Posted on Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Just in Time Learning (JIT)

More Important Today Than Ever Before

In graduate school I spent a lot of time studying the theory of “Just in Time” manufacturing also known as JIT. The origin of JIT is not really known but the carmaker Toyota is credited with popularizing the system.

The idea is that by getting a handle on the production process from beginning to end and understanding that process fully, you can order supplies and have them arrive at the moment they will be used. The advantages of this efficiency are numerous, from not having to create space to store excess parts to no delays in waiting on delivery of needed supplies. Financially it also made sense, you paid for what you needed and used what you had, no overages, no shortages. The JIT concept came to America in the 60s and has been a staple of MBA courses since.

Today I want to talk about another JIT concept and that is Just in Time Learning. Similar to its manufacturing cousin, JIT Learning has many advantages that make it the learning theory of the future (and the future is now). JIT Learning is studying the lessons and concepts that you need to implement at the time of implementation and not earlier.

A quick example, in a year I want to add videos to my blog. I could take the time today to learn about YouTube and Vimeo and uploading video, purchasing lighting and editing, interview ideas, social media sharing and the list goes on and on. But I won’t need that knowledge until next year.

If I study video today I will use up time, which I don’t have, I will likely forget what I learn by the time I need the knowledge and next year the technology will probably be obsolete. JIT Learning says I should wait until next year and learn what I need as I need it. Just in Time Learning is more important today than it ever has been and here is why:

We have access to so much knowledge- we can’t keep it all. Think of you mind as a computer with a hard drive and some RAM. The hard drive is for long term storage of ideas and the RAM is for ideas that you will use in the near term. The RAM is small and can only hold so much information, the hard drive has a much larger capacity but isn’t as easily accessible. As we continue to add new learning, we move thoughts and ideas from our RAM to our hard drive. The more we add to the RAM, the further the previous knowledge gets pushed into our hard drive. When it comes time to use knowledge previously learned, the further back in your hard drive it resides the longer and more difficult it will take to retrieve. Likely it will require a relearning to remember what you already learned. It is better to learn as needed and then implement it while the knowledge is still in your RAM.
Not all knowledge is evergreen. You may be familiar with the term evergreen. It refers to the tree that no matter the weather or time of year remains green. This term can also refer to information and knowledge that doesn’t change. Most knowledge today is NOT evergreen. The skills and abilities you learned yesterday may not be applicable tomorrow. The time spent learning something before it is needed may be wasted. The technology you will need to accomplish your task in the future may not exist yet. Learning JIT ensures that you are always learning the most accurate, useful and applicable knowledge. If you learn processes before they are needed you run the risk of those ideas being obsolete by the time you implement them.

Time is limited. You probably don’t have the time in a day to spend learning things that are not immediately important. The amount of information accessible is moving so fast that the time necessary to learn it all is impossible. If you spend your time learning lessons that “may” be applicable in the future you will not have time (or neglect) the learning and ideas necessary for today. If I spend time learning to create videos for my blog I will run out of time to learn the lessons necessary for my podcast. Time is a zero sum game- time spent here is time taken from there. By prioritizing your time you will realize that JIT Learning is the only efficient way to learn.
Learning for tomorrow is just avoiding today. One of the reasons that many people spend time consumed with the lessons of tomorrow is so they can avoid taking action today. Creating a podcast is hard so I can avoid that struggle by spending time learning about tomorrow’s videos. Doesn’t make sense does it?
Knowledge is easily accessible. Why spend energy and brainpower remembering something you can easily Google? I could memorize pi to the 50^th digit (maybe) but why? I could also just look it up when I need it. As information becomes more accessible the need to memorize it becomes less important.

The secret to progressing forward and creating success in your life and in your work is to do the things necessary for today….now. Knowledge is readily accessible and should be consumed and used at the time of implementation. Just in Time Learning is productive and efficient learning.

Question: What is your secret to Just in Time Learning? Leave your comments below or by clicking here.

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Posted on Tuesday, June 9, 2015

This is Not Your Parent’s Employment

Technology is changing, the culture of the office is changing and the economy is changing. If there is one thing that we can know for certain about the future, it’s changing. In the next few years we will see a change in employment that has never been seem before, a majority of management and top company leadership will be millennials- meaning they will be younger than the people they manage.

Millennials are the largest generation to date and the fastest growing group of employees. Many are rising through the ranks and beginning to hold positions of leadership and authority. As the years progress, more and more “kids” will be leading organizations.

On the flip side, baby boomers, faced with longer life expectancy and less robust retirements will be staying in the workforce longer than ever before. Even if baby boomers have fully funded retirement accounts, many are making the conscious decision to stay in the workforce for various reasons including the challenge, the excitement, the opportunity and the rewards.

All of this combines to make a unique circumstance in society where younger and younger people will be managing older and older workforces. This is not your parent’s employment. And I’m not even talking about the Facebooks and other millennial led organizations. So naturally this raises the questions; if I am a millennial, how do I lead an organization comprised of baby boomers? Or, if I am a baby boomer how do I take leadership from a millennial? Today I would like to offer 4 suggestions for you millennials and 4 for your Baby boomers to make employment work.

Baby boomers– If you find that you are now taking leadership and direction from a manager who is the same age as your kids:

Don’t assume they don’t know anything- They might be slightly arrogant or have an insatiable social media appetite but do not assume that they do not understand the company, the objectives and how to perform. Many young people today are well educated and because of the abundance of information available are able to learn and grow quickly.
Don’t assume they don’t respect you- Just because your kids roll their eyes when you talk doesn’t mean that your manager is thinking the same thing. Chances are that you arrived at your position because of the knowledge, experience and expertise that you have. Your manager regardless of age should respect that.
Don’t assume that a lack of technological knowhow will reduce your effectiveness- Sure the world is changing and many tasks are being simplified through technological advances but the core of customer service and relationship management will still be face-to-face interactions. These are skills that no technology will make obsolete.
Don’t assume you can’t learn anymore- A baby boomer can learn new tricks. This is evidenced by the fastest growing segments online and in social media….your fellow boomers. You are uniquely positioned because of your experience to grow faster and see opportunities others (millennials) miss.

The bottom line is that being a baby boomer could have some real advantages for you in the workforce. When I was applying for my MBA program, they gave special preference to applicants who had a few years work experience under their belt between undergraduate school and graduate school. The thinking was that life experience made the student more aware of options and solutions and a frame of reference in which to compare new ideas. A real asset.

Millennials– If you find yourself leading a team of baby boomers, here are a few suggestions to make the ride a little less bumpy:

Don’t assume your baby boom followers think you are too young- Many of us suffer from the imposter syndrome. A feeling of inadequacy that forces us into thinking we are underqualified for the opportunities we are given. Remember that you have the position that you have because your boss saw something in you that gave them confidence in your ability. Sure you will make mistakes but that doesn’t mean you are not qualified, nor do your followers feel that way.
Stop acting like age is important…it’s not- We have the tendency, because of the imposter syndrome, to defer decisions and responsibility to others. We may feel that because we are younger we don’t have much to offer; this is untrue. You have learned things faster and more efficiently than generations ahead just because of the availability and ease of access of information. My (grade school aged) kids are learning a second language on the couch with their Chromebooks- as a hobby. It is a different world and you bring knowledge previously reserved only for formal learning.
Don’t talk down to your baby boomer followers- A leader leads a team through positive guidance and inspiring counsel. Treat employees of every generation with respect, encouragement and opportunities for growth.
Listen- This isn’t just a millennial leadership suggestion but a general leadership imperative. To know how your team best responds, to know their needs and to gain their respect, a leader must actively listen and respond. A suggestion for millennials is to communicate with your team face-to-face (often). You may be comfortable behind the computer but your employees want to look into your eyes. To inspire you must be a part of the team.

The reality is, in the “new” economy, managers will need to be able to lead teams of people both older and younger than they are. And regardless of your age, you will need to be able to perform at a high and efficient level under the watchful eye of somebody with different experiences and expectations than your own. The age you are is the age you are- that will not change, but how you approach life and work….that is under your control. Age is unavoidable, this is not your parent’s employment, choose your attitude wisely.

Question: How have you seen the changes in employment culture as millennials enter leadership roles? Leave your comments below or by clicking here.

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Posted on Tuesday, June 2, 2015

15 Traits of a Winner

The Tortoise and The Hare Parable - Got it Wrong

Are you the tortoise or the hare? If you said “hare”…. and you know the parable, then you know you will not succeed. Why’d you say that? You are going to be passed by the focused tortoise. Did you say “tortoise”…. sorry but you are not likely to win the race either. Surprise!

You see the parable got it wrong. We assume that the tortoise and the hare are the only participants in this race. If we do, we miss the real winner in the race to success- the person who has the focus of the tortoise and skill of the hare.

15 Traits of a Winner — Are You A Winner?

Think about yourself, think about your co-workers, and now think about a person you look up to who is succeeding and leading the way. Is that person slow and methodical but persistent or is that person fast and scattered? My guess is that he has qualities of both- fast and persistent. This mythical animal who actually wins the race is a leader. Here are 15 traits every winner must cultivate- the leader is:

Creative- In the world of leadership the leader must have the ability to think outside the box and see opportunities before they become apparent to others in their industry. They stay ahead of the competition because they think creatively.
Honest- The successful have a strict adherence to a code of ethics and honesty. They exhibit a courageous attitude and speak directly and clearly.
Inspirational- To lead you need to inspire. You will cannot conquer the mountain alone, you need your support team. This is one thing I really respect about cyclists in major races like the Tour De France. Each cyclist on the team has a role and each must function at expert level for the leader to win.
Teachable- Ever learning and increasing in ability. I recently told my daughter to study hard and work hard in school but not to focus too much on picking a career. Chances are by the time she enters the work force the career she had picked would no longer exist and the one she’ll end up with hasn’t yet been created. Knowledge and skills are evolving so quickly that an ability to continuously learn and improve will be invaluable.
Delegate- A leader has the ability to enlist the troops and share the workload. Every participant of a team should be functioning in roles that they are ideally suited to. The leader shouldn’t be stuffing envelopes and the new hire shouldn’t be calling on the most influential client.
Admits mistakes and (when appropriate) laughs- No leader is perfect and every leader will make mistakes along the journey. When you stumble or make a mistake be the first to admit, adapt, adjust and move on. A setback isn’t failure unless you let it stop your progress. If you can smile and shrug off setbacks you’ll be respected by your team.
Confident- When the decision is made, the leader has the ability to confidently execute. Zig Ziglar used to say that “timid salesmen have skinny children”. A leader that displays a lack of confidence has few loyal followers and sales suffer. But, there is a difference between confidence and arrogance.
Committed- The leader is committed to success and assumes the responsibility for attaining it. If you are only half “in the game” and if you bow out (quit) when the obstacles get tough you are not a leader.
Passionate- Do you have that sparkle in your eye? Do you take the steps two at a time? If you are not super excited to do your job you will struggle as a leader. The barometer I often use for passion is: What do you think about in the shower? If it’s how to improve and grow at work…you have passion. If it’s the finale of the latest reality show…you probably lack passion. If you don’t have it you can build passion but that is a topic for another blog post.
Intelligent- Hey smarty pants- you got to have the goods if you’re gonna lead. You must have industry and operational intelligence. You don’t have to be Einstein or know multiple languages but you do need a high degree of understanding about your business, your competitors and your industry.
Accountable- I have spoken often about the need for accountability and goal setting. Leaders hold themselves and those they work with accountable to perform. They do what is required to make sure the job is done efficiently, accurately and timely.
Positive- Coupled with a passion for what you are doing you can truly inspire and lead if you are optimistic. See the good in people, situations and the future. Pessimistic thinking never changed the world (tweet that!)
Focused- Follow One Course Until S A leader understands the assignments, responsibilities, clients and products that have the biggest impact on success, performance and the bottom line. They do not allow peripheral opportunities distract and derail effort. This is the hare’s vital error.
Communicator- A leader must inspire and that requires charisma. A leader stands in front of the team and communicate the rules, roles and opportunities. Clearly articulating individually and in a group is necessary for success.
Generous- I will follow a leader that invests in me and it is likely you will too. Generosity is the new enrollment mechanism. A leader that shares in the workload, the ups and downs, the blame and triumph will always have loyal followers. Be generous in praise and reward those who perform and you will be leading.

The world has a lot of wannabe leaders- those who will eagerly accept the title and ancillary incentives but what we really need is leaders who will lead. Those who can inspire and lead will change the world. Are you the tortoise, the hare or a leader?

Question: How many of the 15 leadership qualities do you have? Leave your comments below or by clicking here.

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Posted on Tuesday, May 26, 2015

People Don’t Fail Because They Aim Too High…

This post is an excerpt from my free eBook. You can get the rest of the book by clicking here.

People don’t fail because they aim too high and miss, but because they aim too low and hit. – Les Brown

How big are your goals and dreams? Are they big enough to challenge you and make you work hard? Success can only come after hard work and required effort. Look at the people around you; do they have clearly defined goals?

Most people are living for a weekend when they can break from work. They enjoy watching movies and social media and have no plan for the future. Their biggest goal is to not miss the newest episode of popular reality television. The amusing thing about television is viewers use their time watching actors and athletes who are living their dreams. Landing a role in a popular primetime television show takes a lot of work and sacrifice. When an actor finally gets his big break and lands his big role he is living his dream.

There will undoubtedly be things you will have to sacrifice to succeed. I love this quote for so many reasons. It is human tendency to aim to low. Failure is not aiming too high and missing, that’s called experience. Failure is setting your sights too low and never realizing your potential. Too many are satisfied with status quo and never accomplish anything great. Aim for the moon, even if you miss you will end up with the stars.

Question: How do you define success? What are the things that you need to do to accomplish that goal?Leave your comments below or by clicking here.

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Posted on Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Stop Trespassing on My Time

My phone began to ring and I stared at it and frowned. “Not Ryan”, I mumbled under my breath. Do you ever have experiences like that? I did recently, that was a true story about Ryan calling (names have been changed to protect the innocent/guilty). I couldn’t figure out why I was feeling the way that I was. I like Ryan, we get along very well and are interested in a lot of the same things, but for some reason I felt an urge to not pick up the phone.

As I thought about this experience I realized that it wasn’t Ryan specifically I was avoiding, it was his requests. You see every time that we talk he has something he needs my help on. And because I like and respect him, I have a hard time (ok impossible time) saying “no”; everything from relationship advice and moving furniture to last minute rides and finishing projects at work.

Boundaries are tricky aren’t they? It is tough to determine what you “should do” versus what you “could do”. The trick is realizing that you have certain responsibilities but other requests fall outside of that responsibility. When we are in the middle of the situation is it difficult to recognize the level to which requests distract and derail our other efforts.

There are many reasons that we may be hesitant to decline requests for help. You may fear the relationship will be irreparably harmed. You may have to deal with unpleasantness like anger or immaturity. You may not understand what is your responsibility and confuse a “should” with a “could”. You may also feel some level of commitment or guilt if you do not help out. All of these are valid reasons making saying no even harder.

Recognizing that every time you say “yes” to something you are saying “no” to something else will help. I used to, and unfortunately sometimes still do, get caught up at work trying to finish just 1 more project and end up late for dinner with the family. I am really saying “yes” to my career and “no” to my family.

You must recognize that there are times and places for both in every life. I would love to stay home and be with the family all day but it is hard to feed them on that effort. Similarly, if I decide to go golfing on Saturday morning, I need to recognize that I have just said “yes” to 6 hours in the weeds instead of 6 hours at home (probably in the weeds). That realization has helped me to prioritize and determine which choice is best for me.

Even when you make the decision that saying “no” is the right decision for you, it still requires actually saying “no”. So, how do we make saying “no” a little bit easier? Here are 11 steps to softening the “no”:

Listen to the request fully and respectfully- Give the person making the request the opportunity to fully articulate the need.
Get to know your “yes”- Before you can get really good at declining offers you need to understand what you want to say “yes” to. What are the things in your life that take priority and then say “yes” to those first. Otherwise you may end up saying “no” them by default.
Practice- The first time you say “no” you may find it difficult, but as you work on it and gain more experience it will become easier. Start with small inconsequential requests and move on to larger requests as you develop.
Pause before responding to any request- Take a few moments to think about what is being asked and evaluate it against your other commitments and responsibilities. Determine if it is a “should” or a “could”. I have a friend who never agrees to anything immediately when asked. Her response is always “let me check on a few things and get back to you”. This gives her the opportunity to fully vet each request and when she does accept a request she is fully committed.
Simply say “no” (or as simply as possible)- When you determine that you cannot accept a request respond with a clear decline. Do not try to soften the response by being vague or cryptic. Either you can or you cannot do what is requested.

Recognize your time is your time and it is valuable- Each request is taking something from you, your time, and that has value to it. Know your priorities and what you can realistically accept.
When appropriate give a brief reason for declining- It is important to be honest and when appropriate you can share why you are unable to accept the request. People will respect your directness.
But don’t feel obligated to explain- You are in control of your life and your reasons for declining are your own. You do not need to justify or be confrontational when you decline.
Script it out- When you know a specific unrealistic request is coming you can prepare by writing out a response ahead of time. Or you can respond to a request through email or text which will give you a chance to fine tune and wordsmith your response.
Have alternatives- A great way to decline a request is to couple that “no” with alternative options. Maybe you cannot help but could Sally?
Finally, stay firm- Once you have made a decision stand your ground and stay committed. A good decision made after deliberation shouldn’t be changed in the heat of the moment.

Whatever steps you choose and use know that you are making a decision for yourself to prioritize what is important to you. Nobody has control or power over that. Say “no”…firmly, frequently and with respect. Stop Trespassing on My Time.

Question: Do you have any tips for saying no and focusing on your priorities? Leave your comments below or by clicking here.

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Posted on Tuesday, May 12, 2015

The Merchant of Death: Living Forward Before You Die

Tick Tock….Tick….Tock. You have today- what are you going to do with it?

Unlike Alfred Nobel, your obituary and legacy are not yet written. You can write them today. Are you familiar with Alfred Nobel? In 1888 Alfred’s brother passed away. The local newspaper, mistaking Alfred for his brother, printed his obituary instead; a rather unflattering obituary.

Alfred Nobel was the inventor of dynamite. His legacy, according to the newspaper, was as “The Merchant of Death” and he was blamed for the loss of thousands of lives. Can you imagine reading your own obituary and seeing your legacy as someone evil? I don’t want to.

Well, Alfred made this experience a defining moment in his life and vowed to change, to create a more positive legacy when he actually did pass away. He took his enormous fortune and left most of it to establish the Nobel Prizes. You have heard of those right; the prizes awarded to those who contribute the “greatest benefit on mankind” in the fields of peace, chemistry, physics, economics, literature and medicine?

While you may not have been able to identify the inventor of dynamite you have certainly heard of the Nobel Prize. It appears that Alfred Nobel was successful in his attempts to change his legacy. You, like Alfred Nobel, have the opportunity to change your legacy. You have today to rewrite your history.

I call this living forward.

We all have things in our past that we regret, mistakes that we have made, but what is important today is that you move forward. Who you were and who you are pales in comparison to who you can become (tweet that). So what are you going to do to make that change? Do you have dreams, goals, and aspirations you aspire to? You control your destiny, you control your legacy.

Question: What are you doing today to “Live Forward”? How are you writing your legacy? Leave your comments below or by clicking here.

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Posted on Tuesday, May 5, 2015

The Key to Success is Pruning Life’s Roses

You have to know what to cut out before you can fully develop. I recently read the book Necessary Endings by Dr. Henry Cloud. In this book he talks about “The Employees, Businesses, and Relationships that All of Us Have to Give Up in Order to Move Forward.” This book really resonated with me because I have, and I think we all have, people, positions or beliefs we should give up.

There are a number of reasons that we fail to make the “necessary endings”. We may feel a level of commitment, or love, or accountability. Take for example a job that you have been doing for a number of years that just isn’t fulfilling. You may feel that you need to continue in the role out of an obligation to your employer, or a responsibility to finish a project, or a fear that leaving now would be financially detrimental. In each situation there are a variety of reasons that we hold on when the right move is to let go.

One of my favorite analogies in the book is that of the rose bush. I live here in San Jose, California where the weather is great a lot of the time. Because of the weather, we are able to grow roses virtually year round. We have neighbors who spend hours a week grooming and nurturing their roses and they take great pride in the success of their rose gardens. Personally I’m not much of a rose person but I appreciate the analogy Dr. Cloud uses.

When looking at a rose bush you will find that there are generally 3 different types of buds. The first type is the clearly dead. Every rose bush will have a certain number of branches that are dead. They have no chance of becoming healthy roses. It is clear that the best strategy when dealing with this type of rose branch is to remove it; cut it out. If you don’t it will cause the healthy branches to grow around it and alter their development and impede their progress.

Like the rose bush, each of us have things or people in our lives that are dead. Do you have someone you are close to that doesn’t add any value to your life, isn’t helping you reach your potential, or is impeding your development? These people or circumstances need to just be removed. You need to cut them out of your life. Recognize that this isn’t just people, it could be habits that you have or the environment you participate in that is stopping your progress. Cut it out.

The next type of rose branch is a good branch with a healthy flower forming but that isn’t the best flower. These branches drain nutrients and energy from the healthy roses and slow their growth, delaying their development. This type of rose branch is harder to deal with because it really is a good branch. But removing these good, but not great, branches will allow your great branches to develop more fully and reach their potential.

Similarly, in our lives we have things that are good but may not be the best for us. As difficult as it is, these, like the dead branches, need to be removed for full progress to occur. Do you have people, positions or beliefs in your life that are robbing your time and attention from what is truly important? I believe this is the procrastinator’s biggest obstacle. Do you ever find yourself busy all day but at the end of it with nothing much accomplished? You pushed paper from one side of the desk to the other and cleared your email box but left your “big” project untouched? Focus on the important and remove the mediocre.

Finally, the third type of rose branch is the great and beautiful ones. They might not have reached their full potential yet and need continued care and nurturing but the potential is clear. After you eliminate the mediocre and the dead branches you can focus on the beautiful.

In life I hope you have goals, dreams and aspirations that are enormous. You have the potential to accomplish great things. And like the rose bush, if you focus on your priorities and implement “necessary endings” to the people, positions and beliefs that are holding you back you will thrive and flourish. You will become a success because the Key to Success is Pruning Life’s Roses

Question: Do you have dead or mediocre rose branches in your life that you need to get rid of? What can you do today to create those “necessary endings”? Leave your comments below or by clicking here.

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Posted on Tuesday, April 28, 2015

10 Traits and Habits of the Wealthy

Are you wealthy? What is it that the wealthy do differently than the poor? There has been a lot of research recently on the mindset, habits and choices that the wealthy make that distinguish them. How do you define being wealthy? “Wealthy” can vary depending on where you live. For example, in a recent Realtor.com article, San Jose ranked #1 (that’s not good) as the least affordable market. The average home mortgage uses 72.4% of the owner’s monthly income. Wow! To put that into comparison, New York City is only 46.6% and Atlanta only 19.8%. So, being wealthy in San Jose will take more income than say Detroit.

But, what do the wealthy do differently; how do they think that makes the biggest difference? You would be surprised to find that intelligence has very little to do with it. Let’s look at 10 traits and habits of the wealthy, ways they are different.

They live on a budget- This may sound obvious but wealthy people do not accumulate credit card debt and they minimize auto loans or other types of “pay later” arrangements. Some good rules of thumb are to spend less than 25% of your income on housing (sorry San Jose and New York) and less than 15% on food. If you have a 401(K) with matching….maximize your contributions.
Have a purpose and live on purpose- Do you know why you get up each day? What causes you to take the stairs 2 at a time? Knowing your purpose will guide your decisions. As Zig Ziglar often taught- be a meaningful specific, not a wandering generality.
Read every day- I like to set aside 10 minutes every day to read a good book. Often I read nonfiction, but sometimes I do enjoy a fictional story. If you listen to the Family Before Fortune Podcast, you know that I read a book a week and review it. (See a list of past books here). Readers are learners and learners are leaders. The wealthy read while the poor watch tv. I am a believer that you should live your own dream, not watch other people (actors) live theirs.
Get a mentor. I have spoken a lot in this blog and on the podcast about the value of a mentor (read more here or listen here). My mentor has inspired me to grow beyond anything I could have imagined and I owe a lot of my success today to his mentorship. Wealthy people learn from positive mentors.
Avoid the negative- negative people suck. Get them out of your life. Ziglar also taught that you become part of what you are around. Spend time with mentors (see #4 above) and avoid anyone who doesn’t see your best interest. Spend time with those who will boost you to success.
Volunteer regularly- You can have anything you want in life if you just help enough other people get what they want (Ziglar again). Be a part of your community. Build and develop others. Be for someone else the mentor you want to have (see #4 again). It is amazing the energy and motivation you can get from helping others and being involved in a cause greater than yourself. Wealthy people are too busy helping others to get caught up in selfishness.
Work hard- While wealthy people may not be distinguished from their poor counterparts in intelligence, they are distinguished in their commitment to a hard day’s work. Don’t be afraid of working hard. Good things come to people who are willing to give it their all and put their nose to the grind and drive hard.
Do it now- The wealthy do “now” what needs to be done. Procrastination is a trait that is absent in the wealthy. Some of the most successful people I know, and the busiest, are those who do their responsibilities immediately and never delay the completion. It is often heard that if you want something done ask a busy person. This is true because they get it done- without procrastination.
Goal oriented and accountable- The wealthy have objectives and know the direction they are headed. They set their sights on the finish line and work to achieve it. They are careful not to dream and fantasize but to be realistic and then focus (follow one course until success).
Never give up…never surrender- a favorite movie of mine from many years ago is Galaxy Quest, a comedy satire of Star Trek. One of the characters would always say “Never give up…never surrender” and that is the mantra of the wealthy. It is inevitable that times will get tough, they always do, but the wealthy persevere. When obstacles get in their way they just keep moving.

There you have it, 10 traits and habits of the wealthy. How many of these traits do you have? I know that I could work on a couple of them (ok all 10). The interesting thing is that a whole bunch of research has been done about this topic; and the difference between wealth and poverty is easy to understand and easy to change yet so few people are willing to do it. Are you?

Question: Which one of the wealthy traits do you think has had the biggest impact on your success? Which one do you struggle with the most? Leave your comments below of by clicking here.

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Posted on Tuesday, April 21, 2015

The 30 Day Challenge Revisited

Last year at this time I wrote about my 30 day challenges and how they have impacted my life. I got the idea while reading of the Compound Effect by Darren Hardy. Since its writing, the 30 Day Challenge post has been one of my most frequently visited posts. People really resonate with the idea of short 30 day goals. You can read that original post here. With so much popularity and interest, I thought I would look back on topic and see what I have learned – The 30 Day Challenge Revisited.

The biggest lesson learned is that personal confidence, built through the challenges, is the most important reason to do them. It is also true that we control our own destinies and have a lot more power over those negative little voices in our heads than we may realize. In the past 3 years I have participated in many…many 30 day challenges. And each challenge positively impacts my life.

I find that my commitment to my 30 day challenge is stronger than my commitment to my other goals and objectives. Here are 5 reasons why that is the case:

Short term goals focus your mind- when your mind understands that there is a time limit it concentrates and keeps the thought (challenge) at the forefront. It doesn’t allow the idea to slip into the subconscious or be forgotten.
Clarity- 30 day challenges are clearly determined goals over a short period of time. The clearly defined nature makes them simple for your mind to understand. You know exactly what you need to do and how you need to do it to be successful. There is no confusion about what to do next.
Simple- while not always easy, my 30 day challenges are simple. They do not require a lot of strategic planning and brainstorming. I simply agree to do (or not to do) something every day for 30 days. It is clear if I did (or did not) do what I agreed that day.
The power of the chain- 30 day challenges invoke the mental power of the chain. Once you get a couple of days under your belt, a few checkmarks on the calendar, you do not want to break the chain and have to start all the way over. This is one of the strongest features of the challenge. By day 20, the chain of days is so long you couldn’t imagine breaking it which creates momentum that will carry you through the remaining time.
A definite stopping date- When you have an end date in sight you can find that extra willpower to fight to the end. Having a defined objective gives you confidence that you can be successful.

It only takes 3 weeks to form a habit, and by the end of your 30 days challenge you will have intentionally built a habit that will propel you to success. I cannot overstate the value I have found in the 30 Day Challenge.

Question: Let’s take on a challenge together- what are you working on? Leave your comment below and then commit to making it 30 days. How would it change your life? Leave your comments below or by clicking here

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Posted on Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Brand Loyalty and the Changing Tides

How committed are you to the brands you use? 7 years ago the company I was working for made a switch in the cell phones offered. I went from a Blackberry owner (trackwheel and all) to the proud recipient of the all new iPhone 3. I thought it was amazing. It had a touchscreen and color and the app store was loaded with games. I still have an iPhone today but why? How do we become so loyal to the brands that we use? I am under no disillusionment that the iPhone has the best technology, the fastest processing or the clearer screen but I still cringe at the idea of changing what I have become comfortable with.

While Apple is an easy example, it is not the only example in my life of brand loyalty. I have a particular brand of hockey stick, podcast microphone, breakfast cereal, tennis shoe etc. But I think we commit stronger to comfort they offer than we do to the actual brand, quality or capability. Brand loyalty, and loyalty in general, is not something that just “happens”. It takes time and testing, a period of uncommitted use and finally acceptance. And while brand loyalty takes time to create, it only takes a moment to destroy.

Let me share an example with you. I love ice cream- cookie dough ice cream. And there are very few instances that I would turn down a bowl of the good stuff. Over the past couple of years my family has gotten pretty loyal to a particular frozen yogurt shop in town where you can select your yogurt and then cover it in toppings. We have gotten so loyal to this particular company that my kids are unaware of alternatives. I have always been very complimentary of this particular company and sing their praises every chance that I get. Well…..until this week.

Here’s the story – I have a loyalty card that I use every time we go (which is more often then we should). And this loyalty card is similar to other loyalty cards; the more you buy, the more free yogurt you earn. The pinnacle of achievement for this card is to get the “Unlimited Cup”. Basically you purchase (over time) 520 ounces of yogurt and then you earn the right to fill a cup up to capacity (and beyond) and not pay. I like to set goals and I determined that earning the “unlimited cup” was worthy of my pursuit. I was doing pretty good on my endeavor and had a little under half way to goal when my brand loyalty was tested. This past weekend I went to get some yogurt and found that they had updated their loyalty program and reset my purchased quantity to zero. All that focus and hard work was erased. Does it sound overly dramatic to say I was devastated?

So how do make sure we do not destroy brand loyalty in our businesses? I have 3 suggestions for you to consider

Know your customer (or client) – who are they, what generation do they come from, their ethnic diversity, gender and demographic. Knowing who you serve (generally) can help you create a culture that builds loyalty. Understanding why your customers work with you or buy from you helps you focus on their needs. When needs are met loyalty increases.
Put yourself in your customer’s shoes – focusing on the experience of the client will change your focus from profits to service. What experience does the client have as they walk in through the doors of your business or call into your support desk? Do they feel important and valuable or ignored and unappreciated? Seeing your operation from the client perspective should determine how you set up the office flow, who you hire to interact with them and where you reinvest your resources. While the customer may not always be right, a loyal customer is worth the effort.
Learn from your blunders – no matter how much focus you put on your customers there will always be occasions of complaint. It is impossible to please everyone and while we strive for perfection there are times when we will come up short. Don’t look at those experiences as failures but rather educational opportunities. These are chances to reevaluate and make changes, to learn and grow and improve. A mistake doesn’t become a failure until you miss the lesson.

To win in the loyalty game you must be focused on the client. You must be adaptable and know what drives repeat business; because a loyal customer is worth the effort. As I approached the yogurt counter this weekend with my slightly overfilled bowl, grumbling under my breathe about the increased price and decreased reward points I still made the purchase- because, after all, I’m pretty loyal to my cookie dough ice cream.

Question: What brands are you most loyal to and why? Leave your comments below or by clicking here.

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