You're Going To HATE What I Have To Say.

"I'm Going To Change Your Life In One Easy Step!" I get emails like this all the time. Personalities who say they will radically change your life instantly. All you have to do is believe (and spend $195, $795, 0r $8995) and you will get the secret to the riches of the universe without lifting a finger.

I just received another one today:  "Rewire your mindset to become unbeatable!" "Grow your financial fortune!" "Get ultra-fit and feel better than ever before!" "Achieve all the goals you never could achieve before!"

It's magic! And if you send them your money, they will change your life! Of course, they are highly successful, jetting around the world, filming videos in really cool places. So they must know the secret!

I get together with a number of high-level coaches each month and we are a bit perplexed with the success of these people who sell 21st century snake oil. Don't people get it? Here are some immutable rules of life:

1. Change doesn't happen overnight. It took you a long time to get where you are and it will take a little bit of determined work to get you where you want to be. Yes, you can 'change your mindset' — but the journey will be long, hard, and you will have to gird yourself against falling back into old routines.
2. You won't make seven figures right out of the gate. Unless you have a foolproof hair-growth formula (I'll buy it), incremental gains will only occur if you make the right decisions, at the right time, and deliver a powerful product/service that a lot of people see and want to buy.
3. You won't look like Ryan Gosling instantly. I don't know what 'ultra-fit' means, but after speaking with my personal trainer, it takes months/years to get (and stay) 'ultra-fit'.

Here's my 'secret' prescription for change:

• You need a roadmap. If you don't know where you are and where you want to go, you're going to fail. You also need a step-by-step plan of tasks and activities to get you there.
• You will need to focus. Don't get distracted by shiny objects — it will be hard to stay on track and not veer off into uncharted territory where you might get demotivated.
• You are going to test your limits of confidence and work. It's going to be hard at times — you will have to push yourself more than you ever have before.
• You are going to have to be open to change a few key things in your life. Bad habits and decisions are hard to break — you have to chart a new course and stay on it.
• You are going to make many mistakes along the way. It's a fact of business — take chances and you might fail. It's how you stand up and keep going.
• You are going to have to make a LOT of new friends. You have to reach out farther than you ever have before — meet people who are scary — make hundreds of new friends.
• You need a little luck. Yes, luck. Luck appears when you open yourself up to new opportunities, options, and friends. And you cast away bad habits and procrastination.

Think of the new successful tier of business - Tim Cook (Apple), Brin & Page (Google), Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Jack Ma (Alibaba), etc. They all have and currently work quite hard at their roles to get and stay where they are today. Want to be highly successful? Want to be a star? You have to work it.

"There's no such thing as a free lunch."

Is Your Business Under The Weather?

Most businesses today have a fatal flaw that will take down their entire client base. It’s the fear of doing something . . . anything . . . NEW. They know it ‘might’ fail — so they do nothing.

I’m here to tell you that doing nothing (most of the time) is worse than failing. Why?

Let me give you an example:

Let’s say you’re quite sick. Now many people will disregard the symptoms, say they are not sick — because they feel that the diagnosis or the treatment will be worse or possibly hurt them more than the illness. So they do nothing. What they don’t understand is that the initial reason why they are sick is not being addressed — and it will slowly grow to infect other parts of their body.

Now if they just tried one type of treatment or just went to the doctor and asked for a complete work-up, they would at least make a positive move forward in treating their sickness. Let’s say it failed – they should try something else. And something else — ad infinitum — until they felt better.

I did this with a recurring allergy. I first went to my general practitioner who gave me LOTS of pills. Nothing happened. So I went to a specialist. They took tests (63 pokes of a needle) and also gave me LOTS of pills. I got a little better, but then it came back. I then finally tried an old, but simple cure (a Neti Pot). Guess what? It worked. And I feel GREAT.

It’s like business. People will just act like nothing is wrong and “stay the course” while they see their clients and profits drain away. The problem is that they are afraid of taking any action — it might be wrong — it might worsen the situation — they might lose the business.

But at the end of the day, they need to understand that what is making their business sick can be cured. Here’s the simple process:

1. Realize that you’re sick. You might get better, but you’re probably going to get sicker. And sicker. And then die.
2. Understand why you’re sick. Get a good diagnosis. Find out what the causal elements are — Get the facts. Work with a partner or coach.
3. Take action. Make a list of possible treatments — list them by how much effort (time, money, resources) they will take and what impact they will make.
4. Pick one and take action . . . NOW. Accountability is key.

It’s that simple. As Nike says: “Just Do It.”

How Agile Are You?

"50% of occupations in corporations today will no longer exist by 2025." — from Fast Forward 2030: The Future of Work and the Workplace In less than 10 years, we're going to see a massive landscape change in companies, organizational structures, and even customer wants and needs. To succeed you need to be flexible, innovate, and be agile.

For example, 10 years ago, Steve Jobs walked out on stage and introduced the iPhone. At that moment, we couldn't even comprehend how smartphones took over our lives. We now have instantaneous access to a multitude of abilities only dreamed of a few years ago. Thousands of companies have sprung up that deliver physical and virtual products for our smartphones — and they're making billions (Instagram, Snapchat, etc.).

And guess what — it's only going to move faster and faster. So we need to come up with another way of anticipating change, observing the landscape, orient where we fit in, make a quick decision, and take action. We don't have time for five-year plans anymore — we need to cull them down to one-year plans and quarterly updates.

I have a solution for you. It's called the OODA Loop. Developed by military strategist and United States Air Force Colonel John Boyd, the OODA Loop was applied to the combat operations process, often at the strategic level in military operations.

The phrase OODA loop refers to the decision cycle of observe, orient, decide, and act — the approach favors agility over raw power in dealing with human opponents in any endeavor.

In fact, decisions occurs in a recurring agile cycle of observe-orient-decide-act (OODA):

• Observe - What's happening? What's changing? Who's growing? Who's shrinking? OPEN YOUR EYES.
• Orient - Where are you? What is your position in the marketplace? Where do you need to go? Who do you need to engage? SET A FIRM FOUNDATION, SEE WHERE YOU ARE AND WHERE YOU NEED TO GO.
• Decide - Once all facts are in - make a quick decision. Don't prevaricate or procrastinate. DECIDE & STICK TO IT.
• Act - Take action - do what you need to do, see who you need to see, meet who you need to meet, spend what you have to spend. MOVE FORWARD.

If an individual or an organization can process this cycle quickly, observing and reacting to unfolding events more rapidly than the competition — they can "get inside" the competition's longer decision cycle and gain the advantage.

In the next 5-10 years, new jobs will require increased creative abilities, social and emotional intelligence and the ability to leverage AI. Those jobs will be immensely more fulfilling than today’s jobs which are mostly centered on recurring activities with tedious paperwork and red tape.

So if you want to succeed in business — try the OODA method. It works.

The Best Tool To Communicate Effectively With Your Manager.

Everyone has a manager/boss. Even if you are in business on your own, someone is out there plucking the puppet strings of your career. I work with a myriad of people who have incredible success and terrible issues with their manager. Some bosses are insane, some are saints, some are psychotic, and some are surprisingly normal.

One area I find where most people begin to see the cracks appear in their relationship concerns how they communicate with their manager.

Healthy, regular communication will always ameliorate any potential situation, ensure problems are addressed, and steps are taken in a reasonable amount of time.

Things go wrong when people forget two-way communication resembles a tug-of-war with a huge rope. When one side doesn’t communicate and pulls away, the other side needs to fill the void, take up the slack, and increase their communication.

So how do you do it? Here are some simple rules:

1. Regular — schedule it on their calendar; meet with them (face to face) to discuss what’s happening.
2. Short — make it a 10-15 minute meeting; the shorter, the better — focus on the tactical.
3. Stick to business — cover what you’re working on and discuss next steps. Use an update sheet (1 page) to document what is discussed.

Here’s a great email/paper template I offer to my clients (Rule: Only 1 Page):

1. Accomplishments (from last week):

• Accomplishment 1 (keep each bullet point short)
• Accomplishment 2 (keep it less than 5-7 words)
• Accomplishment 3 (easy to scan)

2. Activities for this week:

• Project 1 (projects to be completed this week)
• Project 2
• Project 3

3. Long-Term Projects (in the near future):

• Project – Due Date (must have due dates)
• Project – Due Date
• Project – Due Date

4. Concerns & Issues:

• Issue 1 (talk about obstacles)
• Issue 2 (come with solutions)
• Issue 3

This template allows you to document your progress and ensure there are no crossed expectations about what you do and what your manager wants you to do. In addition, when you have 52 of these sheets in a binder, reviews go so much easier because you have a syllabus of accomplishments to choose from.

If you meet regularly with your manager (say weekly) for 10-15 minutes and use the recommended template, your relationship will strengthen and soar.

I've even suggested this template for attorneys to keep their clients up-to-date on their progress. It actually helps when their retainer runs out and the client asks 'what have you been doing?' — you now have a weekly documented process to bypass these uncomfortable conversations (and ultimately when you discount your fees because they're angry).

What do you use to update your manager/client on your progress?

Do Whatever It Takes.

If you read Stop Playing In The Kiddie Pool the other day, you got a harsh introduction into running your business. You need to be SERIOUS, COMMITTED, & FEARLESS in yourself and your business. This is a 'Part Two' to that article. When people run a race or push themselves when they exercise, they tend to hit a physical and mental wall that tells them to stop running or exercising. They're too tired, they are over-taxing their body, or they might be close to passing out.

Physically, that might be true — there are many tell-tale signs (heart rate, breathing, etc.) that will tell you you're getting close. What's funny is that your brain usually takes over and tells you way before that you should stop. In fact, your body can go a lot longer than you think — check out this podcast — it opened my eyes!

When it comes to business and your mental state — many of us tend to give up when the going gets tough or when things get out of focus and we're afraid to make the next decision.

We are afraid to make a tough decision, spend money, hire a service — we get paralyzed. And we make no decision. We tell ourselves, "No decision is better than a bad decision." Unfortunately, that's not true.

Let's look at my simple decision matrix:

• Make the decision and it's good - Congratulations! Now make another. And another.
• Make the decision and it's totally wrong - Too bad! Now turn around and move in the other direction.
• Make the decision and it's partly wrong - You're going in the right direction, just recalibrate your angle.

In all three situations, you have to make a decision. In today's business world, no decision, no movement, and no action is bad for your business. Doing the same thing, the same way, with the same resources and moving nowhere is a prescription for failure. Someone else is going to come along and do it better, faster, and cheaper.

In the Welcome Packet I send to new clients, on the cover I have one of my quotes: “If you’re not continually reinventing yourself, your company, or your brand, it’s only a matter of time before you become obsolete, irrelevant, and end up in the bargain bin.”

So hire that new person, engage with that branding firm, move to a bigger office, or take out that needed business loan. Big businesses become big by taking chances and trusting their instincts.

As Walt Disney said so many years ago, “Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious...and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

Keep moving forward.

Get Over Your Fear Of Pricing.

Whether you're established in business or just getting started, you want your pricing to position you as a leader – not as a follower.

Let me explain — you don’t have to be the most expensive, but you can’t be the cheapest and you surely can’t be a bargain! 

Clients and decision makers really do respect and value what they pay more for and here's why — it all comes down to your CREDIBILITY & CONFIDENCE. 

You could be an amazing coach, consultant, organizer, therapist, chiropractor, coder, designer, nutritionist, etc.,  but if you’re under-charging, you won’t have the credibility and confidence you need to make more money in your business. 

Credibility & confidence is definitely attractive — both open doors of opportunity for you because they define what you do is valued by others. Credibility and confidence gets you invited to speak at amazing events, or invited to partner with people who can help you grow your business. Plus, you’re recognized and you have new client referrals effortlessly flowing in to you. A confession — I used to stay safe and secure (comfortable) by keeping my prices low. I would say, "I don't want to leave anyone out that might want be a client with Rich Gee!"

Even more insidious, I was so afraid of hearing “NO” from potential clients that I priced my services really low so that getting a client never made any difference to my finances. Guess what . . .

“YES” never arrived until I tried something completely different. I did something completely different than I ever did before.

Today, I get YES’s from the right people instead of NO’s from the wrong ones. Did you catch it? That's the secret.

When someone runs away from my pricing, they are the wrong people for my practice. They don't appreciate the impact my coaching will have on their business. All they are thinking of is how much I will cost them — not how I will help them make a lot more money for a lot less headache (a LOT more money). I am no longer afraid to stand up for the value my services provide!

People are happy to pay us if we can show them how we can help them fix the problem they have. Yes, not everyone will say ‘YES’ and that is how it should be. But, if you cure a pain or help someone get pleasure faster and better than they can do it themselves, then charge more. A lot more.

TIP: If you want to move from a fear-driven pricing practice to value-driven mission in life, contact me today.

Stop Playing In The Kiddie Pool.

How serious are you about your business?  What are you willing to do to make it to the next level? 

How would you like to add another $100k a month to your business? It's not impossible — many people do it.

But they have to be SERIOUS, COMMITTED, & FEARLESS in themselves and their business.

You need to be SERIOUS — are you willing to work 60-70-80 hours a week to make things happen? Go wherever you need to go? Spend more money than you ever have? This is not your HOBBY — this is your BUSINESS. TIP: I want you to fill in your entire calendar for the week with meetings and work to drive your business forward.

You need to be COMMITTED — are you willing to keep pushing yourself forward when everyone else is telling you stop? Can you keep yourself going when you're out of energy, options, and money? TIP: I want you to stop listening (and asking) for permission — I want you to listen to your inner voice and take action!

You need to be FEARLESS — are you willing to play with the big boys and girls? Are you scared about calling the big people at companies for a meeting? Or do you want to play in the kiddie pool? TIP: I want you to scare yourself every day — pick up the phone and call someone you'd be deathly afraid to reach out to.

Too often, life comes along and we get derailed — we stop being serious, our commitment flags, and we begin to be scared of our own shadow.

I help business owners reach that higher level within months. Why? I get them to stop playing in the kiddie pool when attracting new and better clients.

The changes we make to your business can increase your sales so many times. In fact, when you get it right, you’ll swear you were playing in the kiddie pool all the time . . . and you probably were.

Top 5 Ways Business Owners Underperform.

All business owners underperform to one degree or another. The question — Is your underperformance is affecting your business success to a great or minimal degree?

Are your 'bad' behaviors making you miss out on a few percentage points per year or 10-20-40% per year?

Or in another way — a few hundred dollars or a few hundred thousand dollars?

When I start with a business owner, I usually diagnose one or more of these mistakes:

1. They don't have a 2017 business plan.

Not a 100 page business plan, a one-page business plan. What do you want to make for the year? How many clients do you want to see? How much will you charge? How will you package/promote/segment your offerings?

2. They don't run their business based on a schedule/calendar.

WHEN is a major part of every business. When are you going to do things - when are you going to get them accomplished? When are you going to launch new products/services? When can you reach out to new audiences?

3. They don't get out of their office.

To be successful, you need to get out of your office EVERY DAY. Put on your uniform, get out, and meet people. People are your currency — they can either be your customers or connect you to MANY customers. But only if you get out of your chair, take off those sweats, and get out into the sunshine.

4. They don't have a realistic idea of hard work.

To make a lot of money, you're going to have to WORK HARD. There are many charlatans and con-men out there who promise six- and seven-figure incomes for only a few hours of work at your home computer. Or they tell you about this great multi-level marketing business (and they always say "It's not a pyramid scheme!") where you will become a millionaire overnight. If you meet and interview any highly successful business owner, they will tell you they put in 60-80 (and even more) hours per week to hit that goal.

5. They are not willing to spend money.

To make money, you have to spend money. To have a successful business - you have to invest in your business. So many people try to run their business on a shoestring and spend the least amount of money on the services they need. If you need a great website - spend the money to make it happen. If you need better social media or SEO, don't hire a college intern, hire the best. If you have limiting beliefs about your abilities or keep running into obstacles, you need a certified coach.

Look at your performance in 2016. If you feel you're underperforming, you need ME. 

P.S. I have to thank Hans Hanson for this great idea! He’s THE MAN!

My Gift To YOU.

During this holiday season, I want you to spend some time and relax. Don't think about work, politics, the economy . . . anything. What do I want you to do? Those things that make life special — spend time with friends and family, read a good book, watch a fun video, catch that movie you've been wanting to see. Every year, I take off the last two weeks of December to do a few things:

• Relax - Sit back, enjoy my tea by the wood stove.
• Meditate - Take time out each day to reflect and be grateful.
• Plan - Brainstorm new ideas for my practice and life.

To help YOU relax, I've linked to some of my favorite books, videos, and music I've experienced this year. ENJOY!

BOOKS

The Graveyard Book By Neil Gaiman In The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman has created a charming allegory of childhood. Check out the Audible version too - read by Neil Gaiman - one of the best narrators around.

Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Tim Ferriss I love Tim Ferriss' podcast. Even though he has the best guests with incredible advice, I don't have time to take copious notes while listening. This book is a great resource for reviewing the critical things said without having to scroll through hours of audio.

The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday A treasure for managing our choices, overcoming self-deception, and learning to act according to the true worth of things while keeping the common good always in view. Caring for the soul in this way makes not only better people, but a stronger society too.

VIDEOS

Innovative Leadership: Scott Galloway (start at the 4:00 mark) One of the World Economic Forum’s Global Leaders of Tomorrow, which recognizes 100 individuals whose accomplishments have had impact on a global level, his video series Winners & Losers, has garnered the attention of viewers globally. If you like this - you can watch this one too.

One Day Builds: Adam Savage Makes Something Wonderful from Scratch Watch Adam build, from start to finish, a stylized box to carry and display his Blade Runner Blaster prop replica. The entire project took less than one day to complete, and Adam narrates this video with commentary about his design and construction methods.

Cam Closer One of the scariest short videos on YouTube today. I love this stuff!

The Birth Of A Wooden House This is a documentary movie uncovering the process of building a wooden house with mostly hand tools from (as much as possible) local natural materials starting from forest till the living space.

The World In 2050 - Dr. Peter Diamandis Co-Founder of Singularity University and Founder of the X-Prize - United States of America - He shared insights on how bright the future looks and what are the trends that will shape the world as we know it in the next 25 years.

MUSIC

Shakey Graves - Roll the Bones - Audiotree Live First Aid Kit - America (Live at Polar Music Prize) Maggie Rogers - Alaska Dan Auerbach - Goin' Home Caravan Palace - Rock It For Me (live at Le Trianon, Paris) Sigur Ros "Untitled 3"

See you in 2017!

How To Get Out Of A Rut And Get Set For 2017.

2016 — Banner year or Bummer year? Not doing what you really want to be doing? Not getting the 'right' type of clients? Does your boss drive you up the wall?

Sometimes we get in a rut. Sometimes it's a cavern. Here are some tips to help you get out of that rut and set the stage for an unbelievable 2017:

It's never that bad.

We tend to over-dramatize our situation. We obsess, worry, and focus on the negative to the point where it's looks insurmountable. Granted, sometimes it's really that bad. Most of the time — it's tough to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Solution: Bad and Good are cyclical. If you're in a rut, it usually takes a few quick actions to turn the situation around. If you just lost your best client, you need to get off your butt and get out there and visit all of your current, past, and future clients. Don't sit and mope — make a decision and take action. If you have a bad boss — time to see if you can change the dynamic in some way — communicate more effectively, be more appreciative, anticipate their needs. If you can't do that — it's time to look for new digs. Check out this book.

Take small steps.

When things are bad, we want to get out of that rut ASAP. We want big things to happen, quickly. We want to buy that lottery ticket that delivers $250 million. Unfortunately, life rarely delivers a big enough boon to elevate you out of your chasm.

Solution: Take small steps, keep repeating every day, and be consistent, regular, and unwavering. Why? First off, small steps are easy — big steps are hard. Small steps are recoverable in case you take the wrong step, you can easily step back and change direction. Small steps build upon one another and deliver an inner momentum and confidence big steps will never deliver. Check out this book.

Be positive.

When things are dark and gloomy — we tend to be de-motivated, enervated, and depressed. We're Johnny Raincloud to all of our colleagues, friends, and clients. It shows — everyone notices and candidly, they don't want to be around you.

Solution: Find the internal mindset or external environment to get you in a positive, energetic frame of mind. Nothing good ever happens to a cranky person — turn that frown upside down (I had to say it), and start envisioning where you need to go and what you need to do. Meditate, relax, go for a walk, take a mental health day — do something to change the dynamic. Check out this book.

Take the stairs.

It doesn't happen overnight. To get in a rut, it usually takes a number of bad things to happen over an extended period of time. You might have lost that huge client, but in retrospect, you probably sealed your fate months ago by not communicating or making a serious mistake.

Solution: It's going to be hard — I'm not going to sugarcoat it. You need to work harder everyday to not only make up the yardage you've lost, but to overcome your fears and push yourself to do even better. But if you stay positive, take small steps, and realize that your situation is temporary, you'll find your hard journey upwards rewarding and invigorating. Check out this book.

If you try each of these suggestions, I promise you will not only get out of your rut, you will have an UNBELIEVABLE 2017.

Treading Water Is The Same As Drowning.

Many people today feel they are just 'one bad decision away' from losing their job or business. So instead of making decisions, they make NO decision. Or if they have to make a decision, they take the least offensive, least impactful, least expensive, and most spineless way out. Most of the time, that's the wrong thing to do.

What happens? You ensure management is happy while you infuriate your staff, vendors, and smart clients.

Who thinks big and takes chances? Apple.

• In 1998 — they launched the iMac without a floppy disk drive ("How will we transfer files?).
• In 2007 — they launched the iPhone - no experience (joining the fray with huge, entrenched leaders).
• In 2010 — they launched the MacBook Air without a DVD drive ("How will I watch movies?").
• In 2016 — they launched a new MacBook Pro with 4 USB-C ports ("How will I connect my stuff?).

Each time the media made fun of them and pundits attacked. One year later, everyone embraced the change and moved forward. The result? One of the biggest companies on the planet with a product line admired by all.

To move up and to be noticed by the people that matter, you need to be bold and sometimes stick your neck out. You might hit a home run (most of the time) and sometimes, you might get it cut off (rarely).

That's why I suggest to my clients that they all have INSURANCE. For example:

• An up-to-date résumé, done by a professional, ready to be distributed at a moment's notice.
• A polished and professional LinkedIn page, with recent professional headshot, testimonials, etc.
• Actively networking and connecting with movers and shakers outside of your sphere.
• Learning new things about your industry, taking classes, reading books and writing about what you learn.
• Attending events (industry symposiums, charities, etc.).
• Finally, hire a coach — they help you perform at your peak and help you make the tough decisions.

Once you have those things in your back pocket, it's not that hard to make the tough decisions that need to be made.

Here's a powerful scene with John Goodman (it's a bit rough with the language — but you'll get the gist):

My Best Practice to Get 100x Results.

A lot of people ask me — "Rich, how can you be so happy all the time?" "How do you get on your coaching calls at 6 AM with vigor?" "How do you do it?" I have a secret. And it's time I let you in on it.

No — it's not medication.

It's a book. A book that I use every morning and evening.

A book that helps me in the morning center myself to prepare for the day ahead and to easily reflect in the evening.

It's called The Five Minute Journal. And it's GREAT. Why? Because it takes 5 minutes to fill out.

It's easy. It's fast. And it WORKS.

Every morning, I get up, take a shower, get dressed and sit on my deck and fill out the top part of the page. I read the inspiring quote to get me in the right frame of mind and then quickly list three things I am grateful for today. It could be my health, my family, my marriage, my home, my work, etc.

I then list three things that would make today GREAT. What could I do to make the day more powerful, more inspiring, and where I can touch and change people's lives.

Finally, I write down two affirmations about myself — to help me build and maintain my self-esteem throughout the day.

That's it. Again, it only takes a few minutes — but it feels like I've filled up my enthusiasm gas tank for the day.

In the evening, before I go to bed, I sit at my desk and fill out the bottom part of the page:

• 3 Amazing Things That Happened Today — this allows me to reflect and better understand the power of the world around me and how I fit into it.
• How Could I Have Made Today Even Better — this is the self-improvement part — how could I have been more focused, less frustrated, more helpful, or less sarcastic, etc.

Why does it work for me? Because it stops me first thing in the morning and makes me focus in on what's really important in my life. It then catches me before I go to bed to reflect on my whole day.

The best part? The repetition of doing it every day starts to build my motivational, mental, and philosophical muscles. Every time I do it, I feel myself getting stronger. I feel myself becoming a better person who can better help the people around me.

And that's what it's all about. Get one HERE.

When Things Don't Go Your Way.

It's been a crazy week. Heck, it's been a crazy year. Many people I know are quite unsettled. Business is unsettled. The markets are unsettled. A large portion of our electorate voted for the runner-up, a larger portion voted for the president-elect, and an even larger portion stayed home and didn't vote*.

But I'm absolutely sure one of three things will happen — it's going to get better, worse, or stay the same.

What am I telling my clients? Don't freak out and keep your eyes open. See where things are going and act accordingly. But most of all . . . ACT. Don't get mad, don't get too excited, and most of all, don't shut down.

When things don't go your way, we tend to get frustrated, sometimes angry, and we shut down. This happened to me early in my practice when I was approached to provide a massive amount of leadership training to an organization. From a good friend on the inside, it sounded like a 'done-deal'. I have to come in, show my curriculum, and if they like me, it's GOING to happen. A Sure Thing.

Guess what? They LOVED me. Everyone in the room could not get enough of me. They glowed so much, they had me back in to tighten the requirements, collect their input, and deliver a close approximation of what needs to happen.

I presented my proposal with pricing. They took it with a smile — and then — crickets. Nothing for a week — no call, email, text — nothing. I then called them a number of times and finally got my 'friend' who informed me that based on my proposal, curriculum, and pricing, they were totally rethinking their focus. Somehow, they realized that they might be going down the wrong road with their 200 high-potential executives and it's going to take 3-6 months for them to reassess.

Was I frustrated? Absolutely! In fact, I had to call my wife (I love her so much) and vent for 15 minutes. She helped me calm down, put together a cogent plan and MOVE FORWARD. I didn't shut down, I didn't stay angry, and I didn't do anything rash.

In fact, I took my personal curriculum and proposal and I proceeded to present it to many of my other clients. And guess what?

I received twice the amount of business I would've from my recalcitrent client. Go figure.

So when things don't go your way, don't get angry, don't shut down — step back, re-evaluate, and move forward ASAP.

*Based on the electoral college final tallies. Not the pure total vote. I get it.

Business Is Bad? Yes . . . It's YOU.

Once a month, I go to an incredible meeting of 100+ successful executives who get together to talk business. The person who runs the show is an incredible personality — full of vigor, experience, and knowledge. His ability to speak in front of the group each month is a pleasure to watch. Unfortunately, his ability to put together a professional looking presentation is clearly missing and he also doesn’t know how to work his own laptop for the presentation (he consistently runs into mishaps and problems).

This is a HUGE pet peeve of mine. There’s a lot of competent professionals and executives out there with ugly, cheesy, and just plain awful logos, images, and presentations. And to top it off, they have no technical experience to operate their own machines.

Their excuse is they’re not competent with the tools at their disposal, they ‘just don’t have the eye’ for design, or they don’t have the money to hire someone who has the ability to make their stuff great.

Guess what? You Are In Business. Everything about your business needs to not only be great, but look great too. It also needs the ability to communicate effectively to your audience. Stop hiding behind the old and antiquated belief ‘you’re above all that mundane stuff’ — you’re too important/elevated to have to know/understand your own technology. Or the phrase I love, "It's worked for me for many years."

Here are some excuses I run into:

“I don’t need to know how to run my laptop...” — Yes you do. It’s your business. If you look like an idiot in front of an audience because you don’t pre-plan and ensure everything is working fine, it’s YOUR fault. Grow up and learn your tools inside out. It’s not an overhead projector, it’s a laptop.

“I know we need to make our website look better...” — Yes you do. You should have done it YEARS ago. It’s almost 2011, not 1998. Your site is the first location most people encounter your image and information. Screw this up and you cut your sales dramatically.

“I have to have my logo/business cards redone...” — Yes, they suck. You look like a hobbyist, unprofessional, and you are wandering through business with an unprofessional image for all of us to endure. Hire a competent creative to redo your entire look. Today. See this post.

“It’s the best I can do or I was too busy to get it done right...” — Are you an idiot? Would you say that to a client? I’m giving my time and energy to meet, greet or go to your presentation — hire someone who can do it for you or take the time to do it. Stop acting like a child.

I know I’ve been a little harsh about this topic, but I meet/greet many people in my day-to-day business. Many have their act together. But there is a wide swath of professionals and executives who are damaging their image and business (and hurting my eyes) when they don’t fix what is clearly and apparently wrong with their image and business. And their attitude is they are ‘too above’ this issue to worry about it — bottom line, YOU’RE NOT.

This is not rocket science folks. Hire a competent creative or designer (I know many great ones) who can help you look INCREDIBLE. Don’t hinder or hurt your message with bad design, tools or planning.

Be Silly Today.

 "None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself like an afterthought. Eat the delicious food. Walk in the sunshine. Jump in the ocean. Say the truth that you’re carrying in your heart like hidden treasure. Be silly. Be kind. Be weird. There’s no time for anything else." — Christopher Walken I've never opened an article with Christopher Walken (even though I love him), but I found this quote so inspiring for a Friday.

Too often we don't do the things we REALLY want to do, because we're too busy, too focused (or un-focused), or it's just not the 'right' thing to do.

When I worked in corporate, I found myself sometimes being silly — I'd sing, I'd dance, I'd smile and wholeheartedly greet people in the hallway. In the back of my head, I probably hurt my chances for advancement with the more serious executives, but I feel I left an impression on the rest that is maintained to this day.

My older brothers told me many years ago that I will be spending a full third of my life working. I can either enjoy it or dread it. I chose to enjoy it. That's why I start all of my coaching calls, educational moments, and workshops with a outrageously hearty 'Good Morning!' or 'Hello There!'.

I try to hug people more to fully project my excitement about seeing them. I smile when they talk and take an active interest in what they have to say.

It might be silly or weird — but not only do I embrace my joy of life, other people frequently ask, "Who was that guy?" When I do it, I hope I've brought a little sunshine to their life too.

Networking Sucks.

There — I said it. Networking sucks. Anyone who likes networking isn't networking, they're connecting (stick with me).

Anyone who hates networking is probably networking. And doing it badly.

If you meet someone and they try to 'sell' you on their product or service, that's networking. What they really should be doing is connecting. Connecting is where you try to 'connect' with that person. Where . . .

• You take a concerted interest in who that person is and what they do.
• You get them interested in you (not your business).
• You get them to feel your passion, intensity, enthusiasm, confidence, single-minded purpose, & fearlessness.
• The feeling we’ve won the game before it starts.

Because if I bumped into someone who portrayed half of those qualities — I most certainly would want to get to know them better. And help them. And mention them to my clients.

What Do I Need To Do To Move UP?

People ask me all the time for advice — I frequently answer questions on Reddit, Quora, and LinkedIn to a mix of executives, business owners, and job seekers. The other day, a potential client sent me a set of questions — so instead of just sending them to him, I thought I'd let you all in on how I responded:

"Hey, Rich. I'm pretty well focused on my goals and have a pathway to achieve — It's more about assessing next steps in the corporate world, such as what do I need to do to become a CMO for a mid-size company in 4 years. What classes and skills are requisite? Speaking engagements? What projects should have I lead? Whom should I create a relationship with? What personal habits should I break, etc? What is size of P&L I should run? Do you have an example of how you help executives at major companies reach their professional goals?"

To your questions — broadly — one needs experience, knowledge, gravitas, tools, communication skills, connections and exposure to become a CMO. Let me cover each one and I'll include your questions:

Experience

You need a requisite amount of experience to become a CMO. It's not 'how many years', it's more about how many areas do you feel comfortable in the marketing arena? I come from a marketing background — you need creative, technical, statistical, client, financial and communication experience to make CMO. You need to know all the areas you will manage — so many newly minted CMO's who hit the top rung usually are lacking in many of these areas and it shows in their performance. I'm not saying you need to be an expert in all areas — although you should have leveraged each one during your career.

Knowledge

It's what you know. Where has the industry been and where is it going? What is your competition doing? Where has your company failed and succeeded? What CAN you do to move forward? Knowledge is power and when you're at the pinnacle of your organization, you need to have a adequate grounding in the past, present, and future of your industry. People will be looking up to you and it's imperative that you have a good base to lead them forward. Or, surround yourself with people who do.

Gravitas (Leadership)

Leadership happens instantly. You can't train for it — I can tell a novice a mile away by how they comport themselves in certain situations and with people. Guess what — your people can too. You need to clearly develop good leadership behaviors with positive engagement, enthusiasm, energy, and motivation. Unfortunately, gravitas comes with time — if you compare me with my 35 year old me, you will instantly see how cool, calm, and collected I am during critical situations.

Management Tools & Techniques

It's what you know. Most people aren't open to better ways of doing things. "I've done it this way for years" is the death knell of any job or business because something better or someone faster comes along. As with knowledge, you need to re-assess your toolbox of tool and techniques and see if they're still effective and motivating. Bottom line, as a CMO, you need to leverage many motivational, time-management, and process-driven skills to stay at the top and succeed.

Communication Skills

If you've been a doer (worker-bee) during your career, you need to ramp up your interpersonal communication skills. I've worked with and seen many C-Level people who are incredible at getting things done, but suck at getting people to help them. When you approach the big positions, it's less doing and more communicating. In fact, it hinges on evangelizing. You need to inspire the people around you and help you achieve your vision for the future. If you aren't communicating effectively, you will lose the troops who will make that happen.

Also, you should be speaking ALL THE TIME. Sample topic: Where will your type of marketing/industry be in 5/10 years?

Connections & Exposure

You should connect with key people in (and outside) of your organization. Connections are the currency of influence and success when you want to become a CMO. Marketing needs the assistance of every other department in your organization, so it's imperative that you develop critical connections to ensure a smooth flow of information, assistance, and resources. The more 'friends' you acquire, the more currency you have to spend when you need to lean on them for a favor.

Get out of your bubble. So many people tend to stay and communicate with the same 10 people regularly. You need to build your connections and get out and meet better tennis players who play better tennis.

I can go SO much deeper with each area - but I wanted to give you a brief intro on what you need to do to move up.

Is Your Career On Cruise Control?

I had a great conversation with one of my clients about his career (he's a successful labor/employment attorney). We discussed how there are two types of people — those who have a 'cruise control' career and those who actively drive 'stick-shift' with their career.Not that there's anything inherently bad about a cruise control career. If everything is going well, you're:

• Making a lot of money.
• Work/life is in balance.
• Loving what you're doing.
• Moving up or getting clients at a nice pace.

That's great! You're in the fast lane on the career highway and you can click it into cruise control.Now if you're:

• Not making a lot of money.
• Work/life is out of balance.
• Not loving what you're doing.
• Not moving up or getting clients at a nice pace.

It's time to turn that cruise control off and start shifting gears to go faster or slow down and reassess your situation. When this happens, I tell colleagues, friends, and prospects to read one of these two books:

Take the Stairs: 7 Steps to Achieving True Success by Rory Vaden (200 pages)

No Excuses!: The Power of Self-Discipline by Brian Tracy (300 pages)

These books will help you move from a passive career focus to a more active career path. Check them out and read them this weekend — they're a quick read!

Are You Risk Averse? That's Why You're Going Nowhere.

I had a great session with one of my favorite clients the other day. We covered an area on making decisions and I brought up a way I teach people to think about their careers and owners to think about their businesses. There are three ways to make decisions in business:

1. Sure Things - These are the easy decisions we make that take little or no thought. They're easy to quantify, foresee, and usually called 'no-brainers'.
2. Calculated Risk - A little more work is involved here — we need to weigh many options and outcomes. Many things are measured and tracked along the way to ensure that we don't fall flat on our face. This is the biggest slice of the pie - from easy risk calculation to highly complex analysis.
3. Hail Mary's - Not so much a blind throw into the end zone, but there is the reality that this is a decision into the unknown. You can just measure so much and have to rely on gut feel in your industry or marketplace.

Successful executives and business owners tap into all three decision states frequently. If I had to hazard a guess, the typical business/executive builds their decision base with 20-30% Sure Thing, 60-70% Calculated Risk, and 10-20% Hail Mary.

Many things in business were Hail Mary's — the iPhone, Tesla, Amazon, etc. Most startups are highly analyzed calculated risks but they start out as a Hail Mary — 'let's try it' or 'it can't hurt' are frequently mentioned. Venturing into unknown territories where you're not comfortable is not only healthy, but required for many businesses to grow and mature.

Opening up a second location, hiring your first employee, pitching that premier client, spending big bucks on your website/SEO/PPC are just a few areas where we tend to feel quite nervous when we're pushing the envelope. You should feel anxiety in your gut when you make these decisions. That's why they're Hail Mary's — you're throwing it as far as you can subtly hoping for someone to catch it.

Sometimes we make Hail Mary decisions when our back is against the wall — and sometimes it's too late. It's better to regularly make Hail Mary decisions 2-3 times a year to stretch your company, yourself, and your people.

How To Be A High-Performing Person.

“If you’re not continually reinventing yourself, your company, or your brand, it’s only a matter of time before you become obsolete, irrelevant, and end up in the bargain bin.”

This is my own mantra that I provide for my clients. If your not looking towards the future on a regular basis, the present will arrive faster than you think and you’ll be behind your competition. If you want to be a high-performer, here are some suggestions I deliver during my keynotes:

1. Refresh your brand every 2-3 years. Can you tweak your logo? Maybe change a color or font? Keep it FRESH.
2. Update your website every 2-3 years. Does it work/look good on mobile devices? How old does it look? Look at your competition. It has to be clean, uncluttered, and easy to navigate. Don’t fill it up with shit.
3. Change your business card yearly. Today, your card is your brochure. It should not only deliver contact info — it should sell you and your business. Use quality card stock, use color, images, etc. Why yearly? Something always changes with the info/logo/title/location — only print small runs so you don't feel bad chucking out 1000 cards. Check out Moo.com.
4. Make your voicemail message SELL. If it’s you with a tired voice, you’re probably losing business. Hire a professional to help you craft and voice your new voicemail message and outgoing on-hold systems. You could even take a look at using something like this ringless voicemail drop if you want to help promote your business more.
5. Change your signs frequently. If you have a physical location or a fleet, ensure all signage is clean, new and visible. Old signs that are dirty/faded will LOSE business for you. Have signs made so they can modify messages frequently to attract interest. Keep it FRESH, CLEAN, and SHARP.
6. Upgrade your email signature (at the bottom of your emails). Most people don’t have one or if they do, it doesn’t sell their business. Make it look professional, give them additional info, point them back to your site, and make sure it works on most email systems.
7. Get a .com domain name. If your email address has aol, yahoo, gmail or another provider, it immediately telegraphs to me that you are not running a ‘real’ business AND you don’t know what you’re doing. Get one today.
8. Clean up your digital act. If your voice mailbox is full or you never return emails, you have a problem. Set aside time to regularly clear out your voicemail and develop a system to help with email overload.
9. Get comfortable with technology. I run into so many people in their 50/60’s who act like little children when it comes to tech. Listen — it’s here to stay and if you catch yourself not embracing it — you look old, antiquated, and lazy. It’s not an irritant, it a part of our lives.
10. Hang out with people who AREN’T like you. We get lazy and commune/collaborate with our own age groups and social status. Get out and hang with millennials, seniors, and most of all, play tennis with tennis players who can kick your ass. You WILL play better tennis.

If you need help with any of these items, call me anytime - 203-500-2421. I can recommend highly competent people to help you. Even me.