Four Ways to Promote Your Brand

Creating a positive brand is one thing, living the brand is quite another matter. It’s not about the logo, it’s about the benefits. People buy our brand because of the benefits they receive from what our brand has to offer.

If you work for someone else, the brand you represent is directly related to the caliber of work you do and the kind of relationships you forge. Remember, your brand is the identity you’ve established within the organization you work for. Your brand represents what sets you apart in the workplace. It’s what makes you different from everyone else.

Is Everything Important?

When we haven’t clearly identified what’s most important, everything seems important. This is why, in my view, people are so frustrated with their lack of success in managing their performance and productivity. Instead of taking the time to identify the real priorities of life in general, or the priorities of day in particular, everything takes on the same level of importance. When everything’s important – nothing’s important.

The 2012 Formula for Success

If you want to make 2012 count as a year of success and achievement, you’re going to have to do what others aren’t doing – you’re going to have stop thinking like everyone else is thinking. Standing out from the crowd starts with pretty much ignoring how the crowd is thinking and behaving. A mentor of mine in years past reminded me on a regular basis: “The masses are always wrong.” Dave Ramsey, one of my favorite radio personalities, reminds his listeners: “Stop trying to keep up with the Joneses – the Joneses are broke.”

Making 2012 a Winner!

If Peter Drucker is right, and “the only way to get the future you want is to create it,” it’s time to start creating a vision for what we want to happen in the year ahead. As important as it is to plan the future you want, it’s even more important to remember planning and doing are two different things.

Time for Some Reflective Thinking

December is the perfect time to look back at a year that’s almost over, and look forward to what we intend to accomplish in the year ahead. Before we ring in the new year, let’s take time to do a little “reflective thinking” on the year that will soon be history.

Getting Off to a Good Start

We’re nearing the end of 2011. What kind of a year has it been for you? Lots of success? Too many failures? Probably a mixture of both? Here’s the reality though; we can learn from the past but we can’t linger there. 2011 is (almost) history – 2012 is rapidly approaching – it’s time to prepare for coming attractions. But, where do I start?

The only place to start is where you are right now. Waiting for the right time, more money, the right people, help from a friend or colleague, are all recipes for disaster.

Organize and Conquer

Ever feel things are a little out of control? I think we all do from time to time. One reason is because we allow our work areas and our workday to control us instead of the other way around.

Taking control of our workspace and our calendar are two ways to lessen the stress of going to work and facing its challenges. Here are some practical suggestions on how to take back the workday and ramp up our productivity.

You Have to Keep Score

It’s interesting. We all enter life the same way: naked,
helpless and ignorant. But things change pretty dramatically after that. The
life we end up enjoying, or struggling with, is nothing more than an
accumulation of choices we make along life’s journey.

Your situation today, whatever it may be, is the result of
choices you’ve made up to this point. The fact is that the choices we make day
after day turn into habits. Studies show that as much as 80 percent of what we
do – every day – is done according to our habits. We do the things we do, and
act the way we act, primarily because of habit. For the most part, our behavior
isn’t predicated on policy or directives, or because of bad parenting or a mean
and ignorant boss. We behave the way we do because of our habits. We make our
choices – then our choices shape our circumstances.

You Can’t Unscramble an Egg

We’re nearing the end of the year and it’s a great time to look both ahead and back. November and December are my favorite months of the year, precisely because I do exactly what I’m suggesting in this eCARD. I reflect on the year that’s quickly passing and I look ahead to what I want to accomplish in 2012.

What’s done is done. I can’t change the things that happened this year. But I can learn from them and work hard to make the next year better by applying the lessons learned, good and bad.

It’s Easier to Succeed

It’s easier to succeed than it is to fail. Do you believe that statement? I do, and I’ll tell you why. Most of the people you’re competing with, individually or organizationally, are just following the crowd. They’re just doing what everybody else is doing – they’re conforming.

Dave Ramsey, the TV and radio celebrity whose financial strategies are used by millions of people, offers this sage advice: “Don’t try to keep up with the Joneses – the Joneses are broke!”

If you’re interested in standing out in your organization or industry, here’s my advice: Don’t follow the lead of what everybody else is doing, because chances are – they’re just doing what other coworkers are doing, or just doing enough to get by.

Raising Your Performance One Degree

Simply raising water temperature a single degree means the difference between just having hot water and creating energy. At 211 degrees, water is simply ready to boil. When the temperature hits 212 degrees, the water starts boiling. Boiling water creates steam and steam can be converted to energy.

This simple metaphor reminds us that the smallest changes in behavior can revolutionize performance and productivity. If there were a single word that would describe the difference between mediocre performance and performing at an extremely high level, it would be “focus.” Your ability to harness the power of focus can change your life, when it comes to becoming a high performing individual or organization.

Five Ways to Outperform Your Competition

When large numbers of American workers show up to work each day knowing neither why they are there nor what they are supposed to do all day, it means American business is operating very inefficiently, and that means poor service and lower profits.

See why I say it isn’t difficult to get a leg up on the competition? Here are five simple ways to set yourself apart in the marketplace:

You Are The Brand – Part II

In my first article on branding, I put forth the argument that whether we like it or not we brand ourselves, based (primarily) on the way we work and the manner in which we work with others.

We’re known for the value we bring to others, primarily in the form of the kinds of relationships we forge in those interactions. I propose that you’re known for something. The question becomes: What are you known for? What value do you offer? When people see you coming, they see a brand. Your personal brand should be just as important as it is for Nike or Starbucks or Nordstrom.

You Are The Brand

Most folks buy their clothes or their coffee based on a brand. They buy them because they believe in their quality; buy them because they’ve tried their products and value the experience of dealing with them.

What about you? Do you have a brand? Are you known for something of value? If so, what would it be? Do people buy you, or not buy you, because of who you are and because of what value you offer? The fact is, you are a brand, whether you like it or not. When people see you coming, they see a brand. Branding for You Inc. is just as important as it is for Nike or Starbucks or Nordstrom.

The Secret to Real Productivity

In order to make sure our focus is on achievement and not activity, we have to understand the pure value of time.

The Secret of Good Leadership

I’m often asked: “Are leaders born or made?’ My answer’s always “both.” In more than four decades in the workforce, the majority in the military and law enforcement, I’ve found that good leaders have both a God-given ability to persuade and have received some pretty good leadership training along the way.

Pocket Sized Performance Improvement

Here’s a simple but powerful plan for staying organized and up-to-date on projects and tasks that will only require a small notebook and a pencil.

A Smarter To-Do List

Being productive requires juggling a lot of tasks and projects on any given day. I’m not a fan of multi-tasking but, in the busy world most of us live in, keeping several balls in the air is a necessity.

Three Stages of Performance Improvement

You’ve heard the adage, “one size doesn’t fit all,” but I’d like to share a performance improvement process that runs counter to that argument. It’s a three-step process for performance improvement that can be applied to just about anything you can imagine. Whether you’re planning for retirement, painting a room, or wanting to put together [...]

Six Characteristics of Success

When you study success, you’ll find unequivocally that successful people in any endeavor have one thing in common: they think differently than less successful people. Roger Ailes, the founder and CEO of the Fox News Channel, is quoted as saying: “There’s a big difference between those who want to be something and those who want [...]

Five Ways to Improve Performance by 50% in the Next 30 Days

John Wooden, the legendary basketball coach at UCLA, said: “Don’t mistake activity for achievement.” Being busy and being productive are not the same thing. Most of us spend the entire day running from one meeting to another or shifting from one task to another, thinking we’re being productive. Bad news: that’s probably not the case. [...]

The 70 Percent Solution

Earlier in the month, I posted on Corps Leadership Principles. If you remember, I was pretty impressed with the eleven principles the Marine Corps teaches, and reflected on how those same standards apply to you and me today. This week, I’d like to introduce you to another Marine Corps teaching that I think applies directly [...]

Corps Leadership Principles

I recently had dinner with a friend who’s a retired United States Marine, and we started talking about leadership principles. He offered to share with me the principles he now teaches to high school JROTC students and I happily accepted his offer. When I received a card from him containing eleven leadership principles, I immediately [...]

Charting Your Course for Improving Performance

Improving performance and productivity can be comparable to charting a ship’s course from Point A to Point B. Years ago, I served as a navigator’s assistant in the United States Navy. It was my job to help chart our ship’s course from one location to another, and make necessary course corrections during the journey to [...]

Repeatable Success

Successful people in every profession and high achievers in any endeavor have at least one thing in common – they’ve developed the ability to get things done and to achieve desired results. This ability is actually a highly developed habit that has little to do with brilliance, an abundance of talent or being connected – [...]

Does Planning Work?

Ever hear the adage, “failing to plan is planning to fail?” That’s true, but we also have to be careful not to get so caught up in planning that we fail to execute the plan. As much as I support and endorse strategic thinking, the fact is execution is what separates those who plan and [...]

When It Comes To Performance – Less Is Better

When it comes to performance management – more isn’t better – less is. There are only three things to focus on when one wants to improve performance and productivity: See Clearly, Focus Intently, and Work Wisely. See Clearly This seems pretty obvious, doesn’t it? In order to get from where you are now to where [...]

The Five Attitudes of Success

We’ve all heard the adage “Your attitude determines your altitude.” While I’m in the camp that says a positive mental attitude (PMA) is an important success factor, I’m too much of a pragmatist to say it’s the most important factor. PMA will take you a long way, but without other success attitudes, it simply won’t [...]

7 Ways To Improve Performance

People at the top of every profession and those in important management positions in any organization have at least one thing in common – they’ve developed the ability to get things done early and often. This ability is actually a highly developed habit that has little to do with brilliance, having tons of talent or being connected. It has everything to do with a highly developed habit for getting results.

Walking In Circles

One of the most dangerous places I find my clients is in “the wilderness of the status quo.” They may think they’re moving forward and making progress but, in fact, they’re simply walking in circles.

Keep Starting Until You Finish

Conventional wisdom says finishing is what really counts. But I have a different take. I’ve found the only way to finish is to just keep starting, over and over again.

The 24 Hour Rule

Every day offers new opportunities for success and personal improvement. If we’re focused on what didn’t work yesterday, instead of what could work today, we’re whipped before we start.

The Power of Persistence

There’s a Japanese Proverb that says: “Fall down seven times, get up eight.” That wise saying underscores the importance of persistence in the world of performance improvement.

80/20 Time Management

All actions don’t carry the same weight. Some actions we take during the course of the day will have a greater impact on our day than others. The question becomes: how do we decide which actions will produce the best results?

Why Set Goals?

It’s impossible to talk about success in any endeavor without understanding the power of goal setting. Brian Tracy says goals are the fuel for the furnace of achievement.

Do More By Doing Less

Being busy and being productive are separate issues. Strangely though, deep down inside, we like being busy because it gives us the false sense of being productive, but this is only an illusion. It doesn’t matter how many trivial activities we complete, they’re still trivial and don’t improve productivity or contribute to the bottom line.

Productivity Is Not An Accident. It’s A Decision.

John Wooden, the legendary coach at UCLA is quoted as saying: “Don’t mistake activity and achievement. He was also famous for believing in fundamentals. Coach Wooden understood that practicing a few important things on a consistent basis paid higher returns than leaving a game to chance.

5 Key Management Questions

Sometimes the simplest questions are the hardest to answer. Have you ever taken a walk with a five year old? Logic indicates that simple questions should be easy to answer but that’s not often the case. Simple questions are often difficult to answer because they force us to think or, worse, they force us to self-assess.

Start Where You Are!

The cavalry isn’t coming. Your success and achievement in 2011 will come from your energy, your efforts and your actions, not from anywhere else.

Previews of Coming Attractions in 2011

This week we’re going to take a different approach. Instead of reflecting on the year gone by, I’d like you to ponder on 2011 from the standpoint of what could be.

2010 Year End Review

Reflecting on the ups and downs of the year just past gives us the opportunity to build on the positives and adjust to the negatives.

The 10 Most Common Management Mistakes

I’d argue the primary role of the manager is to contribute to the success of the enterprise. Any one of these ten management mistakes can, and often does, result in employee turnover. Interestingly, any of the ten can be prevented through improved management practices.

Strategic Planning – On One Page

“You can have anything you want – if you want it badly enough. You can be anything you want to be, do anything you set out to accomplish if you hold to that desire with singleness of purpose.” (Abraham Lincoln) Strategic planning is not a scary proposition. In fact, I’d argue, you actually do it more often than you think you do.

The Profile Of A Leader

Glad the election is over? Me too! I can’t remember a more contentious and mean-spirited election cycle. Don Henninger, publisher of the Arizona Business Journal, cites an analysis of election data by the Wesleyan Media Project, which says the 2010 election, was “the most negative campaign in recent history by both sides.”

The Power Of A Plan

We live in a very situational environment, individually and organizationally. We expect quick service, quick delivery and rapid responses. We don’t think we have time to wait and we mistakenly decide we don’t have time to plan.

Don’t Reinvent The Wheel

When it comes to improving your performance and productivity, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Chances are, much of what you’re doing makes you pretty productive – like reading this eCARD, for example. If this is the case, then I suggest you do this quick little productivity gut-check to make sure you stay on [...]

Create A “Stop Doing List”

Creating a “Stop Doing List” is one of the most effective ways we can narrow our focus and zero in on those few things that move our performance and our organization forward.

3 Keys To Being An Active Listener

One of the most effective tools you can add to your performance improvement arsenal is to become an active listener.

Problem Solve With “The 5 Whys”

As managers, one of the primary roles we fill is to be a problem solver. Whether it’s a challenge we’re facing on our own, or more a problem our team is challenged with, we often find ourselves problem solving.

Did I Get Anything Done Today?

We live in a time when we think we’re productive based on the number of items we can check off our to do lists. Even though we find ourselves being extremely busy, we realize we’re not very productive.

It’s Not About Innovation

We hear more and more today about the need for creativity and innovation. I’m not against being creative and innovative; the fact is a company (of any size) can’t survive without innovating. The problem comes in when the emphasis is on generating ideas, rather than on turning those clever new ideas into actions.

Your Strategic Performance Advantage

Creating a strategic performance advantage is the key to taking your performance and productivity to the next level. And, keeping true to the philosophy of getting more with Les – it’s not difficult to do.

Productivity Myth : Knowledge Is Power

Ever hear the adage “knowledge is power?” Unfortunately, like so many other modern day myths, this one isn’t true either.

Conquering Conflict

Conflict resolution is an important part of a manager’s job. Miscommunication can take a contentious situation to a whole new level. To improve communication and defuse conflict, use the following technique, sometimes referred to as reframing, as a time-tested method for working through difficult issues.

A New Way To Think

Having a little trouble organizing your thoughts or putting together a plan? Welcome to the club. Whether you’re just trying to map out the day or develop a new policy or procedure for your boss, planning, in and of itself, can be a challenge. Good news, though. I have a solution!

What’s Your Success Quotient?

I love to focus on fundamentals. I place a high value on doing those few things that give a high return on the investment. Whether it’s time, talent or treasure, doing a few simple things on a regular basis will almost always separate you from the crowd.

The Power Of Quality Questions

One of the things we all struggle with, seasoned manager or not, is determining how to use our time most effectively. The primary role of the manager is to make sure that the work he or she is doing will contribute to the success of the company.

People Power

Harnessing the power of relationships is one of the greatest skills you’ll ever develop, personally or professionally. Individual and corporate accomplishment will be measured by how effectively we manage the relationships with our family, friends, colleagues and coworkers.

Avoid These Management Mistakes

This article is for those of you who have been recently promoted to manager or maybe have been managing for a while but have become a bit stale. It serves as a reminder that good management doesn’t just happen.

Beware Of Being Busy

Being busy is most often used as a guise for avoiding the few critically important projects which must be done in order to move our life, our career or our business forward. It’s all too easy to convince ourselves that being busy and being productive are one and the same. Big mistake!

Turning Knowledge To Power

Ever hear the adage “knowledge is power?” Well..it’s not. It isn’t what we know that counts, it’s what we do with what we know that really matters.

Making Great Managers

Being good at anything is often a combination of raw talent and skill development. A skilled archer could be handed a very average bow and still hit the center of the target. Likewise, a simple recipe and ordinary ingredients in the hands of a master chef would result in a delightful meal. But here’s the reality, the success enjoyed by both the archer and the chef were achieved by combining innate talent with training and development. The same is true for good managers.

Getting More Done by Doing Less

It almost sounds counter intuitive, doesn’t it? The thought of increasing productivity by actually doing less just doesn’t seem possible, but it is.

Simplify Your Life

The more chaotic the world becomes, the more interested I am in slowing things down and gaining a little more control over my day-to-day existence.

The Difference Between Leadership and Management

Are leadership and management the same thing? Are leaders managers? Are managers supposed to be leaders? In the course of conducting my business of helping individuals and organizations improve performance and productivity, I find lots of confusion regarding the difference between management and leadership.

Getting Things Done!

People at the top of every profession and those in important management positions in any organization have at least one thing in common – they have developed the ability to get things done early and often.

Motivation Is A Team Sport

One of the primary responsibilities of every manager is to motivate people. The fact is, different people are motivated in different ways.

Success Factors

We could probably have an interesting discussion on the definition of success.

Getting Things Done Through People

Getting things done through people is the classic definition of management. Based on this list of responsibilities, a significant percent of your job as a manager is the development of people. Managers are in the people development business.

The Problem With Problem Solving

Ever notice when it comes to solving real-world problems, motivational cliches, like “Turn your lemons into lemonade,” don’t seem to get the job done. Here’s why.

Good Management Isn’t An Accident

There are several reasons why some managers achieve extraordinary results, while others just seem to eke by. I’d like to share some thoughts on why there aren’t more good managers out there and what could be done to change that trend.

Be Fast And Efficient

Successful people all have two things in common: they work with a sense of urgency and they understand the power of efficiency.

The Role of the Manager

In this edition, I’ll share the five primary roles and responsibilities of the manager. These five roles apply to any managerial position, regardless of the organization.

Creating Power Habits

It’s estimated that almost everything we do – we do because of habit. That little fact may be hard to swallow but the reality is – life is about choices – and our choices create habits. Most of what we do, personally or professionally, we do because we choose to. Habits come in two general categories, good and bad.

What’s The Problem?

Here’s one thing you can count on in 2010: you’re going to be faced with – and have to solve – problems. Therefore, it is fair to ask, “Is there a process already developed that will improve my ability to be a problem solver?”

Looking Ahead To 2010 (Part 2)

You’ve heard the saying; “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” Truer words were never spoken.

Looking Ahead To 2010 (Part 1)

This is the perfect time of the year to look back on what worked and what didn’t, as well as to look ahead at the kind of year we want to have.

Looking Back On 2009

Let’s reflect on what worked, what didn’t work, what we did well and what we didn’t do well. Everything counts. The value of self-reflection far outweighs the time you’ll put into the exercise.