The habit habit

I got out of the habit of good habits. My Mom visited me a few weeks ago.  The following week I celebrated a birthday over the course of a few days.   Then we welcomed a new nephew to our family.   We spent time in the hospital and visiting.   I loved seeing my Mom.  I had a great time for my birthday.  It was wonderful spending time with family to celebrate the nephew.   I changed my routine that week.  I adapted it to the circumstances. I had been working out 6 days/week.  I lost 10 lbs. … [Read more...]

Is your hole deep enough?

Rich told me he had no room for error. He has no money in the bank. If the business he bought doesn't turn around - quickly - his family doesn't eat. Rich is motivated. He's in a pretty deep hole. Joe just had to sell one of his businesses. He wasn't investing in it.  The business got pretty run down ... Like an old house that hasn't been maintained. Joe is on the tail end of his business life.  He's got the money he needs to finish this ride called life.  Joe doesn't have a very deep hole.   … [Read more...]

Who do you relate to?

The word relationship is built on the root:  relate.  So a relationship is based up how we relate to others. When you build relationships do you relate to the other person or do you relate to yourself while talking to another person? You can't meet someone where they are when you don't relate to them for who they are.   How do expect to sell them, support them, lead them or love them when you aren't even talking to them? Stop talking to yourself.   Build a relationship instead.  It will … [Read more...]

Old school – What is limiting job growth?

Jobs.  The latest 4 letter word being thrown across the aisle in Washington ... before Congress took a 1 month vacation.  There is a battle for your hearts, minds, and votes. There is a problem with the jobs debate.  The debate is based on the pre-1992 economy.   We are arguing about an economy that died when new technologies took on life.  We are arguing about a service economy that required people to deliver service.  The post 1992 economy is different. Frederick Winslow Taylor created … [Read more...]

You can have an impact. Will you?

I met Marshall last week.  I was working behind the coffee bar at church.  Out of the busyness of barista-ing, I heard Marshall say, "Excuse me, sir.  I had an accident."  I stopped what I was doing.  I came out from the bar.  Marshall spilled some coffee.  It wasn't a big deal.  Not much of a mess.  He wanted to clean up his own mess.  I saw embarrassment on his face.  We cleaned up his mess together. I sat Marshall in a chair in our common area.  He sat with me in a half sweated through … [Read more...]

The Secret about Trust

Want to find out if you can trust someone? Trust them. You'll find out. Start off small. Build trust as they prove you right for trusting them in the first place. Related articles Improve Your Trust Building Odds (pt5.psychologytoday.com) Trust Issues at Work? Don't Be an Ostrich (leaderchat.org) … [Read more...]

How to build more powerful relationships.

Relationships.  I read a lot about relationships.  Apparently, they're important.  In sales, people prefer to buy from those they trust.  In leadership, people prefer to follow those they trust.  Trust requires a relationship. The root of the word relationship is relate.  The word 'relate' comes from a word that means "to bring".  Are you bringing yourself to your relationships? Relationships are built on the cornerstone of revelation.  We relate to what's revealed.  The more that is … [Read more...]

Here’s A High Value Proposition

Thirty years ago we had 1 hour of national news a day.   We had 3 stations to choose from.  We watched either Cronkite, Chancellor or Reasoner at 7pm (East Coast) on ABC, CBS, or NBC.  If you watched TV at 7pm, you were probably watching the news.  Nothing else was on. There was competition between the national news organizations at 7pm.  There weren't many outside competitive threats because the choice was news or news.  The competition that existed drove up quality.   The news outlets … [Read more...]

Is it time for new decision?

Tim made a discovery that can change his life.   It might change your life, too. Tim and his dad own a business together.  A prospect asked Tim's firm if they performed a type of planning service.   Tim thought they could meet the prospect's need.  Tim's father gave him a list of reasons why they couldn't. A life changing observation struck Tim.  "My dad always looks for excuses explaining why something won't work.  He taught me to do the same thing." Tim's a hard charger in many areas … [Read more...]

Understanding the gravity of the (business) situation

Gravity is generated by objects that have mass.   The greater the mass, the stronger the pull of gravity.  The stronger the pull, the more it influences everything within it's reach.  We float weightlessly when there is no gravity.   We are like immovable boulders when there is a lot gravity. The longer a business is around the more likely it is to accumulate mass.  The mass accumulates in the form of people, processes, culture, habits, inventory, customers, etc.  As mass accumulates, so does … [Read more...]