365QOD- Day907

"You can not drive forwards by looking in a rear vie mirror."- wise advice

Eight entrepreneurship dimension according to EDP is being Focused on the Future.

While driving it is natural to look back once in a while.  These times are usually during transitions from one lane to another or to verify that no policemen is following.

Looking back is necessary but it takes away out focus from the direction we are moving on.   Often times looking back is done to review past errors and to make sure we do not repeat the mistake.

I believe that a better strategy is to create smaller steps and milestone targets towards our goal.  Once in a while look back and establish where we had gone without conflict.  But keep moving forward at least 80 percent of the time.

Today's question is:
"How do you stay future focused and minimize the review of past errors ?"

365QOD- Day906

"Do it backwards."-a puzzle solving technique

EDP's seventh entrepreneur dimension is being a High-Achiever.

Dick Fosbury is the inventor of the modern high jump.  Before him all participants choose to do high jumps by trying to go head first facing the bar. Since him no one jumps facing the bar.

Dick realized a simple fact.  The height that he could achieve by turning at the last moment and pushing off was greater than the height that could be achieved when facing the bar and pushing off the toes.

I am sure that the first time he did this technique in competition people scratched their heads in disbelief.  But interestingly by doing it backwards he was able to do better than it had ever been done before.

Long time ago i got addicted to solving metal puzzles.  I noticed that when I used to solve these puzzles in order to master the puzzle I had to learn how to put the puzzle back into original state.  By going backwards I forced myself to slow down and I could solve the puzzle faster in forward direction.  I often gave this advice to new puzzle solvers trying to solve the puzzle.

Today's question is:
"Can you do your most important task backwards?"

365QOD- Day905

"I lost total track of time."- my words

The sixth dimension of being an entrepreneur according to ETD is Passion.

Recently I read an article about how we need to block out our work times in 90 minute blocks.  After we get our mental work done, we need to recharge by doing something physical and snacking on something healthy.

I am beginning to believe that there is magic in these ninety minute blocks.  Maybe one of these blocks could be used to pause and figure out what makes you tick.  What interests you?  What bothers you?  What problem in front of you needs a solution?

Most of us can probably not spend ninety minutes in a pause state.  It is easy to say but difficult to do.  Maybe start with five minutes and build up from there. But you do have to start in order to build your passion muscle.

Today's question is:
"What are you working on that makes you lose track of time?"

365QOD- Day904

"Action !"- a director's call

Fifth dimension of entrepreneurship according to EDP is being Action Oriented.

Many posts ago I write several posts about the GOSPAL goal planning technique. It stands for:
Goal
Objectives
Strategies
Planning
Action
Learning

Notice that everything before action is inside the mind.  The action is of special type.  It is the daily action type.  Every day you must take an action towards your ultimate goal.  Every day!

The every day actions have to be small enough that they can be accomplished within one day without overwhelming us.  While we get these small things accomplished we must be aware enough to learn from these small experiences.  This is the L in GOSPAL.

Today's question is:
"Are you action oriented?"

365QOD- Day903

"No risk, no gain."- my version

Fourth dimension of EDP is being a Risk Taker.

I love my version of no pain, no gain.  Risk is often associated with pain. Because the result is not predictable we often choose the darkest ending.

But often we are wrong.  The  dark ending never comes.  Some unpredictable result occurs that we could never imagine even we spent a long time guessing.

So why is being a risk taker important?  It moves us away from an equilibrium which is our current state of comfort.  That movement has to be big enough to get momentum to get to a better place.  But the risk has to be small enough that it nudges you forward and with it gives you confidence.

If the leap is too big it could lead to a failure.  So make a leap, control the result, learn from it, and then repeat.

An example of a failure to follow this procedure is when someone first learns to trade stocks.  The usually experience success- a beginners luck.  What happens next is very interesting.  They start taking huge risks that they can not afford.  These unreasonable leaps lead to failure.

Today's question is:
"Do you take small controllable risks?"

365QOD- Day902

"I break the mold."- my words

I have never filled the yes man position too well.  Why?  I like to think for myself. 

Third out of fourteen entrepreneurship dimensions is being a Nonconformist.

It is amazing to me how corporate cultures tend to breed conformity.  Many bosses usually want their employees to not talk back and just follow orders just like the military.

Over time the people that get promoted are people that think alike.  One day the CEO realizes that the company is trouble.  When the CEO asks for new ideas all that CEO hears is an echo of his thoughts.

Today's question is:
"Are you a nonconformist?"

365QOD- Day901

"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." - Muhammed Ali

Second out of fourteen EDP entrepreneurship dimension is: Preference for little structure

Last night I got a call from a friend.  He was asked to teach a course completely outside of his specialty.  My friend was not sure whether to teach it or not.

In my career I have instructed many courses including the course he was asked to teach.  And guess what, it was also outside of my area of specialty.  But my reaction was very different.

I always figured that not knowing the subject provided a great opportunity to stretch myself.  I would guess that majority of the courses I have instructed in my career I never took while in school.

This lack of background, and structure on which to build on, caused me to focus and work harder to figure out how to best teach and apply the material.  I always believed in myself that I would figure it out.  All I needed was a little head start ahead of the students.

Today's question is:
"Do you seek out situations where you know very little or the structure is not well defined?

365QOD- Day900

"For God's sake, make a decision"-a frustrated urging

I recently read an article by Andrea Huspeni in which she talks about EDP( entrepreneurship dimension profile).  This is a 72 question survey that endless a person along 14 variables to establish the person's level of entrepreneurship.

The first of the fourteen entrepreneurship variables is: Independent. 

Being independent means that a person likes to have control of their time, priorities, work, direction, etc.  The definition of independence is pretty personal.

So how does one become more independent?  Start by making small decisions in an area of importance without anyone's input.  Then increase the importance of the decisions.  Over time your independence and decision making should improve.

Today's question is:
"Are you independent?"

365QOD- Day899

"I do not have a bucket list but I have a f$ck it list that is a mile long."- Don Amerson

Yesterday I heard another coworker utter these words and give Don credit.  Immediately I formulated a post in my mind.

About a month ago I found an old bucket list from ten years ago.  I did nothing with it except sit it on my desk.  My idea was to sit down and look it how many of my to do items were done.

Dons wisdom is the reverse side.  How many of the bucket list items are on the f$ck it side. In other words not important at all to me as a life goal.  Probably quite a few.

Maybe scheduling a five year review of the bucket list is a great idea.  Give years is a long enough timeframe for me to get some things done and some of the items on the list to need dropping.

Today's question is:
"Which one of your lists is longer?"

365QOD- Day898

"What is the level above customer service ?"- my question to my friend

Friday night my friend Naren and I went to get some dinner.  On our way to dinner we discussed customer service.

We made some observations about people around us that provide great customer service.  There were a few that stood out amongst those.

This is why I asked the question above.  The answer is customer recognition.  Customer service occurs after the customer has started the engagement.  It is the quality of that interaction that determines the quality of the customer service.

Customer recognition is a completely different game.  We both have a friend that is exceptional in customer recognition.  He is so good at the game thathe remembers people that he has meet years ago by name.  He greats them warmly by name and makes them feel welcome.

So we were having this conversation as we walked into the restaurant.  Out server April immediately recognized us, noted the missing member of out trio, and asked why we had not been there in three weeks.  Impressive!  In a sentence she made us feel welcome and missed.  We told her or conversation topic.  She said thanks for recognizing it.

Today's question is:
"How good is your customer recognition?"

365QOD- Day897

" Two out of three?" -a request made after a loss

I started reading a new book called Big Dog by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman.  The book discusses the science of winning and losing.  In the book there are couple of case studies that highlight reactions. 

The first study forced novices to in one day learn how to skydive and to make three jumps.  The study collected saliva stress data before and after each jump.  Interestingly, the stress level after each jump reduced by 25%.  By the third jump the stress level reduced to a level we experience if we at late and stuck in traffic.

In a second study seasoned dancers were monitored using the same type of saliva samples during a ballroom competition.  Some of the dancers had  been practicing and competing for more than a decade.  Their bodies have in a sense memorized the movements.  The interesting find was that their levels did not go down like the skydiving case.

So what was the difference?  The difference was that the ballroom dancers were in a competition against others and the skydivers were simply focused on what they needed to do. 

Competition is great for forcing us to raise our level but as the study shows creates a great amount of stress even in seasoned competitors.The key is to learn how to completely relax during competition.  The authors of The Power of Full Engagement book claimed that how quickly tennis players relaxed between points made the difference between being a winner or a good player.

Today's question is:
"How do you respond to competition?"

365QOD- Day896

"X is our company value"- usually empty words

I have worked for companies that make statements in this form about what they believe they truly value.  Amazingly they value X until it costs them too much and then they change it. Some companies truly follow their value but those are rare.

One of the companies that follows their values is Southwest.  Recently, while listening to an audio book I heard that every potential employee is given a personality test.  They have to score at a certain level to be given employment.

The personality test that Southwest administers measures the strength of these seven values:
1. Cheerfulness
2. Optimism
3. Decision making skills
4. Communication
5. Team spirit
6. Self starter
7. Self confidence

Most interviews that I have conducted try to establish whether the person is intrinsically or externally motivated.  They never go deep into what the person values.

Today's question is:
"What personality traits does your company reward?"

365QOD- Day895

"Was a root cause analysis done?"- Bill Brown

The other day I sat in a meeting during which we discussed how our team has been modifying the process of satisfying our customers requests.  The meeting was an eye opener.

During the meeting a discussed how we have transitioned from equipment replacement in kind to improvement in kind.  We have been questioning our customers as to what their issues are with their current design.  Then our new philosophy evolved into considering alternative solutions.

So we felt pretty good about our evolution.  By we also noticed that our costs typically were going up.  This is not a bad consequence if our customer's problem is eliminated and the replacement cycle extended.

However, while talking about a specific job Bill asked whether a root cause was identified.  We all looked at each other signaling no.   In other words, we purchased an expensive piece of equipment that will hopefully resolve the problem but it also might not.  Maybe all we did was delay the reappearance of the problem?

Immediately we decided that confirming that the root cause has been identified should be our first step.

Today's question is:
"How do you know that you are solving the right problem?"

365QOD- Day894

"Where is it that you do not want to be in five years?"- a great question

A few weeks ago I read an article on interviewing in Inc. magazine.  This is one of the suggested questions to ask a prospective hire.  Why? Most people do not have a canned answer for it.

I also feel it is a great question but maybe for a different reason.  I believe it is a great question to ask ourselves at least once a month.  Where do you want to be in five years and equally important where you do not want to be?

I believe that most people will answer quickly by saying not here.  But that is not really a good answer.  It is not specific enough for you to tell where you actually want to be. Usually the opposite of what you do not want is what you really  want.

You have to clearly identify it as something definite that you do not want.  Remember that God has a sense of humor, so if you are not clear you will get something that has elements of what you want with elements of what you do not want.

Today's question is:
"Where is it that you do not want to be in five years?"

365QOD- Day893

"A man once told Buddha, 'I Want Happiness. ' Buddha replied, ' First, remove the 'I'; that is ego. Then remove the 'Want'; that is desire.  And now all you're left with is Happiness'" - wisdom

I read this quote this morning and immediately saw the wisdom.  We often want things without knowing the reason.

By parsing the sentence, the teacher illustrates that the true need is buried deep in the request. Once the ego is removed you see the action 'want happiness.'  Then when one removes the desire  the action is no longer needed.  What we are left with is the true need: Happiness. This is a need that can be fulfilled simply by being.

Rewrite the story with 'I want a new watch' and remove the ego and desire and all that is left is new watch.  But is it the watch or the ability to tell time that is the true need?  If it is the watch then it is most likely not a need but a fashion want.  If it is the ability to tell time then a phone or an inexpensive watch will fulfill the need.

In the end, the two stories teach us to make sure to strip away everything but the true need.

Today's question is:
"How do you determine a true need?  "

365QOD- Day892v2

"Fast and roughly right decision-making will replace deliberations that are precise but slow"- Rita Gunther McGrath

I am not a perfectionist.  Sometimes I do take time to make up my mind but that is unusual.  I can be swayed by a good argument because I believe that I am wrong until proven otherwise.

From my recent readings on decision making, we should always make sure we have at least two good options to choose from and towards which we are not biased.  But once we have those two choices then we need to pull the trigger and make a decision.

The decision that we make will at times need adjusting but we  should believe enough in ourselves that we can make those adjustments.  The key words in this quote us to aim for a fast decision that is "roughly right " and proceed.

Today's question is:
"How do you make your decisions fast and roughly right?"

365QOD- Day892

"The greatest thing in the world is not so much where we are, but in what direction we are moving"- Oliver Wendel Homes

In older posts I have referred to the idea of where we are at any moment as our current state.  By that I mean the level at which we are along different dimensions such as: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, financial, interpersonal, focus, discipline, urgency, etc.

The quote above warns that more than the state, which is never ideal, we should focus on the direction we are moving in. For example, if I have not been working out much then my state might be a 3 out of 10. Now I can settle for that level or figure out how to nudge myself to a 4.

The key is to not be content with your current state and to always have a plan on how to move yourself from your current state= current equilibrium.  just by moving a but you might reach a better equilibrium that is much much better than where you are currently.

Today's question is:
"How do you move yourself from your current state?"

365QOD- Day891

"Don't fill your ego, fill your bank account"-James Malichak

I believe that for most of us money is the great motivator.  Without it, I doubt that many of us would show up for work.  But this quote addresses a different need.

I believe that working for a living fills a survival need.  It is a physical need.  We no longer have to hunt to put food on our table or purchase clothing so work is the way we fill these needs.  

The need to feed the ego is different.  You want to do something because it makes you feel important.  You do something not for a true need but to feed the ego.

To me the ultimate test is whether something puts money in my pocket.  If it does not, then it must feed the ego. As an example,  if I write books and they do not sell then I am feeding the ego.  if I write a blog and no one reads it then I am doing it for my ego.

Today's question is:
"Are you feeding your ego or your bank account?"

365QOD- Day890

"Success = Mindset + Skillset+ Get of your Assets "- James Malichak

This equation is made up of three components. According to James they are all important in order for one to experience success. Lets break them down.

What we think and how we think makes up our mindset.  It is the setting of our mind to do something or not do it.  Without the correct mindset we might do the wrong things.

Skillset is whether we know how to do the things we want to accomplish.  If there is an ability gap then we have to be wise enough to find the training and be willing to take advantage of it to shrink the gap.

The success magic only occurs once the third component is present.  We can sit on our assets and think and think but that does not make things happen.  Thinking for planning pulses is important but you still have yo take action on your plan.

In my opinion, success is based on the following percentages:  the get of your assets is 60%, 20% for mindset, 20% for skillset.

Today's question is:
"How do you make yourself get of your assets?"

365QOD- Day889

"It is my birthday..it is my birthday"- my first words today

Today is my birthday.  I turned 47.  Another 54 years to go.  Not even half way.

Did I do anything special?  I went to work and went out to dinner.  Not bad...

What made the day memorable was the yearly pause I do.  I pause to think about if the gap between where I am and where I want to be is getting smaller or larger.  The answer this year is that it is smaller.  What this means that the direction is correct but the speed might need to be increased.  In physics the combined term that is used for these two concepts is velocity.

Today's question is:
"Are your direction AND speed correct?"

365QOD- Day 888

"Ability is what you are capable of doing.  Motivation determines what you do.
Attitude determines how well you do it."-Lou Holtz

This was a quote on a wall in my first office.  I recently found it and stopped to think about it. Quickly I realized that all three are important. Why?

Without ability or the plan to develop your capabilities you will not do the things you want to do.  It takes wisdom and willingness to take a look at yourself and understand what you are capable of and what are your gaps that need closing.

Without motivation we tend to not want to move forward.  The biggest secret to motivation is to do something small towards your goal.  Amazingly that little motion will motivate you to take the next small step.

The last piece is the attitude.  If you are unsure of your abilities or feel lack of motivation you will not have the best attitude to strive forward.   You have to believe you can and be willing to take the small step.  The last ingredient is the secret sauce.  Without the best 'I can' attitude you will not succeed even if you have the ability and motivation.

Today's question is:
"How would you rate your ability, motivation, and attitude in your current endeavor?(on a scale of 1 worst to 10 best  ) "

Imho you need at least a score of 27 to succeed.

365QOD- Day 887

"What is the opposite of the mastery curve called?"-my question to a coworker

Carrie walked in and told me a story about a movie called Perfect Senses.  In the movie people deal with the loss of one sense at a time.

While she was telling me the story I kept visualizing the challenges.  Immediately I saw each loss as a step down.  With each step, the person goes through a brief rough patch, even dips below the step, and eventually rests on the plateau.

This is the reverse of what George Leonard wrote about in his book Mastery. As the person rises in levels they experience a rise above the plateau level with eventually resting on the plateau.  On the path to mastery the plateaus get longer and longer with smaller step changes between levels.

For the opposite idea, I can imagine with each loss, the plateau would also get longer.  Maybe the loss of taste is not as critical as loss of hearing.  Maybe the loss of hearing is not as bad as loss of vision, etc.

So what is the opposite of mastery stair steps? The word I came up with is coping steps.  You are adjusting to losses.

Today's question is:
"Are you coping or mastering?"

365QOD- Day886

"If you think training people and having them leave is bad, try not training them and having them stay"-unknown

I have worked for companies that believed in training and others that did not. I believe that most companies fall into the second group. 

I believe that most companies these days want employees that will show up on day one and be ready to run without ever being instructed on how to walk in their system. This only sets the person up for failure.  The company might get some work out of the employee but is it quality work?

In my world, I believe that at least five percent of an employee's time should be spent training.  Initially it should start at 100 percent for week one and by the end of the year it should go down to that 5 percent.  The training has to be structured and planned not just dependent on the people in similar roles.

So why don't companies do that currently? As the quite instructs, they believe that the person will not work there long enough to make it worth their while. This is why you have to fight for the training you need to b4 effective in your job.

Today's question is:
"How much do you value on the job training?"

365QOD- Day885

"The choices we make, not the chances we take, determine our destiny"- Unknown

While visiting a coworker I noticed a new poster with this caption.  I had to write it down before I continued to my meeting.

I believe that the key is the middle portion.  To me,  it instructs to not take chances but to be strategic with the choices we make.  In the end the choices will be our destiny.

However,  at times we do not know the right choice and we have to take a chance.  This is ok for a few decisions but it can not be  the method by which we select the majority of our decision choices.

Today's question is:
"Do you believe that choices or chances are more important to shaping your destiny?"

365QOD- Day884

"Fearcast"- new word\
I was listening to an audio book on happiness when I heard this word.  It is a weird that combines the words fear and forecast into a single word.

The word emphasizes fear.  It made me wonder how often our future forecasts are based on fear.  If they are, then we are setting ourselves us for failure.

Why? In my opinion when you focus on fear then you are wasting energy towards that instead focusing it on the solution.  As Henry Ford said, if you think you can or if you think you can't, you are right.  My version is, if you fear it, our you gear it not, you are right. 

Today's question is:
"Do you focus on the fear or on the solution?"

365QOD- Day883

"Now tear my idea and design apart"- my words of encouragement

The other day I sat in a park with a few friends.  One of my friends is a design expert.

A couple of years ago I shared a design idea with him for a product.  He told me why the idea did not make sense.  Immediately I could tell that what he was telling me would not work in the marketplace.

So for the last two years I have been working on the concept from different angles. I now believe that I am close to the final version of the concept before I manufacture it.  With this in mind, I asked Nikolai for his opinion by asking him to be brutal.

He questioned me as to why I believed in the idea.  We brainstormed some names for the product.  But never did he express his disapproval or doubt of success.  Even after he left the group he send me a text encouraging me to pursue it.

I now believe my idea is ready for the market.  It took two years of simmering for it to cook properly.

Today's question is:
"How do you know when your idea has reached the perfect time for execution? "

365QOD- Day882

" Hapifork, an electronic fork that vibrates and lights up when you're eating too fast connects via USB to your computer our via wireless to your smart phone to track your eating habits"- Entrepreneur magazine 6/13

I have a problem when I eat. The speed with which I consume my meals is too fast.  Often times my stomach has no chance to recognize that I am full until it is too late.

This invention is brilliant.  It brings you into the now so that you can note your eating speed and provides a record of it.  You can then study yourself and learn how to eat better.  What the idea also made me think was how we are starting to use more tools to help us to do better. 

Why is it that I need a vibrating fork?  Because I am not aware at those moments.  That should be my focus.  The tool could over time make me realize that I am eating too fast and too much but it can not make me aware.  In a sense over time I should use the fork reminders less and less.

Today's question is:
"What tool could you use to make you more aware of your habits?  "

365QOD- Day881

"If you ask the wrong question, the answer does not matter.  Dare to risk- because in the new world, risky is the new safe."- Randy Gage author of Risky is the New Safe

This blog is based on the premise of generating great questions to ask oneself.  I usually formulate the question after the post has been written so that it is relevant.  Hopefully, I am not asking the wrong question.

The idea of asking the wrong question is very interesting to me.  I believe that it is possible to reach a wrong conclusion and based on that ask the wrong question.  Maybe it is more than that?

I believe that, as the book title indicates, another way you can ask the wrong question is by playing it safe.  By asking the wrong question you might not want to rock the boat.  You do not want the other affected people to feel threatened by your question. So you settle four the ready question.

Today's question is:
"How do you know that you did not ask the wrong question?"

365QOD- Day880

"Competing commitments- this is when one of or conscious goals bumps into one of our unconscious beliefs and it is quietly but brutally clobbered by it."-Robert Kegan

I believe that underneath us all is a very complex machine.  It records evening it hears, sees, tastes, etc. Our minds are perfect recorders.

Once this data comes in, the three layers of the brain process the data.  Some of the information is new and must be either accepted or rejected. This is where the quote above comes into play.

Over time we form our unconscious beliefs.  They are the iceberg underneath the sea.  We can see the top of the iceberg(conscious ) but underneath might rest more than 80 percent of it(unconscious).

The unfortunate part for us that the unconscious will kill off new information that does not fit with current beliefs.  The only way to overcome this is to continuously expose yourself to new data and hope that over time your brain will see the benefit of this new information to start believing it.

Today's question is:
"How do you expose yourself to new data?"

365QOD- Day879

"Most people only half-heartedly decide they want a lot of things. You have to get really clear on what you really want.  The question is how badly do you want it?- Steve Siebold

This quote offers wonderful advice. We tend to want lots of things.  But want is different than need.
I believe the decision has to be full-hearted.  With every fiber you must want it.  Enough to sacrifice something else for it. Then it is a need.

What?  If you believe that you can have it all without giving up something, then you are doing things half -hearted.  You only have so many minutes in a day to squeeze it all in.

Always figure that one for one you must give up an equal time user to get a new want.  Otherwise you are playing mind games with yourself.

Today's question is:
"How do you know that you have made a want truly full hearted? "

365QOD- Day878

"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear- not absence of fear"- Mark Twain

I think that delaying is misunderstood.  Most people believe that delay is most often because a person is considering many options.  I do not.

To me, delaying is fear.  If you make a decision you have to trust yourself to be able to adapt your strategy if your choice is not working out the way you think it should.  You believe more in yourself than the fear.  To me that is the definition of courage.

However, as the quote advises, you might still have fear but you are mastering it by believing in your ability to overcome the obstacles.  You believe that you are bigger than your obstacles.

Today's question is:
"How do you make yourself believe in yourself?"