Harvey MacKay's Blog, page 8

Stress is a fact of life

Stress is a used, misused, abused and overused word in our daily conversations.  But what is stress, clinically speaking? 

Dr. Hans Seyle, the father of Stress Management Research, said “Stress is the wear and tear on your body caused by life’s events.”   He believed the most frequent causes of stress are an inability to adapt and not having an established code of behavior to guide our actions.  Translation:  If we can’t change, we need to understand when enough is enough.

Because April is stress awareness month, now is a perfect time to discuss how stress affects us.  Hundreds of experiences in life cause stress, both good stress (eustress) and negative stress (distress).  Our bodies are designed to meet these stressors, but each person has to determine the right amount to function at their optimum level.

Stress is frequently caused by time pressure – you don’t have enough minutes in the day to do everything you want and need to accomplish.

Stress takes a toll on everyone in the workplace, young and old alike.  That’s the finding of a study on UK workers, reported on the HeartMath website.  Of survey participants 30 and younger, three-fourths reported taking at least one sick day during the previous 12 months, although fewer than half of workers 55 and older did the same.  One possible reason:  86 percent of the younger group reported feeling stress at work, compared to 66 percent of older employees.

Dr. Paul J. Rosch, Chairman of the Board of The American Institute of Stress, said, “In most incidences, it’s not the individual or the job that causes burnout; rather, burnout is the result of a mismatch between the personality or the goals of the worker and the job description or the expectations of the workplace.  Realize that stress is an unavoidable consequence of life.”

It’s up to managers to keep stress among workers as low as possible.  First, evaluate the stress level of your workplace or department.  Then draw up workable solutions.

Hold group discussions.  Meet with employees to gauge their perceptions about their jobs and the level of stress they experience. If that is not a good option, conduct a formal written survey.  To eliminate any reluctance that employees may feel in discussing the stress level of their environment, make it anonymous.  Ask about employee perceptions of their job conditions, perceived levels of stress, health and satisfaction.  And then implement solutions that will benefit employees, which in turn will benefit your company.

When it feels like everything is going wrong, try and remember all the things that are going right. Stopping to smell the roses can be a healthy way of getting through those tough moments.  Encourage employees to participate in problem-solving.  Follow Dr. Seyle’s suggestion to let them adapt and establish a code of behavior that guides their actions toward a healthy outcome.

Relax your standards.  The constant struggle for perfection is not a bad goal, it’s just unrealistic.  I’m not encouraging sloppiness or poor service, but instead accepting that failure is not fatal.  When employees understand that mistakes are not the kiss of death, their stress levels decrease. 

Finally, do something for someone else.  It’s a powerful way to feel good and reduce stress.  Stepping away from your own concerns to help someone else solve a problem or improve their situation can help you see the many positives in your own life.  You get extra credit if you can involve employees – perhaps on a workday so that you don’t impose on their personal time.

Most employees believe workers have more on-the-job stress than a generation ago. Problems at work are more strongly associated with health complaints than are any other life stressor, and that health care expenditures are nearly 50 percent greater for workers who report high levels of stress.

The results of a study by the American Psychological Association showed that most participants believed stress can make people sick.  In fact, 77 percent of respondents said they had experienced fatigue, headaches and upset stomach as a result of stress.  Even more serious side effects are heart attacks, ulcers, substance abuse and sadly, suicide.  But only seven percent sought professional help to cope with their stress in the past year.

I cannot stress strongly enough the importance of keeping your workplace healthy and safe, both physically and mentally.  It’s good for you, your employees and your business.  Everyone wins.

Mackay’s Moral:  Don’t let stress get the best of you, let it bring out your best.

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Employee retention a cause for reflection

Employee retention is a hot business topic today.  No longer do people stay at the same company for 25 years and collect the gold watch like in years past. 

In fact, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics, the average worker will have 12 jobs from age 18 to 48.  A shocking statistic.  That alone should tell managers that all the time they put into hiring, training and promoting may just be preparation for the employee’s next job – and chances are it will be somewhere else.

Employees have more bargaining power than ever before.  Unemployment is relatively low, and social media makes a company’s employee retention information public knowledge.

Factor in that a recent Gallup poll shows that only 31 percent of employees are engaged at work, 51 percent are disengaged and 17.5 percent are actively disengaged.  Translation:  less than one-third of employees are excited about their jobs.  Glassdoor, a website where employees and former employees anonymously review companies and their management, says that the average employee gives their company a C plus (3.1 out of 5) when asked whether they would recommend their company to a friend.  In other words, companies need to do a better job retaining their valuable employees.

Then there is the collateral damage.  Customers have an uncanny talent for picking up on dissatisfaction, and that can damage the bottom line.  Can your company afford that?

Why do people leave companies in the first place?  There are many reasons – changes in benefits, bosses and job responsibilities, difficult co-workers, unethical practices, poor leadership, lack of challenges and many more. 

I happen to believe that employees leave managers; they don’t leave companies.

Taking action when your employees are seriously dissatisfied with your organization’s policies or decisions is a test of your leadership.  A face-to-face discussion about grievances can clear the air, but you’ve got to be careful to prevent it from turning into an explosive gripe session.  A productive meeting needs careful planning, so consider these suggestions:

Prepare to hear some painful conversation.  Be ready to listen without becoming defensive or arguing back.


Limit the size.  A group of 10-15 employees is large enough so people don’t feel exposed and singled out, but still small enough so everyone can participate.


Assure privacy.  Meet in a conference room where you won’t be overheard – not the lunchroom or break area where other employees might wander in and out.


Ask for input.  State the problem as you’ve heard it and ask for everyone’s opinions and feedback.  Promise that you won’t punish anyone for speaking out, and stick to your word.  Ask participants to prioritize the list so that the most important issues can be addressed first.


Respond honestly.  Address each complaint.  If you believe any issues are invalid, explain why, but be willing to listen to other points of view.  Specify what you will do in response to the valid complaints.


Follow up promptly.  If you can’t resolve a problem immediately, promise that you will respond in a short, specific time.


Thank the group.  Express your sincere appreciation for their courage and honesty in bringing each issue to your attention.  Re-emphasize your mutual goal of working together productively and efficiently so employees know you value their opinions.

That’s a good start, but keeping good employees is a long-term proposition.

Retention depends on more than bonuses and rewards.  The best strategies engage employees on the job with equitable and generous compensation and benefits.  Reliable, long-term retention depends on actions that managers should be practicing every day.

Coach employees on how to influence, motivate and persuade people.  They’ll be able to accomplish more, which will lead to greater job satisfaction, if they can motivate others.

Help them develop their leadership skills.  When employees see a path to advancement, they won’t have to look elsewhere for better opportunities.  Providing opportunities for leadership shows they can have a future with your organization.

Give constant and immediate feedback.  Tell employees what they’re doing right, and how they can improve.  They’ll see that you’re paying attention and committed to their success.

Encourage workers to suggest ideas and innovations, and take them seriously when they follow up.  Show that you value their experience and skills.

Recognize their contributions.  Praise employees for their efforts, share credit as widely as possible, and give their achievements the attention they deserve.

Mackay’s Moral:   Solving employee turnover is easier when they own a piece of the pie.

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Enhance your likeability level

No matter what business you think you are in, you are in the people business.  And the more people like you, the better and easier life becomes.

It’s that simple.  Likeability can get you where you want to go – whether it’s a promotion at work, election to a political office, building a wonderful circle of friends … it applies to nearly every facet of life.

Likeability is crucial in the sales game because people buy from people they like.  People like people who are genuine, pleasant, sincere, easy to talk with and friendly.

You can’t please everyone, as the saying goes, but you’ll do better on the job – and in your life – by being likable.  Since most of us spend more than a third of our lives at work, it’s important to be likeable, which will allow us to be more successful.

“Likeability is a skill – something we all universally can work on getting better at,” wrote Robit Bhargava in his book, “Likeonomics:  The Unexpected Truth Behind Earning Trust, Influencing Behavior and Inspiring Action.” 

Bhargava focusses on five main principles for businesses to be liked, and he uses the acronym TRUST – Truth, Relevance, Unselfishness, Simplicity and Timing.

Don’t confuse likeability with niceness.  Nice people will try to make you feel better and protect your feelings, but likeable people tell the truth.  A perfect example is Steve Jobs, a well-known tough-love truth-teller.  He was blunt and transparent, which instilled trust among those who worked with him.  And the people closest to him were passionately devoted to him because they knew he would be straight with them.

That holds true for co-workers and customers alike.  Your customers have easy access to plenty of information about you, your products and services, comparative pricing, and your reputation.  Trust is fundamental to being likeable.

Simplicity is critical to developing likeability.  Using plain language helps your message to be understood.  Big words might sound impressive, but if they leave your audience wondering if they know what you were talking about . . . well, there’s not much to like about that.

When co-workers and friends enjoy your conversation and companionship, they’ll be more eager to help you achieve your professional and personal goals.  You can boost your overall “likeability” by focusing on these areas:

Listen to people.  No one likes to be ignored.  Pay attention when friends and co-workers are talking to show that you are interested in what they have to say.  When you recognize and acknowledge other people’s feelings, you are letting them know that you care about them. 


Give compliments.  Tell people when you like something they’ve done.  Honest praise and appreciation are music to everyone’s ears.  Even a simple “Good morning” can do wonders.


Take an interest in your co-workers’ and customers’ lives.  I always try to find out what turns people on – family, hobbies, vacations, goals and so on.  You can’t talk business all the time.  You might be amazed by the fascinating ways they spend their time.


Participate in work-related activities.  Even though you’ve already spent 40 hours or more at work, make an appearance at after-work activities or weekend events where possible.  Getting to know your co-workers away from the office often enhances relationships at work.


Use people’s names.  We all like the sound of our own name.  Use names often to show that you know and value the person you’re talking to.


Ask for help.  Most people want to help, and if you ask politely, they’ll enjoy knowing that you respect their talents.  By the same token, always help others when they ask you for assistance.


Admit your weaknesses and mistakes.  Don’t be afraid to show some vulnerability.  No one’s perfect, and pretending to be will usually alienate people.  Honesty is not only the best policy, it’s likeability insurance.  People respect those who aren’t afraid to acknowledge their limitations. 


Share your passions.  Passion can be contagious.  Friends and co-workers will respond to your goals if you express them sincerely and enthusiastically.  You might discover that others have similar dreams.


Show a sense of humor.  You don’t have to try to be a stand-up comedian, but be willing to laugh at yourself and your mistakes.

And if you need a little boost after you put all those strategies to the test, here’s one last idea that I’ve heard works wonders:  clean out the office refrigerator!  You will immediately move up the likeability scale! 

Mackay’s Moral:   Improve your likeability, improve your life.

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Losing isn’t the opposite of winning, it can be a part of winning

Vince Lombardi once said, “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing.”

Like most kids growing up, the importance of finishing first or winning was always stressed.  As a competitive person, I thought that second place was the same as last.  Losing was a source of shame and bitterness.  No one wants to be defined as a loser.  In short, everyone wants to win.

Brandon Steiner, the owner and founder of the huge sports memorabilia company that bears his name, gave me some good advice recently.  He told me that losing isn’t the opposite of winning; it’s a part of winning.

The more I think about his statement, the more I agree.  However, I would make one small change:  Losing isn’t the opposite of winning; it CAN be part of winning.  I clarify that because losing can also become a habit.  But if you use losing as a learning experience, then you can be headed for success.

In the sports world, how many times do you hear championship teams discuss how a certain loss triggered their championship run?  It served as a wake-up call, an opportunity to see where they could improve.  Losing helped them change their mindset.  It demonstrated that in many cases, you have to learn how to win.  And losing provides a powerful lesson.

My advice is to embrace all results.  The most important outcome is what you learned from it.  Few people win all the time, but you can be better prepared to play the game and compete if you have experienced losing and learned what it takes to win.

Your goal should be to improve in areas where you have weaknesses and seek challenges that will stretch you and help you grow.  A good competitor will help you point out your mistakes and weaknesses, so pay attention.

For me, sales is a competitive sport.  Whenever I win or lose an account, I want to know why.  Debriefing is critical.  I have no problem being straight-forward and asking clients for feedback.  I want to know how I can improve. 

If you lose an account, ask for a separate meeting within the week.  Tell your prospect you respect their decision and do not want to change their mind.  You just want to learn and improve.  At the meeting, never be antagonistic.  You are there to listen and learn.

You wouldn’t believe how many times this process helped me – not only with my own performance, but in getting the business when the current supplier didn’t deliver as promised. 

You always want to leave your prospect on good terms.  Even if you never sell to that person, you’ve made a friend by respecting their decision.

You won’t get serious about winning until you get serious about learning.  It’s such a simple lesson, and one I guarantee will serve you forever.  Everyone makes mistakes in the course of his or her career, and no matter how much you learn, you’re not immune.

My good friend, leadership guru John Maxwell, cautions:  “A loss doesn’t turn into a lesson unless we work hard to make it so.  Losing gives us an opportunity to learn, but many people do not seize it.  And when they don’t, losing really hurts.”

Maxwell advises that it’s difficult to positively respond after defeat.  He said it takes discipline to do the right thing when everything goes wrong.  To help people learn from losses, he wrote the book, “Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn,” which provides the following road map:

Humility – the spirit of learning.


Reality – the foundation of learning.


Responsibility – the first step of learning.


Improvement – the focus of learning.


Hope – the motivation of learning.


Teachability – the pathway of learning.


Adversity – the catalyst for learning.


Problems – Opportunities for learning.


Bad experiences – the perspective for learning.


Change – the price of learning.


Maturity – the value of learning.

The important thing is that you learn from your losses.  In the comic strip Peanuts, Charlie Brown is walking off the baseball field with Lucy, his head down and totally dejected.

“Another ball game lost!  Good grief!” Charlie says.  “I get tired of losing.  Everything I do, I lose!”

Lucy replies:  “Look at it this way, Charlie Brown.  We learn more from losing than we do from winning.”

To which Charlie replies, “That makes me the smartest person in the world!”

Mackay’s Moral:   Your ability to learn from your losses is the biggest win of all.

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Shake that bad mood

A philosopher was sitting in the shade of a tree next to a beautiful small lake when a troubled young man approached and introduced himself:  “Sir, my name is Ben, and I’m miserable all the time.  I’ve been searching far and wide for a wise person who can tell me why I’m always so unhappy.  Can you help me?”

The older man paused, and then asked his visitor to fill a cup with water from the lake.

Ben filled the cup.  The philosopher then took a handful of salt from his bag and sprinkled it in the water.  “Drink this, and tell me how it tastes,” he instructed.  Ben managed only a sip and exclaimed, “That tastes terrible!”

Then the philosopher led Ben down to the lakeshore.  He dropped a handful of salt into the water, waited a moment and then told Ben to drink from the lake. 

“Do you taste the salt?”

“No,” Ben said, “it dissolved in the water.”

The philosopher nodded. “The pain of life is like salt.  It tasted the same no matter what, but how strong it tastes depends on what we put it into.  To ease your pain, learn to expand yourself.  Don’t be the cup – be the lake.”

Shaking a bad mood is important to functioning at your best.  The worst thing you can do when you’re in a bad mood is wallow in it, according to “Psychology Today.”   

Bad moods usually come from tension and low energy, according to the magazine.  A short, brisk walk or some other exercise can increase your energy, reduce your stress and improve your mood.  Listening to music may prompt you to remember a good mood or a good time and produce a conditioned response that makes you feel better.

Most people can manage to do one or both of those things.  At least it’s a starting point. 

If that’s not enough to bring about an attitude adjustment, here are some other ways to beat a bad mood.  Take up a new interest.  Sign up for a class in something you’ve always been interested in but don’t know much about.  Start a new hobby or get out and volunteer for a cause you care about.  Getting active will help you move beyond your present mood and connect you to new people and interests.

My favorite way to lift my mood is to be around people who are happy.  I love spending time with friends who are experts at seeing the silver lining in tarnished situations.  One of those friends shared this marvelous story of a restaurant owner named Jerry.

Jerry is always in a good mood.  When someone asks him how he’s doing, he always replies, “If I were any better, I’d be twins!”

Jerry is a natural motivator.  His staff knows he will always be there for them.  My friend even challenged him one day, asking how he manages to stay so positive.

His reply was classic:  “Each morning I wake up and say to myself, I have two choices today.  I can choose to be in a good mood, or I can choose to be in a bad mood.  I always choose to be in a good mood.  Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim, or I can choose to learn from it.  I always choose to learn from it.  Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining, or I can point out the positive side of life.  I always choose the positive side of life.”

Jerry’s philosophy was put to the test one evening when he accidentally left the back door of his restaurant unlocked.  He was robbed by three armed men, who forced him to open the safe.  As he tried to open it, the robbers panicked and shot him. 

The paramedics who rushed him to the hospital were encouraging, but when he saw the faces of the emergency room staff, he realized how dire his situation was.  The admitting nurse asked him if he was allergic to anything.  “Bullets!” Jerry told them.  “I’m choosing to live! Please operate on me as if I’m alive, not dead!”

Hearing Jerry’s story puts your bad days in perspective, doesn’t it?  Every day you have two choices:  You can enjoy your day or you can hate it.  Take charge of your attitude, and everything in life becomes much easier.

Mackay’s Moral:  Don’t let your mood turn into your doom.

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Strong corporate culture is a boon to business

In 1788 Edward Gibbon set forth in his famous book, “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,” five basic reasons why that great civilization withered and died.  They were:

The undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home, which is the basis for human society.
Higher and higher taxes.
The mad craze for pleasure, with sports and plays becoming more exciting, more brutal and more immoral.
The building of great armaments when the real enemy was within – decay of individual responsibility.
The decay of religion, whose leaders lost touch with life and their power to guide.

I found this fascinating because these principles of cultural decline could describe the world today.  While most of us have little control over the global situation, we do have some control over our personal lives, starting at home and moving on to the workplace.  Studies have consistently shown that salary is not the most important factor when considering where one works – it’s corporate culture.

Maybe this is why corporate culture is one of the hottest topics in business today.  People want to work for businesses that focus on terrific employee culture.

What is corporate culture?

Corporate culture is what we call the pervasive values, beliefs and attitudes that characterize a company and guide its practices.  To some extent, a company’s internal culture may be articulated in its mission, or vision statements.  Elements of corporate culture include a company’s physical environment, human resources practices and the staff itself.  Corporate culture is also reflected in the degree of emphasis placed on various defining elements such as hierarchy, process, innovation, collaboration, competition, community involvement and social engagement.

It’s no surprise that Fortune’s Best Companies happen to be many of the same companies listed as the best places to work.  Companies that are concentrating on culture are seeing the biggest payoffs because they are putting their employees first.

I’ve always said if you take care of your people, they will take care of your customers.  And your company will thrive.

According to an article in Forbes magazine, traditional companies like Aetna are now heavily focused on culture.  Recently the New York Times published an article about Aetna’s CEO Mark Bertolini.  He has raised wages, improved health benefits, and introduced yoga and mindfulness training to his entire company to improve staff retention and culture in the call centers. Their $100 million plus employee turnover problem is rapidly going away, and he claims to have already improved the bottom line by 3-4 percent.

Corporate culture is consistently listed as an important factor in retaining employees at every level, but perhaps most significantly, the millennial generation.  In a nutshell, while making money is important, the potential to make a life that matters is even more important.  In other words, no one wants to check their personal values at the company door.

Do you know your organization’s culture?  Management expert Richard Hagberg on www.leader-values.com asks the question and says that many managers, particularly senior managers and the CEO, often base their views on hope rather than objective fact.  In order to ground your assessment of your workplace culture in reality, he suggests you ask these questions:

What 10 words would you use to describe your company?


Around here what’s really important?


Around here who gets promoted?


Around here what behaviors get rewarded?


Around here who fits in and who doesn’t?

Hagberg says the reality is that whatever management pays attention to and rewards are pretty strong indicators of the culture.  Do you profess to care about quality, but is your real mentality more about “getting it out the door”?  Brutally honest inquiry should be a first step to gather insight as to what your workplace culture truly is.  Sometimes it’s nowhere close to what management set out to create.

Strong leadership is central to engendering a positive cultural environment.  If you are in charge of a team that is not functioning properly – it’s probably your fault.  You need to take a good hard look at yourself and take responsibility for the situation so that you can repair it.

Corporate culture extends far beyond employees.  Your customers, vendors and competitors are watching too.  Who wants to do business with an organization that they can’t trust or respect?  I’ll tell you who – no one.  Your public face reflects your internal face.  The mirror doesn’t lie.

Mackay’s Moral:  Your corporate culture is like a petri dish – make sure only the good stuff grows.

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Sales is everyone’s business

Everyone is in sales.  To me, job titles don’t matter.  Everyone has to be thinking about sales.  It’s the only way any company can stay in business.

There are no jobs if you don’t bring the business through the front door.  That’s why I have a sign on my office door, “If you know where you can get us some business, come on in.” 

At our company, a sales mindset is a requirement.  From the factory floor to the reception desk to the boardroom, figuring out what the customer wants and finding a way to deliver it must be at the forefront of every job.  Whether you are selling a product, services or a corporate image, you are in sales.

A while back I received an email from a loyal reader who used to be in sales but switched to information technology as a help desk technician.  Even though he was now on the side of delivering service rather than sales, he understands the personalized approach with customers, be it computer operators, network administrators or engineers. 

He wrote:  “When it comes to identifying and resolving technical issues, it’s important to remember the human side of technology.  I only have the phone to work with but quite often those little or long pauses while waiting for a procedure to cycle through or a test result to return can be used to build rapport, ease tension or otherwise get to know the other person(s) on the line.  

“The important thing to keep in mind here in taking advantage of these opportunities is that these people talk to the people who ultimately buy the company’s services.  If the service they receive at any point along the line is poor, or if the vendors’ techs are impersonal or worse – abrasive or condescending, the sales person talking with the decision maker is going to have a rough time of it when it comes to renewing the contract.”  

So you can see how having a sales mindset – no matter what role in the company – can have an impact on sales.

From the moment we get up in the morning to the time we go to bed, we are negotiating, communicating, persuading and influencing.  If we aren’t selling products or services, we are selling ideas.

If you want to be successful in sales, remember the 4 Ws and the H.

WHO?  Know your customers.  Get into the mind of your buyer – what does he or she really want?  What do they really need?  Sometimes those two options are not the same, so be prepared to guide them to the best solution for their situation.


WHAT?  Target a clear outcome.  Before approaching a customer, be certain of what you want to achieve.  In some cases you may not be seeking an immediate sale, but more information about what the customer wants.  Walk in with a clear plan – and backup options – so you aren’t wasting their time or yours.


WHY?  Listen to people.  Successful selling isn’t about talking to customers but listening to their needs so you can find out how your product or service can help.  Asking questions is critical … and pay attention to the other person’s problems before offering your solution.


WHEN?  Get to the point quickly.  Once you determine that you have what the customer needs, resist the urge to launch into a lengthy lecture about what you have to offer.  Pick one or two of the customer’s most important needs and briefly demonstrate how you can help.  Customers buy on their schedule, not yours.  Contact them frequently (without getting annoying) so they learn to think of you when they have a problem you can help them solve.


HOW?  Solve customers’ problems.  Address their needs, large and small, and show how you can help them.  And here’s some advice that some might consider heresy:  If you can’t help them, refer them to someone who can.  There will be times your product or service isn’t the best fit, and your customer will appreciate your willingness to put their needs first.

Don’t forget to measure your results.  Keep track of successes and failures. Analyze what helped you succeed and where you may have slipped up.  Identify some best practices that have led to success, and incorporate them into every customer interaction.  Keeping score of your record can help you stay motivated and productive during dry spells, and reinvigorate you when you’re doing well.

Mackay’s Moral:  Selling isn’t rocket science – it’s people science. 

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Bill Belichick succeeds by being himself

Super Bowl LI has to be one of the greatest contests ever:  What a comeback! 

For me, it brought back an incredible memory, when I had the pleasure of interviewing Bill Belichick, Super Bowl winning coach of the New England Patriots for my book “We Got Fired! … And It’s the Best Thing That Ever Happened To Us.”

Belichick was fired by the Cleveland Browns in February 1996 and spent one season as the defensive backs coach with the Patriots.  He was the defensive coordinator for the New York Jets from 1997-99 before becoming the Patriots’ head coach in 2000.  He is the only head coach to win five Super Bowls.

Analytical as always, Bill acknowledged that his coaching style had changed over the years, especially in the transition from being coach at Cleveland to ultimately becoming the head coach at New England.

“I’ve been a head coach for two teams:  the Browns and the Patriots,” Bill reflected.  “I’m a detail-oriented person.  I’ve delegated more with the Patriots than I did with the Browns.  At times, I may have been too detail- oriented in Cleveland.  Perhaps I should have put my time and energy into some bigger picture things.  In Cleveland, I might also have been a little too football-oriented.  I felt that so much of the game was determined between the lines, and a high percentage of my focus is still there.  But, there are a lot of things that go on outside the white lines that affect the chemistry of the team.  I’m trying to be more aware of and sensitive to those.”

NFL coaching is the supreme balancing act.  They have the desire to hang on to their job, and they have to do what’s right for their team.  It’s like the choice between security and opportunity.  If they only choose security, they lose both. 

“You do what’s right for the team,” Bill firmly believes.  “If the team wins, you’ll hang on to your job.”  Doing one’s best for the team demands a deep sense of unselfishness.  When you listen to Bill Belichick, the interesting twist is the order of the process.  He tries to demonstrate it before it’s expected in return. 

And when a player faces a setback, I asked Bill how he handles it.

“I try to show them that I have confidence in them.  Foremost, I instruct them on how to deal with the performance problem.  The motivational speeches have a place, but the first priority is to do the tangible things you need to do to fix the problem.  If you couple self-motivation with the proper coaching and guidance, there’s a pretty good chance they will be successful in rebounding.  It’s my job to provide that direction.”

A professional football coach’s job is often compared with that of a manager.  In fact, a football coach has to act faster and in more drastic ways.

“I have never run a corporation, Harvey.  In business, you can make 18 percent and I can make 17 percent and the next guy can make 16 percent – we’re all pretty happy.  At the end of the day in athletic competition, one team wins and the other team loses.  You both can’t be happy.”

Bill recovered so steadily from his setback in Cleveland, I’m convinced, partly because of the tremendous depth of his personal background.  First, his father was a fullback for the Detroit Lions and coached at the Naval Academy for 33 years.  Bill was able to observe some great coaches during this time.  Talk about leveraging a network of information! 

“It was a coach’s paradise!  In the NFL, I was with five different coaches my first five years.  That’s not only five coaches, that’s five staffs.  Because I saw so many successful styles, I became confident that there wasn’t just one style.  I didn’t try to be Vince Lombardi or Tom Landry.  I tried to be Bill Belichick.”

Finally, I asked Bill if he had three pieces of advice for young people.  They have all the zing of a two-minute drill that will march you over the goal line. 

“Harvey, we all make a lot of mistakes as we go through life.  (1) Don’t make the big ones.  Take care of yourself and your own personal health.  It can all end in a second with one stupid decision, and we’ve seen that happen too many times.  (2) It’s not what you know, it’s whom you know.  You build your relationships from your childhood through your adolescent years.  You control your relationships.  (3)  It’s the self-starter in each of us that is really important.  I don’t think you can count on somebody else to motivate you to do something.  You have to want to do it personally, and you have to provide that energy.  So, you better pick out something you really like to do, because you will have to be your own driving force.”

Mackay’s Moral :  Learning to be a great coach is the most demanding spectator sport in the world.

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Your vision shapes your reality

A railroad crew was making repairs to a section of track when a train rolled up on a parallel track.  Several men in suits disembarked from one of the passenger cars and began inspecting the work that was being done.  A tall man in a blue suit looked over at the crew and nodded.  He began to smile and walk toward them.

“Ted, is that you?” he asked of the crew’s chief.

“Yes, it is,” the chief replied as he shook hands with the visitor.  “It’s good to see you, Dale!”

The two men chatted briefly, inquiring about each other’s health and families.  Before they parted, they shook hands again and promised to keep in touch.  When the man in the suit walked away, a member of the crew asked the chief, “Was that Dale Willis, the head of the railroad?”

“Yes, it was,” the chief replied.

“It seems like you two are old friends,” the man said.

“We are,” the chief replied.  “We started out together on this job on the same day 20 years ago.”

“So how is it that you’re here laying track with us?” someone asked.

“Well,” the chief replied, “I had a vision of working for the railroad, while Dale had a vision of running the railroad.”

And if Ted is content working for the railroad, his vision was realized.  Dale’s vision, on the other hand, set him on a path that he could accomplish only through a step-by-step plan to move ahead.  This story from “Bits & Pieces” perfectly illustrates the importance of vision.

A study done by Fortune magazine examined 120 entrepreneurs over a three-year period.  They were asked, “What do you need most to be a success?” 

The study, headed by Robert Baum, an assistant professor of entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, pointed to the need to have vision in order to reach goals.  Baum said that 60 percent of people he talks to have wanted to start their own businesses, but that most of what he hears is “I wanna, I wanna.”  The people who actually succeeded were the ones who had a vision and knew clearly where they wanted to go.

The American Marketing Association did a study several years back and asked 500 CEOs:  What do you have to do to survive the next five years?  81 percent said creativity and vision.  But of the 500 CEOs, 81 percent of them said that their company is not doing a good job at it. 

I suspect that part of the problem is that many companies don’t know how to formulate a realistic vision.  They confuse it with goals and objectives, which should come out of the corporate vision.  Vision doesn’t do the planning and it doesn’t anticipate the obstacles.  It gives a real idea of what is possible, if only they want it bad enough. 

Base your vision on principle. An effective vision isn’t about processes or products, but principles — guidelines for action and behavior. Explore the values that guide the organization.  Rely on principles that are timeless and easy to grasp, even if they’re sometimes difficult to live up to.

A vision that inspires people to action doesn’t come out of a single afternoon brainstorming session.  Every member of your team needs to spend time asking questions about the organization, your industry, customers, competitors, trends – everything that affects the success of your vision.  You have to build a foundation of learning before you can go forward. 

Don’t base your vision on where you are today, but on where you want to be in five years, or 10, or 25.  Think about the direction you want to take and the obstacles you will have to overcome in order to succeed. 

When I speak to corporate America I tell the story of Helen Keller, who was left blind and deaf at age 19 months from a childhood illness.  Yet she became a brilliant author and lecturer who graduated cum laude from Radcliffe College.  She was making a speech on a college campus and during the question and answer session a mean-spirited questioner asked her the following:  “Tell me Miss Keller, is losing your eyesight the worst thing in the world that can happen to anyone?” 

“No,” she said.  “It’s losing your vision.”  You see, eyesight is what we see in front of us.  Vision is all the way down the road.

Mackay’s Moral:   Vision without action is a daydream.  Action without vision is a nightmare.

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Mental toughness makes all the difference

After the New England Patriots defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers to advance to the Super Bowl, star Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady was asked what makes his team so special.  His answer was short and succinct, “Mental toughness.”

Not exceptional physical strength, not training, not even superior talent.

Mental toughness.

Graham Jones, Sheldon Hanton, and Declan Connaughton used personal construct pyshoclogy in interviews with elite athletes, as well as elite-level coaches and sport psychologists, to arrive at the following definition of mental toughness:

Mental toughness is “having the natural or developed psychological edge that enables you to:  generally, cope better than your opponents with the many demands (competition, training, lifestyle) that sport places on a performer; specifically, be more consistent and better than your opponents in remaining determined, focused, confident, and in control under pressure.”

Note a trend here.  Most people attribute mental toughness to elite athletes.  I disagree.  Being mentally tough can apply to anyone in any profession.  Wikipedia defines it as a measure of individual resilience and confidence that may predict success in sport, education and the workplace. 

There are many characteristics that contribute to mental toughness.  You have to start with training and preparation.  If you aren’t prepared to do your job, you have no chance.  The will to succeed is preceded by the will to prepare. 

Consistency goes hand in hand with preparation.  Getting started is hard enough, but consistently carrying out your plan is more difficult.  Even the best business plans will fail without a dedication to consistency. 

Other important traits are concentration and focus.  It’s a topic I hear about frequently in business.  The most common complaints?  Too many irons in the fire.  Too many projects spinning at one time.  Too many interruptions.  Too many phone calls.  Too many emails.  Too many things to do.  Too little time.  Stay focused as best you can, and don’t let things happen to you – not when you can make things happen.

Poise under pressure is another important attribute.  It’s easy to show poise when everything is going well.  It’s a lot tougher to maintain your poise when things are not going well.  But the minute you lose your composure, the chances of defeat increase.  Focus on what you can do or control.  Forget the past.

Next, everyone has to have goals.  What is it you want to achieve?  Truly dedicated individuals won’t let anything interfere with attaining their goals.  That’s why so few people become champions in their fields.

Determination almost goes without saying.  If you don’t have a deep-down burning desire to achieve something, you won’t accomplish it.  Sometimes desire is more important than talent.  Determination can turn the ordinary into extraordinary. 

Henry Ford said it best: “Some people succeed because they are destined to, but most people succeed because they are determined to.” 

To be mentally tough you have to love competition.  It’s healthy.  It keeps you sharp, makes you better and improves quality.  You should not only welcome stiff competition, you should actively seek it.  You’ll never realize your full potential in business or sports unless you are challenged.  The breakfast of champions is not cereal, it’s competition. 

Adversity is so very important as well.  There are many things that can go wrong in life, so you must be mentally prepared for whatever happens.  Sometimes you have to perform at your best when you’re feeling your worst. 

Similarly, people who are mentally tough are resilient.  The strong survive not because they are determined to conduct business as usual, but because they find ways to rise above the issue at hand.   You can’t live life with an eraser.  You can’t anticipate every possible problem, no matter how hard you try.  But you can resolve to face challenges as they arise.  Keep your mind wide open for solutions, listen to those around and under you, reprogram your brain for success and dig in.  Don’t let hard times turn into end times.  Let them lead to your best times.

You’ve heard the old saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”  Believe it.  That’s what separates the winners from the losers.

By the time you read this, the Super Bowl will be over.  But I guarantee, the winner will be the team that understands the importance of mental toughness.

Mackay’s Moral:   When life tests your mettle, nothing succeeds like an iron will.

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