Champion Leadership Tip #1 - Leadership Defined
October 24, 2009 by Skip Weisman
Filed under Featured
Ten years ago I heard U.S. Army General and first Gulf War Commander Norman Schwartzkopf speak at a leadership conference. He told us that day that defining leadership was similar to the Supreme Court’s definition of obscenity, “I can’t define it but I know it when I see it.” He proceeded to try to define it anyway with, “getting others to do things they ordinarilly wouldn’t do because they want to do it.”
In preparing for a leadership keynote address I was asked to deliver recently at a regional martial arts school I decided I needed a definition that rang true for me.
I sat down this week to craft my own and in reviewing not just my 27 years in business, 20 years in minor league professional baseball management, and now 10 years studying business success and successful leadership I reflected on the role those I respect as the best leaders I’ve experienced in my life played in making me who I am today.
What I realized was they inspired me to go for something that I was not even aware of was something I could enjoy achieving or being a part of. They usually did so by being a role model in how they went after the same or similar thing. Additionally, they took responsibility for their role in inspiring me to go for it and continued to me by coaching and guiding me to perform at the level necessary to achieve success at it.
Based on my experiences as identified above, here’s what I came up with:
“Inspiring others to do something they ordinarilly would not do, and/or coaching them to perform at an even higher level than they ordinarilly would perform, if left on their own.”
What do you think? Does it ring true for you? What would you add or change about it? Or, what is your definition of leadership and what specific references do you have that have directed you to define leadership in the way you do?
I look forward to your comments and contributions.
Staycation Serves Purpose, Doesn’t Replace Vacation
July 31, 2009 by Skip Weisman
Filed under Pursuit of Personal Passions
I don’t know about you but the first week back from vacation always takes me a couple of days to get back in the swing of things. This year was no exception despite the fact that this summer’s vacation was one of those new fangled “staycations.” It seemed like a good idea at the time my wife and I decided to do it and at the end we both agreed it as “okay,” but not ideal for us. Here’s recap of our experience:
The positive’s far outweigh the negatives and is certainly better than the alternative as we were able to do all the local things we’ve been saying we wanted to do for the last few years.
On separate days bookending the week we…
a) attended a show at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in Rhinebeck, NY;
b) took a boat trip to tour Bannerman’s Island, in the Hudson River south of Cold Spring, NY;
c) toured President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Top Cottage, in Hyde Park, NY; and
d) visited Kykuit, The Rockefeller Estate in Sleepy Hollow, NY.
All lived up to their expectations and were a way for us to fill voids in our recent study of American political and business history.
The middle of our week was focused on a day of playing tennis, and golf in and around lounging around screened in vacation room porch reading books specifically selected for our week.
All-in-all it was a relaxing week but there was a constant reminder around that we weren’t really on vacation because we were, well, home. We were sleeping in our own bed, watching TV on our own TV in our own living room.
So, I’d recommend going away for vacation if you can. Being totally away from normal surroundings I think allows for greater release, relaxation and regeneration.
The reason for our staycation was the fact that staying close to home for now was the right thing to do because in fall we are planning a long weekend trip over the Labor Day Holiday in New York City for annual US Open Tennis Championships event, a weeklong trip to Seattle, Washington in later September and our three week vacation to Australia in January.
But, had we not engaged in this staycation we’d still be lamenting the fact that we still haven’t experienced the Historic Hudson Valley sites we knocked off our bucket list.
So, it was nice to get a break, as always, and now its time to get focused creating some powerful programs for my clients so we can all finish 2009 strong over the final 1/3 of the year starting September 1st. Ready to join me?
5-Steps to Create Effective Strategic Alliances To Explode Your Business
June 20, 2009 by Skip Weisman
Filed under The Traits of Champion Orgs
A little over twelve months ago I began to get concerned about the direction the economy was going. I made a pro-active decision to shift my marketing strategy into high gear and being that like most small businesses with limited marketing funds I had to get creative. So, I decided to begin marketing a marketing idea among a group of business associates whom I trusted and respect, the concept of Strategic Alliances.
Strategic Alliances are a powerful marketing approach that allows you to leverage your value and maximize your efforts and energy. We’re only halfway through 2009 and I can pretty much guarantee this is going to be my best year of my eight years in business.
Basically, the way I view Strategic Alliances is that they are one or more businesses that offer complimentary products and services that have significant to a similar target market. For my business which focuses on improving the bottom-line and company culture of businesses my ideal strategic partners are in the following industries: commercial insurance, commercial banking, commercial lending, accounting, bookkeeping and payroll services, advertising specialty firms, web and internet marketing companies, and traditional advertising/marketing/pr firms.
Here are some tips for getting started on adding Strategic Alliances to leverage your marketing efforts:
STEP 1
Brainstorm the types of businesses that go after similar target markets with complimentary products and services.
STEP 2
Identify the specific components of your product and service offerings that you could proivde as a “value added” offer to your alliance partners (e.g., I offer a 2-2 1/2 hour introductory workshop for the clients and prospects of my alliance partners, which is a $3,000 retail value).
STEP 3
Identify individual businesses from #1 above that you already have established relationships with. Then grade those relationships on an A, B, C scale for those that you have a high “know, like, trust & respect” factor.
NOTE: Notice that two of my upcoming speaking events, August 5th & August 6th, in the column to the right are Strategic Alliance programs!
STEP 4
Create your offer to your Strategic Alliance partners in a way that they can easily see the benefits of offering your expertise as a “value added” service to their clients/prospects. Always craft the pitch so that it focuses solely on the value the SA partner receives by joining forces with you.
*side note here: these Strategic Alliances are all around you, once the Reticular Activating System in your brain is engaged by understanding this concept you will begin to notice them. I just noticed one this morning as I was watching the US Open Golf Championship on NBC-TV. When the network cut away to its “Sports Update” at the top of the hour the anchor read a story about the Wimbledon Tennis Champions starting in two-days and that defending Champion Rafael Nadal withdrew due to an injury. This was a valid news story any network would have announced, but particularly pertinent since NBC-TV hosts the Wimbledon Tennis TV coverage. After the story, the announcer told the audience to pick up a copy of USA Today on Monday, the first day of the Wimbledon Tournament to get all the tournament news including a feature on 5-Time Champion Roger Federer. Behind the announcer was a very prominent USA Today logo. It clearly shifted from a true news story to a cross-promotion with the newspaper. Another example is when Disney releases a new animated movie, or the latest Star Wars, Star Trek or Super Hero movie comes out. The Hollywood production houses always partner with fast food restaurants like McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, etc. and the soft drink companies because they are catering to similar targets, families and kids.
STEP 5
Begin calling your “A” list, letting them know that you have identified them as your first choice as someone you’d like to work with in their industry and that if they decide they are not interested you have other competitors of theirs you will be reaching out to.
Results for me have been truly outstanding. I’ve delivered eight SA workshops in the last 10 months which has exposed me to over 300 new business prospects. It has brought me two significant clients this year I wouldn’t have secured otherwise, allowed me to sellout a “open enrollment” workshop that I offered mostly to those new members of my database which allowed me to net about $3,000 for a one-day program, and finally I’m meeting next week with three new prospects for consulting projects directly related to my Strategic Alliance marketing efforts.
That’s all there is to it, other than delivering on your promise in the Strategic Alliance, of course. Get started. If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me at Info@SkipWeisman.com
How to Be Motivated & Fulfilled Like a Champion Every Day
June 18, 2009 by Skip Weisman
Filed under Motivating Yourself & Others
If there is one thing Champions at all levels are, it is motivated! They are all motivated by the intrinsic desire to be the best and are willing to do almost anything, and sacrifice just about all else to become Champions. That takes tremendous motivation and daily connection to their goals in a way that fulfills them to keep going. I’m not sure how all Champions do this but below is a great idea we should all incorporate into our daily habits.
Thanks to the new world of Twitter I’ve made a friend with someone who has impacted my life and business in a simple, yet profound way. Her name is Misha Thomas and you can follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/queenmisha
As with most of these social media connections I can’t remember how I came to meet Misha but I began following her on Twitter. One day last week she sent these three separate and simple Tweets that I caught at just the right time at the end of my day:
Tweet #1) What was the Best Thing that happened to you today?
Tweet #2) What did you do that was most Fun today?
Tweet #3) What did you Learn today?
I’ve known about the power of questions since I immersed myself in Anthony Robbins programs 11 years ago. Tony suggests we ask five focus questions in the morning to direct our focus and mindset for the day (I’ll write about those questions in another post later this week). I have to admit I fell out of the habit of asking those questions, and these from Misha came at the perfect time.
Misha sent the questions out at the end of today, too. Not sure if she does ‘em every day, but I know I’ve seen ‘em at least 3 times out of the last six business days. When I first saw them last Monday I responded to her on Twitter and I’ll probably do it again tonight but I’ll post my answers here first.
1) The Best Thing that happened to me today was that I met with a business prospect over lunch who told me an article I sent to him over the weekend had immediate impact for his business. He applied a strategy I suggested and it gave him a sense of control over his business and his customers that he didn’t have before. Made my day (and his, hopefully)! The article is titled “Your Quest for Outstanding Customer Service May Be Killing Your Business”
2) The thing I did that was most Fun today was attending my regular Monday, 4:30pm Yoga/Pilates Fusion class called “Centergy” with my wife. She and I have been consistently attending this class and one on Saturday morning every week since January 1st, unless we’re out of town for have other business commitments. But, I bet neither one of us has missed more than 2 of these classes since we started, I’m really proud of both of us for that!
3) What I Learned today is that no matter how close a relationship you have with a present client, when it comes to a new project, make sure you get the proposal/contract signed, and finalize specific payment terms before you leave the scene of the meeting after obtaining a verbal agreement and setting a date to start the project. I received an e-mail late today asking to postpone the project for three weeks due to unforseen issues and that may delay my expected cash flow (lesson learned).
What about you? How would you answer those three questions?
When Is Not Procrastinating, Procrastinating?
June 12, 2009 by Skip Weisman
Filed under Motivating Yourself & Others
I get one of two responses when the subject of my End Procrastination NOW! program comes up when I’m speaking with individuals.
One is an uncomfortable chuckle, followed a verbal “I’ll get back to you later about that.” These I’ve become used to and have stopped getting upset about the lack of seriousness some people apply to a habit that may be sabotaging their level of personal and professional success.
The second is an even more dangerous reply. This is a reply that hides that fact that procrastination is even an issue for the individual. It is a true blind spot, an issue of denial or just plain ignorance, I’m not sure which, and it’s probably different for everyone.
This response is simple and basic, “oh, I don’t procrastinate.” I am always intrigued by that comment.
I was reminded of the seriousness of this type of thinking the other night at an event where I gave away as a door prize a copy of my “End Procrastination NOW!” home study workshop CD.
The woman who won the prize came up to thank me afterward and told me that procrastination is not a problem for her. Almost simultaneously, from over my should I heard someone (it turned out to be her job search mentor) say, “when are you going to get me your resume?”
Intrigued, I asked a question and the ensuing conversation went like this:
Me: “What’s the issue with getting your resume to Andy?”
She: “Oh, I haven’t started it yet because I really don’t even know where to begin.”
Me: “So you are procastinating on get started on it.”
She: “No, I just don’t know where and how to begin.”
Me: “Right, so you are avoiding starting it for fear of doing it wrong, which is procrastination.”
She: “Well, no I’m still just trying to figure where to start.”
Me: “Ok, then, enjoy the CD and let me know if you have any questions after you listen to it.”
This woman is not alone. One of my former consulting clients whom I helped transition from a successful Manhattan dental practice into a slower paced, suburban dental practice here in the Hudson Valley proclaimed at the beginning of our work together that he didn’t procrastinate.
His explanation was that he mustn’t procrastinate because he’s always busy, always moving and working on projects moving his practice forward. I allowed him to live in his fantasy until I learned his $600,000 dental practice had $140,000 in accounts receivable that were more than 60-days.
Turns out he was keeping himself busy to avoid dealing with the more difficult issue of collections.
These are just two examples, I could go on, but I think you get the drift.
Here’s a link to a worksheet that may be helpful if you may have a tendency for avoiding uncomfortable items, tasks, etc. and end up tolerating things that cause you even more angst and discomfort at the end of your day.
To learn more about how to End Procrastination NOW! you may want to go here.
While the Cats Away, This Mouse Is Playing
June 7, 2009 by Skip Weisman
Filed under Pursuit of Personal Passions
I’m taking this time early Sunday morning to write something a little different as I woke up at 6am and couldn’t fall back to sleep after staying up ’til 2 a.m. last night watching TV.
I’ve had a lot of spare time the past couple of days as I ended a very intense period of work in May that culminated with a marketing funnel workshop on Wednesday, June 3rd. Add to that my wife, Anne, leaving for a long weekend with her mom and sisters to connect with family members in Ireland, it has created a nice relaxing opportunity for me to enjoy the early days of summer, alone.
I believe there are two times in our lives where our true personality shines through, one is when we are under severe stress and challenge, and the other when we are alone, relaxing and we have the power choose any activities the universe has available with no outside interference.
For me, as much as I like to try new activities, I tend to default to the things I enjoy most of all, some say to a fault. But, there are just some things that I just don’t get to enjoy as fully as I might when other people are around (including the love of my life and best friend). So, I’ll save the new experiences for when Anne gets back. For now, for those who care and want a little insight into what I do when nobody’s watching, here’s what I’ve chosen to invest my time on since Anne left for the Emerald Isle on Thursday:
Business:
1) Updating web site to reflect new speaking gigs just scheduled and creating registration pages and marketing material for those newly scheduled events.
2) Follow up phone calls to all those attendees from my June 3rd workshop to learn more about their business and how I may be able to help.
3) Playing on Twitter and finding a new friend/colleague for whom we are going to collaborate on writing guest articles for each other’s blogs.
Personal:
1) Yoga - For the first time ever I took time out of a work day, mid-day to do something non-business related. I went to a Friday, 11:30am yoga class. That was followed up by an early morning (7:45am) yoga session at my favorite yoga studio on Saturday, and an 11:30am yoga/pilates fusion class at my regular health & fitness club.
2) Guitar Practice - With a goal of playing/singing a couple of new songs (new for me, written by my musical hero Bruce Springsteen) I’ve been spending at least 2-hours a day practicing since my Thursday evening lesson. I’m working on four songs, “The Rising”, “The Wrestler”, “Darkness on the Edge of Town” and “Long Walk Home.” Not sure which of these are closest to being ready for live performance, I’ll leave that up to George, my guitar and voice coach to tell me. I even got so bold last night to actually record a video of my rehearsal session last night and posted ‘em on YouTube so George can critique them. Let me know if you care to see ‘em and I’ll send you the links. But, be warned, their not as melifluous as I’d like ‘em to be, just yet.
3) Watching my favorite movie, “City Slickers.” I’ve seen it over 100 times and can recite most of the scripting throughout. Drives my wife and others crazy so I don’t get to watch it much when other people are around. I have to get my kicks in times like these, when I’m alone.
4) Watching the National Hockey League - Despite my 20-year baseball career, hockey is now my passion and the NHL Playoffs are a marathon journey to win the most historic trophy in team sports, The Stanley Cup. I’ve been able to watch two of the Stanley Cup Finals games without the guilt of having exiled my wife to the upstairs bedroom to watch TV while I watch the hockey on the 46″ high def flat screen downstairs in our living room.
5) Tennis - This weekend is the Final Round of the French Open. Last year Anne and I were in Paris for the opening week of the French Open and knocked one item off our bucket list by attending Day 2 of the Grand Slam tennis tournament. This year, I have to watch from home and this weekend is the Final Round. I watched the Svetlanda Kusnetsova defeat Dinara Safina in yesterday’s women’s final and in about two hours I’m going to watch Roger Federer go for tennis immortality (not that he doesn’t have that already) when he looks to win the French Open and become only the second “Open Era” player to win all four tennis Grand Slam events, the other being my favorite player of all-time Andre Agassi.
6) Sitting in our adirondack chairs on our screened-in front porch, surfing the net, playing on Twitter and Facebook and other laptop past times, in a state of complete and utter relaxation in what we call our “Vacation Room.” It is the most relaxing, calming place I’ve ever experienced in a home I’ve lived in and literally could see myself using this as a vacation stop without ever leaving our home. It’s quiet, peaceful and I get to watch birds in our bird bath, humming birds take a drink from their humming bird feeder, and maybe even do a little yoga and meditation. It’s the perfect “home away from home” in our home!
So, with all that as a backdrop, here’s my agenda for today:
1) Water the plants in the house and our new garden. Anne left very specific instructions for me so I don’t kill the vegetation while the Master Gardener is away.
2) Watch the French Open Men’s Final.
3) Finalize a client project proposal to be delivered on Monday.
4) Mow the front and back lawn.
5) Practice the guitar and my four songs.
6) Finalize marketing materials for upcoming August/September workshops so we can begin to get the invitations out.
7) Read the book I started reading two weeks ago, “Under the Banner of Heaven” by Jon Krakauer, less than 100 pages to go.
Maybe, just maybe they’ll be time at the end of the day to watch “City Slickers II-The Legend of Curly’s Gold” so I can complete the trilogy (ok, there are only two in the series, but you get my drift).
Wow, that’s a full agenda, I better get started, garden needs watering in the AM Anne’s instructions say and I’ve got an hour before the French Open. Got to go…