I’ve been lucky enough to be the Connecticut Invention Convention (CIC) buddy for this little lady since she was in 2nd grade. She’s in 7th grade now and we’re still innovating together!

I’m biased but I’d say this “super cool” human has a bright future!

Shameless plus: Feel free to message me University of Colorado Boulder if you could use a future scientist in the class of 2030!

If someone asked for a Captain Obvious update, I would share that working from home can present a challenge to most of us accustomed to a drastically different daily routine. Of course, the challenge has become even greater during this Coronavirus Pandemic since most of us are sharing our new work environments with our families.

Last week, I spoke to a colleague that prompted me to tackle this subject.  His excitement about his newfound quarantine work-life was palpable when he shared “how productive” he had been during his first few days.  I responded as any competitive professional would by saying that I too had been productive in my new habitat. To up the stakes, I offered proof of my productivity by sharing that I had even been working longer days than usual since my work life and personal life had no real boundaries now.  

As a matter of full transparency, I am lucky enough to have a dedicated home office that represents a literal delineation between the borders of my work and family life.  But that’s not what I was referring to.  What I meant by boundaries probably could have been better expressed by saying I had no real operating protocol.

Those longer days I bragged about to my work teammate even included taking a call at 8:30pm the previous night which was right at the very edge of our household bedtime routine. I knew the person was likely just returning a message I left earlier but I felt compelled to answer even though there was a strong probability he was hoping for my voicemail.  Needless to say, he was shocked I answered and of course had nothing substantial to discuss.  The absence of operational protocol or boundaries was obvious at that moment. 

It reminded me of a former colleague of mine that would also say, “don’t confuse being busy with being productive”.  Yet, here I was giving life to the very definition of “busywork”.  The call had the appearance of importance to my brain at that moment but provided nothing but the theft of my most valuable resource…TIME.  Time that I need to fulfill my duties beyond my commitment to my employer and my business. One of the most important of which is my duty to self-growth and well being.

For those of us lucky enough to work at home (or to work at all), I know we’ve been inundated with articles and webinars on best practices.  My aim here is to share some personal thoughts from the trenches, so to speak, since I feel like I’ve adjusted quickly and can also tap into previous experiences “telecommuting” (remember that word?).

Here are a few ideas for you to consider:

1. Don’t be absent: 

Every role you play in life and work needs to your time and attention.  Not necessarily equal time and attention but start by defining your roles if you haven’t yet.  By the way, these roles might be very different today than they were even two weeks ago.  You newly minted homeschoolers know what I’m talking about.

As a personal example, people that have met me for 5 minutes know that I coach youth basketball.  On practice or game days, I have to walk out of the house, get into my car, and drive to the gym.  There’s a physical separation between my roles and responsibilities. Granted that’s not an active role in my current quarantine life but I’m sure the point is understood.

To be an impactful stakeholder, husband, father, friend, co-worker or coach requires that I be more deliberate in defining AND protecting my time in our emotionally fluid yet physically stagnate new world. Prioritize and Schedule it all!

2. Set your boundaries

It’s easy to confuse this with #1 so hang in there with me. If you have a daily start and end time given by your employer, this is still an important step. 

Everything is different. No one has lived through a pandemic like the Coronavirus. My 6 year old and our dog Vegas are my new morning routine. My work boundaries are now 7:30am-6:30pm. 

Let me explain: this doesn’t mean that I work every minute of this 11 hour stretch but it’s the range of time I allow myself to fulfill my role as a stakeholder and sales professional. That would include virtual meetings, strategic planning, team huddles, conference calls etc. It also allows me to stay present and follow through on #1 on this list.

Block the time you need to accomplish the most vital tasks that you know will lead to productivity.  Quite literally schedule it as a meeting in your calendar.  I also now use that range and block time discipline to have lunch with the family, address my physical health and be my kids’ P.E. teacher (my jump shot is dialed in right now).

If you need help organizing your most vital daily tasks, this article on The Ivy Lee Method might help

3. Communicate your rules of engagement

We must teach people how we want them to communicate with us.  By answering a phone call at 8:30pm, what was I teaching that caller?  I taught him that I’m available whenever he needs to reach me even if I have to sacrifice the time, I had set aside to be a Father. Actions are louder than words (I tried to think of a cool new phrase but there is nothing substantially more meaningful here than those 5 words).

I’ll share a hack I got from a business partner.  She has started to use her “Out of Office” message to communicate her boundaries with clients. The auto message lets them know how often and when she replies to email.  She has also set standing office hours to receive calls and posts that daily.  There are also calendar services that allow you to share a simple link providing a real time look into the free space purposefully created in your schedule.

I probably should have warned you as a reader that this was not about how to best use Zoom or Skype for Business. This is about adapting and thriving. 

Staying busy doesn’t necessarily mean you’re staying productive.  Pay attention to your emotional and physical health by redefining your roles. Create rules for yourself and dust off any time management technique that can be re-purposed for your new environment. 

Stay sharp, stay healthy and stay productive without eroding your foundation!

“Take 100% accountability for your outcome.” - Kevin Brown

I love this time of year.  I methodically start to come out of my Important - Non Urgent season with more clarity of purpose for my mission.  

The New Year is a figurative turn of the page revealing new hope and new promises. Promises, all too often which are broken by February.

So I do understand the negative sentiment on the part of some regarding New Year’s resolutions.  If you lacked discipline for an entire year and are lying to yourself about the changes you will make based on the calendar, okay maybe resolutions aren’t for you.  

For me, it boils down to this: 

Resolutions are an admission of and commitment to defeating, as Steven Pressfield calls it, resistance. Resistance that has gotten the best of us that year.  It happens to the most disciplined among us.  

How do we adjust?

We will always have challenging events thrown our way.  That’s just life.  Our professional lives included.  To be elite, you have to find a way to overcome resistance in more instances than not.  Warning, in order to overcome resistance, you have to know where it exists in all aspects of your life. 

Set your goals then proceed to make them even more audacious.  Just know, those goals must be accompanied by a daily commitment to complete the most vital activities related to them.

As a check down… Ask yourself these 3 questions today, 

1. What needs to happen between now and December 31st that would make 2020 an incredibly amazing year?  

2. After making  ________ happen, how would that make you feel?

3. What action(s) do you need to take today so that you’re closer to that feeling?

Did you just make a New Year resolution?

Know what’s on your shortlist each day.  Focus only on what will drive you towards that feeling you want to have at the end of the year. Go crush 2020!

I can recall the moment a new direct report gave me this extremely well-rehearsed ending to his introductory phone call to me.  He warned that I “should never succeed nor fail in silence”. 

That phrase ended up becoming my mantra during that period of my career and it still hits me hard to this day.  Here’s why: 

• No business person with integrity would ever fail in silence.  Also, the risk to the business is too high.  I always use a line I got from a former work teammate. He would say he had five words he “never wanted to hear”. 1. You 2. Never 3. Told 4. Me 5. That

• If you succeed and score victories in silence, then you’re left only communicating your failures.

• Therefore, communicating success has to be the counterbalance to business transparency. The ol’ “good news, bad news”.

As usual I will protect the names of the innocent in the below rough accounting of a recent conversation.  It was with a small business owner colleague that has made a decision to move away from being a solo operator to what some would call an “ensemble firm”.   

Our discussion reminded me of that dramatic warning about silence.

We were discussing how he would slowly remove himself from most, if not all, daily operating functions and toward maximum impact on business growth. He would have to shift how he spent his time and his role would have to switch toward being more outward facing.  In other words, we were flushing out his value and its quantitative relationship to daily activity.  

I shared that in my experience, and he agreed, it is also not enough to put in the long hours only to continuously add value in a vacuum.  You must operate within it and communicate it relentlessly.

In short,  

1. your perceived value must match your true value. 

2. You must not succeed in silence.

3. Do not be apologetic. Your transparency should be without bounds.

If there is no alignment between two parties on the meaning of value, then there can be no lasting relationship.  Eventually said relationship will be commoditized away. When you deal with humans you have to accept that we are all flawed.  Most of us have short memories.  Continuous alignment requires an unflinching commitment to adding value and communicating its meaningful impact on others. Fair warning, there has to be humility in execution.

The immediate implementation goal should be to create ‘proper imbalance’ in the allocation of your most finite resource.  Time should be dealt with a strict bias toward those things that accomplish your aim (even if that aim is to help someone else reach their goals).  Key among them are consistent communication and engagement.

That same colleague went on to share how he had an eye-opening exchange with one of his top clients recently.  His office had recently adopted online scheduling software. 

When this client clicked his link to schedule an appointment, he was shocked at how busy the calendar was for even a phone call. He felt proud to know my colleague is in high demand.

I bet he would easily understand the business decision to create more infrastructure through addition of new team members. The client’s perceived value now matches the business owner’s true value.

I’m not saying to go buy new software or to show off your packed calendar.  There’s not always a direct correlation between scarcity and true value. However, I am saying to “never succeed nor fail in silence”. It’s essential for continued success.  Any other way, you risk giving up control over how others define what you bring to the business relationship.

Own it.  Share it. You’ll attract it.

Keep in mind that while I certainly use the word “sales” precisely as the dictionary defines it, I mostly use it as an alternative to the word influence. The following is a message for all my fellow “kneecap to kneecap” sales professionals, although its applicability might be best suited for the newly initiated among us. But because we all battle how best to influence incalculable aspects of daily life, this message might very well be germane to everyone.

There are no real mysteries in sales. Show up where you’re supposed to be when you’re supposed to be and don’t be a jerk once you get there. Do that more than others and you’re off to a great start. The magic brochure, idea or single phrase is a myth. Success boils down to the three C’s - commitment, conviction and credibility (I think I just discovered another article topic).

But the best sales professional among us also understands this: One’s ability to deliver positive and mindful client language is a key leading indicator of future sales success. Language is additive to the above mentioned three C’s. It’s also the root trigger for those that subscribe to the “Law of Attraction” and it should be considered carefully when engaging with potential clients. Words have power and that power can be amplified or limited in most scenarios with awareness or perhaps avoidance.  

Most of us learned at a very young age what an impact language can have on the human psyche. On the playground growing up, we had what we were told was a foolproof anti-bullying message in the sing-song “sticks and stones” rebuttal.   More than a warning to the bully, it was a message that provided a reminder to the deliverer that names can only be damaging when one allows them to be.  

As a person of color, I can attest that certain words can indeed have a lasting impact. Especially, if repeated to any human consistently enough.  Some words can be a reminder of the uglier periods of American History. Other words can free human identity. There’s obviously a lot of room in the middle. That range of end result is just as wide in sales.

Now decades removed from the playground, I would still agree that the assignment of power does not truly reside with anyone other than oneself.  Yet, as a parent of three fragile humans and someone who uses language as an influencer daily, I am an advocate for positive and mindful word choice(s).  What if the receiver does elect to assign power to your words? That would mean your collective elements of speech can make all the difference in determining your desired outcome.  

Before I provide my humble advice, I’ll share some personal perspective that may give insight into why I advocate mindful language so strongly as a salesperson:

I first cut my teeth as a regional sales professional in the New York City, North Jersey and Lower New York area. I also grew up in the “tri-state” having been raised in Hartford, Connecticut.  For those of you who require some regional perspective, the classic money centers in the northeast have a collective social and professional reputation rooted in toughness.  No reputation is absorbed into white collar and mainstream culture alike more than New York City’s.   

Broad brush strokes can be dangerous no doubt, but it’s accurate to say that I learned difficult lessons about being succinct when needed, patient when challenged and credible always. 

It’s also true that some of my fellow “tri-state” native sons and daughters are very aware of their outward reputation.  Unfortunately, some in the professional world even attempt to weaponize it.  They allow their regional reputation to be their guiding light when interacting with others. I say this with love in my heart for all of my people when I tell you that sometimes we can be particularly guarded and often unnecessarily curt (one day I’ll write about my thoroughly embarrassing first meeting in Manhattan).  

I don’t want to make this a regional/cultural debate. I’ll confess the classic “foot in mouth” metaphor might apply here and just summarize by saying this: What you say matters and in my humble opinion, there was no place in these United States for me to learn that better than the greater New York City area.

The following isn’t a run down of specific words to use or avoid but rather conversational traps that can hamper a sales professional. When it comes to sales language (regional or not), consider making adjustments in these 5 core areas the next interaction you have:

1. Own mind space:

   As the old saying goes, “stay top of mind”. You always want your client or prospect to remember you, not someone else. Avoid the unsolicited use of your competitor’s name. Some among us have a habit of becoming an accidental advocate for someone else. Don’t give them free advertising. Not to mention it’s a tell for any human that you have insecurities about your own solution(s) compared to a competitor’s.

   Imagine a scenario where you are positioning your widget (this can also be an idea or a service etc.) as the right solution. Throughout the course of that positioning you make defensive comparisons to a similar widget produced by another company. What does it sound like to the client or prospect if you mention how much different you are than ACME Widgets by using their name in every other sentence? The answer? Not good. You will undoubtedly create curiosity where it may not have existed or betray your own self-doubt. Neither are good sales scenarios.

   I’m not saying avoid comparisons. I’m just saying be mindful of giving away free promotion. It’s hard enough to stay top of mind without shooting yourself in the foot.

2. Avoid industry jargon

   Okay, I still have to remind myself of this. No one wants to kill brain cells trying to decipher your meaning. Eliminate any acronyms, technical terms or industry-specific slang from your vocabulary immediately. That’s a quick way to kill any sale. Keep it simple stupid always applies. Sometimes I challenge myself by trying to explain complicated financial solutions to my 4th grader.

   How we discuss solutions within our respective organizations is most likely not the best way to communicate with people outside of our business. Your language should be easily understood and transferable to other decision-makers or influencers. Humans gossip naturally and how they share your message with other potential clients could be positive or negative for future growth. Start building stories and a replacement catalog of similar meaning words for the jargon you currently use.

3. Social Proof

   It’s never your own idea. Avoid phrases like “what I would do” or “if I was you” or “what I like…”. Your opinion as an influencer often doesn’t matter to anyone other than yourself. If you’re offended by that statement, you’re missing the point. Successful individuals want to be grouped with their successful peers. They want to know what everyone else is doing. In fact, the #1 question I get from my clients is, “what’s working out there?” People react to social proof when they feel like something is broken and it needs fixing. They react to social proof if they have FOMO. They react to social proof if they’re a fierce competitor. Each can be true in any given interaction.

   Try using phraseology like, “one of my most successful small business clients chose us because of __________” or “one of the leading subject matter experts in this area concluded that _________ “

   If you want a deeper dive into social proof, read Robert Cialdini’s Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.

4. Don’t kick sand

   Negative energy and negative speak have no place in sales. You might be rewarded in the short term but it’s a sure-fire way to create long term damage to your sales and professional credibility. When you talk about competitors or perhaps predecessors in poor taste, that will not be soon forgotten by anyone. Don’t turn potential advocates into suspicious acquaintances. After all, if you speak poorly of someone else than what would you say about them in their absence?

   Do you want customers or clients? Do you know the difference? This boils down to client confidence. Customers might still complete a transaction with someone they don’t trust. Clients have lasting relationships only with people they trust.

5. When in doubt, hedge

   Someone gave me a gem once as a young professional. He told me the 5 words you never want to hear are “you never told me that”. If you are not transparent you will lose all credibility and any shot at sustained success in sales. Admittedly, I have witnessed brief periods where a solution set was so powerful it trumped the creative communication style of the seller. That said, most of us would not choose to sacrifice long term success for short term gain.

   Don’t embellish. Don’t fake your way out of a jam or allow the pressure of the moment to coax you into giving an uneasy answer. Maybe you just flat out don’t know the answer to a question. You’ll score way more points when you say things like, “I’m 90% sure of the answer but let me just confirm and will circle back within 2 hours”. Say it fifty times if you have to (I really hope that’s not the case). Clients may get impatient with your caution but eventually, they’ll learn your true intent is to serve them at your highest capacity.

There’s no magic wand in sales. But the language we allow into our vernacular may indeed have a lasting impact. Because poor sales language is unintended mostly, start changing your habits now. Minimize the risk that your word choice(s) could have an adverse impact on clients or prospects. Whether you’re in the Northeast, the Pacific Northwest or somewhere in-between, your future sales success likely depends on it!

For the purpose of narrowing down the list, I’ll focus on my most observable as a Bulls fanatic. The main drivers of which were set in motion long before their reign atop the NBA:

1. Competition Will Either Promote You Or Expose You

In 1984, the Chicago Bulls drafted Michael Jeffrey Jordan from the University of North Carolina with the third overall pick in the NBA draft.   Jordan was a rare blend of athleticism and creative scoring ability that instantly boosted the overall cachet of the organization. That’s a fancy way of saying that he put butts in the seats.

He was a proven winner with a comic book backstory only amplified by his Gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics. A medal he received just a few months after being named the College Player of the Year.

By his third season in the NBA, Jordan averaged 37.1 points per contest and was considered the most prolific scorer in the game of basketball.  Historians would remind you that he was also acknowledged as one of the best defenders in the NBA at that time. 

His team, however, would be ousted from the playoffs early and in convincing fashion for the third straight year by 1987.  The following season was slightly better but the end result was also postseason elimination by their rivals the Detroit Pistons. They used the “Jordan Rules” to fluster Jordan. 

Michael Jordan filled the statistics columns in the 1980s as Chicago’s battle-tested Super Star, but his play alone wasn’t enough to defeat the “Bad Boys” who held the crown. In order to change that, it would require a shift in organizational focus and roster composition to sure up their weaknesses. The first piece was new Head Coach Phil Jackson and his triangle offense.

Even stars need guiding lights

2. You’re Not A Leader Unless People Follow

In the Spring of 1987, the Chicago Bulls turned their attention to the NBA draft and traded future selections to acquire a little-known player out of Central Arkansas named Scottie Pippen.  Scottie Pippen was raw in his ability but provided the much needed “Robin” to Michael’s “Batman” and quickly became the team’s defensive stopper all while continuing to hone his craft under the tutelage of his new mentor. 

Team rivals now had to account for the rising threat of Scottie Pippen on offense as opposed to previously being able to focus solely on Jordan. The Bulls could also now count on Scottie to guard opposing players that were a threat without any drop-off. When Jordan was having an off night he could lean on Scottie to help him carry the weight at any given moment. The team now had balance in the form of two future Top 50 players in their era.

The Bulls quickly developed into a league powerhouse on the backs of their two new superstars and key role players.  Michael Jordan was said to be a driving force at all times, especially in practice. His teammates would comment that nothing was shocking on game nights given what they saw every single day when no one was looking.

Even though his points per game dropped by six once Pippen got rolling (not an insignificant amount for someone consistently in the hunt for Scoring Champion), Michael made up for it in wins. MJ became the leader of a team that went on to win three consecutive NBA Championships beginning in 1991.

3. Sometimes You Have To Step Back To Appreciate The Bigger Picture

On Oct. 6, 1993, Michael Jordan announced his first retirement from the game of basketball only months after the still-unsolved murder of his father James. A very calm Jordan addressed the media at a press conference telling them he no longer was motivated to prove anything on the basketball court. There was plenty of speculation about other possible catalysts for his decision but eventually, those rumors were replaced by an even bigger one. Michael Jordan was going to follow through on his childhood dream of becoming a professional baseball player.

By the Spring of 1994 that was no longer a rumor or a dream as Michael Jordan laced up for the baseball field instead of the basketball court. As a member of the Chicago White Sox’ Minor League club the Birmingham Barons, MJ flashed some potential.

The level of commitment and sacrifice required to excel as a Minor League Baseball player is well documented. Minor League Baseball in the United States is the destination for many of the elite level baseball prospects in the world. Michael Jordan was a legendary basketball player but an elite level baseball prospect he was not. His baseball career, although promising, ended once the Major League strike started after just 436 at-bats.

By March of 1995, Michael made his next step known with a two-word fax reading simply,

"I'm back."

Three games into his return he proved that by scoring 55 points on the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. He wore the number 45 that game because the Bulls had just retired his 23 jersey. A few weeks later it was back in action again. Jordan was back, and this time taking numbers.

4. The Difference Maker Might Be Different

Although Jordan’s return made a meaningful impact on a then struggling Bulls team, they needed more help after losing to Orlando in the 1995 playoffs.

The Bulls acquired the eclectic and memorable rebounding specialist Dennis Rodman. He was exactly what the team needed. His tattoos, tie-die hair and unique jersey number selection all betrayed his style on the court. He played with dramatic flair and high energy. He was an edgy player always pushing the boundaries of his opponents. He was the freak show on and off the court. He was the spark when it was needed the most. His differences were the difference.

The Chicago Bulls went on to win three consecutive NBA Championships for the second time.

In a league full of some of the best basketball talent the game has ever seen, their six titles were fueled by tenacity, mentorship, and inclusion. This could be a “don’t put your eggs all in one basket” story or a work culture mission statement. The applicability of this Jordan era story always seems limitless.

There’s something empowering about being introspective while leaving room for self deprecation.

Because of that, from time to time I update my blurb . A blurb that leans toward answering the questions, “who am I and what do I represent”? I call it My “I” Statement.

If you’re like me, writing in the first person can be strangely difficult but I challenge you to try writing your own “I” Statement. Make it fun!

Admittedly, I thought I was creating something unique. It turns out that an “I” Statement in the therapy world is a commonly accepted “style of communication that focuses on the feelings or beliefs of the speaker rather than thoughts and characteristics that the speaker attributes to the listener.”

Here’s some insight from Good Therapy

My "I" Statement

I have a younger sister that used to call me "Dummy Head" and a Titi that still calls me her pea-brained jock.

I have a habit of introducing people to each other on multiple occasions. Malcolm Gladwell would call me a "Connector".

¡Yo soy Boricua, pa'que tu lo sepas!

I’m a husband to pure light and a father of three blessings. My opinions are strong and they are all mine.

I’ve spent the last 20 years of my professional life learning, connecting and building meaningful relationships with highly valued partners and friends.

I've had my share of victories and failures. Each of them unquestionably responsible for my long-term growth as a person.

I’m head high to the finish.

I try to live a well-balanced life focused on my most meaningful roles.

I have a curiosity that has served me well. I ask questions. Occasionally, I even stumble upon answers.

I'm forever branded as “annoying “ by Mother.

I’m sometimes a whole mess but more days than not, I’m Whole Grown Up 🤣.

Now it’s time for me to share.

Learn more about The Whole Grown Up

We’ve all experienced the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, otherwise known as frequency illusion.  It’s a recency bias.  Like when I started to always notice that car my neighbor suggested I buy, because after all, he had one. 

I would always think, ‘wow it must be a great car’ every time I saw one on the road.  Of course, in my mind the town of Canton, Connecticut was clearly the leading sales zip for Jeep Grand Cherokees that month.  I was missing out big time on a reasonably priced, sporty utility that looked sharp. I happened to need a car.  I bought one.  Eighteen months later, I sold one.  

It was a frequency illusion.

That’s all necessary back story that will reinforce what I’m about to share.  That is, I’m prone to these brief periods of obsession.  Maybe obsession is too strong but I would certainly concede to at least periods of high focus on just one thing.  That’s been the case for the past few weeks of my life and it has been one single word.  Vulnerability.

I feel like I’ve been blitz with the word vulnerability in all domains of human interaction.  Conversations, memes, LinkedIn posts, videos, you name it. The vulnerability of our brothers and sisters in the Bahamas hit by Hurricane Dorian to the vulnerability of our fragile American experiment.  Of course, there’s the vulnerability of human flaw, the vulnerability of our personal security and as is invariably a theme in a capitalistic society, the risk of economic vulnerability.

“Vulnerability is the only authentic state. Being vulnerable means being open, for wounding, but also for pleasure. Being open to the wounds of life means also being open to the bounty and beauty. Don’t mask or deny your vulnerability: it is your greatest asset. Be vulnerable: quake and shake in your boots with it. the new goodness that is coming to you, in the form of people, situations, and things can only come to you when you are vulnerable, i.e. open.”
― Stephen Russell, Barefoot Doctor's Guide to the Tao: A Spiritual Handbook for the Urban Warrior

Avoidance or Acceptance

There are millions of people in the world susceptible to risk related to geographic region and or human crisis.   Of course, most among us have been involuntarily vulnerable at some point in our lives even though we may seek to avoid the risk of harm when possible. 

But it’s another thing entirely to willfully put yourself in harm’s way.   That is, to be mindfully vulnerable emotionally or physically.   Just ask any of our brave military and emergency services members.

While ordinary citizens don’t put their lives on the line, they’re often faced with moments that force consequential decisions.  Decisions that will likely have a ripple effect on their future and possibly the future of those they love.  Undoubtedly, the largest decisions require a choice between acceptance or avoidance of that vulnerability.  

It might be deciding to interview for a promotion and being subject to greater accountability and stress.  Maybe some among us want to start a business that requires a large capital investment, sweat equity and time away from loved ones. No matter the scenario, what’s most important is how we respond at these critical inflection points in life.  Do we avoid or accept?

To be dissuaded by fear is to live weak and without purpose.  To be mindful of risks yet unwavering in your task is to unlock true power. 

Instinctually we might presume the greatest obstacle in these moments is the fear of exposure to any number of consequences from humiliation to larger responsibilities.  It’s logical why some people would choose to avoid those potential negative outcomes.  While those are valid considerations, the truth is simply that all decisions of magnitude (we’re well beyond the decision to buy a particular type of car) must be guided by our ultimate aim and congruent with our belief system.  Not having said system is the true obstacle.

Without a clear vision of purpose it’s easy to avoid pain and inevitably fail to succeed. Because after all, pain and failure are key components of any successful person’s résumé. The question is, how bad do you want it?

Who remembers this? One of the greatest of all time!

As one of the key points in his book Exponential Organizations, Dr. Salim Ismail stresses how critical higher aspirational purpose is for organizations.

“You have to be self-aware and look for that startup idea and purpose that is a perfect fit with you—with you as a person, not as a business [person].” 
― Salim Ismail, Exponential Organizations: Why new organizations are ten times better, faster, and cheaper than yours

To that end, if there is alignment with purpose on a personal level, the choice between avoidance and acceptance isn’t really much of a choice at all.  For example, making money in my above scenarios would simply be a result, not the purpose.  However, putting oneself in a position to better serve his or her community by providing an inclusive business dedicated to increase health and fitness would be a very specific and admirable purpose.  The natural fears that come along with such an endeavor are no match for the greater good.

It’s counter intuitive but mindful vulnerability is not a weakness.   In fact, it can be a tremendous strength when we allow meaning, gratitude and appreciation to run our lives on a daily basis and express it through our actions and choices.

Go out and be great and don’t be limited by fear but be guided by your true purpose!

A Hartford, Connecticut native son and current New Britain, Connecticut Fire Chief, Raul Ortiz discusses his path to becoming the first “Hispanic” or in modern terms, LatinX Fire Chief in the city he serves.

Raul Ortiz has bucked the trend his entire life and nothing is different now that he leads an entire department. We discuss emergency management and the importance that education has played for him up to this point.

With 20 years of service, Raul reflects on his childhood, role models and his desire to make sure he’s not the last person to reach the level he has attained in his profession.

By: Michael Jordan

The “tie goes to the runner” is a popular but inaccurate interpretation of the baseball rule book.  The claim is that a batter/runner who arrives on base at the exact same time as the ball is safe.  Hard core fans and purists (I’m not sure there is a distinction) will tell you that in baseball, either the throw beats the runner or it doesn’t. There is no commonly acceptable solution to prevent what would surely be an understandable grievance by either team. 

That said, I’m of the opinion that the saying does, however, accurately describe the importance of relationships in business.  This certainly has wide reaching application but I immediately think of service and sales professionals in particular.  Let me explain.

What I’m referring to of course is the idea that decision makers sometimes rely on the benefit of the doubt. It’s about a concession that a person, service or solution must be regarded as correct or justified, if the contrary has not been proven. In other words, when left with no indistinguishable alternative, people would rather forsake the unknown for what they know and can relate to.  The familiar is always presumed to be “safe”.

I’ve done no in-depth research on this but sticking with the baseball parallel, I would argue the suggestion might be that baseball fans perceive the runner as being typically at a disadvantage.  Most infield plays, for example, are routine and a professional infielder should be able to throw out the runner.  Yet, some plays require enough degree of difficulty that it might give the runner the split second needed to beat the throw.   Then it just boils down to speed and high effort.  In all of those close plays you can be assured the runner hustled from point A through point B even when they were unsure of the outcome.  Maybe they were conditioned to believe that consistency of high effort over time increased their odds of success.   No matter, the basic premise is that judgement favors the “runner” when it could have just as easily gone to the fielder.

So why give the runner priority? Why is it generally accepted that he or she deserves to be “safe” if the play is close?  More importantly, how can we put ourselves in the position of the runner so that we get the benefit of the doubt when things are close?  In business, the direct translation of that question is how do we build good faith and will? 

 

“When the trust is high, you get the trust dividend. Investors invest in brands people trust. Consumers buy more from companies they trust, they spend more with companies they trust, they recommend companies they trust, and they give companies they trust the benefit of the doubt when things go wrong.” - Stephen Covey

Developing trust takes systematic discipline balanced with the art of relationship building.  Here are 5 areas to focus on before you can earn “the benefit of the doubt”:

1.    Empathy

This is a degree of importance greater than the following four items on this list combined. There has to be a commitment to understanding the other person’s perspective.  This requires listening skills.

2.    Availability

Be present, be responsive. People want to rely on their strategic partners when they need it the most. Communication is key.

3.    Be different

Hand written notes still go a long way. Be creative. Sometimes it’s the simple things that standout in our increasingly demanding days.

 4.    Relevance

Work your way up the value stack. Be a resource to clients and or internal stakeholders.  Be an expert at your craft but continue to develop new skills and intellectual capital.

5.    Know what matters

People and businesses are of course all different.  Find out what makes them unique.  Find out what they care about. Being aware of goals and priorities is critical to effective relationship building.  Technology can help.  Collect relevant data and create a digital avatar of sorts.

Maybe it’s a systematic review or an unforeseen disruption but sometimes partnerships get tested.  In business, there are situations when a client, prospect, or relevant decision maker has to evaluate the best fit among all options that may meet their need(s).  Some of those times there is no clear best fit.  Those are the very moments that reward the professional with consistency of quality and effort over time.  After all, the tie goes to the runner. 

There is a section of the book 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez where a character finds a pair of lost glasses after searching for days. There is a line I’ll never forget and have since used as a perpetual warning to myself. Márquez writes, “the road to lost things is hindered by routine habit”. In other words, change is how we find whatever it is we’re seeking.

The Wisdom to Know The Difference

I’ll share a personal story that I have embraced as a true defining moment for me in this regard.

This story isn’t just about decision making.   Nor is it merely about opportunities in life.  If it was, I would feel obligated to address the deeply entangled religious and socio-economic implications of the word itself. That would be voluminous and unnecessary given the point I would like to make.  That is, at certain times in our lives we have to choose to alter our course, or not. Hesitation, or worse, indecision is often rooted in the very real fear of uncertainty.  How we respond at these inflection points is a function of how well we listen to our intuition.

I remember the very moment I gained clarity about this all.  It was a really nice Spring at The Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, CT.   I was a senior and a Co-Captain of the baseball team.  School was out and I was at practice.  I was standing in the outfield during situation drills, thinking about how excited I was to be going off to play college football. 

My parents never let me play football growing up but relented when I wouldn’t stop begging the Summer before Freshman year.  I put so much work into becoming a better football player that I had all but abandoned the sport I fell in love with at the age 4.  Baseball was always my sport.  Until, it wasn’t and it was just routine. I had to finally admit that. If I had not, continuing to play would have been a source of regret and unhappiness for me. The reasons for this are too many to concisely explain and again, not necessarily germane to the point. Let’s just say I was looking for something that I wasn’t finding on the field.

The road split and I was shocked at the weight of the decision that was upon me.  More so because I knew I had to take a new path.  I also knew I had to break the news to Coach but it wasn’t going to be right after practice. 

Our team was led by one of the greatest human beings you’ll ever meet, Coach Duane Estes.  He was also Reverend Duane Estes which explains what happened next.  When we wrapped up our conversation in his office shortly after that day, I couldn’t tell if he was upset, disappointed or happy for me.  He was not allowing any emotion to cloud what he knew had to be my decision and mine alone.  Then, before I left, he handed me a tiny laminated card.  The card read:

 God grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can;

And wisdom to know the difference

It was the short version of the Serenity Prayer. I went to Catholic school as a kid. This prayer wasn’t new to me.  But in that precise moment, it changed everything.  I knew I had just exhibited for the first time, the courage to change the things I can.  It wasn’t easy.  My teammates were real friends and we were always together during the season from Spring training in Florida to our long road trips on school nights.  Change is not a mere moment in time.  It ripples throughout and its duration is highly correlated to the scale of the decision.

Yet and still, we all move on.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-

I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

- Robert Frost

I was empowered.  Not simply because of what I did but rather, because I chose to do it.  The ownership of that shifted my confidence into overdrive forever.  To this day, I owe a tremendous amount of my success to this revelation. There have been so many instances throughout my life that mimic this narrative.  There was the time I resigned from a great job and moved to Puerto Rico.  Everyone around me thought I had gone mad. There was also that time I went to Boulder Outdoor Survival School in Utah by myself.  My friends still joke about me jumping out of an airplane with just a spoon (of course that not how it really went down).

My life, like every other, has been full of forks in the road.  While we never know what’s at the end of the road, experience has taught me to take the one less traveled.   

This story is simple because it’s uniquely mine but I believe it applies to anyone.  This story is about intuition and siding with instinctive reasoning versus conscious decision making when it matters most.  Call it “a feeling” or an “inner voice” or whatever moniker you wish.  Either way, each is a result of a collection of non-conscious operations over time.  It’s our brain’s auto-pilot.  Our stories have to be about having the courage to trust what we already know, even if it means making an unpopular decision. 

Don’t be hindered by routine habit.

Some readers might have considered dismissing this article simply because they presumed the term “selling” did not relate to them.  It is no secret that words like “sales” and “selling” have a negative stigma in our society.  We’re inundated by ads vying for our attention, “robo” calls on our cell phones and a number of other intrusive attempts to separate us from our hard-earned money.  It’s frustrating. 

Yet, the hard reality is that all of us have a need to sell people in our lives.  Parents sometimes have to sell their children on making the right decisions at dinner time.  Teachers certainly need creative selling skills in this age of constant distraction.  The list of examples is endless. 

Selling The Invisible

Conversely, we tend to easily define professionals trying to sell us an actual product, like a car, “sales people”.  What about dietitians, photographers and service representatives?  Are they not sales people?  Don’t dietitians sell the idea of a healthier version of their clients through food?  Don’t professional photographers sell inspiration, memories and adventure?  Don’t some service representatives get compensated for sales retention?   

We don’t typically think of these professions as sales because, as Harry Beckwith famously wrote about in his 1997 book, these folks are “Selling The Invisible” not a tangible “thing”.  You have to provide value in exchange for a fee. Value begets value and human connection along with an inward approach is mandatory.  

Simon Sinek’s TED Talk

When it comes to communicating the value of the inward approach, there is no one better than Simon Sinek.  There’s little doubt in my mind that the majority of my readers are familiar with THEE Simon Sinek TED talk.  I’m sure you’ve seen the clip where he discusses starting with WHY by drawing his “golden circle” to explain how companies like Apple leave the WHAT until the end of their marketing/sales strategies. 

If not, I’ll reserve judgement and just provide the link above.  Feel free to join the digital revolution when you’re ready.  

In the meantime, Sinek’s talk can be summarized by his now famous line “people don’t care what you do, they care why you do what you do”.

Understand that mine is but one opinion…

In other words, people are open to influence if they find your approach to be genuine and of course beneficial to them in a very personal way.  For example, I’ll tell any person willing to listen that my wife is the best sales person I know.  We have three little girls and she is able to influence them with personalization, calm talk and knowing what they need better than they do most times.

Since that TED talk was recorded in 2009, I’ve sat through countless conferences and sales meetings just like most professionals.  I’ve watched the same hype videos online.  I’ve listened to peers and politicians along with various other leaders invoke the WHY.  Sadly, I would say that more often than not it just misses the point entirely.  When it does, you can be sure it’s due to lack of empathy and clarity of the end client’s emotional needs.  

In industries that need them the most, the need for results overcomes inspiration in leadership. They may have pondered and answered the burning question of, why do they do what they do? But, they ultimately resign to answer it with a bias toward selling a product, gadget, or service no matter how much they try to mask that obvious fact. 

You could argue this doesn’t qualify as a true WHY.  Agreed.  Or maybe it is a WHY but not thee WHY.  The point of the matter is that they haven’t truly tapped into the empathy gene.  Unlike my wife, they fail to appeal to their audience’s most basic requirement for human connection before influence.

If you cannot get clarity of purpose, you need to stop whatever it is your doing and figure it out.  Don’t and you’ll pay eventually.  Believe me I’ve been there.  Indecision is black diamond slope dangerous.  Keep in mind, I don’t ski.

Sinek says “There are only two ways to influence human behavior: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it.”  I would argue that this is even more profoundly true for invisible salespeople.  While salesmen with widgets can occasionally sell an item to someone looking for what they have to offer, it’s very rare, for example, that a financial advisor gets an unsolicited client.  

Client acquisition for these invisible sellers requires trust and a keen awareness of human assets, key life milestones and true purpose.  Even if the client hasn’t been able to truly articulate all of it yet.   Financial clients don’t typically have a consumer mentality.  If they do, well let’s just agree that’s yet another article to write about.  

As a sales professional you have to tap into the WHY of the client not just yourself.  How do you do that?  You listen.  Then you listen some more.   As Harry Beckwith was quoted, “the more you say, the less people hear”. 

The more clarity of purpose you have for not just yourself but for your clients, the better equipped you will be to inspire.  Human connection is driven by empathy.  Empathy is understanding.  You can’t have understanding without first listening.  

“When companies discuss their problems, they talk about themselves. It’s not ego at work. It’s just that people talk about what they know, and what people know is their company. But what people really need to know—what you really need to know—is your customers and prospects. Get out, climb out, have someone pull you out of the tunnel.” - Harry Beckwith

As my buddy Steve Luckenbach would say, “seek to serve”.  Steve once had challenge coins made that read “why do my clients need me?”  I still have mine. Engage in developing long-term client partnerships while building mutual loyalty to them by putting answering that simple question. If you can do that, you will have found the true WHY and separated yourself from your peers and your competitors alike. 

As always, thank you for reading - MJ

Nearly four years ago I was starting yet another daily ritual that I was confident would accelerate my sales success.  At the very least, this new habit was going to keep me hyper focused on what was most important.

I would break down my annual goal into manageable quarterly targets.  From there I could solve for my monthly, weekly, and daily goals. I would actually write these things out. I also started adding all my meeting notes in the mobile version of our CRM versus my legal pad.

I’m not going to say it’s common knowledge I always had a yellow legal with me.

Over time I went from integrating my iPad at minimal frequency to nearly the majority of my meetings and my most important moments. After all, think about how many more reports I got to carry. Am I wrong? 

How I approached daily action items and what actually went on my lists evolved over time.  None of these evolutions are worth expanding on but I’ll share that the process became overwhelmingly complex.

It really took a turn when I started to include multiple territory reports, market data reports, performance reports, call reports, schedules, really specific workouts, gratitude lists and so on.  These are all valuable disciplines in their own right. However, what I mean to convey is that I was committed, but the daily process lacked simplicity.  I was successful but I always wanted more and better. Executing consistently was in itself a victory in self-discipline but it failed to win the Impactful Championship.

I went back to writing things down. After yet another year of plugging away and “boiling down” to a full page of items, reminders, call lists, workouts and gratitude lists, my career path serendipitously led me to Omaha, Nebraska.  Omaha is home to the Carson Group founded by long time financial services influencer and Barron’s Hall of Fame Advisor, Ron Carson.  This isn’t an article about Ron. Although, that would be cool. 

Instead, my aim is really to personalize the moment I shifted my daily routine toward something that is worth sharing with you. Something I developed by learning from Ron and of course his business partner Scott Ford. Something I’m not perfect with but continually trying to perfect. I could write novels about people I’m grateful for who have helped me in my career. Scott and Ron are not the least among them.

Ron and Scott co-authored a book titled The Sustainable Edge . It’s a book I promptly digested after learning I was to fly to Omaha for interviews and time with the Carson team.  What I took away was the cure to my latest 12-month degenerative illness of list making.  The book shares a number of gems but the one that stands out is the 6 Most Vital 1. Unfortunately, each of the fine gems buried in the book deserve more time than the average blog reader cares to spare. The more reason for you to check out their book.

Before explaining what shifted my pattern in such a meaningful way, it’s worth giving some historical context that involves the American steel magnate Charles M. Schwab. According to the author James Clear, by 1918, Charles M. Schwab was one of the richest men in the world. 

He also shares the following on his website:

Schwab was the president of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, the largest ship builder and the second-largest steel producer in America at the time. The famous inventor Thomas Edison once referred to Schwab as the “master hustler.” He was constantly seeking an edge over the competition.

One day in 1918, in his quest to increase the efficiency of his team and discover better ways to get things done, Schwab arranged a meeting with a highly-respected productivity consultant named Ivy Lee.

Lee was a successful businessman in his own right and is widely remembered as a pioneer in the field of public relations. As the story goes, Schwab brought Lee into his office and said, “Show me a way to get more things done.”

“Give me 15 minutes with each of your executives,” Lee replied.

“How much will it cost me,” Schwab asked.

“Nothing,” Lee said. “Unless it works. After three months, you can send me a check for whatever you feel it's worth to you.”

James did some quick calculations and shares that after three months, Schwab was so pleased with the results he wrote Lee a check for $25,000 — the equivalent of about $400,000 today

So, what was so impactful that it prompted Schwab to ultimately cut a very meaningful check?  It was a daily 15-minute routine promptly named The Ivy Lee Method and eventually modernized by countless businessmen. For example, Bill Gates’ “25-5 Rule” is also a derivation of Ivy Lee’s method.  The foundational Ivy Lee Method has shaped core beliefs of so many successful people and it dates back 101 years. It is without question a game changer for any high achiever today.

Here’s how it works:

1. At the end of each day, write down the six most important things you need to accomplish tomorrow.

2. Prioritize those six items in order of importance.

3. One task at a time. Work until the first task is finished before moving on to the second task.

4. Move any unfinished items to a new list of six tasks for the following day.

5. Go back to 1.

A few tips:

1. Writing down your priorities the day prior forces you to dwell on the issues at hand overnight.  If you believe in the unconscious mind like I do, you’re now taking your biggest priorities and questions with you into the most cerebral portion of your evening – bedtime.

2. Number your items 1-6.  This list should never see a 7th item. Work on prioritizing and simplifying.  Most days you will have more than six items you feel are important.  Schedule them on a particular day (I wouldn’t suggest this if you’re attempting this method for the first time) or move them to the following day’s list

3. Life isn’t always neat.  Organize your list with your schedule for the day in mind if you must.  You may have a high priority that cannot be accomplished until a particular time of day.  Be mindful and stack up the items you can knock off the list in the meantime first.

4. Use pen and paper. If you want to learn the hard way, there are plenty of viable apps but I’ve been down that road and the digital application of this process is not nearly as effective. 

The Ivy Lee Method is an easy concept that isn’t so easy to execute.  However, if you can dedicate your energy to developing this habit, I’d be willing to bet you will see quantifiable growth.  Every long journey starts with the first step. Every annual goal can be broken down to daily targets.  Every work day should have 6 high priority drivers that will help you achieve that goal.  Simplify your routine, treat yourself to a nice pen and notebook and start today.

Feel free to reach me at info@thewholegrownup.com if you have any specific questions. Thank you for reading.

Warning: this one is punny.

Are you intentional about your success when your attention is needed most?

I have a mental trigger or a mnemonic device I like to use when things start to feel like they’re moving too fast around me. It reminds me that sometimes I need to step back, asses and take action on things that I might not be giving their just allotment of my time. These are the things I know are critical to my success but that challenge human desire for instant gratification (this is my gentle way of avoiding a self diagnosis of ADHD).

It’s not intuitive but working IN your business all the time and without exception will not help you gain lasting success. In fact, doubling down on your workload can actually cause more challenges. Vacations aren’t always the answer to the problem either as some would suggest. Few among us can get away easily and as often as it would truly require to be the only response mechanism you use. Conversely, working ON your business instead of IN your business is an effective and realistic counter measure when you feel ineffectiveness washing over your core.

In middle school I had an English teacher who would drill in the meaning of what we all apparently found to be a confusing fragment of the English language by leading us in a game called “prepositional feet”.  It was a nerdy version of “Simon says” and allowed for full class participation.  Each student had to listen for the teacher to call out an action for his or her feet, hands, arms, legs, head or any combination thereof.  “Put your feet on the desk.  Put your arms around the desk”. Put your hands in the desk”. 

In business I often use “prepositional feet” as a trigger for me to reflect.  What direction are my feet moving?  Do I need to spend more time in the business or on the business?  Taking time to be introspective isn’t always as painful as I imagine and that simple reminder has served me well. 

If you determine that you need to spend time ON the business, consider these 3 key strategies

1. Block

Time is a depleting resource. Protect your time carefully and assign meaning to as many moments as your tolerance allows.  The best way to do this is to schedule it.

Want to think up a new concept? Schedule it.  Want to make more calls?  Schedule it.  

At work I am a self-described ‘stickler’ for my calendar.  At home my wife and I use a shared iCloud calendar to track every event related to the household. Our kids even have a calendar chalk board to track their activities.  It sounds like a lot because it is a lot.  That’s the point. 

2. Commit

If you’re supposed to be meditating then meditate.  Don’t waiver on your decision to do what you know is in your best interest.  Do not schedule meetings over your block time.  Do not take phone calls. Your participation is required to win.

3. Solve

Working on the business means problem solving.  Not resolution of service items but the removal of any blockages disrupting the flow of success (which, at the risk of seeming hypocritical, at times requires resolving service items).  Of course, you have to know what the problem is first.

Luckily the unconscious mind is an amazing thing.  Not simply because it houses our most basic biological urges but because it also has the power to answer the One Thing.  Ask yourself the biggest question that needs to be answered before you go to sleep. 

The next time you’re reflecting, remember to think “prepositional feet” and work the above methods. Working on your business with intentionality is critical to your future success.

As far as I knew, encountering the Pareto Principle many years ago represented the pinnacle of understanding influence and decision making as a sales professional.  I was wrong. 

According to Investopedia, “The Pareto Principle, named after esteemed economist Vilfredo Pareto, specifies that 80% of consequences come from 20% of the causes, proving an unequal relationship between inputs and outputs. This principle serves as a general reminder that the relationship between inputs and outputs is not balanced. The Pareto Principle is also known as the Pareto Rule or the 80/20 Rule.”  As an example, top notch client service and sales models reflect a keen awareness that typically 80% of the revenue is generated by 20% of the clients. The precious asset of time must then be distributed unevenly with clients.  If not, you’ll likely risk both deterioration of meaningful service and growth.

The 80/20 rule was my guiding principle as a sales professional until the moment I finished reading Above The Line by then Ohio State Football Head Coach, Urban Meyer. I realized that while the 80/20 rule was a valuable tool, it never lent itself to the idea that you can actually expand the circle of high quality clients by influencing the 80%. Now a New York Times bestseller, Above The Line gives unparalleled insight into the culture of the 2015 National Championship team. Part of that culture was driven by what Urban Meyer describes as the 10-80-10 Principle. 

The Elite

Urban explained that 10% of the team is dialed in at all times. They are committed and self-motivated. The top 10% understand the higher cause and will work tirelessly to achieve that goal. They need no motivation. Their positive habits are sticky and their will power has been switched to automatic.   

The Middle

The middle group is the 80% of your team that are all average. They'll do a good job and are relatively reliable but their habits need reinforcement. Any of the 80% have a chance to join the 10% through training, leadership and sometimes just an understanding of the greater cause.  They need to have a self-less commitment to the team.  It’s only after they understand the power of gratitude and the greater mission that they join the ranks of the elite. 

Urban Meyer guesses his top 10 circle swelled to about 30% during Ohio State's 2014-2015 national championship season.  The key for him was to establish ground rules. Core disciplines that produce positive outcomes for the individual and consequently the team. Not a commitment to some disciplines but ALL disciplines.  These disciplines drive action and are rooted in the outcome of the greater good.

The Bottom

The 10% at the bottom are disinterested and at times defiant.   They are not worth spending any meaningful time with and should be delegated accordingly.  It would take a 90% majority just to have an impact on the bottom 10%. Do you know anyone like this? Possibly a few people?

As best I can tell, the 10-80-10 Principle is the actual brain child of Sunjay Nath. According to Nath, “the Key to implementing the 10-80-10 Principle is to A.C.T.  It is through Awareness, Conscious Choice and Time that we are able to shift our behaviors that allow us to achieve our desired results”. 

Personally, I'm top 10 all day. I value my time and ask others to do the same.  I need no daily motivation and I understand that my choices directly impact the greater mission.  But I wasn't always this way.  At different inflection points I’ve needed people in the top 10% to pull me out of the 80%.   

I’ve since applied my understanding of the principle to influence my sales success.  By identifying my top 10%, I seek to understand their unique drivers in an effort to “move the needle” so to speak with the average client. 

So how do we actually influence the 80%?  How do we get the average teammate, client or maybe even employee to be elite?  Urban Meyer has four proven approaches for the 80%:

1.     Mastery and Belief

2.     Harness the Power of 10%

3.     Build Ownership

4.     Positive Peer Pressure

These four approaches probably deserve their own blog post but for the sake of brevity I’ll table that for now.

I would argue that most of us are not naturally wired to be in the top 10%. Positive habits are really created through hard work, training, repetition and physical triggers over a relevant time domain.  In the book Mindset, Carol Dweck explains that "growth minded" people know how to adapt such core disciplines while “fixed minded” people cannot.

Here’s my challenge to you.  Are you working with the right people? Do you have people in your 80% you can save?  The question really isn't are you capable as much as it’s can you get others to buy into your greater calling?  Do they know why you do what you do?  Can you influence behavior?

As Charles Duhigg writes in The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, "change might not be fast and it isn't always easy.  But with time and effort, almost any habit can be reshaped".   Working on the 10-80-10 Principle in your professional life is certainly worth the time and effort.

Side note: I have heard of the 10-80-10 Rule being used for Project Management but that probably warrants its own post. 

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