Litmus Test For Your Lineup

While boarding a plane last week I overheard two men talking about their "preferred status" with an airline. One guy said something like, "I really lost out last year. I was at 'platinum' level but my wife was expecting and I had to ground myself at the office for 3 weeks prior to the birth. Then, the baby came late and I had to stay grounded for another 3 weeks. Man, I missed out on so many miles and now am only a 'gold.'

I wonder if his comments would have been the same if his wife was standing with him? Somehow I doubt it. I kept waiting for him to say, "But the time with my wife and new baby was worth more than any miles I would have gained."

The incident got me to thinking... if you verbalized your reasoning for your lineup today with those audience members most important to you, would they be pleased? Or feel insignificant? If they wouldn't be cheering you on-do you need to change some of the acts in your lineup? Remember, you always gain something at the loss of something else-what's most important to you?

Another Reason You May Be Juggling Elephants

On a calendar in a doctor's office I saw the following quote:

The root of being uptight is our unwillingness to accept life

as being different, in any way, from our expectations.

I found it quite profound because it describes so clearly another reason some of us become so overwhelmed with life-our expectations and reality are not in sync. We just feel like if we make that extra "super human" effort we will finally achieve _________________ (you fill in the blank.) Rarely do things work out that way.

Does this mean we shouldn't give our best effort and expect the best from others? Does this mean we should settle for mediocrity in our own pursuits and accept less than others? Of course not. What it does mean is that we need to allow for mistakes from ourselves and others. We need to realize that everything may not work out the way we planned-but it worked out better than if no plan at all was in place. Ultimately, what's the purpose of your circus-to have such lofty expectations of yourself and others that you always feel like a failure-or to see yourself (and others) as a work in progress?

An Absurd Reward

Dr. Robert Maurer wrote a powerful book entitled, One Small Step Can Change Your Life. The primary focus of the book is to offer insights on how individuals and organizations should place an intense focus on achieving small goals-not just trying to make major wholesale changes. Large goals can seem overwhelming and defeating while taking small steps is more manageable and also easier to quickly reward.

In his book he references Toyota’s "employee suggestion" program. According to Maurer, Toyota receives over 1.5 million suggestions each year from employees and holds an annual program to award the person who provided the single best suggestion. Their reward? A pen. No, not a gold-plated or diamond studded writing instrument-just a pen. Why on earth would people be willing to share their ideas to win a pen? Maybe it's not about the pen-maybe it's the fact that these same employees know that Toyota really believes in their ability to see what needs to happen in the organization for improvement. Maybe they have actually seen some of their suggestions implemented in some area of the company. They trust that the time spent sending in their suggestion is worth the effort.

The "nugget" for organizations is to remember that when managers, supervisors and other leaders within the organization let others know their input is needed and valued, employees will often respond with ideas that can really work-if the workable ideas are put into practice. And rewarding them in some small is merely icing on the cake-or should we say ink in the pen. 1.5 million suggestions can't be wrong.

The Scent of Success

One of the strangest looks I get when delivering a training program on Juggling Elephants is when I ask participants to describe a "smell" that would be associated with success with their new lineup. It's one of those perfect "aha" moments because all I have to do is say, "Don't believe in the power of smell? How about your grandparent's home? Fresh cut grass? A high school gym? (Hey, I didn't say they were all positive.)

Our sense of smell is the strongest emotional connection we have to a place or event. Read the article, The Nose, An Emotional Time Machine, to find out the science behind this fact. While the article focuses much of its time on how people can quickly connect with their past using their olfaction (our sense of smell), we can also use it as a motivating reminder of the value of doing something differently-and getting different results. Examples for me include:

• Fresh cut grass. It reminds me that if I focus and get my tasks done, I'll be able to go leave work at a decent hour and enjoy time outside with my children, wife and yes, my Labrador retriever.
• A plate of cheese fries from Outback. We use this delectable dish as a celebration of some accomplishment-personal or business. (Also works well for the sense of taste)
• Fresh air first thing in the morning. It reminds me of the upcoming intermission I will have in the mountains of NC. Smelling the fresh air encourages me to buckle down this week and work hard on my lineup so that I can really savor the time in the mountains this weekend.

Yours may be very different for where you are in your particular situation. If you are in a small business, the smell of fresh paint or sheet rock may be your sensual trigger that if you focus on growing your business, you'll soon be able to move to a larger location. If you are in the market for a new job, the smell of a copier may be motivating to you. It helps you visualize copies of your wonderful resume being duplicated for dissemination to all those potential employers.

Still don't believe me? Try this test. The next time someone you know gets a new car-take a deep breath while sitting in it-I would be willing to wager that the smell motivates you to either freshen up your old vehicle-or work hard to eventually get a new(er) one yourself.

Great Quote About Focus

I came across this quote today by Edgar F. Roberts:

Every human mind is a great slumbering power until awakened by a keen desire and by definite resolution to do.

What acts in your lineup today do you have a "keen desire" to complete? If there are none or very few, maybe it's time to take a quick intermission and consider making some changes to the lineup-or to revisit your purpose for doing them.