Training You to Excel
Many people create goals – but few of those goals are ever reached. In this video I show you how to write a contact with yourself to reach your goal in five structured steps.
(Note: This is a re-post so that I can feed this video to my free Podcast on iTunes.)
Write a Contract with Yourself to Reach Goals in Five Steps [ 0:01 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (626)Last night I was watching an old CSI episode. Greg Sanders was demanding that his boss, Gil Grissom make a decision.
(I am paraphrasing here) “Tell me what you have decided. Do I remain in the lab? Or can I start to work full-time in the field?”
Grissom (paraphrased) “Greg – when you have hired and trained your replacement, you can start to work full-time in the field.”
It’s that simple!
If you want to move forward in your career, you must look for, hire (figuratively) and train your replacement.
I wrote an article on this subject last year – “The Best Career Advice – Ever!” Here is an excerpt:
“Want to get ahead in your career? Make your boss replaceable. Start solving their problems. Don’t continue to bring them your problems, bring them possible solutions. Let them see that they are replaceable – by you! Let them move up a rung on the career ladder. And if they are smart, they will bring you along with them on the journey up. They will be your mentor.”
Follow this advice. It’s guaranteed to work every time!
“Do what you love, love what you do and deliver more than you promise.”
– Harvey Mackay
Tim Russert did all of that and more – a lot more… He delivered much more than he promised.
The diagnosis that the cause of his death was from an enlarged heart is certainly appropriate.
Mr. Russert’s passing has hit me hard. I am a “political junkie” and it will be difficult to get through the presidential election campaign without his guidance and insight. Above all, we will miss his never-ending (it seemed) enthusiasm for the political process.
The New York Times’ obituaryfor Mr. Russert includes this vignette:
“Mr. Hunt, of Bloomberg News, said that in one of the last of their nearly weekly conversations, early this month, he and Mr. Russert relished the opportunity to cover this year’s presidential campaign. As his old friend recalled through tears Friday, Mr. Russert marveled, ‘Can you believe we get paid for this year?'”
“Do what you love; love what you do and deliver more than you promise.” – Harvey Mackay
What a great outlook on life and work and family.
There have been so many wonderful tributes to Mr. Russert. He influenced so many people. He was always “there” for them at important points in their lives – and our lives. He was a guiding force. He was always “present” … and now he is gone.
It is rare indeed to witness someone who truly loves every minute of life. Mr. Russert did. He always lit up a room or a television studio. He elevated the conversation. He raised all of us up – to a higher standard. He was truly a “force of nature.”
I will miss him. I will miss his passion, his energy, his professionalism. I will remember the words of encouragement that he offered his colleagues, “Go get’em pal!”
“We are told that talent creates its own opportunities. But it sometimes seems that intense desire creates not only its own opportunities, but its own talents.”
– Eric Hoffer
Tom Peters has an interesting post on his blog -“Get To (Serious!!) Work … On Your Presentation Skills!”
He points out how one Seventeen Minute speech in 2004 catapulted Sen. Barack Obama’s career. Sen.. Obama delivered the Keynote Speech at the 2004 Democratic National attention and he “caught fire.” He went from a virtually unknown young politician to becoming the presumptive Presidential nominee of his party in less than 4 years!
Fueled by his 17 minute speech!
In 1988 another relatively unknown politician first caught our eye when he delivered a (very long) nominating speech for Gov. Michael Dukakis. That was our first national notice of (then) Gov. Bill Clinton of Arkansas.
Yes, it is time to “Get Serious – really serious – about working on your presentation skills.” To quote from the Tom Peters article:
“Fact, in “our” more modest worlds: Poor or average or even “okay” presentation skills trip up or hold back an incredible number of very talented people at all levels, including the highest in big orgs—and yet it is rare to see someone launch a martial-arts-training-like, no-bull, I’m-gonna-master-this-or-die-trying offensive on presentation skill improvement.
Why not?”
Indeed! Why not? Why don’t you put more effort into improving your presentation skills? What is holding you back? Do you realize how much your “so-so” presentation skills are holding you back – from advancing in your career? Holding you back from getting what you really want in your life?
It’s not enough to say, “they are a naturally gifted speaker and I just am not.” That is just BS!
Talent, alone, does not guarantee success. It is the intense desire to work on fully developing our talents that determines our long-term success.
Will Sen. Obama’s desire to become President of the USA drive him to improve his natural speaking talents? He will need to improve his debating skills and to work on his responses to questions if he is to succeed.
I’ll be blogging about the presentation skills (or lack of skills) of our Presidential candidates up until the November election. I will be interested to see which candidate shows the most desire to succeed.
Which candidate will really commit to fully developing his communications skills? Which candidate is is most interested in supercharging his career?
“Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It’s quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure.
– Thomas Watson, Jr. President of IBM (1952 – 1971)
Business Week Magazine has an interesting article titled, “Why Failures Can Be Such Success Stories.” Along with an accompanying slide show, the writer details the multiple failures of many famous people and explains how and why they were able to rebound from a potentially debilitating experience:
What drives these people – and thousands of others just like them – to succeed? Why didn’t they just sink into the floor and seek cover from their mistakes?
“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein
That’s one explanation. And quite acceptable – in a clinical sort of way. Theoretically, I can accept the need to learn from my mistakes. And I have – made many mistakes – and learned from many of them.
What is more complex is the “blow to the ego” that usually accompanies a colossal failure. It is not the mistake, per se, that matters. It is how we personally react to the mistake. What we learn about what went wrong is important. But… what we learn about ourselves – and our reaction to the failure – is what determines our success – or our potential failure.
“We need to teach the highly educated person that it is not a disgrace to fail and that he must analyze every failure to find its cause. He must learn how to fail intelligently, for failing is one of the greatest arts in the world.” – Charles Kettering
What we can teach – others and ourselves – is the concept of “self-efficacy.” Resiliance. The ability to bounce back after a failure. Learning how to look ahead and learning from your mistakes. Learning not to view mistakes as a personal failure. To quote from Douglas MacMillan’s Business Week article:
“While self-efficacy is akin to other aspects of positive thinking such as self-confidence and self-esteem, it relates in particular to self-assurance about being able to excel at a particular task rather than to a person’s overall self-image. When failure strikes, people with high self-efficacy learn from their errors and strengthen their resolve to succeed.”
“Self-efficacy” is a trait that can be learned. It is a trait that leaders learn. It is a trait that leaders teach to others. A trait that they help to nurture in others – personally and organizationally.
How? How do you teach “self-efficacy?” By coaching and mentoring your staff. By offering constructive feedback on a continuing basis. By teaching people to “fail intelligently.” By teaching people how to succeed – by failing.
“Most people would learn from their mistakes if they weren’t so busy denying that they made them.” – John Hays
What does your handshake say about you? How do your clients and colleagues react to your handshake? Do you give your colleague the same handshake that you extend to a new client? If not, why not? How do you react when someone gives you a “dead fish” handshake? Cold and clammy, I’ll bet!
Want to know more about the “dos and don’ts” of handshaking? Click here to view a slide show of handshaking examples – good and bad – on the Business Week Magazine website.
How many times a day do you shake a person’s hand? So many times that you probably don’t even think about it.
But you should think about it. Not about the number. You need to examine how your personal handshaking style. You need to be sure that you convey a positive message when you “speak” with your handshake.
Here is why:
“New research by University of Iowa business professor Greg Stewart confirms that a firm, solid handshake is an important part of a successful job interview, while a dead fish can end the interview before it even begins.
More important, in fact, than dress or physical appearance, the handshake seems to be a trigger that sets off an interviewer’s overall impression of a person.”
I encourage you to look at the handshaking examples in the Business Week slide show. Here are a few tips:
Your handshake is your calling card. It reflects your personality. It is difficult to “fake.” It leaves a lasting impression of you.
What impression do you want to make? Learn to “speak” with your handshake.
I’m back posting after a few days hiatus. As I wrote in my last post, I was asked to substitue for the keynote speaker at a conference last week. Unfortunately, the scheduled speaker’s father passed away the day before the conference opened.
The audience was pleased with my talk. The board of directors of the conference was relieved – and pleased- that I was able to come through for them. I, too, was pleased with my talk.
Even though I did not have much time to prepare for this talk, I had plenty of material pre-planned for several talks. I have been an emergency substitue speaker before so I always have a few talks ready to go. So, it was simply a question of selecting the appropriate material, asking enough questions about the audience, and putting it all together. And then I could concentrate on delivering the keynote address.
Sounds easy? It is – for me. For most people – no, they would run away – as far and as fast as they could.
So many people live in fear of speaking in public. They are paralyzed by this fear. They do not realize how this fear is holding them back – from advancing in their careers and from developing relationships.
You can learn to face your fears. You can make a decision. You can decide to remain a prisoner of your fears. Or you can decide to face your fears head-on and take the first step towards conquering your fears.
Last night, at the closing banquet, a good friend and colleague of mine was honored for his years of service to our association and our industry. Great choice! Well deserved. And, a great model for the message of this post.
Early in his career, Kevin was paralyzed with fear of speaking in public. I vividly recall meeting Kevin more than thirty years ago, when he could barely say “Hello” to someone he was meeting for the first time. Some of my colleagues muttered, “He won’t last. He doesn’t have what it takes. He’s too shy”
Kevin must have heard those comments. He realized that he had to face his fear of speaking in public if he was “going to last.” He knew the steps that he needed to take in order to prove that he had what it takes to be successful in his business – and in our industry.
His first step was to enroll in a Dale Carnegie Training class. He enjoyed the experience so much that he now is a Dale Carnegie certified trainer. His is a story of success. And he is a real role model for anyone who wants to learn how to overcome their fear of speaking in public.
Thank you Kevin! Thank you for showing us that it is indeed possible to face your fears – and conquer them.
“If you think you are too small to have an impact, try to go to bed with a mosquito.”
– Anita Roddick
It sounds morbid, I know, but I begin each morning by reading the Obituary page in The New York Times. I’ve done this for years. I consider an obituary to be a celebration – a tribute to a life well led.! Reading it is also an opportunity for me to look forward – to ask myself, “Have you done everything that you wanted to do yet? If not, why not start today? What are you waiting for?”
Anita Roddick, the founder of The Body Shop, passed away last September. I first became aware of her a few years ago, when I found the quotation that I use at the top of this post. What a remarkable woman! What a story! What a life! What an impact she made – just like a mosquito bite!
I wanted to learn more about her – and then she was gone…
I was too busy to comment on her passing last year. But her voice remains in my head. And her story continues to evolve.
This morning, as I was preparing to travel to a conference of small business owners and managers, I was doing some research on Anita Roddick. As a result, I came across a wonderful tribute to Dame Roddick by Valeria Maltoni. This eulogy was originally published on the Fast Company.com website.. Click here to read it. Great writing, Valeria!
And that is another benefit of reading the Obituary page – I discover great writing – and great writers! Until this morning, I had never heard of Valeria Maltoni. From just a quick look at her website and blog, I want to read more. Her voice is unique. I want to hear more!
I’ve started my day with a new discovery. How did you day begin? How will it end? Make it happen!
“We find comfort among those who agree with us – growth among those who don’t.”
– Frank A. Clark
Acutally, I think that we grow as a result of both agreement and disagreement.
Recently, I was training a group to develop their coaching and mentoring skills. At the end of the day, we asked each participant to share their “take-aways” with the group. Quite a few expressed relief that the techniques they learned during the session reinforced what they were already doing. They needed the comfort of confirmation. Their self-confidence grew. They will continue to gain skills and grow – to the extent that they resist staying comfortable.
“It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” – John Wooden
It is natural to seek agreement. It is unnatural – for most of us – to seek out a different point of view. The opposing argument. The other side of the coin. We fear the unknown. We resist change.
The problem comes when we seem to reach agreement too quickly. Have we looked at all of the possibilities? When we are too eager to see things turn out right, have we overlooked what could go wrong?
“When there are two people in a business who always agree, one of them is unnecessary.” – William Wrigley, Jr.
I enjoy participating in trade association meetings. I get to satisfy my need to be around people who share a common goal. My core beliefs. But I also enjoy the opportunity to grow as a result of “managed conflict.” Seminars and conversations that challenge my point of view. My perceptions. My comfort level. That is how I learn. It’s how I evolve.
“Difference of opinion leads to enquiry, and enquiry to the truth.” – Thomas Jefferson
In my experience, the companies that fail to evolve – to manage the growth of their business – are those that do not seek out opposing points of view. They don’t challenge themselves. But they like to complain. They are not interested in exploring other approaches to their business They yearn for a return to the way things used to be. The good old days. And they are usually absent from association meetings.
“Conversation means being able to disagree and still continue the discussion.” – Dwight MacDonald
It’s great to seek out comfort. Enjoy it. But don’t cocoon. If you are interested in growth – personal or professional – seek out opportunities for disagreement. Join a sharing group, seek out networking opportunities, participate in your industry association meetings. Find a comfortable place to disagree.
“The reward for always listening when you’d rather be talking is wisdom.” – Anonymous
“If you treat people as they are, they’ll be what they are. If you treat them as they could be, they’ll become what you want them to be.”
– David Maurer
I was inspired to write this morning by Carmine Gallo’s Column in Business Week Magazine: “A Teacher’s Lessons for Business Leaders”. This is a story about an exceptional teacher, Ron Clark and how he made a difference in the lives of the students in his Harlem, NY fifth-grade class.
“Ron Clark taught elementary school in North Carolina. After watching a program about a New York City school that had a hard time attracting qualified teachers, he decided to head to New York with the goal of teaching in one of its toughest schools. Clark eventually landed a job doing just that—in Harlem. He asked if he could teach a class of fifth-graders who had been performing at a second-grade level. The school’s administrators wanted to give him the gifted class, but Clark insisted on the underperforming students. In one school year, Clark’s fifth-grade class outperformed the gifted class. Clark became Disney’s teacher of the year, a best-selling author, an Oprah guest, and the subject of a made-for-TV movie, The Ron Clark Story, starring Matthew Perry.”
I didn’t know about Ron Clark before today. But I have had several Ron Clark’s in my life. A teacher or mentor who had a strong belief in my abilities. Someone who knew that I was capable of doing more than what I was producing. Someone who opened a door – that I didn’t even knew existed – and pushed me across the threshold.
The teachers and mentors who most influenced my life and career never told me “what” to do. They inspired me to learn more, to do more, to become more curious because they showed me “why” it mattered.
And so it is with Ron Clark and his students. (A further quotation for the Business Week article:)
“Explain why before how. “It’s not enough to set a goal,” Clark told me. “You need to tell your students why it’s important to reach that goal. For my students, it meant a better future. I told them why they needed to know a certain subject, how it would be an advantage to them in their lives.”
When it comes to inspiring your employees, the “why” is also often more important than the “how.” Why should they exceed quarterly sales goals? Why should they improve customer service scores? Show your team how accomplishing these goals will improve their lives as well as the lives of those around them.”
Ron Clark was named the Disney Teacher of the Year 2001. One of my favorite quotes comes from Walt Disney:
“If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember that this whole thing was started by a mouse.”
I needed help to achieve my dreams. I was fortunate to have loving parents, teachers and mentors to help me along the way. Now it is my turn to do the same.
On my website, I pay tribute to my parents and mentors. Here is a link to the videos.
“Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Others stay awhile, make footprints on our hearts and we are never, ever the same.”
– Anonymous
