Every day, more emails land in my inbox offering an opportunity to take a course or participate in a program designed to help grow my business or advance my financial standing.
While there’s no doubt that — like everyone else — I’d love my business to expand and my bank account to be enhanced. Yet, such widely varied choices are available that I often simply “keep on keeping on” without the help these opportunities may provide.
There are so many opportunities available in today’s world that we sometimes get paralyzed by a plethora of choices. While it’s great to have options, too many can be overwhelming.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by opportunity, here are a few tips to help you narrow down your choices:
1. Define your goals. What are you hoping to achieve? If you aren’t specific with your goals, it’s almost impossible to discern what can help you get to where you want to be. Once you know what you want, you can eliminate options that don’t align with your goals.
2. Do your research. When you’ve got a shortlist of potential opportunities, take some time to learn more about each one. What are the pros and cons? What do other people say about it? There are some brilliant programs available to help you in your journey to achievement. Sadly, however, today’s world of online learning has made it much easier for shysters to go virtual. Take a moment to do your homework on both the program and the presenter.
3. Trust your gut. At the end of the day, you know yourself best. If something feels right, go for it! Nike never says, “Just THINK ABOUT IT!” We all know that they tell us to “Just DO IT!” That’s frequently great advice in all endeavors — not just for athletes.
Don’t let opportunity overwhelm you. By taking some time to evaluate your options, you can make sure you choose the right opportunity for you.
There is no distinction without action — and you can discover the action steps you need to take by expanding your learning. Then, go for it with all you’ve got!
Every business has a story to tell, and yours is no different. What sets your story apart from the rest makes it engaging and distinctive. Customers seek a reason to connect with your business, your story must be one they can’t resist.
For a decade, I had the most incredible “side hustle” one could imagine. I was a nationally syndicated movie reviewer. When movies were a couple of weeks away from their release, the studios frequently invited me to participate in what they called their “junkets.” Typically, I would fly to New York or Los Angeles on a Friday, see the new movie before its public release, then spend Saturday interviewing the film’s stars, director, and screenwriter.
My work as a movie reviewer allowed me to interview famous actors from Meryl Streep to Tom Hanks, John Travolta to Faye Dunaway, and Samuel L. Jackson to Bruce Willis.
What I learned is the principles that made for a box office smash were also the precise aspects that every business and professional needed to discover to stand out and earn more. They make up the exact steps required to create distinction.
The steps are easy to remember and are often based on the acronym, S.T.O.R.Y.
S – Select your subject (What do you want to be known for?)
T – Target your audience (Who needs and wants to know your story?)
O – Outline the content (What details will you share?)
R – Record your story (How will you tell it?)
Y – Your story’s finish line (What’s the point of sharing your story?)
Answering these questions is the key to discovering what makes your story distinctive and engaging. It’s also how to clarify what you want to be known for professionally or in business. You can use these principles to storytelling in a way that not only educates but also entertains, engages, and inspires your audience.
When you understand the elements of what makes for a great story, you can begin to see how it can be applied to business and professional situations. It starts with knowing the steps required to create a narrative that captivates an audience and showing them how to apply your story’s principles in business and life. Here are a few examples:
S – Select your subject: In business, this could be choosing what it is you want to be known for. Are you the go-to person for your organization’s product or service? Do you have a unique perspective or method that you can share with others? The First Cornerstone of Distinction is CLARITY. When you’re precise about your subject, you’ve made progress towards achieving the first rung on the distinction ladder.
T – Target your audience: This is identifying your target market or ideal client in business. Who are they, and what do they need or want to know? Again, by being precise and clear on who our audience is, we move towards distinction in our story.
O – Outline the content: In business, this is determining what details you will share in your story. What information will be most helpful or interesting to your audience? How will you present a story that shows the characters of your narrative overcoming a conflict that your audience will find compelling?
R – Record your story: In business, this is deciding how you will deliver your story to your target audience. Will you write a blog post, give a presentation, post it on social media, or create a video?
Y – Your story’s finish line: In business, this is the primary purpose of sharing your story. What do you hope to achieve by telling it? Are you looking to educate, entertain, engage, or inspire your audience? Is your story (as Jim Rohn used to say) an example of what to do…or a warning of what must be avoided? Either way, the story’s conclusion must drive your audience to want to take action that benefits you and your organization.
Telling your story in a way that resonates with your audience is essential to success in business. By understanding what makes for a great story, you can ensure that yours captivates and engages your target market. Your story makes you unique, so use it to your advantage to engage potential customers by sharing what makes your business exceptional. If you can capture their attention, you’ll be well on your way to making a lasting impression of distinction.
It’s been my privilege to help professionals and organizations discover how to craft and tell their “Distinctive Story.” I’d love to assist you in this process, as well. Contact us on LinkedIn – or respond to this email – for more information and to start on your journey to captivate customers and prospects.
This phrase (“WADITW”) is a primary enemy of change and innovation. It’s why many companies and leaders are stuck in the past, unable to move forward and improve the customer experience.
A crucial aspect of “we’ve always done it that way” is that it reflects a lack of imagination. It’s an admission that we’re not willing to change, even when it’s clear that change is needed.
Change is difficult because of several reasons — here are three primary factors:
It’s easy to get stuck in the past. We feel comfortable with the results we’re currently achieving, so why rock the boat?
Change can be scary. We’re hesitant to take risks because we cannot be confident about the future.
Change requires effort. It’s often easier to stay the course and keep doing things the way we’ve always done them.
The bottom line: changeis hard. But it’s necessary if we want to improve the customer experience. You should first recognize that “we’ve always done it that way” is a disease we must cure. Only then can we start making the changes needed to create a better future for our customers and businesses.
To move past “WADITW,” we must be willing to commit to change.
We need to be open to new ways of doing things. And most importantly, we need to develop our imagination to see the possibilities that change can bring.
The good news is that change is possible.
It starts with a willingness to let go of the past and embrace the future.
It requires imagination and creativity.
And it takes courage to face the discomfort that comes with change.
So, if you’re ready to make a change, ask yourself these three questions:
What needs to change?
What can we do differently?
How can we make this change happen?
Answering these questions will help you move beyond WADITW and into a brighter future for your company and customers.
Next, solve your WADITW problem by taking these three steps:
The first step is recognizing that the status quo is never good enough. We must constantly look for ways to improve, even if that means breaking from the past. Only then can we hope to deliver the Ultimate Customer Experience® that our customers deserve.
The next step is to be proactive. We can’t just sit around and hope that change will happen. This means challenging the way things have always been done and finding new and better ways to do them. It might be uncomfortable initially, but it’s essential if we want to move forward.
The third step is to constantly evaluate our performance. Are we stuck in our ways? Are we still doing things the same way, even though it’s no longer working? It’s essential to be honest with ourselves and always look for ways to improve. Otherwise, we’ll never change, and we’ll never be able to deliver the customer experience they deserve.
The good news is that plenty of examples of companies have overcome the disease of WADITW. They’ve been able to change and innovate, and as a result, they’re delivering a much better customer experience.
We can change — and we can deliver an Ultimate Customer Experience. It starts with recognizing the need for change, then taking action to make it happen. “We’ve always done it that way” is a disease that is holding us back. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Make this day into the day that you create distinction.
At a time when our world seems increasingly divided and fraught with conflict, it is more important than ever to be kind and compassionate toward one another. Whether interacting with customers or colleagues, friends or family members — or even total strangers — we should always try to display good intentions and show courtesy and respect.
This pervasive sense of meanness and anger in today’s culture is constantly perplexing to me. It’s showing up in our businesses and displaying itself in almost every walk of life.
A primary aspect of a great business and extraordinary customer experiences is simple respect and kindness. Here are three steps we can take to display that we care:
1. Listen more and talk less. We can learn a lot about someone by genuinely listening to them without interruption or judgment.
2. Seek first to understand, then to be understood. This is a principle from Stephen Covey’s classic book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” It means that we should try to see things from the other person’s perspective before communicating our point of view.
3. Put ourselves in the other person’s shoes. This is similar to the previous point, but it takes it one step further. Not only should we try to understand where the other person is coming from, but we should also try to empathize with them and feel what they are feeling.
Just because a person is from a differing political viewpoint, or a dissimilar religion or a different race or gender doesn’t mean they deserve disrespect. Today’s social media has created a lot of “keyboard courage” — people sending messages via Twitter or Facebook that they would have difficulty saying in person to someone. However, part of what we’re seeing is a lowering of the standards of common courtesy. After you get away with bad behavior online for a while, perhaps it becomes easier for many to assume that you can act that way in person, as well.
Here’s a fundamental challenge when it comes to this problem. As I state in the book “ICONIC,” when it comes to reciprocal respect, the key is that YOU must go first.
This is NOT to say you should alter your opinion.
It’s not to say you should diminish your beliefs.
However, you cannot wait for the other person to show you respect before sending it their way.
That kind of “I’ll do it if you do” approach will never work! It is also antithetical to the principles of respect and kindness. Instead, we need to proactively show others that we care about them — not just with our words but with our actions.
By practicing these small acts of kindness and courtesy at every opportunity, we can bring more compassion and empathy into the world around us. If more people made a conscious effort to be just a bit gentler toward one another, perhaps we could begin to heal some of the wounds currently ripping our society apart.
Even if we only make a slight difference in this world, that would still be worth doing. Let’s try a little kindness today — in our daily interactions with others, as well as in our broader efforts to create a better society.
Easter is obviously when Christians celebrate a miracle that is central to our faith. Although my work here is never intended to be about any particular set of spiritual beliefs, it struck me when thinking about his holiday that having faith — believing in something — is critical to your success in creating distinction.
Having faith in yourself is one of the most important things you can do on the path to success. No matter your goals, if you don’t believe that you can achieve them, it will be challenging to make them a reality.
When you believe in yourself and have faith you will succeed, you will likely have both the motivation and determination to keep going even when things get tough. It allows you to see the light at the end of the tunnel and keep moving forward.
If you want to create anything significant in your life, whether it’s a successful career, a happy family, or anything else, belief is essential. If you’re lacking in this area, you need to take time to develop it. It can make all the difference in the world.
Here are three ways you can enhance your faith in your future:
Get clear about what you want. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s essential to have a firm grasp on precisely what you’re striving for. Always remember, the first of the Four Cornerstones of Distinction is Clarity. When you know what your goal is, it’s much easier to believe that you can achieve it.
Surround yourself with positive people. Just this past week, I blocked time on my calendar and spent three days with three of the most positive people I know. I left our time together with renewed vigor and purpose. You can do the same with your most upbeat, positive friends. We all know the saying that we are the average of the five people with whom we spend the most time. If you want to believe in yourself more, surround yourself with people who will support and encourage you.
Take action towards your goals. No matter how small, every step forward is a sign that you’re moving in the right direction. Just because you believe doesn’t mean things will automatically fall into place — you still must put in the work! But when you take action towards your goals, it helps to increase your belief that you’ll achieve them.
If you want to create anything distinctive, first be certain that you believe in yourself. It will make an extraordinary difference in your results
Mistakes are a natural part of life. We all make them — and goodness only knows, I have personally made more than my share!
One of the challenges in today’s world is the plethora of online “gurus” and so-called experts seeking to show you how to be successful, wealthy, famous, and anything else you’d want. Part of what they promise is that they’ll provide the solution to whatever your problem might be in business or life. Sometimes that message is wrapped in an air of invincibility that may lead some to imagine that their prospective teacher has never failed or made their own missteps – or that the teacher’s slight errors will prevent you from making any blunders of your own.
The difficulty with this approach — and I certainly hope I’m not guilty of it, as all I’m trying to do is deliver insights that will assist you — is that we all must make our own mistakes and learn from them in order to progress. Mistakes can teach us important lessons and help us to become better people.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m not suggesting that we should be out there intentionally making blunders! However, it’s impossible to stand out if we are in fear of not always being correct or impeccable. There are no distinctive organizations or leaders who haven’t made significant errors in judgement or choices at some point!
An essential step is understanding that personal responsibility is critical when it comes to moving up from mistakes. We must take ownership of our mistakes and learn from them. This process is not always easy, but it is essential for growth. Blaming others or our circumstances might make us feel momentary vindication for our errors, but it is also a roadblock to personal and professional development.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution for dealing with mistakes. What works for one person may not work for another. However, seven principles will help you find your way forward:
Accept responsibility for your mistakes. This is the first and most crucial step. Denial will only prolong the pain and prevent you from learning the lessons you need to know. You must own up to your mistakes in order to move on from them.
Acknowledge your mistakes to yourself and others. This can be difficult, but it is essential for rebuilding trust and relationships. Trust is vital for any healthy relationship. Honesty is always the best policy. It’s also a necessary aspect of building and maintaining trust with those you work with and live around.
Seek forgiveness from those who you have harmed. This is not always possible or necessary, but it can be a helpful step in the process of moving on. Forgiveness can help to heal old wounds and allow you to move forward with your life.
Learn the lessons your mistakes have to offer. Ask yourself what you can do differently in the future to avoid making similar mistakes. What went wrong? What could you have done differently? How can you prevent similar mistakes in the future? These are tough questions to answer, but they’re fundamental for learning and growth. Mistakes can teach us important lessons if we are open to learning from them.
Seek out support from others. We all need, as the Beatles sang, a little help from our friends. Talk to someone you trust about your mistakes and how you’re feeling. This can be a great way to get some perspective and start moving on.
Forgive yourself. This can be difficult but is essential. We all make mistakes; it’s part of being human. What counts is how we learn from our mistakes and become better people and professionals as a result. Obsessing over your errors with anger and resentment will only eat away at you and prevent you from moving forward.
Put your mistakes behind you. Once you have learned from your mistakes and taken the previous steps listed here, it’s now time to put them behind you and move on. This doesn’t mean forgetting about what happened; it just means that you refuse to continue dwelling on it. As the old saying goes, there’s a reason the windshield is larger than the rearview mirror. You have to keep looking forward. Holding onto mistakes will only drag you down and prevent you from achieving your fullest potential.
My great friend, Skip Prichard, wrote a remarkable book about this subject — it’s even titled “The Book of Mistakes.” I highly recommend it.
Mistakes are a natural part of life, but that doesn’t mean we have to like them! As mentioned earlier, I’ve certainly made them — and will undoubtedly continue to do so. However, it’s impossible to create distinction without sometimes making a misstep. Move on from your mistakes and continue progressing in your personal and professional life.
One way to avoid unnecessary mistakes – or to maximize what you learn from them – is through professional coaching. We offer coaching to a limited, select few leaders. If you’d like more information on our Distinctive Coaching, just reach out to us and let’s talk!
