A Russian diplomat client of mine was just kicked out of the country in retaliation for the London poisoning tragedy that happened in March. Now my client had absolutely nothing to do with the poisoning — he was just caught up in the political “tit-for-tat” between super powers.
This got me thinking — how many times has a business decision made way “above your pay grade” trickled down to adversely affect your career, company, or community? I’ve seen it, and experienced it, all to often. For example, a senior director or EVP changes a compensation plan, or closes a branch office, or kills a promising new product. What would you do, or have you done, in those situations?
When you find yourself in a tough situation, you can either be responsible for creating the positive results you want in your business and personal life, or be a victim. Let’s focus on how you can be a responsible leader and make great decisions to positively leap your career, company, and community forward no matter what situation you find yourself in.
As a business performance keynote speaker, I often share these three simple steps to audiences worldwide to help them create responsible results, especially when a project doesn’t go as planned. (Which happens more times than not.)
Step 1: Stop all negative self-talk. Don’t spend valuable time and energy worrying about why things happened or blaming others.
Step 2: Declare what you are committed to achieving, why, and by when. And, this is VERY important, do NOT worry about how you will achieve it. For example, “I will make $50,000 in commissions by the end of Q3 for the downpayment on my dream home.”
Step 3: Focus on simple, effective action. Take one simple and relevant action that will move your declared project forward. Get one small, teensy-weensy win to build momentum and motivation.
Then rinse, wash, and repeat. Stop any negative thoughts or feeling like a victim. Get crystal clear on what you're committed to and why. And then get into relevant action. You’d be amazed at what you can produce.
Get Into Action Now: (1) Pick one project or area of your life where you are not generating the results you desire. (2) Apply the three steps above. Focus specifically on the declaring what you want, why you want it, and by when. For example, “I will lose 15 pounds in 60 days so I no longer have to take high blood pressure medicine and can run around playing tag with my 4-year old son.” (3) Take 10-minutes right now to get into action.
If you get stuck answering any of these questions or need help, leave a comment below or hit me up on Twitter @mpveltri — I’ll get back to you right away. And If you liked the ideas presented here, please consider purchasing a copy of my nationwide bestselling book, The Mushin Way to Peak Performance: The Path to Productivity, Balance, and Success. In the book, you will find a whole lot more valuable tools and techniques to help you make better decisions, fuel-inject your leadership, and create responsible results in business and life.