Reaching Excellence!
Reaching excellence and preventing failure are two different things.
In his work, “Now Discover Your Strengths”, Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton, discuss the need to release our myopic preoccupation with improving our weaknesses and to instead focus on refining, honing, and perfecting our strengths! They wrote, “To clear our skewed perspective, however, we must remember that casting a critical eye on our weaknesses and working hard to manage them, while sometimes necessary, will only help us prevent failure. It will not help us reach excellence…. you will reach excellence only by understanding and cultivating your strengths” (p. 124).
You want excellence! To achieve this, yes, you must manage your weaknesses enough that they don’t undermine success and cause failure. But don’t focus on your weaknesses. Don’t labor at improving your weaknesses. Excellence is best achieved by the refining, honing, and perfecting your strengths!
Discover your strengths. Work your strengths. Improve your strengths. And don’t let up. Round your strengths. Smooth your strengths. Polish your strengths. Keep going! When you sharpen your strengths, you excel! When you excel, excellence is yours!
Why You’re Programmed to Fail!
We are programmed to fail. But you can remedy that, by changing your focus. More in a moment.First, know that we are born with fallen natures. We live with broken people. We exist in a harsh, negative world. Consequently, we easily fixate on our foibles, our flaws, our frailties, our failings. Our life-lens is intrinsically critical and condemning—looking for shortcomings, weaknesses, blemishes, imperfections.
Sadly, nature and nurture have colluded together to skew our perspective towards defects and deficiencies. We easily obsess on illness, afflictions, sin, and pathology. Regrettably, we know little about real health and happiness.
We may be programmed to fail. But we are free to reprogram ourselves for success. We are free to reboot, restart, and recover the greatness we were destined for. Begin living a life of wellness, wholeness, soundness and goodness today. Begin working out of plenty. Begin serving out of fullness. Begin to thrive! Live strong!
Why You’re Not Amazing!
Want to know why you’re not AMAZING? One reason. You don’t know your strengths!I know, I know. I didn’t say that very nicely. I didn’t cushion the claim with cozy caveats. I didn’t pad the truth with polite pleasantries. Sorry! NOT!
But, no, you’re not amazing!
Corporate Kryptonite is Crippling Super Men
There’s only one thing that cripples Superman. You know what it is. It’s not evil; it’s not enemies. It’s kyrptonite. In a similar way, there’s also one thing that cripples you. It cripples me. I call it “Corporate Kryptonite.” It drains exceptional executives, great businessmen, and awesome employees of their innate strengths. Whether at our headquarters or just in our head, this cruel kryptonite disarms all of us of our inborn gifts. It disables our inherent talents. It debilitates our intrinsic best abilities.What is it?
Comic book lore tells us that the Man of Steel can save you. He can save me. Heck, he can save the whole world. Yet, when exposed to kryptonite, he can’t even save himself. Somehow that radioactive green stuff is the one thing that completely neutralizes, paralyzes, and incapacitates the red-caped hero.
The Myth that Sabotages Success
There is one myth that is killing success. This falsehood undermines accomplishment. It subverts advance. It sabotages progress. Like a hidden bomb, it unexpectedly detonates potential gains. And tragically, 59% of smart business-savvy Americans believe this lie. How about you?
Your answer to the following question will determine whether you are on a success trajectory or a sabotaging one. So think carefully before you answer. Ready? Here’s the question: “Which do you think will help you improve the most: knowing your strengths or knowing your weaknesses?”
If you said “weaknesses,” the good news is that you’re not alone. Most people believe this fiction. Yes, I said fiction. Six in ten Americans believe focusing on our weaknesses is the best way to improve professional performance. The bad news is that you’re wrong. The research shows quite the opposite. Amazing success, with exceptional results, (which is what we want) is achieved by knowing your strengths and focusing on them, not your weaknesses!
Trying to fortify, to upgrade, and to improve weaknesses sounds reasonable, but ultimately it’s not helpful, especially if you want to experience awesome gains.
Preoccupation on weaknesses and on laboring to squeeze out an iota of improvement in areas we are not innately strong, clearly undermines the possibility of robust executive growth. It keeps hardworking professionals feeling stuck and frustrated. It typically drains and demotivates business personnel. Worse yet, it wastes time, sucks energy, and bears little corporate fruit. (For more, see Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton in their book, “Now, Discover Your Strengths.”)
So what’s the truth? What should we do to accelerate success? Simply stated, focus on your strengths! Target your strengths. Spotlight your strengths. The reason for this is simple. Refining strengths is the easiest, quickest, and best way to improve skills, increase knowledge, crystallize expertise, and to achieve consistent near perfect performance. Repent of sabotaging your success by putting intentional attention on your signature strengths! Stay strong!
P.S. To discover your strengths, consider taking Gallop’s strengthsfinder profile. For assistance in exploring your core strengths, consider working with a Success Life Coach who can help explain, unpack, and activate your unique signature strengths.
The Key to Making Resolutions Real
The #1 reason New Year’s resolutions, goals, and dreams fail is because we lack accountability—the essential condition to insuring a resolution even has a shot at becoming a reality. But the #2 reason our best intentions fail is equally damning. Today, let’s look at this critical truth.
Here it is: Our visions fizzle, flounder, fold and flop because they are foggy! Simply stated, they are too vague. Esoteric resolutions fall short. Nebulous goals run aground. Abstract dreams crash and burn. B.J. Fogg from Stanford University reinforces this truth, saying, “What a mistake – the whole idea around New Year’s resolutions. People aren’t picking specific behaviors, they’re picking abstractions.”
To make resolutions real, tie them to a specific behavior. Science teaches that our brains don’t focus on abstractions well. To achieve a new goal, first make it a new habit—meaning, a new specific behavior. Research shows that 90% of all New Year’s Resolutions come to naught because they are too obscure, ethereal, and dreamy. Let me give some examples:
- Instead of eating healthier (which is a vague resolution), be specific! Such as, begin each day with oatmeal instead of sugared cereal, or exchange a banana for breakfast instead of a pop tart, or pack an apple or protein bar for a snack instead of chips and a candy bar.
- Instead of losing weight (which is a vague resolution), be specific! Such as, begin your morning with a glass of water, walk around the block during your lunch break, and agree to eating no food after 7:00pm.
- Instead of getting in shape (which is a vague resolution), be specific! Such as, meet a friend at the gym for an hour four times a week, or jog on the treadmill for 20 minutes three times a week, or take an exercise class two times a week.
- Instead of managing stress better (which is a vague resolution), be specific! Such as, begin your daily routine with a deep breath and a warm shower, include a 5 minute quiet time of reading the Bible, poetry, or an inspiration book, and have a one-minute moment of prayer.
- Instead of advancing your business (which is a vague resolution), be specific! Such as, read a leadership book, take an online business course, start your own LLC, add a 100 connections on LinkedIn, or (my biased favorite) hire a Success Life Coach.
Turning sincere hopes and well-intentioned ideas into reality demands relational accountability and practical specifics. Resolution success is 50% higher when goals are clear-cut and explicit. So don’t be vague. Fog is great for a romantic walk; it’s terrible for a goal. Write out some specific goals. Post them on your bathroom mirror. Tell a friend. Get accountability. Consider partnering with a coach. And have a great year. Best to you!
P.S. If you’re open, I’d love hearing some of your specific goals for this year. You can connect with me on LinkedIn or email me at dave@drdavewhite.com
Why 88% of New Year’s Resolutions Fail!
To make resolutions come true, to make changes that last, to reverse old habits, to live out new patterns, to see real transformation, to actually achieve behavior modification, you need one essential thing.
- Being specific (verses abstract) with your goals helps, but is not enough.
- Shooting for tiny baby steps (verses biting off something too big) helps, but is not enough.
- Focusing on behaviors (verses outcomes) is helpful, but is not enough.
- Good intentions are not enough.
- Writing it down is not enough.
- Will power is not enough. (Don’t fight me on this. It’s not!)
Throw away your rabbit’s foot, your horoscope, your four-leaf clover, and your wish bone. A coach knows your dog didn’t eat your homework. A coach won’t tolerate your pouting, your excuses, and your whining. Can I be candid? A coach won’t collude with your B.S.. Get a qualified man-maker who will help you to get it done. Happy New Year!
4 Essentials Supports for 2016
It’s a new year! It’s time to upgrade your life. Here are 4 essential supports that will completely upgrade your year. They all involve an initial investment, but the payoff and ROI will be well worth it! Trust me!A Dozen Coaches Every Leader Needs
(1) Doctor (a given for overall medical health).
(2) Dentist (plus possibly an orthodontist for teeth, gums, and oral health).
(3) Chiropractor (or an alignment specialist such as a Physical Therapist or Massage Technician to foster proper posture, alignment, circulation, bone and tissue health).
(4) House Helper (which may include a handful of helpers, such as a gardener, pool man, pest control, plumber, electrician, air conditioner guy, and possibly a maid to keep the home base working well).
(5) Car Mechanic (to keep your mobile office running and to monitor tires, oil, fluids, engine, and overall vehicle safety and performance at their best).
(7) Tax Man (and other Financial Advisers to monitor investments, savings, retirement, tax shelters, monetary security, and money matters).
(8) Barber (or other basic grooming input, whether from spouses, friends, or experts, to make sure you look your best… clean, shaved, trimmed nails, fitting cologne, tailored clothes, polished shoes, and so forth).
(9) Personal Trainer (fitness professional, Cross Fit Coach, Nutritionist, Dietician, and others willing to support good exercise, adequate sleep, proper eating, and healthy supplementation).
(10) Business Coach (or Executive Coach to assist with leading, managing, branding, monetizing, strength mapping, business building, and more). Business is hard ball. Be smart! Don’t swim with sharks alone.
(11) Mind Coach (or Life Coach, counselor, therapist, psychologist, or shrink to fend off depression, isolation, and stress. A competent coach helps you to keep your head in the game. Mental health is a must!).
(12) Physician of the Soul (or Pastor, Priest, Rabbi, Spiritual Guide, Faith Mentor, or Discipler) to help you live for something transcendent, beyond yourself. And to keep you humble and hopeful, grounded and grateful.
Effective Leaders have lots of coaches in their lives. At least a dozen! How about you? What coaches are you missing? What coaches do you need? A new year looms. Increase your effectiveness! Up your game and add a coach to your success arsenal this year.
Every Leader’s Most Needed Gift
Professionally, leaders relish the privilege of serving, empowering, and unleashing people. But given all the criticism, heartache, and betrayals leaders endure, the love and loyalty of a meaningful personal relationship is an awesome gift for any leader. So this Christmas, forget the fruitcake. Gift your favorite leader with a person.
Start by giving him or her, your own personal support. Personal fidelity is powerful gift to a leader. Then do all you can to help your boss have time away with the person most energizing and enriching for him or her. Perhaps encourage your corporation to hire a person to serve as a leader’s liaison, assistant, and aid. I’ve never met a leader who couldn’t use extra help getting goals met, projects done, and objectives finished.
As a leader yourself, maybe this is the year to gift yourself with a person. Consider investing in a customized and private Life Coach committed to serving you, resourcing you, and championing your personal and professional needs. Every great leader I know is supported by an incredible co-pilot, wingman, spotter, or armor-bearer of some kind.
Finally, on this Christmas Eve, let’s not forget God’s greatest gift to us all. Again, not a trinket or a toy. Not a gizmo or a gadget. But a person. The person of Jesus Christ. Unwrap and enjoy the gift of His love, grace, peace, and hope this year! Merry Christmas to you!