HABITS ARE HIP

HABITS ARE HIP

 

Ok, so may be habits aren’t the hippest thing in the world. But they just might be the most important. What separates the best from the rest comes down to habits. A few good ones (that’s really all it takes – two or three really good ones) will make a massive difference in the way your career and your life looks at the end. They will make the difference between mediocrity and mastery. So choose them well.

 

Here’s a metaphor that may serve nicely to make this point: A good habit is like a sturdy oak tree. It starts off as a little seed, planted in a single moment. Fail to nurture it daily and it dies a fast death. But tend to it, just a bit each day, and the thing grows. Until one day it’s so strong that it is next to impossible to break.

 

Your habits will define how close to your personal mountaintop you get. Ones I’ve observed in world-class people include the following:

 

·       Align all your actions with the highest levels of excellence and integrity

·       Put relationships with people first

·       Take highest levels of accountability

·       Leverage adversity to make you/your career and your life even better

·       Get up early

·       Under-promise and over-deliver (always give people more than they expect and you’ll win)

·       Be a passionate learner (read daily, listen to audio programs by insightful thinkers and attend seminars)

·       Spend the first 60 minutes of each day dreaming, planning or simply working out to maintain remarkable personal vitality

·       Balance being tremendously good at what you do with becoming a

·       Tremendously interesting and well-rounded human being

 

Just a few to pick from. To get you going. To plan your seeds

 

“What separates the best from the rest comes down to habits”

 

Do a clean sweep

Do a Clean Sweep

 

I’ve spent much of the past twelve months in what I call Strategic Hibernation – pulling back from much of the “busyness” of my life and rethinking things like my priorities, my values and my personal philosophy. I’ve accepted fewer social invitations, limited many activities and spent a lot more time in reflection – just to make certain I’m climbing the right mountain and spending my days in the way they should be spent. I’ve also spend a lot of time this year doing a “Clean Sweep”

 

A clean sweep is a superb way to streamline, simplify and refocus your life. Most of us have a ton of baggage and clutter that we carry with us on this journey. These might include, “messages,” like incomplete relationships or people you have yet to forgive (or apologize to). The baggage in your life could include “undones”, like a will that needs to be prepared or a life insurance policy that should be updated. The clutter could relate to an unkempt yard or a bunch of unpacked boxes stacked in a spare room. The idea is this: when you clean sweep these things – put them into order or delete what needs to be eliminated from your life – you will feel lighter, happier and your mind will experience more peace.

 

My clean sweep involved getting a will, getting rid of a lot of things I hadn’t used for a while, putting a financial plan in place, tidying up my physical spaces, saying goodbye to pursuits that were not aligned with my personal and professional strategic objectives (goals), installing systems to be more efficient and spending a lot of time refining the model of my business. Guess what? It worked – beautifully.

 

I have more time to do what’s most important. I’m more relaxed and in the flow. I have more energy and more creative. And I’m having more fun. So do a Clean Sweep of your life. And start soon. The results just might astonish you.

 

“Delete what needs to be eliminated from your life – you will feel lighter, happier and your mind will experience more peace”

 

What do you evangelize?

What do you Evangelize?

 

An evangelist, by definition, is simply someone who spreads good news. It’s someone who gets stuck on a big idea or a passionate cause and then walks out into this day and spreads the message like a virus. It’s someone who gets to be engaged in doing something important that it’s all he/she things about, dreams about, talks about. It’s a human being who understands – at a cellular level – what Dr Martin Luther King Jr. meant when he said: “if you have not discovered something you are willing to die for, then you are not fit to live”. This troubled and uncertain world of ours needs more evangelists: human beings doing great things, blessings lives by their actions, making a difference.

 

Where did most people’s passion for greatness go? Each of us had it as kids. We wanted to be superheroes, astronauts, poets and painters. We wanted to change the world, stand on mountain tops and eat lots of ice cream. Then, as we aged, life began to do its work on us. Fearful people snickered at our dreams. disappointments began to show up. Life began to hurt us and we began to buy into the propaganda that says we should not thing too big, reach too high and love too much. Breaks my heart to think about it. But that’s exactly what happens.

 

You are meant to shine. I believe that fiercely. You are here to find that cause, that main aim, that vital destiny that will move you at the most visceral level and get you up at the crack of dawn with fire in your belly. You are meant to find something that your life will stand for and that will consume you, something so beautiful and meaningful that you’d willing to take a bullet for it. It might mean developing people at work and helping them live their highest potential. It might mean being an innovator who adds outrageous value to your clients and brings cool products to the world. Your cause might involve elevating communities or helping people in need.

 

I don’t know what your life’s most important to do is. That’s for you to figure out (through some deep reflection, introspection and soul-searching; doing that within a journal is a wise idea). But I do know this: when you find the mission that your life will be dedicated to, you’ll wake up each day with that fire I mentioned. You won’t want to sleep. You’ll be willing to move mountains to make it happen. You’ll find that sense of internal fulfillment that may now be missing from your life. And you’ll preach that message to anyone who’ll listen. You’ll become an evangelist.

 

“You are here to find that cause, that main aim, that vital destiny that will move you at the most visceral level and get you up at the crack of dawn with fire in your belly”

 

How to be a happier human

How to be a Happier Human

 

If you want to be happier, do more of the things that make you happy. I know that seems like an obvious point – but it’s not. As we leave the wonder years of childhood, most of us stop doing the things that make our hearts sing. One CEO client told me recently that when he was young, he used to love to take long solo rides on his bicycle. “I stopped doing that when we had kids and work demands took over. Life just got busier. But those moments out on that bike came from some of the best days of my life.” Another client, a phenomenally successful entrepreneur, shared that his passion used to be playing his drums in a rock band. “Those were incredible times. Then I started my business and it began to consume me. I miss playing music. I’d lose myself in it.”

 

Here’s your To Do: Make a list of your 10 Greatest Passions, 10 activities that fill your heart with joy and remind you of how good life can be. And then, over the coming 10 weeks, inject one of those pursuits into your weekly schedule. Powerful thought: The things that get scheduled are the things that get done. Until you schedule something, it’s only a concept – and extraordinary people don’t build remarkable lives on concepts. They build their greatness on action and near-flawless execution around their deliverables. They get things done.

 

This 10-week program works. When you get back to doing those things that lifted your spirit and sent you soaring, you reconnect with that state of happiness that you may have lost. And part of the purpose of life is to be happy. Real happy.

 

“When you get back to doing those things that lifted your spirit and sent you soaring, your reconnect with that state of happiness that you may have lost”

 

Get fit to lead

Get Fit to Lead

 

You know I’m an evangelist around the whole idea of being ultra-fit if you want to be at your best. Getting into world-class physical condition is one of the smartest moves you can make. Exercising will make you look better, feel stronger and fill you with boundless energy. Staying fit will even make you happier.

 

The past week has been a time of great change for me. I’m reengineering my business to make it more focused and fast. I’m coaching my team so that they know the new standards and goals. I’m pushing myself harder to get more done and generate better results. And I’m lifting the bar on the size of my dreams. I need to make a bigger difference. I passionately feel that. As I go through all this, one of the practices that is serving me so well is my daily pilgrimage to the gym.

 

I remember a professional speaker name Peter Urs Bender once telling me: “Robing, some people go to church each day. Well, my church is the gym. And each day that’s where I go to get blessed”. I also remember a participant in one of my leadership seminars sharing: “Exercise is an insurance policy I’ve taken out on my health. And each that I go into the gym, I’m paying the premium”. Yet another personal told me recently at a book signing: “Good health is a crown on the head of a well person that only a sick person can see.” Smart points. Wise people.

 

No matter how busy I get or how much pressure is on my shoulders, a good workout makes me feel at ease. I come off the treadmill feeling relaxed, full of joy and with a sense of perspective over the issues on my plate. I get so many big ideas while I’m running and such clarity while I’m lifting weights. And staying fit keeps me happy and positive. I know I’ll never be Mr. Universe. But because I care for my health, my life will be a lot better, more productive and longer than if didn’t. And that’s good enough for me.

 

“Good health is a crown on the head of a well person that only a sick person can see”

 

The person who experiences the most wins

The Person Who Experiences Most Wins

 

I want the experience of an old man while I’m still young. And I think I’ve figured out a way to get it: collapse the timeline. Most people don’t take that many risks or have that many new conversations or read that many new books or take that many new travels. By engaging in these and other experience-building pursuits at a dramatically accelerated rate, I figure I could get 10 years worth of learning and lessons in quarter of the time. Just collapse the timeline by doing more important stuff faster and sooner. Just stay focused and committed. Just put more living into each of the days.

 

We all get the same allotment of time. Each of us get 20 hours each day. The sad fact is that too many among us spend too much time doing unimportant things. Living reactive lives. Saying “yes” to activities they should be saying “no” to. Drifting like a piece of wood in a river, moving in whatever direction the current happens to be moving on that particular day. All because they did not make the time to think. About their priorities. About their dreams and goals. And to note what they want to make of their lives. People have lost 20 good years this way. Seriously.

 

By getting clear on what you want out of life, you heighten your awareness around what’s most important. With better awareness comes better choices. And with better choices you’ll see better results. Clarity breeds success.

 

So don’t wait until the end of your life to become experienced. Collapse the timeline. Get clear on what you need to experience to have a fulfilling life – and then start doing it now. Meet cool people. Visit neat places. Read deep books. Seize opportunities. Fail often – it reflects an increase in your reach and risk taking. Who cares if you win or lose, so long as you get another experience to add to the inventory? Even the saddest of times make your life richer. Benjamin Zandler, the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic, shared the following line from his teacher’s wonderful book The Art of Possibility: “I’m so sorry for you; your lives have been so easy. You can’t play great music unless your heart’s been broken.” The more experiences, the better the life.

 

“I want the experience of an old man while I’m still young. And I think I’ve figured out a way to get it: Collapse the timeline”

 

Innovator's Mantra

The Innovator’s Mantra

 

True innovators have a mantra: “The enemy of the best is the good.” They are constantly daring to make things better. What others call impossible they see a probable. They live out of their imaginations – not their memories. They live to challenge the commonly accepted. They assume nothing. They see no limits. To them, everything is possible.

 

If you want to be a leader, I have a simple suggestion: Just keep innovating. Innovate at work, Innovate at home, Innovate in your relationships. Innovate in the way you run your life. Innovate in terms of the way you see the world. To become stagnant is to being to die. Growth, evolution and reinvention sustain life. Sure it can be scary. But wouldn’t you rather feel your fear than play small with your life?

 

There’s no safety in being the same person today that you were yesterday. That’s just an illusion that ends up breaking your heart when you get to the end of your life and realize that you missed out living it boldly. Lasting fulfilment lives out in the unknown. When I was a kid, my dad used to tell me: “It’s risky out on the limb. But son, - that’s where all the fruit is.” And to play out on the skinny branch, you need to innovate. Daily. Relentlessly.

 

Of course, the more you innovate and refuse to be bound by the chains of complacency, the more you will fail. Not every risk you take and not everything you try will work out as planned. That’s just life happening. Failure truly is essential to success. And the more you stretch, the farther you will reach. Failure is a gift anyway. Failure has been so helpful to me. It’s taken me closer to my dreams, equipped me with more knowledge and toughened me up so I’m more prepared. Success and failure go hand in hand. They are business partners.

 

One of the pharmaceutical giants GlaxoSmithKline’s organization values is “disturb”. Love it. Companies that don’t innovate don’t survive, so the key is driving this innovation. The lesion is especially important when things are going well. Though it’s counterintuitive, successful companies actually need to be more innovative than competition. It’s like kids playing king of the hill – everyone aims for the kid at the top. Leaders that don’t innovate are displaced by those willing to take risks. “So go to work each day and refuse to do the same thing you did yesterday – just because it was what you did yesterday. Keep challenging yourself to thing better, do better and better. Shape things up. Confront your limitations. Refuse to be average. Stand for what’s best. Commit to being breathtakingly great in all you do. And that’s what you’ll become. Sooner that you think.

 

“There’s no safety in being the same person today that you were yesterday. That’s just an illusion that ends up breaking your heart”

 

Make people feel good

MAKE PEOPLE FEEL GOOD

 

People do business with people who make them feel good. Human beings are creatures of emotion. We want to be with those who make us feel happy and special and cared for and safe.

 

There are two people I want to introduce you to: a farmer name Steve and Jake the variety store owner, two people who know more about business building than most CEOs. Steve sells pumpkins. I live in Canada, and every autumn the kids and I hop into our car and drive half an hour to get our Halloween pumpkins from this farmer who never seems to grow older. Sure we could get our pumpkins from the local grocery store five minutes from our home. But then we’d miss the feelings that Steve generates within us. He remembers our names. He makes us laugh. He tells us stories. He reminds us of what’s best in the world (farmers are good at that). And we drive away with a big batch of pumpkins and joy in our hearts. By the way, Steve’s business is unbelievably successful.

 

Next comes Jake. Jake runs a variety store. When the kids and I go in, he greets us by name. He knows our birthdays (records them in a little black book). Jake orders magazines like Dwell, Azure and Business 2.0 especially for me (no extra charge, of course). His manners are flawless. He always smiles. He makes us feel good. There are at least five other corner stores in our neighborhood, but Jake is a master at relationship-building. So he has our loyalty. Oh, and the guy’s a millionaire.

 

Being good is being wise. It’s a smart business strategy. So be like Steve. Model Jake. Make people feel good about doing business with you. You’ll lead the field. You’ll have fun doing it. And it’s just the right thing to do.

 

Makes me thing of the words etched on a slip of paper one seminar participant handed to me after an event a few months ago that read simply: “Do good and leave behind a virtue that the storm of time can never destroy.” I asked him who authored those worlds. His reply was brief: “the wisest person I’ve ever known – my grandfather”.

 

“Do good and leave behind a virtue that the storm of time can never destroy”

 

Culture is King

CULTURE IS KING

 

At a leadership program, one of the participants shared “At our company, one of our top priorities is to work on our culture. We talk about it all the time. Last year, our company grew 600%. Our focus on culture-building worked splendidly”. Impressive.

 

One of the most sustainable competitive advantages will be developing a culture of leadership. Competitors can copy the products, can copy the services, copy the branding but they can never copy the culture. And culture is the very thing that makes an organization special. An organization’s culture is what sets – and then drives the standards of behavior. The culture tells people what’s acceptable and important. Culture lets people know what organization values are. An organization culture states its philosophy, its mythology, it religion. Culture is King.

 

The five best ways to build culture are as follows:

 

Rituals: I like the cult in the culture. The best companies, like Microsoft, Google, Southwest Airlines, Apple and Wal-Mart have something in common with Cults. They have unique rituals like Ship room discussions, 7 am team huddles or Friday afternoon pizza parties to promote team bonding. Rituals shape culture and keep it special.

 

Celebration: John Abele, founder of the multi-billion dollar Boston Scientific, once told me over dinner that “you get what you celebrate”. Powerful idea. When you see someone living the values your culture stands for, make a public hero. Behavior that gets rewarded is behavior that gets repeated. Catch people doing good.

 

Conversation: Your people become what the leaders talk about; to get your vision and values into your people’s hearts, you need to be talking about that stuff constantly – at employee gatherings, at your weekly meetings, during your daily huddles and at the water cooler. You need to evangelize what you stand for constantly. In his excellent book Winning, Jack Welch said that he spent so much time evangelizing GE’s mission that he could call his people at three in the morning and – half asleep – they could re-state it (He never did)

 

Training: A mission-critical focus to build culture is employee development. If you agree that your organization’s number-one resource is your people, then it only makes sense to invest significantly in developing your number-one resource. Hold seminars and have leadership workshops to instill the values you seek to nurture and build a leadership culture into their hearts and minds. When your people improve, your company will improve.

 

Storytelling: Great companies have cultures where great stories are told from generation to generation. The story about how the company was founded in a basement or the story about how a teammate went the extra mile or the story about how the organization fought back to victory from the brink of disaster. Story telling cements a company’s most closely cherished ideals into the hearts of its people.

 

People want to go work each day and feel they are a part of a community. One of the deepest psychological needs of a human being is the need for belonging. We also want to work for an organization that values us, that promotes our personal growth and that makes us feel that we are contributing to a dream. Get these things right by creating a Culture of Leadership and you’ll keep your stars and attract others.

 

“One of the most sustainable competitive advantages will be developing a culture of leadership”

 

(these are not my thoughts J and are copied from Robin’s book)

 

(Note: Previous posts are available here: http://weeksthought.blogspot.com/)

 

Problems reveal genius

PROBLEMS REVEAL GENIUS

 

Problems are servants. Problems bring possibilities. They help you grow and lead to better things, both in your organization and within your life. Inside every problem lies a precious opportunity to improve things. Every challenge is nothing more than a chance to make things better. To avoid them is to avoid growth and progress. To resist them is to decline greatness. Embrace and get the best from the challenges in front of you. And understand that the only people with no problems are dead.

 

An unhappy customer yelling at you might seem like a problem. But to a person thinking like a leader, that scenario is also a giant opportunity to improve the organizations processes to ensure that doesn’t happen again and to get some feedback that may be used to enhance products and services. So the problem has actually helped to improve the company. Free market research.

 

An interpersonal conflict at work can seem like a problem. But if you think like a leader and use the circumstance to build understanding, promote communication and enrich the relationship, the problem has actually made you better. It has been fodder for your growth and served you nicely. Bless it.

 

An illness or a divorce or the loss of a loved one might seem like a problem. Indeed they are and very painful too. But the ones who are truly successful are shaped by their saddest experiences. They brought them depth, compassion and wisdom. They have given them self-awareness and they them what they are today. They wouldn’t trade them for the world.

 

Problems reveal genius. World class organizations have a culture that sees problems as opportunities for improvement. Don’t condemn them – learn from them and embrace them. World class human beings turn their problems into wisdom. They see opportunities & possibilities. And that’s what makes them great. Remember, a mistake is only a mistake if that is made twice.

 

“The only people with no problems are dead”

 

Burn your boats

BURN YOUR BOATS

 

Great achievement often happens when our back are up against the wall. Pressure can actually enhance the performance. Your power most fully exerts itself when the heat is on. Who you truly are surfaces only when you place yourself in a position of discomfort and you begin to feel like you’re out on the skinny branch. Challenge serves beautifully to introduce you to your best – and most brilliant – self. Please stop and think about that idea for a second or two. Easy times don’t make you better. They make you slower and complacent and sleepy. Staying in the safety zone – and coasting through life – never made anyone bigger. Sure it’s very human to take the path of least resistance And I’d agree it’s pretty normal to want to avoid putting stress on yourself by intensely challenging yourself to shine. But greatness never came to anyone normal. ( Mahatma Gandhi, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mother Theresa, Thomas Edison definitely marched to a different drumbeat – thank God)

 

I’ve never forgotten the story of the famed explorer Hernand Cortes. He landed on the shores of Veracruz, Mexico, in 1519. Wanted his army to conquer the land for Spain. Face an uphill battle: an aggressive enemy, brutal disease and scarce resources. As they marched inland to do battle, Cortes ordered one of his lieutenants back to the beach with a single instruction: “Burn our boats”

 

How fully would you show up each day – at work and in life – if retreat just wasn’t an option? How high would you reach, how greatly would you dare, how hard would you work and how loud would you live if you knew “your boats were burning”, that failure just wasn’t a possibility? Diamonds get formed through intense pressure. And remarkable human beings get formed by living from a frame of reference that tells that they just have to move towards their goals.

 

“Challenge serves beautifully to introduce you to your best – and most brilliant – self”

 

Act like an Athelete

ACT LIKE AN ATHLETE

 

One of the best ways I know to create  spectacular results in the most important areas of your life is through daily practice. Top athletes know that practice is how you get to greatness. I was in Moscow a while back for a series of speeches and workshops. One morning I went down to the hotel gym for a workout. It was 6 am. Guess who was there? Mary Pierce, the tennis start. For two hours, she ran, lifted weights, did sit-ups and countless push-ups. She was paying the price for success.

 

You need to practice to get to your greatness. Athletes know this so very well. Why does it seem so foreign to the rest of us? Sure practice takes discipline. But as my friend Nido Qubein often says: “the price of discipline is always less than the pain of regret”. Wise man.

 

What I’m suggesting is that personal and professional greatness takes work. I would never suggest that you could get to your dreams without having to make some sacrifices and pay the price in terms of dedication and self-control. “Pay the price”. Words with the ring of truth. The best among us make it all look so easy. I call it the Swan Effect – elite performers make personnel and business mastery look effortless and seem to make things happen as gracefully as a swan moves along the water. But, like the swan, what you don’t get to see is all the planning, discipline, hard work and near-flawless execution taking place below the surface.

 

Yes, sometimes life sends you unexpected challenges that knock you off tract – that’s just life happening. But with a series of best practices in place to keep you at your highest, you’ll stay in a positive state much more often. Practices that will lock you into your best may include a morning journaling session where you record your feelings, thoughts and the blessings you are greatful for. Or you may start your day with a strong workout and an elite performer’s meal. I often listen to music for 15 minutes as it not only energizes me, it makes me feel happier. I also use Success statements or affirmations to get my mind focused. Success & Joy and inner peace don’t just show up. You need to create them. Find your series of practices, perform them with consistency. And then go out into this beautiful world of ours and shine.

 

 

“Top athletes know that practice is how you get to greatness”

 

Your schedule doesn't lie

YOUR SCHEDULE DOESN’T LIE

 

There is an old phrase that says “what you are doing speaks so loudly I cannot hear what you are saying”. You can say that your primary value involves putting your family first, but if time with your family is not all over your schedule, well then the truth of the matter is that your family life isn’t your priority. You can say that being in world-class physical condition is another top value but if I don’t see five or six workouts etched in your weekly schedule, then the reality to be confronted is that your health just isn’t as important as you profess it to be. You can argue that self-development is an essential pursuit to you because the better you are, the more effective you’ll be. Show me your schedule and I’ll discover the truth. Because your schedule doesn’t lie.

 

There can be no authentic success and lasting happiness if your daily schedule is misaligned with your deepest values. If there is a gap between what you do and who you are, you are out of integrity. I call it The Integrity Gap. The greater the chasm between your daily commitments and your deepest values, the less your life will work (and the less happiness you will feel). Why? Because you are not walking your talk. Because your video is not congruent with your audio. Because you are committing the crime of self-betrayal. Worst crime of all. And the witness that lives within the deepest part of you- your conscience – sees it.

 

Your schedule is the best barometer for what you truly value and believe to be important. Too many people talk a good talk. But talk is cheap. Less talk and more do.

 

 

“Your schedule is the best barometer for what you truly value and believe to be important”

 

Success isn't sexy

Success isn’t sexy

 

Too many leadership experts make being successful and fulfilled sound complicated. They preach the latest technique and offer the latest modality that they say will speed us to our greatest life. Take a magic pill or try the latest fad and all will be fine – life will be perfect.

 

Nonsense. Yes, crafting an extraordinary existence takes work. Of course, getting to greatness – personally and professionally – requires sacrifices. A primary sign of maturity is the ability to give up instant gratification for a much more spectacular pleasure down the road. And true, the right thing to do is generally the hardest thing to do. With daily consistent effort in the direction of our dreams and an application of the fundamentals of success, one can really get to the place one have always dreamed of getting to.

 

Success isn’t sexy. It’s all about working the basics of excellence with a passionate consistency. I love that word. Consistency. It’s amazing how far one will get by just staying with something long enough. Most people give up too early. Their fears are bigger than their faith, I guess.

 

Stick to the fundamentals that we know in our hear are true and we’ll do just fine. Things like being being positive, taking responsibility for our role in what’s not working in our lives, treating people well, working hard, being an innovator rather than a follower, getting up early, getting goals, speaking one’s truth, being self-disciplined, saving money, caring for health and valuing family. “ the smallest of actions is always better than the noblest of intentions”

 

Don’t complicate things. Getting to best life is simple. Not easy but simple. It just takes focus and effort. That philosophy about the thousand mile journey beginning with a single step is true. Do a little each day to get the goals and over time, the goals will be achieved. Small daily gains leads to giant results over a life time.

 

Personal & organizational greatness is not about revolution but about evolution, those small but consistent wins. Sam Walton began with a single store. Bill & Alan started Microsoft from their homes. Every dream starts small. But you need to start. Today.

 

“It’s amazing how far one will get by just staying with something long enough. Most people give up too early. Their fears are bigger than their faith”

 

RE: BE AN IDEA FACTORY

CREDIT DOESN’T MATTER

 

“You can accomplish anything in life, provided that you do not mind who gets the credit”, observed Harry Truman. Splendid thought. Leave your ego at the front door when you go to work and just do superb work. Good things will happen. For you.

 

It’s so human to crave applause and recognition and acclaim. We all want to be appreciate by our peers and revered by the tribe. But leadership is about a lot more than trying to look good in the eyes of others. It’s about standing for a cause (as Pablo Picasso added, “It’s your Work in life that is the ultimate seduction”). It’s about being BIW (Best in the World) at what you do. It’s about leaving people better than you found them. And it’s about not worrying who gets the credit for a job well done.

 

People who are outstanding always get found out. The cliché is true: the cream always rises to the top. The best always come to light. And the Great Ones among us can never be held back.

 

BE AN IDEA FACTORY

BE AN IDEA FACTORY

 

One big idea could revolutionize your life – and even the world around you. All it takes is that single genius thought to change the whole game. I’m reading a fantastic book called Humble master pieces: Every day Marvels of Design by Paola Antonelli, curator of architecture and design at new york’s museum of Modern Art. In one of the chapters, I learned of designer Daniel Cudzik. He’s the brave dreamer who invented the stay-on metal tab that you now see on everyone single one of the billion aluminum cans made every year. Before his invention, tabs were pulled off and thrown away, creating tons of litter, not to mention hurt feet. One idea transformed all that.

 

Cudzik was watching TV one night with his two kids when the vision came to him. (Your best ideas will come when you least expect it. Most revolutionary thoughts don’t come when you are keeping a frenetic pace, they come when you’re having fun, so have some fun – it’s good for business, as well as for your soul). Rather than letting the idea slip away (like most of us do), he wrote it down, sketching his plan for the stay-on tab. He quickly gave it to a draftsman, and they soon created the prototype. Guess what? It worked. Brings me to my suggestion: Become an idea factory. Of course, you also need to have a passionate commitment to breathing life into your big ideas through near-flawless execution. Couple the two and you just might produce something extraordinarily valuable. And wouldn’t that be a wonderful thing?

 

“One big idea could revolutionize your life – and even the world around you. All it takes is that single genius thought to change the whole game”

 

ASK TO GET

ASK TO GET

 

You’ll never know if you don’t even try. There is enormous power in asking for what you want. All too often, our internal chatter prevents us from taking the steps needed to get us to our own unique form of greatness. We are kept small from our inner imaginings – so many of which are lies.

 

The most brilliant of the best, those who live glorious lives that matter, ask like crazy. They understand that it’s a habit that must be polished for it to shine. And the more you do it, the easier it gets ( like any skill). So they ask. For the support and help they need they need for their business. For a better table at their favorite restaurant. For a better seat at a sold-out concert. And because they ask more, they get more (success always has been a numbers game).

 

Nothing happens until you ask. People are not mind readers. They need to know what’s meaningful to you. And if you ask nicely, they just might say yes.

 

“The most brilliant of the best, those who live glorious lives that matter, ask like crazy”

 

CHERISH CONFLICT

CHERISH CONFLICT

 

Everybody runs from conflict. It makes us feel bad, so we avoid it. Hope it will somehow resolve itself. It never does. Instead it just festers like a bad wound (what we resist really does persist).

 

Conflict is nothing more than an opportunity for greater growth and a deeper personal connection. Every conflict carries within it a chance for us to learn a powerful lesson and to grow as a human being (in our understanding and awareness/perspective). And every conflict, whether with a loved one or a customer, is a gorgeous opportunity to forge an even closer bond with them. By turning their dissatisfaction into a wow for both of you.

 

So don’t run from conflict. Don’t send the email when you know you need to speak some truth face to face. Leadership is about balancing compassion with courage. And though it can feel so messy, in truth it’s a gift. Embrace it. Relish the potential it carries. Celebrate it. It can serve us so well.

 

“Conflict is nothing more than an opportunity for greater growth and a deeper connection”

 

DONT WAIT FOR CHANGE

DON’T WAIT FOR CHANGE

 

You know I am very ordinary. I have my strengths and my flaws. One of my weakness is impatience. I just have this aching need to get great things done. Can’t stand slow change. Need to make my impact, and to spend my talents. Now.

 

Like some weaknesses, it’s also a great source of success. I move things forward fast. Just love speed. Only results matter (I’, generalizing, a bit). Makes me think of what Clint Eastwood said in a recent issue of Best Life: “ Sometimes if you want to see a change for better, you have to take things into your own hands”. Exactly. Sure, work with your team. Yes, collaborate. Of course delegate to other who have strengths where you don’t. But sometimes, when everyone is waiting for someone else to take the first step, you need to be the one to drive the change. To me, that’s courage in action. To me, that’s using your life well. To me, that’s leadership – and standing for being extraordinary.

 

“Sometimes, when everyone else is waiting for someone else to take the first step, you need to be the one to drive the change”

 

Fail Faster

FAIL FASTER

 

I’m not the first to use the term “fail faster”. But I do love it. The CEO of Coca-Cola at the annual meeting informed shareholders that the company was now going on an innovation tear and that his organization’s reinvention plan was contained in a document entitled “The Manifesto for Growth”. He noted that spending on marketing and innovation would increase by US$400 million and then – here’s the big line – observed, “You will see some failures. As we take more risks, this is something we must accept as part of the regeneration process.” Which brings me to the imperative of the Failing Fast.

 

At a leadership presentation I gave a while ago to the sales team of a large pharmaceutical company, someone came up to me afterwards and said, “ Robin, I loved your speech. Especially the idea about failure being the price of greatness.” That reminded me that too many of us are so afraid of failure that we don’t even try (Seneca once said, “It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare. It is because we do not dare that things are difficult”) Many of us are frightened of looking silly or being embarrassed by failure and as a result, we don’t take the risk and seize an opportunity. We think failure is bad. It isn’t. It’s good. No, it’s great.

 

There can be no success without failure. It’s just part of the process. The company and people who have reached the heights of success are the ones that have failed the most often. You need to fail to win. And the faster you fail, the more quickly you’ll learn precisely what you need to do to win. So fail fast. Out-fail the competition. Out-fail the person you once were. I’ll leave you with a quote from Robert F Kennedy: “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly”

 

“There can be no success without failure. It’s just part of the process…You need to fail to win”

 

Do New Things

DO NEW THINGS

 

Human beings crave control – that’s just the way we are. It’s a survival mechanism that goes right back to the days when we lived in caves. We need certainty, and anything less makes us uncomfortable. But leadership is all about getting good at being uncomfortable. It’s about running towards, not away from, the things that intimidate and frighten you. And leadership is about trying new things.

 

It’s so easy to eat the same food each day. But if you don’t try new foods, you just might miss out the opportunity to discover your new favorite meal. It’s easy to associate with the same people and have the same conversations each day. But if you don’t expand your community, you just might miss out on meeting your new best friend. It’s so easy to do the same things at work each day – to get struck in a rut. And if you don’t stretch, you’ll miss an achievement that could flood you with a sense of confidence and fulfillment that will be the state of a whole new world of work.

 

So I invite you to use each day as a platform for filling your life with more adventure, passion and energy by injecting into more new things. Listen to Boozoo Bajou if you usually listen to Bach. Eat Malaysian food if you usually do meat and potatoes. Read Dwell magazine if you subscribe to Fortune. It’s a big, interesting world out there. And it’s yours for taking

 

“Leadership is about trying new things”

 

Leadership & Kids clothing

Leadership & Kids clothing

 

I just had a visit with the tailor who adjusts my kids’ school clothes this morning before I wrote this chapter. I’ve known him for a long time and he’s always treated us well. He’s been in business for 40 yrs, so I thought I’d get behind his eyeballs and discover what has made his business both as successful and as sustainable as it’s been. I started asking my questions

 

“Robin, there are simple principles that we’ve followed here. They’ve served me well my whole life. I actually learned them by watching my mother as I grew up. She was one of the most amazing people I’ve ever known” he said.

 

Four leadership principles from a wise tailor:

 

·        Improve: Always be getting and doing better. Never settle for mediocrity

·        Observe: Talk to the people you work with. Really listen to them. And keep your eyes on the business. Because you can expect only that which you inspect.

·        Connect: Be really good to people. Treat your customers with respect. Give them good value. Be caring and deal with any complaints fast.

·        Adapt: Conditions change. Competition grows. Uncertainty is the new normal. Stay fast. Stay flexible. Stay nimble.

 

See through the eyes of understanding

See Through the Eyes of Understanding

 

The sad fact is that so many people look for the worst in others. They see them through the eyes of their own anger, fear and limitation. If someone shows up late for a meeting, they impute a negative intent to that person, saying, “they are so rude”. If someone makes a mistake, they grumble. If someone miscommunicates a point, they silently say, “she’s a liar”. Real leaders are different. They look for the best in people. Jack Welch, the former CEO of GE, said it so well: “the most important job you have is growing your people, giving them a chance to reach their dreams”.

 

I want to be clear. I’m not suggesting that leaders avoid reality. Not at all. They make the hard calls when they need to. I’ve mentioned in an earlier chapter that the best don’t worry about being liked – they just do what their conscience tells them is right. What I’m really saying is that the best leaders see through the eyes of understanding. If someone is late, they try to get to the truth. May be there’s a time management problem to coach around or a sick child to help. An error on an expense account could be the result of a poor process in place or the employee’s disorganization. The miscommunication might be all about the person communicating having weak skills in this area – an opportunity to improvement.

 

Today, rather than looking for the worst in people, I encourage you to look for what’s best within them. Sure some people really are inconsiderate or dishonest or uncaring. But in my experience – and I’ve worked with a lot of people over the years – most people are good. Few human beings wake up in the morning and ask themselves “what can I do today to mess up someone else’s day or undermine my credibility or ruin our businesses?” Most of the mistakes people make are the result of a lack of awareness. Most people just don’t know better – so stop taking it so personally. And here’s the payoff for you: As you seek out the good in people, not only will they want to show up more fully for you, but you will see more good in your world

 

“Few human beings wake up in the morning and ask themselves: “what can I do today to mess up someone else’s day or undermine my credibility?”

 

Beauty of time

The Beauty of Time

 

Time is a beautiful commodity. It is part of the hardware of life. What you do with it shapes, in so many ways, what your life looks life. And yet, while almost every one of us wishes more time while, we misuse the time we have.

 

I’m no guru, you know that. But I’ve become pretty good at using my time well. Time wasted is time lost and the big idea on time is that once it’s lost it can never be regained. I recently read that John Templeton, the celebrated financier, never went anywhere without a book in his briefcase. This way, if he found himself in a long line, he could use the downtime to ready, learn and grow. I also read that Madonna hates wasting time. She used to bring a book with her when she’d go out to a nightclub to use the time when she wasn’t dancing efficiently. My coaching clients are like that. And they lead big lives as a result of that giant devotion to time management.

 

I’m in no way suggesting that every minute of your days, weeks and months need to be scheduled. Be spontaneous. Be playful. Be free. I’m a free spirit at heart. I just find that people who have the most time for fun are those who know how to plan and then use their time well. In my experience, the people who feel stress the most and lead their lives like a five-alarm fire are those who leave life to chance and make not time to set schedules, articulate goals and follow well-thought-out plans. “Anxiety is caused by a lack of control, organization, preparation and action,” observed thinker David Kekich.

“Time once’s lost never be regained”

 

Word Hard, get lucky

WORK HARD, GET LUCKY

 

That old line remains so true: “the harder I work, the luckier I get,” Life helps those who help themselves. Learned that one from personal experience. I’m not one of those who believes that “it’s all meant to be” and that our lives have been scripted by an invisible set of hands. Sure I believe that there’s a force of nature that comes into play when we least expect it ( most need it). And yes, I believe there is a coherence to the way our lives unfold that is highly intelligent. But I also believe – deeply – that we were given free will and the power to make choices for a single reason: to exercise then. I believe that we generally get from life what we give to life. I believe that good things happened to those willing to put in the effort, exercise discipline and make the sacrifices that personal and professional greatness requires – no, demands. I’ve also found that actions have consequences and the more good things I do – through good old hard work – the more success I see. Life favors the devoted.

 

Not one of the uber-successful people I’ve worked with as a leadership coach got there without outworking everyone around them. While others were home watching TV or sleeping, these great ones – who have made their mark on the world and have added tremendous value to it – were up early, putting in the hours, showing life that they were dedicated to their dream. In addition, they are also able maintain a reasonable amount of work life balance, more importantly spending quality time with their loved ones or for their inner self. Behind these extra-ordinary achievements you will always discover extra-ordinary efforts. Just a law of nature. Hasn’t changed for thousands of years.

 

Ivan Seindenberg, the chairman and CEO of Verizon, tells the following story: “My first boss – he was the building superintendent and I was a janitor – watched me sweep floors and wash walls for almost a year before he mentioned I could get tuition for college if I got a job with the phone company. When I asked him why he waited for so long, he said: “ I wanted to see if you were worth it”

 

And Time Warner CEO Dick Parsons once observed that the best advice he ever got was from his grandmother. She told him: “whatever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” So plant your seeds. Be spectacularly greatly at what you do. Wear your passion on your sleeve and hold your heart in the palm of your hand. And work hard. Really hard. Hard work opens doors and shows the world that you are serious about being one of those rare – and special – human beings that uses the fullness of their talents for the highest and the very best.

 

“Be spectacularly greatly at what you do”

 

Grace under pressure

GRACE UNDER PRESSURE

 

Dr Martin Lunther King Jr. once said in a speech: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” So true. What we are as human beings presents itself more fully in times of adversity than at times of ease. Any one can be positive, polite and kind when things are going well. What distinguishes people with an extraordinary character from the rest of us is how they respond when life sends one of its inevitable curves. They don’t crumble or surrender. They reach deeply into themselves and present even more of their highest nature to the world.

 

Just a couple of hours ago, I was on the runway, ready to fly from London. The flight had been delayed by a few hours so it felt good to be so close to takeoff. I had my MP3 in place, a new book to read and my journal. Then, the Pilot’s voice came over the public address system: “ the ground crew found a technical problem and we regret to inform that we must cancel this flight”. The reactions that statement provoked were fascinating.

 

One man close to me became belligerent to a flight attendant. A couple in another row grumbled loudly. A business man in a dark suit liked the seat in front of him. Yet some passengers responded differently, with a quiet humanity. An elderly gentleman smiled as he helped others take their bags down from the overhead compartments. A teenager, rather than trying to rush off the plane like most of the other passengers, stopped to help a woman with a disability. The lady sitting next to me laughed and said, “hey, it’s not the end of the world,” before calling her kids and sharing her adventure. The wisent among us have a remarkable ability to maintain grounded when times get tough.

 

No life is perfect; mine certainly isn’t. We all must face challenges, both large and small. This very minute, there are human beings dealing with illness in a hospital bed. Sickness, loss disappointment. No one gets through life without experiencing this stuff. But you & I have the power to choose to rise above our external circumstances. We always have a choice to be strong and positive when things fall apart. We have the right to use our stumbling blocks as stepping stones to our greatest life.

 

Grace under pressure. That’s what separates leaders from followers. It’s that beautiful quality that inspires others and reflects a well-developed spirit.

 

“What distinguish people with an extraordinary character from the rest of us is how they respond when life sends one of its inevitable curves”

 

Leadership isn't a popularity contest

LEADERSHIP ISN’T A POPULARITY CONTEST

 

Being a leader (and in my mind, every single one of us has an obligation to show leadership daily – regardless of title or position) isn’t about being liked. It’s about doing what’s right. So many leaders are afraid of conflict – they have a deep-seated need to be popular and cherished. They hate ruffling feathers and making waves. They are insecure and not so comfortable living in their own skin. But great leaders are different. They fearlessly make tough calls. They speak their truth. They run their own race, making the right decisions and worrying little about public opinion. They are courage in action.

 

I speak and write a lot about being caring and respectful of people. Treat your people well and they’ll treat your customers well. That’s a no-brainer. Help people get to their goals and they’ll happily help you get to yours. I will take that value to my grave. See the best in people and be the most compassionate person you know. But being kind doesn’t mean being weak. Being a good human doesn’t mean that you don’t need to be strong and courageous when required by the circumstances. Extraordinary leadership is a balance between being tender yet tough, compassionate yet courageous, part saint and part warrior, friendly yet firm.

 

All that best leaders really care about is being fair, doing what’s right and getting results. And that brings me to my gentle suggestion to you: Do the right thing rather than doing the popular thing. The best thing to do is generally the hardest thing to do. Please remember that. Make the tough decisions. Speak with candor. Let underperformers know when they are underperforming. Tell your superstars how much you love them. Just be real.

 

When you lead from a position of truth, justice, fairness and excellence, you’ll have your critics. Who cares? I’ve never seen a critic show up at a deathbed. My friend Dan Sheehand, who runs a great called WinPlus out of Los Angeles that we’ve done leadership development work with, once shared this with me: “Great people build monuments from the stones that critics throw at them,” Nice point. If I had listened to all my critics, I’d still be an unhappy lawyer locked to a desk. Thank God I didn’t.

 

“Being a leader isn’t about being liked. It’s about doing what’s right”

 

Learn to say No

LEARN TO SAY NO

 

Every time you say yes to something that is unimportant, you say no to something that is important. “Yes men” and “yes women” never create anything great. There’s huge value in getting good at saying no.

 

Say no to the friend who wants to meet over coffee to gossip. Say no to the co-worker who wants to spread his negativity and cynicism. Say no to the relative who laughs at your dreams and makes you doubt yourself. Say no to the social obligations that drain time from your life’s work.

 

You can’t be all things to all people. The best among us get that. Know your priorities. Know your goals. Know what needs to get done over the coming weeks, months and years for you to feel that you played your best game as a human being. And then say no to everyone else. Sure some people around you might not be happy. But would you rather live your life according to the approval of others or aligned with your truth and your dreams?

 

“Every time you say yes to something that is unimportant, you say no to something that is important”

 

KNOW YOUR GENIUS

KNOW YOUR GENIUS

 

Genius is not the sole domain of a rare breed of person. Both you & I are entitled to that label and to play in that space – if we so choose. Here’s the big idea: Focus on any area or skill will a relentless devotion to daily improvement and a passion for excellence and within three to five years, you will be operating at a level of competence (and insight) such that people call you a genius. Focus plus daily improvement plus time equals genius. Understand that formula deeply and your life will never be the same.

 

Michael Jordan was a basketball genius. Was his spectacular success on the court purely the result of natural gifts? Absolutely not. He took what nature gave him and ran the formula: Focus plus daily improvement plus time equals genius. He didn’t try to be good at five different sports. He didn’t scatter his focus. He just got devoted to being brilliant at basketball. And he was.

 

Thomas Edison registered a stunning 1093 patents over his life time and invented the light bulb as well as the phonograph. (A school teacher labeled him a slow learner when he was a kid; he didn’t listen. Kudos). He didn’t try to be a great merchant and a great poet and a great musician. He focused on his inventions. He improved daily. And he let time work its magic. Genius came knocking.

 

Makes me think of a story of Pablo Picasso. One day a woman spotted him in the market and pulled out a piece of paper. “Mr. Picassos,” she said excitedly,  “I’m a big fan. Please, could you do a little drawing for me?” Picasso happily complied and quickly etched out a piece of art for her on the paper provided. He smiled as he handed it back to her, and said, “that will be a million dollars.” “But Mr. Picassos,” the flustered woman replied, “it only took you 30 seconds to do this little master piece.” “My good woman,” Picasso laughed, “it took me 30 years to do that master piece in 30 seconds.”

 

Know what you can excel at – your genius. Discover your talents and then work like crazy to polish them. One of the most important of all personal leadership skills is self-awareness. Know what you are really great at. Reflect on those abilities that others admire in you. Think about those capabilities that just come easily to you – and that flow effortlessly from you. You might be a fantastic communicator or have a way with people. You might possess an extraordinary ability to execute and get things done. Perhaps your special talent lies in innovation and creativity and seeing what everyone else sees but thinking a different thought. Find your genius points and then develop them. Focus plus daily improvement plus time. Start today and in three to five years people will be writing about you. Calling you a genius. Celebrating your magnificence. And don’t worry – I’ll be one of them.

 

“Focus plus daily improvement plus time equals genius. Understand that formula deeply and your life will never be the same”

 

LIFE LESSONS FROM SPONGEBOB SQUARE PANTS

LIFE LESSONS FROM SPONGEBOB SQUARE PANTS

 

SpongeBob SquarePants is my hero. The kids and I were having breakfast this morning when Bianca, my nine-year old daughter brought up the subject of this crazy little cartoon charter. “Daddy, is SpongeBob a real person?”. Made me laugh. Then it made me think. If SpongeBob were a human being, this world would be a better place.  Seriously. Here are four lessons SpongeBob can teach us to get more joy from life:

 

Be the eternal optimist: The guy (or sponge, I should say) always sees the best in any situation. Your thinking really does shape your reality. And because SpongeBob looks for the best, he finds it.

Value people: SpongeBob knows what friendship means. He loves his pals in Bikini Bottom, even Squidword “who is always cranky”, to borrow my sons words. SpongeBob knows that respect and putting people first are two of the most important elements for strong relationships.

Be an original: SpongeBob is one of a kind. Too many among us are afraid to be ourselves. So we give up our dreams to follow the crowd. Tragic. “To thine own self be true,” wrote Shakespeare. Have the courage to be your true – and greatest – you. (Warren Buffett, once said, “there can’t be two of you.”)

Laugh and have fun: There’s no point in being successful but sad. Makes no sense. Yes, reach for the mountaintop. But enjoy the climb as well. Life wasn’t meant to be an ordeal. It was meant to be a celebration. So have big-time fun as you chase – and catch – your most cherished dreams.

 

“Too many among us are afraid to be ourselves. So we give up our dreams to follow the crowd”

 

Leadership begins on the Extra Mile

LEADERSHIP BEGINS ON THE EXTRA MILE

 

I had just dropped off my children at school and was driving to the office when I got an insight that made me pull over. So here I sit, off to the side of the road with my hazard blinkers on, hammering this out on my phone because I wanted to share it with you. The big idea: Leadership – and success – begins on the extra mile.

 

Leadership is shown when a sales person makes extra calls at the end of an exhausting day – not because it’s the easy thing to do but because it’s the right thing to do. Leadership is shown by the manager who finishes a report that has taken the very best from him, then goes back to it a little later to polish and improve it even more. Leadership is shown by a team that delivers on their value promise to a customer and then digs even deeper to wow them. And leadership is shown by the human being who fights the urge to stay under the covers on a cold day and throws on her running shoes to pound the pavement. Not because running miles on a frosty morning is fun. But because it’s wise.

 

Please think about this idea. I think it’s a deeply important one. Those among us who craft extraordinary careers and spectacular lives are those who spend most of their time giving their best out on the extra mile. Yes, ordinary people don’t spend much time on the extra mile. But who ever said you were ordinary?

 

“Ordinary people don’t spend much time on the extra mile. But who ever said you were ordinary?”