Daily Thought Archives: December 2008

December 1
FEED YOUR CREATIVITY
Some of the most creative people didn't get that way by accident. Also, they know that they will only stay creative by constantly feeding it. They focus on experiencing new things and reading books that will expand their mindset. Start feeding your creativity today.

December 2
BEING NICE COSTS NOTHING
We sometimes go to certain stores just because the people there are nice. Does it cost them any more to be nice versus other stores? Not really, but that’s what drives you to their store. So, don't you think being nice would attract more people to you! – and to help you!

December 3
ANALYSE SUCCESS AS WELL AS FAILURES
Everyone seems to analyse his or her failures and many times in great detail. Also, we often repeat those failures in our heads over and over. True power comes when we analyse our successes. We learn the “WHY” behind the success so that we can repeat it, and when we replay our successes we reinforce our self-esteem at the same time.

December 4
EXPAND THE PIE VERSUS CUT THE PIE
There are two types of negotiations. One is only focused on cutting up the pie, and basically dividing up what is believed to be a “fixed” opportunity. The second type is when others take a different view, and look to see how both sides can gain even more value from the deal by expanding the pie. In your negotiations, focus on expanding the pie versus cutting the pie.

December 5
WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO YOU?
One of the most difficult questions in the world to answer is “What is really important to me?” It is always easy to choose between the good and the bad. However, deciding the important is like choosing between the very good and the good. It makes us think hard, but rewards us with a more fulfilling life.

December 6
INSPIRE OTHERS BY HOW YOU LIVE
There’s a big difference between successful and unsuccessful leaders. Unsuccessful leaders try to inspire others by what they say. Successful leaders inspire others by what they do (how they live). Live your life in a way that inspires others.

December 7
ARROGANCE DRIVES A LACK OF PREPARATION
You see this in once successful people who have lost their success over time. Their success created arrogance in the way they approached their life and their interaction with others. This arrogance drove them to do less and less preparation and suddenly the performance of others was passing them by. Never fail to do your preparation.

December 8
GET PLEASURE PERFORMING AGAINST THE BEST
Successful people get pleasure from something unsuccessful people avoid. Successful people get pleasure from performing against the best. They know that this will motivate them to raise their own performance and that they will always learn and grow faster from these experiences.

December 9
FROM CONTROLLING PEOPLE TO UNLEASHING PEOPLE
There are many managers who feel that their job is to control their people. However, controlling people is always a limiting activity. The better way is to establish clear boundaries for the people and let them unleash their creativity and energy to make things happen (and to find better ways to make things happen).

December 10
GAINING OR LOSING WITH THE CHANGE
Change is not something that most people like, and there is one thing that everyone decides early on in any change. They decide whether they will gain or lose with the change. More than any other factor, this decision is a great predictor of what will actually happen. People get what they expect. In any change, always focus on the gain.

December 11
THE FRONT LINE PRODUCES THE BOTTOM LINE
A good phrase to remind all leaders of the important is “The Front Line Produces the Bottom Line.” The people who deal with customers every day are the people who deliver the value and create the bottom line. Keep this in mind every day and it will drive more communications and involvement with this critical front line.

December 12
WHAT YOU SAY IS WHAT YOU GET
This is a nice little saying, but it is also very powerful. What we say to others and ourselves is a powerful focus for our actions. You could say that we are sort of “brainwashing” ourselves by what we repeatedly say. That being so; why not “Brain-Focus” yourself in the right way by saying positive things. Remember, what you say is what you get.

December 13
DESIRE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT OTHERS
People who get ahead in life have a common trait. They all have the desire to know more about others. People who don’t get ahead have the desire for others to know more about them. It really comes back to the universal principle of “you have to give to receive.”

December 14
YOU GET THERE IN YOUR MIND FIRST
To achieve great things for our life, you need to have it in your thoughts first. They say that whatever your mind can conceive, you can achieve. Your thinking is always the first step to make anything happen. So, remember that you get there in your mind first.

December 15
GOALS GUIDE AND DIRECT YOUR ACTIONS
People without goals are like a driver setting out from home without a destination. Any road will do in this situation. You would not drive a car this way and certainly you should not drive your life this way either. Defining goals takes some time and thought power to create. However, goals guide and direct your daily actions and help bring more meaning to your life.

December 16
EXCITING PEOPLE TO GREAT PERFORMANCE
A good way to think about leadership is that it is “Exciting People to Great Performance.” Everything you can do to excite your people will give benefits in multiple ways. People who are excited will take faster action, be more creative, and will be more committed to make things happen. Excite your people today.

December 17
ALWAYS BE LOYAL TO THE ABSENT
One of the biggest problems in relationships (whether in our work or private lives) is talking about others when they are not present. Gossiping is something that never adds value and can only do harm. Therefore, set an example and always stay loyal to the absent.

December 18
A CHARACTER SHORTAGE
Ask many managers and they often say that there is a talent shortage. That is true, but the real shortage in today’s business is a character shortage (what your people are doing when no one is watching). In many of today’s businesses, the character shortage has a bigger impact on performance than the talent shortage.

December 19
THE POWER OF LEVERAGING YOURSELF
Your power comes from your ability to leverage yourself. This means that your thoughts and actions have the ability to influence others. Leverage is always about “influence”; so investing in becoming a better influencer (your communications, etc) will drive your success more than any other skill. The most powerful influence is “helping others” become even more successful.

December 20
OPEN TO QUESTIONING YOUR ASSUMPTIONS
If you think about it, it is your assumptions that guide many of your decisions and actions. However, is your assumptions always correct? Do they ever change when you get more information or feedback from others? The successful people are always open to questioning their assumptions, as they know wrong assumptions could be limiting their future success. Be open to questioning your assumptions.

December 21
YOUR FUTURE IS CREATED TODAY
Everyone dreams of a better future, but only the people who take action on their dreams make it a reality. Those who take action understand that their future (their dream) is created by what they do today, and each and every day. Drive today to create your future by taking ACTION.

December 22
WHAT DOES THAT BEHAVIOUR SAY ABOUT ME?
There’s a very good question to ask ourselves when we behave in ways that we are not proud of. “What does that behaviour say about me?” Ask this question to yourself and determine to never let your behaviours say the same thing again. Make sure your behaviours are saying the right thing about you.

December 23
DISCIPLINE THE INVISIBLE TO CREATE SUCCESS
Many of the traits that enable today’s successful people are not even visible to you. It is what they do when they are alone, that time of thought and preparation; that enables them to get more done than others each day. Successful people understand that success is not something magical, but a way of life (a disciplined one).

December 24
ABSOLUTE CLARITY ON THE IMPORTANT
If there is one habit, above all others, the will help you get what you want, it is keeping an absolute clarity on the important. There are so many ways we can get distracted each and every day. However, the people who keep focused on the important will always achieve more than those who do not. Create the habit to keep absolute clarity on the important.

December 25
IN WHATEVER YOU DO
Some people have it and some people don’t. It is that excellence mindset. Everyone seems to have that excellence mindset on things they love doing, as they want to do them well. However, people with a true excellence mindset, have it with whatever they do (even those necessary tasks that they don't like). Remember, in whatever you do.

December 26
IT EVENTUALLY WILL COME OUT
We all have certain parts of our character that we are not so proud of. Some people just accept that’s the way they are, and simply try to mask them from others. However, in times of pressure and high emotion, it will eventually come out, and most likely in the worst way. We all have to continually work on our character flaws and help prevent this from happening.

December 27
AS CONVINCING MOM OR DAD
Sometimes we need to convince someone at work on a better way to do something. Very often, we tend to take a too direct approach and never get others to feel like it is their idea. Why not think of it as trying to convince either mom or dad!

December 28
THE ISSUE IS NOT WHAT, BUT WHO
In most of what we need to accomplish at work, it is not about the what, but who. Very often it is clear what needs to be done. It almost always a matter of getting the cooperation of others, (the who), to make it happen. That’s why change is so difficult. People focus too much on the “what” and not on the “who”.

December 29
WE ALL GO THROUGH TRANSITIONS
As we go through life, we will always experience highs and lows that drive us to make some adjustments. Everyone goes through these transitions and we always need to expect that they will happen. These are the times when we grow the most. The best approach is to take a positive attitude and to make the most of life’s transitions.

December 30
WHAT THE OTHER PERSON WANTS TO KNOW
You see the problem in so many people when they communicate with others. They are so focused on what they think others need to know, versus what others want to know. Success is about delivering value, so make sure your focus is on the people you are delivering value to. Remember, it’s about what they want to know.

December 31
HANDLE OBJECTIONS RIGHT AWAY
You see things so very often in the corporate world. People in meetings get some objections to what they want to do and many times say, “Let’s take this offline.” Not always, but in most situations it is better to handle those objections right away. The others in the meeting also hear the way you handle it and this helps everyone to stay better aligned.