Innovation

"Life is a series of experiences, each of which makes us bigger, even though it is hard to realize this.  For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and griefs which we endure help us in our marching onward." Henry Ford

An excerpt taken from https://www.thehenryford.org/exhibits/hf/default.asp:

"Henry Ford did not invent the automobile. He didn’t even invent the assembly line. But more than any other single individual, he was responsible for transforming the automobile from an invention of unknown utility into an innovation that profoundly shaped the 20th century and continues to affect our lives today.

Innovators change things. They take new ideas, sometimes their own, sometimes other people’s, and develop and promote those ideas until they become an accepted part of daily life. Innovation requires self-confidence, a taste for taking risks, leadership ability and a vision of what the future should be. Henry Ford had all these characteristics, but it took him many years to develop all of them fully."

Henry Ford is a great example of an innovator who was not afraid to fail.  His curiosity of how things worked began as a young boy on his parent's farm. Both of his parents encouraged his innovative mindset to tinker with the machines on the farm to make them better. This early encouragement taught him to not be afraid of failure but instead to learn by trial and error. Teach those around you that it is okay to fail. As John Maxwell preaches, "the best teacher is not experience but evaluated experience."

From his failed experiences Ford learned to persevere through setbacks. His first two companies failed before he found success with Ford Motor Company. He learned from each of those failed attempts and had the faith and belief to keep trying.

Ford recognized early that people mattered.  He had an ability to identify and attract outstanding people that believed in his vision.  Another great quality was his ability to learn from others. His idea for the moving assembly line came from the meat-packing industry.  His innovative and outside the box thinking helped stabilize his workforce.  The company was having a problem retaining employees so his solution was to double their wages. Problem solved!

My greatest takeaway from Henry's Ford experience, is that as a leader, do not accept the status quo; this is the way things have always been done.  Be an example for your followers and become a creative thinker and problem solver.  Make it a habit to challenge your own assumptions.

"Don't do things the way they have always been done.  Don't try and fit the system. If you do what is expected of you, you'll never accomplish more than what others expect." Howard Schultz Chairman and CEO Starbucks

Lessons of Leadership

Today I want to share with you some lessons of leadership from four-star General Stanley McChrystal's TED talk in 2011. He shares great insight on building relationships versus demanding people to follow you.  He leads his forces by building consensus and shared purpose versus just giving orders.  Take 15 minutes and listen to his talk.  Here are a few takeaways:

Leaders can let you fail, yet not let you be a failure.

When you start as a leader naturally you want to be demanding, set high standards, and be very black and white.  The instinct is that if you are not on the right side of these things then you have failed your followers BUT remember you are working with people.  People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Focus on building people up not tearing them down.  Try to reach their heart and soul and bring them together to what you are trying to accomplish. Create shared vision.

Lead by informing and engaging staff so they can work together and create buy in and make agents of change.

Leaders are not good because they are right, they are good because they are willing to learn and trust.

Is not easy, is not fair but people you have counted on will help you up when you need it. Remember people counting on you, need you on your feet. 

Emotions determine Destiny

They say the best way to learn is to study the best.  Over the past year I have listened to several of Tony Robbins speeches, interviews, and I am currently reading his most recent book Money: Master the Game.  What he does better than most is really make you dig deep into your personal motivations, drive, and understanding how your emotions lead to action.

He encourages you to explore your needs, beliefs, and emotions that are controlling you.
He helps you reach your full potential and understand what is preventing you from fulfillment and success.  He believes we all have the ability to make a positive impact and it is up to us to overcome our fears to reach that potential.

Spend 20 minutes & find out for yourself by listening to his 2006 TED talk, "Why We Do What We Do."



Here are a few of my takeaways from his TED talk.

Start with your Why.
Why power connects your dreams and values. Your Why has to be motivating. It's not will power that matters it's why power. Your why is the fuel of your passion.

Discover your Inner Drive.
What is your motivation for action?

What excites and inspires you?

What is your emotional force of life?
Internal drive is what activates you. Emotions is what leads you to action.

Understand that DECISION IS THE ULTIMATE POWER.

Change your mindset. Most people blame failure on a lack of resources. Instead learn to become RESOURCEFUL. YOU have the power of decision to change.  Decisions are what shape your destiny.  Decide what you are going to focus on and give meaning to that focus.  That meaning is what is going to produce emotion which will lead to your actions!

My next post I will talk in great detail about his Power of Strategy, Story and State. If you are looking for a breakthrough then don't miss it!

10 Commandments of Good Human Relations

A great reminder for us all on how to treat others.

1. Speak to people. There is nothing as nice as a cheerful word or greeting.

2. Smile at people. It takes 72 muscles to frown, only 14 to smile.

3. Call people by name. The sweetest music to anyone's ears is the sound of their own name.

4. Be friendly and helpful. If you would have friends, be friendly.

5. Be cordial. Speak and act as if everything you do is a genuine pleasure.

6. Be genuinely interested in all people. You can like almost everybody...if you try.

7. Be generous with praise and cautious with criticism.

8. Be considerate with the feelings of others.  It will be appreciated.

9. Be thoughtful of the opinions of others.  There are usually three sides to a controversy: yours, the other persons and the right one.

10. Be alert to give service. What counts most in life is what we do for others.

Add to this a great sense of humor, a big dose of patience, and dash of humility and you will be rewarded many-fold.

-Robert G. Lee

Personal Responsibility

 

http://thecompoundeffect.com/

 

On my way into work this morning I was listening to Darren Hardy's The Compound Effect and the chapter was about Personal Responsibility.

Most of us believe that for a relationship to be effective both parties must be willing to give 50/50 but in truth you need to be willing to give 100% and expect back 0%. 

You are 100% responsible for what you get out of each and every relationship. 

You need to own that 100%. 

Each one of us is fully responsible for all our choices and experiences. 

 We must own what we do, don't do, and how we respond to what happens to us.

Once you adopt this philosophy of 100% personal responsibility you can no longer be the victim.  You are responsible for what you did, didn't do, or how you responded to what was done to you.

So starting today, do not make excuses or blame others, the responsibility is on you. 

When things don't go right, look at yourself and what YOU could have done differently!

 

 

 

Burn Your Goals Part 3

http://www.traintobeclutch.com/burn-your-goals-to-become-the-person-of-your-dreams/

I wanted to give a big thank you to Sallie Guillory, Associate Head Coach at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, for allowing me to share her notes from Burn Your Goals by Joshua Medcalf and Jamie Gilbert. If you are not receiving Sallie's Coaching newsletter you are missing out.  She does a great job with her content.  When I started this blog I was hoping to create a space where coaches could share ideas so thank you Sallie for sharing this week.   

Burn Your Goals Part 2

http://www.traintobeclutch.com/burn-your-goals-to-become-the-person-of-your-dreams/

I wanted to give a big shoutout to Sallie Guillory, Associate Head Coach at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, for putting together another great Coaching Newsletter this week and sharing her notes from Burn Your Goals by Joshua Medcalf and Jamie Gilbert. 

This is part 2 of Sallie's notes.  Enjoy and please not only read the notes but take the time to reflect.  A lot of great quotes and material here.

Burn Your Goals Part 1

http://www.traintobeclutch.com/burn-your-goals-to-become-the-person-of-your-dreams/

I wanted to give a big shoutout to Sallie Guillory, Associate Head Coach at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, for putting together another great Coaching Newsletter this week and sharing her notes from Burn Your Goals by Joshua Medcalf and Jamie Gilbert.  I will be sharing her notes for the next few days.  From looking at the notes this is a must read for coaches.  Enjoy and please not only read the notes but take the time to reflect and answer some of the questions.  What are you doing with your time?  Is there something you can do more of or less of?  Is there a specific controllable commitment you can start this week?  Ideas are just ideas until you put them into action.

Power Posing

https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are

As a coach I am always observing body language.  We say a lot to others without saying much at all with our non-verbal cues.  When I go to watch games I am watching coaches and players body language during the action of the game, timeouts, and on the bench.  I think we are all aware of how body language influences the feelings and thoughts of those around us but what I found interesting is how body language impacts how we think and feel about ourselves.

Amy Cuddy, a social pyschologist, talks about this at her TED talk.  She addresses how certain power poses done for 2 minutes can change how our minds think. We can use our bodies to change our minds. Our minds can change our behaviors. Our behaviors can change our outcomes.  In essence we are using our body to trick our mind into being more confident.  We are using our body to fake it until we make it.  The goal though is to fake it until you become it.

The next time you are being evaluated say at a job interview, social event, or giving a speech try and take two minutes to yourself before the event and perform one of these high power poses. These power poses will impact your presence.

CEO Poses                                                                                                                                                  Superman Pose

Victory Pose



"Tiny tweeks lead to big changes."

Can't

Can't never could and Won't never will.

Eliminate can't from your vocabulary and those around you.  
I believe this poem best describes why. 

"Can't is the worst word that's written or spoken; 
  Doing more harm than slander and lies;
On it is many a strong spirit broken, 
  And with it many a good purpose dies. 
 It springs from the lips of thoughtless each morning 
  And robs us of courage we need through the day.  
It rings in our ears like timely-sent warning 
  And laughs when we falter and fall by the way.

Can't is the father of the feeble endeavor, 
  The parent of terror and halfhearted work;
It weakens the efforts of artisans clever, 
  And makes of the toiler an indolent shirk.  
It poisons the soul, the person with a vision;
  It stifles in infancy many a plan; 
It greets honest toiling with open derision 
  And mocks at the hopes and the dreams of anyone.

Can't is a word none should speak without blushing; 
  To utter it should be a symbol of shame; 
Ambition and courage it daily is crushing; 
  It blights a person's purpose and shortens their aim, 
Despise it with all of your hatred of error; 
  Refuse it the lodgment it seeks in your mind; 
Arm against it as a creature of terror, 
  And all that you dream of you some day shall gain.

Can't is the word that is foe to ambition, 
  An enemy ambushed to shatter your will; 
Its prey is forever the person with a mission 
  And bows but to courage and patience and skill. 
Hate it, with hatred that's deep and undying, 
  For once it is welcomed back it can break you;
Whatever the goal you are seeking, keep trying 
  And answer to this unwanted thought by affirming, 'I CAN!'"

by Edgar A. Guest