Use Goals To Stay In Play

Never has there been a more critical time to remind ourselves to "Stay In Play." There is so much bad news, so many bad numbers, so many gloom and doom forecasts that can suck the life right out of people, and take them right out of the game.

How often have you watched a sporting event, a political race, any other kind of competitive event, and felt that some of the participants were out of their league, lacking in skill, overmatched? And then, something happened, and those same people persisted, and eventually wore down their opponent, and went on to win. And even if they didn't win, they won. They gained respect - both self respect and respect from others - for doing the best they could do - and not quitting. Watching others "Stay In Play" is a real source of inspiration.

"Stay In Play" tells us just how important it is to press on, to take the next step, to develop the best possible solution, to make the next sales call, to play the next down, to serve the next serve, to stay in the game.

"Stay In Play" assumes that the game being played is the "right" one. Otherwise, it's a little like a quote from Tom Friedman - "If all you are doing is digging a bigger hole to get out of, stop digging!" In sports that's pretty obvious. In areas of life other than sports the games are a lot less likely to be seen the same way by all the players.

And that's where goals come in - both shared goals and personal goals.


Shared goals are defined as those made between groups that affect and require the participation of all the members. The group could be as few as two people, it could be as large as a corporation, church congregation, non - profit staff. Shared goals define the game, define what represents success, and define how individual effort aligns to achieve the shared goals. They keep groups from just digging a deeper bigger hole to have to climb out of. Without shared goals part of a team may be playing the organizational equivalent of soccer, while the rest of the team plays the equivalent of baseball. And the result is chaotic.

In tough times shared goals help enterprises of all sizes and shapes keep focus, keep group identity and optimize results.


Personal goals are even more important in tough times than in good times. In todays environment, where the talk and actions are of loss - loss of jobs, loss of wealth, loss of property, shared goals are important to our external, our organizational selves, but personal goals are critical to keeping our heads together. In good times it's easy to move with the flow, prosper and let shared goals be the measure of individual worth. In tough times, the flow may slow, or stop, or take a different direction. That job that had been so secure for the last ten years suddenly looks not so secure. The result often is fear, frustration and lack of commitment. Personal goals - the goals that identify what is most important to us - keep us on track even when the game may be changing, and we're not sure what that means. If the enterprise that has been the source of our identity should falter or fail, our personal goals keep us in play.

Take the time to ask yourself one question: What are the five most important things in my life that I can influence right now? Make your answers into personal goals. Then, like the player who may look overmatched and beaten, persist in achieving those five things. The chances are great that you will succeed. But even if that isn't the case, to have focused and striven to meet them will result in success when you have picked yourself up, dusted yourself off, and started over again.

Start today - tell yourself "Stay In Play" and keep telling yourself. Make it a habit of thought, and it will become a habit of 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

When Is The Best Time To Change?

The best time to change is when you don't have to - when you're not forced to -but when events and circumstances provide the opportunity and momentum for change. It's also the most effective time to change. It's when astute leadership has prepared for change and acts when the opportunity presents itself - as it almost always will.


I learned that lesson from one of the best leaders I ever worked with. He knew how hard change without a pressing need can be. In the organization he lived in anything that wasn't pressing and proximate got zero attention. He dealt with that behavior by identifying potential problems and then working - quietly - to develop solutions. He kept a low profile on his preparation and solutions until the inevitable crisis or attention-getting problem occurred. When it did he was ready to work to solve it. His rationale for quietly preparing was that if he presented a problem and a solution prematurely, they would be dismissed as unimportant, and trying to reintroduce them later was made much more difficult by the earlier dismissal.

His point? In order to be heard, you've gotta know when the situation has the attention of the organization.

The alternative to his approach are short term fixes, rather than long term solutions. It's the buying of something that has the promise of solving something, it's the 1000 calorie diet that gives a weight loss quickly, but with no hope of long term benefit. It's the program introduced to solve a "morale" problem that ends up causing a morale problem. And that behavior - short term fixes - results in frustration and cynicism.

But those short term fixes can lead to long term solutions, if change is handled on a constructive basis.

An example of how long term change grew out of a crisis, a near term fix and a long term solution.

A manufacturing company made commercial airplane components. Part of their business was building replacement parts for older airplanes. Over a Christmas shutdown period, a critical component - a one of a kind replacement - disappeared from the stand where it was awaiting final inspection. A replacement had to be made at great cost - other versions of this part didn't fit this particular aircraft - though the thieves probably didn't know that. But the fact that it was a one - of - a - kind was crucial to identifying and highlighting the theft.


Shortly after that event the head of Security got an anonymous tip that high value plating metals were being stolen. The Security Chief had suspected that theft was a problem for some time, but he had no way to put his finger on it and cause real action to be taken. The combination of the missing component and the tip on the theft of plating metals were the triggers that got the President's attention.

The Security Chief recommended an undercover operation that he had planned for some time. He laid out how it should be done, using a private investigative agency the Chief had vetted and maintained contact with for just such a situation. The operation was implemented within a week - with only the President, the Security Chief and the VP of Administration aware of it. The company was in a hiring mode - and undercover operatives were placed on open jobs. Within 60 days they were able to identify suspects. Within 90 days of the start of the undercover operation, action was taken and suspects were interrogated and, in most cases, terminated for theft.


Most of the organization was relieved that the thieves had been identified - many people knew theft and other bad things were happening, but they didn't feel they could come forward.

The near term fixes that followed were replacing the contract guard force and putting increased security procedures in place. Most people felt the issue was finished. And that could have been the end of the story.

But the FBI and local authorities had been informed by the Security Chief about the undercover operation as soon as action was taken against the suspects. He had established relationships with the FBI and local law enforcement on a just -in - case basis and had an effective working relationship with them. They started their own investigation within that part of the industrial community that could have profited from the kinds of things stolen. They started recovering all kinds of components from repair shops that the company didn't know had been stolen! The company had to admit that their material control processes were outdated and ineffective. The FBI and local police ended up recovering over $500,000 worth of parts. but they lost interest when it became apparent that the company couldn't take legal action - the admission that they didn't know the parts were missing made prosecution almost impossible.

And then the long term benefit kicked in. The realization that Material Control needed to be improved led to positive change. It started with a study to determine what steps could be taken to integrate and improve work flow, inventory control, production control , parts tracking and assembly. It ended with the phased implementation of an integrated Materials Requirement Plan system that completely changed the dynamics in the manufacturing, procurement and processing of the parts. The result was lower inventory, shorter lead times on purchased parts, shorter work - in - process times for components, and improved performance to commitments.

Big positive change started with a Security Chief prepared to work a theft problem - but needing the credibility of an in - your - face problem to get the ball rolling. And once the ball was rolling, having the President use the information gained to create positive lasting change in the organization. That required communication from the top. It required the cooperation and dedication of everyone. But everyone could see the benefits and the worthiness of the changes - so everyone pitched in. They were open to change. It was a real success story.

Back to the original question. When is the best time to change? It's when preparation and the opportunity to create interest and urgency come together around some incident or condition that can focus attention and effort. That's when real lasting change occurs.


Use that answer to focus your own personal and organizational change efforts for maximum impact and value.

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

Overcome The Wall Through Goals

See if this sounds familiar.

It's halfway through the year. Time for a goal review. No surprises - in good shape on some, and hitting the Wall on the tough one or two. Unfortunately, those one or two always include really important stuff. They're goals that have to be met. And yet, every time a certain point is reached this Wall gets in the way. It's a Wall you can't see, it's built of things like fear of failure, fear of unworthiness, fear of lack of ability, fear of fear, lack of resources and commitment - things that keep accomplishment from occurring.

The Wall and worthy goals go together. Sometimes it's so tempting to set easy - to - reach standards of performance. But setting goals that don't demand stretch means accepting the status quo - the great demon of progress and success.

Notice how the Wall only appears on the truly important, demanding, stretch goals? The goals that spell real progress, real success and real accomplishment? The Wall saves itself for the really important things.

Talk to any championship athlete in any endurance sport about the Wall. Some describe it's effect as being hit by a fist, others describe it as an irresistible force - hard to define, but even harder to move through. Every athlete has experienced it - the top ones have somehow fought through. And at the end of their challenge they are changed people - they have a sense of their capabilities that they did not have before. They have used their goal to go from hope to belief to a level of personal confidence they never knew existed.

Talk to a Navy SEAL who has endured their training and succeeded in graduating, and you will talk to a person who has found new limits to their physical and mental endurance. And they know they can go longer and further with less than they had ever imagined. They know their mental toughness made the difference - even the best conditioned will fail without the ability to keep their heads down and take one more step. One more step toward their goal.

Few of us will have the opportunity to experience what the world class athlete and the Navy SEAL experience - on a physical level. But we all have the opportunity to experience the Wall and overcome it on the mental level - the level the athlete and the SEAL agree is the most important for success.

Back to the Wall keeping you from your important goal.

Banging your head against the Wall doesn't work - it only feels good when you stop. Trying to visualize what it will feel like when you get through it gives good feelings, but feeling have never carried the day. Avoiding the Wall with activity and little"goals" and stuff that isn't that important helps for a little while, until you wake up at 3 AM and realize all that sound and fury really didn't mean much. Telling yourself that the Wall isn't really that important and turning your back on it doesn't help - all you're left with is an empty feeling of failure - of being less worthy and less able. Going around it and avoiding the challenge leaves the same feeling. And the longer you do these things the bigger the Wall becomes.

The athlete and the SEAL will both tell you that on their journeys there came times when they just wanted to lie down and quit. But they didn't. They took one more step. The same thing with your worthy, tough, goal. One more step may not seem like much but by the time you've reached the stage where one more step is important you've already come most of the way. Since you can't see over the Wall, you don't know how much longer your journey will be. So you have to remain convinced of the value and contribution of the goal - it's what sustains effort in the worst of times.

So take one more step - with the end in mind. And then another. Focus on the truly important and don't question your ability and worthiness - that's a destructive habit of thought. Recommit to the important stuff. And watch the Wall move, or crumble, or slowly reduce in size. Walls don't just disappear - just like bright flashes of inspiration rarely occur that save the day. The hard work of one more step overcomes the Wall.

And on the other side of the Wall you will find your own success - and transformation - and change. The reward of hard work and accomplishment provides the energy for continued success.

Review your goals today. Make sure you have a goal worthy of the Wall. Then persist. Be changed and grow by overcoming your Wall. You will be in the top ten percent when you do. I guarantee it.

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

Organizational Silos- How To Deal Effectively With Them

I was driving through dairy country in Virginia, and the silos at every farm reminded me of a client I was working with at the time - a successful manufacturing company undergoing change. They had organizational silos - much tougher to deal with than the ones on the farm. But they do share certain characteristics.

The company had been successful for many years, but new competition and new technology were forcing change. Their organizational silos were big obstacles to change.They were firmly in place, and while their occupants were convinced of the need for change, they were just as firmly convinced change was needed in all the other silos, but not in theirs. Whenever the call for increased productivity, problem solving and collaboration went out, each silo responded individually - by working harder - more hours - more volume. It got a lot busier, but not a lot more effective.

It wasn't until the silos were changed that real change and growth could take place.

The CEO realized that all silos have two things in common - first, they keep things in - and second, they keep things out.

There is one other thing the vast majority of silos share - the only way to get anything into them is through the top - or, sometimes, through the bottom. Nothing gets in through the sides.

One way for that to change is to knock down the silos, but the longer they've been in place, the tougher that is to do. And they have real value to most enterprises - they're not necessarily bad. And when they are knocked down, all hell breaks loose - so it isn't done very often.

My client placed a high value on their silos - they were structures that had been effective and provided the kind of organization and order that focused people on their work. That kind of order has a high value - as it should. And the silos were full of good, experienced people who knew their jobs, and took pride in them. But when organizational silos create barriers to collaboration, to outside the box (or should we say silo) thinking, to looking at new and innovative solutions to competition and innovation, then they have to be dealt with.

My client decided on a strategy that kept the structures, but poked holes in the sides - letting ideas and communication and problem solving circulate through different levels - and creating opportunities for peer to peer and cross functional activities to occur. It wasn't easy, but it was effective.

The key steps taken to make this happen were :

The CEO communicated expectations. He made it very clear in communications and actions that the way internal business was conducted had to change if the business was to survive and prosper. He communicated the pressing need for change. He then communicated what he saw as the structure that would be developed to make that happen.

The top 5 goals for the business were made known to every one of the 1500 employees.

Company and functional area performance to the top 5 goals was reported to all on a monthly basis.

Cross functional and problem solving teams were established and trained in team development, dynamics and communications.

A close analysis of approval chains was made with the objective of eliminating as many low value - added steps as possible - and putting as much responsibility as possible at the most effective operating level.

Every functional head was required to make cross functional activity part of every employees responsibilities. Either as part of a team, or through temporary assignments, or through transfer to other functions.

Every functional head was required to communicate their contribution and issues to the whole organization. This was done using teleconferences and meetings, an internal E Zine, and face to face meetings

The effect was that the silos grew closer to each other - and became interdependent. It worked well enough that the business found solutions that kept it competitive and growing. And they found them inside the organization - the place where 95% of the answers to organizational issues can be found. And just as importantly, it created a new set of behaviors between silos that allowed skills, experience and capabilities to be used on an interdependent basis. Much higher leverage of human capital was created.

Silos don't have to be knocked down. While "organizational silos" is most often spoken as a negative term, it doesn't have to be. Respecting and valuing structure while creating opportunities for leveraging the talent in organizations can be the single most effective that can be done to gain competitive advantage.

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

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

Acceptance, A Powerful Skill For Change

Acceptance is one of those things we rarely think about as a Personal Skill, but it can make a huge difference in our success - in all parts of our life.

A story to illustrate my point:

I'm a fly fisherman. I learned from my uncle -a great guy who only used one kind of fly, had one rod and one reel and was extremely skillful in seeking out and catching trout in mountain streams. I grew up believing there were certain ways to fly fish - especially for trout. As my experience grew, I stuck to what I had been taught by my uncle, and I regarded with suspicion all the changes and new things that had come to the sport after the movie "A River Runs Through It" created a whole new group of fly fishers. In my mind all that had happened was the streams had become more crowded - and with people who didn't share a lot of my values and experience. But then I began to notice that a lot of these people were pretty good - good casters, good flytiers, good knot tiers, and good at catching trout. Gradually, and grudgingly, I came to realize that I was standing still while the sport that I loved was changing and growing. I decided to join in and find out what all this stuff was about. I learned more in one year than I had learned in all my previous 20 years of fly fishing! What a change! What a terrific set of possibilities opened up for me! And it all started with my being willing to accept change in my beliefs and attitudes toward my sport.

That's my story, and I share it to illustrate how acceptance precedes change as a behavior. Without the openness of acceptance there can be little change. If I hadn't accepted the changes and made them my own in fly fishing, I would have missed out on a whole new set of possibilities. I'd still be a fly fisherman, but I would have missed so much!

My fly fishing experience helped me become aware of how many possibilities I was missing by not being more accepting of other people, other ideas, other cultures, other stuff! And I decided I really needed to hear my self talk, start questioning why I do things the way I do, and start listening to others and accepting what they have to say as having as much value as my ideas and thoughts.

It's easy in our lives to "harden up" and become fixed in what we do and say and think - to stay in that comfort zone of what we already know. Except, we really start shrinking a little every day when that happens.

I don't want my world to shrink as I get older. I want it to grow and be bigger and richer and filled with truly interesting and challenging things. The only way I know to have that happen is to become more accepting of things different from me. Not easy - but essential to continuing growth.

The really great thing about acceptance is how it prepares people for inevitable change. When the plant closes, when a career change is required, when a new boss shows up, when a move to a different place to live occurs, the people who have prepared themselves to accept and greet those changes with a positive attitude are the people that will not just survive, but prosper. And with the rate of change increasing all the time, acceptance is really a survival skill, as well as a critical leadership skill.

Make acceptance part of your daily self talk and habits of thought - make it part of goals - make new experiences things to be treasured. You will live a fuller life for it!

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

Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved