Preparation S - by John Tenney

[johntenney]

Prepare for Success

I came up with a new book idea and I am going to float a trial balloon on these forums.

Working Title:  Preparation S - Preparing for Success.



I fully expect that title to get slammed down by my editor LOL.


Premise:
Too many people are out there teaching people to PLAN for success, PLAN their lives, PLAN their future.

It can't be done.  Have you ever looked at a company's business plan three years later?  NOT EVEN CLOSE.

Let's look at the words from Dictionary.com:

Plan
verb (used with object)
1.   to arrange a method or scheme beforehand for (any work, enterprise, or proceeding): to plan a new recreation center.
2.   to make plans for: to plan one's vacation.
3.   to draw or make a diagram or layout of, as a building.

Prepare
verb (with or without object)
1.   to put in proper condition or readiness: to prepare a patient for surgery.
2.   to get (a meal) ready for eating, as by proper assembling, cooking, etc.
3.   to manufacture, compound, or compose: to prepare a cough syrup.
4.   to put things or oneself in readiness; get ready: to prepare for war.

So the word prepare applies more to people than plan.

The Boy Scout motto is "Be Prepared" not planned.  Let's look at the Scout Law's:
TRUSTWORTHY LOYAL HELPFUL FRIENDLY COURTEOUS KIND OBEDIENT CHEERFUL THRIFTY BRAVE CLEAN REVERENT

Nothing in there about planning.

The point?  You CAN'T PLAN your success.  But you can prepare for it


I'm going to try and be clever and go through the alphabet with various preparations.  Some of the letters will be contrived, but then the whole idea is contrived so we'll just have to live with it.

A post for each letter ...

[johntenney]

Preparation A - Prepare for ANGER

I know very few people who don't get angry once in a while.  Successful people can be high strung and hence can get angry.

You can prepare for situations that make you angry, and prepare your response to anger.

NEVER ANSWER ANGER WITH ANGER!

If you feel yourself getting angry, stop.  Stop talking, stop writing, stop texting or posting on the internet.  For God's sake please stop DRIVING - PLEASE PULL OVER!

Consider the situation and try to determine what is causing your anger.  Psychologists tell us that anger is caused by fear of lost love.  I'm not a fan of psychobabble but the expression "I'm not feeling any love here!" comes to mind quite often.

Once you can see what it is that is making you angry you can PREPARE a proper response to it and respond professionally and with courtesy.  Always let the other guy be the bad guy if possible.  In the past I had a reputation as being a hothead and it has hurt me greatly.  I have been working on this and it has been a tremendous benefit to my professional life.

NEVER press "SEND" when you are angry either.  No texts, emails or posts should be sent when you have not considered it rationally Use the drafts folder and look at it in the morning.  There is never a reason to hurry.

[johntenney]

Preparation B - Prepare for BATTLE

As Rodney Dangerfield put it so well, "It's a Jungle out there!"

Running a successful business will involve some battles.  There is no avoiding it.  Some you can pick, some you can't, but you CAN prepare for how you will fight them.

I set basic rules for battle in advance.  Here are some excerpts:

Some don'ts
1) Don't lie.  Once you lie and you are caught, you are forever untrustworthy.  If you don't want to tell the truth then just say nothing!

2) Don't cheat.  Cheaters never win in the long run.

3) Don't do anything illegal, immoral or unethical (they do not always coincide - this one is tricky.)  In the long run (and yes, we do everything for the long run) this will always pay off.

Some do's
1) Do look for a win-win solution at all times.  It's tremendous to find a solution that makes everyone happy.

2) Do back down if you are wrong!  Admit it, there are times we are wrong.

3) Do consider the other party's point of view.  If you can look at it from all sides you can be objective.

There will be battles.  You will win some and you will lose some.  You will not win them all nor will you lose them all.  Wins are great, but losses are also great learning experiences.  Learn from your losses.

[johntenney]

Preparation C - Prepare for COMPLACENCY

This one may seem hard to picture to someone starting a new business, but suppose you make it?  A business that makes it past the first year has already beaten the odds, as most new businesses (in the US) close within a year.

If you make it three years, you will notice a big change.  You will become respected, more trusted and counted on as an "expert."

On a side note, in Europe three years is nothing.  An investment banker from Switzerland once told me that he laughed at the claims of some banks that they have been in business over 50 years.  "50 years is nothing back home" he told me.  "In my country we have banks that have been in the same family for over 600 years."

The problem with being successful is there is a temptation to become complacent.  The urge to "rest upon one's laurels" is hard to resist.

It's important to keep up with trends in your industry.  While most of your business principles will not change there are things that do.  Laws, for example.  It's important to stay on top of local ordinances, state legislatures and even to some degree congress.

Complacency is your enemy in achieving your goals.

[johntenney]

Preparation D - Prepare for Decline

The economy and the market never go consistently up.  There are bulls and there are bears.

It can't always be a rising, growing situation.

So we must be ready for Down Times.  When times are good, save some money.  Then when times are bad, you have a cushion.

That cushion could be the difference between making it or not.

[johntenney]

Preparation E - Prepare for Excellence

There is no reason ever, to do something at a lower level than your best.  Expect Excellence from yourself, and you will be able to expect it from the people that work around you.

Mediocrity is for dummies

[johntenney]

Preparation F - Prepare for Failures

Even the New England Patriots can't win them all.  You will fail.  If you aren't failing, then you aren't doing.

It takes a certain amount of failures to really learn how to do something.  Sadly the best way to learn to do something right is to do it wrong a few times.  There is no better teacher than failure.

I wish it weren't so.  I often tell people, "Please feel free to learn from my mistakes."  They rarely accept.  People like to do things their own way, even if they know it's wrong.

I've learned to ask people about their failures in a particular venture or field before I go in to that venture or field.

Educational!

[johntenney]

Preparation G - Prepare for Greatness

It has been said that the enemy of Great is Good Enough.  An incomplete job is often finished with the phrase "That's Good Enough."

My favorite phrase has always been "if it's worth doing then it's worth overdoing."

Never settle for "Good Enough", especially in personal goals and relationships.  I've seen many "Good Enough" decisions made out of impatience, frustration and just downright desperation.

Don't do it!  Stay the course.  Go to the finish line.  Make sure the job is done and done right.

[johntenney]

Preparation H

This one is taken already.

[johntenney]

Preparation I - Prepare for Intuition

Sometimes you get feelings, hunches, "voices", etc.  Keep track of how often they are right, wrong, close, not close or not even relevant.  Learn to trust those that are right.

When in doubt, do the right thing.  How do you know what the right thing is?  You know.  You can tell if something is right or wrong.  Don't do the wrong thing either.

[johntenney]

Preparation J - Prepare for a Journey

This may be literal.  Your career, business or new enterprise may involve traveling.  While it's true that with the internet age upon us we do less and less face to face, there is no discounting the value of a face to face meeting.  Trust and Respect is hard to build up on an internet chat line.

It's also important to remember that Success is continually reaching or exceeding certain goals at certain milestones.  Sometimes that goal may be just to survive to fight another day.  That's still a goal.

Prepare for the journey.  A win is a win, but there are other challenges coming up.  If the challenges have stopped coming at you, then you must be in the pine box already.

[johntenney]

Preparation K - Prepare for Karma

First of all, I am not in to eastern religions at all, but there is no simpler description of the concept I am talking about than Karma.  It's the round world theory, "what goes around comes around."

Beware of treating someone badly or unfairly, it will come back to hurt you.

Be prepared to treat people fairly even if they aren't treating you the same way.  Not only do you feel better about yourself you do get rewarded up there in the high place.