Technical glitches can take the All-In far out!

 How often do technical glitches really bog you down and ruin your day? Technology has come so far, it rarely is bad enough to really ruin a day any more. 

BUT...once in a while it can happen.

For the past month, there have been issues with the hosting of this site. It took ten+ hours over several days to rig a solution. It's not even a great solution but one that suffices. 

Can you relate to how frustrating that is? I bet everyone who reads this can relate.

Glitches spoil an all-in mindset. The key is to get the mindset back where you want it to be. Do not let tech or errors or anyone own your mindset! Right?

That's what I had to keep telling myself this last month.

Remember the three guys who annihilated the copier in the movie Office Space? 

I did not want to turn into those guys. Nor did I want to speak rudely to the tech folks trying to help figure it out. 

It's important to have go-to strategies for staying All-In, especially when surprises or negative events occur. 

All-In doesn't mean you don't feel the feelings though. It just means you don't let the feelings get the best of you causing you behave in a way contrary to your core values. 

That's it. Luckily the All-In mantra helps!

Keep on living and leading All-In,

Kelly

All-In role model: the high school principal with a side gig at Walmart

"He's there when you least expect it but when you need him the most," a student said of Mr. Henry Darby, the high school principal who works a night shift at Walmart for extra money to help students in need.

Nearly all of his students (90%!) live below the poverty line with some sleeping under bridges or in their cars. Imagine for a moment how such circumstances affect teenagers—their minds and spirits. Would you be able to focus all day and do homework while living under a bridge?

If you struggled to work from your kitchen table next to a fully stocked refrigerator last year, give it some thought.

Mr. Darby loves his students and sees them for who they are, not where they live. He calls them “the best of the best.” His love compelled him to take a night shift at Walmart so he could help his students and families more. All of his Walmart salary goes toward helping others.

He gets emotional talking about his students in the video. He wants them to learn the three R’s: Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships. He is a spectacular role model of all three.

Mr. Darby’s only request of his students is kindness, “Learn to help others. That’s one of the greatest things we can do as human beings.”

His love for the students comes across so clearly, Walmart was inspired to donate $50,000 to his effort. All of the funds will go the same place his Walmart salary goes: to the students in need.

Watch the video and notice Mr. Darby’s leadership.

He is a modern leader brining out the best in the students, community, and now that his story is out, all of us.

Three questions we can ask ourselves to boost our leadership...

1. Who do you care about the way Mr. Darby cares about his students? Anyone?
2. How can you be like Mr. Darby for those people?
3. How can you model the 3 R’s of Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships?

Be worthy every day, like Mr. Darby. Remember, as he says, helping others is the greatest thing we can do as human beings.

If you want to join Mr. Darby's support for his students, click here to donate.

 

(Source: South Carolina principal takes night job at Walmart to support struggling students by Drew Weisholtz posted January 29, 2021 on The Today Show website)

Reflect on 2020 to be All-In in 2021

Happy 2021 All-In Leaders!

A few folks requested guidance about how to reflect on the end of 2020, so here is what I provided. 

In just 13 questions you can ponder last year and move forward into 2021. The general idea is not to get bogged down in the past but to reflect honestly and start building momentum toward 2021.

In addition to these questions, I list the good and bad things that happened during the year. Just a bulleted list without details (not re-living the emo of them all). My lists mix personal and business because they get listed in the order items come up, but some people prefer to do the exercises separately.

It is helpful to reflect on last year to fully grasp the lessons and loves to bring into the new year.

I have been doing this, and studying it, since it was a sixth grade assignment. 

High-performance is not an accident, and neither is living a fulfilling life.

I am excited to share more with you soon so you can take the reflection further into 2021! Let's make 2021 our most All-In year yet!

Happy Achievers are All-In!

A few months ago, a publisher invited me to contribute to a book about habits that helped me in life. Steven Samblis, CEO/ Founder of Envision Media Partners, had a vision for his book to include 100 people he wanted to share for others. What an honor to be included! The one I wanted to include came to me immediately and I sent it along.

The way Steven spoke of his book reminded me of the way I spoke about the All-In book when it was in the works. Remember it? If you've been around here for a while, you remember it, and we probably met at a conference or corporate event when I spoke about The 5 All-In Strategies of High Performance.

The Happy Achievers mindset is similar to the All-In one. If you're here, you'll like the new book too.

The new book, 1 Habit™, is filled with 100 Habits from the World's Happiest Achievers™. 

As Steven says, "Pick just 1 Habit™ from the book, and it will change your life forever. Pick 5, and you may just change the world."

Buy 1 Habit™ today for yourself, your family, your kids, co-workers, and all the people in your life that you truly care about. 

You can learn more about it at www.1Habit.com and purchase it via Amazon here: https://amzn.to/2U0owmo

Let me know if you agree the Happy Achievers are All-In!

Kelly

3 Ways to ruin rewards and recognition

A professional colleague recently shared her story of being summoned to the executive conference room of her employer. Normally such a summons would spark nerves, but she knew something good was about to happen. Laverne* and a teammate, Shirley, had just completed a big project that brought compliments from their client. Laverne was excited and eager to hear from the management who normally attended such meetings.

When she arrived to the conference room, Laverne was greeted by her supervisor. The supervisor’s boss, Lenny, also was there but did not speak to Laverne. The executive spoke to Shirley because they had worked together longer but did not address Laverne upon arrival, while recognizing the accomplishment, or upon their departure.

While bestowing a nominal reward to the pair, Lenny made three crucial errors:

1. He never looked at Laverne
2. He misstated Laverne’s contributions
3. He mocked the dollar amount of the award

When Laverne told me the story, she said it still irked her even though it had happened weeks ago. She said she would not have cared that the write-up was incorrect if the presentation had been kind and sincere.

Management failed to capitalize on the opportunity the situation offered. Lenny could have solidified a bond with a super employee while he enjoyed reminiscing with a long-time coworker, yet he missed it. He could have inspired two superstars to continue their strong performance, yet he did the opposite. He could have motivated two staff members, yet he became a laughingstock as they shared their story with other coworkers. He became a laughingstock and so did the award.

What the company intended as a sincere gesture failed because management did not buy in to it, or was too stressed to execute accurately, or was unable to recognize the real opportunity in front of him. The reward and recognition backfired because of the delivery.

Laverne’s experience is not unique, unfortunately. 

Many managers treat recognition meetings as intrusions on their day. Check out the video below to see several different bad approaches to reward and recognition meetings. 

Real leaders will see reward and recognition meetings as great opportunities to cement employee commitment to the company. All-In leaders will see the value of the meetings and will treat the recipients of the awards with honor, which will in turn inspire them to keep performing well.

* Names changed