365QOD- Day877

"We should never do one on one training"-Mike

The other day we had 40 team members in a meeting.  During the meeting we discussed many topics and training came up.  My ears perked up.

The topic is of interest to me.  I love one on one training but I also realize that it creates an interesting problem.  I explained it to them.

Suppose I want to train someone to the best of my ability.  The trainee will only know at most 80% of what I know about the topic. 

Suppose the same employee decides to train a new team member.  That person gets 80% of what my trainee learned.  By second generation of one on one training that person only knows 64% ( .8 *.8=.64)of what I know.

Unless my trainee goes out of their way to get from 80 to 100% then they will pass on the gap to their trainee.  So we have to be aware enough to realize after training we must do some self training.  In my opinion, a good rule is that you should spend equal amount to what it takes to do the original training to self train yourself.

When the group gets the training together then the combined effect is only 80 of what the trainer is capable of and the self training takes less time.

Today's question is:
"What training gaps have you not filled?"

365QOD- Day876

"Be confident and take risks, because if you're not going to, someone else is."- Zach Schau Pure fix cycles

One of the labels that I use in my blog is the I am label.  In it I discuss the words for each letter that I say out loud to myself.  The B word that I want to be more of is Bold.

The quote above is another way to define bold.  To me it says, either you do it or someone else will be bold to take action.  Although, in the quote action is called risk.

I believe that we all take risks.  For most of us we tend to want to reduce risk and just survive.  It is within our prehistoric nature to want to reduce risk and that we minimize it to the point that we guarantee our survival.

But this risk avoidance is risky. It does not improve us or stretches us to new territory.  This risk avoidance limits our success potential. Another way to say it is, "No risk= No reward"

Today's question is:
"Are you bold enough to increase your risk level?  "

365QOD- Day875

"I would have more money, if I would have a plan" - Jim Rohn's response

When his mentor questioned the lack of plan, Jim responded with this little comeback.  But then his mentor said, "If you have a plan, then you would have the money."

Why am I bringing this up?  It seems to me that often we want A then B to happen But in reality it is B then A.  It makes me wonder how often this is true.

A great example is whether action precedes motivation or does being motivated lead to action.  I believe that we must act and that then motivation will come.  It never works the other way around.

Today's question is:
"what is one if A then B scenario that could be completely wrong?"

365QOD- Day874

"If you want to achieve excellence, you can get there today.  As of this second, quit doing less than excellent work " - Thomas J. Watson

Long time ago I listened to a book by Jim Rohn in which he makes a statement that change only takes a second but that moment often takes a lifetime to get to. This statement by Watson immediately reminded me of it.

Even though one of the quotes talks about change and the other about quality they are both talking about a decision.  A decision to choose. To choose a better way over an easy path.

What drives that decision?  I believe that events can force us or we can evolve beyond our current state.  My definition of a state is the level you have reached in physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, financial, etc. dimensions.

In my world we are always better off choosing and thus evolving rather to be forced by circumstances.

Today's question is:
"How do you evolve beyond your state?"

365QOD- Day873

" To achievers are improvisers  not perfectionists.  If you want to create more success in your life you have to move forward not knowing all the answers "- Douglas Vermeeren

We all love certainty.  When we come up with an idea then our baby must be perfect.  This in the end leads to frustration and eventual stopping of any forward momentum.

The wisdom in this quote is to realize that success is most often a road with many places where you will have to improvise.  Knowing this means that you hasn't to be comfortable being uncomfortable.  It is like moving into the dark without any light in front of you.

So forget about certainty and keep moving forward into the uncomfortable. Stop seeking perfection and enjoy the forward motion.

Today's question is:
"Can you move forward into uncertainty?"

365QOD- Day872

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life"- poet Mary Oliver

How many of us would classify our lives as wild?  Probably even less of us are aware how precious life is truly.

For me the second part is easy.  I believe it deeply.  I realize that each day a gift that I was given that at the end of the day gets thrown away.  I have 20000 presents left to enjoy.

The first part of the quote caused me to pause.  My life is anything but wild.  I live a pretty simple life.  Most people would even classify it as somewhat boring.

Maybe I am missing many things by the way I live?  Maybe I need to introduce a bit of the wild in my day to day to feel the effect of it.

Today's question is:
"Do you see your life as wild and precious?"

365QOD- Day871

"Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone"- Pablo Picasso

I read this quote the other day in a group of 50 success quotes.  Ever since I read it, I could not get it out of my mind. Here are some of my thoughts about it.

I believe that we tend to spend most of or lives in two time modes: yesterday-now and now-tomorrow.  The only thing that those two modes have in common is the now.  Unfortunately, we tend to forget this.

Our lives are either spent reliving the past or planning for the future.  But the magic only occurs in the now. This why it is a'present'.

As the quote instructs we should not waste our time putting off our dreams till tomorrow because it might never come.  If it is that important to you then continue working on it today until you are spent. For if you are to die tonight, you would have done all you could towards completing it.

Today's question is:
"What dream are you willing to left undone forever?"

365QOD- Day 870

"Innovation is driven by questions that are original, bold, counterintuitive, and perceptive...  Coming up with the right question, the one that casts a familiar challenge in a new light, is an art and science in itself.  It demands that the questioner be able to look at existing reality from multiple viewpoints, including, perhaps most importantly, that of the' naive outsider'"-Warren Burger author of Glimmer

As you know, this blog is all about reading, pausing to think, and asking questions.  This quote is very informative on how to ask the right question.

To break it apart:  it has to
1 to be original, bold, counterintuitive, and perceptive
2 to cast a new light on a familiar challenge
3 to question existing reality
4 consider multiple viewpoints
5 bring the freshness of an naive outsider

Do you need all of these?  Probably not all but most would make it great.  I can see at least three out of five criteria.

Today's question is:
"How do you know you are asking the innovative questions?"

365QOD- Day869

"Bad strategy"- my observation

I love to watch NBA playoffs.  This years finals were especially interesting.

The two teams went back and forth winning games.  In each game you can see the strategic changes they made to overcome the other team's strengths from previous games.

The last game came down to the last minute with each team having a chance at winning the championship. It was a nail biter.  My choice, the Spurs, lost.

Why did they lose?  Bad strategy.  Even in a close game strategy is the difference maker. 

One of the Spurs players, Green, was hot for most of the playoffs.  He even set a record for most three point shots.  So the team wanted him to be hot in game seven.  It never happened.  He had an off night. In first half of the game he missed ten shots.

So why am I writing about this? In my opinion a team needs to have a game strategy BUT be adaptive enough to recognize what is different this time vs. the past.  The Spurs believed that Green would be hot but he wasn't.  They believed that James could not hit the point shots when he is not contested. He did 4 in a row.  They believed that Wade could not hit jumpers.  He did.

The Spurs needed a trigger for their strategy.  If Green misses 5 on a row, take him out.  If James his three in a row, put a hand in his face. And so on.

Darwin never said that the strongest survive. Spurs were the stronger and deeper team.  He did say that the most adaptive survive. Miami Heat were more adaptive.  They won.

Today's question is:
" Do you use triggers to force you to be more adaptive?"

365QOD- Day868

"Too much consistency inevitably leads to a plateau where weaknesses ossify and improvement becomes harder."- Scott Young

In past posts I have written about the power of a routine.  The power of routines is that they become automatic and do not require much conscious thinking to get things done.

But to grow we must stretch.  We have to constantly put ourselves in situations where we disrupt our routines, push the limits to a new limit, and get out of our comfort zone. So what is the sweet spot between routine and stretching?

Scott Young in his 99U presentation offers a way of striking a balance between routine and true growth. His suggestions are:"
1. Purposely taking on projects to learn new skills.
2. Setting "deep focus" hours to consciously push your skill set forward.
3. Instead of changing your habits, changing your environment in order to force habit change and learning
"
In my world, I believe that 20 percent of or time must be spent stretching and 80 should be spent developing routines.

Today's question is:
"What is the right balance between routine and stretching for you? "

365QOD- Day 867

"Fortes fortuna adiuvat " - Latin version of fortune favors the bold

In 2008 many people felt the economy collapsing around them.  Some people choose to start businesses.   Was it fear?  Was it having a great idea?  An Inc. magazine study reveals the reasons why people started their businesses.

In a story titled No Time Like the Present they report that 4 percent of founders cited job loss as reason for starting a business.  This seems low but maybe being forced to do something is not big enough of a reason to start a business.

Second group, 50 percent, believed that their idea will succeed even in economic downturn.  In other words the idea moved them forward toward executing it even if timing was not perfect.

Last group, 46 percent, recognized the gamble and could not resist seizing the opportunity.  I would say they were afraid but did it anyway because they believed it to be worth it in the end.

After reading this story I believe that the recipe is to be bold, 96 percent, brings favors from fortune.  Bold execution is everything. 

Today's question is:
"Do you move boldly toward things you want?"

365QOD- Day866

"How we hold our bodies affects our minds ,confidence, and our performance.  For instance, if you stand up straight and walk with purposeful long strides, it will make you feel more assured and powerful"- A.J. Jacobs

Amen! I believe this to be very true.  No doubt  whatsoever. But there is a problem.

I do not always follow this advice.  I slouch. My back is getting strained unnecessarily.  In the past I have had neck pain so bad that I had to take pain killers and do physical therapy.

So if I know this, why is it that I do not just do what I know.  The gap is somewhere in my mind. My brain knows that poor posture leads to problems.  The back and neck know how it feels when I do not walk purposely.  The only thing left is the mind. 

The mind must be controlling the brain and body for whatever reason.  I have to retrain my mind by walking purposely.  In my opinion I have to catch myself and correct myself continuously until I close the t gap.

Today's question is:
"How would you retrain your mind to eliminate a gap?"

365QOD- Day865

"Is it?" -my question to myself

On my wall is a sign that states,"The Year of The App".  Besides publishing an app a few months ago I have not been working on any new ones lately.

Because I often like to tackle many things I periodically have to ask myself, "Is it still important?" Or even better, "Why am I creating this product?"

Amazingly enough when I read article on 99u.com the founder of Jawbone Hosain Rahman he asks himself these same two questions.  It is his way of cutting though the noise and a way to revisit his core principles.

My answer about the apps is yes and that once I am done with my next two projects I will spend the last three months creating new apps.  I do need to change my sign to The Year of Some Apps.
Today's question is:
"How do you decide what is still important? "

365QOD-Day864

"What happens after the 'I did it' moment? "- Joshua Davis

After experiencing great success Joshua became uninspired.  The way he described it at 99u conference speech is, "That moment of being amazed by the unknown had left me."

Joshua felt the "sluggishness of the comfortable". In my opinion this is a very dangerous place to be.

During a meeting once I uttered the words, "when you feel comfortable, it is time to get uncomfortable." My then boss loved it and stated quoting it in larger meetings.

I happen to work in a chemical plant. Getting comfortable in a chemical plant is just plain stupid.  It is like working on to of a time bomb.  It is not whether it well go off, it is a Mayer of when it will go off.  We have a lot of procedures that force us to ask tough questions of ourselves when making changes.  Amazingly, even with all those procedures things always get missed.

Today's question is:
" How do you overcome the sluggishness of bring comfortable?"

365QOD- Day863

"1000 days out of 21000 "- my countdown

6/7/13 is the 1000th day since I awoke.  My countdown started on 9/12/10 in a bar while
on a solo vacation in Florida.  I decided that I wanted to live 21000 days- till 101.

Recently, I spent a day reflecting on the changes since that day.  As a matter of fact most are probably chronicled in previous posts.

In the last 1000 days I have:
Ran in several 5I, 10k, 20k(13.1mi) races
Changed jobs
Got promoted
Moved from Indiana to Texas
Continued writing my blog
Published a second book
(Finishing my third book)
Taught myself how to create apps
Published an app
Vacationed for a month overseas
Etc.

They have been busy 1000 days.  Maybe I could and should have done more?

I spent some time thinking about my next checkup.  Should I review my life every 1000, 500,250,200, or 100 days? Should it be at the end of a month or end of year only.

I concluded that yearly is too long. 500 or 1000 are also too long. Similarly, I also believe that for me it needs to be in terms of days and not months.

So, I have decided that every 200 days(a but longer than six months) to stop for a day and do a review of my life. During the review not only review the successes but also the failures. I will also review if I am on the path to achieving the big goals in my life.  The day will be spent reflecting.

Today's question is:
"How often do you reflect on your life? "

365QOD- Day862

"Sometimes we are forced into actions we ought to have found ourselves"- Bob Hopkins in Maid in Manhattan

While resting last Saturday I heard this line on TV as I was flipping channels.  What a great line!

We experience life.  Often we settle for what we get from others.  Sometimes we even have the strength to demand what we want.

However, this line indicates that at times we are forced to do something that we should be grown enough to do but have refused.  We might have thought about doing something but it did not translate into action.  In other words we gave ourselves an out.  The actions of others forced us into action.

" Can you make yourself to do something without others forcing you to do it? "

365QOD- Day861

"Overnight sensation" - an oxymoron

When I read a story about an overnight sensation I am doubtful that it is true.  This was the case the other day.

I noticed a story about a mathematician who published a solution to a difficult problem dealing with prime numbers that many great mathematicians failed to solve.

Dr. Zhang graduated with a doctorate but failed to get an academic position.  He worked as an accountant and in a Subway.  His life does not follow in a traditional path of a great mathematician.

The article also said something else that made me think.  It claimed that when one examines his work it is not that he was inspired and that it had a spark of greatness.  The article claimed that his work showed great persistence in applying existing methods and that other mathematicians failed to apply.  In other words he outworked them while they waited to be inspired.

It is a great story that illustrates that sometimes we might just need to persevere through our work instead of looking for a spark of genius.

Today's question is:
"Can you outwork most of your coworkers?"

365QOD- Day860

" I am leaving. "- Greg

Today I had a meeting with Greg.  He is a young chemical engineer that works in our chemical plant.

Before the meeting he told me that he is leaving.  The energy market is very hot so I would not be surprised if he left for a better deal.  So I asked him where he is going.  His response was surprising, "California, to join a startup".

Those words would imply he had landed a job but not in Greg's world.  He wants to go out to California and look around for a startup to join.  He figures he can always go back to a chemical plant.

Being a young and single gives Greg the flexibility to be aggressive about his future.  It is wise that he wants to see what else the world has to offer.  If he would have stayed he would have become a better process engineer but by leaving he will learn how to be an entrepreneur.

I wish his future to be brighter than he believes it will be.

Today's question is:
" How far on a limb could you go out on?"

365QOD- Day859

" Be quiet, I am catching up on my ultradian rhythm" a joke

What are ultradian rhythms?  Ultradian rhythms are mini mind and body breaks that one strategically takes during the day.

Our bodies need nourishment and rest to perform properly.  Without proper nutriment every 90-120 minutes they start getting hungry and the longer we go without feeding it we are more likely to overeat.  So when we override the 90-120 minute natural cycle we tend to do things that we should not.

Same thing goes for or minds.  If your mind does not take a mental break every 90-120 minutes it does not stay sharp.  It will start making mistakes more frequently.

Putting this together would mean that every hour and a half or two hours we should grab something light to eat and rest by closing our eyes and stilling our mind.

Today's question is:
" Could you take a 10-15 minute break mentally and physically every 90 -120 minutes"

365QOD- Day858

"I stand on the shoulders of giants"- giving credit

My first book, The Result, is a true story.  The idea that you always get a result and not to call it failure or success comes from Tony Robbins.  So my book is an application of the idea.

This morning I was reading an article on 99u.com site that discusses the idea of plateaus on the path to mastery.  The author does a good job of describing the types of personalities and their behavior when confronted by a plateau.

Unfortunately the author does not give credit for the idea originator.  If you get a hold of the book Mastery by George Leonard you will discover the the identical types.  The only difference is that George applied them generally while the author applied it to tennis.

The reason I bring this up is not to put down the author.  It is for us to realize and credit a source.  Maybe I did not communicate the giant as well as I should for my book?  I have to go back and re-read a part of my book.

Today's question is:
" Whose shoulder does your idea stand on?"

365QOD- Day857

"How may I help my customer?"-a great question

While looking through Success magazine in a bookstore I read through the adds for new books.  One of the books was called Youtility by Jay Baer.

In order to stand out and to create brand loyalty, the book suggests asking yourself questions in order to determine if you are:
"1. Giving your customers useful information through your website
2. Respond quickly to questions and concerns posted  on social media
3. Offer suggestions that are helpful to your existing and potential audiences"

For me  I believe that this blog gives useful information.  So I would give myself a high mark.  Maybe an 8 out of 10.

I usually do not give timely responce to comments.  I intend the posts to make you think for yourself and not open the door for arguing the validity of my opinion.  So maybe a 3. ( I answer text messages)

The questions are my suggestions for stirring additional thinking to take place. I believe that I do a good job. Maybe an 8.

Overall, I give myself 19 out of possible 30.  This is not an impressive score.  I immediately know what I can do better at to improve my brands helpfulness score.

Today's question is:
" How do you help your customers?"

365QOD- Day856

"pearls.com" - cool site name

While looking through a magazine I speed a story about pearls.com. It is a site that provides access to experts to answer your question.

The suite does a review of the person's qualifications so that the answer is valid.  It provides that access for a fee.

Many years ago I was teaching a business class on ebusiness.  During the class I offered an idea that people and businesses would be willing to pay to get an answer to a difficult problem.

Sometimes businesses do not know how to solve a problem.  If a site could assure quality, like pearls.com, then people can bid on solving the problem.  This would open it up worldwide, reduce the cost, and increase the quality.

I still think that there is validity to making the process open to bids from several people.

Today's question is:
" Would you pay someone to solve a business problem you are struggling with?"

365QOD- Day855

" We are sitting here - one is reading your book, the other is reading your blog" - text response

Yesterday I texted my kids, Stefani and Milan, to see what they were doing.  What came back was the above response.

It made my century.  As a parent the only thing I wish for is for them to become great people.  To be the kind of people others want to be like.  In the end to be the best Stefani and the best Milan they can become.

For my children to read my book and my blog tells me that they are still willing to learn.  Even greater is that they are willing to learn from me.  It inspires me to do better myself. 

THANKS Stefani and Milan. Stay teachable.

Today's question is:
"Who inspires you?"

365QOD- Day854

"That scares me to death." -often heard

When I was young I was afraid of heights.  Anything above ground was too high.  If I had to stand on a balcony I felt my legs full of fear.  I could not lean over.

Over time I have managed to overcome this fear.  Now I can comfortably sit and lean over the edge on a balcony and never fear it.

At work I can climb large structures and never feel scared.  How did I overcome the fear?  I believe that just getting older and realizing that it is an unfounded fear.  Maybe exposing myself to heights?  I have never jumped from a plane or bungee jumped but I believe I could do it.

My last fear is snakes.  I have never held a snake without fear.  Maybe I need to overcome it?

Today's question is:
" What is a current fear that you have? "

365QOD- Day853

" Always look for at least one more option "- lesson I learned

I am currently working on a hot project.  The operations folks want to buy a replacement in kind for a piece of equipment. 

Normally that is pretty easy to do.  I challenged my team by asking for an improvement in kind.  In other words, what issues can be eliminated by buying a better piece of equipment from the same manufacturer?

I was happy with myself.  I changed the whether decision into a better whether decision.  However,  my balloon was busted by a person when they asked me if the team had considered another technology. 

Because of the needs of the plant and making the transition quickly, we looked for a replacement from the current equipment manufacturer.  But the point is very valid.  We should have given ourselves a legitimate second option.  We did not.   This makes our decision quality poor.

Today's question is:
" How do you force yourself to add a valid second option to your decision?"

365QOD - Day852

" Great entrepreneurship is in the execution.  Rare does the initial idea dictate the outcome- perhaps never.  Success is about the thousands of ideas and decisions that are made along the way and the speed at which those insights are implemented according to customer needs and feedback." - Eric Paley

While reading an Inc. article by Eric I immediately saw the wisdom being offered.  It is about executing and getting feedback from your customers.

Unfortunately, we trend to live yo generate solutions for needs that are at best wants or non existent.  Eric urges entrepreneurs to:
"focus more on falling in love with the problems that want to solve rather than their initial ideas.  As founders dig deeply into that original hypothesis, they well learn, adapt, hit walls, adapt again, and build critical expertise that they never considered when starting out."

This is the main idea of my first book, The Result. It is not about the single idea.  It is not about the single moment that you generated it.  The process is very iterative and adaptive.  Eric advises to see the process as:  " Great entrepreneurs build their success over time, not in a single moment.  Ideas are static. Entrepreneurship is dynamic. "

Today's question is:
" Can you dynamically iterate and adapt your idea ?"

365QOD- Day851

"The opinion of one is so easy"- Carrie Mathews

I happen to be a leader who is not afraid to be wrong.  As a matter of fact I assume that I am wrong until proven right.

Unfortunately,  some other leaders choose to believe that their input is the only valid input.  As a matter of fact, they seek no input.

When leaders do not seek input they do not open themselves up to the wisdom of crowds.  Often those top down decisions fail.  Failure might not be immediate but it is eminent.  As the old saying goes, "Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it. " 

A manager who does not get input from his people is simply doomed to repeat the mistakes from the past.

Today's question is:
" How open are you to differing input from others?"

365QOD- Day850

" There are still many opportunities."- my conclusion

Recently I read about a company that found an innovative way to do email on mobile devices.  They replaced many of the email functions with Swypes.

They were recently bought for 110 millions.  Wow!

What this story teaches me is that there are some new opportunities that have been created by mobile devices.  We just have to keep or eyes open to how people work and how to make it easier for them.

Today's question is:
" How have things changed on mobile platforms for you and how can you turn that into an opportunity? "

365QOD- Day849

"My priorities are...."- not so easy to determine

I believe as individuals we often do not know what we want.  You would think that priorities would be easy and we can just say them.  Unfortunately they are not.

How about in the business world?  Should a company know its priorities?  The answer is of course.  This is often driven from the top executives.

While reading the book on decision making by the Heath brothers I learned of a study conducted by MIT.  In the study they asked executives what are their top 5-8 problems.  Easy enough.

A week later they came back and asked the executives to review their calendars.  Amazingly enough there were no activities on their schedule that connected to the problems they had identified a week before.  In other words, we can tell what we should be doing but it does not necessarily mean that we will do it.

Today's question is:
"Does your calendar reflect your priorities?"

365QOD- Day848

"Let me tell you a story." - a good beginning

Recently I had a conversation with a friend who worked as a business consultant.   Our conversation eventually let to a story of a small company he had worked with through a change and quality improvement efforts.

The company was run by a father who wanted it done his way.  The owner had a son who was interested in the effort but his passion was sales.  He could sell anything.

The company had some quality issues with which my friend could give them a strategy to solve.  It was straight out of a textbook.

However, the effort to change never succeeded.  The owner could only see his way as the way to run the company.  In other words his approach was purely intellectual. The son was emotional about the sales but not about running the business. There was no clear path on which to place various success milestones along to guide them.

This story confirmed for me the wisdom of the Heath brothers book Switch.  In the book the rider ( intellectual ), the elephant ( emotion), and the path (mission) have to align. You must provide incentives on three path that aligns with your thinking and emotions.

My friend tried to connect those pieces for this business.  It is my belief that, without knowing the company, ultimately the company will fail. It was not flexible to adapt to new ways.

Today's question is:
" In your change efforts do you align the path, the rider, and elephant?"