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Letter From The Editor

Dear Friends,

With just about a month of winter yet to go, many people are finding that the season has taken its toll. Some may have slacked off on their commitment to exercise and others may have used the cold, dark winter nights as an excuse to bury themselves in their work at night, simply because “there isn’t anything else to do”. Over the course of several months, the roots of these habits grow deep. So rather than wait for spring, how about we do some weeding now?

Get present to the need to take care of you. We’re just a mere 6 weeks into the New Year. You have to take care of yourself if you are going to keep the momentum you need to reach your goals in 2006.

Update (or create) your personal plan and ask someone to hold you accountable for doing what the plan says. Do something everyday that will recharge your battery, even if that something is to do take 5 minutes to do absolutely nothing!

Get recommitted to YOU. Ultimately you are the only person who can take on you, and while it may seem a bit daunting at first, your taking care of you is the key to everything else in your life working the way you want it to.

Get into action. Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Tear up the roots of complacency and make taking care of YOU the priority you deserve it to be!

Best regards,

Clay S. Nelson

Innovation or Commitment…
Which comes first?

The definitions of innovation are many. From “the act or process of inventing or introducing something new” to “…creating new ways and better ways of doing the things that your customers value and that create value for your shareholders.”, everyone seems to have a slightly different take on what innovation is. So I’m not going to give you another definition to add to those that already exist. I do want you to, however, think about not just innovation, but what it takes to successfully create and then introduce a new way of doing something for your customers and even for your team.

Every management team leader has their own communication style, team building skills, and motivational methods. But what each successful team leader has in common is commitment. When they actively seek new innovations for improving their own business processes or their products, their commitment to creating what’s next for their company and team is first and foremost to the success of the innovation as a whole.

The dictionary defines commitment as: 1) a pledge to do. 2) something pledged. 3) the state of being bound emotionally or intellectually to a course of action or to another person or persons.

I define commitment as being unstoppable!

Essentially, when one is unstoppable, they are committed to moving forward no matter what obstacles or opposition come their way, and often not even knowing how they are going to do it. But their passion and commitment to improving their business processes (and in effect their company’s bottom-line) and to furthering their company’s success with new products, propels them forward in their discovery of what’s next, or in other words the next big innovation.

A great example of the tie between commitment and innovation is as follows:

"Dear President Jackson,

The canal system in this country is being threatened by a new form of transportation known as “railroads” . . . If the canal boats are supplanted by railroads, boat builders would suffer, and towline, whip, and harness makers would be left destitute . . . God never intended that people should travel at such breakneck speed."

Sincerely,
Martin Van Buren
Governor, State of New York, 1829

In light of closed minds and stiff opposition, the innovation of the “railroad” would have never gotten off the ground and then succeeded without the commitment and unstoppable nature of all involved in making the railroad a success.

So which do you think comes first, innovation or commitment? I say they go hand in hand. Innovation without commitment is simply innovation for innovation’s sake. However, innovation combined with the commitment to making a difference for your company and team, is a powerful combination that puts passion and purpose into why you do what you do. And which do you think is more successful? Innovation for the sake of innovation, or innovation created out of an unstoppably committed desire to discover and put into practice new and better ways of doing things that create value for your customers and company as a whole?

Get Your Resolutions Back on Track

As we make our way through the month of February, many people have already given up hope on their New Year’s resolutions. How about you – have you gotten off track? If so, what you have to do to get back on track is to first and foremost stop making yourself wrong for what you haven’t done. Beating your self up is a natural tendency, but it has no value in getting you mentally and even physically back online with your goals.

Second, you need to get out your plan and review it, taking particular note of who is on your team. If you don’t have a team of people around you that is allowed to hold you accountable and support you in your request to make whatever changes you desire, keeping your resolutions and reaching your goals isn’t going to happen.

If you could reach your goals by yourself, you would have reached them already. So bottom-line, you have to ask for help and be willing to be held accountable for doing what you say you are going to do!

Finally, when setting off on any resolution or goal you have to maintain an unstoppable mindset. Many times a person will set a by-when and if it doesn’t happen by that time, they quit and put it in the failure column. But, for instance, when it comes to a promotion, the people who get promotions are visionaries who are unstoppable. They are people who can get things done when others say they can’t; people who can move people when others say they can’t be moved; people who can see what other people don’t see; people who can do what others can’t or won’t do! One way of highlighting these features is to never give up… to be unstoppable!

In the end, getting any New Year’s resolution back on track is about forgiveness (of yourself), team, and being unstoppable (commitment)! So which do you choose – to wallow and question: “Why me?” or to be on track, determined, and successful in getting what you say you want in 2006? It is up to you. Remember: You are the only person who has a say in how your life turns out!

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