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Business Moment: 1% Better
It has been said that excellence results from doing 100 things 1% better than 1 thing 100% better. Tom Peters, in his book In Search of Excellence, put it this way, “The essence of excellence is the thousand concrete, minute-to-minute actions performed by everyone in an organization to keep a company on its course.”
Walmart founder Sam Walton was a believer in paying attention to details. One day while visiting a competitor’s store, which was in total disarray, he pointed out to one of his executives a procedure he liked. “Why aren’t we doing this?” he asked. Rather than criticize or put down his rival’s chaos, Mr. Walton was looking for that one thing that would give his company an edge over the competition and make them 1% better.
What might happen if you were to “take a walk” through your organization? What 1, 2 or even 10 areas can you identify where 1% better is possible? Adopt the concept that “finished never is.”The Japanese have a work for it: “kaizen.” Kaizen means continuous improvement. In other words, to continuously grow, the status quo is never acceptable. Make it 1% better in your world today!
Energy Leadership: Catabolic vs. Anabolic Choice
Many of us walk around feeling like we have limited choices in many aspects of our lives. Take notice of how many times a day you say the words have to, should, and need to. Whenever you feel like you must do something, you’re in Level 1 energy – you’re a victim to your thoughts or circumstances.
In fact, when you’re faced with a task or something to do, there are five basic ways you can respond, and of those, only one is by full conscious choice.
The five ways of responding are “I won’t,” “I have to,” “I need to,” “I want to,” or “I choose to.”
I once had a pair of shoes that it seemed impossible to set aside. They were dirty, ripped at the soles and discolored. However, I loved those shoes! I would do yard work in them but each time would ruin any socks that I happened to be wearing. Even small trips to the mailbox and work inside the garage would find me wearing those shoes. Despite the dampness, I could feel and the pain of walking on stones piercing the soles of my feet, I simply could not part with those shoes.I realized a new pair of shoes most likely would enhance my enjoyment of any tasks. Still, I could not set aside so much comfort and known expectation.
So it is with life and business. Too often we get so comfortable in our undertakings that we simply refuse to face the inevitable and do the things we should to enable our lives and work to become better. What is this affliction? Could it be laziness or simply pride or are we simply too “cheap” in thought and action that we refrain from doing the right thing? No, perhaps not. You see, it is a chronic disorder. A disorder that cripples the mind and spirit and which if left unchecked can be fatal. It is simply known as “procrastifear.”
"Procrastination makes easy things hard, and hard things harder.”
~ Mason Cooley
Four easy ways to eliminate procrastination & get back on track:
Schedule your playtime so that you’re not distracted during work hours.
Write your next three tasks on stickies & put them around your workstation.
Once you know the big picture, just focus on STARTING the NEXT item.
Reward yourself for progress made.
Self-Study Program of the Month
Overcoming Procrastination – The Art of Getting Things Done Now
In this coaching program you are going to become more aware of your procrastination habits, learn to stop them in their tracks, and replace them with healthier, more productive habits. Because once you break your habit of putting things off, a whole new world of productivity opens up for you. Your actions become more rewarding, your relationships become more fulfilling, and your overall optimism spikes dramatically!
Here is what you will cover in this self-study program:
Why you procrastinate.
Warning signs of procrastination.
Indicators of when procrastination is showing up in your life.
Specific, custom strategies for you to call upon when you feel like procrastinating.
