Why bother? Because it matters!
Your view, your voice, and your vote; they all matter. A lot of people say why bother, it won’t make a difference. Don’t give in to that lie, you can make a difference; but you have to get involved. Get involved, because it matters.
I understand how people can get caught up in the belief that what they do does not matter. They have either been fed a lie, or not taught the truth. So they do not get involved; they do not set a goal to change things, and hopefully change them for the better. The fact of the matter is, you have to learn what you do matters. You have to learn that your view, your voice and your vote, they all matter; but the first step is to get involved!
Find something to do with you spare time besides killing time. You do not have to go in debt or play keep up with the Joneses to make a difference. Remember, some people are born rich, and some people are handed power and fame on a platter; it is silly for the rest of us to measure ourselves against other people if we do not know how they got there. You can volunteer at any local church or charity or school. You can start a block club! You can make a difference just by getting involved. Or you can say, “Why Bother?” You will learn and see first hand you can make a difference, not matter how big or small. Getting involved puts you ahead of the people who sit back and complain, in my book!
Your view matters. Once you get involved, your point of view can help solve problems, settle disputes, raise moral or just set a good example for others to follow. Your involvement with raise your awareness of what is going on around you. “Why bother?” Because most of us never get to see what goes on backstage at a concert when they are setting up all the equipment and getting everything ready. OK, maybe you don’t want to work as a roadie at a rock concert, what do you want to do? Get involved! See what happens during set up and tear down and throughout the planning stages. The more you expand your view, the more you learn; the more you learn, the more involved you will become. The more involved you become the more your view will matter. It is a circle that builds on itself!
Your voice matters. They say that actions speak louder than words, but words can inspire if they are based on actions. Put the two together, your actions and your words and they will add value to each other. If people are watching your actions and hearing your words, they will begin to do the things you do. This will have a multiplying effect over time. “Why bother,” because your voice matters when it is coupled with actions that are based on your involvement. If you were not born a millionaire or born into royalty; you will have to build it from the ground up. How much you get done depends on how much of a team you have around you. I used to like to watch that T.V. show where they could tear down and rebuild a house in a week. Can’t do that by yourself, you need a team; and your team needs to see that you are willing to back your words with your actions.
Ok, see how this continues to build on itself? You have to get involved, you have to expand your view, and you have to add your voice to inspire others. You will begin to see that everyone’s views and voices matter. Everyone’s vote matters! Your vote matters! People vote based on what the see, what they know and what they are led to believe. If you think your vote does not matter, a smaller and smaller pool of people will vote; and their vote becomes more powerful. “Why bother?” Because in the United States, people have given their lives so that everyone can have the right to vote. The struggle for an equal voice and equal votes continues in the United States and around the World!
Your vote matters. If you don’t vote, start. If you do vote, spend more time thinking about your vote than you spend researching your fantasy football team, or picking your brackets in basketball tournaments, or watching reality T.V. shows. Your vote gives someone the power to represent you, to alter laws for you, and sooner or later the actions of the people who represent you will affect your everyday life. You should spend a little more time listening to people who are actually involved and believe that what they do matters. Spend more time listening to the people who are involved, than listening to the people who are just sitting by and complaining.
Your vote matters, your voice matters, your view matters, your involvement matters! They build upon each other. Your involvement will strengthen your view, your involvement and your view will strengthen your voice. All three will strengthen your vote. Your vote will strengthen your involvement and it all will start over again. Day after day, year after year they will continue to grow if you get involved. Or you can be one of those people who just say, “Why bother?” Why bother, because it matters!
Finding the answers that you already know!
Most of us already know the answers to the questions that are nagging at us. Most of us already know what we should or should not be doing. So how can you unlock those answers that are hidden deep in your mind? First, don’t take my word for it; read about it, search engine it, stop by the book store, debate it. Ok, you can finish this post first.
The biggest problem most of us have with indecision is that we feel we have no real power or control over what we do. That is not true, the truth is there is too much static, spin and noise in the word. For every point there is a counter point. For every Pro there is a Con. There are too many spin doctors and con artists out there trying to steal away your attention and then your intentions.
The first step in unlocking what you already know is to Stop! Take a deep breath, rub the sleep or sand out of your eyes. Take off the rose-colored glasses, and get away from the doom and gloomers. Take a minute to identify what has got you all stressed out in the first place, which means you have to listen to yourself for just a minute. Can you take a minute?
The second step is to clearly put what ever it is that is bothering you into words. Don’t say I am having a bad day. A day is neutral, there are no good days or bad days; there are only days. Sunny in place, rainy in another; cold in one place, hot in another – there are only days. If your car wont’ start, say it. My car won’t start. One person’s bad news; “My car won’t start” is another person’s good news. “Triple AAA Auto, we can have somebody out in no time.” Put what is bothering you into words.
The third step; Focus for just a minute. Once the problem is clearly defined, focus on it for just a minute. Just a minute; you have to decide, is this problem a show stopping problem, or can I deal with it later? You will have to deal with it, but first you have to decide if it is important enough to be top on your “To Do List,” or can you drop it down a little?
Step Four: Prioritize. If you got one dart to throw at a dart board, where are you aiming? If you have two darts, where are you aiming? If you have two darts and the 1st dart misses, where are you aiming? Where does this problem fit into to the big picture? If you don’t know you do not have enough information, if you do not have enough information, why stress?
Step Five: Un-focus. Un-focus? Yes, Un-Focus; stop thinking about the problem. If you have put it on you priority list, then deal with it when the time comes. Do not avoid it when the time comes, deal with it when the time comes; but for now move on to what is next on your list.
Step Six: Meditate, pray and or seek a higher authority. If you are still having a problem, clearly ask for an answer. Now this is where it gets tricky. Ask your question and then stop asking the same question over and over and over. You have to wait for the answer. The funny thing is you probably know the answer; it has just takes a minute to clear out the noise and all the static.
Step Seven: Unwind. If you are still having a nagging problem with that nagging problem, you will not be able to solve it in the next 15 minutes or until you get new information, or until the time is right. If you have knocked out everything else on your to do list, then wind down. Go for a leisure, walk or bike ride or read a book. Don’t depend on substances like drugs or alcohol to take your mind off of things. But give yourself a chance to unplug and watch the sunset, or the sunrise, or feel the power of the wind or the rain.
Step Eight: Sleep on it! Hopefully, by now the problem has been reduced from a nagging problem, to a problem you can’t remember the answer at this time. Sleep on it. This does not mean avoid it. It means sleep on it. What good is tossing and turning going to do you? You have taken a minute, defined the problem, focused, prioritized, un-focused, sought a higher authority, and given yourself a chance to unwind. Now get some rest. I had a dream I was working on this crazy 50% automated, 50% people driven assembly line. It was a crazy dream, crazy like a fox, crazy like a sci-fi movie. Who knows where our dreams come from, who knows what unlocks our mind. Let yourself sleep on it, and see if you get a fresh take on it tomorrow. If you have not unlocked the answer, I guarantee you can if you do two more important steps, Sleep on it… and then
Step Nine: Listen to the inner voice that guides you when you wake up the next day. That is a way of saying, trust your instincts. So many times we let people pressure us into doing things we really don’t want to be doing. Remember the beginning of this post was, “Finding the answers you already know!” Trust your instincts. Thank God, Thank the Heavens, Thank the Universe, Thank Mother Earth; I choose to thank God, but learn to trust your instincts. Life can be as simple as following your instincts and learning along the way. Or you can keep listening to all the static.
I have to be true to myself and everyone who reads this blog.
I am honored that 1 person can connect with the things I am blogging. I have a duty to that 1 person who can relate to tell the truth. Tell the truth as best I can. I have a duty to be honest with them and honest with myself. I have to be able to practice what I preach, so I try to preach what I practice. And what is my blog about? It is about chasing your dreams, finding out the truth for yourself. It is about being thankful for your talents and finding your purpose.
I am honored that 1 person can relate, and I am even more honored if 10 people can relate. I have a duty to all 10 of them and to myself to tell the truth. My truth is a search for truth. Can I get 1 person, 10 people to find out the facts of who they are, where they are; and then get up and chase their dreams? I have a duty to be doing what I am blogging. I have a duty to be who I say I am if it is 1 person or 10 people reading this blog.
I am honored that 100 people can relate. I am not sure if I am reaching 1 or 10 or 100. I post here on WordPress, I cross link onto LinkedIn and Face-book, and there is a community blog that has picked up the 60 Seconds of Motivational Mojo Channel. I am honored that people can relate; and I have a duty to be true to them, and be true to myself. I have no way of knowing if a post will be viewed by 1 to 10 or 100 people through the cross-links or searched out and found randomly through any number of channels a day later, a week later, a year later.
All the more reason, I have to be who I say I am, and do what I say I am called to do. I am called to get people to find out the truth for themselves, chase their dreams, honor their talents and find their purpose. I should be doing the same thing. Staying faithful to this blog is part of my quest. I am learning by doing, and you should be learning by doing. Every word, every post of this blog means nothing if none of us are doing anything; if none of us are chasing our dreams, this blog has no point. It doesn’t matter if I connect with 1 or 10 or 100 or 1000 people through all the different channels if we are not ready to change the world, or at the very least, change our own circumstances. Reading is not enough, agreeing is not enough, and knowing is not enough; we have to act, we have to add action, we have to learn along the way.
I am honored that on any given day, any given week I can reach 100 people, 200 people by posting on this blog. I have a duty to tell you all the truth to the best of my ability. The truth is to never blindly follow, always double-check, cross-reference the facts and make up your own mind. Please not for me, for you; chase your dreams! That is your duty unto yourself!
Ride the Lighting!
Thanks to the internet, we are all able to speak our minds pretty freely. Good, bad or indifferent. Yes, there is still a lot of power in traditional media outlets, but social media is picking up steam. Now, everyone can post their thoughts on the fly. We can all ride the light, ride the lighting and believe one day that sparks will fly from our fingers.
Remember as a kid we used to play the game where you take your shoes off, rub your socks on the carpet, and then shock someone? Sparks flying from your fingers! Then more and more people would do it, and it would stop working. We used up all the spare charge in the carpet. That is what the first person did, they gathered up all the static electricity in the carpet, built up a charge, and then let it loose on the next person. Then the next person did it, and people began to notice. Sparks were flying; we were all trying to ride the lighting.
Blogging is a way for us to let out our point of view, and maybe build a following with like-minded people. Blogging let’s the little guy, and the big guy build and expand an audience; and maybe take them a little deeper, a little farther into a perspective, into a point of view. The internet makes it possible, social media is picking up steam. Every post is like rubbing your socks on the carpet, hoping to find some static electricity; hoping to build up a charge. Each post is like hoping sparks will fly from your fingers, like hoping sparks will fly from my fingers. Ride the Lighting.
As we grow older, some of us will choose to study electricity. I did, I got a degree, and debt from a B.S.E.E. I should have been free and clear, but at the time I did not build up enough charge. I did not respect the opportunity I had been given. Can’t go back, have to move forward; I have to learn from my mistakes and let the charge build up.
What is the power of honest thinking? What is the power of opening your self up and letting others peak in? What is the power in telling people to find the truth for themselves, and chase their dreams? I am hoping to create a spark, hoping someone else will see what I do and maybe build up a charge. I am hoping people will notice and start doing it also. I am hoping we can work together to spread a positive message of hope and teamwork and leadership. I am hoping I can build up enough charge where sparks will fly from my fingers. I am hoping more and more people will ride the light and see the beacon of hope that is 60 Seconds of Motivational Mojo, and then pay it forward.
I am hoping more people will ride the lighting. Listen, I know that only God can make lighting fly from his fingers. Everything else is the magic of science taught to us from guys like Nikola Tesla and Michael Faraday and Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Alva Edison.
True Leaders give the M.O.S.T.
M.O.S.T! Motivate, Operate, Serve and Teach: True Leaders give the M.O.S.T. Leadership is a choice and with that choice comes responsibility. A Leader has to show the way and care for those who him them. A True Leader has to give the M.O.S.T. A Leader has to Motivate, Operate, Serve and Teach.
First up a Leader should be a Motivator. Leadership starts with vision, and a Leader has to communicate that vision to the people and then give people a path to follow. Write the vision, make it clear. A Leader should provide a plain simple message that should get people up and ready to act. My message is simple, “Chase your dreams.” Other messages may be more complicated, but still; they should be broken down into simple manageable pieces. A Leader breaks down the vision into a simple message that people can understand. The Leader has a duty to call their followers to action. Therefore a Leader needs to be a Motivator.
Secondly a Leader needs to understand how to Operator in the vision. I am not talking about a smooth operator, like the song. A Leader should be able to set an example. Two or more people have to Operate before there can be cooperation. A Leader who is afraid to get their hands dirty may lose the trust of some of their followers; but people will trust a Leader that can lend a hand and carry a part of the load when the chips are down.
Third, a Leader should be a Servant. A True and Faithful Leader cares about the people who are following them. To serve those that follow you is one of the highest callings of a Leader. This is what is missing in a lot of management and political positions. People who are supposed to be leading lose sight of the fact that they are servants to their followers. To give the M.O.S.T. as a Leader, you must remain a servant of those that follow you. Losing sight of this fact can lead to corruption of the Leader.
Last, but not least, a Leader should be a Teacher. Early on in my career as an Engineer, one of my trainers told me “The best way to move on is teach others how to do what you know so you can learn something new.” Leaders need to learn how to teach for more than one reason. First, it makes sure that someone can take the lead if you are not there. If no one else can take the lead, the Leader can not take a day off. Secondly, the more you teach others, the more you will learn yourself. You will see things from more points of view. Third, the more a Leader teaches their followers, the more they are freed up to learn new things. A Leader must continually find ways to teach what they know to others.
True Leaders give the M.O.S.T. They should be Motivators of a vision to their followers, they should be able to Operate in that vision, they should be servants to their followers and they should constantly find ways to teach others how to operate in the vision. A Leader is constantly searching for ways to Motivate, Co-Operate, Serve and Teach.
How H.O.T. is your Leadership!
H.O.T. – Honest, Open and Transparent: Do we really need another acronym? I guess that is part of my style. Again, if you got everything you need, you can stop reading and go back to your life, but if you want to know more; read on.
So it is my opinion that Leadership should be Open, Honest and Transparent, but that doesn’t make for a good acronym; so I rearranged the order a little bit and came up with H.O.T. I am not talking about Hot like Fire, or Hot like Spicy. I am talking about being Honest to people, being Open to new ideas, and being Transparent with the details of your Leadership. The real question is should we rank these values, 1 to 10 or should we allow for negative numbers? Well, I say no negative numbers, because if you let two values go negative and you multiple them together they turn back positive and that is no good. Let’s go scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being worse and 10 being the best and a perfect score being 1000, 10 times 10 times 10.
OK to keep the acronym all New Age Cool, we start with Honest. As a rule; do you seek and tell the truth? Do you take everything you hear at face value? Do you tell people what they want to hear? A H.O.T. Leader is Honest above and beyond the call of duty. A “H.O.T.” Leader checks and double checks the facts to present the best and most trusted information possible. Remember the Truth is a double-edged sword. If the Truth hurts and you tell it anyway, give yourself a 10! If you only dig to get the answers you are looking for and not the whole picture score 5. If you only try to make yourself look good to get what you want, give yourself a 1. If as a leader you do not lead people to the truth, where are you leading them?
Next up in the H.O.T Leadership acronym is Open: Are you opposed to new ideas? Do you have no room to grow your plan based on new data, new ideas and new people? If you are the only person you can trust, than either you have not found the right people or you are a tyrant. You can not force people to change, if people want to go south and you want to go north; then you have to get around people who want to go north. Now once you are around people who all want to go north, you have to figure out what is the best way to get there. Crawl, walk, run, bike, swim, drive, fly; it all depends on the situation. Are you open to hearing all the different ideas on the table and trying to work out a plan that is best for everyone? Maybe everyone can’t afford to fly, maybe there is not enough time to drive. Maybe it is close enough to walk and everyone needs some fresh air. Either way, are you open to new ideas? If you listen to everyone’s ideas and have fair scoring criteria then give yourself a 10. If you have done your homework but sometimes overplay your hand take a 5. If you are the only smart person in the room take a 1 and maybe switch rooms.
Now remember we are multiplying these values together. Right now the Top Score is 100, 10 times 10. Score 10 for being guided by “The Truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth!” Score another 10 for being someone who in a fair way considers all the input from the people who are following them. So how do you get to 1000? Is your Leadership Transparent?
H.O.T. Leadership is Transparent. This means you have nothing to hide from those who are following you. If you are working on some super secret government project that may put your followers’ life in danger, some of them may want to know how much danger lies before them. Most of us will not be working on Life and Death type Leadership, most of us should be working on Life and Life more abundantly kind of Leadership. If we are searching for the Truth, everyone has the right to know. If all data is on the table for all to see, give yourself a 10. If you think data is on a “Need to Know” basis, maybe a 5 at best. If you hide data because you are cooking the books – score a 1.
So now, let’s summarize.
Red H.O.T. Leader – 1000 points – (10 times 10 times 10) Tells the whole truth, even when it hurts – Score 10: Is open and fair with input from others – Score 10: Puts all data on the table for all to see – Score 10:
H.O.T. Leader – 512 points – (8 times 8 times 8) It is hard to be the best at everything, but a H.O.T. Leader strives for the best data they can find – Score 8: Is open and fair but sometimes people feel left out. – Score 8: Tries hard to keep all data on the table, but sometimes you may have to ask once or twice – Score 8:
The Cool Leader – 343 points – (7 times 7 times 7) Image is everything; right? Wrong. The Cool Leader can sometimes let style beat substance. They use data, when it is good. – Score 7: They are open with you, but you have to go to them – Score 7: They will put data out there, but you may have to work to find it. – Score 7:
Not So Hot Leader – 125 Points – (5 times 5 times 5) Hears what they want to hear – Score 5: Does their homework, but can overplay their hand – Score 5: Treats only a privileged group to data everyone should have – Score 5:
Stone Cold Leader – 1 Point (1 times 1 times 1) Lies to Look Good – Score 1: Is the only one with a good idea – Score 1: Cooks the books and keeps them under cover – Score 1:
Stone Cold Leadership only lasts as long as the Leader has absolute power over the people who follow them. Once people find out the Truth, they will revolt.
Not So Hot Leadership only works as long as the people who are following get what they want. Sooner or later though; the followers of this kind of leader will figure out they can get a better deal somewhere else.
The Cool Leader looks good, even when they lose. Which means if they lose, someone else will lose even more; the Cool Leader will sacrifice some if it means they still look good in a loss. Be careful if you follow someone who looks like a winner, but things don’t always add up.
The H.O.T. Leader may have some faults here and there; but they win more than they lose, they are working to keep getting better, and their team can see that and will win with them!
Red Hot Leadership always wins in the end. Even if the Truth hurts and people abandon ship early on, those who stay the course will be rewarded with the biggest victories!
How H.O.T. – Honest, Open, and Transparent is Your Leadership?
One View a Day, Ten Views a Day: What’s next?
From the start of this blog, I stated one post at a time, one view at a time. One day at a time. I made a goal to keep blogging; to keep plugging away and things would slowly build. Persistence Pays Off.
Slowly as time has gone on, I am seeing ten views a day on good days. Sometime I see twenty views a day here on the Motivational Mojo channel. What does it all mean? Am I a Motivational Guru making commercials with Famous Athletes? No. Am I a Leadership Guru endorsed by Captains of Industry? No. Am I a Titan of Late Night TV selling my Book, CD and DVD series while traveling the country giving seminars? Another “No.” I am just some guy trying to go from averaging One View a Day, to Ten Views a Day to What’s Next? Is next Ten Views an Hour, or One Hundred Views a Day? I’ll take either one. Persistence Pays Off.
Ten Views an Hour would be nice, but that would be Two Hundred a Forty Views a Day. One Hundred Views a Day, is also a nice goal to put in place. I’ll take it. Persistence Pays Off.
Can a guy opening up as honestly as possible about Motivation and Leadership and picking yourself up and dusting yourself off if you fall down average One Hundred Views A Day? Why not? I may as well try. I may as well set a goal. To all the people who have stuck with me this far, Thank You! Thank you for giving me those moments where it feels good to be reaching more people.
All I can do is stay true the ideal that Persistence Pays Off. That if you keep at it, good things happen. If you chase your dreams and set goals along the way, you can get better at what you do. Basically, if I am going to blog it, I better believe it. So it is here for the cyber audience that I bare my soul and set a new goal. One Hundred Views a Day. That would be nice.
The A, B, C’s of Success.
The A, B, C’s of Success.
At first glance you may remember the cliché Always Be Closing. Is this what the A, B C’s of Success is all about? No and Yes but mostly No. Always be closing is a popular phrase but it is far from the only or key ingredient to success. So here we have it, a very brief sample of the A, B, C’s of Success!
Always Be Checking, Always Be Choosing, Always Be Clear, Always Be Committed, Always Be Collecting, Always Be Connecting, Always Be Complimenting, Always Be Changing, Always Be Caring, Always Be Critical, Always Be Challenging, Always Be Courteous, Always Be Courageous, Always Be Closing, Always Be Chasing, Always Balance Core, Always Beware Charlatans, Always Balance Co-operation, Always Balance Competition, Always Balance Compensation, Always Be Coaching, Always Be Consistent
There you have, a quick glance, and I am sure there are more!
The Three Tents of a Ring Leader – Public, Professional and Private:
Imagine for a minute that you are an Owner and Ring Leader of a Travelling Circus. It is your Money, Your Name and Your Reputation on the line. The Decisions you make will affect how the public perceives you, how far your workers will follow you, and how much money you will make. The Majority of your life is spent in Three Tents. One Very Big Tent where the Circus Performances are held. A Second Medium Sized Tent where you interact with your employees. Lastly a Smaller Tent where you deal with your most confidential matters. You are the Ring Leader and you lead three lives, Public, Professional and Private.
Yes, this post borrows from the movie “Water for Elephants” but not too much. So I figure I at least have to throw it out there that it was a very loose inspiration for the post. The Owner and Ring Leader of a Circus has to be a Leader, a Showman, A Salesman, an Accountant, and at the end of the day; they are a person chasing their dream!
As the Owner and Ring Leader of the Circus, it is your name, your face, and your voice that people will identify with first and foremost. What will you say and do to make people part with their hard-earned dollars to fill a very big tent and keep your business afloat. You will tell people that this is the Greatest Show on Earth, or the Best Value for their Money, won’t you? You will present yourself in a certain way to the Public in your Big Tent. The way you dress, the way you talk, the instructions you give, the way you act will have a tremendous impact on the success of your business. You will tell the public you have the most amazing collection of talent on earth.
Before and after the show, being the owner of the circus; you will have to deal with all the day-to-day problems that go hand in hand with running a business. You will interact with your employees in a different way than you interacted with the public. These people work and travel with you. They see you almost everyday. Do the things you say to you employees, your followers match what you said to the general public? Do you treat your followers like they are the absolute best talent that you can find, or do you treat them just good enough so they will not quit? Do you treat them with Love, Respect and Fairness; or do you make them Fear you and pay them just enough to keep them around. Are you the same person in this Medium Size Tent where you eat, and work with your followers? Are you the same Professional Person as you are in Public? Maybe not as loud, maybe not dressed as flashy as when you are in the Big Tent; but are you generally the same person, or does your message change.
Also, what do you tell your employees about your customers? Is it the same thing you tell the customers when they attend the show. Do you give your customers the same respect in the Medium Tent, when they are not around as you do in the Big Tent when they have parted with their money to keep your business running? If you are a different person in the Medium Tent, during your Professional Life; than you are in that Big Tent, during your Public Life your followers will be able to see that difference!
After the day is done, and you go to your Small Tent, your nest; only your closet confidants will be with you. This may be a small circle, 3 to 5 people tops. It may be only 2 or 1 or even none. These are the people you trust the most. These are the people who see you in private. They see another person, a third person; a person who is working to chase their dreams. Are these dreams built on the truth or are they built on lies? Is everything you are doing in you Bigger Tents, Your Public and Professional Lives reflected in how you live your Private Life? When no one else is around, do you change your tune?
I can honestly say, my family sees my faults. They see me when I lose my temper, when I am tired, frustrated and angry at the world in general. They hear me day-to-day, and 90 to 95% of those days I am saying the same things over and over. Find out the Truth for yourself! Chase Your Dreams! Get around people who are heading in the same direction you are going! Learn from the best to be the best! But what about those 5 or 10% of days that are not so good? I can honestly say that even in my anger, my message does not change. But losing my temper destroys my Leadership. But I would rather lose my temper than to lie to people. I am doing all I can to build my dreams on the truth.
So I can’t sit here and tell you that I am perfect. I am telling you that I admit to my faults and I am working on them. Now what about you, what about your friends, what about your boss? When life takes you from the Public to Professional to Private Tents, do you change your story? Do the people around you change their stories? Are your tents built on Trust, Truth and Mutual Respect; or are your tents built on Fear, Lies and people looking to take advantage of each other? What kind of Leadership would you follow? What kind of Leader are you?
Look closely at the three tents in your life, and of those around you.
It only takes 10 people to change the world.
Give me 10 people and I can change the world! Challenge me on this one. Prove it, you say to me. Prove it, I say to myself. I am convinced it only takes 10 people to change the world. I am looking for those 10 people.
10 people, it sounds so easy to say, really it is easy to say. I will say it again. It only takes 10 people to change the world. The hard part is finding the right 10 people. You will find throwing together a collection of 10 people at random will usually lead to chaos. It takes 10 people, pulling together, and showing real determination to change the world; but I am convinced it can be done. So I will outline the evolution of finding, filtering and developing a team of 10 people to change the world.
OK, first you have to find 10 people who are like-minded. You have to find 10 people who have at least one thing in common. They could be fans of the same sports team, movie, book, or whatever. A real simple beginning would be to start a fan club. I am not sure where you intend to go from there, maybe a concert or convention; I doubt you will change the world by starting a fan club, but for this example it is a start. You have started something and found 10 like-minded people.
Now let’s say you actually have a goal in mind, like you want to clean up a park, you will have to find 10 people who will help you clean up a park. So if you are starting from scratch; you have to make up your mind that if no one else will help you, you will do it yourself. To that end I would tell you, go clean up a park, then try to find 10 people to help you the next time you clean the park. Which means you have to find 1 person who will help you clean a park before you can get to 10 people. You have to find at least 1 person who not only agrees with you but will help you clean the park. Let’s call this person your Executive Assistant, Your Lieutenant, You Protégé, you get the picture. Now that you have found at least 1 person, give them something to do; either go clean the park again, or set a goal that together you will find more people who want to help clean the park. You have to set a goal to build your team, and you have to set a goal for your team to accomplish regardless of the size. Goal Number One – Build a Team of 10 People. Goal Number Two – Clean the Park Again.
Now let’s say you have your Right Hand person in place, and you have built a team of 10 people and you go to clean a park and anywhere from 5 to 9 of the people show up, and you clean the park. The next question is can you get them to clean the park again. There are 2 lessons to be learned here. Lesson One – There will always be No Shows. Lesson Two – Some people will show up once or twice, but not everyone will be in it for the long haul. I used to work at a factory that would schedule for 30% absenteeism. These were people who were getting paid to be there, and on any given day 30% of them would not show up. That does not include people who are fired or quit. So Goal Number Three is to maintain a Clean Park. Do you have 10 People who will continue to clean the park; or are you dealing with a bunch One Hit Wonders!?!
OK, so now you have a Team of 10 Like-Minded and Dedicated people and you have your Right Hand Person who is Your Executive Assistant, Your Lieutenant, You Protégé. Now you have to train your Right Hand Person to lead the team in your absence. Remember, when the cats away, the mice will play. Goal Number Four – Continuity of Leadership. Will your team of 10 who are willing to follow you be willing to follow your right hand person or is it someone else in the pack. Give people a chance to lead small groups and see how they do, split them up into two teams of 5 and see who evolves as leaders. So now can you take a day off from the Team and the Park still gets cleaned?
OK, so now you have a Team of 10 Like Minded and Dedicated People who can still perform the task at hand in your absence. Now can you clean 2 or 3 parks at the same time? Can you take 2 or 3 people from the original group of 10 and have them be in charge of building satellite teams of 10 to clean 3, 4 or even 5 parks on the same day? The Lesson Here – Duplication of Leadership and Developing a System to Clean Parks: Can you set a goal where now not only are you maintaining a Clean a Park or 5 Clean Parks. You are also developing a System to Clean a Park, and Training up Leaders to Build Teams and Accomplish Tasks in your absence.
So now, you have 10 people who are Like Minded, Dedicated, Trainers and Leaders. They have built satellite teams and are performing task in multiple locations. You are now leading a Team of 10 that are leading 5 or 10 teams of 10! You are developing a system that is Maintaining 10 Clean Parks; and it al started with you cleaning a park all by yourself, then finding a right hand person, then building a team, and developing leadership within your team, and the creating and duplicating a system. Now can each of the people in your circle of 10 leaders, maintain a network of 10 teams? I said the hardest part is finding the right 10 people didn’t I? If you have the right 10 People who are working together not just to maintain a system, but to build and grow a network of team builders and leaders; you will go from cleaning 1 park by yourself, to building a network of people who can clean 100 parks in the same day. This is the kind of system that can change a city, a county or possibility a region of a state.
So if you can do this, what would the next goal be??? To continue to add layers and develop leaders based on a system that is proven to work. If you have gone from cleaning 1 park by yourself, to building a team of 10 people to clean a park, to training up leaders and developing a system to clean 10 parks in 1 day, and those 10 leaders can then duplicate the system to be able to manage 10 teams each – so now you are cleaning 100 parks in a day; then cleaning 1000 parks in a day is simply the next natural progression is it not? Is it not the next logical level? If it is a proven system that is simple and it works, why would you choose to stop growing the system? Why make it harder than necessary? I am going to say it again “10 people can change the world!” The hard part is finding the right 10 people.
So if you have built a network based on a proven system, and can train and duplicate leadership, and you are capable of cleaning 1000 parks in a day. Can you now take your Top Circle of 10 around the country if not around the world; and teach more and more people, and build more and more teams? Certainly you can? 10 people can change the world! I am looking for 10 people!
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