Personal Development | GROW GREAT

200 – 2014, The Year Of Finding Your Element

Personal Development, Podcast / By Randy Cantrell

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It’s about time to put a bow on 2013.

“Wrap it up, I’ll take it.” -The Fabulous Thunderbirds

If we’re talking about 2013 (and we are), the question is, “Where are we gonna take it?”

Some people want to take it and flush it down the toilet. Others want to take it and replicate it.

Maybe you want to take it and run away from it. Or maybe you want to hang onto it and never let it go.

Many years ago an old business guy asked me, “Do you know why one business in a crappy location does well and another one in a great location has to close its doors?”

I was young and unsure what the answer was. I had some ideas, but I had no idea what answer he was fishing for. I said, “I’m not sure.”

“The successful business has a better manager,” he said.

That was over 30 years ago so I’ve had a long time to think about that conversation. It’s mostly true because leadership matters. It’s mostly true because a person can make a positive (or negative) difference. It’s mostly true because all of us do things that bring us the results we get. Not always, but mostly.

Putting A Bow On 2013, Personal Leadership & Doing Right By Yourself

follow-the-leader-ducks — Follow the leader

Personal leadership.

Question: Would that lead duck do the same thing even if his quack-mates weren’t following?

He would if he was watching out for himself and doing right by himself. That means, if he cares about his own welfare, he’ll do the right thing. Does the weight of the followers compel him to make decisions he might not otherwise make? Likely. Leadership does bring responsibilities.

If that lead duck doesn’t act and do the things that will profit his own life and the life of his followers, then he’s not much of a leader. It’s not merely self-interest. It’s wisdom.

That’s what I wish for all of us — personal leadership manifested in our wisdom to lead our own lives, figure things out and make the new year everything we want it to be. There’s no guarantees…other than the guarantee that you won’t reach your goals if you don’t try. So, try hard, then try harder.

It’s not about entrepreneurship.

You’d think building your own business is the only path to success. Carol Roth wrote about book about it in 2011, “The Entrepreneur’s Equation.” Ms. Roth articulated brilliantly what many business people have argued for years. Starting and owning a business isn’t everybody’s cup of tea. Stop listening to the biz opp (business opportunity, aka Internet marketing) crowd. Roth correctly argues that we don’t expect everybody to be a professional athlete, or a surgeon, or an attorney, or anything else. There is no single path to the proverbial good life. We each have to find or create our own way.

In 2013 I continued to encounter people who felt like misfits because they liked their work — they enjoyed their job! Heresy. I suspect right now too many people are reading too much, listening too much and being influenced to be discontented with a professional life that may suit them just fine. But everybody is telling them how awful it is to have a job and work “for the man.”

I’ve spent my entire life in business, but that’s not the only path. For many, it’s a terrible choice. And boy am I glad. Else we wouldn’t have music, art, film, entertainment, sports, medicine, science and a host of other things that improve the quality of our lives.

We all enjoy the benefits of good people doing good work. Some do remarkable work. I’m hoping more of them will take pride in it in 2014 and not be swayed by the noise of entrepreneurship. Besides, as Roth correctly points out. More businesses fail than succeed. FAR more.

Your personal brand is whatever you want it to be.

Build your platform. Create your own tribe. Assemble an audience. It sounds terrific. Who wouldn’t want that? Maybe you. Maybe your friends. There are plenty of people who prefer quieter lives devoted to doing good work, providing for their family, helping their friends and having a good life that may differ from the stereotypical “good life.”

That’s a personal brand. The rock solid employee who is reputable, reliable and competent has crafted a positive platform.

It’s a personal brand. The 6-figure celebrity public speaker who has global recognition. It’s a platform.

“That’s not what he wants,” is the argument against the humble lifestyle. But that’s a bias that presupposes that everybody wants what we want. They don’t. It also presupposes the myth that any of us can be whatever we want. “You can do whatever you put your mind to,” is among the biggest lies of all.

Dirty Harry said it best, “A man’s gotta know his limitations.” Not enough people know that. Some of us clearly focus too much on our limitations and not enough on our strengths. No matter, we can all use our talents and craft a personal life – and a life – that suits us well.

These are my people.

I was talking with Bettye Zoller, a veteran voice actress in Dallas. It was an interview I was recording for a new project, ChasingDFWCool.com.

During our conversation she recalled first finding out about this craft of voice acting. She said very quickly she felt at home. “These are my people,” she told me.

Sir Ken Robinson calls that the same thing he titled his last book, “Finding Your Element.” Have you found your element? Not somebody else’s element…your own?

Maybe you spent 2013 trying to fit in the element somebody else told you was the way to go. And maybe you were miserable. Stop it. Step away from the noise of the maddening crowd and find your own path. Look for the life – and the people – who fit you better. Hopefully, with some effort, you’ll find a crowd you instantly recognize as being “your people.” A place and a crowd where you fit right in. Your element.

I don’t know what that looks like for you. Or what it might feel like. Truth is, I have my own days where I’m unsure of what it looks like for me!

It remains the epiphany worth searching for. If you found yours already, be thankful. Embrace it. Push forward.

If you’ve not yet found yours, keep looking. Keep trying things. Examine yourself. Discover your strengths. Soar with those. Don’t over-estimate your weaknesses and don’t under-estimate your strengths.

I hope 2014 is the year you find your element.

200 – 2014, The Year Of Finding Your Element Read More »

Episode 197 – Lessons Learned From A Casual Comment By A Very Wounded Veteran

Entrepreneurship, Personal Development, Podcast / By Randy Cantrell

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:45 — 29.5MB)

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60 Minutes Sports just did a segment on sled hockey, that version of ice hockey played by disabled people who strap themselves onto a sled with two blades underneath. The game is fast and physical. Just like regular ice hockey.

Part of the segment was about men who returned from war torn regions of the world with severe disabilities. One young in particular had lost both legs to a road side bombing. As he recounted the day of his injuries he told the reporter he knew he had been badly hurt. When he discovered that he had lost both legs he said he wondered about a lot of things. “I wondered if I’d ever be able to do this or that,” he said.

But then he said something that hit me unlike anything has hit me in a long time.

It was pretty tough there for a couple of months.”

I stared at the TV screen and thought, “A couple of months?”

He didn’t appear to be any older than 25. I watched his facial expression as he talked and realized – he’s serious!

This young man is serious about how it was a tough couple of months. He loses both legs, gets fitted with prosthetic limbs, has to learn to walk all over again and he characterizes it as “a tough couple of months.”

I can suffer a setback and be on my heels for 6. Shoot, I’ve had some setbacks that lingered well over a year and no limbs were lost. I haven’t even had a broken bone in my life, but I can get knocked down and dragged out with the best of them.

And don’t I feel stupid, ashamed and weak now?

Of course I do. Don’t you?

Episode 197 – Lessons Learned From A Casual Comment By A Very Wounded Veteran Read More »

Special Episode – 3 Women Who Prove That You May Not Always Know Why People Are Driven To Achieve Success

Entrepreneurship, Personal Development, Podcast / By Randy Cantrell

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:24 — 21.8MB)

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Rae Hoffman is Sugarrae.

It was about 8 to 10 years ago when I first encountered her online. I didn’t know her. Still don’t. But I found out she was brassy and candid with her opinions. I liked that.

She was and still is in the affiliate marketing space. I wasn’t terribly interested in operating in that space so I didn’t dive too deeply into her past or present. Like all of us, I just looked at what she was doing, tried to see what I might learn from her and kept glancing casually at her content. No, I wasn’t a devoted follower so I didn’t intently look for any back story.

When Rae moved to Texas a few years ago, I did perk up my interest. I was curious what may have brought her to Texas. Leaving the humidity of Florida could be understandable, except going to Houston is like jumping out of the frying pan into the fryer when it comes to humidity. It wasn’t until late last year that I stumbled onto the real story. Or as Paul Harvey would say, “The rest of the story.”

Just today, Jonathan Fields released part 1 of an interview he did with Rae where she talks about “the rest of the story.”

Carrie Wilkerson is The Barefoot Executive.

Some weeks ago Carrie and I recorded a conversation that I hope to release as part of my ChasingDFWCool.com project.

I likely stumbled onto Carrie about the same time I found Rae, but I can’t be sure. She seemed perky. In fact, maybe a bit too perky for a guy like me. 😉

I was running a multi-million dollar company so I wasn’t really in her target market. I wasn’t working from home. I sure wasn’t barefooted.

I knew Carrie’s story a bit better than Rae’s, but that was only because Carrie talked about it more than Rae. And I don’t profess to have known the details because once again…I didn’t pay close enough attention.

Like you, I was in and out with my attention span. I was looking only at what I could learn from what these two ladies did. Being an affiliate marketer or working from home didn’t resonate with me so I wasn’t as observant as I should have been.

Lynn Terry operates ClickNewz.com.

I think I ran across Lynn before Rae or Carrie. She occupied the same space as Rae – affiliate marketing. Her story was one I knew from the get go. I think it’s because she was candid about it. Understandably, private things are easier for some to share. Harder for others. Or maybe not. I can’t judge why I personally knew Lynn’s story – or felt I did – better than Carrie’s or Rae’s.

I do know that I paid attention to Lynn longer when I stumbled onto her. She was involved in “internet marketing” but seemed to be very different from the others I encountered in that space. I’m going back a decade ago. It wasn’t affiliate marketing, but it was her dedication to her customers (her audience) that resonated most with me. I was fanatical about customer service and she seemed to share that. So I hung around and got to know her online presence a bit more than Rae or Carrie.

I respect all three of these women and I only use them in today’s episode because for a few weeks now I’ve observed privately and in some personal conversations how, “Things aren’t always as they seem.”

The fact is, we don’t always have it right. Quite often, we’re wrong.

We judge a book by the cover. I’m not blaming us. We all do it. In fact, we have to.

It’s just that sometimes, we judge incorrectly.

Simon Sinek is the modern godfather of “why.” I love his work. I’m a big fan.

Peter Drucker and W. Edwards Deming talked of it. And Tom Peters. Countless others.

Why has always been an important, if not urgent question for me. Yet, I have failed to ask it as often as I should.

When looking at these ladies, and many others like them, I’ve not asked. Or dwelt on it much.

When looking at my own inspirations and motivations, I’ve not asked. Or examined it much.

Or even allowed the “why” to really bubble to the surface.

Maybe that’s a guy thing. Maybe there’s a reason why 3 successful stories of today’s show are all women. Very driven, determined women. Women on a mission.

But in the end, it’s really not “Why?” that’s important. It’s “Who?”

P.S. Sam Hurd is the professional football player I referred to in the show. Late today, he was sentenced to 15 years for drug trafficking.

Special Episode – 3 Women Who Prove That You May Not Always Know Why People Are Driven To Achieve Success Read More »

Episode 193 – The Enormous Benefits Of A Clean, Organized Environment

Communication, Personal Development, Podcast / By Randy Cantrell

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:17 — 27.2MB)

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Do teachers still say this?

“Neatness counts.”

They almost always said it when I was young. I knew why. Kids didn’t always write legibly.

I figured the teachers were looking to make their lives easier. Perfectly fine. It’s hard to grade a test when you can read what the student wrote.

But…

My viewpoint was far more selfish.

If I was going to produce anything – including answers on an exam – then I wanted it to be readable. My penmanship was a reflection on me. Why speak if people don’t understand what you’re saying? Why write if people can’t read what you’ve written? Why make the writing get in the way of the message?

For me, it was about connection and being understood. It was probably my lifelong desire to be heard.

Why should we ever let things get in the way, or impede our progress? Verbal crutches hurt lots of speakers. In fact, here in Dallas our top sports talk radio station has a drive time team that did a bit about professional athletes using the phrase “you know” in their interviews. Some do it so much you can’t understand anything else they’re saying. It was a funny bit, but sad really.

We don’t want stuff getting in the way of our success.

There Is No Clarity Without Understanding

A little old man approaches me asking for directions. Well, I assume he was asking for directions. For all I know, he was asking me for money or a job. Or he could have been offering me something. How was I to know? He wasn’t speaking English. It’s the only language I know. Some would argue I’m barely fluent.

He tried hard to help me understand, but it just wasn’t going to happen. All I knew is that he was speaking something other than English. Perhaps Spanish, but it could have been Portuguese. I really didn’t know.

I felt badly that I couldn’t help him. His effort coupled with my effort didn’t make a hill of beans difference. He couldn’t understand me. I couldn’t understand him.

Epic fail.

All I could do is apologize and walk away.

That’s what happens when our lives lack clarity or congruency. We just can’t make sense of it. Sometimes none of it makes sense.

Maybe it’s a family situation. Or a job. Or our business.

We feel lost. Sooner than later – if we don’t find a way to get ahead of it – it morphs into hopelessness. We need to attack it before it gets that bad.

Do you know why things almost always look better in the morning, after you’ve had a decent night of sleep?

Because our brain gets a bit of a reboot. It’s kind of like defragging our internal hard drive.

The day before we may have felt confused, unclear and unsure. Groping for understanding. Trying hard to make sense of it. Like the little old man and me – working harder to understand only frustrates things when nothing happening makes any sense.

Tomorrow is a new day. We often find some clarity in the morning. I’m not saying our problems are all solved in the morning, but more often than not it’s sure a lot better. We’re usually able to assemble some sort of plan to move forward after we’ve slept.

Cleaning Things Up Helps Us Simplify, Which Helps Us Focus

For decades I led physical businesses – commonly called “brick and mortar” businesses. Very early in my career I discovered the positive power of one of my quirks. Neatness.

In a retail environment cleanness matters. Go research any study done on what shoppers of physical stores prefer and you’ll see cleanliness and neatness near the top of every single one. Fact is, we enjoy shopping in neat and clean stores. We judge the book by the cover. Well we should. If people don’t take care of their surroundings, then how much pride and competence can they have?

In the late 80’s the President of Scandinavian Airline Systems, Jan Carlzon wrote a book, Moments of Truth. It quickly became one of my all-time favorite business books. In it, Mr. Carlzon made a point that resonated with me because I was (and still am) a fanatic about customer experiences. From Carlzon I first began to focus on the “moments of truth” or the customer points of contact. He observed that the average flier on his airline encountered 5 SAS employees with each point of contact – or moment of truth – lasting a mere 15 seconds. In 1986 SAS had 10 million passengers. That resulted, according to Carlzon, in 50 million moments of truth. He argued – and I completely agree with him – that it was during those moments of truth where his airlines’ success would rise or fall.

Carlzon made the famous the observation of coffee stains on a flip-down tray reflecting poorly on engine maintenance. Are the two connected? Yes, in the customer’s mind they are. The notion is, if you can’t keep the flip-down trays clean, then how could you possibly be on top of the engine maintenance?

For years earlier I had been a drill sergeant about clean stores, clean stock rooms and clean restrooms. I was fanatical about it and I’m sure employees thought it was one of my major quirks. It was, but for good reason. Clean and organized was appreciated by customers. Clean and organized was also a point of pride for employees. I stood before employees and asked, “Have you ever noticed that if you clean your car, inside and out, and do a really good job of it – the car seems to drive better?” Every employee knew that feeling. I preached that the same thing happens in the workplace. And at home.

Yes, it’s focus, but it’s so much more than that. It’s belief. It’s confidence. It’s feeling good about things. It’s clarity.

Being Organized Helps Us Mentally, Physically and Emotionally

Cluttered desk, cluttered mind. I’ve heard it all my life and I’m not saying it’s 100% true, but my experience is that it’s mostly true. I’m not talking about moments of clutter. We’ve all be in the throes of a project or a deadline and things have turned chaotic around us. Forget those. Those aren’t moments of truth as much as they are moments of practical reality. But once the project or deadline is passed, do you continue with the clutter or do you regroup?

I’m urging you to regroup. Take the time to clean up and get organized. It’s impossible to not benefit from it.

Besides, we all need to look back at our work and feel good about it. A sense of accomplishment spurs us on to do more. To do better.

I’m not saying that a clean office, a clean work place or a clean home will insure success. I am saying that it can contribute to success though.

And I’m even willing to say that if your workplace or home is a wreck or a filthy mess, you won’t likely achieve very much. Personally, I’ve never seen it. I’ve never seen a house that was a wreck or a filthy mess be a successful home. Never. I’ve never seen a wrecked or filthy store make it. I’ve never seen a wrecked or filthy office be the residence of a successful business person. Maybe you have, but I haven’t.

I’ve seen environments that properly reflected the person occupying the space.

Is this a chicken and egg problem? Which came first, the cluttered space or the cluttered mind / person’s performance. I don’t know. And I don’t care. Because what I do know is I’ve seen people change their environment and change their mind, resulting in a change in their behavior. I’ve not succeeded in trying to persuade somebody to change their mind first. But I’ve often succeeded in giving people the chore to clean up, get organized and seen a transformation take place in their mind during the process. Especially at the end of the process when they can look back and beam with pride at what they’d done.

I’ve seen executives do it. I’ve seen warehouse workers do it. I’ve seen salespeople do it. I’ve seen housewives do it. It transcends education, social backgrounds, financial conditions, race, sex, religion and any other variable you care to mention.

It just works!

Episode 193 – The Enormous Benefits Of A Clean, Organized Environment Read More »

Episode 192 – You buttered your bread. Now sleep in it!

Entrepreneurship, Personal Development, Podcast / By Randy Cantrell

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 16:23 — 15.4MB)

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Your struggle is different. Different from the struggles others have.

“Why is this so hard for me?” you ask. Other people don’t seem to struggle like this.

You’re not stupid. Of course, you know everybody has a hard time, some times. It just seems like they can fight through their problems easier than you.

You wonder if it’s YOU, or are your problems unique?

Who knows?

How can you tell the difference?

Does it matter any way? I mean, whether it’s you or your problems – it’s not going to change things. Cause the truth is, you don’t seem to be able to find your way to daylight no matter how many others have figured it out.

You either feel as smart as most folks, or you don’t. Maybe you feel like an idiot. There are plenty of days that make you feel that way.

All kinds of thoughts fill your head that don’t help. It’s like your very own super-duper negative Jiminy Cricket, ruining your life with trash talking you every step of the way.

It was, after all, Jiminy Cricket was anointed as Pinocchio’s conscience by The Blue Fairy. Of course, he was trying to steer Pinocchio right, even though it didn’t always work out.

The Blue Fairy: You must learn to choose between right and wrong.
Pinocchio: Right and wrong? But how will I know?
Jiminy Cricket: How’ll he know!
The Blue Fairy: [to Pinocchio] Your conscience will tell you.
Pinocchio: What are conscience?
Jiminy Cricket: What are conscience! I’ll tell ya! A conscience is that still small voice that people won’t listen to. That’s just the trouble with the world today…
Pinocchio: Are you my conscience?
Jiminy Cricket: Who, me?

A fine conscience I turned out to be!

The Blue Fairy: Would you like to be Pinocchio’s conscience?
Jiminy Cricket: [Blushing] Well, uh, I… Uh-huh.
The Blue Fairy: Very well. What is your name?
Jiminy Cricket: [tipping his hat] Oh, Cricket’s the name. *Jiminy* Cricket!
The Blue Fairy: Kneel, Mr. Cricket.
Jiminy Cricket: Huh?
[Kneels]
Jiminy Cricket: No tricks now.
[the fairy taps Jiminy with her wand; his rags turn into fine clothes]
The Blue Fairy: I dub you Pinocchio’s conscience, lord high keeper of the knowledge of right and wrong, counselor in moments of high temptation, and guide along the straight and narrow path. Arise, Sir Jiminy Cricket.

How will you know if what you’re doing is right (taking you closer to success) or wrong (taking you further away from success)?

Well, to quote Jiminy Cricket, “You buttered your bread. Now sleep in it!”

No, it makes no sense. But neither do the messages in your head. But some how you make sense of them. You must…because you give them credence. In fact, you not only give them credence, you KNOW they’re true.

But what if you’re wrong? What if they’re not true at all? What if the voice you stopped listening to a long time ago was right. What if you CAN do it? What if success is possible?

It Doesn’t Matter If It Makes Sense. It Only Matters If You Believe It.

It could be your problem is you’re like Pinocchio. You’ve got a wooden head.

No worries. This week I’m going to try to produce some shows to help you along. Stay tuned.

Episode 192 – You buttered your bread. Now sleep in it! Read More »

Episode 191 – The Influence Of Feedback On Your Direction

Entrepreneurship, Personal Development, Podcast / By Randy Cantrell

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 36:45 — 34.1MB)

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A blog post is written by an A-list blogger with tens of thousands of daily readers. Quite often the comment ice will be broken by a reader whose feedback is nothing more than fan adoration. Fandom is a form of positive feedback, but how helpful is it to the blogger. Can the blogger gain any benefit? Does it serve as a barometer of the quality of that particular post? Will the blogger adjust her content based on the comments?

Maybe. Maybe not. And because there’s no definitive answer, it may not be productive feedback. Circumstances, situations and context will determine. Don Norman, the cognitive science expert and author of The Design Of Everyday Things is right though. We need specifics, details and feedback that will help us concentrate on what’s necessary so we can fix things. Too many times all we get is praise or criticism like a form with check boxes. Excellent doesn’t tell us very much. Poor tells us even less.

A rock band produces a record that veers considerably from their previous style. They want to venture out beyond their past. They want to push things and embrace adventure in their music. Their fans may embrace it, but more likely than not, fans will hate it. It will be something different than what fans expected. Fans will vote with their dollars. Sales will give the band fast feedback, but artistic creativity can help a band avoid burnout and boredom, even if the fans are displeased. Sometimes fans embrace the monumental change in direction. For example, Pearl Jam’s leader, Eddie Vedder, released “Ukelele Songs” as a solo project before this last Pearl Jam project, Lightning Bolt. Eddie got lots of feedback about that solo project.

Dave_911: I thought it was gonna grow on me…epic fail.

Greg C: Makes me feel like I’m on a cloud.

What’s Eddie supposed to do with such disparate feedback? Probably not much of anything. Eddie created this record because he wanted to. For decades he’s experienced success with Pearl Jam. He’s not likely got anything to prove to anybody any more, other than himself. Success – financially and musically – afford him the opportunity to take big risks.

As for Pearl Jam’s latest, those reviews are all over the board, too. As I hit the record button there are about 2,700 iTunes reviews of Lightning Bolt. The overall rating is 4 stars.

DaveG73: Kids…This is ROCK…Any questions?

Luke 79: Do NOT listen to Mind Your Manners (a song on the record) on your mobile device. It will explode.

Yield101: …this is just hard to listen to.

Hitop8: Unfortunately just another example of PJ trying to make a song that sounds like another band.

mdmarkle: The destruction is complete. You guys finally sound like your 50 years old.

Josh Kelley isn’t Eddie Vedder or Pearl Jam. He’s released a number of pop albums, but in March of 2011 he released a country record, Georgia Clay. I’m a fan of both Vedder and Kelley. I own all of Kelley’s earlier records, but I didn’t buy Georgia Clay. My refusal to buy that record is a form of feedback, but it’s anonymous – secretive (until now) even! I enjoy some country music, but I’m not enough of a country music fan to suffer through what I suspect would be my disappointment with Josh Kelley. I love his music and listen to it regularly. For me, pop music is the context for Josh Kelley (at least in my life), not country music.

Most of the iTunes feedback for Georgia Clay is quite positive. Based on the comments, it would seem many of the negative comments are from fans like me – those who appreciated Kelley in the context of pop music. But there’s a lot of positive comments. It’s very possible Josh Kelley has found a new audience among country music fans. The feedback of sales will likely determine his musical future. If sales of Georgia Clay eclipse his past pop records, then he can join Hootie (Darius Rucker) in the ranks of country music. When you’re not yet a household name, the feedback of these sales is more likely to determine the course you take. We’ll see what Josh decides, but so far it appears he’s all in on country music. In fact, his website doesn’t even show his earlier work. I’m hoping for a return to his pop music, but my feedback isn’t enough to set his course, nor should it be.

What about YOU? What feedback determines your direction?

Whether it’s a blog, a podcast, a business, a career or life in general – we’re constantly taking in feedback to determine what adjustments need to be made. Sometimes we solicit feedback from people we trust, friends and family. Of course, there are inherent risks with that. Like the blogger’s biggest fans, they can and often do tell us what we want to hear. They extol upon us their praise, adoration and expressions of confidence. Or, perhaps worse, they shred us to pieces by being our harshest, even unfair, critics. Simply because they lack objectivity. They remain one component of feedback, but rarely do we base all our decisions solely on what they tell us. We need more feedback.

Where do we look? Who do we listen to? What barometers do we use?

Feedback demands a variety of components. Context, ambitions, goals, objectives, schedules, resources, opportunities, relationships and much more. I refer to all these things as circumstance. Each of us has a unique circumstance that determines how feedback – positive or negative – affects us. Our desired destination determines our course, and the kind of feedback that serves us best.

Eddie Vedder’s feedback will likely have less of an impact on his direction because of his current condition – both musically and financially. Eddie’s going to go in the direction he wants, likely without regard to feedback. It’s the power of being fully independent. He’s flying in the rarified air of super heros.

Josh Kelley’s feedback could have a greater impact on his direction. However, we don’t know why he’s headed in his current direction. Does he love country music? Does he prefer writing and performing country songs? If so, then he may not need overwhelming positive feedback. If he gets sufficient sales to fuel his desire, he’ll likely push forward in his current direction. But, if he’s trying to morph his talents into the country genre because he or “his people” think he’s got improved opportunities there, then the level of feedback (sales) required will likely be higher. It all depends on the factors unique to his circumstance. It depends on where he wants to go.

Wealthy executives sometimes walk away from lucrative careers in pursuit of something far simpler and more sparse financially. As high paid executives they were getting positive feedback telling them they were on course. For some reason, they grow weary with it though and like Eddie Vedder, they need a change. A decision is made contrary to the positive feedback – and it’s usually made for reasons that are quite personal.

On the other hand, a young person graduates with an MBA seeking an opportunity to ascend to the executive suite. Resumes are built, Linkedin profiles updated and social media engaged. Without any solid job leads, he may decide to seek the advice of a career consultant, somebody who can help him gain momentum. After resume tweaks and additional strategies are employed, he may find himself getting regular interviews. It’s a good sign that he’s headed in the right direction.

Now, he’s finding little success beyond the first interview. He tries to find out where he’s failing. More feedback from a professional reveals he’s likely too self-focused and coming on too strong. He makes changes and begins to get second, even third interviews until he finally lands a great job.

The process involved frustration, time and ongoing adjustments. But how was that any different than the high paid guy who walked away from the executive suite. Both people had lives that centered around the executive suite. One wanted away, the other wanted in. Feedback played a pivotal role for both, but the feedback was very different because of the desired course sought by each one.

So the question is, “Where do you want to go?”

Feedback is like mile markers on the highway. It tells us if we’re getting closer or further away from our desired destination. It’s important to know where we want to go. Feedback often muddies up that water. We dig deep inside and come to terms with what we want, or what we think we want. Then, people start talking to us, questioning us and sometimes they influence us to alter our direction.

Sometimes it’s for the best. Sometimes not.

In the end, internal and external feedback influences us. Sometimes greatly. Sometimes not. Most of the time we end up doing exactly what we want, likely earning what we deserve.

It’s Business. Feedback Counts.

In our businesses, feedback is best measured in the form of revenue generated or sales made. If nobody is buying, adjust. Maybe you have to adjust the offer. Or the price. Or both. Maybe you have to adjust your marketing message. Or your value proposition.

If you’re not making sales – or you’re failing to make enough sales – then you’ve got nothing to lose by changing things up.

Try something different. Measure how well or how poorly it works. Do more of what works. Do less of what doesn’t.

Do you follow the crowd? That is, do you follow the majority? Maybe. Maybe not. You have to decide.

All I know is you’ve got to have revenues to make a go of it. Without revenues – without sufficient revenues – you won’t last. It’s not selling out to sell out. It may be confirmation that you’re at long last giving people what they most want. Keep giving them more of it…only better.

Episode 191 – The Influence Of Feedback On Your Direction Read More »