I’m getting ready to board a plane, something I do several times a week. Each time, I’m putting my trust—and my life—in the hands of the pilot. This is, in all likelihood, a person I’ve never met, and never will meet. But I rarely, if ever, think about it, and I’ll bet you don’t either. The trust is so implicit that you don’t even think about it.

So my question for you today is a simple one: Do your customers have that kind of trust in you?

Read More…

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

It’s a cold, gray, rainy day here in Seattle, and I noticed fewer people at the gym this morning. Coincidence? Perhaps, but I don’t think so.

See, I almost didn’t go to the gym myself. Who wants to go to the gym on a miserable day like this?

For that matter, who wants to go to work? It’s a dreary, depressing day—a perfect day to rent a few movies, pop some popcorn, wrap yourself in a blanket, and take a break from it all.

Some people might do that. But not the award-winning performers.

Read More…

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Last night I heard a television commentator say that the Republican nomination is going to come down to “who wants it more.”

I sincerely hope that this is not the case.

Republican or Democrat, I sincerely hope that we’re not going to choose our leaders on the basis of who wants it more. I mean, really, would you make any other choice that way?

“Honey, where would you like to eat tonight?”

“Well, the Mexican place is always great. The Italian place is kind of grimy and the food’s not that good, but I think they want it more.”

“Italian it is, then!”

Or:

“Which one of these guys should we pick for the basketball team?”

“Well, the guy on the left is seven foot six, lightning fast, and can dunk the ball without leaving the ground. On the other hand, that little fellow next to him—the one who comes up to his waist—really, really wants it.”

“Welcome to the big leagues, little guy!”

Sounds kind of preposterous, doesn’t it? That’s because in the real world (which apparently excludes the world of politics) we reward performance, not wishes.

Read More…

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

See that guy on the left? The one at the Steinway? That’s Andras Schiff, one of the greatest concert pianists alive today. Andras and I have a few things in common: 1) we both play the piano; 2) we both play Steinways (although his preferred instrument is a Bosendorfer); 3) we’ve both had dinner with my sister (but not at the same time; I’ve never met Mr. Schiff, whereas I’ve met my sister several times).

I want to talk about #1. We both play the piano. We have that in common. Here’s where we differ:

I play notes; Andras Schiff plays music.

I enjoy playing the piano. I’ve played in a few bands, and I can play well enough to entertain myself, and—on a good day—others. But I’m not a master. Unlike Andras Shiff, my playing doesn’t rise to the level of award-winning performance.

Here’s the difference.

Read More…

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

You don’t need an award to have award-winning performance.

A couple of friends and I went to a little jazz club in Seattle on Saturday night. The quartet, led by vocalist Greta Matassa, was outstanding. My friends and I had a wonderful time, but here’s the thing that really struck me:

Read More…

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

What will your one thing be today?

Back when I was producing my sketch comedy TV show, Almost Live!, I had one cardinal rule that I followed, for each and every show, during the entire 15-year run. That rule was this:

For each show, there had to be at least one element that would make the audience think, at the end, “Now that was worth watching!”

Read More…

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

First, a status report. My cheese is fine. Nobody’s moved my cheese; my cheese is right where it’s always been.

Cheese, you see, is the reward you get for making it through the maze. It’s the fun stuff. Cheese is:

• the glass of wine at the end of the day
• the weekend movie
• the summer trip to Italy

Cheese is the fun stuff. I’m not going to lose track of my cheese. It’s front-of-mind, and I know exactly where it is.

It’s the peas that seem to move. What are the peas? Peas are the things that are good for you, but that aren’t necessarily fun. Peas are the twists and turns in the maze; they’re the sweat that it takes in order to earn your cheese. They’re the hard work. Peas are:

• the 30 minutes on the treadmill each morning
• the sales calls you make to drive your business
• the extra hours you put in because “good enough” isn’t good enough

Peas get lost all the time. They get lost in phrases like:

• “I was going to go to the gym this morning, but I was just too tired.”
• “My friend invited me to a long lunch, so I couldn’t get that report finished today.”
• “I know that I said I’d call my parents today, but tomorrow’s fine; they won’t care.”

I’ve said each of these—and others like them—at one time or another, and I’m guessing you have too. And each time I’ve said them, it means that somebody moved my peas.

That somebody, of course, is me. Nobody else can move my peas, and nobody but you can move yours. You alone are responsible for your own sweat equity, both literal and figurative.

So my challenge for you (and me) is this: start making the peas front-of-mind. Rather than spend your day thinking about the glass of wine, rather than spend your week thinking about the weekend, rather than spend your spring thinking about summer vacation, focus instead on the job at hand. Focus on doing what needs to be done. And then do it—to the best of your ability.

Don’t move your peas. Eat them, enjoy them, relish them. Because when you do, the cheese will taste that much better.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

It’s that time of year again—time for my annual “Let’s try to see as many Oscar nominated movies as possible” drive. So last night I saw Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, which is not exactly the front runner for Best Picture. Still, it’s nominated, as is co-star Max von Sydow for Best Supporting Actor. Conspicuously missing from the nominations, however, is 14-year-old Thomas Horn. Say what you will about the movie itself (some love it, some hate it), but this guy—in his first ever movie role—not only shows incredible range and is completely believable, but is also in virtually every scene and completely dominates the movie. If a “name” actor had done what Horn did, he would be a favorite to win Best Actor.

“And your point is…?” you ask rudely.

Read More…

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

What decision will you make today?

Every movement—forward, backward, or sideways—begins with a decision. The quality of that movement is determined, to a large degree, by the quality of the decision. Making a decision is like putting your car in “drive.” You’re not going to go anywhere until you step on the gas, but by shifting into “drive,” you’re making a declaration of intent.

That’s what a decision is, really—a declaration of intent. You’re saying to the world (or, at least, to your world) that this is where you’re going to go, this is what you’re going to achieve, this is who you’re going to be on the planet. Ideally, it’s a promise that you make to yourself. You may or may not share that promise with others (family, employees, colleagues), but you have to make it to yourself first.

A decision is, by definition, exclusionary. It sets things in motion down a particular path, to the exclusion of other paths. Once you decide to turn right, you cannot also turn left. Once you decide—truly decide—to commit to award-winning performance in your business, you can no longer phone it in. Decisions are not for those who want it both ways. But then, neither is success.

A leader can be defined as “one who decides” (George W. Bush’s infamous “I’m the decider” statement notwithstanding). So my question to you today is a simple one:

What decision will you make today? Consciously. Intentionally.

All too often we go through our days on autopilot, not making any conscious decisions that will move us forward. We fill our hours with activities that keep us where we are. We tread water, but we don’t swim.

I invite you to break that pattern today. I invite you to take a stand for something. I invite you to move forward in your business and in your life.

I invite you to make a decision.

What decision will you make today?

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

I was recently talking to a fellow speaker about marketing. She was complaining (whining, really) because she had to put together a new marketing campaign for her services, and she wasn’t enjoying the process. She said she didn’t want to do any marketing. I asked her what she did want, and she said:

“I just want people to hire me.”

Well, don’t we all? There are a lot of kids out there who want a pony, and that’s probably not going to happen either.

But her comment got me thinking. It seems to me that in the area of achievement, there are two kinds of people:

There are worker bees…and there are wannabes.

One of them gets results. See if you can guess which one:

Read More…

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.