Almost There

 psalm/one press is pleased to announce the upcoming release of the newest book by author Terry D. Newberry – Almost There.

It’s almost here!

I received the galley proof of my new book, Almost There, this week.

Pretty unbelievable.

Writing is an amazing art form. The process of seeing something in my mind’s eye and then trying to make it visible to the reader is a tricky business, filled with potholes. It involves countless hours spent thinking and researching and dreaming. It involves late nights spent hunched over a keyboard in a dark room, weaving letters into words. Those words become the tapestry of the tale in my mind. And then I have to somehow capture it all in a few hundred pages.

Words are fragile things, you know? The frailty of words can never describe the truth of where we’ve been.

Almost There contains 39,653 words. I typed every one of them, some of them more than once, my mind brimming with questions. A lot of questions.

What words should I use? How long should the sentences be? How about the paragraphs? How can I hold the interest of the reader? How can I bring the characters and lessons to life?

What can I leave with the reader in return for their investment of time, attention and money? How can these words leave them in a place that is happier, wiser, and maybe more spiritual than they were before? How can I create a tale that is entertaining, thought-provoking and inspiring?

How can I create a work that affects someone’s life in a positive way?

How indeed?

I wish I could tell you honestly that I knew all the answers to my questions. But the simple truth is that I don’t.

But with those questions as my guide, I put on paper those 39,653 words, one word at a time. And then I deleted. I backspaced. I read and reread. I crossed out and penciled in. I looked up definitions and synonyms and checked spelling. I looked for errors in grammar. I looked for those pesky run-on sentences. I gave the manuscript to a trusted friend who is a writing genius, to read and offer corrections, which she did with grace and good humor. I gave it to another friend, also a genius, and he did the same.

I made changes and updates. I put the manuscript in a drawer and let it age. I pulled it out again and started the entire process over. I read and re-read it dozens of times.

And along the way, a story began to emerge. It has its roots in a true story from when I was a kid. One day it snowed, which was a big deal in my little southern home town. I got it in my head that I needed to go see my friend Rory, a journey of a few miles by bicycle, which was my singular form of transportation.

Somewhere along the way as I pedaled the snowy streets I began to think about how cold I was, followed by how wet I was, followed by how miserable I was. Soon my thoughts turned into a focus. Soon my focus turned into an obsession. Clearly I was too cold, too wet and generally too miserable to finish my trip.

So about seven or eight miles into the journey, I turned around and headed back home. Two miles from the finish line, so to speak, I gave up, I quit, finito, kaput, done. I abandoned ship. I was too focused on the misery of my situation to complete the final two miles of the trip. Instead, I decided to turn around and ride eight miles back to my house.

Nuts, right?

It didn’t occur to me until years later how often that happened in my life. Quitting was the pattern. Quitting was the legacy, the gift bestowed, passed down from father to son over many generations. Quitting was easy.

I was defined by limitations set by others, boundaries and histories and tendencies sketched out by my father, and his father before him. But I knew those places and had no desire to be an inmate of such prisons. I wanted to be different but had no idea of how to go about the overwhelming task of becoming a different me. To paraphrase Pat Conroy, I struggled with all my might not to become the man I was destined to be.

It seemed that often I gave up just before the big break came. Time and time again I was turned away from the finish line by the ghosts of those I had met only briefly, if at all.

So I decided to try an experiment. I made a deal with myself – whenever I was tempted to give up, I would stay focused just a little bit longer to see what happened. And the result changed my world.

I was astounded at how many times I realized my goal by hanging in there “just a little bit longer.” Slowly I began to understand that my future was not preset. The past held no power over me, its shackles could not withstand the force of faith. It was a wide – open place filled with all the possibility that I could ever dream of.

One day I was teaching a seminar and shared the story of my doomed bicycle journey. The telling planted a small seed of possibility in my life.

I began to think about all the times I had quit just the tiniest bit too soon. I thought about the countless people who had shared their stories of regret and “Woulda-Coulda-Shoulda” disease. I thought about all those I had met who suffered from “If-Only” syndrome.

How many of us give up just before we are poised for amazing breakthroughs? How many of us spend our time turned around backward in the seat, looking at missed opportunities or bungled relationships or fumbled decisions and, in doing so, miss the awesome opportunity which lies before us like a field ready for harvest?

So I picked up my pen and began to write.

Shortly into the process, the book took on a life of its own. I found myself, as I often do, scrambling to keep up with the story that was busily unfolding of its own accord. It played on the screen of my mind at its own frenetic pace and cared little that I was struggling to keep up. My fingers did their best to translate the images I saw into letters and words and punctuation – word pictures – that would somehow help you, dear reader, to see the images I saw, just as they revealed themselves to me.

I have tried to share their stories in the pages of Almost There; how they overcame tremendous obstacles, setbacks, disappointments and even tragedy. But unlike me, they didn’t give up too soon. Somehow they kept going in spite of the skinned knees and the bumped noses and the bruised hearts and the loneliness of failure. They kept going despite the jeers, catcalls and abuse heaped on them by DreamStealers.

They just kept on. They refused to be locked in the outpost of failure. Because somewhere in their heart and soul, in a place that is lit only by the sometimes meager light of I-think-I-can, they knew that certain success lay just around the bend, just over the next hill, just beyond the next sunrise.

They knew they were almost there.

The story begins when Dean awakes one winter morning to a magical snow-covered landscape and sets out to visit his friend, Rory. But little does he know that he has embarked on a journey that is not of this world; it is an odyssey that will change his life.

On a day filled with magic, he encounters those who have experienced everything life has to offer and have found themselves face-to-face with the ultimate decision – will they allow fear, disappointment, and set-backs to destroy their dreams? Or will they find within themselves the strength and courage to press on, to embrace a life beyond anything they ever imagined?

Travel with Dean on this tale of unforgettable experiences and characters; a wandering filled with the unknown and the inexplicable as he discovers the ultimate price each of us must pay for our dreams.

——————————————————————————————-

Here is an excerpt from Almost There:

“Dean-san,” he said softly, “we are who we are because of the path we walk. Along the way, there are twists and turns that we cannot foresee. Sometimes we walk along a smooth path, sometimes we stumble on a path filled with obstacles and hidden snares. And at other times, tragedy befalls us.” His voice trailed away softly as he turned his face slightly, presenting to Dean the grisly reminder of such a tragedy.

“Sometimes we follow the footpath of our choosing, at other times we are carried down a road that we did not choose. No matter, either way the path is ours to navigate.

“And there are times when we do not follow the path at all but instead forge our own passage. We cut a way through a wilderness where none existed before, and leave a trail that others may follow.

“That is where you are now. The way before you has not yet been traveled, thus there are no easy answers or clear directions. You must follow your heart and choose the way whispered to you by your dreams and the Spirit within you. This is your path, it belongs to no other.”

Advance orders are now being accepted for an April 1 release date! Go to terrynewberry.com and click the page for Almost There. Available in softcover, hardcover and audiobook!

Order your copy today! terrynewberry.com

Am I Taking Care of Me?

Am I Taking Care of Me?

An Art of the Question Blog

Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed.

                                                                                                      -  Solomon

Imagine being nine feet in the air, standing on a flimsy board stuck in a slot that was cut into a tree trunk. Got that picture in your mind?

Great. Now imagine that you are trying to set a new world record for chopping. By chopping, I mean that you are trying to chop through a 12-inch diameter aspen log – using a hand-held ax.

So there you are up in the air on a rickety board that behaves pretty much like a diving board. It moves with every swing of your ax, threatening to dump your sweaty backside to the ground. Pretty tricky, right?

Now, imagine that you are trying to set this new world record using a dull ax.

I know, I know, not very smart. But that is what many of us do, every day of our life. We go out and attack the day, the project, the goal, the sale, whatever we have in our sights to accomplish that day. And we do it with a dull ax.

By the way, there really is a competition event exactly like the one described above. It is called the Springboard Chop. In the real world of logging, this technique allows a working lumberjack to reach the softer wood often found above the base of the tree. The wood of the base is generally tougher and filled with more knots. So the lumberjack climbs above the tough wood, cuts a slot in the tree, inserts a base board, and starts chopping.

In competition, the World Record for the Springboard Chop is held by Dave Bolstead. In 2003, he chopped through a 12-inch log in 41.15 seconds. That’s right. 12 inches in less than three-quarters of one minute.

Tommy Sanders is a television commentator for the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series. Asked about Bolstead, Sanders said, “He trained incessantly. He studied every chop made by every competitor.” One of the analysts on the show called Bolstead “The Professor”. He was focused on learning and being the best in his field.

Dave Bolstead started chopping wood when he was five years old, and by the time he began competing, had amassed a lifetime of chopping knowledge and technique.

One of the things Dave would no doubt tell us is that perhaps the most important thing to do when you are attempting a new world record in chopping is to be sure your ax is sharp.

OK, so you are not a lumberjack, and have no interest in setting a new world record in chopping. What does any of this have to do with you? Well, we aren’t really talking about an ax made of steel and wood. We’re talking about an emotional ax, a spiritual ax, a mental ax. We’re talking about keeping ourselves in tip-top condition so that we can accomplish all our goals and dreams.

One of the problems for those of us who are Type-A-Driven personalities is that we only have one speed – full speed ahead. But any strength, overdone, becomes a weakness.  If we commit ourselves to going full-out 100% of the time and never take time to refresh ourselves, we are doomed to failure.  

Stephen Covey, in his amazing book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, has a chapter called Sharpen the Saw, which he calls the 7^th Habit. He wrote:

Sharpen the Saw means preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have–you. It means having a balanced program for self-renewal in the four areas of your life: physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual. Here are some examples of activities:

Physical:	Beneficial eating, exercising, and resting
Social/Emotional:	Making social and meaningful connections with others
Mental:	Learning, reading, writing, and teaching
Spiritual:	Spending time in nature, expanding spiritual self through meditation, music, art, prayer, or service

 Solomon was one of the wisest men who ever lived. Here is his take on this concept:

Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed.

Kelly McGonigal is a health psychologist based at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. She said, “Focus, willpower, and the ability to tackle difficult projects all draw from a limited reserve of energy. When you deplete these reserves–whether through sleep deprivation, which alters how the brain and body use energy, or through pushing too hard on too many projects–the quality of your work plummets, along with the usual pleasure of working on something important, such as doing good science.” It’s biological. “No one can afford to skip rest, and anyone’s work will be refreshed and restored from some time off.”

So how do you know if your ax needs sharpening? Most of the time, we have a good inner sense of when we need some down time. Usually, we know there is a problem, but may be challenged to correct the problem. But just in case, here are some symptoms that the folks at the Mayo Clinic put together:

• Have you become cynical or critical at work?
• Do you drag yourself to work and have trouble getting started once you arrive?
• Have you become irritable or impatient with co-workers, customers or clients?
• Do you lack the energy to be consistently productive?
• Do you lack satisfaction from your achievements?
• Do you feel disillusioned about your job?
• Are you using food, drugs or alcohol to feel better or to simply not feel?
• Have your sleep habits or appetite changed?
• Are you troubled by unexplained headaches, backaches or other physical complaints?

Any of these ring a bell? If so, here are some helpful thoughts for how to sharpen your ax:

• Start the day with a little less intensity – change the alarm from that unnerving give-me-a-heart-attack blare to a more sedate wake-up sound. Have cup of coffee. Meditate, pray, commune with nature. Listen to some inspirational music or stories on the way to the office. (P.S. Would you be interested in an audio version of the Art of the Question blogs professionally recorded on CD? Send me an email at terry@terrynewberry.com and let me know!)
• Laugh – There are hundreds of languages, but we all laugh the same. A study done in 2005 by researchers at the University of Maryland Medical Center linked laughter and the healthy function of blood vessels. There are even studies showing a correlation between laughter and pain relief. Maybe the Three Stooges had it right!
• Watch your inputs and outputs – what we put into our bodies affects us; our energy level and our stamina. What are you fueling your body with? How about rest – the machine needs time to repair and regenerate. What are you putting into your mind? Is it wholesome and uplifting, or does it cause worry and anxiety? Are you exercising? According to WebMD, experts recommend 30 minutes of exercise daily. But they also say that just 10 minutes of moderate exercise helped liven up the day.  
• Just say no – set limits and boundaries. Know what your goals are, and be rigorous about defending your time. If it isn’t in alignment with your goals, let it go. It may be a little uncomfortable at first, but it will pay big dividends by helping you be more focused on your goals and critical tasks.
• E-mail, Schme-mail – Put it away. Turn it off. Unplug. Disconnect. Revert. Go old-school. Whatever you call it, do it. Get unlinked for a period every day – and not just when you’re sleeping!
• Draw the line, and then draw the line – once you set boundaries, be sure to get involved in some creative outlet. This works a completely different part of your brain than is normally engaged in daily problem solving. I can usually tell when I am getting out of balance because my creativity begins to diminish. Writing, woodworking and photography are some of the creative outlets that I enjoy.

I was in New York recently doing some speaking engagements. I spent the better part of a day in Central Park trying to capture the spirit of the city through my camera lens. I came away from that experience with a renewed sense of zeal about my work.

 As a friend told me recently, there is a reason the flight attendants on airlines tell you to put on your own oxygen mask before trying to help someone else with theirs. Take care of you first, or there won’t be enough of you left to take care of anything – or anyone – else.

Imagine the possibilities.

Terry

 Terry’s new book, The Boss, is available now in hardback, softcover, audiobook or kindle versions. Go to terrynewberry.com/theboss to place your order. Also available through Amazon.com.

Terry D. Newberry is a motivational teacher and certified lifecoach.  His client list includes BellSouth, AT&T, Auburn University, Children’s Hospital, UAB, and others. Contact Terry for bookings or appointments at terry@terrynewberry.com

terrynewberry.com

People Come First

People Come First

An Art of the Question Blog

Do I Put People First?

The lips only know shallow tunes. The heart is where great symphonies are born.

                                                                                        - Dr. Calvin Miller

He wrote and published over 40 books, traveled all over the world, and taught some of the best and brightest young minds of the past four decades.  He wrote on topics ranging from faith to fantasy, from love to leadership, from philosophy to poetry. He was an accomplished artist, writer, musician, professor and leader.  He was a modern renaissance man, a visionary whose interests were varied and relevant.

His name was Calvin, and he passed away recently.

He was my friend.

Yesterday I learned of yet another loss.  One of my colleagues was killed, the victim of a fatal accident.  He was a bright, ambitious young man, filled with plans and energy. He was gifted in many areas.

His name was Zach, and he too was my friend.

These men didn’t know one another. Neither of them expected to die. Both of them left a tremendous empty spot in the universe. They have been, and will continue to be, celebrated and mourned in turn.

Calvin’s passing left me stunned and filled with questions. Zach’s passage left me reeling. The unexpected nature of their loss affected me on a fundamental level. As I began to take stock of all the world had lost, I also thought about all it had gained because these two men had passed this way. The world was irrevocably changed for the better because of their lives.

And I began to wonder, what was it about them that left such a powerful legacy? I know Calvin had a strong desire to mentor leaders, and Zach had a similar desire to help others in any way he could.

And suddenly I saw it. They both understood the truth that People Come First. It was a truth they carried in their daily work.  It showed in the way they related to others. It showed in how they responded to others. It shows in how lonely the planet has become without them.

People come first.  I have a friend who is a bit of an introvert, although he is in a profession that requires him to interact with people of all types for most of the day. On the wall of his office, he had a whiteboard. On the board were scrawled the words, “It’s about the people, stupid!”

It is about the people.  Businesses come and go. Trends come and go. Technology comes and goes. But people are the center of all of it. They are the customer, the end user. They are the inventors, the innovators. They are the service provider. They are the team that makes it happen. They are, quite literally, the lifeblood of it all. And every one of them has a dream. Every one of them has a life. Every one of them has someone they love. Every one has something about which they are passionate. Every one of them has a tremendous gift and talent in some area.

So take the time to listen to them. You may learn something that will help you to be better able to accomplish your own goals. Take the time to care about them. Every investment in another human being, no matter how small, is powerful.

Recently I was selected for jury duty. As I sat in the waiting area, surrounded by several hundred others, a woman approached me and called me by name. I looked up, and she said, “Do you remember me?”

I did. Earlier in my career I managed the Bellsouth Mobility customer operations team for the state, and she was one of our online reps. “Yes!” I replied. “How are you?”

“I am doing well, thank you. But I came over here to show you something.” From her purse, she pulled out a piece of paper that had been folded and refolded so many times it was threadbare. It was held together in places with clear tape.

Unfolding it carefully, she held it out for me to see. I recognized my own handwriting. It was a thank you note I had written her for doing a good job on a project.

 She said, “I think of you often, and I carry this note with me to remind me to always care for my team the way you cared for us as your team.”

I was speechless. The letter was over ten years old.  

That one note, that small act of kindness which probably took me less than 1 minute to write, had set in motion a chain of influence that I could never have imagined.

People matter. If you would be a person of influence, if you would leave a legacy that resonates long after your direct influence, remember this truth and treat them as though they matter.  People come first.

Terry’s new book, The Boss, is available now. Go to terrynewberry.com/theboss to place your order. Also available through Amazon.com

Integrity

An Art of the Question Blog

What is my destiny?

 Ability may get you to the top, but it takes Character to keep you there.

                                                                          - John Wooden

 The soul is dyed the color of its thoughts.

                                                                           - Heraclitus

 

He earned his living by practicing law. But he had a hobby – a passion really, for the game of golf. He began competing, mostly on a part-time basis, and quickly became the most successful amateur golfer ever to compete on a national and international level. In fact, in the seven years of his peak, he not only dominated top-level amateur competition, but also gave the pros a real run for their money, often defeating the era’s top professionals.

He is the only player ever to have won the Grand Slam, a series of four major championships which preceded the Masters.

He founded and helped design the Augusta National Golf Club, and went on to be one of the co-founders of the legendary Masters Tournament.

His friends knew him as a gentleman. We know him as an extraordinary golfer. But there is more to his story.

Bobby Jones was arguably the best amateur golfer ever to play the game. He was skilled, competitive and driven. But he was much more than that.

During the first round of the 1925 U.S. Open, held near Boston at the Worcester Country Club, he shot short into the rough on approach to the 11th hole. He eyed the shot, and as he took his stance to pitch onto the green, he accidentally brushed the ball with the head of his club, causing it to move slightly.

Jones took the shot, and then told the USGA official covering the match that he was calling a penalty on himself. His partner, Walter Hagan, argued with him. After completing the round, before signing his scorecard, the USGA officials argued with him. He listened respectfully, but quietly pointed out that he had violated Rule 18, moving a ball at rest after address.

He took a 77 instead of a 76.

Bobby lost the 1925 U.S. Open by 1 stroke. His unyielding integrity ultimately cost him the championship.  

The thing is, no one knew he had brushed the ball with his club. It wasn’t intentional, it was an accident. But Bobby Jones was not only a great golfer, he was a great sportsman. Bobby Jones understood integrity.

Jones was praised by many sports writers for his gesture, to which he replied, “You may as well praise a man for not robbing a bank.”

As I write this, the news is filled with allegations of fraud exceeding $2B in Switzerland’s UBS AG. Considered as the world’s second largest manager of private wealth assets in over 40 countries, this global financial services company provides investment banking, asset management and wealth management services for private, corporate, and institutional clients all over the world. The ripples of this allegation sent shock waves through world financial markets that were already reeling from other, similar scandals from the likes of Barclay, Plc.

In a world filled with Lehman Bros, Enrons and Jimmy Swaggarts and HealthSouths and Bernie Madoffs and Jim Bakkers, integrity, purpose, and most of all, trust – seem to be archaic concepts. The interesting thing is that in all likelihood, most of these organizations employed at least some employees who were honest and trustworthy. Did they know of the trouble that was brewing in these companies? If so, did they try to do something to stop the deception? What would you do? Would you act with integrity?

An important concept in personal, emotional, spiritual or relational success is to first lay the internal foundation -  a foundation of integrity.  A person cannot for the long-term consistently support one area of life in which they do right and another where they do wrong.

Integrity. What is it?

We often equate integrity with honesty – which it is. But it is much more. Honesty is speaking truth. It means that whatever you’ve done, good or bad, you speak the truth about it.

 Said another way, you don’t lie.

Integrity is more encompassing. It is the field in which honesty is rooted. Integrity means that you have a moral conviction, a code of honor that you adhere to. Your personal code of honor keeps you focused. It won’t allow you to do things that you feel would dishonor you.

Patrick Morley, in his book The Man In The Mirror relates that The Institute of Behavior Motivation has found that ninety-seven out of one hundred people tell lies – and they do it about one thousand times a year. Are you one of the ninety-seven?

Sometimes we make the mistake of confusing the consequences of our actions with the severity of our actions. Just because we won’t go to jail for doing some “small” wrong does not mean that it is okay to do it. Guilty is guilty. That isn’t even the point.

The point is that if we aren’t trustworthy, we aren’t trustworthy. End of story. No matter how insignificant the lie seems. The trust is broken as surely by a small deception as it is by a large one.

Jesus once told a story about a manager who was wasting the resources of his company. He summed up the story with a simple truth: anyone who can be trusted in little matters can be trusted in important matters. But anyone who is dishonest in little matters will be dishonest in important matters.

Relationships are built on trust. This is true whether the relationship is with a spouse, a business partner, a coworker, or a friend. Trust is a very fragile thing; its foundation is truth. And that foundation can be weakened and destroyed as surely by small cracks as it can by large ones.

M.H. McKee put it this way: “Integrity is one of several paths, it distinguishes itself from the others because it is the right path, and the only one upon which you will never get lost.”

Like Mark Twain once said, “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything!”

The Greek poet Heraclitus wrote, “The soul is dyed the color of its thoughts. Think only on those things that are in line with your principles and can bear the full light of day. The content of your character is your choice day by day, what you choose, what you think, and what you do is what you become. Your integrity is your destiny…it is the light that guides your way.”

What is your destiny shaping up to be?

Terry’s new book The Boss is available in softcover, hardback, and audiobook. For more information on The Boss, go to terrynewberry.com. Also available at Amazon.com.

I’m Their Leader – Which Way Did They Go?

I’m Their Leader – Which Way Did They Go?

How can I insure my team is fully engaged?

An Art of the Question Blog

At our company picnic one year, we got together to buy our boss a new hat. It was a spiffy thing, a brilliant white baseball cap with deep blue accents and a matching bill – actually two bills. One pointed one way, the other pointed a different way. And engraved on the front was the humorous legend reading  I’m Their Boss – Which Way Did They Go?

I say humorous, because our boss was a great leader and we followed his vision and direction willingly. But that experience is seemingly rare for many workers.

I have received so many responses from readers who have finished The Boss.  Along with the wonderfully kind words and encouragement, there have been comments like, “I can understand why you wrote this book about him – what an amazing man!” and “Wow! I never knew a manager like that even existed!”

But perhaps the most telling comment of all was this one: “I wish I could have known The Boss”.

There seems to be a deep sense of longing within many of us to connect with our leadership. We want them to see us, know us, believe in us, support us, and help us grow.  Most of us would love to work for someone like The Boss.

But there are not many like him around, which is part of the problem. Research tells us that many people don’t quit their jobs – they quit their boss! Poor people management is at the core of a significant portion of employee turnover.  Poor communication, staffing issues, lack of challenge, lack of empowerment, feeling as though they aren’t cared for… the list for why we leave our job is long and ugly, and to a degree, debatable.

But there is one thing that is not debatable – the cost of turnover. NFI Research reports that 81% of senior executives say it is more difficult to recruit new employees than to retain valued existing employees. The Wall Street Journal reported that it can cost upwards of two times an employee’s annual salary to find, interview, hire and train a new team member.  Wow!

Those are the direct costs. Add to that the indirect impact of employee churn such as morale of those left behind, workload spread, slippage on projects, and customer service issues and the impact to the business really mounts up.

So, enough of the experts and the research – most of us know all that stuff. But between those findings, and the plaintive “I wish I had known The Boss” we find a bit of magic. It is the best kind of magic – the win/win kind. The company wins, the team member wins – everyone wins. So what is the secret behind the magic?

Glad you asked. It can be summed up in one sentence. The Boss cared.

He cared about the business. He cared about the customer and the customer experience. He cared about the profitability of the enterprise. But running through all that, like a thread stitching the entire thing together, was how much he cared for his team.

He showed it in many ways. Here are a few:

He was engaged – he practiced management by walking around – “earning his MBWA” is how he put it. And his wanderings yielded a lot of good information about how the business was performing, how the customers were reacting, and how his team was doing.

The Boss’s Life Lesson: Every good manager has to earn his or her MBWA

He listened – he found out what was important to his team, personally and professionally. He was able to coach and help them because he had a good understanding of where they were on the learning curve as well as in their personal lives.

The Boss’s Life Lesson: The benefit of helping others outweighs the cost every time

He cared – I know, it sounds trite. But this is arguably the most critical factor in any manager’s success, the most valuable tool in the toolbox.  The Boss understood this. When he noticed Dean’s lack of shoes, and took the time to buy him a new pair, he left an impression that can never be erased.  Here is the principle – when we take the time to know our team members and their life outside the cubicle, they reward our investment with an investment of their own.  We tap into their hearts, not just into their brain.

The Boss’s Life Lesson: Treat Your Team Like Family

He asked questions – The Art of the Question is a powerful way to learn and instruct at the same time. The Boss understood by asking the right questions, he could find out where the gap was in his team’s knowledge and lead them to the right answer. By asking questions instead of barking orders, he created an atmosphere of interest and engagement within the team.

The Boss’s Life Lesson: A good manager can lead someone to the right answer by asking the right question

He challenged – Most employees want to feel challenged in their work. The Boss kept the team challenged through subtle competition within the team.

The Boss’s Life Lesson: When you generate healthy, good-natured competition, everyone wins.       

The stakes are enormous. CNN Money warns businesses, “Your employees can’t wait to quit”. The article goes on to say that according to ManPower, 84% of employees planned to look for a new position last year. The number of employees who planned to look for a new job grew 40% in one year!

Think about the impact of losing a key member of your team. Consider the costs – financial and otherwise. And ask yourself this question: What can I learn from The Boss?

_________________________________________________

The Boss is available in softcover, hardback, and audiobook. For more information on The Boss, go to terrynewberry.com.

What Do I See?

What Do I See?

An Art of the Question Blog

The most important thing a captain can do is to see the ship from the eyes of the crew.

-         Captain D. Michael Abrashoff

It has been called the “Best Ship in the Navy”. But that wasn’t always the case.

The USS Benfold is one of the most technologically advanced ships on the deep.  Her crew had amazing potential. But as one leader pointed out, “potential” sometimes just means you haven’t done anything yet. Once crisp and focused, the crew had fallen into a quagmire of low morale and even lower performance. The Benfold’s scores routinely missed the expectations set by the Navy.

Captain D. Michael Abrashoff was placed in command of this substandard vessel. From the outset, he focused his efforts on molding the ship and her crew into the team of warriors that he knew they could be.

He was driven by the belief that there is always a better way to do things. He understood his crew knew better than anyone else the answers to the questions and issues that plagued the Benfold, crippling her performance. She was designed to be one of the fastest and most lethal warships ever to set sail, but instead she languished in mediocrity. Abrashoff was convinced the key to unlocking the ultimate performance lay in the hearts and minds of his team.

Captain Abrashoff believes that the best thing a leader can do is see the organization through the eyes of his team members. So that is what he did.

He wanted to make sure the crew knew that they were important to him, to the members of their team, and to the Navy.  He began by making it a point to meet every crew member of the USS Benfold and find out what was on their mind. What he heard was not encouraging.  Many of them couldn’t wait to finish their time and get the heck out of the Navy.

They felt that no one listened to them. They felt that they couldn’t have a positive impact on their environment. They wanted to do more, they wanted to be more. They wanted to be warriors, but they felt as though no one respected them.

He asked for their feedback. He listened.

His response was immediate and fully engaged. He began a systematic review of the things that needed to be fixed, and began to address them. From installing stainless steel rivets (instead of painting over rusted ones) to cross training the sailors, he made changes.  He focused on broadening the individual’s experience, value to the Navy, and sense of importance. He even sent the ship’s cooks to culinary school!

He created an environment in which his crew knew they mattered and were critical to the success of the team and the mission. He created an environment in which the crew could take pride in their work, their ship – and themselves.

Captain Abrashoff understood that the old model of “do what I say because I say so” would not work. Instead, his focus on listening, seeing, and recognition paid off. The USS Benfold went from being a marginal performer to being one of the top performing vessels in the fleet.

“The more I thanked them for their hard work, the harder they worked,” he reported.  In place of the traditional command hierarchy and approach, Abrashoff put into place an empowerment mentality.

He put his experiences on paper in It’s Your Ship, sharing his approach to leadership in areas of Communication, Trust, Listening, and Leading by Example. This is an excellent book that I highly recommend.

Captain Abrashoff has spent the last few years working with business, corporations, and individual leaders. His insight into the Business world is sharp and engaging.

From his work with corporate leaders, he has written an amazing follow-up book, It’s Our Ship. It is an insightful, no-nonsense discussion about some of the most critical issues facing companies and leaders today. Trust, Ethics, acceptance of personal responsibility, support and recognition are foundational to the success of any organization, and this book does a masterful job of sharing how these touchstones can create success in our business and our life.

Do I see what my customers see?

Do I see what my team sees?

Do I see what my competition sees?

Do I see the future?

Do I see the plan to address what I find as I look through the eyes of my customer, my team and my competition?

What do I see?

 

Explosion or Erosion?

Explosion or Erosion?

How can I stay sharp?

An Art of the Question Blog

I admit that Post-it note sheets that adhere to virtually any surface are now my substitute of choice for retention.

                                                                             -Candice Bergen

 

It was one of the largest studies of its kind ever done. It was led by professors from Penn State, and involved over 3,000 people from six cities across the U.S..  People in this five-year study were assigned at random to training sessions involving memory, mental reasoning, or speed of mental processes. The results were so telling that they were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

In the speed training group, nearly 90% showed immediate improvement as a result of the exercises they did. The reasoning group and the memory group showed improvement as well.

Bottom line was this – completing at least 10 sessions helped keep the participant’s brains sharp.

The old adage advises, “Use it or lose it!” Based on this study, that may be good advice!

We have all experienced it. We learn a new skill, but don’t have the opportunity to use it on a regular basis. When we try to exercise our ability, we find that we have forgotten some – if not all – of the steps or technique required.

The ability to learn and retain new information is more critical than ever. Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, said that we now create as much information in two days as we did from the dawn of man through 2003. I read recently that a single Sunday Times has more information than the average villager would get in a lifetime during the Middle Ages.

We spend tremendous amounts of time absorbing information, learning new tasks, gaining new insight, developing new relationships. We invest heavily on the front end to master the discipline or learn the ropes of the new endeavor. But over time, unless we frequently tap into that knowledge, we may suffer the loss of what we learned. I call it erosion.

Most of us don’t lose our skills or knowledge overnight (explosion), but rather through a slow process (erosion).

How does this affect us in our career, our leadership, or our personal life? And how can we build a process for retaining what we have gained?

According to the National Training Laboratories (NTL), the most effective way to absorb and retain information is to do and teach others. The NTL estimates up to 90% of information is retained when the learner uses the information immediately and shares it with others.

The second most effective retention tool is to practice doing the activity or task.

The least effective learning/retention process is lecture, and yet for most of us, that is the primary way we access information. A lecture can be verbal or written, but based on research done by the NTL, we retain only around 5% of the information when we rely on lecture alone.

Dale’s Cone of Experience also deals with learning and retention. According to this study, people generally remember:

10% of what they read

20% of what they hear

30% of what they see

50% of what they hear and see

70% of what they say and write

90% of what they do

Both studies show that the best way – by far – to learn and retain knowledge is to do and teach.

Here are five ways to help improve your retention and effectiveness:

1)   Mentor someone – as soon as you begin to learn new information or processes, make it a point to teach it to someone else.

2)   Write it down – many of us are visual, and seeing things in writing helps us to retain them. Practice the 3-step Read, Recap and Review process. Read it, recap it verbally, and then review it periodically.

3)   Repeat it often – for the first few days after learning the new information, write it down and practice going through the steps. The process of repetition helps increase our brain’s ability to absorb and retain the data.

4)   Have a cheat sheet – when you are learning, draw a diagram of the process, or make step-by-step notes. When you meet someone new, or are learning more about them, make notes. Keep a record of names of children, birth dates, hobbies and other things in your contact list. Maintain a reference file for those processes that you don’t do frequently.

5)   Develop a rotation process – if there is a process or some information that you don’t use often, put it in a rotation. Make a note on your calendar to review the process or information on a regular basis to keep it fresh.

What can I do to improve my retention of information? 

If you like this blog, please comment and forward to your friends!

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25 Hours in A Day

25 Hours in a Day

How can I better manage my time?

An Art of the Question Blog

Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.

-          Ben Franklin

Sometimes the math doesn’t work out.

The ancient Egyptians discovered that their calendar didn’t always jibe with the solar system. It seems the sun moved according to its own timetable. It meandered on its circular way, unmindful of the havoc it was wreaking with calendar life here on planet earth, taking 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes – well, you get the picture. Those pesky solar systems….

Anyway, no worries – the Egyptians just added to the calendar! And it was one of those win-win situations, because they wound up with an extra day! Wow! How cool would that be?  An extra free day, free time to catch up on reading, take a nap, finish that project – whatever! Hey, wait a minute – we have that free day too! We call it leap year, and it comes around every year that is divisible by four (except years that are divisible by 100, unless they are divisible by 400…never mind! Like we said before, sometimes the math doesn’t work!)

Today is February 29. This is 2012, a leap year. The next one won’t come around until 2016 (by the way, that will be a Monday – I recommend that you take a long weekend!)

But back to our topic. Free time.

Even the words are beautiful. Free time. Time to spend with family or finally read that latest business book or novel.  Time to do something crazy with friends. Time to wash the dog or paint that landscape you’ve been seeing in your mind’s eye. Time to take a long drive in the country or nap in the hammock. Time.

The Greeks had two words for time, Chronos and Kairos. Chronos is the concept of linear time – what our clocks and watches measure. When we talk about time management, it is most often this concept we are discussing.

Kairos is different. It deals with the quality of time. This is the concept we are referring to when we ask someone, “Did you have a good time?” There is an interesting dynamic at work here. Our struggles with Chronos are often aimed at having more Kairos.

So what is the key to getting everything done? First, we must understand that we really do have all the time we need!

William Penn said, “Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” We often feel that we need more time, when the problem is that we just need to learn how to use our time more wisely. What are some ways that we don’t use time wisely? Perhaps we don’t plan well, so we have to go back to the store again. Or back to the office to retrieve something we left. Or we neglect to write it down, so we buy the wrong size, or brand, or color. We may listen to too much radio, and watch too much TV. It has been estimated that the average American sees or hears over 500 ads a day! Perhaps we don’t eat right or exercise enough, so we are always tired. The list could go on.

We must understand that we have to control our time, rather than letting it control us. One key to this is prioritization.

Prioritization is knowing how to rank the items which you have to do. A powerful tool to help in this area is to have some system in place. For me, making a “to do” list works wonders! When I am overwhelmed with things to do, it helps me to capture them all and put them in order. You can use paper, Outlook, Task-management software, your iPhone, whatever works best for you. The key is to find a system and use it consistently. Something about putting things in order and writing them down helps us to organize our thoughts. It calms us and helps us think more clearly. That makes the tasks seem a little more achievable. Begin your day with a list, and check off items as you accomplish them.

A couple of pointers may help here. First, don’t overwhelm yourself with a list of things to do today that is so large you couldn’t finish if you had a week! Write all the tasks down, and then prioritize what must be done today. Once you’ve done that, rank them in order for that day. One of the most important keys is that all-important check mark! Looking at those checks by the items we complete gives us a sense of accomplishment and momentum!

Another powerful tool is delegation. John D. Rockefeller said, “I would rather earn 1% off 100 people’s efforts than 100% of my own.” There is a lot of wisdom in that thought. Effective delegation is one of the most powerful time management and efficiency tools, and it is applicable to all of us, whether we are stay at home moms, volunteers, or corporate executives.

Here, briefly, are some of the other tricks and tips for more effective time management. For the complete article with more great tips on effective time management, email us at terrydnewberry@bellsouth.net and request You Have All The Time You Need! No charge! This one’s on us.

Remember -

1) Plan ahead regarding how you spend your time.

2) Make a “to-do” list. Prioritize the items on your list. Mark them off as they are completed, and reprioritize as new items come up.

3) Create routines for yourself.

4) Delegate when appropriate.

5) Plan ahead for specific errands or trips.  Have a purpose in mind for what you are doing, and know what your goal or outcome is. Coordinate your time. For instance, if the dry cleaner is on the way to the grocery store, plan to visit both on the same trip.

6) Schedule time for yourself. In our age of frantic activity, noise and distraction, it is more important than ever to have time alone to think, plan and reflect.

7) Set deadlines! Accomplishments are dreams with deadlines!

Each of us has the same amount of minutes in each day. The difference is in how we use them!

Remember, for the complete article with more great tips on effective time management, email us at terrydnewberry@bellsouth.net and request your free copy of  You Have All The Time You Need!

Am I using my time wisely?

What 3 things can I do to improve how I use time?

If you like this blog, please comment and forward to your friends!

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Preparation or Procrastination?

Preparation or Procrastination?

An Art of the Question Blog

How do I prepare?

Failing to prepare is like preparing to fail.              - John R. Wooden

We lost him last year.  He was remarkable. He was unique. He was a winner.

Not just good success.  Not even great success. He had the kind of success that almost defies belief. And the common thread in all his success was preparation.

It started when he was just a player, if you can use the term “just a player” to describe someone who was the first person to be named basketball All-American three times – an achievement only matched by two others. While still in college, he won a national championship, and was named to the Basketball Hall of Fame.

He went on to become a coach – an extraordinary coach, winning ten NCAA national championships in 12 years.  While at UCLA, he won an unprecedented 7 national championships in a row! It was during this period that he won 88 consecutive games, and was named Coach of the year six times. Success beyond belief.

He is one of the most celebrated and revered leaders in the sport. He coached basketball greats like Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Bill Walton.

Part of Coach Wooden’s legacy is the Pyramid of Success which outlines his 15 keys to success. One of the building blocks in the pyramid is Skill. Part of Skill, says Coach Wooden, is to Be Prepared.

The great Roman statesman Seneca said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”  A key part of Abraham Lincoln’s philosophy is summed up in his quote, “I will prepare and some day my chance will come.”

As I write this, the beginning of a new year approaches. The past is just that – past. There is little we can do to affect what has already transpired, except perhaps learn from it. But the future – now there is an entirely different story.

Many people set resolutions for the new year, which is a great thing to do. But as many of us have learned, resolutions by themselves carry little power.  By itself, without proper framework, a resolution is doomed to fail.

So what is the framework? What can we do to help ensure our resolutions are successful?

There are three keys:

1)    Know what you want to do (see Can I Draw It With A Crayon?, and Am I Smarter Than A Harvard Grad?) through effective goal setting.

2)   Prepare

3)   Take action every day on some part of your plan.

Today’s question is centered around number 2 – Prepare.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a famous landmark because of its peculiar cant, or lean. It is a great example of a lack of preparation. It was built on a foundation that was not strong enough to support the structure, in soil that was unsuitable. Expansive (and expensive) countermeasures have been taken over the years to try and stabilize the structure.

That’s what happens when we fail to prepare. We wind up spending time and resources in an effort to correct all the problems caused by the lack of preparation. From late fees to missed appointments, from poor return on investments to presentations that didn’t do our product justice, being unprepared creates headaches on a lot of levels.

So how do we prepare?

1. Be Informed – the first step to being prepared is to know what you are preparing for. Be sure you have written your goals and have them firmly in mind.  (For a free presentation on SMART Goal Setting, send an email to terrydnewberry@bellsouth.net).  Brainstorm all the things you should do to prepare for each step.
2. Be Intentional – each day, review your goals and the steps necessary to achieve them.  Set a clear expectation with yourself that you will fulfill at least one step or take at least one action toward your goal that day.  Write it down. Track your accomplishments. 
3. Be Aware – how many opportunities have been missed because we weren’t paying attention?  Notice everything. That person you just met may well play a key role in fulfillment of one of your goals. That opportunity that someone mentioned might be a path to the next step for you. 
4. Be Expectant – When you take action toward your goals, some magic things begin to happen. As you talk with others about your goals and dreams, “coincidences” pop up everywhere. Events seem to align in your favor. You meet the right people; you are in the right place. There is a magic in the air. Expect that. Walk through every day, aware and expecting something unexpected to happen which will help you in your quest.

 Success doesn’t happen by itself. Attaining our goals won’t happen without preparation, intention and purpose as we pursue them. But with planning, preparation and focused intensity, we can see nearly any dream come true.

How am I preparing now for next year? Next month? Next week?

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The Card or the Gum?

The Card or the Gum?

An Art of the Question Blog

What do I value?

Don’t let your special character and values, the secret that you know and no one else does – the truth – don’t let that get swallowed up by the great chewing complacency.                                                                                                                        - Aesop

It is roughly four square inches in size.  It’s a piece of cardboard with a couple of different color inks on it. The image is of a person that many of us have never heard of.

It sold for $2.35 million dollars.

What the heck is it?  It’s a baseball card.  Yes, you read correctly – a baseball card.  A remarkable baseball card, termed by some collectors as the holy grail.  It was issued in 1909, and features Pittsburg Pirate Homer Wagner, dubbed “The Flying Dutchman.”

One of the reasons for the card’s value is that only 50 or 60 are believed to still exist.   Think about that for a minute.  I wonder how many kids bought a pack of gum, and tore into the packaging, damaging the card in their eagerness to get to the gum.  Or how about this – how many cards were tossed into the trash, because the kid just wanted the gum? They literally threw away millions of dollars, and didn’t even know it!

Thinking about this, I began to wonder.  I wonder how many times I missed the best option available because I didn’t think through the consequences of my decision?  How many times have I inadvertently wasted an opportunity because I was in a hurry? Have I settled for less than the best because I didn’t listen to good advice or spend a little time in research? And most important of all – how many times have I wished I could have a do-over because I didn’t make a decision that was in line with my values?

Now, don’t get me wrong, we all make mistakes. We all have things in our past we wish we could change. Focusing too much or too long on things that we can’t change is a sure way to become discouraged, so let’s not go there.

But if we are wise, we owe it to ourselves to learn from the past so that we can always be improving.  We can learn from our own past, as well as the lives of others.  And that is the purpose for this question – what do I value?

It isn’t necessarily just a financial question.  Our values extend into every area of our life.  Relationships, moral views, work ethic, faith, family – the list is long and varied.  Our values are just that – things that have value to us.  A value is a belief, a philosophy, a viewpoint – something that has meaning to us.  A value influences our decisions, and guides how we spend our time and resources.  Values provide a foundation upon which we build our business, our relationships, and our life.  Do your decisions reflect your values?

Mother Teresa valued the poor and sick, those that society had mostly forgotten.  Despite personal pain, discomfort and serious health issues, she spent nearly half a century investing in them, because they had value to her.

Galileo publicly defended his scientific views on heliocentrism.  He was mocked by his peers, accused of heresy by the church, and denied the opportunity to publish his work. Ultimately, he was jailed for his views.  He spent the rest of his life under house arrest for his beliefs, because they had value to him.

On a business level, Marriott values service to its customers and communities, and encourages its team members to operate in a “spirit to serve”.

Nordstrom has based its reputation – and indeed has become  famous – for their top quality associates and their customer service reputation.  This excerpt from their handbook gives insight into how highly they value the team member and the customer.  It reads, “Rule #1: Use best judgment in all situations. There will be no additional rules.”

Starbucks core values include community service, ecological responsibility, and aid to underdeveloped nations.  

Wal-Mart has a core value of everyday low prices.

Whether a corporation, a small business, or an individual, values are fundamental to our identity and our success.  Values serve as a constant foundation.

Here are five key areas in which values benefit us and our organization:

1. Values help us focus on what is important.
2. Values help us communicate what is important to our family, friends, and business associates.
3. Values drive and inspire us to achievement.
4. Values demonstrate and help shape our character.
5. Values demonstrate our uniqueness. (For more on your uniqueness, see my blog ”Fingerprints and DNA” in the July 2011 Archives.

Your values can change the world, one decision at a time, one action at a time.

What are my values?

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