Posts Tagged ‘improvement’
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Tuesday, December 27th, 2011
 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.
Each of the answers to the questions below will require action on your part. It would be a big mistake to leave this as just a plan. After you answer these questions, list a “first action step” beside the answer to get you moving to make something happen.
Success comes from doing, not from dreaming. We’re the only species on the planet that has the ability to design the future we want to have. Take advantage!
Here are some questions you can use to plan for a successful 2012. I wish you the very best year ever!
What successes are you looking for next year?
How can you make better decisions in 2012?
What do you need to learn or relearn in 2012?
Which piece of unfinished business needs your attention in the year
ahead?
What project needs to be completed in 2012?
What risk(s) do you need to take in 2012?
What surprise would you like to experience next year?
Name three people you want to positively impact in 2012.
What important relationship needs to be improved next year?
What one word best sums up the experience you want to have in 2012?
Tags: action, future, improvement, planning, success, vision
Posted in 2011 | No Comments »
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Friday, March 18th, 2011
 Ever hear of the 24-Hour Rule?
Neither had I, until I read Harvey Mackay’s recent newsletter, in which he shared a concept he learned from legendary NFL coach Don Shula. After 32 seasons in the National Football League, Shula holds the record for the most career wins (347). In 1972, he led the Miami Dolphins to a perfect season, 17 – 0! Nearly 40 years later, that record has yet to be broken. Oh yeah, throw in a couple of Super Bowl wins as well.
According to Mackay, one of the secrets to Shula’s incredible success in football was the “24-hour rule.” This rule stated that his team could only relish a win, or brood over a defeat, for 24 hours. After that, it was back to work preparing for the next game and the next series of challenges. During the 24 hours of reflection, Shula encouraged his team to deal honestly with the emotions conjured up by the win or the loss but, at the end of the allotted time period, it was back to work preparing for the next game.
So, what can we learn from the 24-hour rule?
Let’s start with failure. How easy is it to throw in the towel after we lose a big contract, a long-standing client, or maybe just dealing with the daily struggles caused by a rough economy? Too easy, right? I think it’s one of the primary reasons so many small businesses fail, and why so many dreams for a better future go unfulfilled. We allow ourselves to dwell too long on the things that didn’t work. Statistics show that most of us give up, just a few feet short of the finish line.
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. Allowing ourselves 24 hours to sulk is more than enough time. Getting over it and getting on with it is a better way to go.
When all the feathers hit the floor, we’ll experience more success than failures in our lifetime. So let’s not let our pity parties last more than 24 hours.
To be successful, you have to believe you can change the conditions of your life. In fact, you have only got two choices: let someone else determine the outcomes in your life, or accept responsibility for doing it yourself. I’d opt for the latter. Shouldn’t you?
Guy Kawasaki, the former Chief Evangelist for Apple, says: “You’ll wait by a river a very long time before a roast duck will fly into your mouth.” We can choose to wait and blame or we can pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and move on. Success is a choice.
The other side of the coin is how you handle those spectacular victories in your life. Closing the biggest account of your career, winning a sought after award or degree, or coming up with an idea that turned your company around.
Think this is a good time to coast? I don’t. Celebrate the success or the accomplishment for about 24 hours and get back to work. You’re on a roll. Take advantage of the momentum. Success breeds success. After a short break to celebrate the victory, use what you learned, and what worked, to generate more of the same.
Winners don’t quit after one victory. They figure out how to stay motivated and make sure their success is repeatable.
The 24-hour rule means you get a brand new start every day. Remember, we can learn from the past, but we can’t linger there. As Mackay says: “Build on what you know so that you don’t repeat mistakes. Resolve to learn something new every day. Because every 24 hours, you have the opportunity to have the best day of your life.”
Tags: accomplishment, challenges, client, contract, dreams, economy, fail, failure, future, improvement, loss, opportunities, success, victory, win
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
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Wednesday, February 16th, 2011
 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?
One of the most effective ways I know of for deciding which actions will provide the highest yields is to apply the Pareto Principle, or the 80/20 rule.
This amazing concept was originally proffered by the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto and has been used by management and performance improvement gurus ever since. In its essence, the concept holds that a minority of causes or effort leads to a majority of results.
For example:
20% of products result in 80% of a company’s profitability.
20% of defects result in 80% of production problems.
80% of sales will come from 20% of the sales team.
You wear 20% of your clothes 80% of the time.
The 80/20 rule applies to every area of our lives. Personal and professional.
Here’s a very practical way to use the 80/20 rule as a time management tool. Dedicate 20 percent of your workday to the activities that will produce high-level results.
Under this scenario, if you work an eight-hour day, you’d carve out roughly ninety minutes to work on your highest priorities. And it doesn’t even have to be ninety continuous minutes. You could set aside two forty-five minute sessions or three thirty minute blocks of time to get those pesky high priority projects completed.
An hour-and-a-half a day. focused on your highest priorities, will produce immediate positive results, such as going home from work knowing you made a significant dent in those few things that have the greatest impact.
Give Pareto a try. Then let me know how well it worked for you.
Tags: 80/20 rule, actions, improvement, management, pareto, personal, produce, production, professional, profit, profitability, results, sales
Posted in 2011, Uncategorized | No Comments »
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Monday, June 14th, 2010
I confess I’m not a fan of the local newspaper. There are too many other sources these days for the specific news I choose to follow. Having said that, there’s one publication I do enjoy reading on a regular basis – Investor’s Business Daily.
As you know, 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.
My favorite section of the IBD is “Leaders & Success.” In that section of the paper, the focus is on men and women who have attained success and often remarkable achievements through – guess what – clarity, focus and hard work. I know, that last part is a drag, isn’t it?
The Leaders & Success section also presents IBD’s 10 Secrets of Success. The 10 secrets come from years of analyzing leaders and successful people from every walk of life. This extensive study revealed ten traits which, when combined, turned dreams into reality and into fantastic levels of achievement.
This week I’ll share five of the secrets and finish the list in the next edition of “Getting More With Les.” Ready? Here are the first five:
1. How You Think Is Everything:
Always think positive. Think success, not failure. Beware of a negative environment. Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10. What can you do to improve?
2. Decide Upon Your True Dreams and Goals.
Write down your specific goals and develop a plan to reach them. Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10. What can you do to improve?
3. Take Action:
Goals are nothing without action. Don’t be afraid to get started. Just do it. Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10. What can you do to improve?
4. Never Stop Learning:
Go back to school or read books. Get training and acquire skills. Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10. What can you do to improve?
5. Be Persistent And Work Hard:
Success is a marathon, not a sprint. Never give up. Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10. What can you do to improve?
That’s enough to think about this week. Do yourself a favor though, give these five success secrets some deeper thought. Remember, knowledge itself isn’t power. Knowledge APPLIED is where the real power comes from.
Tags: clarity, failure, focus, goals, hard work, improvement, investment, Investors Business Daily, leaders, learn, negative, news, newspaper, persistence, positive, success, time, training
Posted in 2010 | No Comments »
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Monday, March 8th, 2010
We could probably have an interesting discussion on the definition of success. The one I favor was authored by Earl Nightingale, more than fifty years ago: “Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.”
I really like that definition because it takes money out of the equation, unless it’s your specific ideal. It says the stay-at-home Mom is a success if she’s staying home because she wants to. It says that a teacher, or a carpenter, or a Starbucks barista is a success if they’re doing what they want to do, instead of what they have to do.
Regardless of the field in which one is successful, there are criteria or keys for success that apply to every endeavor. Here are five of those keys:
Success Seeds
1. Persistence
A common definition of persistence would be to stick with something until it’s finished. While I certainly support this important success principle, I think it’s important to make sure we’re persisting at being productive, innovative and creative. Continuing to persist doing unproductive work or striving to maintain the status quo doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Success and achievement require the virtue of persistence to counter the vice of mediocrity.
2. Use Wisdom to Your Advantage
Acquiring knowledge in and of itself won’t do much for you. The knowledge you gain and the information you accumulate must be applied in order for it to be effective. It’s not what you know that matters, it’s what you do with what you know that really counts.
3. Learn From Your Mistakes
This too is an aspect of wisdom. We all make mistakes; that’s not the issue. The question is, what’s the lesson to be learned from a mistake? The successful people learn from their mistakes, don’t repeat them and share the lessons learned with those they care about.
4. Self-Discipline
Without exception, the most successful people in life are self-disciplined. The late Jim Rohn once said: “Failure is the result of a few errors in judgment, repeated every day. Success, on the other hand, is the result of a few simple disciplines practiced every day.”
It would be worth your time to identify a few self- disciplines which, when practiced, would make significant contributions to your health, to your relationships and to your career. Don’t make a laundry list; it will only take a few to change everything.
5. A “Can Do” Attitude
Success experts like Napoleon Hill, Earl Nightingale, Brian Tracy and many others agree that a positive, “can do” attitude is one of the keys to real accomplishment. Remember the old line: whether you believe you can, or you can’t, you’re right. Successful men and women believe in themselves and in their ability to accomplish what they set out to do.
Tags: accomplish, business, discipline, improvement, knowledge, managers, mistake, organize, performance, persistence, self-discipline, success, successful, wisdom
Posted in 2010 | No Comments »
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Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
 Getting things done through people is the classic definition of management. While I would argue with that definition, working with people is clearly one of the most important responsibilities of any manager – in any organization. Peter Drucker identifies the primary responsibilities of management as: setting objectives, organizing, motivating and communicating, measuring, and lastly, developing people.
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.
People Management 101 – Mistakes Happen
I believe most of the people you work with really want to do a good job. They want to be as successful in doing what they do as much as you want to be successful as a good manager. But what happens when mistakes occur? What’s your response to a subordinate’s mistake or failure?
The issue isn’t will mistakes happen and will failures occur, the issue is how will you handle those mistakes or failures when they do occur.
Here are a few suggestions on how to correct mistakes without demotivating your people or demoralizing your staff.
“Just the Facts, Ma’am”
Before you meet with an employee, take the time and determine what exactly happened. Keep assumptions to a minimum. Bad things happen in spite of good intentions. Get the facts before jumping to conclusions. This way you’ll help maintain the employee’s self-esteem and set the stage for constructive criticism.
Treat the mistake/failure as an event
If at all possible, don’t make the failure personal. Start the corrective conversation with something positive. Put the employee at ease by letting him/her know you realize mistakes happen. Show your appreciation for what the employee does for the company. Focus on the problem, not on the person.
Don’t Jump to Conclusions
There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to explain something to a person who’s already made a decision about what has happened. Here’s a good approach to take: instead of asking “why” questions, ask the person to help you understand the thinking that led to the problem.
Focus on the Problem, not the Person
Focus on the behavior that led to the problem at hand. Avoid terms like “you were wrong!” Instead, approach the issue from the standpoint of asking how a better decision could be made the next time the employee is faced with these or similar circumstances.
Encourage and Restore
Take the approach that great lessons can be learned from mistakes. Good judgment often comes from bad experiences. We can tolerate the occasional mistake and failure. What we can’t allow is the same mistake being made over and over again. Your objective is to teach the employee to take a negative event and turn it into an opportunity for learning.
Tags: business, employee, employer, improvement, management, manager, managers, results, solution, solve, starategies, success
Posted in 2010, manager's minute | No Comments »
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Thursday, January 7th, 2010
In the last post, we took a look at 2009 in the rear view mirror. 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. Remember the Peter Drucker quote that says: “In order to get the life you want, you’ll have to create it.”
Instead of “hoping” to have a rewarding and productive 2010, let’s “plan” on it. So, take one last look in the mirror, then refocus on what lies ahead. If need be, pick a couple of things to carry forward in the months ahead and then close the book on 2009. Take some time now to focus on what you want to accomplish in the year ahead.
Start by Developing Perspective.
1. The key is to be VERY SPECIFIC.
Perspective describes what do you want to achieve in 2010 and why. Your vision is a clear written statement of what you want to achieve in the coming year. What do you intend to accomplish and why do you want to do it? Your vision can describe personal or professional intentions, but I don’t recommend mixing the two. The key is to be VERY SPECIFIC.
For instance, if you’re casting a vision for a business, you’ll need to answer the following questions: What kind of revenue do you want to generate? What specific product or services will you provide or develop? Who specifically will buy those products or services? What geographic area will you focus on? Notice the word “specific.” Vague visions only produce mediocre results. If you want 2010 to be a year of success and achievement, you’ll have to be both specific and intentional.
2. Clarify Your Mission
The second element of developing perspective is to clarify your mission. Your mission statement will be a philosophic explanation of why the fulfillment of your vision is so important. Here’s are examples of two mission statements that describe why the organizations do what they do: Disney’s mission is “To make people happy.” The mission for my company is “Helping individuals and organizations improve performance, productivity and profitability.”
Notice that mission doesn’t describe a product or service. It simply states the reason the particular organization exists. So, what’s your mission? Why do you want to…?
It’s important to start our plan for 2010 with developing perspective, because – until we know exactly what we want to achieve and why – we’ll only make minimal progress. Conversely, being clear on what we want to accomplish and then developing a process for getting there is the only way to make real progress and achieve real results.
In the next post, we’ll concentrate on defining performance by developing strategies, goals and actions, but now’s the time to focus on perspective. This week, concentrate on clarifying your vision and mission.
As I said last time, we have much more control of our lives and circumstances than we realize. Let’s take control of what we want to accomplish next year by working together to make 2010 the best year yet, by planning what we want to accomplish – then by working our plan.
Tags: 2010, accomplish, disney, goals, improvement, mission, plan, revenue, review, success, vision
Posted in 2010, Uncategorized | No Comments »
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Tuesday, December 15th, 2009
 I love this time of year! Not just because it’s the holiday season, but because I use December as a time of review and reflection. I look back at my accomplishments and on my failures. Hopefully, the former are greater than the latter. I also use December as a time for thinking about what I want to accomplish in the year ahead.
For some, including me, 2009 was a year for tightening our budgets and scaling back on some of the things we wanted to do. For others, it was a year highlighted by growth and accomplishment.
While we can’t get those months, weeks and days back, we can review, reflect, learn and grow. As a friend of mine used to say: “We can’t unscramble the egg, but we can make a heck of an omelet!”
So let’s do a review of 2009. Let’s reflect on what worked, what didn’t work, what we did well and what we didn’t do well. Hang in there, it isn’t as painful as you might think and remember, we can learn as much from what didn’t work as from what did. There is real power in self- evaluation.
My recommendation is that you treat this year-end review much like you would any other important appointment. Schedule an hour or so when you can find a quiet place, with pen or laptop in hand, and allow yourself to think through the questions I’ve listed below.
Start by looking back on all those things you wanted to accomplish in 2010. Did you hit your financial goals? Did you acquire that degree or certification you needed? Did you acquire new friends? Were you able to strengthen or develop important relationships? Did you make better use of your time? Did you improve your health? Did you spend as much time with your family as you intended to?
Everything counts. Don’t sell yourself short on the things you were able to accomplish. It’s those little victories that create the momentum we need for continued success. But we also learn a great deal from the things that didn’t work so well.
I know this might seem daunting but it really isn’t. The value of self-reflection far outweighs the time you’ll put into the exercise.
There is no substitute for keeping score. The old saying “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it,” is as true today as it ever was. Reflect on what did work this past year and what didn’t. Be perfectly honest with yourself on both sides of the ledger. Identifying the reasons behind the success and the failure is key to continuing productive behaviors and ending destructive ones.
In the next edition of “Getting More With Les,” we start the process of putting together a performance improvement plan for 2010. Once we’ve identified those things we want to continue, improve or finish, we’ll put build a plan to make it happen.
We have much more control of our lives and circumstances that we give ourselves credit for. Let’s work together to make 2010 the best year yet, by planning what we want to accomplish – then by working our plan.
Tags: 2009, accomplish, budgets, improvement, performance, plan, reflection, review
Posted in 2009, Uncategorized | No Comments »
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