Drawing Your Life Line

This weekend I was the recipient of some rather profound commentary on life. It didn’t come to me via some world renowned scholar or teacher; it was casually presented to me on the way home from playing golf with my 21 year-old son, Tyler. We were talking about his first few years away at college and he interjected into the conversation the following: (let me paraphrase to the best of my memory)

Dad, to me, life is like a line. It can be a straight horizontal line from birth to death, where you don’t do anything but basically exist, so there is nothing to cause the line to go up (representing you did something good) …or … causing it to go down (representing you did something bad). I understand there will be times that my line is flat, which is okay, because you need to take some breaks, vacations, and just relax.

I decided my important decisions in life should be based on what makes my line go up. If I study hard and get an “A” on tests, the line goes up. When I played basketball, I didn’t worry about the entire game, only what I could do to make the line go up: scoring, rebounds, and steals would all add up to helping the team. I see kids doing some really stupid things in college which does nothing to help their line go up … so I don’t do them. I am all about making my line as high as I can.

So, when I have to make a decision about doing something or not doing something, I think about my line. It helps making a decision so much easier.

Complicated just got simple.
Confusing just got clear.
Indecisiveness just turned into action.
It’s all about a higher line mentality.
What are you doing to make your line go up today?

Your life is a line – it just depends on how “you” want to draw it.

Chipping Away At Success

Michelangelo made incredible statues by chipping away at giant blocks of marble. He envisioned the finished piece before ever raising his mallet and kept chipping away until his masterpiece was completed. Every day you need to chip away at becoming better. If you intend to be successful, creating your own masterpiece, you don’t do it overnight.

For over 20 years, I have been a professional speaker and have addressed the top companies in the world on numerous issues that would help their people perform at a higher level. In preparing for over 2,500 programs, not once have I had anyone tell me their people were lacking in the hard skills, technical knowledge or the book sense they needed to succeed in their industry. Instead, I have always been asked to address subjects that have to deal with what is referred to as soft skills.

Unlike hard skills, which are about someone’s skill and ability to perform a task, soft skills are more broadly applicable to successfully running an enterprise. Soft skills are the behavioral competencies people possess. Also known as people skills or interpersonal skills, they include talents such as strategic thinking, communication skills, team building, leadership and management skills, negotiation skills, conflict resolution, personal effectiveness, productive and inventive problem solving, along with selling skills, to name just a few. Top executives understand that a person’s soft skills are an important part of their individual contribution to the success of the organization.

The mistake I see people and companies making is that they get consumed with dealing with everything else and not taking a few minutes each day to develop soft skills. You don’t create these soft skills overnight. Keep in mind Michelangelo’s method of creation; small chips carved away to uncover the beauty that was always there in his mind. Every day on a personal or corporate basis, make sure some sort of “Chipping Away” is taking place.

Don’t let a day go by that you or your people have not gained “A Small Chip” of knowledge, skill or talent.

REALISTIC OPTIMIST

I am the eternal optimist; just ask my wife Ann. She will tell you I can watch a movie that is really bad and the whole time I am thinking it will get better, the plot will improve, the actors will become better actors, and the ending will be great. As a motivational business speaker it would be a very bad thing if I didn’t look at things that way. But, I am also a businessperson who has owned several companies, worked with over 2,500 other companies and interviewed over 10,000 employees, managers and senior executives, so I understand where optimism needs to stop and realities must be addressed.

Former President John Kennedy would assign a person at each cabinet meeting to take the opposite view of what was being proposed, even if they agreed with it. Their job was to try and shoot holes in the plan, find the weak points or destroy it altogether, if they could. He felt if a plan, idea, or suggestion couldn’t stand up to their tough questions, the plan sure wouldn’t stand up to the real world when they tried to implement it. He knew because he was the President that many times people would publicly agree with him, even when they really didn’t agree. He understood that the only way to get real answers was to take the fear of reprisal out of the picture.

If you are having meetings and everyone is agreeing with you, then you don’t need to have any more meetings. Disagreements are healthy; President Kennedy insisted on them. Zappo’s, the internet shoe selling company who went from zero to $1 billion in sales in 10 years, changed its business plan four times. A&P, who had over 16,000 stores, didn’t pay attention to their customers’ ever-changing demands, didn’t adjust their business plan, and now they have about 300 stores.

It is great to be optimistic. I want to be surrounded by people who know we can get it done. But, I also want to be around people who will face reality and change when necessary; then get it done. That’s the way we’ve always done it, works for delivering great service, having great attitudes, being timely and efficient. Those are all critical to your success. But, when your market changes, when customer demands change … you have got to be realistic. Take a look at all the different menu offerings at McDonald’s today compared to what they offered 10 years ago … oh, how things have changed.

I have said it before, but it is worth repeating; if you don’t like change, you are going to hate extinction. If you are going to stay ahead of your competition then address the real issues and ask the tough questions. To survive in this ever changing marketplace, I suggest you become a REALISTIC OPTIMIST.

Look for the Bigger Picture

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the fine details that we never move forward. Sometimes all we see is what is wrong with a new idea rather than what might possibly be right with it, even if only a portion of the idea will work. Maybe we should take a lesson from our own mind (brain).

Aoccdrnig to a rsechearer at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in what oredr the ltteers in a word apaepr, the only iprmoetnt thing is that the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can still raed it wouthit a porbelm. This is bcuseae the human mind deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the word as a wlohe.

I remember doing a speaking engagement where a lady came up to me afterwards with a hand written note pointing out the one misspelled word in my program. Normally, I would have been very thankful for her pointing out my error, but not this time. The manner in which she delivered her message was condescending, with a hint of glee that she had found a mistake. I had over 150 slides in my program that day, with several thousand words and she found the one typo. I wonder how long she sat there thinking about my typo, excited she found my typo, relishing in the fact that she found a mistake I made … rather than trying to get something out of my message.

My message to you today is get past the little things. Look for the bigger picture. It is safe to say that most great discoveries came out of countless attempts, errors and mistakes. If you are going to …

► base a person’s creative intelligence on their ability to spell every word perfectly
► shoot down an idea because it has never been done before
► not promote someone because they are not as detailed as you
► fire or not hire someone because they don’t conform to your fashion beliefs

than do yourself a favor and don’t pursue a career that has anything to do with managing a company, leading people, or creating new and better ways to succeed.

Yes, soemtmies it is tugoh to see the big pcitrue wehn all you are dniog is fdinnig falut.

Corporate Culture Counts

The dictionary defines “Corporate Culture” as the distinctive ethos (the fundamental character or spirit) of an organization that influences the level of formality, loyalty, and general behavior of its employees. It includes the philosophy, shared values, traditions, customs, and behavior of a corporation, that together constitute the unique style and policies of a company.

Wow! That was a mouthful to swallow all at once. A simple way to determine your company’s corporate culture is to select a random sampling of people within your organization and ask them to explain what they believe to be your corporate culture.

Get ready; you may want to take a seat when you hear what they have to say. In most cases their words will astound you. If by chance you hear similar responses from most everyone that mirror the culture you were hoping to create, then get excited, because you have just hit a home run. Your training is working, your leadership is working, and your communication channels are working. BUT, if your people have a glazed look in their eyes, wondering what answer you are looking for or if their responses are extremely dissimilar, then you have a problem.

A Gallup poll of the American workplace showed that 72 percent of American workers aren’t engaged in their jobs.

The J.M. Smucker Company has everyone who is hired memorize their printed corporate culture creed entitled, “Why We Are – Who We Are.” Smucker’s wants their people engaged. The company started in 1897 making apple butter. They are now a $4.7 billion company who believes their “culture” is the cornerstone to their success and must be proactively protected by instilling the creed in each and every employee.

Now fast forward to Zappo’s, a company started a 1998, who, in just ten years grew to over $1 billion in sales, also requires their new hires to memorize their company’s 10 Core Values. They require everyone they hire, regardless of position, (from customer service reps, accountants, lawyers, to software developers) to go through the same 4-week training program in which they study company history, the importance of customer service, the long-term vision of the company, company philosophy and corporate culture. At the end of each week of training, they offer anyone $2,000 to quit … which is a standing offer until the end of the fourth week. They are looking for people who want careers not jobs. Less than 1% of the people take them up on the offer.

Two companies starting 100 years apart are living by the same values.
Both companies believe the best way to build a brand is long-term.
Both companies believe in fantastic customer service.
Both companies believe in having passionate employees.
Both companies believe that if you get the culture right, most everything else will fall in place.

How is your “Corporate Culture” doing ?

Do You Annoy People

Do you annoy people? Do you have a certain habit that really bothers the heck out of family, friends, and associates? I have one relative who blows their nose at the dinner table every time they come over. Right in the middle of eating, out comes the handkerchief, and BAM, you know what’s coming next. Every Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, birthdays, no matter what the occasion, you can count on the big blow. There are people who follow almost every sentence with the phrase, “you know” or “you know what I mean.” You might know that person who uses the term “like” in almost every sentence; “Like, you know what I mean … Like, they really bother me … Like, get over it.” Do you smack your food when you eat? I’m not real fond of the person who chews their gum so you get to see it quite often. The list can go on and on; talking loud on your cell-phone, wearing too much cologne or perfume, twirling your hair, biting your nails, always late.

I had a terrible habit of always stealing the punch line when my wife was telling a funny story. One day she finally said, “do you always have to interrupt me and tell the ending” I remember saying, “but I thought you had finished” Her reply was, “no, I just took a breath” I hadn’t realized that I was doing it. I just got wrapped up in her story and was helping her finish. Now that’s annoying. Having a teenage son will also help to identify any annoying habits you may have. One day my son said, “hey Dad, you enjoying those peanuts?” I said, “yeah, why do you ask?” He said, “because I can hear you eating them all the way over here.” I can’t stand people who eat loud … but there I was … eating loud.

Being a professional speaker there are many times my program is videotaped. Each one of those tapes is a great learning experience for me when I review them. Tapes don’t lie; they show you everything you are doing right and anything you may be doing wrong. The audience might not pick up on it, but I do. In fact, if I catch myself over-using a particular phrase, I will write that phrase out in large print on a 3 X 5 card and place it close by me when I speak for the next several weeks, to remind myself to not over-use that phrase.

It is most likely that you won’t be videotaping yourself to help catch you doing those annoying things. You may not have that teenager who will help you change your ways. But it might behoove you to ask a few close friends or relatives if you do have any annoying habits. Don’t take umbrage with what they say. Remember, you asked. Now, you may think you don’t have any annoying habits … and my response to you would be … think again !