Tag: leadership

Embrace the Off-Season

Those who stand out from the crowd embrace the off-seasonNo matter what your chosen profession, chances are, you have an off-season – a time where work slows down. Those who stand out from the crowd, embrace the off-season.

If you work in a business office, maybe it is around the end of December. If you are in retail, maybe it is around February. If you are a professional football player, it is the summer.

We all have periodic times when our work activity is lighter than others.

What do you do during your off-season?

The Better than Average find a way to embrace their off-season for good. They turn their down time into productive time. They make mole hills into mountains. They work out what needs to be shaped up.

6 Activities the Better than Average Do to Embrace the Off-Season

If you are at a loss as to what to do during your off-season, here are 7 items you can do to get you started.

1.   Strategic Planning – Create it, tweak it, dust it off, it doesn’t matter. Personal or professional. Homemaker or home builder. Coach or contributor. We can all have a strategic plan for our businesses, ourselves, and even our families. Get out the crystal ball and project the future – three to five years ahead. How will “it” be if you could have it any way you wanted?

 2.   Annual Planning – Annual planning is the “let’s-look-at-the-year-ahead-of-us” type of planning. Take those actions from the strategic plan due the next year. Develop greater detailed actions, if needed, to reach the targets in the strategic plan. Add any new items that should be accomplished during the year. As they say, “You can see clearly now, the rain is gone. You can see all obstacles in your way.”  You’re singing now, I can tell. Stop singing and ask yourself, what do I deserve to accomplish this coming year?

 3.   Financial Planning – Another way of stating financial planning is budgeting. Money. Cash. Payola. Once the annual plan is completed, how much money do you need to accomplish it? Will you be breaking the bank?

4.   Training and Development – Like athletes exercising their muscles, the Better than Average exercise their minds during the off-season. Take classes. Read educational books (click here or here, depending on your preference). Attend seminars and conventions. Learn new skills and refine old ones to stand out from the crowd. What did you learn today?

5.   Network – It is the perfect time to network with others in the field, as everyone tends to have the same off-season. Connect with past coworkers. Reach out to recruits. Say “hi” to the new guy. Who do you need to meet?

 6.   Complete the Odds and Ends – What have you been putting off? Go through the stack of mail. Cross off a To Do item that is starting to go stale and crusty. Call your mother (hi Mom!). No matter how small, you will feel immediate relief of one nagging pain. Take that first step. What do you need to complete today?

 

(image courtesy of Mr. Cheer or Die at Viking Underground)

_____

Todd Brockdorf
Better than Average Guy
#1 Best-Selling Author, Speaker, Thought Leader
[email protected]

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The 8 Commandments of How to Write Email

How to Write EmailSince email began to rise in popularity in the early 1990’s, it still seems that even in its young adulthood of its 20’s, people still do not understand proper email etiquette.

Despite what Facebook has to say about the impending death of email, it will still be around for some time. We might as well learn how to use it properly.

How to write an email may seem remedial for some, but apparently there are plenty of people out there that still need a reminder.

The 8 Commandments of How to Write Email

  1. Thou shalt not use email as an urgent medium – If you need to get in touch with someone, either pick up the phone or send an instant message if you see they are online. Email should be checked twice per day – noon and 4PM (assuming you work 9ish to 5ish). That way, you can focus on your work output and projects. What is the proper communication medium?
  2. Email is not thy job – Unless you are in customer service responsible for responding to customers on behalf of your company, managing your inbox is not your primary job function. Close Outlook/Notes/web browser and get your work done. What should you really be doing?
  3. Thou shalt use the CC field for notification only – Treat it as an FYI. Assume that someone will not see the message if they are in the CC field. Some people even filter their messages so that when they are in the CC field, it goes to a separate, less viewed box. In which field should this recipient be placed?
  4. Thou shalt not use email as a conversation medium – If the email string goes beyond three emails, pick up the phone or send an instant message, especially if the “conversation” is between two or three people. The tit for tat back and forth clutters inboxes and often takes longer than a quick call. How can I get more done faster?
  5. Thou shalt not send a thank you email – If your email body only contains only the words “Thank You”, do NOT send the message. “Thank You” is implied by the sender of the original message. Save the storage. Bite the bits. If there is more than a simple “thank you”, fine, send the message. But please do so cautiously. What value are you adding to your messages?
  6. Thou shalt use the Reply All button sparingly – Consciously think about who must see it, who might like to see it, and who doesn’t need to see it. Those thoughts translate to the To field, the CC field, and the Remove from Message button. Who really needs to get the message?
  7. Thou shalt use Read Receipts sparingly – We have enough online stalkers already through social media. We don’t need another one through our inboxes. If you must have “proof” that your recipient saw your message (say an RFP response), use the read receipt. But, remember that some systems do not reply to the read receipt. Or, some people refuse to send out receipts. Why do you continue stalking?
  8. Speed is not the response – Expect a 24-48 hour turnaround to your message. If that is too much of a lag, find a different medium. If the response is quicker, consider yourself fortunate. Or, the recipient was bored. Do you absolutely, positively got to have a reply now?

 

QUESTION FOR YOU –

What commandments must thy obey most?

 

SOMETHING FOR YOU –

For a white paper on 11 Easy Ways to Stand Out from the Crowd, shoot me an email and you score it for free!

_____

Todd Brockdorf
Better than Average Guy
#1 Best-Selling Author, Speaker, Thought Leader
[email protected]

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What myths do you still believe?

Christopher ColumbusDo you still believe Christopher Columbus “discovered” America? Do you still believe in the Tooth Fairy? Does Santa Claus exist?

I hate to pop your petunia, but he didn’t, it was your mom or dad, and sorry, but no.

We all have mythological knowledge that we have to unlearn – some told by our parents, some taught by our schools, some heard from our cousin’s friend’s uncle.

The question is when do we wake up, realize we’ve been told false information, and write our own conclusions?

Do you still believe that you cannot get that promotion? Do you still think that you are not leadership material? Do you still imagine it’s too late to follow your dreams?

With today’s technology and abundance of opportunities, barriers to entry are lower than ever before.

If you need an app for that, outsource it to a freelancer.

If you desire to be a news reporter, start filming.

If you want to raise chickens, they’ll deliver them through the mail.

Stop making excuses. If you really wanted to do it, you would make the time. You would self-select some activity already in your schedule and stop doing it.

Maybe you would wake up a half-hour earlier and turn off the TV a half-hour earlier the night before. Maybe you would forgo that extra piece of cake and walk an extra 20 minutes. Maybe you would read a book instead of status updates.

What myths do you tell yourself to “justify” your behaviors?

If a one-armed hippopotamus attack survivor can raise three kids, what’s your excuse?

If you want to be a writer, write. If you want to be a speaker, speak. If you want to be a comedian, get on stage.

There is no substitute for doing. There is no cure for inaction. There is no progress in sitting still.

If you want to change your lot in life, take that first step.

 

QUESTION FOR YOU –

How did you work on your dream today?

 

SOMETHING FOR YOU –

For a white paper on 11 Easy Ways to Stand Out from the Crowd, shoot me an email and you score it for free!

 

(image courtesy of etchasketchist on Flickr)

_____

Todd Brockdorf
Better than Average Guy
#1 Best-Selling Author, Speaker, Thought Leader
[email protected]

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Are you the hunter or the hunted?

Those who seek fame, want product sales, or desire raving fans, are those who want to be hunted. When you are hunted, you are wanted.

Justin Bieber, Paris Hilton, and Apple all want to be hunted. They want raving fans, fame, and product sales. And we buy it. Well, I haven’t personally bought any of the three. But there are people out there who do.

In business, recruiters are called Head Hunters for a reason. If you are good at your job, they want to find you. They want you to fill their open position. You have become the hunted.

The opposite of hunted is ignored. If you are trying to build something – fame, recognition, profits – you want to be the hunted. The last thing you want is to be unheard, unrecognized, and unengaged.

We want people to join our tribe, stick up for us, and gossip about us. We want to be loved, respected, and appreciated. In short, we want to be hunted.

 

4 Ways to Become the Hunted

  1. Consistent Brand – Be known for something. Everyone has a personal brand – intelligent, dependable, arrogant. What’s yours? Don’t know? Ask some people. Be reliable in who you are or what you want to become. What message are you sending?
  2. Stand for Something – Have a philosophy. Make a method for your madness. How do you approach business, life, love? What do you hold in high regard?
  3. Be Relatable – If they can’t identify with you, they won’t recognize you. It’s not about you. It’s about them. They want to be you. They want to stand in your presence and feel what it is like to be you. They want to experience all of the good parts of who you are. How do you honor your audience?
  4. Be Accessible – With social media, your audience is now only one click away. Respond, reply, and react, to your followers. Move them from fans to fanatics. A direct reply could make them as giddy as a schoolgirl with her first crush (not that I know anything about that). What are you feeding them?

In the animal kingdom, it is best to be the hunter. In the human kingdom, it is best to be the hunted.

 

QUESTION FOR YOU –

Are you the hunter or the hunted?

SOMETHING FOR YOU –

For a white paper on 11 Easy Ways to Stand Out from the Crowd, shoot me an email and you score it for free!

_____

Todd Brockdorf
Better than Average Guy
#1 Best-Selling Author, Speaker, Thought Leader
[email protected]

 

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4 Better than Average Ways to be Honest

Abraham LincolnDo you know what’s missing from today’s businesses? Brutal honesty. We’re so sensitive these days that we pussyfoot around the truth. We dance along the margins. We play among the muck.

The majority of today’s businesses and organizations are mediocre because we fail to be honest with ourselves, our management, and our customers.

We say, “Good job,” knowing it’s really crap. We say, “Let’s examine it further,” knowing it will be black holed. We say, “Send me a proposal,” knowing it will be sent to the circular file.

Be honest.

It’s crap. Start again.

It’s not going to work. Sorry.

We’re not interested. Thanks anyway.

Stop pretending to care. Stop feigning interest. Stop agreeing when you don’t.

Steve Jobs would tell you your idea sucks. Not that I knew him, but it seems like he is the type of guy that wouldn’t pat you on the head, tell you that it was a good try, and send you on your merry way. He would be honest. If it sucked, he said so. He wouldn’t raise your hopes, only to dash them behind your back. He would crush your dreams as you held them in your hand. Right or wrong, he gave his honest opinion.

Simon Cowell is another figure who will tell you his honest opinion. Sure, some of it is for show, but much of it is the truth. He does it as a favor to the aspiring starlets not out of spite, but out of compassion so they don’t waste more of their efforts.

 

Four Better than Average ways to be Honest

  1. State your stance – Verify that the person is open and receptive to your feedback.  Once agreeable, begin with, “I feel…” or something similar. Then give your truth. She can’t argue with your feelings. You feel how you feel. Do you ask permission to provide your thoughts?

  2. Stop the spin – If you see groupthink starting to occur, speak up. When the minions are simply agreeing with the leader, offer a contrarian point of view. Even if you don’t truly believe it, throw it out there as a “what if?” It will help cover the issue from all angles. Did you think of the flipside?

  3.  Establish expectations – If you are in a situation where you want the truth, set rules that encourage it. Guidelines like, “there are no wrong answers” or “we’re not looking to blame anyone, we want to improve” or “I really need your input to make a decision”, set the context so that everyone can dance in their own brilliance. Do you lay the ground rules for truth?

  4. Create a culture – If you want to establish a place of openness, honesty, and truth, create the culture encouraging it. Develop a space that is free from spin, buzzwords, and double talk. Remove any repercussions for truth telling. Hire those who speak their mind. And fire those who don’t play by the rules. What can you do to encourage honesty?

We’re all adults. (I trust that not many children read this blog.) Not everyone gets a trophy. Sometimes there isn’t a cherry on top. And every now and then, tough love is the right medicine.

Stop the bullshit. Be honest. It will save time, money, effort, and dreams.

 

QUESTION FOR YOU –

When was the last time you told someone the truth?

SOMETHING FOR YOU –

For a list of 16 Easy, No Cost Ways to Express Gratitude on a Daily Basis shoot me an email and you score it for free!

_____

Todd Brockdorf
Better than Average Guy
#1 Best-Selling Author, Speaker, Thought Leader
[email protected]

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