Why aren't we the best?

So many persons have planned and projected that they will be the Best in whatever they do in this new year. Maybe its because persons see the move from one year to another as the ending of one chapter and preparing to enter a new chapter. However it boggles the mind at times as to why one should wait until the end of one year, since if you look carefully at it, each day is the dawn of a new era/chapter. I would even suggest that waiting until the end of a year can be a daunting task since there has been the accumulation of both good and bad, and, the thought of sifting through this entire matter may appear impossible.

This now supports a point where someone can be the best in their character. There was some years back a caribbean company which looked at and had as their slogan "Being the Best". This focused on the internal relationships moving to a state of world class which would have spilled over into the external relationships. However during the process, the company undertook to do one massive campaign from branding to staff meetings and interest groups and sessions to think-tanks. Of course this was not sustainable, and what eventually happened was that persons eventually returned to their old ways of relating. My suggestion in such a case would have been to reverse the channel taken and start out as a spark. This spark having a ripple on effect from a project lead who then would have had the opportunity to encourage other staff to get on the band-wagon. Of course this change management person would have to have a strong character and have the drive to succeed. Once they stoke the flame of change and encouraging the persons to be the best that they can be, it would be very rewarding and the objective of creating a better relationship would have occurred.

Naturally - this writer should not have to tell you that you need to be the best that you can be, you know it, we know it, everyone else knows it. Why then aren't we the best?

I can think of at least two ways, and i'm sure you can find a few more:

1) The will to be the best has dried up.

Its like someone with a creative talent, who does not follow their dream or at least feed their passion. When a creative artist works another job, and stays in that job without feeding their desire to be creative, they lose the muse of inspiration as evoked in Shakespeare's - Henry V, "O for a muse of fire that would ascend the brightest heaven of invention..." As a human being, one has to be inspired to be the best, they may gain this by either the end result of their contribution or the challenge to get going. If either one of these are not met, eventually the drive to be the best can become a drudgery.

2) Laziness.

I say nothing more - since I believe this speaks for itself.

So, let us daily look at how we can be the best in the present tense, since this is the only guaranteed time which we have.

Push 1, 2, 3...

One of my contemporaries, who has recently been going no where in the course which she mapped but rather spinning in the mud needed someone like a huge JCB tractor to push them out of the sandpit and onto the greens. If you are familiar with the game of golf, sometimes you take your stroke with the 7-iron and all the factors are just right to land either in the hole or just shy of it. However the gust of wind which you didn't expect or the topography of the turf, sees your golf ball landing in the middle of the sand pit. What do you do? Some persons take the ball up and place it on the edge of the pit and forfeit a point/stroke while others just dig in and blast that ball out of the pit with the club.

In other words, like one success coach stated: Sometimes, one nudge in the proper direction is all one needs to breakthrough!

The trouble is sometimes while in the sandpit just stuggling, the person who has to come and nudge you out of your spot should ultimately be stronger, or, both individuals must be willing to put their minds together and get out. Of course, there are a few things which have to be on the checklist. These include:

1) The person in the pit recognising their current position of "distress".
So often, you believe that the person realises that they are just spinning in the sandpit, but at times they do not know. You as an external entity, should highlight to the individual their current position. Warning!!! This is not always an easy task, since there will be the initial barrier from the individuals and then breaking the ice. In addition to this, there is the possibility of depression setting in from the "sandpit" individual since nothing seems now to be going right. Be mindful that this is a state of mind that can present its challenges, this is why I've suggested having as open an attitude as possible.

2) An open attitude - to accepting someone coming along and nudge you out!
Of course it must be noted that the person coming along should also have an open attitude, as no one says that it will be easy. Even though the end result should be to get back on track, attitude makes a huge difference. If you doubt me - when you go to your next show look for the attitude.
When the performer leave the wings of the stage and move centre stage they know that the audience is focused on their every move. They walk slowly and with a purpose, maybe even a slight smirk to the audience to give a warm sensation. As soon as they reach the microphone, all of the energy bottled in the attitude bursts out and infuses the audience.
Similarly - the attitude of both parties should be "expectant" and looking forward to achieving the end result. I would even suggest that each progress and landmark should be celebrated such that it plants permanently in the psyche that you have moved, and forces you to keep moving since you'll be "rewarded" at the next landmark. Overtime seeing your progress helps make the job effortless or should I say - equip you with strength to gain momentum.

Conversely avoid persons with horrible/negative attitudes...for obvious reasons, you'll be wealthier for it.

3) The willingness to leave the sandpit.

So - like the heading says, Push - on my count: one, two, three...

Its like Magic in 3 Steps

I've been involved in a group project recently, and I believe that there is always some kind of lesson to learn. One of the many which struck me was that, there is a certain magic which a leader must have in order to inspire the rest to follow. Coming to terms with this can be a bit of a jolt at times, since you as a leader must also be inspired in order to inspire, and everyone knows that everyday our feel or mood isn't one which is in the motivating stretch. In fact a leader has to look for ways to be motivated in order to share that magic.

One individual said to me, that there are so many persons out there who, struggle to lead their teams. They have all of the information to share, and the ideas to implement, but they somehow do not have the magic to get the team to run with the idea. There are a few of the things which made good leaders better, a leader has to:

A good leader has to

1) Get into the mind of his supporters
It may seem easy enough to do, but unless you can capture the imagination of the people then to get into their minds may be a bit difficult. In order to get into the minds, you have to have a strong sense of belonging and a good sense of direction. Not too arrogant but know how to move the masses. The entire person/leader has to be transformed; the body language must say “I am comfortable with myself...” Now that you are comfortable, you must also see yourself as the leader but not arrogant. Remember you are now getting into the psyche of your supporters, and being full of yourself will not win the masses. Your character must be one which persons recognise as acceptable, and you must be trustworthy.

2) Inspire the thought process of the group
What inspires you?
Now try to put yourselves into their shoes and see yourself being inspired and you should be able to translate. This should then give-way to your sharing of some sort of inspiration, which you can pass on to the group. It does not necessarily have to be the same things that inspire you but you should look to inspire your group. You’ll know when they have found it, since they will tell you either in action or in words, you will see it. Take time out to meet with them as individuals and also meet them collectively, show that you are the right person in the position, and that you are also human at times. Give them a good word...

3) Find a way into the hearts of the group being led
Notice how the cult leader works, they do exactly this step above and it somehow becomes magical. The group then supports the leader’s motives and objectives and each time there seems to be a usurping of authority the leader steps in and somehow weaves his magic. This tugs at the emotions, and there are times when the leader has to have that heart to heart. In addition you have to be sincere, if not, persons will easily see through the image projected.

Now, who says that this can’t be done for a good purpose? Without those three steps it’s flaccid.

Photo credit: "Static Ball Remix" http://www.brockadam.net

New Driver in the House

I've decided to stay on the driving topic again....

Sometimes when one has recently passed their driving examination and now have the full license to drive solo, there is a certain feel of power in their hands. This may be heavily based on the psycological position of the individual. There is the immediate desire to rush down the highway at top speed and throw caution to the wind since one feels invincible. In chatting with some new found friends recently, there was two sides of this coin.

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In one instance one person had just gotten their license. This individual somehow slammed into everything in sight, and the neighbours were so afraid to park their vehicles nearby for fear of damage which may be sustained to their own vehicles. This is so similar to how we handle life and also success on our own. Somehow we have to stuggle to work out how to navigate against the coffee machine guy in the office or the secretary who spreads your personal business, or even the group leader who is sometimes so full of themselves. How do you handle these people?
Easy, you take your time, think first and speak afterwards, and, respond only when necessary.

Note, most of the times, no one recognises when you've screwed on the handle on the door or replaced a dull lightbulb, because they may be the little things but you know what! Those things are also very important.

There are leaders who believe that they are the kings and queens of the roost. I always try to encourage them to change their thinking. Here's why - without a vehicle, you are no longer a driver but a pedestrian, just an ordinary person. Likewise, without a group to lead then who are you? Many times the leader in their pompous attitude unwittingly destroys this group unwittingly.

What a leader must recognise is that there are all sorts of persons who compose the group. There are the spark plugs of the groupd and the handrests as well - that is various roles. If you do not know group dynamics then your driving skills are shot. I also believe a good leader can say to the group, I do not know, but i'll find out, or easily delegate to another member. It is also okay for the leader to sit in the passenger seat at times and experience what his passengers are feeling in the ride.

See you next time...

Learning to Drive

When you are learning to drive, there is an instructor who takes you through your paces. For months you manage not to argue and more or less sit humbly in the driver's seat and follow the commands and advice of the driving tutor.

Then there comes the time where you sit and finally pass your driving examination. One becomes all excited and yeah, we are now legally qualified to command that vehicle on our own. As we proceed along the various carriage-ways now, we realise more and more that there are bums and idiots who maskerade as experienced drivers and we try not to lose our calm. However, there always come a point where we may lose it and the road rage jumps in, and we now become angry at the last person who cut us off on the intersection.

Similarly, we in our development on the success path have been coached and tutored by our mentors. Then we feel, or are prompted to get out there and command our own success, and make it work. What makes me upset at times is when persons prefer to stay within their own sad story or have had an accident along the way, and not try to get back onto the highway (of life). You know the ones, since at some point or the other we try to avoid them - before they suck us into their own black hole.

Warning: Everyone has a sad story.

Anyway, as one drives we overcome the driver errors made and race onto the next destination. Why don't we also do the same thing on a personal level?

In addition we at times like to show off, similar to when we overtake on the highway, we show we've got more power under the hood, check me out, look at my rims and my sound system is blasting. I would encourage anyone to be cautious in business, since it can peak today and valley tomorrow. In fact take a look at what is happening now in the global economy, there is all the talk about pending recession, your business and you as a leader need to tred carefully. This does not mean being timid!!! Its like tipping the breaks, before a step downhill.

Here's further parallelism:

A friend of mine whenever she drives gets a flat tyre...and believes that it is her lot in life to keep getting a flat tyre. After a period of helping her change the flats and getting back to focus on driving - Opps something happens and a tyre goes flat again. This would suggest to me that either she is driving in an area that she should not be driving and should change direction. If it were me, I would immediately look at self, and try to figure out if it is because of me that my tyre goes flat or it is just the type of tyre being chosen. Based on statistical evidence, it may be suggested that it is possibly the driver choosing an inappropriate tyre and then getting upset at the whole world.

When you go about your routine (highway) consider your success path and see how parallel they are, and also recognise that you are in control of your own vehicle (attitude).

Photo Credit: http://www.mckague.com

Come on Baby, Light My Fire - In 3 Steps

"Come on Baby, light my fire..." these Doors lyrics can be interpreted now in so many ways, with so many connotations. However in this instance we look at the example you have on your circle of influence. Even though I touched on this a few months/posts ago, I felt inclined to take another look at this in a slightly different case. There is a certain karma which each person has, however strong or faint which may cause one person to "light" another. I'll show you what I mean, and what led me to write this post.

Just a few days ago, I purchased a book and had an opportunity to meet with the author. I did highlight to the author that i'd blog on some of the stuff in the book and my interpretation of some of the chapters. It was during the conversation that I recognised that the author had a light bulb moment. I even understand that our conversation was used to ignite further such that other. One must take into consideration that three steps are important:

Step 1: Be Receptive - Coals 1

When you take a look at a set of coals you realise that they do not resist the fire of their neighbouring coal. And the entire set remains ambient for a very long time. Do you think that you can do that? So oft we as humans lose that human-ness since we build a wall around ourselve in order to protect our own egos.

Step 2: Share - Coals 2

Furthermore have you ever removed one coal from a whole set of coals? That one coal will try to burn/kindle whatever it comes into contact. In addition in the Caribbean, you recognise that villages live just the same, they share the joys and sorrows of the villagers and some may even call them malicious(inquisitive). The Caribbean community still live as if there is so much family around them, for example when a member dies that community shuts down and attends the service. How many other countries outside of the Caribbean do you know that this sharing goes on.

Step 3: Learn for when the cycle begins again.
It would be hard to have to learn the same idea over and over. We as persons should be graduating each time a fire is lit. This enables us to grow and develop.


Now when you look at it, take a look at your concentric circles of concern and see how you can create or even ignite further a blaze.


Photo credit http://ashburn.weblog.com.pt

Spending 9/10ths of Your Money

I was doing a bit of reading recently and came across three concepts of financial maturity and just had to read it, (i would encourage you to visit the site as well). Those three simple concepts have proven that some of the big packages do arrive in simple wrapping. What, should become clearer in this message though is that we should manage our financial resources like how we would manage our business, whether personal or professional. That is, if you can't handle it get help. No one becomes mature overnight and no one has all of the answers however if you seek advice about managing your finances then you are in a better position to tell others and keep the link going.

So, there is the innate desire to "want" and the human will to forget about need, however the developed/maturing person recognises the difference and work on acknowledging it. When you are working on your success - you surround yourself with persons whose resources you can tap into, in this case financial. I speak to so many persons who find it difficult to grow into financial maturity, but you know the reason that they don't is that they are afraid to make the step.

There is a bit which inspires me from Iyanla Vanzant, she says in order to become rich you start with a cent. The cent is like the baby, and the penny is the sister, the 5 cent like brother and 10 cent and so on until the dollar which is like the parent. Therefore if you gather the baby (cents) together you accumulate and attract the rest of the family. Of course i'll tell you not to look at this just literally but find the bigger picture. So - plan your course, plan your goal and plan the finances around them being sure not to overstep yourself and not being afraid to be conservative against others who look like they have it all. Like the Richest Man in Babylon says: if you spend - spend 9/10th of what you have in hand, then you will always have something in hand. Trying it this week - as much as possible spend up to a maximum of 9/10ths of what ever cash you have and see that each time the remainder grows.

Let me know...

It is Conception

One of my lecturers at university used to say during his lectures "...only take notes so that you remember the concept." Back then, we as students tried to document every word he spoke and was amazed at his ability not to use any reference notes during his discourse. Sure he was versed in his specialty but even as the technology changed he seemed to be "with it", and he kept it interesting and was sure not to lose you during his stint.

Somewhere in there I understood what he was saying about grabbing the concept. Before, when you tried to grasp every word and punctuation the concept was inevitably missed, since you focused on what you were putting on paper. When I took the gamble and worked towards understanding the concept - I aced the course. Since then, the first thing which I work towards is finding the concept and making it into concrete. I wanted to prove it again, and I took a course in Business - "just for the fun of it" some years later...and during the stint, I used to go to class keep quiet and polished off grabbing the concept. In fact I thought the concept was so easy that quite a few persons missed it.

Here are their mistakes:

*They literally wrote every word the tutor spoke

*Most times - when the concept was being highlighted they were focused on the specifics

*Did not try to apply the concept/idea received to other possibilities

*Did not think about the business course as a way to manage their own business but was caught in the "employee" mentality

Tip:

*DO not get too specific when looking at the concept; trust me - most CEO's work on finding the concept and then how it can be applied.

*Find the concept from the high-level perspective then apply the "add-on"

*Try not to miss the concept, if not as we say in the Caribbean - You are out to sea...

Achieving Success

What’s your strategy?

Serious Fun…

Today, when I am in conversation with persons they may remark that I make an excellent sales person. As flattering as this remark may be, it is as a result of hard work to develop an attitude towards sales where I have made it fun. Even though it is fun, you have to have the ability to be serious, and this may even sound like a contradiction. Of the many sales persons that I have been in contact with, they all seem to have some technique to be successful. Even in those persons who told me that they were not sales persons I have helped them unearth the ability to strategize. It is during this phase of strategizing that the sales person gets excited about their product and recognize why they can be successful in delivering the product to more and more customers and therefore expand their customer base. This excitement leads to the “game plan”, which lets you have serious fun in its execution. Even when the strategy does not roll out effectively, the excitement of creating an alternative strategy to salvage what happens should be a fun process. It is from this point that sales become easier.

Whenever I meet a new sales person who wants to join my sales team, I immediately spring into action. As far back as I can remember I have personally met each person with a barrel of excitement, almost bursting but yet oozing. In order to get into my sales team, I usually use a tactic to see if the person can have serious fun, as well as to get them to reveal their strategy. You cannot win your sales game without a strategy; it is almost as going in to a hostage situation and shooting blindly.

Getting ready to have serious fun to some people may mean getting ready to make lots of money in commission. Research surveys continue to prove that money is not a motivator (1)[rb1] , but, I can almost bet that if you work on plotting a sales strategy and it is successful, the amount of motivation to achieve goes through the roof and you look to conquer the world with the next challenge. What you should be asking yourself even at this point is “what’s my strategy?” In addition it does not hurt to bounce that strategy off of your colleagues, friends and relatives who should be your biggest critic. It gives you a chance to practice, and practice makes practical, such that you deliver smoothly, effectively and you put in your own “you” into the sales process. Excellent sales people know how to have fun, and when you chat with them see what makes them tick, and that “ticking” will give you a glimpse of the strategy they use.
In many cases it becomes like one big game, where you lose some and you win some, and you have a heart where you are comfortable to take a risk though calculated, and try some new technique. You must take responsibility for your actions when you take risks. In order to work a strategy, you must be honest with yourself.


What is your final objective?

§ Selling x-dollars of your product
§ Making y-dollars in sales commission
§ Building yourself a network of persons who will recommend you
§ Meeting and exceeding your target
§ Keeping your competitors guessing


Initially your sales strategy will need some tweaking but, just think about it and build a strategy that works for you, and remember that it should be fun. If it is not fun you will not enjoy the process, and it will become a concrete block around your ankle while you are trying to swim.



Storyline:

I needed to close a relatively big deal on a restaurant owner. During the sales cycle while quoting for the project I found out the owner loved rum & coke. Later on as I was about to close the deal, I took a group of sales colleagues with me to the same restaurant the same time I knew the owner was there. We ordered food and drinks and the owner’s favorite drink. He said that I practically brought the whole company down, needless to say – I won the deal. To this day, the owner still calls and feels comfortable consulting myself, on similar projects.

[rb1]Practical Leadership from Inspiration to application by J Clemmer