tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85234808789751996892023-11-16T02:42:55.267-08:00Tim Krause - Professional Strategist, Personal CoachAs a small business strategist and leadership coach, Tim Krause focuses on empowering, advising and guiding you to a self-directed and independent future. Tim's purpose is to build your knowledge and confidence, and bring you to the place where you can envision and execute your business plan. Tim is passionate about co-creating and launching your sustainable future....and future wealth.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946745035058296450noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523480878975199689.post-39163118844063663812014-03-10T10:25:00.000-07:002014-05-06T07:49:15.168-07:00When Company Values don't match Employees' Values<div style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 16.545454025268555px;">
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<span style="color: lime; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Corporate Mission Statement: </b></span></h2>
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<span style="color: lime; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Where good intentions go to Die.</b></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Have you read your Company's mission statement? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Can you remember it?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Can you recite it?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.toadthewetsprocket.com/" target="_blank">Toad the Wet Sprocket</a> once said "It's hard to rely on my good intentions, when my head's full of things I can't mention."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />They may have well been writing about corporate mission statements.</span><br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Far too often mission statement is simply a collection of trendy buzzwords stuffed in an over-wrought sentence and hung on the wall to die.</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.lotta.se/mission-statement-generator/?dummy_value=1603929999" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;" target="_blank">For a free mission statement guaranteed to have absolutely NO positive effect on your business, click here.</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUtvkZ08dkay6qJt4Ht9irNpH4JBCq6UG1w1Xch8nAbWCuGXSRwaqgU_GEveoG_mlfjZc9ygI18G3Bbh-QKbW5d8TwPKRGzb4765NBXKX48R5ns3nSPIK7cDbOjXcokZePtN_h2ih2f9o/s1600/missionstatement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUtvkZ08dkay6qJt4Ht9irNpH4JBCq6UG1w1Xch8nAbWCuGXSRwaqgU_GEveoG_mlfjZc9ygI18G3Bbh-QKbW5d8TwPKRGzb4765NBXKX48R5ns3nSPIK7cDbOjXcokZePtN_h2ih2f9o/s1600/missionstatement.jpg" height="280" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: lime; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Your mission statement is dead if: </span></h4>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is more than ten words long.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The employees were not asked to participate in its development.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The employees can't remember and recite it.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Leadership is not using it as a regular barometer of the company's actions.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is not reviewed annually to ensure it is still applicable to the company.</span></li>
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<span style="color: lime; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A few years ago... </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was standing in the lobby of a local steel mill. Their executive vice-president was exercising the luxury of his position by making me wait. So I waited.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Posted on the lobby wall were the corporate values and mission statement. </span><br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I read it. Repeatedly. </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It was a lengthy document written in calligraphic font on sepia paper and framed in gold gilt. It described a company that valued </span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">integrity</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">fairness</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">respect</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">mutually beneficial relationships</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">community mindedness</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">blah blah blah....</span></li>
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<span style="color: lime; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I laughed out loud. </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was a vendor to the mill. I had requested a meeting with the EVP to discuss his practice of arbitrarily discounting our invoices, and his habit of spreading false rumours internally about our company.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />I knew the EVP's purpose was to have us break our contract so he could hire his preferred provider. I knew<i> because he told me so.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Five minutes.... ten.... twenty ....thirty minutes past our scheduled appointment I waited. He finally opened the door and waved me in.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: lime;">45 pointless minutes later... </span></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I offered to tear up the paperwork and release him from our contract.....as long as he paid everything he owed us immediately. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He snapped his fingers and instructed the controller to cut a cheque.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As I was leaving his office for the last time I turned back.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: orange;">"Have you ever read your company's values? Because you sure don't live them out."</span></i></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: lime;">He laughed out loud.</span></span></h4>
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I left.<br />We never did business again.</span><br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If your mission statement doesn't matter, don't pretend it does.</span></h4>
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<span style="color: lime; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Everybody else already knows anyways.</span></h4>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946745035058296450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523480878975199689.post-72350308428326177452014-01-23T08:36:00.002-08:002014-01-28T05:05:23.874-08:00Improve your Personal Leadership with 3 Words<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you are like me there are things about yourself that are overdue to change. Things that are holding you back in your personal leadership and growth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And if you are anything like me, New Years resolutions....don't....work!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: red;">I hate New Years Resolutions.</span></i></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This may be self-evident by virtue that this post appeared at the end of January instead of December. </span><br />
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I hate them for all the reasons that immediately come to mind: short-lived, vague, lacking accountability.....<br /></span><br />
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Yet there are things in my life that need to change.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>I know I'm not alone.</i></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />I'm not the only one wanting to skip this annual ritual of resolutions. Chris Brogan, publisher of <a href="http://ownermag.com/">Owner Magazine</a>, writes about his approach for the past several years: <br /><br /><br /><i>Every year, I go through an exercise where we take three words and use them as the central focus of your goals and efforts for the year to come. <br /><br />Instead of saying “I want to lose 30 pounds” and then forgetting about the goal a day later, I might have something like “green” that reminds me to eat more plant-based foods at every meal, or similar. <br /><br />The idea is that the words you choose will go past being a simple goal and will become part of the way you identify yourself....</i>(<a href="http://www.chrisbrogan.com/my-3-words-2014/">My Three Words for 2014</a>)<br /><br /><br /><br />My brain lit up reading that. Self-improvement and personal leadership neatly distilled into three words that will become a cornerstone for all decisions in the next year. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It took me two weeks. A bunch of words were discarded along the way. But here are my three words for 2014:<br /><br /></span><br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Start.</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">For the first time in two decades I enter a new year with options about how I spend my time and energy. Whatever happens this year will happen because I started it....or allowed it to start. <br /><br />I am enjoying the ultimate luxury: choice. <br /><br />This word reminds me to choose wisely.<br /></span><br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Stop.</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Many know there was a time of intense difficulty for me last year, perpetual crises. What was surprising was how difficult it was for me to stop responding with crisis management techniques, even long after the crises had stopped. <br /><br />This word reminds me there are things in my life I don't need anymore. <br /><br />And I am both able - and responsible - to discard them.</span><br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Change.</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As with most people, there are constants in my life. Constants I want to keep. <br /><br />Constants I want to honor. <br /><br />Constants that deserve my best.</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My family</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My community</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My faith</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My body</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />But while they have been constant for me, they have not always received my best. In fact, because I knew them to be constants they were often subjected to my very worst.</span><br />
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<i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #999999;">The very things that deserve my best got my worst! That needs to change.</span></i></div>
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<br />I need to change any circumstances preventing me from giving them my best.<br /><br /></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>So far.</i></span></h3>
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I have titled my 2014 journal <span style="color: lime;"><b>Start.Stop.Change.</b></span> Now every time I open it up to sketch out an idea or take notes, I am reminded of the three lenses through which I will view all decisions this year. <br /><br /><br />And it works....at least so far. <br /><br /><br />I haven't made any important decisions without first seeing if they align with my words.<br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;"><i>Your turn.</i></span></span></h3>
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If you have given up on your resolutions already then I have to ask: does this idea resonate with you?<br /><br /><br />Are you ready to see if three little words can affect your willingness to change?<br /><br /><br />If so, what are your words. <br />Let's hold each other accountable. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /><br />I'm game if you are.<br /><br /></span><br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>I'll Start.</i></b></span></h3>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946745035058296450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523480878975199689.post-54124032232398026212014-01-05T12:38:00.000-08:002014-01-16T05:12:01.568-08:00My baseball is in the creek....surrounded by leeches.<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I was 7 all the boys in the neighbourhood would come to play baseball in my yard. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I was 7 we didn't have the best yard for baseball. We had the tallest fences. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I was 7 we lived next to a creek full of leeches.</span><br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Homerun!</i></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So we would play ball. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">At least once a game someone would hit a homerun...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">over the fence...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">...down the hillside...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">...and right into the creek. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There was only one thing to do: </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>go get the ball.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>The Leeches</i></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">Funny thing about being a kid, the leeches didn't really bother us. 25 years later I recoil at the thought of them. </span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdj_VAsfhG_bdzVB683LWPd1RDHk0rF4GlMD4xOCWaix_hFrz6Gs8TdeSoTD2Lz1lOwOdO2CX1W2cHOMZ2IUuO_RbaHUkTlnRz0YxOhJ-V_J1_4KZnSOpYtd6pmIbGjLhZaBZ0rnVmHA/s1600/LeechOnLeg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdj_VAsfhG_bdzVB683LWPd1RDHk0rF4GlMD4xOCWaix_hFrz6Gs8TdeSoTD2Lz1lOwOdO2CX1W2cHOMZ2IUuO_RbaHUkTlnRz0YxOhJ-V_J1_4KZnSOpYtd6pmIbGjLhZaBZ0rnVmHA/s1600/LeechOnLeg.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But back then picking them off was just part of life as we knew it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Eventually it became a game to see who could come back with the most - or biggest - suckers stuck to their legs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The leeches weren't important, as long as we got our ball back.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>So what?</i></span></h3>
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<i style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: yellow; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Problems come from anywhere, even success.</span></i></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">As kids we loved celebrating the homerun. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">And yet we all knew as soon as we crossed the plate, arms raised in triumph, it was time to go back in the creek. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">One of us would grab the salt and the pail, and we would all wade in up to our knees until we got our ball back. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">That was our cost of success.</span></div>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;">You can't ignore your problems. </i></span></h4>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;">Well, you can but....</i><i style="font-size: x-large; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;"> </i></span></h4>
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<i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></i></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">Nobody </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;">wanted</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;"> to go back into the creek. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">But the alternate was unthinkable: the game would be over. The ball would be washed away. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">How many times in life do we want to pretend that everything is okay? And in the end we just have to forfeit the game prematurely because our ball got washed away.</span><br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"><i>Problems in the rear-view mirror are smaller than they appeared in the windshield.</i></span></h4>
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Nobody really wanted leeches on their legs, but no matter how gross the leeches always came off. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">Nobody got hurt. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">We got our ball back. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">In minutes our feet were dry again. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">And the game went on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">I remember the leeches being way bigger in my mind than they were on my legs. So it is with all problems: they scale faster in our heads than they do in real life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">Don't let them grow. Just start. </span></div>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Problems build teams...if you let them</i></span></h4>
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We may have been on opposite teams in the backyard, but the idea of our ball being washed away unified us. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">We strategized the best our little 7-year old minds could. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">And on those times the ball disappeared into the storm culvert under the road, we all went in together. W</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">e all came out together. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">With the ball.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What problems are looming for you?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What ball do you need to get back?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Go get it. Simple as that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Start by starting.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946745035058296450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523480878975199689.post-17891541493905945562013-12-12T07:26:00.001-08:002013-12-17T10:59:26.780-08:00The 1 THING needed to increase Customer Engagement<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Monday Night Football, 2-Dec-13.</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">While cheering their team to a lopsided victory over another of the league's elite teams, the fans at the Seattle Seahawks game generated 137.6 decibels of pure, unadulterated crowd noise. The stadium shook - literally shook - with noise. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">137.6 decibels. That sounds </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">like a lot. </span></span></h2>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">90dB: sustained exposure = permanent damage</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">125dB: pain begins </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">140dB: short exposure = permanent damage</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">194dB: the loudest sound possible.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />137.6 is a lot. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju0vXp020S8V6_HGNZZYGibDFtHrsOb-_V7Jce4iNyZ-QmUOSh_AT65Co9TdxIFq8TmdUtmHY2phsr4k-s8ClVLgKxfTZWhr9ARYj7azw3Z8JKlK_zZyrMbySlfYha5wu9sUoLKxICApM/s1600/Too+loud.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju0vXp020S8V6_HGNZZYGibDFtHrsOb-_V7Jce4iNyZ-QmUOSh_AT65Co9TdxIFq8TmdUtmHY2phsr4k-s8ClVLgKxfTZWhr9ARYj7azw3Z8JKlK_zZyrMbySlfYha5wu9sUoLKxICApM/s1600/Too+loud.jpeg" height="170" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">OK, so we can comfortably say it is <i>scientifically</i> loud. But how loud is it <i>really</i>? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While cheering on their team, and simultaneously setting a Guiness World Record with their cacophony, the fans also accidentally caused an earthquake.</span></span><br />
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<span id="goog_1707594525"></span><span id="goog_1707594526"></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br /></span>
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">An earthquake. </span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A seismometer at nearby University of Washington registered between 1 and 2 on the Richter scale. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now, if you want to be technical, the United States Geological Survey refers to readings of 2 and below as micro-earthquakes since they are not commonly felt by people. But still.....an earthquake.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So w</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">hat's the point?</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The point is this:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Any corporate brand can gush over the loyalty of its customers. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Any sports team will rave about having the best fans in the world. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But according to the Guiness Book only the Seattle Seahawks can </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">definitively</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> claim to have the loudest fans. Add that to the effect the extreme stadium noise has on their opponents, and Seattle can make a pretty solid argument for having "The Best" fans.</span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />The trajectories follow parallel paths. </span></h2>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Seattle's fans weren't always this vocal. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And the Seahawks weren't always one of the league's elite teams. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Seahawks focused on improving their customer service by fielding an exciting and successful team. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The fans focused on improving their brand loyalty by selling out the home games and screaming until they were hoarse. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And as t</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">he fans got louder,</span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Seahawks won more consistently</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Revenues went up</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Resources for better players went up</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Number of wins went up</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Seats sold went up</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Crowd noise went up</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Beer sales went up</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Revenues went up. </span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A virtuous success cycle.</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">WestJet rode that same success cycle this December with their Christmas Miracle promotion. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In case you missed it, a Westjet Santa asked outgoing passengers in Toronto what they wanted for Christmas. By the time the travellers got to Calgary they were greeted with individually wrapped and tagged presents on the luggage carousel. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIEIvi2MuEk&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">The video documenting it</a> received 13,000,000 views in the first seven days online! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Westjet's fans cheered until they were hoarse.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Be excellent. That's it.</span></span></h2>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's not complicated: be excellent at what you do. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Give your fans a reason to cheer. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Let your fans push you to greater heights. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You won't have to listen hard to hear them roar. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And when they roar, here is the phone number for the nice people at the Guiness World Record Book: +44 (0)20 7891 4567</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946745035058296450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523480878975199689.post-35658528675172330132013-12-03T08:54:00.000-08:002014-05-07T05:04:13.487-07:00The 1 THING You Need to Start<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<h4>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>I can't join that gym, it's full of athletes.</i></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He was in his sixties, a bit over five feet tall, and almost the same around.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He had a big voice, a huge personality, and an monstrous belly.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He lived large and had the profile to prove it.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He was my friend.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO1sMM59txLfGDMrwkiY3Q4fuhYvXyKodiesMnWhOEUj5dWGyAf23AQmOy-MVV95oV_j-6bLBfeRnLk5mcqDsdOu6Q5AVZVoP1W8Jv55jcwE353urG5aXOy4ojLWMl__k-yPbCHytSg-g/s1600/tk+sbs+19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO1sMM59txLfGDMrwkiY3Q4fuhYvXyKodiesMnWhOEUj5dWGyAf23AQmOy-MVV95oV_j-6bLBfeRnLk5mcqDsdOu6Q5AVZVoP1W8Jv55jcwE353urG5aXOy4ojLWMl__k-yPbCHytSg-g/s1600/tk+sbs+19.jpg" height="215" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He bellowed at me from across the office: "I can't join your gym. It's full of jocks! I'm just going to join at the hotel across the street so I can have a steam and a glass of wine." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then he laughed.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: lime; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Just start.</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was at the gym again this week.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The weight room was full of hockey players and yoga instructors. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Young, lean, strong, fit.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Powerful kids doing complicated exercises with grace and ease. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There was a older man working out with a trainer. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He was 70? Maybe more?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He was 100 pounds overweight. Easy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He was sitting on an exercise ball doing exercises under a trainer's watchful eye.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>And he was sweating. Hard.</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I could tell by the trainer's instructions this man was new to working out, possibly the first time he ever set foot in a gym. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">His movements were stilted and jerky. His breath was labored.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But here's the key: </span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He made up his mind. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He ignored the hockey players. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He asked for help.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></u></i>
<i><u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And he started!</span></u></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<h4>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>I don't know how to start!</i></span></span></h4>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I often advise people to just Start by Starting.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Somebody told me recently they don't know </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">what...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">...or how...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">......or where... </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">they are supposed to </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">start.</span></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I paused. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And smiled. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And this is the story I told her: </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: lime;">Just start.</span></span></h4>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Many years ago our family construction company won a contract to build a courthouse. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It was by far the biggest project our company had undertaken at that time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And we were nervous.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The project was just starting, and our foreman was staring at the mountain of drawings. He later told me he was paralyzed at the sight.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In that moment he heard a concrete truck, backup signal beeping. He poked his head out of the office window and yelled: "what are we pouring?"</span></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"South stairs", the answer echoed back.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He opened the drawings and saw a plug in those stairs. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He collected his materials.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He calmly walked across the site.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He installed one box for one plug.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">With that simple action the project was started. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrklSynhsmILOYyLruxssExCG6fMnk-F0zMPVxs0Ha9vukM8mrUCEaxWOCBmrATrFqOc3DMvwu6dWsHB2Vx3P8MoMmeNaU-QxYGyq-19mytfNWShG84MZC4mcE_sviC0M4WCkzKiFsf0/s1600/Stairwell.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrklSynhsmILOYyLruxssExCG6fMnk-F0zMPVxs0Ha9vukM8mrUCEaxWOCBmrATrFqOc3DMvwu6dWsHB2Vx3P8MoMmeNaU-QxYGyq-19mytfNWShG84MZC4mcE_sviC0M4WCkzKiFsf0/s1600/Stairwell.jpeg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: lime; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can't climb a mountain in one step.</span></span></h4>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As he retold the story years later our foreman described how he tried to build the whole building in his head, tried to eat the whole elephant in one bite. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And it caused him to choke. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But that first step... </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">to install that first box...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">broke his paralysis...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">propelled him into action...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and put him on the path to climb the mountain. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Start by starting. </span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: lime; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now you.</span></span></h4>
<span style="font-size: large;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
What have you have been putting off? </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What is haunting you or daunting you? </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What is your first step to start?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Dial their number.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Draw the first sketch. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Type an opening paragraph.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Approach that person.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Send out your resume.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The first step is always the worst step.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>But no one ever won a race they didn't enter.</i> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>I may start in the wrong place!</i></span></span></h4>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It sounds crazy but it doesn't matter <i><u>where</u></i> you start! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It only matters <i><u>that</u></i> you start. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's possible - even likely - you will start off in the wrong direction. But the sooner you start the more time you will have to adjust your sails. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And the sooner you will be celebrating at the finish line.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: lime; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just....start.</span></span></h4>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm going to the gym. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Maybe that old guy will be there.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946745035058296450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523480878975199689.post-42477724353525149622013-10-05T12:18:00.000-07:002014-03-31T08:24:08.004-07:00Nothing is a Substitute for Hard Work. Nothing.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></i></h3>
<div>
<i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></i></div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: lime; font-weight: normal;">"I will never work as hard as you do."</span></i></h3>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiB1tJDMRUS3s3jKyBgK09Svy28BAG9mo7RIwlM-abDf8y0fO7nJ90pBGF72rrQUC0xuI5S13IUZj-a4ihSLnJ1jhUA0CODqfoP5o0KLY9ypLh0gcX07vDFVXp3SVbUE9YX9LB2FVlMYw/s1600/Asleep+at+desk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiB1tJDMRUS3s3jKyBgK09Svy28BAG9mo7RIwlM-abDf8y0fO7nJ90pBGF72rrQUC0xuI5S13IUZj-a4ihSLnJ1jhUA0CODqfoP5o0KLY9ypLh0gcX07vDFVXp3SVbUE9YX9LB2FVlMYw/s1600/Asleep+at+desk.jpg" height="235" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That was me </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">25 years ago.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Talking to my father. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My <i><u>successful</u></i> father.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He shook his head and sighed knowingly.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: left;">Amazing how time provides perspective.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: orange;">It's not about Working Harder....</span></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There is a lot written these days about how we don't need to work harder. Instead we need to......</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">...work smarter</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">...work faster</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">...work independently</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">...work collaboratively</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">...network more </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">...listen more</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">...walk more</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">...dream more</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">...nap more</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">...cultivate our social media channels</span></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">...ignore the social media time-sucks....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But whatever the opinion of the moment, the general consensus is that working harder is <u>not</u> the solution.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is TOTALLY about Working Harder!</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You want the truth?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">They are right when they say working harder is not the <i>solution</i>. What they should be saying is working harder is the <i>gatekeeper</i> to the solution. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Put another way, if all the current opinions on how to work smarter are <i>accelerators</i> in the race to success, then hard work is the <i><u>registrar</u></i> to the race. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And nobody gets to run if they don't sign up.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A Story</span></h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Years ago my wife and I bought the family business. It was a good business in a market with slim margins and tough competition. We made money by being honest, tough, fair and shrewd. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And by working hard.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And then came 2007</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We were invited to bid on a large contract outside of our niche. It came at a time when we needed work. But it came with some....<i>wrinkles</i>. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Although riskier than we liked, the opportunity lined up with our long-term strategy. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We went through our decision-making process with more rigor than usual. And when I was satisfied we had assessed all the risks I signed off on it.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My kingdom for a do-over. </span></span></h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The project went straight into the tank.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I had made one wrong decision and almost bankrupted the company in the process.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The next twelve months were spent working day and night trying to keep the ship afloat. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Overhead was slashed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I paid myself a fraction of what my employees took home. E</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">very spare dollar went back into the business. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: orange;">Sometimes there is no Substitute</span></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The year was a blur.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Many nights I slept in the boardroom on a row of chairs. I sacrificed everything: family, friends, sleep, health....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It was the only way to survive. But we did....just barely.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hard Work is Inevitable</span></h3>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On the path to success hard work is inevitable. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hard work is necessary. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hard work is good. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Hard work is what makes success taste so sweet. </i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let's face it: for every Tim Ferris working a 4-hour week, there are millions of people grinding their asses off to fight their way to success. Your chances of succeeding without working hard are smaller than winning the lottery.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: lime; font-weight: normal;">"I will never work as hard as you do."</span></i></h3>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I recently reminded my dad about what I had said 25 years ago. He looked at me and laughed. Then he said this:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>"How'd that work for you? You ended up working a lot harder than I ever did." </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And he gave me a hug. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: orange;">Luck favors the prepared, darling.</span></span></h3>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sign up for the race.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Run.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">With a bit of strategy, and a little luck, you will find your finish line.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But you gotta sign up.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946745035058296450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523480878975199689.post-3582327894365483352013-09-04T10:14:00.001-07:002014-03-31T09:43:45.623-07:00The way to a Customer's Heart....is through a Customer's Heart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Airport is Emotional</span></h3>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjkWMKvxzxw1niNF82SJj_lTahVyKGvzMzwQ8Hz5WGuZFz4Se4f1jTNHCvovRoMocaxu5Z3HCIEo5gMj6UwhDhb7fXO26q4OX86j2jiaowmYp9ibXhd457slaEUyzFBdr5EVr3JKIQNU/s1600/chicago+airport.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjkWMKvxzxw1niNF82SJj_lTahVyKGvzMzwQ8Hz5WGuZFz4Se4f1jTNHCvovRoMocaxu5Z3HCIEo5gMj6UwhDhb7fXO26q4OX86j2jiaowmYp9ibXhd457slaEUyzFBdr5EVr3JKIQNU/s1600/chicago+airport.jpg" height="216" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The airport creates emotions. Doesn't it seem like everyone at the airport is in some heightened emotional state?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's inevitable really:</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Parents dropping kids off for college...</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Wife picking up her husband from a sales trip...</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Kids heading out to backpack across Europe...</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Families relocating for a new job...</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you have travelled then you know the emotions evoked by these situations. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The airport is emotional.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was the airport today.</span></h3>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was watching a traveller.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">She was by herself.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well dressed, composed, hesitant, middle aged.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Two large suitcases.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">She was in a heightened emotional state.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As she approached the check-in line a </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">WestJet </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">attendant asked her if she would like to try the self-serve kiosk. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She hesitated. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>"I would like to try. But only if somebody could help."</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Her voice was just above a whisper. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The airport was noisy. </span></span></h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The young attendant leaned in to listen. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He smiled warmly, his face softened. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He touched her elbow and</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> gently guided her to a kiosk.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My boy grabbed my elbow, "Daddy, I have to PEE!!"</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Identifying urgent over interesting I walked away with my boy.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Minor Action, Major Impact</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">By the time I got back the traveller was checked in to her flight, her bags tagged, her face relaxed, her body language at ease.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm sure for the WestJet employees this was a minor interaction, just one of a hundred they would have today. For the traveller this was a big deal.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: orange;">Experiences are emotional. </span></span></h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Airports are emotional. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That makes airports fertile ground for experiences.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Experiences are emotional. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Think of any recent experience: the deeper the emotions it evoked in you, the more you experienced it. Either positively or negatively, the more you <i>felt</i> it the more you <i>experienced</i> it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Unemotional impassive events don't register with us; they blend together into a dull tableau and eventually fade into the background of our lives. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But experiences - <i>real experiences </i>- leave us with a taste, a feeling, an indelible imprint on our very beings. They become a part of us.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Way to a Customer's Heart</span></h3>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now what does this have to do with a WestJet attendant assisting a solo traveller? </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When they first engaged she was in a heightened emotional state: nervous, tentative, unsettled. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When they parted she was happy and relaxed. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The attendant offered a mechanical solution to a mechanical problem, but in the process he also gave her resolution to her </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">emotional uncertainty</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Honor the Emotional Crossroads</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This traveller was at an emotional crossroad. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But with a few authentically caring actions, an employee charted her emotional experience of the airport for that day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And likely ensured her next flight would also be on WestJet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You can't fake that stuff.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The way to a customer's heart....</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">is through a customer's heart. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946745035058296450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523480878975199689.post-47429591706105311922013-06-13T04:50:00.000-07:002013-06-14T06:19:14.620-07:00A Line in the Sand or A Line on the Scorecard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbx28FyeWunDTnSTVXFxonGYPRAh0cMUfJQfo5Hc8GHBbLjfhshg-_qSvFrwvdD93zYJZ38kjFkaPeETVQ5EdpqkrpKXYENxkfPH5Nf2KoAtmLzuygqCEIzh-rfjpVyI0R3-oW09xv8HI/s1600/12412184185huoeE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbx28FyeWunDTnSTVXFxonGYPRAh0cMUfJQfo5Hc8GHBbLjfhshg-_qSvFrwvdD93zYJZ38kjFkaPeETVQ5EdpqkrpKXYENxkfPH5Nf2KoAtmLzuygqCEIzh-rfjpVyI0R3-oW09xv8HI/s320/12412184185huoeE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love golfing with my father. Well, more accurately, he golfs while I spend my time trying to find my ball and scanning the horizon for the beer cart.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But for me those hours together have traditionally been a time for me of learning, listening, sharing and laughing. And it is in those moments of unhurried relationship where he has honored me with some of my most cherished life lessons.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He has a peculiar habit, my father, when he is playing poorly. If he happens to string together several holes of less-than-ideal golf, he will announce "it's time to put a line on the scorecard". And immediately upon recording his score for that hole he will draw a heavy pencil line on the card for all to see. The first time I saw him do this my curiosity got the better of me and I asked the reason. "This marks the hole where I bear down, concentrate more, and play better." And it's the craziest thing: more often than not his score starts improving hole over hole.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have tried it more than once, putting a line on the scorecard, but it seldom seems to work for me. Probably because I am truly an awful golfer and the mechanical action of drawing of line doesn't make me hit the ball any straighter. As with all other golf appliances, maybe I need an expensive new pencil?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Despite the fact this little habit doesn't work for me at golf, I believe there are fundamental life lessons to be found in this:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Honesty: Keeping score in golf is very democratic. Everyone announces their own score and the scorekeeper records them. Consequently, golf is rife with cheaters. A five conveniently becomes a four. (Or in my case a nine would become an eight.) In all my years golfing with him though, I have never known Dad to cheat. And as a result his scorecard sometimes ends up with a string of sixes.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Clarity: As a result of his honesty, Dad is able to take an instant and accurate accounting of his game. If he scattered dishonest fives in a row of sixes the self-deceit would undermine the necessity to draw a line. Without honesty, there can be no clarity.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Intensity: Dad means it when he says it is time to bear down. The stare gets a little more focused, the concentration before his swing becomes more purified. It doesn't subtract one whit from the joy and fun we have together; it just means in the moments before his turn to hit, the rest of his world fades to black.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Accountability: Dad always announces when it is time to draw the line. Everyone in his group is aware when he decides to refocus on his game. <span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">Regardless</span> whether his game improves that day, he creates a circle of accountability. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Integrity: S<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">ometimes in golf it just isn't your day. At the end of the game, whether his score improves or not, Dad is the same man. In this he has taught me that golf is a mirror of life: successes and failures should not define who we are, wins and losses should not affect our character. </span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">People commonly talk about drawing a line in the sand. The problem with drawing in the sand is how quickly the line can be blurred or disappear under the external forces of wind, water, and footprints (sometimes our own). Dad's line on the scorecard is a permanent record for all to see. I remember having lunch with him after a particular round, and laughing because his scorecard that day had TWO lines. And his score that day was as lousy on the last hole as it was on the first. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Honesty bred clarity. Clarity allowed him to choose his intensity. The permanance of his lines created accountability. And at the end of an unusually awful round his character was intact. Integrity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Golf is a game of dedication, concentration, execution, and repetition. Guess what: so is life.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946745035058296450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523480878975199689.post-19348754091871603442013-05-20T09:00:00.002-07:002013-12-18T09:04:17.451-08:00Rest: the real Killer App<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg50Qlr89rzjmPChAQbnrGYvrX57wHhwuJf4Kl9pdRrV2ZY4hFhVnpv2p_dJwTMNCpi0uPjZ52gV3bbwaDlqVutuuIM6uc6CKdDekNe_Ijw1b49HM-47cnx9PVkd89tdWcmNdoXQ_qq_SY/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg50Qlr89rzjmPChAQbnrGYvrX57wHhwuJf4Kl9pdRrV2ZY4hFhVnpv2p_dJwTMNCpi0uPjZ52gV3bbwaDlqVutuuIM6uc6CKdDekNe_Ijw1b49HM-47cnx9PVkd89tdWcmNdoXQ_qq_SY/s200/images.jpg" height="151" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I just took my first week off in two years, and the first vacation with my wife and children in three years. Guess what: it was glorious. I purposefully dedicated a mere 20 minutes a day to email, and locked my cell phone in the room safe. We played and rested and laughed and ate and drank. And shared the whole experience with the joy of a family who loves being together. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And through the whole week one question floated through my mind like the lazy Caribbean clouds overhead: "Why didn't I do this sooner?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the last few years, and particularly the last six months, I have been pushed harder and stretched farther than any other time in my professional life. And my response, predictably, was to strap myself in and push back even harder. I saw the red flags. I heard the warnings of others. I felt the wear-and-tear physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. But predictably I believed I was immune to the effects of pressure and stress. Or at least that I would withstand them without any slippage in my performance. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What a donkey I am.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Theory is a wonderful thing. It costs us nothing to claim to believe in a theory.....right up until we disprove our own claims by disregarding the very theories we espouse.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I believe - or at least claim to - in the theory of Activity and Rest being the two interdependent sides of a coin called Productive Living. No one can live on the side of Activity to the exclusion of Rest for very long without experiencing fatigue, slippage, and ultimately failure. And I preached this to the people around me, insisting they take time to rest and recharge at various points of the journey. After all, I claimed, how can you climb the upcoming hill if your legs are spent? Don't worry, I insisted, I will carry your load for a while so you can recharge.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Physician, heal thyself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What is it about leadership that we inherently believe we are immune to the same effects of those we lead? Are we so arrogant we believe we can disregard the amplification of these self-same effects on leaders as we shoulder the responsibility of leadership? I can feel now how I have robbed myself, and those who depend on me, by refusing to rest along the way. I am not yet fully recovered from the effects of the last several months; the shaking has not yet fully stopped. And right now my wife is inside putting the final touches on another vacation for later this summer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I may be a slow learner. But my wife will make sure I learn this lesson well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Don't cheat yourself and those who depend on you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Recharge.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Re-engage.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Repeat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For leaders rest really is a killer app.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946745035058296450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523480878975199689.post-41888627015015960592013-05-04T04:24:00.000-07:002014-05-13T16:29:56.882-07:00Sometimes it just sucks....But it won't always be like This<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: lime;">This is a post of celebration and gratitude.</span></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">For my emotional dawn is breaking.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Iyn2uYv0DeH5lIjg1Ah091ZA4Yeok4Pu3Kd4esgcplNT3rrQPKBl35-PZ6h5lTW1bLOHuM7bTE9tAAV-8KfdmI21NWNOqmRnCxBkr8Dkj7axxWEm8u1qB8UvuAn-CC27sl99r5IwJi4/s1600/0618_MET_Marathon_day_t640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Iyn2uYv0DeH5lIjg1Ah091ZA4Yeok4Pu3Kd4esgcplNT3rrQPKBl35-PZ6h5lTW1bLOHuM7bTE9tAAV-8KfdmI21NWNOqmRnCxBkr8Dkj7axxWEm8u1qB8UvuAn-CC27sl99r5IwJi4/s1600/0618_MET_Marathon_day_t640.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">After months in the dark I can finally feel myself starting to rise out of a period of blackness that took me to places lower than I had ever been before.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And now as life blossoms anew around me, I can feel life beginning to blossom once more within me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What a feeling of rebirth, of relief, of delight. And what a long, strange trip it has been.</span></div>
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<span style="color: red;">Three years ago... </span></span></h4>
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I was given the incredible opportunity and responsibility to lead a major contract as a part of the construction of one of the pre-eminent forensic crime labs in North America. </div>
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The process, the journey, has taken me to the very edge of myself. I was pushed to my professional and personal limits....and then beyond those limits and anything I had previously thought possible for myself.</div>
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<span style="color: red;">I was afraid. </span></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have never been afraid before, not like this. There was something extremely vulnerable and transparent about being at the edge of myself. People near me saw my fear. They saw my anguish...despite all my best efforts to hide it. </span></div>
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I learned I can't be proud and broken at the same time. </div>
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<span style="color: lime;">I learned no matter how alone I felt, I wasn't.</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So this is also a post of on-my-knees, tears-in-my-eyes gratitude to the people who have loved on me, cared for me, prayed for me, and waited patiently for me as this journey wound us around some incredible heights and through some treacherous valleys. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">More amazing still than reaching the finish line of my personal marathon was finding this team of beautiful individuals waiting there with blankets and water to nourish me, cigars and champagne to celebrate with me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: lime;">You can't climb mountains by yourself.</span></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Through this whole adventure one of my greatest lessons has been this: you can't climb mountains by yourself. You need a support team whom you can trust implicitly. </span></div>
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<ul>
<li>Who will never give up on you. </li>
<li>Who will love you the way you need to be loved </li>
<li>Who quietly stand beside you when you feel all alone. </li>
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And you will need to trust them when they tell you the truths you can't (or don't want to) see for yourself. </div>
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For we are made to live in community. <i>If you want to go fast go alone; if you want to go far you will need a team.</i></div>
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<span style="color: lime; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Winter is over. Spring is come.</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am sitting on my porch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The magnolia tree in front of me is in full bloom. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The breeze is cool and fresh.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The sun is warm and life-giving.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My journey is coming to an end.</span></div>
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<span style="color: red;">Your journey may just be beginning.</span></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Or maybe you are in a place that just plain sucks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here are my encouragements to you:</span></div>
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</span></div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Know you are capable of more than you think you are. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There is room to grow between your perceived limits and The Limit. That space in between is where your true greatness lives.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Find your team. There are people who love and believe in you, and you do a disservice to both them and yourself if you withhold the opportunity for them to actively love you through your journey.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It won't always be like this. Keep moving forward. Lean into the headwinds. Remember, every step forward is a step closer to the finish line.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And from my finish line I am cheering for you.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If my story reminds you of your path, please contact me. I would be honored to connect with you and talk about your story with you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Right now I'm just happy to be back among the living.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Your friend,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Tim</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946745035058296450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523480878975199689.post-47371886763172599322012-12-22T19:30:00.000-08:002013-12-09T09:02:59.266-08:00Faith and Fear<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlo7eRE3EbU4qg2jN8GVM3Fld6OAsgWCTj9sK2s4JN-qCLJvPpADdTIlMBvYqoyLwKlRtZmG22Jf7TK3cOq2QV1DaM55KpHXEwvmH20AEAzUKbcYDUFraUFKeJqPfZQec9lDC1xGTpuEY/s1600/spain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlo7eRE3EbU4qg2jN8GVM3Fld6OAsgWCTj9sK2s4JN-qCLJvPpADdTIlMBvYqoyLwKlRtZmG22Jf7TK3cOq2QV1DaM55KpHXEwvmH20AEAzUKbcYDUFraUFKeJqPfZQec9lDC1xGTpuEY/s200/spain.jpg" height="149" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was standing in line at the butcher this morning, waiting to pick up our Christmas turkey, when I overheard this:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wife: So Helen is thinking about going to Spain in the new year. She wants to see historic Europe. The only thing holding her back is that she is afraid of being converted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Husband: What?!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wife: In her words "I fear for the eternal condition of my soul." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Husband: <i>What?!?!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wife: She is afraid she is going to be converted from her faith. She told me "Maybe if I don't go into any churches or talk to any priests then I can't be converted." Apparently she thinks you can catch religion like a virus. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I concealed a laugh behind a cough.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But the more I thought about this story the sadder it made me. Poor Helen is shackled by a tragic condition: she believes </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>in</u> </i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">her convictions, but she is not convicted </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>by</u> </i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">her beliefs. She knows where her faith lies, but she doesn't know whether her faith can stand. Helen is prepared to skip one of the most beautiful countries in the world out of fear that a man-of-faith might play three-card-Monty with her beliefs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wonder how many of us struggle with this very fear condition: whether in the leaders we follow, the organizations we join, the teams we lead, or the life choices we make. Is our faith, belief, fortitude strong enough to carry us through the inevitable valleys? Or do our emotional knees buckle under load, leaving us lying face-down in the muck of life?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love working with new entrepreneurs as they start their journey into the world of business ownership. One of the most wonderful attributes of all new entrepreneurs is their self-confidence, that innate self-belief telling them while 90% of new businesses fail </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">they </i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">will be in the majestically successful 10%. And they must believe, for without that abiding faith in themselves as the exception to the rule there would be no entrepreneurs at all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And so it is with this courage and strength and fortitude they take that bold first step.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It doesn't take long - it never does - before the unwavering self-confidence starts to flag. The first month revenues come in at half of the most conservative projection, the expenses come in at twice. Their contractor suddenly finds asbestos (or a cracked boiler, or structural damage) and the renovation costs end up grossly overrunning the budget. And their printer just misspelled the street name on all of their marketing materials, sending all potential traffic to the other side of town.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Right about here is where the questions start: do I believe in what I'm doing? Is my belief in this vision enough to see me through? Do I believe in this more than I'm afraid of failing?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fear sets in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Please understand, this is a reasonable fear. This is a healthy fear. If properly understood and channelled this can even be a motivating fear. But if left unchecked it can become a paralyzing fear, preventing you from seeing the beautiful sights of Spain. The choice is yours. The question is how will you respond to this fear?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fear and doubt are not optional. It is the ability to fully see and accept them, and then manage them, that affects the outcome.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unbridled optimism to the exclusion of pragmatic fear leads to disillusionment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unchecked fear to the exclusion of courageous optimism leads to paralysis. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Understand your faith, understand your fears. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Leverage both emotions to maximize your chances for success. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Helen will never know how strong and abiding her faith may be unless, and until, she is willing to test it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's ok to be afraid. It's not ok to be too afraid.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946745035058296450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8523480878975199689.post-76412652635682146422012-10-08T12:35:00.003-07:002014-02-15T14:56:25.303-08:00To make your business more profitable find a mentor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Every entrepreneur I have ever met has a shared goal: to be more profitable. </div>
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<span style="color: lime;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;"><i>Being an entrepreneur is difficult.</i> </span></div>
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You work 80 hours a week to try and get an edge.</div>
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You wake up in the middle of the night worrying about next week's production run.</div>
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...or tomorrow's delivery schedule.</div>
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......or this week's payroll.</div>
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And if not any of those then you wake up worrying that you must be forgetting something.....</div>
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<span style="color: lime;"><br /></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: orange;">Being an entrepreneur means you are</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: orange;"> supposed to have all the answers.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: orange;">You're it. </span></i></div>
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Being an entrepreneur means you have to be good at your thing, <i>the</i> thing that made you want to go into business in the first place.</div>
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AND you have to be good at the "art of business".</div>
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<i><span style="color: lime;">The Art of Business</span></i></div>
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So many people find focusing on the business side to be soul-sucking! Any of these sound familiar to you:</div>
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<ul>
<li>it's not what I love to do</li>
<li>it feels unnatural</li>
<li>it's not what I'm good at </li>
<li>it feels like work</li>
<li>if I'm not focusing on my product my business will suffer</li>
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<i><span style="color: orange;">I shared a meal... </span></i></div>
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<i>...with a professional</i> whose mind and spirit I admire. The conversation flowed through dinner until he suddenly turned to me after the dessert course and asked </div>
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<span style="color: orange;"><i>"What do you do? I mean, I know what you do for a living but what is it you <u>do</u>??"</i></span></div>
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I was a bit taken aback, but responded by describing my role as a business mentor and leadership coach. </div>
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<i><span style="color: lime;">Why a mentor?</span></i></div>
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I explained how I work with entrepreneurs to help: </div>
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<ul>
<li>expose existing blind spots</li>
<li>develop strategies </li>
<li>devise tactical plans</li>
</ul>
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<i><span style="color: lime;">Discretionary purchase?</span></i></div>
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Without hesitation my professional friend responded that I must only be busy during economic booms, <i>since my work was an extreme example of a "discretionary purchase". </i></div>
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He rolled his eyes, got up, and walked away.</div>
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I sighed and shook my head. And laughed.</div>
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<span style="color: lime;"><i>A good mentor has an ROI </i></span></div>
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Here's the thing:</div>
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A good mentor should save an entrepreneur far more than he costs. </div>
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A great mentor should raise an entrepreneur's level of profitability significantly faster than the entrepreneur could ever do alone. </div>
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<i><span style="color: lime;">What makes a mentor? </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A mentor is a mentor by virtue of two factors: </span></div>
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<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">he has already paid the </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stupid Tax</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> himself, </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">he is willing & able to save others from doing the same.</span></li>
</ol>
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<i><span style="color: lime;">The Stupid Tax</span></i></div>
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The Stupid Tax is very simply the time, energy, effort, and money we expend because:</div>
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<i>we just didn't know any better! </i></div>
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It is the real cost of mistakes that we never would have made if we only knew then what we know now.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8FEimFrdhllGqQlZjQRoW0SN0983nRCo6BXbY1ynV6zxIv5JILiz3nNSO6HWzA-5f_1Rz9H9UYa3X4FtgbyCaKt1xyafEMmSGBP3DxXruY_XwZMR9X3u9EfbxGu8EmlTcabr9iBhhyWo/s1600/taxes.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8FEimFrdhllGqQlZjQRoW0SN0983nRCo6BXbY1ynV6zxIv5JILiz3nNSO6HWzA-5f_1Rz9H9UYa3X4FtgbyCaKt1xyafEMmSGBP3DxXruY_XwZMR9X3u9EfbxGu8EmlTcabr9iBhhyWo/s1600/taxes.jpeg" height="240" width="400" /></a></div>
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I have paid the Stupid Tax many, many times myself. <i>And to this day the lessons I learned best are the ones that cost me the most.</i></div>
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<i><span style="color: lime;">The <u>ONE GOOD THING</u> about the Stupid Tax</span></i></div>
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The Stupid Tax has one redeeming quality: you get to keep the receipts!</div>
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And THIS is one of the core reasons to find a mentor: you get to read their receipts. Suddenly the cost of the mentor is pennies against dollars. </div>
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Not so much of a discretionary purchase anymore....</div>
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<span style="color: orange;"><i>Getting back to my friend</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: orange;">I sighed</span></i> because my friend drew his conclusions about me, and others like me, without asking a single question.</div>
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<i><span style="color: orange;">I shook my head</span></i> because it was evident that he had never thought about the amount of Stupid Tax he pays. </div>
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<i><span style="color: orange;">I laughed</span></i> because the receipts in my pocket would have been very helpful to him. </div>
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<i><span style="color: lime;">Ignore at your own Risk</span></i></div>
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That's the thing about Stupid Tax receipts: <i>a person can only read them at their own discretion.</i></div>
</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07946745035058296450noreply@blogger.com0