Your #Tough Calls Are Often the Keys to Your #Future

The decision you have been putting off; the conversation you have been avoiding; the problem you wish would go away--these are more important than you think.

The toughest calls on your list are almost always the keys to your next step forward.  If you let them linger, prepare for ongoing frustration.  If you face them head on, you will find that the clarity you had been searching for immediately returns, a weight lifts off of your shoulders, and everone feels better.

Now, go free yourself by doing what you know that only you can do!

#Framing Your Day for #Success

A few years ago I met Greg in Florida.  Greg was a taxi driver who had been married for 21 years (with two children) at that time.  During a thirty-minute drive he told me part of his story and, as he did, I grew closer to understanding one of life's most powerful secrets.

Among other things, Greg had a pretty solid contract to play minor league baseball in the late 80s.  That was all lost along with any major league hopes due to a motorcycle accident which could have taken his life.  Greg also told me about six days that he spent on a roof in New Orleans hoping to survive the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  I don’t know if I will ever forget when he turned and looked me straight in the eyes and said, “I lost everything—my house, all my belongings—absolutely everything!”

Then he did something that prompted me to write about him.  He said, 

“But I am blessed because I still have my wife and my two wonderful children!”  We ended by exchanging business cards and I told him that his story needed to be 

told.  I wanted him to know that he had a powerful story and that it could impact 

many lives.  He seemed to be a little surprised by that.

It’s not that Greg has had more hardship than anybody else, though he had his share for a man in his early forties.  It’s that Greg framed his life as that of a 

blessed man with some problems, rather than that of a cursed man with a few 

blessings.

People who choose to frame their lives like Greg seem to sleep better and have a much more positive impact on the world. So, how will you choose to look at your day?

Your #Team Will Rise To Match The #Value That The Individual Members Place On One Another (Reflections from the #WorldCup)

Probably like you, I have been enjoying the World Cup when I have had the opportunity. Here are some general reflections about teams.

If you lose your strongest team member, the team gets weaker.  We all get that. Especially if that team member is catalytic and can bring out the best in others.

But let's not forget the weakest team member.  In many ways, the team is only as good as its weakest member.  If you disagree with that premise then you are really not talking about a fully functioning team.  A complete team maximizes itself through the necessary involvement of each member and the collaborative movement toward a unified goal.  If the team is moving together and if a strong player can help the team move more effectively toward its goal, then a weak member can hinder that movement (maybe even stop it altogether).

What are the options? 

Replace that team member or have him switch positions.  This is not always as easy as it sounds and the process takes a lot of energy away from the team's progress.  This should always be considered an alternative, but perhaps one that is explored after some of the others are looked at first.

Get rid of or redefine the position.  In many instances, the issue is not the team member, but the role we are asking that member to play.  Maybe your best pathway lies in updating the role to match current needs.  In some extreme cases, it may be that the role is no longer needed at all.

Let the team work together to lift the weak player.  Perhaps the first and best option is to give the team the opportunity to "heal" itself.  This takes a whole lot more than just waiting around to see if something changes.  It requires leadership that cultivates an atmosphere that includes trust, clarity, openness, and a keen emphasis on value.

If you really look at the team as a team, then each member values the other members completely. When your team has established that kind of a culture, you will see each player rise to match the value placed upon them by the others.  And you will see the team rise to its greatest potential as a team.

There Are No Zero-Talent People! Start With What You Have, And Go Make A Difference. #leadership #culture

Sometimes a strong leadership culture creates more spectators than participants.  People look at the leaders and think, "I could never do what they do."  The fear of failure stifles their gifts and abilities.  And sometimes it's not about fear, but comfort.  People watch high achievers from the sidelines, but never bother to step out on the field themselves. Without the proper balance, a leadership culture can tend to leave too much work in the hands of the few.  

So, here are three value statements to consider as you develop the leadership culture in your organization or in yourself:

• There are no zero-talent people!  Not everyone has the same starting point, but everyone starts with something.
• Start with what you have.  Using and growing what you do have is much more important than worrying about what you do not have.
• Success is achievable (and expected) by all.  Imagine what would happen if we each began to expect more out of ourselves.

One Well-Timed #Rest Will Do More Than a Thousand Days of #Overworked #Stress (Take This 30-Second Test)

Which of the two lists more closely defines you, the way you feel, and the way you look at the day?  Do you tend to align more toward the first or the second column?

Dread	Anticipation
Lethargy	Energy
Pessimism	Optimism
Obstacles	Opportunities
Closed	Open
Sarcasm	Sincerity
Confusion	Clarity
Fear	Faith
Destructive	Constructive
Isolation	Communication
Suspicion	Trust
Doubt	Confidence
Empty	Full
Harsh	Kind
Sickness	Health
Anger	Joy

If the signs are there and you find yourself leaning toward column one, let nothing stand between you and your much-needed break.  One well-timed rest will do more for you than a thousand days of overworked stress.

Sometimes The Biggest #Reinvention That Needs To Take Place Is That Which Deals With Us #Newness #NewLife #LifeCycle

[1]

In a sense, almost everything has a life cycle.  Everett Rogers' Technology Adoption Life Cycle depicts the stages as a new product grows and declines in popularity before another new product displaces it. It is the up and the down and the start and the end of a cycle we call life.  Looking at this process and analyzing it closely is certainly nothing new to books and blogs.  Many have written about the life cycles of products, cultures, individuals, and organizations.  I want to focus on the last item in my list.

Where is your organization in its life cycle?  If you feel like you are climbing uphill, having to generate a lot of creativity, often ending each day with more questions than answers, but excited to forge ahead toward a brighter tomorrow, you are probably in the early phase, still headed upward.  On the other hand, if you feel like you are coasting downhill, preserving instead of inventing, relying on yesterday's solutions, and not that sure that tomorrow is going to be that great, you are dealing with a decline.

It is easy and takes little effort to slide down the backside of the life cycle curve as the organization slowly ebbs away.  In some cases the process might be long enough to allow you to cash in your chips before the ship completely sinks.  But perhaps a better way to look at those days of ease and coasting is to see them as a loud and clear alert signal calling for reinvention and rebirth.

You see, the problems to solve, adversity to overcome, and walls to scale are actually good signs.  It is when things begin to seem too easy that an inner warning should prompt you that it is time to reinvent.  So, where is your organization?  Is it the season to start something new?  Is it a new product, a new system, a new idea, a new market, a new location, a new service, or ... is it a new you?

Sometimes the biggest reinvention that needs to take place is that which deals with us. Maybe this is your day to get out of the rut that you have been in and start anew.  If you are reading this then it's not too late.  A new you takes quite a bit of effort and you must be ready for a climb.  But a new you just might begin to restore you to that place of purpose and fulfillment that you thought was only a distant memory.  And a new you can give you more than a productive company or a growing organization, because a new you creates a brand new, beautiful, powerful, meaningful, and vibrant life![2]

_____________________

[1]  The image depicts Everett Rogers' Technology Adoption Lifecycle.  The image is being used through the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 Unported license which can be found at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode.  The image was not changed in any way.

[2]  I am a follower of Christ and when I started a relationship with God, my life was made completely new.  If you would like to find out about the promise of eternal life through a relationship with Jesus Christ, you can go to this non-denominational site (http://www.allaboutgod.com/plan-of-salvation.htm) or email me at ekschroeter1@gmail.com.

Big Dogs, Little Dogs - Don't Try Growing Larger Than Your DNA Will Allow (#Impossible); Focus On #Reproducing The #Value You Can Bring

Consider big dogs and little dogs.

• Both live, breathe, and constantly regenerate, but their features and their lives will look different, as they should.
• Both grow, but their ultimate size will be dictated by their DNA.
• Both can be healthy, but their health will result in behaviors unique to their kind.
• Both get sick, but their sickness is often common to their breed.
• Both have vital systems--the same vital systems--but their systems are size-appropriate, or something is really wrong.
• Both make their presence known, but their sound as they bark at the world fits exactly who they are.
• Both add value, but their best use differs greatly, and it is the reason their breed is even around.
• Both mature, but their mature disposition reveals their uniqueness.
• Both reproduce, but their offspring will undoubtedly share their characteristics.

The point is that if you spend all of your time and energy trying to grow your organization larger than its DNA will allow, you are fighting an impossible battle and very probably missing your reason and purpose--the value your organization alone can bring!

“It is prodigious the quantity of good that may be done by one man, if he will make a business of it.” #Ben Franklin #DoGood

Doing good to others, if you arise each day and make it one of your primary goals, will be transformational to you, your family, your organization, and your community.

I am not talking about occasionally slipping a few coins into a Salvation Army kettle or running in the annual 10K race to show your support for a local charity.  I am talking about adding to your calendar and budget regular, even daily, efforts to lift up the people around you in one way or another.  You get to pick how.

I am talking about doing good without discrimination so that your competition, even your enemy, receives blessing derived from you.

This is a strategic endeavor that becomes part of who you are.  As Benjamin Franklin said, you “make a business of it.”

It is an outflow of goodness that expects nothing in return—no publicity, no profits, no power.

But when you approach your life in this way, you can rest assured that your reward will be great![1]

____________________

[1]  Luke 6:33-35

Don't Get #Frustrated By The #Limits, But Let Them #Empower You To See New Things

It's Friday and maybe you're looking back over the week feeling a little unfulfilled about what happened. Maybe the results didn't match up to your expectations.  Or perhaps you're looking ahead to this weekend's event or next week's meeting and you're frustrated because you feel like the tools and resources at your disposal are just too limited to make the impact you desire to make.  Or it just might be that you're thinking about your target market and it seems too small for you to generate any momentum.  You are certainly not alone.

At first, a new "sandbox and all of its toys" are captivating and more than enough to keep you engaged and hopeful--full of vision and energy.  But time, growth, and maturity reveal the limits and boundaries of your situation and they will always force you to make a decision that goes something like this:  "Am I the person who gets frustrated about the limits I see, or do I get excited as I look beyond those limits?"

People who learn to let their frustrations empower them not only move on to greater things, but tend to go through life with a whole lot more joy!

Today is the day to step out of the sandbox!

#Differentiate in a Few Select Areas, #Collaborate in Many Common Areas, You'll Add #Value All the Time

Why put so much energy into distinguishing yourself in so many areas that happen to be common to your breed and outside of your core competency?  If everyone else is doing it anyway, it no longer separates you from the others.  Besides, is it really the reason you are getting out of bed each morning?  Probably not.

For instance, local restaurants have sharp online menus, growing churches serve coffee (goof coffee), and office buildings have inviting entryways.  Be excellent at these things, but don't be blind to the fact that they will not really set you apart.

Instead, what if you practice what I will call Selective Differentiation?  It has two significant benefits.

The first and obvious benefit is that you will focus your core efforts on those inimitable characteristics that will allow you to impact the world unlike anybody else.  You add value to the universe as only you can by differentiating in those few and select areas!

The second, and much less obvious, benefit is that you can collaborate with others in your field (yes, even your competition) in those areas common to everyone.  Though this represents a colossal culture shift for many people, it can result in leveraging combined efforts, saving energy, reducing expenses, increasing output, and lifting up all parties involved.  Again, value is added to the universe, and this time it is because you have worked together to build up and maximize those numerous areas familiar to all.

A Struggle to Find Success Today Might Be the Blessing That Keeps You Moving Toward Your Best Future #perspective #success #failure

Vera Wang tried with everything that was in her, but failed to make the 1968 US Olympic team as a figure skater.  She went on to climb the ladder at Vogue, but could not get the nod as the editor-in-chief and left in 1987.  But Wang went on to create a bridal fashion empire worth more than $1 billion.[1]

I can't tell you how many people I know--many of them I consider friends--who have experienced times of frustration over an apparent lack of success.  These people typically had an idea and timeline of how things would turn out and, for some reason or another, the reality of everything didn't match their vision.  Perhaps you know someone who is living in this kind of situation right now.  You're probably close to them because you wouldn't be aware of their feelings.  Most leaders hide feeling like these.

I want to emphasize two corollaries on success and failure from Wang's experience (and from the experiences of millions who have traveled a similar road).  First, success in one area can keep you from seeing the next mountain you were made to climb.  Second, a struggle to find success today might be the all-important factor that keeps you moving toward your best future.

It is really a matter of perspective to see your current challenges as the blessings that keep you pushing, growing, learning, adjusting, and heading toward the amazing place you are supposed to be!
_______________________
[1] Tommye Fitzpatrick, "Vera Wang Says Keep Your Feet on the Ground and Don’t Get Ahead of Yourself," The Business of Fashion, April 30, 2013,  accessed May 27, 2014, http://www.businessoffashion.com/2013/04/first-person-vera-wang.html.

It's Not Only Okay to Start Before You Have All The Answers, It's Imperative! #New #Startup #StartNow #RealExperts

Back in the "day"--before GPS and Google Maps--I remember beginning many road trips without knowing exactly where I was going. All I needed was a general idea to get started--"head south on Interstate 71." Macroscopic directions were often enough to get me 80 to 90% of the way there!  Perhaps you are old enough to remember those days of navigating as you traveled along.

As I began to close in on my destination, there was almost always more than one way to figure out the final streets and turns. I could buy a map, pay close attention to a few helpful signs, or stop and get some directions. Often, the best advice came from people who really knew the territory because they had lived there so long.

Here are three points of learning for any new endeavor you might embark upon.

1. It's okay to start before you have all the answers. As a matter of fact, it's imperative if you want to be successful because if you wait to have all the answers you will never start anything.

2. You will have many opportunities to learn, grow, and figure things out while you are on your way. Also, the specific information you glean as you move closer to your goal is always better than the sparse and questionable stuff you seem to get before you begin.

3. Experts aren't the people who charge the most money, but those whose experience is worth everything. Get advice from the people who live in the place--that unique world--that you want to understand better.

No go start something wonderfully new!

Take the Limitations of Money Out of the Picture As You Gaze Upon Your Future #dream #innovation #vision #start-up

Please, whatever you do, force yourself NOT to build vision and strategy on the basis of how much money you do not have.  If you do, you will fail to dream as big as you should.

And please, whatever you do, keep yourself from making those course-setting decisions on the basis of how much money you do have, even if you have a lot.  If you do, your plans will lack the creative edge that they desperately need.

Rather, take the limitations of money out of the picture as you gaze upon your future and imagine things as they could and should be if you always had exactly what you needed when you needed it.  At that point you begin to see what has not yet been seen, and innovation is born.

Moving From "Have To" to "Want To" With A Little Self Coaching

"Have to" (HT) endeavors are not always fun, but they have to get done or the organization eventually fails or fails to get off the ground.  "Want to" (WT) endeavors are much more exciting and they open up the doors to the future, but they are often cast aside because the HTs demand so much attention.  WTs can also waste a lot of time if they are not tied to purpose in some specific way.

Here are some self-coaching questions to help you with HTs and WTs.

• How does this endeavor--HT or WT--get me closer to my overall goal?  If the answer is unclear, perhaps you should move on to another endeavor.
• Who can adequately address this HT besides me?  If you can think of someone, it's time to delegate.  If no option surfaces, the joy of it is all yours, so please approach it with all the fervor you can muster.
• Who needs to watch me as I do this HT so they can learn to do it in the future?  If at all possible, never do HTs alone.  Always try and model your actions for the next generation.
• How might this HT be changed into a WT?  Re-framing a task can completely transform it ... and you!
• Who is the very best person to excel at this WT and surpass my abilities and creativity in doing so?  If you can think of someone, why not let them shine?
• How are you uniquely fashioned to approach this WT unlike anybody else?  As you consider this question, you are honing in on your value proposition to the world.

Remember, we live in a world where HTs always lay the foundation for WTs, so please don't get frustrated with them, they're essential.  But just approach your days by being intentional so that your HTs can move you toward your WTs.  You will know when you begin arriving at your destination because the differences between the two become blurred and you can hardly tell them apart.  As a matter of fact, they are no longer distinguishable as HTs or WTs, but they appear to you more as GTs, because these are now the things that you are overjoyed that you "get to" do!

The Reason You Can't Get To The Right Results Is That You Have No Order of Operations

Do you remember the order of operations from your childhood math?  You multiply before you add, but expressions in parentheses take precedence. The order you use definitely makes a difference in the final result. For example:

1+1x2=3

(1+1)x2=4

There is more to the mathematics, but the question is whether you have an order of operations for your daily schedule--something to help you get to the right results.  Though you cannot find a perfect gold standard when it comes to ordering your day, you can choose to adopt something that works well for you and the type of work you do.  It's less about the specific steps and more about the discipline of choosing to have them.  There are hundreds and even thousands of excellent resources to consider online, but here are a few ideas I have picked up on my journey that you can remember with the word "ORDER."

O - Quickly organize your work area, schedule, and major goals for the morning. 

R - Tackle a few rapid items or quick hits--tasks that you can complete within one or two minutes.

D - Dare to dream, build, grow, invent, learn, innovate, plan, create, and spend time on those things you want to be doing and should be doing while your brain cells are still fresh.

E - Address emails, phone calls, letters, communications, connections with people, and other tasks after your dreaming time is finished.

R - Then, review your morning to wrap up any items that are within five minutes of completion and start the cycle again at the organization step after you have had the time for lunch.

Now, go and order up some great results!

Responsibility, Risk, Reward, Relationship, Respect

If you are young, perhaps you can consider these as you talk with your friends.  If you are old, perhaps you can teach these to the next generation.

Responsibility – Try to avoid pointing your finger at all cost, but be swift to assume responsibility.  When you are responsible with life's small things, though it involves a lot of hard work, you will quickly be given responsibility over great matters.

Risk – Overcoming the fear of taking wise risks is the only way to discover what has not yet been seen or create what has not yet been imagined.  Take a look, be sure you have prayed, and then take the leap!

Reward – Of course, reward is tied to risk, but there is something more important to remember.  Reward is tied to your heart.  Define the true reward you are seeking early in life, and be sure it is deeper and more meaningful than mere money or material wealth.  Perhaps the best way to look at reward is to measure it in terms of relationship.  At the end of the day don’t ask, “What do I have near to me?” but “Who do I have near to me?”

Relationship – Who is on the short list of people you want to be close to for the majority of your life?  Be sure to make an investment into those lives each and every week.

Respect – There is value—infinite value—in each and every human.  Take that truth very seriously and it will beautifully shape your daily decisions from the boardroom to the family room.

What Was It That You Had In Mind When You Started To Try And Do Everything?

When was the last time that you picked up a discarded gum wrapper from the street and thought to yourself, "Now this is useful?"

Or when did the coach of your favorite team rotate in the star player suffering from pneumonia and say, "Now get in there and win this thing?"

You were not meant to be exhausted and barely getting by all of the time.  If everything about you is constantly stretched and marginalized, people will eventually feel sorry for you.  In fact, when you overwork, few people, if any, will be impressed.  Rather, the world will look on and only see someone getting depleted--someone who looks less and less useful.  They won't see a champion who can do it all (that's what we often think when we push too hard), but the guy who is no longer capable of winning "this thing" like he once did.  Is that the goal you had in mind when you started to try and overachieve?

Please remember that people want you to thrive, excel, and shine.  But people also understand that you are human, and that you have limits, because they are humans too.

So, don't be the discarded gum wrapper that people avoid as it blows down the sidewalk.  It's spent, unappealing, and pretty much useless.  Be the guy who is healthy, happy, and balanced in his approach to life.  That's when your family, your following, and your fortune will be at their best.

Victims, Givers, and Jesus

A victim says, "They took my time; they took my money; they took my idea."

A giver says, "I gave my time; I gave my money; I gave my idea."

Real victims do exist and their situation renders them powerless or imprisoned and unable to change their circumstances.  The tragedy is that some embrace a victim mindset when they are neither powerless nor imprisoned.

Imagine what the world would look like if more people began to take on the mindset of a giver.

I am a follower of Jesus and that distinction happens to be one of the most profound parts of the biblical narrative.  Nowhere does it indicate that Jesus lost his life, but that he gave it, willingly, to free people from the powerlessness and imprisonment associated with sin.

No more victim mentality!

How Do You Rise Above the Noise That Is All Around?

You hear a sound and it catches your attention.  Above the steady drone of the furnace fan and the show on TV, and in spite of the kids playing loudly in the other room, you hear this faint sound.  It causes you to stop what you are doing and search.  You look to find out where it is coming from because you want to discover what it is.  And the reason it so easily grabs your ear is that it is new--a sound unlike the others that fill your ears every day.

Have you ever heard a sound like that?  It can wake you up from a deep sleep and turn your head in a crowded room.

We can learn a lot from a new sound.  It doesn't have to be obnoxious or loud.  It doesn't have to be fashioned by a research team or approved by the majority.  It simply has to be different--something new, unique, and clearly distinguishable from the noise that is all around.

So what is the sound that you were created to make today?  It can be as subtle as a pin drop and still a roaring freight train cannot hinder its impact.  It's your sound, your mark, your special contribution to the world.

A RIDDLE: I Am Not Sure That Anyone Truly Likes Me ...

I am not sure that anyone truly likes me, probably because I have so much control

Some people fear me, others have disdain for me, and others are too young to have met me, but they will

My history is somewhat convoluted, like a kite string all in knots, and almost everyone finds it hard to get a read on me

I think the funniest part is how certain people try and change me—a little here and a little there

It’s like they think they can use me but, in the end, mess with me too much, and everyone pays a price

I know it sounds ruthless, but that is my nature

One person thinks I am a friend, the other sees me as an enemy, but I am neither

I guess I am just fueled by a love for power and greed

And there is no way you can control me, at least not alone

But I will give away this one secret, and only one

If you gang up on me, you can win

If you get enough people to work together, you can tame me and turn me from the beast that I am into a simple servant of the people.

Who am I?

I am the federal tax code.

Three points of learning to eliminate bureaucracy from your organization:

• Be brief and to the point.
• Use clear and simple language and ideas (so everything would make sense to a 12-year-old).
• And always, always, always, let the rules be fashioned by people of great capacity and character.  You will know them because they have a history marked by personal success coupled with sacrifice for others.

There is nothing worse than an email exchange that should've been a meeting...

There is nothing worse than an email exchange that should've been a meeting... except maybe a meeting that could've been an email.

The question is, when to go virtual and when to go real?

Conversations, the face-to-face type, can be life-changing and engaging in a way that text messages can never hope to be.  Yet, "don't forget the milk" works so amazingly well, along with millions of other messages, in the SMS world.

Managing your virtual and real life endeavors with intention can not only make your life more efficient, but it can also save you embarrassment.

For instance, there are things that you would never say with your friends at a party--things in the "nobody-really-cares" or "nobody-really-needs-to-know" categories.  So why would you post these things to a social network?

The rule of thumb to keep in mind is that the virtual world is always and only a metaphor for real life and it should always be treated that way.

Sometimes a metaphor is powerful and other times it falls drastically short.  Understand the subtle difference and you will be way out in front of the pack.

Offers vs. Commitments: Remember That Life's Best ROI Is Always Measured in Relationship

On April 14, LinkedIn will be removing the Products and Services tab from all Company Pages.  Whoosh, just like that, it's gone.  Remember when Google stopped offering Google Apps for free to new users?  Or when Flappy Bird was brusquely yanked from the app stores?

That's how it is in life when someone is offering something, apparently for free, to large numbers of people.  Offers involve a nameless, faceless exchange and somewhere, someone is paying and looking for a self-motivated return.  Please, don't let revoked offers and similar matters define your day.

You see, maybe the problem is not that people or organizations let you down, but that you mistakenly understand their commitment as being directed toward you.  Perhaps it is directed toward greater sales, bigger numbers, reduced expenses, or less hassle, but it's usually not toward you.  If you take that to heart, you can engage in the ebbs and flows of life with much less anxiety over the changes that take you by surprise.

However, you do need to determine who is really committed to you--real people with real names and real stories.  You must also figure out to whom you are really committed--real people with real names and real stories.  If you keep in mind the fact that neither list can really ever be that big, you will begin to get a closer look at the most significant and valuable connections in your life--the circle where the return is always measured in relationship!

So go and have a great day and be sure to build the core of your life around commitments and not around offers.

How's Your Paceline? Assess Your Skills at Reproducing Yourself in Others

Have you ever watched as cyclists formed a paceline riding close behind one another so the group could travel faster and more efficiently than any one rider could alone?  This happens in other sports as well, like automobile racing, running, and even swimming.

Consider the following steps. 

STEP 1:  Stopping the Solo Ride (You Can Be More Effective as a Team)

STEP 2:  Finding the Best to Ride With You (Especially Those More Gifted Than You)
STEP 3:  Allowing Other Riders to Draft (Take the Hardships So Your Team Can Grow)
STEP 4:  Telling Them When to Move Up Front (Teach Them the Art, Science & Timing)

STEP 5:  Falling Just Behind Them and Cheering Them On (Your Affirmation Matters a Lot)

STEP 6:  Celebrating at the Finish (Don't Get Too Busy to Celebrate)

STEP 7:  Letting a New Lead Rider Continue the Cycle (That's Multiplication)
.

.

.

STEP 8:  Moving to the Next Track to Do It Again (That's Great!)

Perhaps it seems so obvious, but look again.  Which steps are you missing?  What do you need to change?  What needs to happen so you can intentionally form your paceline in order to travel farther, faster, and more efficiently than you ever could have on your own?

Ultra Jumbo Discount Wings and a Lesson on Perspective

I priced raw chicken wings today.  It's not something I do often, but I love wings, and every once in a while I will cook up a batch with my family, make a few different butter-based sauces, and absolutely break every dietary rule on the books.

You should try it sometime, but just don't use wings.  They are too expensive already and, if you go for the wings, you will drive the price still higher.  

Instead, try the legs.  When I checked, they were two and in some cases three times less expensive than wings.  If you cook them just right, slather on some tasty sauce, and add some perfectly aged blue cheese dressing, it's like Buffalo heaven.

And if you have trouble with the idea, just do one more thing.  Stare at the leg for a moment and tell yourself, "That's the biggest drumette I have ever seen!"

You see, perspective is powerful.  It was consumer perspective that made the once-undesirable wing a very popular thing.  But please don't think I am advocating a focus group approach to help you make your decisions.  I am not writing about consumer perspective, but your perspective.

Sometimes you simply need to take a moment out of your busy day, step back from your problems, and change the way you look at the world.  You just might be the guy who begins selling chicken legs as ultra jumbo discount wings and, if you do, I am buying!

You Know That You're Ready to Reproduce Yourself in Others When ...

...someone walks into the room and they are faster, smarter, better looking, more educated, more charming, more secure, wittier, and all-around more capable than you are, and you begin thinking about how you might help them succeed and make a difference.

This kind of scenario happens all the time and the gut reaction of far too many of us would be to try and find flaws in this new person in order to, in some weird way, maintain our status and feel better about ourselves.

But maybe, just maybe, this is your day to become a multiplier, and to begin giving away (not selling) your very best so that it can travel far beyond your limited reach.  You see, the new person might seem way more capable, but they don't have the wisdom and insight that can only come from your story and your experience.  

And I've done the math.  You will always have a far, far greater impact on the world if you not only regenerate good things in other people, but if you insist that they, too, do the same.

What Can We Learn from NCAA Basketball About Adding Value?

As I write this, four teams remain in the Tournament (and I picked only one of the four to be there).  As always, March Madness gets me to marvel at how strategic coaches can be in the final minute or two of a game, especially in how they use substitutions.  Sometimes it is only for one trip down the court in order to rotate in their best rebounder or to get one more three-point shooter on the floor.  It's not just that they try different things to win, but that they make specific choices based on value and timing.  "Who is going to bring what the team needs right now?"  That's the question they keep answering over and over again.

You see, the best thing that your competitor does is force you to find ways to add value.

The problem is that far too often nowadays, people try to gain the edge with a discount mentality by trying to offer more for less.  It's like the store that keeps trying to gain customers by slashing prices or the non-profit that scoffs at budgeting any money for much-needed marketing.  Not only is there a limit to the cutbacks that you can make, but the process of always removing instead of adding eventually brings the quality of products, services, events, employees, and volunteers down.

A highly competitive arena causes the players not just to play hard, but to bring to the game their special part--a part that they can only discover in the crucible-like heat of that competitive push.  All of a sudden, in that moment, everyone is better off than before because something is added to the equation, not removed.  That something is called value.  It's a new idea, a different path, a better method, a novel approach, and it makes the world better, not cheaper.

So my challenge to you is to ask yourself, "What value am I on this earth to add today--to my family, to the team, to the organization, to society, to the world?"  And here is one more secret, this kind of thinking finds its sweet spot when it no longer has to be driven by competition, but when it is simply about the pure joy and contentment of making a positive contribution to the cosmic ledger of life!

Use Your Words To Create An Atmosphere That Will Let People Thrive

What types of words and phrases tend to come out of your mouth?

Do you tend to paint a darker picture with your language or is it brighter?  Is it one of challenge or apathy, encouragement or discouragement, hope or despair, optimism or pessimism, abundance or scarcity, courage or fear, generosity or greed, love or hate?  

Very simply, I am asking you to decide to use your words to create an atmosphere that will allow you and the people around you to thrive!

Find Your Inner Sherpa: Help Others and Celebrate Together at the Top!

If you ever get a chance, take some time and read about Tenzing Norgay.  His name is probably not immediately familiar to you unless you are a serious climbing enthusiast or a student of Mount Everest.  Norgay, a Nepali Sherpa mountaineer, was one of the first two known individuals to reach the summit of that great mountain, the highest place on earth, on May 29, 1953.  The man with him was Edmund Hillary of New Zealand.[1][2] 

Climbing expeditions in the Himalayas included Sherpa mountaineers as a rule.  They knew the terrain better than anyone else and they could weather high altitudes with great stamina.  Though many people confuse the word Sherpa to mean any mountain guide in the Himalayan region, it actually refers to an ethnic people group to which Norgay belonged.[3] 

The point is that Norgay, perhaps as much as anyone in the world, was born to climb Everest.  With all the planning, funding, and manpower behind the 1953 expedition that included those two record-breaking climbers, Norgay, the native guide, was an indispensable part of the success. 

Why not consider making your role like that of Norgay?  Way too often we become so self-focused and consumed by our personal goals that we miss the amazing rewards associated with working together toward a common goal.  When the time comes for your spouse, colleague, friend, boss, mentor, student, or child to climb their next mountain, perhaps it is your role to be there and guide them along the way.

And here is the amazing beauty of it all.  Once you begin giving yourself away, you will find that your own productivity increases and that you more easily achieve your own dreams.  It might not seem like it makes sense, but just try it and watch what happens.  And then there is the really fun part.  You get to be there at the top of the mountain celebrating with the other person.  Let me tell you, it is so worth the climb!

________________

[1] "1953: First Footsteps - Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay," Excerpted From "50 Years on Everest," by Contributing Editor David Roberts, National Geographic Adventure, April 2003, National Geographic, accessed on 3/27/2014, http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/everest/sir-edmund-hillary-tenzing-norgay-1953/#page=2.

[2] "Profile of Tenzing Norgay," Scholastic, accessed on 3/27/2014, http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/hillary/archive/norgay.htm.

[3] "Sherpa," Encyclopedia Britannica, accessed on 3/27/2014, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/540142/Sherpa.

A RIDDLE: Though All I Can Promise is Mediocrity, Millions Keep Running to Me ...

I certainly am not always right.

I definitely am not always safe.

I don't operate in your best interests because I don't care about any one person.

I am fueled by large numbers--very large numbers.

I live out my existence by staying very close to what is average and if you roll with me, that's what I will absolutely promise to you.

And I can be exciting, really exciting, but it only lasts for a short time.

You see, I have an inherent problem.

I am almost embarrassed to admit this, but there is nothing unique or special about me.

When people get close to me, they quickly begin to look elsewhere and I become yesterday's news.

So, to look out for myself, I developed a plan.

I simply keep changing.

And the people keep coming back for no good reason.

One simply follows the next until millions have gathered, and the crazy, empty cycle starts all over again.

Who am I?

I am what's popular!

Brains Don't Dream Well During Storms … Give Yourself Time to Imagine

Our highly-connected culture has come to demand immediacy and brevity so much, that we often lack the time-proven benefits associated with soaking in thought.  We have become much more comfortable going wider in terms of information and ideas instead of going deeper.  Now be honest with yourself, how much of your schedule is carved out so you can mentally go places that you have not gone before?

The best things out there are not instantly downloaded, but grown as kernels of creativity developed over time and through process.

It was Einstein who said, “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”  He also said, “Logic will get you from A to B.  Imagination will take you everywhere.”  And he said this too, “Imagination is everything.  It is the preview of life's coming attractions.”[1]  I absolutely love that last quote.  Do you think that you can let your mind go places and paint a picture that will, one day, become a wonderful reality for you and your kids to enjoy and remember?

You might be thinking, “I am definitely not an Einstein.”  Well that’s perfect!  If you were Einstein, you wouldn’t have the ability to create and invent as only you can.  You need to lock into the fact that you bring something to the table that others don’t have.  You bring “you” along for the ride with your miraculous mind in tow.

And please remember that the creative brain probably enjoys a sustained gentle breeze on a sunny day over an intense stormy interlude.  Innovation happens when you can linger over the less obvious and almost-out-reach fringes that quietly move around on the edges of your thoughts.[2]

Now put that brilliantly-designed, bountifully-capable, ultra-super-computer in your head to work and give your creative self an abundance of time to think!

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[1] “Albert Einstein Quotes,” ThinkExist.com, accessed January 5, 2013, http://thinkexist.com/quotes/albert_einstein.

[2] David Rock, "Leadership on the Brain," Harvard Business Review Blog Network, April 28, 2010, http://blogs.hbr.org/2010/04/leadership-on-the-brain/.

15 Summer Idea-Starters for Teens to Break Boredom and Learn About Life

• Invent something and try to market it.
• Find a need that someone has and help meet that need; then go find the next need.
• Start a business.
• Write a book—fiction or non-fiction.
• Find a really big problem in your community and fix it.
• Research an emerging field and become an expert.
• Shadow a professional.
• Volunteer at a local mission.
• Learn to play an instrument.
• Develop a marketing campaign for your favorite brand and offer it to them for free.
• Form and lead a group of people around a common cause.
• Begin an internet radio talk show.
• Offer to intern for the nearest professional sports program.
• Invest a small amount in stocks or mutual funds and experience the process.
• Create a blog for students about ways to re-think the limits of their free time.

What Does Your Isolationometer Read? Your Life is Way Too Valuable to Spend It Alone!

When I was in the sixth grade, our class engaged in a social experiment whereby certain students were selected by the teacher to be intentionally ignored by the rest of the class.  This lasted for a few days and I was chosen as one of the outcasts.  Being banished from the the normal rhythms of relationship, if only for an experiment, was horrible to say the least.

What is worse is the fact that we sometimes banish ourselves from others for all the wrong reasons.  Self-induced isolation (the kind that becomes more than a healthy break away from it all) should be a clear indicator that something needs to change.  Even introverts need adequate time with others in order to color their world.

So what does your isolationometer read?  If it is too high, then spend time with some friends today.  Your life is way to valuable to spend it alone!

Don't Be The Guy Who Is Always Fixing His Car And Never Driving Anywhere

Were your contracts made to support good business or was your business made to develop good contracts?

Do your policies help keep your people protected or do your people help keep your policies protected?

I think you get it.

When you are grappling with some of the small stuff (like I am today), it helps to step back for a minute, take a look at the problem like an outsider (or even like a child), and ask yourself, "What is the vehicle and what is the destination?"  Don't end up like the guy who works on his car all the time and never drives it anywhere!

Reminded of the Power of New

There they sit (my amazing daughters), the next generation of would-be drivers longing for the day when the sun will rise on their 16th birthday and, with birds singing, the world smiling, and some sort of theme music playing, they will legally navigate an automobile on one of the nation's 3.9 million miles of public roadways.1  Driving is certainly part of the American dream (okay, okay, ... I know young people all over the world dream of driving as well), and attending the auto show with my family in Columbus, Ohio this weekend made me realize that fact all over again.

I think even more so, I was reminded that people are powerfully drawn to that which is new.  I watched my family and thousands of other people in the Convention Center hall and, like bees around a sweet-smelling flower, they seemed to make a greater "buzz" around the new things.  Think about it, the whole event is based on showcasing the newest cars and still, it was those makes and models with innovative highlights and creative displays which captured people's attention the most.

So, what's new about you or your organization?  I am not talking about something gimmicky, but new with a purpose.  What is improved and re-imagined for this calendar year?  What is going to thrill the anticipations of those who are already enthusiasts, who believe in your ability to give them an eye-opening moment, who can't wait to reaffirm their commitment to your brand, and who would be confused and bothered if they did not have at least one reason to cheer you on?  If you are having trouble answering these questions, perhaps it's time to mobilize your right-brained team, engage your own gray cells, and rediscover the power of new!

__________

1.  "Transportation of the United States," NationalAtlas.gov, accessed on 3/17/2014, http://nationalatlas.gov/transportation.html.

852 Work Days: Teaching Students to Rethink the Limits in Using Free Time

Consider the norm.  The average high school student in the United States spends 6.75 hours in school per day with an average school-year length of 180 days.1  That represents an average of 1215 hours in the school each year.  Then, if you conservatively subtract ten hours a day for sleep, you end up consuming 3650 hours in bed during the year.  Add sleep and school together and subtract that total from the hours available in one year and you end up with 3895 hours of free time while your child is awake.

That’s the gold!  Even if you subtract six more hours each day for things like eating, getting dressed, traveling to and from school, and so on, you still end up with 1705 hours, or an average of about 4.7 hours each day.  Throughout four years of high school, the average student will have a grand total of 6820 hours to use outside the classroom and free from the incidentals of life.  That’s more than the equivalent of 852 eight-hour work days!  That is what after school, weekends, and summers can amount to for a student throughout their high school years.  Imagine what you could do with that much time if you had it available to you while most, if not all, of your needs and expenses were covered.

Now I realize that many high school students have to work to help their families and others have bona fide responsibilities that cannot be compromised.  I also understand that the amount of homework given to the average student seems to require a significant amount of their free time.  But please do not miss the point.  A lot of time gets wasted.  However, it’s not just that many young people sit around doing nothing.  I cannot believe how much ambition the younger generation has.  The problem seems to be that most students never take the time to re-think the opportunities available to them and they choose from a small list of possibilities—a list that is about as limited in creativity as the average teen-channel sitcom.

What does that list look like?  Well, it contains things like social networking, texting, online gaming, television (a lot of that), movies, more texting, listening to music, online chatting, more social networking, more television and on and on.  Then it also includes concert band, football, a job at McDonald’s, cross country, marching band, volleyball, soccer, 4H club, a job at the grocery store, basketball, a job at the mall, baseball, track, National Honor Society, wrestling, science club, and on and on again.

Our children learn to do what other children do.  They tend to stick to the script and, though I am not suggesting that the items on the typical teen list are bad, the script is limited—really limited!  Most children will never think outside of the box and the choices they will make regarding their free time will follow patterns set by their peers.

Please understand, that’s not a problem in and of itself, but it can be a fantastic opportunity.  It’s your privilege to help your kids rethink the limits and recognize how creatively they can use the time that they do have.  I think this represents one of the most exciting propositions of parenting (or mentoring) because it involves exploration and risk-taking.  The fun that it generates for you will pale in comparison to what begins to happen in and through your children.  If you can begin to remove the limits to their thinking and get them dreaming on a plane of big possibilities, you have done your job.  Do not try and tell them what to do once they begin to dream, but simply give them permission, open a few mental doors, and watch what happens.

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1.  Stephanie Summers, “It’s Not the Time Spent in School, It’s How It’s Used,” University of Connecticut, Neag School of Education Spotlight, July 2011, found at <http://spotlight.education.uconn.edu/2011/its-not-the-time-spent-in-school-its-how-its-used/>, found on August 31, 2012.