Time Travel

Do you believe in time travel? With the risk of losing every reader we have, I must admit that I do and that I have experienced it many times. The time travel that I am referring to is not quite the same as the science fiction movies; you know, jumping into some wild-looking machine, firing up the flux capacitor and flying off, back to the future! I've never dialed in a date on some odd-looking gizmo and then miraculously jumped there in a flash, yet when I think about how I've arrived right here, right now, it does seem as if I got here a lot faster than I thought possible.

The Ghost of Business Past

Recently Beth and I had the opportunity to have dinner with a great young couple. They are expecting their second child, and their first is a tremendous blend of mother and father who, at two years old, already seems to have life all figured out.  We sat at our table for several hours and talked about building a business, building a team, building customers and building a life that would be meaningful and significant. From my seat in the restaurant, I traveled back 25 or 30 years to a place where I was sitting on the opposite side of the table, asking the questions, looking for answers, and, in my thoughts, comparing and contrasting the answers I was hearing with other answers I had received during other such dinners. Dwelling in that moment in history, I remember being hungry for information from every book, tape, or person who would talk with me. It seemed that back then there was plenty of time to get things accomplished. I had goals. My feet were leaving the starting blocks. The race was on, and I could run and never get tired. I had Beth and the boys cheering every step of the way, and then somehow I must have stepped into a time machine--a time machine that was set for this table in this restaurant, with this couple and talking about the race that is still being run.

Over the past 25 years I have had the privilege of being involved with hundreds of great companies and spent thousands of hours guesstimating with thousands of great people. All of this experience becomes the fuel that enables me to travel forward in time to get a glimpse of what might happen in the lives of the people I meet today. I have watched individuals who were literally making minimum wage digging ditches 25 years ago transition and grow into leading a crew or a branch or a division or their own companies. In contrast, I have also known many natural-born leaders and salespeople who were never able to get out of the starting blocks and have spent their time failing from job to job creating turmoil in their family and a trail of burnt bridges. What is the difference in the two?

The ones who found success did so because they were committed to becoming the best ditch diggers possible. From the beginning, they started by doing all of the simple things that made them successful in that position and formed the foundation for greater success in the future. Showing up on time, working hard, and being grateful for the current income they were making; they trusted that better opportunities would come if they put themselves in the position to earn those opportunities. In contrast some individuals with an excess of talent and potential had a tendency to never progress beyond wanting more without giving more. Ultimately the only career path open to them was to bounce around between equally unfulfilled situations. 

This is all much clearer in hindsight and much easier to see when we're measuring up someone else. It can be very difficult for us to see which person we are at the current moment, yet if we stop and reflect, we may know. On the other hand, I believe it is possible to predict where any person, including oneself, will arrive over time. If we are putting ourselves in a position to get better at what we are doing right now, whether it be a business owner, doctor, teacher, or ditch digger, there is a great chance that we will arrive in the future having enjoyed the journey and happy with the destination.

 

One opportunity for time travel that I have recently had has been through my re-acquaintance with a gentleman by the name of Jim Gibbs. About 15 years ago, I had the opportunity to work with Jim and his company Gibbs Landscape in Atlanta, helping the sales team to unleash their potential and the production team to welcome the challenges of a growing company. I enjoyed the several visits to work with them and on one such occasion had the opportunity to stay in Jim's guesthouse at his home north of Atlanta.

Learning From a Master

 

As we walked through the gardens and tremendous outdoor spaces surrounding the house he talked about how he one day planned to develop the entire 220 acres into a public garden that thousands of people could enjoy.  Thinking back to those conversations I don't remember thinking to myself what that would be like, or having any real interest in if he would reach that goal, but what I did know at the time was that the gardens were beautiful and inspiring.  I knew that Jim's passion and enthusiasm for them burned inside him and kept him going day after day toward that dream.   I recently returned to those gardens to talk with Jim about allowing us to bring a group of salespeople and business leaders to the exact gardens he had described 15 years ago. 

Walking with him through 220 acres of gardens, I realized that I had traveled through time. In that early visit to Gibbs Gardens, he was telling me about what the future would be; in my recent visit it seemed as though I had simply arrived in that future. He had fueled his journey with vision, passion and enthusiasm that allowed him to become a Master Gardner, a Master Business Builder and, if you believe in it, a Master Time Traveler.

As we finished our dinner with our young friends and were laughing over the dessert we were trying not to eat too much of, one of them asked a great question, a question that had me instantly sorting through the database of people and places and stories that I have accumulated over time to find the best possible answer: "Why do some people succeed when others do not?"

 

Gibbs Gardens

I repeated the question back, trying to stall and hoping that an answer would come to me. Then the answer just arrived in one of those moments when you seem to be listening to yourself speak, "Those individuals who have succeeded as a leader or contributor are simply those individuals who kept going. They faced each obstacle or opportunity as just another step as they as they travel through time."

- Jim Paluch

 

On April 1, Jim Paluch will sit down with Jim Gibbs for the fourth installment of the Come Alive Outside EDGE Webinar Series. Tune in to find out more about how Jim Gibbs became a Master Gardener as well as a Master Business Owner. This webinar will be a great preview to what the experience will be like at Sales Jam on June 13-14 at Gibbs Gardens in Atlanta. Register here for the webinar on Monday at 3:00 p.m. EDT.

 

Tips for Time Travel

• Be aware of the present moment.

• Gibbs Gardens Today Collect stories and appreciate the people you meet.
• Know that what you observe today may help you tomorrow.
• Enjoy recalling memories, and do it often.
• Practice imagining your future self.
• Set goals.
• Think on things worth thinking about.
• Just keep on traveling.

Practicing Communication

Everybody Communicates

Do you communicate on the most important subjects within your organization? We all know we should have conversations about improving performance, sales goals, marketing efforts, efficiencies and, probably at the top of the list, financial management issues. We know all these things are vitally important and yet the most important conversations are usually pushed aside, taking place as a haphazard meeting in the hallway or during the 15 minutes you can spare in your office while the phones are ringing and emails are coming in. We sometimes assume our team understands critical issues from a vague email we sent. Sometimes we may even choose the worst leadership tactic and avoid these conversations all together. Over the past 25 years, we at JP Horizons have been teaching companies how to communicate better and how to create a culture in which you can become incredibly effective at having those difficult conversations that make you most successful.

Look at the diagram to the right and see if it could symbolize your company. If not let me assure you of two things. One, this is what most owners wish they could have … operations, admin and sales all focused toward a common sense of purpose. Or, to use an old cliché: Everyone on the same page.   Everyone pointed in the same direction. Steven Covey called it having everybody “headed true north.” In our workshops or when working with new clients, I often ask, “What does this feel like?” If I am on my game, and we are having a productive meeting, I hear responses like … awesome, tremendous, rewarding, inspiring or fun. All of those great things are shouted out by the audience or a leadership team, and then comes the question, “If this is what it feels like when everyone and every department is focused on a common purpose, then why would it not be our number one focus as leaders to make sure it happens?”

 

The next question I often ask owners and leaders in a company is this: “Wouldn’t it make tremendous sense to be striving to have everybody pointing in the same direction?” If the reward for sharing a common purpose were only to help your team feel those feelings I just listed above, it would still make sense to dedicate a great deal of energy to communicating your company’s purpose with your team. The benefits of a team that is all heading in the same direction are far more than just happy team members. The most successful companies, the ones that make the most positive impact on their customers and have the healthiest bottom lines, are the companies that have a team of people who are all on the same page.

 

Unfortunately, when I ask most owners and employees what the greatest weakness in an organization is, 9 times out of 10 they say the word . . . communication. This happens so often, and I sometimes laugh to myself, because it is said as if it is some giant breakthrough in leadership and organizational dynamics. But, the truth be known, everybody is saying the same thing … “We just don’t communicate.”

The fact is, however, that it’s not communication that is a problem. Communication is taking place all the time in the organization. The challenge is whether it is good, productive communication or bad, destructive communication. It is clear that the great leaders who produce the best results are those who at least have the presence of mind to be aware which end of the scale they are communicating on and taking the appropriate steps to make sure it is productive. As a leader, parent, friend, business owner, or spouse, you always want to have profitable communication.

What is the opposite of profitable communication?

If everyone is seeking the positive results from profitable communication made possible by each team member or family member being focused on a common purpose, then why do we find ourselves so often at the opposite end of the scale?  The problem is that in our haste to communicate, inspire, train or lead, we can very easily become ambiguous!  This is a high-brow term for bad communication.

Ambiguity is not a word we commonly use, but it looks like the diagram to the right. Stop for a moment and focus on this diagram. Imagine, and unfortunately it might not take too much imagination, but imagine what the results, feelings, and frustrations are when our teams are represented by this diagram. If you look closely, you can find a bright spot or two, at least all three groups are heading upwards, in a positive direction. They feel as if they are doing a good job, but could excel if the other two would only do a better job, you know, “Get on the same page.” The other positive thing is there are still three groups in this picture; we have not lost anyone and with a little effort, there could be hope for better results.

When I ask the question, “How does ambiguity make you feel?” the answers most frequently heard are “How many more vacations days do I have this year?” “I wonder who I can sell my business to?” “I don’t want to answer the phone.” “We need to find some better people.” “It is hard to get out of bed.” Then we think all we need to do is attend a seminar or read a book. (Please know I am all in on reading books and attending seminars; new information fuels the journey to wisdom.) You may have witnessed your family, department or company cringe when they see you carrying around a new book. They know that before long a lecture series at the dinner table or fragmented presentation at the next company meeting is going to follow the completion of the book. Generally, when the information from the seminar or the next book is looked upon as the answer, the Holy Grail you have been seeking, it tends to drive more ambiguity into the organization. It is hard for everyone to look ahead and see the vision you are putting out to them when most are rolling their eyes and thinking here we go again. Remember, new information only fuels the journey; it does not create the destination.

The reality in business is there may not be another quarter, another year, another chance.  As leaders we must actively remove ambiguity and commit to enabling clarity at every opportunity if we are going to be around next year.

Study the diagram of clarity here. It looks exactly like the diagram for success. In business, clarity will always result in a successful outcome. Consider the responses from audiences when asked, “How do you know you have clarity in the organization?” The responses are always similar to “It is ENERGIZING.” “Results are happening.” “Ideas and solutions flow up, not just down.”  “People are growing.” “I am not afraid to look at my P&L,” etc. If those are the responses, then doesn’t it make sense for you and me to make sure we are communicating with more clarity and focus on the goals we are seeking to accomplish?

THERE IS ONLY ONE SOLUTION TO AMBIGUITY

It is not going to happen by simply reading one book, attending one seminar, or reading this one newsletter just like health and vitality will not be achieved just by going on a diet.  The only way to turn ambiguity into clarity is PRACTICE.  If, in the future, we want to achieve the desired results we are all so worthy of, then we must be willing to practice being clear in our communication today.

The JP Horizons team discovered this years ago when we started producing a training process for companies that they could initiate themselves based on the outlines and guidance they received from us online and through our phone coaching. Week after week, we would provide the topic and the template and they would provide the content as it related to their business. The results were inspiring. What we learned was it is not the information they received, but the improved interaction between departments and individuals that produced the most results. How did this improved interaction come about? PRACTICE. By having the discipline to meet each week, week after week in a productive and positive manner, they became better at communicating. This consistent practice produced the good communication that in turn gave the ability to lead, guide, and achieve positive results through clarity.

This early discovery based on observing the success of the “PRO Training Challenge” became the foundation for other successful solutions like the Working Smarter Training Challenge, the Owners Network, the Sales Jam and today provides the road map to “A BETTER WAY 2 LEARN FINANCIALS” and the other programs that will follow.

We all have the ability to communicate with clarity just like everyone is born with the ability to run a marathon, play an instrument or write a novel. What separates those with ability from those that get the results is that one was disciplined and willing to PRACTICE and the other was not.

A Better 2 Learn...
Your Way to Communicate on Financials

The concepts that make this model of learning successful can be applied in every aspect of your business to allow you as a leader and an owner to be a better coach, visionary entrepreneur and successful business person. When you practice communication through A Better Way 2 Learn you will learn to communicate more profitably.

Why not practice communication in your business by trying out the first two lessons of A Better Way 2 Learn Financials for free with no obligation.
Just click here and start improving your communication today.