Here is what I know as an entrepreneur, you try 10 things, and 9 don’t work out as planned, and 1 (after tweaking it) works.
The problems entrepreneurs confront every day would overwhelm most managers.
The point? Persistence. If you believe in what problems you are solving, you keep iterating until you find the formula.
I’m in the game.
It’s not about the money… it’s the challenge of solving a problem that helps people and firms grow.
It’s the community, connection, and servant leadership.
#WinTheDay
PS: Checklist
1. Is my vision clear and compelling? 2. Are my goals defined? 3. Do I have the right strategy? 4. Can I execute the strategy? 5. Is it fun with people I love and respect?
I posted this yesterday, and I might everyday for the next 90 days. Why? Lately it’s been the first three words when I wake, and the last three words of the day.
Servant leaders build community. They encourage friendships and provide forums for these relationships to emerge and deepen.
Servant leaders work to build strong positive relationships and are willing to accept the differences of others as a strength.
Getting the job done is not enough. Servant leaders are concerned about the health and strength of others and the overall sense of community and connection.
Servant leaders accomplish this by building relationships, community and connection.
In other news – about last night – the Angel game was postponed so we just walked around the lake and interacted with our community. Whenever I see a park bench, I always think of Forest Gump: “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get” yet you can always serve to make things just a little better.
For my friends in real estate and my friends that are buyers and sellers… some real estate market observations thanks to my friends over at Altos:
We all know that a change in mortgage rates reduces the real estate sales rate and vice versa. With the highest mortgage rates in 20 years, a few observations:
35% of sellers are taking a price decline from the initial sales price, which is ticking up slightly. Austin, Texas, has the highest level of price cuts, with nearly 50% of listed homes with a price cut. The lowest? Irvine, California, at 15% of homes listed.
There are 10% fewer homes on the market now than this time last year. The inventory of homes for sale tends to peak at the end of August – yet not this year with higher rates – inventory might continue to rise past normal seasonality.
Late August Observations…
Unsold homes ticked up this week.
Inventory gain week over week is the highest in a few months – and good news for your buyers that can afford to buy
The sales rate has slowed; part seasonality and part rates.
On a national basis, 365K homes are in contact right now, up a fraction vs. last week.
However, new pending sales this week were 63K vs. 70K last year.
As we enter into seasonality, the trend to look for – how quickly will new pending sales shrink? Will it be more significant than normal seasonality? That is the stat I’ll be watching.
One bright spot – 10,000 Americans turn 65 daily and are typically cash buyers when they downsize or move closer to family.
“What do you really really want?” This Is really the second most important question. Say what?! The more important question is: “What are willing to give up to get it?”
Are you willing to give up chill time for gym time?
Are you willing to trade busy work for prospecting, business development, or recruiting?
Write a book? Are you willing to give up what you usually do from 7 to 9 pm and go to the library instead?
I’ll do whatever it takes to get what I really, really want.
I’ll give up whatever it takes to ______ (fill in the blank)
To get _________, (fill in the blank) I’ll do whatever it takes.
When you are willing to do whatever it takes, you’ll earn want you really want.
“Onward and upward” is a mindset that requires a few key ingredients: optimism, empathy, curiosity and action.
Optimism is the ability to overcome adversity despite the circumstances.
Empathy is the ability to understand situations from another’s perspective with no judgment. The ability to choose to respond rather than to react.
Curiosity. To be effective be curious: curious about how people are feeling, curious about why things happen, curious about the future, curious about steps to take to navigate difficult waters.
Action. The winners are the doers. Talk is cheap, action speaks.
When we make changes by design vs. default we can craft a future the supports the growth we deserve.
Perfection is not a standard, progress is.
With 80 to 90 working days left in 2023 I’m opening up 10 slots for “what’s possible” strategy sessions. Because it’s not how you start the game it’s how you finish.
Research by the University of London reveals that our IQ drops by five to 15 points when we are multitasking.
In his book, Your Brain at Work, David Rock explains that performance can decrease by up to 50% when a person focuses on two mental tasks at once.
And research led by legendary Stanford University professor Clifford Nass concluded that distractions reduce the brain’s ability to filter out irrelevancy in its working memory.
So, what do you need to stop doing? Start doing? More of and less of?
One of my lawyer friends quoted Carl Sandburg today:
“If the facts are against you, argue the law. If the law is against you, argue the facts. If the law and the facts are against you, pound the table and yell like hell.”
My take? Doing the right thing is always the right thing and good business. “Make it right” and “Honor your commitments” is one of the best mantras ever.
Every Monday offers a fresh start, a chance to set the tone for the week ahead. One practice I’ve found incredibly helpful is starting each day with a simple journaling prompt:
“A situation that might trip me up today could be…”
“…and the way my best self would deal with that is…”
This simple exercise helps me proactively anticipate potential challenges and plan how to respond effectively. It reinforces the idea that perfection isn’t the goal—progress is. Mistakes are inevitable, but they can also be powerful learning opportunities.
From Setback to Setup: The Power of Redirecting
We all experience that sinking feeling when we make a mistake. It’s easy to get discouraged, but the key is to redirect that energy into positive action. Here’s a three-step process to transform setbacks into setups:
Accept: Acknowledge the mistake without judgment. Don’t dwell on it or beat yourself up. Simply recognize what happened. This is the hardest part.
Reflect: Take a moment to assess the situation objectively. Ask yourself:
What exactly happened?
Why did it happen?
What can I learn from this experience?
This reflection phase is crucial for identifying patterns and preventing similar mistakes in the future.
Redirect: Now that you’ve accepted and reflected, it’s time to redirect your energy towards positive action. This involves two key components:
Make it Right: If possible, take steps to correct the mistake or mitigate its impact. This might involve apologizing to someone, fixing an error, or adjusting your approach.
Adjust the System/Process: Don’t just fix the immediate problem; address the underlying cause. What changes can you make to your systems or processes to prevent similar mistakes from happening again? This is where true growth occurs.
Example:
Let’s say you accidentally missed an important deadline for a client.
Accept: “I missed the deadline. That’s not good, but it happened.”
Reflect: “I missed the deadline because I didn’t properly prioritize my tasks and I underestimated the time required. I also didn’t set up reminders.”
Redirect: “I’ll immediately apologize to the client and explain the situation. I will also implement a better task management system with clear deadlines and reminders to prevent this from happening again.”
Be Kind to Yourself:
Throughout this process, remember to be kind to yourself. Mistakes are a natural part of growth. As F. Wikzek wisely said, “If you don’t make mistakes, you’re not working on hard enough problems. And that’s a big mistake.”
By embracing mistakes as learning opportunities and actively redirecting our energy, we can transform setbacks into valuable stepping stones on the path to success. Make this Monday—and every Monday—a chance to learn, grow, and move forward. And that is how we win the day!
