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Letter From The Editor

When it comes to commitment, it is easy to say, “I am going to do this.” Or “Who I am committed to being is this…”, but what actions do you follow those words with?

Think about it:

• Are the actions you take consistent with your verbal commitment to lose weight?
• Are the foods you put in your mouth consistent with your commitment to eat healthier?
• What have you put in place to make sure you live up to your commitment to your family and are home by 7:00 PM each night?
• What steps have you taken to get your finances in order?

The point is that it’s easy to say you are going to do something… it is, dare I say, easy to make a commitment, but following through on commitments… making your commitments stick, takes much more than words. It takes: Planning, Team, Action, and Accountability and without them your commitments are very hard to sustain.

So consider what it is you say you want, what you are committing to and by-when you are committed to doing it, and plan for it, ask for help and get your team involved, follow the plan, and be willing to be held accountable for doing what the plan says.

It is that easy to get what you say you want in this life… for your life, for your business, and even for those organizations of which you are a part!

Remember: you are the only person who has a say in how your life turns out. If there is something you want and you don’t have it, you have to ask for help. You have to get in action. You have to write the plan. So, what are you waiting for?

Best regards,

Clay S. Nelson

Taming the Control Monster Within

How’s your temper been lately? Snapped at your kids, spouse, partner or employee? Do you sometimes feel like everything is out of control—certainly out of your control? Have you forgotten that you have a sense of humor? Is it hard for you to remember the last time you delegated something? Do you seem to be doing it all and having NO FUN?

If this is you, there’s a strong likelihood that the insidious energy-zapping Control Monster is on the loose in your life. It’s time to tame the Monster before any more damage occurs! While specific costs vary from person to person, there are some fundamental costs of being a Control Monster:

• Less time
• Less energy
• Less success
• Less experience of love in your life
• More mental stress
• More health problems
• More disappointment
• More WORK!

What are you going to do about your Control Monster way of being?

First, realize you aren’t a bad person… you’ve just forgotten that you need to make sure you don’t live your life as a Control Monster.

Second, notice that your Control Monster way of being usually shows up when you give in to fear…fear of failure, fear of not looking good, fear of being taken advantage of, fear of ridicule, fear of things that happened in your past. Your response to fear is usually to micromanage everyone and everything in your life!

Micromanagement leads to lack of trust. Your team won’t trust you, and it will stifle creativity and growth. Your family will be upset and not express the love that is there because your controlling way of being pushes them away.

Send the Control Monster packing! Choose to share, to trust, to delegate, and to empower your team and family. Prioritize what there is to do. Write them down with by-when’s for completion, and then delegate the tasks. How will you know when the Control Monster has left? You’ll have that sense of humor, fun, energy, and creativity back in your life. What are you waiting for?

Making the Most of Change

Change is so constant in our world that it can be tempting to just shut down from information overload and ignore it all. But don’t! Here’s what you’ll miss.

Change brings opportunities…even the slightest changes can open up a huge space for something new to occur…something better. It’s like looking through a kaleidoscope. You first see a set pattern, but with the tiniest twist to the right or left, the entire picture changes and results in a new, surprising design. Your job is to be ready for these shifts and to be prepared to respond to the new situations before you.

Ask yourself if you are ready. How is your ability to quickly and effectively manage change? What about your team's abilities? The best way to manage change is to plan for it! Don’t relate to change like it is something that “just happens” and then you react to it. Think ahead about changes. Remember, they don’t all happen outside your business. It may be time to purposefully change what you and your team are up to!

Successfully managing or making changes requires excellent communication. A team that is well informed about changes will be ready to do what is necessary to take advantage of the opportunities presented by them. Talk straight to your team, and remember communication is a two-way street. Build a feedback process where staff has the freedom to raise issues or concerns. How you language your message about change is crucial to producing the outcome you desire. To prepare people for success in a rapidly changing environment, they need precise and clear information. They need to know why, how, when and where the change is going to occur.

Make sure your team knows the importance and purpose of making a change. Be ready for people to react to change in different ways. Some people move with change quite easily—others are challenged by it. Have those on your team who change easily support those who do not.

When change shows up, greet it with enthusiasm and curiosity. See how quickly you can see the opportunity it brings!

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