It is OK to Borrow

You get some good ideas from almost everyone whom you meet. Then why not borrow some of those good ideas?

It is ok to replicate something that works for others. It is ok to borrow good ideas. In fact most of ideas are probably a compliation or hybrid of ideas we have witnesed. Therefore, look for the good ideas of your co-workers, friends, customers, and even strangers and borrow the ones that will work for you. I don't mean copying, but rather carefully selecting those ideas that will work for your own good.

Usually, people will be flattered by knowing that you have borrowed their ideas. For example, if a co-worker of competitor sales person brings bagels to customers in the morning and gets good results, consider doing it. If you witness someone rotating lunch dates with valued employees as a way of saying thanks for the effort, consider doing the same.

Even in formal business, if a competitor does something that really makes sense for your business, there is a way to tactfully borrow the good idea. Perhaps working out on lunch hour or going for a walk in the morning seems like it will benefit you, go ahead and do it. Many good ideas are borrowed.

You can go deeper by sharing philosophies on business with others and consider and reconsider your own philosophy based on your discussion. It is ok to borrow.

Staying Focused is Difficult

There are many distractions and temptations in life. However, in order to be successful. you must stay focused on what is important. If success in your career is important, you will always need to do the things that help your career and do them over and over again.

There will always be temptations to do less, to slack off from the job, to coast. This is not for you. Repeating over and over what works and looking for ways to grow will lead to success.

In your personal life, the same is true. There are always distractions and temptations that can keep you from being your best self. That is where discipline is required to stay focused. Stay on the right path.

Stay focused for success.

Peeling Back the Anger

It seems that many people walk around angry. For a variety of reasons, many people are burdened with some kind of anger. This can only hurt your career and hurt all of your relationships.

Take a look at why you have anger. What is it that makes you stay mad. Wouldn't it be so much better to go through life with a minimum of anger. I think that this might be just a part of our lifestyle. We want things to go a certain way and we want it to happen now.

Work at examining when and why you feel angry and work at correcting this for youself. Really work at not letting the little things bother you. I have learned that many of the things that bother me actually either go away or become less of a concern with time.

We all, including myself, need to peel back the anger when we can and take a more introspective approach to things and not let anger dictate our actions. I will be working on it.

Perspective Means a Lot

In business and in your personal life, many decisions are dependent on your perspective. And you know, that perspective changes so be careful when making decisions. For very important decisions, allow yourself to go through at least one change in perspective cycle.

In other words, allow yourself to be up and down, busy and relaxed, excited and disinterested before you make a final decision. Equally important, when you are contemplating a decision and going through your perspeective cycles, be careful not to relay a to others that you have arrived at a final decision. Otherwise, you will appear indecisive.

Allow yourself time to consider various perspectives before making an important decision. I have changed my mind many times because of perspective. You will too.

Relationships

Relationships are critical to success. Relationships are not only necessary to your business success but to your presonal success as well.

Many books have been written on the subject but a lot of it is common sense. If you approach every relationship with an intention of mutual benefit and mutual enjoyment, each one should be just fine.

In sales, if you approach your customer as someone with needs and interests just like yourself, you will naturally attempt to serve that customer. If you approach your friends as someone both capable and in need of giving and taking, it will work out.

When a relationship gets out of balance, you can either work to correct it or seek help from a third party. Sometimes abandonment is necessary.

Relationships will lead to success but don't take them lightly.

Use Many Sources

In addition to reading every day for at least 30 minutes, I would advise you to get your news and information from a variety of sources. I think that the Wall Street Journal continues to be an excellent source for business information. Your local newspaper is certainly something that has useful informaton for you.

Mix up your TV news sources. Don't allow yourself to only watch what you agree with. Again for business news, CNBC has very useful programming.

The main point is that we cannot allow ourself to have a narrow prospective. When gathering information, consider the big picture implications. Think long term.

I also advise you to have trusted discussion partners. You should have several people in your life with whom you can exchange ideas. Sometimes, hearing yourself express your opinion helps you to understand your own perspective and the reasons behind it.

Use many sources for your continuous education. You will be wiser for it.

Read to Advance

My audio coach, Brian Tracy, advises us to read in our field for 30 minutes per day. Imagine the information that you will be exposed to by that amount of reading.

I believe that Brian is right. If you can find books and magazines in your field of expertise, try reading every day for at least a half hour. You will be amazed at how much more that you know after a month or so.

Vary your reading selections but try to stick to text that will help you to be a better manager, worker, salesperson, accountant, or whatever you do. It works.

Sometimes books seem a little removed from your interest or specialty but they all help. The public library is certainly loaded with good materials. Make time every day to advance your career through reading.

Preparing for the New Economy

This is something that we will be doing on a regular basis. As I have mentioned in previous posts, the rate of change is accelerating.

Who would have thought that GM was going Chapter 11 and being taken off the Dow 30? By the way, Lee Iacocca's Chrysler is also Chapter 11 and rebounding. Who predicted the collapse of so many banks and other financial institutions?

However, on the day that GM announces it's bankruptcy filing. the Dow is up? This is even more unpredictable.

All of this means that things are changing on a rapid basis and we need to be aware of how things are changing so that we can be prepared to direct our career paths for success. We need to direct our study, training, and even our reading to take advantage of the new economy.

It is here.