Success | Martin Willoughby

29 Mar 2016

Sticky Post By overseer Posted in Entrepreneurship Permalink

ARE YOU A LEGALLY SAVVY ENTREPRENEUR?

Sticky Post By overseer On March 29, 2016

Unless you are a devout Apple follower, you likely a Microsoft product somewhere on your computer.? However, there were numerous situations that could have altered the trajectory of Microsoft that would have led to a different company dominating the software market over the last 30+ years.? I would argue that one of the reasons that Microsoft survived to become a dominant global brand is because of the legal savviness of its co-founder Bill Gates.

While Gates? passion, drive, and intellect helped him become one of the world?s richest people, what many people don?t know is how legally savvy he was in building his business. For example, when 19 year old Gates and Paul Allen read about the Altair computer in the 1975 issue of Popular Mechanics, they knew they could create some software to make it more useful for hobbyists so they contacted its manufacturer (MITS) and pitched them on the idea of building this software.? They persuaded MITS to enter into a 10 year deal transferring the exclusive rights to their first software product (BASIC) to the company.

Gates had a provision in the contract that said that MITS had to use ?best efforts? to market the software.? MITS was purchased by another company and they sent Micro-soft (as it used to be know back then) a letter saying that they would never sell to a competitor.? Well, that proved to be the ?smoking gun? in an arbitration suit that allowed Gates and team to have full rights back to BASIC which they went on to license to many other people.? The rest, as they say, is history.

When it comes to successful entrepreneurs, we often hear them described as visionaries, innovators, or creative geniuses, but I believe there is another quality that is available for anyone who wants to invest the time and effort.

?That quality is to be a legally savvy entrepreneur.?? I don?t mean that you have to have a law degree to be successful.? However, I do believe that it is important to take responsibility for the legal aspects of your business, understand the legal terrain of your business and industry, and make informed decisions on legal matters.

To help you consider whether you are a legally savvy entrepreneur, I have summarized below a series of questions to consider:

(1) Do you delegate all things legal in nature to counsel or are you actively engaged?

(2) Do you read the documents you sign?

(3) Do you understand the key provisions of the contracts your company enters into?

(4) Do you know the key legal issues in your industry? Your business?

(5) Do you view your legal counsel as ?necessary evil? or a strategic resource?

(6) Do you understand the key tools at your disposal?

(7) Do you understand basic legal terms and language?

As an entrepreneur, there are numerous issues to consider such as your product/service, competition, staffing, CASH FLOW, and managing risk.? Ultimately, you are trying to build a great business and increase the value of your enterprise.? Whether you like it or not, the law and legal matters are interwoven with all aspects of your compamy.? The question is whether you are addressing them in a proactive way.

Put simply, when you as the leader of your business sit down to negotiate your next deal, if you are not the more legally savvy entrepreneur at the table then prepare for trouble.?? In my next post, I will discuss some proactive steps you can take to be a more legally savvy entrepreneur.

15 Feb 2016

Sticky Post By overseer Posted in Attitude Permalink

HOW TO GROW YOUR WILLPOWER

Sticky Post By overseer On February 15, 2016

At the 2009 U.S. Open, Serena Williams lashed out at a lineswoman in a profanity laced tirade that not only cost her the match, but also $82,500 in fines. Serena, a former No.1 ranked tennis player in the world and holder of 27 grand slam titles, had a lapse in self-control.? Our ability to self-regulate has tremendous impact on our lives.? The lack of self-control by many politicians and celebrities has led to public displays of the disastrous results (e.g. Rep. Anthony Wiener, Gov. Mark Sanford, Charlie Sheen, etc.).? A study published in 2010, tracked one thousand children from birth to age thirty two and found that the greatest predictor of ?success? in life was the trait of self-control.? Interestingly, in a study with over one million survey responses, participants were asked to list their personal strengths, and self-control was dead last. We seem to know our own limitations when it comes to our willpower. ??Unfortunately, the challenge of self-control has led to alarming rates for crime, divorce and sexually transmitted diseases in our modern times.? In fact, social psychologist Dr. Roy Baumeister in his 1994 book ?Losing Control? argued that, ?Self-regulation failure is the major social pathology of our time.?

For entrepreneurs and business leaders, the ability to exercise self-control is extremely important.

In today?s business environment, we have constant distractions competing for our focus and energy.? We have the vast array of information of the internet readily available ? just tempting us to explore.? We can watch our favorite movies and television shows any time on portable devices we carry around with us.? Even going to the grocery store presents us with a dizzying array of choices as local groceries have now grown into megastores.? Author and performance coach Tony Schwartz noted, ?Self-control is the ability to say no, in the face of temptation, and to take sustained action, despite the difficulty of a given challenge.?? I have the good fortune to interview leaders on a regular basis. One of the common themes I hear is that it is critical for leaders to separate ?the great from the good? by learning to say no.? By saying ?no? to very good things, we are able to ?yes? to the truly great opportunities. Leaders have to make difficult decisions and lead by example.? Nobody wants to follow people who routinely exhibit poor self-control.

Schwartz also emphasized, ?Over the years, we?ve learned that nearly everything people tend to believe about self-control is wrong. Most of us assume the only way to resist our impulses, or persevere under pressure, is to grit our teeth, furrow our brows, steel our nerves, and tough it out. Precisely the opposite is true.?? In his recently published book entitled ?Willpower,? Baumeister shares the results of over two decades of rigorous scientific study on this topic which I believe will reframe how think about self-control.? Baumeister and his co-author John Tierney share that ?willpower is a form of energy in the brain. It?s like a muscle that can be strengthened with use, but that it also gets fatigued.?

What the authors found was that our energy is the key to our self-control.? We all have a pool of energy to complete our physical and mental tasks each day.? Each time we exercise self-control in an important or even trivial matter, we draw down on this available energy.? The energy source in our bodies is glucose, the simple sugar produced in our body from the foods we eat.? Researchers found that there was a direct correlation between glucose levels and self-control.? In fact, they found that, ?As the body uses glucose during self-control, it starts to crave sweet things to eat . . .?? I know when I skip a meal that I become ravenous and my own willpower to eat healthy tends to go out the door ? just give me a piece of pizza!

As we learn more about how our brains and bodies work, we can put this information to use in our daily lives. By learning to improve our willpower, we can create a huge competitive advantage in work and life.? To have more self-regulated lives, we have to learn how to manage our energy.? Below are some of the core concepts from this emerging of field of research that we can start to apply today.

Maximize Your Energy

Based on the research, we could draw the wrong conclusion that we need to have Snickers? bars with us all the time to fuel our glucose so we can exhibit better self-control.? This is obviously not the way to go. However, the key is to maintain healthy glucose levels throughout the day.? Nutritionists would tell us to accomplish that by eating more frequently throughout the day (5-6 times a day).? My own research on this topic has convinced me to be a ?grazer? throughout the day and avoid large meals.? This research also validates the advice your mother gave you to ?eat a healthy breakfast!?? Starting your work day without having a good breakfast puts you at a competitive disadvantage from the beginning of the day.? We also know that we should eat low-glycemic foods which provide sustainable sources of energy throughout the day.? When our bodies crave the afternoon snack, we need to refuel with good sources of glucose and not the cookie or Coke.? ?In addition, the research is clear that regular exercise and sleep all help us maintain the right levels of energy.? The average American only gets six hours of sleep, but performance expert Dr. Anders Ericcson has shown peak performers sleep eight or more hours a night on average. ?The bottom line is that we can be intentional about improving our willpower by better managing our energy levels.

Make Your To Do List

Baumeister and Tierney also found that one the keys to improving our willpower is have a good ?to do? list.? However, this does not mean creating pages of things that we need to get done.? Instead, they noted, ?an executive?s daily to-do list for Monday often contains more work than could be done the entire week.? We tend to have too many goals and to-do?s which diffuses our focus and energy.? Baumeister and Tierney shared a best practice for team members to weekly share up to three goals that they plan to focus on for the following week and to create a weekly accountability loop on those goals.? It is also important to pre-plan your reward for achieving your goal. ?I enjoy the great feeling of scratching an item off my to-do list. It is a simple act but brings me joy!

Clean Your Room

Research has also found that having a messy workspace leads to less self-control.? Unfortunately, those stacks of paper piled up on our desks actually are hurting our ability to exhibit willpower and achieve our goals. By ordering our workspace, we create positive momentum and don?t deplete our willpower resources. ?In fact, a clean workspace is an integral part of the Japanese 5S system of workplace organization used by many companies.

Conclusion

One of the interesting findings from research on willpower is that people with more self-control are more altruistic.? They give more to charity, volunteer more, and are more likely to be concerned about others in society.? ?It is also encouraging to me to learn that I am not a slave to my weaknesses, but that I can actually learn to have better willpower to accomplish positive things in my life.? Through implementing some of the findings described in this article and others from this emerging field of research, we have the ability to improve not only our own lives, but also those around us.? For entrepreneurs and business leaders, reclaiming this character trait of willpower and learning how to grow it could be the most important element of future success.

22 Jan 2016

Sticky Post By overseer Posted in Leadership, Motivation and Encouragement, Operational Excellence Permalink

HOW TO BENCHMARK YOUR PRACTICE FOR SUCCESS

Sticky Post By overseer On January 22, 2016

I grew up playing and teaching people how to play tennis.? Some players would practice and practice, but it was not until they actually played in a tournament that they got real feedback on how they were progressing. Similarly, as you work day to day in your medical practice, it is easy to operate in a vacuum.? However, you can solve this problem by benchmarking your practice against others locally and around the country.

Practicing medicine is data driven.? You spend years learning to quickly review and interpret data to improve patients? lives.? This data driven mindset can help you optimize your practice as well.

There are four keys to successful benchmarking:

(i) The ability to produce accurate data in your own practice

(ii) Access to quality data on key metrics for comparable practices

(iii) Proper analysis and interpretation of the data

(iv) The will to execute on your findings.

Producing Your Own Data

How much do you know about your own practice? ?It?s hard to make comparisons to others when you don?t know your own numbers.? This starts with creating sound accounting practices.? What type of accounting software are you using?? Can it track all of the detail you need?? Is the information easily accessible?? Work with your accountant or practice consultant to ensure you are capturing the necessary data.? As bestselling author Stephen Covey taught, ?you want to begin with the end in mind.?? Therefore, think about the data you want to be able to review, and then make sure that you have the systems and data collection to give you what you need.

Comparable Key Metric Data

You want to look both at practice characteristics and productivity measures when analyzing comparable data.? For example, practice characteristics include:? size of patient base, number of exam rooms, hours of operation, number of physicians, number of staff, fees, and payor mix.? Productivity measures include revenue per square foot, annual revenue per active patient, gross revenue growth, patients per day, gross revenue per exam, staff turnover, percentage of gross income and net income for staff, marketing, insurance, etc. ?It is also helpful to compare salaries, rent costs, and insurance premiums.

Where do you get this type of information?? There are associations such as the Medical Group Management Association that have a great deal of this type of information available.? I?ve also found that practice focused associations also generally have good data on practice areas. Finally, some of the medical industry vendors (e.g. pharmaceutical and device manufacturers) have very good data as well.

Analyze the Data

Your job is to practice medicine, not to be a forensic accountant.? Therefore, your practice reports should be clear and easy to understand.? You?re looking for trends and patterns in the data.? It should not make you cross-eyed to interpret the data.? I prefer nice graphs and charts to graphically illustrate the information.? This helps me to spot changes over time.? One additional point is to know the value of your time.? I encourage professionals to do the basic equation (income / hours worked) to know their ?hourly rate.? This is very helpful when you consider how you spend your time and what things need to be delegated or outsourced.

As you know and understand your own data then you can better compare it to the benchmark data you review.? It?s important to make sure that you are comparing ?apples to apples? in your analysis so be cognizant of distinctions based on urban/rural settings, practice size, and geography.? How does your practice stack up?? Are you managing costs appropriately?? Is your practice being productive with the resources allocated?? It takes time to actually compare this important data.? This is truly thinking ?on your business? versus thinking ?in your business.?? Take the time to set aside good thinking time to review the data.? I would recommend getting out of the office so you?re not interrupted.? You may want to get some of your trusted advisors or staff to review it with you.? Having more than one perspective can be helpful.? What is the story that the data is telling you?? Write down your conclusions and potential action items.

Act on What You Learn

I have spoken with many physicians who are disappointed when their patients don?t act on the valuable medical advice they receive.? As any physician knows, it?s not what you know that counts, but what you do with what you know.? Once you?ve taken the time to create the systems to produce accurate data in your practice, gather quality third party data, and to thoughtfully review and analyze the information, now it is time to act.? Create written goals and action items based on your findings.? Make sure you have action items delegated to those who can get it done.? Most importantly, you want to follow up and make sure your organization is accountable to complete the proposed changes. Finally, it?s important to remember that this process is an ongoing one.? It creates a positive feedback loop in your practice.? I would recommend at least annually making sure that your practice is on the right track!

11 Jan 2016

Sticky Post By overseer Posted in Business Development, Leadership, Operational Excellence Permalink

ORGANIZATIONAL HEALTH

Sticky Post By overseer On January 11, 2016

Rich Roll is one of the fittest men on the planet. He has been interviewed by CNN and featured in numerous fitness magazines. Roll has been a top finisher in the Ultraman World Championships which is a three-day/320-mile double ironman distance triathlon. The event is invitation only for 35 select participants from around the world.? The first day is a 6.2 mile ocean swim followed by a 90-mile cross country cycling race.? The second day is a 170-mile cycling race, and the third day finishes up with a 52-mile double marathon. I am exhausted just thinking about that type of incredible endurance feat.? While he had been a competitive swimmer in college, this attorney and father of four had hung up his ?Speedo?s? after college and was almost fifty pounds overweight by his 40th birthday.? Roll overhauled his diet and got back on track with his fitness program, and within two years, he was competing at an international level for endurance athletes.? What he has done through intentional planning and hard work is to achieve a level of optimum health that is allowing him to compete internationally well into his 40?s.

Similarly, organizations of different types and sizes can achieve a level of optimum health. This does not mean that we need organizations full of ultra-athletes.? Rather, we want organizations that operate in a healthy, complete, and consistent way. Best-selling author Patrick Lencioni emphatically stated in his book The Advantage, ?The single greatest advantage any company can achieve is organizational health. Yet it is ignored by most leaders even though it is simple, free, and available to anyone who wants it.?? Most organizations fail to embrace organizational health, and the typical reasons include that it is too ?touchy feely,? the concepts are too simple, or the tyranny of the urgent feeds our adrenaline addiction. Lencioni describes a healthy organization as one with minimum ?politics? and confusion, employees with high morale and productivity, and low employee turnover.? Wouldn?t that be a great place to work?? As obvious and important as that is, we tend to spend all of our time and energy on the technical aspects of the organization (e.g. strategy, marketing, etc.) and very little time in making sure that we have a healthy company.? I have summarized below a few of the ways to help make the transformation from being a ?couch potato? organization to one that has optimum organizational health.

Establish Trust

You don?t need to go to the ropes courses to build trust (although team building exercises can be helpful); instead, there are some simple things you can do to increase the trust in your organization.? One of the major symptoms of unhealthy organizations is that the management group does not feel free to share their opinions.? When managers are simply ?yes men and women,? the organization is not benefitting from the collective wisdom of the group. Teams that always have complete consensus are potentially toxic because people are certainly withholding their true opinions.? The intelligence of the organization is hindered as employees all try to CYA (cover their assets) instead of contributing their best thoughts and ideas. The leader of the organization sets the tone here and should insist on candid discussion and promote vigorous debate. Remember healthy conflict is to be encouraged, not discouraged.? Team members need to understand the boundaries for conflict and be willing to commit to the path ultimately decided by the leader.?? Another way to help strengthen the trust in the team is to utilize personality tests like DISC?, Myers Briggs Type Indicator? or The Birkman?.? These allow team members to better understand both themselves and their colleagues.? Many misunderstandings can be avoided once communication and personality styles are better understood.

Create Clarity

Healthy organizations have clarity and alignment around the main things and know how to ?keep the main things the main thing.?? This is easier said than done and requires asking some simple but challenging questions. I recommend having the organization?s management team periodically independently respond to the following questions:? (1) What is our reason for being as an organization ? why do we exist? (2) What are our true core values that guide our behavior? (3) What business are we in? (4) Where are we going as a company ? what is our strategy for success? (5) What are the most important things that need to be done in the organization in the next 30-90 days?? (6) Who needs to do what to accomplish the most important things? (7) What are the key metrics for measuring the success of the organization?? Answering these questions independently will ensure that ?group think? does not set in and that everyone does original thinking about the answers. The team can then gather and debate their answers and synergize their responses.? I am an advocate for having a concise 1-2 page summary of the results of this process which serves as the guide for the organization and an accountability tool for team meetings.? Answering these types of questions requires time and a change of perspective from ?thinking in the business to thinking on the business.? In our world of constant emailing and texting, it is important to unplug and get away to periodically think on our organizations to create clarity.

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate!

Healthy organizations know how to communicate well. Their leaders repeatedly communicate key themes. They know that repetition counts and that they need to communicate with clarity what is really important.? I have found that whether coaching sports, raising kids, or leading in an organization, the key is to keep the messages simple and repeat them often.? Effective leaders use different mediums and tools to constantly reinforce messages.? Ambiguity and confusion are the hallmarks of dysfunctional organizations.? The anti-dote is communication!? Too often leaders fail to communicate enough because they are too busy or incorrectly believe that they are being too repetitive. Healthy organizations not only have effective top down communication that cascades through the organization, but they also have effective lateral and bottom up communication.? Smart organizations know that the information gathered by front line employees is invaluable and needs to circulate within the company.? Innovative companies will create regular opportunities to make sure upper management is spending time with front line employees to foster open communication.? Leaders can also promote good communication by being accessible and utilize techniques like ?management by walking around.?? There is nothing worse for leaders than to get stuck behind their computer all day.? Focus and alignment occur when organizations have clarity on what matters most and communicate effectively throughout the organization.

Conclusion

While being an Ultra athlete is not in the cards for me, I do know that I can be a part of making sure that organizations I am part of achieve optimal health. There is no reason to settle for working in dysfunctional situations. By recognizing the important of being ?healthy? in our business and utilizing some of the simple ways to become healthier, we are on our way to building healthy organizations!

04 Jan 2016

Sticky Post By overseer Posted in Leadership Permalink

LEADING THROUGH CHANGE

Sticky Post By overseer On January 4, 2016

In 1804, Napol?on Bonaparte?was crowned emperor by the people of France.? Five years before, he had seized control of the French government and named himself First Consul.? Until his ultimate defeat in 1815, he led the French military through almost two decades of war where he seized control over much of Europe.? As a part of Napoleon?s thirst for conquest, he set his sights on destroying the British Royal Navy and invading England.? The Royal Navy had established its dominance of the seas in the 18^th Century, and during the Napoleonic Wars, the British had blockaded France?s ports.? Napoleon was determined to break the Royal Navy?s supremacy, so he assembled a fleet of barges and over 100,000 soldiers on the English Channel ready to invade once they could subdue the mighty British Naval fleet.

Napoleon tapped Vice-Admiral?Pierre-Charles Villeneuve?to lead the French Mediterranean Fleet.? On September 16, 1805, Napoleon gave the order for the French fleet to put to sea and engage the British Royal fleet if the French had superior numbers.? The British Royal Navy was led by Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson, and in the Atlantic Ocean off the Cape of Trafalgar, the British fleet of 27 ships faced the French with 33 ships on October 21, 1805.? Back in these days of sail ships, the cannons were on the sides and the traditional form of battle was to sail line to line against the enemy, and the British preferred to sail into battle with the wind at their backs. This military approach had its limitations, particularly from a communication standpoint.

Admiral Lord Nelson was a gifted leader and saw an opportunity to break from traditional thinking and pursue a different strategy.? Instead of the normal line to line attack formation, he sailed straight at the French military and used a new communication method.? This unorthodox approach achieved a dramatic result as the British lost no ships and the French fleet lost 23 of their 33 ships.? While the Battle of Trafalgar was a major military victory for the British and thwarted Napoleon?s plans for invasion, they lost their hero as Lord Nelson was killed in battle by an enemy sniper.? As he was leading his men into battle, he signaled from the flag ship, ?England expects that every man will do his duty.?? This phrase went down in history as probably the most famous military signal in British military history.

So why take this stroll through some two hundred year old military history? What relevance does this story have in our fast paced modern world?? I believe a great deal.? As a history major in college, I was intrigued when reminded of this story by a friend.? As a student of leadership and a business consultant, I was particularly intrigued by the leadership lessons that Lord Nelson had to offer.? I believe that true leadership principles are timeless, and we can glean insights from throughout history from men and women of true courage and vision.

Consider for a moment, if you were one of the officers or soldiers in the British Royal Navy.? For over a century, there was a conventional way of doing battle.? Your leader has asked you to try a very unorthodox approach which has you sailing straight at the enemy who happens to outnumber you!? As a leader in any organization, you will face times of change.? There will be times of fear and uncertainty.? To be effective, you will need the trust and loyalty of the team.? You will need people to follow you into uncertain situations and believe that you have a vision for success.?? Just because you have a title, it does not mean that you will have that level of trust.

Reward Success/Take the Blame for Failure

According to one Lord Nelson?s biographer, he had a history of taking initiative and being aggressive. His men also knew from experience that if things went wrong Lord Nelson would take the blame.? If the outcome was a success, Lord Nelson ensured that his leaders were rewarded and acknowledged for the victory.? Leaders are not glory seekers.? They don?t hog the limelight.? They are quick to praise and reluctant to ever criticize in public.? Leaders today should consider the need to utilize every opportunity to encourage others by acknowledging their successes, and they should avoid pointing the finger.? As the sign on President Harry Truman?s desk said, ?The buck stops here.?? Leaders are called upon to make decisions and accept responsibility for the outcome.

Lead From the Front

Lord Nelson had the trust and loyalty of his soldiers because they knew he led from the front.? He shared in the danger they faced.? In the Battle of Trafalgar, he sailed on the flagship Victory which was the deadliest spot in the battle.? Similarly, George Washington told his Continental Army in 1777 when he came upon some British troops in New Jersey, ?Parade with me, my brave fellows,??and led the charge into enemy lines. ?Great leaders don?t ask others to do what they would not do themselves.? They lead with a moral authority that inspires others.? Consider in your own organization whether you are truly leading from the front.

Empower Others

As he led his fleet into battle, Lord Nelson would not be micro-managing his other leaders.? As they sailed into the heat of combat, he had to trust that others would act on their training and experience and be responsible for carrying out the plan.? When he signaled, ?England expects that every man will do his duty,? Lord Nelson was unleashing his leaders to greatness.? He expected them to be courageous and to do their job.? While he expected a great deal from his soldiers, he expected even more from himself.? Legendary basketball coach John Wooden would share at the beginning of his pre-game locker room speech, ?Men, I’ve done my job, the rest is up to you.”? Coach Wooden?s team had done the preparation.? On game day, he released them to go get the job done on the court.? In your organization, have you empowered your team?? Do they know you have their backs?? Have your prepared your employees for success?

While we don?t face the heat of military battle every day, we are competing in a challenging global marketplace.? We encounter traditional ways of doing things every day.? If you are not in a period of change then you are probably just coming out of one or about to head into another.? If you are in a leadership position, perhaps the lessons of Admiral Lord Nelson might provide some encouragement and insights into navigating your next challenging season.

23 Dec 2015

Sticky Post By overseer Posted in Culture and Worldview, Leadership, Personal Performance Permalink

ELEVATE: HELPING OTHERS BE THEIR BEST

Sticky Post By overseer On December 23, 2015

Paul Simon, one of my favorite musical artists, penned a song, I Am A Rock in 1965.? The song about a recluse repeats the chorus, ?I am a rock, I am an island.?? I think about this song a lot because we tend to forget that achievement in life is rarely a solo act.? We aren?t islands.? We all stand on the shoulders of those of who preceded us and helped us along the way.

Are We Independent or Interdependent?

Herbert Hoover, the United States? 31^st President, emphasized our country?s ?rugged individualism.?? He believed that the U.S. faced a decision between ?the American system of ?rugged individualism? or the choice of a European system of diametrically opposed doctrines ? doctrines of paternalism and state socialism.? He said, ?The acceptance of these ideas meant the destruction of self-government through centralization of government; it meant the undermining of initiative and enterprise upon which our people have grown to unparalleled greatness.?? It is interesting that over 85 years later, the U.S. still debates this choice.

Regardless of your political views on this point, there is no denying that the emphasis on individualism and a ?frontier mentality? runs deep in our culture.?? These concepts are related to the ?American Dream? – the idea that each of us can have upward mobility through hard work.? James Truslow Adams coined the term ?American Dream? in his 1931 book Epic of America. He stated, ?The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.?

I describe these cultural patterns because it is easy to take them for granted and not realize the impact on our thinking and our lives.? While there are many positive aspects of these ideas, we sometimes fail to understand their limitations. We can?t lose sight that the greatest successes in life are made with and through people.? Great achievements in life are never solo endeavors.? Sometimes we forget that.? We can be like the turtle on the fencepost.? As the story goes, when you find a turtle on top of a fencepost, “You know he didn’t get there by himself, he doesn’t belong there, he doesn’t know what to do while he’s up there, and you just want to help get him down.”

In reality, our success in life is linked to the lives of other people (whether we recognize it or not). There is a great expression that we are standing on the shoulders of giants.? This quote was first attributed to 12^th century scholar Bernard of Chartres, who used to say ?we are like dwarfs on the shoulders of giants, so that we can see more than them, and things at a greater distance, not by virtue of any sharpness of sight on our part, or any physical distinction, but because we are carried high and raised up by their giant size.?

The late Zig Ziglar had a wonderful quote he often repeated that ?If you help enough people get what they want in life, you will get what you want.?? This was not a manipulative idea; instead, it is one that recognizes that, by serving others, we truly are helping ourselves.? When we can walk in humility and realize that our success in life is not just the result of our own hard work, but the help of many others along the way, then we are on our way to being a true leader.

Elevating Others

Once we recognize that success in life is not a solo act, then we can begin to consider the importance of building up others to create a great team.? An organization with high performance teams will go further, faster.?? Teams are built on a foundation of trust.? One of the ways to build trust is to invest yourself in the lives of others.? What does this mean?? It means that you help other people elevate and achieve their goals and objectives.?? Unfortunately, this is rare.? We are typically so caught up in the tyranny of the urgent of our own matters that we don?t stop and consider the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of others.?? Think about it ? do you really know what your colleagues are seeking out of life?? Do you know what motivates them to get out of bed in the morning?? What would be the difference if you did?? By taking the time to understand your colleagues hopes and dreams, you are investing yourself in their lives.

I have experienced the benefits of others investing in my life first hand. After earning my law degree, I launched into the practice of law which I enjoyed; however, I felt like my true calling was to use my business and legal training to be a strategic advisor to companies.? I knew for several years that I wanted to make this transition, but I was stuck.? I could not seem to make the switch and clung to my law career like a child holds onto a favorite blanket. I would not let it go.? Two people helped me better understand my motivations, clarify my path, and make this next step in my career.? One was Dr. Carl Hicks.? Carl helped me gain a much deeper understanding of myself.? Carl is an expert with the Birkman? assessment tools and used them to help me clearly see my deepest motivators as an individual.? Through his example and encouragement, I realized that I could make this transition.? He coached and encouraged me along the way.? For that, I am forever grateful.

I also was encouraged by my friend and colleague Andy Wimberly. Andy made a successful transition from being a well-established financial advisor to an executive coach.? As he says, ?it took me 15 years to become an overnight success as a coach,? but his example and encouragement reinforced my confidence.? Both Andy and Carl reached out and helped me help myself.? They challenged me and created accountability.? They would not let me just ?talk the talk? about change, I had to ?walk the walk.? They shared and continue to share their wisdom and life experiences with me. I use the examples of Carl and Andy to illustrate the point that there is a significant impact of helping others be their best.

The Rewards

There are both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards for investing yourself in helping people to be their best.? You will find that when you help others elevate that you feel better about yourself.? I write a weekly column on leadership.? I have interviewed hundreds of leaders for this column and one of the standard questions I ask is ?What is your proudest moment as a leader??? By far, the most frequent response I get is the satisfaction that comes from seeing others develop and move on to achieving great things.? There is typically no direct financial reward for these leaders for that kind of success.? However, by watching others succeed that they had invested in, they were able to know that their investment paid off.? They could see the fruit of their efforts.

Ralph Waldo Emerson noted, ?The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, and to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.? I also like Benjamin Disraeli?s statement, ?The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches, but to reveal to him, his own.? ?I hope that you will consider whether you are being the kind of leader who is elevating others to help them reach full potential.