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by Rick Baker
On Jun 14, 2011
A dozen things you better know
1. You better know your Chief Desire
Whether you have a vivid lifelong Vision or a keen interest in accomplishing something important during the next few months, know what you want. Write down what you want in as simple and clear terms as possible. Napoleon Hill used the terms ‘Definite Purpose’ and ‘Definite Chief Aim’ to describe ‘what you want’. He stressed the importance of definiteness of purpose. To get through the toughest times, which you will no doubt encounter…you must make a habit of stoking the flame of your Chief Desire.
Key Resources:
- Napoleon Hill, ‘Think and Grow Rich’
- Spirited Leaders Academy Workshops #1 & #2
2. You better know how to apply your Strengths to work
Some activities invigorate you so much you shine and time flies when you perform them. You perform at your best when you do these activities. These signal your strengths and your personal strengths are your key to business development success.
Key Resources:
- Tom Rath – ‘StrengthsFinder 2.0’
- Spirited Leaders Workshop on Strengths
3. You better know how to manage your Weaknesses for work
You find some activities grating. They drain your enthusiasm. Even if you perform them well you will never excel at them and they will never cause business development excellence. Learn how to manage your work so your weaknesses have minimal impact.
Key Resources:
- Marcus Buckingham, ‘GO Put Your Strengths To Work’
- Spirited Leaders Workshop on Strengths
4. You better know how to make Connections With People
Business is about PEOPLE. To do business you must connect with people. Your good reputation is an essential ingredient. If you are a natural connector then you have a tremendous advantage. If you are not a natural connector then you will need help from ‘matchmakers’ who illustrate strength in making valuable, timely business connections.
Key Resources:
- Malcolm Gladwell, ‘The Tipping Point’
- Spirited Leaders Workshop on Connecting
5. You better know how to Click With People
You must learn how to obtain what you desire while satisfying the needs of other people or, at the very least, not violating the needs of other people. Excellence happens under an environment of aligned, harmonious effort. Work on expanding your pleasing personality. Ask great questions. That’s so important it must be repeated: Ask great questions!
Key Resources:
- Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman, ‘Click’
- Spirited Leaders Workshop on Connecting
6. You better know how to Lead Change
People only do 3 things: Good Habits, Bad Habits, & New Things. And, ‘Constructive Criticism’ is an oxymoron. Remember those two simple facts when you work to cause Clients to feel good about having a long term relationship with you…and remember those two simple facts when you want to help other people to become your Clients.
Key Resources:
- Dr. Jonathan Haidt, ‘Happiness Hypothesis’
- Chip Heath and Dan Heath, ‘Made to Stick’ & ‘Switch’
- Spirited Leaders Academy Workshop #2
7. You better know your business development Hedgehog & More*
* Hedgehog, Differential Advantage or Unique Selling Proposition, & Value Propositions
Stand out! Work at a business that can provide simple clear answers to tough questions like:
- What do you excel at doing?
- How are you different from your competitors?
- How are your products & services different from your competitors’?
- Why should I buy from you?
8. You better know your business Target Markets
Do not limit your target market thinking to demographics. That just scratches the surface. Always remember people place the orders. Always remember people’s buying habits are heavily influenced by emotions and justified [later] with logic. Watch what they do. Observe with a clear and open mind. Seek the roots of behaviour patterns.
Key Resources:
- Jeffrey Gitomer, ‘Sales Bible’
- Guy Kawasaki, ‘Reality Check’
- Spirited Leaders Academy Workshop #3
9. You better know your Business Development Pillars
Today, your business development must be supported by several marketing & sales pillars. You need a pillar of social media presence. You need at least one pillar of promotion. You need a pillar of cold calling. You need more than that. And, all your pillars must be pointed in the same direction…your marketing & sales actions must be integrated…your marketing & sales pillars must complement and enhance each other.
10. You better know your business ‘Master Rules’
4 strategic things set the stage for your ‘Master Rules’. Those 4 things are your business’ shared Values, Vivid Vision, key success factors, and key failure factors. ‘Master Rules’ are the link that bonds your strategic thoughts to your practical actions. So, ‘Master Rules’ must be clear and simple. And, ‘Master Rules’ must be repeated. ‘Master Rules’ must also be few in number…this ensures boundaries are set on actions without stifling creativity.
11. You better know your business Goals
S.M.A.R.T. Goals worked well in prior generations ago and they worked well a decade or two ago. Now, Goals must be more textured. When you set goals, it is essential to anticipate people reactions…specifically, you must understand in advance the emotional reactions your goals are likely trigger. This applies to the emotional reactions of your people, your clients, your suppliers, etc. You can do this by adding an ACRE of considerations when you set SMART goals:
A Action
C Conversion
R Repercussion
E Emotions
12. You better know what you must Measure and Measure what you must know
Performance Tracking & Key Performance Indicators: these are pure gold when you have the discipline to establish them and make them Good Habits. This is one area in business where zero tolerance is the best policy: if it’s worth doing then it’s worth measuring. Conversely, if it isn’t worth measuring then why would you bother doing it?
Key Resources:
- Douglas W. Hubbard, ‘How To Measure Anything’
- Brent Peterson and Gaylan Nielson, ‘Fake Work’
- https://rickbaker.ca/post/2010/01/19/CHANGING-FOR-THE-BETTER-Good-Habits-Bad-Habits-New-Things.aspx
- Spirited Leaders Academy Workshop #6
13. You better know exactly how Your Role contributes to your business
There are 3 Steps:
- Ensure role clarity…role descriptions, etc
- Ensure reward clarity…goals, performance, & rewards
- Perform an iterative process: test Your Role against every one of the first 12 Things You Better Know. Do this step now. And do this step at least once per year.
by Rick Baker
On Jun 8, 2011
When you boil it down, people only do 3 things!
There is an easy way to improve how you deal with people.
In fact there are several easy ways to improve how you deal with people.
Sure. People are complicated.
Sure. People are unpredictable.
In fact, other people can baffle us at every turn.
And…it does not have to be that way.
Here is a simple way to start simplifying and improving your dealing with other people. This applies whether you are trying to persuade someone to accept your opinions or you are trying to understand where your boss is coming from. It also helps you understand why people make curious hand signs at you when you are driving or honk their horn at you when you lose track of time while looking at your BlackBerry in a coffee drive thru.
When you boil it down, people only do 3 things!
People only do:
- Good Habits,
- Bad Habits &
- New Things.
Good Habits are things that increase the likelihood they will achieve their goals.
Bad Habits are things that reduce the likelihood they will achieve their goals.
New Things are things they have not done before or haven’t done in a while.
Goals come in 2 forms: Conscious goals and Unconscious goals.
Samples of Conscious Goals:
- To be healthy
- To sell $X of stuff by the end of the month
- To complete a training course
- To relax for an hour by the trees
Samples of Unconscious Goals:
- To maintain life by an intake of oxygen [breathing]
- To protect body safety [that fight-or-flight adrenalin surge]
- To make sense of incoming stimuli [neuron systems, etc.]
- To protect one’s ego [emotions, etc.]
When we recognize people only do 3 things, the drivers behind those things is something we can and often should set aside…at least, we can make sure we do not waste a bunch of time trying to figure out the drivers. The reality is: it is extremely difficult to deduce other people’s motivations/goals/driving forces.
In general, we are better off not trying to deduce the motivations/goals/driving forces behind other people’s actions.
In order to make sense of other people’s actions, we can save a lot of time by sorting out those things into the 3 categories:
- Good Habits,
- Bad Habits &
- New Things
Sure, it requires judgement.
But, really, it isn’t very hard to do.
People rarely do New Things.
So, most times the choice is either a Good Habit or a Bad Habit.
More to follow in future Thought Posts…but…in the interim, a few thoughts:
- When people do Good Habits they want you to notice or compliment them
- When people do Bad Habits they want you to ignore or help them
- When people do New Things they want you to encourage or support them
When people do Good Habits, Bad Habits, or New Things they do not want you to criticize them.
by Rick Baker
On May 20, 2011
You want business success.
And you can define what success means to you.
S.M.A.R.T. Goals are a good place to start.
And more is required.
***
In an effort to capture 'more than S.M.A.R.T. Goals' we created the ACRES of SUCCESS metaphor.
What's that all about?
In summary:
We view S.M.A.R.T. as a filter for testing Goals. Are Goals specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bounded? If they are then they survive the S.M.A.R.T. filter.
And more is required.
For our business Goals to succeed we need at least an ACRE more of testing:
We need to anticipate and test:
A - Action
C - Conversion
R - Repercussion
E - Emotion
Picture 'Your Dream Property’.
Let your mind wander…imagine 'Your Dream Property’.
Like a post-card picture…'Your Dream Property’.
What needs to be done to make that dream a reality?
To create and maintain Your Dream Property you will need to take ACTION, specific planned action: preparing soil, considering sunlight, planning water and drainage, purchasing seeds, purchasing shrubs, and purchasing trees…arranging tools and equipment, etc.
You will design all that action with CONVERSION in mind. You will add things to your property and apply your energy to your property with the intent of converting your property from what it is to something much better...Your Dream Property.
You will do the work. There will be REPERCUSSIONS. To the extent you plan your work well, inject the right things, and 'Mother Nature' assists your work will result in Your Dream Property.
While you are doing the work and when it is done, you will experience EMOTIONS. It would be normal to feel fatigue as you toil. If the result of your work…stated another way…if the tangible repercussion of your work is Your Dream Property then when you are done all your work your emotions will be very positive. You will feel joy, justified pride, and a sense of accomplishment. Perhaps, you will feel the special bond that happens when people are in synch with Mother Nature.
If this happens, if you succeed at building Your Dream Property, then you will have created ACRES of SUCCESS.
You will feel ACRES of SUCCESS.
Similarly, you can create and feel ACRES of SUCCESS at work.
To experience ACRES of SUCCESSat work:
- Create Business Goals that pass the S.M.A.R.T.requirements
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time-Bounded
- Put those S.M.A.R.T. Goals through your ACRESfilter
- ACTION…consider the Top 3 actions you expect people to take
- CONVERSION…consider the way you will measure what follows the actions
- REPERCUSSIONS…consider the Top 3 most-likely tangible results
- EMOTIONS…consider how people will feel before, during, and after the actions
- When your Goals pass both the S.M.A.R.T. test and the ACRES test you know you have SMARTACRES Goals.
- When you know you have SMARTACRES Goals you know you have set the stage for ACRES of SUCCESS at work.
- When you teach all your people how to create SMARTACRES Goals you know you have set the stage for ACRES and ACRES and ACRES of SUCCESS at work.
by Rick Baker
On Apr 20, 2011
The graph below shows the way Goals and Self-Esteem are correlated.
Moving from left to right along the curve, the key points are:
- When Self-esteem is low it is difficult to set goals...so Goals, if any, are weak and don’t cut it
- When Goals are weak and they don’t ‘test the mettle’ Self-esteem tends to suffer and drop
- When Self-esteem is ‘normal’ people are comfortable setting Goals [some thrive on it]
- When Self-esteem is ‘normal’ it tends to increase with the challenge of the Goals
- When Self-esteem is at a peak Goals can be challenging…they can be ’stretch’ Goals
- When Goals become too challenging Self-esteem starts to drop, sometimes it plummets
- When Goals become unrealistic Self-esteem can quickly drop below ‘normal’ levels…and stay there
- BHAGs ain’t for everyone!
Conclusion: the concepts of success-consciousness are not for everyone. For many, it is better to set short-term stretch Goals, encouraging the use of S.M.A.R.T. goals than to use that ‘word’ BHAG.
by Rick Baker
On Apr 13, 2011
- You can do work that contributes to your business goals.
- You can do work that does not contribute to your business goals.
- You can do work that maybe does or maybe does not contribute to your business goals.
Say you have business goals.
Say you do work that contributes to your business goals – that work is Good Habits.
Say you do work that does not contribute to your business goals – that work is Bad Habits.
Say you do work and you are not sure if that work contributes to your business goals – that work is also Bad Habits.
When you do work that contributes to your business goals, that work is ‘real’…it has meaning and substance.
When you do work that does not contribute to your business goals; that work is fake…according to Peterson & Nielson1 that work is Fake Work.
According to Peterson & Nielson, there are 10 Causes of Fake Work:
- Failing to Understand Your Job - Your Real Job
- Failing to Recognize the Finish Line
- Failing to Focus and Prioritize
- Failing to Understand the People Around You
- Failing to Communicate About the Right Things
- Failing to Understand the Importance of Your Team
- Failing to Clarify and Drive Strategy from Top to Bottom
- Failing to See the Execution Gap - Alignment Then Execution
- Failing to Manage - No Matter Our Level
- Failing to See That Culture Creates an Environment of Fake Work
Footnote:
- 'Fake Work' (2009) by Brent D. Peterson & Gaylan W. Nielson
by Rick Baker
On Nov 16, 2010
The best laid plans…often don’t work out.
You know this from your experiences…often ‘fate’ intervenes or ‘people things’ change and plans need to be adjusted or shelved.
Maybe, the best laid plans rarely work out in the manner our ‘power of will’ wants them to work out.
So, why bother planning?
Why not just take each day as it comes to you, recognizing you have the strength and talent to face whatever circumstances and situations happen to come your way?
Of course, there are spiritual implications and these sorts of questions touch deep at ‘the human condition’, ‘what is success’, and ‘why we are here’. But, that’s not territory of this Thought Post.
We are business people. At least, that’s one of the roles we play. And, it is a role that captures a good portion of our days…and lives. So, recognizing we are in business…
Why bother planning?
Here are 2 reasons, one very practical and the other, for some readers, will require a leap of faith:
The Value of Direction: Consider the native guide who described with animation the magnificence of the thundering waters…then raised a hand , showing the European explorers the right direction …then helped them cross difficult terrain, all the time adjusting the hand as it pointed…until they heard the water thunder and saw what we now call Niagara Falls.
Direction supports a positive attitude. When we see fingers pointing toward our desired destination it is easier to be confident, courageous, honest, persistent, creative, adventuresome, etc…enjoying those states of mind aligned with success.
The Magnetism of Purposeful Action: some believe fate, [or is it luck], favours those who act and especially those who act with purpose. Quality people are drawn to their cause…some of these quality people become acquaintances…some become friends, some become champions for the cause…others become crusaders, expanding the envelope and the experiences. The better the cause, the more the magnetism.
Consider Terry Fox. Just one young man, filled with hope and a dream…knowing exactly the direction he was going…supported only by family and friends. Then…
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