Grand Opening

WOO HOO!!

I am so excited that after some serious procrastinating, some hard work, bursts of inspiration, serious doubts, more procrastinating, more work, home made design, a lot of interviewing, a stack of support, the kindness of friends and some techo gurus the Get More Success show is now live!

Over the coming years I will be interviewing people from all walks of life and find out how they define success and what are their success tips that you may be able to apply to get success in your life.

As an added bonus, the show will also include excerpts from the Get More Speaker Success monthly blab. This is a group conversation with a more lighthearted approach that covers issues in the speaking, meetings and events industries. It has some great ideas if you are looking to run events.

Because of the increased demand in the visual media, a lot of my interviews are also on video as well as audio. So if you like to look at what is happening, feel free to watch as well as listen.

You can see/hear the show at The Get More Success website.

BUT I NEED YOUR HELP

The first couple of weeks of a podcast’s launch are important to help get traction. So this is where I need your help.

If you like the idea of the show as well as the first couple of editions that are out there, I need you to subscribe to the show in iTunes if you are an iTunes user.

This will trigger some of iTunes magic goodness and increase its profile and shoot it up the charts which then makes others want to look at it.

So I would love it if you could give me a boost.

It’s really easy. Just click this link to see the show listing.

Click on the “See in iTunes” button on the left of the screen

When iTunes opens, click on the subscribe button.

At the very least, head over and listen to Wayne Thompson from the Australian Type Foundry talk about how he creates fonts and some of the icon advertising pieces you have seen in advertising all over Australia (including the Optus “Yes” speech bubble).

So what is new in your life? What have you achieved after grinding away for what seems like years? How can I help you achieve success?

Stop Lying to Your Customer

Recently my mum got a new car. The Nissan Qashqai (pronounced Cash Ky or Cash Cow as we refer to it). She loves it. It has all the bells and whistles, lots of get up and go and is really comfy. The sales process was relatively simple and mum feels she got a good deal.

So far so good.

This week it was ready for it’s 10,000km service and that’s where the lying started.

Mum lives up country and is about 45 minutes away from the dealership. So it is no small thing to get the car serviced. It involves a day trip into town and getting everything done. As part of getting ready for the day she asked and confirmed when would the car be ready and was advised 1pm. “Are you sure?” She asked and was advised, “yes certainly.”

Back to pick up the car at 1pm and she was advised that it won’t be ready until 3pm “sorry for any inconvenience”. I just happened to call mum about that time and I can tell you, she was not happy. “They are not even working on the car because I can see it sitting just over there.”

You know what it’s like. It may not be a car service, maybe it is picking up an order or waiting on a meal or something else, maybe even a pre-recorded announcement at an airport that EVERYONE knows is a lie. My personal bugbear is “We apologise for the inconvenience.” It is a token statement, they don’t mean it or they would do something about it.

Back to mum. Here is the outcome. You know how a car service at a dealer usually costs about $400-$600? Yes it’s a bit more but you pay it thinking that it will help with resale value and you hope the dealer knows something about the car. Well that Nissan dealer will not be getting any of that money. Mainly because mum can’t trust them to do what they said they would but also because they show no empathy for how their lie impacted on her. Next time it is off to the local mechanic.

By the way, a local qualified mechanic is able to perform your services and it will not impact your normal warranty. Dealers try an scare you into thinking it will but that is because they can often make more money off servicing a car than selling it.

So are you lying to your customers?

Little white lies to keep them placated, shift an uncomfortable situation or because you actually don’t know what is happening so you make something up?

If so, stop it!

Customer relationships are built on trust. Lies degrade that trust and ultimately will kill your relationship all together. Tell your customers the truth – even if it is embarrassing, ugly or may seem to be a negative thing. Your customers are human. They accept that sometimes things happen but what are you doing to fix it.

Recently in Melbourne, a bus ran into a bridge and injured some of the passengers. It was from Gold Bus Lines. What makes it so memorable is that someone at head office sent a person down to put gaffer tape over the company branding on the bus. All that did is make us remember the name and not forget it. Your driver made a mistake, it happens so deal with it. Don’t try and deny the mistake – you can’t!

Research from TMI shows that your clients will become more loyal if they have a complaint and you deal with it than if you never had an issue at all. So it is not about getting rid of issues, it is about dealing with them well. (Get a 32 page extract from TMI’s A Complaint is a Gift book here)

So problems happen, how can I address them without lying or avoid them in the first place?

Under promise and over deliver

Better to say the car will be ready at 3pm and aim for 1pm than they other way around. Telling a client you will have a response by Friday and getting it to them two days earlier get’s an excellent response and if something comes up, you have two days up your sleeve

Be Honest

This day an age, the customer probably knows what is going on before you do. Companies CAN NOT keep secrets. Don’t even try. While you don’t have to give the specifics of a situation, you can at least let them know what is going on and when you will have an update. Most people just want crystal clear communication on what is happening.

Stick to Your Commitments

If you make a commitment to a customer, keep it. If you are going to miss it, let them know as soon as possible and manage their expectations. People don’t mind if changes happen as long as you do what you can to keep them informed and help minimise the impact on them. Yes it takes a little extra effort and time but it creates loyal customers who will happily refer you.

Have Respect

Just because you as an individual think that the situation is only minor doesn’t mean it is for the customer. Maybe they are over reacting, but maybe they are not. Maybe there are bigger issues here. A little respect for the customer and some smart questioning will help you better service them and their needs. Never forget that while the customer is not always right, they are always the customer and should be treated accordingly.

So next time you decide that lying to the customer might be a good idea, think of my mum.

Think of the thousands of dollars in lost future business, think of the huge network of people she will tell it to, think of her relatives who may post about it on social media but most importantly, think of how easy it would be to tell the truth (even if it is a little uncomfortable) and how that will be far better for your business.

Take Me Home

One of the key things you need to know as a speaker (or as a budding rock star) is that the audience want to take you home.

They may have only heard you for an hour or two but there is a connection and they want to get more info from you or hear more of your stories or find out more about your message.

This is true regardless of your “status” in the market place. There will be audience members that just connect with you, even if you are not the headliner legend in your field. For example, my lovely wife and I went to “Burn the Floor” at Crown Casino on Friday. It was a very good show with lots of dancing and some great music. A very solid casino kind of show. Everything done really well and done within budget.

But they still had a merchandise stand with posters, CDs, trinkets and clothing. At the end of the show there was a significant crowd there all wanting to buy their merchandise.

So as a speaker, educater, professional what do you have that lets your audience take you home?

Following in the footsteps of others from Professional Speakers Australia (The association for experts who speak) I have created over thirty differents discs (some CD, some DVD and some template discs), two books, two e-courses and many other products. After presenting at the Professional Speakers Australia event on the weekend on how to create product like this, some of the audience wanted to take me home. Having this product meant that they could.

If someone wants to take you or your company home, how do you make that happen?

Stop Goating Around

My gorgeous wife and I seem to have a penchant for goat based cafes.

We had three attempts at getting to the Giddy Goat cafe in Yarck before we actually made it on a time and date it was open. Recently we double our goat cafe participation by dining at the Gippy Goat in Yarragon.

Regular readers will know that one of my strongly held beliefs is that you MUST make it easy for the customer. Remove any barrier you can to make it so simple for your customer to discover what you are offering, why they may need it and then help them buy it. Don’t make them have to act the goat to give you their business.

During our trip to the Gippy Goat (which was lovely) I over heard a member of the local council (you could tell because it was embroided on her blouse) enquire about a booking for 10 people. The junior person said, “I’m sorry we don’t take bookings.” There was not much conversation after that.

Don’t get me wrong, maybe there is a great reason why they don’t take booking. Maybe that policy exists for a good reason. Maybe they don’t need they money or loyal customers. I would have approached it differently.

Looking around they had a room that could be used for a private function that seated about 12 people. That would have been a great room for them. 10 people at about $50 a head for lunch, coffee, dessert is $500. 10 happy council people who live in the area and then tell other people how good this place is could represent five to ten times as much. What if this became a regular booking for the council for a monthly or bimonthly group?

Again, I don’t know enough about the venue or the reason for the policy. What I do know is that you have to make it easy to be the customer. There are always other options so the best thing you can do for your business is make sure you are the one easiest to do business with.

Stop goating around and get the sale.

PS Stay tuned for some exciting news … ok I can’t wait. So here it is.
The Get More Success show is launching in 2 weeks.
Video and Audio interviews with successful people sharing their secrets on how to achieve success.
I will let you know when it launches!

What’s On Your Mind?

It was a big weekend after an even bigger week.

Friday I was hosting a client “talk show” to profile their new and upcoming software releases for their top 70 clients. There was a teenage birthday. Saturday had meetings reviewing the annual residential and future direction on similar events as well as catching up with other training and video production colleagues. Sunday was hang out with my gorgeous wife in the morning, big dog walk and then a few hours of finances and a BAS statement.

Phew!

What better way to chill out than to take the beast for a fang up to Drouin only 75 km away. (If you are not sure, click here to see where it is on Google Maps.)

At our recent residential retreat, Therese Sheedy was instrumental in guiding us through what it mean to be mindful and how that benefits you, your energy levels and your overall health. Motrobike riding is a great way to be mindful.

The secret of mindfulness is to be only thinking about what is happening here and now. If you don’t do that on a bike, you crash!

For me it was great to smell the countryside, be fully aware of the traffic around me (including the dude who was speeding and cut me off), and think of nothing but what I needed to do to keep safe. I didn’t even know where I was going. It took me awhile to decide and only then did I realised I had missed the turn off. No problems – I set a new destination of Drouin and just kept going.

So What?

Ok, so I get you don’t really care that I have gone off on a motorbike ride.

Here is the point: I took time out to forget the rest of the world, the rest what was happening in my life and become a Human Being and not a Human Doing. Not only does that charge my batteries it also makes me easier to be around, more grateful for what I am already experiencing in life and better able to manage the issues that I am facing.

So how do you get present?

How do you let go of everything around you and just “be”?

It is incredibly important to empty your mind at times, so what mechanism will you use to do that?

Why Are You Shouting?

AIME2016 is on this week. That’s the Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Expo. It is held at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre and it is a real focus for the meetings industry. It is always good to go along and see what is happening in the industry.

It is interesting looking at some of the comments coming out on social media, and they are typical of many exhibitors and events all over the world. Essentially they are shouting “LOOK AT ME”

The actual comments are more like “come by stand 26B to see XYZ. You could we an ipad/bottle of wine/(insert token gift here)”.

Can I humbly suggest you save your breath and stop shouting?

What is happening is the more you do it, the more your fellow exhibitors think it’s a good idea to and then they do it and then you do it again and fairly soon everyone is shouting.

Meanwhile, all of the delegate have been scared off and purposefully avoid you.

Here is another approach. Make a personal offer to the people you want to talk with. If you have their emails or phone numbers, contact them directly and make an appointment or let them know why you would love to see them. If you don’t have their details, you will know the type of person you want to speaker to so make an offer directly to them that is intriguing and makes them want to come and visit.

For example, “For all the association event organisers visiting AIME, how would you like complimentary shoulder massage as we share with you ways to get more members at your events? Drop by the Event Strategists and let our masseurs work their magic for you”.

Isn’t that a little more attractive?

Find out what your niche customer will be attracted by and provide it. Then get ready for the onslaught of visitors. (Naturally this idea translates in to normal marketing, sales messages and even parenting)

So why are you shouting?

By the way, I will be at AIME on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. If you want to chat about how you can make your next event more fun, memorable and successful, call me on 0408 592 158 and we can catch up on the show floor.

Feel The Love?

It was Valentines Day yesterday. The day that cynical people agree card companies and florists created to increase sales.

The less cynical among us would say it is a great day to celebrate our love in the world.

My Mum would agree it is about love. She is celebrating 7 years since she started “going out” with Dudley. (She initially changed her Facebook status to “in open relationship” then too but that is a different story!)

For my dog Winston (who looks very similar to the poodle above) it is just another day to love everything equally. Whether it is going for a walk, having a drink, meeting you at the door, being served dinner or joining you on the couch, there is always the unconditional love that he has.

What an excellent way to be in the world. What an amazing way to treat others. What a joyous force for good that would make us if we could do the same.

I love the concept that I should try and be the person my dog thinks I am. What an amazing person I would be then.

So Winston and my wish for you is that EVERY day is Valentines Day. That you look for things you love. Get excited about the small things and live each day to it’s fullest.

So are you up for the challenge?

15 (more) Seconds of Fame

I was unexpectedly on radio this week.

My lovely friends Mel Kettle and Annette Jones were on ABC Brisbane 612 as part of the festival of Brisbane Podcasts. As part of their segment, they played some excepts from recent guests including when I was a guest.

You can see them in action here courtesy of the host Spencer Howson:

To check out the whole audio, including my fabulous 15 seconds of glory, head on over to the ABC site here.

Darren Rowse and Jo Whitton were also excerpted (is that a word?) but if click on their names you can hear their whole podcast. You can hear Spencer’s podcast here (yes, he was a guest as well) and my edition here (they call me a Poodle Daddy!) but you really want to check out The Activity Pod at their website.

DIY or DIFM?

(Do It Yourself or Do It For Me)

This was our weekend. We spent most of Friday and all of the weekend moving a very large, very heavy and very noisy bit of equipment around on our concrete floor.

We were trying to make it into a fantastic, shiny and glamorous bit of flooring goodness but it never go there!

The equipment was great and a big thanks to Kennard’s Concrete Care for helping us out. The first grinder died 90 mins into grinding and they went out of their way and swapped another one in 8pm on a Friday night!!

But here’s the thing with DIY – if everything goes well, it’s fabulous and you can save yourself a lot of money. But if you get that one job that has “special” requirements it is a nightmare as a DIY person. A DIFM expert would be able to read the situation, use their many years of skills and know the short cut to success.

This is where the DIFM expert earns their money.

Our concrete wouldn’t grind. We changed to the medium bonding, harder diamonds as directed but still it didn’t grind. We Googled, YouTubed, and even read the instruction manual. It made no difference. We talked to others who had had some grinding done recently and something didn’t seem right.

So we kept on doing what we knew to be right (because we had hired the equipment for the weekend). What we were missing was the 20 years of experience to be able to “read” the concrete and know how best to attack it. The DIFM expert would have known.

I won’t say it was a wasted weekend (because then I would have no reason to feel this exhausted) and the finish we have is better than the raw concrete, but it is not even close to the vision.

What we do have is a unique concrete floor, loaded with character than in two or three years (when we have prioritised the money for it) will have a professional come and grind and seal it.

While DIY is good and can save you some money the DIFM professional undoubtedly gives a better experience, particulalry if an issue arises. It’s one of the main reasons I get booked as a corporate MC.

So what do you need to DIY and what do you need to get a DIFM professional in for?

Happy(?) Australia Day

It’s Australia day again.

It’s a day of celebration in our family because it is my aunty’s birthday (Happy birthday Aunty Glenda!) but it is also a day that has been making me feel more uncomfortable as time passes. It continues to mark our distinct lack of progress in so many ways.

Our Indigenous People

It clearly is a point of pain for the true Australians. We treated them appallingly and continue to do so on many levels. Many even scoff at their pain and tell them to “get over it.” I have no frame of reference or ability to comprehend the depth of the damage that has been done to our native peoples. From stealing their land to stealing their children to stealing their future, we continue to treat them poorly and contribute to their marginalisation. Yet as a country and a community we have so much we could learn from them if we only stopped to listen.

My commitment is to listen more and to pay homage to their culture. What this means is that when I am hosting or speaking at events one of the things I will always check for is that whether we are doing an acknowledgement or welcome to country. If we are not then I will ask why.

Our Sporting People

Why do we make our sports people god-like? There is no doubt they have worked hard and have skills but how do they make our world a better place? If you consider some of the testosterone fuelled environments that sports people are constantly exposed too, there are naturally some concerns in what sort of person we idolise.

I am continually embarrassed at our performance in olympic games. To perform so well with such a small population means that we must invest far too much in our sports rather than our arts and sciences.

Ok, I will admit, I am not a sports fan. I just don’t get it and I acknowledge that sport brings great joy to the masses but on so many levels it seems like it is just entertainment for the masses so that they don’t upset society. The MCG is our modern equivalent to the Colosseum. Mind numbing reality TV in real life.

Even sport mad friends of mine are now shying away from the professionals and returning to the local sports clubs. Looking for true passion and commitment to the game and not just who is paying the most money.

Sport is definitely a foundation stone in our society. Wouldn’t it be better if it was “A” foundation stone and not “THE” foundation stone?

Our Artists and Scientists

We are smart. Australians are incredibly smart. Our farmers have a history of inventing what they needed, like the stump jumper. Our isolation has meant that we had to “make do” with whatever we could and this has led to some fantastic opportunities.

We have been driving forces behind some fantastic inventions and some amazing creativity. Our artists, musicians, thespians, scientists, medical experts, mathematical gurus, comedians and dilettantes continue to push themselves and carry our society with it. Smart people like Tim Minchin, Adam Spencer, Dr Fiona Wood, Andy Thomas, and Michelle Simmons (just to name a few) continue to entertain, educate and better us. Why do we ignore them?

It is time to let the image of the drunken larrikan aussie die. No doubt it’s fun but it doesn’t serve us like it once may have. Too often our smartest and brightest leave for foreign shores. Surely in this age of globalisation there has to be a way to keep them here? Why can’t our new role model be someone who enjoys all kinds of music, culture, socialisation and is proud to be smart or clever.

Why can’t kids have smart, clever, interesting, surreal, unusual pointed out as role models? Normal is so overrated!

Our People

Our people are being held hostage by our government. The basic concept that our representatives in parliament are FROM the people and FOR the people has been lost. They are no longer our representatives.

Politicians now represent business, special interests and whoever can get them re-elected. Gone are the days of a politician standing up for what is right even if it costs them their position.

I am a huge fan of how Norway invested their oil rights for the population. The COUNTRY gets to benefit from the resources not just one or two companies that may then shift their profit off shore so they don’t have to pay tax.

It continues to astound me how our country has lost our humanity. We treat legal refugees like they are scum, we systemise their trauma and then expect them to feel grateful. We treat our indigenous like their situation is completely their fault and ignore the faults of white history. We seem to continue to make life harder for those who need help and easier for those that don’t.

That’s not the kind of Australia I want to live in.

Our Future

Our future is bright.

Now more than ever we have the resources, the technology, the smarts and the people to create an amazing place in the world. Most of our cities are in the top 10 places to live in the world. We are one of the safest and friendliest nations in the world. We have a strong sense of self and are accepting of those who are different or have different beliefs or ways of being.

This is what excites me about Australia Day.

The possibilities really are limitless.

So no more whinging. No more bitching about “how it was” or “what it could have been”. No more “back in the good old days”. Today is about progress.

My commitment is to do what I can to make Australia a better place:

To challenge authority when it doesn’t act how I think it should. To be proud of how I am in the world and the contribution I make. To encourage others to contribute as they are and as they can. TO have them not have to change who they are to “fit in”.

To accept people as they are, even if it is not in a way I understand or agree with. To respect and celebrate the differences. To talk to those people and try and understand their perspective and not jut push mine.

To break away from tired old stereotypes and create new ones. The be the good in the world and stand for those who can’t stand for themselves.

To show my humanity and share what I have with those who may be less fortunate. To understand that the good of the many can outweigh the good of the few. To look at a bigger picture. To ask, how important is it REALLY?

To accept that being Australian means having a larrikan side as well as having a smart side. To enjoy life, friends and experiences.

To not shy away from the hard questions. To let go of judgement and ask better questions rather than assume the same old answers. To put myself in uncomfortable situations so I can learn and grow. To not play it safe.

To be there for others who need me even when they don’t think they do. To accept I don’t know everything but that is ok, someone will and all I have to do is find them.

To make life better for those around me, and in the process enjoy a better life.

What will you commit to this Australia Day?

PS Here is a Buzzfeed Video on 17 Things Australia invented. I told you we were smart

What’s Your Policy?

A few years ago my good friend Simon told me about a recruiting policy that the company he worked for had. It wasn’t a written policy but it was a cultural policy. That is, everyone knew about it and there was an understanding that it had to be met by all applicants.

I was talking with Natasa, a speaking colleague on Friday and she has the exact same policy for her clients. She and her business partner actually wrote theirs down in long form but the title of the policy and it’s intent is the same.

So what is the policy?

Quite simply it’s “No dickheads“.

What that means for Simon and Natasa is that any potential employee or client automatically goes through the scan of “are they a dickhead?” If the answer is yes then they do not get the job or become a client. It is a very simple way of formalising a gut feel or a vibe that the person you are dealing with is not going to be fun to be around.

Do you have a policy?

With all of the people that you deal with on social media, in real life, at work, in your business, at events, we need to be able to choose quickly as to whether we want to engage with them or not. The No Dickhead policy is an easy tool to help you choose who you invest your time and energy with.

So what’s your policy?

PS I came across this excellent list of 30 Improv Rules that Lead to a Happier Life. It is an excellent list of life policies to consider as well.

Who Do You Listen To?

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Small minds discuss other people, average minds discuss events and great minds discuss ideas.”
Dr Nido Qubein said, “Who you spend time with is who you become.”
Jim Rohn said, “You are the average of the five people around you.”

So who do you spend time with and what do you talk about? Personally, I spent last Friday hanging out with this bunch of legends.

We all attended the Platform Professionals day long session arranged by the Professional Speakers Association.

To attend you have to be a Certified Speaking Professional.

This is not an easy designation to achieve. You have to prove you have the Expertise, Eloquence, Enterprise and Ethics of a professional speaker.

Not everyone passes the test because we don’t just accept anyone.

The kind of people in the room have spoken all over the world, published many books and other products, spoken in front of audiences of 20,000 people as well as continued to make sure they spend time with their families and friends.

The ideas we spoke of have generated a significant to do list for my business but everyone learnt something different.

There is a power in mixing with amazing people – whether it be face to face, reading a book or listening to a podcast. Too often we settle for a smaller, lesser place in the world. Can I urge you to play it bigger?

Can I suggest that you track down some people who you admire, buy them lunch and discuss ideas with them. Maybe even ask to have a 20 minute phone conversation. Sure they could say no, but what if they say yes?

So who do you spend time with and what do you talk about?

PS It you want to spend time with some fabulous people and kick off your 2016, join us for the weekend retreat at the end of January. You can see the details here.

Bowie is Dead. What about You?

You have probably read by now that David Bowie died of cancer a couple of days ago. He was a titan of the artistic community. His body of work (musical, artistic and theatrical) is significant and ever changing. One of my favourite songs of his was Heroes.

Let me be incredibly blunt.

SO WHAT?

The price of admittance to life is an ultimate death. As someone born in 1968, my musical, artistic and business heroes will continue to die off. There will be calls of “way before there time”, “so unfair” and “they had a great innings” no matter what. The thing is, you rarely get to choose when it is your time.

SO LIVE!

One of the things I love about Bowie is that he lived. He did not conform to what other thought he should do but travelled his own path. He tried different things, created a multitude of characters and alter egos and made his impact on the world as he saw fit. He failed as often as he succeeded and his only competition appeared to be himself.

What about you? Do you live or do you merely exist?

Too often I have met people who have died and just plod along like zombies. Or maybe they have retired on the inside but still turn up to work and life without “getting into it”.

Often our driving influence is from others telling us to follow the path of go to school, study hard, get a job, get a partner, get married, have kids, buy a house and live happily ever after. This is the perceived “safe” thing to do.

Now more than ever, the safety of this path looks flimsy! In the civilised world where people like me can pontificate and try and tell others what to do with their life, sometimes we are distanced from what truly counts.

What truly counts is this:

It’s your choice. If you are happy on the normal path, fantastic – enjoy it. If not, try something different. Make a big change. Take a chance. Maybe you could combine the normal path with a bit of edge too.

Whatever makes YOU feel happy and complete. Not what I tell you to do, or your parents, your partner, your friends, your work colleagues or anyone else.

This doesn’t mean you abandon your responsibilities. Every choice you make has a cost. For example, you want to have a relationship then you need to commit to that person, spend time with them, consider their needs and contribute to them as well as to yourself. If you choose to ignore them and do your own thing, the cost of that may well be them leaving.

Within your responsibilities and choices are a plethora of opportunities to contribute to yourself, those around you and the community at large. You may end up being a celebrity the like of David Bowie (you may already be), you may be a celebrity in the eyes of those you love.

At the very least, you will truly be alive. Enjoy all that life has to offer and getting everything you can out of it.

“If you’re alive, you got to flap your arms and legs, you got to jump around a lot, you got to make a lot of noise, because life is the very opposite of death. And therefore, as I see it, if you’re quiet, you’re not living. You’ve got to be noisy, or at least your thoughts should be noisy and colorful and lively.”

Mel Brooks

So it is sad that Bowie has died. But what about you? Are you alive?

Can You Sleep at Night?

Ethics are so important in business, yet also so boring and dull. Most people can’t identify their ethics or what drives them so how can they make the right decisions?

A recent article regarding the Dick Smith company talked about how venture capitalists made huge amounts of money. But at what cost? They essentially stripped Dick Smith of all its assets and sold it off to an unsuspecting investors (typically Mum and Dads who know the brand). It is now in the control of administrators. While the vanture capitalists made a stack of money for the few, what damage to the many?

A recent Forbes article talks about how a recent Gallup poll rate corporate executives near the bottom when measured on ethics and honesty. It goes on to show how the ethical approach is the more successful long term. That business is seen to lack ethics and are not to be trusted is a poor indictment on businesses today.

I make my decisions based on my core values. Those are to Inspire, Energise, Influence and Have Fun. They guide to do what is right for me and to better serve others. Those who have registered for the 2016 Kick Start later this month will go through the Values exercise to determine what counts for them.

So what about you? What counts for you? How are your ethics? What do you do when no one is watching? What do you base your decision making process on?

Do people trust you, but more importantly, can you sleep at night?

Do You Compete for Success?

competition It’s happening again.

2016 has barely started and already I am getting bombarded with “This is what successful people do”, “10 things to do before you get out of bed” and “7 Ways to be a winner”. You know the kind of post I am talking about.

I get an interesting response. Part of me goes all Anthony Robbins and “Yeah – let’s do iiiiiitttttt!!!” Another part goes, “Meh – I have success already, you can nick off.”

Why do we get excited and exhausted at the same time?

For many of us, it is some kind of primal competition. Higher, faster, stronger, more, more, more! But the main reason is quite simple.

WE DON”T KNOW WHAT SUCCESS IS!

We can have lists, read books, do courses, grow ourselves, plan our days, years and life but most people don’t know why they are doing it.

Take a moment. What is success in 2016 for you?

Money is one measure but there are far more. Is it to do with your relationships with others, your relationship with your self? Do you want to learn a new skill or hobby? What about travel or exposure to different cultures? Is it parenthood? What does success look like for you this year?

It is very seductive to get wrapped up in those lists of “Top 10 things CEOs do before breakfast” but let’s get real. Do you really want to be a CEO working 18 hours a day, earning good money but rarely having time to spend it? Personally, I don’t but I know a few people who do.

So what do you want?

Be prepared to pay for it though. If you want to be the CEO you need to work your way up the ladder, play politics, stand out, be a leader as well as a manager and be at the boards beck and call. It is the same with all of your desires and plans. There will ALWAYS be a cost. Figure out what you are prepared to pay.

So let’s all take a deep breath…

Forget about what others are doing. Ignore what other people say you “should” be focussed on, forget your new years resolution (you won’t keep it) and focus on what will success be for YOU this year?

Personally, I find I get more success if I focus on a theme. Last year for my wife (who is also my accountability buddy) and I it was the Year of the Holiday. This year is the Year of Health.

Don’t get me wrong, I still have a strategic plan for my business with matching Tactical and Operational plans but the overarching theme is The Year of Health. No competition, no worrying about others dieting tips just simply focussing on OUR definition of success.

So what is success for you in 2016?

PS I have joined up with Presentation Expert Zerafina Zara and Psychologist Therese Sheedy to run at 2016 Kick Off residential at beautiful Philip Island on the last week of January (See image above). Our focus will be on creating success, mindfulness and communicating with clarity and purpose all while having a load of fun. Come and join us! Click here for more details.

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