Whether in business or your personal life…

…choosing the right partner is essential.

ATTRACT Opportunities Instead of Pursuing Them…

…Using Counter-Intuitive Thinking

Gaining an Eclectic Education, Step 6 of the 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE, can apply to any activity in which we’re engaged.  Phone conversations with two very talented women prove my point.

During both conversations the topic shifted to opportunities they’d had to partner with others in their field.  Both of these women had repeatedly declined these offers for one very simple reason, the people approaching them didn’t have the breadth and depth of experience they had.

As one of these women so eloquently stated “If one person is strong and the other weak, the weaker partner will benefit immensely from the association while the stronger partner eventually becomes disgruntled over the inequity of the exchange.”  There are other negative outcomes that could occur as well:

• The stronger partner may feel that she is being held back by the weaker partner.
• The weaker partner may feel pressured to take action that she feels ill-equipped to handle.
• The weaker partner may feel that she’s doing all the grunt work while the stronger partner enjoys all the fun work.

The list is endless.

It’s counter-intuitive, but good potential partners are those who are enjoying similar levels of success on their own. Combine that success with similar values, similar dreams and overlapping, yet distinctive capabilities and odds are good that the two of you will enjoy even greater success as partners.

If you want to distinguish yourself, become a person who learns something new in all activities in which your engaged.  Then share what you’ve learned with others.  This ability will make you INVALUABLE to those around you and, in the process, attract opportunities so that you don’t have to pursue them.

Attracting opportunities is only the beginning.  Visit www.pricingforprofitbook.com to discover how to get compensated well for the value you provide or check out my latest book, Pricing for Profit.  Enjoy!

At first glance…

…these may seem like the same thing.

ATTRACT Opportunities Instead of Pursuing Them…

…Using Counter-Intuitive Thinking

My thanks to Dr. Scott Sheperd, Rekindle Your Heart, for having recommended Kitchen Table Wisdom by Rachel Remen, M.D. She offers another interesting perspective on Step 3, Suspend Judgment, of the 7 Steps to BecominG INVALUABLE.

Dr. Remen says “Judgment does not only take place in the form of criticism. Approval is also a form of judgment. When we approve of people, we sit in judgment of them as surely as when we criticize them.”

Frankly it’s a nuance to which I had not previously given thought. My initial reaction was “Aren’t we encouraging people when we offer approval?” A little more thought led me to the conclusion approval and encouragement are not the same thing.

While my approval might prove encouraging, the reverse isn’t always true. My encouragement need not include approval. I might not approve of a friend’s life goal, but I can encourage him to pursue it if that’s what he really wants from life. Indeed, my approval may cause him to continue to pursue that goal in the future when it no longer interests him. Why? Because I approved of it earlier. Our human nature causes us to look to those whose opinion we value for guidance and if that guidance is approval, we’ll find it difficult to move away from that guidance even though our gut tells us we should.

It’s counter-intuitive, but encouragement offers both the resolve to move forward and the flexibility of changing our minds in the future while approval can cause us to do things that we really don’t want to do – things that we’re doing to get the approval.

If you want to distinguish yourself, become the person in your organization who encourages others without judging – without offering approval or criticism. This ability will make you INVALUABLE to those around you and, in the process, attract opportunities so that you don’t have to pursue them.

Attracting opportunities is only the beginning.  Visit www.pricingforprofitbook.com to discover how to get compensated well for the value you provide or check out my latest book, Pricing for Profit.  Enjoy!

If you’d like more information on Dr. Scott Sheperd visit http://www.rekindleyourheart.com. For more information on Dr. Rachel Remen and her books visit http://www.rachelremen.com/.

A natural part of growth…

…is letting go.

Dear friends,

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been writing The Invaluable Leader for four years.  The first post was made on March 4, 2006.  During this time I’ve been blessed by you and your encouraging words.  Your emails, phone calls and comments during chance meetings letting me know that you enjoyed a post or that the message was particularly timely for you have been a source of great joy to me. Thank you!

As with all things, growth and the direction that growth indicates, requires us to let go of  things we’ve previously enjoyed.  So it is with The Invaluable Leader blog.

As many of you know I had the good fortune to have a book, Pricing for Profit, published last fall.  Even more blessed to have it released in seven countries.  The excitement this book has generated and the interest expressed by business audiences is astounding.  I’m in the process of doing six presentations in six weeks based on Pricing for Profit.

For these reasons, I’m devoting my energies to growing this aspect of my consulting business.  Indeed, I’m in the process of rebranding myself to emphasize work I’ve been doing for 21 years.  Based on the market’s reaction to my pricing concepts I’m certain that this is the direction I need to take for the future.

As I’ve discussed repeatedly in The Invaluable Leader, each of us needs to focus our time, effort and energy in the areas that provide the greatest value to the greatest number of people.  When we do that, our success is assured. That, of course, means letting go of things – things that have brought us great joy.

That’s what I find myself having to do now.  I must let go of The Invaluable Leader.  If I don’t I’m not going to serve anyone well.  I will be making two more posts in the next two weeks so that none of us is quitting “cold turkey.” I’m leaving The Invaluable Leader on my website so that you’ll still have access to your favorite posts.

On a brighter note, I’m writing about counter-intuitive thinking on my Pricing for Profit blog at www.pricingforprofitbook.com.  I hope that you’ll join me there.  It contains the same counter-intuitive thought processes that the Invaluable Leader provides, but with more of a business orientation.  For those of you who have become adept at Step 4, See Similarities, you’ll have no problem taking the concepts in the Pricing for Profit blog and applying them to your personal development.

Whether or not you choose to join me on the next leg of my journey, please know that your friendship is one of the great treasures in my life.  That your support and encouragement have been priceless. And, most importantly, that I wish you all the best life has to offer.

Don’t forget to check in for the final two posts of The Invaluable Leader!

If you want to distinguish yourself, become the person in your organization who can show others that letting go is essential for growth.  This ability will make you INVALUABLE to those around you and, in the process, attract opportunities so that you don’t have to pursue them.

Would you like to learn how to develop these counter-intuitive thought approaches?  Check out my 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE self-study program.  It’s a modest investment with life-time returns.  Just click on the 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE book cover and learn how easy it is for you to become INVALUABLE.

Attracting opportunities is only the beginning.  Visitwww.pricingforprofitbook.com to discover how to get compensated well for the value you provide or check out my latest book, Pricing for Profit.  Enjoy!

Are you being honest…

…in conversations with yourself?

ATTRACT Opportunities Instead of Pursuing Them…

…Using Counter-Intuitive Thinking

In today’s blog we’re going to explore the importance of language, in particular the language we use with ourselves as we’re formulating the decisions we’re making.  We’re going to tap Step 6, Eclectic Education, to help us gain these insights.

In his book, The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz states that the first agreement is to be impeccable with our word.  In a similar fashion, neurolinguistic programming states that how we perceive things depends upon the language we use.

Recently I met with a friend who was telling me about a request that he’d received from a client.  His first statement was “I don’t think I’m the right person for this project.”  I challenged his statement knowing that he is one of the most competent and creative people I know and that this project was well within his capabilities.

Then he said “You’re right!  I don’t want to do this project.”  Again I challenged him “This sounds exactly like the kind of project you’d enjoy.  Why do you say that you don’t want to do it?”  He responded “I don’t want to do the research this project requires.”  This gentleman loves research!

Again I challenged his statement.  Then he said “They’re not going to want to pay for the research this project will require.”  Now we’d gotten to the real issue – being compensated fairly for the project.

Why was it so difficult to get to the real issue?  This person wasn’t being honest with himself.  The reality was that he didn’t want to disappoint a good customer, he was pretty sure that the customer wouldn’t want to pay for the research and yet he wanted to get compensated for his efforts.  He bundled all that together and came up with “I don’t think I’m the right guy for this project.”  How sad. And counter-productive.

It’s counter-intuitive but when we feel reluctance toward things, we need to do a reality check.    Is our reluctance truly what we think it is?  Or are our emotions causing us to make excuses for not doing something?  Once we get to the true reason behind our reluctance, we can confront the situation openly and honestly with all parties. This clarity will create a better result for all involved.

How was my friends dilemma resolved?  I suggested that he tell his customer that the research involved in this project would cost between $30,000 and $50,000.  Then I suggested that he ask “Will you get enough benefit from this effort to warrant that investment?” By being honest with himself, he could be honest with his customer. In being honest with his customer he educated that customer and allowed the customer to make an informed decision. After all, it is possible that my friend is overlooking some aspect of value that this project could provide.  He would never discover that if he assumed that the value wasn’t there.

If you’d like to develop these insights so that you, too, can become INVALUABLE to yourself and others, simply click on the 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE book cover and sign up for the self-study program.  Or, if you prefer that personal touch, you can have your own personal coach to help you become INVALUABLE and, in the process, learn how to attract opportunities instead of pursuing them.

Would you like to learn how to develop these counter-intuitive thought approaches?  Check out my 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE self-study program.  It’s a modest investment with life-time returns.  Just click on the 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE book cover and learn how easy it is for you to become INVALUABLE.

Attracting opportunities is only the beginning.  Visit www.pricingforprofitbook.com to discover how to get compensated well for the value you provide or check out my latest book, Pricing for Profit.  Enjoy!

It’s rumored that Nero played the fiddle…

…while Rome burned.

ATTRACT Opportunities Instead of Pursuing Them…

…Using Counter-Intuitive Thinking

Whether it’s true or not, we’re witnessing something very similar today.  We’re going to use Step 4, See Similarities, to equate this ancient rumor with today’s politics and the challenges we face.  Then we’re going to apply Step 5, Contrarian Mindset, to remedy the situation.

Here is something I find absolutely amazing.   Despite the that we, Americans, have:

• 30 to 45 million people without healthcare coverage
• 10% of our workforce unemployed
• A trillion budget deficit proposal
• Banks that won’t lend the money needed to help stimulate the recovery

Our congressional leaders have chosen to hold hearings over Toyota’s recent spate of recalls.  If I were coaching this group I’d say that they were using Toyota to avoid dealing with the tough issues they’re facing.  While that may a natural human tendency, it’s one of the obstacles to our success.

I’d love to tell you that I’ve never fallen into that trap, but you’d know that I was lying.  I don’t know anyone that hasn’t.  But here’s the reality, the challenge doesn’t go away.  The longer we avoid it the greater the stress we experience.  It’s a two-fold negative experience.  We continue to experience the pain of what isn’t working plus we feel badly about ourselves because we’re avoiding dealing with something that won’t go away.

It’s counter-intuitive, but when faced with challenging situations the best thing to do is begin working on them.  That doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re going to find a solution quickly.  But the mere fact that you’re devoting time and energy to pursuing a solution will, at the very least, help you feel good about the fact that you’re not avoiding the situation.

If you want to distinguish yourself, become the person in your organization who recognizes that the organization is in denial or at least avoiding the issues it needs to address.  Ask those whose help you need to effect a change “Is this situation going to get better on its own?  If we don’t so something soon to rectify the situation, how much is avoiding the issues going to cost us?”

Would you like to learn how to develop these counter-intuitive thought approaches?  Check out my 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE self-study program.  It’s a modest investment with life-time returns.  Just click on the 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE book cover and learn how easy it is for you to become INVALUABLE.

Attracting opportunities is only the beginning.  Visit www.pricingforprofitbook.com to discover how to get compensated well for the value you provide.  Enjoy!

What does this mean for you?

It goes well beyond the political ramifications.

ATTRACT Opportunities Instead of Pursuing Them…

…Using Counter-Intuitive Thinking

The recent spate of congressional retirements left me wondering what parallels we can find in other aspects of our lives.  Let’s see whether Step 4, See Similarities, of the 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE, can help us answer that question.

The retirees are citing their frustration with the lack of integrity in the legislative process, the flip-flopping that their colleagues are employing and the blatant disregard for the welfare of the American people and, indeed, America itself.

Are these the real reasons behind their leaving or, as some political pundits have suggested, because they were already at risk of losing their seats?  Regardless of the reason for their leaving, their decisions are indications that things aren’t going well in Washington. That’s not news on Main Street, but then its not unusual for outsiders to see the ills earlier than those inside the organization.

Who among us hasn’t seen really talented colleagues leave our organizations because leadership was in denial about the competitive forces the company faces, the lack of care and concern for the people who work in the organization or leadership’s arrogance in believing that they have all the answers.

Company’s that fail to recognize the warning signs of exodus are destined either to be driven out of business or absorbed by another business.  The same is true of not-for-profit organizations. Continued loss of or the inability to attract and retain top talent risks the organization’s very survival.

In an ideal world, we’d have systems in place to monitor satisfaction and act long before we began experiencing an exodus.  At the very least, though, we need to respond quickly to people leaving.  We need to find out why.  More importantly, we need to look at our contribution to the problem and change our behavior to stem the exodus.

It’s counter-intuitive, but any unwillingness on our part to examine our contribution to the problem and to act upon that contribution to resolve the problem will result in outsiders determining our fate for us.  That’s the threshold upon which congress finds itself.  If they continue to ignore the frustration they’re creating for themselves and the American people, they’ll quickly find themselves having their careers decided for them.  We need look no farther than the emerging tea party, the significant rise in independent voters and the congressional exodus for evidence that this movement is underway. The question is will our congressmen act on this evidence or continue in their old ways?

If you want to distinguish yourself, become the person in your organization who recognizes dissatisfaction as an early warning sign and avoids an exodus of talented people.  This ability will make you INVALUABLE to those around you and, in the process, attract opportunities so that you don’t have to pursue them.

Attracting opportunities is only the beginning; you need to be compensated well for the value you provide. Discover how at www.pricingforprofitbook.com.

If you’d like to receive a weekly email reminder with a link to The Invaluable Leader blog, please enter your email address and name in the left sidebar.  You’ll also get a free copy of Step 1 of the 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE.   If you’d like me to address a specific topic, email me at dale@furtwengler.com. Please share your experience with our readers by posting a comment.

If you want to be more successful…

…where should you look?

ATTRACT Opportunities Instead of Pursuing Them…

…Using Counter-Intuitive Thinking

By following Step 6, Eclectic Education, I discovered Mike Michalowicz’s book, The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur.  Very early in the book Mike hits us squarely between the eyes with a succinct message – “Passion begets persistence.  And persistence begets success.”

I doubt that any of us would argue with Mike’s message, yet how often do we get distracted and derailed by our skill sets, our experience, our financial needs, our need for security?  Who among us hasn’t foregone our passions for our needs only to experience both the loss of our dreams and limited success in satisfying our financial and security needs?  What’s the solution?

It’s counter-intuitive, but putting our passions ahead of our needs lays the foundation for success.  As Mike so eloquently puts it “Those who are following their path (passion) will relentlessly march forward during the ups and downs, even as others pursue something else.”

Discovering your passion and following it are just the first steps toward enjoying greater success, i.e. the life you desire.  You have to consistently monitor your passion.  Inevitably it rises during easy times and wanes during challenging times, but as long as the passion remains you’ll be able to view both as fleeting moments in time and maintain your resolve.

What isn’t as easy to discern, yet equally important to notice, is when your passion no longer exists.  All too often we get bored with what we’re doing even though we’ve been successful at it.  Our natural tendency is to stay with what works. Again, it’s counter-intuitive, but we’re better off letting go of the familiar, yet uninspiring work we’re doing and moving forward with our latest passion.

As Bertrand Russell wrote” The more things a man is interested in, the more opportunities of happiness he has and the less he is at the mercy of fate.”  As we grow personally, professionally and in our businesses, it’s inevitable that our passions will change to reflect our newly-found knowledge and experience.  Follow those passions and you, too, will enjoy “more opportunities for happiness.”

If you want to distinguish yourself, become a person follows his or her passion to greater and greater success.  Then encourage others to do the same.  Your success and encouragement will make you INVALUABLE to those around you and, in the process, attract opportunities so that you don’t have to pursue them.

Attracting opportunities is only the beginning; you need to be compensated well for the value you provide. Discover how at www.pricingforprofitbook.com.

If you’d like to receive a weekly email reminder with a link to The Invaluable Leader blog, please enter your email address and name in the left sidebar.  You’ll also get a free copy of Step 1 of the 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE.   If you’d like me to address a specific topic, email me at dale@furtwengler.com. Please share your experience with our readers by posting a comment.

For more information on Mike and his book, The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, visit www.toiletpaperentrepreneur.com.

So easy to overlook…

…so large in their impact.

ATTRACT Opportunities Instead of Pursuing Them…

…Using Counter-Intuitive Thinking

What can we learn from human genetics?  That the little things really do matter.  In this post I’m combining Step 6, Eclectic Education, with Step 4, See Similarities, to give you a new way of looking at the opportunities and challenges you face.

One of the stunning statistics to come from the human genome project is that 99.6% of our genetic makeup is exactly the same as other human beings on this earth.That means that only 0.4% of our genes account for the vast array of differences that distinguish the almost 7 billion people who occupy the world today.

Beyond the obvious ramifications in terms of gender, unique facial and body features, emotional make up and predispositions to disease, illness or wellness, what can we learn from this statistic?  That slight differences can have a huge and lasting impact.

By nature we’re wired to be enamored with grand and often complex plans.  There’s something enticing about being a part of something that’s bigger than ourselves.  Yet how many of these large initiatives have proven disappointing?  How many actually produce the desired result?

Often the complexity of the initiative combined with the protracted implementation period result in an abandoning of the project in favor of another new, grand initiative.  Such is the plight of our human nature.

What’s the solution?  It’s counter-intuitive, but you need to look for bigness in the result, not the plan, the process or the initiative.  Look for the little things that you can do right now that will produce results.  Each week find another little thing that you can do within hours, or a day or two, that will produce more results.

Over the course of a year, these little things, implemented one at a time, not only dramatically improve your results; they produce sustainable results for the future.

If you want to distinguish yourself, become the person in your organization who sees little changes, little tweaks, to what’s being done that can produce huge results.  This ability will make you INVALUABLE to those around you and, in the process, attract opportunities so that you don’t have to pursue them.

Attracting opportunities is only the beginning; you need to be compensated well for the value you provide.  Visit www.pricingforprofitbook.com to discover how.  Enjoy!

If you’d like to receive a weekly email reminder with a link to The Invaluable Leader blog, please enter your email address and name in the left sidebar.  You’ll also get a free copy of Step 1 of the 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE.   If you’d like me to address specific topics, please send me an email at dale@furtwengler.com.  Please share your experience with our readers by posting a comment.

Our natural tendency is to grow our operations.

Is it possible that we should be shrinking them?

ATTRACT Opportunities Instead of Pursuing Them…

…Using Counter-Intuitive Thinking

Our natural tendency is to grow our existing operations.  We operate under the notion that what has worked for us in the past is the best approach for the future.  Often what we’ll discover is that while what we’ve been doing may have worked, it may not have worked well.  Here’s an example.

Mr. Eggett cites a candy manufacturer who discovered that his real strength was in creating new candies, not in producing them.  The candy manufacturer outsourced the production, sold his production facilities and aligned himself with a food distributor that needed a candy product.  The result? He grew his regional company to a national brand while shrinking his company’s operations.

It’s counter-intuitive, but when considering growth for the future take a look at:

• What your company does better than anyone else.
• What you have the most fun doing.
• Which aspects of your operation consistently disappoint your customers.
• Which areas of the operation give you the most headaches from an operational standpoint.
• Which companies excel at the things your company struggles with;  Mr. Eggett suggests that it could be a competitor who could become an ally.
• Which companies have a gap in their offerings that you can fill with your expertise.

Bring ideas like this to the table vis-a-vis your eclectic education and you’ll have others regularly seeking your counsel, inviting you onto their teams and involving you in their initiatives.  It’s another way to become INVALUABLE.

Attracting opportunities is only the beginning.  Visit www.pricingforprofitbook.com to discover how to get compensated well for the value you provide.  Enjoy!

If you’d like to receive a weekly email reminder with a link to The Invaluable Leader blog, please enter your email address and name in the left sidebar.  You’ll also get a free copy of Step 1 of the 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE.   If you’d like me to address specific topics, please send me an email at dale@furtwengler.com.  Please share your experience with our readers by posting a comment.

It’s natural to rail at things that upset us…

…but is it productive?

ATTRACT Opportunities Instead of Pursuing Them…

…Using Counter-Intuitive Thinking

In Step 3, Suspend Judgment, I struggle, as I believe most of us do, to avoid allowing the emotional reactions I have from becoming judgments about the person, the message or the behavior.  That’s precisely where I am today.

A friend recommended a national best-selling book to me.  I won’t mention the book or author because I don’t believe in denigrating the work of others.  There’s too much of that going on today.  Besides I wouldn’t be modeling the behavior of suspending judgment that I’m asking you to adopt as part of the 7 Steps program.

What I’m offering is the lesson that I’ve taken from this experience.  As I was reading the book – actually within the first 20 pages or so – I was inclined to return it to the library unread.  Why?  The author was railing about today’s political environment without offering any suggestions on what we, the readers, could do to effect changes in that environment.  The examples offered about governments failings were accurate and lucid, but these examples left me with the nagging question “So what do I do about it?”

Without that answer the author left me feeling angry, frustrated and helpless.  The last thing we need are those emotions running rampant throughout the populace.  It’s an emotional blend that builds a powder keg of emotion that, once sparked, unleashes terrible violent action despite the fact that this author promotes non-violence in his rhetoric.

It’s counter-intuitive, but railing at anything triggers emotional reactions in others that can lead to unpredictable, sometimes violent reactions.  At the very least, railing will result in the listeners forming judgments that closes their minds to alternative approaches to dealing with the situation being discussed.

Whenever you feel inclined to rail at something that’s upset you, pause a moment. Remind yourself that you’re experiencing an emotional reaction.  Recall previous instances in which you were emotional and how those emotions clouded your judgment.  Then recall those situations in which you were able to set aside those emotions and how much more lucid and productive your thinking was.  Relive the joy you experienced as this emotion-free state allowed you to craft a variety of alternative solutions to the problem you were facing.  Remember the peace you experienced as you realized that there were a number of solutions, any of which that could work.

If you want to be INVALUABLE, don’t rail at the situations you face. Instead, set aside those emotions and the judgments they naturally form and explore alternatives to the situation you’re facing.  Once you’ve identified those alternatives, communicate the circumstances factually as well as the alternative approaches.  The people around you will appreciate the fact that you haven’t cast them into an emotional whirlpool with no way out.  It’s the kind of approach that will cause them to seek your well-reasoned counsel, invite you onto their teams and involve you in their new initiatives.  It’s another way for you to become INVALUABLE.

Attracting opportunities is only the beginning.  Visit www.pricingforprofitbook.com to discover how to get compensated well for the value you provide.  Enjoy!

If you’d like to receive a weekly email reminder with a link to The Invaluable Leader blog or if you’d like me to address specific topics, please send me an email at dale@furtwengler.com.  Please share your experience with our readers by posting a comment.