photo credit: Adam Weiss
Last year I started a fun exercise for myself that was picked up with my members at my Mortgage Professionals Academy that I learned from Chris Brogan at Human Business Works. By the way I also recommend reading his blog here.
The way it works is to empower more focus in my life and business. Yes, the key is to pick three words that will help me focus on both areas of my life. As an Entrepreneur there is no question or debate that could be made that as my personal life flows so to does my business life and vice versa. After all I only have one life.
Last Year the three words I picked were Value, Prototype, and Focus.
With respect to value it was really about bringing blow away value in the things that I do. I am happy with my results in this area as I reflect on my year.
Prototype was I think the most important of my three words. By the second quarter of 2011 I realized that my future success in my business was to move my company into more of a software/technology company and making considerable investment in owning the technology that would power my ideas I had for my mortgage professional members. I am happy that the major investments of having a dashboard that will run all my ideas for my members was completed, now I have to iterate, iterate, iterate.
Focus, alas has always been a challenge for me, (LOL, in fact as I wrote that sentence I glanced over at my e-mail and noticed a new message came in, guess what I did…) Anyway, I would say that I have always had challenges with “the shiny object theory” I have decided to not resist it anymore. it is what it is. A good friend of mine Phil Holcomb taught me that “What I resist persists”, so instead I will ensure that I put as many good practices in place to keep me focussed. My team also has to know how best to manage me. I think as a leader the more I allow my team to get closer to me the more they will want to help me. I encourage all my readers who are leading teams, lose the mask and let your people know you more at your core, share your challenges and be more authentic in 2012, I am certain it will serve you well.
Okay, enough of last year, let’s move on to the year ahead. My three words for 2012 are; Run, People, Work.
Run:
Through some deep reflection this year I realized that I have had a nasty habit of avoiding unpleasant things, particularly if it will cause a conflict. I have known for ever that intellectually this just does not make sense and certainly is not a productive way to live my life. I know in 2011 I needed to make some tough decisions and instead I pretended I didn’t need to. In 2012, I am practicing the opposite view and I will “RUN toward the grenades”. I heard someone say this line and I loved it. When grenades are going off in our lives I think many of us take the position of running before they blow. Brave people run toward the grenade and put the pin in before it blows. In 2012, I am committing to running toward grenades every week.
People:
I learned at 21st Century leadership that “As a leader I include my people in my life, I remember who they are”. In the final half of 2011 I realized that the last long while in my life I was singularly focussed on my business life and was taking a very selfish position with the people in my life. I think I took the position of “if it suits me then I will really invest in our relationship”. Thanks to my little sister for pushing me to go to that place inside me to figure this out. in 2012 I am investing in my PEOPLE. I think for me this means I am giving not taking and investing means exactly that, put in the investment with the belief that it will come back in spades to me even if it is not clear how at the time I make the investment. The secret is that my performance at work has gone up since I took more time to re-build relationships and deepen my most important ones. I have lots of work to do in this area, hence why I have chosen this to be an area of focus for the whole year.
Work:
One of the best books I read in 2011 was “Do the Work” by Steven Pressfield. This was a follow-up to his excellent book “The War of Art” which I also read last year. This month I re-read “Do the Work” and noticed that the uncomfortable feelings of fear, self-doubt, and anxiety were actually normal and can be managed as long as I PUSH through. There is only one way to keep pushing and that is to keep working. Don’t let my mind and inner resistances push me off course. 2012 is a year of execution for me and my community of Mortgage Professionals and we are all counting on me shipping my ideas and that is absolutely what I will do. If you are feeling stalled then do one thing today, order “Do the Work” and read it, I think it may make the difference of whether you achieve the dreams you have for your business this year or not.
Now it’s your turn. If you want to find your own three words then please let us know and I will send you the exercise to help you find your Three Words for 2012. Then once you have them will you please consider coming back here and leaving them in the comments below? “Why would I do that”, you might be saying. Let me give you two reasons, first once I make my Three Words public I think they become more solidified, and secondly, I like to know if I have impacted someone and so therefore I would really appreciate you for doing that.
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