Your Vision

As the Holiday Season turns to Gray and a New Year approaches the nostalgia wears off. We put the indulgence aside and think about being better people. A New Year: a reason to recreate ourselves. The road map: Goal Setting...what do we need to do to get back to greatness this year.

Some have spent this week strategically planning for 2011, others will get around to writing a few goals down on Sunday through hungover eyes, and there are those who put documentation aside and just wing it (God bless them).

I find every day to be a battle. Each and every day I have a new set of goals and at day's conclusion I assess my progress. Give yourself an hour to think about 2011:
* What are your goals for the year?
* What is your Life Vision?
* Are you serious about getting better?

The Number
We all have metrics for success. We salesfolk call it a quota. It is a necessary attainment to validate our existence. Inability to hit that goal number means you are on the street ringing a bell. Here are a few ideas for hitting your number:
- Win little battles every day
- Find like minds among whom to exude your excellence
- Know what you are awesome @ and Be Awesome!
- Know that criticism is only a means for another to interject themselves in your success...

Get Busy Livin'
We get wrapped up in the day-to-day. That email pissed you off, your staff seems unwilling to put the work in, that jackass in front of you is driving too slow....pull back Friendo! Time to reassess what you and those around you are doing well and allow that to drive your forward motion.

Take in the sunset, listen to children laughing, tell a friend you love them, listen to your favorite music...most of all, be assured, everything is going to be fine! Allow not the mundane to distract you from the Miracle of your existence.

What Are You Gonna Do...?
It's easy to write those goals on a paper slate, Ipad, or white board. It's easy to revisit them from time to time. If you really want to be Awesome you have to be disciplined. Revisit your goals on Monday morning and on Friday afternoon.

I empathise that times are tough but you have to get over it! There will always be excuses for failure (the economy, your boss, your products). Failure is contingent upon one thing - Your Effort. You can always do more, do things differently, choose a different approach, challenge those around you to do more, present your solution in a better way. Man up, accept responsibility and produce!

2010 is gone....let it go.....It's time to party like it's 2011! There is no reason why it will not be the best year of your life!

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave

2010 - Lessons Learned

There are two work weeks left in 2010. It has been a year of success, failure, and lessons learned in the process. I progress in strange ways...I have an inability to accept criticism or praise. I tend to disagree when people tell me where I'm falling short (it's just an opinion) or look for ulterior motives in praise (and try harder). These, among a thousand other character flaws, are things I've sought to improve in 2010.

I am a person of extreme self-confidence, driven by an intense competitive drive. This produces a determination to out-work, out-think and counter-point my constituents. It's also a terrible way to live....with each year I get a little less hell bent on winning and a little more focused on helping others. It will never be ideal, but I'm trying.

So as this year comes to a close I want to share 3 great Epiphanies that struck me while looking back on my success and failures:
Sports are still The Great Life Metaphor
One must learn to Channel their Determination with Elegance
Find YOUR Faith

Conditioning
I was really excited to see the life story of the Great Vince Lombardi played on HBO this weekend. An extraordinary story of a man with all the determination in the world. Coach Lombardi reminds me of my Dad: hard working, unknowing of complaints, and unemotional on the surface level. When I was young I would occasionally be awaken by my Dad's electric razor in the dead of morning...still dark outside, cold. I would sometimes walk into the bathroom in my Hulk pajamas and watch him tie his tie with all the honor of a World Leader. I didn't know much about his job but I was proud of him and I knew I wanted to be like him one day. Those were different times...

Like my Dad, Coach Lombardi was a man of pride by the virtue of his work. He spent the first 2 weeks of practice completely on conditioning. He worked his team to the breaking point and the survivors became his core contributors. This was a time when complaints were not an option, working hard was the only way and people appreciated their opportunities. Times have changed....I'll be the first to admit I can be a wuss at times (another one of my flaws). In 2010, I have come to remember that the emotions only surface when you haven't worked hard enough. In 2011, I promise to work harder, to blame no one and to keep my emotions to myself!

Presentation
At some point in my life, I became aware of how others were perceiving me and I didn't like the image presented. It is very difficult to be elegant when you are on the track of working harder than everyone else. I recognized that I was being insensitive and that I was not entitled to act in such a manner. If you are more talented you will win more. If you work hard you will out-condition your opponent. To be better doesn't give you the right to disparage others.

I have discouraged the touchdown dance though I have been guilty of it in the past. It is a release of insecurity. If you truly have talent you can replicate any feat....you simply live success. It has been a continued struggle to go into every day with the intent of winning and not running over everyone. In 2011, I will develop the ability to win gracefully!

Form
I am a strong proponent of No Religion, No Politics. Both topics appall me. But, I cannot deny that faith in something is essential to personal development. To have a belief in a higher power is paramount. Faith and Spirituality are 10 times more special and meaningful when you keep them to yourself. In 2011, I will continue to evolve my spirit (alone)!

Goals for 2011
1. Work harder than ever
2. Keep my emotions (and faith) to myself
3. Be Humble in victory and accountable in defeat

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave

To Be Young

It seems a recurring theme in the world of Human Resources:

"...Generation Y, The Entitled Generation..."

I remember when I was in college and Matthew McConaughey accepted an MTV Movie Award noting that the young people in the world "impressed the hell out of (him)" and that he was amazed by us every day. For the first time in my life I felt like part of the world: empowered to take the baton and run with it.

In high school, I spent 4 years competing as a wrestler and rose through the ranks. In college, I spent 5 years in a fraternity and ended up President. When I was released into the professional world something strange happened: 4 years became 40. You see, our careers last significantly longer than a wrestling season or fraternity presidential term, so it takes longer to validate our achievements. Could it be that Generation Y is not entitled or impatient but used to receiving recognition in a more expedient manner?

It seems the case studies, industry articles and seminars put Generation Y not in a position of empowerment but rather throws them a 'wait and see' warning. As a young professional, I received some of the worst advise I ever have:

"slow down, you're making us look bad"

"it will take time, you have to be patient"

"if you keep this up, people are gonna start talking about you"

I am not sure why we see fit to wrangle young people's motivation and deter it. In fact, the aforementioned is not a characteristic of sage-like advice but a sign of insecurity.

In the workplace I see young people with energy, ambition and open ears...what more could you ask for as a leader?

I propose a workshop not on how to control Generation Y but on how to keep our immaturity in check:

A. Stop worrying about being replaced

B. Feel good about teaching young people to succeed

C. Help young people channel their motivation

D. Determine the difference between manic effort and a guided foundation for success

Leaders,

If you discourage the young people in your organization from using their energy for good: your time is limited, not theirs!

Lead with the intent of a legacy carried on by people who want to act and to be rewarded for their effort. Let your legacy be carried by your teachings, your actions and your intent to make the world a better place by empowering the young and ambitious.

So that when that door swings shut for the final time...you hear tears dropping not cheers from the rafters.

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave

references:

http://www.earlyengagement.com/

What We Learned in 2009

Dear Readers -
Thank you all for supporting this blog in 2009.

There has been so much to fret over in the last 365 days:
* Economy in the worst state of decline since the great depression
* Jobless rate @ 10%+
* H1N1 paranoia
* War
* Misallocation of tax payer funding
* Scandal; everywhere there is scandal

At the inception of 2009, we knew the worst was to come: We worked harder, got more creative, spent less and became more educated in our decision making. So, how can we use the disaster in the rear view mirror to learn and grow?

Be Informed
For far too long we used pre-supposed discovery methods to formulate organizational strategies.
a. The CEO solely decides the direction of the company
b. Let's present a survey to our employees.

These methods, while strategic in their predictability are broken. A man or women in an ivory tower can predict the financial well being of the company and keep pay checks coming but strategy is ever evolving and no single person can track development in the trenches on a day-to-day basis. Surveys are often administered to say 'we asked and only 10% responded, they all said the same thing' - this is called Lip Service and it is the primary failing element of entitlement as a means of people management.

Engage your workforce by empowering line managers. Take the regulatory checklist out of the job description and allow your leaders to lead. No politics, no policy - Trust and Empowerment!

Be Creative
"In 2009, I worked twice as hard with half the results" - the salespersons creed of the last year.

Dear Readers, you can walk into a wall or fun into it.....remember what Einstein said, "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results".

Those who succeed saw a tiny door in dead ends and escaped through it by:
* Forming informal partnerships
* Developing new approaches
* Leading with Methodology; not products
* Inviting a Mentorship from an objective third party
* Finding additional skill enhancement through social media

Strategy, Strategy, Strategy
If you are uncomfortable with the canned phrasing, call it something else. But know this, if you do not understand the larger intent of your business practices you are a replaceable paper pusher. Every action within your job description needs to be a spoke in a strategic wheel. What does filling out that form mean to arming you with additional skills for evolving you as a professional and elevating the organizational cause? Search your mind, white board it....if you come up with no answers, you have two choices:
* Stop doing it!
* Make something up!

My advice to you is simple. Every day in 2010, take one minute at day's end to assess how your incremental tasks are pertinent to the Organizational Mission. At the conclusion of this daily assessment further your strategy by doing the following:
* STOP DOING NEEDLESS TASKS...and be willing to explain why.
* DEVELOP A STRATEGY...that brings greater relevance to every task you perform.

We are alive & it cannot get any worse! Knowing this, why not step away from what is comfortable, get some balls and try new things!

"...be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid..."
- Frances McDormand from the decade's best motion picture Almost Famous

Don't Forget to Remember!

- Dave

References:
www.linkedin.com/in/davidkovacovich
http://twitter.com/davidkovacovich