September 2005

MARK'S DAILY THOUGHTS: September 2005

2005-09-13 - Welcome to Mark's Daily Thoughts
Welcome to the Daily Thought from Procedor's Founder - Mark Fritz. The Daily Thoughts will cover topics such as:

Focus & Goal Setting
Personal Development
Inter-Personal Development
Leadership Development
Health & Lifestyle

2005-09-14 - The Size of Your Success....
Yesterday, I read the following quote from Vic Johnson. "The size of your success is determined by the size of your belief." People accomplish what they believe in. It's not always the smartest people who succeed, it's the people who know what they want and have the absolute belief that they will get it. Speaking with a consultant a couple months ago, he said that the highest paid speakers get paid those high amounts because of the strong belief in themselves that they are worth it. If this applies to speakers, it also applies to us. Our beliefs have a stronger impact on our performance and success than just having the right skills and abilities.

2005-09-15 - Teamwork - It's Important
I was out with friends for pasta last evening at Da Mario (a great place for pasta in London), and the subject of teamwork came up. It's amazing what organisations can accomplish when they have good teamwork. With people knowing each other well, they look for ways to help each other. People who help each other, fix problems faster and even anticipate problems before they happen. Why not ask the question today, "What can we do to get people to know each other better and promote better teamwork in our organisation?"

2005-09-16 - The Target you do not have
Yesterday, I was reminded of the quote from Zig Ziglar: "You cannot hit a target you do not have." Many people can quickly tell you and talk for 10 minutes on all the things they do not want, but struggle to clearly define what they do want - their targets. Successful people know clearly what they want, they have their targets, and take action on them. So, why not define your targets today. It is much more motivating taking action towards a target, than trying to avoid those things we do not want.

2005-09-17 - The Power of Focus (and Skype)
Did you see the announcement this week on the purchase of Skype by EBay? Skype is a very good example of the Power of Focus. Skype focussed on basically two things and did them very well. (1) They built a very good set of services and constantly added new services that customers wanted. (2) Most important - They made creating a large customer base as their goal. Now, what is the value of having a good Focus? About $2.6bn. Just as with companies, it's the same for individuals, the Power is in the Ability to Focus.

2005-09-18 - Understanding the "Boss"
I read the 10 Questions to Build a Better Understanding of the Boss from the Fastcompany Website. Two ideas mentioned are very key: (1) Try to understand the ambitions of your boss and (2) Understand what he or she is trying to acccomplish. If you can align your focus in the same direction, you can great that "win/win" situation. Some bosses will share their focus openly, and others you will have to find it for yourself. It's the same for dealing with customers. Align to the customer's ambitions & goals, and help them eliminate the problems in their path with your services.

2005-09-19 - The Chelsea Football Club is off to another great start
The Chelsea Football Club is off to a great start. Sure, they have bought good players, but I think there's another reason they are successful now. I heard that their manager José Mourinho said he talks differently to all his players. I think he talks to each of his players, and explains how important it is for them to use which of their specific talents that are needed most for the team to be successful. When he says the team can get even better, it's because he see his players with opportunities to contribute more of those unique talents that the team needs to get better.

2005-09-20 - Give an Example (Tell a Story)
When explaining an idea or anything new to someone, it's always easier for others to understand if you give them an example or tell them a story that highlights what you want them to understand. We all understand new concepts better when we are given examples. Even better, tell them a story about how this new concept was really successful. An interesting point: Delegates at a presentation skills workshop were asked, "How do you know when a presenter really knows his/her subject?" Their common answer was, "they illustrate what they say with stories". So, next time you are sharing your ideas - give an example or better yet - tell a story.

2005-09-21 - Give Up and Grow Up Goals
Goals are extremely important. I heard this idea about two types of goals and thought it was good. First, you have "Give Up" type of goals, where you are giving up smoking, eating deserts, losing weight etc. These "Give Up" goals you tell everyone, as it puts pressure on you to "DO IT". "Grow Up" goals are those goals that you have such as getting tha promotion, being the number in sales, etc. These type of goals you need to keep to yourself, as other people will be either threatened by them or be negative against you in acheiving them. So, "Give Up" goals tell everyone, "Grow Up" goals keep to yourself (or talk with a mentor if you have one).

2005-09-22 - A Goal must affect Change
There's a great quote from Zig Ziglar about Goals. It says, "In order for a goal to be effective, it must affect change." It is so important when defining a goal, to also define right away all the changes that need to be done in order to achieve that goal. Remember, you are not committed to the goal, unless you are committed to the changes necessary to achieve that goal.

Therefore, when you define your next goal, define the changes right at the same time.

2005-09-23 - Why not use more One-Pagers
There's an old joke - "I wrote you a long letter because I didn't have the time to write a short one". Short letters or one-pagers take a little longer to create, but it's more guaranteed that they will be read if they are short. Also, one-pagers are usually more focussed on the message, which means it's understood better, and you influence people in a stronger way. Remember the quote from Winston Churchill - "If you can’t say it in one page, you don’t know what you are talking about."

2005-09-24 - A bit of Humour for the Weekend
A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station. What more can I say.

Your future depends on your dreams." So go to sleep.

"Work fascinates me." I can look at it for hours.

2005-09-25 - Ask Questions - Be in Control
I was listening to an audio book yesterday and heard this comment: "The person who asks questions is in control." This is very important in sales in uncovering the customer's needs, and it's something good to remember in any types of conversations. If you ask questions, you control both the content and the flow of the conversation. Also, ever notice that the best leaders are also the best at asking questions.

So, in your conversations this week - Why not ask more questions.

2005-09-26 - The Rate of Change Inside your Organisation
Jack Welsh made a really telling statement - "When the rate of change inside your organisation is less than the rate of change outside your organisation, the end is in sight." This is important not just for organisations, but for individuals as well (and especially for leaders). It's always important to keep growing as leaders so that you can continue to pass on your knowledge and abilities to help grow others.

The key question is then: What's the rate of change inside you?

2005-09-27 - Do the Thing You Fear Most
I have heard this saying many times, but it has only been recently that I have found the real power in it. Successful people make a habit of doing what un-successful people don't like to do. It's not that successful people like to do everything, they just know they need to "do it" to get to the goals they have defined. Often, it's doing the things they fear most, that make them successful. An example is in sales on cold calling. Salespeople fear cold calling because of hearing "no" too often, but those who do it anyway begin to get better at it and eventually like it. So, to be more successful, do those things you fear most.

2005-09-28 - Listening and Paraphrasing
Having good "Listening Skills" is an essential skill in business these days. If we listen well, we learn more and we build a better rapport with our co-workers and customers. One key skill in listening is "Paraphrasing". This involves saying back to the other person - in your own words - what he or she has been saying. By paraphrasing, you are showing the other person that you have been listening and that you understand what was said. You can't paraphrase unless you have understood it well enough to describe it in your own words. Also, you benefit - as you will remember this better, as we always seem to remember better what we say.

2005-09-29 - The 2 Minute Rule
David Allen, the productivity guru, talks about the 2 minute rule. If an action takes less than 2 minutes to do, then "Do It Now". The reason for the two minutes is that it takes a least 2 minutes to capture it (write it down somewhere) and then keep track of it so that it gets done later. It's much better to just do the action right away. This is a really good technique in going through your inbox of emails. If it's less than 2 minutes, do it right away - don't put it off. Try the 2 minute rule today, and see how it works for you.

2005-09-30 - Under Promise and Over Deliver
Too often our eyes are bigger than our stomach, and we agree to much more than we can actually do. We always think, "I can fit this in." However, there are always unexpected interruptions that take our time (and some of those interruptions are something that is an advantage for us). We need to be careful with our promises, as it's important to be able to always meet our commitments. Over promising puts more risk in always meeting our commitments and people will loose trust in us. So, watch yourself today, and Under Promise so that you can Over Deliver in the future.

» October 2005

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