John Ryan

Will I succeed vs. I will succeed

January 17, 2019 By John Ryan

“Will I?” or “I will.” Which one seems stronger. At first glance, the “I will” has a much stronger stance. It is solid.

Stronger or not, the real question is, “Which statement produces better results?”

Now it is not often that new ways to approach goal setting make their way onto the scene, but psychologist Ibrahim Senay has done just that. In his research, Senay studied the impact of self-talk on goal attainment in a variety of contexts.

One of his goals was to compare the difference between the impact of “Will I?” vs. “I will.” Interestingly enough, he found that the question, rather than the statement produced better results.

Now, the phrase, “I will.” has some power to it. It is commanding and definitive.

The question of “Will I” sounds open and uncertain. However, if you think about it, if something is as good as done, perhaps there are some things that are missing in that situation versus a situation in which it may or may not.

Exercise is one of the areas in which Senay examined the effectiveness of the statement versus the question and here too the question was more effective.

I Will

If I say, I will work out, it has a finality to it and could be even a little threatening. Think back to being told that you will finish your homework before you go outside with your friends.

Will I?

However, if I say, will I work out? The question gets me thinking. Will I or won’t I? There’s certainly no threat. And my brain begins to wonder and thinks about the different scenarios about what would have to happen in order to exercise.

Furthermore, if you think about it, who is the only person who can answer the question of whether or not I’m going to work out? That’s right, me. So the question puts me in control.

I know that many of us have set goals before, even said the words “I will.” And if you did, great.

However, if for some reason the goal is not being achieved, here’s another approach. Consider the power of the question.

Get your brain working, understand that you’re in complete control of your behaviors and make it happen or perhaps it would be better to just consider whether or not you’re going to make it happen.

Kinetic goals, that’s what it is all about. Goals with movement.

Fail Your Way to Success

January 14, 2019 By John Ryan

While we all want success, sometimes the best path to success is through failure.

Tom Peters popularized the idea of “Fail. Forward. Fast.”

While we understand this on an intellectual basis, where it really becomes valuable is in creating a culture that values and rewards risk taking. There is no doubt that success is great but the problem with success is that we become emotionally invested in the particular way that we succeeded.

But we all know that what worked yesterday, may not work today, and is unlikely to work tomorrow.

Failure doesn’t have that problem. Failure is typically a cause for new action. We chalk that up to the “no” side and find something else that works.

And that is the real key to lasting success, is the ability to try new things and commit to making it happen, regardless of the setbacks. And that’s what they are, setbacks, because they’re not denials, just delays.

Keep in mind, however, that not everyone approaches failure in the same way.

The important thing to remember is that the meaning of that failure is determined by you.

Did that experience provide you with the exact experience that you needed to find a way to succeed or was that the last straw for you?

The choice is yours…choose wisely.

My recommendation is to view failure as feedback. Study it. Learn from it. Use it.

How to Use Goal Setting and Motivation to Get Your Team Moving

January 11, 2019 By John Ryan

Remember, the best way to motivate others is to give them the opportunity to motivate themselves.

Having your employees hit the ground running on Monday morning often has more to do with what you do on Friday than what you do on Monday. If you want to have a great Monday, you need to start preparing on Friday.

People tend to feel great on Fridays. The weekend is coming and the excitement about the weekend, for some people, is better than the actual weekend itself.

I find it interesting that if you ask people what their favorite day of the week is, many people will say Friday. One would think that Saturday or Sunday would be the clear winner, but Friday also ranks pretty high on the list and in terms of motivation, you can use this to prepare to have a great Monday.

To begin, pick a time on Friday when you can get your team together to prepare for the following week. Keep the following in mind when picking the time:

If you decide to have an early meeting, providing breakfast can put everyone in a great mood
Long lunches tend to happen from time-to-time on Fridays, avoid times like 11:00 am or 1:00 pm so your employees don’t feel rushed during lunch or the meeting
Don’t pick 4:00 pm, they may show up physically, but they’ll probably have already checked out mentally

Your goal in this meeting is to get your employees looking ahead and setting goals.

Top performers are forward looking and whether they’ve had a great week or a terrible week, this meeting is about getting your team focused on future achievements. This isn’t about delivering a bunch of status reports.

Instead think of this as a group meeting to brainstorm and prepare for the future. Another goal is to make sure that the important things are getting taken care and that urgent tasks don’t continue to push important projects into the background. Here are some things you can discuss as a group:

What are the important objectives for the week?
What are the biggest obstacles we are likely to face?
What can we do on Monday to set ourselves up for a great week?
Are there any important projects that have been neglected that we can start on or complete next week?

When Monday morning arrives and everyone is already primed and fully associated with their objectives for the week, it’s easier for them to tap into motivation, even on a Monday.

Make It Easy For Your Customers to Buy

January 8, 2019 By John Ryan

Companies understand that more than ever customers have choices. Our goal of course should be to help our customer make the best choice possible by choosing us over our competitors. One way to do that is to make it easy for people to buy from you.

While this seems like common sense, not everyone follows this path. Think about websites that use CAPTCHAS (those are the distorted words that you have to decipher in order to prove you’re a real person when signing into websites). If the difficulty is set too high with those robot-proof tests, we may find another site or give up altogether.

One organization that is trying to make it easy for their customers to give them money is Saratoga Springs Race Track. As you might imagine, this is more of an adult playground. But rather than only catering to those who don’t have kids or can secure babysitting, they are seeking to attract families as well by offering activities for kids including walking tours of the facilities, a museum, and the opportunity to play jockey by riding horse simulators. I suppose it is not only a way to attract current clientele but to lay the foundation for future clients as well!

They key is that they identified a potential roadblock, a barrier between the customer and their bank account, and they took action to minimize it.

Think about your business.

What roadblocks are there between your customers and you?

What can you do to eliminate or minimize these blocks?

How Your Personal Life Can Affect Your Wallet

January 5, 2019 By John Ryan

At first glance, it makes sense that your personal life would affect your wallet. After all, bigger toys cost more. However, I’m not just talking about expensive hobbies.

One of the biggest costs you can have is poor personal relationships.

The cost of a divorce aside, think about the hidden costs. I’m talking about the personal problems, that are detracting from you doing your job and getting things done. Clearly, one of the most important characteristics of successful people is the ability to focus. Split mind equals split focus.

Think about the problems that Tiger Woods has been having as he rejoins the PGA. One would think that his talent would carry him through and he would rise to the top. However, it doesn’t appear to be happening that way.

Is it split focus?

Is it a lack of confidence?

Both?

I would imagine that when he started down that dark road of indiscretions, that he never dreamed that it would come to this. After all, his personal life shouldn’t have any effect on his professional life. However, in today’s environment, the lines between personal and professional lives are blurred. What affects one affects the other.

Having a balanced life is an idea that has been around for a long time, but how many of us are truly living a balanced life?

And what does that even mean to be balanced?

I believe that each of us gets to decide what “balanced” means to us. Perhaps you want to work hard for 30 years and retire to spend time with family. Others want to spend more time with their family as they go. Right or wrong this is a personal choice.

However, regardless of your sense of balance, maintaining healthy relationships can also be a wealth decision. Even if you don’t get millions in advertising dollars each year, you can think about what you can do to invest in your personal relationships today.

Who have you not connected with or what can you do to remind those you care about that they are important to you?

I Will

Will I?

Serious about getting results?