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.
Monday, November 14, 2011
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.
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