Fail

I saw a quote from Tony Robbins on Twitter that went something like: “People may fail many times, but they become failures only when they begin to blame someone else”.  That’s pretty good advice in a general sense – if you don’t cop your own failings on the chin and run around thinking that you’re god’s gift – you’re in for heartbreak somewhere down the track.

But hang on just a tick.

There’s a real undercurrent of ‘contrarian’ advice saying to fail is a Good Thing ™.  Now I’ll admit I’ve said before that mistakes you make are a good way to learn.  I’m not trying to redact those words – but change the sentiment around failing.

Don’t let yourself become too proud of failure.

There’s different kinds of failure.  If you never have a go at things in the first place because you’re trying not to fail that becomes a real problem – epic fail – as the internet might say.  If you’re taking risks by trying to be the best, that’s good.  But don’t believe that by taking risks and failing you’re doing well and you’re on your way to glory:

You need to study what actually has gone wrong.

If you only know which paths not to take, you’re merely working out things not to do, rather than building on your successes.  It’s time to understand what brings success and work out what you have done to get there.  This is definitely harder to do – it’s a lot easier to pass judgement or comment on why something didn’t work than appreciate the subtleties of success (which are often hard work and dedication – not easy).

Don’t ignore mistakes, they are a key way to learn.  But don’t encourage failure so that you can learn a thing or two.  Work on success first, then if it all falls apart

Partnerships and teamwork can lead to success. Flikr: ThinkPanama.com

Just recently I’ve realised that I really flourish in a team environment.  I don’t mind doing things by myself, but when engaged in a team or working with someone I find it really works to boost motivation and desire to knock over goals and milestones.

In addition, fnding a partner for something you’d like to do is one of the best ways to get things going.  I’ll call this GTG, similar to the well-known GTD (Get Things Done).

Getting things going is a big part of the difficulty that we have when trying to do something new.

Be it a new project, a new business, a new blog, or a personal goal like trying to get fit – it’s tough to start when we’re unsure of what might happen.  It’s not easy to keep going when you’re not really getting the results you hoped for initially, especially if you’re out of pocket on the way.

One solution is to do things with a partner or a team.  A great example is having a jogging partner, someone who relies on you and someone you equally rely on to go jogging on weekends.  It’s a lot easier to face the pavement when you’ve got someone to go with, or when you know if you don’t go you’re letting someone down.

So why do we try to go things alone when we really need help?

I think it’s a combination of:

• Greed:  We want it all to ourselves;
• Lack of trust:  Chances are you’ve been let down previously.  It’s not easy to trust someone if you’ve been burnt;
• Pride:  It’s a real ego booster to do something all by yourself.

Any one of those alone is a pretty powerful reason for wanting to do things by yourself.  But more often than not, these are the reasons we will fail.  Factor in touch of stubbornness and denial and there’s a recipe for a project without hope.

Teaming Up

I’ve always found that when I start something new, I can get a lot done while I’m really excited and ambitiously planning world domination.  But often that drive can be misplaced or scattered because I’m not concentrating on the part that’s most important – I’m busy trying to set up the structure required rather than working on the deliverable.

When I’m doing something with someone else, it’s a lot easier to spend that energy doing the most important bits where you can make an impact – not just running around like a kid in a candy store trying everything at once without making headway.

Use your expertise on your parts, let your partner use their expertise on the other aspects which you aren’t so sure about.  Great partnerships have partners and teams with different skill sets, but there’s advantages in having both people in a partnership or a few people in a team with a similar expertise so that together you can create something really impressive.

What’s even more important is that a partner or a team can really help move beyond the first downswing. You can’t have overnight success – and in fact it’s probable that you won’t have much luck early on.  This relative lack of success isn’t easy to persist against.  A fair percentage of us give up when we realise it’s not as successful and not nearly as fun as we first thought.  We know we need to put in a consistent effort but suddenly it gets hard.

A partner helps us push through for so many reasons:

Competitiveness: A desire to challenge each other to produce your best whilst being joined forces against the competition you face together.

Friendship: Nothing like being able to go out for a beer together – that’s when the best ideas happen, right?

Commitment: A joint effort can be more effective when you’re able to share ups and downs and motivate each other to keep going.

Perspective: Sometimes you need a different point of view.  Maybe you need a woman to join you if you plan to include ladies in your target segment.  Perhaps a young person can give you some insights into areas you hadn’t thought of.  Use it to your advantage.

I expect to be just the first of a number of GTG posts – helping you get things going!  When I was talking about this topic with a friend of mine, he jokingly suggested that this site would have been better as thenewmenofaction.com.  In a way he’s  right*, it’s far more interesting sharing stories rather than just listening to me all the time.  Let me know through a comment or an email if you’d like to share anything.

*He’s wrong because he should’ve said thenewpeopleofaction.com =]

Can a system of fostering development and a team culture beat buying talent and bringing in expertise? Img: Dakinho.

What’s the best way to create success?

I’ve been wondering this week about whether or not it’s better to build a culture and a system, or to establish yourself with the best and brightest brought in as hitmen to create value.

We’re spoilt, because this is about to play out in front of our eyes in the football world.

Even if you’re not a fan of soccer, you would’ve probably heard about this week’s latest developments:  Real Madrid have bought three of the best players in the world, Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo and David Villa for a money is no object fortune of around US$300m.

That’s big bikkies.  Ridiculous sums of money.  That much would just about be enough to buy all the players from the other teams and tell them not to show up when Madrid is playing their team!

So what gives?  The spending spree is a clear signal that Madrid intend to take back the mantle of the best football team in the world from their local rivals in the Spanish La Liga, FC Barcelona (I’ll relegate Manchester United here after they were torn apart by Barca in the Champions League final).

Real Madrid have focused on buying the biggest and the best.  The club is more than football – it is an entertainment brand.  And it sells well.  David Beckham’s arrival in 2003 led to a 137% increase in shirt sales, and similar returns can be expected.  It seems that talent management will be all that is required to guide Real to further wins.

This current action is in retaliation to Barcelona’s recent triumphs including winning La Liga with a thrashing of Real Madrid 6-2, and becoming Champions of Europe.

Barcelona’s recent success has come from 7 of their 11 starting players being prodigies of their youth academy – including Lionel Messi.  From as young as 12, future stars are taught ‘Total Football’.  “Receive, pass, offer, receive, pass, offer,” is how Andres Iniesta tells of his youth academy education.  The manager is a former Barca midfielder and one-time ballboy, again a homegrown talent.  Barca have established themselves under their motto: ‘More Than A Club‘ and with success born from within.  The culture and system established by Barca is envied by all football clubs.

Who will prevail?

Will it be a return to the days of the Los Galacticos when a rampaging Madrid, bulging at the seams with superstars including Beckham and Zinedine Zidane, rocketed to immediate success with multiple trophies?  Or will the quick success wither and indeed implode similar to the post-galácticos period where Real failed to win any trophy for three seasons following their 2003 league title?  In that same period, Barcelona won the 2006 Champions League and successive La Liga titles.

With underdog status going firmly to Barcelona, the new Spanish season will be fascinating to watch both for football, and for those of us who are curious to see if culture, philosophy and homegrown talent can beat the purchased superstars.

Image source: Karloswayne

So, you might have heard that children having imaginary friends isn’t a bad thing.

In fact, kids with mysterious companious had far better communications skills at a young age.

Plus, the results of having an imaginary friend were long lasting: university students who recalled having an imaginary companion in childhood were more creative, more achievement oriented, and more emotionally responsive than students who didn’t have one.

The reason for this?  When you have an imaginary friend, you have to invent both sides of the conversation.   To communicate, you have to understand what a person wants to know and you need to know how to tell them.   Acting out both is tricky – and it turns out, it’s good practice for the real thing.

Unseen playmates are teaching kids the art of communication.

So what does it all mean?

I really like this idea when applied to us: adults.  Busy and clever thinkers.  No time for imaginary friends.

Well, hang on.  I think you need to find your own imaginary friend and start talking to him or her again (or it again, in the case of one little tacker who had an imaginary potato called ‘Bun’).

Why?

It puts the shoe on the other foot.  You can start to understand things from another perspective.  Hear what your ideas sound like from you to someone else.  Imagine what sort of responses you might get to your story.  Think about how people want their information and how to deliver that to them.

Take action after you’ve bounced some ideas around off your imaginary friend who can see things under a different angle; under a different light.  It might help you almost see things again for the first time and give you inspiration outside your normal bounds.

Never Give Up - What's Your Excuse? Source: JRFeP (Flikr)

How often do you make an excuse, rather than taking action?

I’m hoping you might see this as a little wake up call.

I think you can do it.  You can push past the comfort zone and find your power within.

Are you settling for something that’s less than you really want just because you’re making excuses?  You can achieve.  You can get fit,  eat better, start a business, take action.  Start living.

Have you caught yourself saying these before?  

“I’m too busy”

“I can’t”

When excuses become a way to justify your lack of action, you’ve really stopped seeing the big picture and don’t have your priorities in place.  No matter how hard, what do you need to do that’s really worth doing?  What are you neglecting even though it matters the most?

I’m going to present some methods to help you stop making excuses.  There’s two main reasons: how you convince yourself not to do something; and a lack of organisation & priorities that stumps progress.

How to stop making excuses: Take a look at yourself

1.  Have Confidence: Fight your fear

Be confident.  Don’t doubt what you can do.  Remember the old chestnut that even if you do fail, at least you will have learned a helluva lot more than if you had done nothing.  It’s easy to sabotage your ideas because you have a fear of failing.   When given a choice between a risk and sure thing, the sure thing will often win out.  Smile brightly at the opportunity you are creating for yourself and embrace what might happen by having a go.

This isn’t easy.  I daily toss up thoughts and ideas and shoot them down because I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make them happen.  When I realise I’m doing this I usually go and have a chat with a few close friends who I’m comfortable bouncing ideas off and listen to them.  Sometimes an outside opinion is needed to help you get some perspective.

2.  Stop waiting: Why not now?

Timing is rarely important.  Don’t deny any possibility of success by waiting.   Avoid thinking that you’ll start going to the gym next week, next month, in the new year, or starting the project once you have a bigger desk, a laptop, a bigger screen.  As my friend Mark Foo said to me – he couldn’t just wait until English, his second language, was masterful before starting his site.  He had to get going to start fulfilling his dreams.

3.  Be Honest: What do you really want?

If you are serious about starting your own business, eating better, or getting fit, there’s physically not much to stop you.  However, your excuses for not doing what you want could actually be hiding the real reason for why you don’t do it.  Work it out.

A big one for me is that I like doing things with other people – especially physical activity. If you find that you don’t think you can do it by yourself, see if you can find a mentor, a friend, or a gym partner to help out.  Find someone or a group who can hold you accountable when you feel like slacking, and possibly punish you.  I play soccer (poorly!) for my local club here in Newcastle, Australia.  Knowing that if I don’t turn up to training I’m letting everyone in the team down – and risking starting on the bench – can be a big motivator for when I feel lazy.

How to stop making excuses: Organise and prioritise

It’s your choice.  Take back your time

Do you find you don’t have time to work on what you love doing?  Well, hang on just a tick.  You have the choice of how you spend your time.  Therefore when you say “I don’t have time” you’re actually saying: “That’s not my priority”.  It’s time to organise yourself.

Everyone wants you, especially if you’re talented.  It can be difficult to squeeze things into a busy schedule.  Consider making a new relationship with your time by sorting out your priorities and what really matters to you.  It’s hard to make an excuse when you have defined your number one priority as being getting fit.

That said – you might not be spending as much time with your friends and family.  I’ll remind you of a Mr Montgomery Burns quote for you to weigh up when considering your priorities;

Mr. Burns: I’ll keep it short and sweet — Family. Religion. Friendship. These are the three demons you must slay if you wish to succeed in business.

You need to take action to fulfil your goals and dreams.  I don’t think there’s any other way.

Need any more inspiration? There’s no excuse to not watch this amazing video.

Matt Scott:

Time to start saying: I can, I will.

Be Ambitious (Cedrics_Pics)

Great organisations are based on timeless fundamentals that have enabled them to survive and thrive.  Big business are experts in self-improvement and development.

So why are we so often lost on a personal level?

We crave new methods for founding ideas, stimulating growth, and assisting personal development without knowledge of the core features that distinguish success.

An idea:  Why don’t we apply what great companies use for ourselves?

Jim Collins and Jerry Poras spent six-years evaluating exceptional companies (such as 3M & Disney) to unearth the core reasons as to why they are exceptional and published Good to Great and Built to Lastwith the findings.

A number of the underlying guiding concepts explored by Collins and Poras can be applied to our own personal growth and development with potentially amazing results

Four of the timeless fundamentals of great companies:

Big Hairy Audacious Goals:

BHAGs stimulate progress.  A BHAG is a form of vision that is set to act as a clear catalyst.  A BHAG is usually a broad and inspiring dream, with a finish line that you can aim up at and be truly inspired by.

Some examples of organisational BHAGs:

Google: Organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.

Nokia: Connecting 5 billion people by 2015.

Amazon: Every book, ever printed, in any language, all available in less than 60 seconds.

I smile when I read these BHAGs. They motivate, excite, and build momentum.

Your own personal BHAG should intersect your passions, and give you a best-in-the-world attitude.  It’s not just another long term goal.  It needs be huge.  It has to be hairy-scary and dashing.  Too important to be impulsive.  More like a Mt. Everest.  Publishing a book is fairly hairy – but a bit more audacious would be to become the leading expert in your passionate interest.

A great example: Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett want to be the greatest philanthropist’s America has ever seen.  It’ll be tough with Bill and Melinda Gates clear challengers, but what an aim.

Experimentation:

Try a lot of things and keep what works.  Experimenting stimulates progress.  Try stuff out, give things a go.  Learning things outside your area of expertise but that you have an interested in can come in handy in all sorts of ways.    Read my post on why lighting lots of fires or committing action to a few interesting projects can open up new and unexpected paths.

It’s widely known that Google allows workers 20% of their time to work on things they’re really passionate about.  All sorts of ventures have been born from this time allowance (check out the Labs for more).  Change is not just embraced, but demanded.

Good enough never is:

Relentless self-improvement stimulates progress.  There’s nothing wrong with having shortcomings (I’ve got plenty..!), but you have to do the best you can.  If you’re not working on improving from your last experience, you’re spinning your wheels on the ground.

Don’t be seduced by ‘good enough’.  Good enough doesn’t stand out.  It’s tough to be perfect, but you can be heroic rather than just ok.  Dare to be different.  Be remarkable and outstanding. Be a Purple Cow.

Develop a core ideaology and align your values to it:

Visionary companies are guided by a core ideology, core values and a sense of purpose beyond just making money.  On a personal level, developing your own core ideaology gives a strong sense of identity and helps align your values.  Consider your own most important values and write them down.  Construct your own ideaology or manifesto based on those values and your passions.  Make it something to be pursued zealously, just like 3M’s dedication to innovation, and use it as a guiding force for generations.

An emphasis on ethical standards is a common theme for great companies: staff are inspired by the ideals and give more; the companies reap payoffs in the long term from grateful recipients of their honourable reputations.  Look beyond – ‘get lots of customers at big profit margins’ and think about your values and humanity.  Your ideaology will serve to guide you.

I’d love to hear your thoughts – have you got a big old shaggy BHAG you’d like to share or feel inspired enough to start applying these core distinguishing methods of improvement?

Image source: Jake Botter

Rushing blindly into a project is a great way to understand the old adage: Failing to plan is planning to fail.

You’ll get knocked around. You’ll realise you made a ton of mistakes, and that’ll learn ya’. You’ll definitely do better next time.

But we rarely get the opportunity to take another shot, or a second chance. If we do get that chance, it can be expensive or a big waste of time, or both.

Then there’s the other side.  Governments and councils know about planning.  Committees can be formed at the drop of a hat to dwell on important matters. There are meetings. Studies. Big unwieldy plans are made. Nothing happens for years.  It’s a case of analysis paralysis.

Planning is just as important and necessary as taking action, but moderating the two is essential.

If you want to lose weight for example, the best books and blogs on healthy living, dieting, and losing weight won’t help a bit if you sit reading them instead of exercising.  Use the blogs to help inspire, motivate and encourage when you need it.  Your planning must have a transition into action – and you need to know when planning isn’t really the answer to your problems.

You’re probably one or the other:  a sitter, thinker or dweller, who needs a kick along to get things going; or an impatient, go-getter who wants to charge off and patch things up behind you as you go.

I’ll focus this post on those who sit and think without ever starting with ways to take action:

1. Stop overthinking, start doing

It’s amazing how easy it is to get overwhelmed.  When there’s too many choices sometimes you can just shut down.  Overthinking your problems makes you get too far ahead of yourself.  You think only of the big picture, not how to get there.

Stop and simplify your approach.  Take things step by step.  End the creative speculation when discovery and definition are required.

2. Are ‘what-ifs’ helping or hindering?

A good planning session takes in account the ‘what-ifs’.  But if you dwell on these for too long, you will start to doubt yourself.  Try to reduce the insistence on completing all analysis before beginning by capturing it into a single thought:  What’s the worst that can happen?

If it’s just that you might need to bounce back from a small setback that you hadn’t thought of stop the doubting and start.  You’ll face challenges along the way.  That happens when you are learning on the fly.  But learning as you go means you have taken action and that you’re closer to your goals then when you were stuck planning.

3. Move past perfection

When I do something that’s important,  I’ll happily spend an eternity getting it right.  The thing is though, nothing can be perfect.  Striving for it will only cause heartache.  Remember that you can always improve, set a deadline for your work, and after that move on. Evaluate the most important things to get right or that will be difficult to change post-launch.  Then start doing it and fix it later.  Forgo perfection.  Perfection puts the brakes on action.

If you want to succeed, double your failure rate. Thomas Watson, Founder – IBM

4. Build momentum

It’s a piece of cake to pick something up and run with it when you’re enjoying it.  You’re enthusiastic and motivated.   Don’t let anything stop you – run with it, explore this new passion you’ve opened up.  Don’t stop to critically analyse your work, or stop and list obstacles.  Save that for later when you’ve come up for air and can given the project a review. Run with it for now.

5. Apply it – don’t acquire it

Chances are you’ll want to read up on a topic before trying it.  You’ll pick up tips, learn from others’ mistakes, avoid traps for young players.  But there is a tendency to focus on acquiring that knowledge in case we need it and never actually apply it.  Make the change.

A quote to inspire: I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand – Confucius

6.  Don’t be afraid to get help

Compensate by getting help for your very difficult problems. Effective leaders acknowledge they have weaknesses. They seek assistance from competent associates or peers who have the strengths they lack. Some of the best business partnerships are created with opposing personalities – a planner and a doer is a great match to reach a good medium.

Part of each tip to beat this problem is recognising the weakness in yourself and taking the necessary steps to change your behaviour.

I’m really interested to know if you can take anything away from this that you can use. Feel free to leave a comment or to get in touch with me if you have anything to say.

(Time Lost by gothick_matt @ Flickr)

You are wasting your valuable time through procrastination.  Feel guilty?  It happens to the best of us.  It’s not necessarily bad either.  Procrastination can be great for you.  Some people would never have a clean house unless they had a report due.  Others delay about buying something and don’t make a decision which saves them money (but they possibly never really get what they want – something I’ve talked about here).

Now I’m going to keep this short.  This text is small, and you’ve probably got 100 other things to do.  Even right now you’re probably thinking I’ll bookmark this to read it later.  Well, I’m here to tell you about taking action, and you’re here reading so you might as well keep going…

Five ways to beat procrastination:

1. The Reward

If I just can’t get going, it’s time to change tack.  Unhook the internet and plug it back in once you’ve achieved something.  Buy a block of chocolate and enjoy some once you’ve done the hard yards.  Ring up a friend to meet for a coffee in two hours and go like stink until then.  Do these things as a reward for yourself, after you have completed a task.

Half the time the hardest thing to do is to start.  Once you’ve put pen to paper and pushed off the start line, you’ll feel the shackles fall off.  Plus, chances are good after you’ve been rewarded, you’ll be keen to come back and keep going.

2. The Power of 10 Minutes

If  I can’t seem to start, I sit and jot down a list of a few tasks that can be worked on in 10 minutes.  I’ll then work on one of these tasks with full concentration and focus.  It doesn’t have to get done, it just has to move forward within that 10 minutes.  After that 10 minutes, I’ll stop and evaluate where I am.  I’ll take a quick refresher and then go to the next task, or do another 10 minute stint moving that task forwards.

It’s all a trick.  I’m just trying to get started and involve myself so that I forget the break after 10 minutes, and end up doing half an hour or more without thinking about anything else.  This quickly breaks any resistance to the work, even if it’s not much fun.  If I do this, suddenly I’ve got my day underway and my workload feels smaller.  Forget multi-tasking.  It’s just multi-distracting and untasking yourself.  Do 10 minutes deeply focused in a burst or two, and without realising, you’ll be underway.

3. Be honest about why you aren’t doing ‘it’

If you’re avoiding ‘it’, whatever it may be, you might need to look at why.  It can be anything, an assignment, a job at work, or writing an article on your website.  When I’m consciously or unconsciously avoiding something, it’ often because I’m dealing with fear, and usually fear of failure.  Conquering this isn’t easy,  but as Leo Babatua might say – feel the fear and do it anyway!

Chances are if I’m avoiding it, it’s because I’m not really sure what I’m doing – so I’ll ask myself – what’s the worst thing that can happen?  It’s never as bad as I’m making it out to be.  Beat the fear, beat the procrastination, and create opportunities for yourself by getting it done.

4. The Use of Music

This won’t work for everyone, but music can be a useful tool.  You can use it in a few different ways.  Sometimes I’ll try and pump up and get inspired by listening to some tracks that make me jump (I like Creedence Clearwater Revivial – Fotunate Son) and get me going.  Or, on the flip side, try removing distractions by playing a nice bit of instrumental only or soft vocal music.  I often stick on a CD of Massive Attack to quietly drown out the world and help me dial in.

5. Give yourself guaranteed time for fun

Guaranteeing yourself fun is a great way to make you do something.  I’m often guilty of spending hours on a task getting nothing done because I know I have plenty of time.  Somewhat ironically, If I restrict myself to a certain time limit, I get more work done, work better, and enjoy my free time.  Realistically, a deadline is often the only reason people start things anyway.  Instead of working towards a deadline, work towards a “liveline” where once you have done it, you’re free to do whatever and live.

Thanks for making it this far.  Take a break – you deserve it!

Everything Is Negotiable

I’ve always loved books and found that for a few years during University and studies that I’d really cut down on the number of books I’ve been reading.  I hadn’t stopped reading – I was just spending more time surfing the net or reading textbooks and coursework.  And often frittering away my time!

I’ve also decided to read more non-fiction books related to personal development and an understanding of the world at large.  Last week I mentioned the Personal MBA and since then I have brought a few copies of starter books (thanks Booko) and ones that looked most interesting to me as of right now.  More of them as they come.

A book that I picked up awhile ago and have been perusing carefully has been Everything Is Negotiable – How to get the best deal every time by Gavin Kennedy.

Straight off the bat, you can tell that Kennedy is a likeable character with a no-nonsense and practical look at life. You get the impression he isn’t rattled easily, would have good posture and would enjoy nothing more than sitting at length talking about a 400 page contract he had read every line of twice and worked out was highly disadvantageous. It’s this point about the book I’d like to highlight as well.

The book is not just for people looking to be able to negotiate on their next large TV purchase, or to get 10% discount at the next swapmeet, but for project managers, engineers, financial managers and businessmen who are looking to negotiate their next detailed (and multi-million dollar) contract.  Any deal you can make worth a dollar will benefit from this book.

From the start of the book and throughout, emphasis is placed on the fact that negotiating is a must, and that negotiations aren’t about winning, or losing – it’s  about meeting an agreement over things that you both want,  and looking beyond monetary value.

Portions of the book are devoted to those who are less confident in negotiating, and other portions made for negotiators who can’t seem to get a deal.   For the amateur’s, Kennedy encourages you see to negotiations as a must, and classifies those not willing or who avoid haggling as a duck!  Quack quack.

When you’ve bought a $600 suit and thought you were getting a good deal by them throwing in a shirt … quack quack!  Look for your positions of strength.   It seems very often that one party views the other of having the position of power over the deal.  The shop having the power might be the case if you need a suit that day.  But the store needs your sale, and would enjoy your return business and word of mouth about the quality of the brand.  Press them for a better deal. If price is a sticking point once you’ve asked for their best price, see if there is flexibility on payments tersm, additional extras like dry cleaning or further subsidies for other neccessities like a tie.  Don’t accept their first offer, and be prepared to be strong to your own wallet.

The book also demonstrates methods of using an agent to seperate yourself from the pressures of selling, and other clever techniques and encouragement throughout to inspire negotiation. Soar like an eagle!

Anyone is business and looking more towards their contract negotiations or financial agreements will also benefit from the useful provided.  Chapters on ‘Bad Deals in Business’, how to cope with threats, and renegotiating a bad deals have real relevance and are great practical advice.  I thoroughly enjoyed the tips about conceding positions, offering goodwil for little reasons, and the utmost importance of ethics.

This is very good book that offers practicalities and real tips for events you will face in your life, both personally and professionally.  I thoroughly recommend it for anyone who wants to discover a new skill, understand the process they deal with on a daily basis, and would especially encourage any sales people to invest in something that you will return to often.

Grow. Hope. Push the boundaries.

Making it to the top is the dream for many.  Right now, you might be stuck ordering coffees when you’d much rather be the CEO.  Or you’re printing copies, running between managers, and taking minutes for those who are too busy.

Too many are overlooked or overworked with unchallenging administrivia and never make it – but you have to start somewhere.  I’m going to explore how to make it, especially for those with the talent, ambition and drive to make it to the top.

Progressing a career from the backdoor to the boardroom won’t happen by sitting there being busy and organised and waiting for someone to notice. You can be trapped in the adminisphere for what seems like ever – wanting and waiting to get out.

Change will not happen unless you are the driver.

You need to set your own goals.

Take responsibility for achieving them. Don’t wake up and say I’m going to be the manager in six months. Initiate discussion with your boss or supervisor.  They should provide you with some ideas and thoughts on what goals you should be setting and how to work towards management.  If you are  stuck at a dead end, think about secondment to another section,  and ask for ideas for upskilling.    Creative ways to start working on your talents and to achieving goals might come through investigating the Personal MBA.  The Personal MBA is all about reading great business  and what I’d call ‘Thinking Man’s’ books and taking time for yourself to learn and become wise.  There are a lot of inspirations found within the Personal MBA site, and the 2009 list of books is just out.  Even just reading a few will have you thinking in different directions than before.  Use it to make a change.

Think about the role you want.   Put yourself in a decision-maker’s shoes.   What would you bring to the role?   What do you need to learn for the role?  The oft-suggested mentor might come in handy here.  If you can find someone who has the job you want or a role model who is willing to talk with you it will be valuable.  There are a number of life coaches and online forums for this too.  Consider the role and think about if you can handle the additional pressures and stresses that come with it.

Keep motivated.  You’ll probably need to work smarter and harder than before.  Early starts and late nights with the odd weekend thrown in are typical.  If you don’t want this added responsibility, consider what you really want.  Look for ways to do better.  Evaluate yourself and regularly debrief after projects to see what could’ve been done better. Consult those in and around the project to find out what worked and what didn’t.  Keep those improvements in mind.

Don’t try to work harder and faster and work yourself into the ground.  Leo Babuta of Zen Habits believes in simple productivity.  A number of posts on his blog are devoted to work life balance, working smarter, productivity boosts and ways to avoid stress.  I find I can visit Zen Habits and come away with a clear head and generally a feeling of empowerment.

Live the change.  Become a man of action.