| “Life’s ups and downs provide windows of opportunity to determine your values and goals – Think of using all obstacles as stepping stones to build the life you want” – Marsha Sinetar
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Posts Tagged ‘lessons’
Life’s Tough
Monday, October 17th, 2011Looking Forward – Light Bulb Moment #1
Wednesday, October 5th, 2011I coach leaders from sunup to sundown Monday through Friday and have been doing it for more than 8 years.
For some reason, this year has been filled with tons of “Light bulb” moments for me. In these moments, I have had some profound breakthroughs that I know to be absolute truths. I am confident that if you internalize these lessons, you will see great results.
It’s almost as if as soon as I hit the 8 year mark Obi Wan Kenobi sent me a text saying, “CJ, the force is strong within you…”
I’ll share some from time to time in this space.
I’ll start with one that hit me especially hard this week. I’ve noticed that some leaders want to focus on what went wrong during the past week, month, year, etc. Conversely, I have others who will briefly learn from their experiences and then go forward.
Guess which leader has more success?
I’ll admit that it’s tempting to replay past events over and over as if this obsession will change the past.
It won’t.
There is zero value in dwelling on your mistakes.
Leave the past in the past.
CJ
The meat of the lesson
Tuesday, March 8th, 2011“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” – Hellen Keller
I am not a big fan of the tough lesson while I am in the middle of the learning. It stinks.
Like most of you, I want my life to be predictable and easy.
Unfortunately, that’s not how it works.
The next time that you are in the middle of a tough challenge remember that you will ALWAYS be a better person on the other side.
CJ McClanahan is the Founder of reachmore, which teaches small business owners how to build a business that runs without them. For more resources on business leadership, please visit reachmore’s seminars
Old School
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010I spent this past weekend in one of my favorite places, Decatur, IL. I enjoy Decatur so much because I have the greatest in-laws in the world and it offers a time to slow down and spend some quality time with the family.
Every time we visit, my kids (Ian and Corinne) tear through the house looking for a new toy or game. This past weekend was no different. Eleven minutes after we arrived Ian (almost 7) found an old video game and asked his grandmother if she had any batteries to make it work. Minutes later, the game was on and making noise. I quickly realized that I recognized the beeping sounds coming from the game and asked Ian to see it.
Believe it or not, Ian had uncovered Mattel’s Classic Football 2. That’s right, the game with the little red lines on a screen ½ the size of a credit card. Ian could barely put the game down all weekend long. The minute I picked it up I was mesmerized by the blinking lights and beeps for at least 20 minutes.
Driving home, I wondered why Ian (and I) could become so obsessed with a video game that was more than 30 years old! Is it possible that with video games sometimes simple is better than complex?
Reflecting back on this experience, I wonder if this computer game could teach me something about business? Often times, I see business owners and executives spend too much time over thinking their challenges. They create manuals, spreadsheets, websites, and email campaigns all designed to grow their sales.
Is it possible that in business sometimes simple is better than complex? What if they just picked up the phone and made a call to a prospect?
This week, when you face a difficult challenge start by asking yourself the following question – “What is the simplest answer?”
CJ McClanahan is the Founder of reachmore, which provides leadership coaching for small business and executives. Email CJ at cjm@goreachmore.com for the latest on reachmore’s revolutionary executive coaching program, Summit™.
Priorities
Wednesday, May 19th, 2010On Tuesday evenings, I stay late at the office to make some progress on my book. (By the way, if a draft isn’t complete by June 30th I have committed to getting the name Josh Miles tattooed on my left bicep. It’s a long story that involves 2 drinks (I typically stop at 1) at a Christmas party.)
Every time I begin working on the book, I am completely committed to staying until at least 10 or 11pm to maximize the amount of writing that gets done. However, I have yet to do it once and here’s why. As soon as the clock hits 8:15pm I realize that if I don’t go home immediately, I will not get to put my kids to bed which involves reading books, prayers and the final “tuck in”.
Last night was no different except for the fact that my daughter (Corinne, 3 yrs) had been out of town at her grandparents since Saturday. As soon as I got home, shut the door and begin my way upstairs, I heard a joyous “Daddy’s Home!” from both of the kids. My daughter literally jumped into my arms from near the top of the stairs, looked at me and said, “I’m so glad my daddy’s home, I missed you!”
At times I wonder if this silly need to tuck them in every night is really practical. Am I missing out on 6-8 hours of additional work each week that could propel my business?
Then, I have a daughter jump 3 stairs into my arms and I realize that there is no place I would rather be than with my family.
However, I will admit that it’s not always an easy decision. Just like everyone else, I really want my business to grow. But, I realize that I can’t do it all and I need to prioritize what’s important.
How about you? What do your priorities look like?
Consistency
Tuesday, December 15th, 2009As 2009 winds down, I look back on the previous 12 months and ask myself the same question I do every year – “What are the most important lessons from 2009?”
This year I had many.
However, what I found most interesting is that I relearned one lesson for the 6th year in a row.
My success has very little to do with any new technology, new idea or groundbreaking book that I have completed.
More often than not, my success is a direct result of my ability to execute a handful of basics (blocking and tackling) on a consistent basis.
In other words, if I successfully completed the following activities I probably had a great year (professionally):
• Hit my weekly prospecting numbers
• Carefully measured my results
• Set clear expectations for my staff
• Held them accountable
• Planned my week in advance
• Celebrated victories on a regular basis
• Reflected and learned from my mistakes
If you’re like most of my executive coaching clients, you could probably put together a similar list.
But you don’t.
Instead, you spend too much time looking for the “magic bullet” that will double sales, increase profits and cut your workload in half.
Guess what? There’s only a few magic bullets in your industry each year and the chances of you finding one of them is very low.
In 2010, I recommend that you focus on the basics and let your competition waste their time trying to become the next Google.
CJ McClanahan
reachmore
Actions Speak Louder than Words
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009We are all heavily swayed by words. They influence what shows we watch, the foods we buy and the decisions we make at the ballot box.
As a conservative, the most frustrating thing about the election of Barack Obama was not that this nation chose a liberal politician who fundamentally believes that a larger government is the key to our challenges. What drove (and continues to drive) me nuts is that people voted for and support President Obama because of what he says, not what he does.
Politically, our society is intellectually lazy and as a result, all we pay attention to is words and sound bites.
However, this is very different in the workplace. Your employees hear what you say but focus on your actions.
As an executive coach and leadership trainer, I advise my clients to consistently practice what they preach.
You can’t talk about the importance of “respect” in your workplace and then show up 15 minutes late to every meeting. It’s not enough to develop a vision statement that advocates quality and then cut corners during product development.
You’re not a politician. You’re staff and coworkers will see if your actions support your words.
If they don’t, you might as well stop talking because you’ve lost all credibility.
This week pay less attention to what you say and more to what you do.
The Now
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009Last night, after dinner my kids convinced me that they deserved some outside “play” time before bed. My wife was going to the gym and her last words to me were – “Get them to bed early because we have to get up at 7am tomorrow.”
My 3 year old daughter, Corinne, walked outside and looked around. She had absolutely no idea what she was going to do or who she was going to play with. She just seemed content wandering around and enjoying the cool air.
Then it happened.
She walked a little too close to the sprinkler and got a few drops on her shirt.
Running to me at full speed with a smile from ear to ear she declared – “Daddy, I got wet!”
I smiled back and said that I was glad she was having fun, but to stay away from the sprinkler because we couldn’t stay out too late that night and I didn’t want her to get soaked.
If you have kids, you can imagine what happened next.
10 minutes later, Corinne and 2 of her best buddies were running through the sprinkler with their clothes on laughing hysterically and having a blast!! (By the way, the girls were being supervised by their dads because their wives were also away.)
The three dads stood there and laughed as our daughters were fully engrossed in the moment.
Nothing else in the world mattered except the next pass under the water – nothing.
When is the last time you were in a meeting and thought about nothing but that meeting? In fact, when is the last time you did anything and were able to keep your mind from wandering to the past or the future?
Sometimes, we can learn some really important lessons from watching our kids.
Enjoy your moments today.