There is so much “noise” going on right now in the world. The economy, job losses, a new “stimulus” package, tax cuts, retirement accounts moving in the wrong direction (including mine), housing troubles, etc… Wow! If we get caught up in all the “noise”, it would be very easy to become depressed and have a completely negative outlook on life as a whole. So what we must do is shrink our “universe” down to our biggest asset; which is ourselves! You are your biggest asset to make changes in your life, to help resolve issues you are going through, to find a job, to make money, to build a better relationship with a loved one, and the list can go on and on. Plus, you can’t control the stock market, the government, what happens to your home price, the price of oil, but you can and must control you. Too many people rely on others (where they work, their families, their church, the government) to support them, or to tell them what to do next. This type of thinking shrinks one’s own ability for “free or critical thinking”. If we allow others to think for us and make decisions for us we are not growing our biggest asset, we are actually shrinking that asset, and making it a liability. We can’t change the past, but we can influence the future by taking steps today towards a better life. What are you doing today to grow your biggest asset?
There are three uses of our time. We can invest our time, spend our time, or waste our time. When you invest your time you are growing your biggest asset. Focus on ways to invest your time. How? You can:
• Read a book
• Spend quality time with a loved one
• Find your true calling in life and begin the proper steps to find a new career or job
• Work on your resume
• Network to find other avenues of business
• Go to the gym and get a workout in
• Pick up the phone and make that call you have wanted to make
• Take some quiet time to gather your thoughts
• Take the first step in making a situation better
The list could go on and on, but by investing your time you are growing your biggest asset....YOU. Take time to do at least three things that will truly help you grow your biggest asset. Have you taken action? What progress have you seen? What seems to be working? What changes might need to be made? What have you learned by creating action in your life? Write down thoughts about your progress and/or your thoughts about where you are going. Take 15 minutes right now to begin.
If you haven’t created any to do lists or taken any action, I suggest one of two things at this point. Either get serious about getting serious and start doing something NOW, or forget about change and just be happy with where you are in your life. Sound harsh? Only you can change yourself, and if you haven’t started yet, either do so or stop kidding yourself.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Execution Is A Funny Thing
Execution is a funny thing. Most people know what to do, but actually doing it and taking action is a completely different game. In the execution phase an organization must focus on giving everyone necessary the proper training and development to be successful! Everyone must flawlessly execute their roles and responsibilities! The right skills and tools must be given to people inside the organization to execute the plan of attack!
There must be time given to learn the new skills and tools and everyone must not waiver and execution must be encouraged from day one! The organization must coach people along the way to help them get comfortable with all the skills, behaviors, tools, and changes. It works the same with individuals. Let’s look at driving a stick shift again. When learning how to really execute we go through different stages of learning. All of us have a comfort zone and we must work hard at expanding our comfort zone if we want to improve. Remember the first time you drove a stick shift? Let me take you back one step prior, remember when you sat in the passenger’s seat, before you knew how to drive a stick shift and watched somebody drive the stick shift that knew how? You probably said what I said at the time, “that looks easy”. At that point with driving a stick shift I was in what I call unconscious incompetent. In other words I did not know I was stupid. Not calling anyone stupid, just want to make the point. Now you get behind the wheel and the car dies, you restart the car 12 times, and someone is yelling, “push in the clutch”. Now I became conscious incompetent, or now I knew that I was, yes, stupid. But something happens after you practice over and over and over again. I finally reached the point to where I could drive the car, but I still had to think about it. This is the conscious competent stage. Good yet still must think about things as you go. You probably won’t admit it, but we would talk to ourselves and say things such as, “easy on the clutch” or “make sure to get in reverse not fourth gear”, or we would be stopped on a hill and someone was right behind us in our rearview mirror. We would say “&^%$” and then burn out the clutch to move forward. Now at some point you reach the stage where you are so good that you don’t even think about it anymore. You just start the car and off you go. This is the unconscious competent stage. It becomes second nature. This takes time and lots of practice to be able to execute on an unconscious level. As people go through these levels of learning we must encourage even the slightest of positive improvement or movement in the right direction!
First we must help people realize what they don’t know and help them create a learning gap, or they will think that they already know “how to do it”. If we shatter confidence when someone is in the conscious incompetent stage, it’s likely they will never expand their comfort zone. Remember when we talked about justification. People can justify why they never learned to drive a stick shift, or talk themselves into believing that an automatic is better. They do this when they feel discouraged when learning anything new. Justification is the mask when there is little confidence.
Once the execution phase is coming in for a landing and people are in the conscious competent stage mid-course adjustments must be made if needed. Getting everyone executing the fundamentals and principles of the plan of attack should be the number one focus. Results should be on the back burner with faith that executing on the right activities will provide the right results. Results are the end zone; executing on the right activities is each first down along the way.
There must be time given to learn the new skills and tools and everyone must not waiver and execution must be encouraged from day one! The organization must coach people along the way to help them get comfortable with all the skills, behaviors, tools, and changes. It works the same with individuals. Let’s look at driving a stick shift again. When learning how to really execute we go through different stages of learning. All of us have a comfort zone and we must work hard at expanding our comfort zone if we want to improve. Remember the first time you drove a stick shift? Let me take you back one step prior, remember when you sat in the passenger’s seat, before you knew how to drive a stick shift and watched somebody drive the stick shift that knew how? You probably said what I said at the time, “that looks easy”. At that point with driving a stick shift I was in what I call unconscious incompetent. In other words I did not know I was stupid. Not calling anyone stupid, just want to make the point. Now you get behind the wheel and the car dies, you restart the car 12 times, and someone is yelling, “push in the clutch”. Now I became conscious incompetent, or now I knew that I was, yes, stupid. But something happens after you practice over and over and over again. I finally reached the point to where I could drive the car, but I still had to think about it. This is the conscious competent stage. Good yet still must think about things as you go. You probably won’t admit it, but we would talk to ourselves and say things such as, “easy on the clutch” or “make sure to get in reverse not fourth gear”, or we would be stopped on a hill and someone was right behind us in our rearview mirror. We would say “&^%$” and then burn out the clutch to move forward. Now at some point you reach the stage where you are so good that you don’t even think about it anymore. You just start the car and off you go. This is the unconscious competent stage. It becomes second nature. This takes time and lots of practice to be able to execute on an unconscious level. As people go through these levels of learning we must encourage even the slightest of positive improvement or movement in the right direction!
First we must help people realize what they don’t know and help them create a learning gap, or they will think that they already know “how to do it”. If we shatter confidence when someone is in the conscious incompetent stage, it’s likely they will never expand their comfort zone. Remember when we talked about justification. People can justify why they never learned to drive a stick shift, or talk themselves into believing that an automatic is better. They do this when they feel discouraged when learning anything new. Justification is the mask when there is little confidence.
Once the execution phase is coming in for a landing and people are in the conscious competent stage mid-course adjustments must be made if needed. Getting everyone executing the fundamentals and principles of the plan of attack should be the number one focus. Results should be on the back burner with faith that executing on the right activities will provide the right results. Results are the end zone; executing on the right activities is each first down along the way.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Action Eliminates “Quiet Desperation”
Hopefully by now you have thought about and written down all the things you want to accomplish, both personally and professionally, and you are beginning to take action and move in the right direction. This is where we have to make it clear that we are not a “motivational speaking” company. The Chad Carden Group is a consulting organization that believes in getting results by execution and not by spending a lot of time discussing theory. Now to do that, we have to be realists. We tell you like we see it, and either you like it or you don’t. That being said we are not writing this to make you mad, but to make you think. Most people will never accomplish what they want to accomplish this year or next year or in their lifetime because they do not put their plan into action.
Having a vision, goals, and a plan on how to achieve these things is important and the first step, but without action it is 100% useless. We believe in writing down goals, visions, plans, and thinking positive, and at CCG we do all these things. But positive thinking alone won’t change anything. If you want to get in shape, just having a positive attitude for thirty days won’t do it. You have to have a great attitude along with taking action, such as going to the gym, eating healthy, exercising, and doing the things that you probably don’t want to always do. You could have the best workout plan, but without actually getting on the machine, lifting weights, doing pushups and sit ups, or running, the workout plan is 100% useless.
We all have heard or read that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. If you want things to be different you have to change what you do. Simple, period, that’s the way that it is. It reminds me of a story I once heard about a bear in a cage. The zoo put this bear in a cage that was ten feet long. They put the bear at one end, and put the food at the other end. Every day the bear would walk ten feet and eat, then go back over and lay down. Walk ten feet and eat, then go back over and lay down; he did this for ten years in the zoo. Everybody would watch him. They removed the cage one day, ten feet forward the bear would go over and eat, and then go back without bars….ten feet forward the bear would go over and eat, and then go back without bars. Now here is what’s scary, they moved the food fifteen feet away from the bear, and the bear went ten feet and stopped.
So many people in life get comfortable with what they have. They are ten feet forward and ten feet back. They get up and do the same things over and over and over again expecting different results. Then when the game of life is over, a lot of them look over their shoulder and say, “what happened?” Now the beautiful thing about living in a free society is that you don’t have to change or do anything differently. I believe that most people are living lives of what is called “quiet desperation.” Quiet desperation is where people have enough that it is not worth doing anything different, but they always ask the question: “Isn’t there more to life than this?”
So if you are sick and tired of being sick and tired with some area or areas in your life, change your actions, which in-turn, will change your results. What can you do today that will help you accomplish whatever it is you want to accomplish this year? Maybe you need to change careers, maybe you need to save some money, and maybe you need to move a relationship forward (or get out of one). Whatever it is, we suggest you do it and you do it today. Like the Nike slogan: “Just Do It”.
Having a vision, goals, and a plan on how to achieve these things is important and the first step, but without action it is 100% useless. We believe in writing down goals, visions, plans, and thinking positive, and at CCG we do all these things. But positive thinking alone won’t change anything. If you want to get in shape, just having a positive attitude for thirty days won’t do it. You have to have a great attitude along with taking action, such as going to the gym, eating healthy, exercising, and doing the things that you probably don’t want to always do. You could have the best workout plan, but without actually getting on the machine, lifting weights, doing pushups and sit ups, or running, the workout plan is 100% useless.
We all have heard or read that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. If you want things to be different you have to change what you do. Simple, period, that’s the way that it is. It reminds me of a story I once heard about a bear in a cage. The zoo put this bear in a cage that was ten feet long. They put the bear at one end, and put the food at the other end. Every day the bear would walk ten feet and eat, then go back over and lay down. Walk ten feet and eat, then go back over and lay down; he did this for ten years in the zoo. Everybody would watch him. They removed the cage one day, ten feet forward the bear would go over and eat, and then go back without bars….ten feet forward the bear would go over and eat, and then go back without bars. Now here is what’s scary, they moved the food fifteen feet away from the bear, and the bear went ten feet and stopped.
So many people in life get comfortable with what they have. They are ten feet forward and ten feet back. They get up and do the same things over and over and over again expecting different results. Then when the game of life is over, a lot of them look over their shoulder and say, “what happened?” Now the beautiful thing about living in a free society is that you don’t have to change or do anything differently. I believe that most people are living lives of what is called “quiet desperation.” Quiet desperation is where people have enough that it is not worth doing anything different, but they always ask the question: “Isn’t there more to life than this?”
So if you are sick and tired of being sick and tired with some area or areas in your life, change your actions, which in-turn, will change your results. What can you do today that will help you accomplish whatever it is you want to accomplish this year? Maybe you need to change careers, maybe you need to save some money, and maybe you need to move a relationship forward (or get out of one). Whatever it is, we suggest you do it and you do it today. Like the Nike slogan: “Just Do It”.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Build Skills And Abilities
How do we build confidence? By building and developing our skills and abilities. Most of the time we get “skill” and “will” confused. Too many times we fall into the “will” trap when it’s truly a “skill” issue and take the wrong approach with discipline instead of persistence in helping build the skill. Most people will make excuses or display avoidance behavior when they don’t have the confidence in their ability. Rarely does one display a “will” issue when they have confidence in their skills. If you know how to drive a stick shift you are more willing to drive one. If you don’t have confidence in driving a stick shift you might make “excuses” or come up with reasons why you can’t drive a stick shift. Same holds true with giving a presentation, or a sales call. If you’re confident in your abilities you will be the first to step up and say I can and will do it, but if you’re not confident excuses begin to creep in and others might look at it as an attitude problem or a “will” issue. Most people will make up excuses, not because they have a bad attitude, but because they don’t feel confident with their ability or their comfort level is low. That is why persistence while executing is crucial to positive movement, along with giving lots of encouragement along the way.
I was watching a football game the other day and was amazed by how intense it got when the game was close at the 2 minute warning. It seems as if the offense, which couldn’t move the ball all game, suddenly had a new game plan and was moving the ball at will against a defense that had stopped them up until that point in the game. However, if the game hadn’t been that close, the team’s intensity may have gone down and the players could have begun to “give up” and get ready for next week’s game. Sometimes that is how we are as human beings. If we have had a great year, and things are continuing to progress in a positive way, then our intensity goes up at the end of the year. If our year has just been the same year over and over, then we are saying, “I can’t wait until next year, things are going to be different, I am going to start over……” Get my drift?
I am going to challenge everyone reading this to persist through obstacles and those “curve balls” that life throws you, no matter what you are going through, persist! Don’t “write off” this year, this month, or this day. Don’t wait until next year, next month, or tomorrow to make changes, do it now. Make forward progress now and think about how much further you will be when next year, next month, or tomorrow is here. You’ll never know what progress you can make unless you take action. Here is one of my favorite quotes: “Actions may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action”. Benjamin Disraeli (Former British Prime Minister).
If things are going great, do something positive to keep your momentum. If you would rather forget the recent past, do something positive now, that will move you in the right direction. Once again, we cannot change the past, we can only influence and impact the future.
I was watching a football game the other day and was amazed by how intense it got when the game was close at the 2 minute warning. It seems as if the offense, which couldn’t move the ball all game, suddenly had a new game plan and was moving the ball at will against a defense that had stopped them up until that point in the game. However, if the game hadn’t been that close, the team’s intensity may have gone down and the players could have begun to “give up” and get ready for next week’s game. Sometimes that is how we are as human beings. If we have had a great year, and things are continuing to progress in a positive way, then our intensity goes up at the end of the year. If our year has just been the same year over and over, then we are saying, “I can’t wait until next year, things are going to be different, I am going to start over……” Get my drift?
I am going to challenge everyone reading this to persist through obstacles and those “curve balls” that life throws you, no matter what you are going through, persist! Don’t “write off” this year, this month, or this day. Don’t wait until next year, next month, or tomorrow to make changes, do it now. Make forward progress now and think about how much further you will be when next year, next month, or tomorrow is here. You’ll never know what progress you can make unless you take action. Here is one of my favorite quotes: “Actions may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action”. Benjamin Disraeli (Former British Prime Minister).
If things are going great, do something positive to keep your momentum. If you would rather forget the recent past, do something positive now, that will move you in the right direction. Once again, we cannot change the past, we can only influence and impact the future.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Thinking Big
I have to believe that all of us sometimes don’t think big enough. I think big, and that has allowed me things in life that others may not have the chance to experience, yet I was very humbled after I read a story about Steve Wynn. Steve Wynn built the first “Mega” Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada (The Mirage, which is now owned by MGM). When Steve built it he had a construction loan, and his goal was to pay off the loan in seven years. When he went to his accountants and all of his financial team, he asked them what it was going to take to pay off the loan in his seven year timeframe. After they did the math they told him that he would have to profit $1 million dollars a day, 365 days a year, for the next seven years. If that happened he would be free of his loan in seven years. $1 million dollars a day profit, after he paid all his staff, and all his bills he would need to have $1 million dollars left each day, every day for the next seven years. Wow! To me that seemed impossible, but to Steve it wasn’t. Steve set his vision, to pay the loan off in seven years, and then he shared his vision with everyone on his team. They put a game plan together (preparation), and began to execute. What happened after they began to execute their plan? Well, Mr. Wynn didn’t pay off his loan in seven years; he did it in 18 MONTHS!!!! A year and a half is all it took for him to pay it off, which means he probably profited $4, 5, 6, 7, 8 million dollars a day, every day!! The best part about it is that after 18 months, all that profit went back into the company’s pocket and he could do what he wanted with it; he could invest it back into the business, save it, or spend it! Now I am not saying that all of us are going to profit $1 million dollars a day, but I would say that this story is a great reminder for all of us to think bigger than what we do; also that taking time to prepare a great game plan is the first step to executing. As Steve said, “Doubts don’t build empires…..Imagination does.” So let your imagination run as you set your vision and goals. Stretch you mind, spirit, and body and you just might be amazed at the results. Sarah, who is my wife and best friend, and I have been blessed at a very early age in life, but we make it our mission to “stretch” our thinking, and we encourage you to do the same!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Happiness Helps Us Persist
Happiness is a choice, and when we are focused and happy it’s easier (not easy) to persist through obstacles. We must choose everyday to be happy, while at the same time know what our definition of success looks like and strive daily to move towards that definition. You need to get out of your rut, which is just a grave without the dirt kicked in. My question again is, are you truly happy? I believe that it isn’t necessary to have reached your definition of success to be happy, but you must be moving in the right direction. If the answer is yes, pat yourself on the back. If your answer is no, then start now and begin to move in the right direction of success for you. If you haven’t yet, start by defining what success is for you, it must be yours, and then take the first step. Remember; don’t try to reach success tomorrow. Persist through the obstacles, and be patient as you move towards success whether you move a mile or an inch, the key is to move in the right direction. If you’re doing that, you will eventually get there.
Living in the present also creates happiness and persistence requires us to live in the moment and have a short memory when it comes to our missteps. Quit living in the past, it’s over, stop worrying about the future (it may never come) and just live in the moment. Michael St. Lawrence once said to me, “where you are is where you should be." If we can all live by that statement, life becomes a hell of a lot easier. Rick Leffke once said, “The goal when it’s all said and done, is to look back and say, that was a hell of a great ride!” To do that you must enjoy every minute. Stop to appreciate all the great things you have in your life and stop worrying about what’s not right. Also, forget about what you can’t control. Focus on what you can do to make your situation or life better. St. Lawrence is a deep philosopher and he said that one can argue that nothing else is happening in the world than where you are, and that’s why where you are is where you should be. Enjoy every moment. Enjoy where you are. Live in that moment. Carpe Diem, seize the day. There is no better time to start than now. When you do this, persisting through any challenges you encounter becomes easier.
Living in the present also creates happiness and persistence requires us to live in the moment and have a short memory when it comes to our missteps. Quit living in the past, it’s over, stop worrying about the future (it may never come) and just live in the moment. Michael St. Lawrence once said to me, “where you are is where you should be." If we can all live by that statement, life becomes a hell of a lot easier. Rick Leffke once said, “The goal when it’s all said and done, is to look back and say, that was a hell of a great ride!” To do that you must enjoy every minute. Stop to appreciate all the great things you have in your life and stop worrying about what’s not right. Also, forget about what you can’t control. Focus on what you can do to make your situation or life better. St. Lawrence is a deep philosopher and he said that one can argue that nothing else is happening in the world than where you are, and that’s why where you are is where you should be. Enjoy every moment. Enjoy where you are. Live in that moment. Carpe Diem, seize the day. There is no better time to start than now. When you do this, persisting through any challenges you encounter becomes easier.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Productivity Is An Interesting Topic
Productivity (execution) in the workplace is a measurement that most companies look at and measure. Large companies have so many challenges with productivity that they probably waste an average of 10,000 hours a day, 50,000 hours a week and 200,000 hours a month! To make that relevant, if we work 40 hours a week, for 50 weeks a year for 45 years that’s 90,000 hours we would spend working. In two weeks large companies’ waste more hours than we work our entire life and that’s from a conservative view. Now, I must point out that these numbers are not scientific, and I have zero foundation to publish these numbers, but after working with very large organizations for over ten years, I have reached these very non-scientific numbers.
As I work projects with large companies I’m always amazed at how these large organizations make money. Now I understand that lost productivity is always built into the overall business plan, but what I see is absolutely absurd. Way too much time is wasted every day. What could we do with that time? Continue to waste it, spend it or invest it. You could cut the workforce by 25% and still get 50 % more productivity!
What we need to do is evaluate, who is doing what, and is what they are doing productive or just busy? We have a lot a people working in that “rocking chair”. Remember, a rocking chair has a lot of movement but never moves forward. Are we productive or just busy? Most people split time between the two, and to be productive 100% of the time is not realistic. That being said we must evaluate what jobs are truly productive and what jobs spend most of their time being busy. Most people should be doing at least 75% of productive or profitable action, and if not, we should think about eliminating the position, or finding a role for them that is more suitable for them and the organization. Wasting our time is what we do best. We could continue to waste time and most companies would continue to move in whatever direction they are moving in. Some will continue to grow, some will stumble, and others will go under. But what if we concentrated on spending or investing our time a little more wisely? Just say 10% wiser; I’m not even looking for a huge leap here. What could 10% more productivity mean to a large organization? To a small business? To an individual? Let’s take a look at a large organization. If they waste 50,000 hours a week, what if they could buy back 5,000 hours of time per week, 20,000 hours of time per month? That might be worth looking into don’t you think? What about a small business? What if a small business could buy back 40 hours a month (10 employees 4 hours a month more productivity)? That’s 480 hours a year. Not bad. What about an individual? What if we could be more productive by 15 minutes each workday to move our career in the right direction, or 15 minutes a day building our abilities, or 15 minutes a day spending more quality time with our family? To be conservative let’s say we only do this 4 days a week, leaving 3 days to do our same routine. That’s 60 minutes a week, 4 hours a month, 48 hours a year. Over ten years that’s 480 hours of being more productive. In ten years could you build a business? Grow your career? Grow your family? Build your marketability? Hopefully all of us will see ten years, so here is the question. If we do or if we don’t become more productive, what’s the cost? Ten years will come and go, so what are we going to do with our time, waste it, spend it, or invest it?
If I told you every day you wake up you would have $1440 in your bank account, you couldn’t save it, and whatever you didn’t spend you would lose, what would you do with it? That is how many minutes each day we have? How are you going to spend and invest your time?
As I work projects with large companies I’m always amazed at how these large organizations make money. Now I understand that lost productivity is always built into the overall business plan, but what I see is absolutely absurd. Way too much time is wasted every day. What could we do with that time? Continue to waste it, spend it or invest it. You could cut the workforce by 25% and still get 50 % more productivity!
What we need to do is evaluate, who is doing what, and is what they are doing productive or just busy? We have a lot a people working in that “rocking chair”. Remember, a rocking chair has a lot of movement but never moves forward. Are we productive or just busy? Most people split time between the two, and to be productive 100% of the time is not realistic. That being said we must evaluate what jobs are truly productive and what jobs spend most of their time being busy. Most people should be doing at least 75% of productive or profitable action, and if not, we should think about eliminating the position, or finding a role for them that is more suitable for them and the organization. Wasting our time is what we do best. We could continue to waste time and most companies would continue to move in whatever direction they are moving in. Some will continue to grow, some will stumble, and others will go under. But what if we concentrated on spending or investing our time a little more wisely? Just say 10% wiser; I’m not even looking for a huge leap here. What could 10% more productivity mean to a large organization? To a small business? To an individual? Let’s take a look at a large organization. If they waste 50,000 hours a week, what if they could buy back 5,000 hours of time per week, 20,000 hours of time per month? That might be worth looking into don’t you think? What about a small business? What if a small business could buy back 40 hours a month (10 employees 4 hours a month more productivity)? That’s 480 hours a year. Not bad. What about an individual? What if we could be more productive by 15 minutes each workday to move our career in the right direction, or 15 minutes a day building our abilities, or 15 minutes a day spending more quality time with our family? To be conservative let’s say we only do this 4 days a week, leaving 3 days to do our same routine. That’s 60 minutes a week, 4 hours a month, 48 hours a year. Over ten years that’s 480 hours of being more productive. In ten years could you build a business? Grow your career? Grow your family? Build your marketability? Hopefully all of us will see ten years, so here is the question. If we do or if we don’t become more productive, what’s the cost? Ten years will come and go, so what are we going to do with our time, waste it, spend it, or invest it?
If I told you every day you wake up you would have $1440 in your bank account, you couldn’t save it, and whatever you didn’t spend you would lose, what would you do with it? That is how many minutes each day we have? How are you going to spend and invest your time?
Monday, October 3, 2011
WHAT ARE YOU TRAINING YOUR CUSTOMERS/CLIENTS TO SAY?
My argument is that we condition or train our customers to say NO. For example, the retail world has trained us to say no. What do you typically say when you walk into a store and a clerk says “Can I help you?” Most people will say, “No I’m just -----?” That’s right, “looking.” When we call into a service or sales center and someone says, “While I help you with that, I want to look at your account and check to see what other services are available in your area”, what do you immediately think? Most will throw up their guard and say “they’re going to try to sell me something.” We must change our mindset to figure out what we are truly trying to accomplish when approaching our customer. Our transitions can be the “tipping point” in our conversations with our customers. It’s not what we say, but more importantly how we say it; our transition must be “inviting to our customers”, we must make it easy for our customers to walk down the path of a sales conversation that allow our customers to “buy” and not have a feeling of “I’m being sold”. There is a difference between buying something and being sold something. For example, if I went down to a car dealership and was talked into buying a car, signed the paperwork and drove off the lot, my mindset would be one of “oh boy was I sold on that one”. Now same car dealership but this time they actually take the time to find out about me, what I’m looking for in a car, and help me find the right car for me. At this point I would sign the paperwork, drive off the lot, and my mindset would be different. This time it would be more of a “look what I just bought” mentality, and there’s a big difference. People love to buy, but hate being sold.
We must work hard to create a buying environment for our customers. How do we do that? First thing is we must stop being predictable. When our customers know our next move we are in a losing battle. We must keep our customers thinking about benefits to them when buying from us. Not, “Oh now here comes the part when they are going to try and sell me something” attitude. Start asking your customers questions that truly make them think. Consciously be aware of every question you ask and always have a purpose for the question you are asking or don’t ask it. Too many times we ask questions because we think that’s the right thing to do. Consciously think to yourself, “What information do I need to gather to provide my customer with the best possible solution for them?” Then ask the right questions that will get you the information you need to help them. Helping your customer is selling to your customer. A lot of times I hear, “I want to give them the best customer service possible, but don’t want to sell!” I can argue that if you don’t sell them what they need/want you are not providing great customer service. Also, when asking questions your tone of voice needs to be a curious tone. Gathering information must be a conversation, not an interrogation. This is the key when creating a buying environment. When customers and prospects feel that you are only asking questions to benefit yourself they will immediately shut down or be very guarded with their answers. They will only open up if they know you are truly interested in them. Quit training your customers to say no and start inviting them to say YES.
We must work hard to create a buying environment for our customers. How do we do that? First thing is we must stop being predictable. When our customers know our next move we are in a losing battle. We must keep our customers thinking about benefits to them when buying from us. Not, “Oh now here comes the part when they are going to try and sell me something” attitude. Start asking your customers questions that truly make them think. Consciously be aware of every question you ask and always have a purpose for the question you are asking or don’t ask it. Too many times we ask questions because we think that’s the right thing to do. Consciously think to yourself, “What information do I need to gather to provide my customer with the best possible solution for them?” Then ask the right questions that will get you the information you need to help them. Helping your customer is selling to your customer. A lot of times I hear, “I want to give them the best customer service possible, but don’t want to sell!” I can argue that if you don’t sell them what they need/want you are not providing great customer service. Also, when asking questions your tone of voice needs to be a curious tone. Gathering information must be a conversation, not an interrogation. This is the key when creating a buying environment. When customers and prospects feel that you are only asking questions to benefit yourself they will immediately shut down or be very guarded with their answers. They will only open up if they know you are truly interested in them. Quit training your customers to say no and start inviting them to say YES.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Create The Right Career Habits Now
Getting ahead in your career can be easier if you make the choice to build the right behaviors, attitudes and habits now. Below are five key areas to keep in mind when creating the right career habits.
1. Be part of the solution not the problem: After working with dozens of companies, most being fortune 500, I have found that most individuals spend way too much energy and time on everything that is “wrong” with their company or their department, or their supervisor instead of what is “right”. Focusing on the solution not the problem is a very simple concept, but most people do not put it into practice. Every time I am working with a client and their employees, I bet them that if we spend just one day together and visit the lunchroom, the break room, or any other location that people congregate while at work, we will hear more negative things said about the company, a department or a supervisor than we would positive things. I state that every time we hear something negative they have to give me $100 and every time we hear something positive I will give them $100, and amazingly no one has ever taking me up on my bet, Why? Because most people are focused on everything that is wrong versus right. To differentiate yourself for your career, focus on things that are right, not wrong, and if there is something that is wrong, focus your time and energy on ways to solve the problem. Never bring up something that is wrong with your organization, or your employer without having a few options or suggestions on ways to improve the situation. This one habit alone can help you catapult your career or business forward.
2. Don’t suck up: Is attitude contagious? Do you know anyone that when they enter a room the room brightens up a little bit? How about the opposite, do you know anyone that when they leave the room the room brightens up a little bit? Attitude is definitely contagious, and you want to be the person that brightens the room when you enter, not when you exit, but you must be sincere when doing so. Enthusiasm is not always about being a “cheerleader”, it is more about caring and being sincere in everything you do. I’m not saying don’t be helpful, flexible, and willing to take on tasks that will help your supervisor or department, because those things are important. Just make sure you are doing things for the right reasons, and not just to “get ahead” quickly. Most people can read through anyone that is fake and has self-serving motives.
3. Expect criticism: Anyone trying to advance in life, business, or their career should expect others to criticize them. As you grow in your career or life you will find more and more people that will begin to give their “opinion” of you. Think about this for a moment. The person in the highest held office in this country, The President of the United States, is always facing others criticizing him. celebrities, CEO’s, sport stars, leaders inside organizations; all of these people get enormous criticism daily. Why? Because as humans it is easier to find fault in others than in ourselves. Remember tip #1, most people will look to the negative; before the positive, and the more success you experience the more exposed you are to others, leading to criticism. Criticism is part of success and should be expected. Trying to avoid criticism or think that you will be immune is unrealistic and will only lead to disappointment. As a matter of fact, being criticized should be looked to as a positive thing, it means you are making things happen and growing in your career.
4. Talk less, listen more, and help others discover "their undiscovered greatness within": Remember, every person you meet has the potential to be even better. Open ended questions with a desire to learn are crucial to growing your career. One of the absolute best chapters ever written on this is in Stephen Covey's "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" and it is the section titled, Listen to Understand, Not to Respond. Be curious, be interested to learn. Remember that asking open ended questions with a sincere desire to learn can and will build trust and rapport. Help the people you are around to look beyond their problems and get inspired with the incredible miracle that lies right in front of them. Always try to leave people with positive thoughts and encouragement. Remind them of their potential. This kind of encouragement has amazing power and when you start using it every day, I am convinced that you start pulling greatness out of yourself and open yourself up to some of life's greatest treasures. One of the true gifts that life has to offer is the amazing feeling we get when we look another human being in the eyes and make them aware of the amazing potential that lies within them! This will make you unique, but you must be sincere at all times!
5. Continue to work on your communication skills: Communication is what keeps things moving forward. Many great leaders say, if one can master communication they can write their own ticket inside the organization. The better you are at communicating, the more value you are capable of generating on a daily basis. Start a "communication reminder journal" and write your insights into it about do's and don'ts around communication. Read those insights daily and weekly. Improve your communication skills by studying communication for at least 15 minutes per day. Master the art of communication now and many doors will open for you in the future. Grow your network of people by communicating to others the value you bring to any organization. Once again be sincere, not just self-serving. Understand and communicate that if you can help the organization you know they will help you. Challenge yourself to build your communication skills daily. Schedule 15 minutes into your day where you put yourself into a situation that will help practice your communications skills. If you do this every day all that practice will really start to pay off. Remember,the more you listen to others,the better you'll get at helping them to improve.
Use these five tips and begin to start building the right behaviors, skills, attitudes, and habits today! Good Luck!
1. Be part of the solution not the problem: After working with dozens of companies, most being fortune 500, I have found that most individuals spend way too much energy and time on everything that is “wrong” with their company or their department, or their supervisor instead of what is “right”. Focusing on the solution not the problem is a very simple concept, but most people do not put it into practice. Every time I am working with a client and their employees, I bet them that if we spend just one day together and visit the lunchroom, the break room, or any other location that people congregate while at work, we will hear more negative things said about the company, a department or a supervisor than we would positive things. I state that every time we hear something negative they have to give me $100 and every time we hear something positive I will give them $100, and amazingly no one has ever taking me up on my bet, Why? Because most people are focused on everything that is wrong versus right. To differentiate yourself for your career, focus on things that are right, not wrong, and if there is something that is wrong, focus your time and energy on ways to solve the problem. Never bring up something that is wrong with your organization, or your employer without having a few options or suggestions on ways to improve the situation. This one habit alone can help you catapult your career or business forward.
2. Don’t suck up: Is attitude contagious? Do you know anyone that when they enter a room the room brightens up a little bit? How about the opposite, do you know anyone that when they leave the room the room brightens up a little bit? Attitude is definitely contagious, and you want to be the person that brightens the room when you enter, not when you exit, but you must be sincere when doing so. Enthusiasm is not always about being a “cheerleader”, it is more about caring and being sincere in everything you do. I’m not saying don’t be helpful, flexible, and willing to take on tasks that will help your supervisor or department, because those things are important. Just make sure you are doing things for the right reasons, and not just to “get ahead” quickly. Most people can read through anyone that is fake and has self-serving motives.
3. Expect criticism: Anyone trying to advance in life, business, or their career should expect others to criticize them. As you grow in your career or life you will find more and more people that will begin to give their “opinion” of you. Think about this for a moment. The person in the highest held office in this country, The President of the United States, is always facing others criticizing him. celebrities, CEO’s, sport stars, leaders inside organizations; all of these people get enormous criticism daily. Why? Because as humans it is easier to find fault in others than in ourselves. Remember tip #1, most people will look to the negative; before the positive, and the more success you experience the more exposed you are to others, leading to criticism. Criticism is part of success and should be expected. Trying to avoid criticism or think that you will be immune is unrealistic and will only lead to disappointment. As a matter of fact, being criticized should be looked to as a positive thing, it means you are making things happen and growing in your career.
4. Talk less, listen more, and help others discover "their undiscovered greatness within": Remember, every person you meet has the potential to be even better. Open ended questions with a desire to learn are crucial to growing your career. One of the absolute best chapters ever written on this is in Stephen Covey's "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" and it is the section titled, Listen to Understand, Not to Respond. Be curious, be interested to learn. Remember that asking open ended questions with a sincere desire to learn can and will build trust and rapport. Help the people you are around to look beyond their problems and get inspired with the incredible miracle that lies right in front of them. Always try to leave people with positive thoughts and encouragement. Remind them of their potential. This kind of encouragement has amazing power and when you start using it every day, I am convinced that you start pulling greatness out of yourself and open yourself up to some of life's greatest treasures. One of the true gifts that life has to offer is the amazing feeling we get when we look another human being in the eyes and make them aware of the amazing potential that lies within them! This will make you unique, but you must be sincere at all times!
5. Continue to work on your communication skills: Communication is what keeps things moving forward. Many great leaders say, if one can master communication they can write their own ticket inside the organization. The better you are at communicating, the more value you are capable of generating on a daily basis. Start a "communication reminder journal" and write your insights into it about do's and don'ts around communication. Read those insights daily and weekly. Improve your communication skills by studying communication for at least 15 minutes per day. Master the art of communication now and many doors will open for you in the future. Grow your network of people by communicating to others the value you bring to any organization. Once again be sincere, not just self-serving. Understand and communicate that if you can help the organization you know they will help you. Challenge yourself to build your communication skills daily. Schedule 15 minutes into your day where you put yourself into a situation that will help practice your communications skills. If you do this every day all that practice will really start to pay off. Remember,the more you listen to others,the better you'll get at helping them to improve.
Use these five tips and begin to start building the right behaviors, skills, attitudes, and habits today! Good Luck!
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Taking Control Of Your Life
How do we take control? There are a lot of different ways. We can watch where our $$ is going; make sure we love what we are doing; take care of our family by loving them; be thankful for all the great things in our lives and don’t get frustrated by short term obstacles. A good friend of mine in New Orleans always says, “Tough times don’t last, tough people do!” We all go through our own “roller coasters” in life, and yes what is happening with our economy does have an impact on each of us. That being said, we must remain focused on what we can control. Can you spend less today? Can you save a little more money? Can you tell someone you care about that you love them and how much they mean to you? Can you read something that will enhance your mind? Can you do something today that will make your situation better? Remember, today is the only day you have. Yesterday is gone, and tomorrow is not here yet. Make the most of today by focusing on what is right, not what is wrong.
I was on a flight from Chicago to Newark and had a very interesting experience. I am amazed these days how much tension there is in the general public. People are worried about their jobs, money, what to get the family for the holidays, what our economy is going to do in 2011, etc. Most people are taking it out on everyone around them. The flight was like most flights these days, a full flight. I was one of the first people on the plane and had a ringside seat to the show. With about 10 minutes left before departure, the overhead bins were full and customers had to start taking their bags off the plane and check them to their final destination where they could pick them up at baggage claim. The flight attendant and the gate agent began to fight about customers having coats in the overhead space. The gate agent began to throw customer’s coats from the overhead space onto the center aisle of the plane, not even asking which coat belonged to which customer. It was such a bad customer experience that the customers began to argue. Next thing I knew, there were 10-15 people screaming at each other with no solution in sight. About that time a flight attendant from the back of the plane made her way forward not saying a word, just picking up coats and finding out which coat belonged to which customer. In about 5 minutes she had the situation under control and had managed to calm down everyone that was involved in the screaming match just minutes earlier. I realized that the only thing she did different was to be helpful and look for solutions instead of being part of the problem, and she took action. She took positive action that moved the situation in a positive direction. She took control of the situation in her life.
Too many times we don’t look for solutions because it is much easier to be part of the problem these days, and we can always seem to justify our actions. Next time you are in a challenging situation, make it a point to find solutions, be helpful and take positive action. Put things into positive execution and you will be amazed how much more progress you can make just by being helpful. Take control of your life, make the necessary changes, focus on what is right and you will be surprised at the results.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
RECOMMIT TO YOUR VISION OF SUCCESS
Summer is almost over, you are back from vacation, the kids are going back to school, but you are having a hard time in your journey of life. Maybe you have lost some of the excitement that you had so much of before the summer began! Maybe you are frustrated with where you are in your business, your job, your relationship or your financial situation. Maybe you are tempted to start looking for something new even though you know that what you are doing is right for you and your family. Stop, look into the mirror, and remember the “4 phases of attitude” we as humans go through in different times of our life. The first phase is the excitement phase, the second phase is the frustration phase, the third phase is the looking phase and the fourth phase is the recommitment phase. If you have already defined what success means to you! If you have already set the proper goals to get there! If you already have the right road map or blue print! If you are already executing or taking the proper action! Relax, smile, you know what you need to do to get out of your funk and get on down the road!
You must recommit to what you are driven to do. Once again we all get frustrated, but when we recommit it’s easy to get excited again and this time it’s a real or true commitment, helping us stay excited about what we are doing.
Three things we must do to recommit:
1. Set goals
2. Get around the right people
3. Keep in mind our long-term vision
If we can recommit to our career, a relationship, a new start, our business, our job and get excited again by setting goals, thinking about our long-term vision and where we truly want to end up to reach our success, it is amazing what we can accomplish.
We at The Chad Carden Group have recommitted to our goals and dreams. We have the right road map and blue print and we are executing and taking the proper actions. We challenge you to join us. If we can help you on your journey please let us know.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Don’t Let The Fear of Failure (FOF) Stop You From Reaching Your Definition Of Success
In today’s world fear of failure (FOF) can stop you from achieving success. Most of you know that I believe in order for you to be successful you must first define what success means to you. Once you know what success means to you don’t let FOF slow you down. All of us like to succeed at whatever we do. The problem comes when FOF becomes dominant in our lives. It is important to accept that we all are going to make mistakes and that trial and error is the best way to find creative solutions that will keep us moving in the right direction.
Everyone who has become successful (whatever success means to them) has experienced failure. It is safe to say that the most successful people in the world have probably had the most failures. It took Thomas Edison 18 months of consistent failures going through over 1,000 combinations of gas and filament before he found a light bulb that would last and produce light. It took the Wright Brothers over 4 years of failures before their first successful motor powered flight. Most of us do not consider Edison or the Wright Brothers as failures.
Could it be that you are holding yourself back because of FOF? Are the prospects of another round of criticism from family, friends or co-workers preventing you from taking the risks that might help you improve? Hopefully you are more like Edison and the Wright Brothers, holding the vision of a workable outcome, doing the work required and finding that persistence is a big part of the process. Realize that you are going to fail at times, but learn from your failures. When you fail, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get on down the road toward your definition success.
We believe in you and know that you will succeed. If we can help you, as you travel towards your definition of success, please let us know!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
The Rocking Chair Syndrome
“Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.”
Don Marquis. (1878-1937, American Humorist, Journalist)
With anything we do in life, action is required to move forward. We can have the best plan in the world, set realistic goals, and put everything in a journal, but without action, all of it is useless. I believe a lot of people get caught up in the “rocking chair” syndrome. That is where they are busy, but not doing the things that move them forward. A rocking chair moves, but never forward.
Here is the challenge. Ask yourself, “What action can I take that will move me forward? Even if you only move an inch, that is better than standing still. Also ask yourself, “What action do I need to get rid of, so I can move forward?” Get out of your “rocking chair” syndrome and start moving in the right direction of your dreams and goals.
As you take action consciously keep in mind the enemy, procrastination. Have you ever procrastinated? I know that I have. Do you have an idea for a business? Do you want to do something for your sweetheart, your family, yourself? I think everyone has an idea that can make their life or the life of others better either spiritually, physically, financially, mentally, or emotionally, and now the key is to take action!
Sarah and I are in the middle of making a lot of decisions both personally and professionally, and the key is action. My parents once told me that when you have an idea, “do something” to make it come true. You might do something wrong, you might have to start over, but action creates progress. Either you gain momentum from your actions or you learn from them on what to do and what not to do. Momentum is the key to watching an idea come to fruition. I am learning along the way, but every day I am gaining momentum which creates excitement, and more importantly, results. If you want to start a business, go back to school, or make a relationship stronger, I say start now. Some might say, “But it will take “years” before I see results. My answer is this, yes it might, however where will you be in “years” if you don’t act? One thing for certain is that time will not stop. So in 2-5 years from now will your life be different? Or will it be the same and you keep looking back saying those famous words, “I wish I would have”.
Why don’t people take action? I learned many years ago from Doug Wead that many times it boils down to two major reasons, FOF and FOP. FOF is the fear of failure and FOP is the fear of people. Why are we continuing to conform to a society that gives us a 90% chance of being dead or broke at the age of 65? I am not trying to scare you or make you mad, I am just trying to make you think. You don’t have to take it from me, if you will follow 100 people, at the age of 65 you will find that 25% of them will be dead. As for the lucky ones that live to be 65 here is the rough breakdown: 40% have to rely on relatives to survive, 30% will rely on welfare and social security to survive, 20% will still be working to survive. I am sure that not one of the 90% said I can’t wait to turn 65 so I can end up in one of these buckets. Why then do so many end up this way? Real simple, they didn’t take action and they conformed to a society that says, “don’t take risks, you can’t do it, just get a good job and try to save a little money for retirement.” Here is what I say; “Life is too short, take action and take it now!” forget about FOF and FOP. As far as what people will think about you, my dad put it this way; “don’t worry about what people think about you, because they don’t think about you”. Best of luck as you travel down your road to success. I believe you will get there, but the most important thing is that you believe you will get there and EXECUTE to make it happen.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Persisting Through Setbacks
In today’s world, it is easy to let short term setbacks in life look a lot bigger than they really are. I understand setbacks, we have had our fair share, but setbacks are only temporary, we must keep our eyes on our long-term goals. If you are going through a tough time right now, in any area of your life, it is so easy to get caught up worrying about it 24 hours a day. Also, if all you think about are your short-term setbacks you are not focusing your energy where it should be, which is finding a solution, solving the issues and getting back on track. You must deal with your setbacks. We all have them, but letting them steal your confidence, and plan for the long-term is not the answer, we must continue to persist through these setbacks. Setbacks in life do not mean that you are not moving forward. As a matter of fact, one can argue, the more setbacks you are having in your life the more you are growing and moving towards your vision. Life is a game of peaks and valleys, and we must have the ability to handle both sides of the coin.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
5 Weeks To A Better Life
Are you wanting to improve in at least one area of your life? If so, be on the lookout for CCG's next DVD. "Five Weeks To A Better Life". This DVD can and will change your life if you execute the plan. How does the DVD help?
-It helps you define success and customize your definition for you.
-It helps you customize a plan for action.
-It helps you EXECUTE your plan.
We hope 2011 is going great. Remember successful people do the things that unsuccessful people are not willing to do!
Make it happen and Let's Continue To Talk About Success!
CCG!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Next Step: Execution
Moving forward, we need to think execute, execute, execute! Enough debating "the best way" just start taking action! Take action with your life, your career, your dreams, your goals for your family, etc.....and STOP debating theory!
I would bet (I love to bet when the odds are in my favor) that all of us have something in our life that we "have wanted to do" for awhile now. We talked about it, and thought about ways to accomplish it, but just haven't taken action yet. That all changes today!
Here Is The Challenge: For the next 5 days do one thing per day that is going to help you move towards a goal you have! I don't care what that goal is (Pick one). It could be to lose weight, it could be to work on a relationship, it could be to polish up your resume, or to find a new career/job, or whatever other areas you have goals in. Consciously make a decision that for the next 5 days you are going to do at least one thing that will move you closer or help you reach your goal.
Your goal could be big, small or somewhere in between. Today just pick a goal and start taking action. See what progress can be made in the next five days.
Let me know how it goes! I would love to hear success stories!
Chad
I would bet (I love to bet when the odds are in my favor) that all of us have something in our life that we "have wanted to do" for awhile now. We talked about it, and thought about ways to accomplish it, but just haven't taken action yet. That all changes today!
Here Is The Challenge: For the next 5 days do one thing per day that is going to help you move towards a goal you have! I don't care what that goal is (Pick one). It could be to lose weight, it could be to work on a relationship, it could be to polish up your resume, or to find a new career/job, or whatever other areas you have goals in. Consciously make a decision that for the next 5 days you are going to do at least one thing that will move you closer or help you reach your goal.
Your goal could be big, small or somewhere in between. Today just pick a goal and start taking action. See what progress can be made in the next five days.
Let me know how it goes! I would love to hear success stories!
Chad
Friday, January 14, 2011
Why P.E.P.P.?
What does the P.E.P.P. Formula do for others? Why should I use the P.E.P.P. formula? These are great questions, and should be asked by anyone looking for ways to help set themselves up for success!
Let us see if we can help answer these questions! The P.E.P.P. (Preparation, Execution, Persistence, and Patience) Formula really helps you do three things when it comes to success:
1. It helps you define your own definition: Too many people live someone else's definition of success, not their own, and P.E.P.P. helps you define what your definition of success is in many different areas of your life.
2. Helps you create a customized plan: Once you define success, then you must create a plan that works for you to help you reach success (however you define success). The plan has many different parts and P.E.P.P. helps you break it down making sure everything in your plan helps you set yourself up for success.
3. Helps you EXECUTE your plan: Once you have the plan that is right for you, you must EXECUTE. Most people never get this far, because theory is always easier than actual execution. Most people want to live in the theory world. There are thousands of books on getting in shape or losing weight. Execution says, "shut your pie hole and get on a treadmill". P.E.P.P. helps you break through the barriers of execution and watch your vision become a reality.
For more information about P.E.P.P please visit our products!
We hope your 2011 is the best year ever, and you move towards, or reach, what you define as success!
The CCG Team!
Let us see if we can help answer these questions! The P.E.P.P. (Preparation, Execution, Persistence, and Patience) Formula really helps you do three things when it comes to success:
1. It helps you define your own definition: Too many people live someone else's definition of success, not their own, and P.E.P.P. helps you define what your definition of success is in many different areas of your life.
2. Helps you create a customized plan: Once you define success, then you must create a plan that works for you to help you reach success (however you define success). The plan has many different parts and P.E.P.P. helps you break it down making sure everything in your plan helps you set yourself up for success.
3. Helps you EXECUTE your plan: Once you have the plan that is right for you, you must EXECUTE. Most people never get this far, because theory is always easier than actual execution. Most people want to live in the theory world. There are thousands of books on getting in shape or losing weight. Execution says, "shut your pie hole and get on a treadmill". P.E.P.P. helps you break through the barriers of execution and watch your vision become a reality.
For more information about P.E.P.P please visit our products!
We hope your 2011 is the best year ever, and you move towards, or reach, what you define as success!
The CCG Team!
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