Ransems and Michael Gerber

I have had the privilege to wok with a few great business minds throughout my short (so far) business career.  One of the best is Micheal Gerber.

View us chatting here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNFZl8KO8Zg

 

An open letter to a report from NowOrNeverNS.ca

An open letter:

I just read the report, noworneverns.ca  while it is thorough and comprehensive, it is sometimes way off the mark. Innovation and job growth, expansion of our exports is all great, but one point makes me upset:

“universities and the Nova Scotia Community College as foundations for future economic growth in the province. The Commission believes there is even greater potential for these vitally important institutions to bring their immense institutional capacities to bear on the economic, social and cultural development needs of the province. In doing so, we believe the post-secondary” p59

Now or Never – the report, my take on it

This is truly BS. They are not innovating (well, maybe very slowly?). They cannot be the drivers of growth. They are not the foundation either. From a basic Econ Courses we teach in first year business we know that high taxes, high gov’t involvement – does the exact opposite of growth and innovation. It is not the way. WTF?

If you talk to any of the private training and education companies around Halifax including mine: Think Business Training? you will find that we compete directly with the Provincial Goverment – giving away free skills training to businesses – because these skills were not taught in our schools. What a waste.

The local universities as well as the NS Community College all are attempting to get a bigger piece of the after Post Secondary market too. If you did not do a good enough job while you had the students paying for their education why do you think you can do a better job after they graduate and are at a workplace?

You (universities and NSCC) should take a look at the skills being taught, the curriculum of you programs, and provide the skills while they are in school. The waste is atrocious!

Most recently we found ourselves competing with the Halifax Chamber of Commerce. Through WIPSI  the Chamber has come up with the idea that they are providing a great service to their members by funneling these grants into the pockets of the very few service providers who are “friends” of the Chamber. I say friends, they really are “founding members” of the All Ships Rise program invented to take advantage of the WIPSI program funds.

Think Business Training

What is actually happening is more of the same. Many people are being put into inappropriate programs, with no regard to their true needs for training, via these grants. The program is promoted as free training and the companies are taking advantage of it. Or are they being taken advantage of? While I agree that some free training is better than no training, I am not sure the money is being well spent.

When asked if the training is making a difference, the answer is “we do not know”. So another waste of time and money…hmmm…all the while they are taking the grant money off the table, and taking the training time away from companies who might be able to innovate, and grow and deliver an ROI for the training dollars.

Training can be an export business, it can create jobs, but not if the small business growth opportunities have to compete with the province and the provincially funded institutions. It’s just more of the same, lining the pockets of the few, and providing no ROI for the people it was designed to help. Nice try….

I see absolutely no innovation coming from these organizations. They are are using their resources (big budgets compared to most companies) to supply basic training to the people working in companies who were already “let down” with inadequate training and education while they were going through the very education system that the province supplied them with our tax payers money in the first place.

High school did not prepare them, a lot of the university and trade programs did not adequately prepare them. Why do you (Gov’t?, universities?, NSCC?, Chamber?) think you can do better? By taking the money out of the marketplace and continue to deliver the same training the same way we have been delivering education for the last 100 years.

As an active member of the business community I appreciate you getting all of our young people ready for a world that exists no longer.

I really appreciate competing with you in an industry that needs to change to be better, and compete globally.

Thank you for taking 80% of the market and put it back into the very system that sucks!

WTFx2

Your Amygdala

Your amygdala controls a lot of what we do when we find we are facing the unknown. This was very useful 10,000 years ago.

We, in modern society now face a series of chemical (emotional) reactions deep within our body (brain) that serves us no longer.  Because they are deep we do not notice them as much as we should, and as such we react in ways that are counterproductive for business and society.  We are holding ourselves back and as such, holding back the progress of the whole human race.

Victor Frankl Toronto

If you can start to notice these things, and start to ignore them (it is a lot easier for some than others, and it is a lot easier as you do it more often) we can make huge strides in our goals and dreams – quicker than we ever imagined.  Having a great big “WHY” that is outside of yourself can also assist in making sure the intention is intact as you go through your day with the proper attention.

Executing on your “next most important thing” is the hall mark of success and ignoring the amygdala cocktails is a great way to see what’s on the other side of the part of life we call work.  For most the other side presents “great things” and then of course “more challenges”.

Victor Frankl points to another angle on this fact in his explanation of the theory of Crabbing to students in Toronto http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD1512_XJEw which I believe is so true.

I have extrapolated this a bit as part of a working thoery of business.  This might be a stretch for some to see the disparate connection but here goes:

“If you give people too much to do and help them focus upon the ‘next most important thing’, they will either learn to ignore their tendencies to do unimportant things, or they will leave – either way they will learn a lot about themselves.  Both may be very therapeutic for them, and beneficial for the business and challenges ahead.”

RA – Halifax, NS

The Other Side of Hard Work

Someone recently posted on ‘Linked In’ about looking for a better job, making more money, have a better career.  Great questions and who doesn’t?

I believe a person can bring more value to the job they are at, earn more money by being an invaluable contributor with their ideas, energy and time. 

Every business owner wants engaged employees, and most do not know how to achieve this.  

Most employees do not understand the success that is on the other side of hard work.  It really is there.  Try it. 

PS: Zig Ziglar said it best: Some people sit in front of the stove of life and say, first give me some heat, and then I’ll put in some wood.

Negative Emotions are a Symptom

I believe negative emotions are letting you know your thinking is wrong.  If you have a little negative feeling you are probably off with your thinking a little.  If you have a strong emotional reaction, or feeling, then you are probably way off and a real indication that your ‘ego’ is in the drivers seat.

There is also something to be said about people who need the ‘time to process’. It is a healing and correcting mechanism (allowing the ego to bubble up) so that the true authentic self can get to the bottom of the situation, your feelings, and the truth in you.

Somewhere along the way we were taught that these emotions were not good. They are good, it’s just what you do with them is what results in good or bad.

Listen and learn. Your emotions are telling you something.

Sleeping

How many of us go through the day (week, month, life) feeling great, but are really asleep?  Last week I started to change my habits, getting up earlier and writing a bit.  Working out before I came to work.  Eating better.

Then the weekend came and old habits came rushing back.  We had a basketball tournament for one of our boys about an hour away, near my home town where I grew up.  Going home really lets you get perspective on habits that have been ingrained in you (for me) some 30 years already.

Sleeping in my old bed, hearing the old house creek brought back many fond memories of growing up on my parent’s farm.  Sitting around the table one evening chatting about them building a new house. I was at the kitchen table (my spot) where I probably ate over 10,000 meals.

Saturday night we headed into town to eat (just me and my son) after the basket ball game.  Then we went to the movie to fill our evening.  The drive home brought back so many memories of being a teenager with ‘a set of wheels’.  The town and scenery has not changed much.  A few different store, a few different faces, but the feeling is still there, still the same. 

We went to see a comedy at the local movie house and got there early enough to get a good seat near the back so we could people watch, and he could play video games.  My son was overwhelmed at the number of people who knew so many more of the folks coming to see the same movie.  Nearly everyone who walked in was stopping by to say their hello’s, give a wave or stop and chat with at least 3 different groups or couples.

Everyone seemed to know everyone.  One couple in their mid to late 20s were there and the parents of the gal happened by.  An introduction of her “beau” to her mom and dad was in order and they chit-chatted for a while.  Kev was stunned, in a good way. 

Another gentleman seated one space away from me was there with his wife.  They had already chatted to the couple down one row and to their left.  Then after that conversation the two elderly ladies seated directly in front of them turned around and more memories flooded back, hello’s exchanged, etc. 

About 5 minutes before curtain time they spotted another couple they knew who appeared to have to sit down front because of their late arrival.  There was the single seat between us and another single seat just in front of that seat one row down.  The gentleman promptly excused himself to us, squeezing out to the aisle and went down to get them.  Brought them back and got them some great seats close to one another. Another flurry of chatting started as the couple brought back knew another couple a few rows down and so it went.

 You could feel the home town zest. You could feel the friendship, companionship and love.

This is not a feeling you get when you go to the movies here in Halifax NS, where I live.

Us city folks would say that I went back and visited the sleepy little town of where I grew up.  I would now like to say that it is I (and all of you by the way) that are sleeping, too busy to stop by and say hello, too busy sleep walking everywhere we go.

I know when I go to the movies I am lucky if I know a handful of people in the whole theatre complex, 16 movie screens and counting, but that is not the point.  The point is that we are all on the same journey together and none of us (including myself) has ever much taken the time to stop by and say hello, ask how things are going, and introduce ourselves or our seat-mate to the people passing us by in the aisles.

No.  We are there to escape for a couple of hours. To be entertained. So that our sleep is extended a bit longer, and maybe a bit more pleasant.  We are there to avoid the people who we share this lovely planet with.

Wake up.  Let’s all wake up.

Empathy and Influence

Empathy is defined as the intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another.

Empathy as an intellectual identification is a great start. But I think vicarious experiencing is the real goal.  During communication we are trying to transfer a thought or feeling we have to the other person.  If the communication process breaks down some pieces get lost.  Words are only a small part of the overall communication, as we know, maybe less than 20%.

Empathy as a vicarious experiencing is much deeper. It is close to real understanding and may allow us to achieve true understanding. We humans can see the difference, feel the difference and connect with others at a deeper level.  As we sense the understanding the other person has for us the deeper the connection we have with them. 

Transference of ideas and feelings can occur almost instantaneously via a vicarious experiencing.  I belive this happens because of the sharing of the primordial speck I talked about in a previous post.  We see our humanity in them and feel the true sharing of the moment, the feeling or the thought. 

Empathy as a vicarious experiencing is true Empathy and this leads to true understanding.  True empathy leads to an amazing ability to influence.

Influence is defined as the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others.

In business we are constantly trying to influence others.  Within and without our organizations.  We are marketing, selling, meeting, sending emails and using social media to try to influence others into buying our stuff.  Whether it is buying our goods, like an iPad, or buying our ideas, such as Influence and Empathy. 

When we go on dates we hope others ‘buy’ us as we peddle ourselves.

The tactical elements of influence:  saying the right things, doing the right things without empathy is hollow and easily seen through.  Asking for help or assistance is also a tactic that can be employed as an influencer. 

Power relationships such as parent-child, employer-employee are also situations where tactics can be applied, because the situation dictates a level of trust, servitude or a requirement of influenceness.

When we encounter empathy from someone we do not know well we remain on guard and feel skeptical about their sincerity.  We all have met too many great actors, playing amazing roles of the empathetic person, to believe everyone immediately.

Time and the reoccurrence of true empathy builds trust and thus allows for the connection of true empathy.  Reciprocal communication further strengths the bonds and influence can also be felt both ways.

Some people simply radiate true empathy all the time.  You can sense it when they walk in a room.  You can see it when you look them in the eye.  You hear it when they speak.  This is the goal of all of us, to be the one that can radiate true empathy.

To do this of course you need to practice and become a student, then master of vicarious experiencing.  The only way you can do this is to reduce the role-playing you do and allow your true self to shine through.

Influence comes from less roles. Not from being better at playing roles.

I propose you are here to let your speck of primordial dust shine through. When we notice the speck in others and others notice it in us sparks fly.  Then you will have unlimited influence, but so will they.

An Awakened Entrepreneur?

I have the pleasure and luxury of working with one of the all time greatest small business guru’s as my personal coach.  His name is Michael E Gerber from Carlsbad California.  Gerber is the author of 13 business books, including the mega-bestseller The E-Myth Revisited.

 The E-Myth came about by what Gerber calls his dream of changing the face of small busiensses worldwide.   He has helped over 60 thousand broken business.  He does this by helping their owners overcome their “entrepreneurial seizure” and begin to work ON their business, not IN their business.  (Read the E-Myth books)

A few decades of working on his own business he noticed a pattern that needed to be fixed.  And thus one of his most recent books is called Awakening the Entrepreneur Within was born.

Through a wonderful challenging one-on-one hour long phone mentoring session and a few visits to the “Dreaming Room” I have been able to articulate what my business’ Dream, Vision, Purpose and Mission is. 

The Dream is a great result we set forth to achieve. I believe Gerber is saying is the crux of why most small businesses never get out of being a small business is that there is no dream or that the dream is too small. 

The Vision is the great business model you will follow to scale your business. The Purpose is focused upon the people you are setting out to help and the Mission is what we are going to do or what we are building.

Dream:

To teach people how to be the best they can be at what they want to do. To create the next generation educational system that can be used in homes, at schools and organizations throughout the world.

 Vision:

We are going to be the Starbuck of Training.

Purpose:

We will help ourselves as well as trainers and teachers, parents and educators, businesses, communities and institutions throughout the world realize a transformation through transference of knowledge in an impactful way so their lives are better.

Mission:

To build a system that is easy to use, affordable, very comprehensive (best practice), and customizable to delivery training materials, training and results for people and companies who need people trained to do what ever it is they are called to do.

A Pearl of Wisdom

A pearl is started when a speck of dust gets inside a baby mollusk.  As the mollusk grows it secretes nacre, a coating that covers the speck to reduce irritation.  Over time many layers are built up and a pearl is formed. 

Because it is a rare natural occurence a pearl is considered quite valuable. Many believe pearls are only found in oysters, but the different colored pearls come from different colored mollusks such as clams (white) and mussels (black).  The shell color closely resembles the nacre color and thus the pearl color.

A mollusk does not create a pearl for gain, nor for vanity reasons, nor is it in a competition to grow the largest, or most beautiful pearl.  It does it as a protection mechanism.  It coats the speck for self-preservation.  If it does not coat the speck, or expel the speck it would eventually irritate the inner lining of the mollusk and eventually be its demise.

There is a speck of dust within us when we are born.  It is a primordial speck of dust, a piece of the greater consciousness. (God…or what-ever term you are comfortable with)  For the first few years of our existence, while being supported by our caregivers, we are very comfortable with being human and the speck.  We are ourselves and you can see the speck shine through in many things we do.  We have a natural glow to us.

As we discover the world around us we start to think this speck needs to be protected. We start to cover up the speck inside.   We start to use our own human nacre. The covering we use are ‘roles’.  So in humans the roles you ‘play’ are your nacre. We play the son, the daughter, brother, sister, neighbour, baby toddler, etc. 

Then we go to school.  We spend a lot of time with our peers. We add a few more roles: the student, bully, wimpy kid, nerd, jock, class clown, troublemaker, etc.  Some learn that as we get older roles we play can actually influence the size, color and desirability of our pearls. Some do not ever progress beyond high school and are happy with, or stuck in, the roles they learned from home, the neighbourhood and school. 

Some feel cheated because they were not given the proper opportunities to grow their pearl like others. Maybe they started late. Maybe they did not have the parental support of a nurturing environment. The truth of it is that some people have a better natural ability, some are more adaptable, and some have had a better natural environment to grow pearls. 

Our ability to play these roles influence the speed at which our pearl grows. Many factors contribute to the amout of protection we provide our speck.  In the west we use a term to describe your pearl: success.

Internal factors such as fear, emotions, intelligence and physical ability have an influence on the choices of roles we take up.  Regardless of these factors, we all have the capabilities of growing an amazing, desirable pearl within ourselves.

So much literature has been written on how to play the many roles. How to be the best role player ever, no matter what role you want to play.  Because success is defined almost exclusively by fame, money or power these days there is a lot of truth in everyone’s ability to grow great pearls. A recent movement has been afoot lately stating that financial success (large beautiful pearls) are not as desireable if others roles in your life are also not as well developed. 

So now your pearl needs to be large, beautiful and perfectly spherical, possess a desireable color and have no imperfections.  You cannot really enjoy financial success without having a balanced life, a philanthropic disposition, be a great parent and a monogamous partner.

The pressure to be seen as an amazing pearl growing sometimes makes us latch on to a role from the past.  If we have had some ‘pearl growth’ from roles we have played in the past, we tend to replay those roles expecting more growth.  After a while those roles lose their ability to sustain the growth we experienced when our pearl was smaller.

We judge others all the time, gossiping about, pointing out other shortfalls, other inability to see the role they are playing will not grow their pearl as fast as we are growing ours.  We point out that if they played their role a little better, or if they applied themselves and played the role more often they would be able to grow faster. 

Some of the wisdom of our times is that if you help enough people grow their pearls, your pearl will all gain.  The competition for growth is pervasive.

There is a problem.  The truth. We all die.

No matter how well you protect your speck it is going to leave you.  Then you are dead.  When the human leaves the being you are no more.  You may or may not get another chance.  Some believe you do.  Others feel it’s a one shot deal.  Do you want to take that chance? 

Your choice.

You may not here just to build big pearls. 

I propose you are here to let that speck of primordial dust shine through. When we notice the speck in others and others notice it in us sparks fly. Happiness and peace comes from less roles. Not from being better at playing roles.

I believe we can grow the speck. 

We need to remind ourselves and others, easpecially our young ones, that pearls are beautiful and important but not as important as the speck that started it all.

Courage – Engagement – Organization

I have a theory that has been bouncing around in my mind since Scott, Jason, Leah and I went to a three-day ‘In the Dreaming Room’ adventure in Carlsbad California with Michael Gerber.  We laughed and cried together while we went looking for the truth of why we were together, and what we were meant to do while we are here for our brief visit.

The concept started with a general discussion around training (corporate) and education (kids and schools) and what is missing from our customers lives and our own.  What skills, concepts or knowledge would help us be a better person, better able to face life and maybe make a bit more sense of ourselves, and hopefully live a happier life?

Many topics came up.  Some major themes around Tolle’s ego and Power of Now, Arbinger’s Self Deception and boxes, Covey’s 7 Habits, the 100+ skills courses we teach at our own facilities, and many more.  We made a list and categorized them, and came up with three major themes.  Courage, Engagement and Organization.  CEO.

Courage centers around taming the ego. Doing the difficult things.  Doing the important things.  Having the difficult conversations.  Making the hard choices and doing the work to make them successful.  Fixing bad habits and correcting things that have been holding us back.  Proper self-reflection and self assessment and knowing when we cannot do everything ourselves.  Dreaming big dreams.  Asking for help.  Asking for the things we want, in relations and in life.

Courage is the foundation you need to build deep and wide so that you can live a huge life.

Engagement focuses upon living the life of a peaceful warrior (Millman).  Living an awakened life (Gerber), not just going through the paces and hoping for retirement, or the weekend, or the end of the day, or recess. 🙂 

The truth is we have a limited amount of time here and we spend so much of it in habit, ritual and reliving things that have already gone on, while we have not.   Doing things ‘whole hog plus the postage’ even if it’s your first job, your last job, a job that is beneath you, a job you do not get rewarded for but there it is. There is peace, joy, power and love in the act of doing. If you are not engaged then you are asleep and you might as well be dead. Except you cannot come back from death, but you can awaken.  Do it today.  Do it now.

Engagement is the electricity flow that your building needs.  Turned on from a trickle to a torrent.

Organization is the catch-all, the skills, knowledge and understanding you need.  Typical that we invariably do the exact opposite action that will bring about positive resolution when facing a difficult situation. The old fight or flight instincts are strong while many a situation has been had by others and figured out, written about and improved upon. 

Organization is Best Practices.  It is learning how to learn, learning how to apply. Best practices for almost anything in life are on the shelves at your local bookstore or are only a search engine click away.  It is skills acquisition. It is the 7 habits, the 8th and 9th and more.  Apprenticeship, Journeyman then Mastery. Become a master at what you choose to do.  Do not go quietly into that dark night.

Organization is the skills you need to build your skyscraper so it reaches the clouds. 

It’s a personal CEO theory because you have to apply these principles to your own life so you can enjoy the benefits.  You are part of me and me part of everyone else.  So when you take a small step for yourself, we all move forward a bit, even if the rest of us do not notice. 

I am cutting tree limbs and weeds as part of my land clearing.  Today is the first day and I have started thing off right. I hope you will take up your sword and join me.  For each journey is in parallel.