Archive for March, 2009
How do you know if your dream is attainable?
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve been a proponent of positive thinking for as long as I can remember. I believe that to a large degree, if you expect positive things in life, you get them. And when you have to face something difficult, if you remain positive, you have a much better chance of getting through it.
In spite of my positive outlook, it’s always bothered me when I’ve heard motivational speakers say something like, “If you can believe it, you can achieve it.”
What a crock! I don’t believe that about your dreams, and I don’t believe that about mine. Yes, we do need to aim high. However, we don’t have the ability to attain whatever we seek. I don’t possess the ability to achieve every potential I can imagine. I don’t believe that I can achieve any goal. That is not reality.
Writer Richard Bach similarly asserts, “You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it true.”
If you give that even a moment’s rational thought, you know it’s not true. At some point in time, just about every child dreams of being able to fly like a bird. Wouldn’t that be fantastic?
But it’s not going to happen, no matter how clearly I imagine it.
Granted, dreams, by definition, are not supposed to start with reality. They are supposed to be fantastic, incredible, and out of the box. After all, they are birthed from hopes, desires, and possibilities. They are the products of imagination and creativity. However, if they are nothing but pie in the sky, how much do dreams help us?
***
I’ve thought about this for a long time. I’ve wondered how to help people to pursue their dreams but to do so in a practical way. Last year I finally figured out how to do it.
And that’s when I started to write Put Your Dream to the Test, my next book which will be in bookstores in about three weeks.
***
How do you measure a dream? By asking yourself 10 straightforward questions. If you can answer then positively, then the odds of your achieving your dream increase dramatically.
So here are the questions:
1.
The Ownership Question:
Is my dream really my dream?
2.
The Clarity Question:
Do I clearly see my dream?
3.
The Reality Question:
Am I depending on factors within my control to achieve my dream?
4.
The Passion Question:
Does my dream compel me to follow it?
5.
The Pathway Question:
Do I have a strategy to reach my dream?
6.
The People Question:
Have I included the people I need to realize my dream?
7.
The Cost Question:
Am I willing to pay the price for my dream?
8.
The Tenacity Question:
Am I moving closer to my dream?
9.
The Fulfillment Question:
Does working toward my dream bring satisfaction?
10.
The Significance Question:
Does my dream benefit others?
I believe that if you really explore each question, examine yourself honestly, and answer yes to all of them, your odds of achieving your dream are very good. The more yeses you can answer, the more on target you are to fulfill your dream. I truly believe that everyone has the potential to imagine a worthwhile dream, and most have the ability to achieve it.
What do you think? How do you measure a dream? What factors do you use to predict success?
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Blog Administrator’s Note:
is available on March 24, 2009
Don’t Bankrupt Your Leadership!
Posted by: | Comments“We need to keep some confidence in the system.What the Fed is doing … is taking every step possible to keep confidence in the financial system” (CNN)
AIG chairman and CEO Edward Liddy said this Monday, after the insurance giant had received a pledge of $30 billion in bailout money. This was in addition to the $150 billion it had already received.
And in spite of those large sums pouring into it, that very same day, AIG posted a 4th-quarter loss of $62 billion.
I’m sure with his words Liddy was trying to persuade the public that AIG would make good on the investment.
He even went on to say, “In the United States of America when you owe people money, you pay them back” (CNN Money)
So how reassured did Americans feel?
Well, the Dow plunged to record lows, closing below 7,000 points.
Why? Why weren’t Liddy’s words of reassurance enough? Because in past months, the financial industry had lost credibility and thus people’s trust.
***
It’s hard for a financial institution to perform without credibility. It’s equally difficult for a leader to do so. Why? Because credibility is a leader’s currency. With it, leaders are solvent. Without it, they’re bankrupt.
I think leaders in Liddy’s situation – trying to establish or re-establish credibility – need to remember:
1. Establishing credibility takes time.
When leaders are just starting out, this might not be obvious at first. That’s because for about the first six months of a leader’s tenure, followers put more stock in communication than in credibility. After all, they haven’t had time to judge leaders’ actions, so they listen to their words.
But after six months, followers have seen enough of the leaders’ actions to start deciding whether they’re trustworthy or not. At this point, words begin to matter less and less. And the effectiveness of the communication will depend more on the character of the messenger than on the content of the message.
For credible leaders, the longer they lead beyond this point, the better it gets. But if leaders are not credible, then the longer they lead, the worse it gets.
2. Established credibility equals trust.
And trust carries huge rewards. It means confidence. It erases worry and frees you to get on with other matters.
Stephen R. Covey, in his book, The Speed of Trust, said,
Low trust is an unseen cost in life and business because it creates hidden agendas and guarded communication, thereby slowing decision-making. A lack of trust stymies innovation and productivity. Trust, on the other hand, produces speed because it feeds collaboration, loyalty and ultimately, results.
Good leaders know that if their followers don’t trust them, they’ll stop following them. Credibility is truly your currency as a leader. People believe that you’ll do what you say when you do what you say.
Consistently live what you communicate, and over time you’ll establish solid credibility. With that, your followers will feel free to trust you. And they’ll be willing to partner with you in achieving great things for your organization.
And that’s especially important in times like these when people are wondering what – and who – they can trust.
