Blog
Are You or Your Team Entitled (WT489)
This week’s thought might be a bit provocative. I was chatting with a colleague recently who had just returned from a trip to the Philippines. We’ll call her Leanne. She had been investigating outsourcing some work to a company over there and had visited some of the outsourcing companies. As we chatted she remarked how surprised she was to hear how much the employees of the companies wanted their companies to do well. They really wanted them to become massively successful on a global scale. When she enquired about the reason, they said simply, “It means we have a job for life...
Planning is Essential (WT488)
Ever have one of those weeks or months when you keep hearing or seeing a message? I’ve had a few of them lately. The first message came from a member of our online membership program, he reminded us that Planning is Essential but Plans are Useless. The reminder was appropriate for the discussion we were having at the time and I left it at that. Fast forward a week or two and one of my mentors mentioned it in his weekly training, Planning is Essential but Plans are Useless. Three times lucky, this week I heard it again when we had to evacuate the park...
Strategy Vs Belief (WT487)
Jordan was recounting a story where he had met with his mentor. His mentor had given him some advice about how to resolve a situation. As I listened to Jordan I couldn’t help but wonder about the success of the suggested strategy. You see, I knew Jordan quite well. I knew that he knew that the mentor’s advice was correct and that he should take the action as suggested. I also knew that Jordan had a few limiting beliefs that were in direct opposition to the advice. Here’s an example: Let’s say you want to increase your income by $10,000, $100,000 or...
Time is Irrelevant (WT486)
We hear people talk of time management and self management. There are any number of consultants and trainers that teach strategies for getting the most out of your day; remember we all have 86,400 seconds in a day and they can’t be banked. One of my mentors, David Bayer explains that, “Time is irrelevant but timing is everything”. What he means by this, is that there is no advantage in becoming overwhelmed with our To Do Lists. From a spiritual point of view, life corresponds with us. If there is something you earnestly desire and have a vision and belief that it will...
What Can a Dog Teach You about Leadership (WT485)
The past few weeks, we have had the opportunity to “dog sit”. It has been a fantastic experience, especially when it comes to implementing the leadership training I provide for others. The first night was a bit rough. I am assuming the dog was missing its owners. He didn’t understand where they were and who these two new people were, so he did his best to assert himself as the leader of the pack. The next morning, Ross and I decided that one of us had to assume the leadership role. Here’s some leadership principles that the dog taught us: There can only be one leader. Consistency is...
I’m Not a Bad Person (WT484)
Sally was sitting in the waiting room of the Doctor’s surgery. Across from her was an older woman who looked like she had experienced some hard times. Her hair was dishevelled, long and grey. Her clothes were ill fitting and her shoes needed mending. She was on the phone talking very loudly, with the phone on speaker. Sally couldn’t help but hear the conversation: “I’m not a bad person,” the lady said. “Why me? I’m starting to lose my faith. All these things have happened to me and it’s been a tough year.” Sally cringed as she listened to the woman’s conversation. “You may not be a bad...
Dogs Don’t Discriminate (WT483)
It was early morning and Ross was driving me to work with a client for the day. I noticed a dog jumping all over a man who was sitting on the cold cement on a blanket. The dog was on a leash and its owner was doing her best to pull the dog away, but it was having none of that. The dog clearly liked the man and continued to strain on its lead; tail wagging furiously and a big tongue doing its best to reach and lick the man’s face. I was intrigued as I watched this and realised that the man appeared to be homeless, or at least he was begging. Next to where he sat, he had two old crumpled...
It’s Reception (WT482)
The phone rang. “Hi Shirley, it’s Reception. Are you guys extending over the long weekend?” I had no idea who Reception was, nor to what she was referring. I had to ask her, “Reception. Reception from where?” She didn’t give me the answer I was looking for. “Are you guys extending over the long weekend?” she repeated. My mind was racing. What reception? What about the long weekend? Then it suddenly dawned on me. She was the receptionist at the caravan park we were staying at. I was working onsite at a client’s premises and normally wouldn’t have even answered the phone,...
You Need a Driver (WT481)
I’ve mentioned a few times about the REACH profile. In the past few weeks, I’ve worked with a number of companies where the executive team have completed their profiles. It has been really interesting to see the results. In some companies, they have at least one of each profile (Counselor, Coach, Advisor and Driver), whilst others are missing a Driver. You need a Driver. A Driver is focussed on the “what”. They are results and outcome focussed and they will push us to get things done. Without a Driver, we can tend to take it a bit easy and may not accomplish as much as we are...
Clean Up Your Mess (WT480)
Years ago, Ross and I attended a week long conference with Jack Canfield, best selling author of The Chicken Soup for the Soul series of books in Scottsdale, Arizona. The conference was called "Breakthrough to Success" and was based on one of his other best selling books "The Success Principles – How to Get from Where You are Now to Where You Want to Be". One of the lessons Jack taught us was to take 100% Responsibility for ourselves and our actions. It was confronting at the time and yet so liberating. This week in our leadership experience, I shared a similar exercise with...