John Hersey Leadership Blog

How many organizations have failed for lack of leadership focus? Contagious Leaders pick a course and remain focused, even when it is a bit uncertain at first.

We have had a tremendous response and some frustration to last weeks teleseminar,
HowTo Thrive in Tight Times . It is not surprising to us that most of
your questions, comments and concerns were around Action 1,
Focusing on the top 20% of your income and/or impact producing
activities.

We never said it would be easy. Nor did we say to not do those
“other activities” that were necessary to the running of your
business.

As Ralph Waldo Emerson said:

“As the gardener, by severe pruning, forces the sap of the tree
into one or two vigorous limbs, so should you stop off your
miscellaneous activity and concentrate your force on one or a few
points”

We all have necessary and important activities to perform in the
normal course of keeping our businesses going in the desired direction.
However, all too often we do these instead of the critical income and impact
producing activities.

We have heard people say, “I can’t possibly do that top 20%
thing. It is a great idea but won’t work for me. There is just too
much to do around here, and I am the one to do them.”

All true! However, doing many of these activities keeps us from
zeroing in on those that produce big results.

Think of it this way; if you had an emergency that required you
to leave your office and only spend 20% of your time working, what
would you focus on? Who would you delegate those “other important
activities” too? Which of these “important” activities would you
let go off?

We hope you find this deeper dive into the subject helpful. Let
us know by commenting below.

We are always on the lookout for great companies lead by Contagious Leaders. Steve Farber helped our cause through his recent blog post (www.stevefarber.com/blog ) about ING Direct. It is a worthy read.

ING Directs CEO, Arkadi Kuhlmann, outlines a clear vision for his company, his employees and his customers. Such clarity is rare but more importantly, he outlines a culture that employees and aspiring leaders usually only dream about but rarely experience. Bravo, ING and Double Bravo, Mr. Kuhlmann.

Lehman Brothers, AIG, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Countrywide, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, foreclosures, sub-prime meltdown, Sarah Palin, and the stock market dropped 500+ points. These are all in the news, emotionally charged and wonderfully interesting distractions, And, they steal our energy, undermine our focus and keep us from doing what needs to be done—our jobs.

We give so much of our attention to these and other distractions that we begin to believe the sky is falling. We become enamored with the distractions and paralyzed, incapable of doing what will make a difference for us, regardless of the story of the day.

In 2002 I attended a gathering of leaders in the professional speakers’ circuit. As you might expect due to effects of 9/11, the leaders discussed the challenges. The discussion was very much like the ones I am hearing now. Whispers of doomsday spread throughout the gathering. Then, the expert we had brought in to make us feel better and tell us how to weather this storm proceeded to tell us that there wasn’t any storm. There were speakers all over the country who were busy, some busier than ever. In this challenging time for the country, clients needed our services more than ever. The busy speakers focused on helping clients succeed when success did not seem possible. Her remarks were like a wonderfully refreshing slap in the face.

Leaders know we create that which we focus on the most. By placing our focus on our challenges, our difficulties, our problems, we draw more of these to us. James Allen first shared this leadership concept years ago in his seminal work entitled “As a Man Thinketh.”

This effect of focus is a universal leadership law, one that Contagious Leaders have trained themselves to understand. It is uncanny — when real estate professionals focus on how bad the market is, it gets worse. It is amazing — when leadership organizations focus on reducing expenses, expenses become more problematic, and sales and revenues suffer. It is astounding — when organizations focus on cutting, more cuts are always needed.

One of our leadership clients had a major initiative to reduce cancellations. They measured cancellations weekly, reported them to the top leadership, and reviewed them on regular conference calls. The fact is our client did not want fewer cancellations, they wanted more renewals. We suggested that the leadership shift the focus to increasing renewals. We recommended they measure renewals, report renewals, and discuss renewals on their conference calls. We encouraged the top leadership to focus on a positive desired result instead of focusing on negative indicators.

Does this mean leaders put their heads in the sand and ignore the natural vagaries in the economy? Of course not! Great leaders are always on top of market conditions. The difference is that truly great leaders do not allow themselves to be distracted by these shifts. They simply remain focused on what they want and what they need to do to accomplish the mission.

Here are some tips:

• Surround yourself with people who are focusing on being successful, who are determined to take advantage of the market shift.
• Focus on 100 reasons why you will be successful not a 100 reasons why you should worry.
• Make every day count, Do something everyday that will further your business.
• Get your chemistry working for you by releasing your endorphins. Exercise, deep breathing, walking will help to keep you positive. I just committed to a new exercise class.
• Turn off the news. If you feel compelled to find out what’s happening, do what John does. He uses his computer to just bring up the headlines and leave it at that. Sometimes I can actually feel the fear start to come alive when I watch the news.
• Laugh every day. Do something fun that will put a smile on your face. John and I regularly go to a Sunday matinee, get popcorn and a great seat.

There will be people who grow their market share and who do incredibly well during this time. If that’s you, please respond to this blog with your tips. Thanks. Bev

Paul Potts -- Captivates the Opera World

Paul Potts is a mobile phone salesman who had a dream to sing opera. He is a shy and humble man who is short on confidence standing on a big stage about to exhibit is voice. The judges, one being the opinionated Simon Cowell for Britain’s Got Talent, would decide if Paul’s got it. Paul is risking the dream to do
what he always thought he was put on this earth to do. He has pushed through his fear and found enough gumption to go for it.

Experience Paul and you decide. Was it worth it for him to push through his fear and possibly risk his dream? Would you have done it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_5W4t_CBzg&feature=related

Bev

Hello friends;

We are all being barraged with bad news and because of that strong and dedicated leadership is more critical than ever. Besides, we have a choice about whether we will allow the news to dictate our success or shall we succeed despite of the news.

Personally, Beverly and I have decided to not play in the negativity sand box. It’s way too crowded. Instead, we are creating it that the next 24 months will be awesome; different, but awesome.

To help, we have uploaded five recordings to keep our mindset focused. These five recordings are set up for 10 easy minutes of listening and inspiration and can be accessed by clicking on anyone of the links below.

This is our way of contributing to the continued success of our friends and associates. Please pass these on to others who could use a little lift right now.

Be well, Be Contagious, and Be UNFORGETTABLE

John Hersey and Beverly Belury

Being Unforgettable Audio – Great leaders know that being ordinary is unacceptable. It is risky and puts yourself, your company, your brand at a competitive disadvantage. This 10 minute audio explains the risks and offers suggestions on becoming an Unforgettable Leader.

Being Unreasonable Audio – To be Unforgettable Leaders we must stop being reasonable and start expecting UNREASONABLE from ourselves. This 10 minute audio is a great reminder about why we need to be unreasonable and how we might begin the process of achieving it.

Consistency Audio — Our friends at OneCoach (www.onecoach.com ) keep telling us that consistently focusing on the top 20% of our income and impact producing activities is critical for being unforgettable and attaining unforgettable results. This 10 minute audio gives you a few things to consider as you set forth to improve consistency and develop a highly effective routine.

Power of We Audio — Unforgettable Leaders have learned the value in developing long-term relationships. They look at the lifetime value of every customer and prospect rather than looking at them as a transaction. This short audio will help you stay focused on building your relationship bank account.

Power of Routine Audio – Way too many aspiring leaders go to work everyday without a plan. They lack a routine. Remember, “Discipline, not desire, determines destiny.” We all know what to do to be successful. Doing it is another matter. This 10 minute audio will help you focus on your routine.