Don’t Quit Before The Blessing
Positive momentum is something everyone welcomes and it’s funny how those with the most clarity about their purpose who have established well thought out, written goals seem to typically have momentum on their side. Ever wonder why?
Here are a few possible reasons:
- Clarity of purpose provides a directional compass, so all steps lead toward an ultimate goal or destination. When there is clear direction in a journey, it’s easy to tell when a misstep has taken place and more importantly, steps in a direction that does not advance the purpose are much easier to avoid altogether. The result is positive inertia towards achievement of a purpose or goal.
- Well defined, written goals provide benchmarks that set an internal (and sometimes external) expectation. It’s amazing what the human body and mind can accomplish when a specific goal for achievement has been established. Consider the case of Sir Roger Bannister, the first person to run a sub 4 minute mile. When he set out to accomplish this goal in the late 1940’s, with an eye on achieving Gold in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, people thought it was physically impossible. At the time physicians literally thought the human heart might explode if someone was to run at that pace. Well, ultimately Roger Bannister was able to break the 4 minute mile and then a funny thing happened…within a short time several more runners followed in successfully running sub 4 minute miles. The mystery had been removed and Sir Roger showed them it was possible. More on Roger Bannister in a bit.
- Attitude: Simply stated, those who proceed and expect success, usually find more success than others. It is a matter of expectation combined with the confidence and good “mojo” (think of this as simply a positive energy). Besides the internal positive energy created by optimistic expectation, there is also a positive impact of a optimistic attitude created by anyone who deals with other people in some way while they create success (basically anyone in any business interacts with others in some level, and attitude rubs off and often drives results, either positively or negatively)
- Faith & Determination to Persist: Spiritual Faith can often be the difference maker in successful people’s ability to persist through challenges and life experiences that break similar people without such a Faith. The strength and comfort to trust in God’s plan in good times and bad is not an easy task, but is the reason those with strong Faith can maintain peace even in extremely challenging circumstances or periods of loss.
The Faith to persist and persevere when things are not going as we would have hoped is not always easy. It is of course, very easy to speak about Faith when God’s Favor is blessing us, but the real power of Faith and belief in our purpose shines most brightly when we can call upon it in times when events in our lives are beyond our ability to comprehend. The following verse speaks to His will for us to trust and wait for His timing (but keep pressing on with all that we can do with our actions):
Habakkuk 2:3 (New International Reader’s Version)
“The message I give you
waits for the time I have appointed.
It speaks about what is going to happen.
And all of it will come true.
It might take a while.
But wait for it.
You can be sure it will come.
It will happen when I want it to.”
When speaking about the challenge of persevering through times of uncertainty or struggle without a breakthrough, a friend of mine says, “Don’t quit before the blessing”. I can’t think of a better way to put it.
Now for some additional perspective on Roger Bannister…Everyone now remembers him as the first to achieve a sub 4 minute mile, still an amazing feat as I struggle to run 7 minute miles on the treadmill at the gym for more than a couple miles. What people don’t recall are the years of persistence, constant effort to improve and failure he overcame to obtain his famed achievement. Although Roger trained hard and was a leading athlete heading into the 1952 Olympics, he did not fair as well as he had expected, finishing 5th in a qualifying race to make the finals, but ultimately finishing out of the medals in 4th place. After his failure at the 1952 Olympics, Bannister spent two months deciding whether to give up running. Instead of quitting, he thankfully opted to set new goals and train more intensely than ever. His new goal: To be the first man to run a mile in under four minutes. Obviously, he did not quit before the blessing and his name is now in the history books.
Have Faith, clarity of purpose and goals…then trust and persist, knowing your blessing will arrive in the appointed time.
Author: Joel Goode
It’s Never Too Late…
Father & Son Watching the Raising of the Flag on Parris Island, SC
Father’s Day presents a day of reflection for many…a time of thanks and appreciation for those fortunate enough to have experienced the love of a Dad in their lives. For others, Father’s Day can be an emotionally painful day of regret for those whose father was absent or worse yet, played a negative and abusive role in life.
On this Father’s Day in particular, I count my blessings for being fortunate enough to have a Dad who I’ve always known loved me no matter what (certainly no easy task with me!) and who was available when I needed him growing up…even when I made him so angry his face turned shades of red that one would not have expected possible.
As my own son was welcomed into the world almost 5 years ago, it has been an eye opening experience and a time of significant change and wonderful blessing. Given the nature of my career, I was too often gone from home for far too long, with many nights each week on the road. Increasingly as my son grew older, each trip became a little tougher to take and the lonely drive to catch a 6:00am flight pulled at my emotions. Days and nights on the road for business tied up with the urgency of whatever the day presented at the expense of time at home with family and watching my son experience new things certainly took a toll on me until the weight of regret and desire to regain alignment with internal core values became a yoke around my neck that needed to be addressed with action and not just wishful thinking. Thankfully priorities changed, my eyes and heart were opened and my own life is in far better balance now, which includes frequently having coffee (for me) and Ovaltine (for my son) together early each morning before anyone else is awake as he sits in my lap and we talk about whatever pops into his mind.
It is a bit hard to look back on the time lost during his first 4 years in this world, but what I’m struck by is an appreciation that my own heart and mind changed from focusing disproportionately on personal “success” at the expense of other areas in my life and is now more than ever rooted in a balanced focus with Faith and Family as the highest priorities in my life while there are still many years left to enjoy watching my son grow up. An old friend of mine used to say, “Success at the expense of family isn’t success at all”…how true that statement has been at times in my own life.
So today, on this Father’s Day 2010, I’m thankful for a Dad who loves me unconditionally, a son who is the apple of my eye and I thank God for the grace filled love and awakening He has given me to enjoy each day having a Dad and being one.
Joel Goode
Competitive Advantage in 2010 and Beyond; Embrace Technology Platforms and Improve the Customer Experience
Business models, industries, companies and even career paths are in a period of rapid change for a variety of reasons and the economic downturn since mid-2008 has only acted as a catalyst in changing the way business gets done in so many ways.
Business Models: Today there are fewer barriers to entry than ever for new businesses that are able to harness and leverage the power of low cost technology, social media marketing platforms and other ways of rapidly building a brand, communicating to current or potential target customers, adding value and ultimately profiting from lower cost business models. For example, consider the cost of branding and marketing prior to the advent of social media platforms and effective use of the internet. Businesses would by necessity invest tremendous amounts of capital into building a brand via marketing in traditional channels (print ads in magazines, newspapers and trade publications or Television & Radio ads and sponsorship placement). Without acknowledging and embracing the new reality of business, many well branded and historically successful companies will go the way of the dinosaur and cease to exist.
Consider Blockbuster as a case study…Blockbuster absolutely had the market cornered in the home entertainment movie rental market for the past 20 years and likely could have protected and sustained a very profitable business had they continually adapted and moved in the direction of changing customer preference, but instead they were extremely slow to evolve their business proactively to where technology and customer service policies (and customer driven preferences) were moving.
Frankly, Blockbuster’s customer service policies often left me wishing there were other competitive options (outrageous rental charges, late fees and a sense of “rigid” corporate policy every time I engaged in a transaction with them,) but so often the neighborhood “Mom & Pop Video Warehouse” store simply didn’t have what I wanted in stock so I had no option but to do business with Blockbuster. Even subtle messages about the way the company views its customers subtly provokes some friction in the customer experience, like the way the cashier doesn’t immediately hand you your movies after completing the transaction, but instead walks away from you and waits until you clear the detection device next to the doors to ensure you (remember, you are supposed to be their valued customer!) haven’t stolen something before handing you your movie rentals. Not exactly a warm and fuzzy experience for a customer and now customers are flocking to competitive options created in recent years which have already largely eroded the substantial base of customers Blockbuster once had as a profitable base.
While Blockbuster’s business is still predicated on the extremely expensive “brick and mortar” retail storefront experience, competitors like NetFlix (the pioneer flat rate mail order unlimited rentals and easy transactions) and Red Box (located conveniently near places where its core customers are already going like gas stations and fast food restaurants and serving customers with much lower rental fees than Blockbuster from a low cost self serve kiosk, instead of expensive retail space) have beaten Blockbuster to the punch in leveraging much lower cost business models and winning the loyalty of customers hungry for a better experience. Blockbuster is now trying to catch up to these competitors with similar services, but instead of acting as the industry leader, they are now simply second or third to market in serving customers via mail order, low cost self serve kiosk or digital download and they still have the huge expense of employees and retail store expense which will serve less and less customers as new options are increasingly embraced and will only heighten the financial ball and chain of an old business model which Blockbuster is based upon.
How does your business or company stack up? The same imperative to evolve is also true if your are an employee…increasingly it is critical to innovate, create solutions, options and ideas for helping your company reach and serve customers in a way that adds value and embraces the evolving business platforms and rapidly shifting ways in which business gets done.
Author: Joel Goode
Bootstrapping a Small Business with a Dose of Creativity
Observing business models of all shapes and sizes from an analytical perspective, considering the effectiveness (and often, the in-effectiveness!) of a particular business is something that I tend to do a bit compulsively during almost every interaction I have with a business, either as a direct customer or simply a window shopper. Frankly, this is something that confounds my wife during most of our shopping trips together and I’m certain she would much rather I just enjoy the experience without sharing my analysis of every interaction we have with a given business.
A recent trip to watch my son get a swimming lesson (his ability to be a strong swimmer is a high safety priority for us at the moment as we prepare for summertime and a beach vacation) left me surprisingly impressed at the simplicity and creativity of the owner of the swimming school. My wife, who works her magic very well as a devoted Mom and tends to do the logistical planning and booking of everything we do as a family, researched and booked my son to attend lessons with a swimming school. Thankfully I had time this particular day to join the adventure and at my son’s request I tagged along for the lesson. As we packed up the car I assumed we were headed to an Olympic size pool at a local YMCA, health club, or some other similar commercial location. Curiously my wife gave me directions as I drove and directed me into a residential neighborhood, the kind of Middle America neighborhood where many of us grew up. After a few turns in the neighborhood we pulled up to the curb of the house where the swim instructor lives and operates her small business. Things got more interesting when we walked down a path through the instructor’s back yard and were led to make a left turn, into the neighbor’s backyard where the swimming pool awaited! A couple 45 minute lessons and my son was swimming and I was left reflecting on what a simple and creative small business this swim instructor had developed.
Let me summarize the things that impressed me and may be good tips for anyone seeking to launch a small business:
- The business provides a valuable (and surprisingly not so easy to find) service and does so quite well. The instructor was very good at teaching the kids to swim by using little tricks, games and toys
- The business had a well defined customer niche: Her target market consists of young children who need to learn how to swim or improve their skills. Think of the built in word of mouth advertising among parents who socialize together, attend church together or know each other through preschool…
- The Business Owner Enjoys What She Does: She is in fact a school teacher in her “day job” and is very good with children (keeps it fun, but knows how to keep their attention and respect).
- The Cost of Entry and Business Overhead is Literally Almost Zero: This is where some creativity and a good relationship with a neighbor (the person who owns a key asset which allows the business to operate paid off for this specific business (remember the swimming pool belongs to the neighbor!) To be clear, I’m not suggesting that every business will start by borrowing the use of your neighbor’s assets, but in this case it was a great idea that most of us would have overlooked and determined the business idea wasn’t realistic. I’m sure the swim instructor worked out a mutually agreeable arrangement with the neighbor, but it is something that I would bet is low cost and simple. My guess is she probably maintains the pool for her neighbors in exchange for being able to use it for a couple hours a day.
- Simple, Straightforward, Low Cost Marketing: The instructor does in fact have a nice, simple website www.martinswimschool.com, a magnetic sign on her car advertising the school and lots of previous customers (Moms, Dads and children) throughout the city of San Antonio telling everybody about the swim school to anyone with young toddlers who are at the age to begin swimming. In fact, in the case of my son’s lessons my wife and a friend of hers booked their kids to take lessons together and at the same time. So the income to the instructor went up dramatically on a per hour basis (I calculated she is making roughly $100/hour teaching 3-4 kids in group lessons given the pricing of her 4 day lesson package consisting of 45 minute lessons each day over a 4 day period.) Of course the Moms and the Kids loved this arrangement because of the added benefit of a social opportunity to have fun and talk during the lessons.
This business model is not scalable in its current form to make the instructor wealthy or even be a main source of income in all likelihood, but that does not appear to be the driving goal of this small business owner. It is however a great example of how some creative leveraging of resources can become a simple and profitable small business. If we were all as creative as this swim instructor, there are many opportunities to create income doing things we very much enjoy. What could you do to create extra income that might fund your children’s college one day or allow for extra income for vacations and holiday spending?
Author-Joel Goode
The Most Powerful Goals are Impersonal
Are you a goal setter? A dreamer, who regularly follows through on an idea by fleshing out a concept or targeted achievement in one or more areas of your life, stepping through a process to create specific written goals which you commit to diligently achieve within a certain specified period of time?
If you take time, follow any process at all (even on very rare occasions), believe it or not you are more rare than you might believe as only 4-5% of all people actually ever set written goals, much less ultimately fulfilling their dreams and goals. So if you want to quantum leap most people you are competing with, establish a comprehensive goal setting plan and keep the goals relevant over time. You’re performance and outcomes are likely to place you at the front of the pack as well planned goals provide both focus and motivation to achieve.
The goal setting process is certainly something that is referred to and written about countless times per day across the world in business, sports, school, music, and a multitude of other areas of life where people are motivated to focus and achieve, so I’ll spare a discussion on which process is best in setting goals and avoid the refrain about setting S.M.A.R.T. goals (though I do believe in that process wholeheartedly) in this discussion.
Upon reflection of some recent reading and listening to interviews of some of the most successful entrepreneurs and businesspeople around, an interesting commonality resonated with me in a way that I previously had not specifically considered. These people did not set out with a personal goal (e.g. “I want to make $1 million per year, buy a Porsche 911 and retire at 45 years old”). In fact, their goals did not even directly relate to what most would consider selfless and honorable goals (e.g. to provide for my children’s college education). No, these people had impersonal goals…in other words, their driving goal and passion was to create something of value that would benefit the masses. The business success and personal financial success that followed was simply a by product of someone with a passion and vision about something they could create that would be improve the lives of many people (people the entrepreneur had not yet and probably would ever meet.)
A couple examples of an individual and a vision well aligned to their passion and strengths that produced a society changing business idea because they focused on the value to the community and society of their concept rather than trying to figure out how to make enough money to buy something for themselves as their end goal:
- Bill Gates’ Impersonal Goal/Dream- To put a computer in every home…mission accomplished; now his focus with the Gates Foundation and philanthropic efforts provide a new set of impersonal goals for his energy. Bill Gates has been financially rewarded to levels no one could have imagined, but that was never his primary driver.
- Henry Ford’s Impersonal Goal/Dream- A car which anyone could afford to buy, which anyone could drive anywhere, and which almost anyone could keep in repair
Now realistically speaking, not everybody wants to change the world. But it sure seems that a correlation exists between those who develop the most successful businesses and the driving focus of their goal being tied to something bigger than that individual’s personal interests and goals.
Author: Joel Goode; Career & Business Development Coach
Humpty Dumpty Experiences in Life
Joel Goode- Business & Life Development Coach
Anyone who has ever aspired to greatness and set out to accomplish anything of significance undoubtedly has learned that life (and success) is truly a journey and not a static destination point. Ironically, the more specific you are in planning your goals and charting your path towards important goals, the more you will need to be ready to adjust and adapt as twists in the road emerge that you could not have foreseen as you initiated your well planned journey. Does this mean that planning and goal setting is pointless? Of course not, the power of setting specific goals and creating an action plan to achieve those goals is a very powerful force and is a process the most successful people use to stretch and make the most of their potential.
When the unexpected occurs in life, especially those moments in life or career that put you face to face with a significant and unexpected change of course in your direction, it is important to remember that we never have had, nor never will have the power to plan and execute a path solely based on our will (regardless of talent, work ethic or intentions).
Unanticipated changes happen all the time and what differentiates those who rapidly bounce back and in fact in many cases come through the experience as a better, deeper person after moving through the experience are 3 core characteristics:
- Faith: To know that you were designed to succeed in life and given unique talents to help you achieve greatness
- Attitude: To focus forward and not live life in the past always looking in the rearview mirror for “what might have been.” Look back only enough to honestly assess and learn from any course corrections that will help you move towards you future in a positive manner.
- Courage: Are you “seized up” with tension and paralysis caused by fear of the unknown or are you moving forward with boldness and the confidence to know you were built to prosper (Jeremiah 29:11 tells us, “For I know the plans I have for you, they are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”)
There are a variety of reasons unexpected change in our lives occurs, sometimes through self inflicted mistakes and sometimes through changes completely outside your control which you had absolutely nothing to do with. When major life changes occur, especially in the midst of the experience, it is easy to feel a bit like Humpty Dumpty, in pieces on the ground after a significant fall. My advice when this type of life experience presents itself:
- Acknowledge your disappointment that a change is occurring which you did not expect or necessarily desire
- Determine what your strongest skills and passions are and chart a course moving forward that aligns with what is “True North” in your own internal life compass. In other words, what you believe is the best path forward based on your own priorities, direction and intended purpose.
- Life is lived more with a compass than a specific map. A compass allows us to always move in the right direction, regardless of where we find ourselves, however a map is only useful up to the point where an unexpected (and un-mapped) change in the road happens.
- Don’t forget to count your blessings and enjoy the journey!
In the spirit of the great radio personality Paul Harvey (“Now you know the rest of the story”), for those interested in the origin of the Humpty Dumpty Nursery Rhyme we all know so well, the following provides a background on the history and roots of the poem.
The History and Origins of the Humpty Dumpty Rhyme (adapted from http://www.rhymes.org)
Humpty Dumpty was in fact believed to be a large cannon! It was used during the English Civil War (1642 – 1649) in the Siege of Colchester (13 Jun 1648 – 27 Aug 1648). Colchester was strongly fortified by the Royalists and was laid to siege by the Parliamentarians (Roundheads). In 1648 the town of Colchester was a walled town with a castle and several churches and was protected by the city wall. Standing immediately adjacent the city wall, was St Mary’s Church. A huge cannon, colloquially called Humpty Dumpty, was strategically placed on the wall next to St Mary’s Church. The historical events detailing the siege of Colchester are well documented – references to the cannon ( Humpty Dumpty) are as follows:
- June 15th 1648 – St Mary’s Church is fortified and a large cannon is placed on the roof which was fired by ‘One-Eyed Jack Thompson’
- July 14th / July 15th 1648 – The Royalist fort within the walls at St Mary’s church is blown to pieces and their main cannon battery ( Humpty Dumpty) is destroyed.
- August 28th 1648 – The Royalists lay down their arms, open the gates of Colchester and surrender to the Parliamentarians
A shot from a Parliamentary cannon succeeded in damaging the wall beneath Humpty Dumpty which caused the cannon to tumble to the ground. The Royalists, or Cavaliers, (known in the nursery rhyme as “all the King’s men”) attempted to raise Humpty Dumpty on to another part of the wall. However, because the cannon (Humpty Dumpty) was so heavy “All the King’s horses and all the King’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again!” This had a drastic consequence for the Royalists as the strategically important town of Colchester fell to the Parliamentarians after a siege lasting eleven weeks. Earliest traceable publication 1810.
Author: Joel Goode
5 Tips to Get Unstuck When You Hit a Plateau
Regardless of level of personal and professional success, track record of accomplishments, drive to achieve or positive outlook on life and career, everyone will find themselves at a performance plateau from time to time. For the ambitious individual with big goals, dreams and desires hitting a plateau can be a daunting and draining experience as hard work and engagement fails to yield the additional results or traction desired and a frustrating feeling of being stuck.
Recognizing and acknowledging a plateau phase in life and career is an important step to adjusting actions and freeing the creative freshness and thought that often is the catalyst for the energizing (and often highly productive) breakthrough phase that follows the plateau period.
Signs, symptoms or feelings that may indicate a plateau phase:
- You are trying as hard (or harder) as your normal output to achieve increased results, yet the increased results are not happening, despite an increase in effort
- The focus and activities of your work feel monotonous…one meeting rolls into the next and one day into another without any real clear purpose or sense of measurable progress occurring
- You feel a sense of annoyance or resentment to the level of work you are putting in vs. the results you are getting
- Things feel stagnant and boring vs. fresh and energizing
Here are a few tips to consider implementing when the feeling of stagnation and reduced traction of the plateau phase strikes:
- Take a mini-vacation and tailor it to provide the opposite of what you are feeling
- If you are bored by the monotony and routine of your work and life, then choose something spontaneous, adventuresome and active. Perhaps a quick getaway to an all inclusive resort with lots of activities, music, dancing and “fun” of a festive crowd is just the ticket to recharge your spirit.
- If however, your source of stagnation derives from feeling burned out or stressed because of working in a pressure cooker environment or you are fatigued mentally and physically from the daily grind, then consider a quiet escape to allow the noise in your head to recede and your body and spirit to recharge from all of the hustle and bustle. Maybe a camping trip over a long weekend, renting a cabin in the woods without phone, TV or internet (and please, leave the blackberry at home!) will provide the calming environment that will open your mind to the creative breakthrough idea and clarity that has been sorely missing.
- Change your routine
- Drive a different route to work than normal
- If you typically work out after work, wake up an hour early and go the gym in the morning instead for the next month
- Rearrange your office
- Set a Short Term Personal Goal, Then Take Action and Achieve It
- Lose 5 pounds in the next two weeks
- Sign up for the guitar lessons you’ve always wanted to take and learn how to actually play “Stairway to Heaven,” or whatever song that would be your idea of fun
- Read a Personal Development Book. The insight and creative energy boost that often comes from reading and reflecting on a specific area of personal growth may provide one or two pearls for you to try and apply that will get you to the next level
- Take a Class or Attend a Seminar that will Stretch Your Professional Growth. Building news skills and expanding capabilities is an empowering process that will free you up to implement new skills or approaches to your role.
A fresh approach is critical to breaking through during a plateau phase. So whether you try one or all of the tips above or create a tactic of your own, be sure to step out and break the routine of normal. Shake things up a bit of you want to achieve better outcomes and simply trying harder is not working. Remember, hitting the occasional plateau is something everyone experiences periodically, but how long you choose to be stuck in that phase of your profession or life is up to you.
Author: Joel Goode; Career Development & Life Coach
Looking Back on Luckenbach…is the Tail Wagging the Dog in Your Life?
This week I had the fortunate experience of a long ride on a Harley through the Texas Hill Country with the destination of Luckenbach, Texas, which you may recall as the title of Waylon Jennings’ famous country song from the 1970s describing a frustration with the stressful high consumption lifestyle and a burning desire to make a wholesale change in favor of a simple life. A winding ride through the beautiful hill country of Texas in the springtime on a rumbling motorcycle includes great scenery of some incredible ranches and roadside bluebonnets along with the freedom, tranquility and clear mind space that the open back country roads of Texas so uniquely create.
On this particular ride I thought about the words to the song Luckenbach which includes the following lyrics,
“…This successful life we’re livin’ got us feuding
like the Hatfields and McCoys…
This coat and tie is choking me
In your high society you cry all day
We’ve been so busy keepin’ up with the Jones
Four car garage and we’re still building on
Maybe it’s time we got back to the basics of love”
Granted, it’s easy to daydream about what you would do if all the stress in your life was removed and you just moved to a sleepy little town in the country and left your “old life” behind, although not very practical as an approach to dealing with life’s stress in most cases. In fact, I hold a strong belief that a certain amount of positive pressure (controlled stress, created by a commitment and accountability to achieve purpose driven goals) is critical to achieving true significance and meaning for your life in a sustained manner.
There is however something that powerfully connects this famous song to millions of people who have pushed hard for the traditionally held American values of hard work and achievement, as indicated by the material trappings and status symbols of “success”: living in the right neighborhood (with a sizeable mortgage for the next 30 years), driving (usually leased or financed) the latest luxury vehicle and the other trappings of what we are led to believe represent “success” only to find what actually evolves is a lifestyle and mindset which always seeks something bigger and better in terms of material possessions to be “really happy.” Of course in reality, this ultimately results in waking up after a period of time to find a mountain of debt and stress created by 80 hour work weeks to keep the income to pay for all the “success.”
What if instead of choosing an extreme option on either end of the spectrum, on one extreme (being a slave to an 80 hour week in a job you hate which prevents you from being an engaged spouse and parent and results in broken relationships and a life of resentment) or the other (focusing so much on de-stressing and escaping the rat race that we remove our ability to thrive and prosper, foregoing our God given potential to become significant in the lives of our families and communities), instead charting a course for a life of balance and intent based on your own unique strengths, personal core values. Imagine the power and freedom of setting a specific plan to focus on goals in your life and career that are truly aligned with the things you believe and support your core values. As obvious as that seems as a chosen path, how many people truly make the decision to live in this manner? The wonderful and empowering opportunity we all have is we can in fact make choices and then take action to live the life we choose.
Author: Joel Goode; Career & Life Coach
Want Better Results Than What You’re Getting?
Question of the Day: Want better results than what you’ve been getting lately?
Perhaps you’ve been pressing hard to make things happen and even working harder than the average bear to develop your career, business or even make an important relationship with someone better but just can’t seem to get over the hump. There are usually lots of factors in play in the context of life and career, although many are beyond your own control. A critical choice in making the most out of your life, work and relationships is to determine your priorities and focus on those priorities to make incremental progress towards success over time through a consistent investment of your thoughts and actions while keeping in mind that you may not control the wind but have the power to adjust your own sails to adjust to optimize changes outside your control.
That said, it is easy to fall into a trap of focusing on the things that “happen to you” which may push your dreams and ambitions back a step or create an obstacle in your planned path. This is a part of life which everyone faces on a regular basis. The primary differentiator between those who overcome and achieve versus those who determine that life just won’t let them succeed because of all the things preventing success is one simple thing…mindset. In other words, the “lens” which you choose to view your life, circumstances and opportunities through, is almost certainly to play a major role in the eventual outcomes you will experience. The single biggest step in my mind towards a winning mindset and creating positive change and growth is personal accountability to control the things you can, not dwell or be quashed by the things you can’t control, and take full ownership and accountability for your own missteps that led to an unfavorable outcome. Simply stated, learning from your mistakes, taking responsibility for your own actions and making good choices based on what you’ve learned and observed through your lens of personal accountability is likely to lead you on a path of better outcomes.
The following poem, An Autobiography in 5 Short Chapters, by Portia Nelson nails the concept and provides an opportunity for reflection on approaching positive change and taking accountability.
“Chapter 1
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk
I fall in.
I am lost … I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes me forever to find a way out.
Chapter 2
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in the same place
but, it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.
Chapter 3
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in … it’s a habit.
My eyes are open
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.
Chapter 4
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
Chapter 5
I walk down another street.”
There is an amazing sense of peace and empowerment once we make the decision to look through the lens of personal accountability in our lives, accept our past decisions and life events for better and for worse, and determine to own our decisions and actions for the future.
Author- Joel Goode www.bestlifeandcareer.com
Tips for Approaching Career Development of High Potential People within an Organization
Joel Goode- Author & Business/Life Coach
All organizations have talented people, most of whom are ambitious and desire to grow and achieve more for themselves and serve the company in roles of increased or varied responsibility. Identifying each individuals strengths, limitations and ambitions and matching accordingly to a career track that will serve the organization’s needs ( immediate, near term and long term) is a critically important process to sustaining success and a consistent culture and also aids significantly in keeping a company’s most talented people loyal and engaged…if a structured and transparent process is implemented and followed. Below are 3 basic steps for managing high talent, high potential individuals within any organization or business.
1. Know specifically what you are seeking (competencies/areas of strength):
- Based on your organizational needs and strategy, prioritize and clearly define the behaviors, competencies and roles necessary to execute it.
- Identify long term potential through specific observed competency strengths and align with the organization’s current and future needs in critical areas.
- Focus your selection and development on those behaviors, qualities and roles.
2. How will you identify and track the development of high potentials?
- Create framework for effective review and talent mapping of high potentials (at least once per year; twice per year may better suit the needs of an organization in a rapid growth phase to allow for timely inclusion of structural expansion in new directions)
- Distinguish between long term leadership potential on a macro level (ultimate capability and potential of the individual) vs. near term job specific potential (what can this person do in 6 months, 1 year, 3 years as a step to support growth and serve organizational needs)
3. Capitalizing on high potential performers:
- Just promoting talented, high potential people or routing them through a cookie cutter rotation of cross functional assignments is not the answer!; they need active engagement, ongoing coaching and development to ensure they have clear focus on critical aspects of their development, stay on track and leverage their full potential for themselves and the organization
- Active coaching and dialogue with the high potential individual not only aids in speeding the development of talents and readiness for a “next step” opportunity, but also optimizes the organization’s chance for sustaining a consistent culture and retaining its best performers and top talent (those most at risk for offers from competitors). Your company may already have a mentor program to facilitate this process, but may alternatively consider engaging the services of a trained professional executive/corporate coach to engage and assist in the growth and development of talented individuals in a focused manner often difficult for internal mentors to achieve due to conflicting schedules and other important responsibilities which limit the mentor’s ability to engage the developmental candidate optimally
Author-Joel Goode; www.bestlifeandcareer.com