Doug Petch's ARC Builder Blog

Independence Day 2009

Doug — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:03:49 +0000

For all of you in the United States of America, enjoy the holiday but never lose sight of exactly what we're celebrating.

65 Years Ago Today

Doug — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 11:29:58 +0000

When the fate of the world hung on the decision of one man....

Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon a great crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers in arms on other fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.

Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened, he will fight savagely.

But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man to man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our home fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to victory!

I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory!

Good Luck! And let us all beseech the blessings of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.

-- Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower

You can find out more about this pivotal day and its commemoration here, here and here. You can listen to General Eisenhower delivering his D-Day message to the troops here.

The 5 Rs of High Performance Training

Doug — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:57:37 +0000

Tom Peters makes an excellent point when he asks:

Why does the Army, from recruit to general, train and train—but, mostly, the private sector does a smidgeon of individual training and virtually no unit training, let alone combined unit training?

I spent countless hours training during my Army career. Some of it was general; physical fitness training and marksmanship, for instance. Some of it centered on battle drills; developing instinctive reactions to common battlefield occurrences. And some of my training focused on preparing for specific missions.

All military units conduct this training, but the High Performance Units I was associated with excelled at training. They excelled because they understood and incorporated the 5 Rs of High Performance Training:

Resources. High Performance Training is resource-intensive. It requires an investment of time, money, material, and personnel. For instance, one High Performance Unit I served with expended more ammunition for training in a month than similar units went through in a year.
Realism. High Performance Training is realistic. Our training for a specific mission would include traveling distances equal to what we would travel during the actual mission, under the same conditions as we would likely encounter and culminated at a rehearsal target site built to look as much like the actual target as possible.
Rehearsals. This is also referred to as the "crawl-walk-run" method. In training on especially complex tasks we would start with the basic individual tasks and methodically work up to the full unit tasks. Rehearsals were also used anytime live ammunition was to be used; we would train first with blank ammunition and not switch to live ammunition until we had mastered the drill we were conducting.
Repetition. Practice something often enough and it becomes a subconscious, reflexive action.
Review. One of the most effective tools for improving performance is the after-action review. Our training always ended by talking through what we did, why we did it, what worked, what didn't, and what we could do to improve our performance.

The effectiveness of the 5 Rs was driven home for me when I attended a briefing on the accident rates of aviation units involved in Operation Desert Storm. Prior to deployment, aviation units that I would consider High Performance (based on their consistent use of the 5 Rs, among other factors) had an accident rate that was somewhat higher than their counterparts. After deployment, however, their accident rate was substantially lower than units that didn't strictly adhere to the 5 Rs.

The 5 Rs of High Performance Training are as applicable to business as they are to the military. Adopting and adapting them for your specific needs will help you move towards High Performance Success.

Some Gave All

Doug — Mon, 25 May 2009 10:00:00 +0000

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION

For over two centuries, Americans have defended our Nation's security and protected our founding principles of democracy and equal justice under law. On Memorial Day, we honor those who have paid the ultimate price in defense of these freedoms.

Members of the United States Armed Forces have placed our Nation's safety before their own for generations. From the first shots fired at Lexington and Concord to the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, these brave patriots have taken on great risks to keep us safe, and they have served with honor and distinction. All Americans who have enjoyed the blessings of peace and liberty remain in their debt.

As we remember the selfless service of our fallen heroes, we pray for God's grace upon them. We also pray for all of our military personnel and veterans, their families, and all those who have lost loved ones in the defense of our freedom and safety.

Today, as we commend their deeds, we also bear a heavy burden of responsibility to ensure that their sacrifices will not have been in vain. This means that, as we uphold the ideals for which many have given their last full measure of devotion, the United States must never waver in its determination to defend itself, to be faithful in protecting liberty at home and abroad, and to pursue peace in the world.

In respect for their dedication and service to America, the Congress, by a joint resolution approved on May 11, 1950, as amended (36 U.S.C. 116), has requested the President to issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe each Memorial Day as a day of prayer for permanent peace and designating a period on that day when the people of the United States might unite in prayer. The Congress, by Public Law 106-579, has also designated 3:00 p.m. local time on that day as a time for all Americans to observe, in their own way, the National Moment of Remembrance.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim Memorial Day, May 25, 2009, as a day of prayer for permanent peace, and I designate the hour beginning in each locality at 11:00 a.m. of that day as a time to unite in prayer. I also ask all

Americans to observe the National Moment of Remembrance beginning at 3:00 p.m. local time on Memorial Day. I urge the press, radio, television, websites, and all other media to participate in these observances. I also request the Governors of the United States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the appropriate officials of all units of government, to direct that the flag be flown at half-staff until noon on this Memorial Day on all buildings, grounds, and naval vessels throughout the United States, and in all areas under its jurisdiction and control. I also request the people of the United States to display the flag at half-staff from their homes for the customary forenoon period.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-second day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.

BARACK OBAMA

Speaking to Influence Workshop

Doug — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:33:37 +0000

I'm excited to announce that, for the second year in a row, I'll be teaming with my friend Dan Weedin at the Speaking to Influence Workshop. This 2 day event will be held October 1-2 at the beautiful Clearwater Casino Resort in Suquamish, WA.

This workshop is geared towards consultants, educators, celebrity speakers, politicians, non-profit executives, managers, or business owners who realize that their success depends on their ability to communicate dynamically and effectively. In just two days, you will walk away with strategies you can implement right away that will transform your presentation skills FOREVER:

Walk away with 7 strategies to connect with every single audience
Learn Dan's secrets to writing powerful presentations
Learn how to deliver a presentation that will engage every audience member
Learn how to effectively use your personal stories to carry your message
Uncover your natural humor and incorporate it in your presentations
Develop ways to overcome anxiety and fear
Develop easy to use practice skills that will keep you constantly sharp
Learn how to use PowerPoint so you it will enhance your message, not put your audience to sleep
Discover how you will be asked back to speak over and over and earn more money in your career

In addition to that you will also learn how to effectively leverage the explosion in social media tools such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and FriendFeed to stay informed, in touch and in control. Topics include how to:

Establish a powerful presence on the internet
Stay informed about what’s important to your customers
Develop new customers
Develop effective methods of keeping track of what your customers are saying about you

In addition, you will receive BONUS tips on:

The one internet strategy everyone should embrace
The art of making a positive impact – internet style
A surprising, yet effective marketing technique

You can learn more about the workshop - such as the special bonus available to the first 10 to sign up and the 100% money back guarantee - and register at Dan's website.

Don't miss this chance to invest in yourself by improving your communication skills and transforming your future. I hope to see you there!

Don't Ask

Doug — Wed, 06 May 2009 19:01:04 +0000

In life, sometimes you have to ask someone. For help. For forgiveness. For consideration. For a second piece of pie. It may sometimes be uncomfortable, but there's no shame in asking.

But don't ever ask someone for permission to succeed. Success is yours for the taking, and the only permission you need is from yourself.

That's Why They Run the Race

Doug — Sun, 03 May 2009 20:28:23 +0000

Have you ever been told that there's no chance you will achieve your goal?

He was a 50 to 1 long shot.

Has it ever seemed like nothing you tried was making a difference?

He was in last place for virtually the entire race.

Have you ever stopped trying because of the obstacles you encountered?

He slipped through a gap that no one thought he could squeeze through.

Did you ever just want to give up on your dream?

Calvin Borel, riding long shot Mine That Bird, didn't give up and rode that horse to victory in the 135th Kentucky Derby. And he didn't just win; he won by the largest margin in 63 years. On a horse that all the experts said didn't stand a chance.

Keep that in mind the next time obstacles or naysayers tempt you to give up. You have to run the whole race.

Building Your Perfect Personal Team

Doug — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:48:49 +0000

Can't make it to one of my Building Your Perfect Team workshops? Then I have good news. Your copy of my new action guide, Building Your Perfect Personal Team, is hot off the presses and ready to mail.

Building Your Perfect Personal Team will lead you through the process of building Your Perfect Personal Team. Each section starts by asking you to consider how you will apply The ARC of High Performance Success in your relationships. The ARC is based on my core philosophy that success must be grounded in three basic values; Accountability, Respect and Commitment.

You will then be presented with a number of exercises, checklists and suggestions to help you choose each member of Your Perfect Personal Team. One of the most important of these exercise, and one that you will see repeated in each section, is determining how each potential team member measures up against the seven characteristics of a Perfect Team Member.

This action guide will help you choose the best possible team to help you achieve your goals. You can reserve your copy here, and I'll put it in the mail as quick as you can say "Building Your ARC to High Performance Success."

Make the Time

Doug — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 18:17:59 +0000

If I were a betting man, I would be willing to wager quite a bit that you have said something similar to the following:

"I would love to write a book, if only I could find the time."
"I really want to start exercising, if only I could find the time."
"Take my children to the park? That would be great, if only I could find the time."
"I'm thinking about starting my own business, if only I could find the time."

If only I could find the time.

If ever there was a mindset guaranteed to prevent success, that would be it. So let me put it as simply as I know how; if you truly want to do something you don't wait until you can find the time. You make the time.

Success is about choices, and some of the most important choices you make are the choices about how you spend your time. If keeping your job (and your paycheck) is important to you, you make the time to show up and put in an honest day's work. If raising your children to be healthy, well-adjusted adults is important to you, you make the time to do those things that will have a positive impact on their upbringing. Likewise, if you have a goal that is important to you don't just try to find the time to work on it.

Make the time.

If You Haven't Looked Lately...

Doug — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 19:36:08 +0000

...you may want to check out my home page. I'm happy to be able to say that it has - finally - been completely revised to more accurately reflect what I do and how you can benefit from partnering with me.

I would love it if you would give it a once over and then let me know what you think in the comments to this post.

Thanks!