Bill Gates

Do you know your facts?

Whether in discussion, debate, or decision, you have to know your facts. In order to formulate a well thought out opinion that you can support, you need to do your research, ask questions, and gain a mastery of the topic at hand. You will never know everything you would like to, but you can enhance your chance at success by knowing more than you do today.

The founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, said, “I believe in innovation and that the way you get innovation is you fund research and you learn the basic facts.” The next step after obtaining the facts is putting them to use. As former Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. opined, “The main part of intellectual education is not the acquisition of facts, but learning how to make facts live.”

Discussion. The best way to get your message across is first and foremost to have a great message. With an understanding of the facts – the vision of where you are trying to go, the conditions under which you are operating, and your plan to achieve the vision – you’re sure to have positive discussions.

“A good rule for discussion is to use hard facts and a soft voice.” – Dorothy Sarnoff

Debate. If you want to make real progress you sometimes have to be willing and able to debate and stand up for your positions when you don’t yet have support. The best debater knows the facts and how to use them to support the position.

“For good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict, argument, debate.”– Margaret Heffernan

Decision. In the end, the true measure of how well you know your facts is the decision. If you know your facts, then a decision will be made. If you don’t know your facts well enough, then discussion and debate may continue beyond their productive use. It is not that the decision has to be the one you first proposed, but it must be the one that the facts support.

“A real decision is measured by the fact that you’ve taken a new action. If there’s no action, you haven’t truly decided.”– Tony Robbins

There’s leaders, and there’s everyone else.

leaders know the wayWhat separates leaders from everyone else? It isn’t the title, or the authority. It isn’t even a long history of successful projects, or even companies. It’s five simple things that most people do at one time or another in their lives, many people do frequently, and few people do consistently. Read on and see if you can identify yourself in these five traits:

Leaders seek the future. “What can this become?” Is a question that leaders ask of themselves every day. “I can do this if…” is a statement leaders make every day. “Step one is…” begins the plans of every leader reaching their goals. Leaders are always moving forward to how they envision the future.

“Transformational leaders don’t start by denying the world around them. Instead, they describe a future they’d like to create.”­ – Seth Godin

Leaders set the vision. Once the future is envisioned, leaders decide how they and everyone around them will get there. Leaders have a very clear plan on the direction to move, the role everyone will play, and the outcome at each step.

“Leaders make history and not the other way around. In periods where there is not leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to changes things for the better.” – Harry Truman

Leaders serve others. The ultimate goal in the life activities of a leader is to better the situation of everyone they come into contact with. This is all done in the pursuit of the future goals, following the visionary plan, however it is accomplished through helping others succeed to their fullest extent.

“True leadership lies in guiding others to success. In ensuring that everyone is performing at their best, doing the work they are pledged to do and doing it well.” – Bill Owens

Leaders develop future leaders. When one task is completed, one project achieves its objectives, one team wins the prize, or one company leads its industry, one moment of success is marked in time. But, the accomplishment of developing someone into a leader who also develops future leaders, sets in motion a series of successes that are endless.

“As we look out ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others” – Bill Gates

 

 

How to encourage game changing ideas.

everything-begins-with-an-ideaEvery team has different methods to generate ideas. It may be formal and happen in committee meetings or it can be informal and happen in the hallway or over email or phone calls.  Whether your team is formal or informal you’ll have to follow the three steps below – there’s no shortcut to successful innovation, “Everything begins with an idea.” – Earl Nightingale.

“To turn really interesting ideas…into a company that can continue to innovate for years…requires a lot of discipline.” – Steve Jobs

 

THREE STEPS TO ENCOURAGE GAME CHANGING IDEAS

Get everyone thinking.  Those closest to the process, product, and people (customers) have the best view to opportunities for game changing ideas.

“At Microsoft there are lots of brilliant ideas but the image is that they all come from the top – I’m afraid that’s not quite right.” – Bill Gates

Get lots of ideas.   Don’t settle for the first new idea.  Keep digging and asking questions.  The most important two words are “What Else?” Trust me, your team members have a lot of new ideas.  

“Ideas can be life-changing.  Sometimes all you need to open the door is just one more good idea.” – Jim Rohn

Get going and do something. Once you settle on which new ideas to pursue, get going. Implement them, monitor them, and adjust them as needed.   

“You don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines…You make progress by implementing ideas.” – Shirley Hufsteddler

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leaders: Do you have healthy competition?

competition with myselfThere is nothing wrong with being competitive.  There is nothing wrong with wanting to win.  It’s how you go about it that makes competition healthy or not.

Healthy competition focuses on improving yourself and as Bill Walsh said, “Letting the score take care of itself.” Unhealthy competition focuses only on defeating others, and looks for methods to accomplish just that.

Healthy competition provides for positive outcomes beyond the short term success of winning any one game or medal in sports; and any one client or contract in business.

Here are the three different ways that healthy competition improves your chances for long term success:

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