October Results and November Goals

With tomorrow being Halloween, today is really the last day of the month and a great day to audit our month.

Let's audit October and see how much we have accomplished and also a check of our results vs our goals.

Doing an audit at the end of every month is a great practice/habit. I rarely see it done to begin with but those that do, the mistake made is that they do it too late. For example, most would do an audit of October sometime late November, middle of November at best. That is just too late to make any adjustments for November based on Octobers intelligence.

We want to have a great November both personally and professionally. To best do this, lets look at history to see what has worked and not worked in the past. Recent history is best. Like October.

Take out a piece of paper and write down what you have got done for October. Then look at what you missed.

Next step is to plan for November. Write down your goals and action items for November. What do you want to get done for the month? What are the specifics you need to do in order to hit those goals? What are your mile makers to make sure you are on pace? What accountability's do you have in place?

Planning and preparation are keys to success. Plan for November based on your audit of October.

NOISE!

I love this quote because it's so true! Society (and the Media) teaches us that we are suppose to be "busy" if we are to be successful. We run around all day creating lots of motion but what is really getting done? In most cases, very little, if anything.

As I told my cousin this week: It's all just NOISE!

• Think about all the NOISE in your life.
• Think about all the chatter we do/hear without accomplishing a single beneficial thing.
• Think about how much is said but never done.
• Think about our definition of success. Do we have the right definition of success?
• Think about all those "busy" activities but really don't get meaningful things done.

Instead of measuring success by how "busy" we are or how many minutes we talk on cell phones or how much NOISE we can make; let's really look at what gets accomplished.

Time for an audit! Enough of my NOISE; let's get something done. Do this: Take out a piece of paper and write down the meaningful things you have accomplished this year.

This 1 cent piece of paper and 10 minutes of your quiet time will rock your world!

Depressing isn't it? Today is day 299 this year and there has been a ton of waste. But don't focus on the negative as that is the problem. You see, most of us tend to focus on the NOISE (negative) and not Accomplishments (positive). Here is the good news: You now have this rock your world piece of paper and 66 days to make some progress! Start today making progress. Stop today making NOISE.

Let's stop the madness and NOISE and actually start getting things done in our life!

Times a wastin' ......so lets start getting things done! (Also keep your piece of paper as we are going to do another audit in 66 days to see how much more we got done after this exercise!)

Chris

Brick Wall

I have hit my share of bricks walls over my life; that is for sure! But I really never thought about why those brick walls are there. I just keep breathing. But recently I sat down really examined and thought about the purpose of the brick wall. We have all heard: Everything happens for a reason; I am here to tell you.....take that to the bank! It's so true.

But what is the purpose of the brick wall in life or business?

The purpose is NOT to keep us out or getting to the other side of our goals and dreams. I often see people give up on a dream or goal and justify it by something like: "Well, its just not meant to be"....and they give up. This is so weak. This makes me sad and even mad. Why? Because that is not true.

A brick wall is there because it is a test to see how bad we really want the dream and goal. If we want it bad enough, I promise you, there is no wall that is going to stop you!

Next time you run into the brick wall in your life or business, think about why it is really there. It's just a gauge to check your passion level.

Secret Sauce

I finally found the secret sauce to my business: The secret sauce is that there is no secret sauce! Huge deal! Think about all the countless hours spent on trying to find short cuts or the secret sauce. I am guilty of it and so are you.

Guess what? Your business is the same as mine and there are no short cuts out there. Business is hard; let's face it. But business can be fun as heck too. We just have to have our priorities in line, execute everyday with passion, and being willing to make changes with enthusiasm.

Make progress everyday. Advance your business. Block by block; continue moving up.

I think Herb Kelleher (CEO of Southwest airlines) had it perfect when he said Southwest had a "strategic" plan: It's called doing things."

Don't waste anymore time on shortcuts or trying to find the secret sauce because they don't exist.

For my non-business owners: This concept applies to our daily lives as well. In life, we spend time looking for many different secret sauces to fill in the blanks. They don't exist. Example: A marriage (or any relationship). Marriages take work and effort. There are not short cuts or secret sauce to make marriages or relationships work. It's all about doing the little things daily that add up to big success.

Easy to say.....but it the execution that matters!

Go out there and TRY THINGS/DO THINGS and keep pickin' em up and puttin' em down!

Chris

Love what you do!

Can you really be successful if you are doing something you really don't like? No. You may be able to survive and exist but you will not be "really successful" by a more pure definition.

To have this abundance in your life that we all are to have, you must Love what you do. And this abundance is not all about the dollar; although certainly that is a factor. However, I know many rich people that can't sleep at night and actually hate their lives.

But let's look at the factor, the money. You will see example after example of the same story of those really rich people. The money was just a result of something much deeper. They were fueled by a passion and not the money. The money just rolled in as a result of hard work, determination, fear of failure (for their passion, not going broke) and internal success drive.

What if you don't like what you do? Get out today and find something you have a passion about. Life is to be enjoyed everyday. Life is to be full and abundant. Life is meant to be fun. Life is to be lived and played on the field and not in the grandstands watching. Have the courage to find your passion and fuel it by doing it.

Good news: Once you find your passion and a job you LOVE, you will never have to work a day in your life!

I just want you to be GREAT!

When working with your staff, this should be the mission. You just want your staff to be great! That means you will cheer for them, advise them, criticise them, and YES discipline them. But all this, plus much more, is done because you care about them and want to make them great.

If you can't honestly answer with the affirmative that we share the same goal, then there is a problem. Either you have the wrong person or you have to brush on your leadership skills and really think about what your job is as a leader.

Warning: THIS TAKES HUGE COMMITMENTS AND HARD WORK AND MUCH CARING!

But I will tell you this; there is nothing more rewarding than watching people grow and get better!

Have a plan, work at it, and never ever stop working with your people. As I ask my clients: Tell me something you are working on that is more important than your people? I never get anything better in a response.

Courage!.....and dreams

Leaders Question: When is the last time you wrote down your dreams? When is the last time you really painted your life picture on a blank canvas? When is the last time you had absolute quiet time to think about your life dreams?

For me, I think about it all the time. I try to weekly, at a minimum, to dream and think. Then after that, I try to execute and act. This is where courage comes into play. You see; most of us dream and think but the problem is most of us don't act on it. Our dreams are this perfect picture in our minds and then we stuff them in a dark closet because we don't have the courage to act. We then live our lives justifying (lying to ourselves)why we don't live out the dreams and act on them.

You are the artist in your life. You are the leading role. Take this role and make it into a masterpiece. But do it now. I have lived 13,516 days. I can't re-do any of the past days; Bad news. Good news: I can do whatever I want with the remaining ones!

Courage to follow your dreams requires a ton of horsepower inside your deepest parts. Some call it "guts". Some call it "balls". Whatever you want to call it; but the same characteristics apply. Those that follow their dreams live an incredible life. They live with ultimate "freedom".

Dream.....then have the Courage to act on them.

Problem must have Solution

Every organization has problems that come up daily, weekly, and monthly. These problems can cost money and be expensive. These problems also take up time. These problems also can lead to negative behavior if not dealt with promptly and properly with effective communication and drive towards a positive solution.

So how do you deal with these problems when they come up? You want to be sure to clearly hear the problem but yet not create a culture where complaining about problems all day is acceptable.

Solution to this problem: When a person brings up a problem, they must also propose a solution! This is positive in so many ways! One, the person now has a sense of empowerment and feels like part of the answer. Two, it eliminates all the useless complaining that can happen (especially with negative people or just complainers) and you are left with the real problems. In other words, it filters out the real problems from the ones that maybe are not even a problem. Third, teamwork is improved and a culture of "doing" rather than "saying" is entrenched.

I heard a story on problem solving that stuck with me:

1. First, figure out a way to get the cow off the road
2 Second, figure out how the cow out of the fenced pasture
3. Third, figure out a way to never have the cow get out again

Next time someone brings you a problem, demand a solution as well.

Teddy the Chicken

Who really wants to be a chicken for Halloween?

I come home from work and greeted with this! Doesn't get any better than this!

Design Matters...Don't you think?

This is the interior picture of the new Boeing Dreamliner jet. The design was centered around the Customer Experience: As I teach, a WOW Experience! Some highlights:

• Windows are 50% bigger than anything else
• You can see out the windows from everywhere in the plane
• Air purification systems (why do planes just smell bad, see post on senses)
• Designers flew around the world 5 times in coach from different airlines to get a real picture and empathy for customers
• Comfortable seating unlike anything else out there today
• Huge aisles for function and also visible comfort
• Fly 1/3 around the world without refueling so comfort was key
• Research was globally based to understand different cultures
• Passion to Experience research center at Boeing to get real life feel and feedback

Design is just flat out critical. Boeing gets it. This plane just looks different and Boeing is out on the cutting edge and trail-blazing.

Most of us don't have planes to design and I get that. But in all of our businesses (for profit and not for profit) we have design factors. Take a look at yours and give yourself a candid review. Quick Tip: Your customers are really reviewing you as we speak so you best jump on it.

Pay attention to the senses!

Design is critical. I can't stress design enough; far more important than I could ever write on this blog. At any rate, within design, pay attention also to the senses. SENSES are key. Senses are as important as the message.

Those that pay attention to the senses flat out rock it. They separate themselves from the others in a huge way. Look at your business and consider:

• Smell
• Sounds (music both type and volume)
• Touch
• Feel
• Lighting
• Temperature
• Balance

Some world class leaders:

• Tommy Bahama for smell. Walk in these stores and you start buying stuff. The smell fits the image and message just like a good wine does for a good meal.
• Whole Foods for feel. Just feels great. Period.
• Wynn, Mirage, or any other Steve Wynn designed hotels for lighting. These properties have extreme energy and life.
• Four Seasons, W Hotels. Balance of using all senses.
• Lure Restaurant, SOHO in NYC using music. Hip, fresh, making dining FUN with music!

Agree!

“Ph.D. in leadership. Short course: Make a short list of all things done to you that you abhorred. Don’t do them to others. Ever. Make another list of things done to you that you loved. Do them to others. Always.” — Dee Hock


Enough said. Agree. Not only in leadership but entire life as well. Do it. Today.

Chris

Have Fun!

In my company, I talk to a fair amount of people each day. I have some growing concerns and specifically I see too many people just not having fun in their career and life.

Life is suppose to be ABUNDANT! (abundant of joy, thankfulness, giving, caring, loving, sharing, laughing, and yes FUN!)

Question: Do you have fun? If not, then the good news is that you can change. Do it. It's worth it. It takes much courage and risk but believe me; its so worth it. I did it. You can to.

I lived in a town that was negative (in defense of the town, some of it was circumstance) and worked in a job that was bar none, the single most negative environment that I have ever seen (and I have seen alot of business). My situation took the life right out of me. I stopped growing. I am a positive person by nature but became negative. I was not having Fun! I was,in a sense, dying.

One day, (or August 2006) I read a book called Chasing Daylight by Eugene O'Kelly. If there is one book you had to read in your lifetime, this would be it. The minute I read this book, I wrote in my journal that I was going to make a change. My "Ah-Ah" moment. My wake-up call. My call to action.

So I stopped the madness and got out of the horrible company; looked for a positive place to live that had the "vibe" I was looking for; and started on a new path. With no income, no job, no money, no company, a pregnant wife and 2 year old......we packed up and moved to Austin Texas where we started our company. Most thought and still think I am crazy. I disagree.

I just wanted to start having fun again!

Dominate Strengths and Mimimize Weakness

As a leader, your task is to hire the best people you can, motivate them, and give them all the tools needed for them to become the very best possible. This means also putting them in a position where they can become great and highlight their strengths and at the same time, eliminate any chance of failing by reducing weaknesses. Sounds good and easy but the reality is this: Very few do it right!

You have to know exactly what the person can do and can not do; what drives the person and what demotivates the person; what kind of personality type you have. Some questions to ask:

• Am I understanding each person's strengths and weaknesses?
• Am I putting each person in the best position to succeed?
• Do I hold people accountable for their very best?
• Am I making each person's weaknesses irrelevant?
• Do I hire in a time of need or position of domination?
• Do I review frequently to make sure the team members are in the right spots?

Some examples I have come across: A person was hired and placed as a manager in a retail operation but the problem was that the person did not like dealing with the public. A person hired for sales but after doing a profile test, the person hated selling. A person was hired to assist in office management and some general accounting but the person was a mile away from being detailed.

The only exception to this is with character and integrity. If a person is weak on these, you can not hide them. There is simply no place for them in your organization.

Do a candid review today of your staff and the positions they are in. Like a coach, your job is to acquire the best talent out there and put them in a position to win! In fact I can argue, its your most important job. Again, easy to say but hard to do.