JANUARY 2020

Business Tips:

TRACTION (EOS – Entrepreneurial Operating System)

Our management is implementing a new system called “Traction”. It will provide direction over the next year through a wonderful system. We look forward to sharing it with you here. We hope you will take the journey with us.

~ EOS – Why and how?~

Why are we implementing this system? We have found that we are somewhat haphazard in our ability to predict short term how our business is doing. We have managed fine, but we can get better. So, we have found a system that puts the pieces of the puzzle together for us in a very comfortable, progressive, and unifying approach. We know it will make us all better in our ability to predict, communicate, and focus on the main things.

How are we implementing it? It is a process, so it will take a bit. Don’t hesitate to pick up the book - What the Heck Is EOS?: A Complete Guide for Employees in Companies Running on EOS by Gino Wickman. We will gladly pay for the copy if you request it. Specifically, our leadership team is made up of a small group that meets weekly to discuss a scoreboard of data that we will review, it also includes 90-day goals called rocks, and a weekly to do list to review. We are also in the process of learning our core focus and core values that will lead us into the vision of our 3-year picture and 10-year target. We are very excited about the system has helped us get a handle on the organization and to help us learn to take things to the next level.  

Personal Tips:

~ Practice Morning Gratitude ~

"Each morning, take a few moments to reflect on things you are thankful for and set your day up for success by starting with a positive attitude. These ideas don't have to be big, but they do need to be meaningful. As you continue this practice, it will get easier and easier. Eventually, even in tough situations, you'll automatically recognize what you can be thankful for and more easily lead your team with a positive attitude."

--Jerry Brooner, chief revenue officer of Scout RFP, a sourcing and supplier engagement platform used by more than 200 global brands and more than 200,000 users worldwide

Tools & Tech I am using:

Calendars and planners

I am using Michael Hyatt’s Full Focus planner and am loving it. It has everything I need to keep me moving forward. Check it out. He even has training videos on how to use it most efficiently.

I am still using Google calendar to alert me on my daily appointments, habits, and disciplines, but I have mostly gone back to paper for continued planning and achieving.

Life Skills:

~Goal setting, Dreams – Goals – Actions~

We know what we need to do to be successful, but why do so few people manage to sustain the habits of regularly dedicating time to the activities that will bring them success?  Why do we sabotage ourselves?

A nice thought about something you might like to have is a dream.  A dream written down and clearly visualized is a goal.  A tangible, measurable step written down and committed to is an action.  You will not achieve a dream if you don’t systematically work through the actions that lead to the goals that lead to the dream.  Dream – have a book published.  Goal – complete first draft of book by 31/1/2010.  Action – write 1000 words on goal setting.

A writer is somebody who finds writing harder than anybody else.  My brother Aidan – set a goal 60 weeks ago – publish a blog article every Monday before 9:00am – and has consistently met it except for 2 weeks – the week his son was born and the week his son was in the hospital with a worrying stomach condition.  How?  He made a verbal commitment to many of his friends.  He said to his wife that he would give her $100 every time he failed to publish by 9:00am.  He has paid 3 times (once he published the blog 20 minutes late).

We need accountability partners (sadly we are less likely to cheat on our goals if committed to a friend than just to ourselves).  The top performers all have coaches; it is too difficult to sustain high performance without help. 

Malcolm Gladwell in the book Outliers made popular the idea that becoming excellent requires 10,000 hours of practice.  Your genes, your natural talent, luck becomes irrelevant when you achieve 10,000 hours.  In what will you spend the next 5 years accumulating your 10,000 hours of practice? 

Most people never accrue 10,000 hours in anything.  Will you make the commitment to excellence, the commitment to mastery?

Notable quotes: They are italicized above.

-2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

-Deuteronomy 31:6 - Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Something I want you to know:

Ask about EOS, practice gratitude, and how dream lead to goals and goals lead to action!

Welcome to 2020!