Is Mediocrity Destroying Your... part II

In our last discussion we asked the question, Is mediocrity posing a threat (problem) in your life or career?
 Here are five (to start) not-so-simple steps to start overcoming mediocrity. Always easy to say, but sticking with them is another story. Hopefully you will be able to promulgate your victory.

First, lets define it:

              According to Funk & Wagnalls Dictionary
              Medio (Gk)= combining form of middle= average
              Mediocre= to be average
              Mediocrity= to take the middle (ground)

  First step toward breaking the average, is breaking your 'routine'. Routine is doing the same thing every morning, driving to work the same route, maybe every Tuesday is pasta nite. Change your routine and get away from your comfort-zone. Change the sound on your alarm, but start somewhere, even the small things will make big change.

  Second step is to work on your thinking. How you think, what you think, ask yourself why do I think this way? What's the root cause for my attitude in this area of my life? Asking yourself these types of questions will open some of the reasoning behind your logic. Perception of how you want to see yourself, where you see yourself in a specific time period, brings us to...

Third thing is forward-vision. Some call it daydreaming, but without it your stuck in 'mediocrity'. Visualize your dream, write it down, be it on paper, I-Pad, Nook; then read it everyday. Add to it, take from it as needed, but start pushing toward that goal. If you don't you, no one will. You are in charge of your future, but it must start today!

Forth one thing you must remember, all side steps are not break-downs in your plans. sometimes you have to level out, regroup and get ready for the next step. You may have to learn something before moving forward. While climbing the mountain the paths turn here and there, sometimes they may take you down several feet, but the path will ultimately bring you to the top of the peak.

 Fifth its not when or how old you are, its are you doing it. Look at some examples of those who rose against mediocrity:

           Ted Williams, at age 42, slammed a home run in his last official time at bat.

          Mickey Mantle, age 20, hit 23 home runs his first full year in the major leagues.

          Golda Meir was 71 when she became Prime Minister of Israel.

          William Pitt II was 24 when he became Prime minister of Great Britain.

      Now how about this? Benjamin Franklin was a newspaper columnist at 16
  and a framer of the United States Constitution when he was 81.

"You’re never too young or too old if you’ve got talent."
Let’s recognize that age has little to do with ability.

 Arnold Group has been raising organizations up from mediocre pit for since 2002. If you don't want to settle for just getting by anymore, check us out. www.AGRPLLC.com

For more information email:
info@agrpllc.com

Your company’s culture is dwindling.

Your company’s culture is dwindling, or maybe you don't have much of one. Maybe you've never thought about 'Culture" in your work-place. What can be done; how did it get this way? Maybe it was never really there to begin with.  Or just lost in the shuffle of everyday life. Whatever the case...

                                    Written by Jack Arnold and William Gibbs

  When a company has no set values, motives, mission, and goal you’re looking to produce failure not production in the long run. Without these you’ll have radicals in the organization tearing out the fiber of your very existence.

  What is company culture anyway? Culture:

Webster’s dictionary says it this way:

(The shared set of attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization;

The set of values, conventions, or social practices associated with a particular field, activity, or societal characteristic.)

  Is everyone in the company on the same team oriented mind –set? Are you all reaching for the same goals with the same attitude? Not many companies are. Granted some are more-well to do than others, at least they have the appearance they do. A few that do have it together are Southwest, Virgin, and Apple. They have built their organizations on culture first, production second.

   One may feel it’s too late to change now; we’ve been on this road too long to turn back now. It’s never too late! If your doors are open today you still have the chance to change. You need to take the first step. That would be linear adjustment in attitude, character, values, company motive and goals. Without these key ingredients you are destined to fail.

  * Everyone knows his skilled primary function, cross-training applies.

  *All employees need to have a positive attitude about their job/career. You don’t need negativity in the work place; and don’t make room for it.

  *Character is built on non-compromise. If you compromise even the little things, the character of the organization is flawed.

  *Don’t waiver on true values. Your production level of quality should be at its very best.

  *Everyone should be on the same page with a common goal.

  We want to strive for a common goal and the betterment of the company; not just customer satisfaction but also employee satisfaction, from the CEO on down the line to the very last person. The up-side to all of this is:

Vender satisfaction- they know exactly what and when you have a need,

Customer satisfaction- they know they’ll have quality parts in a quantifiable time,

Self (company) satisfaction- the ROI in progress is monumental.

www.agrpllc.com

Innovative ways in…Keeping the old new!

                           

    You've  been in the business for a long time now. You’ve come accustom to things just as they are. The things that motivated you then lost their luster. Your business is just ‘another day at the office’, ‘business as usual’. How do you bring back the excitement that you begin with?

   Remember  the day you opened the company door. No matter what the weather may have been, you felt great. You awaited your associates at the door, hoping they were on time and that your choices were the best. You were the king-of-the-hill, the captain of your domain. Whether you’re a retailer or a manufacturer, the excitement that was there, somehow it got clouded, it can come back.

   You  do the same routine day after day. Back then you had nothing to take for granted, let’s face it, everything was new. After time we fall into molds, molds we’ve created unconsciously. It’s time to break the mold and make it new again. Let’s look into a few things that can help bring back that luster.

   First, change the order of things the best you can. Granted some things must come at the beginning of the day, but there is a lot that can be juggled around.

    Second, you start your meetings at 10:00am every day; make it a half hour earlier or later instead. It will get your meetings to become a bit more interesting if you change the starting topic as well.  If needed bring up the most crucial first, then change it up.

   Third, check e-mails at a different time slot. Maybe half in the morning and the other before you call it a day.

   Forth, take lunch at a different time; bring someone other than the same old people. And it doesn’t have to be about work all the time. Change the conversation like sports, the weather, etc.

  Fifth, take a pleasure tour of your shop; greet your employees with enthusiasm. That will wake them up. This is supposed to be a cordial moment.

   These  are just a few small steps to take away the hum-drum out of everyday at the office. Remembering why you started in the first place is the right and first place to start.

For more information on how we can help bring back that excitement visit our web-site:

www.agrpllc.com

Is Mediocrity Posing a Threat In Your ...

Is mediocrity posing a threat in your life and or career?

   What do you want from life; what is your lifes' goal, your passion? If you're like me, you won't settle for the middle ground. So, how do we know where we stand? More than being  a high or low, mediocrity is the greatest destroyer of a persons life and livelihood.

  You're in that middle stage of being just cold enough to tolerate and warm enough to fairly enjoy. It's that 'comfort zone' we all talk about, but that's it, it's "All" talk. So, how do we move out of that mediocre stage into a more fulfilling life?
                                       
                                      "So, how do we know where we stand?"

   Success; it can happen to you. No one is exempt from his or her potential; look at those who have come from a ghetto background to rise up to stardom. What gave them the audacity to defy all odds; the courage to fight their own system and win the life others only dream? They turned their dream to reality. For most, it wasn't easy; it took sweat and determination to reach that point of success.

    What does it take to get there? Determination and a 'burning desire' for it. A strategic plan is very helpful to bring that dream to fruition. Giving yourself a step-by-step plan and then seeing it through is the start. You need to do that; God Himself had a six day plan before creating everything seen and unseen. I'm sure He carefully thought it all out first before going to day one. You should likewise.

  Unparalleled success is the next step. Its surpassing your success beyond your own thoughts and ideas. How can one achieve such a place? Don't just have a desire, have that "BURNING DESIRE!" The kind that says, 'I have to get that girl, that career, that house no matter what!

  Mr. Barnes had the dream of becoming Thomas Edison's partner. With no money, no more clothing than what was on his back, and miles away from where he needed to be; Barnes had that one thing going for him, that burning desire to make it happen. Several years after working for Mr. Edison the dream came true, even though indirectly. Mr. Edison needed to sell his new invention the Dictaphone. No one on his team wanted to go with idea, no one but Mr. Barnes that is. He became soul-seller of the invention. Every machine had written on it, "Made by Thomas Edison, sold by Edwin C. Barnes."

                   "What are you doing to break its spell?"

  We all need a team. We all need that circle of close friends we can share our dreams and goals with. Going even deeper there is always that inner circle of close intimate friends. They are the ones who are there to tell you when you're a bit off track and when you're right on. They tell you even if it hurts, the truth that is; because they are out for your best interest. That also goes for your concern for theirs as well. Find those whom you can be confident with; build your circle wisely. Take in only those who will build you, make you stronger. Disagreements are and can be your friend when done in love and friendship.

  Statistics show that once mediocrity is set in motion in a life, it's hard to break the curse, but not impossible. What are you doing to break its spell? Wake up tomorrow and make the choice to break the chain of mediocrity and start moving toward your goal of success.

This is part one of two in this series. For more information email us at info@agrpllc.com or visit our web-site: www.agrpllc.com.

The Power of Questions

                                                                     by Lars Ray

 It has been said that questions, especially those that that make us ponder, have the magnificent power to transform our destiny. The quality of your life is equal to the quality of the questions you ask. For example:

“What am I doing right now that is life affirming?”

“How can I add a little more fun to my life in this moment?”

“What can I do to make my life more exciting?”

 Questions like these cause us to reflect, to daydream and to think of possibilities as potential answers. And then, as they so often do, they fade away as the next urgent matter crosses our path.

Instead of making resolutions at the beginning of the year that I do not plan to keep, I asked myself just two questions;

  There is an inherent power in these two questions, and seeking their answer is my quest for the year.

  Asking them helps me narrow my focus to what I really want, and how I will go about achieving it. They leave little room for fluff or distractions. They help me prioritize what is important and challenge me to be true to myself. They keep me accountable, and inspire me to grow. Answering them reveals my potential and helps me achieve goals that matter.

  When people ask me for assistance in helping them achieve a goal, my first question is what is it they want? Once answered, my job is to challenge their present thought process to consider ideas and options they hadn't thought of, and to help them discover new ways to reach their potential.

  These questions apply to my corporate clients as well. At a time when quarterly financial reports are coming out, the usual rhetoric follows – the numbers are down and we need to make changes. New goals are set, the business priorities are aligned and the marching orders are given. But what if the business direction was set by asking these two questions? What would that business look like? 

  Determining what you want and what you are going to do about it are the first steps to realizing your potential. It applies to your personal life, your relationships, and your career. 

So - What do you want and what are you going to do about it?

Question: What questions do you ask that can possibly transform your destiny?

visit us at: www.agrpllc.com

10 Amazing Lessens we can learn from Albert Einstein.

             10 Amazing Lessens we can learn from Albert Einstein.

                                        Taken from Albert Einstein, and written by Jack Arnold

1. Follow your curiosity. There is nothing wrong with curiosity. Not saying to check out bad or wrong intentions. If no one sparked curiosity we may not be swimming or flying in planes, exploring new worlds. Mr. Einstein would not have found E=Mc2.

2. Perseverance is priceless. You’ll never make it to the finish line without it. Never give up, never give in to defeat. The old cliché, ‘losers never win and winners never lose.’ Even if you lose a battle the war is still on, get up and keep pushing forward. Mr. Einstein’s theory of relativity wouldn’t have been discovered by him.

3. Focus on the present. Its okay to look ahead, but you live in the here and now. You can’t change the past; you learn from it, you can change the future by living in the ‘Now!’ Your today’s make your tomorrow’s! Give today every bit of attention you can, tomorrow is not promised, you can only hope to see it.

4. Imagination is powerful. When Mr. Einstein was a young boy his teacher thought he would never amount to much. He was a day-dreamer. Today they may have called it ‘ADD’ and required a prescription. He was and still is one of the world’s most admired scientists. Creativity comes from the imagination. Get creative in your thinking; go past the norm.

5. Make mistakes. Thomas Edison made many mistakes with that light bulb; but it paid off in the end. Mistakes can be for the good; they’ll show you what doesn’t work, what not to do in the future, and so on. If the Orville brothers gave up because of mistake after mistake, the airplane wouldn’t have been their reward for creative ventureship. Don’t shrink from mistakes; rather shrink from not trying anything at all.

6.  Live in the moment. Take today for all its worth, make it count. In other words, when you’re at home, be at home, right then and there. Enjoy your time with family. Forget figuratively about work and such; don’t take your work-burdens home for the weekend. When at work, give it your full attention as well.

7. Create value. In everything you do, put value on in. If it’s worth doing, worth saying, worth having, let it have value. Many, waste ‘valuable’ time doing irrelevant things in their life; it takes precious time away from the relevant.

8. Don’t expect different results.

  You can’t plant apple seeds and expect oranges to grow, right? Well, the same with life, family, and your career; you can’t keep doing the same ole’ thing and expect change to happen. You need to get out of the “box-logic” and into the “Sphere-Logic” mentality; change habits, thinking, etc. This takes time and sometimes others to come along side to help.

9. Knowledge comes from experience. Reading books about Disney World and going there are two different things. You have to experience it for yourself. Unless you’ve done it or are doing it, your knowledge is limited. Imagine being on a rollercoaster, feel the wind, the sway and speed going up then down. Now go to the amusement park and actually get on one. Imagination can take you only so far, experience takes you the distance.

10. Learn the rules, then play them better. Learn to play the game first, then modify, elaborate, make them fit your style without breaking them. There are rules go follow, specific guidelines each has to follow or there could be some serious damage or even fatality that can occur. That’s why procedures are written; but then you have the learning process, the short-cuts you can take without jeopardizing the standard, your style so to speak. There is a full knowledge of the procedure now modified to elaborate the same outcome, possibly better quality in lesser time. Always look for a better way, not quicker. I told my kids while growing up “Work smarter, not harder!” I t doesn’t mean you won’t make a sweat, but you will the better for it.