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

How To Set SMART Goals - Start With The Ideal In Mind

Setting worthy SMART goals can be a real challenge. SMART is the acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic/Relevant and Time framed. For a lot of people, getting to goal statements that meet those criteria is tough.

So where to start in this process of establishing SMART goals?

Start with the three to five most important things that cannot be left to chance - the things that are most important - the things that action and focus can make happen - right now.

Then identify the ideals. The very best outcome, the best that could happen, the best possible solution. Write down, in detail, what you believe to be the ideal solution to a problem, the ideal spouse or partner, the ideal vacation, the ideal boss, the ideal client, the ideal outcome of a sales campaign.These are the "perfect world" descriptions that we all have about many different things. We're reluctant to share them - we don't want to be seen as dreamers. And yet, creating the ideal - whatever it may be - is the first step to goal setting and accomplishment

The following is the process we use in helping clients define goals to use in people selection. It's an example of how starting with the ideal and then working to a clear set of expectations works - in all kinds of goal areas.

The very first step is to have the client stakeholders state the goal for the selection process- a SMART goal.

The next step is to create a model of the ideal candidate. Start by listing the key accountabilities for the position, then the technical skills, attributes, education, experience, behaviors, values and personal skills the ideal candidate would have.

When that process is completed ask if anyone has ever met a person who could fill the complete description just developed. None ever say they have. But taking the time to arrive at this description is crucial. Without agreeing to the ideal the chances of arriving at the best selection decision are very low.

What the ideal does is set a bar to focus on and strive to reach. Without it everything is relative. "They are the best we could find, given the circumstances." Those words describe the rationalization used to make some perfectly awful selection decisions.

At the same time that it's critical to start with the ideal, it's also critical to not let the ideal become the expectation. As Peter Senge states in The Fifth Discipline, "Scratch a cynic and you'll find a person who made the mistake of letting their ideals become their expectations."

When using this process to identify candidate requirements, once the ideal is established, most stakeholder groups are tempted to make all of the requirements top priorities. That's unrealistic - it's also a copout. Making everything a top priority is just a way of avoiding tough decisions. This is when the hard work of prioritizing the must have's, the want to have's and the nice to have's is done. This is always the toughest step in the process - regardless of the type of goal involved. Different stakeholders have different views of the requirements - and different views of the desired outcome.

But when prioritizing and valuing is done, a clear set of expectations emerges, and everyone can work on the same page - and increase the probability of successfully hiring the right person for the right job by thirty percent to fifty percent. Most organizations would kill for that kind of return on the level of investment involved. The same kind of increase in effectiveness can happen in other goal areas as well.

And the door remains open to modifications based on the experience and action of striving to meet the goal. And modifications happen frequently. But since the process started with the ideal, modifications are kept at a high level.

The next time there is a situation requiring action, create the habit of thought of starting by identifying the ideal - the best possible outcome. Then use that to set goals. Starting with that ideal results in accomplishments far beyond what might otherwise be achieved.

Written by Andy Cox

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

The More Trust, The More Time To Succeed

Bill Oncken, in his book Managing Management Time, says that the more trust you have with your "universe " of people, the more time you have to do the things that lead to success.

Trust is hard to earn. Once lost it's hard to regain. It's the most precious asset in any relationship - at any level - at any time.

Without trust, time can stand still. Every action can be scrutinized, every request for money or assets or people be subjected to a tremendous amount of documentation. The result is there is no discretionary time - the time to get the really good stuff done.

A story of two Division Presidents about performance and trust:

Division President A, who had performed well for a year and a half in one Division, was promoted to Division President of a new acquisition. Because of his past performance, he came into this assignment with a high level of trust.
President A, in his first budget year, feeling pressure to perform at a high level, put together an optimistic set of financial goals, and they were accepted - with some skepticism. They weren't met. While the corporation was not happy, he argued that things were worse than he had expected, and next year would be better. In his second budget year, continuing to sense that there were expectations to perform at a high level, he again set stretch financial goals. He was reminded that his input was relied on for overall financial planning at the corporate level. The goals were not met. In his third year, he assured the corporation that the changes he had made, and the knowledge he now possessed, would result in success. By this time trust had been stretched thin. The budget was carefully reviewed. During the year he had to travel to corporate every month to review performance. He had no discretionary time - what had been time available to him to communicate, visit customers, develop his staff - were now taken over with financial and operational micro management. By the end of the third year the division actual performance came close to the proposed annual budget. But nobody trusted anything he said. They saw him as unreliable. Within three months Division President A was terminated.

In a separate Division of the same company, Division President B consistently beat his financial numbers. He knew how important making his numbers was in gaining trust. He rarely had to travel to corporate to explain his results, he had a high level of success in wringing capital dollars out of the corporation, his people decisons were rarely challenged. Things were far from perfect in his business, but whenever plans weren't met, or bad news occurred, he communicated - there were no surprises. His reward was trust - and a high level of trust resulted in being left alone. And he and his staff appreciated the freedom - and maintained close contact with their "universe" of contacts within the company - on a proactive basis. After five years of top performance, he was promoted to Group Executive, where he was equally successful.

What successful President B practiced were the essential elements of trust building. It wasn't that unsuccessful President A was not worthy of trust - he in fact had a high level of personal integrity, but he let intentions get in the way of results.

Here are Division President B's essential elements of trust building:

Honor commitments, and do that by being careful to make commitments that can be kept. And make commitments into statements of goals to ensure there are no misunderstandings - that everyone is on the same page.

Respect the requirements of others in your "universe." Realize that not meeting the requirements of others will create a climate of distrust and disrespect. And what should have been an opportunity to show respect for others requirements in the form of a routine report submittal, or a timely expense report submittal, or an on-time budget submission instead become seeds of distrust that can grow and eat away at free time.

Communicate the news - good and bad. Good news is easy - bad news not so much. But trust is lost every time bad news is delayed, minimized or blamed on others. The person that has the courage to communicate bad news on their accountabilities should be respected. Failure to do so leads to increased control - and a loss of time.

Trust but verify. Don't confuse verification with a lack of trust. See it as a necessary step to greater levels of trust. The optimistic manager who provides trust without verification doesn't last long - at least as a trusting, optimistic manager. Verification is a necessary component of a high trust relationship. Proactively providing verification in a routine manner creates trust.

Give trust to get trust. Like most things of value in relationships, giving results in getting. Have you ever seen a low trust- giving person receive a high level of trust from others? It's rare.

Learn to say "No." It's so easy to get caught up in the excitement of a new enterprise, a new project, a new relationship. And it's so easy in that excitement and optimism to commit beyond the ability to deliver. Maybe "No" is too strong a word. Perhaps "let's think about it for ...." is a better way to make sure commitments made can be kept. No commitment can be taken lightly - someone is counting on it being kept.

Respect the learning curve. As knowledge is gained on the path to meeting a commitment, use that knowledge to modify what was originally committed so that results are managed and trust preserved.

Tell the truth as fast as you can, and as you know it to be. At the same time, recognize that what you perceive as truth and what others perceive as truth can be very different. By communicating your own truth, be prepared to be amazed at how different others perception can be. Putting your truth on the table creates the opportunity to deal with the differences.

Honor the promises made to yourself. Every time a personal promise is not kept, personal trust is reduced. On the other hand, every time a personal goal is met - as small as taking that hike on a Saturday morning, or as big as quitting smoking, personal trust grows. And trust in ourselves is the key to trust in others.

Trust comes from accomplishment - not from intention. Intention can be invaluable for creating the goals needed to define performance, but results are the key to trust.

Start today - identify the "universe" of people that can add to or detract from the time you have to do the critical things that can lead to success. Then identify what it takes to give to and get from that "universe." Then cultivate your "universe" and be prepared to gain time - time you may never have known could be available to you.

Written By Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Dr, 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

Qualities of Resourceful Leaders

Resourceful leaders get more done with available resources than less resourceful managers. It results in outcomes that far exceed expectations. It's critical for organizations challenged by competition, technology, suppliers, customers and the economy.

The ability of an organization to leverage their resources to provide excellent service, to meet and exceed commitments and to move forward technologically is a huge competitive advantage. Some organizations just seem to do a better job than others - one of the main reasons is resourceful leaders - at all levels.

What are the qualities resourceful leaders share - regardless of position within an organization?

We asked our clients - here's what they identified as eight essentials for resourceful leaders.

1 - The ability to create commitment - to get resources aligned and working toward a common goal - and a goal that is well understood. It's a "we're all in this together" approach. It's identifying and communicating a common cause that is worthy; that all can contribute to; and that results in individual and group recognition.

2 - It's being open to possibilities - wherever they may come from. It's taking inventory of what has gone before, rather than reinventing the wheel. NIH - (not invented here) thinking is unacceptable. It's engaging the people in the process - getting the best thinking and commitment of the internal experts.

3 - It's knowing success is not measured in energy expended or dollars spent, but in results. Results that come from SMART goals. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant/Realistic and Time Framed. It's using goals to create expectations within the organization - from the top to the people who do the work.

4 - It's having an abundance mentality - the belief that there is plenty for everybody - you just gotta go and find it - and be open to finding it in the most unusual places. It's having the willingness to share - information, resources, credit, recognition. Collaboration skills and behaviors are essential.

5 - A resourceful leader always starts with the questions: "What do I Have?" and "What can I do with what I have?"

6 - Resourceful leaders know that simpicity is key to effective action and that complexity is the enemy of resourcefulness.

7 - It's the belief that the impact and contribution of the cumulative knowledge and effort of an effective team will always exceed that of any single person.

8 - Resourceful leaders listen and amend and learn and apply on the fly. They know that plans rarely survive the first contact with action - they value plans as a first step, and as a measure for progress and change.

Resourcefulness is part of the behavior and motivators of leaders; it exists in organizations where it is appreciated and rewarded. It's not just seen in crisis or projects - it's an everyday behavior. But it needs to be recognized and rewarded for it to grow. And the most fertile place for resourcefulness to grow is in a results oriented, goal directed environment.

Imagine how much more effective you and your enterprise can be by encouraging the development of these behaviors and beliefs and skills. Start today to develop a more resourcefulness friendly environment - and be amazed at the talent that you already possess.

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

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

Eleven Ways Leaders Create Focus

Focus is a key Personal Skill of successful people. The ability to bore into the most important things and stay attentive and focused on them, and continue that behavior as a means of solving problems, contacting prospects, writing a report, preparing a presentation, doing an analysis, maximizing the value of a meeting, is key to success. Focus maximizes time - it results in more being done in less time.


And yet, for most people, acquiring the Personal Skill of focus seems impossible - too many distractions, too many things and too little time, too many impositions to even think of focusing on one thing for any period of time. The result is that a lot of decisions are made with superficial research, at best. Even the most important decisions get short attention - or get set aside, all in the name of not enough time.


You won't hear the highly successful using the excuse of too little time. They take the time - they make the time - they treasure their time - they refuse to let their time be dribbled away on "stuff."


How do they do that?


We asked the most effective people we know how they can seem to get so much accomplished. Here's a summary of the advice they gave us.


1 - Be selfish with your time and be rewarded with focus and time to be generous. Guard your time against the many intruders that would consume it to no effect. Once that's done, time for focusing just seems to appear. And time to be generous in giving to others appears as well.


2 - Know what's most important to you - that day. If you can't state what are the most important things to you - for that day - you can't possibly maximize time and create focus. Goals are critical to creating focus and effectiveness.


3 - Live your life in "day tight compartments." Dale Carnegie made that suggestion in his book "Stop Worrying and Start Living." What does that mean? Don't waste time on yesterday, don't waste time on tomorrow - spend your time - physically and emotionally, in today. Wall off all those things that try to intrude that aren't important today. Focus on today - exclude all other things. Make today it's own day tight compartment


4 - Create trust wherever you can. The more trust people have in you, the more time you will have to focus on your most important things.


5 - Eat the frog first. Brian Tracy - in a book of the same name, advises that the frog - the most important thing you have to do today - be the first thing attacked every day. Failure to do that results in constant looking over your shoulder and anxiety - both are robbers of focus.


6 - Ask! Ask for help, ask for resources, ask for information, ask for cooperation. And be a giver and a taker - in equal measure.


7 - Train yourself to focus. Use an hour as your time block and spend an uninterrupted hour on focusing on the most important thing. Be amazed at the end of that time to see how much progress you have made. Extend that focus exercise to your other top goals. The skill of focusing and giving undivided attention for an hour is a top 10% skill - it gives enormous competitive advantage.


8 - Learn to say no. If you're not enthusiastic about doing something you won't do a good job. And that will corrode trust, and create anxiety, and lead to interpersonal issues. Plus, being a martyr to someone else's needs is really unattractive - and unappreciated. If you've ever tried to really focus on something you didn't feel good about, you know what a waste of time that is.


9 - Be realistic. Everyone has a boss. It may be that on any given day very little time will be available for focus on important stuff. Other things get in the way. Treasure that one hour that is available and spend it focused on the most important thing.


10 - Don't confuse busy with focused or effective. Often all busy is is a way to avoid the truly important.


11 - Be a respecter of the time of others. To the extent that you want your time respected, you gotta respect the time of others. If you don't respect the time of others, you're a taker - and nobody likes or respects a taker.

Start today - in this particular "day tight compartment" - to develop the Personal Skill of focus. Start with goals - and then translate them into daily goals and tasks. Watch your effectiveness and accomplishments soar.

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

Ten Ways To Ensure Your Goals Are Leading You To Success

Success, energy, passion and commitment are created by success - success at accomplishing the goals we have set for ourselves, and the goals that others have set for or with us. Nothing is more powerful than accomplishment.

Many of us never seem to complete all the goals and tasks we set for ourselves on a daily and weekly and monthly basis. We tend to focus on what we didn't do, rather than on all the things that got done. The effect of overbooking ourselves is that we probably get more done, but the price of never meeting all of our own commitments can be very high.

The price is high if the effect of constantly falling short of our own goals and expectations results in self criticism and a feeling that we don't measure up. And the result is less energy, less commitment, less goal setting. And we did it to ourselves.

It's a balancing act between - on the one hand, stretching and keeping a high level of energy and commitment and confidence in ourselves and - on the other hand, getting discouraged because of our own self imposed failures.

That's why the goal formula - SMART - is so important in setting goals. SMART, it stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time specific, helps us protect against the burnout and discouragement of setting goals that are beyond stretch - that are out there with dreams and ideals - nice to think about but no help when it comes to accomplishment - today.

Here are ten ways you can ensure that your goals are leading to your success, and not to your discouragement:

1 - If you constantly end the day with a sense of frustration because you didn't meet all your goals and plans for that day - and celebration of what was accomplished is pushed aside by frustration - it's time you changed your thinking. And working harder isn't the answer.

2 - Few goals, no more than three to five, are better than many. Having many goals is often the result of confusing intention with action. Many goals can be a sign of not wanting to make the har.d choices required by priorities.

3 - If you use a daily task/goal list, after completing it, take the least important third of the items and put them in the trash. Stop overbooking and when you do get all the things done you committed to do, treat a "fun to do" as a reward for a day well done.

4 - Create short term goals that represent progress and then focus on it. The problem with the big, long term goals is that they are so far away that progress is hard to sustain. Example. If you want to do 12 pullups as a goal, and right now you can't do one, perhaps a short term goal of one will set you on the way to 12.

5 - Treat your goals as mileposts on a journey, rather than a destination. Every step can be celebrated; every step gets you closer to your dream; but celebrate the journey to keep commitment and energy positive.

6 - Don't be reluctant to modify your goals when your instincts and actions tell you that that is a wise thing to do. Remember, insanity is continuing to do the same things and expecting a different outcome. That's true with goals. Maybe the goal of pushing for 15 sales calls in a day is less important - and attainable - than 5 quality interviews in a day. Realize it's the results that count.

7 - Give yourself, and others, credit and recognition for small victories. You know, the call you made that you had been dreading; the presentation that your team gave even though they dreaded having to give it; the analysis that wasn't good news, but had to be reported; the irate customer that was helped. Others may not know the price you paid to do those things, but you know it. Give yourself a pat on the back for courage and commitment.

8 - Be flexible. In a perfect world we may have control of our time and how it is spent. In the real world, stuff happens. Deal with it - don't see "stuff " as an imposition, just do it. Then get back on track, even if the track has taken a sudden right turn.

9 - Realize that you are probably your own worst critic. That's good - that's bad. Use your self criticism constructively - that's good. Hand wringing and regret for things not done is bad - real bad. And while I'm not a student of the brain, have you ever noticed how we tend to soak up the things that didn't go right much easier than we reward and recognize ourselves for the good stuff?

10 - Keep an Accomplishment Log or Journal. Every day write down what you accomplished and feel good about it.

Goals guide us and help us succeed - and help us know what success is. Keep them positive and reinforcing, and watch your own success grow.

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

Goal Setting - Six Steps To Keeping Focus

We ask every leader we work with what they would do more of, better, or more often when they look back on their career, and the top answer is "Focus." When asked how they would do that, they answer that they would be even more goal oriented than they had been. In their opinion, goals create focus that creates accomplishment. With so many demands intruding or attempting to intrude on their attention and energies, goals that create focus are their firewall, and their primary path to success.

Given that so many highly successful people look to goals for focus, why is it that so many organizations and people can't state their personal goals or the goals of their organization - let alone how their personal goals align with their organizational goals?

One reason given is time - "We don't have time for that - we're too busy. " Another reason (read excuse) given is the belief that an individual has no control over their future - too many things outside a person's control can cause things to change, so just go with the flow.

It turns out that most people spend more time focused on planning a two week vacation than they do planning their career. I suspect that's because planning a vacation is controllable, pleasant, and near term - it's easy to focus on it.

But to succeed and prosper, it's vitally important to have a personal set of goals. - they keep us in the game - whatever game is being played. And personal goals that closely align with organizational goals create a tremendous amount of energy, commitment and focus.

Personal goals are even more important when organizational goals don't exist, or aren't expressed, or exist in name only. It's very tempting in those cases to simply give in to the flow of the day to day, and go with whatever comes along - with little if any focus.

Goals help balance the very human tendency to be distracted by the pressing, in - your - face things that happen every day - it's called being "flexible." Flexibility can be a strength, but it can also be a weakness - when flexing becomes a habit and we look back and see that flexing took us far away from where we wanted to be or needed to be.

A friend shared a joke with me that illustrates that point - "Inside every 65 year old is a 40 year old wondering what the hell happened?"

Focus is the difference between wondering what the hell happened, and landing where you wanted to land. It's the difference between throwing a touchdown pass - or throwing a superball - and watching it bounce every which way - with high energy, but with no idea where it will land - and what good - or damage - it will do.

Here are six steps to create focus:

1 - Write down where you want to be in one month, six months, one year, three years and five years. I know, it sounds like a lot of work. It is. But I can tell you from personal experience that those time frames will blow right past you if you don't take the time to plan them now. And you'll end up like that 65 year old wondering what happened.

2 - Define how your source of income - your job - your profession - fits into your own goals. How do your work goals fit in with your personal goals? Are they the same? How can they come together in the near term to provide long term benefit? The closer your personal goals align with the goals of your organization or profession, the better your chances of accomplishing them. This is the key to focus - being convinced and directed to success through goals that embrace you personally and professionally.

3 - Start with short term goals, but with the end in mind. Weekly, monthly, quarterly. Define the top 3 to 5 things that you need to do now to get you to where you want to be. No more than 3 to 5 - and 5 is a stretch. Remember, you can only really focus on doing one thing at a time. There is no more powerful way to become discouraged than to "over goal" yourself at this stage.

4 - Express your goals in positive terms. Express your goals in terms of what you want to achieve as opposed to what you want to avoid or get rid of. Optimism loves positive outcomes - work to think in those terms.


5 - Define your goals using the SMART formula - Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time - framed.

6 - Keep track. Hold yourself accountable. Review your goals at least weekly. Carry them with you wherever you go. Make them part of your thinking. Make a habit of reciting your goals and the outcomes of achieving them. Make them your way of life. And when they need to be revised - and that will happen often - just do it.

If you're feeling frustrated and busy and not sure where you're going, start this process today. It isn't easy. It requires personal discipline. It requires faith in yourself. But the rewards of a sense of purpose, focus and freedom are worth the effort. And when you look back in a few weeks to a few months, you'll be surprised at how far you've come, and making goals the cornerstone of focus will become a habit - 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: http://www.coxconsultgroup.com/; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com/

Copyright 2008 All Rights Reserved

Ten Ways To Make Time For The Important Things

Making time for the important things in life is a real challenge. Have you ever ended the day with the feeling that you were as busy as you could possibly be, but didn't make any progress on the really important things? Have you been resentful of the time and energy you have to spend on meeting the demands of others? Have you ever felt out of control - that outside forces take up all your time - and you feel like a victim?

Here are ten ways you can make time for the really important things in your life.

1 - Decide what is really important to you. The 3 to 5 most important things in your life - no more than that.. This sounds so simple - and so easy. It isn't. I challenge you to sit down and write out the 3 to 5 most important things you want to accomplish in your life. Most people won't do that. It takes time and focused thought - but it is the single best investment of time you can make.

2 - Make what's important to you the foundation of your goals. Then align your goals with the requirements of those people, institutions, organizations that are important to you and can contribute to your success. This requires a shift in thought from feeling imposed on by others to seeing the requirements of others as contributing to your success. Making that mind shift can be the most liberating thing you can ever do.

3 - Adopt a "good enough" habit of thought toward the the things you must do but that are not part of your top goals. Trying to make everything the "best possible" sounds laudable - but it's a sure recipe for failure. "Best possible" and perfection can literally suck up all the time you've got, and for things that aren't really that important.

4 - Place a high value on creating structure and limiting your choices. See them as positive behaviors in your battle to preserve as much of your time as you can for the important few. Set boundaries of time, energy and money around the less important.

5 - Create a habit of thought that allows you to replace instinctive reaction with considered response. It's very easy, and lazy, to wait for an outside stimulus to create response. It's hard to sort out and choose response - but critical to your own success.

6 - Learn to say "No." There will always be demands on your time in excess of the time you have available, and while the demands of others may be good for them, they may not be good for you. Work to act only on those demands that are a win - win. Remind yourself that the price paid for having too much to do and too little time is that nothing gets done to even a "good enough" level.

7 - Make routine, predictable and structured all the "good enough" stuff. To the extent that you create routines, the focus of your thoughts and actions can be used for the important stuff. It's amazing how much real thought and planning and decision making can be accomplished while performing the routines of mowing the lawn, raking the leaves, doing the dishes....... A friend who travels a lot on business sees routines as his close friends - they keep him supplied with all his day to days, and allow him to focus on the important things. An example - he always parks his rental car under a light post while traveling - always. Why? It's easier to find it if he forgets where he parked it. Simple - effective.

8 - When it comes to the really important things, forget "multitasking." A focused hour spent on a top goal beats a day spent on "thin things." Busy is not the same as effective - often it's just an avoidance tool - it's procrastination dressed in activity.

9 - Act with enthusiasm - nothing makes things work better than energy and optimism - the belief that good things will come from our actions, and the expectation that our goals will be met and exceeded. And. if some of the routine things simply don't call for enthusiasm, then adopting a mindset of acceptance places a much higher value on accomplishing them. Saying to yourself " As soon as I've got that done - I can get on to the neat stuff" creates a reward for yourself.

10 - Enjoy the rewards of your self discipline. When the combination of the most important and the" good enough" results in your success - however you define that elusive word - take the time to celebrate.

Write down the most important things in your life, then use these ten suggestions to protect as much of your energy and time and optimism as possible. The result will be greater success in the things that matter to you most - whatever they may be.

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

Eight Times When Good Enough Beats Perfect

When does Good Enough beat Perfect? When Good Enough clears space for action and accomplishment - for moving forward.

Perfect, on the other hand, almost always gets in the way of action and accomplishment - it keeps real progress from being made. Waiting for perfect is a sure recipe for failure.

Let me define what I mean by Good Enough. To a lot of people the phrase "good enough" is more criticism than praise - it implies just "getting by" - or that you could have done better. To me Good Enough means a commitment was kept, a solution that met a need was developed, an action was taken that met a goal. It means that recognition was made of the difference between the critical, the necessary and the trivial. It means a level of action leading to a solution was taken that met the situation - and time, energy and money weren't wasted trying to make the solution better than it needed to be.


I have a good friend who is in a constant battle with Good Enough. Every single thing that comes across her desk has to be handled as if it is the most important thing in the world. She is in constant conflict with much of what needs to be done - and has a real problem getting the very important done first. She strives for perfection in everything she does - and it's causing her real problems. She's a truly excellent person - the only person who doesn't think so is her.


I suspect that the greatest authors, the greatest artists, the greatest composers, the greatest software developers, the greatest salespeople can look back at their achievements and see room for improvement. At some point they all said to themselves " Good Enough." Had they waited for that final stroke of genius - that perfection - their work would never be treasured by so many. That's what perfect does - it keeps real genius under wraps.

How often have you worked hard on something - given it your all - and ended up judging your actions with a vague sense of disappointment when your result was judged - by yourself or by others - as "good enough." You're left feeling "damned with faint praise." But, in truth, your work - your actions - are something to be proud of. You acted, you took risk, you improved - and the next time you'll be even better. Think of the best hitter in baseball. On average, he only gets a hit every three times up to the plate. The other two times could be seen as failures, but the top hitters know those at bats - those imperfect at bats - are the only way to the hits.

Here are eight times when "Good Enough" will beat perfect:

1 - When Good Enough results in action being taken. Without action there can be no accomplishment. More people have failed while striving for the perfect solution - and missing the opportunity that is taken by the less perfect, but "Good Enough."

2 - When Good Enough results in taking the next step. The next step - be it the follow up sales call, the next experiment after a failure, the next presentation after a poorly received one - although that next step isn't perfect -results in being one step closer to success.

3 - When Good Enough defeats fear, resistance and procrastination. Good Enough can liberate - it can reduce the fear and resistance level - it provides that little boost to go beyond. Perfect creates fear.

4 - When Good Enough overcomes those two deeply imbedded beliefs we all share - " I am not able" and "I am not worthy." Nothing holds people back more than their own belief that they aren't worthy or aren't able. Nothing can get them past those beliefs more than promising to do the best they can - Good Enough - and finding out they far exceeded their own fears and expectations.

5 - When good enough creates a "ready, fire, aim habit of thought" - the first step to continuous improvement. Liberate resistance by understanding that success is a journey - every step on the journey is a learning experience - every step is evaluated on the basis of what was learned, and how much closer it brought success.

6 - When Good Enough separates the important few from the trivial many. Setting priorities - and separating the need for absolute maximum effort and expertise from the clutter of the less important - leads to more time for the really neat stuff that creates real success.

7 - When Good Enough keeps us raising our own personal bar. Raising the bar requires first finding where the bar is right now. Good Enough helps establish where the bar is - the first step to raising it - to continuous improvement.

8- When Good Enough meets our goals - SMART goals. Goals need to be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time framed. There is no room for P - Perfect - in that equation.


The next time you're tempted to think in terms of the perfect solution, remember that Good Enough puts you on the road to success. Use the Good Enough habit of thought to accomplish more, succeed more, and travel further down the road on the journey to continuous improvement.

Written by Andy Cox, President

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

Keeping It Simple Isn't Simple

Ever since making "Keeping It Simple" my main goal I have kept a sign that says "KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid" where I can see it all the time I'm at my desk and computer.

It is so much easier said than done. I wrote a blog a few weeks ago about keeping things simple, and making it my top goal for 2008. Not a SMART goal - but certainly a behavior shift that can keep the main things the main things, and keep me from - as a former boss put it - "getting tangled up in my own underwear." Homely little description, and funny, but if you've been there, you know what it means.


I have made a conscious effort to simplify things - and have been successful in looking at a number of issues and cutting through self imposed crap and being better for it. Progress is being made - some underwear has definitely been untangled.


But at the same time, it continues to be tough to untangle and get going.

A story to illustrate the point:

I am looking forward to a flyfishing trip with my son in law in the mountains around Lynchburg VA at Easter time. Really excited about it. I've been researching the flies that are most likely to catch trout at that time of the year in that area. Turns out there are a lot of them. Plus, every flyfisher has their own favorites. And the magazines all have killer patterns. And even the patterns that are personal favorites have many variations. And then the question of what sizes to tie ........ Do you see where this is going?


Every time I sit down to tie flies, a decision has to be made as to which of twelve patterns to tie - in what colors - in what sizes - in what variations. Talk about getting tied up in one's underwear! This is supposed to be fun - not an exercise in frustration.

Uncle Jimmy - the ultimate minimalist - a product of the Great Depression and World War II -one rod, one reel, two flies that he tied just before going fishing - one brown, one black. And did he catch fish! If he could see the equipment, the materials, the books, the videos, the magazines that I have accumulated, he'd just shake his head and roll another cigarette.


How to get out of this self inflicted, flytying rat trap? The first step is to simplify - reduce the number of fly patterns down to three - a tough thing to do. And then pick just one hook size, and then take action - start tying flies. Replace this process and analysis paralysis with some straightforward action. I'm gonna feel a lot better for it - I know it. I'm gonna keep it simple - or at least simpler.


This behavior of getting tied up in one's underwear will happen again and again. It's been a part of my behavior for a long time. But by keeping my KISS goal in front of me I'm going to do a better job of recognizing it and taking action to stay out of it. I'm going to have to replace the behavior I don't want with KISS behavior.


Keeping it simple isn't simple, particularly when our behaviors, our values, our skills all have been conditioned to complicate matters. And let's face it- a lot of things are complicated. But we all can be more effective in every part of our lives by adopting a behavior of action, rather than of analysis paralysis. If you see your own behavior in this confession of mine, press on, persevere and open up a whole new level of effectiveness for 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

Eight Bad Assumptions We All Make, and How To Remedy Them

Assumptions have the potential to get you in trouble - big trouble. The assumptions that are the subject of this article are the ones we make based on our own behaviors, attitudes, and skills. We start by assuming that others think, act and have skills similar to our own. In fact, each of us is so unique that assumptions based on behaviors, attitudes and skills will result in being wrong at least 70% of the time.

An example:

A client had a manager who was highly intelligent, very energetic, demanding and always looking for new approaches to problems. Not a bad combination of attributes in a manager. He was also firmly convinced of the rightness of his ways. The business he was managing was in crisis - it needed firm direction. The problem was the frequency of new initiatives. He would direct his limited staff to new issues requiring action and resources on a weekly basis. The stretched thin, survival trained staff did all that they could to keep up -but they invariably fell behind. Lots of balls in the air - lots of activity - no additional resources. The manager assumed that since he had instructed his people on what to do that they were doing it - and they were afraid to tell him the truth.

He assumed his people would act the same as he did when his boss told him to do something. He would make his bosses request his first priority, and do whatever had to be done to get it done. He assumed his people would do the same when he made the same kind of demands.

That was a bad assumption.

He was very proud of all the things he was doing to turn this business around, and for the first few months, progress - measured by activity - was good. And then the cracks started to show. Shipments delayed, quality issues, turnover of critical people, earnings estimates missed. His response was to turn up the pressure to get the things done that he had assumed were either done or well on their way to completion. He was stunned to see that very little had really changed. His people were bogged down - too many balls in the air - too many things to focus on. He was fired.

So much of what had happened could have turned out differently, if he had assumed less, and verified more.


What follows are eight of the most common assumptions we all make in our work- every day. They have the potential to be fatal to our careers. The assumptions, a short narrative and a suggested remedy for each follow.

Assumption 1 - My boss and I are on the same page.


The newer the relationship, the better the chance that this assumption is wrong. Often very wrong.

Remedy - Ask your boss to write down the 3 to 5 most important things that you must do , and you do the same. Exchange your answers -being in agreement on 2 to 3 out of 5 is very good.


Assumption 2 -My people and I are on the same page.


Once again, the newer the relationship, the better the chance that this assumption is false - and really dangerous.


Remedy - Do the same thing with your people that you did with your boss - do the boss thing first.

Assumption 3 -I shouldn't have to ask.


Why not? Every one else has to. The very idea that other people should know what to do or how to act is so far from the truth that many, many relationships are destroyed by the assumption that someone should know enough to keep you from having to ask.


Remedy - Ask. If asking sticks in your throat - and it does for a lot of people, read the "Aladdin Factor" by Victor Hansen. Terrific book

Assumption 4 -People will do what I tell them to do.


Not necessarily. There are lots of reasons that they may do something other than what you anticipated. More pressing work, a misunderstanding about what is to be done, conflicting priorities, you name it, it exists.


Remedy - Create goals with the end in mind. Then communicate the goals, then hold regular updates - formally or informally, depending upon the culture of your organization.

Assumption 5 - People see things the same way I do.


Not true. Put a group of people in a room - show them the same picture. Watch the different interpretations, conclusions, ---. And yet they were all in the same room - given the same instructions - looked at the same thing. Amazing.


Remedy - Create goals that clearly state the result and the steps to take to reach it. Involve the people who will participate in meeting the goal in the development of the goals.

Assumption 6 -My managers have all the freedom they need to accomplish their goals.

Probably not. Reminds me of a highly experienced manager hired to run a Canadian acquisition of a US. His boss, the CEO, told everyone he had complete authority. Actually, he couldn't approve even a $10 expenditure without corporate accounting's approval. As soon as that became apparent, he lost a lot of influence with his people. The CEO said accounting had to be involved. His idea of involvement, the new manager's and the accounting department's take were very different. It never got resolved. The new manager resigned after 6 months .

Remedy - This is where the bureaucracy needs to be checked carefully. The boss assumes their people have the same approval and indirect reporting relationships and understandings as they do. Not. The boss needs to lead in developing effective, consistent working relationships up, down and sideways for their people.

Assumption 7 -People who speak with conviction are experts on the subject. Not necessarily.

Often the person speaking the loudest and with the most conviction is in fact drowning out the real expert who doesn't share the same behavior profile.

Remedy - Make sure all have the opportunity to voice their contribution. Be skeptical of all inputs until all the players are heard. Don't let anecdotal feedback overly influence the decision. How often have we all heard about the mysterious "they" that said something and it got play way out of proportion to its value and substance? Check any newspaper for examples of that dynamic.

Assumption 8 - People will see the same opportunity the same way I do.

No they won't. In fact, roughly 70% of the population will see consequences and problems before they see opportunities - if they see them at all. That leaves 30% that may see things the same way you do - not a high percentage. Both consequence and opportunity people are valuable, contributing people in every organization - value both inputs.


Remedy - Be sure to communicate what you see as the opportunity in terms of your people's interests. And be sure to listen to and value the issues and problems the pessimists will bring up - better to get them on the table than have them fester in the group without recognition or resolution.


Assumptions can be the biggest hurdle every manager and leader has to overcome in their career. Assumptions made about them, assumptions they make about others, all have low probability of being accurate. Start by checking your own thinking against the 8 assumptions stated in this article. Then act to replace them with goals and comunications that align effort with expectations. Start today.

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 2007 All Rights Reserved

Leaders Use Goals To Know When More Becomes Less

Leaders use goals to know when more becomes less. Leaders know there is a place where further effort, energy, knowledge, people resources and money don't really add much additional value. In fact, more of anything after a certain point may be stealing from other requirements. Leaders know time, money and effort, by themselves, are really inefficient measures - results are what count. And knowing what results are needed avoids the "more is less" trap.


Leaders know "more" can keep you stuck in the same place long after you've achieved most of what's really needed. "More" creates a comfort zone based on activity that tells us there is more to be learned - more to be prepared - more to be added. Leaders know that that comfort zone is an illusion, and that goals create action - they keep us from fooling ourselves into believing activity is accomplishment.


A personal example of what I mean:


Whenever I need information - for a client, a prospect, an article - I really dig in and search all kinds of resources to become really prepared. My searches have the potential to lead me deeper and deeper into a subject - or wider and wider into alternative subjects or information. The opportunities for research are endless - and so tempting. That must have to do with my high Theoretical value. I really value information for its own sake. I feel like I'm really accomplishing things as I acquire more and more knowledge. More is better - or is it? Problem is - even the most expert of experts have to set research aside - and act - if they are to become better known, better appreciated and better compensated. And if the search for "more" gets in the way of acting, then "more" is definitely less. I protect myself from that trap through goals.


Another example from my vast archives of "more" not being better:


An exercise I do daily is a hand grip exercise. I started doing it about five months ago when I felt my grip needed strengthening. I use the kind of gripper that has a spring that is squeezed until the handles touch. At the beginning it was a real effort to reach 30 reps for each hand. My goal was to reach 60 reps for each hand. I'm now up to 90 reps for each hand, and I hold the 90th rep for 60 seconds. I know I can do more if I persist, but I don't. Why? I'm way beyond my goal and I think I've reached the point where more is not better - the additional time I could use on this one exercise can be better used on something else - like converting my 24 pack abs into a six pack. In this case I've decided more would be a poor use of my time and energy. Now for the abs.......


On a work level, how often are we persuaded that more is better? In some cases, more is definitely better - like in more quality sales calls. But in other cases, like gaining more information before acting, or spending more time on preparation, more may be less. And that's where goals come in. Goals that measure results, not effort, create a climate of action - action to reach a measurable goal. And then consciously assessing the value of exceeding the goal.


Leaders know the biggest enemy of "more is less" is perfection. Perfection may be a worthy striving, but many careers have gone down the tubes by letting perfect get in the way 0f good. When taking more time to prepare for that perfect presentation, when just one more test may yield the data to make a perfect product, when the acquisition of knowledge, or money, or expertise, keeps action to meet a goal from happening - more is less.


In Harry Beckwith's book - "How To Sell The Invisible," he says "Don't let perfect get in the way of good." When I'm tempted to take the time and effort to make very good become perfect, I stop. And if I'm convinced that what I have done is very good, I tell myself to stop seeking more, and I act to complete whatever it is I'm doing. And how do I figure out what is very good? Goals.


In creating goals, resist the temptation to create them based on the best of intentions. Base them on hard headed, clear requirements to meet the larger goals of the enterprise. Can they be an improvement on performance levels already attained? Of course. But know when to say "enough," and go on to other equally important goals. Defining "enough" is the secret leaders use to ensure "more" doesn't become less.


Take a look at your own goals, habits of thought, behaviors and attitudes. Identify where you can use "more is less" in defining your own actions and success. I suspect you will find, in your analysis, that there are areas - right now - today - where you can change so that perfect doesn't get in the way of good.

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 2007 All Rights Reserved

How Do You Know When You've Quit?

How do you know when you quit? Sounds like a pretty stupid question! You know you quit when you stepped off the track without finishing the race -when you stopped doing something that you wanted to complete - when you resigned from a job that you wanted. Any number of actions - or lack of actions - tell you that you quit.

Not that quitting is necessarily bad. A poor fit in a job, an opportunity to move ahead in a different organization, physical illness or injury - all can be good reasons for quitting.

But there is another type of quitting that isn't so good. Cormac McCarthy, in his new bestseller The Road, has a quote that describes what I'm talking about. "When your dreams are of a world that never was or never will be and you are happy again, you will have given up."

What does that mean? Here's my interpretation. Dreams are funny things. They can inspire us, they can create successes. They can be a beacon for moving forward. They can lead to goals, action and accomplishment

But they can also be the source of false hope. When you catch yourself dreaming about what could have been, what should have been, or what might be, and those dreams occupy your mind, and you feel good about them - but no real action is taken to make them happen, you are in the act of quitting - of giving up.

Examples would be the person who dreams of winning the Lottery as the means to financial salvation, while continuing to dig a deeper financial hole for themselves. Or the sales person dreaming about how great it will be when he has new clients, but isn't doing the hard work of cold calling. Or the writer who dreams of her great novel and how good it will feel, but doesn't do the writing. Or the student who dreams of being a doctor, but doesn't do the academic work to get into college.

Rudyard Kipling, in his poem, IF, says, "If you can dream, but not let dreams become your master." What a perfect description of where dreams belong in our lives.

But often dreams do become our masters. It happens when they substitute for accomplishment and action. It happens when they allow us to feel good about the past, the present or the future, without having to deal with reality. And so we feel happy. And we've quit. And we probably don't even know it!

It's a habit of thought - this act of dreaming. That's good. Habits of thought can be worked with - replaced with new habits. It's hard, but success lies in self discipline, and the application of our considerable resources. Dreams without action take away from our bank of resources - they divert resources to what never was and never will be. It's like making a withdrawal with no value - like destroying our personal resources.

Review your own habits of thought. Ask yourself three questions: Do your dreams focus on the future - do they build on what has already happened - do they inspire you to action? If you can answer yes to those questions, good for you. If you answered no, focus your mental energies on the dreams that can happen - the world of possibilities. You can save a little corner of your thoughts and dreams for the improbable, but get to the place where your dreams result in yes answers to those three questions. You will achieve more, and who knows, those improbable dreams of the future may become more probable.

Written by Andrew 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/

Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved

Managing Goals - Sometimes You Gotta Trim The Tree

Managing goals and trimming trees. What? Let me tell you, I'm a goal junkie. I'm constantly setting goals for all kinds of things in my life. They are all SMART goals - they meet the criteria for good goals - I know how to do that. The only problem is my wants always exceed my gets. And that's a problem. How many of you have the same problem? Too many goals - too little time - too many unmet goals that have the ability to demotivate. You know what you want - you know how to get there - but the results simply do not meet the intentions.

A story about trimming trees:

I have a tree in the backyard. A Palo Verde tree - absolutely beautiful. Green trunk, delicate leaves, many, many branches and, like many desert trees, it's covered with hard, sharp thorns. Tough to trim without my becoming a pincushion - so it didn't get trimmed.

Up until last year it had lots of foliage - even in the driest months. Then something happened, and this year there are any number of small and large branches that are dead - dry as a bone. There is still some foliage, but not what it had been. The tree looks like it's dying. We increased the water, and some of the branches flourished, but many others didn't. I trimmed the outer branches, and removed a lot of the dead growth - but still no real progress.

Finally I consulted an arborist to see what to do. The arborist took one look at the tree and knew exactly what had to be done. He could see that the tree had grown without any trimming, and that every branch that popped out just grew. It had adequate water, and all those branches became major limbs of the tree - demanding nourishment. There must be 15 or twenty limbs that are creating this beautiful pattern of unrestrained growth. Only problem is that the tree's root structure can't support that much foliage - this is a desert tree, adapted to a low water environment. The result is going to be the death of the tree - unless hard decisions are made and the number of major tree limbs are reduced to no more than 5 to 7.

Since talking to the arborist, I've stood back and then circled that tree any number of times, and now I know which limbs to remove to get down to 5 to 7 major branches. Looking back, if it had been trimmed periodically it wouldn't need this kind of major surgery. Once the trimming is done, I will have a tree that won't look so good for a while, but that will flourish as it recovers from its foliage overload. The arborist told me if I hadn't sought out somebody with knowledge of the type of tree, its structure and needs as well as its growth habits, and then followed the advice given to reduce the burden on the tree root structure, within two to three years the tree would be dead, or blown over by one of the violent summer storms we get in Phoenix.

Now that major surgery is being done, I promise to trim it every six months, and not let this situation occur again.

What does this have to do with goals?

I sat down to review my goals for the first half of the year and wasn't too pleased with my accomplishments. Oh sure - I had gotten a lot done, but there were so many things I had included as either goals or as action items that my list of the things I completed looked pretty puny next to the list of things I wanted to get done. Then it occurred to me that my goals and that Palo Verde tree had a lot in common. And just like that tree, my goals had grown to the point where I could no longer sustain and meet them. I had gotten myself to the place where I had put too much on my plate at one time, and was busily trying to support too much with too little.

My goals had become so numerous that many were wilting on the tree - they were undernourished. And yet, I was working my butt off to support this wild growth, and not being successful. Luckily, I'm stepping back - like the arborist did for me - and taking a really hard look, and cutting back this thicket of goals to 3 to 5 major goals that I can support. I will be better for it - and more successful - and able to support more things in the future, but first I have to trim the tree - keep the 3 to 5 most important goals as the most important goals, and then work them - hard. Nourish the major branches - and in doing that, allow for stronger long term growth.

Take a look at your own tree of goals, along with your thicket of must do's and have to do's - and if you see too many branches for your resources, trim - and trim aggressively so you can focus on success in the main things.

Do it today - the beginning of the second half of the year is a great time to adjust, reengage, reevealuate, and come out of 2007 with success in the truly most important things.

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

Leaders Set Goals To Define Priorities

Setting goals as the way to create priorities, whether in business or in personal life, is what leaders do to maintain direction and focus in their organizations and in their personal lives. Unfortunately, many managers take a tremendous amount of potential leverage out of their organizations by not prioritizing.

I had a boss whose standard answer to "What's the most important thing?" was "Everything's the most important thing." What a copout. We were in a crisis mode and there was a lot to get done, but what that "Everything is important" direction led to was a lot of counterproductive behavior - hunker down and keep the boss off your butt by being busy all the time - 24/7 - and ride it out. Do what you're told to do, and then ask "What's next?" After a year of that no leverage management style he was fired - but not until some very good people had left the organization.

Managers that take the "everything is Number 1" approach are often rewarded for being tough, no nonsense, aggressive problem solvers. The fact that many of the problems they solved were created by them seems to go unnoticed. Actually, instead of leadership, they use a brute force approach to getting things done. That often works in a crisis situation, but when everything becomes a crisis, those managers lose their effectiveness and their people become cynical about how they are treated. Brute force managers rarely have goals they share with people, and even more rarely do they have their people participate in any meaningful way in setting goals and priorities. To many of them, sharing information and open communication are threats to their control. Many of them are quite happy with a compliance level workforce - the "Just tell me what to do and I'll do it" people. There is no leverage in the Brute Force management style.

How do effective leaders create priorities that maximize their own effectiveness and the effectiveness of their organization?

They start with a clear understanding of what the three to five most important things are, both personally and professionally. This is tough - there are always many more issues vying for attention than there are resources available to address them. The leader makes the tough decisions - the Brute Force manager doesn't.

Then the leader enlists people in the areas of importance to help arrive at ways to succeed in meeting the most important requirements.

Then the leader creates and communicates and negotiates goals that support the most important three to five issues, or challenges, or opportunities.

The goals are used to create supporting goals, expectations and understandings of importance in the universe of people that can contribute to meeting the goal.

Then leaders act - and expect action from their people.


Leaders protect their own time, and the time of their people, so that maximum focus can be kept on the critical few, and not frittered away on the unimportant many.

And then leaders evaluate, change if change is necessary, and continue to use the process as the basis for action throughout their organization.

And they insist that this process be kept as simple as possible - minimum bureaucracy here. Don't wait for an enterprise wide software system to capture all the data and signups and goal statements. More good goal setting systems have drowned of their own administrative weight than for any other reason. Leaders fight that. Leaders know the critical intersection in goal setting and prioritizing is at the person to person level - not at the form completion and submission point.

And the resulting action they get is so different from the "Tell me what to do and I'll do it" people. Lots of leverage in a shared goal environment - on both a personal and work level.

Leaders know most people want to help, want to contribute, want to be involved in a worthy enterprise, want to be recognized for their contribution. Leaders also know most people work best and most effectively where they have structure and an understanding of what needs to be done. Once they have that, great things start to happen! They no longer have to say "Just tell me what to do and I'll do it" - they know the priorities and what is most important. They can use the freedom that knowledge provides to keep their eyes on the few big balls - and not be distracted by all the little balls that will always bounce around and take up all the time people will let them take up.

Leaders also know there are times when brute force may be the only appropriate tactic - a public safety health product recall, a natural disaster, a systems failure, a fire - all call for everybody pitching in to get things done - whatever that means. But leaders know the brute force tactic is the exception to the rule, and is only used when absolutely necessary. And their people know it - and rather than take it as just another in a long line of fire drills, they pitch in and know their efforts will be part of a worthy enterprise's efforts to succeed. The result is maximum leverage when needed.

If you work or live in an "Everything is important" situation, be careful of burning out. If you can take what leaders do and apply it to your work and your personal situation two things will happen - you'll have more time for the really important things, and your personal and professional success will increase - I guarantee it. And on those brute force days, or weeks, keep the leader's model of goals to priorities firmly in your sights - and get back to it as soon as possible. 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

Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved

Procrastinators - Nine Steps To An Easy Day

As a followup to "Procrastinators Never Have an Easy Day," let's talk about steps to take to achieve that easy day - that day when accomplishment and achievement are reached - when the overhang of things waiting to be done is manageable, and guilt and remorse are replaced with optimism and confidence. That sure sounds good - and it can happen - starting today.

The first step is to imagine what that easy day is going to be like - that day when things are under control, when the taxes are done - on time, when the boss offers congratulations on the completion of an assignment that exceeded expectations, when fear is overcome and the result of a project was a really, really good outcome. Start with the end in mind - in this case replacing the behavior and habit of thought of procrastination that serves so poorly and creates negative emotions with a behavior and habit of thought that creates the reward of freedom to grow and learn and test limits - or the freedom to fall asleep under a tree with no cares of the world. The rewards are in reach - believe it. Start this journey with the Reward - whatever that may be - in mind.

Step 2: Replace intent with action. Replace talking about the "what if''s" and the "when I get to it's " with Action on what is truly important, and pressing, and proximate, and fearful. As Brian Tracy says in Eat That Frog- "Swallow the frog first." Or, if you choose, " attack the bear in the room before it gets any bigger." Do the things you don't want to do first. Save the really neat stuff to do as a reward.

Step 3: Don't think too much. The curse of the intelligent is being able to see all kinds of alternatives, combinations and permutations - to see all kinds of consequences and possibilities, and become frozen in place with too many options. Pick out a course of action and go for it. If the first "ready, aim, fire" doesn't hit the target, it probably came close. Adjust and "ready, aim, fire" again. But make the adjustments as a result of action. If the second course of action doesn't hit the target, it got closer. Persist with action.

Step 4: Replace the codewords of the procrastinator. Words like "tomorrow," and statements/beliefs like "good things come to those who wait," "anything worth doing is worth doing right," "it'll take care of itself" and "I need more information/preparation." Great phrases, but not for procrastinators - they only reinforce the tomorrow habit of thought of procrastinators. Listen to your self talk, and replace those kinds of phrases that create a tomorrow mentality. Today is all that has value - tomorrow will never come for many, many people.

Step 5: When faced with a project, replace the procrastinator's first question and thought - "When is this due?" with "What can I do today to get this going?" Consider meeting a due date for what it is - a failure to exceed expectations.

Step 6: If something simply can't get done when a date is imposed, challenge the issue. If that doesn't work, manage the project to keep others aware of progress. Never ever let the boss get ambushed with a date not kept - even if he/she really deserved to be embarrassed by their unreasonable demands. To your boss, passive agressive behavior is infuriating, frustrating and dangerous - survival may happen, but trust will be gone.

Step 7: Focus, focus, focus. Complete whatever the big things are. Don't let up until they're done. Don't let the little things intrude - be very wary of the demands of others and their impact on completing the most important things, Develop the ability to say no - politely, constructively and firmly. And make sure the big things are really the big things. Nothing is more frustrating than to be working like crazy on thin things - and not knowing it. That's where goals - shared goals are so important.

Step 8: Realize that a conscious decision to delay something because of the importance of other things is not procrastination. Realistic and accurate prioritizing is a skill - an essential survival and success skill.

Step 9: Consider pretty good as better than perfection - because it is. Realize that by the time you burst into the room with the perfect solution - if there is such a thing - someone else has already acted with a good enough solution, and another opportunity to contribute has been lost.

Lastly, take these nine steps one at a time - the trap of too much at once is a real trap - it ends up causing nothing to be accomplished.

Take whatever step seems right - then ACT! Do it - 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

Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved

Self Promotion - Essential to Success

"Self promoter - me? You mean like Don King, Paris Hilton, rappers, TO, O'Reilly, Al Franken, movie stars- those kinds of people? That's not me - I'm uncomfortable talking about myself - I let my work speak for itself."

People - lots of them - have that conversation with themselves every day. Only problem is that in most cases, your work doesn't speak for itself - it can't, without some help. And the only person that can give the help is you. No amount of "a-wishin, a -hopin and a-prayin" is going to change that for the vast majority of us.

When someone compliments you on work you have done, do you give it an "Aw shucks, it wasn't that much"? Trust me, if you say it wasn't much, people will believe you. Modesty is a virtue but it can also be a handicap.

How can you promote yourself, demonstrate your value, and do it without looking like your own best cheerleader?

The first thing you have to do is accept the fact that you are - in fact - your own best cheerleader.

The second thing you need to do is perform - produce results, exceed expectations, volunteer for special assignments, accomplish.

And then make your accomplishments known to the people that count.

How do you do that? Set a structure that provides visibility. Create goals - share them - have the appropriate people help with setting goals - and then exceed them. Set up regular report points - allowing you visibility and progress reporting. Set up opportunity and jeopardy meetings to review progress and pinpoint problems and their solutions. It's the best kind of self promotion. And then be the cheerleader for the people who helped meet the goals. Share the credit for accomplishment with your workgroup.

Rather than seeing promoting yourself as a negative behavior - see it for what it really is -a critical skill and behavior.

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

Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved

How Critical Is Balance To Your Success?

Balance is in the eye of the beholder. There are no standards available to apply to balance.

But let me define balance, for purposes of this blog. Balance is having the time to meet the goals we have set for ourselves.

There are people who are balanced with an 80 to 100 hour workweek. Their reward for this level of commitment is expressed in their income, status, promotions. They're in balance - as long as they are meeting their goals.

Other people are balanced with a 40 hour work week. Their reward may be expressed through the success of their children, their church, their Scout troop. They're in balance - as long as they feel they are meeting their goals.

The point being that balance is very much a personal value call. And what is balance at one point in a person's life may change - based on any number of circumstances.

The 100 hour a week person will find, once they are at the top of their profession, that their goals change - and they adapt to find a combination that provides balance. The worker with family values will find, once children are grown and on their own, some other outlet for energies and needs, and establish new goals to find balance.

The real issue is when we feel out of balance - the needs of the various parts of our lives create frustrations - a feeling that what we are doing - or are compelled to do, doesn't allow time to do the things we want to do. The results include negative energy, resentment, anger, passive aggressive behavior - destructive emotions and behaviors that keep balance from happening.

When that happens, ask yourself these questions:

Do you have goals?
Are they your goals?
Are they specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time framed?

If you can't answer yes to those three questions, you will probably answer yes to the following questions.

Do you resent the demands put on you by others?
Do you feel regardless what you are doing, you should or could be doing something else?
Do you feel your time is not your own?
Do you feel that there is always more to do than you could possibly accomplish?
Do you feel unappreciated?
Do you envy the success of others?
Do you tell yourself someday things will change - and be "better"?

If you answered yes - negative emotions are causing you all kinds of problems, whether you realize it or not.

To overcome those negative emotions, you must have goals that are yours, that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time framed. Look at the goals you do have with that in mind. Adjust if you have to to meet your own circumstances and to preserve or gain balance in your life. And if you don't have your own goals, get them. 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

Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved

Perseverance and Commitment, or Just An Illusion

I just finished a terrific book - The Road by Cormac McCarthy. In it was a quote that struck me - it has to do with perseverance and commitment and dreams, and how you will know if you are pressing forward, or stepping back.

"When your dreams are of some world that never was or of some world that never will be and you are happy again, then you will have given up."

Never never never give up. Very few people would argue with that statement. But giving up can be sneaky - it doesn't just happen. It happens when your dreams don't come true, when you have been disappointed again and again, when that sale you were relying on so much didn't happen, when you start to trim back your goals, and start to let short term failure effect your energy and commitment and question your own ability and worthiness. Giving up can be masked by activity - actions taken that keep you busy, but when you analyze their value and are honest about it - you realize all that busyness doesn't amount to much.

One of our greatest strengths is our flexibility - but it can be a weakness as well. When we flex to cope with failure, oftentimes we step back, not forward - and we do it without realizing it.

There is the story of the entrepreneur that was failing, and he decided to take a day and go fly fishing. He had the good fortune to hook a very large trout. His gear was designed for much smaller fish, so he very carefully played the fish, using just enough pressure to keep the fish irritated and moving until it finally lay, exhausted, in the water. He revived it and let it swim away. And then he realized - he was just like that fish - constantly irritated and annoyed and moved by small things, and they were exhausting him. He decided right then and there to stop letting the little things wear him down. He left the stream, he went to work on the few big things that would rescue his business, and he prospered.

Giving up comes in many disguises - check to see if you have your priorities and goals and actions in line with your dreams. Are you working to meet your goals, or are you using your dreams to avoid reality? It's an easy trap to fall into.

The good news is that you can release yourself from your trap - the secret is first knowing you're in it - that's where goals are so very important. Then take action to achieve the important things - and forget about all the little stuff that will always try to pull you down.

Start today - act on your important dreams.

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