Today, we want to discuss leadership. It pertains to personal leadership, but we’re going to focus on leading others. We’ve been looking at learning opportunities; we’ll discuss this subject as a teaching opportunity.

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When the performance of someone in your charge falls short of expectations, there’s a very important question to ask. You start with this because the answer determines your next move. The question is:

Have I done everything in my power to help this person perform up to expectations?

If the answer is no, determine what else you can do. Then do it.  

If the answer is yes, then you may have to take more drastic measures.     

Start with yourself for two reasons:

• To give your employee every benefit of every doubt. After all, either you or your predecessor saw something worthwhile or this person wouldn’t be working for you.

• You can control yourself; you can’t control anyone else. So if the answer comes back on you, it means the solution may be easier. 

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2 categories of sub-par performance

You can summarize all the reasons why an employee may not be hitting his or her target into two categories:

It is either a knowing problem or a doing problem.

In general, knowing problems are easier to solve than doing problems. When you ask yourself if you’ve done everything you can, you hope you can honestly say “No”. Then when you ask yourself if it appears to be a knowing problem or a doing problem, you hope to honestly answer that it’s a knowing issue.

Then you feel like there’s a real shot at getting the employee on track. They may need encouragement. They may need more training. They may need context for the work they perform.

Teachable vs. learnable

With most jobs, there are elements that are teachable and there are elements that are learnable. You can teach someone how to get past a knowing problem. They have to learn how to get over a doing problem.

Think about it – you’ve probably read, watched or heard directions on how to do something. You thought you had it down … until you tried to do it.

Implementation can be difficult to say the least. But at some point, you get it.

The best decision may be the most difficult one

Your employee has to get it in a reasonably timely manner. If not, you face a difficult choice. You may need to part ways with this employee.

It’s important to keep something in mind. Let’s say you’ve given your best effort to help your employee get up to par. Your employee has given his or her best effort to get on track.

It still isn’t happening. You’re probably doing everyone a favor by making that difficult choice. That doesn’t make it easy, but it can give you some relief about your decision.

Great leaders take responsibility for the performance of every individual in their charge. When someone isn’t performing up to expectations, they quickly take action to get them back on track. That leads to bigg success!

Thanks so much for checking in with us today.

We love synergy here at Bigg Success. So next time we’ll discuss five activities that will make you healthy, wealthy and wise all at the same time. Please join us!

Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

Subscribe to The Bigg Success Show in iTunes. 

Subscribe to the Bigg Success feed.

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file:
http://media.libsyn.com/media/biggsuccess/00469-082709.mp3

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How smart do you have to be to reach bigg success?

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Latent intelligence is useless by definition.

Theoretical intelligence may help you frame an issue, but it doesn’t go far enough.

Applied intelligence drives results.

You have to be smart enough to apply your intelligence.

This is a major stumbling block for a lot of people. It’s easy to get all excited about learning. Learning is one part of the process. However, if it never gets out of the classroom, so to speak, that time spent learning is wasted.

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Now I’m no Einstein. If I were, I might have come up with this quote: “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.”

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Who are we to question Einstein? The man who is generally credited with being the most intelligent person in history said that imagination is more important than knowledge.

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Imagination is perhaps more important than ever before. Imagination is the fountain of our creativity. Creativity is a critical skill in today’s business world.

There’s another great Einstein quote:

“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

You have to move beyond old ways of thinking if you’re going to find the solutions you seek. You have to let your mind wander. You have to explore new possibilities. You have to come up with new ideas.

Now, some of them may sound crazy to other people. They may laugh at them. They may dismiss them outright. They may be right … but they may not.

So you have to be smart enough to think for yourself.

Remember this – we’ve said it before and we’ll probably say it again because it is so crucial to reaching bigg success:

The solution to the problem you face only has to work for you and it only has to work for you this one time.

Bigg success is life on your own terms. The terms – the words – we use are important when we’re trying to understand a subject.

We’ve said that it’s productive to look at your life as your enterprise with you as the entrepreneur in charge. One of the terms we hear used a lot in connection with entrepreneurship is innovation.

It’s kind of a sexy term, isn’t it? It definitely has a certain ring to it. It’s definitely a positive term. Some synonyms are pioneering, inventive, original, new, and novel.

But innovation doesn’t go far enough in describing the entrepreneurial spirit – the spirit we must all exhibit in order to reach bigg success.

We like the term ingenious. It builds upon innovation. Ingenuity is innovation in action. You have to be smart enough to put innovation into action.

You can have the best imagination in the world, but if you never act upon it, you’re just a dreamer. When you put it into action, you become the entrepreneur.

There’s another layer to the term ingenious. It implies resourcefulness. It alludes to survival. You have to be smart enough to rise to the occasion.

The going will get tough. You do have to get going so you can go get your bigg goals. That’s how bigg goal-getters find bigg success!

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Thank you so much for the gift of your time today. Please join us next time when we’ll discuss the first question to ask yourself when performance isn’t up to par. Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

Subscribe to The Bigg Success Show in iTunes. 

Subscribe to the Bigg Success feed.

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file:
http://media.libsyn.com/media/biggsuccess/00468-082609.mp3

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Today we’ll talk about four great places to learn how to reach bigg success.

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I’m sure the first one is right where you’re at: Bigg Success! What better place to learn how to reach bigg success?

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But Mary-Lynn, by definition, if they’re on our site, they’ve already reached Bigg Success. Why would they need to learn how to reach Bigg Success? They already know!

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Whoa! If you’re going to hit me with logic, I don’t want to chit chat!

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Hey, now I know we’ve been hanging out too much. You’re starting to throw my Dean Martin lines back at me!

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Okay, enough chit chat. Here are the four great places to learn how to reach bigg success:

Learn from the success of others

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I love learning this way. There’s nothing better than hearing or reading someone’s success story. I always come away informed and inspired.

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I always find it amazing how everyone – everyone – goes over speed bumps on the way. I just love hearing how they got over them.

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We should probably put out a warning here, though, It’s almost certain that your path to bigg success won’t be exactly the same as anyone else’s.

Sure there will be common challenges, but people often fall flat on their face because they think the exact same tactics will work for them.

Your situation isn’t the same as their situation. You’re not in the same period of time they were in. There are a lot of differences but still, important lessons can be taken away.

Learn from your success

Whenever you reach a new plateau or a goal, take time to reflect upon what went right. What were the driving factors behind reaching your goal?

Just like before, we have a caveat. The same tactics you used to reach this level of success may not take you to the next one. In fact, they may impede your progress. So keep that in mind as you’re discovering lessons learned.

Learn from your mistakes.

Let’s be clearer: Learn from your mistakes the first time you make it! If you make the same mistake twice, you obviously didn’t learn enough the first time around.

Mistakes are an opportunity to learn but the opportunity can be wasted. So just like your successes, stop and reflect upon your mistakes.

Ask yourself some questions. Only unlike reflecting on your successes, ask these questions in the future tense to make it more palatable and, therefore, more productive.

For example, don’t ask, “What did I do wrong?” Instead ask, “What would I do differently next time?”

It’s also important to take away the right lessons. Maybe you gave something a try and it didn’t work out the way you wanted. A lot of people will never try again. That’s usually the wrong lesson.

Learn from the mistakes of others

You can reach bigg success faster if you don’t have to make all of the mistakes yourself! It’s much better to avoid a mistake by learning the lesson vicariously.

Most people don’t like to talk about their mistakes. If you find someone who will, listen with all ears! You may also observe others making mistakes. Soak it in!

BONUS: The best place to learn how to reach bigg success

It is any place that gets you where you want to be. It may be from a casual conversation. It may be something you saw on TV or something you read. It may come from inside you.

And yes, it may come from Bigg Success! We just had to get in one more shameless plug!

Our point is that there are opportunities to learn hitting all of us all day, every day. All we have to do is stay tuned in. That leads to bigg success.

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Thanks for reading our post today.

We’re not sure we’re qualified to talk about our subject next time but we’ll do our best. We ask, “How smart do you have to be to reach bigg success?” Please join us.

Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

Subscribe to The Bigg Success Show in iTunes. 

Subscribe to the Bigg Success feed.

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file:
http://media.libsyn.com/media/biggsuccess/00467-082509.mp3

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So far we’ve discussed two of them – responsibility and resiliency. Today we’ll chat about the 3rd R of bigg success – relationships.

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We are living in the age of interdependence. It’s amazing how much can be accomplished by working together.

It all starts with a relationship. We’re moving forward by jumping back. Relationships have always been important. Now it’s possible for any of us to build a worldwide network of relationships for work and play!

The value of your network

The single greatest asset you can possess today is your network. It will never show up on a Balance Sheet. It’s really difficult to put a hard number to it. But its value shows up when you need to accomplish something.

Are you able to reach out to the people in your network to get it done?
How many people are between you and the person you need to talk to?
How quickly were you able to get it done?
How long it would take a person without your network?

These are the signs of value in your network. Of course, the value of a single relationship can be thought of as the amount of goodwill you have with a person.

So the value of your network is simply the sum of those individual amounts.

6 ways to build up your Goodwill account

You are the entrepreneur of your life. As the entrepreneur, you want to build value. So here are 6 tips to build goodwill in your network, one relationship at a time.

• Listen attentively.

The more interested you are in another person, the more interesting you’ll be to them. The more impressed you are by them, the more impressed they’ll be with you.

Isn’t that ironic? By making them feel important, you’ll be important to them.

So listen. Really listen.

If you’re communicating face-to-face, put any and all mobile devices away. Act as if there is no bigger fish with whom you might want to converse. Look them in the eye. Really pay attention with all of your attention.

You don’t have to do it for hours. You can excuse yourself. But while you’re talking with them, make it all about them.

Once you get this one down, the rest are easy.

• Be genuine.

You probably immediately see how this dovetails with our first tip. People can spot a fake quickly.

Sincerely value them. The only way we know to show them that you sincerely value them is to actually sincerely value them!

As a human being.

Not a connection. Not a contact. Not a sale. Not a prospect. Not a means to an end.

As a real person with feelings and dreams and fears. As a person with whom you relate on a personal basis.

• Understand what bigg success means to them.

This won’t be your first question. But if you are going to build a relationship, it’s important to determine what they are trying to accomplish.

What does life on your own terms mean to them?

It’s unlikely that you will ever utter those words directly. You will uncover this by listening attentively. There’s Tip 1 again!

When you discover what they are trying to do, you can look for ways to help them.

• Help is a two-way street.

As you uncover the layers that exist, you will be able to share your knowledge, resources and network with them. By doing so, you become a valuable part of their network.

But it has to be a two-way street. If they never reciprocate, then you don’t have a relationship.

You have a feudal system. You’re not their servant. They should be looking for ways to help you too.

• Show your appreciation.

One of the most powerful sentences you can utter is “Thank you”.

When they share their knowledge with you, thank them. When they provide a resource, thank them. When they connect you with someone in their network, thank them. Also follow up to let them know how it turned out.

• Be patient. 

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I’ve had friends for years who were just that – friends. Sure, we may have done some business with each other, but nothing of any significance. Then suddenly an opportunity presents itself and they become a vital partner. You just never know.

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So maintain your existing relationships. Build new relationships. It’s likely that the time will come when you will be able to work together in a mutually beneficial way.

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Until then, have some fun and enjoy the friendship! Life comes down to relationships and experiences. Build relationships and you’ll be a bigg success!

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Thank you so much for reading our post today. Next time, we’ll discuss the best source for learning how to reach bigg success. Please join us. Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

Subscribe to The Bigg Success Show in iTunes. 

Subscribe to the Bigg Success feed.

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file:
http://media.libsyn.com/media/biggsuccess/00466-082409.mp3

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Last time, we started the 3 R’s of bigg success by talking about the 1st R – responsibility. Now we want to talk about the 2nd R – resiliency.

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We always knew how important it was to be resilient. However, the events of the past year or so have highlighted why it’s vital that we are able to bounce back.

One of the things we know for sure is that there will be surprises on the path to bigg success. That’s when you have to dig deep to find your ability to press on.

The difference between a promise and a commitment

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I’m admittedly going back a few years here. I remember a banquet from high school. Our football team had a very successful year. The quote behind the dais said, “Losers make promises, Winners make commitments.” There’s a fine line between those two terms.

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Promises are a declaration of what you will do. We’re told to keep our promises. Of course, we should. But that quote, George, highlights how you keep promises. You make a commitment to make them so.

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When you do that, you have an emotional stake in the promise. You’re not just saying it. You will do it one way or another.

That’s the bigg goal-getters mindset. That’s the mindset of people who will reach bigg success in times like the ones we’re living through.

5 ways to become more resilient

Change is occurring at a rate we’ve never seen before. One of the things that we can count on in the future is that things will keep changing.

Resiliency is a critical trait for bigg success. Here are five ways to become more resilient:

• Develop a will do attitude.

  We used to say “can do” but the term “can” isn’t strong enough. Try this: Say “I can succeed bigg.” Now try it this way: “I will succeed bigg!” Do you see the difference? A will-do mindset empowers you. Believe in yourself completely.

• Become flexible.

  Rigidity isn’t one of the 3 R’s of bigg success! It works against bigg success these days. Things change quickly, which makes the future difficult to predict. Learn and adapt. It’s critical to bigg success.

• Develop a problem-solving process.

  Check out our post called SOLVE IT where we map out such a system. And take a note from the Chinese: Put all your problems in a box and pull them out one at a time when you’re ready to deal with them.

• Summon strength.

  Different people do this in different ways. Your strength may come from inside yourself. It may come from meditation or prayer. It may come from people who care about you. It may come from a combination of all of these. It doesn’t matter where you get it, but find mental, emotional and spiritual strength.

• Focus.

  Focus on what you can control, not what you can’t. Focus on who you can influence, not who you can’t. Focus on the most important thing you for you to accomplish next for your bigg success.

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Thank you so much for the gift of your time today. Please join us next time as we discuss the 3rd R of bigg success – relationships. Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

Subscribe to The Bigg Success Show in iTunes. 

Subscribe to the Bigg Success feed.

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file:
http://media.libsyn.com/media/biggsuccess/00465-082109.mp3

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