Do Not Submit If It Does Not Fit

“It is better to say NO to an opportunity that is not the right fit, than to say YES for political reasons.”

Success breeds opportunity, but not every opportunity is the right fit. The ability to demonstrate competency and deliver results at one level does not guarantee success at the next. It is better to say NO to an opportunity that is not the right fit, than to say yes for political reasons. The following true story from my past clarifies the point. 

Several years ago, I worked for a regional manager named Robert.  He was the shining star of the company with responsibility for over 100 retail locations in the New England region.   He won numerous awards for his sales and profit results, and had a reputation for being highly competent.  Robert was approached by senior level management and asked to take over the Washington, DC region, which was known to be very difficult and had been underperforming for many years.  He accepted the position and relocated his family. 

Unfortunately, Robert was not a fit for the new assignment.  He did well in New England because he inherited a team of seasoned managers that needed minimal direction.  The DC region required someone who was skilled at turning around failing organizations and recruiting good managers.  Robert did not posses these skills and struggled to keep up.  He was eventually fired for poor performance. 

The added stress impacted his personal life and contributed to him getting divorced from his wife.  This is a sad example of what can happen when you fail to evaluate a potential opportunity to determine if it is a fit. There is one key to making sure that you don’t end up in a position that is not right for you. 

Know Yourself
American psychologist Abraham Maslow said: “What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself."  The key to knowing yourself is to have a realistic picture of where you are. Recently, I had an experience in the mall that illustrates this point. 

I went to the mall last week in search of a gift for my young daughter.   I could not find the toy store so I went to the map at the center of the mall. On the map I saw in big letters “YOU ARE HERE”. I also saw that there was another store closer to me that sold toys than the one I originally planned to shop.  Based on where I was, this was a better fit for me.  This experience taught me that knowing where you are is essential to getting the opportunity that is the best fit for you. 

Knowing “where” you are is not just a reference to your physical location.  By where, I am referring to your personality as it relates to the potential opportunity.  For example, Type “A”, driver personalities don’t fit well in positions that require extensive research and data analysis.  Analytical personalities are not a natural fit for positions that involve leading large groups of people.  My supervisor Robert was an analytical personality type, which contributed to the challenges that I mentioned previously. 

If you do not know your personality type, resources like Wonderlic and Myers Briggs offer tests that can help you find out. They can also help you to identify opportunities that are the best fit based on your test results. 

By making sure potential opportunities are a fit for you BEFORE you say YES, you will maximize your time and minimize your stress.

Address Your Blind Spots

“The difference between winning and losing is how you deal with your blind spot.”

I am a huge fan of the National Football League. The most recognized, and highest paid player on each team is the quarterback. If Tom Brady, the quarterback of the New England Patriots were to show up at your favorite restaurant, everyone would know that he was in the building. If the man who plays the position of left tackle stopped by, he would go unnoticed. 

I would argue that the left tackle is the most valuable player on the field because he is responsible for protecting the quarterback’s blind spot. He blocks would be tacklers that the quarterback cannot see. Even though the average fan can’t name the left tackle, this player is the second highest paid on the team. The coach realizes that the difference between winning and losing is how he deals with the blind spot. Before I discuss how to deal with yours, let’s get clear on a definition of the blind spot. 

What is a Blind Spot?
A blind spot is a personal flaw that is invisible to you, but visible to others. Everyone has at least one, but not everyone has the systems in place to manage them. Poor blind spot management can cause you to lose time and fail to achieve your desired outcomes. 

For example, if I have a flaw in my keynote speech delivery, the organization that I am presenting to may not invite me back and I may never know why. If I have the right systems in place, I can find out and make the necessary adjustment. As an entrepreneurial executive, what systems can you put in place to effectively deal with your blind spot? 
 

360 Degree Feedback Surveys
A 360 degree feedback survey is a tool that gives people at every level of the organization an opportunity to give feedback on how they perceive their supervisor. Years ago, I was a young executive in charge of 500 employees and 17 retail locations. We were having a record-setting year in sales and profits and I received several awards for our performance. My boss and the senior level executives showered me with praise at our national meetings. 

I was shocked when I got the results of a survey of my subordinates. Many of them thought that I was too demanding and critical in my communication style. This survey made me aware of my blind spots and has shaped the way I lead and communicate today. If you implement a 360 degree feedback system in your organization, you can experience a similar result. 

Three Ups and Three Downs
As a result of the survey feedback, I began having monthly meetings with my team. At the end of each meeting I conducted my own informal survey. I handed out blank sheets of paper and asked my managers to evaluate me using the three ups three downs system. They would list three positive aspects (ups) of my leadership and three things that they would like me to change (downs). This was an anonymous survey so there was no fear in giving feedback. This saved me a great deal of time and stress because it helped me to do more of what was working and eliminate what was not. I use this method today whenever I deliver a workshop or keynote address. 

If you implement the 360 degree survey system and the three ups and three downs, you will maximize your time and minimize your stress. You can also use the surveys to get feedback from your customers and clients. If you are a team of one or one thousand, these systems will protect your blind spot like a great left tackle! 

Sincerely,
Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner 

Have a Competitive Edge Without Competing

Getting caught up in the rat race is a sure way to waste time. The rat race is an unhealthy competition based on the incorrect belief that there is a limited supply of resources in the universe. The rat racer believes that success must come at the expense of the competition. I am reminded of the famous story of two store owners named Joe and John that were in a daily battle for sales and customers. Their businesses were across the street from each other, and if Joe got a sale, then John would try to get two. 

One night, Joe had an encounter with a Magic Genie. The Genie informed him that he would be teaching him a lesson by granting any request he had with the condition being that John would get double of whatever he asked. If Joe asked for wealth, John would get double the wealth. If he asked for a new customer, John would get two new customers. After much thought, Joe made the request to be struck blind in ONE eye! This humorous illustration teaches us that an unhealthy competition can cause you to lose your VISION and waste valuable time. How can you have a competitive edge without competing? 

The best way to gain a competitive edge without competing is to find someone who has the results that you desire and duplicate their processes. In professional football, the team that wins the Super Bowl is usually the most copied team in the league. The other teams observe their practices, playbooks, and processes because they realize that the fastest route to success is to duplicate a proven system. I recommend the following two areas as great avenues for duplication:

1. Coaches
Having regular conversations with a coach who is an expert in your field will save you valuable time. There are two important keys to consider when looking for a coach. The first key is to find one that has the results that you desire. Think about it, if you aspired to start a business, hiring a coach that has successfully started twenty businesses would save you valuable time and keep you from making expensive mistakes. Secondly, make sure the coach demonstrates a pattern of continuous learning. Many successful coaches are also clients of a coach that they seek emulate. You would gain the benefit of their mentor’s knowledge and experience as a bonus. 

2. Colleagues
Whenever we see a colleague succeeding in an area that we aspire to, the normal reaction is to try to compete with them. Instead, we must apply my WHO/WHY/WHAT formula by asking the following questions: Who is consistently the top performer in your company or market? Why do they always produce the best results? What do they do that you could duplicate, to get a similar result? The best way to find out what the top performer does is to ASK them. I apply this formula whenever I go into a new business situation. It has saved me valuable time and kept me from “re-inventing the wheel.”

Seeking out a coach and learning from a successful colleague will save you valuable time and give you a competitive edge without having to compete. If you found this week’s tip to be helpful, please share it using the social media buttons at the bottom of the page. 

Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner 

Have an Attitude of Gratitude

“It is impossible to feel blessed and stressed at the same time.”

As an up and coming executive responsible for multiple business locations, I was trained to make fixing problems a priority. I was taught to “manage by exception” by spending the majority of my time focusing on the shops that ranked in the bottom third in sales results. Simply moving the bottom third to the middle would have a dramatic impact on the overall results of the organization. We had record setting sales results and I received nothing but praise from my superiors. 

Unfortunately, my intense focus on problems was turning me into a pessimist. My ego took a major hit as I read the anonymous feedback surveys from the managers that reported to me. To my surprise they perceived that I was picking on them and that I failed to recognize their progress. To make matters worse, my stress level was at an all time high and I was on the verge of burnout. What could I do to reverse this trend? 

Thank You List
The main source of my stress was that I only focused on my problems without recognizing the positives. The solution was to embrace gratitude on a personal level. I started making a list and reflecting on everything in my life for which I was thankful. Areas such as my faith, family and friends were included. I would review this list before starting my day. I was amazed at how my productivity increased and my stress levels decreased. I became more proactive once I adopted the right perspective. 

The Dime Test
Once I adjusted my perspective, I was able to address my team. I used a best practice known as the “dime test” to make sure I recognized the positives with my people. I would take ten dimes and place them in my left pocket. Every time I thanked one of my managers, I would switch a dime to my right pocket. My goal was to end each day with ten dimes in the other pocket. After about twenty one days, saying thank you became a habit and I no longer needed the dimes. 

According to a University of Pennsylvania study, an optimist will outperform a pessimist on the job or in a business situation by as much as 50%. Making a thank you list and adopting the dime test will generate optimism, increase your success, and lower your stress. 

Sincerely,
Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner 

Don’t Let Perfect Become the Enemy of Progress

Nobody can do it like Eric! This was my motto early into my career as a District Manager in the automotive industry. I was responsible for five hundred employees and had seventeen managers that reported to me. My desire to delegate was low because I felt that if I wanted it done right, I had to do it. My days started early in the morning and ended late at night. I had limited free time and large amounts of stress. 

I then made the following discovery that helped me move from burnout to breakthrough: My desire for perfection was the root cause of my failure to delegate. I had allowed perfect to become the enemy of progress. So how can you avoid making the same mistake that I did?  Below are two steps that will help you to become a more effective delegator and break the perfectionist habit. 

Calculate Your Time Value
The first step that helped me to become more willing to delegate was to calculate how much my time was really worth. Start by taking your desired annual income and dividing by 52 weeks. For example, let’s assume that your annual goal is to make at least $110,000. One hundred and ten thousand divided by fifty two is two thousand one hundred fifteen dollars. Next, you take the weekly dollars and divide by the average hours you work in a week. If you work a 50 hour work week your time is worth $42/hour. Now that you know how much your time is worth, you can use this to determine if the task is worthy of your time. If the task is not a $42/hour task, then it can be delegated. 

I am often asked by business owners that work alone if they should hire a personal assistant. We have done the math and determined that their time is worth more than $60/hour in several cases. Paying someone ten dollars an hour to do the book keeping, make follow up calls, and schedule appointments is a smart investment that has created more time for them. 

Create a Follow-Up System
The lack of a consistent follow-up system is a major reason for the fear and failure to delegate. Many an entrepreneur has been burned by a task that they delegated to an employee that never got done. The key to successful delegation is to establish how you plan to follow-up BEFORE you assign the task. For example, most email providers allow you to schedule reminders on emails that you have sent that have not been responded to. You can set it up so that you get an email in your inbox in 24 hours that reminds you that you need to follow-up. 

When I was a District Manager, I used my “How will I know?” follow up system whenever I delegated an important task. I would ask the manager “How will I know when this is done?” They would tell me that they would call me to let me know. “Great, when can I expect your call?” was my next question. I would then put it on my phone calendar and set an alert that reminded me to follow up. 

Calculating your time value and creating a follow up system will make you a more effective delegator and help you to break the perfectionist habit. Stay tuned for the next Twiggs Time Tip. Or read more in the world’s most complete Time Management EBook for executives and entrepreneurs.