19 Hard Things You Need To Do To Be Successful

  1.     You have to make the call you’re afraid to make.
  2.     You have to get up earlier than you want to get up.
  3.     You have to give more than you get in return right away.
  4.     You have to care more about others than they care about you.
  5.     You have to fight when you are already injured, bloody, and sore.
  6.     You have to feel unsure and insecure when playing it safe seems smarter.
  7.     You have to lead when no one else is following you yet.
  8.     You have to invest in yourself even though no one else is.
  9.     You have to look like a fool while you’re looking for answers you don’t have.
  10.     You have to grind out the details when it’s easier to shrug them off.
  11.     You have to deliver results when making excuses is an option.
  12.     You have to search for your own explanations even when you’re told to accept the “facts.”
  13.     You have to make mistakes and look like an idiot.
  14.     You have to try and fail and try again.
  15.     You have to run faster even though you’re out of breath.
  16.     You have to be kind to people who have been cruel to you.
  17.     You have to meet deadlines that are unreasonable and deliver results that are unparalleled.
  18.     You have to be accountable for your actions even when things go wrong.
  19.     You have to keep moving towards where you want to be no matter what’s in front of you.

What Is A Leader

At the most basic level, a leader is someone who leads other. But what makes someone a leader?
What is it about being a leader that some people understand and use to their advantage? What can you do to be a leader? Here's what you need to know and do.

A leader is a person who has a vision, a drive and a commitment to achieve that vision, and the skills to make it happen. Let's look at each of those in detail.

The Leader's Vision
A leader has a vision. Leaders see a problem that needs to be fixed or a goal that needs to be achieved. It may be something that no one else sees or simply something that no one else wants to tackle. Whatever it is, it is the focus of the leader's attention and they attack it with a single-minded determination.

Whether the goal is to double the company's annual sales, develop a product that will solve a certain problem, or start a company that can achieve the leader's dream, the leader always has a clear target in mind. This is a big picture sort of thing, not the process improvement that reduces errors by 2% but the new manufacturing process that completely eliminates the step that caused the errors. It is the new product that makes people say "why didn't I think of that", not just a toaster that lets you select the degree of darkness of the toast. Edison did not set out to build a better candle, he wanted to find a whole new way to illuminate the darkness. That's the kind of vision a leader has.

The Drive To See It Through
It is not enough to just have a vision. Lots of people see things that should be done, things that should be fixed, great step forward that could be taken. What makes leaders different is that they act. They take the steps to achieve their vision.

10 Things Employees May Not be Telling You


When you’re a manager, the old saying “no news is good news” doesn’t always apply. While it may be tempting to bury your head in the sand (or keep your door closed) and assume that all is well with your employees because no one is complaining, that’s a bad assumption. They may be another reason no one is bringing any issues to you – they may not trust you. Or, perhaps when they have tried to, you got defensive or labeled them as a complainer.

Do you have one of those “no whining” signs in your office? If so, what’s that really telling your employees? Just do your job and keep your mouth shut?

In the absence of a solid foundation of trust and open two-way communication, here are ten things that you’re not going to hear from your employees (many of which you should hear):

1. I’m looking for a new job. It should never come as a surprise when an employee hands you their two-week notice. Once that happens, it’s too late to counter-offer to retain the employee. There was a reason (or reasons) the employee started looking for a new position. The key to retaining your best employees is being able to uncover those little sources of dissatisfaction before they turn into BIG sources of dissatisfaction.

10 Powerful Goal Setting Steps

Break It Down
Goal setting is an important part of starting and owning a business. Without business goals, you may find that you are floundering around in your business with no direction. Your business goals can keep you focused on where you want to be, while helping you create a plan for getting there.

Once you're ready to get started with goal setting, these 10 powerful goal setting steps will help you achieve even your most ambitious business goals.

The first step is to break down your goals. Business goals are often long-term and require quite a bit of work, time and effort. By breaking down your goals into manageable action steps, it is easier to focus on what you need to do right now and not get overwhelmed by the process.
A good way to break down your business goals is by creating an action plan made up of individual tasks that each include one clearly defined action. By thinking in terms of baby steps, it's easy to make progress and have small accomplishments every day.

Track Your Progress

Part of successful goal setting is tracking how far you've come. Not only can this be a great motivator, but it can also help you plan future goals and action steps.

You can track your progress by conducting weekly and/or monthly goal check-ins that help you evaluate what you have accomplished and where you need to focus more of your attention. It may also be helpful for you to create milestones based on time and progress so you can easily tell if you're on track for reaching your goal.

Commit to the Process

Effective goal setting requires clarity about what the goal involves, knowledge on what type of effort will be required, and specific reasons why the goal is important to you. It also includes a plan for how you will accomplish each step, and perhaps most importantly, a commitment to seeing the goal through to completion.