Goals, goals, goals

Did you know that every minute  you invest if planning your goals, activities and time in advance saves you ten minutes of work in the execution of those plans?

Most people fail to plan. Most successful people are smart and want and reward action. However, these same successful people fail to plan beyond today. Knowing you could increase your productivity TEN FOLD with clear & actionable planning and goal setting, it's surprising to learn how few people actually take the time to lay out a clear set of goals.

That's precisely why a detailed, deadline driven plan will give you a return of TEN TIMES on your investment of mental, emotional and physical energy in the next year!

If you have not done so already, please do yourself and your team a monumental favor and identify you goals, plans and deadlines for what you want to create in 2012. Do it TODAY! More importantly double and triple check your level of commitment. Fact is, your commitment level is what has been missing from achieving your goals in the past.

Plan to make 2012 the year of EMINENCE. Bring eminence to everything you think, say and touch. Expect eminence from your team, and I guarantee 2012 will be your best year to date.

Happy New Year! If you'd like to learn more about goal setting, and creating eminence in your life give me a call (209-802-8422) or email Surpass Your Limits at steve.harden@gmail.com

Make Your Life Fantastic

Make your life fantastic; improve your health and well being. There was a time in my life that I thought there was little real life after 50. I remember watching my parents at 50, in my mind they were ancient, and their life style was in a word—sedentary. Sadly, my Dad only lived to 67; it was his outlook on life, his sedentary lifestyle and his alcohol consumption that literally took the life from him way too young. I knew from a very young age that I wanted something different. I wanted to live to be a 100, and do it with a lust for adventure, and then my career got in the way. I lost my youthful laser focus. Today as a 50 year old professional I’m beginning to have conversations with my children and others that I’m mentoring. As I talk, email and plan, I hear my 30-something inner voice. Reflecting on the course of my career, I have no regrets because my life is my life. I can only change what happens from this point forward.


Writing today I had a flood of memories and emotions that hit me like the proverbial ton of bricks. I’ve got so much to be thankful for and keenly know that I am in control of my life, what I do and how and when I do it. So I came up with my list of important points to get me off the couch, to engage in life and remind me just how rich I am. In no particular order of importance…

1. It’s your life. No two people are the same. Embrace the gifts, challenges, and opportunities given to you.
2. Nothing is ever as good or bad as it seems. The bottom is not that low and the top is not that high.
3. Family matters. At least to me. Good, bad, and ugly, I know my family loves me and this gives me strength. Find strength in your family.
4. Find your passion. Talking, leading, mentoring, sports, water …. Passions make life worth living and people with passions make the world go round.
5. Do what you love. This is generally the easiest thing for you to do. What you think about when you go to bed and what you think about when you get up? Do that.
6. Fill wasted time. Road trip or long commute? Fill your Ipod with audio material you don’t have time to read.
7. Carpe Diem. I’ve heard for years: Seize the day, don’t wait for the perfect time, because it will never come.
8. Use your words. The brain is a powerful engine and words drive this motor. What you think and say is what you will become.
9. Stay on your feet. Run simple, run often and stand up.
10. Make lists. Simple “to do” lists have become my greatest productivity tool. Email, call, errands, projects, media, etc., all have their own weekly “to do” lists.
11. Buy tickets not toys. I have no shortage of toys, but reflecting back, it’s the trips I remember most, not the “things” I purchased.
12. Nobody is watching you. I’ve always thought people were watching me. What will they think if…? Don’t make decisions based on what other people will think, make decisions for your best interest.
13. Do your best. Win or lose you did your best, what more can you ask for? You gave your best.
14. You grow in the valleys not in the mountains. Times get tough, that is inevitable. As bad as they may be, these experiences craft our character and build our strength.
15. Continuously learn. Read, listen, watch, write. Never stop learning.
16. Everything is relative. Everything. Today’s success is surpassed my tomorrow’s hurdles. .
17. Riches have nothing to do with money. For example, I recently spent the day with my grandson Levi and I was the richest man in the world.
18. Set Goals. I set about 50 goals a year each divided into six priorities in my life: family, faith, fitness, finances, focus, freelance.
19. Tell someone the goals you set. This will increase accountability and likelihood of achievement.
20. Buy a dog. Health and happiness will follow. For sake of credibility, I didn’t make this up.
21. Eat right and sleep well. I used to think both were a waste of time and resources; I now realize they are two of the greatest inputs to energy and performance.
22. Be spiritual. Not offensive, wacky, sign-holding spiritual, spirituality that gives you peace and purpose. Spirituality that allows you to embrace your blessings.
23. Live where you want. If fly fishing, running, riding, recreation, and community are important to you, live there. If they’re not, live somewhere else.
24. Love. Marriage is my most prized possession.
25. Don’t be a critic. It’s easier to be a critic than correct; respect the man in the arena.
26. Find your happy place. Go there when you need to calm the inner beast.
27. Cheer for something. I always assumed I’d quit caring about sport when I hung up my high school cleats. I now relish the opportunity to cheer for my wife, my children and now grandson.
28. Keep a few friends. You don’t need a thousand friends, just a few really good ones.
29. You lose 100% of the races you don’t start. If you try, you’ll know. The “what-ifs” will haunt you, so you might as well try.
30. Measure. If you don’t determine metrics and measure, it’s impossible to gauge progress.
31. Have integrity. Without it, what do your really have?

Life is what you make it, regardless your course, get after it, and make it truly fantastic. So, take this post for what it’s worth. Regardless, I’m looking forward to the road ahead and would like to thank anyone reading this that has made my life, well, my life.

CHEERS!

Goal Setting...Why Do We Lack The Discipline To Set Goals?

FEAR is the biggest obstacle and reason people don’t have a goals program. Fear of failure is a real dream-killer. A close second reason for lack of a real measureable goals program is low self-image. Too many people see themselves as either incapable of or undeserving of doing significant things and accomplishing great or even worthwhile things in their lives. The image or “picture” we have of ourselves dramatically influences our behavior.

As the oldest son of a career military man I was raised “in many different states, making few long-standing friends and always to be seen and not heard.” From an early age I always thought of myself as an outsider, I also saw myself as a mediocre student, with little desire and no knowledge of how to become outstanding. It wasn’t until, at the request of a neighbor of another new town, I was invited to join the Boy Scouts of America (BSA); that I made a serious effort to excel. I did so because if felt right, I thoroughly enjoyed being outdoors and I knew word would get back to my family about my performance. I valued the Scout leader’s opinion of me, as well as the opinions of my family and new found friends. I spent extra time studying the BSA handbook, learning new ways and earning merit badges. Early success earned more and sustained success.

Becoming a boy scout opened my eyes to the fact that I could compete favorably with other scouts and students. My self-image got a geometric boost. I saw myself in a different and more positive light, and when you see yourself in a favorable light, you perform far more effectively. While my grades were above average, after joining the scouts, my grades went higher, and I was more involved in class. I felt as though I’d become turbo-charged, everything became easier.

The interesting part; I didn’t expend any additional effort to achieve these goals. Time and again, before I reached my goal, I was already planning my next goal. From one merit badge to 21, from a B to an A grade and being more involved in the ideation and solution process. My close friend Zig Ziglar said it best, “With a healthy self-image (not an inflated ego) you are in a position to set more ambitious but still realistic goals.” Planning for success by setting goals and constant measuring your position; will always get you closer to your plan versus, hoping, wishing and no planning.

“When much is expected, much is delivered” – Anonymous

“Let’s swap problems since all people know how to solve other people’s problems”- Croft Pentz

Give goal setting a chance. The next time you talk with co-workers, spouse or kid’s; be sure they know your goals. Goals are contagious, especially when you regularly meet and exceed your goals. Those around you will want your success to rub off on them. They’ll want to hear your secrets, how you approach obstacles, etc. Because the majority plan nothing, they hinge their success on wishes, hopes and dreams. While not bad to dream; an unwritten goal is only a hope. If you want great, measurable and scalable success; you must write it down, tell others about your goals. Measure them by talking about them and retooling your mindset to excel at everything you think about and do.

Let’s plan to succeed by design and create success every where.

Live Like You Are Dying

Today I’ve decided to start with my ending challenge. If you LIVE your life like you were dying (everyday & in every way), I promise you’ll live a richer, more fulfilled life with blessings around every corner. Are you ready, are you prepared to make a difference, and are you willing to live an audacious life?
I realize this may come off rather corny, but it is me. While driving the other day I was listening to the radio, and the Tim McGraw song, “Live Like You Were Dying” came on. Not exactly sure why, but that day it hit me like the proverbial ton of bricks, smack in the middle of my forehead; as I listened to the words I started to tear up. The words are simple; it’s about a man hearing that his father is dying of an unspecified life threatening illness. His father’s message is to live life to the fullest and do things that “HE” had always wanted to do. The song goes on to mention “sky-diving, mountain climbing, fishing and bull riding.” Remember it was a country station. I encourage you to fill-in the voids and “what ifs” of your life into the song.

I’m pretty sure this song hit me so strong because I was headed to see my grandson and my head was filled with wanting to live a rich life for little Levi. Being around to nurture and share my experiences to help him be the man he wants to be. As a leukemia survivor, perhaps I’m a little closer and definitely more sensitive to leaving this world before my job is complete.

Most of the people that know me would characterize me as a ‘type A’ personality with passion, tenacity and a drive to succeed. I’d agree with that characterization, because that’s me. Career experiences, living in many different states and cities, health and life has allowed me the perspective that few have, especially as they’re living, pursuing their dreams. Without trying to sound like a blowhard or know it all; I’m convinced my experiences are worth learning from, I know I have.

Too often we’re speeding through life as if our very existence depended on how fast we go through it. If I could have a do-over I’d do it similarly, but I’d try harder to enjoy the ride, continue to pull people higher and metaphorically smell the roses. I’d live audaciously, every day and share more openly, asking for and gaining more clarity in everything.

Erasmus said it best, “Fortune favors the audacious”

Ronald Reagan was a great American, doing many different and varied professions during his life. Every one of them audacious and built to the perfect crescendo of being elected in a landslide to the Presidency of the United States. President Reagan had it right when he said, “Entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all economic growth in the United States.” Today we’re able to reflect on the likes of Google, Microsoft, Apple and their amazing success. They all started as small businesses, as a dream of an entrepreneur. No different than GE, Chevron, or P&G. They all started small, with a vision and a product. Success always goes to those willing to act audaciously everyday.

I close today with a thought from Albert Einstein, “there are two ways to live your life; one is as though there are no miracles. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Standing in awe of what is, makes us humble and knowledgeable there is something bigger than us. Miracles surround every facet of our lives, do you see them? When you rise tomorrow morning, before your feet hit the floor, think about what if? What is? And what could be?

Faith, Hope, Love and Laugh are the foundation of life. Living in an audacious way and as if you were dying, makes for a life of abundance and fun. Get out there and make it an awesome day, live like it’s on purpose. I guarantee you’ll feel better and generate better results in all you do. Laugh more, live a lot, give back, repeat.

Are You Asking the Right Questions?

When is the last time you asked probing questions to the group you manage? The team you coach? Your wife and kid’s?

When is the last time you asked this group, and the individuals in it, this simple question? “What can I do to help you be more effective?”

What question could be more central to being a good boss? A great coach? A loving and responsive husband or mother. If you want to manage and lead successfully, you’ve got to know what people doing the work need. So why not ask them? But the truth is, this question is not asked by bosses nearly enough.

You’ll get a range of answers, especially in the beginning—including non-answers, (“Gee, nothing. Keep doing what you’re doing.”) and requests you can’t do much about – personal problems, company policies you can’t change, complaints about colleagues who make this person’s life miserable, as well as personal requests you can’t or won’t address (such as “Raise my pay” from someone whose performance is mediocre). Take everything under advisement, if you can’t respond immediately. Promise to take action when you think it’s warranted but resist efforts to “delegate up”.

Asking “what can I do to help you be more effective” is a dialogue, not a monologue. You’ve got to bring a sense of openness and transparency to this dialogue. Fight the urge to provide quick answers, and work to build trust among those you lead. Beyond such answers, however, you will hear ways you really can make people more effective. Finding that may require discussion, careful listening, and respectful probing, and a willingness on your part to hear hard things and to change. Perhaps you need to step back and let people do their work; or perhaps you should get more involved. Perhaps some work processes need to change. These things are often easy to do and make an immediate difference.

“Always the beautiful answer, who asks a more beautiful question” - E.E.Cumings

“The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me”- Ayn Rand

“Everything in life the true question is not what we gain, but what we do”- Thomas Carlyle

Once you start asking questions and discussions, you’ll find they don’t take much time, and they pay dividends. They build trust, they help people work together better and do better work, they clearly identify and remove obstacles.

They also make you more effective because they reveal what’s on your peoples mind. Like it or not, what people think is what they think, and you need to know what that is. Above all, you need to know what people expect from you, the boss.

In most organizations, expectations are assumed to flow in only one direction—down. In fact, they flow up as well, though few organizations pay much attention. Being a leader is a two-way street. People are more likely to rise to your expectations if you try to understand and rise to what they expect of you.

I challenge you to discover how you can lead the way to turbo-charge your team, by asking “what can I do to help you be more effective?” Listen and take action. Time to step up and take responsibility for your teams performance.

Passion Is The Most Important Ingredient Of Success

Leadership greatness starts and ends with passion…

Have you ever worked 24 hours with barely a rest or food, and walked away feeling energized? That’s PASSION. Passion is the most important ingredient of success. Passion comes when what you do is in alignment with who you are, and you get energy from doing it. Passion is the energy that comes from bringing more of you, into what you do. It’s like water flowing along its natural riverbed. It actually gains energy from the path it is taking.

Passion in the workplace is the same. In a recent Harvard Business Review article they confirmed, “Passion is the most important ingredient of success.” The HBR article went on to say, “Our research confirms that passion is key to achieving sustained extreme performance improvement.” Primary HBR researcher Mitch McCrummon went on to say, “we have the ability to make change happen ourselves, passion plays a huge roll in this.”

Passion is love for what you do and those around you and respect for common purpose and shared goals for your team. Regularly articulating these shared goals and success-driven metrics will help create passion for the mission and company. It is the responsibility of the leadership team to provide company vision and do so in a transparent way that reinforces the mission. By doing so creates company passion, growth and energy like never before. Like water flowing along its natural riverbed, a company living its vision, measuring it frequently and transparently, will gain energy.

“Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion” –Hebbel

“Follow your passion and success will follow” – Terri Guillemets

“They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel” – Carl Buechner

Working, managing, leading and building world-class teams begins with a clearly articulated vision that is passion filled, straight-forward, actionable and realistic. Earl Nightengale said it best, “The more intensely you feel about an idea or goal, the more assuredly the idea buried deep in our subconscious, will direct us along a path, to its successful fulfillment.”

Committing to a cause, be it business, family, group or team, and bringing a well informed and articulated plan will create passion. Passion that can over-power obstacles like never before creates growth and a team that lives and brings a success-driven mindset to all they do.

Vision- Leadership...Get Some

The power of creating a positive vision in your company is THE most important part of being. Most companies are quite good at telling their employees, customers and consumers what they will not do. We don’t allow returns; you can’t do it that way, and we won’t stand for inconsistency. The problem with these comments, though well intentioned, is that it actually communicates the exact opposite of what they’re trying to accomplish. The reason is not necessarily intended, it is a simple inconvenient detail about how our brains absorb information.

What words do you remember from that opening statement? What ideas stuck with you? For better or for worse, our brains can’t deal in negatives. We can’t tell someone not to think something. “Don’t think of the color yellow,” for example. We can’t do it. Our minds immediately go to the words and not the intention of the words.

When we tell our employees that, “we will not allow returns, and we will not tolerate inconsistency” those are the words we walk away with. Those are the things that we associate with how we deliver service, and think about how we “don’t” do certain things.

Leadership never defines itself, its cause or its vision by what it is not. Great leadership always tells us what it is, where we’re going or who we are. Kennedy didn’t tell us we’re not going to stay on the earth, he told us we’re going to the moon. The founding fathers didn’t define America as a country that would not subjugate, coerce or cause unhappiness. They said the country was founded to guarantee certain unalienable rights among those being life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Though the negative statement is technically accurate, it does not inspire. Negative looks backwards and positive looks forward. Vision, if it is to inspire, always looks forward.

Companies make the same mistake. It is amazing how many businesses define themselves by what they are not instead of who they are. Too many jump at the opportunity to tell you what they don’t do instead of what they do do. Meet a small creative agency, for example, and ask them what makes them better and they will tell you that they are not subject to the whims of a large holding company. Ask one retailer what makes them superior and they will tell you that they don’t treat their customers like numbers. Words like “don’t,” “aren’t,” “won’t,” “isn't” or “doesn't” do not belong in any statement that is supposed to tell people who you are or what makes you special or different.

If you want people to go where you’re going, if you want to inspire people, tell them what you believe, not what you don’t believe. Tell them what you do, not what you don’t do. Tell them who you are not who you’re not.

Leading with positive vision will create opportunity, open doors, and minds to creative thinking and doing. Vision is the power every company needs to grow and win hearts & minds of customers and consumers.

“The empires of the future are empires of the mind.”- Winston Churchill

“Destiny is not a matter of chance, but of choice. Not something to wish for, but to attain.” – William Jennings Bryan

“Big thinking precedes great achievement.” – Wilfred Peterson

“The future belongs to those who see possibilities before they become obvious.” -John Scully

“Where there is no vision the people perish.” – Proverbs 29:18

Look forward, tell those around you what you believe and where you want to go and you’ll be amazed how well your positive words will inspire those around you.