Winning Is for a Lifetime Blog

Keep It Simple March 26, 2010

In The Slight Edge, Jeff Olson shares that successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do; and that the major thing unsuccessful people are unwilling to do is focus on the simple, mundane things day after day after day. Those simple mundane things are known as fundamentals. Fundamentals are tantamount to winning.

From 1964 to 1973, UCLA basketball teams coached by John Wooden won 9 of the 10 NCAA basketball championships played. Wooden’s teams always focused on fundamentals in practice and in games. Were Wooden’s teams lackluster in the talent department, causing him to focus on fundamentals? No. In fact, his teams sent at least one player per year to the professional basketball ranks. They had talent; and they focused on the simple, mundane fundamentals of dribbling, passing, shooting, defending, and rebounding. They focused on the fundamentals, and they won.

Let’s take a look at a more recent event, the 2010 Olympic Men’s Figure Skating championship. American Evan Lysacek won the gold medal when he focused on the same fundamentals he has been practicing day in and day out; week in and week out; year in and year out for years. His routine was not flashy, nor was it daring. He did however surpass all the requirements of the judges for the gold medal. The silver medalist argued that he likewise performed the required exercise, and added a few difficult moves which he executed flawlessly. But the judges were looking for excellence in the exercise requirements, and didn’t give extra points for add-ons. While the add-ons might have been performed with excellence, the required exercise had enough flaws to cost him the gold. While Lysacek focused on the simple fundamental requirements, his opponent erred in them, while focusing on the more difficult add-ons.

What are you doing in your life to achieve success? Are you executing the simple fundamentals that create champion athletes, world class executives, or fantastic moms? Take a look at what you are doing, and what you need to do for success. Do the simple things that lead you to the outcomes you are looking for; and do them day in and day out. Start now by writing down where you want to go, and what it will take to get there; then start doing it. I’ll be looking for your success!

Brian Kennedy is a speaker and coach to individuals and organizations for the purpose of achieving peak performance. You can learn more about Brian’s speaking, performance improvement workshops, and coaching at Brian Kennedy Global

The Balance Game March 25, 2010

“Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them – work, family, health, friends and spirit, and you’re keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls – family, health, friends and spirit – are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for Balance in your life.” Those words are attributed to Brian Dyson, former CEO of Coca-Cola from a commencement speech to a Georgia Tech graduating class.

What a balanced life mean to you? Many people believe that balance means equal time. Is it logical to think that spending equal time in all the areas of life, Spiritual, Family, Career, Health, Mental, Financial, and Social makes sense? Many people unfairly equate equal and fair to be the same thing. It isn’t!

Let’s take a look at someone who may be starting a new business, or is committed to going to the highest level in the organization that can be attained in order to be a great provider for the family The investment of time required for high level achievement may be fourteen, fifteen hour days. Since a day is only 24 hours long, no matter how we attempt to stretch it, can we even begin to think that an equal amount of time with the family or other aspects of life can be spent in the same day? Noooo.  

The answer presented by Ivan Misner, founder of Business Network International is quite simple. It is impossible to spread equal time across a day, week, or month. What an industrious person can do is follow Dr. Misner’s practice, “Wherever you are, be there.” It is so simple. Leave the office at the office when you are with your family. Focus on your family. Shut the crackberry off! When you are with your family, be with your family. When you are spiritually connected, focus 100% on God. When you are spending time improving your health, focus on that activity completely. “Wherever you are, be there.” You can do it!

Brian Kennedy is a speaker and coach to individuals and organizations for the purpose of achieving peak performance. You can learn more about Brian’s speaking, performance improvement workshops, and coaching at http://www.1wp.com/go/briankennedyglobal

The Cost of Toilet Paper March 12, 2010

Recession is nothing new to economies. Heck, we’ve been having them ever since someone figured out that they could obtain something someone else had by trading something with them. Economies may have begun by trading furs for food, and later a commodity that everyone found valuable like gold. Surviving recessions is a practice that obviously then goes back to the days of that first trade. The recession of 1875 – 1869 BC we find that the Jews under Jacob’s leadership would move farming and herding operations to Egypt and begin working together for the betterment of both groups.  

In 2000-2001 I was an executive officer of the Dallas Chapter of SMEI (Sales & Marketing Executives International). The nation was once again going through a brief recessionary period. That is when I first learned the art of working with others who may be like you, but do some other things. As a Senior Consultant with Performisys in Dallas, I learned that by promoting our assessment tools to consultants that already had customer bases, both parties could benefit. We were both consultants; yet I did something these others didn’t. They did things we didn’t. By strategically working together we were able to grow our business in client companies that we never would have been able to get into that fast. We adopted the SMEI philosophy of Partner or Perish. All of us are still here today.  

I have recently seen a company in the office supply business that sells everything a company would need for its office; from desks to toilet paper. In the same networking group is a person who sells paper products to businesses and restaurants. Recently the paper person mentioned that she sells toilet paper in restaurants. Makes sense to me. It is a paper product; and restaurants do use it. The office supply person complained about encroachment by the other person for mentioning toilet paper. That baffled me. Here’s why.

Both parties call on the same customers for mostly different reasons. It seems to me that if the paper sales person has a customer that is in the market to purchase $10,000 worth of desks, chairs, and other office equipment, a referral would be given to the office supply person. But the office supply person doesn’t want the paper sales person to make sales calls on the customer because she believes that she should get all the paper business, even though she has never made a sales call on that customer. It seems to me that toilet paper is costing the office supply person a ton of money.

How are you fighting this recession? Do you find yourself collaborating with others who do some of what you do, but have a strength somewhere else? Or do you do like the office supply owner and lose desk sales for the price of toilet paper. That must be some pretty fancy toilet paper.

Brian Kennedy is a speaker and coach to individuals and organizations for the purpose of achieving peak performance. You can learn more about Brian’s speaking, performance improvement workshops, and coaching at http://www.1wp.com/go/briankennedyglobal

Get More Out by Putting More In March 11, 2010

I read this story posted by Dr. David Jeremiah about a preacher who showed up early for a speaking engagement. “Looking around, he noticed a moneybox on the wall. He made a five dollar contribution to it, thinking it was for the poor. After the service, his host walked him to the door and took the money from the box. “This is where our people contribute to the visiting preacher,” said the man, “and you’ve done better than most. Look, here’s a five-dollar bill.” Later the man told the story to his family. “Dad,” observed his son, “if you had put more into it, you would have gotten more out of it!”

What are you putting into the things you want to get things out of? John Maxwell talks about five types of people. The first never invests and expects to collect. We see these people as complainers. Then there are those who never invest and don’t expect anything in return. These are sufferers. We see them everywhere. Then there are those who start to invest and want to collect now. These are the people who quit when the results aren’t immediate. Delayed gratification is not something they are known for. Without commitment they are unable to stick to the path. Then there are those who invest and expect to collect later. These are the successful people we refer to as winners. They win for sticking with their belief and capturing the prize. Finally, there are those who invest, stick with it and collect big. These people win big because they stuck with they had the desire and belief to stick with their plan, even when it didn’t pan out right away. These people do what unsuccessful people aren’t willing to do. Do you know what unsuccessful people are unwilling to do? Heck, you aren’t willing to do it either.

 I submit to you that the only way to have success is to invest in that success, and expect your return on investment after you have paid some dues. I am amazed sometimes when I talk to people who have a job where they seem to be stuck at a level; yet they will tell you that they will commit more to the job when they get paid more. Hey, until you show that you are worth more, you aren’t going to get paid more. Duh! Get a job, and then become the best you can be at that job; and then your value will rise as will your income. Start reading those 7 business books we talked about last week.

So, what are you doing today to make yourself more valuable to your organization, your family, your community? Take charge and start now. Remember, nothing happens until you start.

Brian Kennedy is a speaker and coach to individuals and organizations for the purpose of achieving peak performance. You can learn more about Brian’s speaking, performance improvement workshops, and coaching at http://www.1wp.com/go/briankennedyglobal

If you no longer wish to receive these mailings please click “Reply” and type the word “Unsubscribe.”

Don’t Be an Ichabod? March 5, 2010

A few weeks ago Joel Osteen wrote, “In the Old Testament there was an Israelite woman who was about to give birth. She had just heard that the Ark of the Covenant that housed God’s presence had been stolen. She was so upset about it that she named her baby boy Ichabod, which means “the glory has departed.” Notice what she did; she named her future by what was happening in her present. She could have just as easily named him “the glory will return,” but she was so focused on the negative, so caught up in where she was at that moment that she defined her future by it.”

We hear a lot of talk these days about the economy this and the economy that. I can’t do this or I can’t do that because of the economy. Is that how you feel? Its understandable. Yes, the economy is a difficult time to deal with. Yes, it does have an effect on many of the things we do. But the economy only holds back those who allow it to hold them back.

I once read that there were more millionaires created during the Great Depression than during all the years from the founding of this great nation up to the Great Depression. What are you doing to change your life in spite of the circumstances?

In my last post I talked about Charlie Jones’ statement, “You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for two things, the people you meet and the books you read.” In that post we talked about books. What are you doing about the people you meet and those with whom you associate?

Take this test. Look at the five people you associate with the most. Be honest in your appraisal. Typically you will be the average of the five. If those five are highly successful in their lives, congratulations if you are the average. If they are worried about the next check, the next layoffs, or for the economy to turn around, you might want to start looking for other people to spend more time with. Want to be a millionaire? Hang out where millionaires hang out, and you will soon be thinking like them; acting like them; living like them.

 Several of my coaching clients want to be in business for themselves after years in the corporate life. One of my first suggestions is to find where entrepreneurs hang out, and start hanging out there too. Meet them. Establish relationships with them. Learn what they have already learned. I have always found other entrepreneurs to be very helpful in supporting new entrepreneurs with knowledge and suggestions.

There is no better time to start anything than right now time. Start today with ten pages of a good book. Then evaluate the five people you associate with the most. If they are Ichabods, find some Solomon’s. After all, Solomon was the wisest and wealthiest man to ever live.

Brian Kennedy is a speaker and coach to individuals and organizations for the purpose of achieving peak performance. You can learn more about Brian’s speaking, performance improvement workshops, and coaching at www.1wp.com/go/briankennedyglobal

What, Read? March 3, 2010

Over the past few days on LinkedIn and Facebook I read some posts from several Sales and Marketing Executives International members referencing research that states that people who read 7 business books per year earn 2.3 times more income than those at their level who read one or fewer. Think about earning 2.3 times what you are earning now. What would that do to your economic recession?

The late Charlie “Tremendous” Jones is famous for saying, “You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for two things, the people you meet and the books you read.” So what Charlie is telling me is that if I don’t read more and meet a higher group of performing people I will be right where I am. Take a realistic view of your life and see if that isn’t true for you. Has your standard of living or quality of life risen in the past five years? What have you been reading? Who have you been meeting?

“I don’t have time to read” is a common whine when talking about books. I was working with someone recently who hadn’t read an entire book since his college graduation fifteen years ago. Time to read is a matter of priorities. I have no problem with someone who loves to watch reality shows. Heck, I even enjoy watching Dancing with the Stars with my wife. However, I don’t make a habit of watching television’s reality show when I have my own reality to live. Killing the television provides plenty of time to read. Try this. Find a good book that will help you in your career. Pick something like Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, Embrace the Struggle by Zig and Julie Ziglar Norman, The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann… The list goes on. Now that you’ve chosen a good book, read just ten pages per day. That’s all. I’m not suggesting ten chapters or even one. I am suggesting ten pages. That’s it. Why attempt to read a 215 page book when you can read just ten pages of it each day for 21.5 days. Let’s face it, 215 pages is insurmountable if you haven’t read a book in five years; or three; or even one. But ten pages a day takes away the “I don’t have time” whine.

So get to it today. Pick out a good book and start reading. If you aren’t sure about some good ones, click here and scroll down the page for some suggested reading. Reading will change your life.

Brian Kennedy is a speaker and coach to individuals and organizations for the purpose of achieving peak performance. You can learn more about Brian’s speaking, performance improvement workshops, and coaching at www.1wp.com/go/briankennedyglobal