Hot showers....and life!

I absolutely love a hot shower. I mean the kind where you just let the water pour over you while you drift away in thought and prayer. But before I can get to that ideal state of mind, I have to have the water temperature just right. So I am a confessed, obsessed "water temperature fidgeter." I gotta tell ya I mess with that temperature at least 20 times before its just right. I move the level here and there and back again.....I get on my own nerves! But once its just right, I then can slip into a perfect meditation. I threw Teddy in the shower last night and he yelled, "Daddy, too cold, too cold, too cold...." The environment was not right.

Like a perfect shower requires the right environment, so does our life. Question: What does your environment look like in your life? It is too hot? Is it too cold? Or is just right?

I think...scratch that....I know all of us have way more inside us than we ever thought possible. We as humans are the most amazing things ever created. We have deep treasures inside us all that we don't even know about. But in order for us to see and harvest those treasures, we must change our environment to a perfect environment. A perfect environment will enable us to explore and discover new boundaries of potential. But as I said before; here is the hard part: It requires CHANGE!

Some of the things (water temperature) we need to change:

• chaos....you can't even reach close to your potential when you are surrounded by chaos
• fear....when you think about it, what's really to fear? (if you have faith: NOTHING!)
• contentment....even if you life is good, it can be better....

We must get out of our comfort zones in order to see these new gifts and ideas. If we don't we will never reap those hidden blessings. And that is just too sad to even think about. For me, an example was Kelly and I had some medical advice that we probably would only have one child. Kelly, with all her will, was just not going to accept that. So even in the midst of life changing storms, we got out of comfort zones and messed around with the water temperatures in our life. What treasure did we find that we never thought possible? Tate Tapken was born 10.29.2007! (For those that don't know both Teddy and Tate are miracle IVF babies!)

Do this: Mess with and change your water temperature in your life so that you create the perfect environment! You will then be on the path to find the most spectacular riches you never thought excised!

Life and Hot Chocolate!

Seriously; is there anything better than a cup of hot chocolate? I don't care where you are from, how rich or poor, how cute or ugly you are....there is nothing better than a cup of hot chocolate! (with whip cream) It was cold in Austin over Thanksgiving and Kelly bought some hot chocolate. Certainly during this time of the year of being thankful, I gave thanks for good ol' h.c. But as I was having my fourth cup over the weekend, I thought about this story:

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives. Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.

When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said: "Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate God has provided us. God makes the hot chocolate, man chooses the cups. The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. And enjoy your hot chocolate.

My wish and prayer today is that each one of you love your hot chocolate!

Chris

What if we only could speak positive?

We are reminded often on the power of positive thinking. But we really don't hear much on the power of positive speaking. I think positive speaking is actually more important than positive thinking because when we speak, that gives actual birth to those thoughts. But the problem is in our society, it's not "cool" to talk positively. Look at the media and the words used. Last night I was watching the Sunday night NFL game and the teaser to the halftime show was a segment by NBC called "The worst person in the NFL". Come on! Really think about how sad this is. With all the great people in the NFL, why can't there be a segment called "The BEST person in the NFL?" Why? Because it's not "cool" to talk positively. Let's be a change agent and change the words we use.

But before we can change, we need to look at current behavior. We buy gossip magazines hanging on every word of celebrity failures. How wrong is this? We surf the Internet eating up negative bizarre stories. How sick is this? We spend hours per day watching negative TV. How wasteful is this? All this is so crazy when you take a step back and think about it. What possible good is coming out of this? None.

Yesterday, my family and I went to buy our Christmas tree. I was with Tate, my 1 month old son, and we were waiting for Kelly and Teddy. While at the store, I witnessed a mother just tearing into her child. I was sad. Then I watched a husband and wife screaming at each other like they were enemies. I was more sad. I was actually horrified as this all was happening in a span of 5 minutes. Then I looked down at this beautiful baby boy so innocent and full of life with the nothing but goodness of the future in front of him. I thought about this all night and now am clear on my thoughts. We have to change the way we speak! And here is a huge point: It's not enough just to cut off negative words; We must pro-actively speak positive words! Make sense?

Our words are so powerful that we don't have a clue! So we must be careful because once spoken, words can NEVER be taken back. This is a huge responsibility especially for those of us in authority roles (parents, bosses, etc). Negative words can destroy souls; ruin dreams; take away self esteem; create havoc in others. Terrible things!

But here is the Good news: Our positive words can create winners; can bring about peace and love; can bless others; can be all that is right with the world! Our children need positive words. Our co-workers need positive words. Our family's need positive words. Our church needs positive words. Our world needs positive words.

What if we could only speak positive words? Can you imagine the glory when the nightly news has nothing but 30 minutes of positive words and stories? What can of world do you think that would be? What kind of results would happen? Can you imagine how powerful the world would be if parents only talked positively to their children? Can you imagine the success if bosses could only positively coach the co-workers? Can you imagine how good the world would be is family's could only praise each other?

• Speak success and not fault
• Speak wins and not losses
• Speak love and not hate
• Speak of goodness and not bad
• Speak positive and not negative...ALWAYS!

Do this: Each morning, first thing, not only think positive thoughts but make them come to life by actually speaking. Say something like: Today I am blessed to speak positively and I am going to be a change agent by making it cool to talk positive. Today is going to be a great day and I am so thankful I can make a positive impact!

Same Act....HUGE difference in meaning!

You can learn so much from your kids. If you just pay attention, you can learn more about yourself and deep life answers from your kids than anything else in the world. This happen to me a couple days ago when I had an Ah-Ha moment and a real treasure learning experience.

Teddy is my soon-to-be 3 year old son. When we go to busy places or in parking lots, I will take Teddy's hand to make sure he is safe. I never gave any thought to this. Most of us parents just do this out of reaction with no thought to it.

Then, we were at a very cool Christmas tree lighting celebration last weekend and there were several thousand people there. As we were walking I told Teddy to grab my hand. He then told me "No" and then said "Daddy, you take my hand." I was puzzled.

I thought about this and it hit me. The Lesson: If Teddy takes my hand, he may let go and not be safe; but, if I take Teddy's hand, he knows Daddy will NEVER let go and he will ALWAYS be safe!

Same act but HUGE difference in meaning! Teddy and Tate: Daddy will NEVER let go and you will ALWAYS be safe!

Ask yourself: Am I holding enough people's hand to make sure they know I care and are safe? Do you do this for your spouse? Do you do this for your employees? Do you do this for your loved ones?

Chris

Nothing instant!

Have you ever had instant potatoes? No matter how much butter you want to put in them, they just flat out taste bad. You all know it too. There is no comparison to "real mash potatoes" vs "instant mash potatoes".

We live in an world where everything must be instant. We want it now. We will not wait. We are in a hurry. We want it now. And if we can't have it now, then most of the time don't want it at all, and by all means, we will not work for it. What, work for something? Actually do the push ups and see the results down the road? Actually put in the time and energy today but not see progress until later? Actually have patience? Actually have to sweat some and maybe shed some blood and maybe have a few tears? NO WAY! Not interested!

Some "it" examples:

• Instant wealth
• Instant happy marriage and harmony
• Instant friendships
• Instant communications (emails on phones, music on phones, text messages)
• Instant results (lose 20 pounds in 1 week informericals!)
• Instant gratification
• Instant entertainment

For example: We want to lose weight today. And I don't want to change anything I am currently doing. Just give me a pill or send me a machine that will melt away the pounds today because I have to lose weight by my class re-union next week. Typical right? Guess what; I hate to bring bad news but the only way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you put in your mouth. Only 2 options to lose weight: You can eat less or you can find away to burn more calories. But somehow, someway you have to burn more calories than you consume. But the reality is that to lose weight, it takes time, energy and patience. There is no instant solution!

All these things take time and hard work! But its worth the wait because the results are so good after you put in the time and energy. Just like real mash potatoes. When you do the hard work of boiling, peeling, mashing, ect; the results are unbelievable!

Do the hard work.....Its worth it!

Adversity Tips

We all have adversity in our lives; that is just a fact. The important part is how we deal with the adversity. I would like to think I am good at handling adversity. I have had some experience mind you. But here are a few tips that help me and maybe you can find them useful.

• Realistic on the fact that I am not the only one with adversity. It happens to everyone. I am not a special case.
• Take the issue and map out worst case to best case. I actually get out paper and write it down. Then I have a very realistic guage as to the intensity of the adversity. If you write it down, I promise you will see that "things" just are not so bad in relation to the worst case scenarios.
• Now that I have a realistic view on the adversity, I write down how I can beat this adverisity in the most productive and fastest way possible.
• I focus on what are the things I can control. Often, we focus on things out of our control and work ourselves up into a roar when in truth, there is nothing possible we can do. So I don't sweat those things I can't control. That doesn't mean they are not there or real or even suck. They do suck and are real but I can't put any energy on those because I can't effect them.
• I plan. I plan action steps on things I can do to limit, reduce, or remove the adversity as fast as possible. What can I do? What can I control? What actions should I take? I want to be pro-active. I may even make a mistake but at least I am doing something. The opposite is sitting on the couch having a pity party using the HOPE method. I hope things get better. I hope this wasn't there. I hope things improve. I hate the HOPE method. But I love the I DO method. I do things......No time EVER for self pity!
• Monitor the results. Look at those things you are doing and determine if they are working or not. Then keep doing the things that are working and eliminate the rest. But you need to monitor the actions before you can determine the effectiveness.
• BE POSITIVE. Being negative will only cause more pain and stress. I am not saying this is easy because it is not. In fact, its terribly hard. Ever wonder why people are so negative? This is it. It is so hard to be positive in the middle of a storm. But do it!

This is my process. Hopefully some of these tips will work for you when faced with adversity. I hope none of you have any adversity but I am more realistic than that. Remember, its how you deal with adveristy that is most important.

I know this to be true: You are much stronger than you ever could think! You can handle more adversity than you could imagine! But have a process and take action! BE POSITIVE!

What NOT to do....

Sometimes we can learn as much from looking at what NOT to do as we can from what to do. This is one of those cases where we can learn from bad practices.

Ya'all (Texas term) know about my passion for WOW Experiences in business. A question I often ask is this: "When was the last time a business surprised you?" Almost all the time, people draw a blank and really can't remember any business experiences that stand out. That is because most business, and people for that matter, are all doing about the same thing. There are very few trail blazers and pioneers setting new exciting paths.

Well yesterday I had a surprise. I saw this sign in a business; no joke! I had to take a picture and share it with you. What in the world? What kind of customer service is this? I don't get it. And then when this business goes under the owner will scratch his head and wonder what went wrong. Amazing! I was surprised alright. Shocked actually; I can't believe this is how some people treat customers and do business.

Learn from this. Learn how NOT to do things too.

Shamu!

Since we have moved to Austin, one of the things we took advantage of was being only 45 minutes from Sea World. I took my son Teddy to Sea World and of course, Shamu was the hit! Shamu flat out just rocks!

But how did Shamu get so good? Was it by lack of training? Was it by no motivation? Was it by absence of leadership? Do you think Sea World just takes a boat out to sea and starts yelling "Jump Whales....Jump!" Do you think Sea World just puts an ad in the paper for expert whale that can jump ten feet out of the water and then....poof.....a Shamu shows up and just rocks the house. Hmmm. Guess what? It doesn't work like that. But in the event that a Shamu just does show up, those are called Superstars and just make sure the ACH hits her account every two weeks. But don't hold your breath because the Superstars will not just jump out of the water on their own.

Shamu naturally does not just jump over a rope ten feet in the air; on cue at the exact moment; and hit the notes perfectly every show. This takes huge amounts of spaced repetition training! The trainers start off by having Shamu swim over a rope. Then they raise it. Then they put it slightly out of the water. Then they put the rope completely out of the water. So on and so forth until it becomes second nature for Shamu to rock the house by jumping over a rope and soaking the first ten rows!

Same is true in business. It takes a training strategy. It takes a huge commitment to excellence in training. It takes leadership! All your employees can become so much better than you, or they, ever thought by a spaced repetition excellent training program. The reason spaced repetition is so critical is the same as Shamu training. Sea World does not just show Shamu a video and say "Now go out there and make it happen." People, like whales, learn by taking a concept and learning it and then practicing it and finally perfecting it. Then another concept is introduced on top of the first one. Same thing. Learn, Practice and Perfect it. So an and so forth until the end result is a huge whale shocking the audience by super cool performing. People can improve so much by training and positive motivation.

Same is also true in your personal life. You are capable of Shamu type results and performance by applying those same principles. Hard work. Attitude. Positive environment. Accountability. Leadership. Out of the box thinking. Out of your comfort zone. New points of view. Positive re-enforcement. Teachable. Commitment.

Turn your company and yourself into the Star of the Show and be a Shamu!

Risk

I hear people all the time telling me they want to make changes in their life. I would like to do xxxx. If only I could do yyyyyyy. Someday I am changing to zzzzzzz. On and on. Then I ask: OK, I agree you should do ABC, so now what risk are you ready to take on?

Blank stare. Blank stare. Blank stare. And then after the uncomfortable silence wears them down, I will get a response like this: "I am willing to risk it all as long as I don't have to give anything up." WOW!

News flash: To get what you really want in your life, you have to go backwards! And YES this means you have to give things up! If life were only so easy as to hit all your goals without doing any push ups! Reality check please!

Example: Your goal is freedom in your work life. You just don't want to work for anybody else again. You want to be the captain of your work boat. This is do-able. In fact its fairly easy to open a business. But then the hard part and risk kicks in. No longer are those bi-weekly checks ACH'ed in your account. Most times if not all times, you will go backwards financially, at first, in opening a new business. This is RISK. But the return is that you will have freedom.

All decisions come with risk-rewards. But please understand, to get what you want, you will go backwards and have to take risk. That is just a fact! I am living proof of that and my checking balance will also prove this out. But never will I regret my risks.

In fact, I am one of those that actually likes living with the chips on the table! Yee-haw; let's go for it!

B + D = H

Here is a good road map for success both in business and even more importantly, your personal life.

Be what you have to be.

Do what you have to do.

Have what you want to have.

So many times, people get stuck in a rut. They just don't know how to get out and make changes to progress. People have these mind blocks that prevent them from seeing different points of view or paths that would take them out of the life rut. Then, couple that with most having a lack of courage to change, and you have a ton of people that just accept where they are in life; even though they are terribly unsatisfied.

B + D = H

In the above formula, the "D" or do is the hang up most of the time. Those people in the ruts of life just will not DO what is needed to get out of the rut. They lack courage. They lack planning. They surely lack discipline. They lack execution. They lack accountability.

In order to keep movin' the life needle, you have to DO stuff! You have to execute well thought out strategies. You have to try things. You have to change.

This works! Be what you have to be; Do what you have to do; and the result is you having what you want to have!

Code of ethics.....

Let me tell you a true story about Professor Bonk who taught Chemistry at Duke University. One year, three guys were taking Chemistry and all getting a solid "A" going into the final exam. They were so confident that the weekend before finals they decided to go up to the University of Virginia to party with some friends. Due to bad hangovers, they overslept all day Sunday and didn't make it back to Duke until early Monday morning.

Rather than taking the final then, they explained to Professor Bonk that they had driven up to the University of Virginia for the weekend and had planned to come back in time to study but they had a flat tire on the way back and didn't have a spare, so they didn't get back to campus until late Sunday night.

Professor Bonk thought this over and then agreed that they could make up the final on the following day.

The three guys were elated and relieved. They studied that night and went in the next day. Professor Bonk placed them in separate rooms, handed each of them a test booklet, looked at his watch and told them to begin.

They opened up the test booklet and saw the first question about solutions was worth 5 points. They all thought this was going to be easy.

Then they turned the page and saw the 2nd question worth 95 points: Which tire?

Lesson: In all you do and say, do it as if your grandma is watching!

Life Inventory

Question to ask yourself: Why am I doing what I am doing?

Inventory is key to any business. You do an inventory of your products to make sure everything is accounted for and you have data to make the best decisions that produce the best results.

But do you do an inventory of your life actions? Most people don't. This is why so many people are stuck in a rut and do the same things over and over again; often times the wrong things. This leads to a life road that is bumpy and filled full of pot holes with little scenic value.

We have all heard the saying: Stop and smell the roses. Right? It is so true. We need to stop and do an inventory of our life actions and ask ourselves why we are doing what we are doing. By doing this, we now have the data to make the best decisions that produce the best results. For example: Do you have a list of the people you love? Then, based on that list, does your time sync with those that mean most to you? If not, hmmmmm; does that really make sense?

Do an inventory of your life actions and make changes if you need to. Make those changes today.

Flower Power

FLOWER POWER!

I just got back from the Four Seasons in downtown Austin. They just flat "get it" and do it right! As you walk in, immediately to greet the guests, are two huge amazing flower displays. It just sets the tone right away that this place is special and a WOW Experience!

Those flowers are not by accident. This is all planned and very much on purpose. Flowers just make us all feel good. Flowers are so positive!

TRY IT TODAY!

If you are in business, go out today and get a nice display of fresh flowers and put them where you greet your customers. I promise they will notice and comment on them. It will separate your business from the pack.

If you are not in business, go out today and get a nice display of flowers for your home. It is a guaranteed product that will make you feel good!

TRY IT! Flower Power! After you try it, comment on the results; but you have to try it.

The Journey! (real life)

Picture is worth a 1000 words!

My son Teddy was drawing on a blank white paper and his picture became very clear to me. An "ah ha" moment from this brilliant 2 year old. A Masterpiece! He was not drawing scribble but rather the reality of life's journey. So often we expect life to take us on a straight line from point A to point B with little to no issues along the way. We want it all. We want it now. We want no problems.

Guess what? That is not real life!Life will have turns and bends along the way. Life will also throw you obstacles along the journey. (see blue triangles as obstacles) It's all planned. It's all on purpose. That's when the word "FAITH" comes into play.

Besides, how boring would life be with just a straight line with no scenic hills along the way? What a boring drive this would be. Life is to be a fun challenge. Life is to be this beautiful drive full of turns, rolling hills, some mountains, and a lots of scenic sites that take our breath away. Don't get discouraged by the turns and bumps; they are supposed to be there. Rather embrace these turns and hills and view them as all part of this amazing plan to take you on the most joyous trip called Your Life!

Chris

By the way: Thanks Teddy for making this so clear!

Positive or Negative

We have way too much negativity around us. I think the above question is a good one that entirely too often, we don't think about. The reason: it is not easy to think about and self reflection can be scary. But the end result is one of two things: If you are negative, you will attract bad things. If you are positive, you will attract good things in your life.

It is that simple. We can window dress it as something unknown or way more complicated but the road all ends up in one of those two spots.

Start your path today of being positive (and not fake positive but genuine positive). Good results are sure to follow.

Chris

Kiss!

A man approached JP Morgan, held up an envelope, and said, “Sir, in my hand I hold a guaranteed formula for success, which I will gladly sell you for $25,000.” “Sir,” JP Morgan replied, “I do not know what is in the envelope, however if you show me, and I like it, I give you my word as a gentleman that I will pay you what you ask.” The man agreed to the terms, and handed over the envelope. JP Morgan opened it, and extracted a single sheet of paper. He gave it one look, a mere glance, then handed the piece of paper back to the gent. And paid him the agreed-upon $25,000.

The Paper:

1. Every morning, write a list of the things that need to be done that day.

2. Do them!

Don't make things any harder than they have to be. This is the simple tool but yet nothing more effective!

TRY IT! Guarantee this will improve your life and results!

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.

Got to love honesty

Kelly, Teddy and I went to a Mexican restaurant in Austin this week. Our waiter came over and Kelly asked him if the daiquiri's were good. The waiter told her they were terrible. Kelly with a puzzled look on her face says,"really?" The waiter then says, "I won't drink them with your straw..."

They earned repeat business by being candid.

Got to love a staff that is candid and gives you the real story.

No business is perfect and we all have some imperfections. But what does your staff do with them? Does your organization give the clients the real story or is there nothing ever wrong in your business?

A critical element of all organizations, for profit to not for profit, is the presence of honesty. Great organizations call a spade a spade and are just plain honest. They embrace a culture of extreme candidness. That is not to say everything is perfect because it is not. When something is wrong, they call it out in an honest manner, and then attack it with great execution and benchmarking to make sure the cure in happening.

Be candid with your clients and employees. Your repeat business will increase and so will your profits. Good things just happen with 100% honesty.

Austin to DC to NYC to DC to Austin

Just got back from an Austin to Washington DC to New York back to Washington DC to Austin 4 day marathon. A blessing to spend 4 days with my Mom and my sister. In my notes yesterday I wrote, no better R.O.I than time with family! After seeing Teddy and Kelly last night, I believe it more today.

I got to see a ton of business and I am becoming more emphatic about a subject that really separates the "players/rule changers" from the "others". The subject is CULTURE! The really great companies have this culture that just rocks the world and can't be duplicated It's a culture of excellence. Examples from these 3 cities: Bath (NYC) Whole Foods (AUS) Matchbox (DC).

Culture is black and white. Culture is like pregnancy. You can't be a little bit pregnant. Either you are or you are not. Same is true with a Culture of excellence. Either you have it or you don't. But its my strong opinion that once you have it, you can move mountains in business and really rock the world.

Take a look at your culture today and give your company a candid review.

Question: Now the million dollar (or in some cases billion dollar) question: If I don't have it, how can it get it?

Answer: This is how I make a living. Call me!

Stop Talking....Think....Listen....Start doing

We have all heard the saying we were born with one mouth and two ears for a reason. So true. I hear far to frequently people talking about all the great things they are going to do or more likely; all the great things they did. Its just talk, talk, and more talk. Most of it is just wasted noise with little production, meaning and value.

One of the key areas I coach on is isolation time. As I tell Teddy, my son, time for Quiet Time. This scares many people. Look at our world today with text messages, I-Pods, emails, Internet, Direct TV with DVR, and no wonder why people hate Quiet Time. How much sense does this really make when you think about it. How much are we actually accomplishing in our lives and businesses? Do we really have a plan and execute our life plan in detail. I am guilty of this wasted energy. We all are. What we really need is so good old fashion Quiet Time. Just like my two year old son. We all need it but few really use it. You want to scare some people, just don't talk and listen. This freaks people out.

Most of us get up in the morning with racing minds on a checklist on all we need to get done. Then we go out and attack this list and come home at night tired. We then do it all over again the next day. We repeat this cycle day in and day out; week in and week out; month in and month out; year in and year out. But what is really being accomplished?

Stop. Has it ever occurred that you may be "working" on the wrong things? That your priorities may be off? That your aim for your Master Targets in life may actually be off target?

Take some time to think. Really think. By yourself. Make sure you are working on the most important things in your life and business. Make sure you are hitting the Master Targets. Make sure you actually are accomplishing right things and your priorities are in-line. Stop and listen. Stop and think.

After some Quiet Time and you have the right priorities in place. Then its time to execute; meaning actually getting the right things done. Not talking about all the tasks that need to be completed. But actually getting meaningful, key drivers accomplished in your business and life. This is the good stuff. This stuff that matters. The stuff that moves mountains!

• Stop talking
• Start listening
• Think....Quiet Time
• Then Execute. Actually accomplish things; the right things

Some key words to really think about: listening; priorities; execution; Master Targets; quiet time; thinking.

CADES

A great formula:

C+ Courage

• Take risk
• Get out on the skinny branches where the fruit is at
• Be in the sunlight and out of the shadows
• Do not fear failure
• Live the life you want to live
• No regrets ever

A+ Adapt/Change

• Embrace change
• Think outside of the box
• Seek points of view outside your comfort zone
• Quickly will make correction when you get in a rut

D+ Determination

• Stick with it
• Never give up
• Ferris Wheel; you will never be always on top or stay on the bottom in life
• Relentless pursuit of Master Targets

E+ Enthusiasm

• Attitude
• Abundance
• Joy
• Grace
• Being thankful for all you got

S= Success

• You are hitting your life's Master Targets
• A life well lived
• Inner peace, content, happy, full of joy, clarity of thought
• The inside voices and visions are more powerful and profound that any other outside opinions.

Courage + Adapt + Determination + Enthusiasm = Success

CADES

Exercise: Write down CADES and list out where you stand with each of them. For example on the S= Success and Master Targets. Do you have written down and a daily review of what your Master Targets are for your life? If not, you will never hit them. Period. This should be a very intense exercise. If its not, you are lost and take that as a sign of a serious problem.

A Great Exercise!

Manager’s Worksheet

I.

A. Our Average Gross per unit is $___________.

B. We have ______ sales people.

C. If each salesperson sold 2 more units per month, that would equal an extra _______________ units in one year.

D. Our Average Gross per unit of $________________(A.) X the number of extra units sales per year (C.) = $_______________________ in additional gross.



II.

E. This year we delivered __________ units.

F. If we increase our gross by 10% per unit, that would equal to $____________ additional gross.



III.

G. On my bottom line, I can add $____________________ (F.) in additional gross by adding 10% per unit plus the additional gross from increased sales $___________________ (D.) These added together a total of $__________________ ________________ additional gross to my bottom line.


Amazing what the results can be with small increases in both units and gross profit! Small steps can move mountains!

Read and Re-Read!

If you had a bad month, this is for you:

"Your greif will teach you more than any of your good fortune."

Time to dust off your pants and get back on the horse. It's a new month!

First.... the Vision

Ford Focus or Ferrari Spider? I know the answer. Well the same is true for business. The normal business without any "juice" or "it" factor is just the same ol' Ford Focus that nobody really gets excited about. Then there are those rule changing, high performance organizations that create a total WOW experience.

To get to this high performance environment and to create a WOW experience, its starts with this vision. You have to have a very clear picture of what you want the movie to look like. Its your story. You are the author. You are the director. You are the leading role.

Take this napkin and capture the picture of a WOW experience in your company. Be very clear and very detailed.

Gettin' it done! Hook em....

This die-hard Nebraska Cornhusker, must give huge props to Mack Brown and the job he has done at University of Texas. He is absolutely moving the needle at UT. A great leader, a great person, a great coach, and a great business person.

Mack came to UT nine years ago and took a failing program (that should not have been this bad) and now has turned the program into an annual powerhouse in the highly competitive arena of college football. His results on the field: Coach Brown has led the Longhorns to six straight 10-win seasons and a Bowl Championship Series appearance in two of the past three years, winning the national championship in 2005. He is 93-22 overall and has led the Longhorns to a school record-tying nine straight bowl appearances.

This week Coach Brown was awarded a contract extension until 2016 and a pay increase to around $3 million per year. Think this was justified? Let's look at the business part of it.

In 1997 when Mack came to UT, the athletic revenue was $131 million per year. This year, estimates say that will increase to $365 million with football contributing $63 million. That is flat gettin' it done!

Some great business concepts Mack applies that we can all learn from:

• PEOPLE, PEOPLE, PEOPLE: Mack recruits the top prospects in the country and the Horns are consistently in the top 5 recruiting classes every year! Talent Wins! Talent Matters! Also his assistant coaches are excellent. Bottom line for Mack: PEOPLE WIN! ITS ALL ABOUT THE PEOPLE PROCESS and PEOPLE CULTURE!


• Leadership: Mack works on his leadership all the time. He is constantly changing is approach and learning as he goes. This is winning. Leading with an open mind and open heart.


• Facilities: UT is second to none and they just plain get it. Look at the suites at the stadium, look at the locker room, look at the practice fields, look at the additions to the stadium, look at the players lounge. Hard for a recruit to say No after this pony show. Mack takes design to a new level!


• Accountability and Behaviors: Break the rules and there are consquences. This is 100% accountability in action.


• People First, Results Second: Care about the people in the organization and the results will come with accountabily to the overall successful startegy. In business this means put your people first and profits second. Take care of the People process and the profits will come just like the wins in football.

My List.....

I was recently asked over lunch to list and describe what I think separates those really great businesses from the rest of the pack. As usual, I went a bit overboard but here is what I came up with.

• edgy in innovation but smooth in execution
• funky
• crisp pace
• really great people
• people have freedom to think; people have freedom to act, to do their very best
• juice
• design, excellent facilities
• PEOPLE, PEOPLE, PEOPLE!
• culture of people first
• positive vibes
• impossible to duplicate (especially the culture)
• depth, got a bench of quality reserves that can step in and produce, execute
• attitude (gumption, spunk) + attitude (positive)
• fun
• caring, personal, passion
• out of the box thinking, thrive on changing the rules, innovative
• focused
• priorities are the right ones and everyone knows them
• candid culture, realism, high integrity
• coaches, joyful responsibility to contribute and teach others
• team spirit
• thrive on change
• accept and conquer adversity
• break the landscape down into simple views....simple measuring sticks
• accountability and discipline
• reward and retain the "doers"
• passion, enthusiasm, and energy. WOW! experience and you can feel it
• try it, then dream it, and then try some more
• Really great Leadership
• Solid goal setting
• Training (and presence of leadership/top management training too)
• People come first then profits later
• Don't run out of cash...great cash controls and an understanding of inventory r.o.i
• Did I say: PEOPLE, PEOPLE, PEOPLE

Take an Athletic Approach to Leadership

Leadership takes work and practice. A company can not just snap its fingers and "poof": excellent leaders emerge. But rather, like everything else, good and solid leadership is developed through hard work. Sounds easy and the talk is good but the fact of the matter is extremely few organizations or mangers develop their leadership capacity. Nobody does the push ups to become better leaders.

I don't believe in the saying "she is a natural leader". I do think a person can inherently have natural leadership characteristics but that is a far cry from being a great leader. In fact, what does happen naturally is ineffective leadership. Most managers will decrease in leadership overtime. It is not a surprise to me that the number one reason people leave a company is because of the relationship with the managers.

Let's look at a couple of great sports leaders in two vastly different arenas. Peyton Manning, is NFL MVP and Superbowl winning quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts and Tiger Woods is arguably the best athlete ever and 13 time PGA major winning golfer. Two entirely different sports in that football is a team sport of 53 players and golf is an individual sport consisting of nothing but yourself.

Both Tiger and Peyton were born with natural talents and God given leadership traits. But so were many other people and some even better. What makes these two so different and so effective? They take an athletic approach to leadership. What does an athletic approach to leadership mean? For starters, they both have work ethic that is second to none. Tiger just plain out works all of his competition in mind, body, and spirit. He hits more balls than anybody else. He works on his body and fitness more than anybody else. And he also works his mind more than anyone else. That is why when he is leading going into the final round, he has NEVER lost. He simply has better leadership than any of his competition and he knows it and they know it.

Peyton Manning is similar to Tiger in that his work ethic is the best in the NFL. Peyton just won the Superbowl last year and reports say he took a few days off and he was back at it planning to win another one. Peyton works tirelessly on his communication skills with his team by being the first on the field and last to leave the field and by far most time in meeting rooms.

Sure Tiger and Peyton have natural skills but what makes them the best at what they do is because they take an athletic approach and they have SYSTEMS in place. They are students and constantly learning to become better.

How about you and your company? How much time is and energy is devoted towards becoming better leaders? Do you have a set plan to improve the leadership? Do you put in the hard work and do the push ups?

Without a system in place lead by experts to improve leadership at all levels, the fact is your company will not maximize its potential, productivity, and profitability.

Take an Athletic Approach to Hospitality.....

Business, Life, Leadership: The common key element to success in all of them is the ability to make other people feel good. Its the idea of serving others.

Successful businesses are consumed with serving others first and then the rest falls into place. These really excellent companies have the proper priorities and everyone in the organization understands them. A WOW company has a culture of delivering superior customer experiences wrapped around a genuine heartfelt concern for human relationships. The companies that put profits first are not built to last. How many greedy companies last? As a customer, do you go to places that make you feel less than great? A great company has an environment of hospitality. A WOW company goes a bit further and takes an Athletic approach to hospitality.

EXCELLENT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE + SINCERE HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS+ ATHLETIC HOSPITALITY = WOW!

In life we are called upon to serve others. It's our job and it's our obligation. We all have a huge responsibility to make this world better for the next generation. We need to contribute and can't be on the sidelines watching others do the heavy lifting. This means you have to give. Again, like in business, there is no place for greed. People that white knuckle everything are consumed about gathering as much "stuff" as they can for only them. The barometer for success in greedy people is the amount of "stuff " they can accumulate from bank accounts to material things. Those selfish people subscribe to the bumper sticker "Those with the most toys, wins." I think the new bumper sticker should read, "Those that give most, wins."

Leadership is all about serving and giving to others. Servant Leadership. Great leaders put others way before themselves. In fact, the math is not even close to the amount given to others versus themselves. Great leaders make you feel good. They operate in a world of Athletic Hospitality. Great leaders have a culture of servant leadership where they serve others in the organization. Take an typical organizational chart and think in terms of a pyramid. The boss is at the top, then the next layer of management, and so on until the front line people are at the bottom of the pyramid. But what would happen when you turn the pyramid upside down? This is the theory of Servant Leadership. The boss is now at the bottom and her job is to serve those above her. The managers then serve those above them. So on and so forth until the front line people are on the top of the organizational chart serving the customers.

Business, Life, Leadership: Serve others and go beyond by taking an Athletic approach to Hospitality.

I don't get it.....

I heard from a business owner the other day that he really does not think it is his job to work with the company's people. My response: Are you kidding me?

With very few exceptions this is the rule: Those with the best people win!

That's it. Period. End of story.


lead·er·ship /ˈlidərˌʃɪp/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[lee-der-ship] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun

1. the position or function of a leader: He managed to maintain his leadership of the party despite heavy opposition.
2. ability to lead: She displayed leadership potential.
3. an act or instance of leading; guidance; direction: They prospered under his leadership.
4. the leaders of a group: The union leadership agreed to arbitrate.

This means working with people!

Here is a test I give business owners and managers: Tell me what is more important than working with your people? But for a very few exceptions, the answer is nothing. Please listen carefully. If you want your business to improve and better itself, there is no better way than working with the people.

Calender test: How many days have you spent working with your people over the last 90 days? How many days do you have planned out over the next 90 days to work with the people?

Make A Legend!

When talking about Customer Service, there are times when you can/should take a situation and Make a Legend out of it!

For example, a customer checks in to your hotel to celebrate his wife's 40th birthday. But he tells the front desk manager his baggage is lost where there is a gift for his wife inside. The couple has reservations at your hotel 5 star restaurant in 3 hours and the luggage will not show up until the next day.

Make a Legend!

The front desk manager calls the general manager and lays out the situation and then suggests a plan where he will send one of his staff out to get a nice card and a dozen roses to put on the best table in the house. What do you think this couple will say about your hotel?

You just Made a Legend!

But this type of thought process and behavior takes training; education; and a complete mindset. The end goal is behavior/values of 100% customer satisfaction and WIT (whatever it takes). Also note that Making a Legend does not always cost money.

Questions:

1. Does the culture in your company promote making a Legend?

2. How many Legends has your company made this year?

Sorry for the delay...R.O.I and Calendar Test

High Payoff vs Low Payoff Activities:

Do me a favor. Get out your calendar and look at it. Then on a notebook draw a line down the middle so you have 2 sections. On the left side write high payoff and on the right side write low payoff.

Now go back a couple months into your Outlook/Daytimer and write down those activities you did..... were they high payoff or low payoff? Audit yourself and your time.

Note: If your calendar was blank, that is a sign!

What did it tell you?

Stop wasting time on low payoff activities. If your time is not spent around getting a client or keeping a client, usually it is a low payoff activity. (some exceptions include: strategy sessions, employee development, banking relationships, accounting analysis, etc)

That single sheet of paper with 1 simple line down the middle can make you a ton of money!

Simple Rule that will Change your Business!

Always get a customer: Never lose a customer.

Sounds simple but very hard to do. A few aspects of this point:

Always get a customer:

• Prospect everyday for new business.
• Hustle. Easy to say but almost nobody does it.
• Do your homework. Get in front of the decision maker. This will instantly give you an edge against your competition.

Never lose a customer:

• Customer service must be a culture in your organization and not just a saying. This starts at the top!
• Sometimes you may have to give in order to keep a customer. Do it.
• Customer retention and repeat business must be the most important part of your business. Do you track it and know the math?

Question: When was the last time you trained your people on getting new business and keeping current customers?

Market Like Oprah

Oprah started her syndication in 1986. How has she done? 20 years at number one! But even more impressive is what I call the "Oprah Empire" and how she become the modern Marketing Guru! (Martha Steward, Donald Trump not far behind)

But look at the marketing EXCELLENCE of Oprah:

• Dr Phil: Now has his own show because of Oprah
• Rachel Ray: Now has her own because of Oprah
• Harpo Studios
• O Magazine
• Harpo films
• www.oprah.com
• Oprah book club
• Angel Network
• Radio syndication on XM Radio: Oprah and Friends
• Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy
• Oxygen Media
• The Color Purple
• Friend Gayle King
• Friend Bob Greene
• Friend Dr. Oz
• Friend Jean Chatzky
• Friend Dr. Robin Smith
• Friend Nate Berkus
• Friend Dr. Maya Angelou
• Friend Marianne Williamson

From poverty to a net worth of 1.5 billion. That is why one of my new sayings is "Market Like Oprah!"

Where do you spend your time?

Most businesses are started by aspiring owners who only understand the technical side of their business. Those owners think all they need to know about business is that technical side. Wrong. That is why 80% of small business does not make it past 5 years of operations.

There is a huge distinct difference between "the business" and the "technical side" of the business. The business as a whole is the product not the services or things the business outputs. That is why good companies get "blue sky" when they sell rather than just asset based price.

If you are one of those business owners that only do the technical work, you really are not a business owner; you just have a job.

E-Myth and Micheal Gerber have a great principle called "Working On Your Business, Not In It." A good business creates a model that can run effectively and profitably without any one person. So what should you be doing?

• Owners should create the vision and establish the values and behaviors of the company. In addition, the owner should set the strategy to win for the company and communicate it to the entire organization. Good owners also are involved in the people process to ensure the right people are on your bus.

• Managers should be getting the results through others. This includes systems development, supervising, training, hiring, recruiting, and the orchestration of others.

• Technical work is the hands-on direct work of producing products or services.

Here is a guide for what you should be working on:

1. CEO should be 90% on entrepreneurial work, 10% managerial work.
2. Managers should be 20% entrepreneurial work, 75% managerial work, 5% technical work.
3. Employees should be 5% managerial work, 95% technical work.

Make sure you are working On your business and not In your business.

Values need to include behaviors; make them real!

Most companies have a mission statement and then a set a values with it. They are hung on a nice plaque in the lobby and then on occasion, dusted off and brought before the employees. The employees giggle to themselves and then everyone goes back to "real work" where everything is forgotten. These values need discussion.
Often these values are generic, vague, and cryptic. Examples include: ABC company believes in good customer service or 123 company values quality in our products. No kidding. Tell me a company that does not want good customer service and quality products. Then the company wonders why its employees are cynical and have no enthusiasm.
The solution: the values must include desired behaviors. They are very specific, crystal clear, and leave little doubts as to what is how the company operates.
Bank One has a five page singled spaced document outlining all values and corresponding accepted behaviors. Example is "We treat customers the way we would want to be treated". Most companies would stop there. Don't! Keep going as Bank One did and list the detailed behaviors expected. In Bank One's case on the value of treating customers are you would want to be treated, here are some behaviors:

• Always look for ways to make it easier to do business with us.
• Don't forget to say thank you.
• Never let a profit center get in the way of doing what is right for the customer.

Then once you have clear values and behaviors, it only works if you reward people that follow them and there are consequences for those that don't.

Don't be a company that has values which are just a bunch of noise. Have values and specific behaviors that actually mean something. Once done, your employees come alive and your company will take a huge step in achieving full potential.

Employee Reviews

When was the last time you gave/received a 100% candid, no b/s, meaningful performance appraisal? If you are like most companies, the answer is not good. The fact is, most companies do not have a proper employee evaluation process in place. This is not good.

There is no "must do" system for employee reviews but here are some tips that should be in place:

• It should be 100% candid and honest. No sugar coating; no glad handing; no dodging; and not an ounce of anything fake.
• Clear and simple. Take out all bureaucracy. No more than 2 pages per person. The key components must include: What the person did right; What the person needs to do to improve.
• It should gauge people on important issues that you and the employee agreed to that directly relate to the employees performance.
• Once a year in a formal face-to-face organized and structured meeting.
• Should include future generations development. Managers get to know exactly where they stand and what the next steps are plus the employee should give a couple names of people that could replace them in the event of a promotion.

The system must be full of 100% integrity. Without integrity, it becomes just another wasteful bureaucratic exercise. The evaluation system should measure both quantitative results and qualitative behaviors. Both are very important for future success.

In the end, successful companies let the employees know where they stand and what is needed to move forward; and the employee appraisal process is the tool to get that done right.

The Leader's Seven Essential Behaviors by Bossidy

How do you rate?

1. Know your people and your business
2. Insist on realism
3. Set clear goals and priorities
4. Follow through
5. Reward the doers
6. Expand people's capabilities
7. Know yourself

This is what it takes to be a leader. How do you develop these qualities? Mainly from paying attention to experience. You can't master the above by reading a book or watching a DVD. As Bossidy says "this is not an intellectual exercise". Its just takes experience.

That is why every experience and especially the negative one's become positive in the end. Learning these behaviors takes guts, persistence, and a willingness to dust yourself off after being knocked down. But once you get it; sky's the limit and there are not limits to your success.

Are you ready for 2007?

Most businesses will depend on the hope plan this year instead of planning and controlling what happens. You know how the hope plan goes: I hope it’s a good year. I hope we get more customers. I hope the phone rings. I hope more people move to our town. I hope the new product sells. I hope I make some money.

If you’re serious about planning for success this year and especially if you want to actually control your profitability this year, don’t just hope, make it happen instead. And for those of you who decide to make it happen, here are some tips on how to pull it off.

1. Track it. Most important, you have to figure out where you are actually at; and what you actually did last month, last quarter and last year. You need to know your averages and trends. In each category, you need your total for the year, your totals each month and your current average (current average = last 90 days) in examples below:

• Income
• Customer Retention
• Closing Ratio
• Selling/Variable Expenses
• Fixed Expenses
• Inventory
• Gross Profit

At a minimum you need to start with some basic tracking to get an idea of where you are at. Why is that important? Because not knowing your averages makes goal setting a crap shoot because you don’t have a baseline to start from. Without knowing exactly what you do now, you have no idea how to even duplicate your production/results from the last 12 months, much less how to improve it.

2. Set your goals for the year.

Key words in goal setting are realistic, achievable, specific, written and review.

If you sold 100 units last year, and your goal for this year is 200 is that realistic? Is it realistic for you to double your sales this year?

“Realistic” is critical and that’s where all these old sayings come from because it’s true that...

“Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’ll be right.” - Henry Ford
“When you can see it and believe it, you can achieve it.” - Napoleon Hill
“What you see is what you get!” - Unknown

To set a realistic goal, use your baseline (your current average) and go from there. The how you’ll reach your goal is the important part of goal setting. It’s the plan of action you’re going to follow. Your goals have to be written and they need to be specific about what your objectives are (your goals) and what your plan is to reach those goals.

A goal isn’t just what you’ll do. As J. Douglas Edwards said, it also has to include “the service you’ll render to achieve that goal”. You don’t just wish for more sales, there’s a payback, and that’s what you’ll change about your selling style, skills or activities to reach the goal.

“Review”: How often should you review your goals daily? Seriously, if you set a goal and read it at least once a day, don’t you think you’d stay more focused on it, believe it more and then be more likely to actually hit it? Of course you would. So make some cards with your goals on them. Put them everywhere you will see them. The more often you read your goals, the more likely you are to reach your goals.

Today’s business is filled with nothing but opportunity, especially right now while so many owners', managers' and companies attitudes are out of whack, so go for it this year. You’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish when you are prepared and have the right attitude.

And if you need help; we can teach you how to reach every goal and have a profitable year.

Almost everyone reading this will miss hitting goals just by a little bit, just because of something you haven’t been taught yet or a step you know you should take, and don’t. We can help.

Have a great year!

CJT