Set them up for success

Are you setting your goals up for success or failure? Are you investing resources and talents or holding off? If you expect people to be successful you better set them up for success. In my view there are a few simple tools you need for this to happen. The first is trust and it is the most important, it creates the culture. Second is making sure you have the resources. Set clear expectations of what you want, and what success looks like.

Do you trust that people will do what you want them to? More importantly do you trust that even though they will make mistakes along the way, they will still get the solution? Trust is a huge factor in success, if people do not feel they are trusted, they will not give their all, they will not speak their mind and they will not fully get behind the plan. As they should be, they will be looking out for themselves. If you want success, make sure you trust not only that it can happen but more importantly the people you are with can make it happen.

You cannot make a fire without at least some materials, depending on how resourceful you are, you may be able to get by with less, but the fact remains you need something. If you want a roaring fire you better have enough wood to do so. This goes right with making sure we are successful, make sure you have the resources available for success to occur.

If you want success make sure you know what it looks like, if we don’t know what it looks like, how will we know when we get there. If your favorite excuse is “I do not have time to explain what I want”, then stop complaining you never get it. If you are not going to take enough responsibility to explain what you want, do not get upset when you do not get it.

Not taking the time to explain, does more than just create confusion among the people you work with. It creates a culture that is not filled with trust, questions linger of why, not everyone is on the same page, why the whole story was not laid out and what is going to happen if I do this. Second, if you constantly find yourself having to deal with “fixing others mistakes” and are not sure if you gave a clear explanation, chances are you are a contributing factor. This means instead of taking 10 minutes to explain it, you spend 30 minutes fixing it. The cut runs deeper still, the person you asked to help you now feels, like they let you down and the trust is broken down, even just a bit.

If you want success, you need to make sure you are ready for it. Create a culture where trust is relevant and real. Let people make mistakes and know they will get it right, everyone does. Have the materials that you need to build the fire for success. Finally make sure you are taking the time to explain what success will look like.

Believe in what you want.

With the New Year freshly on its way, there is one key thing we all must remember. The biggest wall for most of our resolutions, coming true is we believe they cannot happen. We think we are stuck where we are at, and we cannot do better. However maybe on some off chance, we may just be able to do it. After all why wait until start of a new year?

Think of how backwards that is, we want to change, yet do not believe we can do it? We do not believe we are good enough to accomplish our biggest fears or dreams. This is why so rarely any resolutions is ever accomplished, not because we can’t, but because we think we can’t. I truly believe that people have amazing talents that will help them accomplish whatever they want. Far too often we doubt ourselves (me included) about if we are “good enough”, we all are.

I believe that the words you choose every day help you create the future of not only yourself but the people, businesses and organizations you touch. A simple word switch from “wish” to “will” can make a world of difference. Are we more likely to get behind “I wish we could be more strategic” or “We will be more strategic”, which sentence would you rather hear?

Take this into the workplace, personal life and wherever it still remains true. Far too often we wish for things that we never think can happen, after all it is a “wish”. I say we stop wishing and start believing.

Getting into the mindset of “this can never happen” will ruin you. It creates a self fulfilling prophecy, which we continuously create a filter that shows us exactly what we think we need to see. If you want something, you better believe it can happen, or it won’t.

You need more than a map

Recently I have been reading a lot about how we need a map to get where we want to go. While I agree whole-heartedly that this is a key to success, it is not all that we need to have. Far too often we try to control everything in our life, to the point we forget that maybe the path we are on, is meant to be. If we stay on it we may just learn more than we ever thought we could.

What I suggest is an internal compass. Plan your map, but prepare to get lost. Plan what you want to do with your life, but we all know their will be detours, some that are not even on the map. This is why your internal compass is so valuable. You are far too important and unique to just sway with the wind.

Want to make your compass. While I am no expert I have been going through this same thing myself. I have had the greatest opportunity to be with amazing people who continue to invest in me, even when I do not deserve it. While most people think the key to a compass is, the compass, I have to disagree. The guide of the compass is the most important part. What will not be your magnetic pull, better yet what will be.

Your true north, one major key to developing your true north is look at who you want to be. What are characteristics that you want to be known for, in marketing we call this a brand. What is your personal brand and how will you live it? It does not have to be extensive, in fact what are 3-5 characteristics that you want etched on your headstone when you die. Go out and have the drive to live those on a daily basis.

Who will be your pull? We have the amazing opportunity in our life to choose who we want to be in our life. These people truly help us determine our success. Invest in the people that care and let them pull you in the right direction. The coin has two sides, make sure you are giving back just as much if not more to those, who drive you to be a better version of yourself.

In no way am I trying to dissuade anyone from developing their own life. In fact I would like to suggest the exact opposite, much like the right and left brain, your compass and your map work best when leveraged together. With both of these you are sure to go anywhere.

How will you play the hand?

What do you want to do with your life? Who do you want to be and how do you want to live? At the end of the day, it all comes down to question, how you will act. Will you treat others kind, even when they do not deserve it? Will you grow from criticism or will you let it weigh you down? Who will you spend your time with and why? As you breathe your final breath, will it be towards accomplishing dreams or killing a dream? We all have a choice on how we react; rarely do we have a choice about the situation we are put in.

Not everyone you meet will be kind. This does not mean to be unkind to them, be kind, and treat them with respect. Do not live your life to teach other people a lesson, live your life to inspire other people to be better. Inspire them with the talents and kindness you have to offer. Kindness is one of the greatest gifts you can give to a person you never know, how it will change their day.

Today I had my review, to say the least it was not what I was expecting but it was what I needed. My managers were able to show me where I needed to improve and give me strategies for success, a tool we all need. I had two choices when I heard the news, I could let it defeat me or I could power me to be a better person. At first all I wanted to do was go in a corner and be away. After some thought, I realized what A great opportunity this was for me. I made the conscious choice for this to help me.

Who are you spending your time with? Are you investing in the people that bring you up and keep you down? Will the ones in your life help you reach you dreams or help you run from your fears? The time that you have is precious; you cannot hit rewind in your life. Will you have regret? Yes everyone does, does it mean you have failed not at all, it is an incredible opportunity to learn.

In every situation we have a choice. To many people think that you gain power, recognition and fame by who you know, for some this is true, however for most it is about the choices they made. Even if they get to the top riding the back of another, they cannot stay there unless they make the choice. Stop wasting your time judging someone else’s life, and go out and live. My guess is you will be happier than ever before, you will get where you want faster and it will be one hell of a journey.

Lifes Little Lessons

Let me tell you about my day. To begin I woke up late, yes my own fault. I get out to my spot and it is blocked by a company van that is repairing bricks at our complex. My first thought is “Hey why in the world would you park in front of a garage at 8:00, seems really silly to me.” I find the guy and have him move the van so I can get out. I pull out and get on the main street, stuck behind a school bus SERENITY NOW! I finally get to work. Everything is fine until I pack up for lunch. I spill my water bottle all over my desk. The cap was not on (yes I am a winner). So now I am angry I am mad, at what, life.

Now why do I tell you this? For one looking back at it I find it so funny that I got upset and that all this happened and guess what I am still alive. Stuff so small gets in our ways everyday, because we let it.

The final point I want to make is what happened at lunch. I went to get Chinese, as usual after eating I got a fortune cookie. I open it and my message reads “windows of opportunity rarely open themselves”. IT HIT ME. There are so many times in life and in business where we are looking for the opportunity to come smashing through a window and hit us in the head. However we forget to realize that every moment is an opportunity to learn. Lets just review my few key opportunities I saw as a reason to be mad.

1) Waking up late: I need to plan better, I should not rely on a machine to tell me when something needs to be done. Think of how disrespectful that truly is to the people you love.
2) The Van: How many times have you thought about what you want? What good does it do you? Not a whole lot in the long run. One of my keys to happiness is to help others get where they want to go. I will not be a van blocking the way
3) School Bus: I should really have another route. How many times have you gone into life and business with a set plan with no other alternatives? It is a sure to be a failure (an epic one at that?)
4) The water bottle: How many times have you taken on a project without really knowing what is going on to the point where it could destroy everything? Why do we do this? I agree there needs to be some adventure however if you are not secure (like the cap) do not take the opportunity

Thanks have a great night!

SUCCESS: How much does it cost?

There are so many people that are willing to tell you the key to success. Many want you to pay to learn how to successful and what it means to be successful. I find this trend rather sad. Since when do we need someone to tell us how to be successful or what it means? The last time I checked success was something we decided upon. It was a goal we set and a path we took a path to freedom, happiness and learning.

There is one main point that everyone needs to be successful. It is passion. Passion drives you. It drives you to learn more, do more and be more. Creating success.

Over the past three months I have not been chasing my passion. Thankfully that was ended for me. Which is truly a blessing for me, it has set me free.

It is easy to get caught up in the day to day and get lost in finding what your true passion is. Here are a few hints from me on what it looks like

1) You seek the approvals of others instead of yourself
2) You feel like you can’t do anything right
3) You feel like you are letting the team down
4) You know deep down this is not what you should be doing
5) You have no idea how you impact the business

How can you apply this to business? Simple, define what your passion is. Not what it will be but what it is. What is it that you do better than anyone else and is it something you love to do? Then the hardest part, you need to go out and do it. Find the right people that will invest in your future. Find the customers who want to buy from you and speak their language. Create a culture where your passion will stay alive. This to me is the key to success. You have to have passion

“Go forth and set the world on fire”

A journey not a destination

Too many people are looking for a destination. A place to be a place to stay. A safe place for them to hide from the rest of the world. However they will never find it. They are searching to be happy based on their situation. They think that your situation determines how you should feel. However the truth is. How you feel and your outlook determines your life and how you live it. If you decide each day to enjoy it you will enjoy life.

Good marketing is the same way. Do not have it paint a thick coat of fake paint on you. Have it leverage the opportunities in the market. Your business and its core is the fulcrum. You are the balancing point. The cornerstone. The market is the resistance. It will always be there sometimes heavier than before. Your market is the effort. The arm of the diagram is your brand. The more precise and defined it is the more work you can do, however if you are weak with your brand you have a flimsy arm. No matter how much force you apply with marketing it will not matter. In fact with a untrue brand and strong marketing you will break the brand and connection between you and the market.. It is what connects the market and your business The closer your business and market are aligned the more market can leverage the opportunity.