the target is? Kids need to see the end before they begin a task or they will lose interest. When you are giving your child a task, such as cleaning her room, be specific in telling her what you want her to do and when you want it done and stick to it. By providing a clear and specific ending, your child can look forward to enjoying time with her friends when the task is completed.
Goals are the target of success! Who you see is who you’ll be. What you set is what you get. Help your kids get the far vision, the dream. Help them get the near look, the steps and action plans that pave the road to their dreams. Participate in your children’s games, problem-solving exercises, field trips and creative projects. Instead of telling them how things work, help them learn to discover the “hows” and “whys.”
Help your children dream about their future. Set the example by jotting down and cutting pictures out to describe family dreams. Assist them in defining their own goals and writing them down on index cards. Post the cards in their bedroom or on a board where they can see and review their goals daily.
Help your kids prioritize their goals. Have them consider their goals in the order of their importance. Place beside each written goal a proposed target date for the attainment of that goal.
Help your child make plans. Unfortunately, many kids view problems as insurmountable mountains. Your role as parents is to help them view problems as opportunities. Teach them to go over, around, under or to bore a hole right through their roadblocks.
Show children how to prepare a daily “to do” list. In the evening, help prepare a list of a few important things to do the following day. At the end of the day, help them review their progress. By using index cards, you can use a file box to store daily activity cards. Monthly, quarterly and yearly, let them go through the cards in the box to see all they have accomplished through step-by-step actions.
Help your kids to visualize, in advance, what the accomplishment of their goals looks and feels like. Bedtime is an ideal setting, where you can see in their imaginations where they want to be, what they want to do, and things they will have to work and save for to get.
Build goals and evaluations around the school year. When you go over your child’s report card, discuss the goals that he set for himself and how he is doing toward achieving those goals. Share with your child any comments teachers might have regarding his grades.
Kids need rewards, and behavior that gets rewarded gets repeated, especially if they understand that the reward is coming when the goal is accomplished. Rewards do not have to be strictly financial, but can be going out for ice cream or whatever your child enjoys doing. By rewarding goal-directed behavior, you are providing additional incentive to achieve almost any goal.
The guide answered: “There is no secret. One must only possess the far vision and the near look. The first step is to determine where you want to go. Then you must be sure that each step you take is a step in that direction.”
A dream is what you would like for life to be. A goal is what you intend to make happen. A goal is the near look; what, specifically, you intend to do on a daily basis to get there.
No matter what their current ages, try to determine the sensory learning style of each of your children: visual, auditory or kinesthetic. Visual learners understand and remember best what they see. Auditory learners prefer to hear and verbalize in order to comprehend. Kinesthetic learners need to involve touch and movement into the processing of new concepts, and to learn by doing. All of these styles have some overlap because we all use hearing, seeing and doing. But keep these styles in mind when you stimulate your children’s creative and goal-setting activities.
To build a pattern of positive expectations for your children, they need a way to keep score. Children know they are doing well when the task or project is well defined and the goals are clearly stated. How can a child experience the thrill of hitting the bull’s eye when he or she doesn’t know what the target is? Kids need to see the end before they begin a task or they will lose interest. When you are giving your child a task, such as cleaning her room, be specific in telling her what you want her to do and when you want it done and stick to it. By providing a clear and specific ending, your child can look forward to enjoying time with her friends when the task is completed.
Goals are the target of success! Who you see is who you’ll be. What you set is what you get. Help your kids get the far vision, the dream. Help them get the near look, the steps and action plans that pave the road to their dreams. Participate in your children’s games, problem-solving exercises, field trips and creative projects. Instead of telling them how things work, help them learn to discover the “hows” and “whys.”
Help your children dream about their future. Set the example by jotting down and cutting pictures out to describe family dreams. Assist them in defining their own goals and writing them down on index cards. Post the cards in their bedroom or on a board where they can see and review their goals daily.
Help your kids prioritize their goals. Have them consider their goals in the order of their importance. Place beside each written goal a proposed target date for the attainment of that goal.
Help your child make plans. Unfortunately, many kids view problems as insurmountable mountains. Your role as parents is to help them view problems as opportunities. Teach them to go over, around, under or to bore a hole right through their roadblocks.
Show children how to prepare a daily “to do” list. In the evening, help prepare a list of a few important things to do the following day. At the end of the day, help them review their progress. By using index cards, you can use a file box to store daily activity cards. Monthly, quarterly and yearly, let them go through the cards in the box to see all they have accomplished through step-by-step actions.
Help your kids to visualize, in advance, what the accomplishment of their goals looks and feels like. Bedtime is an ideal setting, where you can see in their imaginations where they want to be, what they want to do, and things they will have to work and save for to get.
Build goals and evaluations around the school year. When you go over your child’s report card, discuss the goals that he set for himself and how he is doing toward achieving those goals. Share with your child any comments teachers might have regarding his grades.
Kids need rewards, and behavior that gets rewarded gets repeated, especially if they understand that the reward is coming when the goal is accomplished. Rewards do not have to be strictly financial, but can be going out for ice cream or whatever your child enjoys doing. By rewarding goal-directed behavior, you are providing additional incentive to achieve almost any goal.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Nature's Wonder Drugs
Every time you complete a task of any kind, your brain releases a small quantity of endorphins. This natural morphine gives you a sense of well-being and elation. It makes you feel happy and peaceful. It stimulates your creativity and improves your personality. It is nature's "wonder drug."
Create the Winning Feeling
Everyone wants to feel like a winner. And feeling like a winner requires that you win. You get a feeling of being a winner by completing a task 100 percent. When you do this repeatedly, eventually you develop the habit of completing the tasks that you begin. When this habit of task completion locks in, your life will begin to improve in ways that you cannot today imagine.
The Pain of Procrastination
If you have ever had a major assignment that you have put off, you know what I am referring to. The longer you wait to get started on an assignment and the closer the deadline approaches, the greater stress you experience. It can start to keep you up at night until you finally launch into the task and push it through to completion; you feel a great sense of relief and well-being. It is almost as if nature rewards you for everything that you do that is positive and life enhancing. At the same time, nature penalizes you with stress and dissatisfaction when you fail to do the tasks that move you toward the goals and results that are important to you.
The Balanced Scoreboard
One of the most popular movements in modern management is toward a "balanced scorecard." Using these scorecards, every person, at every level of the business is encouraged to identify the key measures that indicate success and then give themselves scores every day and every week in each of those key areas. Here is an important point. The very act of identifying a number or score and then paying close attention to it will cause you to improve your performance in that area.
Close the Loop
The third C, after commitment and completion, is "closure." This is the difference between an "open loop" and a "closed loop." Bringing closure to an issue in your personal or business life is absolutely essential for you to feel happy and in control of your situation. Lack of closure—unfinished business, an incomplete action of any kind—is a major source of stress, dissatisfaction, and even failure in business. It consumes enormous amounts of physical and emotional energy.
The Key Ability
Perhaps the most important ability in the world of work is "dependability." Nothing will get you paid more and promoted faster than to develop a reputation for getting your tasks done quickly, done well, and on schedule. Whatever your goals, make a list of all the tasks you will have to accomplish in the achievement of those goals. Put a deadline on every one of those tasks.
Action Exercise
Determine a single measure that you can use to grade your progress and success in each area of your life. Refer to it daily.
Create the Winning Feeling
Everyone wants to feel like a winner. And feeling like a winner requires that you win. You get a feeling of being a winner by completing a task 100 percent. When you do this repeatedly, eventually you develop the habit of completing the tasks that you begin. When this habit of task completion locks in, your life will begin to improve in ways that you cannot today imagine.
The Pain of Procrastination
If you have ever had a major assignment that you have put off, you know what I am referring to. The longer you wait to get started on an assignment and the closer the deadline approaches, the greater stress you experience. It can start to keep you up at night until you finally launch into the task and push it through to completion; you feel a great sense of relief and well-being. It is almost as if nature rewards you for everything that you do that is positive and life enhancing. At the same time, nature penalizes you with stress and dissatisfaction when you fail to do the tasks that move you toward the goals and results that are important to you.
The Balanced Scoreboard
One of the most popular movements in modern management is toward a "balanced scorecard." Using these scorecards, every person, at every level of the business is encouraged to identify the key measures that indicate success and then give themselves scores every day and every week in each of those key areas. Here is an important point. The very act of identifying a number or score and then paying close attention to it will cause you to improve your performance in that area.
Close the Loop
The third C, after commitment and completion, is "closure." This is the difference between an "open loop" and a "closed loop." Bringing closure to an issue in your personal or business life is absolutely essential for you to feel happy and in control of your situation. Lack of closure—unfinished business, an incomplete action of any kind—is a major source of stress, dissatisfaction, and even failure in business. It consumes enormous amounts of physical and emotional energy.
The Key Ability
Perhaps the most important ability in the world of work is "dependability." Nothing will get you paid more and promoted faster than to develop a reputation for getting your tasks done quickly, done well, and on schedule. Whatever your goals, make a list of all the tasks you will have to accomplish in the achievement of those goals. Put a deadline on every one of those tasks.
Action Exercise
Determine a single measure that you can use to grade your progress and success in each area of your life. Refer to it daily.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Leadership Skills
What’s important in leadership is refining your skills. All great leaders keep working on themselves until they become effective. Here are some specifics:
1) Learn to be strong but not rude. It is an extra step you must take to become a powerful, capable leader with a wide range of reach. Some people mistake rudeness for strength. It’s not even a good substitute.
2) Learn to be kind but not weak. We must not mistake kindness for weakness. Kindness isn’t weak. Kindness is a certain type of strength. We must be kind enough to tell somebody the truth. We must be kind enough and considerate enough to lay it on the line. We must be kind enough to tell it like it is and not deal in delusion.
3) Learn to be bold but not a bully. It takes boldness to win the day. To build your influence, you’ve got to walk in front of your group. You’ve got to be willing to take the first arrow, tackle the first problem, discover the first sign of trouble.
4) You’ve got to learn to be humble, but not timid. You can’t get to the high life by being timid. Some people mistake timidity for humility. Humility is almost a God-like word. A sense of awe. A sense of wonder. An awareness of the human soul and spirit. An understanding that there is something unique about the human drama versus the rest of life. Humility is a grasp of the distance between us and the stars, yet having the feeling that we’re part of the stars. So humility is a virtue; but timidity is a disease. Timidity is an affliction. It can be cured, but it is a problem.
5) Be proud but not arrogant. It takes pride to win the day. It takes pride to build your ambition. It takes pride in community. It takes pride in cause, in accomplishment. But the key to becoming a good leader is being proud without being arrogant. In fact I believe the worst kind of arrogance is arrogance from ignorance. It’s when you don’t know that you don’t know. Now that kind of arrogance is intolerable. If someone is smart and arrogant, we can tolerate that. But if someone is ignorant and arrogant, that’s just too much to take.
6) Develop humor without folly. That’s important for a leader. In leadership, we learn that it’s okay to be witty, but not silly. It’s okay to be fun, but not foolish.
Lastly, deal in realities. Deal in truth. Save yourself the agony. Just accept life like it is. Life is unique. Some people call it tragic, but I’d like to think it’s unique. The whole drama of life is unique. It’s fascinating. And I’ve found that the skills that work well for one leader may not work at all for another. But the fundamental skills of leadership can be adapted to work well for just about everyone: at work, in the community and at home
1) Learn to be strong but not rude. It is an extra step you must take to become a powerful, capable leader with a wide range of reach. Some people mistake rudeness for strength. It’s not even a good substitute.
2) Learn to be kind but not weak. We must not mistake kindness for weakness. Kindness isn’t weak. Kindness is a certain type of strength. We must be kind enough to tell somebody the truth. We must be kind enough and considerate enough to lay it on the line. We must be kind enough to tell it like it is and not deal in delusion.
3) Learn to be bold but not a bully. It takes boldness to win the day. To build your influence, you’ve got to walk in front of your group. You’ve got to be willing to take the first arrow, tackle the first problem, discover the first sign of trouble.
4) You’ve got to learn to be humble, but not timid. You can’t get to the high life by being timid. Some people mistake timidity for humility. Humility is almost a God-like word. A sense of awe. A sense of wonder. An awareness of the human soul and spirit. An understanding that there is something unique about the human drama versus the rest of life. Humility is a grasp of the distance between us and the stars, yet having the feeling that we’re part of the stars. So humility is a virtue; but timidity is a disease. Timidity is an affliction. It can be cured, but it is a problem.
5) Be proud but not arrogant. It takes pride to win the day. It takes pride to build your ambition. It takes pride in community. It takes pride in cause, in accomplishment. But the key to becoming a good leader is being proud without being arrogant. In fact I believe the worst kind of arrogance is arrogance from ignorance. It’s when you don’t know that you don’t know. Now that kind of arrogance is intolerable. If someone is smart and arrogant, we can tolerate that. But if someone is ignorant and arrogant, that’s just too much to take.
6) Develop humor without folly. That’s important for a leader. In leadership, we learn that it’s okay to be witty, but not silly. It’s okay to be fun, but not foolish.
Lastly, deal in realities. Deal in truth. Save yourself the agony. Just accept life like it is. Life is unique. Some people call it tragic, but I’d like to think it’s unique. The whole drama of life is unique. It’s fascinating. And I’ve found that the skills that work well for one leader may not work at all for another. But the fundamental skills of leadership can be adapted to work well for just about everyone: at work, in the community and at home
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Geese
How often do you hear people speak with envy about companies with “real heart”? Companies like Nordstrom, FedEx, Ben and Jerry’s, Southwest Airlines, Starbucks, and The Container Store to name a few. Outsiders are constantly looking for their “secrets” to success. Fact is, the secret lies in the hearts of their employees. These companies create connected teams and, as a result, build dominant businesses by acting like geese. Like geese? Yes, like GEESE!If you ever happen to see (or hear about) geese heading south for the winter – flying along in “V” formation – you might consider what science has discovered about why they fly that way. As each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in “V” formation, the whole flock adds at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew by itself. Any goose that falls out of formation suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into position to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front.When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back in the set and another goose moves up to fly point. And the geese in the back honk to encourage those in front to keep up their speed. Finally, when a goose gets sick or is wounded and falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen teammate until it is able to fly or it dies. Only then do they launch out on their own – or with another formation – to catch back up with their group.The lesson: Like geese, people who share a common direction and sense of community, who take turns doing demanding jobs, and who watch out for one another, can get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are traveling on the thrust of their teammates. Geese are defined by how they stay connected with one another. Successful teams – and excellent leaders – are defined the same way.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Monday, October 22, 2007
GOALS
Chad Schapiro: Here, once more, is the simple, seven-step process that you can use to achieve your goals faster and easier than ever before.
First, decide exactly what you want in each area of your life. Be specific!
Second, write it down, clearly and in detail;
Third, set a specific deadline. If it is a large goal, break it down into sub-deadlines and write them down in order;
Fourth, make a list of everything you can think of that you are going to have to do to achieve your goal. As you think of new items, add them to your list;
Fifth, organize the items on your list into a plan by placing them in the proper sequence and priority;
Sixth, take action immediately on the most important thing you can do on your plan. This is very important!
Seventh, do something every day that moves you toward the attainment of one or more of your important goals. Maintain the momentum!
Join the Top 3%Fewer than three percent of adults have written goals and plans that they work on every single day. When you sit down and write out your goals, you move yourself into the top 3% of people in our society. And you will soon start to get the same results that they do.
First, decide exactly what you want in each area of your life. Be specific!
Second, write it down, clearly and in detail;
Third, set a specific deadline. If it is a large goal, break it down into sub-deadlines and write them down in order;
Fourth, make a list of everything you can think of that you are going to have to do to achieve your goal. As you think of new items, add them to your list;
Fifth, organize the items on your list into a plan by placing them in the proper sequence and priority;
Sixth, take action immediately on the most important thing you can do on your plan. This is very important!
Seventh, do something every day that moves you toward the attainment of one or more of your important goals. Maintain the momentum!
Join the Top 3%Fewer than three percent of adults have written goals and plans that they work on every single day. When you sit down and write out your goals, you move yourself into the top 3% of people in our society. And you will soon start to get the same results that they do.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Chad Schapiro:To make this really simple show your new prospects the http://video.ourgvrewards.com
and if they are excited make sure to list their name, phone number, and background in the bottom of your goals sheets and I will help call them! Continue to work with them as usual, taking them to a live presentation or somewhere on the basics or compensation plan sections of the http://new.a2success.com/ site.-Chad Schapiro
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Chad Schapiro:85 LEADERS
I will be looking in on the goal sheets more often so I can encourage and help in given areas. Anyone that is disciplined and truly uses this tool for an extended period of time the way it's designed WILL have success. I don't promise much but this is the way it is.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Chad Schapiro:Adversity
“Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I’ll show you someone who has overcome adversity.” — Lou Holtz
Success in life depends upon being strong people with clear goals and focused discipline. Unfortunately most of us aren’t born that way. We grow that way. And that growth can either come from us entering into situations that will cause us to grow, like creating a business, or from the way we react when circumstances come upon us that we have not chosen. The latter is what we call adversity.
Most of us spend our lives trying to avoid adversity, and who can blame us? We shouldn’t pursue adversity, but when it arrives, we should welcome it, through our interaction with it, will make us into better people. Every contact we have with adversity gives us again the opportunity to grow personally and professionally and to forge our character into one that will achieve much more later on.
With that in mind, here are some thoughts on adversity, and how it can help you to succeed in every area of your life and achieve your dreams.
Adversity brings out our resources. Adversity reveals genius, prosperity conceals it. When everything is going well, we coast. There isn’t a lot of stress, and we don’t have to draw too much on the resources that reside within us. But when adversity comes we begin to draw upon each and every resource that we have in order to conquer the situations at hand. Adversity then, keeps us sharp. It keeps us using our personal muscle, if you will. That is a good thing because we grow through the use of our resources.
Adversity brings us together with others. Sure a team can have their problems with each other, but when they step on the court, when they experience the adversity of facing another obstacle, they pull together. One for all and all for one, as they say. The next time you experience adversity of some kind, keep your eyes open for how it can bring you together with your family, your mentors or your team. Then when you are through it, you will find a bond that was created that wasn’t there before.
Adversity makes us better people with stronger characters. Never underestimate the power of adversity to shape us inwardly. How will courage, discipline and perseverance ever flourish if we are never tested? After adversity, we come out stronger people and able then to use our character and influence in an even greater way to lead those around us and to improve their lives as well as our own.
Adversity makes life interesting. John Amatt said, “Without adversity, without change, life is boring.” How true. Have you noticed that while we are in the middle of adversity we only want to get out of it, but we then spend a lifetime talking about it to anyone who will listen? This is because it spices life up a little. Imagine how boring life would be if everything always went well, when there was never a mountain to be climbed.
Question - If you are in the middle of some adversity right now, what resources are you drawing on? Who are you drawing closer to and working with? What part of your character is being tested, and built up? What can you do to view this adversity as someone who will be better for it on the other side?
Remember the words of Napoleon Hill - “Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.” It is true!
Success in life depends upon being strong people with clear goals and focused discipline. Unfortunately most of us aren’t born that way. We grow that way. And that growth can either come from us entering into situations that will cause us to grow, like creating a business, or from the way we react when circumstances come upon us that we have not chosen. The latter is what we call adversity.
Most of us spend our lives trying to avoid adversity, and who can blame us? We shouldn’t pursue adversity, but when it arrives, we should welcome it, through our interaction with it, will make us into better people. Every contact we have with adversity gives us again the opportunity to grow personally and professionally and to forge our character into one that will achieve much more later on.
With that in mind, here are some thoughts on adversity, and how it can help you to succeed in every area of your life and achieve your dreams.
Adversity brings out our resources. Adversity reveals genius, prosperity conceals it. When everything is going well, we coast. There isn’t a lot of stress, and we don’t have to draw too much on the resources that reside within us. But when adversity comes we begin to draw upon each and every resource that we have in order to conquer the situations at hand. Adversity then, keeps us sharp. It keeps us using our personal muscle, if you will. That is a good thing because we grow through the use of our resources.
Adversity brings us together with others. Sure a team can have their problems with each other, but when they step on the court, when they experience the adversity of facing another obstacle, they pull together. One for all and all for one, as they say. The next time you experience adversity of some kind, keep your eyes open for how it can bring you together with your family, your mentors or your team. Then when you are through it, you will find a bond that was created that wasn’t there before.
Adversity makes us better people with stronger characters. Never underestimate the power of adversity to shape us inwardly. How will courage, discipline and perseverance ever flourish if we are never tested? After adversity, we come out stronger people and able then to use our character and influence in an even greater way to lead those around us and to improve their lives as well as our own.
Adversity makes life interesting. John Amatt said, “Without adversity, without change, life is boring.” How true. Have you noticed that while we are in the middle of adversity we only want to get out of it, but we then spend a lifetime talking about it to anyone who will listen? This is because it spices life up a little. Imagine how boring life would be if everything always went well, when there was never a mountain to be climbed.
Question - If you are in the middle of some adversity right now, what resources are you drawing on? Who are you drawing closer to and working with? What part of your character is being tested, and built up? What can you do to view this adversity as someone who will be better for it on the other side?
Remember the words of Napoleon Hill - “Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.” It is true!
Chad Schapiro:All Industry's Recruit
This was a quick article I read about a college football program in Minnesota. Notice their attention to recruiting and what the writer attributes the success of the top football schools throughout history.
"This was an indication of what a great recruiting job Brewster and his staff have done to try to attract athletes to Minnesota since he was named the Gophers coach. Their motto is "24/7/365," meaning recruit 24 hours, seven days a week, 365 days a year, and they have tried to do that.
And if they can recruit the outstanding athletes from outside Minnesota and win, it will make it easier to get the top kids in the state.
True, Brewster has never been a head coach or an offensive coordinator, and he has to prove that he can coach.
But I'm convinced he can recruit with the best. The reason Michigan and Ohio State win year after year is that they are able to recruit the best athletes."
Many times in Home Business we put an emphasis on other things but at the end of the day the best and most consistent recruiters have the best and most productive teams.
"This was an indication of what a great recruiting job Brewster and his staff have done to try to attract athletes to Minnesota since he was named the Gophers coach. Their motto is "24/7/365," meaning recruit 24 hours, seven days a week, 365 days a year, and they have tried to do that.
And if they can recruit the outstanding athletes from outside Minnesota and win, it will make it easier to get the top kids in the state.
True, Brewster has never been a head coach or an offensive coordinator, and he has to prove that he can coach.
But I'm convinced he can recruit with the best. The reason Michigan and Ohio State win year after year is that they are able to recruit the best athletes."
Many times in Home Business we put an emphasis on other things but at the end of the day the best and most consistent recruiters have the best and most productive teams.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Chad Schapiro: Lead Yourself
There are two essential qualities of leadership. Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric says that the "Reality Principle" is the most important of all. What this means is the practice of realism in all things.
The realist insists upon seeing the world as it really is, not as he wishes it were. This objectivity, this refusal to engage in self-delusion, is a mark of the true leader. Those who exhibit the quality of realism do not trust to luck, hope for miracles, pray for exceptions to basic business principles, expect rewards without working or hope that problems will go away by themselves. These all are examples of self-delusion, of living in a fantasyland.
The motivational leader insists on seeing things exactly as they are and encourages others to look at life the same way. As a motivational leader, you get the facts, whatever they are. You deal with people honestly and tell them exactly what you perceive to be the truth. This doesn't mean that you will always be right, but you will always be expressing the truth in the best way you know how.
The second key quality of motivational leadership is responsibility. This is perhaps the hardest of all to develop. The acceptance of responsibility means that, as Harry Truman said, "The buck stops here."
The game of life is very competitive. Sometimes, great success and great failure are separated by a very small distance. In watching the play-offs in basketball, baseball and football, we see that the winner can be decided by a single point, and that single point can rest on a single action, or inaction, on the part of a single team member at a critical part of the game.
Life is very much like competitive sports. Very small things that you do, or don't do, can either give you the edge that leads to victory or take away your edge at the critical moment. This principle is especially true with regard to accepting responsibility for yourself and for everything that happens to you.
Refuse to Make Excuses! The opposite of accepting responsibility is making excuses, blaming others and becoming upset, angry and resentful toward people for what they have done to you or not done for you.Any one of these three behaviors can trip you up and be enough to cost you the game: If you run into an obstacle or setback and you make excuses rather than accept responsibility, it's a five-yard penalty. It can cost you a first down. It can cost you a touchdown. It can make the difference between success and failure.If, when you face a problem or setback, and you both make excuses and blame someone else, you get a 10-yard penalty. In a tightly contested game, where the teams are just about even, a 10-yard penalty can cost you the game.If, instead of accepting responsibility when things go wrong, you make excuses, blame someone else and simultaneously become angry and resentful and blow up, you get a 15-yard penalty. This may cost you the championship and your career as well if it continues.
Lead Yourself, Be A Role Model. Personal leadership and motivational leadership are very much the same. To lead others, you must first lead yourself. To be an example or a role model for others, you must first become an excellent person yourself.
The realist insists upon seeing the world as it really is, not as he wishes it were. This objectivity, this refusal to engage in self-delusion, is a mark of the true leader. Those who exhibit the quality of realism do not trust to luck, hope for miracles, pray for exceptions to basic business principles, expect rewards without working or hope that problems will go away by themselves. These all are examples of self-delusion, of living in a fantasyland.
The motivational leader insists on seeing things exactly as they are and encourages others to look at life the same way. As a motivational leader, you get the facts, whatever they are. You deal with people honestly and tell them exactly what you perceive to be the truth. This doesn't mean that you will always be right, but you will always be expressing the truth in the best way you know how.
The second key quality of motivational leadership is responsibility. This is perhaps the hardest of all to develop. The acceptance of responsibility means that, as Harry Truman said, "The buck stops here."
The game of life is very competitive. Sometimes, great success and great failure are separated by a very small distance. In watching the play-offs in basketball, baseball and football, we see that the winner can be decided by a single point, and that single point can rest on a single action, or inaction, on the part of a single team member at a critical part of the game.
Life is very much like competitive sports. Very small things that you do, or don't do, can either give you the edge that leads to victory or take away your edge at the critical moment. This principle is especially true with regard to accepting responsibility for yourself and for everything that happens to you.
Refuse to Make Excuses! The opposite of accepting responsibility is making excuses, blaming others and becoming upset, angry and resentful toward people for what they have done to you or not done for you.Any one of these three behaviors can trip you up and be enough to cost you the game: If you run into an obstacle or setback and you make excuses rather than accept responsibility, it's a five-yard penalty. It can cost you a first down. It can cost you a touchdown. It can make the difference between success and failure.If, when you face a problem or setback, and you both make excuses and blame someone else, you get a 10-yard penalty. In a tightly contested game, where the teams are just about even, a 10-yard penalty can cost you the game.If, instead of accepting responsibility when things go wrong, you make excuses, blame someone else and simultaneously become angry and resentful and blow up, you get a 15-yard penalty. This may cost you the championship and your career as well if it continues.
Lead Yourself, Be A Role Model. Personal leadership and motivational leadership are very much the same. To lead others, you must first lead yourself. To be an example or a role model for others, you must first become an excellent person yourself.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Chad Schapiro: Develop Self-Confidence
In my opinion, there is nothing more important than your belief in your own potential for success and happiness, regardless of your age, gender, ethnicity, looks, education or background. The truth is, every day "You only sell you." You don't sell websites or a business concept. You sell the value of the person offering the websites and services. The decision of the buyer is based on the value of the seller. Just as products are described as "good", "expensive", "incredible", "worth-it" so, too, are individuals branded by others as "winners" or "losers."
Who you are shouts so loudly, that people either can't hear, don't want to hear, or listen carefully to what you are saying. Everybody loves a winner, and we all want to work with winners who pass their own value on to us.
Self-confidence isn't something you were born with. It's something you develop. Many of us were cultivated like weeds as children. We played inferior roles to the adults around us, who frequently reminded us of our faults and shortcomings more than our successes and abilities.If you had that type of childhood, as I did, you face a special challenge in building up your self-confidence as an adult. Here are some basic points to remember about yourself:
1. Realize that the most important opinion about you is the one that you hold. Long-term, nobody else is responsible for your life but you. Nobody else is accountable for your actions but you. Therefore, nobody’s opinion about you is more important than yours.
2. Don't demand perfection of yourself. An A is usually awarded to the person who scores 90 percent or better, and sometimes the score doesn't need to be that high. Professional basketball players only make half their shots. Professional quarterback complete only half their passes, and professional baseball players reach first base less than 40 percent of the time, and that includes walks. And we all know what our averages are in picking stocks to invest in that are always going up. That would be never! Give your best effort every day and keep going forward. Perfection is not only totally unrealistic to expect and virtually impossible to achieve, but it greatly takes you away from your ability to move forward. The person who is constantly looking over his or her shoulder at what might have been done better, can't possibly be focused on the future. Drive with your eyes ahead; don't drive by concentrating on the rearview mirror.
3. Develop a strong system of values. Take those values like striving for freedom, being the best you can be, persistence, showing love, serving others, or whatever and feed those values. Learn about them, immerse yourself in them so they grow and choke out the weeds around you. Your values will greatly affect how you relate to others. The stronger your values are, the greater the impact. If you are lacking in values, you will tend to draw from and even use other people to try to mimic their behaviors, if only superficially. Instead, seek to become a model, one who can help and give strength to others.
4. Don't reinforce your failures. Failure is a detour, not a dead-end street. Failure is a temporary setback, not a residence. Failure is a learning experience, not a person. Like success, failure is a growth process, not a status. Don't wallow in your mistakes. Correct them and move forward. Failure is necessary to move forward like bending a knee to step up higher. Congrats for your recent failures!!
5. Recognize that the most important conversations are the ones you have with yourself. Whether or not you are aware of it, you have a running conversation with yourself from the time you get up to the time you go to sleep. Your thoughts and ideas are "you talking to you." Have daily conversations with yourself that are supportive and reinforcing. We know the value of talking to people who praise us, reward us, recognize us, are happy to see us, and let us know they genuinely enjoy talking with us. Talk to yourself with those same qualities – silently as well as out loud.
6. Give each job or task your best effort. Countless individuals say, when confronted with a chore, "I'm too good to be doing this." They have negativity for their current lifestyle and the work that must be done, and get discouraged easily. Success is an accumulation of what you do in the minutes of each day. No task is too unworthy to do well. There are no small parts – only small actors.
7. To develop confidence, you must see yourself ultimately as a unique part of creation. You must recognize, with pleasure, that nobody else is just like you. No one else has exactly your personality, history or experiences. No one else has your footprints, your finger prints, your voice print or your genetic code. No one else has precisely your set of talents, capabilities and skills. You are one of a kind. The value is there. It just needs to be dusted off and polished.
Who you are shouts so loudly, that people either can't hear, don't want to hear, or listen carefully to what you are saying. Everybody loves a winner, and we all want to work with winners who pass their own value on to us.
Self-confidence isn't something you were born with. It's something you develop. Many of us were cultivated like weeds as children. We played inferior roles to the adults around us, who frequently reminded us of our faults and shortcomings more than our successes and abilities.If you had that type of childhood, as I did, you face a special challenge in building up your self-confidence as an adult. Here are some basic points to remember about yourself:
1. Realize that the most important opinion about you is the one that you hold. Long-term, nobody else is responsible for your life but you. Nobody else is accountable for your actions but you. Therefore, nobody’s opinion about you is more important than yours.
2. Don't demand perfection of yourself. An A is usually awarded to the person who scores 90 percent or better, and sometimes the score doesn't need to be that high. Professional basketball players only make half their shots. Professional quarterback complete only half their passes, and professional baseball players reach first base less than 40 percent of the time, and that includes walks. And we all know what our averages are in picking stocks to invest in that are always going up. That would be never! Give your best effort every day and keep going forward. Perfection is not only totally unrealistic to expect and virtually impossible to achieve, but it greatly takes you away from your ability to move forward. The person who is constantly looking over his or her shoulder at what might have been done better, can't possibly be focused on the future. Drive with your eyes ahead; don't drive by concentrating on the rearview mirror.
3. Develop a strong system of values. Take those values like striving for freedom, being the best you can be, persistence, showing love, serving others, or whatever and feed those values. Learn about them, immerse yourself in them so they grow and choke out the weeds around you. Your values will greatly affect how you relate to others. The stronger your values are, the greater the impact. If you are lacking in values, you will tend to draw from and even use other people to try to mimic their behaviors, if only superficially. Instead, seek to become a model, one who can help and give strength to others.
4. Don't reinforce your failures. Failure is a detour, not a dead-end street. Failure is a temporary setback, not a residence. Failure is a learning experience, not a person. Like success, failure is a growth process, not a status. Don't wallow in your mistakes. Correct them and move forward. Failure is necessary to move forward like bending a knee to step up higher. Congrats for your recent failures!!
5. Recognize that the most important conversations are the ones you have with yourself. Whether or not you are aware of it, you have a running conversation with yourself from the time you get up to the time you go to sleep. Your thoughts and ideas are "you talking to you." Have daily conversations with yourself that are supportive and reinforcing. We know the value of talking to people who praise us, reward us, recognize us, are happy to see us, and let us know they genuinely enjoy talking with us. Talk to yourself with those same qualities – silently as well as out loud.
6. Give each job or task your best effort. Countless individuals say, when confronted with a chore, "I'm too good to be doing this." They have negativity for their current lifestyle and the work that must be done, and get discouraged easily. Success is an accumulation of what you do in the minutes of each day. No task is too unworthy to do well. There are no small parts – only small actors.
7. To develop confidence, you must see yourself ultimately as a unique part of creation. You must recognize, with pleasure, that nobody else is just like you. No one else has exactly your personality, history or experiences. No one else has your footprints, your finger prints, your voice print or your genetic code. No one else has precisely your set of talents, capabilities and skills. You are one of a kind. The value is there. It just needs to be dusted off and polished.
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