"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones."
- John Cage
Have you ever been the "odd man out" in a meeting? The one that BUCKED the trend and went AGAINST the general agreement?
How did the others in the MEETING perceive you? Were you the UNPOPULAR voice in the crowd? Did you hear the GRUMBLES as you made your points?
Ever found LATER that you were the only person that was RIGHT?
2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
INNOVATION is a good word to become familiar with. It describes the PROCESS of new ideas, experimentation, validation and implementation.
Its the process of taking SILLY ideas and TRYING them that has brought us things like pace makers, automobiles and the beloved BlackBerry®.
Without NEW ideas, we FAIL to GROW. Without growth, we accept STAGNATION... Then we begin to DIE.
Don't be AFRAID to be the lone voice of INNOVATION... Henry Ford, Albert Einstein and Bill Gates said its not so bad after all.
Cheers,
Zach
*To enjoy past editions of the Morning Motivator go to – http://grow-learn-lead.blogspot.com
The Morning Motivator is a copyrighted publication. The use of this article is open for print or publication with proper citations.
Morning Motivator - It's Not Just Your Underwear
"It's not that some people have will power and some don't. It's that some people are ready to change and others are not."
- James Gordon, MD
CHANGE is a buzzword right now in North American society. The word has been used to LEVERAGE power and communicate intent.
Many of us want to CHANGE too - our finances, love life, profession and more. The REALITY is everyday, each of these things change. They alter from yesterdays standing - POSITIVE or NEGATIVE... Different.
Understanding change is CONSTANT - what should be done to ENSURE positive change??
2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
GOAL SETTING is one of the best ways to create a FOCUSED effort towards controlling change.
By DETERMINING what END GOAL we are working towards, we become better able to make QUICK decisions that are both POSITIVE towards our end goal and EFFECTIVE in execution.
Do you have a GOAL? Is it written down? WRITE it down... And enjoy the FOCUS that follows.
Cheers,
Zach
*To enjoy past editions of the Morning Motivator go to – http://grow-learn-lead.blogspot.com
The Morning Motivator is a copyrighted publication. The use of this article is open for print or publication with proper citations.
- James Gordon, MD
CHANGE is a buzzword right now in North American society. The word has been used to LEVERAGE power and communicate intent.
Many of us want to CHANGE too - our finances, love life, profession and more. The REALITY is everyday, each of these things change. They alter from yesterdays standing - POSITIVE or NEGATIVE... Different.
Understanding change is CONSTANT - what should be done to ENSURE positive change??
2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
GOAL SETTING is one of the best ways to create a FOCUSED effort towards controlling change.
By DETERMINING what END GOAL we are working towards, we become better able to make QUICK decisions that are both POSITIVE towards our end goal and EFFECTIVE in execution.
Do you have a GOAL? Is it written down? WRITE it down... And enjoy the FOCUS that follows.
Cheers,
Zach
*To enjoy past editions of the Morning Motivator go to – http://grow-learn-lead.blogspot.com
The Morning Motivator is a copyrighted publication. The use of this article is open for print or publication with proper citations.
Morning Motivator – Being the Smart Kid Sucks…
"The brighter you are, the more you have to learn."
-Don Herold
As I may have mentioned before, one of my FAVORITE TV shows is House on USA Network. I enjoy the interrelationships and CHALLENGES their team faces in a medical environment, along with a dash of sarcastic wit.
During a recent rerun episode, the leading physician, Dr. Gregory House, was NARROWING down his team and letting someone go. The person he chose to FIRE, was the most skilled and provided the same diagnosis as Dr. House. If he is so good – why fire him?
He wasn't NEEDED. He offered the same solutions as the lead member of the team. Had he produced the same solutions as ANY other member of the team – he would AGAIN be USELESS. A tough lesson to LEARN – especially when you are one of the best!
2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
The burden of INTELLIGENCE (for those of us that have convinced ourselves we have it) is that we often like to PROVE how smart we are. Why? Often, we BELIEVE it is what makes us valuable.
I might contest your theory and share with you that the most VALUABLE person is the ONE person that doesn't agree with the group. The one that has all the "STUPID IDEAS" and can often be ridiculed for their thoughts.
Remember, it is the one NEW idea that is often the best. Additionally, if all you do is SUPPORT the ideas others already generated, how critical are you to the OVERALL success of the team.
Be a LEADER – offer up the unpopular idea… sometimes the "stupid answers" end up being the BEST!
Cheers,
Zach
*To enjoy past editions of the Morning Motivator go to – http://grow-learn-lead.blogspot.com
The Morning Motivator is a copyrighted publication. The use of this article is open for print or publication with proper citations.
-Don Herold
As I may have mentioned before, one of my FAVORITE TV shows is House on USA Network. I enjoy the interrelationships and CHALLENGES their team faces in a medical environment, along with a dash of sarcastic wit.
During a recent rerun episode, the leading physician, Dr. Gregory House, was NARROWING down his team and letting someone go. The person he chose to FIRE, was the most skilled and provided the same diagnosis as Dr. House. If he is so good – why fire him?
He wasn't NEEDED. He offered the same solutions as the lead member of the team. Had he produced the same solutions as ANY other member of the team – he would AGAIN be USELESS. A tough lesson to LEARN – especially when you are one of the best!
2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
The burden of INTELLIGENCE (for those of us that have convinced ourselves we have it) is that we often like to PROVE how smart we are. Why? Often, we BELIEVE it is what makes us valuable.
I might contest your theory and share with you that the most VALUABLE person is the ONE person that doesn't agree with the group. The one that has all the "STUPID IDEAS" and can often be ridiculed for their thoughts.
Remember, it is the one NEW idea that is often the best. Additionally, if all you do is SUPPORT the ideas others already generated, how critical are you to the OVERALL success of the team.
Be a LEADER – offer up the unpopular idea… sometimes the "stupid answers" end up being the BEST!
Cheers,
Zach
*To enjoy past editions of the Morning Motivator go to – http://grow-learn-lead.blogspot.com
The Morning Motivator is a copyrighted publication. The use of this article is open for print or publication with proper citations.
Morning Motivator - Where Are You Going?
"If we don't change direction soon, we'll end up where we're going."
- Professor Irwin Cory
- Professor Irwin Cory
I enjoyed a great story this morning about a man that was INTERESTED in writing. By "interested" I mean continually complained and moaned about "wanting to wrote more." That was until someone in his life said, "then just start writing or stop b*tching."
What is it you WANT to do? For me, I want to EDUCATE. So, what the heck am I going to do about it?
Well, I have two choices: (1) keeping rattling my trap about it and WAIT until God decides to offer me a job or (2) I can DEVELOP an educational programming element to the business development of Advanced Network Solutions. I will choose #2 please.
Why create an EDUCATION format for an IT business? Well, it is UNIQUE and defines our business group as a greater professional. Additionally, I know that if I do not FULFILL my need to educate, I will burn out. If I burn out, I will be of little VALUE. If I am of little VALUE, I will likely soon be RELEASED. If I don't change DIRECTION... I know where the path will end.
2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
I am not suggesting that our company President change his business model, rather I am suggesting I CHANGE mine. I must find the best ways to generate maximum results in a fashion that is ACCEPTED by our group AND satisfies my needs.
Most interestingly, because I have a PASSION for educating, the creation of structure and content has proven very EASY. BONUS POINTS for me - I will be able to do EXACTLY what I want... just in a different format. Do you think the idea has a CHANCE to fail? Unlikely, when there is so much passion behind it.
What can you positively CHANGE to feed your soul, passions and STIMULATE your success? Today is a good day to start, before you get 24 hours closer to where you are going now...
Cheers,
Zach
*To enjoy past editions of the Morning Motivator go to – http://grow-learn-lead.blogspot.com
The Morning Motivator is a copyrighted publication. The use of this article is open for print or publication with proper citations.
Morning Motivator - Know Your Limits
"Don't limit your challenges. Challenge your limits."
- USC Trojan Women's Volleyball Team Motto
- USC Trojan Women's Volleyball Team Motto
Has anyone ever said "you need to know your LIMITATIONS?" Have you ever been BOXED IN by someone else's BELIEF in your ability? How did you FEEL when they put that cap on your success?
This weekend, I was able to watch a few minutes of the USC Trojan Women's Volleyball team. I was so impressed by their collective FOCUS and AMBITION to continually raise their expectations of one another. This made me PONDER the idea of this type of positive support structure within the business environment. What if your office was based on TEAM success? What if sales GOALS were collaborative as opposed to internally competitive? What if the group was measured by its COLLECTIVE success and regulated by its internal team?
Imagine a company that drives its teams to work TOGETHER towards common goals and compensates based on CONTRIBUTIONS. Sales are a GREAT example... Every salesperson will say they are "on the team," yet, what happens when there is a question about who OWNS the account? The internal strife begins. How about when a project is UNDERTAKEN? In SUCCESSFUL management, everyone stakes a claim. In a FAILED project, no one wants to own anything. Why?
2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
The group I lead currently, the Nashville Area Junior Chamber of Commerce, is very INSPIRING to me. Our group is devised to create FAILURE OPPORTUNITIES. Yes - we ENCOURAGE failure. Maybe a better way to say it could be, "We encourage RISK TAKING that may cause increased learning." (very 'PC' huh?)
Why encourage FAILURE? Simply, it is the best way to LEARN. Learning increases your LIMITS (or perceived limitations). Increased "limits" means GREATER success.
Hopefully you see that pattern... the more you LEARN by trying, the greater you become. CHALLENGE your limits. Grow your SUCCESS. After all, the big SECRET about limits is that the only thing that is LIMITING you... is YOU!
Have a great week of BREAKING THROUGH your limits!
Cheers,
Zach
*To enjoy past editions of the Morning Motivator go to – http://grow-learn-lead.blogspot.com
The Morning Motivator is a copyrighted publication. The use of this article is open for print or publication with proper citations.
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