The obstacle is the way

“What stands in the way, becomes the way.” – Marcus Aurelius

What is in your way?  What is holding you back?  If you continue to ignore it, it will persist as an obstruction.  Almost by definition, if you go at it, learn about it, get to know them, and overcome or neutralize the obstacle, you will be able to get past it and move on.

What is your obstacle?  

Time to go straight at it and figure it out.

What's most broke?

A business will rise to the level of its weakest key function.

What is your business’s weakest key function?  Marketing?  Sales?  Production quality or capacity?  Service?  Team?

Fix it. 

No excuses.  Fix it.

Tell the Truth

Last week I wrote a post – “Don’t hurt people’s feelings”.  Life and leadership are full of contradictions – or “paradoxes”.  If we go around never wanting to hurt someone’s feelings then we will never tell someone they aren’t doing well.  Let’s face it, if someone told you you weren’t doing well, it would hurt your feelings, right?

Leadership is having the right touch; knowing when to employ what voice and what words. 

Certainly, we don’t go around making people feel small, belittling people, making them feel they aren’t in the clique, aren’t worthy, are less, glaring at them and talking down to them.  At the same time, we have to tell the truth.  (Be damn sure you know the truth before you open your mouth!)  

If the truth is going to hurt a little, we can use it as an opportunity to build someone.  We can use the right voice and words and tell them we believe they can do better.  We can take the rap for our part (not training, communicating, empowering, letting it go so long), and we can give them the tools and training to do better. But we have to tell it how it is, or how we see it. 

Not hurting anyone’s feelings at all might be a nice ride for all until the train comes off the tracks completely.  Telling the truth in the right way takes priority over not hurting anyone’s feelings.

Not telling the truth leads to delusion, bad bahavior and long term problems – in your organization, family, and in a country.

The Great Enrichment

Since 1820, the size of the world’s economy has grown more than a hundredfold.  In the same 200 years, the population has grown eightfold.

This is great news.  The bottom people, the top people, and average people have more money that they have earned and more to spend to increase their standard of living.  It’s easy to take for granted, but be thankful you weren’t born just a couple hundred years ago.

We are lucky! 

80/20

A master skill of high achievers is prioritization.

What 20% of activities give you 80% of the results?

Do more of them.  Stop doing things that give you little results.

Think about your day yesterday.  What do you need to stop doing?  What do you need to do more of?

The questions are the same…

The questions are the same – “What is most important now?”, “Who needs to know I care today?”, “If we keep going like this, where will we be at the end of the year, in two years, five years..?”  “Who do I need on my team to help us get there?”  “How can I make my customers thrilled”?

The answers change. 

Keep asking and acting.

Solve your customers problems

At sales meetings do you focus on selling to the customer, or do you focus on solving their problems?

Customers call us because they want a problem solved. 

What problems do your customers have?

How can you solve them faster, better, and with less (no) risk?

Don't hurt people's feelings

Insult, embarrassment, hurt – these are not the tools of a leader who needs and believes in people.  It’s how you chase people away.

“The axe soon forgets, but the tree always remembers.”

People will remember that you hurt them just as they remember small acts of kindness and caring.

What do you want to be known for?

Go "slow" to go fast

An overwhelmed brain will not work well.  You have to slow down and think about what is the most important thing that you can do that will make tomorrow better.  Do that. Only that.

Delegate the other work to your people.  Don’t have people?  Get some.  Can’t afford people?  Then raise your prices.  Can’t raise your prices?  Add more value to your product or be a better marketer or salesperson so you can.

One thing at a time.  Keep your brain working well.

Make friends with your financial statement

If you are the leader, and your not a “numbers person”, you need to be.

How else will you know the financial results of the actions your team is taking?

How do you know what to modify and adjust?

Income Statement (aka Profit and Loss Statement) and Balance Sheet. 

Get on it.