You Dont Have to Be Perfect.

For the past 5 years, I have been part of the coaching staff for Stony Point High School Boy's Lacrosse. I have some players that are well over 200lbs so it is kind of hard to call them "boys" but that is for another day.
During my coaching tenure, I have heard and often repeated the phrase, "Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect". After many days of practice and many days of pursuit of perfect, I have realized that neither perfect practice or perfect truly exist. They are both truly a pursuit. Perfection is a golden cup ,that for all of us will lay eternally in the future.
That is not to down play the importance of the pursuit however. In fact, it is the pursuit that separates the high performers from the status quo, rank and file. For most high performers, the goal of perfection is never attained. Even though some spectators might observe a beautiful play and call it perfection, the players will always think that something could have been better. So they go on pursuing it.
This is not a sign of obsession or some dangerous work-a-holic attitude. It is a sign of greatness. The great ones will always go on pursuing better methods and better performances. They understand that with out the pursuit, there is nothing. Only the memory of past performances and victories. The great ones always look to tomorrow for the opportunity to do better than they did today.
So don't go out and kill yourself because you did not have a perfect day. Study your technique, keep what worked and redesign what did not. Keep pursuing the goal of perfection. It is the journey that matters.

You Are You for a Good Reason.

For the last 12 years, I have had the pleasure of working for a great medical device company. My career has been challenging and rewarding. In the process of learning how to "sell", I have learned a few things about "me". While the lessons have been many, one of the most important things I have learned about myself is that I am not all that bad of a guy. In fact, I have learned to really like myself.
Now that may sound like such an obvious revelation. Wait on that thought for just a little bit. Really ask yourself if you have taken the time to really get to know yourself and like yourself. Its not always an easy thing to do. It is also difficult to recognize the some of the patterns that may indicate that you don't really know yourself at all.
With the benefit of hindsight, I eventually realized that I made a mistake very early in my career. It was the mistake of taking it for granted that I needed to change. This "changing" came in the form of believing that I needed to perfectly mimic the successful sales persons that I was being trained by.
At that time I thought I was learning to be a sales rep. What I was really learning was how to act like a sales rep. I spent so much time playing the part, I lost my own identity in the process. Also, I missed out on the true thought processes behind good selling.
Later on in my career and more and more everyday, I realize that what my customers really want is a genuine article. I remember some of my customers commenting on how formal I was when communicating with them. I have always been respectful, but for me to be described as formal was really a surprise. Outside of work, I love to be down to earth and approachable. How was it that I changed at work? Because the sales rep that I trained under was a formal type guy.
That was the model I learned. That was the role I had learned to play.
When you leave home for work, you cant leave yourself at the doorstep. That's what I am wanting to get across to my readers today. Be yourself with your customers. They will see you as a real person, just like they are. You will gain more credibility because you are genuine. Also, you wont have to remember the scripts. You just go about your day as yourself.
You are a great person with a unique personality and a variety of experiences to share and stories to tell. Take that to your customers this week. Be yourself. Its a great thing.

Connecting with a Motivator

What a great weekend I had! I hope you all did too. What made my weekend so great? Almost too much to mention. However, the greatest thing about my weekend was a visit from one of my nephews.
He arrived Friday evening and I have to say, he arrived to probably one of the most deflated couples he had seen in a long time. I was worn pretty thin from my week at work and my wife was beaten down from her week at school. In addition, we had a sick kid in the house that was needing a little attention as well.
After the usual greetings, we decided to go grab a bite of late dinner and try to get caught up with all that was going on in our nephews life. We ducked into a local pub and tiredly slid into a booth. After yawning a few times and making lame attempts at conversation, my wife and I sat staring blindly at the menu. My nephew grabbed all the menus and said that he needed our attention. In his usual "take command" way, he pointed out that since he walked through our front door, we had complained about our work week, pointed out that our son had a bad cold, complained about the poor choice of restaurants, and asked him several questions about his life that included such fun topics as his divorce, his ex-wife, and his challenges at work. He then asked if he could expect the whole weekend to be such an uplifting experience.
My wife hesitated for a few seconds and then just busted out into laughter. My nephew was so right. We were wasting a great Friday night by complaining and lamenting our lives. Once he saw that he had support, my nephew continued to push and prod us into having a great time. We finally found our feet and ended up laughing and dancing until 2am. What a great time.
As I reflected on the weekend last night, it dawned on me what a great lesson we learned Friday night with my nephew. He was a great motivator for us. He reminded us to live in the moment and to only work the problems until you have done your best. At that point, let it go. I woke up this morning with a new found interest in making the most of the day. Not wanting to worry or lament. Just wanting to to have a good time doing what I do.
If you know of a motivator in your life, take the time to connect. It will do all the good in the world!

Remembering Not to Settle

You are out there every day of the week giving it your best. You are dedicated and motivated and you continue to strive for the everything you dream of. You make progress daily and continually gain ground. Then you get smacked in the face with a set back.
Challenges take many forms but no matter which form they take, they often have a similar toll on your spirit. They sap a little bit of energy. If you are a little worn out, they can sap massive amounts of energy. They can leave you drained and asking yourself if you have what it takes.
You are a seasoned professional though. You have proven that you are tough. So, you quietly tell yourself that you will not quit, but is that enough? Are you really telling yourself that you will keep trying, but not trying as hard?
Times like these is when you cant tell yourself that good is good enough. If your set back is a big one and far reaching, it will be easy to look at all you have accomplished in the past and call it good enough. "Hey, I'm not in President's Club, but I had a good year". To some, that may sound like a great, positive attitude. Only if it is at the end of a year where you gave it all you had and came up a little short. If you find yourself thinking that kind of thought after a set back, you need to check yourself.
As I have said before, "be happy with everything you have, but don't be happy with all the things you don't have." After a tough work situation hits you, it is more important than ever to re-focus on your goals. Do not settle for "good" when your real dream is greatness.

Hey! Whats With the Long Face?

Im going to keep it brief today folks. Brief but worth the time and worth the read.
This weekend I was visiting family and had the pleasure of engaging in a great conversation about business ethics with my sister-in-law and her main squeeze. As controlers and auditors, they are often faced with wrestling with business ethics issues. They are often put in the position of informing executives that somebody in the organization is on the take or is engaging in less than exemplary behaviour. Listening to their stories got me thinking about ethics issues in my own business. As I shared my own stories with them, I realized that I was getting really upset.
It dawned on me that violations of ethics really got under my skin. As I thought about the conversation later in the day, I was impressed with how much it really means to me to be ethical and to work with others that are ethical as well.
In many ways, these ethics issues are one of the main factors in problems with job satisfaction. When your values are different from your customers or co-workers, it creates problems of community and commonality. It can be one of the major factors in "burn-out".
When you cant live your values at work, you will become very unhappy, very quickly.
Take the time to review your ethics and value structure and locate areas at work that force you to violate or walk the line. If it is a relationship with a customer, take the time to redefine it. If you have problems with the business ethics of a co-worker, find a way to suggest a better way of doing things. Im not suggesting that you blow the whistle or make accusations. Just begin to lead by example and be willing to bring up ethics issues at group meetings.
When others realize that you hold a higher standard, they will most often try to live up to your expectations and make changes for the better.

This Isn't Going to Kill You

Facing up to a problem can be tough for anybody. As a matter of fact, facing up to any challenge in life can be tough. The old cliche' "comfort zone" is a well established and widely accepted truth of human behavior. Bottom line you? It is difficult for humans to try new behaviours. It is also difficult for many of us to face the daily challenges of our workplace. For sales professionals, facing those challenges may be the difference between the awards podium and the exit door.
Ok you get me. I hear you out there, "Jon, face the challenges? Thats the message for the day? Wow, earth shattering" The message for today is not simply face the challenges. Stick with me for a minute.
I have a good friend that enjoys adventure sports. It is a common interest for both of us. A couple of years in a row, we went to the Teton Range together and attempted to summit the Grand Teton. We were successful on the second attempt. During that climb he said something that has always stuck in my head. There was one particularly dangerous move on the climbing route. Because he was the more experienced climber, he went first. After the move I called over to him and ask how it was. He looked down at me and said, "You miss that one and your dead".
I will never forget the feeling of actually facing something that might REALLY KILL ME.
On our drive back home, I was thinking of the return to my workday and work life. There were several customers in my territory at that time that I found intimidating. It was really difficult for me to call on them. I was scared to sell to them for a variety of reasons. As I thought of the end of my trip, these customers came to my mind. At that point in dawned on me. I had faced something that might kill me, and those customers were not it.
It was a revelation for to my career. The experience of the Tetons left me more confident than ever. Calling on difficult customers was nothing compared to a 1500 foot fall from a cliff!
Thats the message today. Make those difficult calls. It wont kill you.

Are We Losing Touch?

When I was a kid, I played football. Down in Corpus Christi, Texas in the south side youth league. Now, when I say I "played" football, there were plenty of days when it was anything but that. It was flat out work. The coaches hustled us up and down the practice field and frankly ran our little 10 year old butts into the dirt. Youth football was serious business back then. You should have seen the stadiums. Big bleachers (always full), lighted score boards, live announcers, cheerleaders, the whole nine yards!
I want to focus on the score board today. Back then, we knew the score. Someone won and someone lost. Winners and losers. We earned bragging rights at school from the previous nights win. We experienced the thrill of winning as well as the heartbreak of losing. I remember the clock ticking down on the final game of my youth football career. That night we lost the opportunity of advancing to the play-offs. I remember standing on the field and watching the final seconds run off the clock and the score. Aggies 14, Eagles 21.
There has been a trend for many years now in youth sports to eliminate score keeping. No winners, no losers. Just contestants. Everybody gets congratulated for playing and pats on the back all around. Its nice enough. All kids get to feel good about playing the game, and they should. Sportsmanship is truly a valuable quality and should be taught at every level. Still, the concept of "no winner" really takes something away from the game.
How do kids set goals or aspire towards a higher accomplishment if there is no winner? What do they work for all week at practice? What do they dream about at night? Being a good sport? I think this creates more problems than it solves. In fact, I believe it has created a whole generation of kids that think everything they do is a big deal. They have been praised from an early age for simply stepping on the field. Nevermind their dedication to the game or preparation or hard work. If they tried, they got a trophy.
Look, sports at the youth level is not important because we need more professional athletes. I have said it a million times and I will say it again. The world does not need another linebacker. It needs strong men and women that can run our communities and contribute to a better society. So if we teach kids that the truly important thing is that they signed up to play, how will we prepare them for the rough times in life? They want praise and reward for doing everyday, simple tasks. "Hey, I woke up today. Hey, I took a bath today. Hey, I didn't lie today. Hey, I showed up for work today. Somebody give me a cookie". That is the chorus of many of today's young adults. They never had to learn the concept of working hard to WIN. Now they are behind the curve because they cant understand why nobody is impressed.
Let's not lose touch folks. There needs to be winners in this world. The truth is that not everybody is a winner. We teach our kids not to look down on others and that is truly the right thing to do. However, its OK for a kid to feel good about him or herself because they performed better than someone else. Its healthy to tell a kid that they are the fastest, strongest, smartest, or whatever applies to the situation. It helps them with perspective and motivation and the concept of reward. Let's not belittle our kids but lets set high expectations and help them along the way. Then reward them when they truly accomplish something big.
Gosh darn it. Let's bring back the scoreboards!

Antidote

We need a cure. You need a cure. I dont care who you are or what you do for a living. Maybe you are a student, maybe you are retired. Whoever you are, you need a cure. An antidote if you will. You may not have realized it in the past, but I am here to let you know.

All of us suffer from the ill effects of all of the negative press and input we get fed to us on a daily basis. We have all been exposed to this toxin for so long, that most us dont even notice it anymore. From childhood we have been progressively desensitized to the negative media. "The news" we have come to call it. That is really not accurate. It is not really the news, it is really just a collective of stories that will sell. So much more is happening in our world than what we see on the 6 o'clock "news"

You will notice that if the news is positive, it is mostly likely presented as a cute sidenote to the rest of the programs content. After the story runs, the anchor smiles and says goodnight. Hardly enough positive to counter all of the poison that we had shoved off on us for the prior 30 minutes.

This negative media had most of us conviced that the world is a terrible place. That the planet will likely self destruct anytime now. That the economy is crashing at a record pace and that we may never recover. Think about it. How often to walk away from the nightly news feeling better about your world?

This is why I say that we could all use an antidote. Whats more, is that you can choose this medication for yourself. In other words, whatever works (provided that it is not self destructive). My antidotes are action sports TV and magazines like "Success" and books that focus on self improvement. These things block the negative news feed and get me thinking about things that I find fun, challenging, or motivating.

Even when I was in a dead end job I would manage access to positive content literature. Sometimes I would go into my own employers waiting room and snag all of the magazines that had content on building your own business or strategies for building a better financial life. When I had down time, I would thumb the pages and get all sorts of encouraging information. This practice led me to investigate other careers and consider all of the possibilities that I had in front of me.

When your done with reading this blog, go out and find some positive content. It may be a book, movie or magazine. It may be a music CD or a physical activity. Make time to connect with something you enjoy on a regular basis. You will find that your mood will improve and that slowly you will begin to have a new found drive and zest for life. The world is a difficult place, no doubt. Still, it is a wonderful place as as well. Take your medicine daily and enjoy being cured.

Useless Rant Post. Short but not so sweet.

I have to get it off my chest. Our Volvo SUCKS.

Are We Content or Are We Getting Lazy?

More and more it is becoming apparent that it is within our ability to create our own reality. No, we can't turn the sky green or make the moon closer to the earth. That is not the kind of reality I am referring to. I am talking about the reality that exists withing our thoughts and perceptions.
That is to say that our daily lives are largely shaped by how we choose to interact with the outside world. That being said, I also strongly believe that we can attract the objects and situations that we desire if we focus on them, believe that it will happen, and take steps to make those desires a reality.
This is not as far fetched as you might think. I challenge each of you to focus on something that you want. It does not matter what. As a word of caution, I would echo what other's have said by saying, "Be careful what you ask for". Now begin acting as if you have it. Write a thank you letter for it. Begin to see yourself with what you want. Then begin taking steps to acquire what you want. You will be amazed at how fast things will begin to take shape. There are whole books, and seminar series on how to get good at attracting things to your life.
I wanted a Triumph Bonneville motorcycle for the longest time. I never thought that I would be able to afford one. I did not want to spend the money. I was always telling myself that those motorcycles where too nice for me or that it was a waste of money. I had this emotion that I should be happy with what I have and stop wanting more luxury items. "Stop being so greedy", I would tell myself. I soon learned that all of that type thinking was actually blocking the Triumph from becoming part of my reality. Once I began thinking that it was not greedy to want a motorcycle, I started seeing the possibilities. I sold some unwanted items, saved a little cash, searched for bikes on the internet and found a great deal right here in Austin, Texas! I have a Triumph Bonneville in my garage today!
What I want to focus on is the thought that we should be content. Contentment is a great emotion. It can allow us to be at peace with our life and go about our days in a humble and gentle state. However, often times, we mistake other emotions for contentment. If you have to tell yourself to be happy with what you have, then you are probably not truly happy with it. Saying that you are content in this situation may just be a strategy that your mind is using to prevent you from seeing the real issue. Your subconscious is probably reacting to some learned belief from your past. Like me and my motorcycle for example. I did not have a Triumph Bonneville for the longest time because my belief structure at the time dictated that I should not have one. Remember? It was a waste of money to me. It was too luxurious or too expensive. It takes so much work to clear out this type of thinking. That is why your mind buries it deep within itself. Try not to let your reality be dictated by this dirty old Jedi mind trick.
Train your mind to do the work. Contentment is often pure laziness masquerading as a more noble emotion.
Recognize old incorrect thought patterns and move them out. Be thankful and humble, be content with what you have, but never content with what you do not have.

The Heart of the Matter.

Like many of you, I spend an appreciable amount of time and money on resources intended to improve my work performance. If you are reading this blog, you are probably the type of person that takes your work seriously and you desire to improve the service you provide to your company and your customers. You also read books and listen to programs that train you to be a better sales person, customer service rep, business owner, etc. These programs may give great tips on how to care for customers or how to be a better teammate. These are valuable resources indeed. However, I find that many of us already know much of that information by our nature alone. Once you are at a certain professional level, you have established yourself as a "brand" of individual that "has what it takes" to succeed. That is not to say that we all might not have something to learn from the previously mentioned materials. It's just that the information often falls short of what today's high performers really need. Top professionals might consider spending more time on training of the heart.

I am not talking about physical fitness. I am talking about techniques that help a person control thoughts and emotions as well as perceptions and actions. Now, these are not sales strategies that might focus on manipulating a conversation or closing techniques. These are techniques that help in controlling the flow on emotion surrounding the work environment itself.

These techniques include removing negative thoughts surrounding a particular situation, removing incorrect perceptions about a customer, removing your personal reservations about performance, and believing in your ability and right to enjoy success (whatever that means to you).

Works to consider are Dr. Vitale's "The Key" or "Expect Miracles". Much of this work focuses on spiritual aspects of work and everyday life. However, it is packed with gems on how to cope with negativity and how to eliminate it's impact on your professional and personal life. I don't know a sales person in the world that would not be more productive if they approached every account with an open ended positive outlook.
Take time to work some of this type of your literature into your professional reading. It' pays huge dividends in the form of less stress, more enthusiasm, and better customer interactions.
Thanks again for tuning in and remember to "Take Back Mondays"

Lessons from The Greatest Generation

In my profession, I often have the opportunity to interact with some incredible people. I am in medical device sales and my position allows me direct patient contact. As you can imagine, I have met some very interesting individuals.
I met one such individual today. I was asked by a physician to check the function of one of my company's devices in a patient that had presented to a local emergency room.
I arrived at the hospital a little behind schedule and was in a hurry to determine the patient's location. The nurse pointed me in the direction of the ER but commented on how much I was going to enjoy meeting this particular patient. She said he was quite kind and had a great sense of humor. Lucky for me. I was hoping that he would have a good sense of humor about my being so tardy.
I greeted the patient and as promised, he was quite friendly indeed. He immediately thanked me for coming to see him. I set up to check his device out while asking him some brief questions about his medical history. He informed me that he usually got his care at the regional Veterans Administration Hospital. As a point, I always ask a veteran what branch of the service they were in and where they served. I also make it a point to thank them for their service.
The patient informed me that he was in the Navy from 1944-46. Wow! A World War Two veteran. It is so rare to get the opportunity to talk to soldiers of that era. I was already feeling lucky to have met the man when he started to tell me what he did in the Navy.
He was a flight engineer on a B-24. He also told me that flight engineers had to be a gunner also. He was a port side gunner to be exact. I was looking at his date of birth on his chart and realized he was 17 in 1944! He confirmed that and told me he had asked his parents to approve of his enlistment early. What a hero this guy is. I remember what I was doing when I was 17 and it wasn't asking my parents to let me join the Navy.
He told me several stories about learning to fire the 50 caliber guns and how he cant hear very good anymore because he never wore his ear plugs on his combat missions.
After I finished up the analysis of his device, I asked him to forgive me for being so late to the appointment. He smiled at me and said, "Son, don't worry about it. That's what I call majoring in minor things". As I drove away from the hospital, that just played over and over in my head. How much time to you think we spend majoring in minor things?
We would all do well to learn from this great American don't you think? While in the service, I am sure he saw some truly major things. Yet he was able to see that by comparison, much of what we worry about in day to day life is relatively minor.
Work this week to prioritize better and put the minor stuff in its proper place. When you find yourself worrying or getting worked up over a situation, ask yourself if it is truly a major event.
Just the act of asking yourself the question will often cool you off a little bit. That will help make any situation a little bit more minor anyway.
Thanks for tuning in and don't forget to Take Back Your Mondays!

Welcome to Take Back Mondays

This is a new blog intended to help you in your quest for true workplace/job satisfaction.
In addition, you can tune in here for helpful tips on how to get the most out of almost any worthy endeavour you may choose.
Thanks and tune in soon and often