Don’t we all wish we had gotten in on an early IPO of Apple, Google, or X stock? No, I can’t predict the future, but I’ve got a really good feeling about this one!

My first few sessions of 5 Choices have certainly lived up to all the early excitement. Participants (including myself) have derived new energy from the refreshingly holistic approach to time management that we take in the latest FranklinCovey offering. It helps that one of the 5 Choices, Fuel Your Fire, Don’t Burn Out, is all about regaining and maintaining mental and physical energy. My favorite part of this fifth choice is the best practices that we learn from each other.

Actual Participant Comments

“In 30 minutes you’ve addressed my discombobulation.”

“This has gone where I never knew to go; and I really needed to go there!”

“I cannot wait to get back and hold a Q2 Conversation with my boss, actually with my family, too.”

“Wow!” “Ahhhh!” “You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me!” (usually in response to the technical tricks we learn in the fourth choice, Rule Your Technology, Don’t Let It Rule You.)

Already I’m hearing success stories from participants who couldn’t wait until the end of the 5-Week Quickstart process, where they put all the magic into action.

Plus, as you may have expected, the take-away collateral (i.e. workbooks, videos, e-tools, bonus modules) are First Class.

Remember: Ordinary happens. Extraordinary is a choice!

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People don’t fear change. 

I’ve never met a baby that didn’t want its soggy diaper changed. Most employees can think of at least a handful of things they’d like to see their boss do differently. The present economy is nothing to get excited about; the majority would certainly like to see some changes for the better. If I came to you and said, “Well, there are going to be some changes around here. We’re going to start with your compensation,” you might initially get nervous. Our first thoughts tend to be negative. “What are you taking away from me? How much more will we be asked to give around here?” What if I then told you, “We’d like to triple your salary?” Would you be okay with that kind of change? 

People fear the possibility or the reality of loss. 

Granted, a lot of the changes we are asked to swallow have a downside to them. But by assuming that all change is bad, we predispose ourselves to the paralysis of inaction, negative thinking, and helplessness. Most of us know someone who was victim of a corporate downsizing, only to share with you months down the road that his or her departure was possibly the best thing that ever happened. Of course, that can only happen when someone chooses to find the silver lining in a change that, at first, is quite devastating. 

Think of the current or pending changes that are brewing in your workplace. Take inventory of the potentially positive upside to those changes. Channel your time and energy toward those activities that will bring about the good that often accompanies change. You will increase your value to the organization and find your positive outlook to be infectious. Seeing change as a force for constant improvement and innovation is a much more viable perspective, no matter where the landscape is moving. 

The recent tragedy in Haiti has certainly commanded the world’s attention. No one would ever suggest that their change in fortune was good. Yet each day that we peer into the news of Haiti’s recovery, we learn of countless stories of rescuers and those being rescued who are making the most out of their circumstances, in the shadow of unimaginable devastation. These are the Haitians who are likely to thrive into the future and serve as a force for good in rebuilding an even stronger community and nation. 

From change can emerge enormous good. Yet in change some might dwell on only the bad. Which will command your attention?

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They are confronting the realities of sub-optimal performance. They are righting past wrongs. They are talking straight, clarifying expectations, practicing accountability, and, above all, making time to really listen to what employees are saying and feeling.

Today, folowing one group’s presentations to management, the VP of Operations explained how several frontline associates had approached him spontaneously in recent weeks to thank him for the training their managers are getting! Even employees who haven’t attended the training are recognizing the little things their managers are doing to lead at “the speed of trust.”

Most newly promoted managers in all organizations appreciate the least bit of guidance they get on how to be a good boss. G.E.’s 20-year-long CEO, Jack Welch, put it this way, “The moment you become a manager, it stops being about you and it starts being about them.” I couldn’t agree more.

Managers who get it will spend the balance of their careers recognizing and unleashing the hidden talent that exists in everyone.

What kind of leader are you? What kind of leader will you become?

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[My co-worker] mind-mapped his Behavioral Based Safety Training, and used that to fill out his Project Plan on Microsoft Project. He filled out several of the other tools as well, and when he was finished he showed the whole thing to our boss (VP of Human Resources). Our boss was very impressed, and [my co-worker] made sure to tell him that all of it came from your workshop.

Of course, our goal isn’t just to impress the boss. Our mission is to “enable greatness in people and organizations everywhere” But that’s exactly what happened. In the very first few hours after attending this workshop, someone went back and ernestly applied the tools to his world. And it’s making all the difference! Greatness is being unleashed.

One of my favorite quotes that I often use to close my programs comes from George Washington Carver. He said, “When common people do common things uncommonly well, they command the attention of the world.” Doing the common things, uncommonly well.

Principles are common. Their practice is not.

When you and I practice basic principles of effectiveness, we indeed command the attention of the world around us and inspire others to enable their own greatness. People take note. It inspires trust in you and in the principles you employ.

Here’s a challenge for you. Dust off the most recent participant manual you received in a personal development workshop. It doesn’t matter to me whether it was a FranklinCovey workshop, who sponsored it, or what subject you covered. As long as it’s still relevant to your work, pick one thing from that workshop that you know will make your life easier (just ONE) and apply it today. Apply it all week long. Apply it for the next month. Chances are people will notice. Chances are you will “command the attention of the world.”

Then, come back here and tell us about it!

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