WINNING THE THOUGHT BATTLE

by Chris Widener

If you have read my articles or heard me speak, you know that I always come down to action. We need to act if we are going to be successful!

Yet, our success starts long before our actions. In fact, our success begins in our thoughts.

The process is that thoughts become actions and actions produce results. So the equation starts with the thoughts. So the key to success is to start with and control the thoughts that we have. Good thoughts become good actions become good results.

But there is this predicament we have as humans. It is this "battle" we have with our thoughts. Thoughts of depression, negative thoughts, thoughts of fear etc constantly creep into our minds and cause us to act in certain ways that are going to produce the antithesis of the kind we want that will produce success.

So what can we do to win the battle with thoughts? Here are a few main points. Apply these immediately and then constantly and you will be on your way to winning the thought battle.

Guard your mind. Pretend that behind that forehead of yours is a very precious thing - your mind - because it is precious. If you had a storehouse of gold in your house, you would hire an armed guard to stand watch and keep all the bad guys out. Yet, many of us let any old ting come into our minds. We need to keep the bad thoughts, the negative thoughts O-U-T! Now when I say this, I mean both the ones that start in our heads and the ones that come from external sources.

Proactively place good thoughts in your head. Just like a garden, where you weed, or pull the bad stuff out, and plant, put the good stuff in, so we do the same thing with our thoughts. Buy tapes and music that will produce good, happy thoughts in your head! Watch TV programs and videos that put good thoughts in your head!

Avoid the naysayers. They are all around you. You work with them, you live near them - some are even in your family! Whatever you do, do not let them affect you with their negative thoughts. Spend as little time as you can with them (unless it is your spouse or kids - then you need counseling!)

Act on the positive thoughts that you do have. When a positive thought comes into your head, act on it! This will begin to produce a "bridge" between what you think and how you act! This will then make that transition even easier as time goes by!

Four key ideas to win the thought battle:

Guard your mind.

Proactively place good thoughts in your head.

Avoid the naysayers.

Act on the positive thoughts that you do have.

Making Good Decisions Better

Inability to make decisions is one of the principal reasons executives fail. Deficiency in decision-making ranks much higher than lack of specific knowledge or technical know-how as an indicator of leadership failure.

Successful people make the right decisions early and manage them daily. In this edition of Leadership Wired, we'll break down those components by exploring the criteria for making solid decisions and by reinforcing the need to properly manage them day by day.

Making Good Decisions

As a leader, multiple decisions swirl around you and each clamors for time and attention. The first step in successful decision-making is to prioritize the many decisions in front of you. Give yourself time to brainstorm and make a list of each decision you presently face. When you have identified an exhaustive list of decisions, take the following steps to separate the big decisions from the minor ones:

Compare Payoff

sk yourself, "Which decisions on your list will produce the highest payoff?" Evaluate each in terms of your investment in time, resources, and energy. On a scale of 1 to 3, rate each item on your list as follows:

1 = Most important

2 = Somewhat important

3 = Least important

Consider Your Goals

Ask yourself, "Which decisions are essential to my goals?" To answer this question, you may need to review your primary job responsibilities and remind yourself of the critical success factors driving your performance. Applying the same 1-to-3 scale, rate each decision based on its relevance to your goals.

Delegate

At this point, every item in your log should have two rankings-one for potential payoff and one for alignment with your goals. Add the numbers together. Highlight all entries totaling 2 or 3. These matters clearly require attention.

Focus on the remaining decisions and ask yourself, "Which of these issues must be handled by me and no one else?" More than likely, you'll determine that many of them can be delegated to others to lighten your load.

Decision Making Traps

Too often, leaders fall into traps causing them to make faulty decisions. They are blind to flaws in their methodology or gaps in their thinking. Here are specific pitfalls that can sabotage your efforts to express yourself wisely and decisively:

Procrastinating

If you dread the finality of taking a stand or calling the shots, you may be tempted to put off the decision. You can fall prey to dozens of avoidance mechanisms to rationalize your unwillingness to decide, including:

" Absence of urgency. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

" Uncertainty. "It could go either way. Since I'm not sure, I'll reflect on it for a while."

" Emotional difficulty. "It's a lose-lose proposition, and someone will be hurt regardless of the decision. Why not postpone the damage as long as possible?"

If any of these comments sound familiar, your challenge is to condense the time frame in which you make your decision. Although you may successfully con yourself into believing that "it can wait," a cloud of worry will drift over you until you take the initiative to remove it.

Surrendering

Exceptionally hard decisions can deplete your energy to the point at which you finally cave in. If you mentally crumble and degenerate into negative thinking, you'll magnify the problem to the point where it can haunt you.

Rather than surrender, break a big decision into its components. Isolate particular aspects of the issue, and address the segments bit by bit.

Hiding Behind Information

Many managers with exacting standards tend to crave unending stacks of data before rendering a decision. The more facts and figures they accumulate, the more they require before feeling ready to decide. Be willing to forge ahead when the results of the decision will be positive-even if they won't be perfect.

The DNA of Good Decision-Making

Evidence - Specific facts that can be independently verified.

" Search for new information or insight which may affect the decision.

" Probe the basis of your belief. We make decisions based upon our assumptions, but those assumptions are oftentimes at variance with reality.

" Take a hard look at your areas of expertise, and honestly assess the boundaries of your knowledge. Watch for overconfidence in yourself and others when you venture outside those limits.

" Test your opinions by looking for information that challenges your beliefs rather than looking for information that supports your opinions.

Observation - Direct experience or understanding of an issue.

" Conceptualize. Before deciding, picture the expected outcomes of your decision and mentally track the ramifications of your chosen course of action.

" Search for examples. Locate organizations that have faced a similar decision. Evaluate their experiences to better prepare for your own decision.

" Do a test-run. When time allows, launch and assess a pilot project before fully committing yourself.

Feedback - Impressions gleaned from asking others for input about a decision.

" The most effective decisions flow from your ability to ask the right person the right question at the right time.

" As long as you know where to search for the relevant information - and can verify the accuracy of what you learn - you will be well positioned to see all sides of an issue and make a sensible judgment.

Managing Good Decisions

The first ingredient of success-making good decisions-has no real value without the second, which is practicing daily discipline. Look at our society. Everyone wants to be thin, but nobody wants to diet. Everyone wants to live long, but few will exercise. Everybody wants money, yet seldom will anyone budget or control their spending.

Most people want to avoid pain, and discipline is usually painful. What we fail to understand is that there are two kinds of pain: the pain of self-discipline and the pain of regret. We avoid the pain of self-discipline because we confront it every day. Meanwhile, the pain of regret goes unnoticed for days, months, and years, but when it comes, it marks us with the profoundest disappointment.

Successful people conquer their feelings of instant gratification and form habits of daily discipline. They realize that the pain of self-discipline is momentary, while its payoff yields long-lasting rewards.

Good Decisions - Daily Discipline = A Plan without a Payoff

Daily Discipline - Good Decisions = Regimentation without Reward

Good Decisions + Daily Discipline = A Masterpiece of Potential

What is loyalty and how do you develop it?

By Aaron Green,

FreebNote: This is one of those articles from the business world that has great implications for all of usu involved in coaching. Just Substitute player for customer or employee. The smae concepts apply. His definition: "loyalty as the willingness to make an investment or personal sacrifice to strengthen a relationship." Is that not what we want for our team?

Human resources professionals know that employee retention is a key factor in an organization's success. In this column I'd like to examine retention more closely and talk about the difference between longevity and loyalty because your goal is to have a workforce that is both longstanding and loyal.

Loyal employees represent a cost savings over recruiting and training new hires, and loyal employees can be incredible assets to a growing company. Furthermore, there is a direct relationship between customer loyalty and a company's growth and profitability. You can't have loyal customers without loyal employees. Employee loyalty is evident to your customers and it's nearly impossible to generate loyal customers without strong internal loyalty. There's no way around it.

Just what is loyalty?

I like the definition of loyalty provided by Fred Reichheld in his book, The Loyalty Effect. He defines loyalty as the willingness to make an investment or personal sacrifice to strengthen a relationship.

It's easy to confuse longevity with loyalty. For instance, for a few years I ate at the same restaurant every week. To some it may have seemed that I was a loyal patron; however, nothing could have been further from the way I felt. Their food was bad, I complained about it to anyone who would listen and I only returned to this restaurant because it was near my home and stayed open late. The very day another restaurant opened up nearby was the last day I ever ate there. The point is that you need to scratch below the surface to find out whether someone is loyal or not.

This concept of loyalty applies to employees as well. Just because someone has worked for your organization for twenty years does not necessarily mean he or she is loyal. Maybe he is unhappy but doesn't feel like looking for another job, or maybe she doesn't have marketable skills and can't find another employer to hire her. It is important to identify your loyal (not your longstanding) employees. Why?

Loyal employees

Your employees serve as the face of your organization on a daily basis. Whether they interact with clients by telephone or e-mail, or meet customers face-to-face every day, you need loyal employees in order to have loyal clients. If an employee is not happy at your organization, that fact will come across to customers; if he is loyal, that will come across too. Employees who are loyal and enthusiastic will encourage your customers to also feel loyal and enthusiastic toward your organization.

Loyal customers

Without loyal customers it is harder to grow your business and more costly to service the customers you have. It is harder to grow your business because the best sources of new customers are referrals and positive comments from existing customers. If this source of new business dries up, your company either does not grow or must acquire new customers in a more costly fashion (i.e., expensive advertising, larger sales force, etc.). It is more costly to service disloyal customers because they are the ones who keep your employees busy with their complaints. Additionally, unhappy customers become more price-sensitive.

So, to sum it up, loyal customers are simply more profitable than customers who are not loyal and it is easier to grow your company when you retain loyal customers. And it is easier to have loyal customers when you have loyal employees.

So how do you foster employee loyalty?

Since each employee is a unique individual, no single approach works for everyone, but here are ten ideas that I have put into practice in my own business to improve loyalty:

1. Offer more than just a job

Employees who view their current job as part of a rewarding career path with their employer are naturally more motivated and invested in their work. They may also be more likely to view necessary but tedious parts of the job in the context of the bigger picture.

2. Generate goodwill through good deeds

Being involved with a company that "does good" makes employees feel good about their jobs and their employer. In some way, each employer supports the larger community. Develop and communicate your company's outreach efforts and community support philosophies. Then offer employees the opportunity to participate in those efforts or to have their own involvement in charitable causes supported by the company.

3. Get out the checkbook

While you can't buy loyalty, you can destroy loyal ties if you're not paying someone what he or she is worth.

4. Empower employees

Providing a channel for employees to communicate ideas and influence company practices gives them a stake in the business' success and promotes team spirit.

5. Invest in training and development

If you invest in your employees, they are more likely to invest in your company. They'll also have a better understanding of your organization's business goals and practices, which can likely translate to improved performance.

6. Share your vision

Communicate your company's direction and decisions. Employees feel trusted and are more trusting when they know about company decisions.

7. Challenge employees

My experience is that setting and meeting high expectations makes employees feel more positive about their jobs.

8. Recognize and reward often

Employees appreciate positive feedback and tend to be more productive after receiving it. Additionally, giving praise to an employee is like tipping over a row of dominos: a productive employee tends to inspire and motivate co-workers by example.

9. Find common ground

Align career development with company goals. If a concession that you make for an employee is not good for both the employee and the company, it will not be good for long.

10. Get to know your employees

An employee's relationship with his/her boss and coworkers is one of the most important factors in determining how loyal that employee is. Treat employees as individuals and look for ways to foster solid relationships.

I'm excited about the subject of loyalty and how adopting a loyalty initiative can improve the employment experience for your staff and simultaneously enhance your company's growth and profitability.

Momentum Breakers vs Momentum Makers

Dr. John C. Maxwell: A train travelling 55 mph on a railroad track can crash through a 5-foot thick steel-reinforced concrete wall without stopping. That same train, starting from a stationary position, won't be able to go through an inch-thick block in front of the driving wheel.

It is never the size of your problem that is the problem. It's a lack of momentum. Without momentum, even a tiny obstacle can prevent you from moving forward. With momentum, you'll navigate through problems and barely even notice them.

As a leader, your responsibility is to understand momentum, to get it moving for your organization, and to sustain it over time. Momentum can be tricky to comprehend, though, often appearing elusive and intangible. In this article, my goal is to give you handles so that you can better recognize how to generate momentum in your workplace. To help you grasp the concept of momentum, I'll outline ten momentum breakers alongside ten momentum makers.

Momentum Breakers and Makers

Momentum breaker - double-mindedness

Momentum maker - focus

By creating and following a clear and focused vision statement, a leader develops momentum. A leader drains away momentum by shooting at nothing or attempting everything.

Movement causes friction. When you paint a target for your team, you'll likely encounter resistance. As a leader, you can't restrict yourself by living inside of someone else's comfort zone. Great accomplishments require leaders to fix their gaze beyond what's easily attainable.

Momentum breaker - the past

Momentum maker - the future

An organization picks up steam when its leaders point to a better tomorrow. Momentum breaks down when leaders preoccupy themselves with the past. Or, as I've heard quoted, "Losers yearn for the past and get stuck in it. Winners learn from the past and let go of it."

Many people have powerful dreams. However, most don't realize that the viability of their ideal tomorrow is based on what they do today. The difference between a dream and wishful thinking is what you're doing now. Practice today what you want to be tomorrow. If you do it well enough, someday you may arrive at your dream.

KEEPING YOUR ATTITUDE UP WHEN CIRCUMSTANCES ARE DOWN

by Chris Widener

"Instead of spending your time thinking about how bad things are, think about how good they will be!"

Everyone knows that a positive attitude is key to the successful life. But what happens when things go wrong? What happens when circumstances deal us a blow? We have a tendency to let our attitudes take the dive along with our state of affairs. Life deals us setbacks, both minor and major, on a regular basis, but if we are going to be successful, we need to know how to deal with them and keep our attitudes intact! We need practical tools to help us understand how we can go about keeping our attitude up, when the circumstances are down. Here are some thoughts to help us do so:

Take some time-out. I'm sure you are aware of what happens. You are going about your day and everything seems to be going well, when out of nowhere disaster strikes. All of your best-laid plans begin to tumble. Sometimes circumstances surprise us and we react. Unfortunately, this often compounds the problem because by reacting we tend to operate out of our weaknesses instead of our strengths. We make decisions that are not well thought out. We function with a bad attitude that says, "I can't believe this is happening!"

The next time circumstances turn against you, take some time to just step back from the problem and think. This will enable you to deal with the issue at hand rationally, instead of emotionally. It will allow you to put your state of mind back into its proper place. It gives you the opportunity to choose your attitude as you face the circumstances at hand. Remember that we don't have to do something right now. Go grab a cup of coffee and relax little bit. By doing this you function with you being in control and not the circumstances.

Keep your eye on the goal. A second step in keeping our attitude in the proper place is to make sure we keep the important things important. One of the biggest problems with trouble is that it gets your focus off of where it should be. When I experience difficult circumstances and people ask me how it is going, I tell them, "I am just keeping my eye on the goal." It has always been fascinating to me that when racecar drivers get into trouble, they keep their eyes straight ahead and do not move them away. There is just too much chance of wrecking that way. Instead, their eyes are on the goal, and this keeps them out of trouble. If you find yourself getting down about circumstances, sit down and write out what the goal is. Give some thought to how you can achieve that goal or others you may have.

A man was asked how he was doing and he responded, "Pretty well, under the circumstances." The other man asked, "What are you doing under the circumstances?" Good question. We shouldn't be under the circumstances we should be focused on the goal and moving forward.

Focus on solutions, not problems. The squeaky wheel gets the oil, the old saying goes. Negative circumstances don't sit idly by. They scream for our attention. When we face difficult circumstances, we tend to dwell on them. We talk about them, fret about them, and give them way too much attention. Instead of talking about problems, talk about solutions. Instead of spending your time thinking about how bad things are, think about how good they will be! Don't have family or staff meetings about the problems and how big they are. Have meetings on the solutions and how you will implement them. Don't let yourself or other team members complain. Encourage them to solve, with an emphasis on the positive results that will come from doing so. Then take some time to put these solutions down on paper, so you can monitor your progress.

Get some positive input. The mind tends to build on itself, so when we begin to go in one direction, i.e. worry, it can be a slippery slope. One thing we must do is get our thoughts back on track with positive ideas. When circumstances have got you against the emotional wall, get with a good friend who can encourage you. Listen to a tape by Jim Rohn, Zig Ziglar or another motivational speaker. Pick up a good book and give it a read. Whatever external influence you can get to put your attitude back on the positive side of the tracks - do it! It must be one of our first goals to start plugging good things into our minds to fuel our attitudes.

Tell yourself the good. One of the greatest internal powers we have is the power to control our thoughts. Spend time dwelling on the good things about your life or job instead of the problems. Think about positive things, things you enjoy and give you a sense of happiness and peace. There is an old childhood song that says, "Count your blessings, name them one by one." That is great advice! Let your positive attitude develop from within as well as from without. This makes all the difference!

Remember that circumstances are not forever. Sometimes it seems like we are going to be up to our eyeballs in the situation forever, when in reality, this too shall pass. There will be a time in the future when circumstances will change and you will be on the mountain instead of the valley. This will give you a sense of hope as you live and work that will change your attitude, make you feel better and put you on the fast track for growth!

Some questions as we close:

Q. Do you have a habit of reflection before responding?

Q. Do you have a habit of keeping your eye on the goal?

Q. Do you focus on solutions or problems?

Q. Do you give yourself positive outside influence?

Q. Do you have a habit of telling yourself the good?

Q. Do you remind yourself that nothing is forever?

Coachable?

The Quote of the Day today is:

The Be An 11! Quote of the Day 06.08.2010

Champions choose to accept help from others.

Meier & Hiskey, Winning is a Choice



Question of the Day?

And I would add, especially your coaches;

The question is, Are you Coachable?

Here is a great story about being coachable:


"Coach Schmidt backs up Josh's preparation and confidence factor. Says Schmidt, “It was amazing to watch him operate. His attention to detail and time spent watching game film, is legendary. He'd ask, 'What do we need to do? What do I need to do?' Then he would make a list of everything he needed to do that week to be great...and laminate it. And carry it with him. Josh would always be sitting waiting for me. He would keep you focused because he was so focused. I would have to kick him out of the weight room all the time.
“Josh is always early. His look to me would be . . . 'Are you ready.' He was so dedicated he would literally force everyone to be that way. I remember Josh at two-a-days. The seniors stood up. Josh had tears and said, 'I don't know how we are going to do it but somehow we are going to the Orange Bowl.’”

From the Article:

http://biggerfasterstronger.com/home/MagDetails.asp?id=115&keyword=heupel&criteria=Keywords,Title

Overcoming F.E.A.R

by Zig Ziglar

Fear has been correctly identified with the acrostic False Evidence Appearing Real. The truth is that if we think something is to be feared, that perception becomes the cruelest form of reality.

A second-grade boy was overheard saying, It's easy to be brave when you're not scared. By the same token, it's easy to talk about how to overcome fear when you have little to be afraid of. Fear is certainly real for most people and all of us face a fear of something: poverty, divorce, rejection, death, failure, speaking in public, being laughed at, etc.

How do we overcome fear? First we must learn to examine our fears. Example: Giving a speech, which is the number one fear in our country, according to Reader's Digest. (It's also a tremendous confidence-builder.) If that's your fear, ask yourself a few questions. Why am I afraid to make a speech? Is it because I'm afraid of being rejected? Then why do I think I'll be rejected?

Do I believe what I'm about to say? Is my speech worth giving? Am I proud of the comments I'm about to make? As you ask yourself these questions, the fear will begin to subside. It subsides because you have explored your subconscious mind with your questions and flushed out some of your fears.

My research indicates that only three people have died while making a speech. Since twelve billion people have lived and only three of them died making a speech, I'd say it's a fairly safe thing to do.

If you're a little nervous, consider this: You could lead a mule into a crowded room and he would be so calm that he would almost go to sleep standing up. A thoroughbred in the same situation would be as nervous as a cat.

If you're a little nervous, just be grateful you're a thoroughbred - not a mule. So face those inner feelings, stand up and speak up with confidence. When you do, I'll see you at the top!