Author Archive for Michael Angier

How Are You Dealing with the New Normal?

Published
by
Michael Angier
on November 23, 2009
in self improvement
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We live in a constant state of change. Many people are calling it The New Normal because it’s now become normal for things to no longer be normal.

Some changes are significant and some aren’t. Some changes are obvious and some are inconspicuous-at least at first. Whether it’s in our business and career or in our family and home, we need to understand and anticipate-as best we can-what change will mean for us.

There are two simple questions that can help us navigate these waters.

1. What’s different from what used to be?

2. What’s still the same?

We have a natural tendency to think things are still the way they were. And they usually aren’t.

It’s easy to get blindsided by something that changed politically, environmentally, socially and culturally. We might have known about the change, but we might not have thought it through to see what the impact would be on us, our business, our family, our finances and our health.

Take a few moments when you can think quietly and answer the two questions above. Dig deep. Think globally as well as locally.

This is not a time to judge what’s changed or not changed. It’s simply a time to notice and record what you notice.

When you’ve done this, ask yourself how each thing that’s changed has affected you and the various aspects of your life-all the things you care about. How does it affect you? DOES it affect you? How MIGHT it affect you? If the things that have remained the same continue to remain the same, will they be helpful or not? I believe that the greatest lever for change is awareness.

My best sense is that the masses of people don’t practice this. And they end up surprised, bewildered and angry.

But as you enter into this practice and do it intentionally over a period of time, you’ll find yourself automatically thinking about change and events and how they will likely affect your world.

You will make more and finer distinctions. You will become more aware, wiser, more resourceful-and better able to cope with and exploit change. And that will be different.

Michael Angier is founder and CIO (Chief Inspiration Officer) of SuccessNet–a support network helping people and businesses grow and prosper. Get their free Resource Book ($27 value) of products, services and tools for running your business more effectively. And most of the over 150 resources are FREE to access and use. http://SuccessNetResources.com http://SuccessNet.org

Do You Have Job Security?

Published
by
Michael Angier
on November 12, 2009
in self improvement
. 0 Comments

“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature nor do the children of man as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.” -Helen Keller

The headlines these days tell of companies laying off workers. In their attempts to down-size, right-size and correct, some people are losing their jobs.

And it’s not just the dot-coms. Major manufacturers, airlines and retailers are cutting divisions, closing inefficient or unprofitable plants and laying off workers.

Some economists see this as a trend toward to recession.

I see it differently.

In the nineties, we saw the leaning out of American companies. And we did experience a recession. But while we got more efficient and prepared the way for one of the biggest booms in history, Japan was trying to keep everyone employed. They didn’t enjoy the abundant nineties.

We may very well see a slowdown in the economy, but I don’t think we’ll see a a full recession. What looks like insecurity may very create even better security than we had before.

What about you? Do you have job security?

If you’re counting on a company or an institution to take care of you, I recommend you rethink your position.

No one owes you a job. Companies are not in business only to provide for their employees. They exist to fulfill a mission and to make a profit.

And as Stephen Covey says, “No profit, no mission.”

Sure, good companies try to take care of their people as best they can. It’s smart today to offer benefits and incentives to attract and keep good people. But they don’t owe anyone a job.

I’m not a big believer in unions who perpetuate the myth that workers will be “taken care of.” Collective bargaining organizations that seek only to get more money for the same efforts will not succeed.

I’m not saying there isn’t a place for unions, I AM saying that many of them have shortchanged their members by threatening strikes and negotiating to keep jobs that are no longer needed and get higher pay for the same or even less production.

I think any kind of tenure is bad for business and ultimately bad for employees.

It might seem unfair that someone with– years’ seniority gets passed over for someone with only 5 years’ experience. But perhaps the senior worker doesn’t really have– years’ experience. Perhaps the senior worker has only 1 year’s experience-14 times over.

True security lies in our ability to provide real value to the marketplace. And it’s up to us to learn and train ourselves to change with the needs of the market and our employers.

I’ve always liked the story of two boyhood friends who both started out working for the railroad. Twenty years later, one of them became the president while the other stayed in pretty much the same job (a laborer) he had when they started.

The laborer was once asked why he had not advanced and his friend had become so successful.

The laborer’s answer was interesting. He relied, “Years ago I went to work for seventy-five cents an hour. My friend went to work for the railroad.”

We don’t work for $10 or $20 or even $100 an hour. We work for the value of the results we produce-whether we’re working for ourselves or someone else.

If you want more security, become more valuable to the marketplace. Learn what you need to learn, develop the skills you need to develop and become the person you want to become.

That’s the way to have job security.

Michael Angier is founder and CIO (Chief Inspiration Officer) of SuccessNet–a support network helping people and businesses grow and prosper. Get their free Resource Book ($27 value) of products, services and tools for running your business more effectively. And most of the over 150 resources are FREE to access and use. http://SuccessNetResources.com http://SuccessNet.org

Is Your Business Working for You?

Published
by
Michael Angier
on October 26, 2009
in self improvement
. 0 Comments

Or are you working for your business?

I hope you’re doing work that you enjoy. Because I believe that if you don’t love what you do, you will lose out to someone who does.

However, just working in your business isn’t enough. Yes, we all have to make sure that orders get fulfilled, phone calls get returned, new prospects contacted and the plethora of things you want to get done. I call it the busyness of business.

But in order to excel, we have to work ON our business-and on ourselves. We have to step back for a better perspective. We have to ask tough questions and be willing to be honest with ourselves.

We try to make several improvements each day. Things like . . .

make the order process faster, easier or more clear

improve one of our reports

create a new one

test a headline for better conversion

automate a process

make website navigation easier

eliminate a step

add value to our membership

simplify a process

We could go on, but I think you get the idea.

We practice and recommend S-O-D-A.

SODA stands for Simplify, Organize, Delegate or Automate. I use that as a reminder to practice CANI-Constant And Never-ending Improvement.

And I don’t feel my day is complete unless we’ve made something better.

Sure there are days when so much is going on, it doesn’t leave much time for self improvement or making our business work better.

How about you? Do you make improvements every day?

Sadly, I find far too many people working harder and harder sawing away at things and not leaving any time to “sharpen the saw”.

Abraham Lincoln said, “If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend the first four hours sharpening the axe”.

We may not use axes in our business, but we have tools and systems that can be sharpened or replaced with something that works better.

It’s gratifying to grow and improve. And it pays off, too.

But you do have to plan for it. You have to give it focus and attention. Otherwise, all the other demands-the busyness-will crowd out making things better.

That’s really what we are all about. Helping you and your business grow is why we’re here. And sometimes it’s as simple as reminding you to take action to improve what you’re doing. It might be sharing a new idea or resource. Or it might be teaching an important principle or concept.

And if you have ideas on how we can better serve you, we will listen and carefully consider your suggestion.

Michael Angier is founder and CIO (Chief Inspiration Officer) of SuccessNet.org and helps people and businesses grow and prosper. By being a Diamond Club Member of SuccessNet you can expect to reach new heights of achievement by creating the support structure you need to accomplish your objectives. SuccessNet Diamonds SuccessNet.org

Business is All About Relationship

Published
by
Michael Angier
on October 19, 2009
in self improvement
. 0 Comments

I live in a small metropolitan area with only about 110,000 people. And it seems even smaller than that.

I?ve been doing business in this community for over 20 years. I?ve worked in non-profits, sales, publishing, printing, construction and now Internet publishing.

Very little of my business is now local. But I often run into people from previous business relationships. Like me, many of these people are in different businesses?some in different careers altogether.

It struck me how much my present business relationships have to do with my previous ones. I?ve found it easy to recreate rapport and establish trust with folks I?ve had good dealings with before. When I know someone and have confidence in their word, doing business with them becomes easier.

I strive to have an excellent relationship with everyone. It doesn?t seem possible all the time, but it?s worth striving for nonetheless.

Marketing gurus recommend that we should be mindful of the lifetime value of a customer?to look not only at the profit from an initial sale. It?s good advice. And I would take it a step further: Be mindful of the lifetime value of a RELATIONSHIP?not just a customer.

One of the key concepts we talked about at a recent World Class Business Conference was the importance of relationships in business. I went so far as to say that business is really a network of communication against a background of relationships.

And it?s not just relationships with customers?it?s with suppliers, coworkers, stakeholders?even competitors.

As some of my recent encounters have pointed out, some relationships are completely reversed from what they used to be. Customers can now be employers. Competitors can now be customers. Coworkers may now be bosses.

Today, with the Internet, our business world becomes even smaller. We do business with people around the world, but it?s really still a fairly small community. As I talk with other entrepreneurs online, we seem to know many of the same people.

In a few years, we may each be doing something a bit different. And the relationships we have and build today will serve us in the future in direct proportion to the quality and integrity we create.

It?s important that we cultivate and nurture our relationships. Being honest, playing win-win and treating people fairly isn?t just a moral thing to do?it?s good business?now, and in the future.

Action Point Do you focus on the deal or do you create relationships? Every business transaction is a PERSONAL transaction, so make every effort to enhance your relationship with this person. Nurture your relationships through honest, fair and friendly exchanges.

Michael Angier is founder and CIO (Chief Inspiration Officer) of SuccessNet–a support network helping people and businesses grow and prosper. Get their free Resource Book ($27 value) of products, services and tools for running your business more effectively. And most of the over 150 resources are FREE to access and use. http://SuccessNetResources.com http://SuccessNet.org

Handling Frustrations

Published
by
Michael Angier
on August 4, 2009
in self improvement
. 0 Comments
by Michael Angier

“I’m sooo frustrated!” These words-or something perhaps even more colorful-are things we’ve all said at one time or another. Several times over the past few days, I said them myself-at least in my head.

We recently incorporated a new computer into our network, and it raised all kinds of havoc. An installation that should have taken only a few hours turned into a three-day exercise in aggravation and frustration.

In our recent experience, my wife and I dealt with it better than we thought we would have. We never lost our patience with one another, and we were never rude to each other or the people we worked with in resolving the problems.

As I look at what happened, I can see things that allowed us to get through the installation with no upset. Here are what I see as the key strategies we used-although not perfectly-to avoid being victims of the experience.

Emotional Bank Accounts One of the things that made our recent ordeal more bearable was that my wife and I had high balances in our respective “emotional bank accounts.” When these bank balances are low, the little things can easily become big things. Little “forgotten” resentments can turn into major issues. By making daily deposits into our emotional bank accounts with people we’re close to, we can avoid having unneces-sary upsets make a difficult situation hurtful.

Ask Good Questions When we get frustrated, it’s easy to ask fruitless, impotent questions-questions that exacerbate the situation rather than improve upon it. Questions like, “Why did this happen to me?” “Why is life so unfair?” “Why are people so unreasonable?” are the kind of questions that keep us stuck and feeling unresourceful. We need to ask questions that move us forward. Keep asking, “What’s really important?”

Stay Focused-Identify the Problem In the midst of a crisis (whether perceived or real), it’s easy to lose our focus. We have to keep coming back to what the problems are and what we can do to solve them.

As the experience and drama unfolds, stay with the intended result and keep redefining the problem.

Take a Break It’s important to take breaks. Don’t become obsessed with the problem(s) and keep at it without any let-up. We can’t be at our best when we operate non-stop without a chance to step back and gain some perspective-and rest.

Stop. Get some exercise. Take a walk. Work out. Take a nap. Watch a movie. You’ll be surprised how much more resourceful you can be. In the whole scheme of things, how much difference will a few minutes (or hours) make?

Remember to breathe. As someone once said, “Inspiration is the art of breathing in.”

Perspective Keep in mind that frustration is an emotional reaction. It doesn’t happen “out there,” it happens inside us. And we have choice about whether we indulge it.

Be aware. Notice when you’re feeling frustrated. Don’t judge it. Blaming ourselves or others will not work. Ninety percent of overcoming the problem is your conscious awareness that you’re stressed. Ask yourself, “In three years’ time, will this situation be worth being upset?” Chances are, it won’t.

Laugh We stress ourselves out by taking things too seriously. Being serious doesn’t mean we have to be grim. Learn to laugh at yourself as well as the situation. The things that seem upsetting now will usually be things we’ll find humorous later. If we’re going to laugh about it then, we might as well laugh about it now.

Get Help Going through any challenging situation is more bearable and often more fun when we experience it with a friend or team member. Ask for help. Where is it written that you need to go it alone?

What was the end result of that week’s computer fiasco? Well, one of our publications was delayed two days, and it’s doubtful anyone noticed. We learned a lot. And, we ended up with a better system than we’d originally planned because we exchanged the first computer for a better one.

About the Author:
Michael Angier is founder and CIO (Chief Inspiration Officer) of SuccessNet–a support network helping people and businesses grow and prosper. Get their free Resource Book ($27 value) of products, services and tools for running your business more effectively. And most of the over 150 resources are FREE to access and use. http://SuccessNetResources.com http://SuccessNet.org

When is it Great Enough?

Published
by
Michael Angier
on June 29, 2009
in self improvement
. 0 Comments
by Michael Angier

For the past few weeks, my wife and I have been putting the finishing touches on my latest book. We’ve been proofing, revising, editing and even swapping out chapters. Finally, we proclaimed it “complete.” It’s often a tough call-particularly when it’s your “baby.”

Most projects can be fiddled with, tweaked, polished and revised to the point where they never actually get done. For many people, this can be a way to keep from failing. If the book, thesis or work of art is always in progress, then no one will judge it. What looks like a desire for perfection is often simply fear of failure.

I expect there are many of you reading this who are close to finishing something dear to you, but you seem to find excuses for not bringing the project to completion. Perhaps you have a number of unfinished projects.

Remember that nothing is ever perfect. You’ll always think of ways you could have made it better, sleeker, more efficient and with additional features.

But I like what my friend Mike Litman says, “You don’t have to get it perfect, you just have to get it going.”

Get it launched. Get it working. You can improve upon it later. Anything worthwhile is worth improving upon. All great things are in a constant state of improvement.

With the exception of a few things like brain surgery, airline maintenance and nuclear power plants, it’s safe to say that something complete, but imperfect, has infinitely more value than something almost perfect but never done.

As for my new book, we could still be working on it. But that wouldn’t put it in your hands or in the hands of thousands of others next month. It can’t accomplish its purpose if it never gets printed. Will we find corrections and improvements we’ll want to make? For sure. That’s what second editions are for.

At some point you have to say, “It’s great enough.”

What ideas, projects or creations are you procrastinating about? Could it be you’re afraid it won’t be perfect?

Almost everything can be improved upon after its debut. So don’t let your desire to get it perfect keep you from getting it going.

If you haven’t started, start. If you haven’t finished, finish.

About the Author:
Michael Angier is founder and CIO (Chief Inspiration Officer) of SuccessNet–a support network helping people and businesses grow and prosper. Get their free Resource Book ($27 value) of products, services and tools for running your business more effectively. And most of the over 150 resources are FREE to access and use. http://SuccessNetResources.com http://SuccessNet.org

How to Solve Problems in Your Sleep

Published
by
Michael Angier
on June 28, 2009
in self improvement
. 0 Comments
by Michael Angier

Employing the Science of Universal Delegation

Would you like to utilize a strategy that’s been used for thousands of years by most of the world’s great minds? Inventors, writers, artists, scientists and philosophers have employed this technique to solve problems and create works of art. This is a simple but almost magical method for gaining access to Universal Wisdom.

You’ve probably already used it yourself either intentionally or unintentionally. I’ve had great success with the process, and must admit that I don’t employ it as often as I should. I forget about how powerful, effective and easy it is. Perhaps we’ve just been programmed to believe that solving difficult problems needs to involve struggle and effort.

Just what is this magical, mystical process? It’s simply turning a problem or question over to our subconscious (some say super-conscious) mind and trusting enough to await the result. I call it “Universal Delegation”-charging the Universe with a problem or question (big or small).

By tasking your subconscious to provide you with solutions or answers to your request, you’re tapping into a whole realm of memory and wisdom that’s difficult to reach when we’re awake. I recognize that what I’m sharing may have a fairly high “woo-woo” factor. And it does involve a certain degree of trust in the process in order for it to be successful.

Let’s take a practical example that can explain at least a part of how this all works. Have you ever tried to think of someone’s name but couldn’t? Try as hard as you might, you just couldn’t come up with it. Finally, after having given up on your memory scan-sometime when you weren’t even thinking about it, the name came to you in a flash. Instead of forcing the data from your memory banks, your unconscious mind went about it with seemingly no effort on your part. Much the same thing happens using Universal Delegation. And it’s even more powerful.

Charles Kettering said that a “problem clearly stated is a problem half-solved.” I believe that. Some of the success of this practice may come just from becoming clear about the problem and asking specifically for what we want. Try it. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Before going to sleep, charge your unconscious to give you what you want. Be very clear about what you’re requesting. Your subconscious doesn’t do well with generalities. It likes specifics. The mere process of articulating exactly what you want sets the process in motion.

Then, let it go. Think about it no more. This is not an exercise in having your problem roll around in your head and prevent you from sleeping. Think about some other pleasant and joyful thing as you fall asleep.

For instance: Let’s say you’re launching a new project and you’re unclear about the best way to proceed. Perhaps you don’t have all the information you need. Ask your sleeping mind for five (be specific) elegant and innovative strategies to complete the project.

And expect answers. Think of it as asking the wisest and most powerful being in the world for the solution(s). In a way, you’re doing just that. Believe that something greater than yourself is providing the wisdom for you.

Don’t worry if you don’t get it right away-especially when you’re just starting to utilize this process. Just keep asking and be patient. The ideas will come-sometimes immediately upon awakening, sometimes in the shower, sometimes while jogging. Just be open to the insight and wisdom your unconscious will offer up. For indeed it will.

About the Author:
Michael Angier is founder and CIO (Chief Inspiration Officer) of SuccessNet–a support network helping people and businesses grow and prosper. Get their free Resource Book ($27 value) of products, services and tools for running your business more effectively. And most of the over 150 resources are FREE to access and use. http://SuccessNetResources.com http://SuccessNet.org
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