I am sharing another book this month that I highly recommend. If you have not read any books by Ryan Holiday, give him a shot. His books are thoughtful, easy to read, and insightful. Ego is the Enemy explores the destructive nature of ego and offers insights on how to overcome it. My key takeaways:
1. The Danger of Ego: The ego can be a significant impediment to personal and professional growth. It can blind you to your weaknesses, prevent you from learning, and lead to arrogance and self-sabotage. It is ironic that the thing that can initially lead you towards success can also hold you back, but there it is. 2. Humility: Your ability to suppress your ego and embrace a lifelong learning mindset is what allows you to excel. Ego can prevent you from recognizing your limitations and acknowledging that you have much to learn. 3. Stay in the Present: Focus on the present and, as much as possible, detach yourself from the need for recognition and external validation. The best work is often done quietly and without the need for praise or attention. 4. Resilience and Perseverance: Our Ego can often make us give up too easily in the face of adversity or criticism. With resilience and perseverance, even when faced with setbacks or failures, you can overcome great challenges and stay committed to your goals. 5. Continuous Self-Improvement: Embrace a growth mindset. A commitment to self-improvement and a willingness to learn from every experience will take you far in this world. Ego can hinder this process, so focus on humility and personal development to achieve success.
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All order must initially begin with chaos. The scrum is your arena for determining what is critical, what can wait, and how success will be judged in the coming year. It is a fiery debate of data, metrics, and touch of intuition. I am not going to lie, I kind of like it. Let the Games Begin. Set a date, establish the team, and have them start gathering the necessary data. You are going to want to have access to all the metrics and customer insights at your fingertips when the process begins. Moreover, establish one person in the organization to act as the lead person to organize the meeting. This person needs to have enough authority to get everyone to do their pre-meeting homework and show up at the required time. If this is left to no one, the meeting will most likely fall behind the list of everyday tasks and will not be done. Discipline in this area is critical. Make it an annualized function that happens at the same time each year – people will get used to it. A Holistic Approach
Planning is not a job for just one department. A good plan requires many voices; sales, marketing, operations, finance, customer service – all should be involved. Start with Your North Star: Customers The customer is the ultimate compass. The initial scrum process is the time to recalibrate this compass and dive into customer insights. Focus on customer needs and challenges and how you can improve their journey from ordering to shipping to payment – anything that enhances their experience is on the table. Data-Driven Decision-Making Start with Data. While every company is different, your marketing team should be well-versed in the key metrics that drive success. These are the pulse checkers to determine how well the strategy is being enacted. NOTE: Whenever possible opt for lead measures over lag measures. Lead measures are the specific activities that an organization has determined will lead to success (e.g. – an established number of sales calls per week). Lag measures, on the other hand, can only be judged after the fact (e.g.- revenue) and therefore are too late to do anything to influence the outcome. For example, if the revenue number comes in 20% low for the month of April, it is too late when you have that number in hand (in May) to effect any change for April. If, however, you know based on history, that 20 sales calls per week per salesperson produces the desired amount of revenue than that becomes your lead measure, and you focus on that. The lag measure is then used to confirm or deny if the lead measure is accurate. In essence, if your lead measure is correct, the desired lag measure will take care of itself. From Chaos to Order: By the end of the scrum, you should have achieved the following:
Maybe I just love the process, maybe I had good coaches, but in my years of running obstacle courses, throwing my body over mud-soaked walls, 5Ks, 10ks, pull up and push-up competitions, and a variety of other endeavors that pushed me beyond what I thought I could do, I never thought about the finish line or what waited for me there.
Why?
So, while we as a society like to run for the finish line, keep in mind that the gift is not the trophy or a t-shirt but the endeavor itself. Enjoy the ride – even the hard parts. They made you who you are.
In the age of remote work, there's something to be said about a face-to-face meeting. Sometimes it makes all the difference whether your clients say yes or no. Watch my quick chat with Chris Lytle, the author of The Accidental Salesperson.
Much has been said and written about morning rituals. Today, I want to peel back the curtain and give you a glimpse into my morning ritual; Why do it, What I do, and the Results I have seen.
Why I Do It Life can be a whirlwind of chaos, and it's easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle. Early mornings are a fresh start. Moreover, the wrong information fed into your brain early in the day can make your day miserable. Yes, you feed your mind, just like you feed your body – so be careful with that junk food and junk information. How you start your day sets the tone for the rest of it and a well-crafted morning ritual is the compass that guides you. 1. Clarity of Mind: The early hours are like a blank canvas. By crafting a morning ritual, I claim those hours for myself. It allows me to start the day with a clear and focused mind, free from the distractions that will inevitably pile up as the day progresses. 2. Energy Boost: A good morning ritual gets the body moving and energy flowing. It wakes me up to the day and prepares me for tackling whatever challenges get thrown my way. 3. The Numbers Don’t Lie: There is a strong correlation between success and strong morning rituals. Many of the world’s greatest achievers have spoken about the impact their morning ritual had on their performance. There are many other aspects to success, but the morning ritual is clearly in the top ten as an influencing factor. What I Do Now, let's dive into the nitty-gritty of what my morning ritual looks like. Remember, this is my unique formula, but feel free to borrow elements that resonate with you and create your own daily practice. 1. Early Rise: I'm a firm believer in the power of early mornings. Mornings are quiet and the mind is receptive to fresh information. I wake up between 5:30 – 5:45 AM. 2. Mindful Meditation: The day begins with a session of mindfulness meditation. I prefer guided meditations, but to each his own. Meditation sets a positive mind set and helps enhance my focus. 3. Morning Play/Walk: One of the many benefits of owning a dog is the morning walk. We usually play and cuddle for a bit first and then she wants to get out on the road. During the walk I reflect on the meditation and think about what I want to accomplish that day as we take in the sights and sounds of the morning. 4. Coffee and Mental Stimulation: After we return from the walk, I will grab a cup of coffee and some water and listen to the audio summary for a book while I hydrate/caffeinate. * I love learning and these 15–20-minute summaries are perfect for me. I take notes on key points and things I want to remember. * I am caffeine sensitive, so I normally drink a low caffeine mushroom coffee (it does not taste like mushrooms). 5. Exercise: Heads phone in and power up. I work out 5-6 days per week. I do flow workouts, so I am not looking to “kill it!” but to energize the body. Every workout starts with stretching and mobility work (with either an upper or lower body focus). The workouts vary – core & shoulders, legs & glutes, back and biceps, chest and triceps. I vary it to keep it interesting. I plan the workouts for the week on Sunday night. One advantage of being a former personal trainer is that I know how to create programs for myself. 6. Get Cleaned Up: A quick shower with a nice blast of cold water at the end to really wake me up and I am ready to start work. 7. Solitude & Planning: I still use a Franklin Covey organizer. Before jumping into emails, I plan out my A, B, and C items for the day. It gives me a greater sense of priorities and better time management. I often will jot things down for the coming day the night before to save time. The Results: In a word, the results of my morning ritual are nothing short of miraculous. 1. Heightened Productivity: With a clear mind and a well-organized plan, I'm much more productive. 2. Improved Physical and Mental Health: Regular exercise and mindfulness meditation have dramatically improved my well-being. I have more energy, better focus, and I feel more engaged in the work. 3. Enhanced Creativity: Listening to or reading mentally stimulating content inspires my own creativity. In fact, this blog is a result of my own reflections on something I listened to. I am a committed life-long learner. Reading, listening, journaling, and reflection stimulates my creativity and helps me approach challenges with innovative solutions. 4. Increased Gratitude: I have always loved the saying “Count your blessings.” If you literally start to count your blessings (starting with I am alive) you are quickly filled with a sense of humility for all you have and yes, gratitude. My sense of gratitude since I began my morning ritual is off of the chart. I am awe struck by it. I am infused with a deep sense of purpose and positivity. 5. Success and Fulfillment: My morning ritual has produced large dividends in my success and overall fulfillment. It keeps me grounded, focused on my goals, and constantly striving. In closing, my morning ritual isn't just a routine; it's a commitment to myself. It's a reminder that each day is a new opportunity for growth, achievement, and happiness. So, if you've been toying with the idea of crafting your own morning ritual, I encourage you to take the leap. Embrace the power of your mornings, and watch as it transforms your life. Remember, greatness isn't achieved overnight; it's built one morning at a time. Seize your mornings, and you'll be amazed at what you can accomplish.
Recommended reading for marketers: Linchpin by Seth Godin. I am a big fan of Seth Godin. He was
the first marketer to impress upon me the importance of delighting your customers by creating a remarkable experience. Linchpin focuses more on how you, the employee, can become a linchpin within an organization. Some of the key takeaways from this book were:
Embracing AI as a support tool, but not a crutch. AI is a wonderful support tool. It can help with ideas, structure, and get you started on a piece of content. All these are wonderful things, but don’t let it become a crutch. The information contained in AI is often incomplete, especially if you are looking to demonstrate subject matter expertise, and sometimes it is outright wrong. Learn how to use it and consider how it could positively impact your business, but never use it without a careful eye to the accuracy and completeness of the data. A few people (including an attorney or two) have already been caught over relying on AI data — don’t get yourself added to the heap of people who should have checked their data before presenting it.
Read the rest of my interview with Authority Magazine here. Recommended reading for marketers and leaders: #ExtremeOwnership by Jocko Willink. I highly recommend this book on leadership by a former Navy SEAL Commander. Some of the key takeaways from this book for me were:
Extreme Ownership – as the leader you are responsible for everything that goes on with your team/department. Your ego is your enemy - stay humble. You need to believe in the mission – or product or marketing campaign. Keep your communication clearly, concise, and simple. Lead up and down the chain of command – providing insight and information to both those who report to you as well as those you report to. Decentralize Command – aka delegate to get the best out of your team and to help them grow as leaders. Proper planning is key – successful campaigns, product rollouts, etc. start with solid planning and analysis. Prioritize - there is never enough dollars and/or manpower to get everything done that you want to. Prioritize based on those things that will get you the most positive outcome with the least effort. |