Tag Successful

How to Know You’re on the Path to Success

Steve Keating Leave a comment

I had an interesting question from a young salesperson the other day. He asked me how he would know he was doing the right things. The things he needs to do in order to be a successful salesperson.

My almost automatic response was that a mentor would be a huge help to him. A mentor could not only explain to him when he was on the right path but maybe even more importantly, when he wasn’t. I explained that a mentor would likely see things that he couldn’t see for himself.

His response caught me a little off guard. He said a mentor would be good but that HE wanted to be able to know for himself. He asked, “What are the ‘signs’ of success? How could he know at all times whether or not he was on the path to success?”

That really got me to thinking. I wondered if there were indeed definitive signs to look for on the journey to success. After a great deal of thinking, here are some of the signs or guideposts to look for. When you “see” these, you’ll know you’re heading in the right direction.

1. You Have Clear Goals and Progress

• Set objectives: You have defined short-term and long-term goals.

• Consistent progress: You’re steadily working toward those goals and can see measurable improvement.

• Small wins: Achieving milestones, even if they’re small, boosts your confidence and motivation.

2. You’re Learning from Your Failures

• Resilience: You view setbacks as learning opportunities rather than reasons to quit.

• Growth mindset: You learn from experiences, feedback, and challenges. You adapt and improve over time.

3. You’re Noticing Increased Focus and Productivity

• Efficiency: You’re able to focus on what truly matters, cutting out distractions.

• Better time management: You prioritize tasks that move you closer to your goals and eliminate time-wasting activities.

4. You Feel a Genuine Sense of Purpose

• Aligned with values: Your work or efforts align with your personal values and passions.

• Fulfillment: You’re excited and energized by what you’re doing, which gives you a deeper sense of meaning in your journey.

5. Your Skills and Knowledge are Continuously Improving

• Continuous growth: You’re constantly developing new skills or deepening your knowledge in areas that contribute to your success.

• Competency: You’re becoming increasingly proficient in your field or area of interest.

6. You have Positive Relationships and Growing Network

• Support system: You have a network of mentors, peers, or colleagues who support and encourage you.

• Value exchange: You contribute to others’ success, and in return, people are eager to help you as well.

7. Your Confidence and Self-Belief are Consistently Multiplying

• Inner confidence: You trust in your abilities and decisions, even in the face of uncertainty.

• Self-awareness: You understand your strengths and weaknesses, and you’re comfortable with both.

8. Your Financial Stability is Increasing

• Income growth: You’re either seeing financial returns or are on the way to achieving them.

• Sustainable progress: You’re able to invest in yourself or your business without feeling financially stretched.

9. You’re Receiving Positive Recognition from Others

• Respect and acknowledgment: Others recognize and respect your work or contributions, whether through feedback, awards, promotions, or opportunities.

10. You Willingly Accept and Adapt to Change

• Flexibility: You’re open to new opportunities, shifts in direction, and adjustments to your plan. You don’t feel derailed by them.

• Problem-solving ability: You can navigate unforeseen challenges with creative solutions.

11. You Have a Solid Work-Life Balance and Strong Mental Health

• Health and happiness: You’re maintaining a healthy balance between work and personal life.

• Less stress: While challenges may arise, you handle stress better and remain mentally and emotionally stable.

12. You’re Excited About the Future

• Vision: You have a clear and inspiring vision of what success looks like, and it excites you.

• Optimism: You’re motivated and feel positive about your future, despite the challenges ahead.

If you’re noticing some, or hopefully many of these signs, it’s likely you’re on a path toward success. If not, you at least know what to look for and you know that you have some work to do. I’d suggest that work begin with a review of your core principles. From there you can set goals for your career, your personal life, your financial life, and whatever other areas of your life that you want to focus on.

Those goals will become your guideposts to success.

Ultimately, your success, and the path you choose to get there, are completely up to you. But you must choose a path. Wandering around waiting for success to find you is like hoping to win the lottery without buying a ticket.

So get to work and get yourself on the path to phenomenal success.

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Why Little Details Are a Big Deal

Steve Keating Leave a comment

Steve Jobs was a big believer in getting the details right. He said he’d rather wait to launch a product until every detail was exactly right. Professional salespeople know that when details fall through the cracks the sale often does too.

It really doesn’t matter what kind of work you do; details, the “little things,” often make the difference between success and failure. Between winning and losing. Between earning that promotion or being stuck where you are.

They also make a difference in our personal lives. When others know that you will do exactly what you said you would do, exactly when you said you would do it, exactly how you said you would do it, you build trust. Trust is the foundation for every successful, lasting relationship we have.

Details matter, and if you tell yourself they don’t, you are either being lazy or foolish. Possibly both. I know that’s kind of harsh but honesty with yourself is step one in the self-improvement process.

You can become more detail-oriented by focusing on the finer points of commitments, tasks, and projects to ensure accuracy and thoroughness. Here are some strategies to help.

1. Plan and Organize:

◦ Create To-Do Lists: Break down tasks into smaller, manageable steps.

◦ Use Calendars and Schedules: Allocate specific times for tasks and stick to your plan.

2. Develop Good Habits:

◦ Double-Check Work: Always review your work for errors or omissions.

◦ Stay Organized: Keep your workspace and digital files in order to reduce distractions and errors.

3. Practice Mindfulness:

◦ Stay Present: Focus fully on the task at hand and avoid multitasking. Some of you won’t like hearing this, but the only proven benefit of multitasking is that it helps you screw up more than one thing at a time.

◦ Take Breaks: Short breaks can help maintain concentration and prevent burnout.

4. Enhance Observation Skills:

◦ Notice Details: Train yourself to observe and remember small details in everyday life.

◦ Practice Memory Games: Engage in activities that challenge your memory and attention to detail.

5. Utilize Tools and Technology:

◦ Checklists and Templates: Use checklists to ensure you don’t miss any steps in a process. This may seem counterintuitive, but the more repetitive the task, the more beneficial a checklist becomes.

◦ Software Tools: Employ software for task management, proofreading, and data verification.

6. Seek Feedback:

◦ Ask for Input: Get feedback from colleagues or mentors on your work to identify areas for improvement.

◦ Learn from Mistakes: Analyze any mistakes you make to understand what went wrong and how to avoid it in the future.

7. Cultivate a Routine:

◦ Consistent Workflow: Establish a routine that includes regular times for planning, working, and reviewing.

◦ Healthy Habits: Maintain a healthy lifestyle with adequate sleep, exercise, and nutrition to support cognitive function.

8. Develop Patience:

◦ Take Your Time: Allow yourself enough time to complete tasks thoroughly.

◦ Avoid Rushing: Rushing through tasks increases the likelihood of mistakes. As someone much smarter than me once said, “if you don’t have time to do it right the first time, how will you ever have time to do it again?”

9. Focus on Accuracy:

◦ Prioritize Quality: Aim for high-quality work rather than just completing tasks quickly.

◦ Use Resources: Refer to guides, manuals, or experts when in doubt to ensure accuracy. Do not guess.

10. Continuous Learning:

◦ Stay Informed: Keep learning and updating your knowledge in your field. The most successful people learn something from almost every single day. Keep that in mind the next time you think you know enough.

◦ Attend Workshops: Participate in workshops or courses that emphasize attention to detail.

Incorporating these strategies into your daily routine will cause some people to call you anal. You can take comfort in knowing those people are likely pretty sloppy with details. They might be calling you names but you’ll be so far ahead of them you’re be unlikely to hear them.

Improving your attention to detail, like most things in life, is a choice. The sooner you make that choice, the sooner all areas of your life will improve. Why not make that choice today?

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How to Always Do the Next Right Thing

Steve Keating Leave a comment

I’ve been truly blessed with incredibly wise mentors throughout my life. These are people who cared enough about me to be honest. They were skilled enough communicators to deliver challenging coaching to me in a way I could accept it. They were smart enough to not ever attempt to make a decision for me. They provided all the pluses and minuses of a given decision and then stepped back to allow me to decide.

One of the best pieces of advice came from perhaps the best salesperson who ever lived. I mean that literally. His name was Tom. He sold billions of dollars’ worth of his product throughout his career to always delighted clients. I was at a point in my own career where I was feeling a little “stuck.” I wasn’t sure what I should do, so I went to Tom and asked him what he thought.

He said he couldn’t tell me specifically what to do, but in his opinion, I should do the next right thing. I had received some “interesting” coaching from Tom in the past, but this particular information seemed more “interesting” than ever. I replied to Tom that if I knew what the next right thing to do was, I wouldn’t be stuck. I also wouldn’t be asking him for advice.

He was undaunted. He said that somewhere within me I knew what the next right thing was. He said if I didn’t know, I had all the skills and knowledge needed to figure it out on my own. It was frustrating advice, but as he helped me work through my thought process, it became clear that as usual, he was correct.

He simply reminded me what I knew and where I wanted to go in life. He reviewed my Core Values with me and assured me that “the next right thing” would be found in those values and in my goals.

Determining the next right thing to do is a continual process that involves a combination of self-awareness, goal-setting, and review, prioritization, and reflection. Here’s a step-by-step guide that Tom shared with me to help me navigate this process.

1. Define or Review Your Goals

• Set Specific Goals: Break down your overarching goal into smaller, manageable tasks.

• Time-bound: Assign deadlines to each task to create a sense of urgency and structure.

2. Assess Your Current Situation

• Self-Assessment: Evaluate where you currently stand in relation to your goals.

• Identify Obstacles: Recognize any challenges or barriers that may impede your progress.

3. Prioritize Tasks

• Urgency vs. Importance: Use tools like the Eisenhower Matrix to categorize tasks based on their urgency and importance.

• High-Impact Activities: Focus on tasks that will have the most significant impact on your progress.

4. Break Down Tasks

• Small Steps: Divide larger tasks into smaller, more manageable steps.

• Actionable Items: Ensure each step is actionable and can be accomplished in a reasonable timeframe.

5. Stay Organized

• Planning Tools: Use planners, calendars, or project management tools to keep track of your tasks and deadlines.

• Daily Review: Review your plan daily to stay on track and make adjustments as needed.

6. Maintain Flexibility

• Adaptability: Be willing to adjust your plans as new information or opportunities arise.

• Continuous Learning: Be open to learning and improving your approach based on feedback and results.

7. Seek Feedback

• Mentorship: Seek advice from mentors or peers who’ve had experience in your area of focus.

• Reflect: Regularly reflect on your progress and identify areas for improvement.

8. Take Action

• Commitment: Commit to taking action, even if it’s imperfect. The act of moving forward is crucial.

• Consistency: Regular, consistent action, even if small, leads to progress over time.

9. Evaluate and Reflect

• Review Progress: Periodically review what you’ve accomplished.

• Learn from Mistakes: Identify what didn’t work and learn from those experiences to refine your approach.

10. Stay Motivated

• Celebrate Milestones: Acknowledge and celebrate small wins to stay motivated.

• Positive Mindset: Maintain a positive attitude and focus on the progress you’ve made, not just what’s left to do.

Practical Example

Let’s say your goal is to write a book. Here’s how you can apply the steps:

1. Define Clear Goals: Set a goal to write a 300-page book within a year.

2. Assess Your Current Situation: Determine your writing speed and available time.

3. Prioritize Tasks: Outline the book’s chapters and prioritize writing the most critical sections first.

4. Break Down Tasks: Break down writing each chapter into smaller tasks, such as drafting an outline, writing 5 pages per day, and revising.

5. Stay Organized: Use a calendar to schedule writing sessions and deadlines for each chapter.

6. Maintain Flexibility: If you encounter writer’s block, be willing to adjust your schedule or change your writing environment.

7. Seek Feedback: Share drafts with peers or mentors for constructive feedback.

8. Take Action: Write daily, even if it’s just a few sentences.

9. Evaluate and Reflect: Review your progress weekly and adjust your plan if necessary.

10. Stay Motivated: Celebrate finishing each chapter and keep a positive outlook on your progress.

You absolutely know what your own “next right thing” is. By following these steps, you can ensure that you bring it to the surface and use it to make progress towards your goals. Remember, ALL progress is progress, even baby steps.

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Why Details Matter

Steve Keating 3 Comments

When I was a whole bunch younger I jumped out of a perfectly functioning airplane. It wasn’t exactly by choice, I went to a military school and it was just part of the deal. When they said jump you jumped. But I did learn this little known fact: you do not need a parachute to jump out of an airplane. You can just pop the door open and jump. In fact, it’s actually quicker to get to the ground without a parachute.

There is however one little detail to keep in mind. If you have any intention of jumping out of an airplane a second time, a parachute is highly recommended. If you miss that little detail the outcome of your first jump will be less than ideal. But again, the jump itself is absolutely doable without a chute.

Details matter. They matter in every area of our lives. Details are often the difference between a successful outcome and an unsuccessful one. Here are a few of the reasons that little details can be such a big deal.

• Accuracy: Paying attention to details ensures accuracy in information, communication, and execution. It helps avoid errors and misunderstandings, leading to better outcomes in almost all situations.

• Clarity: Details provide clarity and context to any situation. They help in understanding the intricacies and nuances of a topic, making it easier for others to comprehend your message or actions.

• Problem-solving: In problem-solving, attention to details is crucial. It allows you to identify the root causes of issues and address them effectively. Ignoring details may result in superficial solutions that fail to solve the underlying problems.

• Decision-making: In decision-making processes, details help in evaluating options and predicting potential outcomes. Making informed decisions requires a thorough understanding of the details surrounding a situation.

• Professionalism: Attention to detail is often associated with professionalism. Whether it’s in the workplace, academia, or personal life, being meticulous in your work demonstrates a commitment to quality and excellence.

• Prevention of Mistakes: Small details can sometimes have a significant impact. By paying attention to details, you can catch potential mistakes before they escalate into bigger issues.

• Efficiency: Having a grasp of details allows for more efficient and effective work. It minimizes the need for rework or corrections, saving time and resources.

• Communication: Clear and detailed communication is essential for conveying ideas accurately. Details help in avoiding misinterpretations and ensure that the message is conveyed as intended.

• Building Trust: Consistently paying attention to details builds trust with others. Whether it’s in personal relationships or professional collaborations, people tend to trust individuals who demonstrate a commitment to precision.

Details always make a difference. Sometimes the difference is small, sometimes it’s huge. Paying attention to the little things gives people confidence that you’ll pay attention to bigger things too. Skipping over details has a negative impact on your credibility. Both in your personal life and your career. When the details fall through the cracks it’s very likely your overall success in life will fall through the cracks too.

Pay attention to the little things and big things will likely come your way.

The Will to Succeed or the Will to Prepare

Steve Keating 2 Comments

I don’t know if I’ve ever talked to someone who didn’t want to succeed. Even the most negative people, even people who are certain that they can’t succeed, want to succeed.

But most of them don’t succeed. If they all have the want to succeed then why don’t they? I think it’s because they lack the will to succeed.  So is having the will to succeed the “secret sauce” for success? Nope, it puts you in a better place then just having the want to succeed but not by much. 

I think the true key to ultimate long-term success is the will to prepare. 

Preparing means putting in effort, many times a ton of effort, with no immediate return for those efforts. 

A bunch of years ago after a particularly poor round of golf with my dad he convinced me that I really needed to focus on my short game. He was an excellent golfer and offered to help me with it. So one morning I called I said I had some time around lunch to do a little practice. I said “how about we meet at the practice range for an hour?” 

He replied if all I had was an hour then there was no point. He said 4 hours of practice at least a few times a week would be about right. I told him if I had 4 hours to spare I’d use it to play golf, not practice golf. He replied with some carefully worded comment about that might be why I suck at golf. 

He went on to say that every golfer “wants” to be good, but most aren’t “willing” to make the effort required to earn what they want.

I work with lots and lots of salespeople who want to sell more. Some even have to will to sell more, they make more calls, they see more people and they repeat the same mistakes again and again. They refuse to prepare for a sales call to maximize their opportunity with a prospect.  They decline to learn the art of selling, instead focusing on working more instead of working smarter. 

I see many people who really want to make a difference in the world by leading. But want doesn’t get it done. They struggle because that lack the will to make themselves an effective leader. They won’t invest a minute of their time in actual leadership training, many won’t even read a book a leadership. They don’t prepare to succeed as a leader and therefore they don’t succeed. 

What about you? I can safely say you want to be more successful. You may have the will to be more successful but do you have the will to prepare for success? Abraham Lincoln once said “If I only had an hour to chop down a tree, I would spend the first 45 minutes sharpening my axe.” 

He had to want to succeed, the will to succeed and most importantly, the will to prepare to succeed. 

Can the same be said about you?

Don’t Start Unless You Have a Plan to Finish

Steve Keating Leave a comment

Starting a new project or task is easy…at least when compared to finishing it. I think the vast majority of people start a project or task with the full intention of finishing it. The problem is that the road to failure is paved with those full intentions. 

You don’t need any intention of finishing what you start if you have a plan to finish it before you start.

Step one in that plan should be a decision. The decision that no matter what, the project or task will be completed. If you’ve begun looking for excuses to delay the completion of something you started do not allow yourself to start anything else until what you’re working on is complete. The longer your list of things “in process” the harder it will be to complete any of them. 

Don’t be afraid of saying NO when someone asks you to start something new. Don’t be worried about saying NO to someone who asks for your help if you already have 12 balls in the air you’re trying to juggle. 

Remember, “NO” is a complete sentence. No explanation should be required.

The plan should include what actions you will take each day to move closer to the completion of your task. Even a huge task can be divided up into doable daily tasks. If you can only afford 15-30 minutes a day towards a task you are still making progress and building momentum towards completion. 

Be sure to block that time in your calendar and neither take or make any excuses for using that time for something else. 

Be sure your first 15-30 minute block of time begins immediately. Not tomorrow, not next week, begin immediately. If you’re not sure what I mean by immediately I mean begin in the second after you have made your plan. 

Add a completion date to your plan. You need to be realistic here. You can’t allow yourself 53 years to complete a task that should take a couple of weeks of focused effort. Put a “drop dead” date on your calendar and complete the task by that date. If you don’t then that task is likely as dead as your chances of success. 

Share your plan and progress with a mentor or an accountability partner. Nothing is more helpful in completing a difficult assignment or task as having someone hold you accountable for the commitment you’ve made to get it done. 

You must know that you have the ability to finish what you start. You can create within you the discipline required to do it. You can have tremendous success in all areas of your life as a result. 

The one question that only you can answer is….will you?

Back to Basics

Steve Keating 4 Comments

As the story goes, the legendary former coach of the Green Bay Packers, Vince Lombardi, would start every training camp the same way. He would hold up a football and announce with great gusto, “This is a football.” 

Keep in mind he was speaking to a room full of professional football players. I think I’m safe in assuming that they all had at least a passing familiarity (pun intended) with what a football looked like. 

But Coach Lombardi was making a point. His point was we are going to begin with the basics because it’s the basics that will make us champions. 

You may not be a professional football player but that point is as applicable to you as it was to those Green Bay Packers. 

Skipping the basics, or believing your skills are so advanced that the basics no longer apply to you is one sure way to fall short of your potential. 

As the year ahead comes into focus it’s a great time to review your own “basics.” What have you skipped, or simply forgotten, that used to bring you great results? Maybe you used to send thank you notes…remember those, the kind you wrote out by hand, put in an envelope and dropped in a blue box on the corner? That practice remains to this day a solid basic skill when building and nurturing relationships. Perhaps more than ever considering how rare thank you notes have become. 

Maybe you skip making yourself a prioritized task list each morning. Using a prioritized task list is key to strong time management. For most people it’s not that they don’t have enough time, it’s that they lack a clear sense of priorities. 

People who prioritize what they want and need to accomplish will in fact accomplish much more than the people who don’t. Even if you’ve never applied that basic skill to your life before, now would be a great time to start. 

There are so many “basics” to success that I could go on forever. But instead I’ll encourage you to invest some time to think back to some of your greatest successes. What were some of the basics that helped you achieve that success? Are you still using them? If not can you say with specificity why you’re not? Or have they somehow faded away with not much thought as to why?

Consider the basics you need to be consistently successful and then go back to them. This is a great example of when “going back” is the fastest path forward to future success. 

So, what are you going back to?