Daily Thought Archives: May 2008

May 1
TAKE FUN OFF THE BACK BURNER
There are too many people who have put FUN on the back burner of their life. Sometimes these people get too consumed with their job, and forget that life is about the journey and not just the destination. They are working hard to achieve a result, but life is about how you go about achieving it. People who put FUN on the front burner recharge their energy and creativity to accomplish more and enjoy the journey more as well.

May 2
BUILDING BRIDGES ACROSS THE ORGANISATION
One of the key success factors for leaders is getting people willing to work together and share information across the organisation. The best leaders focus on building bridges across the organisation by getting people to know each other and trust each other. People who trust each other will consider sharing information as power versus holding onto it.

May 3
FOCUS IS ABOUT LESS CHOICE
When you create a very clear focus, it will often create less choice for you. Your focus will help you narrow down the possibilities, and help you to invest your time in much more productive ways. Also, less choice means that you will be able to make faster decisions, and faster decisions means faster action.

May 4
WHAT YOU DO ON A DAILY BASIS
Everyone has something big to accomplish, but many search for that really big idea or lucky break to make it happen. However, those who achieve great success understand that it is always what they do on a daily basis that creates their success. The sum of the daily disciplines makes it happen.

May 5
YOU MAKE MONEY BY SOLVING PROBLEMS
A great business equation is Problem Solved X For Who = Money. That being so, if you want to make more money; you either need to solve bigger problems or the same problems for more customers. Success in business is all around solving problems, so focus yourself and your people on solving your customers' problems and the money will flow.

May 6
USE YOUR POWER OF INFLUENCE
It is very important to use one of the most powerful factors in life (your power of influence). Many people spend their time just making sure the other person hears what they want them to hear, and not considering the other person's situation. They think only one way. Always consider the other person's situation and thinking (two way), and you will be surprised at the power of influence you will have.

May 7
A HEALTHY OBSESSION
One of the differences between those who achieve success and those who don't is that successful people have a healthy obsession. They are doing what they love and think about it all the time. This helps them to see opportunities that others miss, and create their success.

May 8
BRINGING THE BEST IN ALL SITUATIONS
We all like to work with people who are very professional, as they will always have more commitment to get the job done. There's one key trait that professional bring each and every day. They bring the best in themselves in all situations. In both good and bad situations, they always strive to be their best. How about you?

May 9
CULTURE TRUMPS STRATEGY
People often discuss which is more important for a company, the culture or the strategy. In fact, the right culture is more important than the strategy. A bad culture cannot implement a good strategy. However, a good culture can create a good strategy. Remember, the right culture enables everything else.

May 10
WHO YOU ARE WITHOUT IT
There are far too many people who think that money alone will make them happier, and then they focus all their time on just making money. Money never really makes you any different, it just makes you more of who you already were before you had any money. You could say that money magnifies who you are (both the good and the bad that was already inside you).

May 11
TYPE OF PERSON YOU WANT TO ATTRACT
If you want to get more out of life, you will need to put more of you into your life. The key is to grow yourself to be the type of person that you would like to attract. What type of person would you want to attract? The answer becomes a powerful goal that focuses your personal growth actions and attracts the people into your life that can help you the most.

May 12
PRAISE ACCORDING TO PEOPLE'S PREFERENCES
One thing every successful leader has learned is that people get motivated in different ways. To give effective praise, it can never be done in a generic way. Great leaders look for and establish unique ways to praise their people when they have done a good job. They realise that this unique praise can be one of the most powerful motivators.

May 13
COMFORT CAN BE A BARRIER TO PROGRESS
We all grow when we challenge ourselves to try something new. Also, very often when we try something new, we feel uncomfortable at first. It is not until we know how to do it well that we begin to get comfortable. We should always be trying something new in some part of our life, as being totally comfortable can be a barrier to our growth and progress.

May 14
SOMETHING IN THAT NOTHING
Take a look at very successful people and you will often find that they are very creative people as well. They were able to see something in what others thought was nothing. Take a look around you and do some quality thinking and brainstorming, and you might see opportunities that before you thought were nothing.

May 15
RUNNING WITH THE RIGHT CROWD
There's a saying that you are the average of the 10 people you spend the most time with. That being so, does the average of the 10 people around you represent the potential that is inside you? If yes, that's great. If no, then what would be your next action? Remember, we often grow the fastest when we invest time with people we can learn from.

May 16
LEADERSHIP IS ABOUT THE QUESTIONS
A leader's power is always coming from the questions he or she asks, and not by the answers. Questions always challenge your people to think and answers save them from thinking. When your people think more, they grow more and faster. When your people grow faster, so does the organisation as well. What has been your ratio of questions to answers this past week?

May 17
YOU REALLY KNOW IT WHEN YOU TEACH IT
There's an old saying that goes "you really know it, when you teach it". A great way to get what you learn to 'stick' is to always share what you have learned with others soon after you first learned it yourself. When you need to explain it to others, it becomes clearer in your own mind and helps to make it 'stick' with you longer. Sharing what you learn is a great habit that benefits both you and others.

May 18
THE BEST REVENGE IS GREAT SUCCESS
Too many times people want to take revenge on others when something wrong has been done to them. However, when you take revenge, you put the focus on the other person and not on yourself. It is better to focus on all your energy on being the best you can be and create your own success. The best revenge is your great success.

May 19
HOW POSITIVE IS YOUR LANGUAGE?
If people observed your language all day yesterday, would they say it was more positive or more negative? So, why is language so important? Which person would you rather give support to when they needed help, a positive or a negative person? Everyone needs the help of others to be successful, and those who have a positive language always get more help than those who don't. Keep you language positive each and every day.

May 20
ACTIONS CONSISTENT WITH OUR BELIEFS
People often hope for different results, but don't really understand that it is almost always their own beliefs that are stopping them. Our actions are always consistent with our beliefs. To achieve different results, we need to take different actions; and everything starts with our beliefs. Remember, beliefs x actions = results.

May 21
PREPARE HARD, DELIVER EASY
Everything we accomplish and do well has the roots of success in our preparation. One of the most significant factors of success is the discipline to do the right preparation, and when you do the preparation, delivering the results then become easier. Take a look at how you do your preparation and ask yourself the question: Am I investing the right amount of time in preparation?

May 22
TAKE IT UP A LEVEL
We often encounter issues where we don't quickly see the solution. Many times we can see the issue in a different way when we take it up a level, and look at the issue from a broader perspective. Try it the next time you struggle to see the solution. Take it up a level.

May 23
EXPECT VERSUS WISH
There's a little difference in thinking between successful and unsuccessful people that makes a big difference in the results achieved. The successful expect and the unsuccessful wish. The successful people expect that success and continued success will come and this expectation creates the commitment to the continued action that will make it happen.

May 24
SPECIFIC, OBSERVABLE AND MEASURABLE
There are three words that are great to remember when driving change. They are specific, as nothing vague is ever accomplished. Be specific on the change you want to see. Next, it has to be observable and measurable. Change requires new behaviours that can be seen and results that can be measured. Think specific, observable and measurable when driving change.

May 25
IGNORE IT, AND THE MORE INTENSE IT GETS
Have you ever noticed that anytime you ignore a feeling or problem, that the longer you ignore it, the more intense it becomes in your mind. For everything in life that grabs the attention of your mind (feeling, etc.), the sooner you deal with it, the better. Fight the urge to 'put it off', and address your feelings or problems ASAP (when they are small).

May 26
YOU CAN LEARN A GREAT DEAL BY OBSERVING
You will be amazed how much you can learn by observing others. The way people handle themselves in different situations can be a great learning on what to do and what not to do. Stretch yourself and try new experiences, as you will not only learn by doing something for the first time, but also by observing others.

May 27
UNDERSTAND WHAT MOTIVATES YOU
The magic key to get more accomplished is not really magic at all. It is just finding out what works best in motivating you. Most people don't invest the time to really understand what motivates them. The people who do, find the different ways to motivate themselves and get more accomplished each and every day.

May 28
PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT HAS YOUR ATTENTION
It is important to take a break and invest some time for reflection. The key is often to pay attention to what has your attention. With the fast pace of business today and the constant daily pressures, it is easy for our attention to drift away from what is important to just the urgent. Remember to pay attention to what has your attention.

May 29
CONVERTING TALENT INTO SUCCESS
I think an interesting definition of leadership could be 'Converting Talent into Success'. Look at many sports teams and you see a great deal of talent. However, it is only through leadership that the talent is converted into team success. One extra thing: Leadership is about recruiting the best talent as well.

May 30
WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE?
Many people don't achieve success in their lives because they don't invest the time to picture what it would look like. The more detailed the picture you create of what you want, the more passion and energy you will put into making it happen. What does success look like for you?

May 31
DEVELOPING PEOPLE FROM THE INSIDE OUT
You can focus on two things when developing people (their behaviours and their beliefs). Most leaders primary focus is on the behaviours. However, great leaders understand that more fundamental development comes from creating more powerful beliefs in their people, and building their confidence to take risks.