Clarity on Steroids

Getting from where you are today to where you want to be in the future demands clarity of thought.

"I started to work on my SWOT analysis for our business. About 5 questions into it I began to realize that I was operating my business on hunches and feelings. It's no wonder I don't have a clear picture of what is really going on or what I need to do to move forward."

Clarity of thought is not a psychic or metaphysical experience.

"How do I know? I don't know how I know. Maybe I don't know what I think I know."

Imagine an engineer trying to build a bridge across the river. It's simple, right? All he has to do is rivet together some steel and connect one bank to the other.

"I figure about 80% of my business comes from people making purchases of $50 or less. I spend about 60 hours a week pursuing more of this kind of customer. Why do you ask?"

A powerful key to earning more and working less is learning how to optimize what you do. Clarity brings to the forefront your strongest skills and talents and leverages them for optimum earning potential.

"We have been doing business this way for 8 years. I couldn't tell you what my P&L says. All I know is I pay my bills. And there never seems to be enough!"

Remember asking your math teacher if you would ever need to know "this stuff"? The answer is Yes.

Clarity is indispensable for moving your life, your profession or your business from where it is today to an increasingly better tomorrow.

To put your clarity on steroids you need one key ingredient.

Data. Cold hard facts.

What are you doing to benchmark your business?

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How's your clarity? Take this simple assessment and give yourself a grade.

These three components are vital if you want to gain clarity.

3 Essential Components for Gaining Clarity

If you have driven your car in a thick fog then you know the fear or uneasiness that comes with not being sure of what is hidden from your sight. Your senses are on edge trying to discern what is coming your way. A deer in the road? An unexpected turn? A stopped vehicle? An icy patch?

Unlike a foggy day, mental fog results from being overworked, un-prioritized activity or subjection to the tyranny of the urgent. We are able to have control over mental fog. These three components are indispensable for gaining clarity and they are in your immediate control:

• Intentionality. Clarity does not just happen. You have to make up your mind that you are going to get clarity and do what needs to be done to make it happen.
• Distraction-free Thinking Space. When phones ring, people interrupt, text messages ping, to-do lists grow, urgencies clamor for your attention or other demands jump on the front burner you cannot gain the overall clarity you need. (You may find momentary clarity for each little thing that arises, but don't mistake crisis control for life control.) To gain clarity you must break away for a mental retreat.
• A Proven Process to Guide Your Thinking. "You don't know what you don't know." A process is nothing more than a step-by-step method of getting you to your desired outcome. Your desired outcome is clarity; do you know step by step what you need to do to get there?

These three components are absolutely essential for gaining clarity for your life, your profession or your business. Eliminate just one of these three components and try to imagine the outcome. Today has enough challenges of its own without creating an underperforming method to gaining clarity.

This one added element is like putting your clarity on steroids.

Clarity? How do you know if you have clarity or not?

Clarity Assessment

"At the beginning of this week I was uncertain about what I was doing in my profession. Today at the end of the week it is very clear to me what I was doing wrong, what I need to do to change course, and exactly how to go about it."

Clarity in any profession results in less complexity and greater effectiveness. How do you know when you have clarity? 

• When strategies are understood . . . 
• When definitive action plans can be implemented . . . 
• When results do not require an advanced degree to validate . . . 
• When you know who you are, where you are going and how you are going to get there . . . 

Many people / professionals / business owners have found this simple assessment tool invaluable for getting a snapshot of their own clarity. A few minutes of your time and a dose of gut-level honesty will help you begin to see your life, your job, or your business more clearly. Use the scores below to answer each question.

5 - Strongly Agree       4 - Agree       3 - Neither Agree nor Disagree       2 - Disagree       1 - Strongly Disagree

1. I have a comprehensive understanding of my talents and skills.
2. I maximize my talents and skills for optimum earnings.
3. I have an articulated list of values that drive how I live and work.
4. I have a written vision for the future of my life / profession / business.
5. I have an easy-to-understand mission with achievable goals.
6. My values, vision and mission are in harmony with each other.
7. I have realistic strategies written out with target dates assigned to them.
8. I rely on actual data to assess my progress.
9. I regularly reassess my current status for strategic planning.
10. I know who I am, where I am going, and how I am going to get there.

Total your score. 

40 to 50: Perhaps you should consider how to mentor someone to achieve their optimum life!

30 to 40: There is room for improvement. Find time for an objective reality check.

20 to 30: Dense fog. Watch out for the unforeseen event waiting for you.

10 to 20: Lost, dazed or confused. Is this what life is supposed to be like?

0 to 10: Crisis. If lack of clarity were a disease, you'd be in the E.R. in critical condition.

Do you use these three essential components for blowing away the fog and gaining clarity for your life, profession or business?


This one thing will take your clarity to a whole new level of strategic planning.

How to Stifle Creativity and What to Do About It

Teresa Amabile writes in the Harvard Business Review that "creativity is a function of three components: expertise, creative thinking skills, and motivation." I think she's right. Expertise is all about knowledge however it is acquired. Creative thinking skills has so much to do with ability to wonder, ask questions and consider the "other" possibility. Motivation drills down to desire.

I am a creative person. In fact, owning a creative agency was my first business venture. I thoroughly enjoyed starting my day with a blank sheet of paper. Dreaming of possibilities and asking "Why not?" brought me more business than I knew what to do with for a young guy with no official art training.

It is true that creativity can be shut down by managers or people who do not understand the creative process. All you have to do is develop a "No" mindset and you can kill creativity faster than the first 3 minutes of an NCIS show can kill it's next victim. Consider these creativity murderers:

• No challenge
• No freedom
• No resources
• No work-group features
• No supervisory encouragement
• No organizational support

Creativity: D.O.A.

To foster creativity in your company you only need to turn the Nos into Yeses. 

But in the small business environment it is often the business owner who has to be creative. Resources are frequently not available to employ someone who can dedicate themselves to being creative . . . and if they are available, creativity is strictly defined to technical tasks: design an ad, get the website up, come up with a slogan, write a brochure.

The creativity that a business owner requires is the creativity of vision and leadership. This is the kind of possibility thinking that walks out in front of the organization and takes it to new frontiers. 

This is the creativity that all too often suffers in the small business because of one key factor. 

Time.

If the business owner can learn time management, priority management and get out of the technical trenches of the day-to-day duties, then the owner can leverage the power of creativity to lead the business to new heights of success.

These Five Power Words Are Like Gourmet Aroma to the Discerning Customer

My friend, Jeff, has a nose for gourmet foods. He will walk past all the olfactory noise of a hundred competitors and isolate a single aroma that turns his head and makes him want to find out more. To watch him take a bite of gourmet chocolate is like watching the most beautiful story ever told. You want in on the experience and soon you are captivated by stories of jungles and cocoa and organic farmers.

Curiosity has been described by Edmund Burke as "the first and simplest emotion which we discover in the human mind." Those individuals and businesses that have harnessed the power of creating curiosity are the ones who lead us and make us thirsty for more.

What is their secret? What words do they leverage in crafting their message to awaken need and want inside of us? Are you effectively utilizing these power words in your marketing messages?

Power Word #1: How

How is that word that appeals to our need to learn, to do and to excel. It creates the desire to get me from where I am at to where I want to be in a practical manner. The promise and the allure of How boldly promises the message of exclusive knowledge, experience and membership. Consider how these messages create the desire to know How . . .

• How a bald barber saved my hair . . .
• How the XYZ Company grew by 150% in just six months . . .
• How can one word in your headline can drive traffic to your website?

Power Word #2: Why

The power of Why is the power of understanding. Human nature recognizes that the person who understands is the person in control. The promise of understanding framed by the power word Why is the promise of controlling one's life and situation. Create want and need using the power of Why as seen in these examples . . .

• Why social media will shape your business in the next two years . . .
• Why long term care insurance will let you spend more weekends at the cabin . . .
• Do you want to know why eating more meat is better for your golf game?

Power Word #3: These

Specificity is the intrinsic power of These. By isolating what needs to be in place and what needs to go you shake off the dead weight and tune up what is being neglected. Crafting a message using the power word These attracts a progressive and decision-making audience. Take a look at these messages . . .

• These 3 keys will make your business king at every networking event . . .
• These businesses thrived in the recession because of this one maxim . . .
• These people are better rested and more alert because of one common secret . . .

Power Word #4: Which

Choice is the power of Which! A menu of options, a buffet of choices, a variety to choose from! People feel better about themselves when they have the power to choose. Leveraging the power of Which in your headlines empowers the reader to choose. Which of these statements is strongest in your opinion?

• Which of these $10 best sellers do you want for only $1?
• Which businesses will still be in business next year . . . and which ones won't . . .
• Which healthcare plan will provide your family with the greatest peace of mind?

Power Word #5: What

Don't you want to know what's behind curtain number 2? Aren't you curious about what is the best bait for catching the largest walleye? Wouldn't you click on the link that promises to tell you what never to eat when flying? What business owner's wife wouldn't know what 3 things she had to do to be able to enjoy vacations with her husband?

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Creativity is one of the most desired qualities in leaders and top performers. Yet this one thing does more the stifle creativity than any other factor . . .

How Leading Businesses Create Their Market

Who hasn't felt the effects of the past few years? The results have been leading-edge businesses becoming more focused, strategic and creative.

Relying on your uniqueness or the greatness of your product or service is no longer enough to edge out your competition. The small business  has to creatively consider how to raise their market's awareness of needs and wants BEFORE providing the solution of the advantage of their product or service.

One powerful way to influence your prospects' needs and wants is by creating curiosity. By creating curiosity you grab the reins of the prospect's attention, amass an audience and warm them up to hear your message.

What is your company doing to create curiosity in the marketplace? Consider these three curiously powerful ways to cause people to want more . . .

Future Talk!

The future is everyone's concern. Provide data or anecdotes that say "Warning! Change ahead!" When we think about the yet-to-come future our concern becomes "how will this affect me?" 

One key to future talk is not to give an immediate solution but to let the market's imagination develop. As their perception of needs and wants surface, you position your company to be one of the solutions for the unforeseen tomorrow.

What information is your company privy to that would cause your market to be concerned about their future?

Party Time!

Good news is coming! Who doesn't like a party? Big, splashy, fun, . . . Invite your friends and get in on the action. When your company plans the party you create curiosity by leaking just enough information to let them know that good news is coming.

The party planning approach appeals to our desire to be part of a clan or tribe. Those who show up are the first ones to experience. They are the ones on the cutting edge of awareness, the first to enjoy the benefits, they become the people "in the know" and they become the go-to people for those who didn't get there first.

How could your company leverage the party appeal to it's marketing strategy?

Pssssst! 

Water coolers may have been replaced by more technologically advanced ways to communicate, but the basic appeal of being privy to "secret" information is alive and well. Do you want to create curiosity and gather a crowd? Just lower your voice, speak in hushed tones, and give just enough information to tickle the ears. Before you know it your company will be being discussed . . . and you have the power to introduce the subject!

What would turn your market's ears in your direction and make them curious to learn more?

These three proven methods for creating curiosity position you to speak to the wants and needs of your market. When you have created your audience, make sure your solution is credible!


And make sure you utilize these five power words that create curiosity . . .

Strategic Educational Leader

Whether you feel overwhelmed from time to time in your current position, want to better handle the challenges you face, or simply would like more fulfillment in your life and career . . . this program is for you!

This four-workshop course designed by and for professional educators will help you improve the quality of your life.

Strategic Educational Leader is a comprehensive coaching and accountability course in learning how to:

Face Reality - and achieve a better work life / home life balance. Uncover what is and what is not working and discover how to improve. 

Leverage Your Strengths - and spend less time on what you do not enjoy or do well. Leverage your strengths for greater productivity and fulfillment. 

Improve Relationships - because leaders are only as effective as the people and relationships around them. To get where you want to be - professionally and personally - these relationships have to be managed and nurtured. 

Focus & Prioritize - and stop feeling like a puppet for students, colleagues or administrators. While there may be a million items on your "to do" list, you need to focus on your next step. You cannot be all things to all people. 

Refine Your Vision & Goals - about your career and life. How does your time fit into the bigger picture of what you want your school/district and life to look like . . . and . . . how is that vision recieved by people in the significant relationships around you?

Workshop Information 

Quarter 1	Intro to Coaching & Strategic Educational Leadership
Quarter 2	Strategic Thinking, Influence & Persuasion
Quarter 3	Leadership Leverage & Relational Management
Quarter 4	Strategic Planning, Focus & Action

Audience: Anyone working in a career in educational organizations and institutions.

"Strategic Educational Leader" is a series of four full-day workshops, one per quarter. At each workshop you will prepare a 90-day planner - a road map to help you focus on what you need to do in your school / district / life. Successful completion of the course can earn you up to 6 graduate credits from Viterbo University's Servant Leadership Program. 

For more information or to register, contact The Growth Coach.

What's Your Dream?

Cheryl — not her real name, but she told me I could relate our conversation — was talking to me because her friend strongly recommended she do so. It can be very difficult to find a qualified individual to discuss your business with and know that you can get the answers you want. Referrals come because you have earned someone's trust.

"So what's going on?" I asked and that's all it took for Cheryl to start talking. Her story is familiar.

• "I started this business because I was good at what I did and I really enjoy doing it. But I'm working 60 hours a week or more."
• "I seem to have hit a plateau about 2 years ago and I just can't seem to get beyond it. I'm so frustrated."
• "Vacation? I think I took two days off last year . . . I don't know. It feels like forever since I could get away from it. If I'm not there, it would all go to pieces."
• "I'm afraid of anyone finding out what's really going on or they'll stop doing business with me. And I need to stay in business or I can't pay my bills."
• "I'm so tired."
• "I think I need to do more marketing. But that means more business and I'm not sure I can handle that. It feels like a Catch 22."

The sound of the coffee makers, the aroma of an exotic light roast from a distant land, and the casual conversations around us seemed surreal. Cheryl's voice hushed and her eyes watered up. "Would you like to buy my business?" She gave a weak smile. If someone came along and offered her the right amount, she'd snatch it up quick. But who would want to buy a job that offered stagnated growth and 60-plus hours a week? 

The conversation paused and she waited. 

"Cheryl," I interjected, "When was the last time you gave yourself permission to dream?"

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Dream. Remember the day you walked out on the skinny limb armed with nothing but a great idea, lots of energy, a simple plan and the support of friends and family? You didn't know everything but you knew you could do it. The world was an empty canvas and you were ready to make a splash.

Then one day the alarm went off. You woke up and discovered that the stuff you didn't know was following you very closely and all of a sudden overtook you. 

• How do you separate yourself from your business? Can you? Should you? 
• How do you hire the right people? The ones who share your vision, values and passion? The people who are skilled and committed . . . and actually come to work to work?
• How do you develop a realistic plan with measurable results?
• How do you sift through the trends and big ideas and find the stuff that will guarantee results?
• How do you make lots of money, keep your happiness running in fifth gear, and leave the world a better place?

What if you could break away long enough to dream again? And in the process get a better grip on what's really going on in your business and life? 

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Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born.
Dr. Dale E. Turner

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined.
Henry David Thoreau

The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want.
Ben Stein

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It is my privilege to help business owners in the Minneapolis / St Paul metro area to dream again and take their businesses to a better level.

Zip Line

The open bed truck hauling a dozen tourists and half a dozen "Tico" guides lurched and bounced along the rocky mountain road. Dust from the road settled on the tropical vegetation on the driver's side and hung in open space on the other side like a cartoon character waiting for the inevitable fall. The passenger side boasted the cliche drop off into a deep jungle ravine.

I was told that there are only two tropical dry forests in the world. I have not been able to verify that information; but I can say that this was certainly tropical and dry.

The truck rumbled under the shade of a tree occupied with howling monkeys.

Grinding to a stop at the top of a mountain overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the lean Tico guides leapt to the ground offering their assistance to the anxious tourists. Cameras snapped pictures. My wife asked about the holes in the ground. Tarantula holes. She backed away.

We hiked several hundred yards to a higher point. Rocks slipped under our feet and the sun reminded us to be thankful that we were not shoveling snow in Minnesota. VERY thankful.

At the top an 800 foot cable stretched across a deep ravine swallowed up by trees in the distance. One of the tourists said, "I'm not going. No way." Another said, "So cool." Another was just silent. Cameras snapped, monkeys howled, spiders hid, tourists pondered falling and the guides strapped harnesses onto our dust covered bodies.

Brief instructions were given with enough hints of danger to make the adrenalin do warm up exercises. A guide hooked himself onto the cable and pushed off into the vast expanse calling out to the vultures flying BELOW him.

One by one we were launched. The show-offs, the nervous Nellies, the screamer, the coolies, the President of the Argentinian Safe Company, . . . until it was my turn.

Strapped in and hooked up I looked at a makeshift sign nailed to a tree: "No turning back now." Guess not. A strong Tico hand gave me a push and the next thing I knew I was airborne soaring hundreds of feet over forest tree tops.

Nice.

We zipped sixteen sections of cable for a total of over 5 miles. By the time we were attached to the fifth cable the Screamer was no longer screaming; instead she was bragging about keeping her eyes open and flapping her arms like a bird. A new found level of comfort.

The Argentinian Safe Company president was "double zipping" with his wife.

The show-off got stuck in the middle and had to be rescued. LOL.

Everyone was laughing, comparing "Did you see?" moments, trying new techniques . . . having fun.

Boy, it feels good to laugh. All the stress and concerns and to-dos had fallen off into the jungle somewhere below us. We made new friends. The wind blew off the dust. We shed our clothes to jump into a jungle river. We swapped zip line stories like we had all gone on separate trips. A guide jumped out from a hiding place wearing a gorilla mask. We screamed and laughed and punched each other.

That evening sitting on the balcony listening to the sounds of creatures without faces I sipped a Costa Rican iced tea and thanked the Maker of Jungles that life is a whole lot more than making the next sale, organizing the next file, and answering the next call.

I mean, did you go into business to get trapped by it and ruin your fun? Probably not. So who's in charge? You or your business?

If it's been awhile since you took a leap just for fun, what's holding you back?

Get refreshed. Get recharged. The office can wait.

Drifting Away from Success

I was snorkeling about 100 yards off shore in the Caribbean. Having dived before I made a note of where I was in relation to my spot on the beach.

The water was warm, the sun was shining, the ocean was calm and the scenery was remarkable. Taking in the beauty of underwater scenery is a great way to spend a day. My snorkeling buddy was nearby and together we pointed out the cool stuff.

After what seemed like a short time we popped our heads above water and talked about heading back to shore and getting a bite to eat. That's when we noticed that our spot on the beach was gone! We were so "into" what was going on underwater that we failed to keep an eye out for where we really were. We had drifted several hundred yards from our original spot.

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Recently I sat down for a one-on-one coaching session with a gentleman who had hired me to help him become more strategic in his career. Those first sessions were very engrossing as we discussed crucial concerns that he had never really focused on previously.

We had a little hiatus over the holidays and then met again after the things settled down a little. He was all excited because someone had given him a motivational book to read for Christmas. He was encouraged to identify ten things he wanted and then to read them aloud every day for several weeks. In this way, he was told, he would keep his goals in front of mind and would get the things he wanted.

Something had changed since we had met last. Just a few months previous he had identified goals and desires that were not materialistic in the slightest. Now his list of pursuits included things like a bigger home, new cars, exotic vacations, and similar luxurious things. The contrast was striking. So I asked him about his previous list of pursuits that did not include any of these new things. "What happened?"

The response was equally striking — a classic deer caught in the headlights moment. It was like he had popped up out of the water and took a look around and realized that he had drifted. He needed to get back to where he wanted to be.

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The Growth Coach process emphasizes a 90-day refocusing because we all drift. When the minutae of daily "to-dos" and the tyranny of the urgent take the reins of our business and personal life, the current carries us away from where we really want to be.

The answer is not to let the current decide where we go. The answer is to take charge and make strategic choices. The answer is to take a periodic retreat. Pop your head up out of the water and reassess where you are at and where you want to be. To work ON your business and life instead of getting caught up IN the pull of the current.

It seems so simple that we are tempted to think we can do it on our own. The reality is that we all need someone who can keep us accountable and ask the right questions. Knowing that someone objective is going to be asking you the questions that get pushed aside incentivizes us to pay attention and give ourselves to doing the important things.

When you engage in this kind of coaching process, the results are truly awe-inspiring!

Life in the Fast Lane

Doug moves fast.

In the past year he has been promoted three times. With each move there is more responsibility and new challenges. A lot can change in 12 months!

• Now he goes into work before breakfast with coffee in hand and comes home well after dinner.
• Lunch breaks are fast and furious. If he takes one at all.
• Calls to family are "while on the run," stuck in traffic, or walking to and from a destination.
• Calls about work can occur any time of the day interrupting any activity.
• The paperwork on his desk gets deeper.

He is being promoted again to oversee a dozen systems. He only knows three of them. Doug will be hiring a team to work under him. 

That's when I got the phone call. 

I anticipated a discussion about time management or priority management. But that was not the question. Wish I had his energy and drive! Doug's question was about how to get ready for this promotion and how to go about learning nine new systems. To top it off, he called while driving to a quick lunch with his wife — I could hear the wind and the open car door "ringing" in the phone. 

In the space between the words I could hear Doug's gears turning and trying to grind out a solution. He wanted to take on the responsibility of his entire team and master the 12 systems himself.

The underlying question was about what it means to lead.

 

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No one can play all the positions in a team. Each player must play his position well.

No business leader should do everyone's job.

Leadership is not being the jack-of-all-trades or the hands-on micromanager. 

Identify what needs to be done.

Define what each player is to do.

Find the players with the right skill set to play each part.

Back off and let them do their work.

Lead by casting the vision. 

Lead by defining the boundaries, obligations and responsibilities.

Lead by empowering employee choices.

Hold employees accountable for performance.

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Text message at 8:21 a.m. "Thanks for your help yesterday. You sparked a lot of ideas for me. I know what I need to do now. You have helped me look at life a lot differently." 

Maybe we'll get around to time management and priority management next week. Time permitting.

What new responsibilities have you taken on in the past year?

Strategic Marketing Referral Ladder

Who does not like referrals? 


Our approach to getting more referrals needs to have a clearly understood objective. This diagram helps to give clarity to a strategic marketing referral approach.


The Five-Fold Objective of a Strategic Marketing Strategy are:
1. Turn Prospects into First Time Buyers.
2. Turn First Time Buyers into Repeat Buyers.
3. Turn Repeat Buyers into Members of our unique community.
4. Turn Members into Advocates for our products or services.
5. Turn Advocates into Raving Fans who can't stop talking about our products or services.


Your Raving Fans are those businesses or individuals that generate referrals for your business. Develop a plan that accomplishes the following for your Raving Fans:
1. Decide to contact them on a regular basis (once a month, once every 6 weeks)
2. Add value to your relationship
3. Affirm your relationship
4. Educate them on how to spot a good referral.
5. Decide how to treat all referrals with excellence
6. Show appreciation to your Raving Fan!


Your Advocates are one step away from becoming Raving Fans. Take time to think about what will move them into that new level of professional relationship. The key is two fold: 1. continue to exceed their expectations and 2. make them conscious of ways they can help you (for example, a testimonial, a review, a referral).


Members are loyal to you but are not motivated to advocate for your goods or services. What should your strategy for Members include? Show how you value their loyalty with the following strategies:
1. Listen to their feedback
2. Meet their expectations
3. Take one step beyond their expectations.


These top three rungs of the Strategic Marketing Referral Ladder are the most important and where you should be focusing your energy. Take a few minutes right now and identify who is on each rung. Make some action steps to start an upward movement on your Referral Ladder.
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Perhaps you need to schedule some time to break away and give some focused attention to your Referral Ladder. To help expedite your strategic thinking process, contact your Twin Cities Growth Coach serving Minneapolis, St. Paul and surrounding metro communities.

Beginning with the End in Mind

Today is the last day of 2010. By now you have looked forward and looked backward for the purpose of making significant decisions either professionally or personally.

I bet that on your list of goals some of these Top Ten Resolutions appear:

• Spend More Time with Friends and Family
• Lose Weight (or Get Fit)
• Enjoy Life More
• Quit Smoking (or quit some other substance abuse/overuse)
• Get Out of Debt
• Learn Something New
• Help Others
• Get Organized
• Do Something You Love to Do 

It's like we have all been attending the same school and listening to the same professors. Our collective mantra somehow says, "Yesterday was good; Tomorrow will be better yet!"

And all the people said, "Amen!"

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My career path has had me interact with the elderly. What I learn from those who have gone before me is like looking at a dirty GPS screen: I know the future is coming but it is not all that clear to me yet.

For example, I have heard many times how wonderful it is to be a grandparent. This year I get to find out for the first time for myself. It will not be someone else's story; I will own it. The GPS screen will get a little clearer.

We are all heading somewhere. As years fade away the playing field will level out dramatically regardless of money in the bank, letters behind the name, titles before the name, achievements and awards, and the number of pages in our experience journal.

Here are some of the things that I have gleaned from listening to those who have gone before . . . lessons that will be left standing when other things fade away in importance:

• Loving and caring relationships will always be important
• Contentment is great gain
• "Do as you would be done by" is still a curriculum to master
• Showing gratitude opens doors
• "No matter how much things change, some things never change." Happy are the people who know what things never change and respect them
• Pity is reserved for those who let faith die 
• The right word at the right time by the right person can accomplish so much
• Accumulated money rots without generosity of heart

Steven Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, talks about the importance to "begin with the end in mind." "To begin with the end in mind is to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you are going so that you better understand where you are now and so that the steps you take are always in the right direction. It's incredibly easy to get caught up in an activity trap, in the busy-ness of life, to work harder and harder at climbing the ladder of success only to discover it's leaning against the wrong wall."

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We are all heading into the future ready or not! 

Here is a prediction for 2011: The goals on your list that most closely align with your true values will be accomplished.

Happy New Year!

Benton Clyde Clark

The innate desire to be somehow noteworthy, memorable or at least noticed has motivated people to do . . . well, noteworthy, memorable or noticeable things.

Consider what it must be like to be one of ten children. How do you get noticed when so many are living under the same roof? My neighbor has multiple children who I cannot name. They range in ages from toddler to college grad. Large families cause me to imagine all kinds of things. When my mother got upset she would run down the list of her kids' names — first and middle names — until she got to the one she was after. Me. So it sounded something like this: Jeffrey Laurence Paul Frederick Alan Jack. What must that be like in a family with ten children?

I can only imagine.

Benton, however, did not have to imagine what it would be like. He had nine siblings. Growing up on the Mississippi farm meant they all had plenty to do. I suppose if a chore did not get done on the farm, it was not long before someone noticed. Stuff piles up pretty quickly on a farm.

All the chores could not keep Benton from eventually wondering if there was something more for him than farm life. It was an inner calling to do something noteworthy. At the tender adult age of 18 he left the farm to go work for his older brother at his jewelry store in Texas. Under his brother's professional care, Benton learned about jewelry and watch repair.

The desire to strike out and pave his own destiny kept Benton looking and listening. Stories of fortunes being made up north in Indian Territory intrigued him. His dreams of money and adventure propelled him to leave his brother's store and hop a train towards Chickasa in the Indian Territory with fifty dollars in his pocket.

Pulling to a stop in Purcell, Benton went to purchase a ticket for the remainder of the trip to Chickasa only to discover that his wallet was gone! Penniless and in a town where he knew no one, Benton was nowhere near noteworthy, memorable or even noticeable. A man of weaker resolve might have begged his way back home with his ego bruised to live a life unnoticed in the shadows of the familiar. The 23 year old son of a Mississippi farmer decided that going back was not an option.

Some might call it fate and others might call it Providence when Benton met up with a familiar face from Texas. A gentleman from down South had opened a racket store (a forerunner to the five and dime store) in Purcell and permitted Benton to set up a corner where he could fix watches. It was an opportunity.

Benton hung up a shingle proudly announcing his service.

The town of Purcell was a regular stop for trains from the North Division and the South Division. Railroads required all company watches to be inspected every fifteen days! Benton the watch repairman became a noteworthy stop for railroad employees and a business that moved out of the five and dime into a store of his own.

Within a few years a watch engraved with his name had the reputation of fine quality sought after by railroad employees.

Benton weathered severe economic times by diversifying what he offered in his store. He sold phonographs, player pianos, the first General Electric refrigerators and even cars. Even though jewelry and watch repair remained his core business, it became known that this father of six was resourceful and determined. It was his good business sense in responding to the needs of his market and his creative solutions that kept his business growing while many others shuttered their doors.

Benton's commitment to customer service, superior quality, resourceful and entrepreneurial spirit engraved his name in the territory we now call Oklahoma. A memorable and noteworthy business. A true American success story. Most people do not know this old family story when they pass by one of three jewelry stores that bear Benton's name in Oklahoma City today. Most shoppers are unaware that the fine store was the idea of a Mississippi farm boy.

Ask anyone on the streets of Oklahoma City about Benton Clyde Clark the jeweler and you might get a puzzled look in return. "You mean B. C. Clark?" followed by a warm smile.

B. C. Clark, the business that is known for it's Christmas jingle. A jingle so familiar and so endearing to Oklahoma that Christmas would not be Christmas without it. A jingle that has been sung every year since 1956.

I bet you'd like to hear it for yourself . . . the jingle that is so noteworthy, so memorable, so noticed that young and old alike sing it with a smile on their faces . . .

The familiar jingle

Made famous on Jay Leno

Danced to

Played by

Sung by

And Sung by

Noteworthy. Memorable. Noticed.

fritzed

Fritzed is the word of choice in my family to describe what it's like when life and responsibilities get overwhelming. This past weekend I have heard it a lot.

Dictionary.com says that "fritz" is of obscure origin — possibly coming from the theater. Drama. That sounds about right. Maybe the stage show on that particular day when the phrase was coined headlined an actor named Fritz. He had too many lines to memorize, too many directives being thrown at him by too many people, too many things going on at home, too many critics scrutinizing his every move, . . . and then it happened. He collapsed on the stage. The audience gasped. The corners of the critics mouths curled up fiendishly.

On the front page of the paper the next day a journalist coined the phrase "fritzed out."

Sounds about right. Well, that's my take on it since the origin of the word is "obscure." (Maybe I will post that in wikipedia. After I get my other things done.)

When work and life get dramatic and you feel like you are fritzing out, what do you do?

I mean apart from letting someone be the recipient of some choice words. Or heading out to your favorite watering hole. How do you un-fritz?

1. Step back. It is part of my daily discipline to step back. This is my perspective time of the day when I warm up my motor, assess the lay of the land, and make sure I'm ready for whatever snowballs are going to be hurled at me. But when the unexpected assault begins, I have to mentally make the choice to "step back" and get perspective before I do something that I will regret.
2. (Re)assess. Here's one image of what it means to reassess: I am standing in the middle of my workroom facing all my tools and jars of nails and bottles of glue. Envisioning what I am trying to build, I gather together the tools I need to make it happen. Do I need to call on the glue of my people skills? Is it time to take out the hammer of persuasion? What would happen if I used the screwdriver? One huge help in assessing is being able to implement an objective ear to help me see things clearly before proceeding.
3. (Re)engage. As much as I would like to retreat to an island in the Bahamas for a looooonnnnngggg time, I do have to engage with the matters at hand. The good news is that having stepped back and reassessed the situation, I can engage from a position of strength and control. 

I don't know if Fritz had the opportunity to step back, reassess and re-engage during an intermission or scene change. But maybe if he had, "fritzed out" might have an entirely different meaning.

Too Busy

Always rushing. Too many things to do and not enough time to do them. Something is always screaming for attention. Not enough time to do those things that are most important. Stressed out. Out of control. What can be done?

Start by knowing that you are not alone. Many small business owners feel like their business has grabbed the reins of their lives and is calling all the shots. No one intends to have this happen. (Imagine someone's business plan stating the intent to have their business take over their life!) The solution, however, must be intentional. You have to make up your mind that something can be done, identify what needs to be done and then do it.

Here's an abbreviated list to help jump start your thought process:

1. Just say "No." If it's unimportant, just say no. If someone else can do it, let them. If it doesn't generate revenue, how important is it? If it's urgent, decide who is in control.

2. Prioritize. Some people mistake time management for priority management. Not everything that demands your time is a priority. That's how many people get caught. Identify your priorities based on your vision, your talents, your values, and your revenue generating strengths. Let everything else fall to the bottom of your list where it can be delegated or deep-sixed.

3. Manage your money. When was the last time you heard yourself say, "I'd do it if I had the money." This often feels like a catch-22. Make up your mind that you are in control of spending, earning, and managing.

4. Focus. How important is getting clarity to you? When you know where you are going and how you intend to get there, the journey is more like hopping on the interstate instead of taking all the dirt roads. Gaining clarity can have immediate positive effects on your business.

5. "To thine own self be true." Look inside the treasure chest of your talents, skills, limitations, and strengths. Chances are there is not a suit made of lycra with a bold S emblazoned on the chest. Give yourself to your strengths and let go of those areas where someone else can be more effective.

An essential key to being more effective and successful starts here.

*****
Making an investment in a coaching process can be the first definitive step in turning things around in your business and life. Take charge and start working "on"your business and life!

Of Leaves and Roots

The dynamics of change is curious. I think most people are content with status quo. Change takes effort and for most people life is pretty much o.k. without change.

This is why there will always be Get Rich Quick and Fix It Fast scams - the promise and allure of a quick fix is so enticing. Real change takes effort. Real change costs you something. Real World 101.

Individuals that can engage in real effective change rise to leadership. They are the exception.

*****

An organization began to question why their numbers were dropping. Their product was good but fewer were buying. To grow they knew they had to increase their revenue. The decision was made to formulate a survey and see if they could learn what they were missing.

The survey results seemed to identify some key areas requiring attention; things like packaging and value to the end-user and availability. Surveys can mislead and so can the interpretation of the data collected. The axiom about listening (we have two ears and one mouth) never goes away. Even after we get the survey results.

The key players met to discuss the findings and what should be done about them. Without engaging their clients and potential clients in further discussion (one mouth, one ear with a weak battery in the hearing aid), they began to make decisions.

• Decisions about packaging. Change the font. Instead of square, let's do rectangle. Can't the container be clear? If we package it this way it will look like the customer is getting more. (If we can't change the real value, then we can change the perceived value.)
• Decisions about value. They chose to define value in monetary terms (cost per unit) instead of in terms of benefit to the customer. 
• Decisions about availability. We will put our product in these new venues.

None of the decisions they made were necessarily wrong. All of the decisions increased work load. None of the decisions increased revenue that validated the changes. In other words, they could have done nothing at all and their bottom line would remain basically the same.

It appeared that they were trying to change their harvest by playing with the leaves and ignoring the roots. Leaves are easier to access. You can trim them, rake them into a pile and jump in them, sit back and admire them. But roots are beneath the surface and not so easy to see. They are not as easy to change.

Turns out the company's product itself just did not taste as good as their competition. Changing packaging, pricing or availability did not address the real problem.

*****
Change - effective change - is the arena of Leaders. For effective change to occur Leaders focus their concern on the roots. That's where the real action is.

• Active listening (like radars that never turn off) helps the Leader to hear "through" the answers to its questions.
• Vision casting helps the Leader to take his people from where they are at to where they need to be.
• Priority management helps the Leader stay out of the galley and in the cockpit.
• Reality checks help a Leader to stay fresh and relevant.
• Smart goals and accountability help a Leader to keep moving forward.
• Identifying the root issues and addressing them decisively causes beneficial change.

*****
Put the rake away. Pick up the shovel.

Compelled

A powerful or irresistible effect; influence.

Now there's something I'd like to have in my back pocket. A compelling message-product-service that would cause people to line up and drop money into my checking account!

*****

I remember a story from my Sunday School days of a man who walked through a field and discovered a treasure. Until he found the treasure the plot of land was just some undeveloped real estate - a field of dirt, rocks, worthless trees and bugs.

When I lived in Spain I used to drive away from the city and park my car and go walking out in the Castillian landscape filled with rocks, dirt, scrub trees . . . and sheep droppings. Worthless for most people but for me that barren landscape held value because that's where I could go to retreat from the noise of the "to-dos" and take time to focus. I did a lot of conversating out there with my own thoughts and the Maker of barren fields. But I never hopped back in my car to return home without having made some kind of decision. It might have been a decision about someone I had to talk to, something I had to purchase, a move I had to make, or a course of action that had to be implemented.

Fields have value according to the user.

So the guy from the Sunday School story might have been wandering in the field for similar reasons. Why else would you go out kicking around the dirt and rocks? Apparently he already owned enough stuff to make a life and take some time off. I think he was probably basically happy. After his morning cup of tea he announced to his wife, "I'm going for a walk. See you when I get home."

Out walking in the sun, enjoying the horizon, poking around with a stick until he was interrupted by a hidden something. Brushing away the dirt revealed something he did not already have and once he saw it, he realized he was missing something.

That's when he made a decision that altered his future. Returning home he set about selling everything he owned and approached the owner of the field. "I'd like to buy your field."

The old landowner probably had an interesting conversation. All the intricacies and nuances of bartering and negotiation with his mouth saying, "What field?" and his head thinking, "Oh? How come?" Long story short, he sells. "You want that plot of land, it will cost you." The wanderer walks away and the former land owner with a twinkle in his eye relishes in the deal he just sealed.

But it was the wanderer who found the greater value that the field held and the power it had to alter his life.

****

In a recent coaching workshop the question turned to Our Greatest Talents and how those Talents turned into money in the checking account. These astute professionals seized the moment and turned the tables on me. They asked me about My Talent. What was it? What do people say about their coach?

I tried to change the subject and move on. Nuthin' doin'. They insisted that I say something. *sigh*

"When I have the opportunity to sit down with professionals and business owners I do a lot of listening and a little talking. You all know that. But one thing I invariably hear from everyone is 'That's a good question.' And then I can see their gears turning and their thoughts processing. I know a decision is about to be born."

Around the room a chorus of "Yes, that's what you do" affirmed what we all already knew.

Coaching sessions are like a field. Useless for a lot of people who choose not to go there. But for those who make the choice to break away and focus, the treasure the coach brings is the power of the Question. The Question combined with the owner's desire to see good change in their business and life is powerful. The results are empowering decisions that alter the future.

For those who experience it, it is compelling.

****

What is it that makes your product-service-message compelling to your audience?

Look at your calendar: When is your next scheduled breakaway for "treasure hunting"?

7 Good Tips for Developing a Good Vision

Vision is the stuff of leaders. Vision inspires and gives a reason to get up in the morning. Vision is the impetus for change. 

How does a "regular Joe" identify a vision? Here are some good considerations to keep in mind.

1. Get a good grip on what's really going on around you.
While vision makes the incredible reality, vision is not fantasy. Edward Nino Hernandez may conjure up a vision for becoming the world's greatest basketball player . . . but that is pure fantasy. Edward is the world's shortest man. Coca Cola embraces the vision to refresh the world . . . and I was reminded of this as I sat in a Saharan tent hundreds of miles from modern western city life.

2. Take a good look in the mirror.
Understanding yourself - talents and abilities, character strengths and shortcomings, beliefs and values, and all those things that contribute to making you who you are - is key to developing a vision. If you can guarantee that one person is going to take this trip to the future, you can guarantee that it's you. The better you understand yourself, the better you can make #3 a reality.

3. Surround yourself with good people.
Even the Lone Ranger had an inseparable #2. Commanding leadership relies on people to lead. Surround yourself with good people that share your values, embrace integrity, and pursue excellence. They are invaluable in making your vision a reality.

4. Good values are rich soil for growing good vision.
A good vision benefits other people. At the core of any good vision you will find good values. Good values are timeless. They inspire the human spirit to pursue noble character. Good values attract loyalty, sacrifice, and selflessness. A vision which is self serving will not last.

5. Ask good questions.
Good questions do not accept the cliche. They challenge the soul without defeating it. An apt question  will provide insight, clarity and understanding. King Solomon once said, "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; it is the glory of kings to search a matter out."

6. Feel good about it.
If you cannot embrace your vision and feel good about it, get rid of it.

7. Good vision needs a good chance to be developed.
If you have identified a good vision, start making choices today that are in line with it. If for some reason you should make a choice that deviates from your good vision, push the reset button and get back on track. Every athelete trains to win the prize. Every farmer plants seed and patiently waits for the harvest. Every soldier submits himself to the purpose he has enlisted for enduring each skirmish for the sake of winning the war. Stay true to your vision and choose forward.

Passion ... Fruit

"Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion." (Christian Hebbel, German poet and dramatist 1813-1863)

I was once told that no one cares what dead European poets said. That might be true. I have never read a Gallup poll on that topic. But I think Mr. Hebbel nailed it on the head and so maybe I was misinformed about dead poets. Passion and greatness are a great Jerry-McGuiresque couple as in "You complete me."

My wife and I went shopping tonight to feed my addiction: bagels. Don't ask. Just trust me. I get ornery if there are no bagels in the house. If there are bagels in the cupboard then all is well. Bagels aren't a passion of mine. They are just one of my addictions.

But we got sidetracked at the store like I did just now writing about passion. On my way to the bagel shelf we stopped to get bananas. Bananas are one of my wife's unpublicized quirks. She buys them all the time and oftentimes will never get around to eating them. Then they turn spotted and then brown and then black. I am not sure what comes after black except maybe a darker shade of black. If I try to throw them away with the promise that I will buy her some more, she will tell me rather assertively, "Don't throw those away! I'm going to eat them!" I have to sneak black bananas out to the garbage can.

So we are standing at the expansive banana table and I hold up a bunch and say, "How about these?"

"Not those; those are gray." They looked yellow to me but I kept my mouth shut.

We compared bananas. Then I asked the guy who was loading up the table with fresh bananas which ones he would buy if it were up to him.

That's when we had a serendipitous meeting with passion.

This young guy's eyes actually sparkled as he talked about bananas. He explained that all bananas are gassed and that is why they are green. If they did not gas them then the bananas would come even darker green - three times darker - and would be hard like a piece of wood. Once in a while they had to send a case of bananas back because they had not been gassed.

"Do you know which bananas are more nutritious and better tasting?" he asked with the tease of someone who had captured a magical nymph in the backyard.

I did not even have a chance to venture that it depended on what country of origin when he answered his own question. "You look at the stem. The longer the stem, the less nutritious and the less flavor the banana has. Look at this short fat stem," he taught us holding up two different bunches for contrast, "This bunch is full of nutrition and flavor. This bunch with the long slender stems will taste bland like tallow. Look at them. It just makes sense."

Tallow? My taste bud memory program kicked in and I mentally compared the tasteless fat from a rendered cow to some bananas that I had eaten. I understood. I wanted to know more. To avoid that bland tallowy experience I just had to by short stumpy stemmed bananas. Teach me, oh great produce guy; I yearn for more!

"Hey, aren't you the guy who was talking to us about cantelopes a couple of weeks ago?"

"Oh, probably."

I am an unashamed 52 and I still ask my wife how she knows if a watermelon is good or not. Thump it. If I ask ladies nearby thumping on watermelons what they are listening for I get a answer that sounds like they are quoting Farmers Almanac. But after an invigorating conversation with this produce guy, I now know exactly how to pick an excellent melon. I suppose I could have learned it with a Google search, but the internet is not nearly as interesting as a passionate produce guy.

With laughter in his eyes and a smile as wide as the produce table he talked about his passion for produce. Produce! I know, right? This is 2010 suburbia. My wife and I walked away to hunt down my bagels and we laughed and talked about the produce guy. It dawned on me that we did not even know his name. We went back to ask. A new agenda item was to mention our experience to the store manager.

Lawton. The passionate produce guy. You will know him if you ever meet him. He does not just know facts and data about produce; he knows produce.

We paged the store manager. As he approached the counter you could see in his eyes the look of someone getting ready for a Chuck Norris Roundhouse Kick from the Irate Customer.

"We just wanted you to know what a great guy you have working for you in the produce department. Lawton."

The manager's eyes lost their edge and the corners of his mouth turned up. "Oh, you met Lawton. We hear that all the time."

**********

A passionate person is blessed with the power of attraction. Passionate people are like magnets. You want to be near them.

A passionate person is blessed with the power to make a difference. Passionate people are like strong acting baker's yeast. They cause positive things to happen in others wherever they happen to be.

A passionate person is blessed with richness of life. Passionate people are like the zest in a key lime pie from Key West. They take the pedestrian and elevate it to a whole new level.

Just imagine what can happen if you add passion to leadership. Wow. Short-stemmed banana leadership.