Performance Breakthrough News
The “I bought a boat” Theory of Taking Action One Step at a Time
I once heard a terrific story that illustrates the power of taking action one step at a time. It came from a general manager of a yacht sales dealer. His typical customer would purchase new yachts and other boats for $1 million dollars or more.
He tells the story this way:
One morning, several of the sales people were standing around, and they were having some fun razzing the newest sales person, a young woman who didn’t really fit the part of a wizened “boater” like most of them did. Into the showroom walked a couple who also didn’t really fit the part – they weren’t dressed very nicely, and they appeared to be young and probably not quite ready for a $1 million dollar investment in a new yacht. So, they all “offered” to have the newest sales person talk with the couple – since they didn’t think it would amount to anything.
After quite a while, it became obvious that the couple was serious, and that they planned to purchase a yacht that day. However, the husband confessed that they hadn’t come prepared to purchase and didn’t have a credit card or much cash to make a down payment. The new sales person, undaunted, asked them what they did have? “We only have $100.” So, the sales person took the cash, and shook their hands. The couple left the showroom with a huge smile on their faces.
When the new sales person came back to the group of sales people, she was the laughingstock of the group. The group exclaimed, “You took a $100 deposit on a $1 million dollar boat? That’s ridiculous!” But the general manager knew better. He celebrated the sale with the new sales person and responded back to the sales team with this (now famous) conclusion:
“You may think that they didn’t actually buy anything, and you are right that $100 isn’t much of a deposit on a $1 million new yacht. BUT, what do you think is the first thing that couple did when they left the dealership? When they saw people they knew? They said, “We bought a boat today.” Now they didn’t really buy a boat – they only put down a $100 deposit on that boat. But once they told everybody they knew about that new yacht, do you really think they weren’t going to follow through on the rest of the sale?”
Since I first heard that story, I have reflected on the lessons from it many times. Let’s see if you agree that these are the lessons learned from the “bought a boat” theory.
- Any action taken towards a goal will get you a step closer to actually achieving the goal itself
- Just START on your way to the goal – step by step, you’ll get there
- Once you say your goal out loud to those around you, you are much more likely to follow through
- Stating your goal as if you are already there, as in, “we bought a boat today” helps you to take action and keep moving toward your goal. (Note: When was the last time you said your goal out loud as a way to keep yourself motivated?)
- And, not everyone looks like they can purchase a $1 million dollar yacht, but looks can be deceiving!
What “boat” are you trying to buy? What goals are eluding you this year? Make the commitment today to take a step – “buy that boat” – and then take another step tomorrow. Step by step, you WILL get there.
A Winning Team
As children and teenagers most of us have played on a sports team. Can you remember what it felt like to be part of a winning team or a losing team? Remember the elation you felt when your team won a big game and the despair of losing the big game or championship? It is something special to experience being part of something bigger then yourself.
In my experience the concept of a “team based culture” is something a lot of entrepreneurs, business owners and executives want but find very difficult to achieve. The difficulty begins with the definition. Plato said that wisdom begins with the definition of terms. So what does Webster’s Dictionary have to say about teams: “a number of persons associated together in work or activity”. Webster’s goes on to describe teamwork as: “work done by several associates with each doing a part but all subordinating personal prominence to the efficiency of the whole”. This is a good start but does not give us enough practical detail and guidance in the business world. Steven Yelen a New York based Business Coach with over 20 years experience in supporting organizations and teams give us some guidance with his ideas on fundamental principles and behaviors that work.
Fundamental Principles of a Successful Team:
-Common Purpose
-Clear and mutually agreed to working approach
-Appropriate balance of task focus and relationship focus
-Agreement on Measurements and Aligned Rewards
Behaviors that support Successful Teams:
-Push for high quality communications
-Help create a climate of trust
-Play your position and bring talent to the team
-Help drive discipline into the team
-Be prepared to sacrifice for the team-be a good sport
-Help new members make the entry
-Strengthen the leader through good followership
-Play down yourself and build up others
Why Teams fail to deliver results?
The biggest root cause of team failures in business can often traced to the lack of establishment of clear purpose, goals, measurements and rewards. Without these foundation pillars in place trust is often the first casualty followed by a lack of energy and sense of helplessness. Finally, if the leadership is not walking the talk then you can expect cynicism to spread quickly and undermine any opportunity for success.
Final Thought:
There are many examples of organizations that have achieved excellence and delivered exceptional results by creating a team based culture. Some examples include GE, Motorola, McKinsey and Pall Corporation. Do your research and look at the top players in your industry and you will often find a team based approach separating the leaders from the followers.
A great resource for helping you understand and build high performance teams can be found in the book “The Wisdom of Teams” by Jon R. Katzenbach and Douglas K. Smith.
The Formula For Success
STRIVING. PERFORMING. ACHIEVING. Those three words say a lot. When you STRIVE, you work hard and exert yourself, often against the tide of conventional opinion, competition, and your own complacency, doubts and fears. When you PERFORM, you are using your skills and abilities to do something…to execute and to get results. Ultimately, when you ACHIEVE, you are living a purposeful life. You reach a level of performance that is indicative of true success: you’re achieving your goals and dreams!
We understand that success is a journey and a way of living purposefully, not a destination. The foundation of our business coaching work is represented by The Formula for Success:
A ( S + K ) + G = PBC IR (O, P)
Attitudes plus Skills & Knowledge directed by Goals delivers Positive Behavior Change which yields Improved Results, both Organizationally and Personally.
Let’s look at each component of the Formula, working from right to left…
IR
The first thing we look for is how our clients define success. We start out by asking what improved results (IR) our clients want to achieve in their organization or in their personal lives, and how that will be tracked and measured. The importance of a thoughtful definition of success is that it provides a target toward which everyone can aim. Everything else we do is specifically geared around achieving those results.
PBC
Wouldn’t you agree that if that target is different than where you are today, then you must do something (behave) differently to get there? PBC represents positive behavior change. A definition of insanity is doing the things you’ve always done, but expecting different outcomes.
G
G represents goals. Goals provide focus, otherwise there is no direction. Doesn’t it make sense that if people had goals on which to focus their energy, it would be easier to change their behavior in a way that can be sustained? Goal setting is the tool that generates the activity necessary to turn ideas into strategy, strategy into plans, and plans into reality.
S+K
S+K represent the necessary skills (the how to do something) and knowledge (the where and when to do something). Our process focuses on development of behavioral management skills, meaningful communications, influencing or selling skills, problem solving, decision making, organizing time, disciplining, developing subordinates, delegating authority, motivating others, appraising performance, etc. Everyone needs to be very competent in these areas, but especially in the workplace, where more than 50% of any manager’s job involves using these skills.
A
The A stands for attitude (the want to). Our coaching approach is based on a result-oriented philosophy that first involves developing a goal-oriented attitude among people. Attitude is more of a multiplier of skills and knowledge that will directly influence the goals they set and achieve. People will directly determine in many cases whether they turn a problem into an opportunity, or succumb to it; whether they behave in ways that benefit the entire organization or maintain fiefdoms; whether they expand the client base and services provided or allow atrophy to set in; and whether they diligently look for continuous improvement, or remain satisfied with the status quo.
The results we get depend upon our behavior and attitudes toward the people or events involved, and toward ourselves. If attitudes are basically negative, goals will be set low, and it will be difficult to progress. Growth and promotion will be all but impossible until a positive mindset is developed.
There are many ways and opportunities for individuals and organizations to better focus on results, attitudes and behaviors, skills and knowledge, goal setting and achievement. If you are interested in taking an important first step, let’s chat.
