Are You Your Best?

Have you heard of Chris Widener? He's a leadership coach and author and I wanted to share with you some of what he's written about being your best....

"Some time ago, I spoke to a group of salespeople in Kansas City as they kicked off their new team. It was exciting to see them get excited about making a difference through their work.

The Best Are Optimists. - You can't get to the top if you don't think that there is a top or if you think you can't make it. One characteristic of those who reach the peak is that they always believe that things can get better or be done better. This pushes them on to be their best.

The Best Have Vision. - They can see ahead of the pack. Their eyes aren’t locked into the here and now. They see the bright future and what things will look like when they reach their destiny. While working hard for today, they live for the future! They do what Stephen Covey calls begin with the end in mind.

The Best Relentlessly Pursue Excellence. - The status quo is not for them. They want to be the best and experience the best. And that means giving their best. They go the extra mile so that in everything they do, in everything they say and think, they are striving for excellence.

The Best Have a Lifelong Habit of Personal Growth. - They don't want to stay at the level they are at. They want to grow in their work, their intellect, their spirituality, their relationships, and in every area of their life. And they discipline themselves to put themselves in situations wherein they grow. Personal growth doesn't just happen. You choose to grow. I always suggest what Zig Ziglar does and that is to enroll in Automobile University. Whenever you are driving around, listen to a personal or professional growth CD or MP3. Over the long run you will grow. Also, read more. The old saying is true: Leaders are readers. So are those who pass the Best Test.

The best Understand That They Will Be Pushed by the Competition and They Welcome It. - Like the lead runner in the race who has someone on his heels, the best know that the competition is right behind them. They love it, though, because they know that the competition keeps them from becoming lazy and resting on their laurels. Instead, the competition pushes them to go faster and to achieve more to remain the best by forging ahead.

The Best Have a Quest for Leadership. - Someone has to lead it may as well be the best! Those who attain it get there because they want to. They want to lead and help make a difference. And they want to be equipped with the skills necessary to lead others on to a better place.

The Best Leave a Legacy. - They aren't in it just for themselves, though they will surely reap the rewards of being the best. Rather, they build things that last beyond themselves, things that can be enjoyed by others as well.

The Best Are Adept at the Two Most Important Pieces of Time and Personal Management: Prioritize and Execute. - Just like weight loss boils down to eating right and exercise, personal management boils down to prioritize and execute. First, prioritize your activities. The important stuff goes on the top. Then, execute: do them. The best have habits and discipline that get them to the top by doing the best things and doing them first.

The Best Focus on Building Relationships. - Success does not come alone. Everyone who achieves much does it with the help of countless others. How do the Best get others to help them? They treat them right. They embrace them and help them. People become the best because they help other people, and people like them.

The Best Make No Excuses. - When they fail, they admit it and move on. They get back up and do it right the next time. They let their actions speak louder than their words. They stand tall and do the right thing the next time. No excuses, just results.

The Best Understand That the Good Is the Enemy of the Best. - Yes, they could say, This is good. But that would mean they have settled for less than the best. Many people think that good is good. Good is not good. Good is the enemy because it keeps us from the best. Choose your side: the good or the best. The Best choose, you guessed it, the Best.

The Best Dare to Dream. - While others live the mundane and settle into a life they never bargained for, a rut, the Best dream of a better life. And then they take the risks necessary to achieve their dreams. They live by Teddy Roosevelt's quote: Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the grey twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."

Want to be your best and the best at what you do? Take inventory on the above characteristics and then start moving to bring your life in line with the characteristics of the Best.

Performance Management - The 12 Steps

Implementing a performance management system? Avoid these mistakes!

Companies are adopting performance management systems to help optimise their workforces in this tough economy. Here are some tips on how to do it well - and the traps to avoid ...

Mistake #1: Keeping managers in the dark - communication and training that focuses on the benefits to the manager can help turn resistance and fear into acceptance and excitement.

Mistake #2: Introducing too much change too quickly - focus efforts on a few key outcomes and show success in those areas.

Mistake #3: Creating complex performance review forms - Keep it simple! Approach system configuration with the specific end-user in mind.

Mistake #4: Underestimating change management - dialogue is critical to understanding what could be sabotaging the project, and offers and opportunity for users to take ownership of the process and avoid feeling as though this new way of doing things has been thrust upon them.

Mistake #5: Failing to adequately plan - Get together with peers who have gone through an implementation. Have contingency plans in place for delays, technical issues and end-user resistance.

Mistake #6: Keeping end-users out of the configuration process - allow a representative team of managers and employees to participate in the configuration of the system.

Mistake #7: Failing to ask questions and uncover issues - create a feedback survey and establish a regular forum for suggestions for improvement.

Mistake #8: Not establishing links to business objectives - consistently strive to communicate how the performance management system supports the success of the business.

Mistake #9: Unclear roles and responsibilities - identify everyone in the business who will be needed or affected by the new system.

Mistake #10: Lack of buy-in from senior executives - create a set of reports that show trend data relating to important business metrics.

Mistake #11: Ambiguity about what to measure - Examine your existing job descriptions. Every employee needs to understand the duties and responsibilities of their job and on what basis their performance will be measured.

Mistake #12: Failure to establish a culture of performance - Creating a culture of performance often requires a dramatic shift in the attitude of an organisation towards its employees from one of a 'workforce' to on that values unique contributions, recognises strengths and invests in developing weaknesses, and understanding the value of each individual.


[Source: Human Capital Magazine, Issue 7.9]

Economy of Lies?

Would you tell a big, fat lie to get a job? Have you been bold-faced lied to in an interview? This past few weeks I've had more than the usual number of people lying to me in an interivew. What gives?

I think most managers realize that there will always be candidates that tell white lies, exaggerate their experience or make up a degree in the interview process. It's an understandable failing in confidence. However, since our "economic downturn", I've seem to have had an unusual number of people tell big lies that have had big consequences. Is there a correlation between bigger lies and the economy?

I'm not sure what's the issue but it's a real issue to me. When I call a candidate, it's my intention to do whatever I can, with all my knowledge and resources, to help that person find a position that will satisfy them and make them want to get up in the morning happy to go to work. Not just to pay the bills, not just to put in time, but to be truly happy. Sometimes that means putting what I would like to see happen aside. I take a personal interest in seeing candidates succeed. So, when someone tells me a big whopper it really chaps my hide. Let me explain.

I spoke with a guy this past week that seemed straight up, knowledgable, and ernest in his desire to work with a good company. I put him forward to the client. He was asked if he applied for a position with this company previously to which he replied, "no". My client let me know they had spoken to him directly before just three months ago and another recruiter put him forward recently as well. To add to the issue, there was someone else similar and I thought my client was confusing the two candidates. Here's the rub. I told my client he was confusing them and please take a look again because, by now, the candidate had twice said he didn't apply previously. In the end, my client sent an email the candidate wrote to him. Busted.

Busted, but to his credit, this candidate actually apologized for his lie and the trouble it caused. In the end however, this lie caused the most trouble for the candidate and it will carry with him for future career searches. That's too bad because he really needs a job in these tough times. Tough times can lead to drastic measures but do the means justify the ends?

If he reads this blog, or someone else who's tempted to lie to get a job does, let me end by quotingBuddha who said,"the only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows".