Zero-Sum Game

We often think that if others get more, we must be getting less.  But that’s not true.  I’d rather live in a neighborhood where everyone was richer than me than in one where everyone was poorer than me – I’d have a far better chance of doing well.  

But there is an area where the term “Zero-sum” applies – time.  Whether we are talking hours in a day, or years in a life; we only have so much time.  

Be careful what you do with it, and who you let steal it every day.

Guilty!

Catch your people doing something right!

Authentic Authority

Some people have a title – but little authentic influence.  People only listen to them and “follow” them because of their title.

Other leaders are followed, title or not, because of who they authentically are.  They care, they give, they create opportunities and success for others, and they do it because that’s who they are, not because it’s their job.

People can tell the difference.

Is your authority and influence authentic and earned?

"Response-able"

When we use the word responsible, we are often referring to a willingness or an attitude.  But are you and your organization even CAPABLE of responding to challenges and change?

Build your capability to handle trouble before it gets here.  Learn a lot.  Build strong relationships.  Build financial strength.  Build confidence, skill and loyalty in your team.  

When challenges get here, you will have the ability to shape a good path forward. 

You’ll be “response-able”.

The big feedback mechanism

The marketplace is a big feedback mechanism.  It doesn’t care how bad you want it, or how much work you put into your product/service/project.

It tells you – it works or it doesn’t work.  They want it, or they don’t want it (this way).  It’s useful, or it’s not useful.

Listen…quickly.

Protect and control your attention

We’ve all heard about time management.  But, you can’t manage time.  You can only manage what you do while it is passing by.  It’s really about controlling your attention.

In my School of Entrepreneurship, I talk to my students about steering their team’s attention to what is most important now (for us, for them).  It’s even more important for steer your own attention to what you determined (in a moment of clarity) is the most important thing for you.  The world is clamoring for your attention for their reasons.  You have a weapon of mass distraction in your hand for them to get to you through.

Your time is yours.  Don’t give it away lightly.  

Your grand plan

Get better every day.

Always be working on something that makes tomorrow better.

Zoom out often and ask “Are we working on the most important thing to make tomorrow better”.

Then zoom back in and keep working on improvement.

Miss payroll – game over

Sell something – today.

What kind of problems do you have?

We all have problems.  In business, it’s one damn thing after another.  The leader is “problem solver-in-chief” it seems.

But what kind of problems do you have?  Are they ones you have had for a long time that you never fixed?

Are they the kind of problems that come from poor hiring or disengaged people? (Low quality problems?)

Or are they high-quality problems that come from doing things right and growth (I need to hire more people, keep up with demand, move to a bigger facility)?

Problems never go away, but looking at the kinds of problems you have tells you how well you have been doing.

Would you hire that employee again?

If the answer is no, replace them now.