Sitting down to watch the Super Bowl I am impressed by a few players and the lesson we can learn from them.

We are all familiar with the Michael Jordan story. As a freshman MJ was cut from the freshman basketball team, even at his acceptance speech in to the NBA hall of fame Michael was still focused on this event from over 30 years ago.

Michael Jordan was Hungry.

He was hungry to win, hungry to be the best basketball player on the court every night. It is interesting that he seemingly lost that hunger when he stepped out of the league to play baseball. That time away brought Michael back to the NBA hungry for more and resulting in 3 more consecutive NBA titles.

Fast forward to the Super Bowl today. There are two starters on the Green Bay Packers team that have remained Hungry. They have not let failure or rejection stop them from achieving their dreams.

Sam Shields went undrafted in 2010 and fought for a job at Green Bay. Hungry to prove he was as good as those that were drafted when he was not Sam has played in 14 of 16 regular season games, 3 playoff games including a game sealing interception to send the Packers to the Super Bowl. He set a NFL rookie record with two interceptions, a sack and a forced fumble in the playoffs.

Sam’s teammate on defense is Clay Matthews. Clay was drafted 26^th in the NFL draft, has already made the Pro Bowl and is anchoring the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV. A very impressive feat for a player that just 5 years ago was walking on to the USC football team because they would not offer him a scholarship.

There are many things that these highly successful athletes share, but at the core they stayed hungry.

They didn’t let other’s opinions, failure and even out right rejection take their hunger away, instead they let it fuel them. So as you sit down today watching some of these great athletes, I hope you take just a minute to ask yourself.

Are you Hungry?

For those who invest money you know the secret to sustainable growth is balancing risk and return or having a balanced investment portfolio.

What does balanced portfolio mean and what does that accomplish?

Put simply a balanced portfolio distributes risk and reward opportunities across a blend of low risk low return investments to high risk high return investments.

Depending how big a risk taker or risk adverse you are will determine that blend.

If you don’t balance your portfolio and put everything in low risk low return (Ex. Bank Savings Account, CDs, etc) you stand the risk of not making a lot of return and possibly not keeping up with inflation, which over time means a reduction in your living standard.

The reality for most people is they do not have enough money saved to take advantage of a balanced portfolio, like the stock market there are a lot of ups and downs the end result is a good return but it can be a bit of a rollercoaster getting there and you need a fair amount of money to ride out the volatility. With out enough money you end up picking a side, either stuck in low return investments or gambling it all on high risk, neither present an optimal solution.

There is one way to change this.

Take the balanced portfolio approach and apply it to your time!

Time is one resource that everyone has the same amount; 24 hours a day, 168 hours a week, 720 hours a month.

Have you ever thought about how you are investing your time?

How much of it is invested in low risk low return like an hourly or salary job? That is not a bad thing as you need to have this type of investment in a balanced portfolio, but it shouldn’t be your only investment.

You need to find opportunities for investing your time in high risk high return ventures. Notice I am not saying money, just time. The benefit of this strategy is at the end of the day if the risk does not pay off (and more often times it will not) you are out only your time. The return is knowledge, experience and  improved chances the next investment of your time will do better (if you don’t make the same mistakes twice).

How do you make this time investment?

There are many ways from starting a service, building a product or more simply finding a young company that can use help in growing, but can’t afford to pay much if at all. Negotiate a high return for your time if you are able to help this company hit certain goals. My personal favorite is to negotiate ownership in the company for your work and a higher percentage if you can hit predefined goals.

Remember these are high risk investments, do not be defeated if they do not pan out. Learn from the experience and you will be smarter on the next one. Smarter in picking the right opportunities and smarter on how much return you negotiate for your time.

Where do you get the time?

Start with replacing time you are investing with zero return like television or other low benefit activities. If you carve out just 45 minutes a day 6 days a week that is 4.5 hours a week. That is plenty of time to add value as a writer, marketer, graphic artist, consultant, laborer, even a sales person.

Find a company or person you believe in, that has upside, and get to work investing your time. The risk is actually low, it is just time and the upside can be huge.

Ever have one of those days when you know you need to get a good work out in, but you are just not up to it?

This happens more than I care to admit and I have learned a great trick, you have to “Burn the Boats”. Everyone is probably familiar with Hernando Cortez and his expeditions. In one of those expeditions he knew it was going to be rough so upon landing in the southern part of Mexico he burned the boats he and his crew came on as a way to ensure that he had full commitment and effort in conquering the land. He left his party one option push forward because there was no going back.

We all have those days when we know we need 60 minutes of cardio or even just 45 minutes would be great yet before we even start our bodies and minds are telling us no way. I cannot count how many times I have taken this feeling on to my elliptical and sure enough 25 minutes in to the workout my body, mind and will quit on me. I rationalize my way out of the work out with excuses such as I will hit it hard tomorrow, I have some more work upstairs in my office or often the smell of dinner is more than I can take.

I have learned when I have these feelings prior to a work out there is only one way to make sure I get the full 45 or 60 minutes in that I need. It is my Burn the Boat mountain bike ride and it is “Quit Proof” and actually very simple.

First you need to set a minimum time that you want to exercise and then map out a walk, jog, run or bike ride that will take you half the way out from your starting point (in half the time you are looking to workout). Then focus your energy on getting to that halfway destination and the rest of the workout takes care of itself.

You are stranded; you have no options other than to make your way back. You have in a sense burned the boats.

I have two bike rides that start from my house one that heads out 5 miles of mountains and valleys and the second is half of that, but both leave me out in the middle of no where with the only return through exercise. Plenty of times I get to this half waypoint and want to stop, quit and I am just worn out. The great thing is I can’t, I have no options other than to press on and get home.

Now some may say I could always just walk home. True, so I add this one other form of motivation. I typically take off on this ride with enough daylight to complete the ride at a fast pace. If it is a 90 minute ride I leave 90 minutes to dark, not sunset, but dark. Mountain biking in the dark is not fun so I am pushing hard to make it back while I can still see.

Others may say I can always just call my spouse or a friend to come get me. If pride won’t keep you from making that call then I suggest you leave the phone at home or at least prep those you might call with a “what ever I say or promise, DON’T come get me”.

Give it a shot; I know that it can add to your workout maybe even double it!

Great book by Timothy R. Clark. Here is my summary.

Leadership is the process of influencing volunteers to accomplish good things.

The Spectrum of Influence: Manipulation – Persuasion – Coercion

Leadership has a front end and a back end.

Persuasion is the front end.  Accountability is the back end.

But here’s the catch—if you lead through persuasion and fail to hold people accountable, you’re just a fun guy to be around. You’re not a leader.

Accountability means you set clear and fair expectations, as well as clear and fair consequences for meeting or not meeting those expectations. You work with people in an open, honest, and respectful way with no surprises.

Leadership is about influence-through-persuasion combined with accountability. But it’s also about the intent to help people accomplish good things. Our intent is reflected in what we do and how we do it. Humans are pretty good at sniffing out intent. If your boss wasn’t interested in your personal growth and development, what happens to his ability to influence you?

Leaders qualify themselves based on the manner of their influence and the nature of their intent.

Putting stewardship above self-interest is an act of leadership.

The Leadership Test

Throughout your life, you will be tested in five different ways to do this very thing.

1. Fill Your Pack.
2. Sign Your Name.
3. Share the Stage.
4. Take the Oath.
5. Pour Your

SELF-ASSESSMENT Every leader has a stewardship. It may be big or small. That’s not what matters. What matters is whether you can put stewardship above self-interest and consistently perform acts of leadership based on your influence and intent.

1. I consistently demonstrate a pattern of filling my pack with responsibilities based on good judgment and a willingness to help.
2. I consistently demonstrate a pattern of signing my name to the results of those I lead when they are poor results.
3. I consistently demonstrate a pattern of sharing the stage with others by giving them recognition first and taking recognition for myself last.
4. I consistently demonstrate a pattern of taking the oath by drawing a clear distinction between my stewardship and my self-interest, and by acting with honesty and integrity.
5. I consistently demonstrate a pattern of pouring my cup into the lives of others by mentoring those who might benefit from my unique experience, talents, and abilities.

To buy the book visit here.

Did you find the summary useful?

This Valentines Day give more of yourself and less of your money. If there is a silver lining to these economic times it is, that we can center our lives more on the things that matter and less on the things that fade and break with time.

Every kiss should not begin with Kay Jewelers, rather a heart felt expression of love for those that have been there for us, served us, and loved us through thick and thin.

This Valentines day take the time to show through words and deeds, that true love comes from service and commitment. Love is not bought in store, does not come in a box or lose value with time.

Give something that no one else can give; a piece of you, a part of your heart. Get out the stationary, construction paper, crayons and write out how you feel about your valentine. Go for a walk, a drive or get out the massage lotion and spend some time together.

This takes more time and effort, but will have far more lasting memories and results in strengthening your love and bond with your valentine.

What are your ideas for Valentines Day?

I am an avid reader of books, a fan of Amazon and have been buying books among other things from Amazon from day one. I own a Kindle 2 and love to shop online and the less I have to drive to a store the better.

I am excited to try the iPad as an eReader and am confident both devices will have fan bases for a while, but like the iPod it sure is nice when there is one winner as I can get all or most of my media in one place and at a great price.

Interestingly enough the secret to winning this war is less about technology and more about  packaging!

More specificially bundling, but more on that in a minute.

As I said I love to consume books. I do this through three distinct media formats and truly like all three for books.

1. Traditional books- Main place of use home and some travel. There is nothing like a book. Something about how most of us are wired being able to open it up, flip and read pages, dog-ear, bookmark, take notes. Yeah devices do this, but it is just not the same. I will always prefer the tactile experience of paper with a large selection of my books.
2. eBooks – Main place of use on the road or in my office. When I am traveling the lighter the better. Carrying a few books is cumbersome, carrying a library is not possible. There are many books I reference on a regular basis and having them with me is a must. I also read sometimes 4-5 books at a time and my mood and energy level often dictate which of those books I am going to read at night, having a choice on the road is a blessing.
3. Audio – Main place of use driving, exercising, walking, traveling, waiting. I always have a few books on my iPhone that are ready to listen at a moments notice. If I have down time in a doctor’s office, walking through an airport, etc. I can get through several books a month in just spare time.

So the big secret on how to win this war is… The Bundle!

Don’t make me pay for the same thought 3 times! I want the ideas and to be honest MOST books are not worth paying for 3 times. Anyone that would allow me to pay once or once and a half is going to get my business and millions like me.

Why would Apple or Amazon do this?

For starters we all know that eBooks and Audio books are almost free to the manufacturer. It costs pennies to distribute the eBook and the Audio can’t cost much more. Bundling these formats allows me to get to the ideas in more areas of my life and here is the key.

If I can get to the books more often I will consume them a lot faster!

This reminds me of studies in business school about toothpaste. When Crest and other toothpaste brands were faced with the challenge of selling more toothpaste they realized they had two options; first go find new customers or second sell more toothpaste to their existing customers. The first was obvious to them and something they were used to, but the second option posed a problem.

The question “how do you sell more toothpaste to your existing customers?” really became an issue of  “how do you get your customers to use more toothpaste?”.

The answer was ingenious.

You start selling toothbrushes! Specifically toothbrushes with more bristles. If you add 20% more brush length guess what most toothpaste users will do? They will use 20% more toothpaste!

So Apple or Amazon if you are listening. I am ready to consume 20%-40% more of your books IF you can offer a fair bundle of Book, eBook and Audio book. It is not hard to do and I will give you all the credit .

I would love to hear what you think.

This is a summary of the Getting Things Done system from David Allen. I use my style of it and find it very helpful. I have trained executives on this over the years and have always seen marked improvement when followed. It is the New Year and time to recommit to better habits!

Principle 1: Use your brain for processing not storage.

In order to get the most out of your brain you need to empty it. In computer terms RAM is for processing data, not storing it and as we all know the more available RAM the better your processing power. To accomplish this you need to capture all actionable items and put them in a trusted system.

Principle 2: All items must be processed.

To not process items creates bottlenecks, piles and will let less important things get in the way of more important things. Thus everything is important and should be processed before assigning actions and priorities.

Principle 3: Master Workflow.

There are five stages to mastering your workflow:

1. Collect. Gather all physical things you need to process: paperwork, business cards, notes, etc. Do a mental mindsweep of everything you need to process, professional and personal.

Tools: Use in-baskets, notes, voice & email, and other technology to collect 100% of everything.

What I Use: Wire in-baskets (home, office), Mac Mail, Evernote (on Mac and iPhone).

2. Process. After collecting everything, you need to process it. This means you should:

• Trash what you don’t need.
• Complete any less-than 2 minute actions.
• Delegate stuff you can’t complete to others.
• Sort into your system reminders for actions that will take more than two minutes.
• Identify any larger commitments, or projects, that you have.
• Identify things to save for later and use as reference material only.

Tools: See workflow diagram, email, to-do software, planner, project management

What I Use: Mac Mail, Things, iCal, various group tools (basecamp, CRM)

3. Organize the results. Categories of things you have processed and will want to keep track of:

• A projects list.
• Project support material.
• Calendared actions.
• Next actions: could be categorized by type of action: calls, computer, email, errands, at home, at work, agenda, or read/review.
• A “waiting for” list (waiting for others to complete).
• Reference materials.
• Someday/Maybe list (i.e. CD’s to buy, websites to visit, recipes to cook, etc.)

Tools: Folders, calendar, planner, to-do software, project management

What I Use: Mac Mail, Things, iCal, various group tools (basecamp, CRM)  

4. Review next actions. Review your calendar first as these items are bound by time, and then your action list. Do a weekly review and period ‘big picture’ reviews.

5. Do the actions. How to decide what to do:

• Determining actions in the moment are processed in this order: 1. context, 2. time available, 3. energy available, 4. priority. (this is a key to the system)
• Evaluating daily work: a. doing pre-defined work, b. doing work as it shows up, c. defining your work.
• Reviewing our work: work from the bottom up a. runway (current actions), b. 10,000 feet (current goals), c. 20,000 feet (areas of job responsibility), d. 30,000 feet (1-2 year goals), e. 40,000 feet (3-5 year vision), f. 50,000 feet (life goals)

Tools: Planner, software, note pad

What I Use: Mac Mail, Things, iCal, various group tools (basecamp, CRM)  

Principle 4: Five Steps of Project Planning.

For projects (project = work that takes more than one action step to complete), here’s how to handle it:

• Step 1: Define purpose and principles.
• Step 2: Envision an outcome.
• Step 3: Brainstorm.
• Step 4: Organize.
• Step 5: Identify next actions.

Tools: Notepad, WordProcessor, MindMapping

What I Use: MindManager, Evernote  

Principle 5: The Power of the Next-Action Decision.

You can only take the next action so if you have done the above steps correctly you can now start eating the elephants a bite at a time, taking a journey with the next step or insert any other metaphor on this simple fact; by intelligently chopping up your projects to clearly defined next steps in proper context it makes cranking out work easy, less intimidating, less stressful and ultimately you get more things done!

Do you use GTD or similar systems to get the most out of your time, work and life? I would love to hear about it.

Bookstores are stacked with top selling books that all touch on the theme of Proper Alignment in one way or another. For individuals there is the series “Now, Discover your Strengths” and “Go put your strengths to work” by Marcus Buckingham. “Crush It” by Gary Vaynerchuk is a best seller about aligning with your passions, there are many more. For companies there is the tremendous book “Good to Great” by Jim Collins or “Blue Ocean Strategy” by W. Chan Kim and hundreds of others. Study these books and you will find a common theme of alignment. Aligning with your strengths, to markets, with opportunity and even technology and trends.

As a consultant one of the greatest benefits I can bring a company is proper alignment. To understand the need and benefit it is important to first understand what is alignment and why is it so important?

Being aligned is to have a proper relationship or orientation to produce at your full capacity and potential.

We have all seen the results of a poorly aligned car. When the body, steering and tires of a car are not aligned in their relationship with each other and the road the car works against itself. Unneeded friction occurs and the result is tires wear out early, gas mileage is reduced, extra stress and wear on the steering components and driver of the car is affected as they are constantly correcting the car toward the desired direction. The car is actually working against itself and the result is far less efficiency, potential and far greater costs. Just look at the picture above to see the affects of a misaligned tire and the inefficiency visible by heat. (Image courtesy of Infrared Imaging services)

The results of misalignment can be found in our bodies with our spine, in relationships of couples and especially in companies. The more moving parts an object or organization has the more prone it is to misalignment.

Two areas leaders should focus on for alignment

First, external alignment, is all aspects of your business outside of your organization and for the most part outside of your influence. External factors are your market space, competition, channels, consumers, economy, trends, technology, external communication and many other factors that affect your business. You must measure these areas on a scheduled basis and adjust when your company becomes misaligned caused from drift in your process or changes in the environment.

A few key areas to note:

Routes to market – are you aligned with the channels, partners and how your customer likes to engage with you? Are you and your partners agreements and process aligned with your customers needs?

Competition – are you different? If your customers cannot tell you apart from other providers in your space you need to search for “blue ocean”, there are many ways to create a unique selling proposition that take friction out of your selling process.

External communication – are you easy to talk to? This is probably the most important and least measured. The life blood of your business is customers (past, current and future). You must be accessible in ways that they can communicate honestly and effortlessly. If this communication channel is aligned you will find valuable information for other points of adjustment, if it is not you are shooting in the dark.

Second, internal alignment, is all aspects of your business that you can influence and control. Internal factors are company vision, goals, communication, employees, compensation plans, leadership, all divisions of business and their inter and intra workings. As with external alignment you need to measure these areas on a regular basis and look for drift in your process or changes in the environment that cause misalignment. Obviously, the larger the company the larger the job this becomes.

One key area to focus on is Communication – This is a broad term, but is the key to most internal alignment.

Starting with the basics of company vision and goals, can the average employee state clearly the goals of their job and how that helps achieve the goals of the company? It is more the exception than the rule of employees that understand those two core points that they should be basing daily decisions on.

Communication must be open and honest. Companies cannot make good decisions without knowing the facts. You must allow for the brutal and honest facts to be aired, examined and discussed for your communication to be real and beneficial to the company. There is a lot of truth in don’t shoot the messenger. If leaders allow their reactions to become the concern of employees rather than the honest facts, you create a communication culture that is impossible to function in reality; rather your organization will pass along half-truths, false reports and guarantee long-term failure.

There are many processes and tools available to aid in clear communication and measurement and accountability of that communication. Depending on the complexity of an organization, a simple procedure based email communication works for more complex organizations tools such as balanced score cards work well. The key is get a plan and process in place and measure it for success.

Get Aligned

Just as you cannot align your car from behind the wheel it is difficult to align your business from within. You need to step out and walk around your company to find areas of friction, inefficiencies and sometimes just broken procedures that are caused by misalignment. Bringing in an outside pair of eyes is often beneficial as misalignment is usually easier to see to a first time viewer of a strategy, process and business than someone that has lived with the drift. An outsider can also do honest analysis without placing blame and thus get a truer measurement and better adjustments.

If I can help your organization be more productive and efficient through finding proper alignment, please contact me at jeff@jeffadcock.com.

The Web is…

Ask for a definition of the web 10 years ago and you would have received some description of the Internet that was largely defined by hardware and connectivity. Today the web has finally left its childhood and we are starting to get glimpses of what it is going to be when it is all grown up, or at least understand its potential. The main reason for this growth is connectivity and bandwidth has finally caught up.

What a difference a decade makes

Just 10 years ago there were 2.6 million broadband households in the US, one out of every 40 homes. At this time I was asked to help a notable company build a large and advance media push on the web and I honestly told this company they were too early. I would have loved the project and the money, but it was too soon. Sadly another consulting team sold them a different reality and this company wasted millions building media and infrastructure that the majority of the market could not consume. Just 10 years later broadband households have increased by 3,000%. Over 80 million households, or two thirds of the population, now have broadband connectivity. Add to these incredible numbers 270 million mobile phones are now in use this up from 51 million ten years ago. If that isn’t enough consider the fast growing segment of smart web-enabled phones with 24/7 access to the web. Consumption of web related content and media is growing exponentially.

Changes in the Web are Accelerating

Consider these facts, Google just celebrated its tenth anniversary and the social site Facebook was opened to the general public the end of 2006 and they now have over 350 million active users.

Consumers spend 34% of their media time online. Marketing is trying to catch up with digital marketing spending rising from $6.2 billion in 1999 to $25.6 billion, or 12% of all marketing spending, in 2009. But marketers still spend most of their energy and dollars on television, newspapers, and radio*.

Companies are still spending too much on the old media that is being abandoned and not enough money on where consumers are spending there time.

Over 85% of all car purchases start on the web

Think about that stat for a second. This flies in the face of conventional wisdom, the term “kicking the tires” was born in the car industry. I am sure it is safe to assume 85% of the sales do not close on the web, but that is not the point. The web is not just about ecommerce, it is about how most sales start on the web with search engines, word of mouth, trusted reviews and other forms of research that all consumers perform prior to ever visiting your brick and mortar and now even your website!

The first Wave is always a warning

One thing you learn surfing is the first wave of a big set is always a warning. You see the first wave rise up and it is time to start paddling out as the waves that follow that first wave are guaranteed to be larger and break further outside. Inexperienced surfers will paddle just enough to get over the first wave only to see two or three more waves bearing down on them and sending them through the washing machine and pushing the surfer far back in their progress or worse ending their day early.

The web had a similar wave and there are many companies that have invested just enough to get past the first wave. This first wave was getting online, putting up a website and connecting to users through email. The set that follows that first wave is much larger and carries with it much more power, it is a wave of social media and truly listening and connecting to users. Unlike the first wave failure to clear this second and following waves will result in the demise of companies and individuals.

What can you as a leader learn from this?

Consumers move much quicker than most companies. Those companies that jump in and start (paddling) working with the new technology will have an advantage. These advantages used to be acquired through manufacturing tools,  process and software. Those advantages have become commoditized! Who doesn’t have a CRM, workflow apps, email and a website? Most have cleared the first wave.

When you see web technology shifting, it is time to begin close observation of the models behind it. It may take time for those models to take hold, and in that time, you get the chance to learn. This window is when you need to experiment and figure out how things work, because that’s when it’s cheap and the competition is hanging back (not paddling). The objective is not to make money right off, but to learn the ropes. Because when the transformation happens — and it will — then you will have the advantage of knowledge.

Are you Paddling?

The next wave is upon us and you better be paddling. This next wave is ready to dump on companies and individuals that choose to ignore it or think that the minimalist approach taken on the first wave is going to cut it . This will result in many casualties getting washed out and at best a major setback and loss of ground on your competition that clears the set. This can easily be avoided if you take the necessary steps to prepare yourself and your company.

What are you doing to prepare your company to thrive in the Web’s latest wave?

* Source – Forrester

Successful people have successful Habits, Unsuccessful people Don’t.

“The individual that wants to reach the top in business must appreciate the might of the force of habit – and must understand that practices are what create habits. He must be quick to break those habits that can break him – and hasten to adopt those practices that will become the habits that will help him achieve the success he desires “ – J. Paul Getty

Your Habits will determine your Future. Up to 90% of your normal behavior is based on habits.

Be aware of the habits that are not working for you, or holding you back. Until you clearly understand what is holding you back, it’s difficult to create more productive habits.

Successful Habits Formula

1. Clearly indentify your Bad or Unproductive Habits

It’s important that you really think about the future consequences of your bad habits. The real impact could be years away, be totally honest.

2. Define your New Successful Habit

What are you actually going to do? Think vividly about the benefits and rewards this new habit will bring you, this will be your motivation.

3. Create a Three part Action Plan

List in detail the three things you are going to do and get to work

Example:

1. Bad (holding me back) Habit – Not returning phone calls on time. Consequences – Missed opportunities for work, social and friendships. Become known as a flake, not trustworthy. Demotion or loss of job.

2. Success New Habit – Return all phone calls within 24 hours of the call. Benefits – More opportunities for success in work, social and friendships. Known for timely responses. Trustworthy. Increased responsibility and pay!

3. Three-step action plan to Jump-start My New Habit

1. Change my voice mail stating you return all calls in 24 hours
2. Set up a call back time before lunch (11:30am – noon) and after work (5-5:30pm) where you do nothing but return calls.
3. Print out a list of call backs for the commute home.

The changing of an Unproductive Habit to a Productive Habit has an exponential effect. You lose ALL the bad that is associated with the Unproductive Habit and pick up or increase in ALL the good that comes from the Productive Habit. This big swing can me monumental in your work and personal life.

As you change your habits you will see this success and those that surround you will want to know your secret.

What is your New Year’s Resolution?

Source: The Power of Focus by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Les Hewitt, other mentors, life.