Two Special People To Learn From

I've been really fortunate to know people who have shown the kind of qualities and behaviors that have such a positive effect on so many. Here are stories of two such people whose behaviors and attitudes - in the last week – have had a positive effect on me.

Catherine M sent me an E Mail about a week ago. I didn't know her, and she knew me only from an article on respect that I had written. She was looking for help. She had had a very upsetting incident that an administrator at the school where she volunteers, and where her daughter is a student, had started. Catherine was very upset – she had been criticized in front of students and others – and when she called the administrator to talk about the event and the way it had been handled, the administrator laughed at her and treated her with disrespect. She was asking me for advice. I wasn't able to access her E mail for two days, but I sent her a response as soon as I could and promised to follow up with a further response the following day. Before I could do that, Catherine sent an E mail thanking me for my comments, and telling me that she had spent the weekend volunteering at a Pediatric ward in a hospital – helping young patients. She told me that had helped her clear her head and put what had happened in perspective. Rather than let the disrespectful actions of another pull her down, she took action and reached out and helped others. And in taking action she recovered from the hurt and embarrassment she had suffered from the administrator. As she said, she wasn't going to let someone else's actions control her emotions.

Terrific – taking action and reaching out to help others – a prescription for overcoming so much of what ails people. Congratulations, Catherine, for your maturity, honesty and respect for others.

Pat S called me the other day. He is the paper delivery person who gets our papers at our front door before 5 AM every morning. We had not received a paper one morning, and I had called to report the paper as not delivered. That was the reason for Pat's call. He was very concerned about our service. He told me he makes sure he puts the papers as close to the front door as possible – and I agreed that he does that. He was sure he delivered a paper that morning. We came to the conclusion that someone had taken the paper sometime between 4:45 AM, when he delivered, it, and 6 AM – when I went out to get it. He asked what I thought he could do to see that that didn't happen in the future. I assured him he was very diligent in delivering the paper and there seemed no action other than for me to get up earlier and retrieve the paper.

He then asked me if I shopped at a grocery store near our house. I told him I did. He told me he is the meat cutter there and works full time from noon until 8:30 PM. He asked me to stop in and say Hi, and he would be happy to help me with my shopping requirements.

Pat S works a full time job and has a paper route seven days a week. And his reason for calling was to make sure I was satisfied with his service. Our entire conversation was positive and focused on service. Terrific guy – terrific attitude. He starts his paper run at 3 AM, follows that with a full time job, and finds the time to follow up with his customers.

As long as we have people like Catherine M and Pat S we're in good shape.

Taking action, reaching out, helping others, providing excellent service, being positive. Those attitudes and behaviors are all around us. I feel fortunate for that. And I thank these two very special people for the real world examples they set for me and so many others.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com;Website:www.coxconsultgroup.com; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com

Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved

Ten Behaviors For Success In A Business Downturn

A lot is written about what to do after losing a job, but what about the people who don't lose their jobs, but are faced with the results of business slowdowns - layoffs, reduced expectations, salary freezes, greater responsibility with fewer resources and the uncertainty of what's next?

In every economic downturn and resulting workforce reduction, the internal dynamics of organizations change. Everything takes on more importance - every behavior, mistake, judgment, comment gains importance way out of proportion to its value. Contrasts become much sharper. The meetings get longer - the demands get sharper - the expectations higher - the disappointments felt more deeply, and the blame game swings into action. It shouldn't be that way, but in most companies - even the best managed - workforce reductions brings home the feeling that it could happen to me. When that happens, survival trumps opportunity, safety trumps optimism, and a sense of humor has to be muted -unless the person with that sense of humor be seen as not serious - as not a player.


For many people in todays workforce, the depth and severity of this downturn is outside their experience.


So they ask if it's time to slam the hatch shut and hunker down and wait it out, or go out and look for a job, or start a business. What other alternatives are there? What can be done to not just survive, but prosper in a downturn?

Plenty - in behaviors, attitudes and personal growth. That may not seem obvious, but the choice of how to deal with a temporary setback is a personal one. And the effect of using this stressful time as the time to develop personally and professionally adds value throughout a career.

Here are ten success behaviors that can make the difference between losing, just surviving or succeeding in economic downturns.



1 - Do the work - every day. Downturns often lead to people spending way too much time on conjecture and surmise. Avoid those people - and make sure your own behavior doesn't become counter productive. I have a friend who has a saying framed and placed right where everyone can see it. It says " Don't let the bastards wear you down."


2 - Start by valuing what you have and stop wasting time mourning the loss of what was. And recognize that the boss may have had to fight hard to keep you, and now is not the time to complain about pay, assignments, or all the other issues that people reductions create. Make sure any and all conversations are positive and understood in the way they were meant to be understood. It's easy in these times of bad news for one person's suggestion to be seen as a complaint.


3 - Keep your eyes open, your ears tuned, and your mouth shut. Deal with what is - not what you might think it is, or what motive you think was behind decisions.. Your opinions and judgments are probably (90%) wrong anyway - so why waste time on them?




4 - Help a friend that lost their job. Giving and showing concern means a lot to them and even more to you. Acting without regard to getting is tremendously liberating, and the rewards for it may be in a lifelong friendship and other rewards that can't even be imagined at this time.


5 - Update your resume. Chances are that it hasn't been touched since the last time you changed jobs. Be impressed by how far you have come from a value, skills and contribution basis. If you're not impressed with your increase in value, skills and contribution, get in gear and grow!


6 - Seek self development. Even in the worst of downturns, the opportunities to grow your skills is available. An example: Don't like to speak in public? Join Toastmasters - do it on your own time. It isn't expensive and it will increase value faster than almost anything else you can do. Same goes for working in volunteer organizations - the personal skills that can be gained from working in non profits and volunteer groups have tremendous carryover value to work. Reach out to do something you have never done and never thought to do. It's stimulating. Be sure to stay current on the trade publications for your industry and/or your areas of expertise.

7 - Be a problem solver. Ever notice how many people are always ready to identify a problem, but seem to disappear when the talk turns to solutions? The problem identifiers seem to come out of the woodwork during downturns, but the problem solvers are the ones who grow - and they are a scarce commodity. And being a valued scarce commodity in a downturn - or anytime - is definitely career advancing.



8 - Inventory what you're good at - what others say you are good at - as well as what you feel are your strengths. Then build on those strengths. In downturns it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking in terms of scarcity - of what you don't have. All that does is lead to negative thoughts about self worth and ability.



9 - Stay in touch with people who you see as successful and centers of influence - at work and in your personal life. Learn from them - become a center of influence yourself. Read Harvey Mackay's book "Dig The Well Before You're Thirsty" on the importance of building relationships - and doing it every day, not just when all hell is breaking loose.



10 - Seek out things that provide motivation and inspiration. I have a friend who listens to bagpipe music on the way to work every morning - says it pumps him up - gets him ready to hit the ground running. Avoid people and programs and situations that provoke anger and negative emotions.



Come to think of it, these ten behaviors are valuable all the time, not just in a downturn. But they do take on added importance when times are tough. Take the time - right now - to see which of these success behaviors have value for you - and which ones need some work on your part. And then make this challenging time a time of personal growth. It will prepare you for the good times that are just around the corner.

Written by Andy Cox, President
Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com;Website:www.coxconsultgroup.com; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com

Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved

Your Attitude Is Showing - Now What?

Your attitude is showing - and it's not good. What to do about it?

A story about an attitude needing adjustment - and about critical personal decisions.

A very close friend had her position cut from full time to 3 days a week. Her duties and responsibilities didn't change - just her hours and her compensation - which was cut by 40%. She was given 24 hours to decide whether or not she would accept the change. She decided to stay and work through the situation. But it hasn't been easy. Three months into the part time situation, she received her annual review - by mail. Her boss has marked her attitude as "meeting standards" toward her job and toward her fellow workers. All of her previous reviews were "excellent." It's red flag time.

She works in a branch location - and with all the things she has to do there, the reduction to three days doesn't allow for face time with her boss and peers at the main location. She's disappointed that peers who were not affected by the reduction in hours and pay haven't reached out to talk to her. She feels hostage to the feedback her boss receives from other members of his staff. Her boss spends no time with her.

She feels she is being poorly dealt with - and she's right - and it shows.

But the reality is that it is her attitude that is the key issue in her review - not how she's been dealt with. And there is no more damning thing to be said about a person in a leadership role than to be described as having a "bad attitude."

Her attitude has changed - from being a key member of the leadership team dedicated to making a new enterprise work, to being a part time worker who is expected to remain a dedicated leader of the new enterprise. It's easy for her to feel like a victim. Her boss notes in her review that she is not the same person since the "temporary setback" and that she needs to talk to him about how to remediate her attitude. The implication is that should things stay the way they are, her attitude will be considered unacceptable. And we all know what that means.

A tough place to be - but it happens more often than we would like to think.

What should she and the thousands that find themselves in similar situations do?

There are two sets of issues to be deal with. The first has to do with the situation - be it a job, a relationship, a career - and it does need to be dealt with first. The second has to do with attitude.

The first issue deals with the situation. Whether to stay or go? There are so many factors in that analysis that are specific to each situation that there can be no easy answer - but it's absolutely critical that there is an answer. Too many people just stagger along, feeling some weird kind of comfort in the status quo, and then waking up years later, as Thoreau describes it, finding themselves "leading lives of quiet desperation." So the first order of business has to be the decision to stay, or to leave - and the terms and conditions for either alternative. The realization that there is a choice can, by itself, be tremendously liberating.

Then the attitude issue needs to be addressed. Once again, choice is the key. Our manager may not be able to control or choose the circumstances that led to her cut in pay and hours, but she can choose how it affects her - and how she expresses how it affects her. It's perfectly human to be angry, depressed, and feeling victimized when negative changes happen, but after the appropriate "mourning" period, it's time to choose the best response - the one that affects behavior positively. It's important not to fall into the victim mode. Victims show negative behaviors, and in addition to being repellant, very little good ever comes from them.

In our manager's case, she has decided that some projects in her job are near and dear to her heart. They are in process now, they require her full attention, and they keep her involved and associating with people outside her organization who she really enjoys - three good reasons for her decision to stay. Longer term still needs to be decided, but the success of the projects will be good for her organization, and of long term career benefit to her. Plus she can feel good that she has kept her word and her integrity and not left commitments undone. The act of making that decision has helped her dig out of most of the negativity she had been feeling. She's no longer a victim - she's in charge of herself.

The attitude issue needs work - but the stay or leave decision has made that issue an easier one to deal with. It has made her inner attitude much more positive. She is reaching out to friends, to her boss and to associates to better understand how others perceive her attitude, and to adopt behaviors that accurately express her much improved inner attitude. She wants to be positive, and focused, and optimistic, and she knows she owns the rights to those qualities. She's going to make it happen.

If you see yourself or someone else in this kind of situation, use the two issue approach to get back on track. Situations change, so can attitudes and behaviors.

Written By Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com; Website: http://www.coxconsultgroup.com/; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com/

Copyright 2008 All Rights Reserved

Become Thirty Percent More Effective In Selecting The Right People

Success starts with the right people in the right jobs. Particularly in leadership positions. But if that's really the belief of most organizations, why is it that so many selections fail at their jobs - or - even worse, just hang on and take up space?

Based on feedback from any number of studies, candidates hired for leadership or emerging leadership positions are successful about a third of the time, with success being defined as meeting or exceeding the expectations of the organization. About a third fail, with failure defined as not meeting the expectations of the organization, and about a third survive, with survival being defined as getting close enough to meeting expectations to avoid being let go.

Often the rationalization for this level of performance is that the best hitters in baseball only get a hit about 1 out of three times at bat - and they're considered stars. The difference is that once the batter ends an at bat - it's over.

But when a failure to get a hit in selection occurs, the problems are just beginning. Low morale, increased turnover, missed goals, reduced profit, possible lawsuits and lowered standards of performance are all part of a poor selection decision. And those problems just get worse as the decision on what to do gets put off - no one likes admitting to a mistake. And the biggest cost - the opportunity cost - the cost of not having the right person in the right job - is by far the biggest cost of a poor selection decision.

And yet, many organizations that are constantly striving and working toward improvements in quality, customer service, sales, and profits appear satisfied with the status quo in selection. While they are convinced that standing still in so many areas is actually losing competitve advantage, they don't see the same thing happening in selecting the right people for the right jobs. To the extent they stand still on improving in this most vital of areas, theyre losing competitive advantage.

It doesn't have to be that way. In fact, every organization striving to improve their selection batting average can become at least 30% more effective.

How can you add 30% effectiveness to your people selection processes - selection including hiring, transfer, promotion and team membership?

Here's how:

1 - Start by identifying a critical position that has been hard to fill - where turnover and failure to perform have been a problem. Or a critical position where fit with the existing organization is essential to success.

2 - Look for biases that have no bearing on the job that may have limited the applicant pool. I don't mean the mandated of race, sex, ethnicity, religion - those should have been dealt with long ago. I'm talking about ensuring your pool of applicants/candidates isn't being restricted by biases and assumptions and cultural differences that have no real basis from a organizational standpoint.

3 - Create the key accountabilities for the job using the key stakeholders. Prepare to be amazed at how different one key stakeholder sees them from another. Get agreement on the top three to five - even if that means having to really negotiate to agreement.This is key at the beginning of the process - agreement here will go a long way to ensuring the people involved in the selection are all on the same page. And the recruiting is targeted.

4 - Have the stakeholders identify the education, experience, industry experience, and other hard data elements. These are the quantifiable data points that every candidate must have for further consideration.

5 - Identify the behaviors, motivators and personal skills that have been successful in the job. Get them from the people who have been successful in the job, from the people with close contact and interdependence with the job, with the people who manage the job. If assessments of behaviors, attitudes and skills are currently being used, use the results of past assessments to help create the profile. If they are not in use, or the assessments in use don't lend themselves to this process, get ones that do.

6 - Have the stakeholders meet to review the findings and to use them to arrive at a profile of the ideal candidate and to prioritize must haves, want to haves and nice to haves. Use assessments to help the stakeholders in this vital step. The process is benchmarking- creating the benchmark against which all candidates will be measured. No more letting the candidate pool set the standards for success.

7 - With this information in hand, train and develop an interview team to use it in creating a coordinated interview process. And have the candidates that pass the education, experience and other hard data elements take the same assessments. Review the assessment reports of the candidates against the behavior, motivators and personal skills profile created by the stakeholders in the organization.

8 - Use what was learned in this first benchmarking project and apply it to other high value positions. The process has value at all levels - but it does take an investment of time and effort, and the early efforts should be directed at the highest potential gain positions.

Organizations that have followed this process have seen major improvements in selecting the right person for the right job. Organizations have seen their comfort level and support for newly selected people jump because there is a firm foundation for the selection decision. And the profile completed by the stakeholders provides the blueprint for development and success of the person selected. Success and retention rates have increased well beyond the 30% level in many organizations.

Examine your own process. See what tools you are currently using. Don't be satisfied measuring activity - when evaluating your current process measure results in the success of the selections. Don't confuse survival with success. It's a roadblock to increasing the level of excellence in the talent level of the organization. Real improvement comes with the right person in the right job. Use this process for your own success.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com; Website: www,coxconsultgroup.com; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com/

Copyright 2008 All Rights Reserved

Five Ways To Gain Self-Knowledge - Key To Success

Accurate self knowledge is the key to successful relationships. Notice the use of accurate? Who you think you are and who others think you are is often very different. The closer our understanding of our own behaviors, attitudes and personal skills is to how others perceive us, the better our chances for success - in anything.

Most people agree with that statement. But most people never seek out anything other than affirmation of who they think they are. There can be no increase in self knowledge with that approach. Some people will tell you they really don't care what others think. In most cases, that's not true.

See if any of the following three profiles are familiar to you.

The first person works in real estate sales. She prides herself on being honest and straightforward with her potential clients. She tells it like it is. She feels she may lose some sales with that approach, but people who understand her will be impressed by her integrity and buy from her. She sells, but she loses a lot of sales. To many of the people she does not sell, she comes across as blunt, arrogant, unwilling to listen, and only interested in what she has to say. She was stunned when she found that out. She didn't accept that feedback. She continues to sell, works very hard, but will never rise above her current level of accomplishment until she accepts that what she sees in herself and what others see is very different, and keeps her from reaching her potential.

The second profile is of a former client who instantly takes charge of any situation he sees as calling for leadership. With imperfect knowledge but with total conviction of the rightness of his ways, he goes about solving the problems of others. He has done this so often with his company's clients that his sales people dread taking him on a sales call. He sees himself as possessing a caring, kind, sharing, concerned approach that is only meant to help people that are less capable than himself. He's been fired from top level jobs five times. He is truly a legend in his own mind - and not the least interested in self - knowledge. His termination record speaks for itself.

The third profile is of a client who is a true subject matter expert - someone people should seek out to get information. She takes pride in her knowledge, and is constantly working to expand it. She is quiet, self effacing, and was one of the most judgmental people you could ever meet. She constantly found fault with others who didn't measure up to her high standards. In fact, she didn't measure up to her own high standards. She saw herself as open, willing to listen and be helpful to whoever asked. Others saw her as cold, aloof, judgmental and patronizing. When she got feedback on how others saw her, she was first shocked, then chose to seek out information that would validate the feedback, or dismiss it. Now she works hard to be accessible and share without judgment. In fact, she's made the study of human behavior one of her passions. She's on the right track.

All three people share one thing - they all can benefit from a strong dose of accurate self - knowledge. Unfortunately, only one is open to gaining it. That's fairly typical. For the one willing to open herself to input, the rewards can be amazing. For the others, nothing much changes, and neither does their situation. Too bad.

Ann Landers wrote a piece of advice about self-knowledge: " Know yourself. Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful." It's funny - but its true. If the only thing we are willing to accept as true is affirmation, we miss opportunities to gain in self-knowledge.

Here are five suggestions to help gain more accurate self - knowledge:

1 - Seek out feedback on situations. and be ready to not be defensive. Ask people you trust questions like " How could that situation have been dealt with differently?" " What would you suggest as a different approach?" "How would you have handled it?" The answers will contain clues to how you are perceived. Make sure not to try to defend what you did. That's a sure way to shut off meaningful feedback.

2 - Identify the "Universe" of people that you work with and /or associate with. They are key to helping gain self-knowledge. Participate in a 360 degree exercise with carefully selected members of your "Universe." These exercises can be valuable - dependent on the participants, the facilitator, and the situation. Look for a process that is highly developed - and insist on a one on one debrief with a skilled facilitator.

3 - Seek out assessments of Behaviors - what people observe; Attitudes and Values - what drives or creates behaviors; and Personal Skills - what you're good at and not so good at. The use of a third party allows space to discuss the results and focus on the assessments reports as a means of discussing what might otherwise be hard to deal with issues.

4 - Seek out new experiences and people. Once relationships are established, we tend to flex to meet the needs of where we are. Often, the result is that we adapt and lose sight of who we are - to ourselves and to others. New people, places and experiences provide a chance to try different ways, and gain more self - knowledge

5 - Realize that increased self-knowledge doesn't mean changing . It may result in a change in who we think we are, and then using that more accurate perception to develop success in ways we never dreamed of.

Accurate self - knowledge is a key to success. Gain as much as you can by being open to inputs that may seem like criticism. The seeds of self - knowledge are more often found there than in affirmation. Start today to learn more about the single most important person in the world to you - yourself.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com; Website: http://www.coxconsultgroup.com/; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com/

Copyright 2008 All Rights Reserved

How To Increase Your Personal Value

Your personal value is the most important value you can create. Unfortunately, 7 out of 10 people in the US underestimate their personal value. It's easy to do - without even knowing it. It shows up in invisible ways - in risks not taken, jobs not applied for, opportunities not identified, relationships that never occur. It shows up in negative self talk - like "I could never do that!" or "I'm just a ------."



There are so many messages given since childhood : "don't bite off more than you can chew, " be careful," " don't stick your neck out," " only speak when you're spoken to," " know your place," "don't work too hard." "the more you do the more will be expected of you," what makes you think you're so special?" "don't be stupid." After years of being bombarded by those limiting messages, it's not hard to understand why so many of us undervalue our abilities and our worthiness.



One of the other effects of all those messages can be to let others create our value. If the highest order of our personal goals is to please and satisfy others - to respond to those messages - we can never place the real value we should on ourselves.



Having a limited view of our personal value can be a good thing - if it makes us strive harder to achieve. And for many it does - many of the top leaders and most successful people use their feelings of "not quite good enough" as a way to motivate themselves to show just what they can do. Unfortunately, for many, this same feeling of "not quite good enough" results in not taking risks, not reaching out for opportunities. The result is that personal value stagnates - and being "not quite good enough" becomes a way of life - a firmly embedded belief.



So how can we increase our personal value - in our work, our family, our relationships? Here are methods, tools and beliefs we all can use to better understand and increase our personal value:



Start with this exercise:

Write down all the successes and challenges you have met and overcome. If you're not used to thinking in terms of your own successes, or if your beliefs have been shaped to where you question your own worthiness or ability this may take some time. Write down as much as you can, and keep coming back to it. This is strictly a personal exercise, and is not the place for humility. Begin to notice what happens when you write down positive successes in your life. A lot of today's challenges and opportunities start to look a lot more doable when compared with what you have already accomplished - and there are so many more accomplishments and successes than you realized! Your energy picks up as you begin to realize just how much value you have created.

Create goals for the important things. It's amazing just how many really important accomplishments and successes are never really identified because people didn't take the time to define define them - in writing. Make goal setting a habit.

Start a Success Diary. Force yourself to write down all the things that went right - that you accomplished on a daily basis. Become positively accountable to yourself. Writing down what you did well becomes something you look forward to doing every day. And the more you do it - the more you want to do it.

Replace perfect with good. Nothing limits a sense of personal value more than having the belief that only perfect is good enough.. That belief creates an impossible barrier to accomplishment. Nothing's perfect - striving to do better is what motivates.

Be realistic, but stretch that realism to set the course for accomplishment. Tell yourself "This is a stretch, but it's what I want to do, and I'm going to go for it!" The only way to add value is to reach beyond where we are right now - and that requires a level of risk. Risk and increasing value go together.

Realize the most common assumption people make that keeps them from realizing their true value is the assumption that many other people share the same skills, abilities, experiences, beliefs, attitudes and personal skills that they do. Nothing could be further from the truth. Creating our own value requires the belief that we are truly unique - we are, you know.

Realize that we all feel fear, we all get nervous, we all are insecure in our ability to overcome problems and create solutions. A saying I read years ago said " Be kind to your fellow man - we all have our private hells to deal with." Knowing that even the most self assured, attractive, apparently successful people share fear as an emotion, and have their own baggage of doubts, can help us overcome our own.

Many of us tend to undervalue our accomplishments and experience and put ourselves in small niches. Realize how valuable and broad your accomplishments really are! Good examples are men and women coming out of the military – great experience – but many see themselves as much more limited than they really are. Realize that behaviors, attitudes and personal skills are transferable - and represent the greatest opportunities for success in any job.

Take an inventory of all the value added actions that exist around what you do. Example - A young manager volunteered to take on a one time project for his employer. He was named Project Manager - in addition to everything else he had to do. He discovered project management skills - that he had in abundance - were scarce. He always assumed that others had what he had - a bad assumption. He ended up taking his skills and putting them to work in a business where project management was a core competency. He prospered.

Realize that fears and doubts and negative issues will not go away - they reappear every day. They are one of the engines of accomplishment. Facing them and dealing with them - and in many cases succeeding - and in others failing, but continuing to persist, adds value.

Start today on your journey of discovery of your personal value. Start with the exercise of writing down all the things you have accomplished, succeeded in and overcome in your life. Be prepared to be amazed at yourself.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com; Website: http://www.coxconsultgroup.com/; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com/

Copyright 2008 All Rights Reserved

How To Gain Optimism Through Accomplishment

Nothing creates a greater sense of optimism than accomplishment. And optimism is one of the core beliefs and attitudes of successful people. It's estimated that only 30 percent of our population are optimists, but that the majority of successful people are optimists. That estimate says that the better chance of accomplishment and success lies with the optimists.

Ask yourself these questions: When you entered into a commitment with a sense of enthusiasm and conviction, what were your accomplishments? When you entered into a commitment with hesitation, with a sense that it wouldn't work out well, what did you accomplish? Then ask yourself which of these two approaches you follow most often.

If your response was hesitation and the possibility of failure, chances are that you're missing opportunities to succeed - and accomplishment is the only real security any of us have. Read on to find ways to strengthen your ability to seek out and accomplish more in your life - in every part of it.

If your response was enthusiasm and conviction, read on for ways you can share those attitudes and beliefs with the people around you.

Here are nine recommendations:

One -Accomplishment requires putting yourself in your discomfort zone - a place where you're not secure, where you have to learn and challenge yourself. The comfort zone is the danger zone - much more dangerous than taking risk. Staying in the comfort zone keeps people from ever knowing their real abilities and worth.

Two -Accomplishment comes in many forms. It can range from a small triumph to a huge one, but what's important is that the person doing the accomplishing sees it for what it is.

Three - View situations as opportunities first. This is a real challenge for people used to thinking in terms of negative consequences. But if your first thoughts are negative, the chances of passing on real opportunity are very high. Sometimes the best thing to do with those opportunities you grabbed is to drop them - but if you don't act in the now to get them, you don't have a choice - they're gone.

Four - Accomplishment likes action - action now. Accomplishment likes ownership - standing up and taking responsibility for a situation.

Five - Be able to see your accomplishments when they happen. This might seem like a no - brainer - it isn't. For many people. their accomplishments are taken for granted - by them. They don't see their unique abilities and strengths as anything special, and so what could have been a positive reinforcement of their own personal worth and ability, goes unnoticed - by them and by others.

Six - Create goals in order to define accomplishment. State them positively - in terms of gain. Create your own personal goal culture and communicate your goals to others.

Seven - Realize that fear and doubt are as normal as breathing - they won't go away - they will be with you everyday. Enlist fear and doubt as allies. The ability to wake up every morning, deal with fear of failure, and move forward is a quality of successful people. For more on this, read Steven Pressfield's excellent book, The War Of Art.

Eight - Understand everyone else, regardless how self assured they appear, has the same doubts and concerns that you have. Know that what you are going through on the path to accomplishment is shared by others. Know you're not alone in these emotions, but are part of what successful people experience every day.

Nine - See yourself as worthy of the rewards of your efforts. See your accomplishments for what they are - an affirmation of your ability to achieve. Make those subconscious two beliefs that almost all of us share - that we are not worthy; that we are not able - shrink to nothing through personal action and accomplishment

Start today - grab ahold of some situation, project, challenge, and make it your own. Then make it happen. The possibilities are endless. But the one guaranteed outcome will be a more positive feeling about yourself earned through achievement- and isn't that a huge part of optimism?

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com; Website: http://www.coxconsultgroup.com/; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com/

Copyright 2008 All Rights Reserved

Increase Success In Evaluating People

How do you increase your success in evaluating people? Education, technical skills, experience and industry knowledge can be defined and verified. But most people don't succeed or fail because of those elements of who they are. Most people succeed or fail based on how well their mix of values, attitudes, behaviors and personal skills fit the situation. And the higher one goes in an organization, the truer that becomes. How to get at that information when evaluating people for selection, promotion, team involvement and personal and organizational development?

Experts and successful leaders all share a little known fact about human behavior, and use it in evaluating people. They know that every one of us believes other people will act, react, understand and judge as we would - given the same circumstances. That is not a correct belief - but it is a belief.

Professionals use that information to gain insights into what people really believe, how they will behave, and what personal skills they value. Being able to do that is a secret to success in selection, relationships and leadership.

How do you do that?

Example: With a candidate, ask them to provide a situation where something was done - preferably work related. Then ask him/her the who, what, when, where and why questions about the situation and how it played out. Here's the secret: rather than ask them about their role, ask them about the roles, actions. motives, values of others involved in the situation. Be ready to gain insights and information about the candidate as he/she reflects on the attitudes, motives, behaviors and skills of others. The key is that we all tend to think that others act, judge, assume and possess many of the same skills as we do. By asking about a third person you do the following:

- People tend to be freer in providing their opinions, assumptions and judgments when it is directed at someone other than themselves.

- By speculating on the motives, judgment and behaviors of others, the candidates are telling a great deal about themselves. And if they won't speculate, they're still telling a lot about themselves.

A story to illustrate how this technique can be used:

A company undergoing substantial change in its behavior toward its employees, as a result of a crisis, was attempting to hire a Chief Operating Officer who would be critical to the success of the behavior change. One of the principal concerns of the new CEO was that the person hired would reflect the behaviors and beliefs that would be critical to the change. Old habits and values die hard, and the organization had a lot of very valuable, experienced people who had prospered in a very authoritarian, compliance, do what you're told to do, micro-managed culture. The culture envisioned by the CEO was very different. Open communication, trust, people as our biggest asset, less stove pipes, more cross functional teams, encourage innovation, high leverage,of talent were all part of his vision.

As the CEO interviewed each of the top candidates for the position, they all agreed with his vision. All were able to provide examples of how they had either built or maintained that kind of culture in their past jobs. All agreed the vision of culture the CEO had was the way to go. Personal chemistry was good with all the top candidates. Their references were excellent. How to pick this critical person to lead change?

The CEO decided one last round of in depth one on one interviews was in order. The focus of the interviews would be on better understanding the candidates own behaviors, attitudes and personal skills. And he would do that by engaging them in conversations about the behaviors, skills and attitudes of other key people the candidates had worked with.

Key questions he asked each candidate included:

Why do you think that person made that decision?
What do you think motivated them to make that decision?
What do you think that decision was based on?
What would you do if you had been in their shoes?
How do you think he/she should have handled it?
Were they successful in that situation? What made them successful?
What kept them from success?
How did the people affected by the situation handle it?
Who was to blame for the situation? Who got the credit/recognition?

The CEO was looking for attitudes, values, behaviors and acknowledgment of personal skills that he felt were critical to the culture change process. By having the candidates evaluate the behaviors, values, and personal skills of others he was able to better understand the candidates own unique mix of values, behaviors and skills. What came out of that last round of interviews helped him make what is always - after all the dust has settled - an intuitive decision. But an intuitive decision based on a much greater understanding than by simply evaluating candidate responses to questions about themselves.

Can this approach be applied at other levels in an organization? Of course.

If you are using assessments to evaluate people for selection, check to see if they provide you with these kinds of insights. If they don't - or if they are too complex to be applied in the real world, look for assessments that can help. They exist, I can assure you.

In addition to assessments, hiring managers and their support people can develop the expertise to make this approach a key part of their selection and development process. People have beliefs that come out in their perception of the behavior of others. A good example is the high control micro manager. There is a very good chance that a high control person has a value that places low trust on others, and that person assumes others feel the same way. Interviews can peel away the responses that the candidate feels are expected, and get at their beliefs - the belief they express through their opinion of others.

Another example is the person who uses blame in a response to a question about others - either to defend or to place fault. You can bet that person will be a blamer, regardless how they may portray their own behavior in an interview.

It's important to get the candidate to tell you about themselves, but it is equally valuable to get them to tell you about their evaluation of others - it tells you so much about them. Use this key to increase your success in dealing with people in all kinds of situations.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group LLC, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com, Website: http://www.coxconsultgroup.com/

Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved

Intuition - Make Yours A Powerful Tool

Intuition can be your best resource. Talk to most successful people and they will tell you it is what leads them to their decisions. Good thing, since most decisions are made with incomplete knowledge and the often conflicting opinions of others. Coming up with a good decision under those circumstances is one of the most valuable and sought after attributes in a leader.

Intuition is really the skill of assembling - over time - as much usable information from as many sources as possible and then interpreting and arriving at a decision – sometimes this process is very complicated, sometimes it isn’t.

Intuition can be a two edged sword. It can work, or it can fail. Think of the selection of people. How often have you seen people hired strictly on intuition – and then fail? How often have you seen the most scientific of selection processes fail to pick the best candidate – the right person for the right job? No wonder some leaders still use the “throw them up against the wall and see if they stick” method of selection. Might as well, they think, doesn’t seem anything else works much better.

The more open you are to challenges to your beliefs, the more powerful and effective your intuition becomes - and the more you trust it. Think about it – are your beliefs stuck in a rut, where you look for things that confirm your existing beliefs, or are you constantly challenging your beliefs, knowing that they are the results of your perceptions of events, and not necessarily the truth.

Too many challenges to your beliefs and you lose that decision making skill (the "bring me more information" syndrome), and too little challenge leads to the same decisions being made on the same set of beliefs, without regard for changing circumstances. It’s a balancing act – and successful people know that.

Ask top leaders if their intuitive skill has grown over the last five years and they will answer yes - in every case. The added experience of the last five years has allowed them to change and modify certain beliefs, and in doing so they have added even more power to their intuition. Ask less successful people the same question and the answers are varied: some feel they have used their experience to grow, others are locked in tight to their beliefs, and aren’t likely to budge – even if the results of their decisions indicate a different direction should be considered.

Your intuitive skill is the direct result of all the inputs you have received and how you interpret and perceive those inputs. To keep this powerful tool growing requires a dedication to openness, challenging your own beliefs, seeking out opportunities to grow and accomplish and a willingness to modify or change beliefs and behaviors and attitudes.

Fire up your own journey of discovery with a new author, a new social group, a new skill building seminar, a new perspective on your faith, an inventory of your beliefs. The more you do that, the more your ability to make effective decisions and take appropriate actions will grow. You may not even recognize your intuitive growth - but the people that count in your life will. I guarantee it.

Start today.

Written by Andy Cox President

Cox Consulting Group LLC, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com; Website: www.coxconsultgroup.com; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com

Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved

When Knowledge Becomes a Liability to Success

I never realized until recently just how much the quest for knowledge can get in the way of success.

Let me explain. A client has a really bright, articulate, energetic, well schooled salesperson they are trying to develop. They hired this person out of a top school. She was right at the top of her class in a challenging engineering course of study. She has all the attributes of an "A" player - not just for her company, but for a lot of organizations. Problem is - she just doesn't get to the market in a timely way. She always seems to have one more "thing" she has to define, or look into, before having that critical conversation with a prospect. Her product is highly technical, and its potential applications do require study and preparation. But any number of sales have slipped through her fingers in the two years she has worked for my client. What's the problem?

It's a common problem for many people who have a high Theoretical Attitude as one of the main drivers of their Behavior. These are people who sincerely believe that knowledge is power - and, up to a point, they are right. They seek knowledge instinctively - their first resource is a book, or Wikipedia, or a white paper. Their findings, as they research a particular issue, require more and more research - they really begin to know what they don't know - and the acquisition of knowledge becomes an end in itself. They evaluate others on the basis of how well others have done their homework, particularly since that is how they evaluate themselves. The net effect is that they are slow to market, but when they get there they are fully prepared - by their standards. The problem is that money likes speed - fast to market wins - 90% of the time. So the high Theoretical may be competing for only 10% of the available opportunities. You can't meet and beat your organization's expectations that way.

Our client's potential A player became an A player - but in an engineering position that allowed the time to become a subject matter expert - a person valued for their in depth knowledge of their product's applications. She was called on to accompany sales people on calls - she provided a depth of knowledge that added enormous value to the sales process. Happy ending - the right person in the right job.

The moral of this story: Regardless of what you do for a living, knowledge, by itself, is not power. The application of knowledge through action creates power. The next time you catch yourself taking one more step on the information tree, ask yourself if this step has value in application, or is it just another way to learn more for your own sense of preparation. If it doesn't add value to application, stop. Take what you know and apply it - 95% of everything rewards speed in application. If you see others doing the "knowledge is power" behavior, send them this blog - maybe it can start them thinking about the application of power - and get them acting.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group LLC, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032; Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax 602-795-4800; E Mail: andycox@coxconsultgroup.com; Website: www.coxconsultgroup.com,

Copyright 2006. All Rights Reserved