Why does it take an extreme to get results?

I have watched a few bits and pieces of Undercover CEO and Undercover Boss, the concept is that the out of touch CEO or business owner gets a disguise and goes undercover working as an everyday schmo to see whats wrong and right with his or her business.
The ones I saw the CEO is so shocked when she finds out that most of the people think she is a douche or the people who make the guy all his money are generally hard working , under appreciated, shitty treated cogs who are prevented from becoming great.
So the question to business owners and CEO's is simply this: "Why the hell are you so out of touch with your business that it takes a crappy disguise and a reality show to shed some light?"
No wonder North American business is in such trouble.

Lessons from the movies......

A good friend and I used to used to use lines from movies and TV shows to make points about businesses and how they were poorly operated.  It was fun to us to look from the outside in and we often made suggestions to people in businesses that were well meaning ways of improving their service.
We worked together on a few different ventures and had some fun and success.
One of our favourite movie lines was from the original Planet of The Apes, it was when Charlton Heston's character looked around at the apes in the field and said:
 "If this is the best they've got around here, in six months we'll be running this planet."
We used to use this line when we saw a place with great potential that was lacking and we would laugh about it.
It was a little arrogant on our part and on Charlton Heston's part to it turned out, but we believed we had the vision to at least try.
I still sometimes think that when I see a place with great potential, I try to be less arrogant but I can't help but chuckle a little when I say it!

How is your new year going so far?

We often start the new year with great expectations and plans for a fresh start.  We want to accomplish great goals and sometimes set sights so high we could never meet them.  Then February rolls in and we start to make excuses or chastise ourselves because we are not hitting our targets. 
That is counter-productive.  Don't beat yourself up, instead if you are not hitting the stride you want, regroup and start again.  Give yourself a new year starting today and review those goals.
 A couple steps I suggest:
1- Re-write your goals and give them a fresh start.
2- Break down the goals into monthly, weekly and daily, this makes them easier to reach targets and build confidence.
3- Be sure the goals you set are Personal, Measurable, and have a deadline.
So go ahead and start the New Year today, the most important point is to keep moving in the direction you want and not letting an arbitrary date on the calender discourage you from moving ahead.
Happy New Year!!!

We are not meant to be stress free.

I am not going to turn this into a zoo vs the wild and whether or not zoos are good or bad, my point about this is how we, as animals, survive and even thrive in an environment that allows us to be challenged and to adapt to changes.

If you ever see animals in the wild compared to those at zoos the difference is astounding.  We are brought up with the belief that having a safe environment, free of enemies and where we can count on having our meals, medical and housing looked after or at least assured will lead to a stress free life and we will do better.  Hence the zoo.  When I say "we" I refer to all animals including man.  This just is not true.
An animal in the wild looks so much more alive and aware of it's self.  An animal in captivity where it is given everything loses it's self of identity.
This may seem far fetched, but a lot of solid research backs up the point that animals due better mentally and emotionally in the wild.  They have opportunities to become leaders, survivors and even respected group members. 
The other side of the coin to this, which again is not my point, will be the people who say "well you are right, lets cut off all welfare and assistance and put these lazy bums out to work and they will feel better."  Again not my point, even zoos and wildlife sanctuaries recognise that there are species who through no fault of their own other than mans greed and ignorance would face extinction without help.  So again, this is not a political issue of Left vs Right, but the point is we need to have that feeling of striving, working, creating, rising through the ranks if we desire, in order to have a feeling of fulfilment.
So once again, in business or ventures of any type, one will produce greater work and art when doing so in a free environment rather than in a safe, secure cage or cubicle.  The life in the wild might seem a little frightening at first, but that really is our natural habitat.  We are meant out be out there running in the grass and being the best human animal we can be!

What makes you different?

If you are using your business or artistic venture to express yourself and your unique abilities and offerings, then why are you doing the same thing as everyone else in the same market?
We do better when we stretch outside of the normal and really let ourselves shine through.
I loved the story when Bill Gates was giving a presentation to some high school kids and in the question period one of them asked; "What would you recommend someone starting off to do to be successful and make a lot of money?"  Bill Gates answered simply; "Well don't do what I did, it's already been done and the money has been made, do something different!"

Stop asking for permission!

OK you can stop now, stop asking for permission to do something different to go against what everyone says is the norm, to express your art in whatever fashion you need to.  Let the Lizard Brain have it's say, then smile tell it thank you and go ahead and do it.  The lizard brain will keep you in fear and it convinces everyone of us at some time or another that we can't, we must not, we need permission.

Forget it.  No no one is going to give you the permission you need so give it to yourself and eventually you will stop feeling the need to ask permission.  You want it?  You got it.  You hear by have permission to succeed, to be great at something, to express your true inner calling.  Now stop asking for permission and do it.

Close Enough!

So what if I skimp on some of the small details of my business, so what if I only put in 80% effort into my latest creation, so what if I use a cheaper brand of produce in my restaurant.....Close Enough.  Who will notice.
This is the first step to the path of mediocrity and soon everyone will notice.
You might keep some of your business and clients, but not the ones who matter.  If you are doing what you do because it is your art, then most importantly you will notice.  No, close enough will not cut it.  Best to not start down that path as it is a dark road and full of others doing the same.  The path of quality and caring has lots of room and you don't have to worry about competition, most of them are on that short-cut of Close Enough!

So now the other side of the coin!

The other side of the coin I wrote about yesterday is evolving from success and moving on to more success.

I use Dave Grohl as an example.  He was the drummer, the guy in the background in that little band you might have heard of called Nirvana.  Cobain was the centre of attention, the greatness and who everyone mourned when he died.  Dave Grohl could have easily fallen into the distance and been remembered as one of the members of Nirvana, one of the groundbreaking bands of the past 50 years, but he had more to say and more to do and he was not going to let a little thing like being part of one of the most successful acts of a generation keep him from finding his own voice.

This is the example of someone who was great and respected for who he was, the drummer in the band that defined "Grunge" but knew he had other greatness inside.

So there are times in your business and your life when you need to ditch something that image or association you are linked to that made you known and respected and face the opposite direction.  Yes this is a contradiction of my post from yesterday, but it is the contradictions that make life interesting.

Some things stand the test of time!

One of my favourite bands, pictured above, is AC/DC.  They have been together for almost 40 years and have sold millions of albums and sold out shows around the world.  They are unique in the sense that they continue to do one thing: Make loud, heavy, screaming rock music.  They did not experiment with some ballads, or try to soften their music, they continue to do what they do best, and we continue to buy the music and go to the shows.
They are living proof that when you find your niche and you love doing it and are great at it, keep going!  Now they have updated the way they present their music, the manner in which they market the product, but the product is still the same and they continue to be extremely successful because they know what they do stands the test of time.
In business it is easy to get caught up in trying to be the next big thing by going outside your area of expertise, outside your niche and sometimes this works.  However if you are successful at providing a service or product, and you really love doing it, be careful about ditching it to be the next big thing in something else. 
It's a fine line to walk between staying current and giving the people what they want.

Who Do You Trust?

So who do you trust or more importantly who trusts you?
You can't force trust, you can't buy trust and you can't survive without trust in certain areas of your life.
In your business, the only way to get trust from your clients and associates is to earn it.
There are people whom I trust that I work with because I have complete trust.  The likes of my Doctor, my Dentist, my Life Insurance Agent and my Mechanic.
These are the people that have earned my trust, the ones I don't feel the need to check up on or keep an eye on. 
They earned my trust through time and effort and no amount of advertising, slick marketing or deep discounts would ever build the trust I have with these folks that was built over time.
There is a simple way to build trust with your clients:
1) Always do what you say you will do.
2) Never agree to do something that you know you can't just to try and get the business.
3) If you screw up, make it right without delay or excuses, even if it costs you money and time, make it right.
4) Tell the truth, you never have to worry about what you told someone or stress over remembering what story or version you told if you are always up front, even if the truth makes you seem less experienced or not as great as you would like everyone to think.  If you keep this last point in mind always you will grow and get the clients because people can sense when they are dealing with honesty or slick talking, hood-winking.
Trust is one of the greatest attributes you can build as a business person.

Who's the Boss?

OK I am not talking about the old TV show, and I am not referring to Bruce, The Boss, Springsteen either, I am talking about your business and how you and your people who are part of your business deal with your clients on a daily basis.
I have found that in a lot of instances, the new business owner who has grown a business to the point where she has more than one or two people working for her will feel this need to be in control of everything.  I have seen it happen where the owner wants to make the decisions of every facet.  This is counterproductive.  What he needs to do is learn to trust his people and the way to do that is to give them the training and the power to make a decision especially when it involves making something right with a client who has been screwed over somehow.
There is nothing more frustrating then having a problem with a product or service and hearing the person you have been dealing with say, " oh you are going to have to wait, I need to discuss this with the boss to see what we can do."  So very lame! 
One of the fastest and most memorable ways you can build a reputation is how you handle problems.  Handle them poorly and I guarantee your client or customer will tell everyone who will listen and they won't be back, handle it just barely with the minimum effort and result and the customer probably will come back and it will likely never be mentioned, however handle it memorably well and not only will the client tell everyone how great you are they will be loyal to you forever.
One of the biggest hurdles in handling it in a memorable way is when the people working for you have no power to do anything but stand there with a sad face and say "so sorry." 
All really great businesses that grow and have great reputations are ones where the person you deal with can solve a problem on the spot without a hassle and make the client happy. 
A lot of business owners are afraid that if they allow this the staff will give away the farm and sink the business, when the opposite is really true.  If you as an owner provide your people with the training, guidance and tools they will make the right decisions 99% of the time.
Go ahead and be the "Boss", but if you want to be successful and have a great reputation, you need to share the title with everyone in your employ.  I would rather own a successful business where my staff felt empowered and I had a reputation for service and share the credit, then have a so-so successful dictatorship.
Your decision.

Using Humor

It amazes me how reluctant some folks are to allow themselves to laugh and be laughed at.
In these days of more stress and turmoil, humour can be an effective way of reducing tension and stress.
Showing your clients and your associates that you can laugh and be laughed at, makes you seem more like someone who can be trusted and easy to deal with.
Laughter really is the best medicine.

Pick your Battles

One thing I have learned over the years is simply that there are some battles in life not worth spending your time and energy on and there are some that must be fought.
I am not speaking in a literal sense here, I don't mean to refer to those life and death battles but more the battles of everyday life.  Deciding to jump into a business, allowing the public to see your art, expressing yourself through your writing or simply doing the work you were meant to do.
It is easy to get caught up in trying to juggle multiple projects and causes.  Sometimes when we get a bit of momentum we feel we can take on anyone and everything.  This is self defeating.  You owe it to yourself and your art, whether that is art literally or a business or a venture, to focus and be great at what you love.
Keep in mind we each are given 24 hours in a day, no more, no less.  It does not matter how wealthy or poor you are 24 hours that is it.  So don't try and take on too many battles in that 24 hour period, or you might end up losing them all!

How Far Down the Road are You Looking?

When planning to launch a business or creative/artistic venture, there are two schools of thought.  The first is you need to make long term plans, look far down the road and prepare for what might or might not come your way.  The second is that you should just "launch" and let your plans develop around you.
There is merit in both but experience shows that a middle road might be best.
For example I know of situations where someone was wanting to launch a small one person business, but it never made it off the ground because he kept on planning and looking ahead 10 years and forecasting around every conceivable event.  This is the extreme of looking too far ahead.  On the other hand preparation to a certain degree can help ensure you survive some hiccups, however trying to plan for every event for a small niche business or venture is counterproductive.
If I was going to err on one side or the other I would rather err in launching without all the preparation and planning, at least then I would have done something which is far better than having volumes of plans and written goals but never even getting your feet a little wet.

Who loves a Villain?

In most movies, shows, books and stories everyone hates the villain.  So if you are working on your plan for launching a business or an artistic venture, why do the people around you make you feel like you are the bad guy or girl? 
I have learned something over the past 30 plus years of having numerous side ventures and that is this: most of the people around you, your friends and family and co-workers, are not bad people, however if you start to show signs of escaping the rat race and doing something you love they suddenly seem to be black hatted villains out to destroy you.  It's not really the case though.  When others see you starting to make the move to a life of doing what you are meant to do, if they are not happy in their present lot they don't want you to be either!
Trust me this is not intentional, they are not at home plotting to see you miserable.  It is very much the work of the deep subconscious that is afraid of losing you and having one less person to commiserate with.  They are not really evil, just human.
That's why you need to recognise this at the start so you do not let yourself become infected by the negative rants they will roll your way, and as well so you understand it is not personal in most cases, they let that old lizard brain kick in and it wants your misery for company. 
I guess the bottom line is be cautious who you tell your plans to in the early stages so they have a chance to grow and be strong enough to defend themselves until you are off the ground.

You can't hide mediocrity anymore!

The bad news, thanks to the Internet making the world completely connected and available mediocrity has no where to hide. 
The good news, thanks to the Internet making the world completely connected and available you can be great in your own little corner with your own little niche and there are more than enough people that will join your tribe.
Talk about a Win-Win.

The difference between good and great

The difference between good and great in business or an artistic venture is a very small amount of extra effort to make great gains.
There are millions of good businesses and ventures and a lot less great ones.  Why if it is that simple to get from good to great is there a lack of great businesses?  It is part of who we are, most of the things we do on a daily basis we have become accustomed to doing enough to get by, to get it done, to do it with the least amount of effort.  I think the battle lies in the thinking that to get to great we have to make huge sacrifices and work 36 hours a day.  In reality the leap to get from good to great takes the desire and commitment to go the extra step and make that extra effort.   The good news is that by taking that extra step you can move your business or venture to great, and there is a whole lot less competition at this level because most people will not make the effort.  Some say it is lonely at the top, but the truth is it looks lonely because the majority are happy to sit at good rather than make the choice to be great.

It is ok to be small

OK the photo is an exaggeration, however my point has to do with business and artistic ventures.  I keep playing the same song to those who know me: Small and nimble is far better than large and unyielding.
I go out of my way to do business with the small guy or girl as they can adapt, can easily accommodate something special without having to get five peoples approval and signing off on a box of documents.  The small venture can quickly and easily navigate rough waters as they have less overhead and over lords to deal with.
Go ahead, embrace your smallness, it is what makes you great!

Off to a strong start

The start of the New Year always gives us a feeling of a fresh start, a chance to begin again.  So now that the new year is here what do you do?  The most important part of keeping on the right track is doing one thing everyday that brings you closer to your personal, business or ventures goals for the New Year.  That is the key, just keep doing one thing everyday no matter how small it seems, the cumulative effect will generate great returns.  So get ready, set and go, but don't try to run the whole race the first day.  One step at a time.