Obstacles And Opportunities

Napoleon Hill, in his classic book "Think, and Grow Rich" presented the great notion that every defeat carries with it the seed of an equivalent or a greater benefit. When you stand in front of challenges and obstacles you can safely assume that the size of the obstacles you meet is an indicator of the size of the opportunities behind them once you have pressed on through without giving in.

The Value Of Reports

The value in a report is that in order to write it you need to think things through and organize your thoughts properly. That is the reason it is more important to write a report than to read one. When you request one of your teams to provide an update on their operation or project and they fail to provide a cohesive status report you know they are in trouble. Ask for updates regularly and the quicker you can detect problems and take corrective action.

Desire Versus Fear

We are all walking along somewhere on the tension line between fear of failure and desire for success. When the fear of failure is stronger than your desire for success it will hold you back from taking the action you need to win. Should that be the case concentrate to build up the fire of your desire for success until it gets strong and you start to take action. Determine what you really, really want and go for it!

Negative Thoughts, Positive Questions

A great way to combat negative thoughts is to convert the negative thought into a positive question. In sales for example, instead of worrying about not reaching your sales quota convert that worry into a personal, actionable question; "What can I do this week to improve my chances of reaching my goals?" The key is to think about the things you can influence, instead of worrying about what can not do anything about.

Best Resources / Best Opportunities

It is quite common to use the best people in an organization to deal with the toughest and most difficult issues. When resources are allocated that way, the organization tends to stops growing and even running the risk of going into a tailspin. As a leader allocate your best resources to deal with the best opportunities of tomorrow, not to salvage the problems of yesterday.

When You Get Better

In many respects we get what we settle for in life. In terms of the law of cause and effect, you sow a thought (cause) and you reap a condition (effect). If you want better results (different effects), you have to start sowing better thoughts and actions. Your life gets better when you get better. You have to put in the cause first, before you can see the corresponding effect.

The Drive-By Schmooze

Conventions and groups of all sorts are great opportunities to network but sometimes you don't have a lot of time to devote. When you do the drive-by schmooze you decide to take 30 minutes to find out if it is worth you spending more time there. Set a goal for how many meaningful connections you want to make. Let your intuition help you connect with a few people you resonate with. Then ask questions about their line of work, offer help and follow up afterward.