by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Collaboration, Creativity, Goals, Growth, Leadership, Mindset, Miniseries, Planning, Productivity, Time, Tools
Links to other parts of the miniseries:
Duplicate yourself – Part 1
Duplicate yourself – Part 2
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 44 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Duplicate yourself – Part 3
— From Work Less, Make More: Stop Working So Hard and Create the Life You Really Want! By Jennifer White
In this miniseries we’ve been talking about the importance of “duplicating” parts of yourself, and so far we’ve learned what is and is not duplication, as well as what to look for in our “clones.” Today we will determine what to duplicate and how to do so.
While duplicating yourself could possibly entail hiring someone, Jennifer White (the author) says, “that’s limited thinking.” She explains: “You can find the right people who will become partners, vendors, suppliers, strategic allies, independent contractors or employees.”
When you hire employees, you naturally have to deal with a lot of other issues: salaries, taxes, vacations, and so much more. White says you shouldn’t box yourself into thinking that. Instead, “ think about creating a virtual support team. A team you personally select to duplicate parts of who you are.” Technology today enables us to do this and much more.
On Part 1 you answered the questions that enabled you to figure out which qualities in yourself you need/want to duplicate. Now you need to look at the abilities that you need to duplicate. “What is it that these folks will do? Look at the three most important things you do, the activities that add the most value. Within each area, a multitude of items must get done.”
White gives the example of connecting with customers. Let’s assume you are a master at that. Then a very important part of building and maintaining those relationships with your customers is the follow up phase (phone, email, etc.) “What if you could train someone or something to duplicate your follow up process? It would happen automatically—without your doing one thing—and the customers will feel cared for because the follow up was way beyond their expectations.”
ATTENTION HERE: we’re talking duplicating and not delegating the follow-up process. “The difference is that the person/system you create duplicates exactly what you would do if you were to do it. It’s not about you dictating a letter that your assistant types. In that case you’re still doing the work. Duplication means you do not do anything to generate what needs to get done. Nothing.”
Was that last “nothing” appealing but sounded too good to be true? Here are some possibilities for duplicating this example of a follow-up process:
- The right person. Someone who could be an employee, independent contractor or customer service rep can follow up for you. “This person has the exact same personality that you do so the customers feel as if they were talking to you.”
- Hiring a salesperson. This person would handle the contact from first visit to sale. While this normally happens when companies are in the growth stage, White asks, “Why wait until that happens?”
- An automated system. This sends letters, emails, etc., at specified times as follow up. The system duplicates the process. When we feel overwhelmed or overloaded, it is natural to ask who can help you. White, however, suggests you ask a better question: “How can I automate this so no one has to do it?”
As you can see, there are many ways in which you can duplicate yourself and what you do. Both technology and manpower exist at very reasonable costs nowadays to be able to do it, even if you are a solopreneur.
ACTION
TODAY: Jot down the areas that you could potentially duplicate. While it’s counterintuitive, those things that nobody does as well as you do, are exactly what you should duplicate to enlarge your reach, grow your practice, have more time, or whatever your goals are. Once you’ve found out what you want to duplicate, then come up with at least 3 ways to duplicate that activity. White says, “Think in terms of technology and people. How can you automate the process? Who can you bring to your team to duplicate you?”
TOMORROW: Come back to read Part 4 to learn how to know when duplication works!
FUTURE: Keep jotting down the ideas that come to mind about parts of you that you can duplicate with people, systems and/or technology. Remember that there is no such thing as a shortage of ideas. The more parts you duplicate successfully, the more freedom you will have to spend your time and energy in the pursuit of other (related or unrelated) goals.
Please share Part 3 of “Duplicate yourself” with someone who could use a little duplication, you can do so via email, Facebook or Twitter, thank you!
by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Collaboration, Creativity, Goals, Growth, Leadership, Mindset, Miniseries, Planning, Productivity, Time, Tools
Links to other parts of the miniseries:
Duplicate yourself – Part 1
Duplicate yourself – Part 3
Duplicate yourself – Part 4
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 14 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Duplicate yourself – Part 2
— From Work Less, Make More: Stop Working So Hard and Create the Life You Really Want! By Jennifer White
In yesterday’s post we learned that we can, and should, “duplicate” parts of ourselves to increase our output and “make more,” as the title of the book suggests (Work Less, Make More). This does not only refer to money, but also to time, and to the freedom to make the most out of life for ourselves and our goals and dreams.
So let’s jump right in: How do you go about finding the right people to duplicate you?
Jennifer White, the author, has outlined a few aptitudes and attitudes that people should have in order to substitute you well. Give this some thought as you go about this process. (Note: This will help you figure out WHO will duplicate you if you can go that route. However, don’t get discouraged or stop reading this miniseries, since we will also consider WHAT (technology/systems) can duplicate you).
1. Find people who have the right personality for your chemistry. As we saw yesterday, your same chemistry needs to be present in the person that will duplicate you. Find someone with the same characteristics and “don’t downplay the importance of working with folks who have the same chemistry as you.”
2. Find people who have a track record. People’s track records speak for themselves. “Saying you can do something is different from actually doing it. Find people who have already done what you most need. They could bring a new twist or a new idea to what you’ve been doing for so long.”
3. Find people who are willing to commit to the long term. “Developing a powerful relationship requires that you’re both committed to the same vision and the same long-term plan. The last thing you want to do is to train people to duplicate you, and then they jump ship. Be very clear on what you expect from them, and find a way to determine what they want.”
4. Find people who are coachable. “A vital part of duplicating yourself effectively is training. Select folks who are coachable. They’re open to looking at their performances and improving them. You’ll become their coach to ensure they’ll duplicate what you want duplicated. If you’re not willing to coach and train people how to duplicate you, don’t bother looking for the right people. Their success does depend on how much time, energy, and passion you invest in them.”
5. Find people who have the right attitude. “Make sure when you’re looking for the right people that they have a positive mental attitude. There’s nothing as frustrating as working with people who don’t see the positive side of things. No matter how brilliant they are, their bad attitude will wear you down. If you find the right attitude, you can usually teach the rest.”
One final note on this before we move on to Part 3 tomorrow: keep in mind that finding the right people takes time. “Do not rush this process and settle for just anyone. Duplicating a part of who you are is serious stuff. […] You can’t settle for second best.”
ACTION
TODAY: At the end of the chapter in the book, White lists a few exercises to help us succeed at duplicating and at thinking about a few other things. Here’s an important one that you can do today: “Ask yourself this question: ‘What parts of myself make me the most crazy?’ Be clear on your weaknesses so you can identify them in other people as well. When you find the right person to duplicate a part of who you are, don’t be surprised if they also duplicate the not-so-good parts. Are you prepared for that?”
TOMORROW: Come back to read Part 3 to learn how to determine what to duplicate, and how.
Please share Part 2 of “Duplicate yourself” with someone who could use a little duplication, you can do so via email, Facebook or Twitter, thank you!
by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Collaboration, Creativity, Goals, Growth, Leadership, Mindset, Miniseries, Planning, Productivity, Time, Tools
Links to other parts of the miniseries:
Duplicate yourself – Part 2
Duplicate yourself – Part 3
Duplicate yourself – Part 4
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 46 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Duplicate yourself – Part 1
— From Work Less, Make More: Stop Working So Hard and Create the Life You Really Want! By Jennifer White
Have you ever been so swamped with work that you wish you could clone yourself to get more done? Well, now you can.
How is this possible?!
In her excellent book Work Less, Make More, business guru and success coach Jennifer White states that you can (and should) duplicate yourself. But first, let’s get this straight: duplication is not delegation. “Delegating hinges on your finding the right person whose strengths are your weaknesses. A bookkeeper, for example, if you’re horrible with numbers. An assistant if you don’t have time for filing, copying and computer work.”
Duplication is not “finding the one person who is the exact replica of you.” Because, very likely, that person does not exist. You and your brilliance are unique, and White would not recommend putting your business or career into one person’s hands. That’s not effective, efficient or smart, and that is not duplication.
Duplication, the kind White is describing, is doubling, tripling, quadrupling a part (or several parts) of who you are—and thus your output in that area—without investing more of your time. This will enable you to free up time and space for you to dedicate to other things, whether professional or personal in nature, that you want to pursue.
“In order to duplicate, you must know yourself very well. You cannot just duplicate your abilities, but also parts of your personality. […] Successful duplication occurs when you find people who share similar qualities with you. Just as important, they share your brilliance.”
This last point is very important because these people will be taking over for you in certain areas, say, selling. If your clients are used to an upbeat, witty, funny you, then this person needs to share those same traits. You can hire someone who is quiet and knowledgeable, and who will share tons of charts and info with the clients to make a sale, but that is not duplication, that is just hiring another salesperson with a different approach and varied skills from yours. When duplicating yourself, your clients need to feel as is they’re dealing with you: the same chemistry needs to be there.
What are the parts of yourself that you need to duplicate? White offers the next set of questions to get started in figuring that out:
1. What do you do easily and naturally?
2. What do your customers pay you for?
3. What does your company pay you for?
4. What have other people said you’re really good at?
5. What activities energize you?
6. What consumes you? You know, the stuff that lights your fire.
7. What do you really want to do on your days off?
8. What qualities and skills do you see in other people that you know you have?
White points out that duplication can only be successful when you find people who are as good—or better—than you are. “Duplicating yourself requires that you leave your ego behind. It forces you to look at yourself and know yourself so well that you won’t feel threatened by someone who’s as good as you are.”
The question that naturally follows after this is: “if they are better than I am, why are they willing to duplicate me?”
To this, White responds with two points. First, “You bring some other incredible value to their lives that helps them become even better. You provide something they can’t get anywhere else.” And second, “You’re actually one step ahead of them because you understand that duplicating yourself comes down to finding people who are better than you are. So few people truly understand this and can see their own brilliance.”
So, how do you go about finding the right people to duplicate you? That is the topic for tomorrow. Stay tuned for Part 2!
ACTION
TODAY: Take a moment to answer the 8 questions above to figure out the parts of yourself that you need to duplicate. Think about your many personality traits. Think also about the ways and the style in which you approach things. What do you need to successfully duplicate? Preferably write down 10 areas for duplication. (Don’t let the thought of 10 areas overwhelm you, and don’t think that you’ll have to hire 10 people, in a subsequent post you’ll learn that technology can also duplicate you, so if you are not in a position to hire, that’s no problem, you can still duplicate yourself.)
TOMORROW: Come back to read Part 2 and learn more about the things you need to keep in mind for a successful duplication.
Please share Part 1 of “Duplicate yourself” with someone who could use a little duplication, you can do so via email, Facebook or Twitter, thank you!
by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Creativity, Goals, Growth, Habits, Leadership, Mindset, Planning, Tools
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 37 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Kodawari
— From Awakening Your Ikigai: How the Japanese Wake Up to Joy and Purpose Every Day by Ken Mogi
I recently learned about the Japanese term kodawari (pronunciation) in Ken Mogi’s book Awakening Your Ikigai. Ikigai is loosely translated as your reason to live or the reason why you wake up every day, and kodawari is a concept that focuses on starting small and never losing sight of the details.
Kodawari per se is hard to translate into English, as it is a word that embodies attention to detail, commitment, insistence, excellence, and persistence.
Yet none of those ideas either alone or together make justice to the term. “Kodawari is a personal standard, to which the individual adheres in a steadfast manner. It is often, though not always, used in reference to a level of quality or professionalism to which the individual holds. It is an attitude, often maintained throughout one’s life, constituting a central element of [one’s reason to live or ikigai].”
“Kodawari is personal in nature, and it is a manifestation of a pride in what one does. [It] is an approach whereby you take extraordinary care of very small details […] without necessarily justifying the effort for any grandiose schemes.”
Kodawari is being the best you can be and doing the best you can do. It’s demanding a standard of excellence of yourself and others, and being committed to it passionately.
We can see examples of it all over Japan, such as in the “almost flawless operations of Shinkansen (‘bullet’) trains to the meticulously efficient and quick delivery of beef dishes in the fast-food chains.” The book tells of many more kodawari instances that range from the beautifully produced Japanese fruit, to the perfecting of ramen noodles, to the meticulous crafting of beautiful pottery for the tea ceremony. Each one has a story of incredible attention to detail behind its making.
While there are indeed hiccups, kodawari is a mindset that will fix the hiccup, learn from it and come up with a new and improved service or product. The author says that “Steve Jobs had this kind of kodawari too, although he didn’t express his ethos in so many words, when he tried to perfect the features of the iPhone, for example. In fact, one may say that kodawari was Steve Jobs’ defining characteristic.”
Kodawari goes hand in hand with curiosity and passion for what you want to do or develop. How do you apply kodawari in your life?
ACTION
TODAY: What is something that you love or are passionate about? Are you truly focusing on giving it your best or could you apply more kodawari to it? Only you know the answer, but making kodawari a part of your mindset will help you get there.
FUTURE: Make kodawari a part of your life, just as the Japanese have made a habit out of it. Your projects will be better, your work and your life will be better, your relationships will be better… everything that you apply kodawari to will end up transformed into the best it can be and will be a source of satisfaction for you!
Please share the concept of kodawari with someone today, you can do so via email, Facebook or Twitter, thank you!
by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Goals, Growth, Habits, Leadership, Mindset, Planning, Time, Tools
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 32 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: How to build self-discipline
— From Leadership 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know by John C. Maxwell
I’ve been on a roll lately reading the books from the 101 Series by leadership guru John C. Maxwell, it’s a great bunch of short books, and each one can be read in one sitting. Highly recommended! Once I’m done with all, I’ll be putting together a series for you. Stay tuned!
I was particularly struck when I read in the Leadership 101 book that each of us influences at least ten thousand other people during our lifetime. (!) “So the question is not whether you will influence someone, but how you will use your influence.”
When John C. Maxwell teaches leadership at conferences and is asked whether leaders are born, he answers, “Yes, of course they are… I’ve yet to meet one who came into the world any other way!” (LOL) After laughing, he explains that leadership is a set of skills that anyone can learn and improve.
But before we can lead anyone, we need to lead ourselves. “The first person you lead is you,” says Maxwell. And that we do by cultivating self-discipline.
“No matter how gifted a leader is, his gifts will never reach their maximum potential without the application of self-discipline.” – John C. Maxwell
Maxwell shares three action points to build self-discipline and have it work as an asset in our favor:
1. Challenge your excuses. “Challenge and eliminate any tendency to make excuses. As French writer François [de] La Rochefoucauld said, ‘Almost all our faults are more pardonable than the methods we think up to hide them.’ If you have several reasons why you can’t be self-disciplined, realize that they are really just a bunch of excuses—all of which need to be challenged if you want to go to the next level as a leader.”
2. Remove rewards until the job is done. “If you lack self-discipline, you may be in the habit of having dessert before eating your vegetables.” Set up a system that will help you get the job done. Maxwell tells the story of a family arriving at a campground. A couple and three kids got off the car. “One child hurriedly unloaded ice chests, backpacks, and other items while the other two quickly put up tents. The site was ready in 15 minutes.” An older couple that was watching all this from the neighboring campsite said to the father, “You folks sure do work great together.” To which the father replied, “ You just need a system. Nobody goes to the bathroom until camp’s set up.”
3. Stay focused on results. “Anytime you concentrate on the difficulty of the work instead of its results or rewards, you’re likely to become discouraged. Dwell on it too long, and you’ll develop self-pity instead of self-discipline. The next time you’re facing a must-do task and you’re thinking of doing what’s most convenient instead of paying the price [of doing it], change your focus. Count the benefits of doing what’s right and then dive in.”
Lastly, I’ll leave you a quote by author H. Jackson Brown: “Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There’s plenty of movement, but you never know if it’s going to be forward, backwards, or sideways.” To which Maxwell remarks, “If you know you have talent, and you’ve seen a lot of motion—but little concrete results—you may lack self discipline.”
Apply these three action points and you’ll be on your way to leading yourself first and then leading and influencing the many thousands your life will touch.
ACTION
TODAY: What’s on your schedule? Do you have any regularly scheduled activities that require self-discipline? Say, exercising, eating healthy, making time for yourself, for your family, for fun, saving money for retirement… all of those things are easy to forego when we have too much on our plate, but they are important and require self-discipline. Check your calendar and focus on the benefits of these activities and habits.
FUTURE: As you plan your calendar daily, weekly, monthly, etc., include self-discipline activities to help you reach your goals. Don’t give up on them! Make them a habit. Be consistent. Remember to lead yourself first and don’t let yourself off the hook.
Know someone who needs to build self-discipline? Please share this post with that person via email, Facebook or Twitter, thank you!
by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Goals, Growth, Habits, Leadership, Mindset, Tools
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 52 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Ethics: The Golden Rule
— From Ethics 101: What Every Leader Needs To Know (101 Series) by John C. Maxwell
When leadership and business guru John C. Maxwell was approached to write a book on business ethics, he said, “There’s no such thing as business ethics—there’s only ethics. People try to use one set of ethics for their professional life, another for their spiritual life, and still another one at home with their family. That gets them into trouble. Ethics is ethics. If you desire to be ethical, you live it by one standard across the board.”
And what may that one standard be?
For Maxwell, it’s simple: the Golden Rule. This is the principle of treating others as you would want to be treated. (Wikipedia). “Asking the question ‘How would I like to be treated in this situation?’ is an integrity guideline for any situation.”
Given that there is an equivalent of the Golden Rule in every culture, language and religion, this is “the closest thing to a universal guideline for ethics a person can find.” And these are the four criteria as to why Maxwell believes so:
1. The Golden Rule is accepted by most people. If having an equivalent everywhere is not enough, “a case can also be made for the Golden Rule based on common sense. […] It is not unreasonable for any person to desire good treatment for others. Nor is it asking too much to expect others to treat people well. […] The Golden Rule can be used to create common ground with any reasonable person.”
2. The Golden Rule is easy to understand. “One of the wonderful things about the Golden Rule is that it makes the intangible tangible. You don’t need to know the law. You don’t need to explore nuances of philosophy. You simply imagine yourself in the place of another person. Even a small child can get a handle on that. There are no complicated rules and no loopholes.”
3. The Golden Rule is a win-win philosophy. “Have you met people who believe that in order for them to be winners, other people must be made to lose? […] When you live by the Golden Rule, everybody wins. If I treat you as well as I desire to be treated, you win. If you treat me likewise, I win. Where is the loser in that?”
4. The Golden Rule is a compass when you need direction. “Television commentator Ted Koppel says, ‘There’s harmony and inner peace to be found in in following a moral compass that points in the same direction regardless of fashion or trend.’ In a world with much uncertainty, I think many people are seeking direction. The Golden Rule can provide that. It never changes, even as circumstances do. It gives solid, predictable direction every time it’s used. And best of all, it actually works.”
ACTION
TODAY: Keep the Golden Rule in mind as you go about your day: How can you apply it better in every situation? Note that the Golden Rule is not a soft approach to business—you should expect and apply excellence and high quality, and not tolerate undesirable or rude behavior.
FUTURE: Make it a habit of applying the Golden Rule in all you do. All aspects of your life, and the people who surround you, will be better for it and will respond in the same way.
If you like this post, please share it with someone who will like it too! You can do so via email, Facebook or Twitter, thank you!
