Winning In a Down Economy

In a time of great change, there is great opportunity. When there are changes in companies, jobs, business models and economic reality as we know it, there is always a redefinition of what the new rules will be.  Those who play to the emerging rules become beneficiaries of opportunity.

When we are coasting in business and life, we get lax.  We take things for granted.  When things are status quo, you are on cruise control.  As a customer, you like the goods and services you have become accustomed to.  You have that favorite restaurant or drink at Starbucks you buy without thought.

When hard times hit - loss in revenue or loss in job, you start shopping at cheaper places and looking for deals.  So does everyone else.  A higher level of discretion and scrutiny has entered your psyche.  You move with the ebb and flow of your situation. Read more

Modern Day Settlers

My kids are learning about courage, resourcefulness and taking risk. Our goal as parents is to raise leaders who pursue the passion of their hearts. We are a family of voracious readers. It has been fun talking about Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House On The Prairie series. They get to hear the account of a family on the American frontier who are not guaranteed anything but the freedom to make their own life.

There is part of the book On the Banks of Plum Creek which had us on an emotional roller coaster. Pa has a goal in mind. He is doing what every caring father does – thinking about providing for his family. In the beginning of the story, they live in a dugout in the side of a hill, but he wants to build a home for his family alongside a creek in Minnesota.

Pa starts to think through how to get to his goal. He barters in town for wood and takes risk to go after what he wants. He decides to plant a field full of wheat. From the harvest, he will pay his debts. So he takes loans against his field and crops. He completes his new home complete with oven and luxury glass windows. Read more

Leaders Decide

“There are really only two ways to approach life, as a victim or as a gallant fighter, and you must decide if you want to act or react, deal your own cards or play with a stacked deck. And if you don’t decide which way to play with life, it always plays with you. ” – Merle Shain

How good are you at making decisions? Do you still have the bad habits of a ninth grader? You might recall that typical conversation. Your friends are in a circle. Someone asks, “So what do you want to do?” Blankly staring and compliant, everyone bleats, “I dunno. Whatever.”

Finally, someone asserts themselves. You know, the same person that always does – the leader, “Let’s go see the late show.” Everyone else follows along. Read more

When Business Gets Fun

I love making deals happen. It is extremely invigorating for me. In my experience, I have made some great deals, and I have made some poor ones. At the end of the day, business is about agreements. Whether you are an employee or an owner, you are constantly making agreements.

The times when business becomes painful are because I ignore my gut. I have a propensity to see the possibilities in people, and this can be a fault if I am not careful. No vision of my own will ever be able to help a person want something for themselves. So, I try and stay informed from my gut. It’s usually right. Can I see a person for what they are rather than what they could be? It’s important to stay disciplined. Read more

The First Thing Is Loyalty

Last week I shared what defines a friendship in the truest test of the word. If I could sum it up in one word, it would be LOYALTY. The first thing I look for in a relationship is loyalty. It is the proof of trust. The second thing is … loyalty.

I love the game of business. I guess the biggest reason is because I get to find out if people are for real. Do they believe in what they are pursuing or selling? Do they hold on when adversity hits? Loyalty is a diamond in a rough. As speed has forced higher pressure on all of us, business has become more of a crucible. The urgency to make money, keep a job, keep a customer and make decisions tests our mettle. Read more

3 Tests of A Friendship

I have been thinking about relationships lately and how they work. We all need them. Friendships build us up, sharpen who we are and bring great joy to us. Living in isolation only allows us to go unchecked in our flawed behaviors.

Unfortunately, our society has become increasingly isolated in many ways. While our activity has increased, it has only contributed to distraction rather than focus. It’s a very hard battle. We are pulled by our demands for attention. Yet, the very thing that matters in life is often neglected – people.

Without people, we are not going to get very far in life. I have realized in my own life and business how important friends are. I do not use the term lightly, however. In actuality, we all have only a very few true friends. Here are what friends do: Read more

The Power of Clarity and Purpose

“Those that can express themselves in words that cannot be misunderstood have more power and more value.” - Harry Beckwith

 

Today I fired through about 40 tasks and 120 emails. I had about 50 key decisions to make along with numerous conversations. It is a typical day for me. I do not have the luxury I had ten years ago to go slower. Reality and business has sped up. The cycles I spend deciphering and deciding cost me if I have to weed through ambiguity.

Read more

Passion

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” –Helen Keller

“Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys! Make your life extraordinary.”

–Tom Schulman, Dead Poets Society

“You are the storyteller of your own life, and you can create your own legend or not.”

–Isabel Allende, novelist

Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Lately I’ve been reflecting on my own life. I can say there are times in the busyness of my life that life can go on unexamined. Can you relate? We are always moving fast, driving hard and we can get used to being busy and not finding meaning.

How do you find meaning? It’s likely to be found in the difficulties of life rather than when life is calm. The difficulties of life will allow you to notice certain things that you never paid attention to before. Why? Because they didn’t apply at the time. For example:

• I think of a friend of mine who lost a teenage son. He has a certain compassion for people that he otherwise wouldn’t have without having experienced such a tragedy.
• I think about Peter Barton, who was diagnosed with cancer and said, “I began thinking less about what cancer was doing to me and more about what it was doing for me. And I realized something wonderful. Cancer was giving me the opportunity to live more attentively, more wholly in the moment. It was letting me be as free and as focused on the present.”
• I think of a a friend who has chronic migraines. He finds it easy to be patient with people and doesn’t have an arrogance about his health.

Each one has found meaning through examining their life in the midst of pain and tragedy. Unfortunately finding and living in our passion always comes with a price.

Take a day and just get alone with yourself. Are you caught in the busy trap? Ready to quit chasing some magic success pill? You won’t find it. Examine your life. Find what really matters and live it. That’s passion. Live what you really believe. Watch your business and life grow.

Your Business Clients Reflect You

I like what Keith Ferrazzi’s Never Eat Alone Blog said about the issue of customer relationships. He has a policy consistent with his brand. Never eating alone does not imply having to eat with everyone. At AscendWorks, we have had to make similar decisions to end relationships with clients who we cannot fulfill our core value with: Making a difference. If someone is not wanting advice or help, it is not feasible to make an impact. Furthermore, you can be on the path of resentment, for unsought advice is seldom followed and often resented.

I look at my clients as a reflection of my brand. If I allow high maintenance clients to disrespect me, then I am saying to the world that it is ok to be disrespected. As much as I give respect to a client, I expect it as their business coach. That makes not only for good business but also a business that grows from a congruence with our core values.

Whose Load Is It?

I recently went swimming with my kids in some cold river water beds in Oklahoma. My boys are 5 and 3. They trust daddy. It is funny swimming in a river. The current is deceiving. My boys are learning to swim, but they are not that great. Instead, they get on my back and rely on daddy. It is hard work swimming against the current with a kid on your back.

As I watch people struggle and get outside their comfort zones, they are grabbing for something to help them against the current. Grabbing onto their own abilities is too daring. Instead, they look for the strong, the decisive, the leaders. In leadership, if we are not careful, we could be carrying a lot of adults on our backs. In times of uncertainty people like to push responsibility, adversity and struggle onto others. This is why leaders ultimately win. They not only have the broad shoulders, but they pay the price others will not. They push ahead relying on their ability in uncertainty. They assume responsibility rather than seek to blame.

While others are trying to push their load onto whoever they can find to carry it, stop the weakness and step into leadership. Lead by carrying your own load and assuming responsibility. It gives you entrance into the ranks of leadership.

Next Page »