Did you know that the African impala can jump ten feet high and cover a distance of ten yards? Yet this magnificent animal can be confined within walls only three feet high. Why? Because unless it first sees where it’s going to land, it’s afraid to jump.
Faith is the ability to jump and trust God even when you can’t see.
His mother, no longer able to provide for him, turned him over to the foster care system. At 22, he was homeless with a two-year-old son to care for.
The only way he could go was up. With $700 start-up cash, he pursued his vision.
Paul Mitchell hair products and eventually Patrón tequila.
One of the most significant traits of his success, he says, was overcoming rejection.
“You’ve got to be prepared in life for a lot of rejections.”
Pointing to a time, he had to sell encyclopedias door-to-door to put food on the table. Many doors, literally, closed in his face. As a result, he came to expect rejection, which proved to be beneficial, as he learned this:
“You must be just as enthusiastic on door 51 as you were on door 50, even if all 50 of those doors are closed in your face!”
John Paul DeJoria’s journey from homeless to entrepreneur and philanthropist – now you know…the rest of the story.
You can’t see the picture when you are in the frame. (Ask Billie Bean or Michael Jordan – client and Phil Jackson – coach.)
Whenever I get frustrated I use a model, “symptom, source, solution.” (Models can be so helpful).
Ever play Whac-a-Mole? Every time you knock one down, another mole pops up. To stop that from happening, you must address the source. In the case of the game, one solution is to unplug the machine and no more moles pop up!
The idea here is that if you really understand what the real source – the root cause – of your challenge is, the resolution becomes clearer.
Behind every behavior is a feeling and behind every feeling is a need and when you get to the need you get to the root cause and more effective solutions.
The top 1% have learned to “learn” outside their personal experience. That is bigger than thinking outside the box! Outside the box thinking, four ways, do you have a preferred way?
A. Think how to invent your way out of the box
B. Think about what you can do with the box
C. Think like there is no box
D.Think like the box has directions, follow them, and be on time and on budget
Leaders make one thing more than any other: decisions.
Every environment has constraints, and the decisions about how time and resources are allocated – about what to do next – drive all outcomes.
How do leaders decide what’s next? Is it based on urgency, proximity, or values?
The top 1% know the first in + first out approach is not an effective strategy; it’s an excuse. Even worse: the squeaky wheel strategy. They minimize the whirlwind.
The top 1% understand that work always expands to fill the amount of time you make available to complete it.
In 1955, Northcote Parkinson came up with the theory that the demand for an economic good expands to match its supply. In economics, this is called “induced demands.” It’s why, for example, expanding roads rarely reduces traffic congestion because more drivers show up to fill those extra lanes.
The same is true for work, hobbies, and school.
Work always expands to fill the amount of time you make available to complete it. For example, if there are six months available to complete a project, you’ll spend six months working on it. Give yourself only one month, however, and you’ll get the same amount of work done in one-sixth of the time.