Thinking Like a Champion

The Olympics has come and gone and once again we are forced to find our inspiration elsewhere. The stories behind the athletes were incredible and it didn't take long to be inspired by their perseverance and dedication to excellence. I'm sure no one was on the field or in the pool practicing. They did not go to London to experiment. They went to repeat what they had done in preparation. They planned to succeed.

Plan

Are you thinking like a champion? Have you planned to succeed in your business? Do you have a training program in place to direct your team members toward excellence and an evaluation process that will either elevate or terminate them based on their performance? Do you have any idea where your industry is heading in the next 5-10 years and have you developed a strategy to ensure that your company is positioned to be there excelling and not just existing?

It has been said time and time again that people don't plan to fail, they fail to plan. So why don't more people plan? I believe it's because there are so many things to do on a daily basis that most of their time is used putting out small fires so when the week is over they look up and just want to rest. There's no time to plan...or so they think. If you don't make time to plan you can bet that your time is not being used wisely because you aren't sure that what you are doing is going to get you where you desire to be. Write a plan, you'll be glad you did.

Persevere

The action of writing out a plan can relieve tension in and of itself but that is only the beginning of the process of becoming a champion in your industry. After you have a plan you must roll up your sleeves and carry it out. It does no good to know what to do if you are not willing to actually do it. You must be prepared to wake up every day and do something that will push you toward one of the benchmarks in your plan. Break your plan down into manageable steps and then start taking them.

As you slowly begin to move forward you will gain momentum which will encourage you to keep going. You'll be well on your way to champion status. This is not always easy but it is definitely effective. This can be seen in the fact that the Olympics has levels that a person has to compete on before they arrive in the "big leagues." When you get there, chances are that you're ready. Much in the same way, persevering through the steps necessary to get where you desire to be financially (through writing a budget, cutting expenses/ liabilities, increasing income/assets) or professionally (through increasing your knowledge, improving your performance and providing the highest quality of service) will ensure that you will be ready to manage life on that level when you get there. You'll be ready for the podium. You'll be positioned to go for the gold in a way that you would not have been had you gotten there over night.

Don't give up. Keep going! Write your plan and then persevere through the process because any champion will tell you that getting there wasn't easy but it was unbelievably worth it. Think like a champion!

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Slow Leaks and 3 Ways to Handle Them

This week my wife asked me to check on her front tire. It was getting lower and lower by the day and it had come to the point where if nothing was one to correct it, the problem could get dangerous. How did this happen? It's not a bad tire, we just put it on a few months ago. What could have gone wrong?

It was clear that she was experiencing what you may be going through right now as well. A slow leak. This is when you are losing enthusiasm each week but go to work anyway because you have to. This is when you look at your bank account at the end of a pay period or at market sheets at the end of a quarter and wonder where all the money went. This is when your view of your spouse has shifted from celebration to toleration. A slow leak doesn't happen over night but, if left unchecked, it can limit your mobility and increase the possibility of a crash.

So what can be done? I would suggest 3 things...

1.) Find the problem and fix it- No surprise here. If your leak is in your finances you would benefit from calling an emergency strategy session with yourself so you can write down your budget and see where the money is going. Money can be like a curious child that will wonder away if you aren't keeping an eye on it. Develop a budget, see where you can cut costs, and determine what is sucking the life out of your finances. Could be that weekly gourmet coffee you just have to have or those sales that you can't seem to pass up. Find what's causing the leak and plug it!

2.) Use A Preventative Approach- As the old saying goes, "An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure." Determine what you can do on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis that can prevent these slow leaks from getting out of hand. If it concerns your enthusiasm perhaps you could use a vacation or a quiet moment where you sketch out your desired destination. When you constantly remind yourself that what you're doing is getting you where you're going it makes it easier to stay motivated about it.

3.) Don't Ignore the Issue- You can act like it's not happening at first but over time you and everyone around you will be able to notice the leak in your life, finances, or department. Don't act like it's not happening. Don't act like everything is alright when it's not. If there is an area that is slowly losing steam take note and then take action. You'll be glad you did! After I took the time to take her car to correct the problem it drove a million times better. It was more pleasant to drive because the ride was quite a bit smoother and the stress of wondering if it was going to give out was gone. Wouldn't you like to experience that same relief of stress in your life? Stop ignoring the leaks & decide to do something about it.

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Team Work Makes My Head Hurt

You've heard the old saying, "Team work makes the dream work." That's true...but what I've also found is that team work can make your head hurt. What I mean is that team work can be one of the most frustrating and irritating parts of success. This is because it involves trust and understanding, both of which can lead to disappointment. What if they don't do their part? What if they don't know what you need to do yours? Communication can break down, selfishness raise its ugly head and miscommunications can cause unnecessary conflict.

It's making my head hurt just thinking about it.

Since team work is so important and yet, often times, so irritating what can be done to improve the experience?

Honesty

There has to be a space where each member of the team can honestly express their concerns about the other team members without the possibility of causing a rift in the team. If you can't confidently communicate what's wrong how can either of you expect to make things right? Each member of the team must be allowed to share things that will help the team improve without the other team members looking at them in contempt. If you can't be honest you can't take the team higher. Period.

Credibility

One of the reasons people aren't open to constructive criticism is because it's not being offered by someone who is actually putting their criticism into practice. In other words, you don't practice what you preach. When you don't set an example in your own character of the conduct that you expect out of the rest of the team, you greatly limit the amount of influence that you have with them. You may have the right answers but no one wants to hear them from you. Since this is true, make sure you do it first and ask others to do it second.

Respect

"You always drop the ball!" "You never come through!" "You are such a loser!" Who wants to respond well to that? Not me, and I'm sure you don't either so make every effort to communicate with a high level of respect. This is not just saying, "with all due respect" before you tear them a new belly button. This is saying what you're saying in a tone and with words that illustrate that your end goal is to help not to humiliate.

Hard Work

Finally, you have to be willing to work at building your team every day. This will not be easy but it can unquestionably multiply your department's performance. You can't do it all, that's why you have a team. Take some Tylenol and build your team so that your team work will make your head hurt a lot less and make your dream work a lot more.

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How to Lose Customers (Part3)

After you have offered service quickly and with a personal touch things can still go sour from time to time. This is when your customer service kicks in.

If you want to lose customers make customer service your last priority. Make it appear as though you don't care what happens after the sale.

This practice may cut it if you were a peanut butter factory in the middle of a deserted island full of vegetarians but chances are this isn't the makeup of your customer base. In reality, you are not the only business, church, or employee who offers what you are "selling" so what are you doing to make people glad that they picked you? On a daily basis people are making decisions and why should they decide on you? When others have worked with you or attended your services did you make them feel glad that they did or did you make them regret their decision?

If you are going to grow as an entrepreneur, manager, pastor, or leader you have to think through the experiences that others have when interacting with you. For example: Is it difficult to get in touch with you when they have a problem? Can you quickly address concerns or is there a stack of red tape that they have to go through to get it addressed. Do you reply with canned responses or do you demonstrate that you actually listened to what they said? In business the customer counts. I won't go as far as to say that they are always right because you know that's not the case but they deserve to be treated with respect if for no other reason than you reflect Jesus to them because you proclaim that you are a Christian.

How would Jesus want you to treat them? Ignore their calls? Take 3 weeks to respond? Hide your "contact us" info under a stack of links on your website? I don't think so. If you want to lose them, look over them. If you want to keep them, care for them.

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How to Lose Customers (Part 2)

Not only is it important to offer excellent service in a timely manner but another aspect of service involves personal attention. If you want to lose customers treat every one as though you are doing them a favor and their business does not matter.

The moment that people feel as though you don't care about them or that you only see dollar signs when you look at them they will leave your church or business faster than you can say "Yabba Dabba Doo." People want to feel valued and if you can offer this in addition to whatever product or service that you provide you will begin to stand head and shoulders above the rest because many people/ organizations are unwilling to go above and beyond the call of duty.

You may have a million and one members, customers, or clients today but one of the factors that will determine whether or not you have them with you tomorrow is if you are willing to treat each one as if they are the only one. You have to work to make each person feel special. You can do this by truly being in the moment when you're interacting with them. Not looking at your watch and not easing away but truly being in the moment (even if only for a minute or two).

If you are on the phone with one don't try to hurry them off the line to talk to another. Be on the line with them. If you see a member in the store don't rush away to get out of the door, take a moment to actually acknowledge them. Sure you can't spend all day with each person, after all you have a business, organization or church to run, but you can spare a minute and trust that God is able to redeem the time from you pausing to demonstrate a loving attitude toward one of the people that He has sent your way. At best, you may change their life and at the very least you will demonstrate that they have value in your eyes and I have found that the more you value others the more they will value you.

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How to Lose a Customer (Part 1)

Everyone has a customer base. Everyone is trying to sell others on something. For you this may mean convincing others that your products or services deserve to be paid for. Or perhaps you are selling people on an idea such as: "My church is awesome, you should come!" or "I am worth every penny of the salary that you're paying me." Whether you realize it or not you have a customer base, a clientele that you're serving every day so it is important to understand the things that consistently drive people away so that you can avoid them at all costs.

In the first of this three-part series on How to Lose Customers I'd like to describe something that can test one's love for Christ to it's very core. Okay...that was a bit dramatic, maybe it's not that critical but it can definitely play a huge role in someone's decision to stick with you or move on. The characteristic that I am referring to is impatience. Companies, organizations and/or employees that consistently keep people waiting are consistently losing business, clients, constituents and congregants. The reason is clear...NO ONE WANTS TO WAIT! We live in a culture that makes it convenient to find what we're looking for quickly and if you are unable/ unwilling to do so be prepared to see the window of opportunity slide shut right before your eyes.

You may think that people should be more patient in which case you would be right, but are you going to be the employee who is known for consistently offering your boss "character building opportunities?" I don't think so! You'll be known as the one who just can't seem to get things done. Are you going to be known as the business that offers service with a smile and a side order of opportunities to practice patience? Probably not. You're going to be known as the company that couldn't cut it last time and most people aren't forgiving enough to continue to give multiple opportunities.

If you're going to do business, ministry or service differently you would do well to offer excellence expeditiously. When you do this they'll tell others but if you don't do this they'll tell others! Which testimony would you want to be told about you?

Don't keep people waiting.

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The Best Kept Secret!

It's a Fact of Life.

Do you remember the old television show called The Facts of Life? One of the lines in the theme song was “You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the Facts of Life, the Facts of Life.” Well, one fact of life that you can be sure of it is that you are going to be tempted. I know you don't think so, or at least you want people to think that you're beyond that but I have discovered that it doesn’t matter how much you pray, fast, go to church or read your Bible temptation is going to knock on your door. Don’t be alarmed; you’re not the only one. A very well known young man in the Bible named Joseph had to endure tempting as he tried to be all that God was telling him that he could be (Genesis 39: 7-10).

It's not just You.

The bible tells us that the only things that tempt us are the things that commonly tempt others (1 Corinthians 10:13) so there are no new temptations out there. All of us get tempted. All of us!

It can be Overcome!

So how can we overcome these temptations? We can not prevent them from coming in and out of our minds but what we can do is make our minds hostile to temptation by filling it with God’s Word.

When Jesus was being tempted the only thing that He continued to repeat was the Word of the LORD concerning the areas of temptation. He emerged victorious and so can we. The next time temptation raises its ugly head in your mind quickly reply to it with the Word of the Lord because there's another "fact of life" which is that God’s Word never fails.

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