Avoid Using Broken Shovels

President Abraham Lincoln once commented, "Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe."

We regularly survey employees of Clients to assess the strength of an organization's culture and leadership systems. The survey has 50 statements. Participants are asked to agree, disagree, or label the statement "neutral" if they are ambivalent about it.

One negative answer used to surprise me, but no longer because the negativity in this area is surprisingly common.

The statement is, "My company provides me with everything I need to perform well."

Every question in our survey ideally should be answered as, "Agree" or "Strongly Agree." However, this statement is often assessed as, "Neutral," "Disagree," or "Strongly Disagree."

One critical responsibility of leaders is to give our people the tools they need to do their job. Great tools are necessary to work and compete effectively.

Therefore, prudent investment in high quality tools is just good sense. It is a requirement for your organization to thrive.

For instance, would you require someone to dig a ditch with a broken shovel?

No "broken shovels"

Of course not! No wise leader would demand a ditch be dug with broken shovels. It would be foolish or cruel, or a combination of both.

Does that mean you have to only buy the best? Not necessarily.

For instance, if you provide company cars to salespeople, should everyone be driving a Tesla?

No, unless your competitors are driving a Tesla and you cannot identify an alternative, lower-cost vehicle that reinforces the image that your organization offers the best value, expertise, and wisdom for your clients' needs.

Why should you worry about "broken shovels"?

Because most leaders assume their people have the tools they need to succeed, yet some or most of their employees disagree.

This disconnect is hurting your results.

Time for a REALITY CHECK

It is time for a reality check. How can you know for certain that your employees have the tools they need to be their best?

Ask.

In meetings with individual teams, simply ask the question:

"Are we providing you with everything you need to perform your best?"

Have the discussion as a group, because when you ask individuals they may not have the guts to tell you the truth. Also, discussing the issue with others means one person's comments may remind another person of a need they keep forgetting to mention, or have been afraid to share.

Giving your people the best tools achieves the following:

#1 - Communicates you care about them and value them as a member of your team. This demonstrates Sincere Gratitude, the third strand of 3strands LEADERSHIP.

#2 - Providing and maintaining the best possible tools for your team is part of Systematic Power, the second strand of 3strands LEADERSHIP.

#3 - Increases employee engagement, and results.

#4 - Increases employee retention.

#5 - Makes your company more attractive to top performers who consider making a career move to your organization.

3 Questions for a Leader

Here is a simple test of your leadership skills.  I suggest you not only rate yourself, but ask 3-5 people who have the strength to be candid how they would rate you.  Please do not request feedback from people who tell you what you want to hear or lack the guts to tell you the truth.

There are many ways to assess your leadership skills.  These just happen to be three strengths or weaknesses that I find recurring often with leaders whom I meet.

Gauge your leadership skills in three areas.

#1 - Do you ask for advice on how you can improve?

Most leaders are so busy they never check-in to confirm they are at their best.  They assume they are doing the "right things" and focused on what is "most important," yet rarely is this 100% true.

In reality, everyone is making mistakes.

According to Dr. Henry Cloud in his book, Never Go Back, highly successful people realize their mistakes and develop habits and systems to avoid them, whereas average performers might acknowledge mistakes but continue to make them.

Therefore you have a choice:  Continue to make mistakes, and overlook your bad habits because you are so busy, or ask people whom you trust for advice and discipline yourself to develop new, more powerful habits that overcome your bad habits.

Ask yourself these follow-up questions:

• When did you most recently ask someone for candid feedback?

• How many times have you asked for feedback over the past month?

• How often do people give you unsolicited feedback?

#2 - Do you accept feedback or reject it?

Whether you get sincere feedback depends on how you respond to it.  People whom you berate or debate will avoid being candid with you.  And why should they? Your behaviors communicate you do not care about their opinions anyway.

Feedback is also referred to as "constructive criticism."  Isn't that an oxymoron?  (Air exhaled by a moron...)  I suggest you avoid that term because it is kind of passive-aggressive.  Feedback should be a balance of sincere, positive comments and insights focused on improvement.  Being open to both positive feedback to build your strengths and negative feedback to address weaknesses is a very important soft skill.

Unfortunately many people lack the ability to receive feedback in a healthy way.  As others start to give feedback they immediately shift to fight or flight mode.  The fighters often aim listen only to debate or deny.  The flighty folks might listen and then walk away muttering to themselves about how wrong the other person was.

Unfortunately, most people naturally believe they are a victim, villain, or hero, or a combination of two of these personas.  Often the natural response of a:

• "Victim" is to whimper away or debate the feedback as an attack.

• "Villain" is to defend and not even consider the feedback. They may even twist the other person's thoughts into an opportunity to attack them.

• "Hero" may be to fully consider the feedback and act upon it because they have positive self-esteem and want to build on their strengths; or they might have such a huge ego that any un-positive feedback is simply disregarded.

Each persona is different. Ask yourself these questions to determine which persona you are:

• When you get feedback, how do you fully consider it?

• What questions do you ask? Are they to explore the comments further, or identify flaws in the other person's conclusions?

• Do you document the feedback and consider it further?

• Do you thank the person sincerely for their opinion (hero), or debate to help them understand what you believe are misperceptions (fight - villain/victim), or end the conversation to leave as quickly as possible (flight - villain/victim)?

#3 - How do you follow-up on their advice?

Leadership is all about integrity, communication, and follow-up.Great leaders translate feedback into better personal habits, next generation solutions, and win-win outcomes.

Simply listening is not enough.  It does not matter how sincerely you listen.  If you do not act upon the feedback then your "sincerity" is pointless.

You win today by how you adapt your schedule to focus on what is truly most important while retaining your character.  Feedback plays a critical part in your success.  Do not underestimate it.

However, let's be candid, not all feedback is correct.Sometimes the other party is wrong, at least partially.  This does not mean you need to debate.  It is actually more beneficial to ask questions to fully understand how they came to their conclusions.

Sincerely exploring and considering their perceptions may lead to improvements. Ask yourself the following questions:

• What have you changed with a new, powerful habit or system in response to feedback you received (you listed in #1 above)?

• How have you changed the way you receive feedback, document and evaluate it, and act upon it based on recent feedback?

• How are you tracking your improved behavior and/or outcomes?

• Specifically what will you change now to improve your ability to proactively seek and sincerely receive feedback, and act upon it?

Give yourself up to 10 points for each of the 10 questions above to rate yourself as a leader.  100% is the maximum score.  How did you do?

Albert Einstein is credited with saying, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again." Are you partially insane? I have been. It takes discipline to be our best.  Receiving, fully considering, acting upon, and measuring the results of feedback is a powerful habit to develop.  It takes time to develop new habits, but the rewards are HUGE.

I encourage you to give it a try.  Stop the craziness.  It adds unnecessary drama to your life.

Surprise Book Recommendation

My wife wanted me to read Chip and Joanna Gaines' book, The Magnolia Story.  They got famous by their HGTV show, Fixer Upper.

I did not want to read it.

I have stacks of business books I'm trying to work through.  The Magnolia Story might be fun, but at the moment I need to learn, not just read for enjoyment. 

However, I made "her book" a priority because my wife Terry is important to me.  I just finished on Monday of this week.

To be candid, I finished the book at 11:13 p.m. and started crying.  I was in my hotel room, by myself, on a successful business trip.  My tears were for the mistakes I have made in life.  Too many mistakes, which for that moment, crowded out my many successes.

Chip and Jo have not lived flawless lives.  Their book is reasonably candid about mistakes they have made along the way.  Some of them are similar to mine, however they avoided some of my big mistakes.

How about you?  Made any mistakes in your life that still hurt?

Let me share four lessons from The Magnolia Story that hit me the most.  There was a lot of other material in the book that made me think, but these are the biggies.  These life lessons apply to everyone who wants to be an effective leader in their homes, careers, and community.

#1 - Stay Close

When the going gets tough Chip and Joanna work closer together, rather than hide the facts in hopes that things will improve or play the blame game.

(Joanna - page 84)  "Chip and I started working more closely together than ever...

(Joanna - page 86)  "... we seem to grow stronger the more time we spend together..."

(Chip - page 149)  "When things come against us we can either turn on each other, or we can come together and turn on it."

How is your relationship with your spouse affected when times get tough? 

I learned a long time ago that you find out just how good a youth sports coach is by watching them when their team is losing.  Any coach looks great when they are winning.  How well does the losing coach hold it together and remain an encourager and mentor? 

It is the tough times where you really find out what type of leader you are.  You also confirm your priorities, integrity, and depth of love for others.  It is not how your spouse reacts.  When a situation is headed downhill, it is how you respond.

How can you improve your relationship with your spouse when times get tough? What strengths do you have during the tough times that you can build on so your bond with your spouse gets stronger no matter what life throws at you?

These questions can also be asked in consideration of your work relationships. Replace "spouse" with "partner" or "co-worker" and ponder the answers.

#2 - Find Balance

As irritating as it may be at times, humans are designed to often choose spouses with opposite behaviors and motivators.  Joanna had the following revelation after one of Chip's mistakes that we all need to comprehend:

(Joanna - page 73)  "I have a naturally conservative nature, and Chip and I were supposed to balance each other out, not concede to each other's strengths and weaknesses."

Balance in a partnership requires respect, open communication, trust, and a confidence that you are safe explaining a mistake.  Although Chip makes a lot of business decisions on his own, my sense is their best decisions are made together.

If one or both partners play "whack a mole" when the other makes a mistake, then communication breaks down.  Chip and Joanna keep the conversations flowing.

Where can you improve communication with your spouse?

What strengths can you recognize and encourage?

Again, these questions can also be asked in consideration of your work relationships.

#3 - Good Stewardship

Joanna and Chip try to be careful money managers, although their approach is quite different.  Joanna is very risk adverse, whereas Chip is comfortable with what he believes is reasonable risk.  The bottom-line is they both are willing to work hard and smart to earn what they gain.

(Chip - page 98)  "My parents didn't teach me the value of a dollar - and of hard work too."

(Chip - page 99)  "One thing my dad would preach to us when it came to money was, 'I'll provide your needs, but you have to take care your wants.'"

Husband-and-wife need to be equally committed to achieve financial goals.  The standards for spending and saving need to be the same.  Financial boundaries, reporting, and budget discussions need to occur at least monthly, if not more often.  Money is the number one cause of divorce.  Therefore it requires more attention than it typically gets in a marriage.

What are 1-3 improvements you and your spouse can agree to improve the way you manage finances so that stress is lowered, and long-term financial security is attained and retained?

Where are your collective strengths in finances today, and how can you build upon them?

Consider two similar questions in regards to your work relationships.

#4 - No Regrets

There are two voices in our heads.  The one screaming at us is evil or a fool who encourages destructive behavior.  The one softly speaking to us is wisdom.  Couples who make important decisions together typically have better listening skills and consider the soft voice.  This leads to less regrets.

(Joanna - page 148)  "I didn't want to look back at this experience and regret how I handled it."

It is okay to make mistakes, even though some are foolish.  Repeating mistakes is what really hurts.  According to Dr. Henry Cloud's book, Never Go Back, the difference between successful and average people is that successful people do not repeat mistakes.

What mistakes are you and your spouse repeating, and what new habits can you put in place to stop this tragedy?

Where are you and your spouse strongest at avoiding mistakes?  How can you expand this capability to strengthen your marriage and protect your family?

I guess you figured out that I recommend you read Chip and Joanna Gaines's book, The Magnolia Story.

It was fun, but more than that, it was a learning experience. 

Thank you Chip and Joanna!  May you be blessed in all you do, and protected from the dangers success often creates.

Pass Your Batons to Win

It was the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.  The American men's 400-meter relay team was in contention for the gold medal.  Superstar sprinter Tyson Gay reached back to grab the baton on the final handoff in their preliminary race, "and there was nothing."

The American women's 400-meter relay teams also misconnected on the final handoff in their preliminary race, mirroring the men's shocking defeat.  For the first time in Summer Games history, the U.S. left an Olympics 0-for-6 in the sprint races:  both men's and women's 100s, 200s and 400 relays.  (ESPN)

Have you ever "passed someone the baton" and your "race" was not the winner you expected?

Translation: Have you ever delegated responsibility to someone and the results were less than you expected?

Delegation.  The dreaded "D" word.

Stunning setbacks can be a motivator for GREAT Leaders to review and improve their process for delegating work. 

Delegation takes Systematic Power, the first strand of 3strands LEADERSHIP.  Delegating work is a system, not just a quick directive with assumptions from a superior.  Effective delegation is based on a process of transferring responsibilities between capable team members to achieve mutually agreed upon results by following your organization's best practices.

And... best practices take practice and systems, or your baton drops.

Take a moment to assess where there may be a baton drop in your delegating.  Are you delegating enough?  Are you delegating effectively?  Or are you avoiding delegating because it's just easier to do something yourself?  (Bad choice)

Here are the 7 steps of effective delegation I teach in our Certified LEADER course:

1. The mutual objective
2. The problem
3. The team
4. Authority & expectations
5. Resources required
6. Communication
7. Deadlines

You are the delegator.  The person or people receiving the task are the delegatee.

Step #1 of 7:  The Mutual Objective

• Is the objective clearly defined, measurable, and have due dates?

• Have you helped the delegatee understand that receiving the task is not the end goal, but rather they are a steward of the responsibility, so a greater goal is achieved?

• Have you engaged the "second brain" - the heart of the delegatee so the work is meaningful to them?

• Are you reinforcing the mutual objective often?

Step #2 of 7:  The Problem

• Is everyone clear about the problem that is trying to be solved before and during the work that has been delegated? 

• Is the cost of not solving the problem clear?

• Are the benefits of solving the problem defined?

• Are the process and/or new habits to put in place to avoid the problem in the future defined, or mutually sought?

Step #3 of 7:  The Team

• Does each delegatee realistically have the time to do it well?

• Did you encourage the delegatee by explaining the reason why they were chosen?

• Have you explained how the delegatee will benefit from completing the task with excellence?

• What training do delegatees need to complete the task well?

Step #4 of 7:  Authority & Expectations

• Does the delegatee have authority that matches their responsibilities?

• Who is the team leader if there is more than one delegatee?

• Are any approval processes clear, and in-writing?

• Are behavioral expectations between you and the delegatee clear, and preferably in-writing?

Step #5 of 7:  Resources Required

• What subject matter experts or other people are available to support the delegatee?

• Where can the delegatee work and/or do they need help securing meeting locations?

• Does the delegatee have all the equipment and materials necessary to complete the task?

• Have the funding, outside services, other necessary activities been secured?

Step #6 of 7:  Communication

• Is there a clearly defined follow-up schedule when the delegatee will communicate status to you?

• Have you defined a schedule when you will touch base with the delegatee, especially if they miss their deadline to update you on the status?

• What is the schedule to inform others?

• Is the platform in place to track their progress, whether ConnectWise, SharePoint, Dropbox...?

Step #7 of 7:  Deadlines

• Are there due dates / milestones with clear deliverables?

• How are the dates being tracked?

• Are the milestones in the best order of priority?

• Have you defined what happens when a deadline is missed, and should that occur, are you prepared to ask questions, be respectful, and then act decisively?

This may seem like a lot, but once you get it in place it flows easily. Learn how to delegate effectively. Put the Systematic Power of process in place. Test, refine, improve your delegation systems. Teach them and grow.

3 Tips to Un-Suck Your Assessments

Talent Assessments are a process, not a single activity.

We had a situation recently where a help desk candidate took one of our Talent Assessments.  The results look good in the report, but the results were wrong.

We identified the contradiction and recommended the Client not hire the person.  They were very pleased that we saved them from hiring a great actor, instead of a true superstar.

If they had simply been buying the online assessment without our consulting service they would have made a costly mistake.

Do your DISC or other type of assessments "suck" but you put up with them?  Are they inaccurate, or do you wish they told you more?

How could the results be wrong?

Our online Dual Perspective Service assessments confirm a person's behaviors and driving forces / motivators, with a "Sales" version for sales professionals and another "General" version for other employees or job candidates. 

We also have a Triple Perspective Service that integrates confirmation of the person's work competencies to further increase the accuracy of the report from 80-85% to 90-95%. 

Probably 25-50 million people have taken these assessments that you can order on our website.  This is powerful validation of the different versions of our online assessments.

Yet in this case, the online assessment results were wrong.  To be candid, this is not the first time this has happened.  The good news is our proven process catches these errors and helps our Clients make better decisions on more realistic data.

The reason the online assessment by itself failed is that some people answer based on what they think they are, versus who they really are. 

Sometimes this is because the job candidate or employee is trying to manipulate the results of the report.  In the situation I mentioned above I believe it was simply the job candidate thought he behaved differently than he actually did.

Have you ever had an employee who thought he or she was better than they actually were on the job?

Yes, we have been there, done that too. 

Therefore we have a process to avoid repeating that mistake.  It hurt too much, and cost a lot of money and time when it happened earlier in our careers.

TIP #1

If you just order a DISC assessment to consider a person's behaviors, then you lack insights into the driving forces / motivators that make them behave that way.  You are actually missing the most important information.  You have to understand and appeal to what motivates a person for them to improve. 

Managing by reacting to their behaviors is significantly less effective than understanding and intentionally engaging them based on their driving forces / motivators / values.

It's like you are addressing the "symptoms" of a problem, rather than the "disease."

TIP #2

The power of assessing someone's work behaviors, motivations, and competencies is a combination of three activities:

1  -  Your online assessment is weak.  We are surprised at how many of our competitors' reports are incredibly generic and lack depth.  We are convinced the organization that provides us with our assessments is the best value in the world for a comprehensive, accurate report.

2  -  You have a weak or incomplete process for a job candidate or employee to complete the online assessment, and confirm its results.  Too many companies just have someone take their online assessment instead of follow a complete process to gain a full perspective on the person.

When you fail in this area it's like buying a new 3/8 inch drill bit because you need to drill 3/8 inch holes.  However, you only drill halfway through the wood each time you need a 3/8 inch hole.  The initial hole in the wood looks great, but because you do not complete the process it does not help you achieve your goals.  It is an incomplete hole that is not used.  It only provides momentary inspiration. 

3  -  You do not consistently apply what was learned in the assessment process after it is completed.  Too many people pay for an assessment and find the results interesting, but then do not ever look at them again, or apply the results to help individuals prosper.

TIP #3

The people who advise you on the results of the assessments are a key factor in whether the results you get are accurate. 

I encourage you to get real.  Most of you could be getting a lot more for the money you are spending for online assessments of job candidate and employee work behaviors, driving forces / motivators, and/or competencies.

If you are not are ready a Client of our Talent Assessments, then we are willing to give you one for free to experience the process.  Just email us at info@MANAGEtoWIN.com.

If you prefer not to use our assessments, then please consider my advice above to strengthen your process and achieve a much higher ROI from your evaluation of job candidates and employees.

I hope your 2017 is off to a strong start.

Get $1K of Stuart's advice free

Stuart Crawford is joining me for a webinar I'll be doing from the Ingram Micro ONE conference in Las Vegas tomorrow.

He has promised to give you $1,000 in marketing advice at no cost so you can learn about an area in whigh over 90% of people typically fail - BEING CONSISTENT.  Don't be a dinosaur with bad habits and inconsistent marketing.  Learn the BEST way to reach your target audiences today.

The best IT service companies have continuous marketing cycles that take every opportunities through an entire life cycle.  This exponentially increases your results and accelerates growth.  (Too many MSP’s have inconsistent “no cycle” marketing.)

Ulistic knows this, but more importantly they have proven life cycle marketing to work.

Now, faster than ever before Stuart and his team of 30 marketing experts are building healthy streams of new business opportunities from new prospects, lost opportunities, old clients and most importantly, existing customers.

So I invited Stuart back to share his secret sauce.  What is he doing that others are not, and why is it working?  Now we have to remember his methods work best when applied systematically by marketing professionals, but still there must be things you can learn and test.  (I will not allow this discussion to just be a sales pitch for Ulistic.)

Stuart promises to give us NEW WAYS to do marketing THAT WORK.  He will give us an overview on how to leverage a life cycle marketing strategy that positions your MSP as a thought leader, industry expert and the trust authority when it comes to the latest trends in technology.

Do you have questions?  EMAIL ME YOUR QUESTIONS!  It’s free marketing consulting.  (Free answers appeals to my Scottish blood...)

During this conversation Stuart and I will discuss:

• Why this strategy works over many other so-called “sure bets”
• Creating a life cycle marketing strategy
• What tools are available
• Why scoring engagement is crucial
• How a life cycle marketing strategy fits any sales process
• Examples of successful MSPs using life cycle marketing

Stuart is full of great ideas… and I have a few of my own.  You don’t want to miss this event.  YOU NEED THIS to prepare for 2017.

Don’t miss it – 11:00 a.m. PST on Tuesday, November 29.  Click here to register for, Life Cycle or No Cycle - DO SOMETHING!

WHY JOIN US?  Because sometimes you just need one new idea to fuel significant growth.

The Biggest Lie

Lying may be top of mind after this year’s political season, however telling lies, and believing them, is a daily habit rather than only something that occurs every four years or with political candidates.

Everyone lies.

Before you become offended, let’s start with my definition of a lie:

A lie is any conclusion or statement that is not entirely truthful.

The word “entirely” is important, but let me return to that in a moment.

What are the biggest lies? The ones we tell to ourselves, and believe.

For example, someone says something bad about someone you don’t like.  You instinctively believe them because it validates your previous conclusion.  However, only part of the statement was true.  The rest was exaggerated, misquoted, or mistaken.

This happens too with good information.  Why do so many people buy lottery tickets?  Because they tell themselves they can win, and believe it.  They turn a blind eye and deaf ear to the truth.  Do you think they build billion dollar casinos because the gamblers win?

Gamblers are suckers because they are liars.

The biggest lies are the lies we tell ourselves, and believe.  They can be optimistic or pessimistic.  But we all do it every day.  Some of us do it most every hour.

So…  why does this happen, and what can we do about it?

Here is what life and Lord have taught me thus far about lies:

#1 – Lies include a seed of truth

Every lie is based on a seed of truth.  A part, sometimes a very small part, of any lie is true or consistent with truth.  However then your ability to evaluate it gets distorted based on your life’s wounds, selfish desires, biased opinions, and/or sincere beliefs.

You do not have to listen to politicians for examples of how far truth can be stretched.  Just listen to yourself.

Most people exaggerate the happiness or problems in their life.  The potential of that next sale.  Their abilities.  Their marriage and relationships.  How their wrongful behavior is right.   We leave out details that might conflict with the conclusion we want to have.  We make assumptions based on a small fact, or worse, an opinion.

We lie to ourselves to get what we want, or to make it through the day.

However, lies are not always intentional.  They can be a habit, and based on good intentions…  which can also be a lie.  Yet too often our conclusions are twisted by our life experience, incomplete information, and poor habits for evaluating truth claims.

You can look back thousands of years to the first recorded story of a lie.  It was based on a seed of truth.

There was a beautiful garden.  A man and a woman lived there in complete joy, love, and relationship with each other and their God.  The historical text records only one thing they were told not to do:  To eat fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for then they would die.

An evil being in the form of a serpent challenged the man and the woman to eat the fruit.  He tempted them by twisting a small truth.  The serpent seductively said that eating the fruit would make them more like God.  This was true, but there were also other consequences.  Just considering one fact can sound appealing.

The serpent left out the many reasons they should not eat the forbidden fruit.

They loved God.  God was their role model and even walked with them in the garden during the cool of the day.  The serpent made them think God must have made a mistake, or they had misunderstood.  To be more like Him would be good, not bad.  And of course, the fruit looked good to eat.  So the woman and the man ate it.

Bummer.

Just because something you read, hear, or feel has some truth to it, does not mean it is true.
 
#2 – Lies appeal to what we want, or are willing to believe

A lie includes a seed of truth, but our readiness and willingness to embrace the lie depends on how it appeals to our life’s wounds, selfish desires, biased opinions, and/or sincere beliefs.

A blatant example of lies that manipulated first one man and then others is Adolf Hitler.  He believed his own lies, and the resulting propaganda caused the deaths of an estimated 20 million people.

Each bold declaration of Hitler’s messaging manipulations were based on tidbits of truth that were distorted into words and actions of shame.  Truths intentionally twisted into evil.

Hitler defined what is known as a big lie.  For him it was a propaganda technique.  The first record Hitler’s mention of this technique was when he dictated his 1925 book Mein Kampf.  He recommended the use of a lie so "colossal" that no one would believe that someone "could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously."

Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s Propaganda Minister, is quoted as saying:

If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.

Although no written record can be found of him making that statement, Goebbels certainly did this in his life.  (The accuracy of the quote is unknown according to Wikiquote.)

If you notice, the “big lie” must first be embraced by the speaker, the person doing the lying.  The person first has to accept the lie, or at least a belief the lie is better than the truth, and then the damage begins.

Similarly, justifications for human slavery have shreds of facts, but are twisted truth to take advantage of others.

It is scary what we can do to ourselves and even the most defenseless among us.

#3 - Everyone lies

The truth is, everyone lies to themselves. My experience is people lie to themselves first, and at times to others second.

Do you think you only lie to yourself?  Or is that a lie?  It can be rather complicated...

The problem is the soil, water and nutrients that enable that seed of truth to grow is distorted by each individual's life experience.  We have areas of pain and shame in our past.  We have other memories of joy and hope.

Lies can be negative.  Lies can be positive.  It depends on which part of your life story a lie involves.  Both are equally destructive.

Too often we allow the emotions of our past experiences to retard or illogically extend the growth of a seed of truth into beliefs that are not 100 percent accurate.  Unfortunately the lies we tell ourselves hurt us, and often others.

#4 – Lies are shortcuts

Lies are sinister tricks where you attempt to get somewhere faster than you should.

For instance, the “big lie” of Hitler is not the greatest lie.

The greatest lie is not when someone tells you what you want to hear, they are not telling the truth, you instinctively know what they are saying or doing is wrong yet…

You repeat what they said to yourself, and believe it.

I have made this mistake more than once.  However one time almost destroyed me.  Someone told me what I wanted to hear, so I agreed to his plan.  The result was my biggest business failure.  (My fault for believing him, more than his fault for not telling the truth.)

Shortcuts rarely work, and are even less likely to sustain any momentary success they achieve.

Testing ideas.  Piloting processes.  These steps are not shortcuts that wisely lessen the time to achieve an objective.

In contrast, a lie jumps you forward without taking prudent steps to confirm truth with others and/or abandons the prompting to say “no.”

#5 - The foundation of lies

Selfishness. James, the half-brother of Jesus remarked in his letter to others (4:1-2):

What causes fights and quarrels among you?  Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?  You desire but do not have, so you kill.  You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight…

James wrote this about 2,000 years ago.  It is still true today, if not more so.  We live in an intensely narcissistic society.  It’s all about me.

Your intentions may be sincere and good…  to you. Or they may be wrong and you know it.  But you want something so badly that you justify the lie.

How to STOP LYING

#1 - Accept this fact:  You lie to yourself.  You cannot stop your addiction to lying until you take responsibility for your lying habit.

Learn to sense when you are triggered to believe a partial truth or a blatant lie.  Catching how you lie to yourself will enable to do it less often, or possibly barely at all.

#2 - You recognize a trigger, then what?  Simply pause and breathe.  Slow your thoughts and challenge your initial conclusions.  Look for bias to optimism or pessimism.

#3 - One test I ask myself is based on my life statement.  I ask myself if my conclusion, and pending words and/or actions meet this standard:

Every sense of my heart, every emotion I feel, every word I speak, and every action I take glorifies my Lord and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

Remove my faith commitment if that makes you more comfortable.  (To leave it out when I share my life statement would mean I was lying to you!)

Try pausing, even momentarily, when triggered to lie or believe a lie.  Ask yourself:

Does “every sense of my heart, every emotion I feel, every word I are about to speak, and every action” I am about to take meets my standards?

Slowing yourself this way, or using this habit as a means to hold yourself accountable, may help you avoid pain.  You may stop lies before they do damage.

Again, I am far from perfect in this area, but I am trying.  I was raised to believe good intentions count, and you never stop trying.

#4 - Listen for a prompting.  A sense of whether “it” is right or wrong.  Pause when you sense concern.

My experience is the voice of truth speaks softly, whereas the seduction of a poor decision shouts loudly.  Evil threatens you:  “DO IT NOW!  IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE (the lie) THEN YOU LOSE!”  My experience is you always get another chance.

Sometimes you need to move quickly.  Depending on your behavioral style, you may rush decisions or delay them.  Too much in either direction can be unhealthy.  Take what I call “Goldilocks Time” to discern your next steps.  Not too quick, but not too long.  Just “the right” amount of time.

Often times you actually have more time to think than you believe you do, or you can make the right decision in less time than you expect.

Questions and sincere active listening uncover important details that affect your ultimate perception.

The voice of truth gives you a choice.

The selfish or evil force pressures you not to think.

#5 - Own your mistakes.  Apologize sincerely.  Watch for similar triggers in the future.  Learn and grow.

Dr. Henry Cloud in his book, Never Go Back, concludes the most successful people do not repeat mistakes.

Lying to yourself is a mistake. Work on stopping those lies, and you will enjoy life more.  Keep trying.
 
In conclusion…
 
Happy Thanksgiving!
 
I hope you are able to focus on what you love most this holiday season.  There is always something to be thankful for.

A good conversation with James Kernan

This past Thursday I interviewed James Kernan (@JKernan) as he presented his 12 steps to a successful sales organization. James is the CEO of Kernan Consulting, a technology consulting company based out of the greater Omaha area.

Did you know James built a $384K IT reseller into $12M+ in three years? That was after as VP of Sales he helped grow another IT reseller from $8M to $32M. Not impressive enough? Well, then he drove sales at another IT reseller from $30M to $315M.

I think you will enjoy this discussion and identify at least one way to increase your sales. James has a lot of great experience, info, and advice for all types of business owners.

And...  don't miss my discuss with Stuart Crawford of Ulistic on company culture this Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. PST. Register here.

Kill the Snakes

Think of being in the front of a roller coaster, at the top of the ride, and you notice for the first time a snake wrapped around your leg.

What do you do?  Wait to kill the snake until the ride is over?

Ross Perot once said, “If you see a snake, just kill it - don't appoint a committee on snakes.”

I was reminded of this quote recently when several MSP owners deferred work to improve the leadership skills of a total of 9 managers/leaders in their organization.

Procrastination. Why? No time.

But coaching leaders to develop new skills and overcome weaknesses is only 1-2 hours a week.

Investing that time creates 2-4 hours of free time a week for the manager.  (A simple 2-to-1 ROI on the time investment.)

What’s the opportunity cost of this decision? A minimum of $10,000 a month (probably much more) for each manager who is not their best. Why does one manager’s weakness cost $10,000 a month minimum? Because not only is the manager not generating as much revenue as they could, lowering costs effectively and/or missing opportunities… BUT every person reporting to them is also failing to generate maximum revenue / profits, lowering costs, and/or creating new opportunities.

I respect each owner / executive who made this decision, but I cannot agree with it.  I think they are better leaders than this decision indicates.

GREAT Leaders make the hard decisions.  Sometimes you have to take a limited hit or relatively small expense (money or time) to correct a wrong, fix a weakness, or fill a knowledge gap.

You do this because the ROI on the investment easily outweighs the cost of the hard decision.

You see a snake.  You do not have time to kill it.  You let it slither around your office because it is not killing anyone yet, just distracting them.

A sluggard avoids making difficult decisions. GREAT Leaders, according to Dr. Henry Cloud in his book NEVER Go Back, make the hard decisions because they refuse to repeat mistakes.

How about you? Are you procrastinating, or do you have the guts to kill the snake?

Save hours with one time-saving tip

Let me give you a quick time-saving tip.  Why?  Because a lot of what I teach leaders in our Certified LEADER course (starts next week) involves saving time.

If you have time and focus issues, then write a check for $10,000 and just stare at it.

The cost of procrastination and poorly managed time is typically $10,000+ a month).  If you disagree, then talk with me or Bob Andrews, a seasoned MSP veteran on our team.  We can help you find money.

What is today's Tuesday Tip? Simple file formatting saves hours, even when searching.

BAD FILE NAME FORMAT examples:

• job title.docx (For whom?  Date written?)
• job title 09-14-16  (Date does not sort yearly, monthly, and lastly, by day.)
• Business plan 2015.docx  (Date written or version?)
• David Russell_EventName 2016 Speaker Agreement.pdf  (A bit long...)
• Same file name after edits made  (You may need something from an earlier version.  Save it with a different date.)

What makes an efficient file name?

1. Date is included in the file name as YearMonthDay in the same place of all similar files so the files sort automatically.  It can be at the beginning, middle or end of the file name.
2. OPTION:  Categorize by file name.  I do this when saving reference documents for Charm School courses.  (See below)
3. OPTION:  Categorize by source name, such as I might save an article from Inc. Magazine for reference.  (See below)
4. OPTION:  Enter dashes "-" or underlines "_" between words if the file will be downloaded to eliminate the "20%" entries by some apps offering files to download.  For instance, the file "2016 Business Plan.docx" becomes "201620%Business20%Plan.docx" when downloaded if the file name has spaces between words instead of dashes or underlines.
5. I encourage you to keep your file names a "Goldilocks length."  Not too long.  Not too short.  Just the right length to view easily in a folder.

Here is an example of these principles:

     An employee strategic plan we develop as part of our LEADERSHIP Essentials Service:
 
          SP--Dispatch—LastName FirstName 160920
 
     A reference document with source noted, similar to the example above:
 
          Hiring_160801--Inc--8 Reasons to Fire

By the way, it helps to save old file versions in folders marked "Old Files" "Prior Versions" or something similar.

Save time to increase opportunity.  Often you can save a lot of time with simple changes to your systems, processes, and/or habits.

Your Soft Skills Are WEAK, with Rex Frank of Sea Level Ops

Recently I spoke with Rex Frank, President of Sea Level Operations, discuss how important soft skills are for the success of your business.

Need a Lifeline? 4 Leadership Tips

Bill Hybels did one of the best leadership talks of the year this past Sunday.  His version is faith-based and you can listen to it here or on the iTunes podcasts of Willow Creek Church.

Let me give you my secular version / summary so you can grasp why I feel his teaching is so relevant in September 2016.  (Bill says it much better, but some of you prefer that I limit my use of the "G-word" and related verbiage.)

Bill talks about four lifelines:

1.  Hold on to God’s promises

Don't run away yet.  This is powerful, but I promised a secular version.  My advice is when times are tough, when you are (finally?) ready to make that tough decision, when someone leaves you or a client abandons you after your organization has "died" for them, remember truth.

This too shall pass.  There are more opportunities.  Life has better times ahead, if you are willing to have a focus on Sincere Gratitude (3rd strand of 3strands LEADERSHIP).

2.  Gather information.

When you need a lifeline...  It seems that everything is crashing or you are under attack.  You are faced with a Fool's Choice (my August 18 newsletter / blog), and you do not want to make it.  You feel pressure.  There is a sense of urgency to decide.

What should you do?  Pause and gather information.  New information will open-up new decision possibilities.

3. Increase physical and spiritual disciplines.

When we are under pressure we often stop exercising our body, mind and spirit.  There does not seem to be time.  The fires are raging and we need to fight them.

That is a lie.  You must "feed" yourself - your body, mind, and spirit to emerge victorious from the attacks, pressure, and emotion.  Otherwise your systems are too weak to emerge from that battle...  and the next one...  and the next one.

4. Swim or Grab a Plank.

This is my favorite part of Bill's talk.  His point is often we get within 200 yards of our goal and we either give up, or wait for someone else to "do it" for us.  WHY?

Great leadership is a series of sprints.  When it seems like you are running a marathon instead, then pause for the three steps above, and then TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY for achieving the results you are seeking.  Make it happen.  If you are on course, you will reach your destination.

I love Bill's talk and hope you listen to it.  If not, consider these four nuggets over a great cup of java or tea.  Then get back in the fight...  there's a lot of life left to enjoy.

After 3 years, he's back...

Consider these three things today:

#1

Are you debating whether to promote an existing employee or hire someone from the outside (a new employee)?  Consider my column released today at Continuum's site:

3 Major Pitfalls & Profits When Promoting from Within 

#2

In 2013, Rex Frank of Sea Level Ops gave one of the most insightful talks in the managed services industry during a MANAGEtoWIN webinar - The Top 5 MSP Operational Mistakes.  Last week I invited him to share his wisdom again.  So, after 3 years, Rex is back with information you need to know...

REGISTER NOW for Rex's new webinar at 1:00 PM PST on Wednesday, Sept 7, 2016:  

Sea-Level's 4 Levers of Service Margin

This is a MUST-ATTEND webinar from Sea Level Ops and MANAGEtoWIN.  I invited Rex Frank to share these insights because they are critical to the success of any MSP.

Service Delivery is all about Service Gross Margin.  There are 4 factors that you manage that dictate the margin your company produces.  Each of these levers relate to each other, if you move one lever without moving the others, your margin will be affected (good or bad, usually bad).

1. Billing Rate
2. Salary
3. Billing Utilization
4. Agreement Efficiency

This webinar shares specifically the relationship of each lever and their ultimate effect on Service Gross Margin.  Don't miss it.

#3

Rex and I were talking about his webinar.  We agreed that you can have the greatest plan in place to improve margins and it can fail.

Why?

Because your employees do not know how to behave like professionals.  This makes Clients upset, less loyal, and a flight risk.

Therefore, Rex and I are returning two weeks later to explain how to develop your people into a magnet for Client retention and profitability. 

REGISTER NOW for our second webinar at 11:00 AM PST on Tuesday, September 20, 2016:  

Your People's Soft Skills Are WEAK - and what you can do about it.

The primary cause of customer complaints and employee issues is not technical skills.  When your people perform poorly, it is because they lack soft skills.  And it is killing your company's profitability.

According to Salesforce.com, 77% of employers say soft skills are just as important as hard (technical) skills.  

Soft skills training is an ongoing process, not a one-time event.  It involves knowledge transfer, habit development, and accountability.  It is not only crucial to attain high profitability, but important for new employee recruitment, sales prospecting, and client retention.

In this webinar you will learn the 14 key soft skills that should be trained, the process of employee development of these crucial skills, and what you have to do as a leader to make certain your people's soft skills are competitive, effective, and sincere.  Avoid creating unhappy clients.

Don't miss this webinar to learn how better soft skills can help your organization grow more rapidly... and profitably!

-----------------------------------------

During this Summer of Discontent, why not start working on your company culture and/or develop your leadership skills? If you have some gaps with your people, leadership systems, and/or culture, then reach out to us!

We can have a conversation about what's going on in your life.  No cost.  No meter will be ticking.  We just have a conversation focused on your hurdles, and how to get over them.

Take the Character Test

From last week:

Good character is the true measure of a leader.

If you're not someone of good character, then what type of leader are you?

Last week I encouraged you to agree that everything we do starts with our character.  No one is perfect, but when we have significant flaws in our character then everything else suffers.

Jim Collins concluded humility was the primary common trait of truly GREAT leaders.  This supports my conclusion about the importance of character:  The only way a person can be sincerely humble is when they consistently demonstrate good character.

I did a web search on character traits.  One site is "all about character," offering 50 different character traits.  Yet none of them were honesty or integrity.  How can you have good character without integrity?  Scary...

Lots of opinions out there.  Lots of long lists.  I suggest we focus on 7 attributes of good character.  When we get these right, the rest should take care of themselves.  Without these behaviors as our strengths, other attributes of character fall apart.

Here is a quick self-test of character for anyone in a leadership role.  In some ways these build upon one another.

Consider your strengths, and build on them.  Identify areas to improve, and work diligently to develop new habits to overcome your bad ones (that never go away completely).

#1 - Faith

Everyone has a spiritual faith, even an atheist.  How consistently do you live out what you believe?

#2 - Truth

People define what they believe to be true based on their spiritual beliefs.  There are facts, logic, and absolute truths, but you have to decide which ones you want to believe.  There are a growing number of false truths promoted online and in people's opinions.  How do you define truth, and live by it?

#3 - Integrity

Your definition of integrity or honesty hinges on your belief in truth.  If you feel truth is relative, or only important when it agrees with what you want to do - then your honesty will be selective - honest when you want to be, or based on what you want to believe or do, rather than unemotional facts or logic.  

Were you 100% honest in all of your communications today?  This week?  This month?

#4 Relationships

Your ability to love others depends on how you process information through your faith, truth, and integrity filters.  At the end of your life you only have two assets:  Your legacy (impact on others) and relationships (vulnerability with others).  These depend on your character. 

Do you have close friends and business relationships, or are you "relationship-lite," where virtually no one really knows you?  You can be a person of good character who is a loner, but having deep relationships makes life richer.  What can you do to develop or extend deeper friendships?

#5 - Candor

The power of candor hinges on your integrity and relational skills, among other behavioral attributes.  Candor is how much information you are willing to share with another person.  Ideally you achieve close to a "Goldilocks rating" on your candor - you do not share too much, or too little.  You share just enough.  How are you doing?

#6 - Decisions

You make decisions based on the five prior attributes of character.  Good decisions come from a place of knowing who you are, who you serve, and a healthy fear of making a mistake. 

Once again, you strive for a Goldilocks' balance between a sense of urgency that a decision must be made, and your process to fully consider all the data and counsel before accepting the risks of the decision.  Do you make decisions too quickly, or too slowly?  How can you develop habits of more balanced decision-making?

#7 - Grateful

People of good character are thankful.  Be sincerely grateful for what you have, instead of complaining about what is missing in your life.  This way you will overcome life's difficulties more easily.  How can you be more grateful throughout each day?

Yes, I am stopping here.  We can consider and/or debate dozens of more character traits, however when you focus on these seven most of the others will take care of themselves. 

Character checking can be a daily exercise, if not multiple times during the day as you make decisions, communicate with others, and take action. 

Intentions do not count.

RECOMMENDATION:  Evaluate your character based on every sense of your heart, every emotion you feel, every word you speak, and every action you take. 

You are NOT defined by your worst moments. You are also NOT defined by your best moments.  It is more of an accumulated score over time without a requirement to be flawless. 

Your character in a particular situation may be less than you desire.  Slowing down to consider whether you are meeting or exceeding your own character standards can be life changing.  However, you have to be strong enough to make the difficult decision NOT to do something that is below your standards.

Are You The Tortoise or The Hare?

Who gets there faster, the person who has some of the information and starts the journey earlier; or the person who collects all the information and waits to start the journey until everything is just right?

Neither of them are faster.  In a moment, let me explain why

Which person are you?  The proverbial hare or the tortoise?  (Written fable or 1934 Disney movie)

Based on my coaching with hundreds of leaders, let me give you 1 QUICK TIP on how a hare or a tortoise can be more productive and improve relationships with others by being a better listener.

THE HARE

This person has a high sense of urgency.  They may have a psychological motivation to overcome an internal belief that they are not good enough.  They move too fast as part of an ongoing effort to prove others wrong and be "good enough."

The objective to prove yourself "good enough" is as impossible as finding the nickel in the corner of a round room.  The reason is, the target always moves.  When you reach one level of being good enough, then you have to go to another level.  It is an evil, torturous game.

ADVICE FOR THE HARE:  Who you are is not defined by your worst moments.

Your current approach is to get just enough information and then jump to conclusions.  You have a passion to solve the problem and a fear of damage if the issue is not resolved quickly.  This is good, when actions are taken in balance with complete information on the situation.

Unfortunately the hare can jump too fast...  What can you do?

Change your strategy.  Here is one option:

1. Recognize the trigger that ignites your fear and desire to prove yourself.
2. Redirect your fear of the cost of doing nothing, to the fear of the cost of the damage you cause when you make a wrong decision or deliver an incomplete solution that will not last.
3. Slow down.  Stop doing all the talking.  Stop driving.  Start investigating.
4. Engage with others.  Do not fly solo.  There is wisdom in many counselors.
5. You have two eyes, two ears, and one mouth.  Observe with your eyes.  Listen with your ears.  Wait to communicate solutions.  Speak less, and at this stage, only to ask questions.
6. Develop your plan of action.  Get feedback from others.
7. Now you have complete information, full assessment of the risks involved, and a step-by-step strategy to success.  Play to your strengths:  Apply your passion and sense of urgency to drive the process forward to fully complete one step and move to the next.  Repeat this cycle until the process is complete, solution in place, and testing of the solution can begin.

I have been the hare and battle its re-emergence on a daily basis.  Why?  Because bad habits never go away.  You have to overpower them with new, better habits.  The battle between the old and new never ends.

THE TORTOISE

As the proverb suggests, the tortoise is the opposite of the hare.  This person would rather make no decision than a wrong decision.  Even if the status quo is flawed, it is more comfortable to them because the risks and pain are understood.

The objective of this person is often to avoid pain because they have not fully dealt with the pain of their past.  Therefore details, analysis, and thought delay action as "Rome burns."

ADVICE FOR THE TORTOISE:  Who you are is not defined by what you know, but by what you do.

Your current approach is to research all possible information, consider and reconsider possible solutions, discuss issues and options, develop a thorough plan, and then implement the plan methodically... and often behind schedule. 

Unfortunately the tortoise can move too slow...  What can you do?

Change your strategy.  Here is one option:

1. Recognize the trigger that ignites your lack of trust in others and new solutions.
2. Redirect your fear to trust in something that might fail, to focus more of your fear on the cost of doing nothing.
3. Set a deadline to draft a solution that is sooner than you would typically define.  Play to your strengths:  Begin research and conversations to fully understand the issues and options for resolution.
4. Engage with others.  Do not fly solo.  There is wisdom in many counselors.
5. People may disagree with you.  Hear them out and hold them / their ideas to the same standards you demand of yourself.  Avoid asking the same question multiple times in only slightly different ways to try to get a different answer.  This irritates people.
6. Develop your plan of action with feedback from others.  Divide the responsibilities fairly.  Define the schedule for deliverables and accountability.
7. Initiate action.  Meet deadlines.  Have meetings to communicate with others who are involved as often as necessary.  Start and end the meetings on time.  Be a role model for quality, quantity, and timeliness of work.  Have accountability as a group.

The tortoise does a great job of getting to the right destination, but needs to better balance initiating action and speed with quality of work and communicating with others in ways they prefer.

In contrast, the hare does an excellent job of initiating action, but lacks information and thus solutions are incomplete or incorrect.

Most of us are more of a hare or a tortoise.  Acknowledging this we can work to improve our habits so we can leverage our strengths better and avoid the pains of our weaknesses.

Neither the tortoise nor the hare is better.  

They are just different.

One of our key responsibilities as leaders is to help them work and communicate more effectively together.

Do you move too fast, or too slow?  Could you be a better leader?  

Why not work with me and a small group of your peers to improve?  Our  next Certified LEADER class starts on July 15.

Sign-up to work on specific weaknesses you have in your leadership, and to further build upon your strengths.

Leaders must change to stay ahead of the game and grow.  I help leaders like you become better.  We work on leadership skills and systems to hire, manage, develop, and retain top performers, and your systems to grow a thriving company culture.  Contact us if you, other leaders you know, and/or your company wants to be better.

Here is what you should do to be a fully engaged leader

Last week I suggested you assess your leadership habits against the low standards of an Arrogant Spaced-Out Boss.

This begs the question, "Well then, what is an example of a leader who is fully engaged in developing themselves and their company culture?"

I do not believe leadership models are set in concrete.  Everyone is different.  Nevertheless the following can be a guideline for you to consider how to better apply yourself in a leadership role:

#1 - Sanctuary

Schedule a recurring event in Outlook or your other calendar program to spend at least 30 minutes weekly in self-accountability. 

Consider this baseball metaphor when planning to set aside this time.  You are competing to win.  The team fighting against you are your bad habits, broken systems, and people. 

The name of the opposing team is the Interruptions.  You need to stop their offensive threat (get three "outs" to retire their side so you can return to offense).

Schedule Out:  Enter your Sanctuary time in your calendar.  Make certain others know this is a time when you are not to be interrupted. 

Shut Out:  Close your office door.  Put a sign on the door that you are in Sanctuary time, or some of our clients like to call it Stealth Mode:  You may be in the office, and continue to be highly dangerous, but for a period of time you need to be invisible.

Tech Out:  Turn-off email, instant messenger, do not answer your desk phone or mobile phone, and respond only to emergency texts. 

Why is this important?  According to www.ScienceDirect.com...

You have an

Average of 87 interruptions per day

22 external interruptions

65 triggered by you

It typically takes over 23 minutes to get back on task

18% percent of your interrupted tasks are not revisited that day

Here is a simple Sanctuary agenda:

• How did I do on last week's W.I.N.? What's Important Now - My 1-3 most important objectives for the prior week.
• Where am I on my goals this year? Am I on track?  What action is needed?
• What is my W.I.N. for this upcoming week? Schedule time during Monday-Wednesday to complete these activities in your calendar.  Why early in the week?  So when you have to fight fires you have time to catch-up on Thursday-Friday and still advance your objectives.
• Who am I responsible for, and how are they doing? Follow a similar 3-step process for your direct reports that you did for yourself above.

#2 - Leadership

Schedule a 1-2 hour investment of your time weekly to develop your leadership skills, knowledge and/or habits. Develop your soft skills. Carefully plan your calendar. Confirm you are maintaining a balance within your work responsibilities. Confirm you are balancing your career and personal life. Consider major decisions.

This time is a priority.  Schedule this work during Monday-Wednesday.

The best leaders invest in developing themselves weekly.  It is an ongoing process.  The excuses of being too busy, no options, or whatever, are bogus.  The excuses are all lies we tell ourselves so we can stay in our comfort zone. Get out of your comfort zone!

Training and professional development have one of the highest ROI's of any business expenditure.  You have to set the example by first investing in yourself.

#3 - Culture

If you do not invest in your culture, then who will? If you do not make culture a priority, then why should anyone else? 

Leaders are role models.  You have to set the standard through your behavior, not just talk a good game of leadership and company culture. Demonstrate good character by first being the leader and company culture example you want others to be.

Schedule a 1-2 hour investment of your time weekly to develop your company's culture.  Here are two quick ideas:

• Ask everyone in a weekly or monthly team meeting to explain how they lived out one of your company culture cornerstones (mission, values, vision).  Focusing on this is good for the individual, and hearing how others have lived them out is also inspirational.
• Work on a project that strengthens an aspect of your 3strands LEADERSHIP.  For instance, improve the efficiency of 1:1 or team meeting schedules;  spend time individually with employees to confirm they are doing meaningful work in your organization;  and/or improve or implement your recognition program.

This time is a priority.  Schedule this work during Monday-Wednesday.

Sanctuary + Leadership + Culture = Growth

It takes 90 days or longer to develop new habits, but first you have to define what you want to change.  Then schedule the activities to bring about the improvement in your leadership and company culture.

Do this on your own.  Do it together with a peer or a mentor.  Do it with a coach like me.

This will be one of the best decisions you ever make in your career. If you want my help 1:1, or you want to reward a manager with training on becoming a better leader, then consider our next Certified LEADER class that starts the week of July 11.

Is your old way wrong?

I was recently working with a leader who had decades of experience.  I was encouraging him to consider doing something differently.

He complained, "I have been doing this for 20 years.  Are you saying I've been doing it wrong for 20 years?"  

What do you think should have been my response?

I avoided a direct rebuttal.  I replied empathetically, "Not necessarily, but standards have changed.  20 years ago I used nails to build a fence in my yard.  Now I use screws.  Were nails wrong 20 years ago?  No.  But screws are better..."

Dr. Henry Cloud wrote a book 1-2 years ago titled, Never Go Back.  His conclusion is the primary difference between highly successful people and average people is the top performers make mistakes and then vow not to repeat them.  And then they do not repeat those mistakes.

In contrast, average performers repeat mistakes.  Constantly.

Seth Godin in his blog post this morning said the following: 

The tidal wave is overrated

Yes, it can lead to wholesale destruction, but it's the incessant (but much smaller) daily tidal force that moves all boats, worldwide.

And far more powerful than either is the incredible impact of seepage, of moisture, of the liquid that makes things grow.

Facebook and other legendary companies didn't get that way all at once, and neither will you.

We can definitely spend time worrying about/building the tsunami, but it's the drip, drip, drip that will change everything in the long run.

Great leaders are systematic in what they do to avoid mistakes, improve efficiency, and increase effectiveness to fuel growth.

Every day they take the time to refocus themselves on what is truly most important and to avoid mistakes.  This is a key drip, drip, drip leadership cycle or rhythm necessary to be your best.  It may not have the glamour of your photo on the cover of a major magazine, but these leaders are positively impacting the lives of millions of people.

Unfortunately most people are not great leaders.  The primary difference is they choose to not apply what they learn, and/or could learn.

The way you do things today might get them done, but what would happen if you chose to dedicate yourself to 1-3 higher standards?  Would...

• Your employees be more engaged and fulfilled in their work?
• Your Clients be happier with the products and services you provide?
• You be spending more of your time achieving your goals instead of trying to hold things together?

If your career is comfortable and that's the way you like it, then enjoy.

However, for those of us who still want to change the world, we are about one-third of the way through 2016.  If you want to improve, then the best time is always now.

Clone your best people

First I will share some exciting news.  Next, I will give you a couple of freebies if you want to try it out. 

Ask yourself these questions:

Have you ever wanted to clone a great employee?  (I regularly work with clients to do this successfully.)

Have you ever wished you could get new insights about how to improve the productivity of one or more employees?  (We do this every week with our Clients.)

Have you ever wanted to help to employees stop being in conflict so often?  (There is a way to better understand each individual so this objective is achieved.)

ANNOUNCEMENT:  We now can provide our Clients with side-by-side comparisons of people whom have had taken our MANAGEtoWIN Talent Assessments.  (We cannot compare people based on reports you have done with other providers.)

For the month of April 2016, we will give you up to five comparisons per Client absolutely free.  Click here to email us the names of employees whom you would like to compare.  Send us up to five combinations of two people for free.  Order additional comparisons here.

Click here to see a sample Comparison Report.  It's really cool.

Here are a few sample screens of what the report looks like:

Consider how this helps two employees consider the differences in their communication styles, and then adapt to each other's style to improve their working relationship.

Consider how this helps two employees better comprehend the differences in their behavioral styles so they can focus on work that best aligns with their strengths.

Consider how this comparison helps each individual better understand what motivates the other person, and then relate to this as they work together to achieve results.

 Here are two free offers that are irresistible:

#1:  If you have used MANAGEtoWIN Talent Assessments, then you can compare up to five pairs of two employees, or employees and job candidates, at no charge through April 30.  Email us to place your request, listing up to five pairs of names.  After that, the cost for each comparison is $29 (order here).

#2:  We offer our MANAGEtoWIN Talent assessments in two versions: 

NOTE:  Our regular Clients do receive a discount, and you will too starting with your second order.  Just ask!

(1) Our standard Talent Assessment includes behaviors (DISC) and motivators/driving forces (PIAV).  We believe the combination of these two aspects of a person's capabilities on the job are crucial.  DISC alone is misleading.  

The retail price for our standard Talent Assessment reports, including a written or verbal discussion of the results and hiring recommendation is $219 each.  You can order a General or Sales version.  You can add a Summary (see example) for an additional $50 (order here). 

(2) The second report we offer is the MANAGEtoWIN TriMetrix DNA (General or a version for Sales people) Talent Assessments, which does an amazing job of blending a person's behaviors (DISC), motivators/driving forces (PIAV), and competencies or skills.  I go into greater

The retail price for our TriMetrix DNA reports, including a written or verbal discussion of the results and hiring recommendation is $299 each.  You can order a General or Sales version.  You can add a Summary (see example) for an additional $50 (order here).

Here are some ways to use these comparison reports:

1. Promotion:  Compare a junior employee with a senior employee to consider whether the junior person can be developed into a more senior position.
2. Cloning:  Compare a job candidate with a top performing employee in that role to consider where they are alike, how they differ, and whether the results indicate the job candidate can be successful in the position.
3. Conflict:  You have two employees who are not working productively together, or are in conflict.  Compare the two to help them understand how to work more effectively and/or get along better.
4. Mentoring:  Mentors are not bosses.  They are other seasoned people inside or outside your company.  Have the mentor and mentee discuss their comparison report as part of their orientation meeting and apply it as they move forward on their journey of growth.
5. Adaptation:  To help any employee better understand how to adapt their behaviors so they work more effectively with another employee;  they understand what motivates the other person;  and they do their best to focus the other person on work aligned with their greatest skills.
6. Performance:  Between a leader and an under-performing employee so the individual's performance improvement plan has the greatest possible opportunity for success.
7. Teams:  As part of a team-building session to give each individual greater depth of understanding of how to work effectively with the other members of their unit. 

The MANAGEtoWIN TriMetrix DNA assessment reinforces the power of our proprietary 3strands LEADERSHIP principles because all three work together to achieve more than any individual aspect of leadership can on its own. 

The MANAGEtoWIN TriMetrix DNA report provides you crucial insights in the following areas:

Behaviors

Behavioral research suggests that the most effective people are those who understand themselves, both their strengths and weaknesses, so they can develop strategies to meet the demands of their environment.  This report measures the four dimensions of normal behavior:  dominance, influence, steadiness and compliance.

Our TriMetrix DNA report tells you how this individual will perform.

Motivators / Driving Forces

Knowledge of an individual's motivators help to tell us why they do things.  The Personal Motivation & Engagement report measures the relative prominence of six basic interests or motivators (a way of valuing life):  Theoretical, Utilitarian, Aesthetic, Social, Individualistic and Traditional.

Our TriMetrix DNA report illuminates why this individual acts the way he or she does.

Competencies

An individual's hierarchy of competencies is key to their success, and knowing what they are is essential to reaching their goals.  This report is designed to assist managing and developing a career.  For many jobs, personal skills are as important as technical skills in producing superior performance.

Our TriMetrix DNA report describes what this individual "has done" in 23 research-based capacities related to the business environment.

Comparing yourself to another person to feel superior to them is unproductive. However, comparing two people to sincerely help them be their best and improve working relationships is wonderful.

We offer you an opportunity to compare people for free.  I hope you give it a try.  You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.  Let me know if you have any questions.

Have an awesome week!

Three disciplines to achieve your destiny

The primary hurdle to maximizing our success is ourselves.  Here is a relatively simple three-step process to move beyond any pain of your past to better apply your strengths to achieve your true potential.

DISCIPLINE #1

Your past does not define you.  Your past prepares you to achieve your potential IF YOU PROPERLY APPLY IT.

Rather than let your mistakes drag you down...

• Consider the lessons learned
• Commit to never repeat those mistakes
• Develop an awareness of the triggers that led you to make poor decisions, and
• Put processes in place to make different decisions in the future when you are triggered / tempted to repeat a mistake.

When you hear that taunting voice inside you or the sneers of the arrogant, then remind yourself your life's game is not over yet.  Read this prophecy from The Lord of the Rings while you envision how you will make better decisions and experience more prosperous outcomes in the future:

"All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost;

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light from the shadows shall spring;

Renewed shall be blade that was broken,

The crownless again shall be king."

     - JRR Tolkien

"...The crownless again shall be king."  That is you.  Believe there is something more significant that yourself happening in your life.  Easter not a time of death, but of resurrection.  These days are not a reminder of defeat, but of destiny.

Play to your strengths.  Renew your vision, rekindle your hope, and refocus with laser-like focus on the meaningful work that is before you.  In your own world, community, family, relationships, and spirit...  you were born to be a queen or king.  You are impacting the lives of others.  That is certain.

The question is, are you shredding the orcks that jump into your daily firefight to detour you from your quest?  Increase your focus.  Have faith in your future.

DISCIPLINE #2

Jessica Stillman posted an article to Inc. Magazine this week about the mental tricks Olympians leverage to perform their best.

Physical fitness and good health are critical to your long-term prosperity.  Most of us will never invest the tens of thousands of hours to become an Olympic athlete, however all of us can apply the proven visualization techniques great Olympians leverage to achieve more than they have in the past.

Charles Duhigg, the author I recommend for his books The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better..., is quoted by Stillman in her article.  He says:

"Your brain has to decide what deserves attention and what deserves to be ignored, and the way it does it is compare what we expect is going to happen to what's actually going on," Duhigg told Quartz in an interview.  When you've visualized your day before embarking on it, you make it easier for your brain to screen out irrelevant information and catch the important stuff that's going on.

This simple but powerful mental preparation, "...primes our brain to be able to pay attention to the right things," Duhigg says.

Science of Us blogger Melissa Dahl in her write-up of Duhigg's book comments, "Those who keep it together under pressure are storytellers, essentially.  They narrate their own lives to themselves--things that have just happened, things that are about to happen.  They daydream about the day ahead and review the hours that have already passed.

(My summary)  Why daydream?  Visualization trains your brain where to focus and how to ignore the less relevant or less important stuff.  Some scientists call this "mental modeling."

"Duhigg suggests spending your commute imagining your day, envisioning with as much specificity as you can what you expect to happen, step by step.  This way, so the theory goes, when something goes awry, you'll spot it quickly, and you can compare it to the script you already worked out in your head.... That script helps you figure out how everyday interruptions fit into the big picture--which, in turn, helps you figure out what deserves your attention and what can be ignored," Dahl writes.

How true...  Can't we all gain from more easily and QUICKLY discerning what deserves our attention and what must be ignored?

Basically I recommend Discipline #1 helps you gain ground by assessing your past with a proper perspective that gives you a leg up as you climb to the next ledge of your mountain (metaphor).

Then Discipline #2 enables you to focus your time, energy, and interactions to reach that next ledge of the rock wall you are climbing, ledge by ledge, until your reach the top / achieve your destiny.

What holds these two disciplines together? 

DISCIPLINE #3

The third discipline is the third strand of the rope enabling you to climb your mountain:  Habit.  

Develop a new habit, a daily discipline more powerful than your bad habits and temptations of rabbit trails and bad decisions.  

End each day with a reminder of your restoration (Discipline #1) and visualization of your plans (Discipline #2).  Then you are much better equipped to achieve your destiny.

Unless of course you're insane, or totally unrealistic...  but in those situations you need a professional therapist not a leadership coach like me.  :)

Think about the insanity option for a moment.  Hitler instinctively lived these disciplines.  Mao Zedong of China and Joseph Stalin of the USSR did this.  On a more positive note, I suggest Florence Nightingale, Mother Teresa, President George Washington, President Abraham Lincoln, and President Ronald Reagan had these habits too.

You can do this.

How to motivate a sluggard

Dr. Henry Cloud defines a "sluggard" as someone who avoids making the difficult decisions, and thus is not as productive as they could be. These people can be irritating, or simply frustrating.

Here's a different way to work more effectively with people who irritate you or whom you want to better motivate: Rather than immediately attack the person or disengage so they can continue to behave in ways that are unproductive, pause for some reflective thinking and go on what I call a "resolution run."  The objective is to change our approach to a situation so we can consider new information that leads to a positive resolution

Here are some brief examples.  If the person is...

Not achieving results you want, then study what they believe are meaningful results to accomplish.  Appeal to their interest in achieving those results.

Not keeping others informed, then learn the behaviors they believe are necessary to be trusted.  If reasonable, then encourage them and those who need to be informed to behave that way.

Not submitting their time and/or documenting their work according to your standards, then confirm the standards they have for other people's work.  Have a team discussion about work standards.  Have them set the standards.  Suggest the company should then pay on performance (when your company is paid by clients).  Suggest that since their standards, which are different than yours might delay payment that this could hurt company cash flow as well as lower client satisfaction.  Thus, it makes sense that if their new standards slow cash flow, then your company might have to delay their compensation if lack of documentation motivates clients to not pay on time or stop services.

Not treating you fairly or respectfully, then study their standards for how to interact and/or serve others.  Encourage them to demonstrate the behaviors they deem important for others.

Often you can gain incredible insights into these motivations in the Driving Forces sections of our MANAGEtoWIN Talent Assessments.  Not only do you learn the most intense motivators that drive their behaviors, but they are also required to identify statements that best describe how to work with them.

You also need to validate your conclusions through observation, and data such as situations that happen in your work environment, emails, etc.

WARNING:  Never lose sight of your objective, which is a positive resolution.  You are not gathering this information to attack them.  Similar to a good cop-bad cop negotiation, the standards of your company, clients, and/or the other person's own expectations are the "bad cop."  You are the "good cop" that works with them to meet the standards of the "bad cop."

Why do I suggest this approach?

1. It works, when done sincerely.
2. This process removes assumptions on your part; and when you have discussed your conclusions with the other person, possibly assumptions they have had that are unproductive.
3. This process is respectful and professional when done without malice.
4. This approach should reinforce your company values.
5. This mini-system provides you with new information that can lead to new, better decisions.
6. When you go this route conflict is avoided.
7. And last but not least, understanding why someone does something is more important than how they are doing it.  This is because the why drives the how.

Is interesting to note a similar process can be followed to improve your ability to accomplish something that someone you respect has achieved.  For instance, if someone has achieved something in their career that you want to achieve, then study how their work enables them to live out their personal beliefs.

If someone has achieved financial success in a way that you could also accomplish, then study their beliefs about money and confirm whether their wealth was a fluke, or the result of a process that can be systematically applied in your life.

If someone has one or more relationships that are deeper and more fulfilling than your own, then study how they developed the trust to build and serve those relationships.

I want to thank Anthony Iannarino for inspiring these last four thoughts, even though I took my own spin on them and in this overall teaching. 

If you truly want to learn and grow, then focus more on the why that enables people to achieve meaningful results.  Once you understand that, then you can focus more on how they do their work.

We have to change to stay ahead of the game and grow.  I help leaders become better.  We work on leadership skills and systems to hire, manage, develop, and retain top performers, plus company culture, sales management, and strategic marketing.  Contact me if you, other leaders you know, and/or your company wants to improve.