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November 2008 Great opportunities aheadPeter Thurin here again, and a bit of ground to cover in this newsletter. How's everything? On top of it? On fire? Confident? Optimistic? You should be, you know. The present challenges in the economy spell just ONE word. Opportunity More on that right now. Read on.
In this issue:Look for opportunities in changeYou know what, there's change and there's change. The first type of change happens totally outside our control, the second kind of change is change we are totally responsible for. While what's happening around you and in the United States and Europe and Russia and Japan may not be something you can do anything about, here's what you CAN do right now, right here, right away, if you're in business. First, forget about focusing on what your opposition's doing, on what the government's doing, on what the stock market's doing. Just become fanatically and ferociously focused on your CUSTOMERS, and how you can impact on them. Become absolutely customer focused. Top priority. You'll blow them away and they'll never leave you. Second, differentiate yourself from everyone else who's playing your game. Set yourself and your company apart. It's the little things, remember the one percenters, that we do over and over again that lead to our great accomplishments. They really are those things that are "easy to do" but also "easy not to do". Most people unfortunately take the soft option. Choose to differentiate yourself. Do the stuff the others don't. Choose to be the best you can be. And third, embrace change. Remember that with change, whatever kind, good, bad, comes opportunity. It is absolutely imperative that you look for the opportunities in change. Instead of doing what everyone else is doing, worrying about how they're going to cope with change, embrace it, and ask yourself constantly how you can benefit from change. Your mantra becomes: "I want to be better as a result of change than I was before it". And here's the other part of change that's REALLY exciting. Ask yourself this question – what do I need to change to improve my skills? What are the new skills I need? What new knowledge do I need, to truly excel? Who else do I need on my team to bring about that change? Something else to do, if you're a leader in your organisation (and that means everybody). What an awesome time this is to let your people know how much you appreciate them. Don't forget how critical it is for every person on your team to feel IN on what's happening around them. So, create that feeling in your people. Develop them. Improve their skills with them. Communicate. Communicate. Communicate. Wow, I'd so love the opportunity to get in front of your people and point you all down these pathways to success. If you think that's something you'd like me to help you with, get in touch. There are so many powerful strategies we could work on together. Remember, it's all about those 3 powerful drivers:
Let's get together and talk about that.
Smiling Big-Time for Smiddy
I experienced something quite remarkable while conferencing on Hamilton Island a few weeks ago. I had the great good fortune of being invited to be a keynote speaker for the Liquor Marketing Group. Their chosen charity is Smiling For Smiddy. It's a cancer charity brought about by a young 26 year old triathlete called David Smiddy who lost his life to an aggressive melanoma. It all started with me being allowed to donate a large number of signed copies of my book, "be the best you can be", to help raise some needed funds. The uptake was beyond sensational - I had writer's cramp from signing no less than 144 copies - and with a groundswell of emotion, 2 days later the conference delegates had raised $30,700 for Smiling for Smiddy. It never ceases to amaze me that when people share a common vision and get excited, the momentum that is built is capable of producing astonishing results. To all you guys who were at that conference, thank you so much, and you may well and truly take a bow.
FeedbackI heard back from so many of you after my last newsletter. In fact, the response was truly overwhelming. I told the story of Nick, former world champ kickboxer and ranked #7 in the world as a boxer. Now, he's building a new life and a new career, utilising all the skills he used so brilliantly in his career as an athlete. Many people wrote to me to say thanks for making them realise that they DO have the skills, they've ALWAYS had the skills, that they can take their skills and their disciplines into ANY area of their lives and make it absolutely explode. And the best of all those emails? One from Nick himself, grateful for the reminder of just how far he's come and how far he's planning to go. And my story on Rob the Builder touched so many people, everyone hanging out for future updates on how he gets on with his new found goals. Everyone's hanging to hear about the bike ride, now the bike's out of the box. And that marathon. And in the short term, if Rob's still well and truly keeping up with the kids. Well, I've touched base with Rob and the updates will appear in future newsletters. And the CEO of one of the companies I consult to, a proud dad of an 18 y.o. who's going through a few challenges (like 100% of the teenagers I know), forwarded my newsletter straight on to his boy in Canberra. He thought his boy would gain so much by reading both Nick and Rob's story. Is there someone you know who would benefit? Who do you know who needs a dose of inspiration? By all means, feel free to share this (or any) newsletter as far afield as you like. Go Andrea!So delighted to receive this email from Andrea, secretary/receptionist with a magnificent firm of Management Consultants. Is this a perfect example of "easy to do, easy not to do", or what? From: Andrea Dear Peter As I mentioned on the phone the other day, I have been using your pearls of wisdom quite a lot. When my children don't want to do their piano practice, spelling words, reader etc. I suggest to them they just do 5 minutes or one page. They end up getting engrossed in it and continuing without further nagging. They do this each day, and at the end of the week, I say to them, "Wow, you've achieved a lot this week, haven't you. Are you proud of yourself?" Yes... they are. We have several DIY projects going on at home. Instead of getting bogged down with the enormity of the whole task. We have been saying '"Right, what are we going to do about it today?" Ask the neighbour for the phone number of that bob cat operator he knows, move that pile of bricks out of the way, calculate the sleepers we will need... Write a list and tick a couple of things off. Very satisfying. Bit by bit, we are moving towards the end result. Getting up early to go to the gym. Easy to do, easier not to do. I force myself, because if I do it today, then not only am I pleased with my willpower, but I am one step towards being a bit fitter, and I'm not wasting my gym membership. Spending quality time with the children - when they ask if we can take the bikes to the park. Instead of saying no, because there are jobs to do, we say yes. It doesn't take long, they are happy, we have actually enjoyed it ourselves, and then we can get on with what else needs to be done. I wanted to stop eating the biscuits in the office. I thought it would be difficult to give them up cold turkey, but each day I say: "I'm not going to eat any biscuits today." It works. After a week, I hadn't had any biscuits and I didn't miss them. When friends have a dilemma, I feel like I can give them sensible suggestions. On the whole, I am asking myself : why am I doing this? or what is stopping me from doing that? I am prioritising. Thanks for the book. Andrea. Andrea, a grateful readership salutes you. That's EXACTLY what being the "best you can be" is all about. Thank you SO much for sharing that with us. There's inspiration for us all in the most humble (yet joyful) of our daily tasks. I'd love to share your story with our on line community too. Let me hear from you. Email me any time. And I'm always ready, rarin' to go, if I can get in front of your people and empower, inspire, teach, bully or browbeat them to levels of excellence they only ever dreamed of. Until next time, may the weeks ahead be magnificent for you. Don't forget to email me any time at comments@blackbeltinexcellence.com.au And here's how to order yourself copies of my book. (How many can I send you??) Or maybe the audio CD I put together with radio marvel Peter Byme - a fantastic way to absorb success principles on the move.
As you know, part of the proceeds of every copy of my book "be the best you can be" go to the wonderful people at ACCYO (The Australian Council for Children and Youth Organisations) which is helping to make Australia a safer place for our children. www.accyo.org.au And if you'd like to book blackbeltinexcellence for your next conference, workshop, seminar or success training, just click here. I'd be happy to talk to you about awe-inspiring ways I can lead you personally and your company forward into the future with confidence, energy and commitment.
And remember, I'm always happy to work one-on-one with you too. blackbelt in excellence specialises in:
To your success. Be the best you can be. Best wishes, Peter Thurin 61 407 568 416 |
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