Fire Your Way To Success

One of the key responsibilities of a leader is to orchestrate your team to perform at their optimal level.  In the daily changing dynamics of the numerous individual personalities, every team member experiences hills and valleys.  At some point, however, you may find an employee consistently falling short of their responsibilities.  When this happens, you are obligated to make some important decisions - and actions.

The cost of doing nothing is far too high (to your operation and to your customer experience), so what is the best way to deal with this?  Obviously, not hiring a wrong-fit employee is the best tactic, but if an employee chooses the wrong behaviors, the process world-class companies follow is this:

• Step 1: Ask if the standard for the expected behavior was understood. If not, inform the employee and fire them up for implementation. If they knew they were expected to perform the behavior, then...

• Step 2: Ask if they are able to perform the behavior. If not, train them and fire them up for best results. If they are able to perform the behavior, then...

• Step 3: Ask then if there is anything preventing them from performing as requested. If so, then work to remove the obstacle - if appropriate and fire them up to achieve their best potential. If there isn't anything preventing them from performing, then...

• They can perform, they just don't want to. If this is the case, they are lazy and/or defiant. Either way, the next step is to FIRE THEM.  (Yes, at Disney I would fire "deserving" cast members, although we termed it "encouraging them to find their happiness elsewhere" - which made me laugh and gag...all at the same time!)

The critical thing to realize is that THEY have made the choice, not you. You are simply responding to their choice by implementing the natural consequences.

Think about it.  But more importantly, do something about it...today!

Are You Living In The REAL World?

As we develop and grow our career, most people fall into a trap:

1. We tend to create a comfort zone that makes our workday easier.
2. Your Comfort Zone is typically full of people who think and act like you.  When others are comfortable with your Comfort Zone, they tend to not rock the boat either - meaning little confrontation or accountability.

So, what are the natural consequences? 

1. Being comfortable means coasting.  Coasting means going (slowly?) downhill.
2. Lack of brutally honest feedback means you are operating in a vacuum - disconnected with what's really happening.  All decisions are a result of informed choices.  Those choices are only as good as the information.

So, what's the solution?  We need to seek out sources of brutal honesty - by getting R.E.A.L.:

Review - What aspects of your current workday are you depending solely on information others give you about a situation?  Make it a point to experience that (customer experience, employee experience) personally as often as possible.

Engage - Create ways to connect with various types of people throughout your organization - in a way that cannot be predicted!  This will prevent you from being "handled" so that people are telling you what they think you want to hear.

Align - Consider your organizations Values and Vision.  Align your actions with those elements (in relation to your industry environment and the ultimate customer experience you desire) instead of only the immediate political circumstances you deal with close in.

Leverage - Use the support you have from the many different perspectives of your boss/peers/team to spark making the best FULLY INFORMED decisions.  Create an accountability of open communication (like posting your commitments/results status so everyone can see them as things progress) with the opportunity for everyone to comment freely.

Focusing on creating a REAL world  dynamic will keep you from staying in a make-believe world - and making dis-connected decisions that make you (and your operation) vulnerable.

Think about it.  But more importantly, do something about it...today!

Some Complaints Show You're On Course

Complaints are a common occurrence in business - and in Life.  Too often, however, we make the mistake of compromising our actions because of the opinions of others.  Someone gets upset and starts whining about what you are doing (or not doing)...at what point do you "cave in" and go along with their request?

There are two considerations when making this decision:  1. Does the "complainer" have your best interest at heart? and 2. You, and only you, are in control of your decisions/actions.

First, there is a group of people that you "serve" - whether customers, employees, or friends/acquaintances.  When dealing with this group, ask yourself whether or not their agenda is for YOUR (or your company's) mutual well-being.  If not, disregard them - and anything else that doesn't directly serve you or your mission.  The reason they are complaining is for THEIR benefit, not yours.  If they care more about themselves than your sustainable good health, then they are a "cancer" (an organism that sucks life out of you and causes damage as a result), so remove them - or, at least, marginalize their contact with you.  You will have a far better future without them.

In the same way, you'll hear your competition howl about how they don't like something you are doing.  Unless the complaint is about something genuinely unethical or illegal, the hidden reason for their complaint is that your action is hurting their business.  Good!  (Remember: They are motivated by you losing!)  Upset "enemies" are not a problem - leading your organization by what pacifies your competition is a BIG problem!  If you are upsetting your competition it is an indicator that you are doing something that is improving your business and/or industry - and distancing yourself from their attempts to take market share from you!

Secondly, don't make the mistake of thinking others control your decisions.  Yes, they may have influence, but only YOU dictate the rules of engagement!  If you find yourself consistently doing things that are unhealthy to you, then YOU are the one responsible for making the unhealthy decision.  Catering to the whims of others and allowing those who don't care enough about you to have your best interest at heart is a sure-fire path to pain, suffering, and regret. 

So view complaints differently.  They are simply information and not always bad.  In fact, they may actually show you that you are doing something right!

Think about it.  But more importantly, do something about it...today!

How To Jump Start Your Breakthrough

Do you ever feel stuck - like you're in a rut or hitting a block preventing you from taking things to the next level?  Here's something I've discovered works every time (so far) to shake out the cobwebs...

Whenever I need to come up with something new and different - whether it is a big (potentially painful?) decision I'm not wanting to take action on, or a creative breakthrough that's missing for me to push beyond a plateau I've been on - I've found it helpful to physically do something that disrupts my "temporary business as usual" life. 

Doing something that scares you (emotionally or physically) is a great way to forcibly shift your focus. 

We've all had some unexpected experience that really shook us.  Afterwards, there is an adrenaline rush and shift in thinking that can only come from having a different perspective.  After this dramatic (good or bad) experience, it can almost feel like your brain gets re-wired (which may not be far off, according to several scientists who study such things) and you see your current situation with a fresh, new clarity you didn't have before...which is an invaluable position to be in!

My suggestion?  Don't passively wait around for one of these extreme experiences to coincidentally happen.  Do it on purpose!

For example, when I get to one of those "dry spots" in my life, I schedule an activity like skydiving.  For me, the physical danger/challenge forces me to get profoundly focused on the real-life implications of "jumping out of a perfectly good airplane".  It certainly clears up the sinuses and gets the blood pumping in a way few other things do.  Personally, I enjoy "daredevil" type activities, but it also holds true for emotionally dangerous activities as well.

Is there a discussion you've been needing to have but have been hesitant?  A decision/big step that you need to make that is intimidating?  DO something to schedule (by design!) an "I can't believe I'm doing this" experience.  It always (for me) becomes a catalyst that rips me out of my rut and allows me to have the breakthrough I desire.

So...what would get YOUR blood pumping?

Think about it.  But more importantly, do something about it...today!

Good Memories Are Built

Think about all your fondest memories. Your first kiss. Your favorite vacation. The time your life changed for the better.

Imagine what it would be like to NOT have those memories.

Imagine what it would be like to have MORE fond memories.

So, what causes these valuable "I'm a better person because I experienced that" memories?

To figure this out, let's break it down:

• You recall them because they are significant.


• They are significant because you were involved.


• You were involved because you opted to be actively engaged in the activity.


• You were actively engaged because you took the risk - the first step - in embracing whatever (and wherever) that activity would take you.

Bottom line: All these great memories are the result of you initiating (or at least responding to) whatever the NEW activity was. If you hadn't been open to trying that new experience or had the courage to take those steps to be involved, you would not have those memories.

And what a shame that would be. Especially since enjoying those memories are simply a result of something YOU control: Actively trying something new.

So, you want more memories? You want a fuller legacy? Get more active. Consider those dreams you've had about visiting a special place or connecting (or re-connecting?) with someone or attempting that new thing that you've always wanted to try. Those memories won't happen until you take that first step.

And there's no time like the present to create more good memories. (You're worth it!)

Think about it. But more importantly, do something about it...today!

Priority: Plan or People?

No one argues that having a plan is important to the success of any business. As the saying goes: "Plan the work, then work the plan".

But in this world of limited development resources and finite time, it is vital to prioritize our efforts to ensure the very best results. So in the midst of the battle for your attention, which should be the default choice when the line is drawn in the sand?

Develop your Plan or develop your People?

World-class companies have an insight about this dilemma. They've seen how circumstances constantly shift and change - requiring our plans to adjust as we go. Sure, the general direction of our strategy may remain the same, but the fact that we have to evolve the plan in order to stay relevant is an indicator - much of what we plan never happens because of future adjustments. Arguably, the time/energy invested in those parts of the plan that evaporate is wasted. So, the answer is:

Develop your People!

Here's the reason: A team of "robots" waiting to be told what to do when circumstances call for changing the plan is always a losing proposition. If we develop our team so that they can adapt to any situation; they can work together effectively despite the ambiguous circumstances, and create value. Then you have a resource even more valuable (because they execute) than a well-intentioned plan. In fact, they can be trained to actually develop plans and make relevant/in-the-moment decisions as they encounter the unpredictable forces of your hyper-competetive workplace.

Plans are vital - however People trump the Plan every day of the week. So do both - but place the priority on your people. An A-Team will always find a way to achieve the extraordinary.

Think about it. But more importantly, do something about it...today!

Are You Misspending Your Life?

We are all faced with a particular dilemma each and every day: Not enough resources to accomplish the things we want to do. Every day, we face choices. Each day, we make decisions.

Are you who you always wanted to be - living the life you always wanted to lead? Are you getting the outcomes you hoped for most?

With every tick of the clock, we invest a second of our life that we can never get back. We have limited time, and other resources: Energy (you have to sleep sometime), Money (we always would prefer more), Knowledge (what have you learned lately?), Skills (have you made the effort to master the abilities you need most?)...the list goes on.

Interestingly, there's a similarity among people that have their act together. Almost all have had a significant emotional/life-threatening experience (whether themselves or a loved one) that motivated them to identify what really, deeply, profoundly, personally matters to them in life. These foundational truths become the priorities for every decision they make. Being aligned internally creates the integrity we all see from the outside.

There is no reason to wait for a life-threatening experience! Commit to investing the time and effort to be introspective. Ponder what makes you unique. Consider what you value most in life. These will direct you toward your purpose. Once you have those "north stars" to guide you, you can determine how to maximize (say "yes" to) the activities that create your dreams and minimize (say "no" to) those activities that do not contribute towards your unique purpose.

Don't squander another minute on behaviors that don't get you the life you desire most. You don't get a second chance. And your first/only chance is slipping away every moment you delay...

Think about it. But more importantly, do something about it...today!