It it just me, or have we reached a point in society, where our word doesn't mean anything anymore? It has been an interesting couple of months, where I have had people with contracts, just walk away, with no remorse or concern.
We see it every day in the media. Pro athletes or coaches who just walk away from their agreements without regard to its impact on their team or organization. It is like everything is great until I get a better offer or things get too uncomfortable, I will just move on. Look at our political leaders. How many times do we see them stand up in front of the cameras and say one thing, and then do something totally opposite, with no regard to what they just said.
I see it everyday in business, where people will make commitments to other people, and then totally disregard those commitments. I have had people look me in the eye and say they would do something and then never follow through.
One of the areas we work with our clients on is core values. In almost every situation, Integrity is one of the core values. People believe that integrity is a critical component of success at all levels. Integrity builds trust, and we all like to do business with people we trust.
However, more and more we talk about it more than we practice it. Where I grew up, if a person gave their word that they were going to do something, you could take it to the bank that they would do what they said.
However in today's business climate, it is more about "Just tell them what they want to hear" as opposed to doing what they commit to do.
I have Integrity as one of my core values. I wish I was perfect at this, but I am not. I have done the very thing I am describing. However, I have resolved to keep this at the forefront of my thinking, because my real desire to is to live up to my word.
I am committed to looking in the mirror every day to do a quick check of my integrity. I want to be a person of integrity. From integrity, trust is built.
How about you?
Mike
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Well 2010 is finally here!
Hi everyone,
Well we have survived another round of holidays and the new year is upon us. I have been bombarded by emails, blogs and articles about goals and resolutions. It is like it is an annual event like the changing of the seasons. The new year brings hope and a focus on how we want things better than last year.
It is amazing to me how many different goal setting programs and methodologies are out there. I found no less than 15 different software applications that will help you set and keep track of your goals. I have some regular online resources that I use that have now added a "goal setting" function to their site. Just enter your goals and they will email you every day a reminder about your goal. Nice function, but is already getting annoying.
In reality, there is nothing magical about goal setting. It really is nothing more than developing a plan. The problem is that our goals are often to vague or not specific enough, therefore we don't know what action we need to take in order to make it happen. Without that level of detail, we don't know what to do, and thus do nothing and hope that some magical way the goal will happen, then wait for our disappointment at the end of the year when we did not accomplish our goals. At that point we think to ourselves, "why bother?", and we are back to our usual and comfortable routine, wondering about what could have been, if we had accomplished our goal.
I think it is time to change the game. Let's focus on the result we want specifically and develop the tactical plan to make it happen. I call it a strategic objective planning. This works for both personal and professional objectives.
I will have more on how to do this in later blogs. For now think about the most strategic things you want this year and write them down in terms of the result you want. The goal is not to lose weight, but to weigh a certain amount. Be specific about what you want and you are well on your way to the first step in making it happen.
Until next time,
Mike
Well we have survived another round of holidays and the new year is upon us. I have been bombarded by emails, blogs and articles about goals and resolutions. It is like it is an annual event like the changing of the seasons. The new year brings hope and a focus on how we want things better than last year.
It is amazing to me how many different goal setting programs and methodologies are out there. I found no less than 15 different software applications that will help you set and keep track of your goals. I have some regular online resources that I use that have now added a "goal setting" function to their site. Just enter your goals and they will email you every day a reminder about your goal. Nice function, but is already getting annoying.
In reality, there is nothing magical about goal setting. It really is nothing more than developing a plan. The problem is that our goals are often to vague or not specific enough, therefore we don't know what action we need to take in order to make it happen. Without that level of detail, we don't know what to do, and thus do nothing and hope that some magical way the goal will happen, then wait for our disappointment at the end of the year when we did not accomplish our goals. At that point we think to ourselves, "why bother?", and we are back to our usual and comfortable routine, wondering about what could have been, if we had accomplished our goal.
I think it is time to change the game. Let's focus on the result we want specifically and develop the tactical plan to make it happen. I call it a strategic objective planning. This works for both personal and professional objectives.
I will have more on how to do this in later blogs. For now think about the most strategic things you want this year and write them down in terms of the result you want. The goal is not to lose weight, but to weigh a certain amount. Be specific about what you want and you are well on your way to the first step in making it happen.
Until next time,
Mike
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
