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Thursday, August 19th, 2010
Ever hear the adage “knowledge is power?” Unfortunately, like so many other modern day myths, this one isn’t true either. While it is true that knowledge is a source of power, the reality is only knowledge APPLIED is powerful. It’s not what we know that counts, it’s what we do with what you know that really matters. You and I live in the Information Age. There’s more information around today than there has ever been on any topic you can imagine. Not only is information available, it’s at our fingertips via the Internet. The Web contains information you can use for improving every aspect of your life. I don’t know about you, but I have yet to stump Google or Yahoo.
With all the information available to us today and with increasing educational levels, you would think we’d connect the dots between knowledge and application. Ah, but such is not the case. Why the disconnect? Because we’ve come to believe that learning and collecting information are one and the same. The reality, however, is we must take what we’ve learned and translate it into meaningful actions. It’s not what you know, it’s what you do with what you know that matters.
Doris Lessing, a novelist and playwright of the last century, once said:” What matters most is what we learn from living.” Life is a great teacher, if we do something with what we learn.
If you’re familiar with my six-step process for improving performance and productivity, you know that the last of the six steps is ACTION, or what I refer to as STRATEGIC DECISIONS.
While taking action is critical to being a person of success and achievement, I’m not talking about just doing something for the sake of doing it. I’m talking about doing those things that matter most – and doing them first! Here are some thoughts on taking action you might find helpful:
1. Develop the habit of being action oriented. Don’t think about finishing the project or getting the degree, finish the project and get the degree!
2. Get creative in figuring out fun or interesting ways to take on an important project. Make a game out of it or offer yourself a nice reward when the project’s finished.
3. Make a habit of breaking down projects into tasks that can be completed in a relatively short time. Our attention spans aren’t very long – sad but true, so deal with it and break the task down into doable 15-20 minute segments.
4. Use worst case scenario thinking to stimulate action. You’ll end up there anyway if you don’t get the project finished or earn the degree.
5. Do the hard stuff first. Once you get that out of the way, you’re on the downhill slide.
6. Use momentum to your advantage. Once you get going on a task, stick with it until it’s finished.
Remember, it’s not what you know that matters, it’s what you DO with what you know that really counts. Success and achievement are about DOING, not DREAMING.
Tags: action, decisions, education, knowledge, learn, life, myth, performance, power, productivity, project, reward, strategic, teach
Posted in 2010, Uncategorized | No Comments »
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Monday, May 24th, 2010
 “One can always hire technical ability, but the person who has technical knowledge plus the ability to express ideas, to assume leadership and to arouse enthusiasm among people – that person is headed for higher earning power.” (Dale Carnegie)
Carnegie spent his entire life seeking ways to help individuals and organizations improve their performance and productivity. Not only is Dale Carnegie a legend, but his classic “How To Win Friends and Influence People,” is one of the best selling books of all time in the field of performance improvement.
One of Carnegie’s fundamental beliefs, and a theme we see in virtually all of his writings, is the value of treating everyone we meet with dignity and respect. When he talked about the link between influence and leadership, he offered advice such as:
Avoid Arguments.
Respect differing viewpoints.
When you’re wrong, admit it and move on.
Let the other person talk more than you do.
To get the best out of your people, create competition in the spirit of a desire to excel.
When you want people to do things the way you suggest, point out the benefits.
Talk about your fallibility before pointing out someone else’s.
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.
Does this sound too simple to be true? Carnegie’s critics referred to his thoughts on relationship building as “simplistic hyperbole.” Too simple to be effective, said some of his scholarly detractors.
Too simple? Truth is always simple. I didn’t say easy, but fundamental truth doesn’t require a Ph.D to figure out. And, sometimes Ph.Ds don’t like that.
Tags: effective, enthusiasm, influence, knowledge, leadership, power, professional, professionally, relationships, respect, simple
Posted in 2010 | No Comments »
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Saturday, April 24th, 2010
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.
You and I live in the Information Age. There’s more information around today than there has ever been on any topic you can imagine. Not only is information available, it’s at our fingertips on the Internet. The Web contains tons of information you can use for improving every aspect of your life.
With all this information at our fingertips, you’d think we would have it made. Ah, but such is not the case. Why? Because we’ve come to believe that learning and collecting information are one and the same. The reality, however, is that we must take what we’ve learned or what we know and translate it into meaningful actions. You see, it’s not what you know, it’s what you do with what you know that translates into power.
Doris Lessing, a novelist and playwright of the last century, once said: ” What matters most is what we learn from living.” Life is a great teacher, if we do something with what we learn.
If you’re familiar with my six-step process for improving performance and productivity, you know that the last of the six steps is ACTION.
Taking action on the information or knowledge we have is critical to success and achievement. Here are some thoughts on converting knowledge to action you can start doing immediately.
1. Develop the habit of being action oriented. Don’t think about finishing the project or getting the degree, finish the project and get the degree! Don’t focus on the obstacles, focus on actions.
2. Get creative! Find fun or interesting ways to achieve an important objective. Make a game out of it or offer yourself a nice reward when the project’s finished.
3. Break projects down into tasks that can be completed in a relatively short period of time. You’ll be amazed at what can be done in fifteen to thirty minutes of focused activity.
4. Use worst case scenario thinking to stimulate action. You’ll end up there anyway if you don’t get that important project finished.
5. Do the hard stuff first. Once you get that out of the way, it’s all downhill from there.
6. Use momentum to your advantage. Once you get going on a task, stick with it until it’s finished.
Remember, it’s not what you know that matters, it’s what you DO with what you know that really counts. Success and achievement are about DOING, not DREAMING.
Tags: achievement, information, knowledge, power, success, tasks
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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