W.I.N. Wednesday: There is a Big difference

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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February 15, 2017 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: The Suck Factor and the Rule of 3

It sucks when you have a job that you hate. I get that. I have had some pretty crappy jobs in my life.

It sucks when your boss is an ass. I get that too. I have had some bad bosses.

It sucks when you work in a negative and emotionally toxic environment. Been there and done that too.

If you checked off any, or all of the above boxes as your life right now that sucks. The reality however, is that you only have three choices when the Suck Factor strikes:

Change your Job.
Change your Attitude - Embrace the Suck, Look for the Good and Dare to Be Great.
Choose to be Miserable. (Yes it is a choice.)

Right now some of you are thinking (or screaming out loud), “Brian. You don’t understand.”

I get that a lot and, yes I do understand.

Remember Simple versus Easy. Simple is lack of complexity. Easy is lack of effort. Your choices are Simple, not Easy.

As nice as it would be for everyone in the world to, “Find a job you love so you never have to work another day in your life.”, that is not the reality for most people. Until you find a job that you love, try finding things to love about your job. Stop bitching, moaning and complaining and look for the good in the job, the pay, the benefits, the people you work with or the people you serve. Look for how you can contribute to the organization or to some part of the world through what you do. The job exists for a reason. You provide some type of service or benefit to someone. What is that? Find a way to contribute and make a difference in the organization. If you cannot do that, go back and decide on option #1 or #3.

You cannot change your boss. If your boss is an ass, that sucks. Find a way to Embrace the Suck. Start by reading The No Asshole Rule by Robert Sutton. Take time to reflect on what you love about your job and your work. Choose not to let the boss take that from you. Instead of battling your boss, try asking what you can do to help him or her. Let them know that you understand he or she is under a lot of pressure and has a lot of demands that you are likely unaware of and ask what you can do to help them and better serve them. If you cannot do that, go back and decide on option #1 or #3.

It is tough working with energy vampires, dream stealers and whining, snivelling, malcontents. It can suck the life out of you, if you let it. Start by stepping back and asking, “What piece of this do I own? How am I contributing to the negativity in the workplace? Am I someone whose attitude others complain about?” Go on the offensive and work to change the culture. Start to talk about what’s right with the workplace and the world instead of what’s wrong. Start looking for the good in others and acknowledge what they do well. Praise for effort and process, not outcome. Focus on shifting from being problem identifiers to problem solvers. Find one other positive person and start going for coffee or lunch with them. Then recruit a 3rd for your coffee / lunch group and build from there. Go for a walk on your breaks or go find a quiet place to read a good book. If you cannot do that, go back and decide on option #1 or #3.

Life is not fair. You are going to run into the suck factor. Find a way to Embrace the Suck, Look for the Good and Dare to Be Great.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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February 01, 2017 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: No Enemies - No Character

"A man with no enemies is a man with no character."

Paul Newman

I had to read this quote from Paul Newman a few times. As I read it I reflected on the W.I.N. and the Dare to Be Great philosophies I teach.

It struck me that if you are a man or woman of character then you understand W.I.N. and you are very clear on your values. You are a person who is committed to those values and to doing what is right.

In my Dare to Be Great programs I share two guiding questions:

1. W.I.N. - What’s Important Now?

2. What’s the right thing to do?

During the workshops we talk about the fact that doing what’s right is not always what’s popular, expedient or easy, but it is always what is right. Doing what’s right will piss some people off and make you some enemies. It is still what’s right.

As a man or woman of character, you are also a man or woman of integrity. In Dare to be Great I share Dr. Brene Brown’s three elements of integrity:

1. Choosing Courage over comfort.

2. Choosing What’s Right over what’s fun, fast or easy.

3. Practicing your values, not just preaching your values.

Leadership experts James Kouzes and Barry Posner talk about having character as a leader is, “Do what you say you will do.”

Remember Simple versus Easy. Simple is a lack of complexity and easy is a lack of effort.

Being a man or woman of character is simple:

· Focus on W.I.N,

· Do What’s Right,

· Do what you say you will do,

· Choose courage over comfort, and

· Practice your Values.

Simple - not easy.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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January 18, 2017 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Take the 'U' out.

In his book Failing Forward John Maxwell recommends that you take the ‘U’ out of Failure. Just because you failed to achieve a goal or accomplish a task does not mean that you are a failure.

It is the difference between “I have” and “I am”.

“I have failed.” versus “I am a failure.”
“I have screwed up.” versus “I am a screw up.”

You will screw up and you will fail. That is part of life and part of being human. So, allow yourself to be human, acknowledge that you will screw up and that you will fail and start moving forward.

Now that you have that out of the way, make a plan to use failure as an opportunity to grow. When you fail ask yourself:

What did I learn from that experience?
How have I grown from this experience?
What’s the next action step I need to take to move forward?
Then take action to move forward better off for the experience.

When you make a mistake and screw up:

Stand up, man up / woman up and own up.
Ask yourself, “What did I learn from that experience?”
Ask yourself, “What am I going to do to ensure I do not make that same mistake again.”
Take action to move forward better off for the experience.

Many of the leading experts on success suggest that in order to succeed you need to “fail fast and fail often”. They tell you that if you want more success, you need to fail more often.

What I take from all the books and articles I have read, and the podcasts and interviews I have listened to on this topic is that you need to be willing to take action, take some risks and push yourself in order to grow. You need to be willing to try something new and get out of your comfort zone understanding that you may fail, and that is ok, as long as you learn from the experience and grow as a result. It is the doing, the reflecting, the questioning, the feedback, the learning that brings the value, not the failure itself.

If it was the failure itself that was important you could simply go out and try a bunch of things you know you could never accomplish, fail at all of them and come out the other side a success.

What the experts are really suggesting is that in order to grow and succeed, and then move from success to significance, you have to put yourself out there, take action and take some chances. Playing it safe all the time will not allow you to grow and maximize your potential.

What’s Important Now? - Failure is an opportunity to learn and to grow. It is up to you to take advantage of that opportunity.

Important Note: On Monday of this week we released the first video from WINx Chicago 2016. In that video Roy Bethge, my friend and co-founder of WINx, gives a great talk on Failure and Courage. I would recommend that you invest 18 minutes and watch the video. What makes the talk even more impressive is that right before Roy was to start his talk we lost partial power in the venue. This affected the lighting and caused us to do some major scrambling. About ¾ of the way through his talk we lost all the power in the venue briefly (leaving only two battery powered lights). Roy had to deal with these challenges and obstacles in real time as he delivered his presentation.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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January 04, 2017 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: The ‘No TV’ experiment.

This past spring my wife agreed to allow me to cancel the cable at our condo. We still have a TV, we just have no cable so we do not watch TV. No, we don’t have Netflix either.

My rationale was that it was too easy to get drawn into watching TV in the evenings or on weekends, especially when we were tired, and even if there was nothing really good on.

Do I miss it? I can’t speak for my wife, but my answer is no. There are times when there is a football game on that I would like to watch but the reality is that I can check the scores on my phone and spend my time doing something more productive.

What has been the result? I have read more books this year than ever before. Most of my reading in the past has been non-fiction. I would read 5 or 6 fiction books a year (usually binge reading at the end of the year). This past year I read 31 non-fiction books and 34 fiction books. I also listened to the audio version of 6 non-fiction books and listened to numerous podcasts while riding the exercise bike or walking on the treadmill (I refuse to wear headphones or ear buds while walking outside).

Here are some of the favorites from the books I read in 2016:

Non Fiction

Books everyone should read to understand the realities and the human side of the law enforcement profession:

· OIS: After the Trigger’s Pulled by Jim Byler

· The Price They Pay by Karen Soloman

· Hearts Beneath the Badge by Karen Soloman

For Trainers, Teachers and Parents:

· Peak by Anders Ericsson (I am going to cheat and claim this for 2016 and 2017 as I read half last week and half this week)

· Make it Stick by Peter Brown

· Grit by Angela Duckworth

· Brave, Strong,True by Kate Hendricks Thomas

If you want to become a better leader:

· Turn the Ship Around by David Marquette

· Real Leadership by John Addison

· Leadership Lessons from a UPS Driver by Ron Wallace

· It’s My Pleasure by Dee Ann Turner

· Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

· Legacy by James Kerr

When it comes to Fiction I went to my standbys and read the latest books from Brad Thor, Lee Child, Michael Connelly, David Baldacci and Barry Eisler. I also discovered a new ‘favorite author’ Harlen Coben. I read a number of his books the last 6 months and there is always an unexpected twist at the end of every one. (His Myron Bolitar series are good but I like his stand alone books best. )

What’s in my virtual stack (I read almost exclusively on my Kindle and my iPad) that am I looking forward to reading in 2017?

· Excellent Sheep by William Deresiewicz

· Pre-Suasion by Robert Cialdini

· Damn Few by Rorke Denver

· The Road to Character by David Brooks

· Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

· The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni

· How We Learn by Benedict Carey

· Tribe by Sebastian Junger

· Illuminate by Nancy Duarte

· Chip Huth and Jack Colwell’s new book.

· Rereading The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzken

Cancelling your cable subscription and going without TV is not for everyone but, it was a great decision for us. For me the money spent on the monthly cable bill is better spent on books.

Let me know what you are reading and what books (both fiction and non fiction) you would recommend I add to my virtual stack in 2017.

What’s Important Now? So many books, so little time. If you don’t like to read then listen to audio books or podcasts.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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December 21, 2016 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Why You Should Get Up Every Day

"The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves."

Steven Spielberg

Mentoring, like leading, is not about creating a clone of you or a “Mini Me”. It is about helping others develop into the best version of themselves that they can be. It is challenging others, just as you challenge yourself, to always be better tomorrow than they are today. They can only fulfill that challenge by investing in themselves every day by reading or listening to books or podcasts, learning from their mistakes and failures, and asking questions.

In my Dare to Be Great leadership workshops I share the following quote from Steven Covey:

“Leadership is communicating to people their worth and potential so clearly that they are inspired to see it in themselves.”

Stephen R. Covey

Think of the people in your life in whom you see the potential they cannot see in themselves. Seek to mentor those people.

Think of the people in your life who saw the potential in you that you did not see in your life. They communicated to you that they believed in you and as a result you rose to that challenge. They are your mentors. Thank them.

Mentoring and leading is not about simply telling others what to do. It is modeling for others the desired behaviours. It is asking questions to guide them to the self-discovery of the answers. It is teaching them how to think, not telling them what to think. It is allowing them to struggle, then helping them to learn the lessons from the struggle.

Mentoring is give and take. John Wooden said, “Mentoring is why you should get up ever day; to teach and be taught.” Who are you teaching? Who are you learning from? Who are you mentoring?

What’s Important Now? The world needs more great mentors and leaders.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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November 30, 2016 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Show up. Do the work. Repeat.

Seth Godin wrote a blog post titled, “Hang in There” In the post he wrote, “Is there anything more difficult? Showing up day after day, week after week, sometimes for years, as your movement slowly gains steam, as your organization hits speed bumps, as the news goes from bad to worse...Showing up, it turns out, is the hardest part of making a difference.”

In Good to Great Jim Collins talks about ‘showing up’ with the Flywheel principle, “In building greatness, the process resembles relentlessly pushing a giant, heavy flywheel in one direction, turn upon turn, building momentum until a point of breakthrough and beyond.” When you stop showing up and doing the work, the flywheel (progress and positive change) slows and stops.

Angela Duckworth writes and speaks about the importance of Grit, which is the combination of intense passion and intense perseverance toward a long-term goal that matters to you.

Anders Ericsson (the author of Peak) talks about the importance of thousands of hours of Deliberate Practice to build mastery.

What’s Important Now? Dare to Be Great. Hang in there. Show up and do the work. Then repeat tomorrow.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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November 09, 2016 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Stiffening the spine of others.

"Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened."

Billy Graham

In my Dare to Be Great leadership workshops I share the insights from two of my mentors Chip Huth and Jack Colwell that we are a culture big on Bravery, but lacking in Courage. They define the two this way:

Bravery is to act for what is right, at risk to self, when members of one’s social group agree with the act.
Courage is to act for what is right, at risk to self, when members of one’s social group do not agree with the act.

The “risk to self” when displaying courage is often not a physical risk. It is the risk of being shunned by your peers for speaking up. It is the risk of being ostracized by the group or being labeled as someone who is not a team player.

We all want to be liked and to fit in. The question is are you willing to go along just to get along or, do you have the courage to do what is right, even when it is not what is popular, expedient of easy.

In Dare to Be Great I also share Dr. Brene Brown’s three elements of integrity:

Choosing courage over comfort.
Choosing what’s right over what’s fun, fast or easy.
Practicing your values, not just preaching your values.

You need to grow the courage to do what is right. Growing courage is a phrase I borrowed from my friend and mentor Roy Bethge who has an entire seminar he teaches through The Virtus Group called Growing Courage.

What’s Important Now? - Be courageous. Be a person of integrity. Model those behaviors for your children, your peers and those you lead. Take a stand and stiffen the spines of others.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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November 02, 2016 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: The Bridge Between Knowing and Doing

"It's not knowing what to do, it's doing what you know."

Tony Robbins

During a recent Dare to Be Great leadership workshop one of the participants asked a great question about bridging the gap between what we know and what we do.

Many of us are Knowers, but not Doers. We attend a seminar or workshop, listen to a podcast or watch a webinar and keep saying to ourselves, "I know that." At the end of the event we walk away thinking, there was nothing new there.

You are right. There is nothing new because there has not been an original thought for 200 years or more. What we all know we got from someone else. As a speaker and trainer your mission is to connect the dots for people in the audience and help them understand how the thoughts, ideas, tactics and strategies you are teaching can be applied in their world.

In his powerful book Resilience, Eric Greitens tells us to, “Approach each day as if you have something new to learn. Your task is not to begin in a noble place, but to end up in one." He then goes on to remind us, “Deciding is not doing, and wanting is not choosing. Transformation will take place not because of what you decide you want, but because of what you choose to do.”

The bridge between knowing and doing is action. Small daily actions. Acting on the commitment to always be a little better tomorrow than you are today.

Too often we get fired up during seminars and workshops when someone challenges us to go out and change the world. It is inspiring in the moment, but daunting and often overwhelming when we reflect on it later.

Rather than asking yourself, "How can I change the world?", ask yourself Dr. Robert Cooper's question, "What is the smallest change that can make the biggest difference." Once you answer that question take action on that small item. When you complete that action ask the question again.

The next time you attend a training class, seminar or workshop before you leave complete these four steps:

Write down your top two or three takeaways from the session.
Write down one action you will commit to take based on just one of those takeaways.
Write down the name of the person you will share that action step with so they can serve as your accountability partner.
Take out your phone and text or e-mail them to let them know you will be contacting them within 24 hours to share your action item. If they have not heard from you in 24 hours have them contact you.

Without a commitment to small action steps we will remain stuck in "knower" mode and fail to do what we know.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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October 19, 2016 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: They both start with 'W'. You choose.

You can whine or you can do the work; they both start with W.

If you have time to whine then you have time to find solutions.

Dee Dee Artner

Whining is the easy route. It is basically a three-step process:

Step 1: Whine. You whine about all the problems of the world, you whine about all your problems, you whine about how hard done by you are and how life is unfair.

Step 2: Blame. Blame your parents, your teachers, your coaches, your coworkers, your boss, your spouse, your children, the economy, the government, the education system and anyone else you can think of. (The #1 Rule of Blame - Never blame yourself.)

Step 3: Repeat. Repeat steps 1 and 2.

Doing the work is hard. It takes effort. And, you have to be willing to do the work every day. That is hard. As Larry Winget says, “They call it work for a reason.”

Doing the work requires you to ask important questions such as:

· What’s Important Now?

· What’s the right thing to do?

· What piece of this do I own?

· What’s the smallest change that can make the biggest difference?

· What’s the first step?

· What’s the next step?

· How will my taking action help to benefit and serve others?

What’s Important Now? Whether you whine or do the working is a choice you have to make every day. Remember W.I.N. and choose wisely.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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October 12, 2016 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: You Choose

Life is about choices. Every day you get to choose.

You choose your attitude towards life, your work and your family.

You choose to pursue excellence and Dare to Be Great, or to embrace mediocrity.

You choose to be a little bit better today than you were yesterday, or to simply be the same.

You choose whether or not you read, listen to audio books or podcasts, watch TED talks or other educational material or whether you spend countless hours watching television or surfing the net.

You choose who you hang out with and spend time with.

You choose how you think about and treat people in your life, including yourself.

You choose to be active and healthy, or sedentary and unhealthy.

You choose whether you seek to learn and grow every day, or to embrace the status quo and just do what you did yesterday and the day before, and the day before that.

You choose whether you will be a problem solver, or simply a problem identifier.

You choose whether you learn and grow from failure, or whether you allow it to crush your spirit.

You choose whether you accept responsibility when you screw up, or whether you deny, demand proof and point the finger of blame.

You choose to fix the problem, or fix the blame.

You choose to embrace the suck and find the good, or to allow the suck to embrace you and allow yourself to become one of those whining, sniveling malcontents.

Life is full of choices.

Want to make better choices? Ask yourself these two questions:

1. What’s Important Now?

2. What’s the right thing to do?

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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September 21, 2016 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: What you up to Willis?

A number of W.I.N. Newsletter readers have asked about what I am reading these days, what upcoming seminars I am teaching as well as any training programs I would recommend.

What I am reading?

I just finished the audio version of Deep Work by Cal Newport and Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert and enjoyed both. I recently finished reading Worth Dying for by Rorke Denver and Legacy by James Kerr and would highly recommend both. I am currently reading Newhall Shooting: A Tactical Analysis by Mike Wood and Natural Born Heroes by Christopher McDougall and am really enjoying both books. You can also check out my Recommended Reading list at www.winningmindtraining.com.

What am I working on?

For the last 14 months I have been working on providing professional development training for trainers through a membership site The Excellence in Training Academy. Currently there are 53 interviews and 9 webinars posted in the Members Area of the site. There are also a number of great Member Benefits for those who have investing in joining the EIT Academy Community. Go to www.excellenceintrainingacademy.com and check out the Introductory Webinar and Featured Interview then sign up for a 30 day free trial.

Where and what am I teaching?

What is fast becoming my most in demand workshop is Dare to Be Great: The Leadership Challenge. I have three public Dare to Be Great leadership workshops scheduled in October:

October 5, Central Saanich, British Columbia

October 17, Calgary, Alberta

October 28, Spruce Grove, Alberta

I am also teaching an Excellence in Training seminar in Spruce Grove, AB on October 24.

What other training would I recommend?

WINx: Inspiring Excellence in Law Enforcement 2016. This one day dynamic TED style event was a huge success in 2015 and 2016 promises to be even better. Check out the 2015 talks and the 2016 lineup of speakers at www.experiencewinx.com. Use the code WIN2016 to get a discount when you register.

Emotional Survival Training – October 26 to 28, 2016 in Las Vegas. This three day seminar is put on by the Dolan Consulting Group and features Kevin Gilmartin, Brian Nanavaty, and Harry Dolan. If I were not already committed to teaching all that week I would be in Vegas attending this seminar.

Dynamics of Officer / Citizen Encounters and Decision Making: The Foundation of Reasonable Force by Command Presence. Check out the Command Presence website www.commandpresence.net for dates and locations.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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September 07, 2016 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Teach these to your kids.

Labour Day is over and all the kids are now back to school. Over the coming months they will be exposed to a number of challenges, lessons and problems. They will have struggles, successes and failures.

To help your children deal with these challenges and help prepare them for the realities of life I recommend you share these 2 questions and 3 rules. I teach these same 2 questions and 3 rules in my leadership and other workshops and seminars.

The two questions are:

What's Important Now?
What's the right thing to do?

The three rules come from Pete Carroll's Win Forever philosophy and they are:

Always protect the team.
No whining, no complaining, no excuses.
Be early.

Have a discussion with your kids about what each of the questions and the rules mean. If you have been reading these posts for any time then you already have a sense as to the broad applications for question #1 W.I.N. from homework, to chores to practicing the piano. Make sure to ask them what they think each of them mean and how they can apply them.

When you talk about question #2 What's the right thing to do?, make sure they understand that doing what is right is not always what is fast, easy or popular, but it is always what is right. It might mean standing up for the new or different kid that all their friends are picking on, or refusing to talk badly about another kid in class or spread rumours. It might mean sitting with the kid who always sits alone in the cafeteria instead of sitting with the popular kids.

As for the three rules, #1 Always Protect the Team does not just apply to the sports teams. Their decisions and actions reflect on their family, their school and their community. If you focus on W.I.N. and doing what is right this will generally look after itself.

Rule #2 is self explanatory and can be referred to by the parents, or the children when any family member gets caught up in whining, complaining and the blame game that is all too common today.

Be Early means be early for school, for meetings, for practice, and for games. It also means be early to adopt new ideas and new ways of thinking and embracing positive change.

Let me know how you are implementing these 2 questions and 3 rules into your family and your life.

What's Important Now? The rules apply to you as well as your kids and they are a way for your kids to also hold you accountable.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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August 31, 2016 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: The Prodigy

Invest 6 minutes today to click on the link at the end of this post and listen to the performance at TED where 11 year old Joey Alexander performs a jazz piece on the piano.

The headline is “11 Year Old Prodigy Performs Old School Jazz”. The word prodigy bothers me. Synonyms for prodigy include: genius, phenomenon, and wonder boy. The term for many people implies that Joey has “a gift”, and that somehow he developed his talents without the work and effort that it requires mere mortals.

As you listen to Joey play consider all the hours he has spent listening to jazz music, thinking about music, dreaming of music and practicing music. Imagine the environment he grew up in where his love of jazz music was spawned and fostered; where his parents supported his love for jazz music and provided and environment where that allowed it to thrive. His efforts have resulted in him getting the opportunity to play with (and likely get coached by) some of the best jazz musicians in the world.

Think about how great he will be as he continues to practice, learn, get coached, practice more and continues to develop his skills, knowledge and passion.

Too many people assume they could never be as good as the Joeys of the world because they do not have “the gift” and so they never put in the effort and never strive to be great at anything. Too many parents push their children to be the next “child prodigy” whether their son or daughter loves the piano, loves to play that sport or loves math.

What’s Important Now? It is important for parents to create an environment where your children develop a love of learning and a willingness to try and fail at different things until they find something they love doing and are willing to put in the time and effort to be great at. Be patient. Their “calling” will likely not be clear by the time they are 11.

Joey Alexander TED Performance

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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August 24, 2016 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: You have to choose.

In my Dare to Be Great leadership workshops and my conference presentations Embrace the Suck and Dare to Be Great, I talk about the reality that greatness is a choice. Every day you have to choose between Daring to Be Great and embracing mediocrity.

Mediocrity is easy - embrace the status quo and just keep doing what you have always done.

Daring to be great takes work. Hard work. It requires showing up every day with a commitment to learn, grow and put in the effort to be better than you were yesterday.

Daring to be great means you will make mistakes, you will stumble, you will fall and you will fail. Every time you fall you have to pick yourself up, brush yourself off, determine what you learned and how you will grow from the experience and then move forward a little bloodied and bruised but better off for the experience. It means that when you screw up you stand up, own up, learn from the experience and move forward better off for the experience.

In a blog post last year Seth Godin wrote about: The four horsemen of mediocrity:

1 Deniability - "They decided, created, commanded or blocked. Not my fault."

2 Helplessness - "My boss won't let me."

3 Contempt - "They don't pay me enough to put up with the likes of these customers."

4 Fear - "It's good enough, it's not worth the risk, people will talk, this might not work..."

Daring to be great requires that you are aware of "The Four Horsemen" and keep yourself from sliding into that victim mentality.

What's Important Now? Choose to do the work. Choose greatness over mediocrity. Remember that every day is a new chance to choose.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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August 10, 2016 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Two Virtues

In his book The Road to Character, David Brooks talks about two kinds of virtues - Resume Virtues and Eulogy Virtues. He defines them this way:

The résumé virtues are the ones you list on your résumé, the skills that you bring to the job market and that contribute to external success. The eulogy virtues are deeper. They’re the virtues that get talked about at your funeral, the ones that exist at the core of your being—whether you are kind, brave, honest or faithful; what kind of relationships you formed.

If someone were to ask you which of these two types of virtues is most important to you most of us would probably say Eulogy Virtues. If however, you were to honestly examine your life what would you see? Would you see that you living your life in such a way as to build those Eulogy Virtuess or are you truly focused on building the resume.

The Resume Virtues are what tend to get the hype and the attention. They are usually what get you the job and the promotion. They are what you write about in your description on your LinkedIn page. They are likely what you talk about over a Starbucks coffee of a glass of Argentinian Malbec with a coworker.

Ask yourself if it is Eulogy Virtues or Resume Virtues that:

Drive the decisions you make about how to spend your time and your energy.
Determine the people in your life whom you choose to hang out with.
Influence what you read.
Dictate what courses and conferences you attend and whom you hang out with at those conferences.

Resume Virtues are often easier for us to focus on. They seem more tangible. They can be listed on your Resume or your Curriculum Vitae. They are easier to talk about. They are used to introduce you at a business meeting, prior to your big speech and even at a party. In the end however, it is not those virtues people will remember and speak about when you retire from your job and from life.

What’s Important Now? You do not just have to choose one or the other. They are both necessary. The question becomes one of focus and energy. On which of these two virtues do you put your greatest energy and focus? Over the years I have come to figure out that if your focus and energy is on the Eulogy Virtues, those virtues will have a significant positive impact on your resume.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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August 03, 2016 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: What are you fixing?

There is a Japanese proverb I have been using in my seminars for years which says, “Fix the problem, not the blame.”

Fixing the blame is easy. You just point the finger of blame in any direction and say, “It is your fault.” “It is their fault.”

You can point the finger of blame at your parents, your spouse, your boss, your co-workers, your company, all levels of government, or a different race or group in society. It is pretty easy to find someone to blame.

You can blame them for your failures, the quality of your education or your lack of education, your financial situation, your happiness, your health issues, your weight, your lack of advancement, and the economy. You can even blame them for the conscious choices and decisions to make. If there is something in your life, or in the world that you are unhappy about, you can find someone else to blame.

Or, you can seek to fix the problem. Being a problem identifier is easy. Being a problem solver, a problem fixer, is harder. It is harder because it starts with you standing up and accepting responsibility. It starts with admitting you own a piece of this and therefore, you can help fix it. It starts with stepping away from pointing the finger of blame at others and stepping in front of the mirror of responsibility. It starts with changing the conversation from blame to solutions.

Fixing the problem is not about trying to change changing the world overnight. It is about changing your attitude and starting to think and act like a problem solver. It is about asking, “Where can the smallest change make the biggest difference.” The change starts with your attitude, your thoughts and your beliefs.

When you think, act and believe you can make a difference, you start to take small steps, small actions. Those small actions have a ripple effect. They influence the people close to you and inspire them to take action. Their new thoughts, beliefs and actions influence the people closest to them and the ripple continues.

We live in a world right now where the focus is on playing the Blame Game. It makes for great press coverage. It inflames people’s emotions. It results in a lot of screaming, yelling, backstabbing and a lack of productivity and opportunity. At the extremes it results in rioting, burning, looting, attacking and killing. All of which leads to more finger pointing and more blaming.

What’s Important Now? Get out of the blame game. Become a problem solver. Fix the problem, not the blame. Commit to small, right actions every day. Become an agent of change.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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W.I.N. Wednesday: It’s Just Easier

July 20, 2016 / Brian Willis

It is easier to make excuses than it is to stand up, man up / woman up and own up when you screw up.

It is easier point the finger of blame than it is to look in the mirror and ask, “What piece of this do I own?”

It is easier to take the credit and give away the blame than it is to take the blame and give away the credit.

It is easier to be a problem identifier than it is to be a problem solver.

It is easier to find fault in others than it is to look for the good in them.

It is easier to complain about what is wrong than it is to take action to make things better.

It is easier to hate than it is to see others as people who have hopes, dreams, fears and aspirations.

It is easier to step back into comfort than it is to step forward into growth.

It is easier to remain silent than it is to stand up and speak up when others are professing messages of hate or providing false or inaccurate information.

It is easier to ignore inappropriate behavior in friends, coworkers and those you lead than it is to have a courageous conversation and address the behavior.

It is just easier to blame, complain, deflect, hate, do nothing, stay silent and stay stuck than it is to take responsibility, embrace accountability and take action to make things better.

What’s Important Now? You have a choice. You can choose easy or you can choose to do what is right. Doing what’s right is not always what is easy, expedient or popular but it is always what is right.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Thank You For Your Service

July 13, 2016 / Brian Willis

“Thank you for your service.” is a phrase we hear in airports, coffee shops and other public places when people see men and women of our military in uniform and want to show their appreciation. We should thank them for their sacrifice and service.

My dream is that we will get to the same point in our communities with the men and women of law enforcement as we have with our military. My dream is that it will become common for members of the community to approach law enforcement professionals on the street, in a restaurant, in a coffee shop (and after receiving that traffic ticket) and thank them for their service.

Law enforcement is a complex, challenging and demanding profession. It is a profession of service. A profession of men and women who have chosen to serve their communities by taking an oath to Serve and Protect. It is a unique profession in that you wear a bullet resistant vest, carry a gun, Taser, pepper spray, handcuffs, tourniquet and usually wear a uniform every day. You drive a highly visible vehicle equipped with lights, a siren, a computer, a shotgun or a rifle or both.

Few professions are like law enforcement where every day when you go work your parents, your spouse and your children worry that you may get killed on the job and never come home. It is a profession where you work nights, weekends and holidays and will not always be home for Christmas morning or Thanksgiving dinner and you may be at a domestic, a homicide scene or a traffic fatality instead of your son or daughter’s soccer game or piano recital.

Law enforcement is a profession where some people will hate you simply because of what you do. It is a profession where people will try to hurt or kill you simply because of your profession. It is a profession when people call you at their worst and where you see and experience things repeatedly that few people will ever experience once in their lifetime. It is a profession where you may have to take a life to save a life.

Law enforcement is a profession of human beings. They are men and women who have hopes, dreams, fears, aspiration, strengths and weaknesses. As human beings they will make mistakes sometimes. They are not Superman or Super Woman. Are there people in law enforcement that should not be in that profession? Yes, just like every other profession in our society. The majority of the almost one million law enforcement professionals in North America however, are dedicated men and women who want to serve and want to do a great job. They are not thugs, bullies, racists and murderers. They also want to go home to their families at the end of every shift.

Despite all the challenges and obstacles there are still men and women who choose to serve their communities as law enforcement professionals. They deserve your thanks.

What’s Important Now? - Make it your mission to thank a law enforcement officer for their service every time you get the opportunity. Make it your mission to inspire your friends and family to do the same. This is a very difficult and very challenging time for the men and women of law enforcement. Your thanks and support will go along way in helping them understand that their communities do care about them, believe in them, need them and support them. The silent majority needs to break the silence.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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W.I.N. Wednesday: What piece of this do I own?

June 08, 2016 / Brian Willis

"I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions."

Stephen R. Covey

It is easy to blame circumstances when things do not turn out the way you wanted. It is easy to blame your boss, the economy, your co-workers, your genes, your teachers, your parents, your spouse and anyone else you can think of.

Grow is not about blame. It is about responsibility. Who is responsible? You are. Stand up, and own up. Ask yourself, “What piece of this do I own?”

"I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it."

Maya Angelou

Change is inevitable; growth is optional. It is only when you accept responsibility for your circumstance and the choices and decisions you make that you can learn, grow and move forward.

We all get caught up in the blame game once in a while. They key is to recognize it and get out of it.

I have written about this before and will write about it again. The news (which I no longer watch) seems to give a lot of airtime to people who refuse to accept responsibility for the decisions and choices they make and their children make. They are always looking for someone else to blame when they should look in the mirror, as we all should.

What’s Important Now? Stand up, own up, man up / woman up, learn, grow and move forward better off for the experience.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

Please share this with your friends, family and co-workers and encourage them to go to www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com and subscribe so they never miss an issue of W.I.N. Wednesday.

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