Power Vacuum

You are a Champion!

What is power and what creates power? Of course, we have disciplines like political science that study these issues from a government perspective. Business politicians have made a career about studying business politics and rising to the top of an organization. Jeffrey J. Fox has written a book on that subject: How To Become CEO. John Maxwell has written many books on the subject of Leadership and makes a big distinction between the Formal Power Structure and the Informal Power Structure. To simplify his philosophy, true Leaders have followers so learn and practice the laws of leadership.

Many people have written books on leadership (the current fad it seems) and how to lead. One of my favorites is The Art of Leadership by J. Donald Walters. Leadership is an art. Network Marketing requires leadership because the Distributors are not in the formal structure (employees). They are Customers. In fact, because of the Internet, many traditional businesses face survival issues because of the informal power of the customer and word-of-mouth marketing.

How do you fill a Power Vacuum in a geographical area?

• First, you recognize that there is a Vacuum (simple observations). How many people are attracted to events and to the leaders at the events (how many people surround the leader)? How much unity is in the organization and how many directions is the organization taking? What is the leader or leaders doing to create unity in your area? Do they even recognize the need for unity? How strong is the leader? Where is the leader and how visible is he/she?

• How powerful is the message and how strong is the cause?

• In political terms, has a bottom-up or grass roots (local) group been established in your area? Nothing is accomplished without followers and a Team effort.

• Has a work structure (organization chart) been developed, goals defined, and work delegated?

• What is the track record (influence) of the leader and how many future leaders have been mentored and developed? We ask this question because very few people come from nothing to superstar. People follow an established (recognized) leader.

• Have specific “group” goals been established and accountability (timetable) been created for each member of the group?

Groups are bodies of people working for a common cause. Because it is a living thing it will grow and mature and take shape. A strong body can achieve more than a week body. How strong is your body? A strong body is not created by creating a Superstar (strong arms).

This discussion has nothing to do with your individual goals (whatever they may be). It has “everything” to do with creating a wave for followers to ride. Many people will not be successful in the business unless they have a strong wave (structure) to ride. This is the essence of “group” momentum.

Often, people have taken personal credit for group momentum and leadership. They are no longer successful because the group has lost a strong leader to organize, direct, and control group activity. Over time, they begin to realize they have just been good at riding the wave of the true leader.

It’s OK to draft off a leader if they will make you successful in the business. Be honest with yourself,do you need a wave to ride? If so, go find it.  Just like the ocean there are many waves to ride:  market, leader, large, small, etc.

Bug Zapper

You are a Champion!

Are you a light or a bug?

The neat thing about being a light instead of a bug is that you will attract instead of repel. Bugs kind of get under your skin don’t they? They always have a point to make too.

There is a big difference between having a strategy and expressing a strategy. I had a boss once who said something that made a lot of sense to me. She said, “I don’t telegraph my intended actions and if I intend to kill you I sure won’t send you a message–I’ll just do it!” She was a model 5500 Heavy Duty Bug Zapper.

Lights, like honey, attract a lot of bugs too but sometimes that’s a good thing. Zap!

As an example whether you are a Democrat or Republican, who is being attacked hard right now in the Democratic party? Hilary Clinton is being attacked hard. Why? Because she is the front-runner and everyone knows it. That’s a normal thing when you are in the light! She could cave under the pressure and start making the wrong decisions (be a bug instead of a light). She could lose focus on her long run goals and begin to attack her immediate adversaries. She could begin to telegraph her real feelings. She hopes to control that environment and not be tempted to do just those things. Who knows if she can take the pressure?

Be a shinning light to attract good people and don’t be a bug–be a light!

Moving to a New Area?

You are a Champion!

People make serious mistakes when dealing with the egos of fellow Distributors.

Problems often occur with currently popular school kids moving to a new school, successful executives moving to a new company, and dynamic pastors moving to a new church.

Here’s just one mistake that High Level Leaders may make when moving to a new city or town that has recognized leadership. Often we don’t put ourselves in the shoe’s of other people and violate what John Maxwell calls “The Law of E.F. Hutton” in his book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Please believe Maxwell when he describes this as a law that shouldn’t be violated.

Chapter 5: “Young, INEXPERIENCED LEADERS often walk confidently into a room full of people only to discover that they have totally misjudged the leadership dynamics of the situation…I went into the meeting with no preconceptions, no agenda–and no clue. I figured that I was the appointed leader and just assumed everyone would follow me because of that.” The dynamic John Maxwell was wrong. He found out quickly that the “locals” looked to a person named Claude as their leader even though he wasn’t the official leader.

This experience that Maxwell had at his new church is often repeated even by older leaders that should know better. The question that people often have with new leaders is “Who do you think you are?”

Your leadership skills may be unquestionable and it is still advisable to look up the local leaders when moving to a new area to get their friendship, approval, etc. This will certainly give you a jump start on being successful in your new community. Many popular young kids have learned early in life that they may have been the most popular kid in their old school only to become a rejected kid in their new school. Good looks, skill level, intellect is not enough when dealing with people. School kids may not understand these dynamics (laws) of leadership (the law of E.F. Hutton), and sometimes even experienced Network Marketers make the same mistake.

As Maxwell says, “The Law of E. F. Hutton reveals itself in just about every kind of situation. I read a story about former NBA player Larry Bird that illustrates it well. During the final seconds of an especially tense game, Boston Celtics coach K. C. Jones called a time-out. As he gathered the players together at court-side, he diagrammed a play, only to have Bird say, ‘Get the ball out to me and get everyone out of my way.’

Jones responded, ‘I’m the coach, and I’ll call the plays!’ Then he turned to the other players and said, ‘Get the ball to Larry and get out of his way.’ It just shows that when the real leader speaks, people listen.“

I certainly would not be trying to give you the idea that you should let someone else run your show and/or turn your business over to another leader. I am suggesting that there are “better ways” to deal with power than try to run over established leadership. John Maxwell is trying to help you avoid that mistake in his book. Hopefully, you can establish a win/win environment for you and your distributors (working together as a team to take your business to a much greater level than working alone). If not, you can always go to Plan B, C, D, or F. Remember the movie, The Quick and The Dead (1995), The woman is played by Sharon Stone, and the evil man is played by Gene Hackman to show that we all pay for our ego and pride when we are killed by a faster “woman.”

What’s Your BAG?

You are a Champion!

What’s your BAG (Big Audacious Goal)?

Venture Capitalist, because of the nature of their business, bet on the Jockey instead of the horse (Business). Why? Because much of what they invest in has no real track record. They can’t afford to bet on a CEO they don’t trust or know or a business with no track record.

Phil Town, Rule #1, requires two things from what he calls a level five leader:

1. Owner-oriented
2. Driven

An owner-oriented CEO runs the company like he is the owner. If he’s not calling the shots they don’t want to be a part of the business. Too many businesses are run by people who are not the founding entrepreneur and they have no clue what they are doing. A company can’t be run by a committee without a vision. The CEO has to run the business as if it was his own and he will be the owner for the next hundred years. If he/she has no long-term stake in the success of the company–look out!

The second requirement is the BAG! “So how do you know if the CEO has a BAG that’s going to drive him or her? Put it like this: If they aren’t in your face telling you what the BAG is, they probably don’t have one. They probably just have mission statements. Lots of companies have mission statements that sound as if they have a big goal. But a BAG isn’t about a mission statement. It’s what’s driving the CEO. If the CEO isn’t driven, the company’s mission statement can be hot air.”

What you need to do when picking a Network Marketing company is pick a company where the CEO has BAGS under his/her eyes (if you see what I mean)!

The High Road

You are a Champion!

“We go to a higher level when we treat others better than they treat us.” Winning with People.

John C. Maxwell wrote, “When it comes to dealing with others, there are really only three routes we can take:

• The low road - where we treat others worse than they treat us
• The middle road - where we treat others the same as they treat us
• The high road - where we treat others better than they treat us

The low road damages relationships and alienates others from us. The middle road may not drive people away, but it doesn’t attract them either. But the high road creates positive relationships with others and attracts people to us–even in the midst of conflict.

…It certainly isn’t one’s immediate inclination to turn the other check and treat people well while they treat you badly. How does one find the courage to do that?

…No one makes the most of his talent in isolation. Becoming your best will require the participation of other people. When you take the high road with others, you make yourself the kind of person others want to work with–and you put yourself in the best position to help others at the same time.”

John Maxwell also wrote this which goes along with the subject: “I love the story about the shortest letter to the editor written to England’s newspaper the Daily Mail. When the editor invited readers to send in their answers to the question, ‘What’s wrong with the world?’ writer G.K. Chesterton is reputed to have sent the following:

Dear Sir,

I am.

Yours sincerely,

G.K. Chesterton

…As you strive to do what you know to be right, you must know yourself and make sure you are acting in integrity with your core values. There’s a saying that inside every individual there are six people. They are…

• Who You Are Reputed to Be
• Who You Are Expected to Be
• Who You Were
• Who You Wish to Be
• Who You Think You Are
• Who You Really Are

You must strive to be true to who you really are. If you do and you do the right thing, then you will increase in courage.”

I think a lot of people think they are taking the high road when they never make “waves” or have conflict in life. Just go along, get along, and be as popular as you can be. The biggest conflict we all will ever have is with our core values. The problem is not with them it is with us. It takes a lot of courage to face yourself and take the road less traveled–the high road.  MLK said this:

Cowardice asks the question: Is it safe?

Consensus ask the question: Is it popular?

Character asks: Is it right?

 

A Lack of Vision

You are a Champion!

Talent is Never Enough, John C. Maxwell: “Everything that is created is actually created twice. First it is created mentally; then it is created physically. Where does that mental creation come from? The answer is vision.

People who display perseverance keep a larger vision in mind as they toil away at their craft or profession. They see in their mind’s eye what they want to create or to do, and they keep working toward it as they labor. For example, years ago I read an account of an amateur golfer who played a round with Sam Snead, member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, recipient of the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award, and three-time captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team. On the first hole, Snead shot a seven–three over par, an unusually poor score for a golfer of his caliber. As the pair exited the green, Snead didn’t seem to be bothered by his triple bogey. When his amateur companion asked Snead about it, he responded, ‘That’s why we play eighteen holes.’ Snead’s vision of the big picture helped him to maintain perspective, remain resilient, and persevere. By the end of the round, Snead finished four strokes under par.”

This story by Maxwell about Sam Snead brings back a memory of J.C. Snead and a shot he made at the US Open, Southern Hills, Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1977.

I watched as J.C. Snead drove a ball into trees (I was standing close by) and just assumed that he would hit back into the fairway and then onto the green. To my surprise he took out a wedge to hit the ball over a very large oak tree standing right in front of him just yards away. When he came up with his iron it hit the limb of the tree he was standing under but the ball went straight up, over the tree and on to the green. I was so amazed at that shot because I couldn’t even imagine anyone making a shot like that.

J.C.’s vision (due to his experience) was much greater than mine. He didn’t even seem to consider hitting a safe shot back onto the fairway. Often the reason our vision is so limited is because of our lack of experience and we may not even try because we can’t see ourselves doing it. That’s the way it is in any business comparing the experienced with the inexperienced. The experienced business person makes “plays” that we can’t even imagine and would never even dream of trying to make.

It’s time to get in the game and improve vision!

Hidden Messages

You are a Champion!

Why is truth always the best policy (besides answering “thank you for that information” when you don’t want to respond)?

It’s really the difference between evaluating an animal like a dog or cat with the motives of human beings.

What we love about animals is that “what we see is what we get.” If they are afraid of you or hate you they exhibit fear or anger. If they love you they are all smiles and very demonstrative. In other words, there are no hidden messages that you need to figure out and you can trust what you see.

That’s not at all true of people because they have agendas and motives that you need to figure out. That’s why the comment: “Get paid for doing what you will do anyway by sharing the products (as a Network Marketer) with your friends” is not exactly true when they realize you are selling products. That one fact puts them on guard and on notice. My friend is in the business and is going to push some products off on me.

You need to realize that people are always looking for the hidden message when you have something you are selling. That’s why some people may avoid commenting when you even vaguely refer to your products or business.

How do you deal with this? Be like your pet and be extremely transparent, friendly, etc. so that people never have to read anything in to what you say or do. Be yourself unless you are a snake. In that case, work on being a better person. This has nothing to do with selling skills and your ability, and has everything to do with who you are as a person.

In the bible we read things that confuse us until we give it more thought. For example, the comment “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” Why is it good policy for us to “believe” that statement? Because God is the only one who can repay vengeance without being hurt (no blow back). For example, as an accountant we may have the opportunity to be a “whistle blower” because of information discovered in an audit. However, what kind of blow back will we receive for being a whistle blower? We may find it difficult to find a job in the future. Most professionals understand blow back intimately, and have very specific ways to deal with issues of ethics (like how to discontinue a relationship).

Self protection causes people to react in ways that we may not understand until we give their actions more thought.

Don’t ever trick anyone into buying products or provide false information to get them into the business. Honesty is always the best policy because we always want to be on a solid foundation with customers and business associates. Word travels fast when we are not honest and/or stab people in the back.

No hidden messages!

Paint the House

You are a Champion!

Why do you paint your house?

When people talk about painting a vision for someone else they are trying to get into their mind. Perhaps their life doesn’t appeal to them anymore and we are trying to paint a better picture for them and give them hope of a better life or future. Painting a vision is not always easy. For example, my wife and I sell nutrition products (health and wellness industry) to help people feel better, perform better, and look better. Often, we find it difficult to approach someone that needs to lose significant weight. Why? Because they may have tried everything they can think of to lose weight and they have lost hope. To them, your product is probably just one more example of why they are a failure. Also, they look at us and see that we don’t need to lose significant weight. In other words, there is no way we can put ourselves in their shoes or understand what they feel. And so, they don’t want our help–they don’t even want to listen.

The same thing is true for someone who is in serious debt and can see no way out. Instead of looking at your business as a “way out” they see it getting them in just a little deeper (problem instead of opportunity).  They may even experience what is called buyers remorse because they are so afraid of putting down the credit card and improve their lives.  Please don’t take advantage of people like this–help them achieve their goals. You can’t paint a vision for someone who doesn’t have enough faith or hope even to respond to your message. That’s why we use product and opportunity stories. People just like them have found their way out!

When we are selling our house we often “paint the house” to give it more appeal. Unfortunately, the color may not be right for them but becoming a good decorator (good at painting) is important in Network Marketing.

If you were going to paint your (their) house would you paint it barn red?

This may appeal to you but most likely you have now limited your market. For most people a red house may not have curb appeal. Here’s an example:

• Live the American Dream and have all the big houses and cars and vacations, etc.

Perhaps that’s a great vision for some people but for others it may look like a red house. It’s something they can’t imagine buying or living in. For others this color might be more appealing:

• Get out of debt! Turn off the pressure cooker of life.

And so, what color do we paint the house?

We understand and listen to the market place and the customers we are communicating with and find out where they are on the scale of needs (let alone their desires).

Painting the house is not about you and your color and your color may not appeal to them!

Don’t Stall The Plane

What is the major concern when the plane is stalled because of the attitude of the plane compared to the horizon? Going into a death spiral and not having enough altitude to recover. A stall is when the plane stops flying.

Small planes are not that difficult to fly when things are going smoothly and the plane is working properly. The biggest pilot worry is weather related (beyond your control). Some people would tell you not to worry about things beyond your control just go ahead and fly or control what you can control (wow)! Would you fly into a thunderstorm because you didn’t pay attention to the weather?

Phil Town (the millionaire investor and author of Rule #1) talks about investing in a company that has Meaning to you. “The first question, “Does the business have Meaning to you?,” demands you buy it only if you’d be willing to make this business the sole financial support of your family for the next 100 years. In other words, you’d better know what you’re buying, because if it goes down, your family is going to starve. It also demands you act as if you’re the sole owner. In other words, you better know what this business does, and be confident it operates from a set of values you feel comfortable with.”

Learning to fly a plane (without killing yourself) is a lot like starting a small business. Let’s look at some similarities:

• What’s the first thing you do when you start flying? You take flying lessons. You spend hours in the plane with someone (mentor) who has the experience to teach you how to solo.
• You learn the tools and procedures of flying (reading and studying). Normally, when you get into controlled airspace you will have a Jet fighter pilot on you wing tip. Many people don’t realize that an F-15 Eagle can fly at 1,665 miles per hour (fire missiles even from the end of the takeoff runway miles away) and can be on you wing tip in a matter of seconds if you get into the wrong airspace. Business people study how to do the business, the competitors, the regulations, etc. They work harder on their self (their knowledge) than anyone else.
• Planning the flight will be a big part of your training. If you are going cross country you map the flight, determine the enroute weather, and file a flight plan (in case things don’t go well). Would you think about going into a business without planning? Always plan for the worst and hope for the best.
• Practice, practice, practice. Why do you practice stalls, turns, landings, emergency procedures, etc. ? Because things go wrong in life! You don’t need some of this training unless things go wrong. Would you start a business and never look at the downside risk?
  

So how do you get the plane out of a stall?

Here’s a true story about a person taking his flight test. He was asked to stall the plane and recover. Normally, this is a simple procedure but things didn’t go too well and the person got the plane into a spin. The FAA flight administrator said, “What are you going to do now?” Unfortunately, that maneuver had not been practiced and the person was clueless. The FAA tester recovered from the spin and, of course, failed the applicant.

• Get the nose of the plane down to recover from a stall. Stalls are practiced because they often happen on landing when the air speed and altitude is low. When an inexperienced person stalls his plane his first reaction is to pull back on the yoke to gain altitude. This makes things worse and you will die! The proper procedure is to get the nose down and add power. Power flies the plane (opposite rudder pressure is applied in a spin because rudders are designed to control direction).
  

In business, if things aren’t going well do you continue to do the wrong things even though they seem like the natural things to do? It’s time for you to add power to your business by getting good advise. If the results don’t improve the advise is not good and you are listening to the wrong people. Pay attention!

This little story is just to give you a taste for doing things that don’t come natural. In this case, the obvious (natural) procedure is the wrong procedure and you may not recover.

CPA’s will tell you that the number one reason people fail in business is because they are under-capitalized. Yeah? Try throwing money into something when you don’t understand what you are doing. That’s why I’m in Network Marketing–it doesn’t take a lot of capital.

Businesses succeed because people get good advise from people who know.

Edification, Empowerment, Growth

You are a Champion!

Have you ever seen someone who was asked to speak before a crowd that was “really not” a good speaker and could hardly get the words out? You hear them a year or two later, and to your amazement, they are powerful and dynamic speakers–we are surprised at their growth.

Major objectives of Network Marketing are edification, empowerment, and growth. A high priority should be to quickly “grow” anyone who has the desire to grow.

One of the main reasons that people leave their job is because they have reached a dead end or have been put on a side track to get them out of the way instead of using their talents and taking them to a new level. That’s like saying to them, “You aren’t important to me.” Perhaps they have been sidelined because a superior is jealous of their popularity, afraid of their abilities, etc.  And so, good employees leave the organization even though they may be earning their keep.

You can always recognize a political (stagnant) environment because the same people are always recognized and promoted in the organization over those who are doing the work (those more qualified). In fact, in some environments you see the same old people promoted even though they have been asleep for years. People often leave when they realize that the cards are stacked or marked.

Through example, people learn to edify (build you up) because you build them up!

The reason we do this is to grow checks, build organizations, and empower people. Some people (people who have been doing Network Marketing for a long time) just don’t get it and they never will. You see them promoting themselves and forgetting about their people. That’s why people don’t promote them like they should in order to grow their own check (the power of third party promotion).

Often, they don’t even deserve the recognition (people know it) so the crowd disappears.

There are times when the saying “never quit” doesn’t apply. Successful people realize when they are at a dead end (cul-de-sac) and when it’s time to move on to other people and other opportunities! In other words, this is not “The Dip” talked about earlier.

Tom Golisano, founder of Paychex, Inc.: “I believe you don’t motivate people. What you do is hire motivated people, then make sure you don’t demotivate them.”