Week's Thought

Bon Jovi and the power of focus

2013-07-07T20:02:00.001-07:00

Bon Jovi and the Power of Focus

I always admired Bon Jovi for his passion and his music. This morning I heard a song of his in which he sings: “when the world gets in my face, I say have a nice day”. Got me thinking about Bon Jovi, his long career and why he’s still going strong after so many years.

There’s a great power in focusing on what you want, Seems like such an obvious statement, yet most of us miss it. Dreams can come true. You can get to a place called Extraordinary in your career. You can find love deeper than you’ve had ever imagined. You can realize world-class vitality and find lasting fulfillment. But you need to focus. The person who tries to do everything accomplishes nothing. Most people try to be all things to everyone. And so they end up nothing to anyone. Confucius nailed the point: “ Person who chases two rabbits catches neither”.

What you focus on grows. Think about that line. Focus. Focus. Focus. That’s what the best of the best do. Tunnel vision around their biggest To Do’s. They stick to their knitting rather than scattering their brilliance. A few months ago I had dinner with a billionaire client of mine. I asked him what was the single best thing he did to get to his financial mastery. “I made this goal my sole reference point”, came the instant reply.

Back to Bon Jovi. From what I can tell, he’s still around and doing great because he had an idea about what his music would be and where he could take it, and then he stayed focused on that mission. I’ve heard he’s faced some tough times (join the club). But he didn’t give up. He didn’t play victim. He remained stronger and on course. He stayed true to his fans and himself.

“The person who tries to do everything accomplishes nothing”

Stainless Character

2013-06-23T19:41:00.000-07:00

A STAINLESS CHARACTER

Stainless steel – a tremendous invention. But what about a stainless character? One that is noble, aspires for mastery and never gives in moving closer to its ideals. What is within must always appear without. What I mean by that is that the quality of your inner world eventually is reflected in the quality of your outer world. Your external life can never grow bigger than your internal one. Life is really is a mirror – reflecting who we are, rather than all we want.

A person who dreams pristine dreams and who is impeccably honest, good, ethical and stands for what’s best will soon act in alignment with those values. And those actions cannot help but drive extraordinary results. Inner always creates outer. Always.

Last night I saw Spiderman 3 with Bianca. Best line in the movie was the most obvious one: “we always have a choice. We can always choose between right and wrong.” This leadership/success/greatness stuff really is pretty simple. Simple – but not easy (and excellent is all about doing what’s right versus what’s easy). The best things in life do take effort and commitment and discipline. (My friend Nido Qubein once said, “the price of discipline is always less than the pain of regret.”) And sure, it all seems so obvious. But what’s most obvious is what’s most often forgotten.

“We always have a choice. We can always choose between right and wrong”

Own Your Greatness

2013-06-13T08:54:00.001-07:00

OWN YOUR GREATNESS

Today morning I read a letter scribbled in pencil from an inmate in an American prison. He talked about how he gradually remembered that he was born to make a difference and realize his potential. He’d forgotten who he was meant to be. Because life had hurt him. A lot.

I hear this all the time. People appreciate being reminded that they are meant to play at great. That there are no extra people on the planet. That every life has a purpose. We knew these truths as kids. So we dreamed. We reached. We acted fearlessly. Lived life passionately. And stood in possibility. But we lost that wisdom – as we grew up and walked further out into world, away from our Real Nature.

Maybe self-improvement is a waste of time. Maybe self-remembering (and reconnecting to the brilliance/creativity/authenticity/greatness you once knew) is where the action is. That life has a habit of making us forget. We fall into routine. We take things for granted. We stop taking risks. We stop aiming for the mountaintop. We stop speaking truth. We play small with the gift of our lives. But we deserve better than mediocrity. Ordinary people can do remarkable things. By recalling who they truly are. And living at their best.

“People appreciate being reminded that they are meant to play at great. That there are no extra people on the planet. That every life has a purpose”

Speak your Truth

2013-06-02T19:58:00.000-07:00

SPEAK YOUR TRUTH

This past weekend the kids and I returned to Halifax, Nova Scotia to celebrate friend’s fortieth wedding anniversary. I saw a car drive by with a bumper sticker that I’ll never forget. It said, “SPEAK YOUR TRUTH – EVEN WHEN YOUR VOICE SHAKES” Brilliant!

Too many people talk the good talk these days. Tons of empty promises. And hype. And lofty statements that never amount to anything. True leaders are different. They talk less and do more. I love the quiet leaders. Those silent souls who under promise and over-deliver. And when they do speak, they speak Truth. The Merchants of Wow among us understand that a person’s word is their bond. And that every promise kept builds credibility, the foundation of trust. So make the commitment to be impeccable with your word.

We really can be a leader, no matter that our titles are. In the theater they say, “no role is a small role”. And in life, no person is an insignificant one. (‘Every calling is great when greatly pursued.” Observed Oliver Wendel Holmes). Each day, at work and at home, you have an opportunity to create an impact, to make a difference and to reveal your potential. And one of the things that separates leaders from followers is that those who lead speak openly, honestly and courageously. Even when the very thought of doing so frightens them. Even when their voices shake.

“One of the things that separates leaders from followers is that those who lead speak openly, honestly and courageously”

Worry vs Reflection

2013-05-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

WORRY vs REFLECTION

So many thought leaders counsel us to avoid living in the past. “Living in the now”, they advise. “Enjoy the moment”. “The past is a grave”. Well, I get what they are saying. But isn’t there something good about going back and delighting in the delicious moments of the journey so far? And in the learnings from all we’ve experience?

Which brings me to worry vs reflection. Whether you should revisit the past, to my mind, depends on your intention. If your intention is and reason for going back into your past is to dwell on bad experiences and to worry over things you cannot change and rehash painful times, then I suggest it’s an unhealthy act (a complete waste of time, actually; just keeps you stuck). But, if your intention is to reflect on the lessons that events have taught you and to grow in wisdom and to savor the precious memories that you were blessed enough to experience, well, then I think that’s a good thing. Because you are letting your past serve you. And make you better.

I guess what I’m inviting you to consider is that it’s a waste of time to fret over and regret things you’ve done that cannot be changed. But it’s an intelligent use of time to bask in the good times, feel gratitude for them and use even the challenging times of your personal history to leverage your future success.

“But isn’t there something good about going back and delighting in the delicious moments of the journey so far? And in learning from all we’ve experienced?”

SELL YOUR DESK

2013-04-14T19:23:00.001-07:00

SELL YOUR DESK

The best performers in business don’t hide behind their desks. They know that business is all about connecting to people. When people like you and know you and trust you, they will help you. Just the way it is. Human nature at play.

The best managers get out from behind their desks and have rich and meaningful conversations with their team. They get that passion is contagious and, before someone will lend you their hand, you need to touch their heart. The best salespeople get out from behind their desks and break bread with their customers. They understand the power of relationship-selling. The best employees get out from behind their desks to collaborate with their teammates, support their colleagues and to spread their enthusiasm.

I need to be out serving my beloved clients and helping them build world-class organizations. I need to be out learning new ideas and interesting insights that will find their way onto my blog or my podcasts or into my next speech or book. Hiding behind my desk is the worst place I could be of.

“The best performers in business don’t hide behind their desks. They know that business is all about connecting to people.”

Learning or decaying

2013-04-07T19:43:00.001-07:00

LEARNING OR DECAYING

There is a cure for aging that no one talks about. It’s called learning. In my mind, as long as you learn something new each day, stretch your personal frontiers and improve the way you think, you cannot grow old. Aging only happens to people who lose their lust for getting better and disconnect from their natural base of curiosity. “Every three or four years I pick a new subject. It may be Japanese art; it may be economics. Three years of study are by no means enough to master a subject but they are enough to understand it. So for more than 60 years I have kept studying one subject at a time,” said Peter Drucker, father of modern management who lived until he was 95. Brilliant guy.

Last year, I had the joy of spending a couple of hours in conversation with Shimon Peres, the former Israeli Prime minster and Nobel Peace Prize winner. He was nearly 82 at the time, and I couldn’t help but notice that his eyes actually sparkled as he spoke of his love of books, big ideas and learning. I asked: “Mr Peres, when do you read?” His reply: “Robin, when don’t I read? I read when I get up in the morning, when I can during the day and every single evening. Most of my weekends are spent reading great books. Books are my constant companions.” He then added with a smile: “If you eat three times a day you’ll be fed. But if you read three times a day you’ll be wise”.

Too many people never pick up a book after they’ve finished school. Unbelievable. Too many people spend more time watching TV then getting deep inside the minds of the greatest people who have walked the planet. Too many people have closed their minds to new insights and powerful thoughts. One idea read/discovered in one book could transform the way you see the world.

“There’s a cure for aging that no one talks about. It’s called learning.”

Getting what you want while loving what you have

2013-03-31T19:55:00.001-07:00

GETTING WHAT YOU WANT WHILE LOVING WHAT YOU HAVE

Some encourage us to enjoy the moment and appreciate what we have, suggesting that constantly striving for more is unhealthy and the primary source of our discontent. And others say that, as human beings, we were built to push beyond our comfort zones each day and reach for something higher – to become great. I’ve struggled a lot with this, as I articulate a personal philosophy that I will live my life under. I’ve realized – it’s a balance. I call it The Mandela Balance.

Nelson Mandela, a man I greatly admire, once said: “After climbing a great hill, one finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom comes responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk has not yet ended.”

To me, Nelson Mandela is suggesting that is truly is all about a balance. Enjoy the view from where you are at. Savor how far you have come. Be grateful for where you are along the journey that is your life. Live in the moment. But also remember that with the gifts that reside within you come great responsibilities. I believe that every human being has a “duty to shine”. We must not rest on our past wins and become complacent. We must walk out into the world – each day- and do our best to be greater service to others, realize more of our potential and become better citizens on the planet. We must constantly play a bigger game and use our creative talents to do, be and see more. This drive to realize more of our greatest selves has, I believe, been knitted into our DNA and to deny it is to deny our human nature.

And yes, we set higher dreams and raise our personal standards, we will create some discontent. But this world was built by people who felt some discontent with the way things were and knew they could do better. “Show me a completely contented person and I’ll show you a failure” observed Thomas Edison. Politically incorrect these days, I know. But I think he was speaking truth. The greatest among us were not satisfied with the way things were. Think Gandhi. Think Mother Teresa. Think Bill Gates. Think Einstein. Think Mandela.

So love what you have. And then go for what you want. Enjoy the climb up the mountain. But never take your eyes off the summit.

“This world was built by people who felt some discontent with the way things were and they knew they could do better”

LOVE YOUR IRRITATIONS

2013-03-24T19:34:00.000-07:00

LOVE YOUR IRRITATIONS

The things that drive you crazy are actually giant opportunities. The people who press your buttons are actually your greatest teachers. The issues that make you angry are actually your greatest gifts. Be grateful for them. Love them.

The people or circumstances that take you out of your power have extraordinary value. They reveal your limiting beliefs, fears and false assumptions. The celebrated psychologist Carl Jung once said: “Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” How much would you pay someone who promised that they could pinpoint exactly what is holding you back from your greatest life? How much would it be worth to get intimate information and intelligence on why you are not exactly at the place where you’ve always dreamed of being? The things that irritate, annoy and anger you are entry points into your evolution and elevation as a human being. They are sign posts for what you need to work on and the fears you need to face. They are gifts of growth. You can blame the people who trigger you and make it all about them. Or you can do the wise thing and look deeply into yourself to discover the reasons for your negative reaction. Use the challenges to grow self-awareness. Because how can you overcome a fear you are not even aware of? And how can you transcend an insecurity you don’t even know you have?

As you begin to shed light on your personal weaknesses and take responsibility for them, you actually begin the very process shedding them. Shadows exposed to the light begin to disappear. You become stronger. More powerful. More of who you were meant to be. You begin to see the world through a different set of eyes. People really can evolve into their greatness.

Kahlil Gibran, once wrote: “I have learned silence from the talkative, tolerance from the intolerant and kindness from the unkind; yet, strange, I am grateful to those teachers.” So the next time a co-worker sets you off or your teenager gets you going, think about them as teachers. Thank them for the gift they just gave you. Because, in truth, they really did.

“The people or circumstances that take you out of your power have extraordinary value; they reveal your limiting beliefs, fears and false assumptions”

DO YOUR PART

2013-03-17T19:24:00.000-07:00

DO YOUR PART

“What are you doing to help build a new and better world?” Don’t blame the politicians. Don’t blame those around you. Don’t blame your parents or your back ground. Doing so is playing the victim and this world has far too many people playing the victim whey they could be sharing their brilliance and making a profound difference. Mother Teresa said it so much better than I ever could: “If each of us would only sweep our own doorstep, the whole world would be clean.”

Blaming others is excusing yourself. Telling yourself that you – as an army of one – cannot have an impact is giving away your power. After a hurricane a while ago, a couple of college kids got their hands on empty school busses and drove them into the ravaged area when everybody else said the city was impenetrable. A little man in a loincloth name Mahatma Gandhi freed an entire nation. A woman name Rosa Parkers sparked civil rights movement because she refused to sit at the back of a bus. Ordinary people really can do extraordinary things. I love what Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop, once said: “If you think you’re too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room.”

Live by what I call the Jennifer Aniston Rule. In an issue of Vanity Fair, Aniston said that she gives herself one day to play victim after experience a challenging event. After that day of feeling powerless and sorry for herself, she wakes up and takes ownership for the way her life looks. She takes personal responsibility for her part in the problem – even if that only amounted to 1%. That’s personal leadership in action. It doesn’t matter who you are, or where you come from. “The ability to triumph begins with you. Always” offered Oprah Winfrey.

What you don’t like about life or the organization you work for or the country you live in? Make a list. Write it down. Shout it out. And then do something to improve things. Anything. Start small or go big. Just do something. As you exercise your power to choose, guest what? Your power grows. And as you work within your sphere of influence to make things better, guess what? Your sphere of influence expands. So do your part. Today. Now.

“The ability to triumph begins with you. Always”

EXTREME LEADERSHIP & KIDS CLOTHING

2013-03-10T19:16:00.000-07:00

EXTERME LEADERSHIP AND KIDS’ CLOTHING

I just had a visit with the tailor who adjusts my kids’ school clothes this morning before I wrote this. I’ve known him for a long time and he’s always treated us well. He’s been in business for 40 years, so I thought I’d get behind his eyeballs and discover what has made his business both as successful and sustainable as it’s been. I started asking questions.

“Robin, there are four simple principles that we’ve followed here in our shop. They’ve served me well my whole life. I actually learned them by watching my mother as I grew up. She was one the most amazing people I’ve ever known”, he said.

I thought I’d share Neil’s four principles with you:

IMPROVE: Always be getting and doing better. Never settle for mediocrity.

OBSERVE: Talk to the people you work with. Really listen to them. And keep your eyes on the business. Because you can expect only that which you inspect.

CONNECT: Be really good to people. Treat your customers/team members with respect. Give them good value. Be caring and deal with any complaints fast.

ADAPT: Conditions change. Competition grows. Uncertainty is the new normal. Stay fast. Stay flexible. Stay nimble.

“Improve, Observe, Connect & Adapt”

FIND PERFECT MOMENTS

2013-03-03T18:32:00.001-08:00

FIND PERFECT MOMENTS

I had a Perfect Moment today. It wasn’t a standing ovation in front of a thousand people. It wasn’t a phone call from a publisher sharing some good news. It wasn’t a Fortune 500 company calling to book a leadership presentation or coaching engagement for their team. No, it was far more important thing that occurred in my life on this morning. And it was incredibly basic (as are the best things in life)

As I got out of my car in the parking lot of our office, I noticed an amazing fragrance in the air. It was pure beauty. So sweet and breathtaking. I looked around and saw that I’d parked under a tree overflowing with red and pink blossoms. Spring had sprung, and the tree was spreading its magic. I just stood there. Closed my eyes, entranced by the smell. And the moment. I felt grateful to be alive. Sure, I have challenges I’m dealing with (the only ones who don’t are dead). Sure, life could always be better. But happiness is all about gaining a sense of proportion and perspective. And we all have many blessings in our lives, like people who love us or work that gives our days meaning or healthy kids or simple gifts like food on the table and two eyes to see through. Like the Perfect Moment in the parking lot.

Life is so very short. Yes, it’s important to focus on excellence in our careers and arriving at splendid success, however we define it. I totally agree with that. But equally important is enjoying the ride. Laughing. Having fun. Experience adventure. And not missing out on Perfect Moments. Mostly, they are free. And they are right in front of us. Today. If only we make time to look for them.

“Sure, life could always be better. But happiness is all about gaining a sense of proportion and perspective”

You’ll know when you know

2013-02-24T18:28:00.000-08:00

You'll know when you know

I did a show on SIRIUS Satellite Radio yesterday. The host, Jesse Dylan, asked me a thoughtful question: "Robin, we all have goals and aspirations. But sometimes things don't go as planned. How do you know when to quit?" My answer was straightforward: "you'll know when you know."

No one gets to world class in their work or within their personal lives without a relentless devotion to not giving up. All acts of heroism were accomplished by human beings who refused to lose. They just wouldn't let go – no matter how bad or impossible or impractical things looked. But having said that, life often sends us curve balls and has other plans for us. (Comedian Gilda Radner, who dies of ovarian cancer at age 42, put it so very well: "Now I've learned the hard way that some poems don't rhyme and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the most of it without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity.")

We long for something to happen and some dream to get done. But no matter how hard we try, the clouds never part. We never get the break. Luck never smiles on us. We continue to toil in darkness, fueled purely by faith. That's fine – if deep within you your fire burns brightly and every fiber within you tells you to carry on (self-faith is a hallmark of greatness). But sometimes, you get to a point where you just know it's time to change strategy. It's not about losing hope. You just know. It's about trusting life. Trusting that there's even better thing waiting for you. And that it's time to course-correct.

For the past few years, I've tried to live by the pretty simple philosophy. Do your best and let life do the rest. It's not easy to let go of what you want. But why wouldn't you, if something even better is waiting just around the corner?

"Do your best and let life do the rest"

The Responsibility Meter

2013-02-17T19:27:00.000-08:00

The Responsibility Meter

Imagine a dashboard with a meter on it. At one end is the word FREEDOM. At the other end, the word RESPONSIBILITY. To me, being a leader and living a remarkable life means striking the delicate balance between the two. In other words, the needle on your Responsibility Meter should stay in the middle. Ideally.

Life’s all about balance. And one of the most vital of all balance points is the one involving freedom and responsibility. Yes, be free. Enjoy the moment. Be wildly passionate. Have a fabulous time. Live in the now. And yet, be responsible. Set your goals. Keep your promises. Get important things done. Fulfill your duties.

Where does your life – this very minute – register on the Responsibility Meter? Too much time enjoying your freedom and not enough time doing what’s required to build a world-class career and world-class days? Or the other way around? Being at either extreme means being out of balance. So here’s an idea: Thing about what being at the middle of the meter would look like. Because better awareness drives better choices. And better choices create better results.

“Life’s all about balance. And one of the most vital of all balance points is the one involving freedom and responsibility”

On Evian water and You as a Big-Time Dreamer

2013-02-10T19:24:00.001-08:00

On Evian Water and You as a Big-Time Dreamer

If people don’t laugh at you and your ideas at least once a week, you’re not pushing the envelope.

There, I said it. I needed to. I’m tired of seeing boring businesses and people afraid to take the road less travelled. Most of the things that fill us with fear never happen, so why let them keep you small.

Great people run towards their resistances and play out on the edges of their lives. And great companies spend far less time benchmarking others than creating new ways of delivering outrageous value to their customers. Why, because the world doesn’t need a better close. The world needs more human beings and enterprises that make us say wow. The world needs more giant ideas that no one’s thought of to enrich our customers and improve our communities and elevate the planet. The world needs more visionaries, dreamers and outright revolutionaries. I love what Tom Chappell, founder of Tom’s of Maine, said: “Success means never letting the competition define you. Instead, you have to define yourself based on a point of view you care deeply about”. Beautiful.

All innovators are initially laughed at. Just the way it is. They laughed at Columbus when he said the earth was round. They laughed at the Wright Brothers, who vowed a human being could fly. They laughed at the founder of Evian, who believed people would pay money for water. Who’s laughing now? I guess the universe really does favor the brave.

People pay for originality. You want to lead the field in your businesses? Be different. Let them laugh. Let them call you crazy. Let them snicker. Stay true to your vision. Dream bigger. Don’t be ordinary. It’s the kiss of death, as far I can tell.

“Businesses need more daring. Business needs more people willing to take risks and play out on the skinny branches”

Drink coffee with Gandhi

2013-02-03T19:37:00.001-08:00

DRINK COFEE WITH GANDHI

Reading is one of the best disciplines I know of to stay “on your game” and at your highest. Reading from a great book is really all about having a conversation with the author. Just think, tonight – by reading Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography, My Experiments with Truth, over a cup of coffee – you can get behind this great man’s eye balls and learn what made him tick. Want to hang out with Jack Welch tomorrow? Grab his book. Same for Mother Teresa, Bill Gates or Dalai Lama. And reading a book by someone you respect allows some of their brilliance to rub off on you. The hand that puts down a great book will never be the same. As Oliver Wendell Holmes observed: “A mind once stretched by a new idea can never return to its original dimensions”.

When I was growing up my father once told me: “cut back on your rent or cut back on what you spend on food but never worry about investing money in a good book.” That powerful though has accompanied me through life. His philosophy was that all it takes is one idea discovered in a single book to life you to a whole new level and revolutionize the way you see the world. And so our home was filled books. And now I try to devote at least an hour a day to reading. That habit alone has transformed me.

Perhaps my greatest gift to my children when I die will be my library. These books shaped my thinking, formed my personal philosophy, and made me the man I am. To me, my books are priceless.

The old expression is true: “knowing how to read and not reading is almost the same as not knowing how to read.” Make time to read something good each day. Fill your mind with big ideas and dazzling thoughts. Use books to flood your soul with hope and inspiration. And remember, if you want to lead, you really need to read.

“Reading a book by someone you respect allows some of their brilliance to rub off on you”

On Mountains and Mastering change

2013-01-27T18:51:00.001-08:00

ON MOUTAINS AND MASTERING CHANGE

Faith & belief do move mountains. And if you don’t believe an idea will work, then there’s no change you’ll act on it (and if you don’t act, how can you get results?). Thought is the mother of action and your beliefs really do become self-fulfilling prophecies.

Define what the mountaintop looks like: Articulate in writing, what success looks to you. Note what needs to change in your life for you to feel spectacularly successful and what will happen if you don’t improve. Then record your goals for all the key areas of your life. Write out what you want your reality to appear as five years from now. List the values you want to stand for. Clarity precedes success – and awareness precedes transformation.

Start climbing: There’s great power in starting. A single act – done now – sets forces into play. It generates momentum. And with the action you begin to experience positive results. That begins a positive feedback loop: more action, more results. And that, in turn, promotes confidence.

Take small steps: You can’t get to the top of the Everest by jumping up the mountains. You get to the mountaintop by taking incremental steps. Step by step you get to the goal. Every step gets you closer to the dream. Life’s like that too. Small steps each day get you to greatness over time. Why? Because the days really do become weeks and weeks become months and months become years. You’ll get to the end of your life anyway – why not reach that place as an extraordinary human being?

“You can’t get to the top of the Everest by jumping up the mountain. You get to the mountaintop by taking incremental steps. Step by step you get to the goal”

Problems reveal genius

2013-01-20T18:35:00.000-08:00

PROBLEMS REVEAL GENIUS

Problems are servants. Problems bring possibilities. They help you grow and lead to better things, both in your organization and within your life. Inside every problem lies a precious opportunity to improve things. Every challenge is nothing more than a chance to make things better. To avoid them is to avoid growth and progress. To resist them is to decline greatness. Embrace and get the best from the challenges in front of you. And understand that the only people with no problems are dead.

An unhappy customer yelling at you might seem like a problem. But to a person thinking like a leader, that scenario is also a giant opportunity to improve the organization’s processes to ensure that doesn’t happen again and to get some feedback that may be used to enhance products and services. So the problem has actually helped to improve the company.

An interpersonal conflict at work can seem like a problem. But if you think like a leader and use the circumstance to building understanding, promote communication and enrich the relationship, the problem has actually made you better. It has been fodder for your growth and served you nicely. Bless it.

Problems & difficult situations bring depth, compassion and wisdom. They give self-awareness and make us the person that we are. I wouldn’t trade them for the world.

Problems reveal genius. World class organizations have a culture that sees problems as opportunities for improvement. Don’t condemn them – learn from them and embrace them. World class human beings turn their wounds into wisdom. They leverage their failures to bring them closer to success. They don’t see problems, they see possibilities. And that’s what makes them great. Remember a mistake is only a mistake, if you make it twice.

“The only people with No Problems are dead”

SIX REASONS TO SET GOALS

2013-01-06T16:01:00.000-08:00

SIX REASONS TO SET GOALS

Few success practices are as important as articulating your most closely held goals and then reviewing them daily. Getting masterful at setting and then considering your goals on a consistent basis is essential to a life of greatness. And yet, most people don’t spend more than an hour a year doing this. It’s true: People spend more time planning summer vacations than they do designing their lives.

In my mind, there are six big reasons to set goals: Focus, Growth, Intentionality, Measurement, Alignment and Inspiration.

FOCUS: Where your focus goes your energy flows. I noticed that one of the primary traits of highly successful entrepreneurs, captains of industry etc is their focus. They know their “vital few”, in other words, the key goals they need to achieve to get to the extraordinary. And then they focus like crazy on them. Goals breed focus. Simple but very powerful.

GROWTH: Goal-setting promotes personal growth. The real value of reaching a goal lies not in the result achieved but in what the journey you’ve walked to get to the goal has made of you as a person.

INTENTIONALITY: It’s easy to live life by accident and sleepwalk through your days. It you don’t act on life, life has a way of acting on you. By articulating your goals and then reviewing them for five minutes each morning, you will exert your influence on the life and live in a proactive rather than reactive manner. By setting goals, you will have a framework or decision matrix that will drive better choices. You will become aware – within a few seconds – when you get off plan. You’ll make fewer mistakes and get more done in less time. As the novelist Saul Bellow said: “A plan relive you of the torment of choice”

MEASUREMENT: Amos Shapiro, CEO of El El, Israel’s national airline offered me a tour of Tel Aviv’s spectacular airport when I was last there. In one of the meeting rooms used by his staff, a statement appeared on a crumpled piece of paper stuck to a wall: “what gets measured gets improved”. Very effective. Setting goals gives you something to measure. If your physical goal is to get down to 12% body fat, you have a standard against which to measure your progress. And as you measure, you have a basis on which to improve. With a clearer awareness of your goals you can make their choices. With better choices, you will see better results.

ALIGNMENT: I’ll share one of my best “secrets of success” with you. Ensure your daily actions are aligned with your deepest values. Let me put it another way. There can be no happiness if your commitments are not congruent with your convictions. Isn’t that what integrity is all about, ensuring that your schedule reflects your values and what you stand for? Setting clear goals that are aligned with your most important values is a superb way to get to personal greatness.

INSPIRATION: Goals breathe life into your days. The very act of articulating your goals on a crisp white paper causes you to step into a whole new possibility for what your life can become. Setting your goals is a statement that you refuse to be ordinary. Setting your goals is a bold play for your best life. Setting your goals is an act of heroism because you are reaching for the potential that has been invested in you. As Mark Twain noted: “If everyone was satisfied with themselves there would no heroes”

“Setting goals is a bold play for best life. Setting goals is an act of heroism because you are reaching for the potential that has been invested in you”

HABITS ARE HIP

2012-12-16T18:47:00.000-08:00

HABITS ARE HIP

Ok, so may be habits aren’t the hippest thing in the world. But they just might be the most important. What separates the best from the rest comes down to habits. A few good ones (that’s really all it takes – two or three really good ones) will make a massive difference in the way your career and your life looks at the end. They will make the difference between mediocrity and mastery. So choose them well.

Here’s a metaphor that may serve nicely to make this point: A good habit is like a sturdy oak tree. It starts off as a little seed, planted in a single moment. Fail to nurture it daily and it dies a fast death. But tend to it, just a bit each day, and the thing grows. Until one day it’s so strong that it is next to impossible to break.

Your habits will define how close to your personal mountaintop you get. Ones I’ve observed in world-class people include the following:

· Align all your actions with the highest levels of excellence and integrity

· Put relationships with people first

· Take highest levels of accountability

· Leverage adversity to make you/your career and your life even better

· Get up early

· Under-promise and over-deliver (always give people more than they expect and you’ll win)

· Be a passionate learner (read daily, listen to audio programs by insightful thinkers and attend seminars)

· Spend the first 60 minutes of each day dreaming, planning or simply working out to maintain remarkable personal vitality

· Balance being tremendously good at what you do with becoming a

· Tremendously interesting and well-rounded human being

Just a few to pick from. To get you going. To plan your seeds

“What separates the best from the rest comes down to habits”

Do a clean sweep

2012-12-09T18:51:00.000-08:00

Do a Clean Sweep

I’ve spent much of the past twelve months in what I call Strategic Hibernation – pulling back from much of the “busyness” of my life and rethinking things like my priorities, my values and my personal philosophy. I’ve accepted fewer social invitations, limited many activities and spent a lot more time in reflection – just to make certain I’m climbing the right mountain and spending my days in the way they should be spent. I’ve also spend a lot of time this year doing a “Clean Sweep”

A clean sweep is a superb way to streamline, simplify and refocus your life. Most of us have a ton of baggage and clutter that we carry with us on this journey. These might include, “messages,” like incomplete relationships or people you have yet to forgive (or apologize to). The baggage in your life could include “undones”, like a will that needs to be prepared or a life insurance policy that should be updated. The clutter could relate to an unkempt yard or a bunch of unpacked boxes stacked in a spare room. The idea is this: when you clean sweep these things – put them into order or delete what needs to be eliminated from your life – you will feel lighter, happier and your mind will experience more peace.

My clean sweep involved getting a will, getting rid of a lot of things I hadn’t used for a while, putting a financial plan in place, tidying up my physical spaces, saying goodbye to pursuits that were not aligned with my personal and professional strategic objectives (goals), installing systems to be more efficient and spending a lot of time refining the model of my business. Guess what? It worked – beautifully.

I have more time to do what’s most important. I’m more relaxed and in the flow. I have more energy and more creative. And I’m having more fun. So do a Clean Sweep of your life. And start soon. The results just might astonish you.

“Delete what needs to be eliminated from your life – you will feel lighter, happier and your mind will experience more peace”

What do you evangelize?

2012-12-02T18:35:00.000-08:00

What do you Evangelize?

An evangelist, by definition, is simply someone who spreads good news. It’s someone who gets stuck on a big idea or a passionate cause and then walks out into this day and spreads the message like a virus. It’s someone who gets to be engaged in doing something important that it’s all he/she things about, dreams about, talks about. It’s a human being who understands – at a cellular level – what Dr Martin Luther King Jr. meant when he said: “if you have not discovered something you are willing to die for, then you are not fit to live”. This troubled and uncertain world of ours needs more evangelists: human beings doing great things, blessings lives by their actions, making a difference.

Where did most people’s passion for greatness go? Each of us had it as kids. We wanted to be superheroes, astronauts, poets and painters. We wanted to change the world, stand on mountain tops and eat lots of ice cream. Then, as we aged, life began to do its work on us. Fearful people snickered at our dreams. disappointments began to show up. Life began to hurt us and we began to buy into the propaganda that says we should not thing too big, reach too high and love too much. Breaks my heart to think about it. But that’s exactly what happens.

You are meant to shine. I believe that fiercely. You are here to find that cause, that main aim, that vital destiny that will move you at the most visceral level and get you up at the crack of dawn with fire in your belly. You are meant to find something that your life will stand for and that will consume you, something so beautiful and meaningful that you’d willing to take a bullet for it. It might mean developing people at work and helping them live their highest potential. It might mean being an innovator who adds outrageous value to your clients and brings cool products to the world. Your cause might involve elevating communities or helping people in need.

I don’t know what your life’s most important to do is. That’s for you to figure out (through some deep reflection, introspection and soul-searching; doing that within a journal is a wise idea). But I do know this: when you find the mission that your life will be dedicated to, you’ll wake up each day with that fire I mentioned. You won’t want to sleep. You’ll be willing to move mountains to make it happen. You’ll find that sense of internal fulfillment that may now be missing from your life. And you’ll preach that message to anyone who’ll listen. You’ll become an evangelist.

“You are here to find that cause, that main aim, that vital destiny that will move you at the most visceral level and get you up at the crack of dawn with fire in your belly”

How to be a happier human

2012-11-25T18:40:00.001-08:00

How to be a Happier Human

If you want to be happier, do more of the things that make you happy. I know that seems like an obvious point – but it’s not. As we leave the wonder years of childhood, most of us stop doing the things that make our hearts sing. One CEO client told me recently that when he was young, he used to love to take long solo rides on his bicycle. “I stopped doing that when we had kids and work demands took over. Life just got busier. But those moments out on that bike came from some of the best days of my life.” Another client, a phenomenally successful entrepreneur, shared that his passion used to be playing his drums in a rock band. “Those were incredible times. Then I started my business and it began to consume me. I miss playing music. I’d lose myself in it.”

Here’s your To Do: Make a list of your 10 Greatest Passions, 10 activities that fill your heart with joy and remind you of how good life can be. And then, over the coming 10 weeks, inject one of those pursuits into your weekly schedule. Powerful thought: The things that get scheduled are the things that get done. Until you schedule something, it’s only a concept – and extraordinary people don’t build remarkable lives on concepts. They build their greatness on action and near-flawless execution around their deliverables. They get things done.

This 10-week program works. When you get back to doing those things that lifted your spirit and sent you soaring, you reconnect with that state of happiness that you may have lost. And part of the purpose of life is to be happy. Real happy.

“When you get back to doing those things that lifted your spirit and sent you soaring, your reconnect with that state of happiness that you may have lost”

Get fit to lead

2012-09-09T21:18:00.000-07:00

Get Fit to Lead

You know I’m an evangelist around the whole idea of being ultra-fit if you want to be at your best. Getting into world-class physical condition is one of the smartest moves you can make. Exercising will make you look better, feel stronger and fill you with boundless energy. Staying fit will even make you happier.

The past week has been a time of great change for me. I’m reengineering my business to make it more focused and fast. I’m coaching my team so that they know the new standards and goals. I’m pushing myself harder to get more done and generate better results. And I’m lifting the bar on the size of my dreams. I need to make a bigger difference. I passionately feel that. As I go through all this, one of the practices that is serving me so well is my daily pilgrimage to the gym.

I remember a professional speaker name Peter Urs Bender once telling me: “Robing, some people go to church each day. Well, my church is the gym. And each day that’s where I go to get blessed”. I also remember a participant in one of my leadership seminars sharing: “Exercise is an insurance policy I’ve taken out on my health. And each that I go into the gym, I’m paying the premium”. Yet another personal told me recently at a book signing: “Good health is a crown on the head of a well person that only a sick person can see.” Smart points. Wise people.

No matter how busy I get or how much pressure is on my shoulders, a good workout makes me feel at ease. I come off the treadmill feeling relaxed, full of joy and with a sense of perspective over the issues on my plate. I get so many big ideas while I’m running and such clarity while I’m lifting weights. And staying fit keeps me happy and positive. I know I’ll never be Mr. Universe. But because I care for my health, my life will be a lot better, more productive and longer than if didn’t. And that’s good enough for me.

“Good health is a crown on the head of a well person that only a sick person can see”

The person who experiences the most wins

2012-09-02T19:35:00.001-07:00

The Person Who Experiences Most Wins

I want the experience of an old man while I’m still young. And I think I’ve figured out a way to get it: collapse the timeline. Most people don’t take that many risks or have that many new conversations or read that many new books or take that many new travels. By engaging in these and other experience-building pursuits at a dramatically accelerated rate, I figure I could get 10 years worth of learning and lessons in quarter of the time. Just collapse the timeline by doing more important stuff faster and sooner. Just stay focused and committed. Just put more living into each of the days.

We all get the same allotment of time. Each of us get 20 hours each day. The sad fact is that too many among us spend too much time doing unimportant things. Living reactive lives. Saying “yes” to activities they should be saying “no” to. Drifting like a piece of wood in a river, moving in whatever direction the current happens to be moving on that particular day. All because they did not make the time to think. About their priorities. About their dreams and goals. And to note what they want to make of their lives. People have lost 20 good years this way. Seriously.

By getting clear on what you want out of life, you heighten your awareness around what’s most important. With better awareness comes better choices. And with better choices you’ll see better results. Clarity breeds success.

So don’t wait until the end of your life to become experienced. Collapse the timeline. Get clear on what you need to experience to have a fulfilling life – and then start doing it now. Meet cool people. Visit neat places. Read deep books. Seize opportunities. Fail often – it reflects an increase in your reach and risk taking. Who cares if you win or lose, so long as you get another experience to add to the inventory? Even the saddest of times make your life richer. Benjamin Zandler, the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic, shared the following line from his teacher’s wonderful book The Art of Possibility: “I’m so sorry for you; your lives have been so easy. You can’t play great music unless your heart’s been broken.” The more experiences, the better the life.

“I want the experience of an old man while I’m still young. And I think I’ve figured out a way to get it: Collapse the timeline”