Yesterday we learned about remarkable performances to achieve the encore effect. Today we are going to look at the five traits of remarkable performances.
In The Encore Effect, Mark Sanborn talks about the importance of establishing an encore brand, whether personal or organizational. He defines a brand as “a promise for the future based on past performance.”
As such, an encore brand is one that has performed remarkably in the past and, based on that, we can anticipate that it will, likely, continue to perform the same way. Here are the five traits that encore brands exhibit:
1. Commitment: “Commitment is the price you are willing to pay to get remarkable results. Performance, on the other hand, reveals the price you have paid already. When we deliver a remarkable performance, we are saying in effect, ‘There is no other place or person I would rather spend my commitment on than you.’ And when we deliver a poor performance, we convey the opposite message—that we’d rather spend our commitment elsewhere.”
We all have to set boundaries on our engagements and commitments on a daily basis. However, “the challenge,” says Sanborn, “is to commit ourselves to the things that matter to us the most.”
2. Professionalism: “Your problems and opportunities become those of the professionals, who do their best even when they don’t have time or feel at their best. […] When you realize you are in the hands of a professional, you can relax. You know that your concerns will be addressed and that the professional will take care of you. And that is the feeling of confidence that you want to inspire in others.”
3. Skills: “Making the difficult look easy is a sign of mastery in any profession. […] To do anything adequately requires basic skills. The encore performer has gone far beyond the rudimentary to hone his or her skills to a high level. Encore performers demonstrate that they know how to do what they do, that they’ve practiced and perfected what they do, and that they still have a commitment to becoming better.”
“Are you able to spot opportunities that others can’t? Remarkable performers don’t wait for problems and opportunities to come to them—they actively look for problems and opportunities.”
4. Values: “Values are those beliefs that a person holds most dear. Over time, that which we hold most dear becomes what we are known for. […] Every performer is known for something.”
5. Character: Sanborn defines integrity as, “the distance between your lips and your life.” And he says, “your performance is a visible sign of your integrity and character. […] Integrity, sincerity, honesty, and transparency are all character traits of remarkable performers [whose] commitment drives them to become the very best of who they are. Remarkable performers have consistent values.”
These are the five traits that, in Sanborn’s opinion, are shared by those who excel: remarkable performers. These are the people who attract our attention and gain our trust. The author points out that, “[we] recognize a remarkable performance when it occurs, but [we] also recognize what it means about the performer.”
Finally, Sanborn invites us to examine our win-loss record of performance in our career and personal life: “each one of us has complete control over what we do to keep our ‘fans’ coming back for more.”
And on that note, please come back tomorrow for more, as we will look at the role that passion plays in achieving the encore effect.
ACTION
TODAY: Remarkable performers, according to the author, “think about things that are not being done efficiently or profitably or well in your workplace or industry or community.” Can you come up with suggestions or solutions to a problem that you see?
FUTURE: The author suggests, “Think about how your own life values affect your life, your job, and your interactions with others. Are your values reflected in your actions? If not, what can you do differently?” Over time you will see that “your brand [becomes] a composite of the values you act on every day.”
Know someone who is an encore performer? Please share this post with them via email, Facebook or Twitter, thanks!
“It’s not what we know in life that matters most, but what we do with what we know.”
“Every day is game day,” says Mark Sanborn in The Encore Effect.“Every interaction is an opportunity to give a remarkable performance. The thing is, whether we realize it or not, we all perform for others in one way or another.”
Sanborn continues, “Performance counts. If you want to win the loyalty of your customers, coworkers, boss, and other constituents, you need to turn in a consistently strong performance. And if you want to wow them, you need to turn in a remarkable performance.”
But don’t mistake a remarkable performance to be necessarily a grandiose thing, the kind that you read about in the newspaper. Most remarkable performances never make the front page. To illustrate this, the author shares the story of a school bus driver whose coworkers teased a lot for not wearing a coat on a freezing day. The driver smiled and took it in stride. When a school administrator asked him why he was not wearing a coat, the driver explained that one of the students didn’t have a coat that day, so he gave his own to the student.
The author says that it’s important to notice that there is not one particular approach either. As long as our values and practices are genuine, they will guide us to perform in a variety of roles that are different expressions of our best self. We can ensure that way that our performances will be remarkable. “A remarkable performance… moves us and makes us want more.” That’s the potential and the promise of the Encore Effect.
Conversely, think how hard it is to perform remarkably when your heart is not in what you’re doing. “It’s difficult, if not impossible,” says Sanborn.
The key is recognizing that our lives are performances of which we are in charge. Every remarkable performance by others affects us positively, and every remarkable performance by us affects someone else positively too.
Remarkable performances can change lives, and “that’s why creating a remarkable performance is so key to personal success.”
Sanborn closes by saying that it is likely that, “all of us, would like to have our performance described as remarkable. All of us would like to excel at the things that matter most to us. And it is by giving such performances that we achieve the Encore Effect.”
Come back tomorrow to continue learning about the encore effect, we will focus on the traits of remarkable performances.
ACTION
TODAY: What remarkable performance can you give today as an individual, spouse, parent, employee, boss or as any other of the roles you play in life? Sanborn says, “Try this. Do the important jobs or tasks you have to perform before turning out the light tonight remarkably—even if you’re alone, even if there’s no one there to watch you. After all, you will still be aware of how you do what you need to do. Remember: self-respect is the first step toward gaining the respect of others. Ask more of yourself today; it will lead others to expect more of you tomorrow.”
FUTURE: Create the habit of planning, preparing, and creating remarkable performances that will leave your audience wanting more.
Know someone who is an encore performer? Please share this post with them via email, Facebook or Twitter, thanks!
Steve Siebold, mental toughness guru, asked himself twenty years ago why some people were more successful and fulfilled than others. “Were they smarter? More educated? More talented?” He wondered… But, “the answer is no,” he says.
In his book 177 Mental Toughness Secrets of the World Class, Siebold mentions that he has indeed come across a genius or two over the years. But the answer to his questions is much simpler in 99% of the cases: Great people “become great because they are more mentally tough. Through time and effort, they have learned to take control of their thoughts, feelings and attitudes in the game of life and, in turn, life has rewarded them handsomely.”
Much to my delight, the author then goes on to say, “You can do the same thing if you’ll commit yourself to never ending personal growth and development.” (Hint: I know of a blog that will help you with that… 😉 ) “Champions invest time in getting better. School is never out for the great ones.”
Further, I laughed when Siebold asked, “Have you ever been to the bookstore and wondered who reads all those business and self-improvement books?” I think I know someone… Now, seriously, he continues, “The people who need it most wouldn’t even consider it, and the people who need it least wouldn’t consider missing it. A never-ending cycle of self-education is the centerpiece of world-class consciousness. All it takes to get started is the decision to do it.”
And I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes:
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss. From I Can Read with My Eyes Shut!
ACTION
TODAY: Siebold suggests asking yourself a few critical thinking questions: “Am I really committed to going pro? Am I willing to do whatever it takes to fulfill my vision?” Then make the decision, today, to never stop growing and always keep learning.
FUTURE: Once you’ve made the decision, remember that success leaves clues. Who has done what you want to do? How can you learn from this person? Never stop learning in your area of interest. Remember what Earl Nightingale said: “If a person will spend one hour a day on the same subject for five years, that person will be an expert on that subject.”
Know someone who is a lifelong learner? Please share this with them via email, Facebook or Twitter, thanks!
Yes, alchemy: “Lead into gold; creating something from nothing. Turning sand into Pentium chips. Turning a grassy field into a farm and crops. Transforming immaterial ideas into software and websites. Converting chaos into order.”
Marshall goes on to explain, “Even agriculture is alchemy. DNA, water and sunlight transform dirt into corn and grass. Corn and grass turn sperm into cows. DNA is instructions for turning minerals into living creatures and food. DNA is information. It’s an idea, a plan written in digital code.”
“Ideas are the basis of all creative acts. Thus, the most important resources for modern alchemists—you and me—are knowledge, imagination, and inspiration.”
The author recalls having a conversation with Richard Koch, author of The 80/20 Principle, where the latter said, “it’s human energy that creates the magic.”
How is this possible?
Think about it for a moment: “centuries ago, most people in the world went to bed hungry… many women died in childbirth, populations succumbed to famine and smallpox. Today, people at the poverty line enjoy more comforts than kings and queens of long ago.”
That’s alchemy.
And this should be the reason, says Marshall, “to be optimistic about the future, instead of getting seduced by the negativity and panic of the news media.”
Examples of alchemy abound: “An interior decorator walks into every room and considers how she’d re-do the furnishings, paint and decorations. A contractor drives by a dilapidated house, re-arranges everything in his mind and says, ‘I fixed it!’”
“Everywhere you go, every business you walk into, you think of ways to improve their traffic, their conversion, their economics.”
Perry then points out that, “YOU are a builder, a developer, an improver, an alchemist. You can’t walk into a pub or visit a website or buy a product or let the lawn service guy into your house without considering this.”
It’s true. We are all alchemists and our power resides in our ideas—and their execution—wherever we go.
Marshall closes beautifully by saying, “You are an alchemist. Create. Invent. Imagine… in such a way that the world is a better place because you have lived.”
ACTION
TODAY: Find out what your alchemy is. What kind of ideas do you come up with and execute? What’s your superpower? Be generous with it and you’ll reap the benefits.
FUTURE: Keep a notebook of your ideas. Author James Altucher has a habit of writing down 10 new ideas every day. This is brilliant. The more ideas you write, the greater an alchemist you will become.
Know someone who is an alchemist? Please share this post: Email, Facebook, Twitter. Thank you!
We all have our hot buttons that, when pushed, inevitably cause problems in the form of us getting upset, or saying things we shouldn’t, etc. And whether we point fingers and blame (“you made me mad”) or not (“I get so mad when XYZ happens”), the truth is that the only response we can control is ours.
M.J. Ryan, the author of Habit Changers, addresses this in a masterful mantra: “My response is my responsibility.” She goes on to say: “That doesn’t mean that the other person didn’t do whatever it is I’m worked up about, but rather that I alone am responsible for my reaction.”
The author shares how she deals with this: “If I get worked up, I need to deal with my reaction within myself until I’ve cooled down enough to decide whether this is an issue that needs to be addressed with the other person. Because it is only when I am calm that I can talk about it in a way that does no damage to me, the other person, or our relationship. Otherwise, I’m likely to say or do things that are mean or destructive because the ‘fight’ of the fight-or-flight response has taken control of my brain.”
Ryan’s suggestion is to give this a try if we find ourselves playing the blame game at home or work. She says, “You are responsible for your response, and it’s up to you to be as skillful in responding as possible.”
So true!
ACTION
TODAY: Give yourself some time to think about how profound a mindset shift this mantra brings. Identify your hot buttons and put past scenarios of times when they’ve been pushed against this mantra. What happens? I bet they melt away.
That’s what happened to me with one particularly ridiculous hot button of mine. It was a stupid, irrational and unfounded hot button (are any hot buttons smart, rational and well-founded??), and when it got pushed… Oh, no! It would drive me nuts! Once the realization that my response is my responsibility really sank in, then I felt truly embarrassed: how foolish of me to react in the way I have been reacting all this time! But this helped me become very aware of that particular button and be mindful of my reaction to it should it come up again in the future.
My hope is that sharing this story will help you set the intention to remember this mantra when one of your hot buttons gets pushed. That way you will be able to react better.
FUTURE: Make a mental note of being aware of the times when your hot buttons get pushed. Then keep the mantra in mind until you’ve cooled down and can skillfully respond.
Know someone who might benefit from this idea? Please share this post: Email, Facebook, Twitter. Thank you!
“The great successful men of the world have used their imaginations… they think ahead and create their mental picture, and they go to work materializing that picture in all its details, filling in here, adding a little there, altering this a bit and that a bit, but steadily building — steadily building.” – Robert Collier
“While [most people] think of imagination as child’s play, the world class relies on it as a mental preview of things to come,” says Steven Siebold, mental toughness guru, in his book 177 Mental Toughness Secrets of the World Class. This is true. In the world of sports, athletes are coached to visualize their efforts, from beginning to end of the competition, and in every possible scenario. (Here’s a 3-min video of Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps where he talks about visualization at the 1:05 min mark.)
Yet imagination and visualization don’t just apply to athletes, it can apply to all of us, and we should use it as the champions in any industry do. Siebold continues, “Before champions make a move, they have lived out the scenario through imagination. The great ones know imagination is the first step in the design of the perfect house or the perfect life.”
Imagination is a natural, never-ending gift from which we can draw anytime. Siebold mentions that “champions often go on sabbaticals or places of great natural beauty for the sole purpose of heightening their sense of imagination when pursuing the solution to a problem.” That’s why Einstein rightly said that we cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
The author points out that champions combine imagination with their penchant for action, and the results are remarkable and awe-inspiring. “While [most people] scold their children for daydreaming and letting their imaginations run, the great ones are impacting the world with the manifestation of their visions.”
Happy imagining!
ACTION
TODAY: Siebold suggests writing a one-page essay where you answer this question: “If you could be, have and do anything you wanted, what would that look like?” Forget about limits and write as if anything were possible.
FUTURE: Siebold encourages us to take this a step further: “Commit to investing three minutes each day reviewing the essay you wrote. Allow your imagination to run wild with ideas of your perfect life…Forget about the how-to part of the equation during this exercise, and suspend any disbelief you may have. This three-minute, daily habit has the power to transform your life forever.”
Know someone who would love this idea? Please share this post with that person: Email, Facebook, Twitter. Thank you!
TODAY’S IDEA: The Encore Effect – Part 2
