Overcoming the Obstacles

"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it" - Lou Holtz

Everybody has goals and dreams, but only few achieve them. Last week I blogged about confidence being a key ingredient for success: Essential Ingredient for Success. I've been in a funk myself the past two months and in thinking about how I'm going to get out of this and achieve the goals I have set I realized there are only two things I need: 1) hard work & 2) faith. Those two things have brought me through the darkest of tunnels.

The journey isn't always smooth, no matter how good you are and how hard you work. Those obstacles will come en route to your goals, the only uncertain thing is when. Too often people get discouraged by the obstacle and start to either lose faith in their goal and abilities or they decide it's too hard to get to the goal and give up on it or settle for something less...something easier.

When times are tough, when the obstacles seem to keep popping up after you've just overcome one, that's when you need to work your hardest and have your strongest faith. Without continuous hard work in the face of the difficult odds and faith that you will get through it to achieve your goals you will not get there.

I hope you remember this next time you're faced with obstacles that stand between you and your goals. Don't let up, don't lose faith. Work hard and have faith that you will get there and you will.

Essential Ingredient for Success

"Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy." - Norman Vincent Peale

There are numerous characteristics that need to be possessed in order to achieve success: positive attitude, work ethic, determination, motivation, etc. 

One key ingredient in the formula of success is confidence. Confidence is part of what fuels success and, in combination with other factors such as determination and work ethic, provides that initial success and subsequent momentum that leads to more and more success. 

Athletes are prime examples of what you can achieve with confidence. Of course they have athletic talent that's possessed by few, but part of what makes good athletes into great athletes is their confidence in their abilities. I can't remember when this was, but I remember Ray Lewis being asked about success at his age in a sport where the average career is 3 years. His response had to do with having confidence in his abilities. Without confidence his talent would mean nothing and he would be getting blocked and knocked back all game. 

Another example - this "Lin-sanity" phenomenon that is sweeping the world. Lin seized his opportunity due to the confidence he has in his abilities. There was an interview with him on ESPN the other day where he said he was going to go out and "play his game" and leave no regrets. If he didn't have confidence in his abilities he wouldn't have played his game, which means he would have taken a back seat and played like a deer in the headlights. Without that confidence there's no way Lin would have been the spark plug he has been for the team, for basketball fans all over the world, and for people that love that type of "Rudy" story. 

How confident are you in your given abilities? Why not take a page from athletes and build up your level of confidence so you can create your own success. Like I mentioned above, there are many ingredients in the formula of success. You must possess a strong work ethic and determination to overcome difficulties, but if you lack confidence in yourself the equation won't be complete, leaving you unable to seize your opportunity and build your own "Lin-sanity".

You can build confidence by increasing your knowledge of your company, products, core competencies, and competition. Preparation is like the fertilizer in the garden of success. The more knowledgeable and prepared you are the more confidence you'll have in your career field.

Another way to build confidence in yourself is to increase your knowledge in the job specific skills that you need. Everybody needs a positive attitude to achieve success so there's no reason you shouldn't be working on it - daily. Take a look at the job you do and what skills are needed to be great at it. Not sure what skills are needed? Ask your manager or somebody that's highly successful in your field. Assess your strengths and weaknesses and then get busy mastering your strengths and shoring up your weaknesses. 

I've talked about this in the past, but positive affirmations are a great way to build confidence in yourself too. Over time, if you keep telling yourself certain things they'll start to stick and actually happen. If you consistently tell yourself you are a great: communicator, leader, manager, listener, etc you will become one. But if you consistently put yourself down, such as like "Darn it, that was a stupid mistake. You're such an idiot." then you will continue to lack confidence in yourself and never fully achieve your highest potential success. 

Keep working hard and having confidence and you will one day seize that big opportunity that presents itself. Good luck to you in your own pursuit of success!

Balance

"I believe that being successful means having a balance of success stories across the many areas of your life. You can't truly be considered successful in your business life if your home life is in shambles." - Zig Ziglar

The American dream is a powerful force. It caused more than 20 million immigrants to come over to the US from the late 1800s to the mid 1950s. It causes American's to work more hours than ever and for over 70% of households to have both parents working to live that dream. At least 130 countries have laws setting the maximum length of the work week, but the US does not. And in the US over 85% of males & 65% of females work over 40 hours per week according to a recent study. 

Having goals & dreams is important to keep you focused and motivated, but what's the cost of working all those hours for the almighty dollar? 

Studies have shown that more work leads to more stress and a lower quality of life. Yes, there's more money in your pocket, but money doesn't buy happiness; money gives you a short term "high". True happiness lies in moments that you spend with your loved ones, your friends, and doing the hobbies you enjoy. The more you work the less time you have for these moments. 

I'm not a lazy person - I work hard, but I also work efficiently. You'll find a lot of accomplished CEOs or business people say they don't track their hours because it's about getting the job done, not the hours. I believe that to be true in a sense, but I also believe in balance. Working 50-60 hours per week isn't getting the REAL job done (for the REAL job - read the quote at the top of the blog again). Personally, I schedule my hours so that I don't go over 45 each week. Now, it doesn't always happen, but I've found that time guideline to give me enough time to do my job well and have quality family time to build great memories. 

Stress is the #1 cause of both physical and mental health problems. I would also say that it's one of the top reasons people die too early...think about these killers: heart disease, heart attacks, diabetes, lung cancer. You can trace all of these back to their very first building blocks in a person - stress. 

People often over eat when they're stressed. Over time, this indulgence in calories can lead to heart disease, heart attacks, and diabetes. What else do people do when they're stressed? What about smoke or drink? Smoking can lead to lung cancer and drinking can lead to several health problems. Stress also leads to things like anxiety and panic attacks and is also the "trigger" for several mental disorders. 

Now, not all this stress is due to work and I know they are extreme examples, but I want to illustrate the point that stress is the major factor that starts the ball rolling in many cases. Stress from work is another form of stress that can get the ball rolling...and with more and more Americans being overworked and over-stressed the number of health related deaths will only continue to go up. 

For the sake of your health, find balance. Work hard and be focused on saving and achieving those long term financial goals, but don't forget about the gift you've been given today (the PRESENT - duh). Finding balance between those long term goals and short term experiences that build long term memories is essential to your happiness. Don't dwell on the money, dwell on the memories. When all is said and done what do you want the lasting memory of you to be - that you worked your butt off to become the owner of a company OR that you worked hard and always found time to enjoy moments with your loved ones? 

Handling Conflict

Great article from Club Industry about how to handle member complaints: Give Your Staff the 'LAST' Word

What method does your company train on when going over conflict resolution/handling complaints?

At Wisconsin Athletic Club we train on the "LAUGH" method. Listen Apologize Understand Get it solved Happy ending. The similarities between "LAST" and "LAUGH" go to show you how important it is to 1) listen, 2) apologize, and 3) get the problem solved.

With the "LAUGH" method we also emphasize showing empathy and having that genuine interest in their problem with the "understand" portion. And we also focus on not only getting it solved, but delivering that little extra to get a "happy ending". That happy ending can also be known as the "plus 1". Not only do you want to solve the problem, you want to deliver that little extra that sticks with them so they remember how well you handled their problem.

In a book by Jeffrey Gitomer: "Customer Satisfaction is Worthless; Customer Loyalty is Priceless" (a book I highly recommend from my reading list), he explains that satisfied customers are the lowest form of acceptance. You want to create loyal customers, because they are the ones that actively refer new customers to you and are a positive advocate for you and your company. One way to create loyal customers is to deliver that "plus 1" when solving their problems.

For example, at WAC, if a personal trainer were to double book themselves with a training client and a Fit University appointment (what we call the 2 - 1 hour sessions every new member gets) we would handle it by not only re-scheduling their appointment, but by also giving them an additional Fit University appointment to use, giving them a beverage, and showing them any equipment they wanted to use at that time. We take that negative experience, solve the problem, and then deliver that extra so they're not only satisfied, but WOW'd by the lengths we took to compensate for it.

Some companies have go-to people that handle all complaints, but upset customers don't want to be put on hold or have to wait to deal with the issue. If you're a manager you should train and empower front line staff to handle all complaints and see them through to the end. Allow them to deliver the resolution and "plus 1" without asking for permission. Train them, empower them, and trust them and they'll do wonderful things for you and your company. (to train staff, read the Gitomer book about the role playing scenarios, create your own, and implement them)

Take a look at what you and your company currently do to solve problems or handle complaints. What could you add to the resolution to deliver that "plus 1"? And how could you improve the process in which problems/complaints are received and addressed? In other words, what can you do to create loyal customers that brag about how you handled their issue?