Good. Better. Best. Which self do you want to be?

The 3-Minute Coach

February 23, 2002, Issue #33
Business Operating Principles

Welcome to The 3-Minute Coach

Thank you for continuing to forward the newsletter on to your friends and colleagues.

Is it time for a change? Why not take advantage of a free coaching session to get some momentum going? Either phone me at 1-866-COACH-99 (or 1-617-984-2868 if not in continental United States) to set up a complementary session. You can also send an email, identifying where you live (what time zone) to compsession04@touchpointcoaching.com

In joy, peace and gratitude,

Louise

Food for Thought

"How much time he gains who does not look to see what his neighbor says or does or thinks, but only at what he does himself, to make it just and holy." --- Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

Keep It Simple

Clear the Deck

To clear the deck means to prepare for action by removing everything not required. What a great way to approach each and every project in front of you. Sometimes we feel overwhelmed, not by the size of the project, but by all the 'junk' we surround it with.

If necessary, use a bucket, box or bag to move everything away. A clean work surface will immediately lighten the load and allow you to see the true dimensions of the project before you. Don't get caught up in trying to unload the bucket or box. That's a diversionary action that will make you feel that you are accomplishing something. However, ask yourself which action will make you feel better at the end of the day. Putting the stuff in the bucket away or really starting in on your project. Do the one that will make you feel good at the end of the day.

If you've cleared the deck and your project still feels overwhelming, try breaking it down into 15 minute segments and whittle away at it. You'll be surprised at how much can be accomplished 10 or 15 minutes at a time.

Feature Article

Top Ten Business Operating Principles

As I mentioned in the last newsletter, Operating Principles are the yardsticks by which we live. They are the 'how' behind the 'what' and 'why' of our lives. Whether acknowledged or not, all entities live by them and that includes businesses as well as individuals. While surfing, I was fortunate to come upon the following business operating principles. They are the principles currently in place for Capital Missions Company, which creates networks of social investors who invest for market returns plus positive social impact ("social dividends"). They can be visited at www.capitalmissions.com .

These are inspiring principles and support their vision (to achieve a globally-accountable economy), mission (create social investor networks whose existence will lead to the eventual achievement of this vision) and strategy (use its innovative KINS approach (Key Initiator Network Strategy) to create these social investor networks.) This is a great example of how beautifully our vision, mission, strategy and principles work together to provide a framework for a life of integrity, whether business or personal. Kudos to Susan Davis, founder of Capital Missions Company and her team.

Their operating principles are:

Tell the truth.
A deal is a good deal if it is good for all concerned.
Generosity comes back ten-fold to the bottom line.
Socially responsible companies are more productive and profitable than others.
Water doesn't rise any higher than its source.
Treasure teamwork; share the wealth.
The best call a company can get is a call of complaint because it helps it to improve.
Love the discipline of the numbers.
Never make decisions out of fear.
Trust the universe.

Related Quotes

"Define your business goals clearly so that others can see them as you do." -- George F. Burns

"Any business arrangement that is not profitable to the other person will in the end prove unprofitable for you. The bargain that yields mutual satisfaction is the only one that is apt to be repeated." -- B. C. Forbes

"Our business in life is not to get ahead of others, but to get ahead of ourselves -- to break our own records, to outstrip our yesterday by our today." -- Stewart B. Johnson

"Trouble is only opportunity in work clothes." - Henry J Kaiser

"An empowered organization is one in which individuals have the knowledge, skill, desire, and opportunity to personally succeed in a way that leads to collective organizational success." -- Stephen R. Covey

"If you hire only those people you understand, the company will never get people better than you are. Always remember that you often find outstanding people among those you don't particularly like." -- Soichiro Honda

"The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves." -- Ray Kroc

"Anybody who accepts mediocrity - in school, on the job, in life - is a person who compromises, and when the leader compromises, the whole organization compromises." -- Charles Knight

The Welcome Mat Guest Column:

A Book Review of "Love is the Killer App" by Tim Sanders
Subtitled "How to Win Business and Influence Friends"
by Bob Kaelin

What if the business world isn't really "dog eat dog"? What if there's a better "top" where it's not all that crowded? What if "survival of the fittest" is best left to explain why paramecium are not running this planet and not how to handle the 3:00 meeting?

Anyone currently subscribed to an email newsletter that's primarily about self-development and improvement doesn't need Tim Sanders, or me for that matter, to tell you that the world is changing all around us. The old ideas of working for a company all your life and receiving promotions up the ladder simply because you've been there longer then everyone else applies to very few companies nowadays. Small companies rise and fall quickly. Old established companies downsize, merge, sell off departments and generally make everyone's life and career a question mark these days. Technology advances and an elaborate global trade picture just make it all the more complicated.

The solution, as Tim Sanders, Chief Solutions Officer at Yahoo!, puts it, is love. Now before you get the idea anyone is advocating sleeping your way to the top, Tim Sanders breaks down his method (which he calls being a 'lovecat') into three simple steps.

1. Knowledge. In short, consume every bit of information about your job, your company, your industry, emerging trends, and anything else pertinent to your career that you can find. By coming to a deep understanding of many diverse ideas, you quickly become known as someone who's knowledgeable and wise, and has something informative to say on many important matters. To that end, Sanders highly recommends books as sources for this knowledge over things like magazines, or newspaper/online articles because of their greater depth of material. The person who knows the most about their industry and has well-researched ideas about its direction is much more secure in that industry, if not that job.

2. Network. After acquiring all this knowledge, what good is it if it's not shared? The ideas found in the books you consume or "Big Thoughts" as Sanders puts it, aren't just applicable to your life and career but likely apply to most people around you as well. Over time, you'll come to find other like-minded individuals who will appreciate these "Big Thoughts" and perhaps share some of their own acquired thoughts with you. As your own network grows, you can profit by it and help others profit by it by connecting key people in your network for their mutual benefit. And, as more and more people join your network what can be accomplished by it is simply amazing.

3. Compassion. The last step is perhaps the most important. What good is knowledge if you have a reputation for withholding or manipulating it to your own ends? What good is a network full of people who don't trust you or even like you? People who make themselves feel important by tearing down others typically get nowhere nowadays. With all today's changes and new opportunities, it's much too easy to get away from people like this, and unlike the "snake oil salesman" who could dupe a town and then just move on to the next one, these people's reputations will often proceed them. The most important thing you can do for someone is to genuinely care about them and their career. By caring and helping them, and showing you care, you'll quickly find like-minded souls who come to care about you and your career and through sharing your combined knowledge and networks, easily outdistance those in it purely for themselves.

Now, Sanders is quite clear that compassion, or being a lovecat, does not preclude being intelligent. Some people live to take advantage of others in this world. Some people refuse to see anyone but themselves and some people are just pure poison to those around them. These are not the people that you seek out to use these principles upon. Many of these people act this way only because that is the way they were taught to behave in business, or came to many false understandings about how the new economy works, and in time with a committed lovecat working with them will come around. But as always, use your brain to determine who is just not emotionally mature enough to accompany you and your fellow lovecat's rise to success.

Principles of Attraction

Attraction is the ability to consistently draw the best things in life towards you: opportunities, strong finances, rewarding relationships, whatever you define as 'the best things'. Additionally, it means to draw them forth effortlessly, without striving, scuffling or struggling.

Thomas J. Leonard has developed 28 Principles of Attraction in his book "The Portable Coach". (Visit Amazon.Com) .

Each newsletter I will take one principle and highlight its key points. For a pdf version of all 28 principles, email attraction04@touchpointcoaching.com .

Principle #3: OVER-RESPOND TO EVERY EVENT
By over-responding instead of over-reacting, you evolve, which is very attractive.

CLARIFICATION

When one reacts to a situation, there is usually an element of fear or desperation. Something must be done NOW to avoid negative consequences. When you respond to a situation, however, there is an element of time involved which means you can adjust your response as you go, creating new dimensions and/or improving it.

Responding takes care of the problem and helps you develop a good way of dealing with the same problem in the future. Over-responding gets to the root of the problem and solves it forever. I actually prefer the term 'deep responding' as that conjures up an image of the root system of a problem.

Responding is a better place to come from than reacting. However, of the three, over-responding allows us to live the simplest life of all as the problem is totally eliminated.

An example might help to understand this concept. Last summer, we were driving back and forth to Pennsylvania quite a bit. Because of the odd hours we were driving, we picked a route through Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania that was heavy on tolls. The "problem" was that we had to stop at every toll booth, usually in a long line to give the toll money. Reacting to this usually meant getting frustrated and digging for money. Over-reacting usually meant getting angry. A good response would have been to have all the tolls ready in little baggies or something. But we choose to over-respond by getting one of the "Fast Track" gadgets which allow you to go through the toll (usually the one with no line) and to have the amount deducted from our pre-paid 'balance'. This made the problem "go away" and resulted in much more harmonious trips.

KEY POINTS

There is an element of time involved. The goal is also to respond quickly, but be clear that you are 'responding' and not 'reacting'. Become aware of your responses. You will quickly see the difference between a response and a reaction. A reaction happens in your head; a response happens in your gut.
Every time you're surprised, make a significant personal change. Surprise is usually a good indication that a response, a solution, is needed.
Look for at least 5 choices in every situation. This helps you from just going on auto-pilot and reacting the way you always have. Once you get to see 5 choices, you can pick one that looks like it will have a different outcome, one that you would prefer.
Make over-responding a personal strategy. This keeps the creative juices flowing, and that's very exciting. I always remember Steve Martin's character in "My Blue Heaven". He didn't believe in tipping; he believed in over-tipping. That caught my attention at the time and made me look at the results of his over-tipping. It certainly seemed to get him the results he wanted.
Turn every problem into a nonrecurring event. Think of a problem and then take up to ten steps so that it (or anything like it) never happens again. One of the benefits of over-responding is that you can become a problem-free zone.

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Here's what's available to you:

ONE-PAGE SUMMARY PDF of ATTRACTION PRINCIPLES
Thomas Leonard's 28 Principles of Attraction
ONE-PAGE SUMMARY PDF of THE FOUR AGREEMENTS
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
ONE-PAGE SUMMARY PDF of 21 LEADER'S QUALITIES
21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader by John Maxwell
100-POINT CLASS ACT ASSESSMENT
Track your progress towards becoming a Class Act.
100-POINT SUPERRESERVE ASSESSMENT
Identify areas where you already have reserves and find new ones.
EXERCISE: RELEASE THE PAST
PDF file with directions for letting go.
EXERCISE: WHEEL OF LIFE
PDF Exercise for gaining clarity on goals
EXERCISE: QUILTING BE
PDF Exercise to step outside the box and get a fresh perspective on a situation.

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3MC Country Update

Now read in 70 countries, with Croatia and Kuwait being the latest additions. Current subscribers: 7552. Thanks for passing it on!

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If your country is not on the list above, please email me

All That BIZ

Louise Morganti Kaelin is a Life Success Coach who partners with others to help them turn their dreams into reality.
Phone: 1-617-984-2868
Email: louise@touchpointcoaching.com
Web: http://touchpointcoaching.com
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