Michael Hyatt's Blog, page 58

7 Things to Ask When Bad Things Happen

Feel Stuck? These Questions Can Help Get You Out

When people are going through troubles, we tend to ask variations on a single, searching question: “Why is this happening to me?”

I get it. I’ve been there. And I’ve known so many people, including good friends and relatives, who have been hit with all manner of misfortune: cancer, death, work and money problems.

Asking the Wrong Question

Sometimes you have to ask that question, especially in cases of genuine trauma. If so, you should also consider professional help before you get too deep into that hole. But for troubles that fall short of trauma, it’s usually best to reach for a different kind of question instead.

For instance, not long after I became publisher of one of Thomas Nelson’s book divisions, we lost a major author to a competing company. This had a significant negative impact on our bottom line, and my attitude. At first, I was angry. Then I became discouraged.

Finally, I realized that “Why is this happening to us?” was not the right question to be asking. So instead, I started asking, “How can this make us better?”

Immediately, my spirits perked up. The possibility began to energize me, which rubbed off on the team.

In hindsight, I can say that losing that particular author was one of the best things that could have happened to my division. We learned and grew from the experience in ways that wouldn’t have happened if the author had stuck with us.

Ask Better Questions

The biggest lesson that I learned from turning things around after losing a star was this: The answers we get are often determined by the questions that we ask.

If we ask bad questions for the situation, we’re likely to get bad answers. But if we ask better questions—empowering questions—we might get better answers. I’m talking about answers that don’t just reinforce the idea that we’re stuck.

With that in mind, here are my seven questions you can ask yourself when things head South:

1. What Does This Make Possible?

This is my go-to question to start. It helps to reorient you to look for new possibilities in the midst of troubles.

2. What If It’s Not the End but a New Beginning?

This helps to drag you out of that notion that you’re stuck. Maybe if you look at it from a “new beginning” point of view, you can see something you missed.

3. What If the Answer Is Just over the Next Hill?

This question (and the next two) help to lengthen your time horizon. You may not see the solution now, but how often has that been true before in your life? Over time, you tend to work things out.

4. What If I Need This to Prepare Me for the Next Chapter?

Troubles often lead to changes in our lives. We change jobs, shift careers, reevaluate things. Maybe instead of asking “why?” here you should be asking “what should come next?”

5. What Will I Tell My Grandchildren About This?

This question adds an additional layer, and helps to really pull you out of your “stuck” mental space. It presupposes not only that you are going to get over this, but that you’re going to learn from it—and distill lessons for future generations.

6. What If God Knows Exactly What I Need?

This question helps to reorient you spiritually. It can help to consider that, even if we don’t quite get it yet, maybe God does.

7. What If God’s Speaking to Me in These Troubles and Blessing Me?

This question helps to focus us on the blessings that can come from going through adversity. I’ve experienced them in my own life. Plenty. I hope these questions can help you to see them, too.

“

Troubles often lead to beneficial changes in our lives.

—MICHAEL HYATT

Question: What should you be asking NOW in your situation? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

The Benefit of Pairing Digital and Analog to Manage Your Day

How My Hybrid System Gives You the Best of Both Worlds

Since we announced the Full Focus Planner™ a few months ago, I’ve lost track of how many people have asked me about my plans for task and calendar management. Am I planning on going full analog?

It’s an important question. When it comes to planning our time, reviewing our goals, and tracking our tasks, we basically have three options.

Full digital. You can do everything with a digital solution such as Nozbe, Todoist, or Evernote.

Full analog. You can do everything with a paper-based system such as a Bullet Journal, Day Runner, or the Full Focus Planner™.

Hybrid system. You can do some things digitally and some things on paper.

Obviously, you need to use what works for you. But there are some major drawbacks to the first two.

Digital and Analog Drawbacks

Digital environments are not just plagued with distractions, they’re designed to produce distractions. Going full digital means inviting all those distractions when you should be focusing on your most important priorities and tasks.

You’re always just one click away from another rabbit hole.

But going full analog has drawbacks of its own. Not only do you have to manually copy and re-enter a lot of content, you also miss some of the benefits of digital—such as collaborating with others on your calendar or managing longer lists or projects. That makes full analog unworkable for most people I know.

The good news is that you can combine the best of both in a hybrid system. It’s what I personally use and teach. It lets me block out the distractions when I need to focus, and also copy with a click and collaborate with ease.

When to Use Each Format

I explain my hybrid system in detail in the Full Focus Planner™ tutorials provided with the planner. But basically I recommend digital for three main situations: when you have more content than you can keep track of mentally, when it changes frequently, or when it needs to be shareable. Examples might include:

Projects and task lists
Calendar details
Research and reference material

All of these are potentially complex and changeable, and I will probably want to share them or parts of them with my team at some point. An analog solution just doesn’t cut the mustard here.

But analog beats digital when it comes to content in these four situations: when you want to imprint content on your mind, digest it more slowly, work it into your subconscious, and make it easier to recall later. Examples include:

Annual goals
Major calendar commitments
Daily tasks and agenda items
Meeting notes
Weekly and quarterly reviews

These situations are all improved by deliberation, reflection, and synthesis. And handwriting is perfect for that. It’s why I created the Full Focus Planner™ in the first place.

How My Hybrid System Works

Now let me show you how these distinctions play out in the day-to-day management of my calendar, tasks, and meeting notes.

My Calendar

I use Google Calendar (via the Fantastical app) because I have a large team that needs to collaborate on schedules. However, I fill out the Monthly Calendar in my planner as a way of reminding myself of the “big rocks” for the month.

I also fill out the agenda on my planner Day Page as a way of reviewing today’s commitments and reaffirming my commitment to them.

That said, I don’t include all the detail that lives inside Google Calendar items (for instance, directions to meetings, meeting prep material, and so on). I can always pull that up on my phone if I need it.

My Tasks

I’m currently experimenting with Todoist for managing projects and keeping track of longer lists. (In the past I’ve used Nozbe, but I like to see what’s out there.) But I don’t use Todoist for daily task management. Instead, I review it first thing in the morning and write down my Daily Big 3 in my planner.

This better imprints them on my brain and keeps me focused throughout the day. I also write down trivial tasks in my planner—they’re not worth tracking in Todoist anyway.

My Meeting Notes

I take meeting notes in my planner (opposite the Day Page), then use Evernote’s Scannable app to take a picture of the notes and save them in Evernote. That way I have the benefit of Evernote’s search capabilities.

I can also share those notes via Evernote with my teammates. (And by the way, here are five tips you can use to maximize your note taking.)

“

Digital environments aren’t just plagued with distractions, they’re designed to produce them.

—MICHAEL HYATT

After thirty-five years of working with various systems, I have found that this is hybrid system is the best solution for maximum focus and efficiency.

Question: What system do you find most effective for managing your tasks and schedule? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

13 Ways to Make Your Employees Pull Their Hair Out

How Horrible Bosses Can Make Workers Miserable

Over my career, I’ve had more bad bosses than good ones. You probably have, too. At some point along the way, I realized that studying them could give me a valuable education in what not to do. I started taking notes.

My employees over the years have benefited from my observations of poor leadership in action. In management, knowing what not to do can be just as important as knowing what to do.

But instead of telling you how to avoid those pitfalls, I want to try something different.

My Screwtape Memo

One book I’ve read and loved is The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. The book contains a series of imaginative letters in which an elder tempter instructs a young demon how to destroy the faith of a new convert. It works like an anti-self-help book.

Well, think of the following list as a Screwtape Memo for the business world. If your goal is to frustrate and exasperate your hard-working employees, here are thirteen surefire ways to succeed.

Be unresponsive. Let their emails languish in your inbox. Don’t return their voicemails in a timely fashion. Let them wait for weeks. Maybe they will solve the problem on their own or simply give up.

Cancel meetings at the last minute. This is especially effective if they have had to travel to the meeting or do a lot of preparation. It’s a great way to show them that their time doesn’t matter.

Yell at them in front of their peers. This is even more dramatic if you can do it in front of their subordinates. Nothing quite says, “I don’t have any confidence in you” like public ridicule.

Change your mind frequently. This works best if you can get everyone excited about moving in a new direction. Get them to invest lots of time, energy, and money, and then suddenly change direction. Bonus points if you don’t explain your rationale and leave them guessing!

Don’t state your expectations. Be vague. Go silent. Let them wonder. When it comes time for their annual review, hold them accountable to specific goals that they should have guessed. This way you can make them feel like a failure no matter how much they accomplish.

Ask for things you know they don’t have. If they present a summary, say, “Where’s the backup for this? You don’t expect me to make a decision without the details, do you?” If they present the details, say, “Do you have a summary? You don’t expect me to wade through all these details, do you?” Either way, keep them off balance.

Focus on superficial things, ignore substance. Log how much time they actually spend at their desk or in the office rather than evaluating what they actually accomplish. Pay attention to their style and the way they dress. These are way more important than the quality of their work. Plus, they either have it or don’t. (Hint: They don’t.)

Micromanage to the nines. Insist that they keep you informed every step of the way on things you assign to them. Second-guess their decisions. Challenge their thinking. Question every expense. Give no slack. They should spend more time answering your inquiries than getting any work done.

Do all of the talking. You’re the boss, right? You got that job by being smarter, funnier, and more experienced than the next guy. Your subordinates need to shut up and listen to you—and take notes. These are pearls of wisdom—pearls!—that you’re generously dispensing.

Never praise them. Take them for granted. You are paying them to work for you. What else could they need? When they do a great job, brush by it and give them a tougher assignment. Keep raising that bar. You don’t want them getting “the big head.”

Catch them doing something wrong. Be quick to trumpet their mistakes. If you can do it in public, so much the better. If they’re not perpetually discouraged, frankly, you are not trying hard enough.

Remind them you are the fount of all wisdom. The only valid ideas are your ideas. If you want their opinion, you’ll give it to them. Find ways to explain why their ideas won’t work, unless you say them in your words.

Be moody. This is key, probably the most important tip I can give you. A mercurial boss keeps everyone off-balance. Sometimes, you should be charming. Other times, be angry. But never let them know why. Keep them wondering if it’s them or something else. You want your people asking your assistant for a “weather report” before they meet with you. “Is Bill in a good mood today, or stormy?” they will ask. This will give them just enough hope to stay in the game but ensure that they also stay frustrated, dreading each time they come into contact with you.

So there you have it, bosses. If you want to aggravate and alienate your team, this is how. You’re welcome.

Or, Try This Instead

But if for some crazy reason you don’t want to frustrate and degrade your employees, all you have to do is start by inverting these suggestions: be responsive, clearly state your expectations, catch them doing something right, and so on.

“

In management, knowing what NOT to do can be just as important as knowing what to do.

—MICHAEL HYATT

Still, I must warn you about something: With that much freedom and encouragement at their backs, your people might start to really enjoy their jobs and get things done.

Question: What other ways have you seen bosses frustrate their employees? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

Ten Difficult, But Really Important Words

Here’s What to Say When You Blow It

Many words in the English language are hard to get out. In fact, there’s even a Dictionary of Difficult Words. But none are more difficult than these: “I’m sorry. I was wrong. Will you please forgive me?”

Many otherwise articulate people seem to have great difficulty in spitting these words out. They hem and haw. They mumble. They stutter.

They may get something close out, but they have a hard time slowly and deliberately saying these 10 simple words, none of them more than two syllables long.

Yet each one of these 10 words is important. Let’s break that importance down by sentence, then make time for a message from my wife.

1. I’m Sorry

Empathy is the ability to put ourselves in another person’s shoes and feel what they feel. This is something we need to develop. It takes humility.

Too often, we are preoccupied with our own feelings. Empathy is the recognition that it’s not all about us. Other people matter. They have feelings, too, and those feelings are important.

By saying we are sorry—sincerely and with authentic humility—we validate them as human beings.

We are essentially saying, “I know you are hurt, and I understand. Your feelings are valid, and I am sorry that I am the cause of them. I’m not sorry because I got caught or because you called me out. I’m sorry because of the hurt that I caused you.”

2. I Was Wrong

This the most difficult sentence of all. Perhaps we live with the mistaken notion that we never do anything wrong. Or perhaps we just think the other person should “give us a pass” because somehow we deserve it.

The truth is, we all make mistakes. If we are not guilty of sins of commission (i.e., deliberately doing something that offends others), we are guilty of sins of omission (i.e., failing to do what we ought and thereby offending others).

Religion can help prime the pump here. One of the great things about being a Christian is that I have been released from the need to pretend I am perfect. I am a sinner, and I need forgiveness—from God and from the people I offend.

3. Will You Please Forgive Me?

This is one of the most powerful sentences we can ever utter. By phrasing this as a question, we acknowledge that forgiveness is not an entitlement. We don’t deserve forgiveness. We are asking for their mercy and forbearance.

This also acknowledges that it is a choice on the part of the other person. They may withhold their forgiveness. Perhaps they are not ready to make up. They may need some space.

Yet in my experience, almost always the other person says, “I forgive you.” With this simple sentence, both of us are healed.

We may be tempted to take shortcuts. We could simply say, “I apologize” or “Sorry.” But nothing is quite as effective as saying all ten words. It may seem awkward or artificial at first, but with practice it gets easier.

“

By saying we are sorry—sincerely and with authentic humility—we validate them as human beings.

—MICHAEL HYATT

If you are like me, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to practice. And speaking of opportunities…

A Word From My Wife

When Gail saw this, she had some additional things to say about how to stick the forgiveness landing. Often the more abbreviated version works, but she suggested a few more words as necessary.

One of those words is “for.” As in, “Jane, I’m sorry for ________. (embarrassing you in that meeting. … completely forgetting about your birthday. … getting so upset and yelling before I even heard your side… lying to you about where I was last night.)”

“This lets the other person know that you ‘get it,’” Gail explains.

Before “I’m sorry,” Gail suggests “I know that hurt you” to further “own up to the specific pain” that you caused.

Also, she pointed out that nonverbal parts of the apology are important to many people, including “our tone of voice, eye contact, and body language.”

Square up, make eye contact, say it like you mean it, and then shut up and wait for the offended party’s response. And one more thing.

Don’t be a “But…”

When you are working to get these 10 difficult words out, there’s one word you absolutely must not use, or you will defeat all of your hard work.

The word is “but.” As in “I’m sorry, but…” You might not even intend to blame shift here. You might be trying to call attention to some extenuating circumstance that in the normal course of things would matter.

That’s not how it will be heard by the offended party in the moment, so do not do that if you want to heal the breach. If your goal is to make things right, then do yourself a huge favor and stick to the script.

Question: Do you find it difficult to get these words out? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

The Secret to Negotiating a Better Deal

3 Ways to Put Yourself Exactly Where You Need to Be

Your boss suddenly resigns. You think his boss should tap you for the job, but that doesn’t happen right away. He calls you into his office and says that you’d be a suitable candidate, but he wants to think it over and consider his options, maybe bring someone in from outside with more experience.

This puts you in an awkward position, because you want the job but you also want the pay raise that comes with the job. And you wouldn’t mind holding onto your current job if the promotion doesn’t come through. What do you say?

Many moons ago, I found myself in exactly this pickle. You might be surprised how I got out of it.

The Least of These

Before I tell you what I did in this case, let me tell you a negotiating secret I gleaned decades ago from author James Dobson: “He who needs the other person the least is in control of the relationship.”

This was, quite frankly, the best piece of negotiating advice I’d ever received, and I’ve put it to use in countless situations.

I’ve used it to buy things, including cars and real estate. I’ve used it to negotiate on the job or when coming into new jobs. It even works in parenting, when necessary.

The trick is to really put yourself in the position where you don’t need the other person as badly as they need you. How do you do that? Three suggestions:

1. Be Aloof at First

Never fall in love with something you are trying to acquire—at least not at first. Be a little aloof. Don’t get emotionally attached. Kick the tires. (This point was underscored for me by Robert G. Allen, author of numerous financial books.)

2. Don’t Get Too Eager

In negotiations, the first person to name a number usually loses. So let the other person go first and pace your responses to theirs. If they take 24 hours to respond, set your clock for tomorrow at this time.

3. Give Yourself Options

This is important. The more options you have, the more you will believe you don’t need any particular offer. For example, want to sell a car at the best price? Get multiple offers for it. It will change your negotiating posture and put you in a position of strength.

“

Don’t fall immediately in love with something you are trying to acquire. Kick the tires.

—MICHAEL HYATT

Psychology Matters

You may think this is manipulative or unethical, but I don’t think you can afford to ignore the very real psychology that is at work in serious negotiations. Do so to your own detriment.

And if you are committed to negotiating win-win relationships, as I surely am, you can still do so this way. You’re ensuring that the other party doesn’t win at your expense.

Now for the Rest of the Story

When my boss said he was going to take his time filling the position and might not pick me, I was disappointed. From my perspective, it was a no-brainer. I was the logical choice!

In response, I could have pouted. I could have written a memo detailing my qualifications. I could have launched a campaign asking people I knew my boss respected to recommend me.

But I didn’t do any of those things.

Instead I just smiled and said, “No problem. Take your time.”

I went back to my office, maintained a positive attitude, and worked hard. A few days later my boss called me back in, told me he’d made his decision, and offered me the promotion.

I was thrilled (though I didn’t let on right away just how thrilled).

Question: What is your most effective negotiating tactic? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

Why I’m Going on a Sabbatical, and You Should Too

5 Things I Learned When We Got Away From It All

I am about to embark on a sabbatical for the next month to get away, enjoy time with family, and do some long-range thinking. Americans typically don’t take all of their vacation days, much less go off on sabbaticals. The idea of an extended period away from work may sound like an exotic concept or, worse, unemployment.

It was pretty foreign to me too the first time I took a 30-day sabbatical after I resigned as CEO of Thomas Nelson. But it was also an eye-opener.

When We Got Away

Gail and I spent 16 days in the mountains of Buena Vista, Colorado, several days in Portland, Oregon, and the rest of the time just putting around our home in Franklin, Tennessee, disconnected from the daily demands of running a company.

That sabbatical was tremendously meaningful to both of us. I regretted that it had taken me 30 years to get there and decided not to miss out in the future. We resolved to go on one month-long sabbatical every year.

This yearly cycle of work and a long break and work again helped to develop my ideas about the purpose of productivity and the radical margin we need to carve out in our lives. Too often, people preach productivity for its own sake, which is not enough. It simply encourages overwork and burnout.

I found I can work harder and more effectively now knowing that a sabbatical is just around the corner. There won’t be gaps in my blog posts, for instance. That’s already been taken care of.

Now It’s Your Turn

Taking sabbaticals requires some adjustment in your thinking. It also requires some planning and financial resources. And I realize that, after stepping down from Thomas Nelson, I was in a rare position. But after we did it the first time, it struck me that we could have started sabbaticals years before.

It doesn’t have to be expensive. The biggest challenge is probably working with your employer. Yet, limited thinking may play a role as well. In the more than 30 years I spent in corporate management, I never had a single employee even ask me to take a sabbatical.

If he (or she!) had pitched me the idea and explained how I, as an employer, would have benefitted, I definitely would have entertained it. And if I saw that it worked well, I might have taken my first sabbatical sooner.

So before you rule this out, maybe give it some more thought and ask, “What would it take to make this possible?” Maybe you can’t do it this year, but you might be able to take a sabbatical next year or in two years if you decide it’s something you want and plan ahead.

5 Reasons to Go for It

In case you’re still not sold, here are 5 benefits of taking a sabbatical that I wrote down during my first sabbatical in 2011. They might not all apply to you but some of them should. That time away could give you the opportunity to:

1. Recharge Physically and Emotionally

This is more important than you think. We were made to surge, then rest. It is so important that it is hard-wired into our biology. This is why we sleep and why God and man rested on the seventh day. We can’t just go, go, go, and expect to function optimally.

2. Slow Down and Enjoy Being

We are human beings, not human doings. Yet so much of our life is defined by our activities. On our sabbatical, Gail and I loved the opportunity to read, reflect, go for long hikes in the mountains, fish, and just sit and do nothing. We gave ourselves permission not to be productive. It was difficult at first, but eventually we settled into a new rhythm.

3. Feed Your Spiritual Side

We can spend our days, lost in the endless flow of distractions and amusements. Over time, our hearts become disconnected from any sense of True North. It was so healthy for us both to read the Bible and other spiritual literature, and spend time in extended prayer.

4. Get Clarity on Your Priorities and Goals

I used part of my time away to re-tool my life plan, design a new ideal week, and plan out the next three years. I committed to writing, speaking, and mentoring as my vocational priorities. Actually making them part of my calendar helped me to stay focused, and gave me a filter to say no to other opportunities that would distract me. The resulting growth of Michael Hyatt and Company has been wonderful to watch.

5. Get on the Same Page as Your Spouse

The older I get, the more important this is. Although I believe my wife and I can have a positive impact on our own, I also believe in the power of synergy. Together, we have the potential for our combined efforts to be greater than the sum of our individual ones. This is why it is so important for us to be in alignment.

There were definitely some things we did differently in the next sabbatical, and the next, and the next. Taking a sabbatical is like any other activity or skill. You can improve over time. But we got the right start, and our lives have been so much better for it. Yours could, too.

“

We were made to surge, then rest. We can’t just go, go, go, and expect to function optimally.

—MICHAEL HYATT

Question: What is holding you back from taking a sabbatical? What steps can you take to get closer to that goal? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

What I’ve Learned From Being Fired

3 Things Being Canned Taught Me About Management

Chances are, you are going to be fired at some point in your career. This May, 1.7 million workers in America were laid off or fired. And according to the Labor Department, that was during a month of generally good economic news.

Sometimes you are let go for reasons far outside of your control and there’s not much to be learned from it. It just happens.

During the recent recession, as CEO of Thomas Nelson at the time, I had to oversee the layoffs of 28 percent of our staff. It wasn’t their fault and we told them that when we announced the layoffs. The market had just plummeted. We had to cut costs to survive.

Learning From Loss

But often there are lessons to be learned from these career setbacks. I have been fired from three different jobs or gigs in my career and I learned from each one of them.

Don’t get me wrong. Each of these was a painful experience. But these experiences also taught me important lessons that I probably could not have learned any other way. They were invaluable for my future success. Here are those lessons:

1. Don’t Take Your Job for Granted

I got my first real job at 15. I was hired as a dishwasher at Giovanni’s Pizza in Waco, Texas. After a few months, I was given the opportunity to cook pizzas.

It was a part-time job. I usually worked a few evenings after school and then Friday or Saturday night. It wasn’t too demanding, but it gave me some much-needed spending money.

After working at this job for a little over a year, I was unceremoniously given the boot. I didn’t do anything egregious. I just got sloppy. I was often late to work. I regularly asked my boss to change my work schedule at the last minute.

The problem was that I thought the job was about me. My employer thought it was about the restaurant. In the end, I became more trouble than I was worth, so he canned me.

I was shocked, but it was the best thing that could have happened to me. It got my attention, and it was the beginning of my education. After this experience, I never took any job for granted.

2. Manage Expectations, or Else

When I was in business for myself, I agreed to manage an artist’s singing career. I was reluctant, but she was persistent.

She was a B-level artist who was convinced that she could be an A-level talent with the right exposure. My job, as I understood it, was to get her better concert bookings, a book deal, and exploit whatever other opportunities we could create. As she understood it, my job was to make her famous.

I knew I was in trouble after the first month. In the first 30 days, I doubled her bookings, came up with a concept for and secured a decent book deal, and got her an appearance on a major national TV show.

I was feeling pretty good about our progress. But, she could only find fault. Over dinner, she complained that she still wasn’t famous yet. I pointed out what I had accomplished. She dismissed all of it as “low hanging fruit.” She then pointed out all the things I hadn’t accomplished.

I realized I had made a major error in not getting her expectations on the table from the get-go, but it was too late. She fired me, with a fax. It was painful, but, honestly, I felt relief.

After this experience, I decided to discuss (and document) expectations at the beginning of any new business relationship to avoid later moving of goalposts. I would need to be ultra-clear at the beginning so that we both agreed on what success would look like.

“

Chances are, you are going to be fired at some point in your career. Learn from it.

—MICHAEL HYATT

3. Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket

Unfortunately, I’ve made this mistake more than once. The last time, which made the lesson sink in, was about 20 years ago.

At the time, I co-owned a literary agency. I agreed to take on a giant project for a major client. I worked my tail off for about a year, focusing exclusively on this one client. My relationship had morphed into an artist management relationship, and I was, essentially, managing this client’s career.

Meanwhile my partner and associates took care of everyone else. We all thought it was a good bet. But in the end, the client fired me (also by fax!) and signed with an agency who promised to get him a major book deal with a New York publishing house and an appearance on Oprah. I was left high and dry with nothing to show for my year-long investment.

The worst part was that I did not see it coming. I thought I had done a great job, and we had enjoyed a long-term personal relationship. My client had his eye on bigger things and decided I couldn’t take him there, so he dumped me without discussion.

The thing I finally learned from this experience was that clients and customers can be fickle. Spread the risk. You cannot afford to put all your eggs in one basket. You also can’t assume that today’s victories will be remembered. You have to keep raising the bar.

Mistakes, I’ve Made a Few

These aren’t the only mistakes I’ve made in my career. I’m not even sure they were the biggest ones. But they were the mistakes that got me fired. That got my attention and furthered my education in the school of hard knocks.

The trick—after being fired—is to try to push bitterness aside and learn from it. Failure can be a great teacher, but we have to listen.

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Failure can be a great teacher, but we have to listen.

—MICHAEL HYATT

Question: What lessons have you learned from your past mistakes? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

Want an Abundant Life? Change Your Thinking

8 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Be Scared by Scarcity

Sometimes when you are running, things really come into view. A few years ago, I had been considering two different kinds of thinking that lead us in very different directions as I jogged.

One way of thinking that I considered—which many call scarcity thinking—usually leads to failure, fear, and discontent. These are the sort of limiting beliefs that I have come to warn people against.

A Better Way?

The opposite of scarcity thinking is abundance thinking, which gives us a shot at success, joy, and fulfillment. These more generous ideas have much in common with the liberating truths I have used to help leaders drive out doubt and overcome significant obstacles.

A Tale of Two Thinkers

My friend Robert Smith, author most recently of 20,000 Days and Counting, is a great example of abundance thinking in action.

Robert is one of the most generous people I know. He always greets me with a big smile, a hug, and an encouraging word. I leave his presence energized, feeling great about being me.

And I have noticed that he is like this with everyone. He treats employees, vendors, booking agents, publishers, and others as if they are his best customers. He routinely invests in their success.

It comes back to him in a thousand ways.

One of my former clients—who we’ll call Charlie—is just the opposite, and a perfect example of applied scarcity thinking.

Charlie exhibits a hoarding mentality. He never picks up the check, even if he asks you to lunch. He constantly complains about everything. When I was working with him, I always left his presence drained and diminished.

And he is like this with everyone, I learned. His employees roll their eyes when you mention his name, but don’t dare say anything that could get back to him. They live in constant fear that their livelihood and well-being are at risk.

Not coincidentally, the success that their boss craves always seems to elude him.

More Than Enough vs. Never Enough

When I got home from running I wrote down this list of polar opposites, with Robert and Charlie in mind:

Abundance thinkers:

Believe there is always more where that came from.
Share their knowledge, contacts, and compassion with others.
Default to trust and build rapport easily.
Welcome competition, believing it makes the pie bigger and them better.
Ask themselves, How can I give more than is expected?
Are optimistic about the future, believing the best is yet to come.
Think big, embracing risk.
Are thankful and confident.





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Abundance thinkers believe there is always more where that came from.

—MICHAEL HYATT

Scarcity thinkers:

Believe there will never be enough.
Are stingy with their knowledge, contacts, and compassion.
Default to suspicion and find it difficult to build rapport.
Resent competition, believing it makes the pie smaller and them weaker.
Ask themselves, How can I get by with less than is expected?
Are pessimistic about the future, believing that tough times are ahead.
Think small, avoiding risk.
Are entitled and fearful.

Change of Heart

I don’t think I’ve overdone the contrast here. Robert and Charlie are just that far apart, in how they behave and in the results of that behavior.

But I don’t think for most of us it’s that cut-and-dry. We have a little bit of Robert and a little bit of Charlie in us. I know I do.

We ought to strive to grow as abundance thinkers, to be more like Robert and less like Charlie in our careers and in our lives. Proverbs reminds us that as a man “thinks in his heart, so is he.”

Question: How do you see these two ways of thinking impacting your world? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

Go Ahead Leaders, Take That Vacation

7 Strategies to Optimize Your Time Off and Come Back Refreshed

The days are getting shorter again, but it’s not too late to take a few days off before the end of summer. August is often the perfect month to take some time away from work.

You should consider getting away for a bit because you probably need it. Vacations are vital for rejuvenation, especially for high-achievers.

And yet people constantly tell me they don’t know how to get time away or what to do with themselves when they get time off. So I’ve put together 7 strategies for how leaders can best plan and enjoy vacations.

1. Understand the Various Types of Vacations

Vacations come in different varieties. There are spiritual pilgrimages, health improvement vacations, change of pace vacations, rest and relaxation vacations, sightseeing vacations, and other kinds of vacations. You can see one longer list here.

2. Choose the Vacation that Makes Sense for You

There is no wrong answer, but it’s helpful to know what kind of vacation you want so that you can plan accordingly. Money matters as a consideration. I wouldn’t go into debt to go on a vacation, but that shouldn’t stop you from taking time off.

If you just need a change of pace, a “staycation” might work for you. Don’t go into the office, don’t commute, ignore all email and other social networks, and just have a good time with family and friends. Maybe read some books that you’ve been putting off, barbecue in the backyard, and sleep in.

Several years ago—when I was still CEO of Thomas Nelson—my family joined me after a business trip to Brazil with a rest and relaxation vacation in the fishing village of Buzios. We hung out there for a week, and it was totally refreshing. We ate fresh fish every day. We got massages. We laid out in the sun. It was fantastic.

3. Get Caught Up Before You Leave

I’m never more productive than I am in the few days before I go on vacation. Even if you have to work late for a few nights before you leave, you’re going to rest better knowing your physical and digital inboxes are empty and that there’s not some important task left half-done.

4. Delegate Authority to Act in Your Absence

If you don’t have anybody working for you, this may not be important. But if you’re a leader and you have a department or executive assistant or people counting on you for decisions, then you have to set this up.

If you already have a number 2 to delegate that authority to, that’s great. If not, then I suggest you do what I did at Thomas Nelson. I picked someone and sent an email out to the leadership team saying “While I’m away, I’ve authorized Joe to make any decisions that need to be made on my behalf. He has my complete confidence. Whatever decisions he makes will have my support when I return.”

5. Set Other People’s Expectations

Sending that email is an important part of setting other people’s expectations for what to do at work while you’re on vacation. If you don’t tell people you’re on vacation, they’re not going to know. They’re going to still send you emails or make phone calls, and they’re going to expect a response.

You have to make sure your voicemail and your email notifications are turned on (you know, your out-of-office messages). You have to tell people you’re not going to be checking messages. Then tell them what to do in case of an emergency.

You should also tell them when you’re going to return, and tell them not to expect replies to messages sent while you were on vacation. If it’s not resolved by the time you’re back, they can contact you again about it.

6. Focus on the Purpose of Your Vacation

Focusing on the vacation helps you to be fully present. Don’t think about the office. Don’t think about all the stuff you left undone, which, if you followed the previous step, you didn’t do. Don’t wonder what’s happening in your absence. Don’t think about what you’re going to be doing when you get back. Don’t be planning the future.

Instead, really focus on the people you’re with and the purpose for which you went on the vacation to begin with. Enjoy doing something wholly different from your usual workaday routine. This is the whole point of vacations. Miss it, and you’ll miss out.

7. Block Out a “Catch up Day” for Your Return

On the day I come back to work after a vacation, I have no meetings and take no phone calls. Usually, in my out-of-office message, I tell people that I’m coming back to work a day later than the day I come back to town. I don’t lie about it. I say, “I’ll be available on such-and-such a day.”

That gives me some buffer time when I can really catch up, where I can process email and other inboxes. Then I can hit the ground running again, feeling both refreshed and totally caught up.

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Vacations are vital for rejuvenation, especially for high-achievers.

—MICHAEL HYATT

Question: What’s holding you back from taking that vacation that you already know you need? What step will you take this week to make it happen? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

Overcome the Fear That’s Holding You Back

3 Ways to Learn From the World’s Best Athletes

Many of us know what it’s like to feel stuck in our careers. We settle into a particular role and one day we look up and wonder why we’ve spent so long doing something we’re not fully invested in.

There are many reasons why this happens, but a big one is fear of failure. We know we can do this one thing, and we don’t want to risk bellyflopping if we try something else.

Ask a Sports Agent

Molly Fletcher can help us get over that. She spent decades as a sports agent representing professional athletes. ESPN called her the “female Jerry Maguire.”

Fletcher then took what she learned in sports and brought those lessons into the broader business world as a popular speaker and author. Her latest book—which I spoke with her about recently—is titled Fearless at Work.

I took away three big strategies for dealing with fear.

1. Tell Yourself the Right Story

Fletcher saw up close how some of world’s best athletes deal with fear. She was surprised to learn that they don’t “try to suffocate it.” Rather, they “recognize it, they embrace it” and they run through a mental loop about it.

Athletes say things to themselves that help. “Instead of telling themselves things like ‘Man, I’m scared. I hope I don’t do X,’ they tell themselves ‘I’m going to play the best game I’ve ever played in my life. I’m going to do everything I can to support this team and we’re walking away with a championship,’” she said.

She emphasized that’s true off the playing field as well: “As businesspeople, we may be walking into a big meeting or a big sales call or a big pitch.”

What we say to ourselves before that equivalent of the “big game” matters. We ought to be telling ourselves that we will do our best and that will lead to success, one way or another.

2. Have a Growth Mindset

Fletcher saw athletes bump up against their limitations and saw the discomfort that caused. The ones that succeeded did so because they believed that going through the discomfort could lead to better results.

They asked themselves, “What can I do inside of this moment to allow myself to grow?” And that is a very good question for all of us.

3. Take It in Small Steps

“You can’t go to bed and say, ‘Tomorrow I am going to be fearless’” and expect success, Fletcher said.

Rather, fear is best pushed back in small ways over long periods.

You have to determine to be less fear-controlled and to take practical small steps, every day, to eventually put the best version of yourself back in the driver’s seat, she said.

No Fear?

Success in these things isn’t measured by fear ceasing to exist. I have a horrible fear of public speaking. All of the preparation and all of the speaking that I do makes that fear more manageable, but it doesn’t go away. And it never will.

It won’t go away because fear is just a part of being human. It has its uses. We should listen to it. But letting it control us is a different thing that should be resisted.

If I can step out on that stage, you can overcome your fear of failure, too.

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Fear is best pushed back in small ways over long periods.

—MICHAEL HYATT

Question: What fears are holding you back from what you want to accomplish? What do you need to do about it? You can leave a comment by clicking here.