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’.