 Sucessful People are Self-Taught...
Always!
Before anyone gets in a twist, this isn't MBA bashing or PhD
envy. However, every successful person I've ever met is and continues to be self-taught.
So you wasted all your time and money on that Ivy League
business education, right? Not necessarily. Neither are all those degrees a
guarantee of success in real life.
Others, like me, may have earned a degree from the "University
of Adversity." While you may want
to return to college someday soon to advance your knowledge resources be sure
you enter classes with the same sense of determination that got you where you
are today.
There's an old saying in martial arts (isn't there always?)
that goes:
"The teacher is responsible only for the teaching. The
student is responsible for learning."
I know that thinking flies in the face of some of today's
conventional wisdom. I know we're being asked to spoon feed knowledge into the
brains of not-so-eager students while prying their jaws open to shove useful
information down their throats. I also know that when students fail these days,
it is often the fault of everyone involved from Congress to the local school
board to the teachers.
Bullsh#*t!
This attitude often extends into the workplace. Many people
today believe they deserve rewards before they've proven performance. Too many
employees wait for the company to do for them before they take personal
responsibility for success.
I know this may be a tough pill to swallow, but I'm sure I'm
talking to some of you: Some of you may be waiting for a raise before you put
out any more; after all, why should you work harder when you're not
appreciated? Some of you are waiting for the company to buy you a laptop before
you organize your client list; after all your competitors have laptops. Some of
you may even be waiting for your employer to offer you training that will help
you better do your job or help you climb the corporate ladder.
I know. I've been there!
At any age learning is my own responsibility. Learning is
the most significant single factor that I have complete control over that will
have the greatest impact on my personal success.
Best of all, today you don't need to attend Harvard School
of Business to earn a functional MBA. In fact, you can subscribe to Harvard Business
Review for just $99 a year! (I don't get a commission from them!) You can go
on-line and read nearly every scholarly article written by every professor at
every major business college in the world! You can walk into Borders and buy
almost any significant book on business, management and leadership ever written
and if you still insist on being cheap I believe we still have the time honored
institution of the local lending library!
Point is that there is no excuse for surrendering your own
success to anyone else. Take control first by learning, then by doing your best
at all times.
Word of caution to employers: When you see an individual in
your organization taking personal responsibility for self-development and
learning you better be prepared with some opportunity. Self-motivated people
don't get angry or resentful when you don't provide the opportunity they
deserve; they thank your for the time they've spent with you ask you for a
reference!
Assuming you attribute some of your success to the excellence
education you got at Harvard, University
of Maine or Andover
College I appreciate your humility.
I'd also be confident in the knowledge that while you attended any of these
fine institutions you took personal responsibility for your learning, you worked
hard to get as much information as you could and you took full advantage of the
wisdom and experience of your instructors.
Where are your classmates who blamed their instructors for
poor grades, bitched about a heavy workload or complained that the school
wasn't up to their expectations?
Point is that whether you attend business school or learned
on the streets, your success is the product of assuming personal responsibility
for your learning. Whether you're in the job of your dreams or you see your
current position as one more step on the ladder you're responsible for your
success.
There is no "The Man" and you don't work for him. You work
for you. The only time you make "The Man" real is when you surrender personal
responsibility for your success and happiness. As for me, I will not trust my
personal success and happiness to a myth.
I'll do the work myself!
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Power Moment
Each issue we'll feature a quick technique for developing and cultivating Personal Power in personal and professional life!
Today's fun recession word is: "coopertition."
Bath Iron Works and Ingalls shipyards are two of America's
leading shipbuilders and traditionally considered competitors. They will
compete again in the future. Right now they've found a way to benefit both
companies by working cooperatively.
Ingalls, owned by Northrop-Grumman found themselves behind
on their LPD-17 class of amphibious transport dock ships. They gave BIW
a call to work with them to complete this project, which came a particularly
good time as the project will help keep BIW
tradesmen on the payroll until its next project gears up.
According to the Times Record, BIW
and Ingalls have partnered on other projects including the Arleigh-Burke class
of destroyers and Ticonderoga class cruisers.
There is a time for fierce competition, and a time to put
the gloves down. Large companies often cooperate on projects when the unique
skills and resources of one company can complement the other. It's often far
more efficient and profitable to work together than to gear up an entirely new
production line or duplicate facilities and manpower that may be underused at a
competitor's plant.
Can small businesses benefit from this example? Absolutely! By
collaborating we can help each other weather the predicted recession and expand
business in a growth cycle.
Small businesses in a particular sector can band together to
do cooperative advertising and marketing to increase awareness and demand for
products and services. Networking can provide good referrals within an industry
sector, particularly when small operations make referrals to other companies
who fill slightly different market needs within the same sector. Larger
projects can bring traditional competitors together to fill a need that might
otherwise go to a larger company.
One of the best ways to foster "coopertition" is through
trade associations. I'm a member of the Maine Association of Professional. This group is constantly developing networks and collaborations
among consultants, speakers and trainers. The power of the wolf is the pack;
people in this group who might traditionally consider themselves competitors
form alliances and seek joint project, make referrals for one another and
cooperatively promote the talents of all their members.
I recently interviewed William Patterson, founder of the
Baron Series coaching and business mentoring program. William made his first
million investing while still in college and has some very sound advice for
preparing for a recession. (Listen to two interviews with William on PowerPOD!). A consistent theme
throughout his advice was to start to prepare now, and to constantly look for
potential partners for joint ventures and mutual promotion.
Think about how much energy you might expend to eradicate
your competition, particularly in a time of uncertainty. How expensive might it
have been for Ingalls to add production facilities and recruit skilled trades
from BIW and other yards? They probably
could have done it, but at what cost?
As I said, there is time to compete; fairly and fiercely.
There is time to truly be "one with your enemy" and find ways to work together
for mutual benefit, and ultimately the benefit of the consumer. As you brace
for the possibility of an economic downturn, think about how you can use
"coopertition" to your advantage, and the advantage of your competitors!
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| Power Motivator!
"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity."
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