Tip 97) Sometimes, failure is just tuition for success.
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Tip 96) Always seeking certainty before taking action can severely limit productivity.
Insome cases, the evaluation and search for certainty is more costly than a potential failure due to action.
Worst case scenario for a wrong move is generally nothing more than an education.
Consider getting in the game a bit earlier the next time an opportunity arises... and risk the uncertainty.
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Tip 95) The weather. The traffic. My boss. My customer. My mother. My father. My sister. My brother.
I don't have enough. But I really need. I can't. If only [he, she, they] would.
It's been a tough [day, week, month]. It's [Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday].
Be. Move forward. Cease to complain.
Your words move others. Your words move you. Make yours send everyone in the right direction. Complaining once less a day chokes off 365 seeds of negativity a year.
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Tip 94) The key to learning more about a colleague, customer or someone you meet at an event is asking more open-ended questions (questions that cannot be answered by a yes or no) and then listening - really listening - with complete attention.
30 open ended questions for networking and business conversation from Take5 e-mail us if you want a copy
Before attending your next external event, put together a small group and practice delivering the questions to one another (while also practicing your listening).
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Tip 93) Too many people will lose today's productivity in anticipation of the weekend.
On Monday, too many people will complain about the start of the week.
Could you start a little positive rebellion and help someone else break out of the TGIF mentality? Could you help inspire a "let's kick some @$$" Monday morning start to the week? Wouldn't it be more fun (and profitable)?
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Tip 92) You're a part of the group that will make your company or organization something special (or not).
You.
You won't be fortunate enough to get things right every time, just be sure you're always one of the people working toward the solution.
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Tip 91) You can draw value from a naysayer or cynic by remaining objective and positive in your thinking.
Occasionally, they'll point out valid hurdles or challenges that you haven't seen (even if they present it like an @ss#o/&). With their help, if you can remain objective (and keep your ego in check), you'll have a better chance of getting something valuable from the interaction.
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Tip 90) Think about your schedule.
Starting or leaving on time-whether it's at work, at a meeting, or at an event-is what's expected.
And if we do only what's expected, we can be fairly sure we'll rarely enjoy any special result.
A couple of quick questions...
1. Of the 20 or so days you work each month, how many times do you start earlier than is expected of you?
2. How many times do you work longer hours than are required?
To start early and go long sends a message of purpose, commitment, and respect - to others and yourself - and assures better results over time. To be even one minute late, or rarely be challenged ending your day on time, sends a completely different message.
Get lost in your service to others. Give more and you'll enjoy more.
: ) & ~>
(hmmm: If you owned the place or lead the team, what kind of people would you want with you? What kind would you want to be somewhere else?)
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Tip 89) Take action
Make contact.
Ask the question.
Give the feedback (take the feedback).
Put it out there.
Go deeper.
Be real.
Don't waste a moment going through the motions.
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Tip 89) Marketing
Use a Focus Group to Improve Marketing
It is widely assumed that focus groups are reserved for large corporations that can afford the cost of using professional market research firms. Smaller businesses, however, are now running successful focus groups that keep costs at a manageable level. If you are considering running your own focus group, you will need to carefully determine your objective. Write down what it is you want to learn and make sure everyone involved in planning and coordinating the focus group has a copy.
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Tip 88) Buying a Business
Create a Smooth Transition
When you buy a business, a smooth transition should be one of your top priorities. Consider asking the previous owner to stay on after the sale. The owner can serve as an advisor or consultant for a predetermined period of time and can teach you how to run the business. Sit down and talk with your new staff as well. They can also become your advisors. Only after you are intimately familiar with your new business, should you begin to make changes.
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Tip 87) You don't know everything.
You do know that. Don't you?
Continual learning is a basic necessity to professional improvement and in many cases it's other people who will help you get there.
But only if you're coachable. Are you?
To be coachable means to be...
Approachable
Attentive
Receptive
Curious
Objective
Trusting
Shapeable
Confident
It means you must listen with the intent to learn rather than to show what you know.
To be coachable means to lack arrogance and defensiveness. to minimize pride and ego.
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Tip 86) How long has it been since you tried something new?
Is there something you'd like to do or push on a little more than you're currently comfortable doing? Make it a goal to risk failing from time to time and you'll likely discover new successes.
Remember...
You have to cross the line every once in a while to know where it is.
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Tip 85) "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly..."
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Tip 84) when did you last fail?
If you haven't had a solid failure in a while, perhaps you're not taking enough risks. And without risks, can you really expect to make progress?
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Tip 83) stumped?
If you hit a brick wall when you're trying to think of how to approach or do something, consider as an option the complete opposite of what you might normally do. Also, consider how you might approach the reverse of what you're trying to do.
Sometimes these two activities can jar your thinking into a new solution that otherwise would never occur.
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Tip 82) you practice like Tiger?
Woods has said he practices up to 14 hours in a day. He's number one.
How much time are you putting into your professional development?
Tip 82) you practice like Tiger?
Woods has said he practices up to 14 hours in a day. He's number one.
How much time are you putting into your professional development?
81) deliver on promises
Be sure you and your team create a habit of delivering positive surprises. Be authentic and avoid overpromising.
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Tip 80) there is no choice in commitment
Simply put, commitment is responsibility. It’s the responsibility to take action on the things you have committed to completing. If you have given a commitment to another individual, they will expect you to do what you say. If the commitment is to yourself, you will end up feeling unsatisfied if you don’t follow through. The best advice I ever received was the following:
“There is no choice in commitment! You’re committed therefore you go.”
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Tip 79) top performers aren't lucky
How many top performers (in any industry or sport) don't earn their success through commitment to their work (effort, discipline, resourcefulness, resilience)?
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines luck as...
"a force that brings good fortune or adversity"
Be the force that brings good fortune.
(learn the 4 principles of luck)
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Tip 78) give more, enjoy more
Focus on giving more for the dollars you earn (with your effort, with your product/ service) and you'll find more will come your way. It may not always happen as quickly as you'd like, but it's the better bet in the long run.
(pace your expectations... give more... enjoy m
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Tip 77) we get more challenges by having more challenges
weathered: ('we-therd) adjective: seasoned by exposure to the weather
from Merriam-Webster
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Tip 76) got audacity?
audacious: (awe - 'day- shus) adjective: intrepidly daring or marked by originality and verve
Do you have a goal you've always felt would be wonderful to achieve but, because of its perceived size, you never quite get going on it? The key is breaking it down to manageable tasks and then taking action - doing something.
What could you put on the board now (something audacious) with a plan and the understanding that it will be several small steps (and perhaps several months or years) before you succeed?
(definitions by Merriam-Webster)
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Tip 75) what are the most common unnecessary thoughts?
The most common "drag you down, get in the way of success" thoughts...
• Defeatist (accepting, expecting, or being resigned to defeat)
• Cynical (contemptuously distrustful of human nature and motives)
• Vindictive (seeking revenge)
• Blame/ Fault (who cares? what are we going to do now?)
• Wishful (do what you can to influence the deal/ project/ situation and keep moving)
• Self-pity (get over yourself... complain less... especially to yourself)
• Worrisome (it won't help, costs time, and can drag you down)
• Jealous (want it? earn it)
• Pre-argumentative (the imaginary argument you have to prepare yourself for the argument that may never happen)
• Post-argumentative (the imaginary argument you have where you're quicker than you were in the actual argument)
• Procrastinatory (if you're going to procrastinate, you might as well do something fun instead of thinking about how bad it is that you're procrastinating... dummy)
Some definitions provided by Merriam-Webster.
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Tip 74) most worthy pursuits require discipline, resourcefulness, and resilience
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Tip 73) what are the three most important factors that contribute to feeling confident at work?
According to Harvard Business School professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter, confidence at work comes from:
• Accountability
• Collaboration
• Initiative
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Tip 72) how long has it been since you tried something new?
Is there something you'd like to do or push on a little more than you're currently comfortable doing? Make it a goal to risk failing from time to time and you'll likely discover new successes.
Remember... You have to cross the line every once in a while to know where it is.
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Tip 71) failure is just part of life's tuition
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Tip 70) with awareness comes responsibility
(to act)
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Tip 69) anniversary of "A Message to Garcia"
On February 22, 1899, in one hour after dinner, Elbert Hubbard wrote a 1500-word essay (10-minute read) titled "A Message to Garcia."
A true story of initiative and responsibility, the piece went on to be printed more than 40 million times (it's still well-known with the big dogs of business and required reading for Marine Corps recruits and Naval Academy students).
Get inspired and pass it along to those you love.
Got young kids? Download and read them the children's version we created (Rowan to the Rescue).
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Tip 68) take risks, live & learn
Comfort. Risk. Both are enjoyable.
One we strive to create. One we try to minimize.
One can make us lazy. One can make us stronger.
When did you last risk failure? When did you last leave your comfort zone?
212 challenge...
Step out of your comfort zone once more each week and create over 50 additional opportunities for excitement, challenge and possibility each year. This is what life's about.
It's been said that youth is wasted on the young.
By taking risks, we assure life isn't wasted on the living.
Risk. Attempt.
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Tip 67) are you positively expectant?
What you expect to happen - what you believe in your mind - can have a tremendous impact on what actually does happen.
If you're going to try to accomplish something - if you make the decision to make the attempt - then the best thing you can do for yourself is to expect a positive outcome. Anything else can only inhibit your efforts.
Worst-case: If you fail, you get an education for your future efforts.
Minimize your doubts and be positively expectant.
Enjoy your adventure.
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Tip 66) eliminate your buzzwords, minimize acronyms
Merriam-Webster has "buzzword" as: an important-sounding usually technical word or phrase often of little meaning used chiefly to impress laymen.
? "Our innovative product will help you implement dynamic strategies..."
? "We're leveraging value-added relationships for optimal processes..."
? "This cross-functional partnership with XYZ corporation represents a paradigm shift..."
Think about it... Do statements full of buzzwords communicate anything specific to your colleagues and customers? Do you like hearing buzzwords?
Do everything you can to avoid alienating or confusing people. Speak clearly and simply.
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Tip 65) what best-selling pamphlet did Paine write?
Paine wrote the best-selling pamphlet Common Sense (1776). It sold more than 500,000 copies, influenced the (U.S.) Declaration of Independence, and set the stage for The American Revolution.
A half-million copies before the Internet.
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Tip 64) how's your internal customer service culture?
It took a lot to bring in your customers. Is everyone on board with keeping them?
Everyone in your organization can (and often does) have an impact on your customers. Be sure that everyone is on board, sending the right messages (directly and indirectly) to your customers.
Through your daily interactions with those in other departments, help people understand that the customer is paying the bills and everyone within the organization serves the customer first. Don't encourage, condone or contribute to negative discussions about the customer or prospect. Focus instead on how your organization helps your customers solve their challenges and improve their business or personal lives.
Be responsible. Begin to improve the world this moment.
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Tip 63) what are the most common unnecessary thoughts?
The most common "drag you down, get in the way of success" thoughts...
? Defeatist (accepting, expecting, or being resigned to defeat)
? Cynical (contemptuously distrustful of human nature and motives)
? Vindictive (seeking revenge)
? Blame/ Fault (who cares? what are we going to do now?)
? Wishful (do what you can to influence the deal and keep moving)
? Self-pity (get over yourself... complain less... especially to yourself)
? Worrisome (it won't help, costs time, and can drag you down)
? Jealous (want it? earn it)
? Pre-argumentative (the imaginary argument you have to prepare yourself for the argument that may never happen)
? Post-argumentative (the imaginary argument you have where you're quicker than you were in the actual argument)
? Procrastinator (if you're going to procrastinate, you might as well do something fun instead of thinking about how bad it is that you're procrastinating... dummy)
Some definitions provided by Merriam-Webster.
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Tip 62) what are you sowing?
Think about your schedule. Starting or leaving on time - whether it's at work, at a meeting, or at an event - is what's expected.
And if we do only what's expected, we can be fairly sure we'll rarely enjoy any special results.
A couple of quick questions...
- Of the 20 or so days you work each month, how many times do you start earlier than is expected of you?
- How many times do you work longer hours than are required?
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Tip 61) daylight saving time begins
? Daylight Saving Time begins (in the U.S.) this Sunday, March 8 at 2 am and ends November 1 at 2 am. Be sure to confirm times for all meetings early next week.
Rapport builder... It was Benjamin Franklin who originated the idea of DST in 1784 while in Paris. It's purpose was to get more value from daylight and conserve energy.
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Tip 60) the economy is you
If we want to turn this economy around it's going to happen because of us.
We are The Economy (that includes you).
There is no alternative.
The US Navy SEALS have a creed. A few of our favorite lines are...
? The lives of my teammates and the success of the mission depend on me... (accountability)
? If knocked down, I will get back up, every time. (resilience)
? In the worst of conditions, the legacy of my teammates steadies my resolve and silently guides my every deed. (purpose)
Be a part of the solution. Choose, in George Bernard Shaw's words, to be "a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making us happy."
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Tip 59) Be tenacious
Be sure to encourage your sales and business development teams to regularly check back with prospects that in the past have told you "it's not in the budget" - "we don't do that" - "we're/ I'm happy with our current supplier."
Budget allocations change. People leave. Trends dissolve. Customer service falters.
Opportunities once bleak become fresh again.
Be tenacious. Assume nothing.
Tip 58) How can being naive help you in business?
Being naive can help you...
? minimize false assumptions about processes, competition, and people
? learn more about someone's true challenges (a team member or friend)
? be more creative (eliminating boundaries, self-imposed or not)
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Tip 57) Take risks, live & learn
Comfort. Risk. Both are enjoyable.
One we strive to create. One we try to minimize.
One can make us lazy. One can make us stronger.
When did you last risk failure? When did you last leave your comfort zone?
212 challenge...
Step out of your comfort zone once more each week and create over 50 additional opportunities for excitement, challenge and possibility each year. This is what life's about.
It's been said that youth is wasted on the young.
By taking risks, we assure life isn't wasted on the living.
Risk. Attempt.
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Tip 56) Most important characteristic of a good listener?
1. Giving complete and focused attention to the discussion
2. Confirming understanding of discussion points
3. Remaining patient and not interrupting
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Tip 55) How were Twains books sold?
Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) understood and appreciated sales and the business of his product-selling thousands of copies of Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer and his other books through "subscription agents." These were salespeople who would pre sell books door-to-door using sample pages of the books they were promoting (called a "canvassing book" or "sales dummy").
Mark Twain's policy was to have 40,000 copies sold before a book was published (actually produced). The upsell for the agent... better bindings.
Read the scripts the salespeople used in their daily efforts or get the big picture of selling Mark Twain.
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Tip 54) Disney's lesson on tenacity
Resilience & persistence by Disney
? first company went bankrupt
? lost the rights to one of his first successful cartoon series characters (Oswald the Rabbit-pre-Mickey)
? survived the Depression with merchandising deals of Mickey Mouse (watches, dolls, etc.)
? survived the World War II period by producing propaganda films for the US government
Today the company he founded employs over 145,000 people and has sales of more than $37 billion.
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Tip 53) I sell, you sell, we all sell for...
Sales make the world go 'round.
Remind your sales team or your customer facing people to be careful to avoid working to get the needs of your paying customers and highly qualified prospects "off your plate." These are the people who deserve your company's attention and time.
Follow through with all service needs and requests until your customers and prospects confirm their needs have been handled. Gladly give them your continued attention and increase the chances you'll become (and remain) their resource.
It's called sales love.
sales love ('sAlz - luv): noun: 1: unselfish and loyal care for the good of a customer, prospect, reseller, and/or team member
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Tip 52) 7 instant messaging rules for the workplace
Because of its efficiency and speed, instant messaging, or IM for short, has become a valuable interoffice tool for employees to exchange information and collaborate in real time.
The advantages of IM are clear. But there are drawbacks too. IM can be distracting; employees can waste time using it for personal conversations; and IM technology is often not secure, leaving corporate networks more vulnerable to viruses and attacks. And because of the informal nature of IM, it can sometimes lead to embarrassing or serious mistakes.
By following these seven rules for appropriate IM use, you can avoid common pitfalls and make the most out of this effective and convenient communications tool.
Rule 1: Follow company policy. While some offices encourage IM use, others frown upon it. Find out what your company?s policy is and follow it. If your company doesn?t have an IM policy, then use common sense as your guide.
Rule 2: Be professional. As with anything else you do in the workplace, keep your instant messages on a professional level. Refrain from bad-mouthing your co-workers, company or clients, or sharing too much personal information. Mistakes happen, particularly when you are messaging several different people at once, and you could send a message to the wrong person. Also, like e-mail, the content of your messages can be monitored and have HR and legal implications.
Rule 3: Keep confidential information confidential. Don?t send confidential business information over IM. Because IM technology tends to be unsecured, with the added possibility that a public IM provider bypasses your company network security, it is all too easy for hackers to access your old conversation logs.
Rule 4: Mind your Ps and Qs. Just because it?s IM doesn?t give you free license to drop the use of grammar, punctuation and correct spelling. After all, if you send a message full of errors, the recipient may question your professionalism or your written command of the language. Also, when you leave out punctuation and don?t follow proper sentence structures, you run the risk of confusing the person you?re writing to.
Rule 5: Keep it brief. IM is ideal for short back-and-forth exchange or when you need a quick answer. Save longer ?conversations? for the telephone, in-person meetings or e-mail. Also, once you have finished discussing the topic at hand, politely end the conversation. This way, both you and your contact can get back to work without being distracted by chit-chat or leaving the other person waiting for a response. ?Thanks? is a good way to do this.
Rule 6: Observe IM conventions. Instant messages can be extremely distracting ? popping up on a recipient?s screen often accompanied by a beep. To keep distractions on both sides to a minimum, turn the IM sound off, mute your computer or wear headphones. Also, set your status to reflect that you are on a call, away or busy so others know not to bother you. By the same token, don?t pester someone whose status indicates that they are busy or who doesn?t reply to you right away.
Rule 7: Don?t mix business with pleasure. Many people have their friends and family on the same IM interface ?Yahoo, Gtalk and MSN are popular providers ? as their business contacts. During work hours, refrain from chatting with your personal contacts. Make it clear to Mom or your best friend that, unless it is an urgent matter, they shouldn?t contact you when you are at work. This keeps unnecessary interruptions at a minimum, reduces the chances that you might send the message intended for your significant other to your co-worker, and may prevent you from getting into trouble with your boss.
As instant messaging in the workplace continues to grow in popularity, make sure you?re aware of the rules for professional IM interaction. By following these IM dos and don?ts, you?ll be a real IM pro in no time.
Tip 51) When did you last risk failure?
