Thought provoking vs Action provoking

How often do we encounter some bit of wisdom that is thought provoking? If such pearls of perception simply stir your brain a bit, but you failed to act, you probably burned some unnecessary neurons.

Many find a lack of action because they weren’t “up for it”…

Feelings are irrelevant when there is work to be done, a mountain to climb, or an objective to reach. If you simply wait to act until you “feel like it”, or it is safe, or the stars are amiably aligned, you’ll keep good company with the mindless majority.

If you are one to act, let this be your mantra:

Do your best when you feel like it least.

How? Don’t attach feelings to the task at hand. Don’t attach emotions to the task. You can acknowledge the feeling of not wanting to, but do not honor it in any way. Let your resolve be your guide, not your feelings.

How To Be Perfectly Average…

People say crazy things in job interviews. Websites, HR newsletters, and the like are dedicated to recounting the bizarre behaviors and comments of overly-anxious and under-qualified applicants. I bet there are even more outlandish statements made by company representatives seeking to become potential suppliers to business.

I have had the question asked of me many times, “Why should I hire your company?”

Can you imagine if my answer went something like this? “You want to know why? I can guarantee that after we dazzle you in the beginning, our company will revert to a perfectly average level. We’ll handle your customers with distracted regularity. We’ll try just enough to not get fired, but not enough to care. We will make you feel as though your business is hardly appreciated.“

Somehow, not much new business would be coming our way if I were to answer their question in such a manner. No CEO would never say that and I trust that neither you nor me would never be that kind of company. Nevertheless, if we aren’t careful and deliberate in our day-to-day execution, we can easily be perceived as such a company.

Does anyone ever plan to be average? Does a company start out with a mission to be a bland also-ran? Who plans for an average marriage? Who plans to be an average student? Who plans to be an average employee?

We rarely lose a deal because we start out average. We lose clients because they think we’ve become ordinary…just like everyone else. And if a company is willing to settle for the commonplace, they’ll demand a commodity-like price. The kind of companies that are in our industry won’t pay a premium for run of the mill mediocrity. I doubt they will in yours either.

Get Out Of The Average Trap.

It might be difficult to stop thinking average or feeling average (and you know if you are there), but you can start acting like a high performer. Start learning how the best operate. Grow by asking how to improve. You can survive the average trap by ignoring those stale souls who are trapped by their habits.

When the question comes again, “Why should I hire your company?” The spirit and tone of my answer will include, “You will get the very best of our people – not every now and then, but every single day. We won’t have off days, bad moods, lame excuses or distractions. You’ll hire a company that starts strong, and only gets stronger day by day. You’ll get a company that refuses to be anything less than extraordinary. You’ll hire a company you can trust with what matters most – your customers.”

A tall order? Only if you are ‘perfectly average’.

An irretrievable loss of progress…

Procrastination has become a blight on society that while it hasn’t become an acceptable standard of behavior, it has it’s supporters.

Someone quipped, “Procrastination is a silly thing, it only makes me sorrow; but I can change at any time—I think I will tomorrow!”

Have you ever noticed how procrastination leads to rampant forgetfulness? Especially when to procrastinate is to “intentionally put off habitually something that should be done.” Procrastination is unproductive delay, even an irretrievable loss of progress.

For as much relief we think we get by putting off difficulties, it is draining and heavy. Philosopher, William James stated, “Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.”

So, what can you move that you have been carrying for far too long? What is your best tool to discipline things done? I’d like to hear your ideas?

Don’t be afraid to ask for help, unless...

“Don’t be afraid to ask for help, unless you are afraid of succeeding.” - Harvey MacKay

In what is remarkable insight, MacKay illustrates a very common weakness in people -- that they worry about being seen as weak and unknowing. The most able CEO's I have ever met were curious, active listeners, and always anxious to sit you down to learn. Their attitude was that there was something to be learned from virtually everybody.

Why we are afraid to ask for help is unusally simple. It revels in our own perceived self-worth, accomplishments, talents, wealth, or position. Somehow, a look our accumulations should be evidence enough of our “superiority”...over you. At its core is the need for adulation. I don't need help...especially from you. It is a terrible tragedy when the virtue of self-reliance is transformed into a vice.

On the other extreme is the sickness of envious comparison. We look bitterly at those who have better status, richer talents, or greater possessions than they do. They are hyper-critical, and tear down others as if they were entitled to do so.

In the end, those who don't ask for help rarely make it beyond themselves.

Are you lazy or do you simply lack talent?

I first heard this startling inquiry from Frank Somma (www.franksomma.com). It is a remarkably clear and effective question.

If you prefer a kinder inquiry, then use the following:

"Is obtaining my objective a matter of working harder, or developing new skills?"

I have followed a number of people who have struggled with regaining employment since the financial crisis of a few years ago. These are good and talented people. They should have jobs by now. But guess what? There is a reason why they don't. That reason will be different depending on the person, but believe me, there is a reason. And the answer is revealed by honestly asking the lazy or untalented question.

When success is slow to come, or when results remain out of reach, don't scratch your head, shrug your shoulders or blame the world for your troubles...look inward and ask the question (you pick the version).

For those of you who are called to lead, don't short-change those you are trying to help with some careless pap of "just keep pluggin' along...something good will happen".

That is just being lazy.

It is the start that stops most success

Have you ever noticed the incredible energy that accompanies a good idea? You think about the possibilities. Your mind spins. Your heart races. You are invigorated with excitement. You share it with your team. They vocally support your inspiration. However, when you let up on the pressure, the old refrain is true…

When all is said and done, more is said than done.

It takes tremendous determination to escort a good idea or initiative through the gamut of resistance. Even the best of ideas are hammered by those who feel it is their personal responsibility to protect the status quo, or to protect you from yourself.

This is where leadership matters.

A leader helps people focus their attention on:

• opportunities rather than problems
• strengths more than weaknesses
• what can be done instead of what can't

When a business owner leads his organization to implement something new, there needs to be a healthy recognition that opposition will certainly rear its ugly head. A leader cannot be deterred or discouraged by such opposition. And, the most severe opposition will come very early on…when people see you are serious about this nutty idea of yours.

An experienced business owner or shop manager is savvy enough to realize that implementing an idea is more than simply deeming it so and everybody lines up and marches. Opposition will manifest itself in a myriad of manners. It will come from those who are reluctant to change; from those who lack the skills to change; and from those who are learning the skills to implement your vision (meaning they are committed to the cause, just not as proficient as they need to be yet). Understanding the mindset of opposition you are facing will help you apply the appropriate remedy.

Remember, it is the "start" that stops most success.

The Failure of Successes

By all accounts, my father was a success in life. Successful entrepreneur, happy family, generous spirit. He was indeed a very successful man. Some believed he had the "Midas Touch". Many observers might thought his success came easily...or that he had always been succesful.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

To see him in action did not inspire. I found myself looking down my well-healed Fortune 100 trained nose. In fact, I would wonder how he did so well. He was not a polished speaker. He blurted out thoughts that were undeveloped, unrefined, and sometimes, unnerving. His constant flow of ideas ranged from the terrifying and terrible to the clumsy and mundane. I would guess his ideas had a failure rate of about 99%. But his 1% made him a pillar in the community, and a force in his industry.

What drove his success was that he relentlessly pursued an objective. He didn't acknowledge failure like most timid souls. Stone walls were simply that...walls to be torn down, climbed over, or busted through. As he grew older, he grew wiser. He learned that that there was always another path to the prize.

There was one area where failure mattered to him, and that was with people. He would never fail a friend. It is still an honor to have his old industry pals come up to me to remind me what kind of man my father was and share the depths of their love and respect for him.

Seth Godin's Blog on "A hierarchy of failure worth following" reminded me of all that was great about my father. Particularly about his approach to failure. I commend his blog post to you.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/

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"A hierarchy of failure worth following" by Seth Godin

Not all failures are the same. Here are five kinds, from frequency = good all the way to please-don't!

FAIL OFTEN: Ideas that challenge the status quo. Proposals. Brainstorms. Concepts that open doors.

FAIL FREQUENTLY: Prototypes. Spreadsheets. Sample ads and copy.

FAIL OCCASIONALLY: Working mockups. Playtesting sessions. Board meetings.

FAIL RARELY: Interactions with small groups of actual users and customers.

FAIL NEVER: Keeping promises to your constituents.

The thing is, in their rush to play it safe and then their urgency to salvage everything in the face of an emergency, most organizations do precisely the opposite. They throw their customers or their people under the bus ("we had no choice") but rarely take the pro-active steps necessary to fail quietly, and often, in private, in advance, when there's still time to make things better.

Better to have a difficult conversation now than a failed customer interaction later.