AchieveMax® Blog

I find myself once again in the silent peace of my office a few hours after midnight on a beautiful spring evening. I can see soft lights from homes across the lake reflecting on the still surface of the water as my office fills with soft music. This is the most productive time of my day (or night).

With no phone calls or interruptions to disrupt my focus, I can reflect on the day’s activities and prepare for my upcoming schedule. In doing so, I sometimes come across interesting tidbits worth sharing.

Today I was reviewing some material on the ever-informative website of Tom Peters. If you’re not familiar with Tom’s work, he’s an American writer, management consultant, and professional speaker best known for his best-selling In Search of Excellence, which he co-authored with Robert H. Waterman, Jr. in 1982.
    
Since that time, he’s authored a number of best-selling books and videos, consulted for many Fortune 500 companies, and spoken to audiences all over the world sharing his many provocative ideas. Tom is a passionate communicator and doesn’t hesitate to share his insights with clients, fans, and readers through his many books, magazine articles, personal appearances and a very unique web-site.

I just finished an article on that website that I felt was a real eye-opener for any leader striving to guide his/her organization to success in a very competitive, challenging global environment. I’d like to share a portion of that composition in hopes of enticing you to visit Tom’s website, read the entire article and take advantage of the great wealth of additional information you’ll find there.

It’s interesting to note that Tom is more concerned about getting his message out to those who can benefit from it than he is from protecting his copyrighted and licensed products from those who might use them for personal purposes in hopes of gaining financially.

You’ll find a paragraph on his website telling you what you can do with any articles and PowerPoint slides you may find of interest there. He urges you to: “disseminate it, print it, dissect it, ruminate on, use pieces of it or the whole thing.” All he asks is that you don’t alter it, claim it as your own, or charge others for its use. Above all, he wants you to learn from it and enjoy it. That paragraph speaks volumes about this unique individual. I think you’ll find your visit to Tom’s website very beneficial and will more than likely return often.

In his article, “TOP 50 HAVE YOUS,” he challenges readers to attempt some very basic actions which, if done, will absolutely improve your “competitive position” in today’s challenging atmosphere.

I’ve chosen a few of Tom’s TOP 50 for your consideration. Read them over. Share them with your staff. Discuss them in depth. Determine what it would take to execute each. Speculate as to what benefits might evolve. Identify and eliminate any barriers to execution. Take action.

If you’ll follow the simple steps above, you’ll definitely experience success and benefits greatly surpassing your expectations. You’ll also wonder why you didn’t attempt these basic strategies long ago and will, more than likely, visit Tom’s website for even more productive insights. Here we go …

1. HAVE YOU, in the last 10 days, … visited a customer?
2. HAVE YOU called a customer … TODAY?
3. HAVE YOU, in the last 60 - 90 days … had a seminar in which several folks from the customer’s operation (different levels, different functions, different divisions) interacted, via facilitator, with various of your folks?
4. HAVE YOU thanked a frontline employee for a small act of helpfulness … in the last three days?
5. HAVE YOU, in the last week, recognized — publicly — one of “their” folks (another function) for a small act of cross-functional cooperation?
6. HAVE YOU invited, in the last month, a leader of another function to your weekly team priorities meeting?
7. HAVE YOU, in the last 60 days, had a general meeting to discuss “things we do wrong”… that we can fix in the next fourteen days?
8. HAVE YOU, in the last three days, discussed something interesting, beyond your industry, that you ran across in a meeting, reading, etc.?
9. HAVE YOU, in the last two weeks, asked someone to report on something, anything, that constitutes an act of brilliant service rendered in a “trival” situation — restaurant, car wash, etc. (and then discussed the relevance to your work.)
10. HAVE YOU, in the last week, discussed the idea of Excellence? (What it means, how to get there.)
11. HAVE YOU, in the last two months, had a presentation to the group by a “weird” outsider?
12. HAVE YOU, in the last 45 days, assessed some major process in terms of the details of the “experience,” as well as results it provides to its external or internal customers?
13. HAVE YOU, in the last 60 (30?) days sat with a trusted friend or “coach” to discuss your “management style” — and its long-and short-term impact on the group?
14. HAVE YOU, in the last three days, considered a professional relationship that was a little rocky and made a call to the person involved to discuss issues and smooth the waters? (Taking the “blame”, fully deserved or not, for letting the thing-issue fester.)

Don’t try to do all of the above at once.

Invest a little time and energy and enjoy the tremendous results.

Upon successful completion, revisit the list and choose a few more strategies.

Even more importantly, visit Tom’s website and take advantage of the remaining 36 actions for continued success and achievement.

While these “HAVE YOUS” appear to be simple and basic … the STARK REALITY is that few of them are utilized to their fullest potential.

We KNOW these things … We seldom DO these things. Close the Knowing-Doing Gap!

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

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As you may or may not know, Midnight Muses focuses on a variety of subject matter which evolves from the innermost recesses of my mind during the most productive time of my day.
It’s going on 1 a.m., and my mind is in full gear pondering much of the political news with which I’ve been recently inundated.

Wait — don’t jump ship. I’m as fed up with politics 24/7 as much as you are, and I’m certainly not looking forward to seven more months of the same before election day. However, I can’t help but recognize the many correlations between politics and business as well as a unique opportunity to gain some very valuable insight.
     
One of the most obvious similarities lies in the importance of customer service and satisfaction — a concept I seldom, if ever, have heard mentioned in the political arena. Yet both parties are currently running on the premise that customers (voters) from coast to coast are overwhelmingly dissatisfied with their current level of service. Neither party seems to be able to conceptualize that simple reality.

If I were a political consultant today, I think I’d feel obligated to recommend that my candidate take a short time out to analyze the life and philosophy of the woman many leading publications and media notables have recognized as “one of the most influential people of the 20th century,” Oprah Winfrey! She’s the multiple-Emmy-Award-winning host of the highest rated talk show in television history, an influential book critic, an Academy-Award winning actress, a magazine publisher, a book club creator, the creator of a new radio channel on XM Satellite Radio, a spiritual icon, a philanthropist, a TV and movie producer, and an online guru. She has been ranked the richest African American of the 20th century, the most philanthropic African American of all time and the world’s only black billionaire for three straight years. Oprah co-founded the women’s cable television network, Oxygen, and is also the President of Harpo Productions (Oprah spelled backwards).

While all of this is indeed very admirable, why should a politician have the slightest interest in Oprah? Well, they shouldn’t … unless or until they realize the fact that this woman came from tremendously humble beginnings and reached heights of unequaled accomplishments in a wide variety of endeavors.

Her secrets are many but a few of the most critical are somewhat obvious and should be replicated by anyone with aspirations of attaining the presidency.

1. She has the uncanny ability to know what her customers (readers, viewers, listeners, etc.) want, and she strives to surround herself with the expertise to produce what they want. She listens and responds appropriately. Kind of unique in political circles, wouldn’t you say?
2. She makes as many, if not more, mistakes than most in her efforts to attain success and growth. Those many mistakes, while debatable by many, have been documented and analyzed ad naseum.

Some of the more prominent miscalculations might include:

• The support and promotion of Dr. Phil.
• The promotion of many Scientology celebs.
• The support and promotion of several dishonest authors.
• Rachael Ray overkill.
• Support of a children’s book written by a white supremacist.
• Allegations against a staff member of her South African all-girl academy.
• Her You Tube Channel.
• Her strong endorsement of the controversial self-help program, “The Secret.”
• Hip-Hop Town Hall Meeting.
• And the list goes on …

The key factor here, that often goes unnoticed, lies in her strategy and willingness to put herself “out there” in order to make a difference. She makes choices. She takes calculated chances. She believes in the importance and benefits of action. A quick glance at her track record would lead one to believe that she’s a firm believer in the age-old adage that “It’s not what happens to you in life — it’s how you react to it that matters!”

While many would disagree that everything listed above was a miscalculation, most everyone admires Oprah’s choice of response to such situations. She faces the facts, evaluates the circumstances and consequences, takes the appropriate action to rectify the problems, learns from the experience and moves on better equipped for her next task. What a concept! Wouldn’t that be a fantastic strategy for each and every politician vacillating within the beltway in Washington, D.C.?

Last month Barack Obama appeared live on the David Letterman Show to deliver Dave’s Top Ten. The category was “Top Ten Barack Obama Campaign Promises.” The 10th Promise got the most laughs as he smiled into the camera and said: “#10. “Three Words. Vice President Oprah!” It received a tremendous response from the audience and was obviously a stroke of comedic genius. However, I wouldn’t be afraid to bet just about anything that if Oprah were to join Obama, or just about any other candidate on a ticket, they would win by a landslide! And it wouldn’t be because she’s politically astute. It’s because she can assess needs, create excitement, encourage involvement, creatively visualize, and make things happen … indeed a successful combination which voters are hungry to experience.

Laugh and scoff if you will, but think about it for a minute. Oprah has no experience whatsoever in politics. There’s no question there. Where she excels, and has proven it many times in the past, is in the areas of leadership, gaining commitment, earning respect, developing productive teams of loyal devotees, demonstrating creativity, taking action, and accomplishing feats that others only dream of. Can she rally the masses, be they military, allies, citizens, or politicians? As reported on the front page of USA Today, Oprah conducted session #1 of a ten week web seminar based on the best selling book A New Earth. Co-hosting this ambitious undertaking with the book’s author, Eckhart Tolle, Oprah has thus far registered over 700,000 for this ground-breaking event!

Now quickly take a roll call of every politician you can think of, past or present, from either side of the aisle. Name one that has demonstrated the attributes, strengths, capabilities, and potential listed above. Go ahead, take a minute.

Any politician at any level would benefit greatly from simply observing and then emulating this classic leader. Maybe she should consider running alone.

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

With this article, we’re adding still another feature to our blog content. I’ve decided to call it “Midnight Muses” because it will focus on a variety of subject matter which evolves from the innermost recesses of my mind during the most productive time of my day.

I’m a night person. Always have been. We all have a particular time of day when our mind is most productive, most creative, most active. Some people are aware of it, plan around it, and take advantage of that fact. Others are totally unaware and could care less.

My most creative time of the day usually begins just about midnight and can last anywhere from a half hour to three hours. I don’t know why. Don’t care. Never questioned it. Maybe it’s because I know, subconsciously, that I’ll have no interruptions … no phone calls, no drop-ins, no meetings, no disruptions, and few distractions. My best ideas and revelations occur at this time of night, and my office is filled with means to stimulate and/or record my thoughts … pens, pencils, markers, note paper, chalk board, white board, calculator, camera, tape recorder, computer, laptop, telephone (I leave myself messages), television, radio, CDs, DVDs, books and magazines. It’s indeed critical that I record any thoughts that I may evoke within this small window of time as I may very well not recall them the following day.

Sometimes, when I’m facing a particularly tough challenge and I have the luxury of time on my side, I’ll purposely postpone deliberation until the stroke of midnight knowing full well that I’ll have a decisive advantage in reaching a more productive solution. The majority of my most creative ideas were formulated at this magical hour … and many of my worst. I’d like to share a few of those more creative thoughts which may possibly educate, entertain, or even inspire you to take full advantage of your own creative offerings.

Let’s begin by taking a closer look at something you may not have known about yourself.

SURPRISE!

Occasionally in my keynote presentations and seminars, I’ll ask the audience to enlighten me, by a show of hands, as to how many of them are involved with “sales” in their current position within their organization. The results are always the same. I see very few hands slip into the air and those who do acknowledge their relationship with “selling” admittedly reveal that they are part of a department that was created to sell products and/or services.

My point, of course, is simple, quite obvious but, indeed, very crucial. Every hand in the room should be in the air because everyone in the organization is involved with sales in one way or another. That holds true for every organization.

Whether we realize it or not, we’re all “selling” a great deal of the time. It may not be a product or a service, but we’re still selling. Consider how often you’re trying to sell a new idea or concept to your boss, clients, team members, community or family. Don’t we sell our home town or state at one time or another? How about your religion or politics? We’re selling our organization every time we take action or open our mouths. And aren’t you always selling YOURSELF? I’m sure you can think of dozens of other possibilities now that we’re on a roll and have made a bit of a “reframe” on the notion of selling.

When you think about it, we’re even selling when we don’t realize we’re selling. How well we sell all boils down to how well we communicate our message … how well our central idea will “stick” with our targeted audience. Your ability to “close the sale” is critical to your future success.

If you want some excellent guidance in the mastery of making your message “stick,” check out one of our most recent book reviews … Made to Stick:  Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die.

They focus on the art of making ideas unforgettable and share many examples to remind you of those who are doing it well. They’ll provide six key principles to make you a Super-Salesperson when it comes to selling your ideas. This book puts “selling” in a different light altogether. You’ve always been a salesperson … why not be the best you can be and reap the benefits?

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

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