4 Magic Questions That Create Success

These questions, answered in this order, transform you into an irreplaceable resource.

Regular readers know that I'm big on simple ideas that can have a huge impact on personal success. This series of four questions, each building on the previous question, are adapted from a conversation with best-selling author Greg Wingard (The Red Bucket Strategy and Guaranteed Success). Simple though they may seem, these questions can literally change your life.

1. Is there a fundamental skill I've been neglecting?

Regardless of what you do for a living, you cannot succeed if you're failing to master the basics. For example, I've known managers who can quote from dozens of management books, but haven't even mastered the simple (and essential) art of coaching.
Similarly, I've run across dozens of marketing folk who can expound in detail upon worldwide brand strategy, but have no idea how to locate a qualified lead for their sales team.
The lesson here is simple: learn and do the basics of your job. Unless you're doing that, you can forget about success, because it's just not going to happen.

2. Is there something I should stop doing?

Great! You're doing the basics, so now it's time to look at the stuff that's getting in your way.
Look at your daily routine, your weekly activities, your monthly commitments. If you're like most people, you're probably doing things that aren't just useless, but counterproductive.
For me, it's computer games. If I play more than the half-hour or so that it takes to blow off steam, I emerge from the experience depleted, tired and uncreative. For other people, it might be web-surfing when you should be prospecting for customers, or watching mindless TV when you could be learning something valuable.
Whatever it is for you, you'll get a huge burst of productivity when you limit (or stop) these behavioral impediments to your success.

3. Is there a basic skill I need to upgrade?

Congratulations! If you've gotten this far, you've already gone beyond most people and are well on your way to success.
Now it's time to examine the basic skills required for your job and identify any that need improvement. For example, if you're in sales, maybe you're good at asking questions and presenting solutions, but tend to hem and haw when it's time to close the deal. If so, work on your closing skill.
Similarly, if you're a manager and great with people but weak at financial planning, find ways to shore up that weakness and (ideally) turn it into a real strength.

4. What extra skill will bring me the greatest success?

Wow! You're handling all the basics equally well and you've cleared the deck so that nothing will get in your way. It's time to SOAR, baby! Here's how.
Step back and look at the proverbial "big picture." From this perspective, identify a skill or habit that today is totally foreign to you but which, if you mastered it, would also propel you to a level of success far beyond your current situation.
For example, suppose you're a brilliant innovator and have mastered all the basics of engineering. What would happen if you mastered the ability to sell your ideas to anyone? Similarly, suppose you're making a decent living in Sales. How much more successful would you become if you mastered business accounting?
BTW, it's these "above and beyond" skills that turn you from a plug-and-play commodity (the status of most folk) into an absolutely irreplaceable resource

5 Reasons People Fail (& What to Do Instead)

These barriers to success are easy to overcome, but only when you know they're there.

 

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Why do some people achieve their goals while others fail? I believe it's because successful people manage to overcome five barriers that, in many cases, guarantee failure. Here are those barriers and how to overcome them:

1. Uninspiring Goals

When most people set goals, they envision a "thing," such as a particular amount of money, an object (like a new car), or a specific achievement (like writing a book). Unfortunately, these "things I'm gonna get or do" goals don't appeal to the core of what motivates you, because they miss the point that what you're actually seeking in life and work is the POSITIVE EMOTIONS that you believe those things will produce.
Fix: Rather than envisioning a "thing" as your goal, envision--with all the strength in your imagination--how you will feel when you achieve the goal. That way, you'll be inspired to do whatever it takes (within legal and ethical bounds) to achieve that goal.

2. Fear of Failure

If you're afraid of failing, you won't take the necessary risks required to achieve your goal. For example, you won't make that important phone call, because you're afraid that you'll be rebuffed. Or you won't quit your dead-end job and start your own business because you're afraid that you might end up without any money.
Fix: Decide--right now!--that failure, for you, is a strictly temporary condition. If things don't go the way you'd like, it's only a setback that, at most, delays your eventual success. In other words, accept the fact that you'll sometimes fail, but treat that failure as an unavoidable (yet vital) component in your quest.

3. Fear of Success

In many ways, this fear is even more debilitating than the fear of failure. Suppose you achieved something spectacular, like enormous wealth. What if it didn't make you happy? What then? What if you ended up losing all of it? What then? Would your friends start acting weird? Would your family be envious? Such thoughts (and they're common) can cause even a highly motivated person to self-sabotage.
Fix: Decide that you're going to be happy and grateful today and happy and grateful in the future, no matter what happens. Rather than focus on possible problems, envision how wonderful it would be to be able to help your friends and family achieve THEIR goals. (Hint: Watch the last season of the TV series Entourage!)

4. An Unrealistic Timetable

Most people vastly overestimate what they can do in a week and vastly underestimate what they can do in a year. Because of this, most people try to cram too many action items into the short term rather than spacing out activities over the long term. The inability to get all the short-term steps accomplished creates discouragement and the impression that the final goal is slipping away.
Fix: As you list the activities and steps required to achieve a goal, schedule only the 20% of the activities that will produce 80% of your results. (I explain more about this in the post The Secret of Time Management.) Beyond that, set ambitious long-term timetables, but always leave some "wiggle room" when you plan short term.

5. Worrying About "Dry Spots"

It's easy to get discouraged when you reach a point at which nothing you do seems to advance you toward your goal. For example, suppose you're trying to master a certain skill. You make swift progress at first but then, after a while, it seems as if you're not doing any better, or maybe a little worse. Some people use these "plateaus" or "dry spots" as an excuse to give up and therefore fail.
Fix: Whenever you reach a plateau or dry spot, it's time to celebrate rather than give up. A plateau is almost always a sign that you're on the brink of a major breakthrough, if you just have the patience to stick with it and trust that you'll eventually achieve your goal.

Lessons From Your Dr.

8 Must Read Success Lessons from Dr. Seuss

Theodor Seuss Geisel was a cartoonist and writer. He’s most popular for his children’s books written under the pen names Dr. Seuss, Theo. LeSieg and once he wrote under the name Rosetta Stone.
Theodor published over 60 children’s books. These books were often characterized by imaginative characters, rhyme, and frequent use of trisyllabic meter.
His most famous books include the bestselling Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Horton Hears a Who!, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas!.
Eleven television specials, three feature films, and a Broadway musical have been created from adaptations of Theodor’s work.
Without further a due, here are 8 lessons from Dr. Seuss.

8 Must Read Success Lessons from Dr. Seuss:

1. Be Who You Are
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.”
If you can’t be yourself with your friends, then they’re not your friends, or at least they’re not very good ones. The sign that someone is a good friend is how comfortable you are with them. If you can be who you are, and say how you feel, then hang with those folks, they’ll surely keep it “real.”

2. Trouble Your Troubles
“I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I’ve bought a big bat. I’m all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!”
When troubles show up, you have to show up bigger. Don’t let troubles trouble you; you trouble your troubles by showing up with a “big bat!” But not literally…. You show up with a “big bat” by showing up with big courage, big faith, and big determination, if you do, you will trouble your troubles….

3. You Decide
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”
How simple, yet how profound! You decide where you go, only you. You are only limited by your ability to believe in the impossible.

4. It’s Up To You
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
No one is going to rescue you, they’re not. You have to dig yourself out of the ditch. You have to care enough; you have to be motivated enough, to change things. It’s up to you.
Things only change, when someone cares an awful lot.

5. Think
“You can get help from teachers, but you are going to have to learn a lot by yourself, sitting alone in a room.”
My greatest discoveries have come from sitting alone in a quiet room. Dr. Suess said, “Think left, and think right, and think low, and think high. Oh, the things you can think up, if only you try!” What can you think up? Just try.

6. The More You Know
 “The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn the more places you’ll go.”
Reading expands your mind to the possibilities; once your mind has been expanded it can never go back to its original shape. Commit to expand your mind, commit to know more. The more you know, the more places you will go!

7. Your Mountain Is Waiting
“Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting.
So… get on your way.”
Everyday you’re presented with a mountain. You can climb the mountain, or you can play in the valley. If you climb more than you play, you will truly be on your way.

8. You Are You
“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”
No one can be you, youer than you! That’s good news all by itself….

Why Your Business Should Be Your Passion

By Carmine Gallo

When you choose to open a business, your chances at success—and satisfaction—are greater if you love the work you do


If you start a new business today, you stand a reasonably good chance of surviving for two years. But after two years, success rates drop. According to the Small Business Administration, only 44% of new businesses make it to their fourth year. But these numbers shouldn't discourage you if your business is also your passion.


Consider David Kinch. Kinch is the owner and chef behind the Los Gatos, Calif., restaurant Manresa, one of the top 50 restaurants in the world according to Restaurant Magazine. In a recent interview with the San Jose Mercury News, Kinch recalled how he started working in a New Orleans restaurant at the age of 15. "From the first day, I knew I loved it and I didn't ever want to leave it," Kinch was quoted as saying. One of Kinch's best friends in high school also had an obsession—all he would talk about was becoming a trumpet player. Kinch's friend was another teenager named Wynton Marsalis. While Kinch obsessed about food, Marsalis was obsessed with music.


If only every entrepreneur followed their passion. Far too often, I run across business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs, and even college students who, instead of following their hearts, follow the crowd and end up terribly disappointed. Why am I telling you all this in a column normally dedicated to helping business owners master communications? As a communication skills coach, I can show you techniques to improve your pitch or presentation, but I cannot teach the intangible quality that separates average business people from inspiring communicators—inspiring leaders are obsessed with what they do. What I can tell you is all the successful business stars are passionate about their product, service, company, or cause. Instead of doing what someone else told them they should do, they went with the feeling in their gut—and made a business out of the one thing that consumed their thoughts.

Unlocking Your Potential

How do you find your true passion? Bill Strickland, author of Make the Impossible Possible offers some clues, writing: "Passions are irresistible.… If you're paying attention to your life at all, the things you are passionate about won't leave you alone. They're the ideas, hopes, and possibilities your mind naturally gravitates to, the things you would focus your time and attention on for no other reason than that doing them feels right." Strickland believes that only by following your passion will you unlock your deepest potential. "I never saw a meaningful life that wasn't based on passion. And I never saw a life full of passion that wasn't, in some important way, extraordinary."


When you choose to open a business or franchise simply because your neighbor is doing well at it, you increase the likelihood of failure. When you enter a career because your brother-in-law made a lot of money in it last year, you increase the odds of living an unsatisfied life. And when you choose a college major solely to satisfy your parents, you raise the risk of becoming bored instead of energized by your classes.


Starting a business is fraught with hurdles and setbacks. But if you're following your inner voice—the thoughts that "won't leave you alone," to borrow from Strickland—failure is never final. I recently met an entrepreneur who had the satisfaction of seeing his idea picked up by Wal-Mart (WMT). What shoppers will not see is the struggle that went into getting his idea from an obsession into a product. At one point, this entrepreneur stayed in Bentonville, Ark.—2,000 miles from home—for 60 straight days to arrange a meeting with the giant retailer. His heart's calling wouldn't let him go home.


Remember to pay attention to what you love doing. James Dyson loved tinkering and inventing. One day he grew frustrated by a weak vacuum that seemed to lose suction. So he got to work. Five years later he created a vacuum that would one day turn into a $6 billion company. But he could have quit 5,126 times (BusinessWeek.com, 7/14/06). That's how many prototypes it took to build the first bagless vacuum cleaner. Major manufacturers rejected his technology because they made money on the bags. Dyson was anything but discouraged. He persisted, and today James Dyson is worth an estimated $2 billion. "Enjoy failure and learn from it," Dyson once said. "You can never learn from success."


Don't let your obsession die. Embrace it, revel in it, and use it to stand apart. Follow your heart and not the crowd.

7 Tips for Creating Your Own Destiny

Are you working on your life or just in it? Here is the perspective and method you need to plan and execute the life and career worthy of your potential.

 

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Too many people whine about not having the life they want. The main reason people fall short of their own expectations is the same reason most companies fail to achieve their objectives: poor planning and execution. In fact, I am amazed at how many successful executives create strategy for their business, leaving their life to chance. Often it's more comfortable (note I didn't say easier) to complain and blame outside factors for lack of accomplishment or unhappiness than to take time to work on life rather than in it.
I choose otherwise. A close entrepreneur friend, J, and I are taking our annual four days away to determine our futures and hold each other accountable. Here are the tips that will assure us of success.

1. Plan a Preferred Future

As Lewis Carroll said: If you don't know where you are going, then any road will get you there. Both J and I are close to 50, so our 60th birthdays are the milestone for this journey. Twelve years is plenty of time to make course corrections and absorb any external factors thrown at us. Our planning will be specific and measurable. We'll take time to examine and discuss the details of every aspect of our lives, personal and professional, to achieve integrated success and happiness.

2. Be Pragmatic

Neither of us will be playing for the NBA at our age (or my height). The future has to reflect what is physically possible with available resources and limitations. Pragmatism isn't in itself restrictive, however; J and I will harness our creativity to design aspirational futures that exploit every opportunity and asset we have. We'll also create filters to keep us from wasting time and energy on what's unachievable or irrelevant.

3. Decide the Who, Not the What

We're defining who we want to be at 60, not what we want to be doing. The who centers on passion, core competencies, and core satisfaction, such as material requirements. If I know who I truly want to be, I can detail what to do, own, resources I need, etc. I can also determine what not to do, own, etc., focusing time and resources where required.

4. Be Honest

J and I will challenge each other constantly to get to the truth of who we are and who we wish to be. There will be no quiet politeness on this trip (not that I'm capable of it). I can't let J believe his own stories and rationalizations, causing misdirection and distraction. Warning: Allowing this dialogue requires intimate knowledge of each other and great trust. Pick your accountability partners wisely.

5. Consider the Tools Around You, Old and New

Every resource is important. On my old list is Napoleon Hill, who nearly 100 years ago connected creative visualization to success. And I will also consider new resources like crowdsourcing. Although I'm a natural skeptic for overhyped Internet trends, my friend and talented designer Elena Kriegner inspired me with her KickStarter campaign. It's simple, interesting, and elegant (like her jewelry), which is why it's gaining traction, unlike many others. In this planning exercise, no resources, new or old, are off the table to achieve my desired future.

6. Ignore the Naysayers

I live for constructive criticism. But outside perspective that is baseless conjecture or stems from emotional baggage (think dissatisfied family or friends) is destructive for achievers. Put these people in a box where they can't distract you from your ambitions. Find people who get it, and put them in your corner. Engage them in your preferred future, and help them achieve theirs.

7. Don't Settle for Mediocrity

Although being the next Steve Jobs or U.S. President is likely off our agenda (as it should be), J and I both want to be pushed to the limits of our potential. Too many people settle for what is easy rather than engage their energy and creativity to create something different and meaningful. Then they wonder why their work has no significance. I choose to pursue the Awesome Experience.
People who take a reactive approach to growth and development will suffer the same fate as companies, managers, and employees who let the markets, technology, and competitors determine their destiny. The game of life rewards aggressive players who leverage their energy, smarts (note that I didn't say intelligence), and creativity to determine and obtain the life that truly makes them happy. As Jim Collins points out in Great by Choice, good and bad luck comes to all; it's how you plan and execute that determines your return on luck.

10 Ways to Feel Better About Yourself

Everyday, you have another chance to make things better.

Published on March 31, 2011 by Barton Goldsmith, Ph.D. in Emotional Fitness

Some days are better than others. On those days that go less well, we usually end up being hard on ourselves. Here are some tools to avoid doing so.
1. Keep going. Don't let life's changes throw you off track, but remember that most extenuating circumstances are temporary. Gain more clarity by staying the course and channeling your energy in a positive direction.
2. Trust yourself. Believe in your inner resources, no matter what, and you'll grow from the experience. I believe that the answers usually lie within and you are probably smart enough to figure out what you need to do. Give yourself a little time and have patience.
3. Be friends with life. Remember that the world is not out to get you and it does not punish you. You do that to yourself. Learning to focus on other opportunities or in another direction can give you some perspective.
4. Watch your thoughts. Your thinking will never be 100 percent positive. You must learn to dismiss the negative thoughts and stay open to other ideas that will help you move in a positive direction. Start recognizing negative thoughts and use your mind to quell them.

5. Summon the strength you have inside. Learn to access and direct your strengths to the highest good for all concerned. Believe that your strength and intelligence can help you deal with anything. Remember that you have survived worse.
6. Learn to love yourself. You do not have to be who you are today, and your life is not scripted. Changing how you feel about yourself means creating a strategy, gathering some new tools, and making yourself into the person you want to be. A good way to start is to stop doing things that hurt.
7. Don't want too much. Desire can be a powerful motivating tool, but wanting something too much can be very painful and very expensive, so don't live beyond your means or covet the unattainable. Seek your desire, but keep your integrity.
8. Don't get insulted. It is wise to be dispassionate about critical comments. Human's will always bump heads, but consider the source, and if it's the other person's issue, ignore it. Learn to respond instead of react, and don't show your ire.
9. Recognize that disappointment is part of life. Even the most successful people have to deal with disappointment, but they've learned how to use it to get to the next level of life. The trick is to process your feelings, then take some kind of action.
10. Deal with your fears. Overcoming fear makes you stronger, and being a little scared can make you better. You want to have butterflies; you just want them flying in formation. It helps to understand and admit your fears. Then you can kick them to the curb.
Feel good about yourself, no matter what life brings. Know that each time you wake up, you have another chance to make things better. Don't waste it.

Selling Tips

5 Simple Strategies to Sell Successfully

Sales is a journey. If the customer does not understand where you are headed and why she should come along, she won't.

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Making a sale should be easy, especially when you have the right product. But lots of people make it more complicated than it needs to be, and lose the prospective client in the process.
Here are my five "make it happen" steps to get the green light rather than put on the brakes:
Cut to the chase.
A good sales person doesn't waste time with filler words. He starts talking about the product right away. Here's an example. A website developer calls your company and starts by saying, "I am glad I finally got a hold of you. It took me more than 10 minutes to find your contact information on your website. My company does web development, and we could help you quickly fix that. Your customers would then be less frustrated and more easily able to contact you. Can I go over the site with you and find out what else you might like it to be able to do?" As the person being pitched, I am now fully engaged in the web developer's product--because he showed me he did his homework, and can solve a problem I did not know I had.
Skip the jargon.
Whether your product is technical in nature or you just tend to be on the know-it-all side of the spectrum, find a simple way to explain your product that anyone can follow. Customers don't want to need an explanation--they want to understand right away. My husband and I recently looked to buy a new mattress, and were confronted with all kinds of features to choose from. Rather than use empty pseudo-technical terms like moisture-wick and memory foam, a salesperson carefully went over why his mattress would last longer, how its structure would keep us from waking each other with our movements, and why the two different materials on its faces would help us be comfortable in any weather.
Paint a picture.
You will not always have the luxury of meeting with your customer face to face. Learn how to describe your product in a way that even someone who has never seen it can imagine what it is. At my company, we sell products over the phone. We have several items that are made of wood, and often lesser-known wood species, so they can be hard for the customer to envision. We received a new product last week, and I had not yet seen it, but I heard one of our sales reps describing it to a customer as looking like the inside of a tree when it is freshly cut. I was pleased; I knew immediately that it was lighter in color, had a ring pattern, and a visible grain.
Get curious.

When you speak to a customer, concentrate on finding out about the customer instead of making your pitch. Asking open-ended questions, and then carefully listening to the answers will always get you further than delivering a monologue. A bank I never would have considered recently landed a meeting with me because the sales rep--after hearing I was not interested in changing credit card processors--asked me if there was anything I was frustrated with at my current bank. I was mad enough to want to talk about it, and he was astute enough to carefully connect my discontent to how his bank is different.
Make it matter.
Your product may have a ton of benefits, but they are worthless if the customer you sell to doesn't need them. Be able to constantly reframe those product benefits so that the particular customer with whom you are speaking understands the direct impact the product could have on his world. Our current health insurance broker won my business not because he explained to me how he was going to save me money (that was not a priority for me), but because his product offered a web portal that was able to help my employees clearly understand their health care options, and made my job as the administrator less burdensome. Those were the high priorities on my list.
A good way to think of selling is like a journey on which you are leading your customer. If the customer does not understand where you are headed and why she should come along, she will either choose not to take the trip, or wander off in a different direction midway through. All you have to do is get her excited about the destination, tell her all the beautiful things she will see along the way, and answer any questions she has so she feels safe and can enjoy the route.