Leading from Behind
1:35 PM Wednesday May 5, 2010
(Editor's note: This post is part of a six-week blog series on how leadership might look in the future. The conversations generated by these posts will help shape the agenda of a symposium on the topic in June 2010, hosted by HBS's Nitin Nohria, Rakesh Khurana, and Scott Snook.)
For now and into coming decade or so, the most effective leaders will lead from behind, not from the front — a phrase I've borrowed from none other than Nelson Mandela. In his autobiography, Mandela equated a great leader with a shepherd: "He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind."
It's a concept whose time has come, given several realities:
The psychological contract between companies and employees is changing. Among other things, people are looking for more meaning and purpose in their work lives. They want and increasingly expect to be valued for who they are and to be able to contribute to something larger than themselves. People expect to have the opportunity to co-author their organization's purpose. They want to be associated with organizations that serve as positive forces in the world.
Innovation — not simply incremental but continual breakthrough innovation — will be a key driver of competitiveness. Society's notion of the brilliant innovator, the solitary genius with a sudden flash of creative insights is hard to shake. But, after all, an iPod or a Pixar movie is not the product of a single person's vision or labors. Most innovation is the result of collaborative work involving a diverse group and a collective process of iteration and discovery. Those in positions of authority have been taught to think that it's their job to come up with the big idea — but sustained innovation comes when everyone has an opportunity to demonstrate a "slice of genius" (an idea that has evolved from my research with Greg Brandeau, the CTO of the Walt Disney Studios, and my research associate Emily Stecker). Breakthroughs come when seemingly ordinary people make extraordinary contributions.
Leaders can encourage breakthrough ideas not by cultivating followers who can execute but building communities that can innovate. Of course, leaders do need to act as direction-setters and vision-makers, and we need to prepare them for those roles. But we often emphasize these skills at the expense of others that are growing in importance. If you're looking for innovation, it doesn't make much sense to say that the leader's job is to set the course and mobilize people to follow them there. If you want your team to produce something truly original, you don't know where you're going, almost by definition. The traditional leadership model just doesn't work.
Leading from behind doesn't mean abrogating your leadership responsibilities. After all, the shepherd makes sure that the flock stays together. He uses his staff to nudge and prod if the flock strays too far off course or into danger. For leaders, it's a matter of harnessing people's collective genius. Doing so entails two primary responsibilities — and they are not easy to get right.
First, leaders must ensure their organizations are willing to innovate. This is fundamentally about building community. Some leaders refer to this function as "creating a world to which people want to belong." In these communities, people are valued for who they are and have the opportunity to contribute to something larger than themselves. These communities have a common purpose, values and rules of engagement about how people should interact and problem-solve together. A shared purpose brings the people together and makes them willing to do the hard work of innovation.
Second, leaders must build the organizational capabilities necessary for engaging in the innovation process. The three essential organizational capabilities are: creative abrasion (the ability to generate ideas through intellectual discourse and debate); creative agility (the ability to test and refine ideas through quick pursuit); and creative resolution (the ability to make decisions in an integrative manner).
Those who are exceptional at leading from behind are likely to be different than those who excelled at leading from the front. And this raises the question: are we identifying and developing the leaders who can tap the power of collective genius?
Linda A. Hill is the Wallace Brett Dunham Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, and Faculty Chair of the Leadership Initiative.
(Editor's note: This post is part of a six-week blog series on how leadership might look in the future. The conversations generated by these posts will help shape the agenda of a symposium on the topic in June 2010, hosted by HBS's Nitin Nohria, Rakesh Khurana, and Scott Snook.)
http://blogs.hbr.org/imagining-the-future-of-leadership/2010/05/leading-from-behind.html
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Ravichander Rao 1 year ago
Leadership at the top model is not delivering a holistic solution, and is leaving employees and societies unsatisfied with the companies. The need of the hour probably is - philospher-managers at the topmost level. Their responsibility will not only be to meets the objectives and take the company to the next levels, but also to deliberate about the social and environmental responsibilites.
Leaders are inspirational and effect changes, but without the philosphical aptitude the focus towards holistics does not get enough attention. The bottom line and company growth seem to be the center of the focus, rather than for whom the company exists and what larger purpose it serves.
Leading from the front or behind is a situational based strategy. A shepherd leads from behind because he does not need the followers to get inspired to do something or take a risk. Moreover, he is well aware of the terrain, which enables him to lead from behind. But, most of the corporates might not be working under the same setup. Most of the warriors lead from the front because they face the exactly opposite situation to that of a shepherd. Since most of the companies want a piece from the same pie, they have employed this wartime strategy.
In my view, what the newage corporates need is a good blend of philosopher-managers, a few leaders in every functional teams, and excited followers.
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Bonniejv 9 months ago in reply to Ravichander Rao
Sometimes internal motivation of followers comes from being in front. Additionally, it gives those who are in front a new view of thier surroundings. As long as the leader is truely behind them (in other words transferring leadership to them and supporting, mentoring and believing in them), I believe that leading from behind CAN be motivational. Part of this is that the follower who is leading the pack out in front feels that the leader behind has confidence in them and their abilities.
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Ansgar Gerstner 1 year ago
I'd say leading from behind is a pretty old idea. But this makes it by no means obsolete. I think it is as relevant as it was two and a half thousand years ago:
“When sages are in front of people, they place themselves behind them. When they are on top of people, they are humble.” (Tao Te Ching, chapter 66, GD Bamboo A)
Best wishes from Shanghai,
Ansgar Gerstner, author of The Tao of Business
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Tom Sadtler 1 year ago
Leading from Behind is an essential need in today's world, when we are facing challenges of a magnitude that the world has not faced before, such as how to deal with climate change. I was glad to see this included as a topic for the June Leadership Conference.
Jim Collins in "Built to Last" makes the argument that companies, which have the greatest ability for sustained success are often ones where the leader focuses on building a strong successful culture rather than being in the news.
From my own experience, HP and David Packard's 11 Simple Rules come to mind.
-Tom Sadtler
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Chris 1 year ago
I am also a member of Gen Y and agree with Renee that Linda's vision of leading from behind is indeed accurate. This article resonates deeply with me and, I would imagine, with many of my new professional colleagues.
However, I also feel the same sense of futility as OSA. I work in a very large, very bureaucratic organization, which is so firmly rooted in old ways, I am often discouraged.
I have had the good fortune of leading some initiatives towards the type of organizational leadership that Linda has outlined (emphasis on individual and organizational learning, shared leadership, cultivating a sense of purpose, etc.), but I fear that, beyond a small group of dedicated people who have made this a priority, these efforts are almost entirely useless in the face of traditional ways of thinking and those responsible for the management of the organizational system.
While I wholeheartedly endorse Linda's articulation and call for leading from behind, increasingly, I am of the opinion that we will simply have to wait for boomers to retire in order to realize true change.
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Ashish 1 year ago
Very interesting idea and strong inherent appeal.
However, I have a question.
Do you believe that the idea applies to leadership in any situation or only / more strongly in specific situations.
One of my frustrations with literature on Leadership has been that often it omits the context, which in my view shapes the required Leadership behaviour immensely.
Mandela's quote is probably a direct result of his experiencein leading S Africa since his release.
As companies are getting larger, in many ways they are getting more centralized not less. Regulations like Sarbanes Oxley have played a key role in this but so has the fear of reputational risk of many kinds.
I would very luch like to hear from people in many different industries / countries with a diverse set of contexts re applicability of leading from behind or front.
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Rohan Kumar 1 year ago
This is indeed a great article and supporting and non supporting it is an issue of what you take out of this article.
When we talk about leading from behind and the Shepherd managing the flock, the target customer here is the leader in control, the person who can make a difference. If the entire organization in already following the stereotype model of leading..then the impetus has to come from the very top and it would be a very cumbersome process. But if the majority workforce is young or are flexible to change, in my opinion the best time to change is now... because we know that its very tough to change personality and character at a latter stage (i.e. The downstream stage in a supply chain).
Again, my comments are based on the plot that the shepherd can actually control the sheeps.. or the leader stays at back so as to lift or heal anyone who falls behind or drops down...help them till the whole organization is moving at a sustainable growth rate ( as discussed in boardrooms).
If the above is the case and the sheeps are given the right guidance
and training the sheeps can all transform themselves and hence the organization into a agile and strong force. When the sheeps are on their own ..they will need to be prodded with two sticks..one which is used mostly..lets say 90% of the time to put them in the direction of perfection...the other would be 10% of the time to make them realize that they are still in competition though locked with the vows of brotherhood.
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Patrick Khamadi 1 year ago
Many thanks for thoughts shared in this article. This article solidly reinforces that gone are the days when we had only a ‘very few thinking‘in the organization and the rest ‘only acting on pre-set semi cast in stone actions’. I see it in my kids… the younger generations values are 360 and will remain so even in the work place are we are beginning to see.
So, competitive advantage will increasingly depend and also demand leaders actively pursue the integrative gelling points from the team as mentioned in this article. Thanks for thoughts again!!
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osa 1 year ago
so how do you manage to break through in an organisation which stifles you and your ideas with bureaucratic, high-handed, micro-managing leaders?
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sundaramany 1 year ago
In a world of specializations, leaders emerge from the middle. These are people who can pull together various resources around them and create a whole bigger than the sum of the individual components.
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ABHISHEK SYAL 1 year ago
It was said that in a war, the leader who stays at front has more chances of winning.
Today, in war, strategists and top officers stay in front of the devices which inform them about the enemy's moves and whereabouts. Technology has helped us redefine warfare.
Similarly, technology has also helped us redefine the simple process of introductions. Many of the introductions today start off through internet (social networking), phone or chat. This implies, virtual personna is becoming as important if not more than real personna.
As the interaction styles and media for developing human or customer relationships change, hence, it is bound to affect the work styles as well as leading styles.
What was leading from front then, we cannot say that it now has become leading from behind. The leader still needs to maintain his image at the forefront, being able to inspire his followers by his vision, his image and his speeches/conversations. This is imperative to induce faith and motivation in his followers.
However, i do agree with the concept that it is going to be redefined. Most of the leader's work is now not at the front, but rather at the back-end. If we see the innovation processes today, many healthy companies have implemented bottom-up innovation after scraping the op-down approach and merging it with bottom-up. This makes sense as the futuristic developments are made more effective through consumer feedback and analyses.
Leaders need to initiate this process, as well as nudge when needed, but they must also give the freedom to the employees to have the freedom to use creative methodologies to bring up information for making decisions on business strategy.
And through blogging, it is now possible for employees to contribute and share their ideas, as well as develop others' and the best ones could be decided by the leader to be implemented.
Hence, more of the work of the leader and the role is now redefined through technology breakthroughs and greater information access as more people seek for purpose and freedom of thinking and doing "thinking" and "smart work" in their jobs. However, the leader's visions as well as prediction of future trends and his image must always be at the forefront to motivate employees and workers to deliver their best. This way, it is ensured that any organization also has a sense of coherent purpose.
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Viktor O. Ledenyov, Ukraine 1 year ago
The future of leadership may be based on a number of advanced concepts, including the Leading from Behind hypothesis. The real problem is that the new hi-tech innovative businesses will certainly require the deep technical skills, which can not be observed in a big number of the EMBA/MBA graduates from reputable business schools in the USA! The Innovation in Leadership may need very different set of skills, which can be gained in Ukraine, Japan, South Korea and P.R. China only! That is why the prosperity in emerging markets is growing at time, when the crisis in developed nations is spreading.
The Town of Bar, Vinnytsia Region, Ukraine
http://www.vininvest.gov.ua/geo/index.php?point=736&lv=en
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Suzy 1 year ago
Linda, Great work! Its inspiring to read such thoughts on the topic of leadership which makes you think beyond the obvious. I recently heard the podcast of Vineet Nayar on Dan Mulhern radio show. He shared a lot of interesting unique new concepts on leadership roles and Gen Y. You might be interested to listen to this. http://www.vineetnayar.com/everyday-leadership-with-dan-mulhern/
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
DEBORAH - Heroes of the Faith (Woman)
Deborah
The "Mother of Israel"
By John and Patti Chadwick
Deborah was a prophetess whom God gifted and used in many different ways to help out her people, Israel. She is often compared to a bee. Deborah had a fatal sting for her enemies as the Canaanites and other foes came to experience. As the bee ranks the highest in intelligence in the animal kingdom, so it is written that Deborah stands out as among the wisest of all Old Testament women (Lockyer, All the Women of the Bible 40). It is not known if she had any children nor is there a genealogy record on this female warrior and writer.
There were very few palm trees in the land of Palestine at this time, but Deborah had one where she sat and ruled under. In honor of her works, it became know as "The Palm of Deborah (Judges 4:5). Often referred to as a "Mother in Israel", she was gifted with superior spiritual, mental, and physical powers, which left her mark in Israel. Deborah, whom God raised up for a special purpose, was endowed with a remarkable personality and varied gifts for the deliverance of His distressed and defeated people. A woman of exceptional achievements, she carved out a niche for herself.
She was married and her husband, Lapdoth, was thought to be meek, but by no means weak. He stayed behind the scenes and supported his wife, encouraging her in all her activities. It is usually said that behind every great man there is a great wife. In this situation it seems that behind this great woman was a great husband. Apparently he gave her his love, sympathy, support, and encouragement not minding if he rode "second chariot" to her (Herbert Lockyer, Herbert, All the Women of the Bible 40).
Deborah was endowed with the gift of prophecy in which she had the ability to discern the mind and purpose of God and state it to others. Deborah sat under her palm tree looking very stately in person with her dark, penetrating prophetic eyes as she poured out wisdom and instruction of the counsel of God. She was able to stir up the public with her views and produce change. She stirred up Israel's concern about its sad spiritual condition. The land was debauched and well near ruin under the rule of the Canaanites and their liberty had been lost. Her people were dejected and afraid. Their spirits had been broken and there was no hope of deliverance from their present state.
Deborah did more than prophesy, she aroused a nation in the depths of despair through her fearless and unsolicited devotion to the freeing of her people. She awoke in them a driving desire to free themselves from their bondage and degradation. Her call and challenge to them was to seek God's help in delivering them from their enemy.
Day after day she excited and challenged the people of Israel. All who listened to her words of divine wisdom felt the certainty of their deliverance from a heathen people if only they would arise to action and, with the help of God, free themselves from fear and folly and go out and fight. All of Israel was under her jurisdiction, from which she dispensed righteousness, justice, and mercy.
After having fought the enemy with words and prayer, now God told her to fight in battle. Being led of God she sent for Barak, saying it was God's will that he should lead the army and deliver Israel from the hand of the enemy. He agreed to lead the army with the condition that Deborah, the brave-hearted and dauntless ruler, go with him. Barak felt he could face the enemy only if his ruler was at hand. So out they went to do battle with the Canaanite army with great odds against them. Even in the heat of the battle, the dauntless spirit of Deborah did not waver. God was her ally and she rested in that fact. God sent a hail and rainstorm during that battle which helped lead the Israelites to victory. Thus Deborah gained underlying fame as the female warrior who rescued her people from their cruel foe.
After the victory over national foes, Deborah ruled with equity and the nation of Israel had rest from war and captivity for forty years. Deborah loved her God, her people, and her country and stood firm in her convictions. She had excellent speaking abilities and a knack to motivate and encourage people to get closer to God, instilling in them a confidence to trust God and believe that He would act on their behalf.
http://www.historyswomen.com/womenoffaith/MotherofIsrael.html
The "Mother of Israel"
By John and Patti Chadwick
Deborah was a prophetess whom God gifted and used in many different ways to help out her people, Israel. She is often compared to a bee. Deborah had a fatal sting for her enemies as the Canaanites and other foes came to experience. As the bee ranks the highest in intelligence in the animal kingdom, so it is written that Deborah stands out as among the wisest of all Old Testament women (Lockyer, All the Women of the Bible 40). It is not known if she had any children nor is there a genealogy record on this female warrior and writer.
There were very few palm trees in the land of Palestine at this time, but Deborah had one where she sat and ruled under. In honor of her works, it became know as "The Palm of Deborah (Judges 4:5). Often referred to as a "Mother in Israel", she was gifted with superior spiritual, mental, and physical powers, which left her mark in Israel. Deborah, whom God raised up for a special purpose, was endowed with a remarkable personality and varied gifts for the deliverance of His distressed and defeated people. A woman of exceptional achievements, she carved out a niche for herself.
She was married and her husband, Lapdoth, was thought to be meek, but by no means weak. He stayed behind the scenes and supported his wife, encouraging her in all her activities. It is usually said that behind every great man there is a great wife. In this situation it seems that behind this great woman was a great husband. Apparently he gave her his love, sympathy, support, and encouragement not minding if he rode "second chariot" to her (Herbert Lockyer, Herbert, All the Women of the Bible 40).
Deborah was endowed with the gift of prophecy in which she had the ability to discern the mind and purpose of God and state it to others. Deborah sat under her palm tree looking very stately in person with her dark, penetrating prophetic eyes as she poured out wisdom and instruction of the counsel of God. She was able to stir up the public with her views and produce change. She stirred up Israel's concern about its sad spiritual condition. The land was debauched and well near ruin under the rule of the Canaanites and their liberty had been lost. Her people were dejected and afraid. Their spirits had been broken and there was no hope of deliverance from their present state.
Deborah did more than prophesy, she aroused a nation in the depths of despair through her fearless and unsolicited devotion to the freeing of her people. She awoke in them a driving desire to free themselves from their bondage and degradation. Her call and challenge to them was to seek God's help in delivering them from their enemy.
Day after day she excited and challenged the people of Israel. All who listened to her words of divine wisdom felt the certainty of their deliverance from a heathen people if only they would arise to action and, with the help of God, free themselves from fear and folly and go out and fight. All of Israel was under her jurisdiction, from which she dispensed righteousness, justice, and mercy.
After having fought the enemy with words and prayer, now God told her to fight in battle. Being led of God she sent for Barak, saying it was God's will that he should lead the army and deliver Israel from the hand of the enemy. He agreed to lead the army with the condition that Deborah, the brave-hearted and dauntless ruler, go with him. Barak felt he could face the enemy only if his ruler was at hand. So out they went to do battle with the Canaanite army with great odds against them. Even in the heat of the battle, the dauntless spirit of Deborah did not waver. God was her ally and she rested in that fact. God sent a hail and rainstorm during that battle which helped lead the Israelites to victory. Thus Deborah gained underlying fame as the female warrior who rescued her people from their cruel foe.
After the victory over national foes, Deborah ruled with equity and the nation of Israel had rest from war and captivity for forty years. Deborah loved her God, her people, and her country and stood firm in her convictions. She had excellent speaking abilities and a knack to motivate and encourage people to get closer to God, instilling in them a confidence to trust God and believe that He would act on their behalf.
http://www.historyswomen.com/womenoffaith/MotherofIsrael.html
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Three Rules For Business Survival
Three Rules For Business Survival -- Indeed Prosperity -- In a Results-driven Melt-Down Global Economy.
Color Commentary for Wednesday, October 15, 2008
By E. R. Haas, CEO ThinkTQ, Inc.
No question, the competition is relentless. Some say ruthless. Will your company prosper in this "Results-driven" Melt-Down global economy—or find itself on the path to organizational extinction?
Every organization in America is experiencing fallout from this hyper-competitive, perform-or-perish global economy. Are you heading down the same path that led to the demise of Wa Mu, Bear Sterns, Lehman Brothers, K Mart, United, US Air, Polaroid, Enron, WorldCom, Federal Mogul, Montgomery Ward... and the bankruptcies of countless small/personal business in the last couple of years?
How can you be sure?
While the rules of business haven't really changed, they are being strictly enforced! If you want to assure your organization's success, take action now to improve your Comparative Advantage, PVR and TQ. Otherwise, the next few years are going to be significantly more challenging than you can even begin to imagine.
"It is not necessary to change.
Survival is not mandatory."
~ Dr. W. Edwards Deming
I highly recommend that you PRINT this article and invest the 7 minutes it takes to read it. It may change the way you look at your organization's success potential... and your chances for surviving the next 2 years of market turbulence and relentless competition. Please feel free to Email Me with questions/comments.
Who am I to give you business advice? I'm one of those guys who turned my MBA Thesis into a $150 Million company.. and built many different kinds of businesses... from manufacturing... to financial services... to software... to internet publishing!
About ThinkTQ, Inc.
ThinkTQ, Inc. is the world's leading publisher of virtual training products for personal and professional excellence. We have the SYSTEMS, TOOLS and TECHNOLOGY to help you put you and your organization on the fast-track to success.
To ease the burden of this Melt-Down global economy, we are GIVING AWAY 10 million TQ Personal Training Programs... representing a combined value of over $1.6 Billion dollars.
Why?
To help put America back on the economic fast track—by giving YOU the tools to immediately produce better results.
Fact: Times are getting tougher. Are you?
"If you want to WIN in business... whatever business you are in...read this book!"
~ Mardi Durgin, VP
It's not that times are changing.
It's that times have changed.
The melt down of the global financial system, accelerating mergers, market consolidations, downsizing, major corporate bankruptcies, offshoring, benefit give-backs, salary reductions and under-funded pension plans... mean that things are getting tougher... not easier.
The fact is, your organization is at RISK.
Your job is at STAKE.
Your paycheck is in JEOPARDY.
In the next 5 years, we will see the further loss of jobs in entire industries... a significant increase in the poverty level... fewer jobs paying more money... more jobs paying less money... reduced inflation-adjusted incomes... capped or reduced benefits... and reduced job security—at every level, within every organization.
What can you do in these tough times? What should you do?
Follow The Three Rules for Business Survival...
It doesn't matter if you're a company with 100,000 people, or you own a one horse dog and pony show. It doesn't matter if you are a church, a service organization, a bank, a newspaper, a TV station, an airline, a hospital, a contractor, an internet company or General Motors or Ford.
The challenge is identical.
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You must find a way to out-smart... out-hustle... out-perform... out-lead... out-communicate and out-produce your competition every step of the way. You need to produce significantly better results, and you need to do it BETTER, FASTER and CHEAPER than ever before.
How?
RULE #1: Never pass your INEFFICIENCIES on to your customers. They simply won't pay it.
RULE #2: Continuously improve your PVR (Price Value Ratio) to the point where your competition weeps!
RULE #3: Turn up your TQ at least 20 points.
A little more detail...
While we can't tell you in a few web pages what it takes 268 pages to discuss in Full Spectrum Career Power, here are a few of the major points:
Rule #1: Never pass your inefficiencies on to your customers. They simply won't pay it.
While I could go on about Wal-Mart-styled supply chain efficiencies, maintaining a pancake-flat organization chart, or making certain that you get 10 cents in value for every nickel you spend (EVA), the real opportunity lies in transforming your Comparative Advantage into a true Competitive Advantage.
What's your unique Comparative Advantage?
Two hundred years ago, the brilliant British economist, David Ricardo, formulated the notion of comparative differentials. Fast forward to the management buzzword of the nineties, "Core Competencies", and the message is the same: How you are inherently different, and how you exploit those differences, determines if you are able to successfully compete or not.
The easiest way to think about your Comparative Advantage is to zoom out to the world stage. Consider how inherently competitive a farmer in Japan would be if he tried to sell wheat against a farmer in Montana.
No matter how much capital he invested, or hard he worked, it would be impossible for him to compete.
Japan simply doesn't have the climate or landmass necessary for massive wheat production. Montana does. (There is a single wheat farm in Montana that is 45 MILES long and 14 MILES wide. Talk about a tremendous Comparative Advantage!)
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A powerful Comparative Advantage gives rise to an unstoppable Competitive Advantage.
If you've got one, FLAUNT it!
If you don't, find one fast.
Bottom line: If you do not have a strong Comparative Advantage, you will ALWAYS be the inefficient producer, with a Competitive Advantage that gets weaker by the minute.
Now, more than ever, you have to find a real Comparative Advantage, or you are headed down the path to extinction. This applies equally to countries, cities, states, industries, companies, departments—as well as your personal career. Especially your career.
If you're a hard-hit community like Lorain, Ohio with high unemployment, or a software engineer from Boulder, Colorado—who just watched his job get outsourced to Bangalore (India)—you have no option but to discover your core Comparative Advantage, and mercilessly promote it.
Practical Example: Consider the tale of two stores—Home Depot and Lowes. Virtually the same products, the same pricing, the same internal efficiencies, the same operational structures. Take any department from either, and you will instantly see the differences—if they have the right management in the departments.
The manager who merchandises and sells with flair and excitement... makes sure the department is "retail ready" at all times... keeps the associates fired up... is knowledgeable about current promotions... will take market share away from the other, simply because of that single manager's Comparative Advantage: Merchandising Leadership.
No question, a strong Competitive Advantage usually comes down to a handful of key people—each exhibiting a strong Comparative Advantage.
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Action: If you don't know how you personally, and your company collectively, are different, you can't effectively exploit your Comparative Advantage.
Discover how to make your inherent differences work.
"Know thyself" takes on an entirely different meaning in a results-driven, melt-down economy!
Rule #2: Continuously improve your PVR (Price Value Ratio) to the point where your competition weaps!
The age-old economics behind PVR is simple: annihilate the competion by providing extreme VALUE! Once you know your Comparative Advantage, there are 3 strategies for success:
1) You can be the High Value/High Price producer and succeed nicely. 2) You can be the Low Value/Low Price producer and still find success. 3) But, when you take on the mantle of the High Value/Low Price organization... you'll not only succeed brilliantly, but drive your competition nuts—forcing them to eternally remain in catchup mode.
Guaranteed Failure.
A word of caution. If you want to survive, you personally—and your organization collectively—must NEVER even be seen as the Low Value/High Price producer.
Who wants to pay more for less?
Of course this is guaranteed failure. Of course this is obvious. But why are there so many organizations—from restaurants... to manufacturers... to retailers... to banks... to government agencies—that simply don't "get it"?
Everybody wants more bang for the buck. Give it to them!
If you even think your PVR is out of line, take action to immediately realign it. The competition might not give you a second chance.
In this results-driven economy, you must actively seek to sharpen your PVR edge. If you are the small guy down the street going up against Home Depot and Lowes... or Lowes going up against Wal-Mart... PVR is everything.
Practical Example: If, at the end of the year, you want to take 10% to your bottom line, how much does a $1,000 mistake/inefficiency cost you? You would have to sell $10,000 more in product just to offset the cost ($1000/10%). This means you will have to pass this inefficiency on to your customer in higher prices (who won't pay it), or eat it (become less profitable).
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copy now!
The choice is clear. Become the High Value/Low Cost operation—or watch your competitive advantage vanish.
Action: Unleash your Comparative Advantage and Improve your PVR.
This advice applies equally to an organization of 200,000 employees... or to your career.
Your challenge is to perpetually maintain maximum differentiation—and maximum value.
Rule #3: Improve your TQ (Time Quotient) by 20 points starting today. Your future depends on it.
Please do not confuse TQ with TQM (Total Quality Management). The concepts are entirely different. TQ is the ENGINE that drives TQM!
TQ stands for your Time Quotient and reflects your inherent power to produce Results over Time.
Because this is now a results-driven global economy, we need a new way of thinking about Results at every level within an organization. Where Rules number 1 and 2 offer strategic guidance, a more tactical approach is required to insure organizational success.
TQ offers this tactical approach, giving you a strong strategic edge, personally and professionally.
How? TQ gives you the power to transform your Comparative Advantage into a powerful Competitive Advantage by maximizing the full potential of your most valuable resource: people.
The TQ Advantage.
TQ is an important new business fundamental that offers an immediate way to create a Results Revolution within your organization. If you want to virtually guarantee your organization's success, improve its TQ 20 points.
The reality of a results-driven global economy is that you can only become the High Value, Low Cost producer of goods and services if every single person in your organization is performing at—or near the top—of his/her productivity potential.
Because business conditions have become so "unforgiving", your organization will fail to make the grade unless every person in it—individually and collectively—consistently produces stunning results.
The Power of One...
In organizations with less than 100 people, the criticality of the individual to the whole cannot be overstated. Just 1 person with a poor, self-defeating attitude... or the inability to focus on clear goals and tangible objectives... or the inability to take swift action... can have a devastating effect on the whole. The TQ of just one person not only makes a difference, it ultimately tells the world how your organization is different from every other organization in the world.
Now, more than ever, triumph or extinction comes down to the weakest link in your chain of command... from Customer Services all the way up to CEO.
Yes, the TQ of everyone in your organization is what ultimately gives rise to BOTH your Comparative Advantage and Competitive Advantage.
What's Your Organization's Time Quotient?
Since organizations are comprised of people, built by people, run by people and ultimately serve people, it may be useful to check YOUR organization's TQ—to see how SMART it generates Results over Time.
Do the people within your organization have the fundamental skills to work smart and compete even smarter?
Are you sure?
TQ is a new brand of intelligence for this results-driven economy—a measurement of the actions you take to produce the Results you get over Time. Your Time Quotient is a reflection of how smart you ACT, not how smart you ARE.
Thus, TQ is the effective measurement of your Working Intelligence"... a Gold Standard measurement of your power to achieve the success you desire. Want to be more successful? Improve your TQ. The fact is that there is a perfect correlation between High TQ Performance and the four pillars of success: Wealth, Power, Happiness and Significance.
Why TQ matters.
Today, business success is not measured by good intentions—or how much effort you expend. Rather, success is dependent upon the Results actually produced in the Time you have: this month... this quarter... this year.
The simplicity of the formula says it all. You either get the Results you expect—or you don't. You either produce them in the Time expected—or you don't.
Admittedly, this is very basic stuff. But if it is so basic, why are there so many bankruptcies... so many people unemployed or under-employed... and so many companies holding on by a thread?
It's time to get back to basics!
Maybe if Wa Mu, Bear Sterns, Lehman Brothers, K-Mart, United, MCI (World Con)—even Enron—had actually produced results beyond expectation, they wouldn't have put their stake-holders through the ringer. Think about it.
If TQ is the formula for success in a results-driven economy, and it is, the question becomes, are you capable of achieving results beyond expectation... or are you simply spinning your wheels, confusing EFFORT with RESULTS?
How would you know?
How well do you match up to the Gold Standard of personal and professional excellence?
What's the "Gold Standard" for creating a "Results Revolution" within your organization... or yourself, for that matter? Good question!
To answer this question, we created a simple, yet highly effective methodology for systematically evaluating your power to produce tangible results.
It's called a TQ Test... a unique new test based on your responses to 10 basic questions in each of 10 broad color-coded areas of your performance.
Testing Your TQ...
The Time Prism
A New Management Tool.
A prism splits light into its component colors. Our metaphor,The Time Prism, separates your performance into 10 Color-coded areas, each critical to producing exceptional results:
ENERGY
MISSION
ATTITUDE
SET GOALS
MAKE PLANS
PRIORITIZE
SYNERGIZE
ORGANIZE
OPTIMIZE
ACT NOW
By looking at the intensity of these 10 Colors, you can instantly see what's driving your power to produce RESULTS... at every point in TIME.
Your overall performance is made up of 10 key elements that drive your daily successes and failures.
These elements include your physical and mental Energy level... your sense of purpose and Mission... your Attitude... your ability to Set crystal-clear Goals... your ability to Make Plans to support your goals... your ability to Prioritize your tasks... your ability to create powerful interpersonal Synergy... your ability to Organize your activities and Optimize your time... and finally, your power to take swift Action.
These 10 areas (we call Colors) cause a never-ending stream of positives and negatives to flood your performance.
Take smarter actions, more frequently, and your performance exhibits greater positivity. Fail to take corrective action, and you unwittingly permit negativity to rule.
Which of the two do you believe produces greater results:
A—Someone who is highly Energetic, Passionate, Optimistic, Self-directed, Prepared, Focused, Supportive, Systematic, Timely and Proactive...
B—Someone who is frequently Drained, Directionless, Pessimistic, Vague, Rash, Scattered, Critical, Haphazard, Distracted, and Hesitant?
These are the flip side of the same Colors. No question, the person with more positives and fewer negatives is capabable of producing significantly better Results... and doing it in far less Time. The question is, how do you become an "A" player?
Turn your TQ up 20 points...
For simplicity purposes, we color-coded these core areas for instant observation, training and improvement.
By breaking your performance down into these 10 separate areas, we can instantly see your strengths and weaknesses.
By taking inventory of these strengths and weaknesses, we can then see exactly what's driving your performance, and by extension, PRECISELY what you need to do differently to produce greater results.
Editor Note: Learn more about the Gold Standard for Personal and Professional Excellence and what actually causes success. After 5 years of serious R&D and several million dollars, you might be interested in what we found!
Teaching Through Testing...
Because everything we do is built around our Teaching Through Testing concept, you may choose to get a quick evaluation of each Color as you read along. Just click the Personal Evaluation links below.
These Quick Quizzes provide a beneficial "spot-check" of your performance. Each takes about 2 minutes, and result in a condensed, 2 page evaluation of your score.
What's your actual TQ?
How well do you match up against the Gold Standard of personal and professional excellence? Are you at the top of your game, or at the bottom of the heap? There's only one way to find out. Test your TQ to see!
Our full TQ Test takes about 20 minutes to complete. You might want to set aside some time to take it when you are not distracted or preoccupied. It's free, fun and will cast a much-needed light on the forces currently driving your performance.
Powerful People = Powerful Results...
Which Yields Organizational Success.
Below are the 10 Colors of powerful performance, along with some brief commentary that applies equally to you personally, and your organization. If you think a given area is causing you problems, take the Quick Test for that Color.
If you score less than 7 on two or three different Colors, you are in real trouble. Choose a Color, and take action to improve it now.
Your ENERGY TQ...
Business Case: If the people in your organization have a low ENERGY level—mentally and/or physically— there's no way they can keep up the relentless pace your competition is setting. You need to set the pace, or get out of the race.
Personal Evaluation: What's your Energy TQ Score? Do you have the sustained physical ENERGY level needed to consistently produce outstanding results this year?
Your MISSION TQ...
Business Case: If the people you work with have a weak sense of MISSION, your organization will lack purpose and direction. Rewards go to people who know where they're headed... and have the power to get there fast.
Wake up call: In a recent survey, less than 30% of the people polled say they understand their organization's Mission Statement and how it relates to them personally.
Personal Evaluation: How's your sense of MISSION and purpose right now—high or low? Are you trading the only life you have for things that simply don't matter?
Your ATTITUDE TQ...
Business Case: If your people have a poor attitude, it shows up in everything from product development to customer service. Without a positive and proactive attitude, your organization might as well hang it up, as it's defeated before it even gets started.
Personal Evaluation: What's your Attitude TQ Score? Was your ATTITUDE mostly POSITIVE and optimistic last week? Last month? Last Year?
Your SET GOALS TQ...
Business Case: If your people lack the ability to set crystal-clear goals for themselves, their departments won't have a chance to achieve your stated Mission. Worse, they can't connect the dots from your MISSION to your short and long term GOALS.
Warning: In a recent survey, less than 45% said they understand their organization's goals, and even fewer have a shared sense of those goals.
Personal Evaluation: Have you been guided by crystal-clear GOALS so far this year? Are you good at sharing your goals with others?
Your MAKE PLANS TQ...
Business Case: If your people lack the ability to make rock-solid plans for key goals, your organization will spin its wheels, going 100 miles an hour in the wrong direction. Good planning eliminates mistakes. Remember, the market pays for results, not mistakes.
Personal Evaluation: Do you have realistic plans to support your major goals this year, both personally and professionally?
Your PRIORITIZE TQ...
Business Case: If your people lack the ability to prioritize their actions, there's no way you can honestly say your company is focused on what's most important—because your people have no clue what's more important than something else.
Fact: An organization without focus is a target waiting for the bullet—not an opportunity waiting to happen.
Personal Evaluation: Have you remained focused on your top PRIORITIES this month? Can you correctly separate what's important from the merely urgent?
Your SYNERGIZE TQ...
Business Case: If the people in your organization lack the ability to build teams and create SYNERGY, there's no way to expand and grow your influence. You can't shrink to greatness, nor can your organization become a powerhouse without developing strong strategic alliances.
Teamwork, collaboration and communication skills are key. Hiring lone eagles isn't the mistake. Letting them fly solo is.
Personal Evaluation: Are you a master at creating powerful leverage through interpersonal synergy? Are you seen as a team-builder... or "an army of one"?
Your ORGANIZE TQ...
Business Case: If your people lack the ability to organize their work flow, your company will fall victim to a paralysis of inefficiencies. In this economy, you can't pass your inefficiencies on to your customers. They simply won't pay it.
Personal Evaluation: Just how organized are you? Did your ORGANIZATIONAL systems make it harder or easier for you last month?
Your OPTIMIZE TQ...
Business Case: If your people lack the ability to optimize their time, you'll be the big-time looser in this just in time, instant-everything "FedEx" society.
Note: A little too little—a little too late—may have been OK before. Now, it's fatal.
Personal Evaluation: How were your personal clock management skills last month? Did you make every minute matter?
Your ACT NOW TQ...
Business Case: If your people don't take swift action to make things happen, your organization will wonder "what happened" as it is reorganized out of existence.
We're leaving the Information Age and entering the Age of Action. With information overload, only people trained to sort it out and take bold action will survive. Indeed, they will prosper!
Personal Evaluation: Are you action-oriented, or do you frequently find yourself "getting ready to get ready", permitting procrastination to decimate your performance?
FYI: With millions of data points, the average composition of all TQ Scores in our database is only 51.3. This means that, on a scale of 1 to 10, HALF the people we survey ADMIT to significant performance issues!
To put the above numbers in perspective, would you want to work with someone who only had a plan 38% of the time... was organized just 51% of the time... frequently wasted their (and your) time (48%)... frequently had a poor attitude (47%)... and lacked a clear sense of purpose and direction 70% of the time? No, I don't think so!
Conclusion: Improve the TQ of every person in your organization... starting FIRST with YOU!
Please remember this. Organizations are only as POWERFUL as their people permit. Organizations are only as PROFITABLE as their people permit.
It is my considered belief that if your organization's TQ remains under 75 for any length of time, YOU are toast.
Why? Because you lack the results-producing power to take mind-share and market-share away from your competition. You will SHRINK while they will GROW.
Sooner or later, a fierce competitor with high TQ People will not only eat your lunch—you will BE the lunch upon which they dine!
ACTION: Choose one area of your performance—either a dominate strength or limiting weakness—and take action to improve it today.
Full Spectrum Career Power answers the single most important question you face—a question that is now controlling your life:
"What Color is Your Performance?"
http://www.thinktq.com/training/articles/tqs_article.cfm?id=C70ED2A49390F37F65CB03E1E6ED485D
Color Commentary for Wednesday, October 15, 2008
By E. R. Haas, CEO ThinkTQ, Inc.
No question, the competition is relentless. Some say ruthless. Will your company prosper in this "Results-driven" Melt-Down global economy—or find itself on the path to organizational extinction?
Every organization in America is experiencing fallout from this hyper-competitive, perform-or-perish global economy. Are you heading down the same path that led to the demise of Wa Mu, Bear Sterns, Lehman Brothers, K Mart, United, US Air, Polaroid, Enron, WorldCom, Federal Mogul, Montgomery Ward... and the bankruptcies of countless small/personal business in the last couple of years?
How can you be sure?
While the rules of business haven't really changed, they are being strictly enforced! If you want to assure your organization's success, take action now to improve your Comparative Advantage, PVR and TQ. Otherwise, the next few years are going to be significantly more challenging than you can even begin to imagine.
"It is not necessary to change.
Survival is not mandatory."
~ Dr. W. Edwards Deming
I highly recommend that you PRINT this article and invest the 7 minutes it takes to read it. It may change the way you look at your organization's success potential... and your chances for surviving the next 2 years of market turbulence and relentless competition. Please feel free to Email Me with questions/comments.
Who am I to give you business advice? I'm one of those guys who turned my MBA Thesis into a $150 Million company.. and built many different kinds of businesses... from manufacturing... to financial services... to software... to internet publishing!
About ThinkTQ, Inc.
ThinkTQ, Inc. is the world's leading publisher of virtual training products for personal and professional excellence. We have the SYSTEMS, TOOLS and TECHNOLOGY to help you put you and your organization on the fast-track to success.
To ease the burden of this Melt-Down global economy, we are GIVING AWAY 10 million TQ Personal Training Programs... representing a combined value of over $1.6 Billion dollars.
Why?
To help put America back on the economic fast track—by giving YOU the tools to immediately produce better results.
Fact: Times are getting tougher. Are you?
"If you want to WIN in business... whatever business you are in...read this book!"
~ Mardi Durgin, VP
It's not that times are changing.
It's that times have changed.
The melt down of the global financial system, accelerating mergers, market consolidations, downsizing, major corporate bankruptcies, offshoring, benefit give-backs, salary reductions and under-funded pension plans... mean that things are getting tougher... not easier.
The fact is, your organization is at RISK.
Your job is at STAKE.
Your paycheck is in JEOPARDY.
In the next 5 years, we will see the further loss of jobs in entire industries... a significant increase in the poverty level... fewer jobs paying more money... more jobs paying less money... reduced inflation-adjusted incomes... capped or reduced benefits... and reduced job security—at every level, within every organization.
What can you do in these tough times? What should you do?
Follow The Three Rules for Business Survival...
It doesn't matter if you're a company with 100,000 people, or you own a one horse dog and pony show. It doesn't matter if you are a church, a service organization, a bank, a newspaper, a TV station, an airline, a hospital, a contractor, an internet company or General Motors or Ford.
The challenge is identical.
Now In Stock!
You must find a way to out-smart... out-hustle... out-perform... out-lead... out-communicate and out-produce your competition every step of the way. You need to produce significantly better results, and you need to do it BETTER, FASTER and CHEAPER than ever before.
How?
RULE #1: Never pass your INEFFICIENCIES on to your customers. They simply won't pay it.
RULE #2: Continuously improve your PVR (Price Value Ratio) to the point where your competition weeps!
RULE #3: Turn up your TQ at least 20 points.
A little more detail...
While we can't tell you in a few web pages what it takes 268 pages to discuss in Full Spectrum Career Power, here are a few of the major points:
Rule #1: Never pass your inefficiencies on to your customers. They simply won't pay it.
While I could go on about Wal-Mart-styled supply chain efficiencies, maintaining a pancake-flat organization chart, or making certain that you get 10 cents in value for every nickel you spend (EVA), the real opportunity lies in transforming your Comparative Advantage into a true Competitive Advantage.
What's your unique Comparative Advantage?
Two hundred years ago, the brilliant British economist, David Ricardo, formulated the notion of comparative differentials. Fast forward to the management buzzword of the nineties, "Core Competencies", and the message is the same: How you are inherently different, and how you exploit those differences, determines if you are able to successfully compete or not.
The easiest way to think about your Comparative Advantage is to zoom out to the world stage. Consider how inherently competitive a farmer in Japan would be if he tried to sell wheat against a farmer in Montana.
No matter how much capital he invested, or hard he worked, it would be impossible for him to compete.
Japan simply doesn't have the climate or landmass necessary for massive wheat production. Montana does. (There is a single wheat farm in Montana that is 45 MILES long and 14 MILES wide. Talk about a tremendous Comparative Advantage!)
Now In Stock!.
A powerful Comparative Advantage gives rise to an unstoppable Competitive Advantage.
If you've got one, FLAUNT it!
If you don't, find one fast.
Bottom line: If you do not have a strong Comparative Advantage, you will ALWAYS be the inefficient producer, with a Competitive Advantage that gets weaker by the minute.
Now, more than ever, you have to find a real Comparative Advantage, or you are headed down the path to extinction. This applies equally to countries, cities, states, industries, companies, departments—as well as your personal career. Especially your career.
If you're a hard-hit community like Lorain, Ohio with high unemployment, or a software engineer from Boulder, Colorado—who just watched his job get outsourced to Bangalore (India)—you have no option but to discover your core Comparative Advantage, and mercilessly promote it.
Practical Example: Consider the tale of two stores—Home Depot and Lowes. Virtually the same products, the same pricing, the same internal efficiencies, the same operational structures. Take any department from either, and you will instantly see the differences—if they have the right management in the departments.
The manager who merchandises and sells with flair and excitement... makes sure the department is "retail ready" at all times... keeps the associates fired up... is knowledgeable about current promotions... will take market share away from the other, simply because of that single manager's Comparative Advantage: Merchandising Leadership.
No question, a strong Competitive Advantage usually comes down to a handful of key people—each exhibiting a strong Comparative Advantage.
FREE CD Bonus!
Action: If you don't know how you personally, and your company collectively, are different, you can't effectively exploit your Comparative Advantage.
Discover how to make your inherent differences work.
"Know thyself" takes on an entirely different meaning in a results-driven, melt-down economy!
Rule #2: Continuously improve your PVR (Price Value Ratio) to the point where your competition weaps!
The age-old economics behind PVR is simple: annihilate the competion by providing extreme VALUE! Once you know your Comparative Advantage, there are 3 strategies for success:
1) You can be the High Value/High Price producer and succeed nicely. 2) You can be the Low Value/Low Price producer and still find success. 3) But, when you take on the mantle of the High Value/Low Price organization... you'll not only succeed brilliantly, but drive your competition nuts—forcing them to eternally remain in catchup mode.
Guaranteed Failure.
A word of caution. If you want to survive, you personally—and your organization collectively—must NEVER even be seen as the Low Value/High Price producer.
Who wants to pay more for less?
Of course this is guaranteed failure. Of course this is obvious. But why are there so many organizations—from restaurants... to manufacturers... to retailers... to banks... to government agencies—that simply don't "get it"?
Everybody wants more bang for the buck. Give it to them!
If you even think your PVR is out of line, take action to immediately realign it. The competition might not give you a second chance.
In this results-driven economy, you must actively seek to sharpen your PVR edge. If you are the small guy down the street going up against Home Depot and Lowes... or Lowes going up against Wal-Mart... PVR is everything.
Practical Example: If, at the end of the year, you want to take 10% to your bottom line, how much does a $1,000 mistake/inefficiency cost you? You would have to sell $10,000 more in product just to offset the cost ($1000/10%). This means you will have to pass this inefficiency on to your customer in higher prices (who won't pay it), or eat it (become less profitable).
Get your
copy now!
The choice is clear. Become the High Value/Low Cost operation—or watch your competitive advantage vanish.
Action: Unleash your Comparative Advantage and Improve your PVR.
This advice applies equally to an organization of 200,000 employees... or to your career.
Your challenge is to perpetually maintain maximum differentiation—and maximum value.
Rule #3: Improve your TQ (Time Quotient) by 20 points starting today. Your future depends on it.
Please do not confuse TQ with TQM (Total Quality Management). The concepts are entirely different. TQ is the ENGINE that drives TQM!
TQ stands for your Time Quotient and reflects your inherent power to produce Results over Time.
Because this is now a results-driven global economy, we need a new way of thinking about Results at every level within an organization. Where Rules number 1 and 2 offer strategic guidance, a more tactical approach is required to insure organizational success.
TQ offers this tactical approach, giving you a strong strategic edge, personally and professionally.
How? TQ gives you the power to transform your Comparative Advantage into a powerful Competitive Advantage by maximizing the full potential of your most valuable resource: people.
The TQ Advantage.
TQ is an important new business fundamental that offers an immediate way to create a Results Revolution within your organization. If you want to virtually guarantee your organization's success, improve its TQ 20 points.
The reality of a results-driven global economy is that you can only become the High Value, Low Cost producer of goods and services if every single person in your organization is performing at—or near the top—of his/her productivity potential.
Because business conditions have become so "unforgiving", your organization will fail to make the grade unless every person in it—individually and collectively—consistently produces stunning results.
The Power of One...
In organizations with less than 100 people, the criticality of the individual to the whole cannot be overstated. Just 1 person with a poor, self-defeating attitude... or the inability to focus on clear goals and tangible objectives... or the inability to take swift action... can have a devastating effect on the whole. The TQ of just one person not only makes a difference, it ultimately tells the world how your organization is different from every other organization in the world.
Now, more than ever, triumph or extinction comes down to the weakest link in your chain of command... from Customer Services all the way up to CEO.
Yes, the TQ of everyone in your organization is what ultimately gives rise to BOTH your Comparative Advantage and Competitive Advantage.
What's Your Organization's Time Quotient?
Since organizations are comprised of people, built by people, run by people and ultimately serve people, it may be useful to check YOUR organization's TQ—to see how SMART it generates Results over Time.
Do the people within your organization have the fundamental skills to work smart and compete even smarter?
Are you sure?
TQ is a new brand of intelligence for this results-driven economy—a measurement of the actions you take to produce the Results you get over Time. Your Time Quotient is a reflection of how smart you ACT, not how smart you ARE.
Thus, TQ is the effective measurement of your Working Intelligence"... a Gold Standard measurement of your power to achieve the success you desire. Want to be more successful? Improve your TQ. The fact is that there is a perfect correlation between High TQ Performance and the four pillars of success: Wealth, Power, Happiness and Significance.
Why TQ matters.
Today, business success is not measured by good intentions—or how much effort you expend. Rather, success is dependent upon the Results actually produced in the Time you have: this month... this quarter... this year.
The simplicity of the formula says it all. You either get the Results you expect—or you don't. You either produce them in the Time expected—or you don't.
Admittedly, this is very basic stuff. But if it is so basic, why are there so many bankruptcies... so many people unemployed or under-employed... and so many companies holding on by a thread?
It's time to get back to basics!
Maybe if Wa Mu, Bear Sterns, Lehman Brothers, K-Mart, United, MCI (World Con)—even Enron—had actually produced results beyond expectation, they wouldn't have put their stake-holders through the ringer. Think about it.
If TQ is the formula for success in a results-driven economy, and it is, the question becomes, are you capable of achieving results beyond expectation... or are you simply spinning your wheels, confusing EFFORT with RESULTS?
How would you know?
How well do you match up to the Gold Standard of personal and professional excellence?
What's the "Gold Standard" for creating a "Results Revolution" within your organization... or yourself, for that matter? Good question!
To answer this question, we created a simple, yet highly effective methodology for systematically evaluating your power to produce tangible results.
It's called a TQ Test... a unique new test based on your responses to 10 basic questions in each of 10 broad color-coded areas of your performance.
Testing Your TQ...
The Time Prism
A New Management Tool.
A prism splits light into its component colors. Our metaphor,The Time Prism, separates your performance into 10 Color-coded areas, each critical to producing exceptional results:
ENERGY
MISSION
ATTITUDE
SET GOALS
MAKE PLANS
PRIORITIZE
SYNERGIZE
ORGANIZE
OPTIMIZE
ACT NOW
By looking at the intensity of these 10 Colors, you can instantly see what's driving your power to produce RESULTS... at every point in TIME.
Your overall performance is made up of 10 key elements that drive your daily successes and failures.
These elements include your physical and mental Energy level... your sense of purpose and Mission... your Attitude... your ability to Set crystal-clear Goals... your ability to Make Plans to support your goals... your ability to Prioritize your tasks... your ability to create powerful interpersonal Synergy... your ability to Organize your activities and Optimize your time... and finally, your power to take swift Action.
These 10 areas (we call Colors) cause a never-ending stream of positives and negatives to flood your performance.
Take smarter actions, more frequently, and your performance exhibits greater positivity. Fail to take corrective action, and you unwittingly permit negativity to rule.
Which of the two do you believe produces greater results:
A—Someone who is highly Energetic, Passionate, Optimistic, Self-directed, Prepared, Focused, Supportive, Systematic, Timely and Proactive...
B—Someone who is frequently Drained, Directionless, Pessimistic, Vague, Rash, Scattered, Critical, Haphazard, Distracted, and Hesitant?
These are the flip side of the same Colors. No question, the person with more positives and fewer negatives is capabable of producing significantly better Results... and doing it in far less Time. The question is, how do you become an "A" player?
Turn your TQ up 20 points...
For simplicity purposes, we color-coded these core areas for instant observation, training and improvement.
By breaking your performance down into these 10 separate areas, we can instantly see your strengths and weaknesses.
By taking inventory of these strengths and weaknesses, we can then see exactly what's driving your performance, and by extension, PRECISELY what you need to do differently to produce greater results.
Editor Note: Learn more about the Gold Standard for Personal and Professional Excellence and what actually causes success. After 5 years of serious R&D and several million dollars, you might be interested in what we found!
Teaching Through Testing...
Because everything we do is built around our Teaching Through Testing concept, you may choose to get a quick evaluation of each Color as you read along. Just click the Personal Evaluation links below.
These Quick Quizzes provide a beneficial "spot-check" of your performance. Each takes about 2 minutes, and result in a condensed, 2 page evaluation of your score.
What's your actual TQ?
How well do you match up against the Gold Standard of personal and professional excellence? Are you at the top of your game, or at the bottom of the heap? There's only one way to find out. Test your TQ to see!
Our full TQ Test takes about 20 minutes to complete. You might want to set aside some time to take it when you are not distracted or preoccupied. It's free, fun and will cast a much-needed light on the forces currently driving your performance.
Powerful People = Powerful Results...
Which Yields Organizational Success.
Below are the 10 Colors of powerful performance, along with some brief commentary that applies equally to you personally, and your organization. If you think a given area is causing you problems, take the Quick Test for that Color.
If you score less than 7 on two or three different Colors, you are in real trouble. Choose a Color, and take action to improve it now.
Your ENERGY TQ...
Business Case: If the people in your organization have a low ENERGY level—mentally and/or physically— there's no way they can keep up the relentless pace your competition is setting. You need to set the pace, or get out of the race.
Personal Evaluation: What's your Energy TQ Score? Do you have the sustained physical ENERGY level needed to consistently produce outstanding results this year?
Your MISSION TQ...
Business Case: If the people you work with have a weak sense of MISSION, your organization will lack purpose and direction. Rewards go to people who know where they're headed... and have the power to get there fast.
Wake up call: In a recent survey, less than 30% of the people polled say they understand their organization's Mission Statement and how it relates to them personally.
Personal Evaluation: How's your sense of MISSION and purpose right now—high or low? Are you trading the only life you have for things that simply don't matter?
Your ATTITUDE TQ...
Business Case: If your people have a poor attitude, it shows up in everything from product development to customer service. Without a positive and proactive attitude, your organization might as well hang it up, as it's defeated before it even gets started.
Personal Evaluation: What's your Attitude TQ Score? Was your ATTITUDE mostly POSITIVE and optimistic last week? Last month? Last Year?
Your SET GOALS TQ...
Business Case: If your people lack the ability to set crystal-clear goals for themselves, their departments won't have a chance to achieve your stated Mission. Worse, they can't connect the dots from your MISSION to your short and long term GOALS.
Warning: In a recent survey, less than 45% said they understand their organization's goals, and even fewer have a shared sense of those goals.
Personal Evaluation: Have you been guided by crystal-clear GOALS so far this year? Are you good at sharing your goals with others?
Your MAKE PLANS TQ...
Business Case: If your people lack the ability to make rock-solid plans for key goals, your organization will spin its wheels, going 100 miles an hour in the wrong direction. Good planning eliminates mistakes. Remember, the market pays for results, not mistakes.
Personal Evaluation: Do you have realistic plans to support your major goals this year, both personally and professionally?
Your PRIORITIZE TQ...
Business Case: If your people lack the ability to prioritize their actions, there's no way you can honestly say your company is focused on what's most important—because your people have no clue what's more important than something else.
Fact: An organization without focus is a target waiting for the bullet—not an opportunity waiting to happen.
Personal Evaluation: Have you remained focused on your top PRIORITIES this month? Can you correctly separate what's important from the merely urgent?
Your SYNERGIZE TQ...
Business Case: If the people in your organization lack the ability to build teams and create SYNERGY, there's no way to expand and grow your influence. You can't shrink to greatness, nor can your organization become a powerhouse without developing strong strategic alliances.
Teamwork, collaboration and communication skills are key. Hiring lone eagles isn't the mistake. Letting them fly solo is.
Personal Evaluation: Are you a master at creating powerful leverage through interpersonal synergy? Are you seen as a team-builder... or "an army of one"?
Your ORGANIZE TQ...
Business Case: If your people lack the ability to organize their work flow, your company will fall victim to a paralysis of inefficiencies. In this economy, you can't pass your inefficiencies on to your customers. They simply won't pay it.
Personal Evaluation: Just how organized are you? Did your ORGANIZATIONAL systems make it harder or easier for you last month?
Your OPTIMIZE TQ...
Business Case: If your people lack the ability to optimize their time, you'll be the big-time looser in this just in time, instant-everything "FedEx" society.
Note: A little too little—a little too late—may have been OK before. Now, it's fatal.
Personal Evaluation: How were your personal clock management skills last month? Did you make every minute matter?
Your ACT NOW TQ...
Business Case: If your people don't take swift action to make things happen, your organization will wonder "what happened" as it is reorganized out of existence.
We're leaving the Information Age and entering the Age of Action. With information overload, only people trained to sort it out and take bold action will survive. Indeed, they will prosper!
Personal Evaluation: Are you action-oriented, or do you frequently find yourself "getting ready to get ready", permitting procrastination to decimate your performance?
FYI: With millions of data points, the average composition of all TQ Scores in our database is only 51.3. This means that, on a scale of 1 to 10, HALF the people we survey ADMIT to significant performance issues!
To put the above numbers in perspective, would you want to work with someone who only had a plan 38% of the time... was organized just 51% of the time... frequently wasted their (and your) time (48%)... frequently had a poor attitude (47%)... and lacked a clear sense of purpose and direction 70% of the time? No, I don't think so!
Conclusion: Improve the TQ of every person in your organization... starting FIRST with YOU!
Please remember this. Organizations are only as POWERFUL as their people permit. Organizations are only as PROFITABLE as their people permit.
It is my considered belief that if your organization's TQ remains under 75 for any length of time, YOU are toast.
Why? Because you lack the results-producing power to take mind-share and market-share away from your competition. You will SHRINK while they will GROW.
Sooner or later, a fierce competitor with high TQ People will not only eat your lunch—you will BE the lunch upon which they dine!
ACTION: Choose one area of your performance—either a dominate strength or limiting weakness—and take action to improve it today.
Full Spectrum Career Power answers the single most important question you face—a question that is now controlling your life:
"What Color is Your Performance?"
http://www.thinktq.com/training/articles/tqs_article.cfm?id=C70ED2A49390F37F65CB03E1E6ED485D
The Power of The Goal.
The Power of The Goal.
The 10 Simple Steps to Setting Crystal-clear Goals...
Make all your dreams real by first identifying and then focusing on specific, tangible targets for what you want.
Survey: Only 25% say they do this consistently. Take our TQ Set Goals Test to rate yourself...
The Power: You'll never make a dream real until you have something specific to aim at. There is no way you can plan for -- to say nothing of work toward -- a "better life." You can, however, stipulate a list of conditions that would define a better life. Each of those items can then be made into a precise target you can aim for, and immediately begin to work towards.
So, dream your dreams, then identify specific examples in the real world that best represent the desired qualities of your dream. Once you do this, you'll be well on your way to creating that "better life" you desire.
The Pain: Your dreams don't have a chance of becoming real. Negatives like "Wishful, Nebulous and Passive" start to take their toll on your performance -- quickly moving you away from the success you want.
Maintain at least one clearly defined goal for every major interest and role in your life.
Survey: Less than 3% say they do this consistently. Take our TQ Set Goals Test to rate yourself...
The Power: Creating an ideal life, where all of your roles are completely fulfilled, starts with setting clear goals. If you never define what you expect, you will only get what life gives you -- and that may be a whole lot less than what you want.
Why leave things to chance? Every major interest and role in your life deserves its own series of goals. Clearly defined goals for each of your roles provides a rewarding direction -- and an ever-present purpose for each area of your life.
The Pain: Without a goal, there are roles in your life that have no purpose or direction.
Set your goals so they are directly aligned with your life's mission.
Survey: Less than 8% say they do this consistently. Take our TQ Set Goals Test to rate yourself...
The Power: Your most powerful and inspiring goals are those that are directly aligned with what you value most. Goals that are aligned with your life's mission are those that bring an ideal personal vision closer to reality. Mission based goals will deliver the greatest sense of pride and satisfaction once accomplished.
You can only do so much in the time you have. Therefore, as you establish your goals, put them to the test: How connected are they to what you value most? If they're not -- change them or choose more "value-able" goals.
The Pain: Your goals lack the purpose and the power to shift your inner-drive into overdrive.
Create goals high enough to ignite your spirit and inspire you to take action.
Survey: Less than 55% say they do this consistently, permitting themselves to dream outside the box. Take our TQ Set Goals Test to rate yourself...
The Power: If you're not inspired -- every single day -- you need new goals. The higher the goal, the more it will excite and motivate you, day-in-day-out. Plan big. Why set mediocre, minimally acceptable goals when you could set ones that will change your life? Or the world?!
Life's greatest satisfaction comes from attaining goals that you once believed were beyond reach. If most of your goals are forgotten before they're achieved, you clearly need to create more exciting, more stimulating, more intoxicating, more adventurous, more ambitious and more heart-felt goals.
The Pain: You lack both the reason and the desire to achieve your best.
Write down all your goals in specific, measurable detail with declared target dates.
Survey: Less than 11% say they do this consistently. Take our TQ Set Goals Test to rate yourself...
The Power: Writing down exactly what you want, and by when, is the first step to success. If you won't commit to writing them down, you'll never do what it takes to reach your goals. Writing your goals in exquisite detail helps define them in your mind -- and provides the exact specifications for what you want to accomplish.
The more desirable qualities you add to the goal, the greater will be your satisfaction when you attain it. Be sure to write SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Accountable, Realistic and Tangible -- and don't forget a target date. (Because the difference between a dream and a goal is a date!)
The Pain: There is no way you can achieve your goals if they are not crystal-clear. Negatives like "Vague, Uncertain and Uncommitted" will take their toll on your performance.
Absolutely, unconditionally commit to hitting each of your targets.
Survey: Less than 50% say they do this consistently. Take our Take our TQ Set Goals Test to rate yourself...
The Power: The best predictor of success is your degree of commitment to your goals. Whenever you set a goal, write out why you're committed to accomplishing it. The "why" is far more important than the "how." Commitment -- sheer passion and will power -- can help overcome any deficiency in time, money or education.
First, make sure each of your goals is worthy of the time and effort necessary to achieve it. Then, make sure each of your goals is getting the absolute, unconditional commitment it deserves.
The Pain: Lacking commitment you have little chance of achieving your most important and rewarding goals. Negatives like "Ambivalent, Lackadaisical and Doubtful" actually move you away from the success you want.
Share your goals with others for mutual accomplishment.
Survey: About 53% say they do this consistently. Take our TQ Set Goals Test to rate yourself...
The Power: Nothing is more powerful than a team of people all focused on the same goal. Dare to share your dreams with others. A shared goal is an extremely powerful force -- and a shared cause virtually guarantees success. When your goal benefits a host of other people, motivation and commitment to the goal increases proportionately.
When you align your goals with those of others, you dramatically improve the probability of each person's success.
The Pain: Your results are limited by what you can do alone.
Set a whole series of related daily, weekly and long-term goals, complete with starting times and completion dates.
Survey: Less than 2% say they do this consistently. Take our TQ Set Goals Test to rate yourself...
The Power: A series of goals that build upon each other is far more productive than the same number of random goals. First, start by setting a highly compelling destination. Then, set all the intermediary goals that will lead you to this desired location.
By setting a series of concrete objectives, you gain a long-term perspective, and a higher purpose for each daily goal. Once set, your enthusiasm, self-esteem and satisfaction will increase every time you achieve a milestone towards the final long-term goal.
The Pain:You lose sight of your goal when you can't see what to do next.
Take time every day to imagine how terrific it will feel when your goals are actually realized.
Survey: Less than 20% say they do this consistently. Take our TQ Set Goals Test to rate yourself...
The Power: It's impossible to keep striving for something for which you no longer have any feelings. The more you stay in touch with the rewarding experience, and positive feelings that each goal delivers, the more motivated and committed you'll be to continue the pursuit.
Each time you get in touch with the emotional benefits your goals produce, you'll feel energized and enthused to continue -- regardless of the distance to the goal. Celebrate your goals every day. Anticipation is half the fun, and most of the motivation for getting there.
The Pain: When passion runs out, determination and commitment is lost.
Take an action step toward the attainment of at least one goal every day.
Survey: Less than 8% say they do this consistently. Take our TQ Set Goals Test to rate yourself...
The Power: A goal is something beyond where you are. If you want to get from here to your goal, you must take the steps required to get there. Goals don't just automatically "happen." Obvious? You bet! But if this is obvious, why do so many people set goals then never achieve them?
Goals don't happen on their own. If you want the goal, you have to do the work. This means taking the steps necessary to get there, day-by-day.
The Pain: Your goals die a slow, agonizing death from a lack of attention.
"Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination." ~ Fitzhugh Dodson
http://www.thinktq.com/training/articles/tqs_article.cfm?id=1364A81D073DBABF7C59DCFA476B864B
The 10 Simple Steps to Setting Crystal-clear Goals...
Make all your dreams real by first identifying and then focusing on specific, tangible targets for what you want.
Survey: Only 25% say they do this consistently. Take our TQ Set Goals Test to rate yourself...
The Power: You'll never make a dream real until you have something specific to aim at. There is no way you can plan for -- to say nothing of work toward -- a "better life." You can, however, stipulate a list of conditions that would define a better life. Each of those items can then be made into a precise target you can aim for, and immediately begin to work towards.
So, dream your dreams, then identify specific examples in the real world that best represent the desired qualities of your dream. Once you do this, you'll be well on your way to creating that "better life" you desire.
The Pain: Your dreams don't have a chance of becoming real. Negatives like "Wishful, Nebulous and Passive" start to take their toll on your performance -- quickly moving you away from the success you want.
Maintain at least one clearly defined goal for every major interest and role in your life.
Survey: Less than 3% say they do this consistently. Take our TQ Set Goals Test to rate yourself...
The Power: Creating an ideal life, where all of your roles are completely fulfilled, starts with setting clear goals. If you never define what you expect, you will only get what life gives you -- and that may be a whole lot less than what you want.
Why leave things to chance? Every major interest and role in your life deserves its own series of goals. Clearly defined goals for each of your roles provides a rewarding direction -- and an ever-present purpose for each area of your life.
The Pain: Without a goal, there are roles in your life that have no purpose or direction.
Set your goals so they are directly aligned with your life's mission.
Survey: Less than 8% say they do this consistently. Take our TQ Set Goals Test to rate yourself...
The Power: Your most powerful and inspiring goals are those that are directly aligned with what you value most. Goals that are aligned with your life's mission are those that bring an ideal personal vision closer to reality. Mission based goals will deliver the greatest sense of pride and satisfaction once accomplished.
You can only do so much in the time you have. Therefore, as you establish your goals, put them to the test: How connected are they to what you value most? If they're not -- change them or choose more "value-able" goals.
The Pain: Your goals lack the purpose and the power to shift your inner-drive into overdrive.
Create goals high enough to ignite your spirit and inspire you to take action.
Survey: Less than 55% say they do this consistently, permitting themselves to dream outside the box. Take our TQ Set Goals Test to rate yourself...
The Power: If you're not inspired -- every single day -- you need new goals. The higher the goal, the more it will excite and motivate you, day-in-day-out. Plan big. Why set mediocre, minimally acceptable goals when you could set ones that will change your life? Or the world?!
Life's greatest satisfaction comes from attaining goals that you once believed were beyond reach. If most of your goals are forgotten before they're achieved, you clearly need to create more exciting, more stimulating, more intoxicating, more adventurous, more ambitious and more heart-felt goals.
The Pain: You lack both the reason and the desire to achieve your best.
Write down all your goals in specific, measurable detail with declared target dates.
Survey: Less than 11% say they do this consistently. Take our TQ Set Goals Test to rate yourself...
The Power: Writing down exactly what you want, and by when, is the first step to success. If you won't commit to writing them down, you'll never do what it takes to reach your goals. Writing your goals in exquisite detail helps define them in your mind -- and provides the exact specifications for what you want to accomplish.
The more desirable qualities you add to the goal, the greater will be your satisfaction when you attain it. Be sure to write SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Accountable, Realistic and Tangible -- and don't forget a target date. (Because the difference between a dream and a goal is a date!)
The Pain: There is no way you can achieve your goals if they are not crystal-clear. Negatives like "Vague, Uncertain and Uncommitted" will take their toll on your performance.
Absolutely, unconditionally commit to hitting each of your targets.
Survey: Less than 50% say they do this consistently. Take our Take our TQ Set Goals Test to rate yourself...
The Power: The best predictor of success is your degree of commitment to your goals. Whenever you set a goal, write out why you're committed to accomplishing it. The "why" is far more important than the "how." Commitment -- sheer passion and will power -- can help overcome any deficiency in time, money or education.
First, make sure each of your goals is worthy of the time and effort necessary to achieve it. Then, make sure each of your goals is getting the absolute, unconditional commitment it deserves.
The Pain: Lacking commitment you have little chance of achieving your most important and rewarding goals. Negatives like "Ambivalent, Lackadaisical and Doubtful" actually move you away from the success you want.
Share your goals with others for mutual accomplishment.
Survey: About 53% say they do this consistently. Take our TQ Set Goals Test to rate yourself...
The Power: Nothing is more powerful than a team of people all focused on the same goal. Dare to share your dreams with others. A shared goal is an extremely powerful force -- and a shared cause virtually guarantees success. When your goal benefits a host of other people, motivation and commitment to the goal increases proportionately.
When you align your goals with those of others, you dramatically improve the probability of each person's success.
The Pain: Your results are limited by what you can do alone.
Set a whole series of related daily, weekly and long-term goals, complete with starting times and completion dates.
Survey: Less than 2% say they do this consistently. Take our TQ Set Goals Test to rate yourself...
The Power: A series of goals that build upon each other is far more productive than the same number of random goals. First, start by setting a highly compelling destination. Then, set all the intermediary goals that will lead you to this desired location.
By setting a series of concrete objectives, you gain a long-term perspective, and a higher purpose for each daily goal. Once set, your enthusiasm, self-esteem and satisfaction will increase every time you achieve a milestone towards the final long-term goal.
The Pain:You lose sight of your goal when you can't see what to do next.
Take time every day to imagine how terrific it will feel when your goals are actually realized.
Survey: Less than 20% say they do this consistently. Take our TQ Set Goals Test to rate yourself...
The Power: It's impossible to keep striving for something for which you no longer have any feelings. The more you stay in touch with the rewarding experience, and positive feelings that each goal delivers, the more motivated and committed you'll be to continue the pursuit.
Each time you get in touch with the emotional benefits your goals produce, you'll feel energized and enthused to continue -- regardless of the distance to the goal. Celebrate your goals every day. Anticipation is half the fun, and most of the motivation for getting there.
The Pain: When passion runs out, determination and commitment is lost.
Take an action step toward the attainment of at least one goal every day.
Survey: Less than 8% say they do this consistently. Take our TQ Set Goals Test to rate yourself...
The Power: A goal is something beyond where you are. If you want to get from here to your goal, you must take the steps required to get there. Goals don't just automatically "happen." Obvious? You bet! But if this is obvious, why do so many people set goals then never achieve them?
Goals don't happen on their own. If you want the goal, you have to do the work. This means taking the steps necessary to get there, day-by-day.
The Pain: Your goals die a slow, agonizing death from a lack of attention.
"Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination." ~ Fitzhugh Dodson
http://www.thinktq.com/training/articles/tqs_article.cfm?id=1364A81D073DBABF7C59DCFA476B864B
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
The Entrepreneur’s Most Important Asset
The Entrepreneur’s Most Important Asset
By Jeff Haden | June 28, 2011
What is the key to entrepreneurial and small business success:
Plenty of capital?
A comprehensive business plan?
A solid market analysis?
Great employees?
Sure, each of these is definitely important. But what is the most important asset to an entrepreneur?
Irrational optimism.
Entrepreneurs must embrace belief and ignore self-doubts: Feelings that we aren’t smart enough, dedicated enough, adaptable enough… or simply that, in spite of our best intentions and best efforts, we cannot and will not succeed.
As BNET colleague Mark Henricks points out, the small business failure rate is not as high as it appears, but the odds are still definitely against us. Family and friends tend to shoot multiple holes in our ideas — not because they want to bring us down, but because they worry about us and don’t want to see us fail. Few people say, “Great idea — go for it!” That’s not how most people are wired; most — myself included — are a lot better at playing devil’s advocate than cheerleader.
Are you an irrationally optimistic entrepreneur? I hope so. You need to be. Not just because the odds are stacked against entrepreneurial success, but because irrational optimism helps you succeed in ways capital, business plans, and marketing savvy cannot.
You can of course take irrational optimism too far… but then again, maybe not. Think about sports: Sports is the ultimate zero-sum game. (Fortunately business, unlike sports, isn’t a zero-sum game.) Only one individual or one team can win, but all athletes enter competition thinking they will win.
If they don’t believe they can win, they’ve already lost. (Same goes for you.)
Is total self-belief irrational? Certainly. Is it a requirement for athletic success? Absolutely. Great athletes push aside doubt and disbelief.
So do great entrepreneurs. If you listen to others you’ll never start a business, never expand, never work and struggle and overcome — and never succeed. If you don’t believe in yourself, however irrationally, you will not succeed. Although no amount of self-belief is enough to ensure success, the smallest bit of doubt can ruin your chances.
In Matthew Syed’s excellent book Bounce (an outstanding read on the science of success), he quotes Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, one of the most successful football (soccer) coaches in the English Premier League, on how athletes must approach competition:
“To perform to your maximum you have to teach yourself to believe with an intensity that goes way beyond logical justification. No top performer has lacked this capacity for irrational optimism; no sportsman has played to his potential without the ability to remove doubt from his mind.”
The same goes for entrepreneurs. Be savvy, be logical, be rational and calculating and never stop improving your skills — but most importantly, be irrationally optimistic.
Belief in yourself will take you to places business plans and market analyses never will.
http://www.bnet.com/blog/small-biz-advice/the-entrepreneur-8217s-most-important-asset/2891?tag=blog-moreFromRight
By Jeff Haden | June 28, 2011
What is the key to entrepreneurial and small business success:
Plenty of capital?
A comprehensive business plan?
A solid market analysis?
Great employees?
Sure, each of these is definitely important. But what is the most important asset to an entrepreneur?
Irrational optimism.
Entrepreneurs must embrace belief and ignore self-doubts: Feelings that we aren’t smart enough, dedicated enough, adaptable enough… or simply that, in spite of our best intentions and best efforts, we cannot and will not succeed.
As BNET colleague Mark Henricks points out, the small business failure rate is not as high as it appears, but the odds are still definitely against us. Family and friends tend to shoot multiple holes in our ideas — not because they want to bring us down, but because they worry about us and don’t want to see us fail. Few people say, “Great idea — go for it!” That’s not how most people are wired; most — myself included — are a lot better at playing devil’s advocate than cheerleader.
Are you an irrationally optimistic entrepreneur? I hope so. You need to be. Not just because the odds are stacked against entrepreneurial success, but because irrational optimism helps you succeed in ways capital, business plans, and marketing savvy cannot.
You can of course take irrational optimism too far… but then again, maybe not. Think about sports: Sports is the ultimate zero-sum game. (Fortunately business, unlike sports, isn’t a zero-sum game.) Only one individual or one team can win, but all athletes enter competition thinking they will win.
If they don’t believe they can win, they’ve already lost. (Same goes for you.)
Is total self-belief irrational? Certainly. Is it a requirement for athletic success? Absolutely. Great athletes push aside doubt and disbelief.
So do great entrepreneurs. If you listen to others you’ll never start a business, never expand, never work and struggle and overcome — and never succeed. If you don’t believe in yourself, however irrationally, you will not succeed. Although no amount of self-belief is enough to ensure success, the smallest bit of doubt can ruin your chances.
In Matthew Syed’s excellent book Bounce (an outstanding read on the science of success), he quotes Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, one of the most successful football (soccer) coaches in the English Premier League, on how athletes must approach competition:
“To perform to your maximum you have to teach yourself to believe with an intensity that goes way beyond logical justification. No top performer has lacked this capacity for irrational optimism; no sportsman has played to his potential without the ability to remove doubt from his mind.”
The same goes for entrepreneurs. Be savvy, be logical, be rational and calculating and never stop improving your skills — but most importantly, be irrationally optimistic.
Belief in yourself will take you to places business plans and market analyses never will.
http://www.bnet.com/blog/small-biz-advice/the-entrepreneur-8217s-most-important-asset/2891?tag=blog-moreFromRight
7 Simple Steps to Extreme Personal Productivity
7 Simple Steps to Extreme Personal Productivity
By Jeff Haden | June 28, 2011
Increasing personal productivity is big business: Stephen Covey, David Allen, Tony Robbins, 43folders… those and countless others have combined to turn improving individual productivity into a massive industry.
Forget them.
If you want to complete a major project, tackle a task you’ve been putting off, or just knock out a lot of work in a relatively short period of time, there’s an easier way.
And it’s free.
Say you need to complete a task you estimate will take, oh, 10 to 12 hours. Here’s how to pull it off in one day:
Tell everyone your plan. This step is an absolute must since interruptions are productivity killers. So is the, “How much longer do you have to work?” guilt trip family members sometimes can’t help but lay on you. At a minimum tell coworkers and family, but consider letting important clients know as well. Send a quick email a day or two before explaining you will be tied up on Thursday and will respond to calls, emails, etc. first thing Friday morning. Some customers will contact you before Thursday; others will mentally note you can’t be reached. Either way it’s all good. And you get an additional benefit from telling others your plan: People important to you know what you intend to accomplish — and will know if you don’t succeed. Peer pressure can be a great motivator. Use it.
Decide how long you will work. Don’t plan based on, “I’ll work as long as I can,” or “I’ll work as long as I feel productive.” Set a concrete target. Commit to working 12 hours or whatever period of time you choose. Then the longer the time frame, the quicker the early hours seem to go by. When I worked in a factory we typically worked 8-hour shifts; time before lunch dragged and the last couple hours always seemed like death. During busy periods when we worked 12-hour shifts the mornings seemed to fly by. Something about knowing you’ll be working for a long time allows you to stop checking the clock; it’s like you naturally find your Zen (work)place. When you know you’re in for a long haul your mind automatically adapts. Trust me — it works.
Start really early — or extremely late. Have you ever taken a long car trip and left really early in the morning? Like at 3 or 4 a.m.? Those first few hours on the road fly by because you’ve stepped outside your norm. The same trick works with accomplishing a major goal. Start at 4 a.m. or indulge your inner night owl and start at 6 p.m. to work through the night. An extreme productivity day is not a normal day; set the stage by breaking free of your normal routine.
Withhold the fun, at least for a while. Some people like to listen to music while they work, others keep an eye on news. If you like to “treat” yourself when you’re working, don’t, at least in the early hours. When your motivation starts to flag that’s when a little music can provide a needed boost. Each treat is like a personal productivity bullet; shoot too early and nothing is left when you really need ammunition. Whatever typically carries you through your workday, hold off on it for awhile. Delayed gratification is always better gratification.
Recharge early. When you exercise, If you wait until you’re thirsty to drink it’s too late. The same is true when you work. Plan to eat or snack a little earlier than normal. If you sit while you work, stand before your butt gets numb. If you stand, sit before your legs start to ache. Any time you allow yourself to feel discomfort your motivation and resolve weakens. And speaking of food, plan meals wisely. Don’t take an hour lunch break: Prepare food you can eat quickly without lots of preparation or mess. The key is to refuel and keep rolling.
Take productive breaks, not rest breaks. Momentum is everything. Don’t take a walk, or watch a little TV, or goof around on the Internet. You will need breaks, but breaks should reinforce your sense of activity and accomplishment. Pick a few productive tasks you like to perform — and gain a sense of accomplishment when you complete — and use those for your breaks. Spending even a few minutes in the land of inactivity weakens your resolve.
Don’t quit until you’re done — even if finishing takes longer than expected. Stopping short is habit-forming. If you stop this time what will keep you from stopping next time? Success can be a habit, so make sure your first extreme personal productivity day is the start of a great new habit.
A great side benefit of an extreme personal productivity day: We unconsciously set internal limits on our output. A voice inside says, “I’ve done enough,” or, “That’s all I can do today,” or, I’m whipped — no way I can do more,” and we stop. But our internal limiters lie to us: With the right motivation, under the right circumstances, we can do more.
An extreme personal productivity day automatically ratchets your limits higher. After a few extreme productivity days you’ll perform better every “normal” day too — because you will have unconsciously raised your own bar.
7 Simple Steps to Extreme Personal Productivity
By Jeff Haden | June 28, 2011
By Jeff Haden | June 28, 2011
Increasing personal productivity is big business: Stephen Covey, David Allen, Tony Robbins, 43folders… those and countless others have combined to turn improving individual productivity into a massive industry.
Forget them.
If you want to complete a major project, tackle a task you’ve been putting off, or just knock out a lot of work in a relatively short period of time, there’s an easier way.
And it’s free.
Say you need to complete a task you estimate will take, oh, 10 to 12 hours. Here’s how to pull it off in one day:
Tell everyone your plan. This step is an absolute must since interruptions are productivity killers. So is the, “How much longer do you have to work?” guilt trip family members sometimes can’t help but lay on you. At a minimum tell coworkers and family, but consider letting important clients know as well. Send a quick email a day or two before explaining you will be tied up on Thursday and will respond to calls, emails, etc. first thing Friday morning. Some customers will contact you before Thursday; others will mentally note you can’t be reached. Either way it’s all good. And you get an additional benefit from telling others your plan: People important to you know what you intend to accomplish — and will know if you don’t succeed. Peer pressure can be a great motivator. Use it.
Decide how long you will work. Don’t plan based on, “I’ll work as long as I can,” or “I’ll work as long as I feel productive.” Set a concrete target. Commit to working 12 hours or whatever period of time you choose. Then the longer the time frame, the quicker the early hours seem to go by. When I worked in a factory we typically worked 8-hour shifts; time before lunch dragged and the last couple hours always seemed like death. During busy periods when we worked 12-hour shifts the mornings seemed to fly by. Something about knowing you’ll be working for a long time allows you to stop checking the clock; it’s like you naturally find your Zen (work)place. When you know you’re in for a long haul your mind automatically adapts. Trust me — it works.
Start really early — or extremely late. Have you ever taken a long car trip and left really early in the morning? Like at 3 or 4 a.m.? Those first few hours on the road fly by because you’ve stepped outside your norm. The same trick works with accomplishing a major goal. Start at 4 a.m. or indulge your inner night owl and start at 6 p.m. to work through the night. An extreme productivity day is not a normal day; set the stage by breaking free of your normal routine.
Withhold the fun, at least for a while. Some people like to listen to music while they work, others keep an eye on news. If you like to “treat” yourself when you’re working, don’t, at least in the early hours. When your motivation starts to flag that’s when a little music can provide a needed boost. Each treat is like a personal productivity bullet; shoot too early and nothing is left when you really need ammunition. Whatever typically carries you through your workday, hold off on it for awhile. Delayed gratification is always better gratification.
Recharge early. When you exercise, If you wait until you’re thirsty to drink it’s too late. The same is true when you work. Plan to eat or snack a little earlier than normal. If you sit while you work, stand before your butt gets numb. If you stand, sit before your legs start to ache. Any time you allow yourself to feel discomfort your motivation and resolve weakens. And speaking of food, plan meals wisely. Don’t take an hour lunch break: Prepare food you can eat quickly without lots of preparation or mess. The key is to refuel and keep rolling.
Take productive breaks, not rest breaks. Momentum is everything. Don’t take a walk, or watch a little TV, or goof around on the Internet. You will need breaks, but breaks should reinforce your sense of activity and accomplishment. Pick a few productive tasks you like to perform — and gain a sense of accomplishment when you complete — and use those for your breaks. Spending even a few minutes in the land of inactivity weakens your resolve.
Don’t quit until you’re done — even if finishing takes longer than expected. Stopping short is habit-forming. If you stop this time what will keep you from stopping next time? Success can be a habit, so make sure your first extreme personal productivity day is the start of a great new habit.
A great side benefit of an extreme personal productivity day: We unconsciously set internal limits on our output. A voice inside says, “I’ve done enough,” or, “That’s all I can do today,” or, I’m whipped — no way I can do more,” and we stop. But our internal limiters lie to us: With the right motivation, under the right circumstances, we can do more.
An extreme personal productivity day automatically ratchets your limits higher. After a few extreme productivity days you’ll perform better every “normal” day too — because you will have unconsciously raised your own bar.
7 Simple Steps to Extreme Personal Productivity
By Jeff Haden | June 28, 2011
Friday, September 25, 2009
How to Become Unemployed in 7 Easy Steps
How to Become Unemployed in 7 Easy Steps
By Robert Pagliarini | Sep 15, 2009 | 56 Comments
If your job is getting in the way of your life, now is the perfect time to get laid off. First, there’s no stigma attached to not working since so many are unemployed. The unemployment rate is almost 10% and the underemployment rate — adding in those who gave up looking for a job and those who took part-time jobs even though they want full-time work — is close to 20%. You’ll be part of a select, albeit growing, group.
Second, many states offer generous unemployment packages and have extended benefits because of the weak economy. And third, if you’re anything like me, this recession has caused me to relax a little too much. Gone are the days of worry and anxiety. A few bounced checks and calls from creditors may be just what you need to add some spark to your life.
I tend to leave work-related advice to others, but since I see so many people toiling away their days working, I felt it was my mission to give you a few solid tips on how to stop giving up your day just because you need to pay rent and buy food. Carpe diem!
Here’s how to become unemployed in seven easy steps:
1. Be dumb. Even if you’re really smart, you can still nail this step because it has nothing to do with your intelligence and everything to do with your attitude. Make sure you have a the-company’s-going-down-and-I’ll-probably-be-fired mentality so you won’t work as hard and care as much.
2. Don’t learn anything new. You’re a know-it-all already, right? So whatever you do, be sure not to take a computer class or graphic design workshop. Do not earn your degree or get that designation you’ve been putting off. And certainly do not become more valuable to your current employer and more appealing to a new employer by using a few of your other 8 hours to boost your skills.
3. Stick to your job description. If your employer wants you to learn something new, they should pay you more. If they can’t afford it, stick to your job description and don’t spend any time learning how to do more than that. If there are layoffs at your company, fewer people will need to be able to handle more work. Ensure that you are a one-trick pony to almost guarantee you will get laid off so your cubicle neighbor can take over several of your tasks on day one.
4. Say “no” to everything. Boss asks you to head-up a new project. “No sir” is the answer. Boss wants you to pitch in on a new account. “I’d rather not” is the answer. The less engrained you are in the company and the less involved you are in various projects, the easier it will be to get rid of you. Added bonus . . . when things turn in the economy, you won’t get those annoying job offers or promotions.
5. Become invisible. Don’t write memos. Don’t bring your boss creative cost-cutting ideas. Don’t give workshops. Whatever you do, hide as much as possible and never show your face. This is especially true in a larger company. The fewer people who know you and like you the better.
6. Be negative. Don’t even think about being positive. The economy sucks and life is not fair. You shouldn’t have to do three people’s jobs. Make sure you are vocal about all of your problems. Bring your bad attitude to work, so you won’t have a work to go to.
7. Work fewer hours. Tough times are tough, so you deserve to work a little less. Don’t even think about using some of your other 8 hours to get in earlier or to stay a little later. Find out if your boss (or even better, your boss’ boss) is going to be in on the weekend. If so, be sure to brag to them on Monday morning about how you laid around the house all weekend.
There are millions of hardworking folks who sacrificed long hours to their jobs who got laid off. If you follow these seven simple steps, you too will be unemployed in no time!
(Beach image by hazytadpole, CC 2.0)
If you’re interested in using your other 8 hours to get your finances in shape, you can download my free eBook/audiobook “Plan Z: How to Survive the 2009 Financial Crisis (and even live a little better).“
By Robert Pagliarini | Sep 15, 2009 | 56 Comments
If your job is getting in the way of your life, now is the perfect time to get laid off. First, there’s no stigma attached to not working since so many are unemployed. The unemployment rate is almost 10% and the underemployment rate — adding in those who gave up looking for a job and those who took part-time jobs even though they want full-time work — is close to 20%. You’ll be part of a select, albeit growing, group.
Second, many states offer generous unemployment packages and have extended benefits because of the weak economy. And third, if you’re anything like me, this recession has caused me to relax a little too much. Gone are the days of worry and anxiety. A few bounced checks and calls from creditors may be just what you need to add some spark to your life.
I tend to leave work-related advice to others, but since I see so many people toiling away their days working, I felt it was my mission to give you a few solid tips on how to stop giving up your day just because you need to pay rent and buy food. Carpe diem!
Here’s how to become unemployed in seven easy steps:
1. Be dumb. Even if you’re really smart, you can still nail this step because it has nothing to do with your intelligence and everything to do with your attitude. Make sure you have a the-company’s-going-down-and-I’ll-probably-be-fired mentality so you won’t work as hard and care as much.
2. Don’t learn anything new. You’re a know-it-all already, right? So whatever you do, be sure not to take a computer class or graphic design workshop. Do not earn your degree or get that designation you’ve been putting off. And certainly do not become more valuable to your current employer and more appealing to a new employer by using a few of your other 8 hours to boost your skills.
3. Stick to your job description. If your employer wants you to learn something new, they should pay you more. If they can’t afford it, stick to your job description and don’t spend any time learning how to do more than that. If there are layoffs at your company, fewer people will need to be able to handle more work. Ensure that you are a one-trick pony to almost guarantee you will get laid off so your cubicle neighbor can take over several of your tasks on day one.
4. Say “no” to everything. Boss asks you to head-up a new project. “No sir” is the answer. Boss wants you to pitch in on a new account. “I’d rather not” is the answer. The less engrained you are in the company and the less involved you are in various projects, the easier it will be to get rid of you. Added bonus . . . when things turn in the economy, you won’t get those annoying job offers or promotions.
5. Become invisible. Don’t write memos. Don’t bring your boss creative cost-cutting ideas. Don’t give workshops. Whatever you do, hide as much as possible and never show your face. This is especially true in a larger company. The fewer people who know you and like you the better.
6. Be negative. Don’t even think about being positive. The economy sucks and life is not fair. You shouldn’t have to do three people’s jobs. Make sure you are vocal about all of your problems. Bring your bad attitude to work, so you won’t have a work to go to.
7. Work fewer hours. Tough times are tough, so you deserve to work a little less. Don’t even think about using some of your other 8 hours to get in earlier or to stay a little later. Find out if your boss (or even better, your boss’ boss) is going to be in on the weekend. If so, be sure to brag to them on Monday morning about how you laid around the house all weekend.
There are millions of hardworking folks who sacrificed long hours to their jobs who got laid off. If you follow these seven simple steps, you too will be unemployed in no time!
(Beach image by hazytadpole, CC 2.0)
If you’re interested in using your other 8 hours to get your finances in shape, you can download my free eBook/audiobook “Plan Z: How to Survive the 2009 Financial Crisis (and even live a little better).“
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