This is the daily struggle for every leader. How can I connect with my team better? Leaders help groups move to new locations, but that will never happen if the leader has no connection with the audience.

As a speaker, if you can build a strong connection with the audience, you’ll have more leadership influence with the group.

The Key is Influence

John C. Maxwell has summarized leadership into one word… influence. Remember, influence has a noble purpose, not a self-serving purpose. The negative side of influence is called manipulation. It’s selfish and pure evil. We’re talking about the noble skill of leadership influence.

Influence is not about what the leader wants personally. It’s about what the team needs. Here are four methods Maxwell has presented as bridges we can all build to connect with others.

1. What you know

Do you remember the game show called “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” In that trivia game show, if you didn’t know the answer, you could use a life line and phone a friend. From the show, you could tell the host who you’d like to call for help on the question. Then, they would ring up your friend so you could ask the question.

When people need advice or guidance, they call upon people who have a knowledge they don’t. When speaking to a team you may have advanced training and knowledge or you may have received information from the executives and they want to know it. Either way, when you know information the team wants and needs, they will connect with you and seek your input or advice.

2. What you’ve done

Imagine if you were attending an industry conference and the breakout sessions were about to begin. There were 2 speakers speaking in different breakout rooms at the same time. You obviously can’t be in two places at once, so you’re being forced to pick just one. Choose wisely because you will never get to hear the other. Who will you pick?

The first speaker is a great speaker. Delivery is impeccable, great tone in the voice, little bit of humor, and uses the stage effectively. Not sure about the content she’s talking about, but she is guaranteed to have a great delivery.

The second speaker is not nearly as good on the stage. That’s a fact because he’s not a professional speaker. But,he’s just returned from being stranded on a desert island in the Pacific after a shipwreck. He was trapped on the island all alone for 7 weeks. He’s going to speak about his physical, mental and emotional struggles.

I’m guessing 9 out of 10 of you would rather hear the Robinson Crusoe speaker! Why? Because of what he’s done. When people have had struggle experiences we have not, we want to learn from them. It creates a connection.

This isn’t about bragging to others. It’s about recognizing if you have something of value you can share with others to help them move further down the road and avoid some of the issues you’ve had to endure.

3. What you can do

One of our instructors once had a student in class mention he could do a back flip. Seriously! From a standing position in the classroom, he said he could do a full back flip. What do you think the next comment was from another student? You guessed it. “Do it!”

But before he did, someone else asked, “How did you learn to do that?” The student told his back story of always challenging himself. He came up with the idea to learn a back flip and committed himself to doing it. He recruited a friend to come over and spot him and after many bruises and attempts, he did it! The moral? Find your next challenge, recruit help from others, and commit to overcoming it!

When others know we are capable, they may want to leverage our skill set in the future. If you are willing and able to help others with a skill you have, they will want to connect with you. Use your skills to help others, not so you can expect something in return. Do it because it aligns with your core value for serving others. Which leads us to the 4th method of connection…

4. How you’ve lived

This is all about your values. It’s so true that words are cheap. I’m sure we’ve all experienced the pain of hearing a friend say the right things and then act in a completely different or inappropriate manner. It’s the source of the expression, “Actions speak louder than words.”

People like Mother Teresa, Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Jesus… all lived lives of sacrifice. If we had the opportunity to have a conversation with an any of these people, we would want to listen! We appreciate strong core values, worthy of admiration, but even more than that… we appreciate someone who has lived out the values they preach.

Know your values and live in alignment with them. It sounds so simple. I’m willing to admit… I’m still working on doing just that.

A challenge for all of us… use the 3 steps from last week’s conversation tool and let’s combine it with living out our core values. Then, let’s start building stronger connections and relationships with the ones we serve and love.

Until next week…

Russ

Let’s connect…

on Twitter if we haven’t already?

OR Let’s connect on LinkedIn.

OR Let’s connect via my Facebook page!

iSpeak teaches workshops on Professional Selling to help sales leaders gather the most important data and then use that information to create the right message. Are your sales presentations closing eyelids or deals?

Russ Peterson Jr. is the co-founder and Managing Director of iSpeak, Inc. – An award-winning professional development training company. Russ is a speaker, international trainer, and published author on Professional Sales Communication and Business Communication. He delivers workshops, keynotes, and personal communication coaching services to business professionals in the US and around the world. His leadership blog assists leaders in giving voice to their vision. You can connect with Russ directly through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Have you been here before? I know I have. It’s a tough spot, but putting off your decision will only make it worse. A decision has to be made and you’re the only person who can make it… so choose!

Where I’ve Found Inspiration…

I don’t read a lot of poetry, but perhaps I should. This week I found myself engrossed in the depth and wisdom poets can offer. There’s something about poetry, how it takes simple words and adds a depth of humanity that seems to connect with something deep down inside. It’s more than just a deep thought or even strong feelings. It’s strange how it seems to touch your very soul at times.

If you’re contemplating a life decision about your career, your life, your studies, your world… my prayer is you can find some guidance and solace. The words of Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken has been a source of inspiration for me in the past. I hope his words can help you today.

You know the decision needs to be made. It’s time to decide.

The Road Not Taken

by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

See you next week,

Russ

Let’s connect…

on Twitter if we haven’t already?

OR Let’s connect on LinkedIn.

OR Let’s connect via my Facebook page!

iSpeak teaches workshops on Professional Selling to help sales leaders gather the most important data and then use that information to create the right message. Are your sales presentations closing eyelids or deals?

Russ Peterson Jr. is the co-founder and Managing Director of iSpeak, Inc. – An award-winning professional development training company. Russ is a speaker, international trainer, and published author on Professional Sales Communication and Business Communication. He delivers workshops, keynotes, and personal communication coaching services to business professionals in the US and around the world. His leadership blog assists leaders in giving voice to their vision. You can connect with Russ directly through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Have you ever thought about leaving your current job? Have you ever switched jobs just to find out you’re back in the same situation again? There is always an inherent risk in making a job change. Will you be better off? Or, should you just stay where you are for now? Is there any way to know for certain before you make the switch?

My Student’s Wake-Up Call

Jerry stepped to the front of my classroom and began sharing his story. He was a student in my storytelling workshop.

Jerry was at home working on his laptop and preparing for his next trip to the airport. Both of his daughters approached him holding a piece of paper close to their chest. “Daddy we drew you a picture!” He finished typing his email and then looked up from his laptop with a smile, “You did? Show it to me!”

The two girls proudly laid the picture on his lap and began to explain the picture. “This is me.” quickly followed by “And THIS is me!” They were both competing for his attention. Then they added, “And here’s you Daddy.” His smile began to fade as he gazed at the portrayal of his family through his children’s eyes. The picture needed no further explanation from his daughters. Jerry was speechless.

On one side of the drawing his daughters were standing with his wife by the house. On the other end of the page Jerry was standing next to an airplane with a computer and a suitcase, waving back to his family as he left for another business trip. There was something about the picture that struck a deep chord inside.

It was a realization of the life he was missing when he was gone. It was a picture of how his daughter’s would remember their life with him as they were growing up. It was the realization he would never get this time back again… ever. It was the forecasted pain of his future self looking back on a life full of business success but always wondering if he had failed at home.

In his own heart and mind, he wondered which was the most important right now. At this point in his life… where can he make the greatest impact? Is it with his family? Is it at work and in business? Is it possible to impact both? In the end, he knew he needed to make a very tough decision.

Finally Happy?

That day he turned in his resignation and began looking for another job, closer to home and with less travel. Luckily as a consultant with great relationships, it didn’t take long. Within a few weeks he ended up working for one of his consulting clients. Why didn’t he make this change before? Was he finally in the place where he’d be happy?

Nope.

While this job had much less travel and afforded him more time at home, he found himself dissatisfied at work. He felt like he was just going through the motions. That unsettled feeling came over him again. He couldn’t shake it. Once again, Jerry began looking for a new career opportunity. It was time for another change, but this time he’d approach the decision more methodically.

Jerry took more time to define his own professional skill set, the challenges he enjoys, all in a position with little travel required. That’s how he ended up with the job he has now and he couldn’t be happier.

As he finished up his story, he paused for a moment. Then he shared the moral of his story with us all. Everything Jerry learned from this experience could be boiled down to one question we can all use to predict our future satisfaction.

The One Question To Predict Your Future Satisfaction

While none of us has a crystal ball, we’d all like to make better choices and avoid the bad ones. Here’s the one question we can all use to do just that. It’s so simple, but yet so profound.

Are you running away or running toward?

With Jerry’s first move he realized he wasn’t running toward a better life and career choice. He was only running away from his current situation. This became clear to him when he lost all job satisfaction in his new role and he started to question his first move. Jerry knew his career and family satisfaction required him to run toward a better tomorrow, not just run away from his current situation.

If you’re jumping into a new role because you’re trying to escape your current situation, you may find a life boat for now, but you may not be satisfied for long. Imagine if you were on a sinking ship, you’d gladly jump into any life boat just to get away. But after a few weeks on the open sea in a small life boat, you’d be ready jump again!

The Point is This…

If your primary motivation is to run away from something, you may end up in a less-than-ideal destination. True… it could serve as a life boat, but is that really what you want? You’ll take just about anything when you’re just trying to get away.

But, if you’re running toward something, something that truly inspires you, something that gives you purpose, then you’re moving in the right direction.

Don’t live a life just running away. Live a life running toward!

Still trying to run toward…

See you next week,
Russ

“I hate my job.” That’s all he said. Then he just sat there with a blank stare focused somewhere between me and the back wall. It’s a look I’d seen before… but I was the one wearing it back then. Have you been there before? It’s not a fun place. But, you do have choices. You can change it. You actually have 3 choices.

Remember, nothing improves until something changes. That’s just logical. If everything stays the same… then everything stays the same. If you want the situation to improve, then you need to change something! Otherwise, you’ll just keep getting what you’re getting. You’ve got to change something!

Two-Step Process Toward Improvement

You really have two major decisions to make before you can improve your situation. Each decision must be made and if you think you’re not making these decisions, then you’ve really already made your decision. Once you’ve consciously made these two decisions, you can know what to expect out of life. While each of us must decide for ourselves, there is nothing wrong with choosing either option. But, these decisions are made by all of us. When you recognize you’re making these choices, you’ll know what to expect.

Your FIRST Decision

First you need to have a very raw conversation with yourself and make a critical decision about your life. I’m not over exaggerating this when I say it. This question is not to be dismissed quickly. You’ve got to decide who is steering your ship. We’re all moving through life and someone is going to steer. It can be you or it can be someone else.

There is nothing wrong with what you decide. You just need to understand and accept who has the steering wheel. If you get on a bus and the driver says he’s going to St. Louis, then don’t be surprised when you end up in St. Louis! Even if you’d rather be in Baltimore… the bus driver who wants to go to St. Louis is taking you to the gateway to the West!

Stop complaining about being in St. Louis and stop telling everyone about how great Baltimore is this time of year. We’re going to St. Louis and you knew it. If you have a certain set of expectations for your life, but you’ve given the steering over to another person heading in a different direction, you’ll be very disappointed when you don’t end up where you want to go.

What are your options for someone to steer? At a high level I think we all have 3 choices for someone to steer. You can steer yourself, you can let someone else steer, or (if you are so inclined) you can look to a higher power.

Whatever you select, know who’s steering so you know what to expect.

Your SECOND Decision

The second decision is simple, but not easy. The second question is, “Where do you want to steer?” At a very high level, you really have three choices:

• You can work for someone else
• You can be an independent contractor
• You can start your own company

Option 1: Work for Someone Else

When you work for someone else, you can take ownership of your career by working with your internal Organizational Development group to understand your career path options within your company. The OD Department is responsible for the development of the human resources within the organization to fulfill the business objectives for the company. Understand you are on one ship which you are not steering, but you are free to move around the ship and find where you fit in best.

Option 2: Independent Contractor

This is a job with no boss. That’s how I think of an independent contractor. The most successful independent contractors know they do have a boss. In fact, they have many bosses. The bosses are the customers. The best independent contractors are self-starters who understand their business and customer service. In today’s online virtual world, many people are finding this a great place to land. With websites like Fiverr.com and UpWork.com, the people who are highly skilled specialists can focus on using their talents while these web services focus on providing the marketing and sales.

Option 3: Start Your Own Company

This is different from being an independent contractor. From my experience I’ve found many people who are independent contractors and would be very successful if they remained just that, but instead they allow the customers to drive them into starting their own company. It goes something like this…

Independent contractor is a highly skilled specialist and begins working for a customer. She does outstanding work as the technical expert. Through referrals, the contractor gets even more business. Now the contractor discovers she has too much work to complete herself and she also has to do the invoicing, bookkeeping, customer service, quarterly taxes, sales follow-up, and logistics too.

The independent contractor takes care of what she can, starts to outsource some of it or hires her first employee so she can stay focused on what she loves… the technical work she wanted to do in the first place!

Then, before she knows it, the hired help is dropping the ball because she’s put no effort into training these people or giving them any direction. “Why can’t people just do their jobs!” she’s thinking as she’s working on a Saturday now to clean up the errors they’ve made.

Then one day the independent contractor wakes up and realizes they hate their own jobs because they’re running around crazy, doing the extra work they don’t like, and not being given enough time to do the technical work they love so much. Congratulations… you’re an independent contractor with the accidental company you never meant to start in the first place.

“ Go to work ON your business, not IN your business. —MICHAEL GERBER

If you want to start your own company, you’re not doing it because you love the technical work. You’re doing it because you want to build a business that does the technical work. That means it will be your job to create the business plan, define all the processes, create the roadmap for where you’re steering this company, and the proper Organization Development plans to effectively train up the skills of everyone working for you.

As Michael Gerber says in his book The E-Myth, if you started as the independent contractor and found yourself owning a company, you need to “start working on your business not in your business.”

Just another accidental entrepreneur,
Russ

I was about to jump… but the 50-foot drop to the rocks below caused me to pause. “Just step out to the edge and jump away from the edge.” My zip-line guide made it sound so simple. I’d just seen 6 others do it and walk away without a scratch, but now it was my turn. I was with my family on our summer vacation taking a zip line tour at Zip Adventures in Colorado.

This stop was called “The Canyon Plunge” and although our zip line tour guides said it was optional, everyone was lining up to do it. This was not a zip line, but a free fall jump off of a cliff. I tried to calm my nerves by talking with Chris, the guide who had just harnessed me into both auto-belays. I asked him, “Do you use two belays for redundancy?” He smiled at me and said, “Exactly… and each one alone can belay 280 pounds. That’s 560 all together…” He gave me a quick once over with his eyes and with a smile he finished his sentence, “I think we’re good.”

Whether you’ve ever jumped off a cliff before or not, I think we’ve all been in a position where we’ve had something at risk and we had to pause before we took our next step. Whether you’re a salesperson, an executive, a volunteer coordinator, a teacher, a parent, a project manager, or an engineer… we will all play the role of the leader when we’re required to choose a next step for our own story.

“ Choices with consequences create movement in our stories.

Here’s what I’ve discovered about making those tough decisions. I’ve learned these steps by reflecting on the actions of leaders I’ve had the honor to work with in my own career. Their tough decisions were tough because there was something at risk. They had something at stake… something to gain but potentially something to lose. We can all learn from these steps. I hope you find the words of encouragement you need to take your next step… because it’s time to jump.

5 Steps for Making Risky Decisions

1. Recognize the Fear

Fear is not a weakness. Please hear me… FEAR IS NOT A WEAKNESS! Fear is one of your senses. Losing one of your senses would be a disadvantage to overcome or a weakness. When you have all your senses you are stronger. Fear is one of your senses. So when you have fear in a situation, just recognize it. Thank your mind for doing what it’s supposed to do… alert you when you should take notice of the situation.

2. Know the Real Risk and Payoff

The only reason we have fear in a situation is because something is at risk and we don’t want to lose what is at risk. In my example of stepping off the cliff, I was thinking about losing my health (e.g. broken bones, etc.) or my life! In your tough situations, slow down and reflect on what is actually at risk here. Know what you stand to lose but also know what you stand to gain! Think about the reason why you’re willing to risk. What do you have to gain? Then, move quickly to the next step!

3. Devise a Plan to Mitigate

Now, answer this question… How can you reduce that risk? Can you make one more phone call before you submit your pricing proposal? Can you talk to a mentor before you present your quarterly business review to the executives? Can you put a contingency plan in place in case the vendor can’t deliver on your tight timeframe? Can you put some pillows on the floor before you jump off the top bunk bed? Can you connect a second belay to the jumpers before they jump off the cliff?

4. Believe in your Plan

This step can be a tough one because it’s a mental game you’ll play with yourself. This ugly question will rise up in your brain, “But… can I trust my plan?” Here’s how I’ve learned to deal with this question. Your brain will try to take you back to the original risk.

For me on the cliff it was… “You’re risking your life!” But I had to counter that thought with the new risk… the mitigated risk. “No, that’s not true!” With the 4 carabiners attached to me, the two support lines, the two auto belays each able to handle 280 pounds, and the benefit of seeing 6 others go in front of me successfully… my risk is not my life. My new risk was much smaller… and just think of what I had to gain! The thrill, the excitement, the fun, the story to tell!

“ Have faith in your plan.

5. JUMP!

Now comes the fun part. You’ve addressed the biggest risk.

You’ve got a plan to reduce your risk exposure.

You know the payoff.

Now enjoy the ride.

JUMP!

So What Do We Do Now?

We can all implement these steps when we arrive at the forks in the road of our own career… or when we arrive at the 50-foot cliffs. Just like many things in life, it may be simple but that doesn’t mean it’s easy! Just knowing the process for addressing the tough decisions isn’t enough. We need to be willing to implement the plan.

It’s been said that people are either in a tough situation right now, they’re coming out of tough situation, or they’re about to go into one. Regardless of your current status, use this process to address the forks in your road. Remember, your story would have no movement if you weren’t making decisions that included some risk. It’s time to move your story along… It’s time to make the decision… It’s time to choose!  Let’s go!

It’s time to jump…
Russ

“Well, uhh… that’s all I got folks. Thanks for coming… Oh WAIT! … Any questions?  No?  Okay then yeah, that’s all I got.”  That’s word for word how he ended his presentation. While we’re probably all guilty of this at one time in our career, that doesn’t sound good.  How do I know? Because I was just quoting myself! I’ve ended presentations like that before and I can honestly say, I’m not proud of it.

Since then, I’ve improved, but I still don’t consider myself the expert. When I finally heard myself ending presentations with “That’s all” or “Are there any questions?” I soon realized I needed to have a more effective way to end my presentations.  Kevin Karschnik and I would love to take credit for inventing the formula we’ve documented, but in reality, we didn’t invent it. We discovered it.

By studying all kinds of speakers we discovered patterns with the speakers whom audiences enjoyed the most. We found these patterns in all types of effective speakers. Some were keynote speakers, some were delivering TED Talks, others were neighbors, one was a pastor, and some were sales and management colleagues. Whether these speakers knew they were doing it or not, we spotted a pattern. The pattern included 3 elements and sometimes (if needed) a 4th element.

“ All that matters is the ending. It’s the most important part of the story. —JOHNNY DEPP

How You Finish Matters

How you end your presentation can be one of the most remembered parts of your presentation. It just might determine whether or not your audience takes action too.

1. Summarize Your Message

This is a great way to conclude the body of your message and signal your audience you’re moving into your final remarks. Don’t make your summary long and detailed. They’ve already heard all your content once, they don’t need to hear it again! Be brief, but give them a content wrap up.

“Today I shared 3 methods for overcoming objections from your customers.”

“As we can all see, proper security includes physical assets, digital assets and predictable processes.”

2. Give Them an Emotional Reason to Change

Reminding them of the importance of your message can be done with a simple illustration or a short story. These types of examples work great to help the audience relate to the information in an emotional way. Before you think this isn’t appropriate for business presentations, read the examples below.

“What if you could retrieve your forecast numbers without having to spend hours inputting each opportunity in a spreadsheet?”

“Imagine a visitor is able to get into a secure area and gain access to our intellectual property. Then, when the investigation takes place they find out it’s because you badged into the building and let this person walk in the door behind you.”

3. Tell Them Their Next Step

Engaged audiences are ready to move, so make sure you give them their next step! When the audience is done hearing your message, what are they supposed to do next? What is the very next thing they should do? I’ve seen several amazing speakers summarize their key points and give an amazing emotional connection to the audience and then just leave them. The audience is amped up and ready to move and the speaker gave them no direction on their very next step.  Tell them what to do next.

“So the next time you badge into the building, check your surroundings. Be bold when you remind the person behind you to badge in also.”

4. Remind Them Why it’s Important

A reminder of the expected benefit of the action or the avoidable cost of the inaction can give the audience the final motivation they need to take the next step you’re proposing. This part of the close can be easily written if you just put it after you give them their next step and then say these words, “if you do that…” When you fill in the blank after this phrase you’re giving them a reason to take the next step.

“… if you do that, you’ll not only be protecting the assets of this organization, but the future for all of us.”

How you close is important. Don’t let your audience down when we’re all counting on you!

Time for me to close…
Russ

The police detective enters the room to question the first of two suspects. “Your buddy in the other room is going to have a chance to speak, just like you. If you confess you both did it, you’ll both get a minor sentencing. But… if you stay silent and your buddy talks… you’re going away for a long time and your buddy will go free.”

This is a classic psychological problem called the prisoner’s dilemma. There have been research studies simulating this predicament to study how humans tend to react. The situation causes the mind to begin speculating about the future, your trust level for the person in the other room, and it can generate many emotions.

In one of our workshops on building teams we simulate the prisoner’s dilemma with a game we call Red / Blue. We split the class into two groups and place them in two different rooms. They’ve been told to “achieve the highest score” based on our scoring system but we never mention anything about winning or losing. What we want them to achieve is the highest combined score. It’s always interesting.

Here are three observations I’ve made from the prisoner’s dilemma…

1. Confusion causes a lack of trust

When the two teams are confused with the game and what exactly they’re supposed to be doing, their lack of trust is magnified and projected. They begin to think I shouldn’t be trusted. We play with small red and blue cards they select for each round. Team players will say to me, “Empty your pockets! Do you have your own deck of cards? Are you really taking our cards to them? Are you showing them our card before they have to pick a color?”

Instead of asking me more questions to clear up any confusion, their minds run away with speculation based on a lack of trust. They don’t trust the other team and they don’t trust me. Later in the game, they will even show a lack of trust in their own team members.

Lesson learned:  If you’re confused, ask questions to clear up the confusion.

2. Competition is assumed when we’re divided

I don’t even say anything about competing against each other. In fact, I actually tell them when we begin the game, “You are representing two divisions of the same company.” But, they still assume, “If we are in two groups and there’s a scoring system, then we need to beat the other team!”

When we are placed into different business units of a company, we need to drop the attitude that it’s okay for another department to suffer as long as we’re hitting our department goals. When one department hurts… the entire company hurts.

Lesson learned: Teams need to support each other. When one suffers, we all suffer.

3. Communication always helps

After each round I ask the team before I exit their room, “Do you have any questions for me?” By the 4th time I’m asking them this someone in the group usually asks, “Are we supposed to have questions for you?” I usually pause for dramatic effect, then I say “Yes” as I exit the room.

We play 8 rounds of each team selecting a colored card and we offer an opportunity for the leader of each group to have a summit after round 3 and round 6. The idea is to get the two teams talking to each other to help build trust between the groups. When one team feels like they have more points, they usually reject the meeting. “Why should we talk to them? We’re winning!”

I force the two leaders to speak after round 6 whether they want to or not. It’s amazing how civility and trust immediately begin to build when they meet face to face. Their separation allows their minds to speculate and assume the worst of the other team.

Lesson learned: Communication will always help build trust and positive outcomes.

What does it all come down to?

While this is just a game based on psychology, it teaches everyone a powerful lesson about trust. Stephen M. R. Covey has written in his book The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything that “As trust goes up, speed goes up, and costs go down.” Keep the lines of communication open if you want to build trust throughout your organization. Your Income Statement and bottom line will thank you.

“ As trust goes up, speed goes up, and costs go down. —STEPHEN M. R. COVEY

I’m still working on taming my speculative mind,
Russ

Books referenced in this post:

The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything, by Stephen M. R. Covey

I’ve always loved the wisdom found in a short statement. In keynote speaker terms, we call these “sticky statements.” If you’re speaking to an audience and you make a statement that causes everyone to write it down, you just gave them a sticky statement.

As we’ve brought the first quarter of 2018 to a close and we look toward the remaining 75% of the year, I have one question for you…

How’re you doing?

It’s a fair question. It’s a good question. I’m guessing you may have been like me back in January, full of excitement and hope for the new year. I had my New Year’s Resolutions locked and loaded and ready to take on the world. Then, the whirlwind happens. You get caught up in the day to day list of tasks that need to be completed. We become busy but not necessarily productive.

This can be a killer for any leader because it affects the entire team. Leaders have to be time travelers and live in two different time zones. The leader must always have the vision for tomorrow. You know the goal and you know where you’re taking the team.

What about today?

But then you also need to live in today… in the present. Work can only get done in the present. If you only focus on the vision of tomorrow, the work of today will never get done. Failure to recognize this will turn visions into dreams. Dreams with no chance of ever becoming reality.

To keep us all focused on our visions for 2018 and the work we need to get done today, here are 21 of my favorite inspiring quotes to keep us all moving.

Have a GREAT rest of the year!

Best,
Russ

“ Things no one sees creates results everyone wants. —CRAIG GROESCHEL

“ People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision. —JOHN C. MAXWELL

“ Capital isn’t scarce; vision is. —SAM WALTON

“ Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny. —C.S. LEWIS

“ The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight but no vision. —HELEN KELLER

“ Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality. —WARREN G. BENNIS

“ There is no best; there’s always a better. —KEVIN KARSCHNIK

“ Great leaders must have two things: a vision of the world that does not yet exist and the ability to communicate that vision clearly. —SIMON SINEK

“ Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion. —JACK WELCH

“ The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails. —JOHN C. MAXWELL

“ Work on tomorrow after you debrief today. —CHRIS HODGES

“ The decision to lead is a decision to change. —RUSS PETERSON JR.

“ A vision is not just a picture of what could be; it is an appeal to our better selves. A call to become something more. —ROSABETH MOSS KANTER

“ If you are working on something exciting that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you. —STEVE JOBS

“ We will steer where we stare. —LYSA TERKEURST

“ Vision without execution is hallucination. —THOMAS EDISON

“ The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling but in rising every time we fall. —NELSON MANDELA

“ The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things. —RONALD REAGAN

“ Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction. —JOHN F. KENNEDY

“ No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit for doing it. —ANDREW CARNEGIE

“ Leadership is about vision and responsibility, not power. —SETH BERKLEY

I was driving and listening to the radio (KLOVE) when a song by Mercy Me started. It gripped me from the opening line. “Dear younger me, where do I start?…” The song itself is powerful and it made a lasting impression on me because it made me think. I’m 30 years out of high school and 26 out of college now. What would I say to my younger self if I could write a letter back in time to me?

As I thought about this question and my sales career, I started taking notes. Not that my advice will apply directly to you, but here are five things I’d want to tell myself when I began my professional sales career.

Perfection is a direction, not a destination.

Making decisions early in my career I wanted to prove myself. The best way I thought to do that was to never be wrong. I wanted every decision to be the right decision. But that also meant, I didn’t make decisions until I had done all my homework. With research to back it up, I’d make sure I knew everything about everything before making a decision.

When I was overlooked 3 times for a promotion and my peers were given promotions, I was shocked at first. “How can they promote those guys when they don’t even do their homework before making decisions like I do!”

Then it became clear… Peter Drucker was right when he said, “You’ll never have 100% of the information before you make a decision.” I was waiting too long to make my decisions. I wanted the information to be perfect so there would be zero chance of being wrong. But that’s not where sales leaders live.

Lesson:  Be prepared to make decisions even when you don’t have 100% of the information.

Nothing improves until something changes.

About 10 years after graduating college my sales career was being put to the test. I was being asked to chase bigger and more complex deals. That’s when I found the sales book, Hope is Not a Strategy: The 6 Keys to Winning the Complex Sale  by Rick Page. The book was good, but the title was even better!

This book prompted me to learn more and improve my professional selling skills. I began by asking our Sales Manager for a list of the biggest deals closed by our company over the past 12 months. Then I contacted each of the Business Development Managers who won those deals. I asked them a simple question, “What was the key to success for you in winning that deal?”

If I didn’t change my approach to selling, I knew I’d continue to find the same small deals instead of winning the larger, more complex sales. I had to be humble myself and admit I don’t know nearly as much as these other sales reps. I needed to learn from them!

Lesson: When you want your situation to improve, find something to change.

Positive thinking doesn’t work.

If it did, none of us would still be looking for answers! If all it took was positive thinking, then most of the troubles in your life would be gone. We’ve all tried it and yet we still fail. Now don’t get me wrong. I firmly believe what Zig said when he told us positive thinking is always better than negative thinking. But, I’ve come to realize, positive thinking alone doesn’t get you there.

“ Positive thinking won’t help you do anything. But it will help you do everything better than negative thinking will! —ZIG ZIGLAR

According to research by Russ Harris, author of The Confidence Gap: A guide to overcoming fear and self-doubt, hanging on to positive thoughts doesn’t magically improve your situation. In fact, it could end up hurting you in the long run. But, the good news is that neither will negative thinking. The best way to manage our thoughts is to recognize all our thoughts (good and bad) as just that… thoughts! Then, release them and let them drift away. Don’t allow either to become your identity!  Zig has words of wisdom on this too.

“ Failure is an event, not a person. —ZIG ZIGLAR

Lesson: When you fail, seek to understand why you lost. When you win, find out why you won. Either way, you gain knowledge. Success or failure are events, not people!

It will never get easier…

But you’ll get STRONGER! I love this one. You’ve probably heard that if you practice enough, eventually it’ll get easier… not exactly! You actually become stronger. The task hasn’t changed one bit. It is still the exact same task. What has changed is your ability to deal with the situation.

The first time I delivered a professional presentation was the summer of 1991 and it did not go well. I realized then I had to do something to improve my public speaking or my professional career would not be a very successful one. Since that day, I’ve been a student of communication. I read, study, and observe as much as I can about communication.

Now I’m blessed with opportunities to speak to large and small audiences all around the world. (As I write this… next week for me is… Korea!) The challenge of presenting to audiences hasn’t gotten any easier, and in some cases, the challenge is even more difficult. But, I can honestly say, I’m not the same person I was back in 1991. I’ve gotten stronger.

Lesson: Once you decide to make changes to improve, don’t expect the task to get easier. But, you can expect your abilities to get stronger!

Success is easy to define.

Stop comparing yourself to others. That’s not how you measure success. The tricky part about success is that you need a measuring stick. Success has to be compared to a standard. How can you call something a success unless you can compare it to the standard and measure against it? In sales, we call it your quota. Easiest way to measure the success of a sales professional… did you exceed quota?

Comparing yourself to others is a dangerous game and the enemy loves to use it. Why is comparison such an attractive tool for the enemy to use? Because, there is always someone else with more. Achieving goals (like your quota, KPIs, objectives, etc.) is a requirement in business and we should all work hard to achieve them.

But, I’ve learned to be careful with associating my identity as a success or a failure based on an arbitrary number (i.e. quota) handed down to me by the corporate sales office. My belief on personal success is measured against core values. If you live your life in alignment with your core values, you’re living a successful life… but don’t let that be an excuse NOT to hit your quota… now go crush it!

Lesson: Strive to achieve your goals, but your true success can only be found in living out your core values daily.

If you could write a letter to your younger self… what would you say?

Share your thoughts with everyone!

Best,

My wife and I were both excited to attend the leadership conference! The lineup of speakers included one of my favorites and one of my wife’s favorites.  I was amped to hear from Craig Groeschel on topics like leading change and building systems. My wife was most excited about Lysa Terkeurst and her talk on dealing with disappointment. (and as far as I know, my wife’s interest in that topic had nothing to do with the fact that I was her date for the day!)

Then there was this other speaker, an author by the name Chris Hodges. I knew him as an author, but had never heard him speak before. Besides the one book I could recall (The Daniel Dilemma), I really didn’t know much about Chris. His comments that day were fun, humorous and engaging. I could write several blog posts on his amazing techniques for building approachability with an audience! (Note to self… write a future blog post on Chris Hodges and Approachability!)

So, WHAT’s the One Question?

Chris gave many helpful insights on leadership but there was one insight that just blew me away. It was one of those surreal moments when you realize you’ve just received a moment of truth. He gave us all one question we could use as leaders. This one question is powerful enough to change lives, organizations, communities, and the world. No exaggeration… this is good stuff!

Here it is…

“ What one thing, if it got better, would make the biggest difference? —CHRIS HODGES

This question struck me so hard because it’s both simple and powerful. Knowing why this is such a powerful question and how to use this question, can make you more effective in every aspect of your life. Don’t ever underestimate the significant benefits you can provide to others through the coaching wisdom in this one simple question!

WHY is this Question so Powerful?

1. Because… it’s simple

Elegance is found in simplicity. As the simplicity washed over me, the absolute power of the question began to soak in when Chris shared the story about him and his wife asking this question at least every 3 months on their date night. This one question has strengthened their marriage over the years. There isn’t a 12-step process for improving, there’s just one simple question. That’s it. Just one question. I love simple!

2. Because… it’s focused on only one issue

When I finish any of my workshops, my students usually have several new tools they’ve learned. Instead of asking them to now go and implement all of them, I probably surprise some of them with my final request. I ask them to only focus on implementing one change. When we have too many balls in the air, we don’t really do any of them very well. I love Chris’ question because it keeps us focused on just one issue… Focus!

3. Because… it’s tied to improvement

It’s inherent to the question itself. What would make the biggest difference? Most of us are willing to take on change when we know it’ll have a positive impact. We want that impact to give the biggest bang for the buck! This keeps you from focusing on changes just for the sake of change. The changes you pursue will lead to a positive difference and the biggest difference!

“ Don’t defend what’s not working! —CHRIS HODGES

HOW can you best use this Question?

1. Think about who to ask

When you think about who you could ask this question, two sources come to mind. You could ask yourself this question and you could ask other people this question. What I’ve found from my own experience is that I kinda like me. I mean, when I have an idea, I’m pretty sure it’s one of the best ideas ever! I don’t find myself disagreeing with me too much. Maybe it’s time I admit, I might be a little biased toward my own ideas. I’m jus’ sayin’.

So, what I’ve found is that I might be better served asking other people what should be improved instead of just always thinking I know what’s best. Whether you have ideas for improving your business or your marriage, make sure you get input from others. You can not only improve the outcomes of your business, but also the relationships you have with others.

2. Only ask if you have time to listen

This one question is meant to take your conversations into deeper waters. So, don’t jump into the deep end if you don’t want to swim. These conversations are meant to be savored. So plan on asking them when you have the time to listen and then LISTEN!

“ Nothing improves until something changes. —RUSS PETERSON JR.

3. Expect the work to follow

Something else built into this question is the actionable outcome. Let’s not sugar-coat this… you’re asking for work. You’re asking the other person about what needs to change. The change could be simple or it could be complex, but either way… it will involve you changing something. Remember, nothing improves until something changes. So once you know what needs to change, be ready to get to work!