THE 3% SOLUTION

We live in a world of constant change and daily competition. Everyday, someone is working to reduce costs, increase performance, and take your customers from you. This doesn't just apply to big business or the "other guy." It applies to your business, every single day.
Most of us know this, and yet most small businesses and professional practices take no daily action to enhance their position in the market place, or their productivity. That is a recipe for disaster!
Day by day, every business leader must take specific, practical action to serve your customers better, faster, cheaper and with greater attention to detail.
Here are a couple of systems for doing this:
1. Re-invest at least three percent of gross revenue in research and development. Every month, set aside three percent to improve performance, buy new equipment or up-grade your skills. Some industries invest more (sometimes far more!), but at a minimum, set aside three percent. You can't afford not to.
2. Use the "3% Solution". Every day, strive to be just three percent better at your work. Answer the phone a bit faster and more cheerfully. Be slightly more thorough in your sales presentations. Up-grade your email, your brochures, your packaging, your reliability, and make them just slightly better than they were last week.
Every business can improve by three percent! That's hardly difficult or even challenging. The key is to think in terms of constant and never-ending improvement. It doesn't have to be dramatic and it doesn't have to cost a lot, but the drive for excellence requires your constant attention. If you don't do it, someone, somewhere, certainly is.

THE SECRET OF A SALES MANAGER

A friend of mine is a very successful sales manager. After he had carefully interviewed and then selected a new salesman, he would take the salesman to a Cadillac dealership and insist that he trade in his old car for a new Cadillac. The salesman would usually balk at the idea. He would be frightened of the cost of the car and huge monthly payments involved. But the sales manager would insist that he buy the Cadillac as a condition of employment. At first, the salesman would feel guilt for buying the car, but within a few days, he would begin to see himself as the kind of person who drove a new Cadillac. He would see himself as a big money earner in his field, one of the top performers in his industry. And time after time, almost without fail, the salespeople in this organization became sales superstars.
Create the Mental Equivalent
Emmet Fox, the spiritual teacher, once said, "Your main job in life is to create the mental equivalent within yourself of what you want to realize and enjoy in your outer world." Your focus must be on creating the beliefs within yourself that are consistent with the great success you want to be in your outer world. You achieve this by challenging your self-limiting beliefs, rejecting them, and then acting as if they did not exist.
Behave Consistent with Your New Self-Image
You develop new beliefs by taking actions consistent with those beliefs. You act as if you already believe that you have these capabilities and competences. You behave like a positive, optimistic, and cheerful person toward everyone. You act as if your success is already guaranteed. You act as if you have a secret guarantee of success and only you know about it. You realize that you are developing, shaping, and controlling the evolution of your own character and personality by everything that you do and say every single day.
Make a Decision
Make a decision this very day to challenge and reject any self-limiting beliefs that you might have that could be holding you back. Look into yourself and question the areas of your life where you have doubts about your abilities or talents. You might ask your friends and family members if they see any negative beliefs that you might have. Often, they will be aware of self-limiting beliefs you have that you are not aware of yourself. In every case, once you have identified these negative beliefs, ask yourself, "What if the opposite were true?"
Keep Your Words and Actions Consistent
Your beliefs are always manifested in your words and actions. Make sure that everything you say and do from now on is consistent with the beliefs that you want to have and the person that you want to become. In time, you will replace more and more of your self-limiting beliefs with self-enhancing beliefs.
Action Exercise
Imagine that you have the "golden touch" with money. If you were an extremely competent money manager, how would you handle your finances?

CUSTOMER LOYALTY OR RAVING FANS?

This past Wednesday I interrupted my schedule, pulled off a busy street, drove around the block and went back to see if my eyes were playing tricks on me. I had glimpsed a small sidewalk sign with the name of a company I thought was out of business. I pulled into a busy shopping mall, drove around, and finally spotted the business. They were open and I immediately found a parking spot, got out, walked over and bought a sandwich.
Yup. All that for a chicken sandwich.
But, you see, it's no ordinary sandwich. It's a "Cart de Frisco" chicken sandwich and it's fantastic. It's got toppings and sauces that drip all over my hands and on my shirt. It's hot and spicy and gives me heartburn. It's an awful mess of a sandwich, but it's served with flair, humor and enthusiasm, and like thousands of my fellow Eugerians, I'm hopelessly addicted.
Twenty years ago, a Cambodian refugee came to Eugene with nothing. But he had this idea for a spicy chicken sandwich, which is rumored to have over 50 ingredients crowded onto a Kaiser bun. He didn't have any money for a restaurant, so he sold them from a cart on the sidewalk and when people worked downtown, it was not unusual to see a dozen people lined up, waiting for a sandwich in the Oregon rain.
Do people wait in the rain to do business with you? This guy serves his sandwiches with a smile and with "attitude." He makes people laugh, he makes you glad to do business with him. It's a "good day" when I'm "lucky enough" to spend a few dollars for his sandwich.
Wednesday, I learned that he had been ill and that's why his carts had disappeared for a while, but now he's back and once again, people are lined up for his chicken sandwiches.
I've never seen any advertising for his little business. But now he drives a Cadillac and he's done quite well for himself. Another "over-night sensation!"
His cute little cart, his delicious sandwich, and his attitude of happiness and optimism have created thousands of raving fans here in Eugene. Can you say that about your business?
Create raving fans. They, in turn, will make you rich.

NINE COMMON OBJECTIONS YOU MUST ANSWER

Unspoken Objections
The first type of objection you will get is an unspoken objection. The customer has concerns with you offering but doesn't tell you anything. The solution to unspoken objections is to let the prospect talk more. Ask open-ended questions, lean forward, and listen intently to the answers. The more a prospect has an opportunity to answer your questions; the more likely it is that she will tell you exactly what might be holding her back from buying.
Excuses, Excuses
The second form of objections is excuses. These are usually instinctive reactions to any sales approach. Excuses are not really serious. The best salespeople nod, smile, agree, and then ask a question to take control of the conversation. The very best way to handle any initial sales resistance, including excuses and impulse responses is with these words: "That's all right. Most people in your situation felt the same way when I first called on them. But now they have become our best customers, and they recommend us to their friends and family."
Malicious Objections
Then there are malicious objections. Because you call on many different people, you will occasionally call on individuals who are unhappy or angry about their current situations. Since they cannot shout at their bosses or spouses, they take it out on the friendly salesperson. These people tend to be negative in their demeanor and behavior. The way to deal with malicious objections is to realize that you are not the target. Your job, as a professional, is to remain calm, confident, positive, and polite throughout.
Request For Information
The fourth most common objection is a request for information. This is the best type of objection for you to hear, because you know how to answer this as well or better than any other part of your presentation. Whenever a prospect asks for information about the results or benefits of your product or service, you are moving into an excellent field position to make a sale.
Show—Off Objections
Another type of objection is the show-off objection. Sometimes prospects try to show you how much they already know about your product or service. They make sophisticated observations or ask you complex questions about your product, service or industry. When this happens, respond by taking the low road. Show how impressed you are by how much the prospect already knows. Remember, when you make a prospect feel important by listening to him with rapt attention, he is much more likely to warm up and buy from you.
Subjective Objections
The sixth most common type of objection is subjective or personal objections. These objections are aimed to you as a person. Whenever a prospect becomes critical of you, it could be a sign that you are talking too much about yourself. If this happens, it is important to make the customer the center of attention, and the subjective objections will stop.
Objective Objections
You may also hear the objective or factual objection. These are directed at your product offering and the claims that you make in terms of what it will do for the customer. If you can answer an objective objection, you can often close the sale.
General Sales Resistance
The eighth most common form of objection is what we have called general sales resistance. This always occurs at the beginning of a presentation. Until you neutralize this general sales resistance, the customer will be listening to you with a closed mind. When the prospect relaxes and gives you permission to ask him questions, you immediately begin your pre-selected open-ended questions to qualify the prospect and find out what he really needs that you can provide for him.
Last Ditch Objections
The final most-common objection is called the last-ditch objection. You have made your presentation, and the prospect clearly sees how she would be better off with your product or service. She knows and understands what you're selling and how much you're asking. She is on the verge of making a buying decision, but she still hesitates. Listen with respect to your final objections; then assure the prospect that yours is an excellent product or service, at a good price, and that everyone else who is using it today is very happy with their decision. You have then overcome the last-ditch objection.
Action Exercises
Hear the prospect out completely each time he objects or asks a question, practice all your listening skills.

BETTER QUESTIONS GET BETTER RESULTS

This week I’ve been re-reading Jack Canfield’s wonderful book, The Success Principles, and I was struck by his focus on the questions we ask. Several of his principles center on asking more and better questions of ourselves and others.
In my thirty years of coaching, I’ve noticed that even highly successful people tend to ask very few questions, and not very good ones at that.
I can’t speak for other coaches, but the people who hire me as a coach tend to be competent, confident and at least moderately successfu l. They’ve done alright in life, sometimes much better than “alright.” They are smart enough to see the value of coaching. They tend to be goal-oriented, ambitious, hard-working and creative. They are “going someplace” and want to get their easier, faster and with higher levels of success.
But even they tend to be influenced by the Law of the Familiar. That’s a polite way of saying we all tend to (1) do the same things over and over because we know how to do them and are comfortable with the familiar, and (2) we tend to fear the unfamiliar, the uncomfortable and the unknown. So we repeat the old definition of insanity: Doing the same things over and over while hoping for a different result.
Good questions get us out of that rut. Great questions open doors and move us forward quickly. Sometimes the right question makes the “impossible” easily possible! A great question can even turn a frustrating sit uation into an adventure, something that is exciting, that stretches us, helps us grow and makes life more fun!
Unfortunately, most of the time, most of us ask really dumb questions. We tend to ask questions like, Why does this always happen to me? Or how about the old favorite, Why can’t I catch a break? Maybe one of your personal favorites is, How come things (my life, my work, my kids, etc.) never change?
Those questions are dead-ends! The human brain is remarkably creative and it will always (ALWAYS!) find answers to those questions! And, unfortunately, the answers it comes up with tend to keep us stuck exactly where we are.
Here are some better questions you might try:
1. What are twenty nutty, off-the-wall things could I do to solve this?
2. How have other people dealt with this problem and solved it?
3. What if I did the opposite of what I’ve been trying?
4. Who could help me with this?
5. Could I find a book or website that would help me?
6. How do my competitors handle this problem?
7. If I had a million dollars and a team of experts, how would I deal with this? And, in light of that, where can I start today?

And here’s a great question: Is it time to hire a coach or consultant to help me with this?
Finally, I want to ask some direct and deeply personal questions. If we were together face to face, I’d ask them quietly but as powerfully as I could:
1. If we talk again three years from now, what will you have achieved in the past three years? What will you point to with pride three years from now?
2. What has to happen for those achievements to become reality? What will you have to do? What skills will you have to master? What obstacles will you have to solve or over-come? Who will help you get there?
3. What are your plans fo r making it happen? Can you show me your “road-map,” your calendar and your budget for success?
These are the questions top performers ask themselves. You should ask them of yourself, as well.

Quotes of the Week
“Why not seize the pleasure at once? How often is happiness destroyed by preparation, foolish preparation!” -- Jane Austen
"I don't wait for moods. You accomplish nothing if you do that. Your mind must know it has got to get down to earth.” -- Pearl S. Buck
"The future belongs to those who believe in their dreams." -- Eleanor Roosevelt
"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." -- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

THE NEW YEAR BEGINS NOW!

My calendar says it’s not quite the middle of October. Certainly there is “plenty” of time to prepare for 2010? Well. I don’t think so!
The holidays are a terrible time to plan. People are focused on things that are more immediate, more fun and more seductive than planning next year’s budget. Never do your annual review or planning during the company party!
This is the time to buy and ponder next year’s calendar. Now is the time to prepare, and personally, I use three kinds of calendars. First, we buy the large plastic “year-at-a-glance” wall calendars, usually two for each office plus one for the lunch room.
Second, I spend time with my colleagues reviewing the current year. What worked? What didn’t work? What activities need to be eliminated or re-organized next year? What was profitable? What wasn’t? We use this year’s calendar and financial statements, along with our personal opinions and insights to understand the best and worst things we did this year.
Then, we write a plan for the new year. What will we do more of? What will we start or explore or consider? What do we need in terms of resources—new people, a bigger budget, improved skills, up-dated software, new equipment?
Finally, usually on a Saturday when I’m here by myself, I go back to those plastic wall calendars. I start by marking birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and other celebrations in bright red. These are important! They build morale, they keep us motivated. Then, I use a green marker to note vacations, seminars, speaking engagements and other times when key people will be out of the office. The red and green colors are eye-catching and they affirm that our people come first! It works.
The last color is blue for key deadlines, targets and projects, taken from o ur planning document. The idea is that a glance at the calendar tells each of us what’s going on, where we’re headed, and who’s having a birthday next week.
You may have a different system, but as a business leader, now is the time to put your system to work. Now is the time to build success in 2010.

ANALYZE YOUR COMPETITION

There is a military adage that says, "No strategy ever survives first contact with the enemy." No business strategy ever survives the first contact with the marketplace either. It must be adjusted to deal with the realities of the moment.
Know Your Enemy
Here is a question for you: Who is your competition? Exactly? Your choice of competitor determines almost everything you do in your market, just as the choice of an adversary determines everything a general does in the process of conducting military operations.
Determine Customers' Buying Motives
Once you have determined why it is that people buy from you, you must then answer the question "Why do people buy from my competitors? What value or benefits are your potential customers convinced they receive when buying from your competitor rather than from you?"
Marketing Myopia
Many people dismiss or ignore their major competitors. They criticize or belittle them when their names come up. Often they think and say that customers who prefer competitive offerings are simply ignorant or misled. As a result of this self-inflicted myopia, they fail to observe and learn how to outdo their competitors in tough markets.
Offset Competitors' Advantage
As you study your competitors, look for ways to offset or neutralize the advantages their customers perceive them to have. What are your competitors' weaknesses? How can you exploit those weaknesses? What do you do better than they do? In what ways are your products or services superior to their offerings? In what areas do you have a distinct advantage over your competitors? What can you do to offset your competitors' strengths and maximize your own advantages? How can you better position yourself against your competitors in a tough market?
You Must Be Clear
The greater clarity you develop with regard to your competitors' strengths and weaknesses and to the reasons your potential customers buy from them, the better able you will be to counter them and compete effectively. Rigorous competitive analysis can be a vital key to business success. In its absence, you will always be at a disadvantage.
Action Exercises

• Who is your competition with the exact customers you are trying to attract?
• What would happen if you changed your offerings in such a way that you targeted a different group of customers who would be easier to sell to?
• Why do your potential customers buy from your competitors? What advantages do they perceive?
• What are your competitors' unique selling propositions? What special feature or benefit do their products or services have that yours does not?
• In what ways are you superior to your competitors? What can you offer that they cannot? How can you emphasize this advantage in your sales and marketing efforts?
• Where are your competitors vulnerable? How could you exploit their vulnerability to your advantage?
• How could you alter your marketing strategy in such a way that you could achieve dominance with a specific customer or market segment in a particular area?

YOUR GUIDE TO MAXIMUM PRODUCTIVITY

I’ve been thinking about how and why some people get more done than others.
Everyone I know is busy all the time. We all have to-do lists, appointment calendars, goals, projects and priorities. We work hard all the time, and yet it seems like (1) there is always more to do, (2) we never seem to do “enough,” and (3) we are exhausted much of the time. How can bright, creative people work so hard, be so tired, and still have so much more to do? This can’t be right!
It’s especiall y hard when we look around and notice that some people get so much more done than the rest of us. How do they do that?
I’m convinced the problem starts with our ideas about productivity. I’ve said for years that “time management experts should be ashamed of themselves.” We do not manage time! Time just “is.” Albert Einstein had some nice theories about time and space going in circles, but to me, the clock goes in only one direction. “Time marches on,” and worse, “it flies when you’re having fun.”
I think our mindset towards time is often wrong, and “time management” systems make it worse. The “experts” have given us to-do lists and weekly planners. We have priority-based systems to do “first things first” and we even put our schedules online so we have them in our Blackberries all the time, every where we go, day or night, 24/7, with no time off, no exc uses, and no escape.
What kind of life is that? Has it made us more productive? Or more satisfied? More fulfilled or happier? It doesn’t seem like it.
See if this sounds familiar. You start Monday with a to-do list and get most, but not all of it done. On Tuesday, you add Monday’s left-over’s to what you already planned for Tuesday, making Tuesday’s list impossibly long. By the end of the day, you complete maybe half of the items, so, again you carry items over to Wednesday and the cycle continues. By Friday you are exhausted and figure you just aren’t getting enough done. If you’re really smart, you’re also figuring out that to-do lists don’t work very well.
There has to be a better way, and fortunately, there is. Here are a couple of suggestions:
1. Momentum is better than goals. I’ve written many articles saying that goals are useful, but life is about more than checki ng goals off a list. Life is about flow and living the life we want. Knowing where you’re headed and staying on-course is more useful (and more satisfying) than checking items off a list. Know where you want to go and get moving!
2. A Compass is better than a map. Both are good and often necessary, but your internal compass tells you who you are, where you’re going, and gives a sense of certainty. Maps can be confusing. Sometimes, they can even be wrong! Find your North Star and follow it. Like a homing pigeon in those old movies, you’ll get there.
3. Values are better than a list. Lists keep growing. There’s always a new list or items to add. How frustrating is that?! Living with your values and priorities, and keeping your promises, is a more reliable guide than a completed check-list. Know what you value, what’s truly important, and focus on that. Never let other’s people’s have-to’s run y our life!
4. Planning is better than listing. An hour’s thought about who you are, what you value, where you’re going and how you’ll get there is far better than any list of things “to do.” Begin each day, every week and every year with time to think, visualize, and clarify the most important results you want to achieve. Choose a couple of key items that will make a huge difference and focus all your time, energy, and effort on those one or two things. They matter! Then, if you really want to, list as many extra “to-do’s” as you wish. But always focus on the big pieces first!
We live in a world of endless invitations, opportunities and requests. Life is full of attractive alternatives and you can’t possibly do them all! The secret is that high achievers simply ignore 99% of the distractions. Instead, they focus on the things they value, the things that move them quickly toward their most impor tant desires in life. Learn to “do” less and achieve more.

Quotes of the Week
"I couldn't wait for success, so I went ahead without it.” -- Jonathan Winters
"The future belongs to those who believe in their dreams." -- Eleanor Roosevelt
"The distance is nothing; it is only the first step that is difficult." -- Mme. Du Deffand
"If you are serious about your goals, drop the conditions. Go directly to your goal. Be your goal! Conditions often disguise strategies for escaping accountability. Why not just take charge and create the experience you are looking for?" -- Eric Allenbaugh

UNLIMITED POSSIBILITIES

You can always get a better deal if you know how. You never need to settle for less or feel dissatisfied with the result of any negotiation. There is almost always a way that you can get better terms or prices, whether you are buying or selling. Your job is to find that way.
If You Want a Better Deal, Ask for it
The word "ask" is the most powerful word in the world of business negotiating. Most people are so paralyzed by the fear of rejection and disapproval that they are afraid to ask for anything out of the ordinary. They just accept what is offered to them and hope for the best. But this is not the case with top negotiators. The top negotiators will quite calmly and confidently ask for any kind of price or term that is remotely within reason. You will be quite astonished at the better deals you will get by simply asking for a lower price if you're buying and asking for a higher price if you're selling.
Real Estate Salesmen
One of my seminar graduates is a real estate salesman who buys houses. He works within a specific price range that looks at every home in that price range and comes on the market. His strategy is simple. Whatever the asking price, he offers 50 to 60 percent of that amount in cash, with no conditions. His offers all come with a short time limit. He gets turned down dozens of times. However, about one time in a hundred, he finds a motivated seller, a seller who is eager to sell immediately, and the seller will accept his offer. His secret is simple. He just asks people to sell their houses at far lower prices than anyone else would ever dare.

Surprise and Disappointment
Whatever the suggested price, react with surprise and disappointment. Remember, most people have plucked the price out of the air. They are always asking for more than they expect to get or offering less than they expect to pay. In either case, you should flinch and react with mild shock, no matter what the price or the offer. Appear hurt, as if the person has just said something cruel or unkind that was totally uncalled for. Then ask, "Is that the best you can do?" And remain perfectly silent. Almost every price has a built in cushion of available discount, and very often the salesperson will drop to that price with one painful flinch on your part.
Better Somewhere Else
Always imply that you can do better somewhere else. There is nothing that causes a seller's price to drop faster than saying that you can get the same item cheaper from another source. This shakes the self-confidence of the salesperson, who immediately feels that he or she is going to lose the deal and often cuts the price quickly.
Action Exercises
Negotiating is a skill that you can master with practice. Take every opportunity you can find to negotiate on smaller items, especially in situations where you don't really care about the outcome. Go to swap meets and garage sales and offer fractions of the asking price. You will be amazed how quickly you become skilled at getting better prices.

YOUR DESTINY IS BUILT ON DAILY HABITS

In a normal day, almost everything we do is done out of habit. Almost every day we get up about the same time and go through a familiar routine. Out of habit, we take the same route to work, eat lunch about the same time, and run familiar errands every week. Of course, there are minor variations if we run into road construction or have an early breakfast meeting, but habits help us organize our lives.
Habits simplify everything. Imagine if you woke up with no idea where the bathroom might be, what your schedule was, or what responsibilities you faced. Life would be stressful beyond belief! Fortunately, we have “ordinary routines” that help us navigate through the day.
The key is that while habits help us organize our daily routines, some habits also help us achieve our most important goals, while other habits undermine us every step of the way. There is little difference in time or effort between reading a book or watching TV, but there may be an enormous difference in how these habits impact our lives.
Successful people carefully choose even their smallest and most routine daily habits with an eye on the long-term consequences.
And here’s a vital point—habits start as very simple choices. There’s an old poem that goes something like this:
Sow a thought, and reap an action.
Sow an action, and reap a habit.
Sow a habit, and reap a character.
Sow a character and reap a destiny!
Think about the power of that sequence! To a remarkable degree our success or failure is the long-term result of simple thoughts and ordinary daily habits.
So, why not intentionally choose daily habits or “disciplines” that take you where you want to go in life? Here are a few examples.
Many people get in the habit of listening to sports or talk radio while they commute and of course there’s nothing wrong with that. But other people get in the habit of listening to inspirational or educational CD’s, and over time, they benefit from that easy daily habit.
Or how about people who routinely grab a hamburger and fries for lunch, while others habitually reach for an apple and salad? Some people habitually come home and turn on the TV, while others go for a run, mow the lawn or do homework with the kids. Any of these choices are “easy” but over time, some habits create better outcomes than others. Some people have the habit of spending, while others choose the habit of saving and investing. Either option is easy, but they have very different long-term results.
As a coach, I encourage clients to make fundamental decisions about the habits they want in their lives. I encourage them to be clear, specific and committed to each of them.
One habit Mary and I have had for twenty-three years is that the first words we utter every morning and the last words we say at night are, “I love you.” I think it's made a nice difference.
Many of my clients have developed the habit of reading something positive every single day, even if it’s only a few pages. Over time, it becomes a part of who they are and how they live their lives.
Choose simple, positive habits that will enhance your life. Reduce them to clear, specific actions you habitually take every day. Develop your own list of positive habits that automatically move you toward your goals and create the life you want.
For better or worse, life is made of our daily habits. Winners choose habits that reflect their values and move them toward their most important goals. Unfortunately, most people have habits that are comfortable, but which actually detract from their most important goals. Don’t do that to yourself! To increase your success, you must eliminate every habit that holds you back and replace it with habits that move your forward and reflect your highest aspirations.

Quotes of the Week
"Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies." -- Mother Teresa
"You are what you think about all day long." -- Dr. Robert Schuller
"Picture in your mind a sense of personal destiny." -- Wayne Oates
"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day."

--Ralph Waldo Emerson

AGGRESSION IN ORGANISATIONS

Aggression is the most common behavior used by many organizations, a
nearly invisible medium that influences all decisions and actions. What is
not recognized is that aggression is one of the greatest barriers to
thinking clearly and working well together during this difficult time.
Aggression is evident in the consistent use of war and sports metaphors.
There is constant use of these images as we "bring in the big guns,"
"dominate the field," plan "a sneak attack," or "rally the groups."
Organizations today suffer from a severe disability when it comes to
solving problems. In virtually every organization, regardless of mission
and function, people are frustrated by problems that seem unsolvable.
Every attempt to resolve a problem results in unintended consequences that
dwarf the original one. Relationships worsen as people harden into
opposing positions, each side insisting on its own solution, unwilling to
consider alternatives. Too many problem-solving sessions become
battlegrounds where decisions are made based on power rather than
intelligence.
And organizational aggression is on the rise, mirroring the societal
trend. Competition has become increasingly ruthless with strategies that
aim to destroy competitors and achieve total market domination, rather
than former strategies of co-existence within well-defined niches. The
resurgence of command and control leadership is a less obvious but strong
form of aggression, where the will of one person is imposed on others with
the demand for obedience and compliance.

SKILLS OF EXTRAORDINARY LEADERS

What? You don’t think that you are a leader? You are! Everyone influences others to some degree. Now, you may not be a very good leader… but that is altogether a different story! Even if you are in need of some help in the leadership department, and we all are, here are some skills you can work on immediately to help you become the leader you want to be. Then you can influence those around you like never before!

1. Good Communicator. Extraordinary Leaders are those who can take the vision they have and communicate it in ways that their followers can easily understand, internal, and own. Then, and only then, can they carry it out! So focus on speaking and writing more clearly, and with the passion that you have for the vision you have. Use different ways of communicating, including different ways verbally and non-verbally. Above all, communicate often!

2. "Sees" the End Result Long Before Others. I think the greatest compliment on my leadership skills I ever received came from a gentleman who told me that “you see things about 6 months before the rest of us.” Without tooting my own horn (okay, a little bit maybe…), that is a skill of a leader. They are always looking out ahead of themselves and their situations. Followers are worried about what happens today, while leaders are thinking about and strategizing about what they see for tomorrow. Be constantly looking ahead. Practice making projections. Get good at “seeing” the future. When you can do this better than others, they will look to you for leadership!

3. Ability to Define Goals for Self and Others. Do you know what your goals are? Can you define them? Can you articulate them clearly (see number one)? Can you do this for those who follow? Can you define and set their goals? A Extraordinary Leader works at clarity and definition of goals so that they can be internalized and acted upon by others. Work hard at this skill and others will follow!

4. Ability to Set Strategy and Course of Action. What will you do to reach the goal? Many people can say where we should go, but it is the Extraordinary Leader who can lay out a plan for everyone to get there! Work at laying out a plan for you and your followers. Remember that there are people with different skill and passion levels, and take this into account! Get good at this and when people want to get to their goals in a hurry, they will call on you to lead!

5. Ability to Teach Others. One of the greatest leadership development companies in the world has been General Electric. This is because their CEO, Jack Welch, has always emphasized the need for current leaders to teach others. He himself spends what others would consider an extraordinary amount of time in the classroom teaching. But remember, he is an Extraordinary Leader and he is developing Extraordinary Leaders to follow behind him. Work hard at your teaching techniques, and be sure to use as many situations as possible for the opportunity to teach those who would follow.

6. Ability to Inspire Others. You may have a great goal, but if you want to be an Extraordinary Leader, then you will have to put a little oomph under your followers! This is the ability to inspire! Work at helping them to see the big picture, the great end results, and how good it is going to be for them and others. Above all, make it exciting. If it is a good goal, it should be exciting. If it isn’t exciting, then dump it and get a goal that others can get excited about! (See the next article, the MFS Classic, for more on inspiring others)

7. Delegates. An Extraordinary Leader is rarely a person who is doing everything him or herself. Extraordinary Leaders get there job done through others. They figure out the way, communicate the way, and inspire the followers to go that way, and then they get OUT OF THE WAY! Delegate to your people. Empower them! Set them free to soar! This is what an Extraordinary Leader does. Leaders who do it any other way are just extraordinarily tired at the end of the day with very little to show for it!