It took me a long time to realize that I'm basically a libertarian – not a wacko, off the deep-end, overthrow the palace guard, Lyndon LaRouche libertarian – but a "self-ownership" libertarian. My life is my own responsibility. I do not require anyone else to do the work to discover and fulfill my destiny. The details of the remainder of my world view are derivative.

 

As a part of that, I believe that each of us must accept complete responsibility for creating our own life as well as total accountability for the results of our decisions and actions. No blame … no whining … no excuses! That doesn't dismiss the difficult circumstances that engulf some people. It simply means that requiring the world to be different than it is in order for us to be successful is an unproductive way to live. You grew up poor and you want to be rich; you have to do it. Your business failed; you did it. Obstacles; overcome them. If it's too hard for you, your outcome is your choice.

 

Don't blame the world; it’s perfect the way it is. How do I know? Because that's the way it is. Anything else is an opinion, not a fact! As business philosopher Jim Rohn is fond of saying, "You can't change the seasons, but you can change yourself.”

 

Many of my friends and associates will bob their heads as I drone on about this issue and say "I agree" and then add "except for the following." For me, there is no "except for the following."

 

One of my favorite books is The Road Less Traveled by the late M. Scott Peck, M.D., a man with an inquiring mind and a scientific perspective. It begins:

 

"Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult – once we truly understand and accept it – then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters."

 

You might read that and react with a yawn, an "of course" or a "duh," because, as an abstraction, the truth of that paragraph is intuitively obvious. Peck goes on to say (with more eloquence and less bluntly than I would) that the degree to which you accept responsibility for the whole enchilada of your life – the degree to which you accept that truth – is the degree to which you'll have a successful life. To the degree you don't, you'll struggle.

 

He then cites one personal quality – discipline – as the secret to success. If you're now saying, "Well, I have plenty of that,” you ought to read his book. Dr. Peck's components of discipline include delaying gratification, acceptance of responsibility, dedication to the truth, and balancing.

 

All of these elements are supremely important in a business, as well as a personal, context. To his four, however, I would add one of my own: the ability and inclination to do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, the way it needs to be done, every time. If you always achieve the results you plan, you probably have discipline. If you do most of the time, you probably have some discipline. If you rarely do, well …

 

Here's today's Exhibit A, a poster child for discipline in his field: Matt Stover, the field goal kicker with the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League.

 

Field goal kickers have the reputation of being quirky, a bit "off-center." They rarely socialize with their teammates. They're often alone and off to the side, talking to themselves. Stover is unique in his "non-weirdness," but he's also unique in his exceptional discipline. He keeps a series of notebooks – 16 in total, one for each of his NFL seasons. Each book contains his statistics and observations for one year. He logs in every kick – not just when they count – in each game. He also logs in every practice kick. He can literally recount every step of every kick he's made and missed. He is meticulous. He's also, on a percentage basis, the most successful kicker in NFL history, and, oh yes, he's becoming more accurate with age. And, he's 40. He attributes his success not to physical prowess, but to his attention to detail.

 

Remember: Practice doesn’t make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect. 

 

 Seven Tips for Everyday Problem Solving
by Mark Akerley

Let's face it, if you run a business, you're going to run into problems. Of course some of those will be more difficult than others, and some may even be "opportunities" when examined more closely. Problems nonetheless, and every business has them, and every business leader must resolve them. So, a real competitive advantage for any business is to be able to solve problems both efficiently and effectively. Yes, easier said than done, but here are a few tips to help you do so:

 

1. Believe that "The Problem is the Process not the People.” Do you know that 85% of performance and operating problems are directly related to the design and management of a business process? And your business is really just a set of processes – sales, marketing, finance, operations, fulfillment, etc. – that are simply a sequence of steps intended to deliver a particular result. When you're not getting the results you expect from any particular process, break it down to specific steps, examine each one, reserve judgment on individuals and look for activity that isn't efficient and effective. Discovering the root cause of an issue is the secret to problem solving, i.e., identifying the real problem and changing the process.

 

2. Listen. Listen to the people who work in and for your business, to those who manage processes and to the customers you serve. Seek out multiple perspectives when solving problems, and know that seldom is one particular perspective "the" perspective. Doing so just may enable you to find a whole new, and better, way of doing things.

 

3. Employ the 80/20 Rule. This rule is as true for operational processes as it is for sales processes. That is, 20% of a total effort usually produces 80% of the result. Always ask, "What's really important here, and where should I be spending my time (or my staff's time) to maximize results?"

 

4. Use Data. Business leaders must be keenly aware of the power of opinions and anecdotal information. Stay clear of such, and endeavor to support every suggestion or recommendation with the best quantitative data available. Understand that good decisions are based on good information.

 

5. Generate Ideas Through Others. Business leaders revel in getting the best out of the people they work with. They know that great ideas can come from those who actually get their hands dirty as well as those who are objective outsiders. Multiple solutions to problems and opportunities exist, so take time to ask questions and solicit input from others.

 

6. Execute. Analyzing alternatives, weighing pros and cons and formulating time and action plans are all good steps to solving problems, but they don't solve problems. As a business leader, you must take action for something to happen. Avoid analysis paralysis and get moving. Take action.

 

7. Focus on Results. The path to resolution may be difficult; it may even hurt. But avoiding necessary and difficult actions now may be much more painful to your business in the long run. Once you've decided on a course of action then begin, as Stephen Covey says, with the end in mind. A relentless focus on the results you need will propel you through difficult times.

 

Although there may be others, these seven tips will certainly help you solve everyday problems and produce very good results. If you can turn them into personal habits, simply the way you do things, they'll also uncover a wealth of opportunities for you and your business.