Posts Tagged ‘self-esteem’

TGIM #226: The NIH Virus: Profit Killer

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

Geoff Steck’s

THANK GOODNESS IT’S MONDAY

TGIM #226

THE NIH VIRUS: PROFIT KILLER

In the late spring I alerted you to the outbreak of PLOM, an infection that I suggested, with tongue in cheek, had potential to be as devastating as so-called swine flu. (You could refresh your memory by looking at TGIM #207.)

Now in our neck of the woods the cold and flu season is truly upon us and, in a similar spirit, I’d like to post this –

WARNING!

The deadly NIH virus

has escaped

from Research & Development labs

Everyone is vulnerable. No one is immune. Therefore NIH may be poised to attack you and/or your company’s profits.

What is NIH? It’s an abbreviation that stands for –

Not Invented Here

“Not Invented Here” is a phrase first heard in R&D operations when the people in charge adopted an attitude of “I don’t want any ideas around here that aren’t mine.” And despite all the clamor about open-source computer programming, it often dominates the thinking of code writers in today’s high tech world.

Not your neighborhood? Don’t think isolation will protect you. Perhaps someone in your operation has already caught some form of the bug.

NIH rears its deadly head outside R&D in phrases such as:

  • “We tried that once and it didn’t work …”
  • “But that’s not how we do things …”
  • “We couldn’t change that now …”
  • “That’s the boss’ pet project; his exclusive domain …”
  • “When you’ve been here as long as I have, then you’ll understand …”

Of course if people said these actual words aloud often enough, the profit-killing effects of NIH thinking might be spotted sooner and halted more easily.

But they don’t usually say them.

They just act them out. The NIH virus is spawned in petty political maneuvering, nourished by insecurity, and spread by those who contend they have the best interests of “everyone” at heart – but don’t.

NIH carriers come to care more about protecting what they have than about developing anyone or anything new. They discourage open dialogue and encourage those who support them in their jealous protection of past accomplishments and fading historic successes.

Not Invented Here and its mutations can stifle creativity and progress and wreak havoc throughout organizations of all sizes and types. For the susceptible, NIH symptoms first appear as declining enthusiasm, lessened commitment to the goals of the entire organization and withering creativity.

In an economic environment like today’s, the cumulative effect of these maladies can prove fatal.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Inoculate yourself and your company. Like the airline “oxygen mask” instruction to first put on your own mask before assisting others, first check yourself for any NIH indications. Then spread the good habits that will ensure the good health of others.

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Vaccines are often made of the very viruses that cause the disease. Apply that principle here. Use the basic “pride” inherent in NIH thinking – but without the defensive and exclusive elements – to support your own “immune” system and to counter the spread of NIH among the people you care about.

Take the leadership role. Champion the position that progress comes about only when people can earn recognition for their ideas and contributions. Anything less stifles creativity and forward motion.

Case in point: Think of an accomplishment you’re particularly proud of. Remind yourself that, at some point in any career, if a superior had taken an NIH approach, you could not have accomplished that.

Remind others you suspect of harboring NIH sentiments of similar personal experiences. Tell them, instead of adamantly protecting the status quo, pass the pride along.

With a “pass the pride” attitude, the first reaction to virtually any not-totally-off-the-hook idea that surfaces should be –

Appreciation. Even if the proposal actually is an old loser that’s proven itself unacceptable time and time again, the first reaction should be to commend the effort in coming up with the thought at this time.

Oops! Did that last paragraph seem to be tainted by a bit of NIH thinking?

You bet it did. It may sound trite, but times do change – and change with increasing rapidity. So don’t be so fast to dismiss a newly presented idea even when your experience makes you think “old loser.”

We can’t know it all — no matter how hard we strive to keep current. So take the time to listen and reflect on ideas in the light of new developments. Couple that approach with regard for the proposer’s knowledge and you’ll be less prone to mandate the same old decisions and thereby halt the spread of NIH thinking.

I’m proud to say: I think these are ideas worth considering. And I appreciate your considering them.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com

P.S. “I do not invent my best thoughts; I find them.” Aldous Huxley (1894 – 1963), perhaps best known as the author of the inventive novel Brave New World, said that.

P.P.S. We pass along with pride many inventive new, repurposed and “good, old” proven-in-action, easy-to-implement secrets and strategies in the Best Year Ever Program. Consider them HERE.

GEOFF STECK leads Alexander Publishing & Marketing, a company he formed in 1986. The core AP&M mission: To create and publish leadership, sales mastery, self-improvement and workplace skill-building resources and tools. The focus: Areas such as business communication, staff support, customer care and frontline management. Geoff also puts his corporate and entrepreneurial experience, independent perspective, and skills as a catalyst to work for other firms (ranging from multinational corporations to more modest operations), not-for-profits, and individuals who have conceived or developed programs or initiatives but are frustrated in getting them implemented.

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FYI #160: Raise Your Own Bar

Monday, June 1st, 2009

Dear High Achiever,

Since you and I were kids — and even right now — people we love and people that we may not even know personally have certain expectations about what we say and do.

Parents, teachers, employers, clients, family and friends, all have expectations of us.

But, know what?

Personally, I don’t put much stock into what other people’s expectations are of me.

I care about their expectation.

But not that much. I don’t say that out of disrespect, I say it out of self-respect.

Here’s why…

I Raise My Own Bar

Let me explain.

I can vividly remember being at the lowest point of my life on my eighteenth birthday. My self-confidence and self-esteem was non-existent.

I had dropped out of college. I was thirty pounds overweight. I was unemployed and I had a drinking problem. Before hitting the lowest of low points, I had also suffered from severe panic attacks that lasted from the minute I woke up until I fell asleep at night.

There were days I couldn’t even leave my house to go to school. My inner anxiety would take a physical form by me breaking out into a profuse sweat. This happened every day for two-and a-half years.

Finally, it must have been Divine Intervention which led me to my breakthrough:

I got a job selling pots and pans door to door.

Huh? I appreciate that most people wouldn’t consider selling pots and pans an Act of God. But I feel otherwise.

Let me spell it out for you.

Imagine driving to an unfamiliar neighborhood … and knocking on a stranger’s door … to persuade them to let you in … and do a cookware demonstration — while having panic-attacks.

Just the thought of it can give you a panic attack, especially in Jersey.

During my first week on the job my sales manager, Mike Grande, gave me the book The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino.

That book changed my life, forever.

Here’s why: It helped me regain and rebuild my self-esteem and my self-confidence. It taught me the philosophies to develop the self-discipline necessary for personal and professional success.

Within months of reading The Greatest Salesman in the World I began exercising and losing weight … my self-confidence and self-esteem were getting restored and becoming stronger … my sales and income increased and – hmmmm – my panic attacks began to subside.

The greatest gift: However, the greatest gift I received from being exposed to personal development was -

The belief in what was possible for me. Once I understood and believed that I could achieve anything I put my mind to, I actually started to see results.

It doesn’t require outsiders. I began to expect more from myself than anyone else could ever expect from me. I was building what I call “Success Momentum” and my life began to dramatically improve in every area I could imagine.

FYI Takeaway: I realized that part of my challenge was looking for outside or external validation from other people about what was right or expected of me. Unknowingly, I had -

Allowed other peoples’ opinions of me become my reality. This thought process lead to my panic-attacks and the chipping away of my self-confidence and self-esteem until it was virtually non-existent.

But that’s all changed.

My primary mission over the past two decades has been to help people have a life-changing personal breakthrough and reach higher levels of success by sharing my story and giving them the tools to –

Raise Your Own Bar!

FYI ACTON IDEA: High personal expectations, coupled with high standards, create high character. Expect more from you than anyone else ever could.

Remember: Create a life worth living and a legacy worth leaving.

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FYI #153: Stop Trying…Damn It!

Monday, April 20th, 2009

Dear High Achiever:

I’VE GOT IT LOCKED UP somewhere in my visual and auditory memory bank. I don’t know who, what, where, when, why or how it got there. But it’s there. And I’m grateful.

“What is it?” you ask.

It’s a reminder. And it’s -

A very real picture. Of? Of a whiney, wimpy voice of a person, perhaps named Johnny, Suzie, or Steve. The name doesn’t matter (unless it’s yours).

And here’s what they are saying…

“I’m trying… to lose weight but this diet’s not working.”
“I’m trying… to quit smoking but I just can’t.”
“I’m trying… to open up that big account but the economy stinks.”
“I’m trying… to wake up early but its dark out at five in morning.”
“I’m trying… to get a date or meet the right man/woman.”
“I’m trying… to get to the gym at least 3 days a week.”
“I’m trying… to get an interview at XYZ Corporation.”
“I’m trying… to save money but I just can’t seem to find the bank.”

Got it?

I have to tell you, it’s excruciatingly painful every time I hear the words “I’m trying” come out of someone’s mouth at a seminar, at a cocktail party or – Damn It! — ANYWHERE.

I automatically picture Johnny or Suzie or Steve making that wimpy, whiny face of defeat, acting as if they’ve really given it all they’ve got, and saying…

“I’m trying.”

You might say — or I could say — like Avis:

“Try Harder!”

But that’s not what Hertz Rental Car is saying, is it?

Hertz says: “I Am …” or “We Are …” the #1 rental car company in America.

Hertz isn’t “Trying.” They’re doing it … being it … living it.

And so should you!

FYI ACTION IDEA: You’ve got to say, with conviction –

“I Am … Damn It!”

– and be on a mission to achieve your goals and dreams.

Get Rockin’ & Rollin’. Be like Jake and Elwood – The Blues Brothers. (You remember the movie, don’t you?) Be on a mission (from God!)

When I was promoting and producing seminars I didn’t say –

“I’m trying to put 1,300 people in Count Basie Theater to see Jeffrey Gitomer.”

I said, “I am selling 1,300 tickets. And the place is going to be packed and rocking for this sales seminar.”

I didn’t say “I’m trying to sell 5,000 tickets to see Christopher Reeve at the Empower New Jersey seminar.”

I said “I am filling this baseball stadium.”

Did I sell 1,300 tickets at my first seminar with Gitomer?

No! I sold 800.

Did I sell 5,000 tickets to the Christopher Reeve event?

Not even close.

Did it matter?

Not at all.

Both events were wildly successful. What mattered most was that the audience was empowered, inspired and entertained and I reinforced my conviction and belief that what I’m doing makes a positive difference in peoples lives.

Speaking of entertainment. I’m not a big Star Wars fan, but I know there millions of people who are and perhaps you’re one of them. If you are, I’m certain you know the famous quote from Jedi Master Yoda when he was teaching Luke Skywalker:

Do, or Do not. There is no try.

“I am” a big fan of Yoda’s quote and here’s the YouTube clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3hn6fFTxeo if you’re not familiar with the scene.

FYI Takeaway: I encourage you to embrace the “I am” philosophy and mindset. It has literally transformed my life, my self-confidence, my self-esteem and my belief that “I am” worthy of everything I want in life.

And so are you… “I am” certain.

Make It Your Best Year Ever!

Eric Taylor is the Chief Inspiration Officer of SelfGrowth.com and founder of New Jersey based Empowerment Group International. He delivers more than 100 energized and interactive keynotes, workshops and seminars each year to corporations, associations and tradeshows. He is the author of the Energy Passport, Co-creator of the Best Year Ever! Success System and Co-author of The Complete Sales Training Encyclopedia. To get complete details about Eric’s background, his products and services, visit Eric Taylor’s Blog and review Eric Taylor’s Profile.

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FYI #149: Self-Discipline Pays Big Dividends

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

Dear High Achiever:

Religion, politics and money management are topics I typically stay away from in my personal conversations and in the FYI ezine. But today, I’m going to use a quote from the Bible because, in my opinion, it best illustrates the importance of Self-Discipline.

He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls. Proverbs 25:28

Or, if that visual doesn’t work for you try this one:

Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There’s plenty of movement, but you never know if it’s going to be forward, backwards, or sideways. H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

The most difficult thing to master while creating Your Best Year Ever! is YOU. Yes, there are secrets, strategies and skills sets you need to learn and develop in order to have a Best Year Ever!. But mastering the self-discipline to receive the benefits and dividends is where most people stumble.

Clear? Good. But, perhaps surprisingly, my challenge for you today is not, “Are you working on your self-discipline?”

FYI Takeaway: The question you must constantly ask yourself is, “Are my goals, passion and focus driving the decisions, actions and discipline to manifest what I want in my life?”

Below are ten examples of how self-discipline can pay great dividends in your life, from a person I think, and hope, I know fairly well — me.

● The discipline of 45 minutes of cardiovascular training 6 days a week … pays the dividend of a lean healthy body.

● The discipline of resistance weight training 4 days a week … pays the dividend of strength, endurance and muscle tone.

● The discipline of going to bed at 10:30 pm and waking up at 4:30 am … pays the dividend of 6 hours of restful sleep and an 18 hour productive day.

● The discipline of writing daily and polishing at least some part of that to share weekly with you in this FYI newsletter … pays the dividend of 50,000 words of focused thought a year — the equivalent of writing two books.

● The discipline of working 50 to 60 hours per week at a career I love and am passionate about … pays the dividend of creating an income so my family can experience all of the “good things” in life.

● The discipline of investing 2 to 3 hours of quality time each day with my family … pays the dividend of children developing a deep, loving relationship with their father.

● The discipline of eating 5 or 6 well-balanced healthy meals a day … pays the dividend of increased metabolism and lower body fat.

● The discipline of enriching my mind by reading or listening to positive, personal development books or audio programs 30 minutes each day … pays the dividend of higher self-esteem, self-confidence and creativity.

● The discipline of studying and mastering the art and science of sales, marketing and effective communication skills every day … pays the dividend of providing a high level of quality, service and advice to my clients.

● The discipline of nurturing my marriage, focusing on my wife’s needs and understanding what she really wants is beyond my comprehension. (Just kidding; had to break things up with a little humor.) The dividends of being a loving, caring partner and husband have transformed my life.

Easy for me to say? I want to be clear in my communication with you about Self-Discipline. It is the hardest thing for me and most people to master. For me, the things that drive my obsession with self-discipline are my goals and my level of personal expectations. I’m really hard on myself and I like to think, not to a fault. To be disciplined –

You must know what drives you. I want all of the good things life has to offer not only for me, but for my wife, and my kids, and the people I care most about.

It’s important. Sure I wake up at 4:30am every day to exercise for me. But I also do it so I don’t take away from family time and can actually have more energy for family time. My wife and kids are still sleeping when I’m exercising and writing. It’s a beautiful thing.

The importance of my self-discipline to train and write early in the morning so I can be 100% present and focused during Family Time is immeasurable. My hope is that the dividends will be paid when my kids have to make a really hard choice in life and they come to my wife and me for the answer because they know, love, trust and cherish the bond we developed throughout their life.

The BIG 168. You, me everybody else on this planet only get ONE HUNDRED and SIXTY EIGHT HOURS each week. That’s it. I’m like a drill-sergeant about time; it’s extremely valuable and I guard it closely. Self-Discipline and/or Time Discipline will determine your actions, your productivity and ultimately the quality of your life and your legacy.

*** If you enjoy reading our weekly FYI/TGIM Ezine but would like a daily jolt of motivation and inspiration -  visit my new website and sign up for the Daily Inspirational Quote ***  – www.EmpowermentGroup.com

*** Important Announcement for FYI Readers ***

Please re-subscribe to my FYI Newsletter if you haven’t done so already.
I’m converting to a newer and more powerful newsletter program and I want to ensure that I include you in all future FYI’s. By Signing Up, you will not get any more or any less emails from me than you are receiving now.

I’ve recently re-launched my website www.EmpowermentGroup.com and my new blog www.EricTaylorsBlog.com.

Simply, visit my blog www.EricTaylorsBlog.com and re-subscribe.

You will see “Click Here and Subscribe to Eric’s Free Weekly FYI Newsletter”

I appreciate you taking the time to do this. As a token of thanks, you will be able to download the free Best Year Ever! e-book.

The Beginning -”How to Start Having Your Best Year Ever!”

As always, Thank-You for subscribing.

Make It Your Best Year Ever!

Eric Taylor is the Chief Inspiration Officer of SelfGrowth.com and founder of New Jersey based Empowerment Group International. He delivers more than 100 energized and interactive keynotes, workshops and seminars each year to corporations, associations and tradeshows. He is the author of the Energy Passport, Co-creator of the Best Year Ever! Success System and Co-author of The Complete Sales Training Encyclopedia. Eric can be reached at 732.617.1030 x114 or email Eric@SelfGrowth.com or Eric@EmpowermentGroup.com

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FYI #145: You Can't Get There From Here

Monday, February 23rd, 2009

I LIKE TO THINK — and hope, if you know me personally, you would agree – I’m an eternally positive and trusting person, sometimes to a fault. So, if you know me personally or have been receiving this e-zine for any length of time, you might think the kinda pessimistic and negative-sounding title for this FYI is incongruent with the person you’ve come to know.

The truth is: I believe you can be, do, have and get anything or anywhere you want in life by modeling the right behavior, attitude and strategies used by others who have achieved the outcome you desire.

FYI ACTION IDEA: Whenever I want to accomplish a goal, I find the person or people who are the “best” at doing what I want to do, and I simply model their process.

How?

I cover the B.A.S.E.S. I use the acronym B.A.S.E.S. to remind me of what I need to do to reach my destination and attain my goal.

Behavior – Attitude – Strategy – Energy – Success

So far, so good? Good. But, over the past few years, I’ve taken it one step further.

The “one-step further” is this: I deeply assess the changes I have to make on a daily basis so I’m certain they are congruent with my overall life plan.

I guess I’m still carrying around my Catholic guilt. So, in the spirit of that background, I’ll make -

My second confession today. Historically, one of the greatest obstacles I’ve had to overcome has been ME!

Case in point: The first obstacle was my ego, which wanted to fly around the world and motivate perfect strangers!

You see, 8 years ago I made the decision to position myself as a nationally recognized “motivational speaker.” I wanted to fly around the world and give seminars and speeches to anyone who would listen. As a personal marketing strategy and to get hands-on experience, I booked national best-selling authors and speakers, paid their fee and flew them into Jersey to do seminars.

It worked! Corporations started calling. Before I knew it I was flying to Florida, Texas, and Puerto Rico. I was taking every speaking engagement I could.

Then, about three years ago after Luke, my fourth child, was born, I realized that if I continued down this path my children would have a father they’d be able to see only in a “Media Kit” or on a “Promotional DVD”.

That idea did not work. It was NOT congruent with my overall life plan.

I couldn’t fly around the world, spend two hundred nights in a hotel and expect my kids and wife to recognize me when I came home.

My own Dad has been a great role model for my life plan. Besides his unconditional love and support, he came to every single sporting event I ever played. When I look back today and attend one of my kids’ games, I realize the kind of commitment and personal sacrifice my Dad made to do that.

To remind me of the importance of spending quality time and being there for my children, I have a poster in my office that reads:

PRIORITIES
A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove … but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.

So three years ago I made a decision and embarked on another personal and professional transformation. I had to ask myself some serious questions and change my thinking.

The fundamental question I asked myself was:

“How can I redesign my life and my career, still do what I love, earn the money I need to support a wife and five kids and spend quality time with my family?”

The answer was in a quote from my friend Al.

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. Albert Einstein

FYI – For Your Information and Inspiration: Here is the challenge you and I will have when assessing our overall life plan.

We’ll have to make changes. Most people don’t want to change; it’s uncomfortable and sometimes even excruciatingly painful to change. But I’m here to tell you: Very often -

Change is a necessity. If your overall life plan is not working the way it’s supposed to, you must realize that, without change -

You Can’t Get There From Here!

You can call me Al: You can’t stay where you are now and expect to get where you want to go. It’s the definition of insanity and the primary cause of low self-esteem and self-confidence.

Whatever you ultimately decide you want your life and legacy to look like, you must decide, find mentors and cover your B.A.S.E.S.

But most important: You must realize that nothing will change until you change. You can’t remain “here” forever. The train has to leave the station … the boat has to leave the dock … and plane has to leave the runway to begin the journey.

Bon voyage!

Make It Your Best Year Ever!

Eric Taylor is the Chief Inspiration Officer of SelfGrowth.com and founder of New Jersey based Empowerment Group International. He delivers more than 100 energized and interactive keynotes, workshops and seminars each year to corporations, associations and tradeshows. He is the author of the Energy Passport, Co-creator of the Best Year Ever! Success System and Co-author of The Complete Sales Training Encyclopedia. Eric can be reached at 732.617.1030 x114 or email Eric@SelfGrowth.com or Eric@EmpowermentGroup.com

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