Communication

One of the major causes of failure is the lack of clear, direct communication between people. Too many times we miscommunicate with our boss, subordinates, fellow workers or customers. We tend to communicate in terms of what we think we should say, or in terms of what we think the other person would like to hear, instead of expressing our real thoughts and feelings. Open, clear communication is better for everyone concerned. It avoids a lot of wasted time and problems that miscommunication creates.

This is not to say that one shouldn’t be diplomatic. For instance, telling an employee that they are not doing well is far less productive than coaching them in the areas that will help them to improve. Be clear with your expectations of everyone that you deal with. Know where you’re going. Act with purpose and try to avoid frivolous communication. That only steals your time and inhibits your ability to accomplish. Listen to others first. Understand their position. You don’t have to agree with it but you should at least understand it.
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Behavior

Your behavior and attitude dictate the results you will get in your life. The key to forming good productive behavior is to form good productive habits and eliminate negative, unproductive habits. A habit can be formed, or eliminated, in approximately [21] days of persistent repetitive action.

Positive reinforcement is the key, whether you are working to eliminate a bad behavior, or trying to acquire a positive behavior. Do something to reward yourself for acquisition of a behavior that will improve your life. Do something for yourself when you eliminate a bad habit. Try not to punish yourself for slipping into old habits or failing to maintain good ones. Just simply get back on track and try to maintain the behavior you wish to adopt for approximately twenty-one days.

You have to make the change first. If you always do what you always did, you’ll always get what you always got.

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Abuse

Abuse of any kind is unhealthy, whether it is abuse of power, abuse of alcohol or drugs, or abuse of your position. The old adage, “All things in moderation”, can go a long way in helping you to be successful. Never allow self-destructive behavior to effect your ability to fulfill your potential.
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Excuses

Winners don’t believe in excuses. “If I had only…”, “Someday I’ll…”, “No one ever gave me a shot…”, “I never knew…”, are a few of over a thousand excuses why you can’t accomplish your goals. A winner finds that one reason in a thousand why they can accomplish their goals. Winners go from failure to failure without the lost of enthusiasm until success can elude them no further. Thomas Edison was once asked by one of his protégés how he was able to maintain his motivation and enthusiasm after failing over 958 times while trying to invent the light bulb. His answer was, “I haven’t failed 958 times, I’ve succeeded in identifying 958 ways that it can’t be done.”

Be positive. Life is a reflection of your attitude. There’s no greater waste of time than making excuses for not fulfilling your goals or potential.

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Follow Up

You must follow up until tasks are completed. Most activities can be completed up to 98% with little effort. It’s that 2% more that makes all the difference in the world. If you assign a task to a subordinate, peer, or co-worker and consistently do not get a timely response, you should ask yourself first how you can improve. Have you left a past impression that missing deadlines is okay? Have you properly tracked your assignments to insure they are being worked on? Be consistent about your expectations to have assignments completed in a timely manner. Don’t leave follow up activities in your memory. You must write them down to ensure that the task you delegated will be performed on time. Keep in mind that, if you are following up properly, and still find that you are checking up on people more than you should, you should ask yourself these questions; Did I set a deadline? Did I issue the request in writing? Have I made myself clear? Do I encourage communication so that people can provide feedback as to what assignments they may consider non-important, and therefore have little motivation to follow through on?

Follow up gets the job done.

Boyer Consulting

Integrity

Throughout the years, we have seen many political and “good-old-boy” networks cave-in on themselves due to the lack of integrity. Genuine integrity and honesty are essential for achieving true success. Maintain your integrity at all times, and try not to compare yourselves with others. There will always be people better off and less fortunate than you. Believe in yourself and in your own abilities. Avoid joining the “click” if it means selling your soul at the door. You will always live to regret it.
Boyer Consulting