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7 Powerful Answers - #7

by Rick Baker
On Jan 12, 2010
This is blog #7 in an 8-blog series about Powerful Answers to 7 important business questions. The series is intended to be an introduction to strategic intuition and planning.
 
Preamble: In blog #3 of this Powerful Answers series I wrote, Business is about People and Process. And I wrote, People do only 3 things: good habits, bad habits, and new things. Considering the 3 things People do, business leaders want their People to do Good Habits and New Things to help the company accomplish its Vision , Mission, and Goals…and do those things in a manner aligned with the Corporate Culture.
 
This is a broad topic so I will limit this to two examples: the first is a tool designed to promote a Good Habit and the second is a written statement intended to guide how people should act and make decisions.
  • P=2S+O©, covered in earlier blogs, is a tool we designed to promote both Good Habits and ideas about New Things [P=2S+O blog]
  • At Spirited Investors, our Corporate Values are - Courage, Confidence, Conviction, & Creativity - were selected to promote Good Habits and New Things [Spirited's Corporate Statement]
Question 6: How do you prove your people do the RIGHT things EVERY day?
 
Powerful Answer:
 
'Let me show you. Here, on my BlackBerry . This web-link takes me to my Daily Vitals Journal. I can access this web-based journal from my BlackBerry, my desktop, my laptop, and my notebook. My Daily Vitals Journal keeps my actions organized and aimed at my goals. Everyone at our company has a Daily Vitals Journal, customized to help them achieve his/her goals.'
 
Postamble: John Medina* said people have about 5,000 thoughts per day. While listening to the audio CD, I did the quick math. Rounding it off I calculated that's about one thought every 10 seconds, every waking hour, every day. That little voice, which for most of us sounds just like our voice, is active all day long…perhaps, presenting a different thought about every 10 seconds. Even if that's half-right, that's an awful lot of distraction. No wonder we have trouble concentrating. No wonder things slip from our memories.
 
Processes and tools can help.
 
We recommend processes like Monthly Vital Signs, Weekly Vital Signs, and Daily Vital Signs and tools like the PlanBudget© and the web-based Daily Vitals Journal©.
 
Footnotes: John Medina, 'Brain Rules' www.brainrules.net
 
The next blog will consider Question 7:
 
How do you manage your CRITICAL risk factors every day?

Courage

by Rick Baker
On Jul 9, 2008

Here's an excerpt from Jeffrey Gitomer's 'Little Black Book of Connections'.

When I read it, I thought of our Values - Courage and Confidence coupled with our discussion of the importance of Connections.

***

Per Jeffrey Gitomer...

"Courage is a self-inflicted quality that gains momentum every time you try it. Think about learning to swim. At first you're scared, then you jump in the pool, then you flail your arms, then eventually you begin to swim. And by the end of the day, or by then end of the week, you're diving off the diving board, head first into a pool of self-confidence. It's the same when you learn to ride a bike.

Transfer those lessons (learning to swim or ride a bike) into your world of making connections. And begin to build your own momentum by stroking and pedalling your way to the first one, and then the next, and then the next."


***


Jeffrey Gitomer presents things in a straightforward, common-sense way. 
Courage » Confidence » Connections

...with Courage defined as a self-inflicted quality.

I like that analogy or metaphor or whatever it is...

Self-inflicting Courage.

That is an excellent way to think about the way one builds the character attribute known as Courage. In fact, I think we could argue it is the only way to build the attribute, Courage.

I've called Courage 'the great enabler' because it enables other major character attributes such as Confidence...(particularly, Confidence). And, I've talked about the fact one can (rather easily) build self-Confidence...the mechanisms for building self-Confidence have been presented by many, with one of the best presented by Napoleon Hill 70 years ago.

Some have said, 'Confidence drives Courage', which is the opposite of the way I see it. I agree that's not flawed logic because it makes sense that Courage will tend to grow as self-Confidence grows. However, even if the logic works most/all the time the cause-effect thinking does not. 

Courage can exist in the absence of Confidence.

I'd argue Courage has its base in instinct while Confidence has its base in logical thought. Courage is a fight-or-flight phenomenon while self-Confidence is a thing of ongoing process.
Courage is of the heart, confidence is of the  brain.

Borrowing from Jeffrey Gitomer...we can self-inflict the quality of Courage.

We can also self-inflict the quality of self-Confidence, but, I don't think many of us would describe the process that way. If we do like the analogy/metaphor of self-inflicting self-Confidence then we must accept it is a methodical process of 'a thousand cuts'. 

Regardless, 'self-inflicting the quality of Courage'...what a great way to help us understand what it takes if one wants to maximize the success embedded in our Values: Courage, Confidence, Conviction, & Creativity. 
 

Tags:

Marketing | Values: Personal Values

Courage - The Key Business Value

by Rick Baker
On May 10, 2008

Courage is our company’s Key Value.

In summary, we have chosen Courage for our Key Value because:

  1. Courage enables Self-Knowledge and

  2. When it is backed by Courage, Self-Knowledge can be the foundation of most, if not all, other major values, traits, qualities, and attributes that contribute to character.

If our personal value systems are like dominoes then Courage must be the first domino of desirable character. When it comes to personal character, no other domino can take the place of Courage.

 

Dominoes fall in sequence…

 

 Courage

Self-Knowledge

Self-Confidence

 

That domino sequence was simplified…in practice, it would be a more complicated sequence:

 

 Courage

Self-Knowledge

Self-Education

Self-Confidence

Here I mean ‘Self-Education’ in its broadest sense. It includes other dominoes like introspection and [if we want it to] autosuggestion [self-talk]. The main point is, when Courage is present Self-Confidence can grow. If we remove Courage then Self-Confidence cannot grow. Courage enables Self-Confidence. With dedication, Self-Confidence can be self-taught. Coaches can help us understand the dominoes but they cannot give them to us. We have to create our own dominoes and we have to use them regularly.

The process of developing Self-Confidence only works if it is backed by Courage.

 

***

Self-Confidence is a ‘great enabler’.

 

Courage is the ‘great enabler’. 

 

***

 

We may have different views about the routes the dominoes of personal character take.

But, we should agree Courage enables some very-positive things…

 

Action

 

Decisiveness

 

Enthusiasm

 

Faith

 

Hope

 

Inspiration

 

Leadership*

 

Optimism

 

Persistence

 

Self-Confidence

 

Self-Knowledge

 

 

 

*** 

 

Considering all these dominoes linked to Courage, it is easy to see...

Courage enables positive Change  

***

 

Footnote:  In his 1937 classic, ‘Think and Grow Rich’, Napoleon Hill selected ‘Unwavering Courage” as the #1 attribute of Leadership. 

Tags:

Marketing | Spirited Leaders | Values: Personal Values

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