Category Archives: basics

5 New-World Tools

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Here are some very basic thoughts on for working, networking, living and leading in the world today. These are not comprehensive and they may not even be the top 5 so add some ideas of your own to the comments section. I feel silly even writing about these things but every week I run into leaders who are violating at least 2 of these 5 items.

Cell # – Keep the one you have. Don’t use the one your company gives you (unless you have to). DON’T ever change your number (unless your area code is North Dakota, then travel some place cool and get set-up there). Invariably you will change jobs, locations, etc… most people hate trying to track you down. Worst yet, they won’t.

Personalized Email – Similar to your cell, don’t make changes that keep the right and important people from finding you. Unless your employer requires you to use their email address, create your own. Get one at Gmail or .ME or get your own domain. I use 2. I for people and a different one for filling out forms and other crap on & off-line.

Google Docs – This is my preferred collaboration tool, others like Basecamp. The principle here is simple. Learn how to effectively collaborate and use current tools that allow you to do this effectively with others. If you haven’t spent time doing anything other than goofing off on the internet, start learning NOW how to use the amazing free work tools found online.

Network Tools – Sure, Facebook is good, but be sure to constantly be developing your own network of indispensable relationships, contacts, phone numbers and emails. This truth is as old as society.

Work from Anywhere – Train yourself to effectively be able to work from anywhere. Create your own personal spaces & virtual offices. IF you have to be ‘at your office’ to get your job done you won’t last long in the new world of work. By your own laptop. Keep your own files. Create your own securities and back-up systems. Make sure that everything essential to high performance is available to you online. Take reimbursements if they are available from your company for things like your cell or computer or licenses, but don’t let anyone else own your new office.

Teach that Kid

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Can a kid be RESPONSIBLE at 6 years old? Just the fleeting vision or foggy nightmare of one of my sons slumming on a couch, jobless, eating potato chips while scratching themselves and playing video games into their late 20′s is enough to push me past all of my paranoia’s about making them grow up too fast. Currently, I am trying to teach the concept of responsibility to my 6 year old. Writing that makes me sound and sort of feel like an ogre. However, I strive for my sons to be a benefit to society and a rock to their families as “men”.

The tricky question though is, “HOW do you teach responsibility to a 6 yr. old?” Is it the ‘more is caught than taught’ theory? Is it what I show them with my life or is it what I teach him through assignments? Should I assign easy to complete tasks? How much should I remind him of his new duties? Can ‘struggle’ be an effective teacher? Or should I go with a reward system? What happens when he “forgets”? Should there be consequences for that? He will of course certainly forget… he is 6 after all. And we all forget something every once in a while, but if it is truly responsibility that I am seeking then it is his responsibility to remember.

Here is an even trickier question, “HOW do you teach responsibility to a 20-something?” Some argue that if they don’t get it by now than it is too late. Can you coach responsibility? Challenge it? Manipulate a system to produce it? Does it come from within? Will you know quickly when someone does not possess it? Will responsibility magically manifest itself in an individual over time?

Responsibility is a state of mind, a core value, a life principle. For some it seems to come in degrees or shows up only in certain areas. Some people do not seem to equally apply responsibility in all areas of their lives. This much I do know, when you have someone who understands and lives responsibility in full measure, do your best to keep them on your team and in your company.

What your boss wants

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Ever wonder what your boss really wants? Here are important practices & attributes for young leaders:

- know your responsibilities well and be responsible.
- maintain a positive attitude
- educate yourself; keep growing
- deliver a strong performance in the areas that you are responsible for (4 or 5 out of 5 stars)
- don’t ever let him/her be caught off guard
- communicate effectively & clearly
- be honest
- admit mistakes
- stay focused on the goals
- don’t get caught up in politics
- give great input but avoid dominating conversation as a jr. contributor
- follow through on commitments
- avoid wasting time on meaningless items
- enjoy life inside work and outside of work
- be interesting

The Separator

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Tolerance for pain is THE separator. It’s twin sister might be dedication. You do not make it to the top without many repeated, gut wrenching, teeth clenching, short of breadth experiences. Not in athletics, not in leadership, not in life.

When you experience pain, it is only by pushing through that it will lead to results. Going back for a second helping of more will solidify your successes.  Backing off will lead to average. As we all familiar, the mental challenge is often more excruciating than the pain itself. Each time leading up to ‘game day’ there are decisions to be made. You question your ability to endure. Easing up seems better in the moment. You think to yourself “anything else must certainly be better than this pain I am experiencing right now”.

Pain places a challenge against your basic nature. It challenges your desire to ‘win’. It challenges your very identity. So, when you really want something, how will you work through it?

As a technique for survival I have learned to focus my mind in another place to loose recognition of the pain. Here are a few tricks & topics I use as I press on:
- Pay close attention to form, execution, details & performance.
- Focus on a dream goal and how to get closer to it.
- Work out steps to solving a complicated problem.
- Get angry, put the energy towards positive gains.
- Look ahead to the win or great performance.
- Dwell on the details of a great experience or fond memory.

The J O B

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1 close friend just landed a GREAT job. However, more than 1 of my friends have lost great jobs in the last year. The space between landing a great job and losing a great job is ‘working at the job’.

For my friend who just landed a job, I hope that he can retain and remember his current state of euphoria, gratitude and motivation to be a great asset to his his new team. Because, when you are jobless, you work your ass off to find a great job. If you get desperate, you will take a solid job. If things get really bad, however, you will take just about any job . This is assumes, of course, you are a responsible, able-bodied and breathing person.

Far too many people slip into ‘working the J O B’. I suspect that most employees don’t even last 30 days before their enthusiasm for their new gainful employment is lost and then everything starts slipping into routine. Work like you own the company. Live with purpose. Do what you love. Say thanks to the men and women who are able to cut the paychecks you take home. Enjoy the life you have… start doing it right now.

1 Life, 3 Words, 6 Steps

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Overwhelmed and stressed out by all of the crap that keeps stacking up?

Try this —> I give you my “Money Back Guarantee” on the start of a kick-ass, productive work life! It is centered around those 3 words that sometimes rule our lives “NEED TO DO”. You are about to experience one of the best investments of 30 minutes of your work week.

step 1 – BE ALONE; singular, by yourself, only 1. Tune everything out. Turn off your computer & your phone – close your door – be alone & free from distraction.

step 2 – GET 2 ITEMS, a piece of paper & a pencil. We are going old school.

step 3 - Write down everything you NEED TO DO (the key 3 words) – include everything that comes into your head or that is stressing you out.

step 4 - Write “Today”, “This Week”, “Next Week”, or “Future” (1, 2, 3, or 4) next to every item for priority indicators

step 5 – Select 5 or fewer TODAY ITEMS; be VERY realistic erring on the side of conservative.

step 6 – Take 6 DEEP BREATHS; enjoy your life and the moment

NOW you can go get started. Work really hard. Eliminate distractions, time killers and losers. Quite no later than 5pm. Have a nice beverage. Enjoy your family.

Monday Starts Focused

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Emails are stacked up and always coming in. Twitter & Facebook always have a fresh round of mindless dribble being spooned out by someone. CNN, FOX, and ESPN can easily keep you bouncing around to the latest articles & must read material. Plus, you haven’t even played a game, filled out a quiz, researched the deal of the day or caught up on the happenings of everyone’s weekend.

TURN IT ALL OFF if you wanna get somewhere with your life goals.

You have at least 5 or more tools to organize yourself for the week but you never quite gets there because of all of the distractions that keep popping up on my computer.

Start the week out with a bang. Take the first 30 minutes to outline your MUST DO LIST FOR TODAY and your GOALS FOR THE WEEK. Don’t even think about cruising the internet right now. And don’t check email until after 11am.

Get and stay focused.

2 Degrees

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2 degrees can make a huge difference in your performance. I speak from experience as I have been training in Seattle this winter. The first triathlon on the schedule for the season comes in late March. This equates to running and biking outside NOW, because, of course, the miles have to be put in. Having lived in AZ for 20 years, I never thought I would be able to mark an important difference between 48 and 50 degrees.

I can now say with experience that those 2 degrees can make a HUGE difference in performance. It can be the difference between staying indoors and getting out there putting in those much needed base miles.  It can be the difference between getting by and excelling. Ultimately it can lead to the difference between success and failure.

The more I thought about it on my last 48 degree training ride, 2 degrees can have a HUGE impact in leadership too. It represents a small but important gap between yourself and everyone else.
- attitude
- budget margin
- risk allowance
- wisdom
- education & information
- motivation

Often times we are inclined to think that gap between the uber-successful and ourselves is tremendous, when in all reality it is almost always a matter of 2 degrees. The challenge, identify areas in your preparation and in your leadership to improve the conditions by just 2 degrees. Ultimately, the small improvements in key areas will lead to more wins.

[I wrote this for www.SummerTreks.com - I look forward to seeing their venture take off.]

Grad School Alternatives

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Here are my alternatives to graduate school for those who are thinking about going BUT have no idea about how it will get you forward towards actual life goals.

1. Go get an internship in the field in which you think you want to work —- you can do this for 5 hours every week volunteering. EVERY INDUSTRY takes free labor. You just have to seek out the right person. Be committed. Do it for  a minimum of 3 months.

2. Start reading the best books in your new field and listening to lectures online. Buy the books used or go to the library. Audit classes at your largest & nearest university. Just sit in and see how long it takes to get kicked out. OR just show up the first day of every class in the degree program and get the course syllabuses. Here is one excellent example.

3. Find a mentor; pick someone who is doing GREAT at the job you want to do. Buy them lunch or coffee EVERY TIME you can. Mow their lawn if you have to. Ask them for direction and insights.

4. Take an entry level job and work your way up. This can still be done and happens all of the time for people who are motivated. At the very least it gets you closer to finding a mentor and gives you an up close view of what you think you want to do but aren’t very sure about. Plus you are getting paid rather than acquiring bills.

5. Create your own opportunity. The hardest path possibly, but well worth the sweat and probably a better use of your dollars. If you are going to spend $60k-ish on school, why not invest that capital in your very own brand new endeavor. Build the thing that you want to do from the ground up. Do it on the side after you have done steps 1-4. Take the leap when momentum gets going. Get a loan if necessary. At least you have a better upside possibility.

Want to be mentored? -part 3

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In search of self improvement or a desire to move forward professionally, young people land on the idea that they need a mentor. However, wanting a mentor or teacher is a whole lot easier than the process of being mentored. Here are a few quick things to consider on the subject:

[part 3]
Practice the advice that they give – Now, here is the rub. – Nothing up to this point matters if you don’t TRY THE PRACTICAL ADVICE that this person gives you. You might as well go talk to a therapist if you just need someone to talk to and are interested in hearing back some reflections. In fact, I will go so far as to say that you don’t need to meet a second time until you have practiced and tried some of the practical advice from your first meeting with them. Here is a  test of whether you have found a good mentor = they will give you some pratical things that you can implement into your life. Nice people are great, but far too many people operate in the land of ideas. You want someone who will practically help shape your life in the most important areas. When you find this person and the challenge you to do something, for goodness sake and the sake of their sanity, DO IT!

Invite feedback - You can practice this without mentors + this is a sure fire way to get what you really need to hear. Don’t just simple ask, “how am I doing?” but ask more detailed questions about specific performance related areas of your life. Let trusted people know that you want to grow, how your trying to grow, that their critique is welcome, and then don’t get defensive when it comes. For your mentor, invite them to ask follow up questions about the advice that they have given you (hopefully you have earnestly put it into action). Ask them follow up questions that get you more specific data on the areas where you know you need to grow. But, DON’T, DON’T, DON’T get defensive! You don’t need to win a mentor over because they are already on your side. So, when the feedback comes, listen, take notes, and then go at it again.

Pay for lunch, but nothing else - Professional coaches are helpful, but they’re also motivated by the money that you are sending their way. You know you have found your mentor (we will look at “qualities of a mentor” at some other time) when they are motivated by helping you grow – period. However, practice the old axiom, who ever has the agenda for the meeting ought to be the one buying the breakfast, coffee or lunch – so in this case, that means YOU!