Performance Blog

She struggled to push the door open while maneuvering her weighty luggage.  With two quick steps, I grabbed the door handle and pulled the door fully open.  She scooted through the door wheeling her baggage behind her.  After she passed, I stepped through the door and into the Skyclub on T-concourse at Atlanta Hartsfield Airport.  The customer service person behind the desk looked at me as I approached the desk and asked “Are you in sales?”  “No,” I replied.  “Military?”  “No.”  “Good upbringing?”  “What?”  “You graciously held the door for that lady and then walk in here with a big smile on your face.  You have to be in sales, or the military, or is it just a good upbringing?” he asked.  “Blame it on my parents.  My father was a gentleman and my mother a lady.  They insistent on good manners.”

The exchange struck me as odd.  Last week I had a friend surprised when I opened a car door for her.  But that was in another country where perhaps that isn’t custom.  But this morning I was in Atlanta, Georgia–the heart of the Southern United States, where people pride themselves on good manners and “Southern Hospitality.”  It is a place where my students still liberally use “Sir” and “Ma’am” when addressing their elders, and will apologize if there is the slightest chance they unintentionally caused offense.  If my 20-something students at the University of Georgia have manners, then it clearly isn’t a generational thing.  It’s a cultural thing.

Why is something as simple as holding the door for a lady so unusual in this day and age to attract comment?  Are good manners as much yesterday as Walkmans and LP records?  And more importantly, should they be?

The customer service representative was right: I was raised to believe that we are all better with manners than without them.  Holding a door for that woman was a small act on my part, but eased her burden just a bit–and also sent a message of difference and respect.  Did she say ‘thank you’?  No.  But we can’t control what others do; only what we do.  So I’d do it again because her ‘thank you’ was not why I did it.  Holding that door was a small act of kindness; a very small act.  But it was kind all the same, and her reaction does not diminish the act.

While the receiver did not recognize it, an observer recognized it.   In so doing, perhaps there will be another woman somewhere that might have a door held for her, or a smile delivered to a stranger, or some other small act of kindness bestowed.  For you see, our behavior is contagious.  It affects and influences others.

A small act of kindness, respect, or demonstration of good manners always involves someone else.  In this tough, competitive world, isn’t it nice when someone does something unexpected, thoughtful and pleasant?  That’s what good manners are.  That’s all they are.  And as the man behind the counter reminded me: they make a difference.

The snow crunched beneath our feet as we made our way to the beach.  Last weekend I was mowing my lawn in Georgia while admiring the spectacular color of azaleas in bloom.  This weekend I was celebrating a friend’s mother’s birthday in Norway’s Lofoten islands; about 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle.

It was mid-morning as Gyda drove me out to her favorite surfing beach.  It was known for having the best surf and one of the nicest beaches in all of the islands.  Gyda normally surfs, kayaks, sailboards, sails and paddle surfs in what they call ‘summer’ up here.  But it was not now summer.  It was ‘spring’ (i.e., less snow, more light than winter and temps in the 20s F).

The white sandy beach stretched long and narrow toward snow-dusted peaks that shot straight out of the sea.  Turbulent surf sketched foamy white lines across the crystal clear, sky blue ocean as it spilled onto the shore.  Despite the remote location, we were not alone.

A kayak lay a few yards from us as we entered the beach.  Further down the beach, a second kayak rested on the sand, pointed seaward.  Four people clustered together.  Two came walking toward us, one dressed in a dry suit with a broad smile framed by bright eyes and long locks of wild hair.  His friendly nature, near perfect English and energetic pace led me to think I was witnessing a modern day Viking. The other was an Italian who had moved to Norway to rent the kayaks we now saw.  The remaining two approached the second kayak further down the beach.

The Viking turned his kayak seaward, slipped in, and began paddling over the breaking surf.  A wave quickly spilled him into the freezing ocean.  Undaunted, he righted himself and carried on.  When he was about a quarter mile from shore, he turned, paddled forcefully, and caught a wave and rode it back to shore.  Paddling backward, he returned to the open ocean to catch another wave.  By this time, the second kayak had joined in the fun and was surfing the arctic waters as well.

Often curious as to how people not only survived, but thrived in these inhospitable conditions, I would ask Gyda–a true sportsperson in her own right–how she did it.  Her comment was usually “There is no such thing as bad weather; just bad clothes.”

It is a perspective that has caused me to pause often when considering important decisions.  Specifically, in challenging circumstances, what can I not control (certainly not the weather) and what can I control (certainly the clothes)?  How often do we hesitate to attempt something because we believe the circumstances are beyond our control?  How often do we miss an opportunity because we only see the obstacles and not our options?

As I watched this modern day Viking in his Halley Hansen dry suit and seaworthy kayak having a thoroughly enjoyable time frolicking in arctic seas, it was clear that he understood: there is no such thing as bad weather; only bad clothes.  There are things we can control and things we can’t.  And you can’t let the things you can’t control prevent you from controlling the things you can.  Thank you Gyda!

In perusing the Washington Post this morning, the headline “Tiger Woods wins; does that mean he’s back?’ caught my eye.  It has been a question people have been asking for the better part of three years.  According to the Post: a question that has loomed since his last victory 923 days ago.  Really??  This is a question that is so compelling people are counting the days between Woods’ wins on the PGA tour?

There is no doubt that in his prime Tiger Woods was as dominant in golf as Muhammad Ali was in boxing, Michael Jordan in basketball or Lance Armstrong in cycling.  There is also no doubt that Woods attracted fans and funds to the sport of golf like few have before.  Any tournament where Tiger played felt like a major tournament–and any PGA tournament without Tiger felt like a minor league event.  As a coach to several PGA tour players, I’ve been to enough tournaments to know.

A few months ago, I was working with one of my players at the Medalist golf course in Jupiter, FL.  As we pulled into the parking lot one morning, Richard said to me, “Tiger is here.”  “How do you know?” I asked.  “That’s his car.”  I spied a sleek, black Mercedes backed into the first parking space.  My first thought was “Obviously Buick is no longer a sponsor.”  There have been a lot of changes in Tiger’s life, and his car was the least of them.  But one thing hadn’t apparently changed: his work ethic.  I asked Richard “Is he here often?”  “All the time,” he told me.  He went on to say “He’s either on the practice range, or out on the course.  Usually this time of day (9:30am) he’s on the course.”  Hmmmm, I thought: obviously a regime so tight and regular it was common knowledge–Woods is hard at work.

Several years ago, I wrote a blog about Tiger’s work ethic.  He was leading a tournament over the July 4th weekend in D.C., and he was the last one on the practice range on a Friday night.  As the daylight was surrendering to darkness, he and his caddy were the only souls out there.  He won that tournament two days later.

Reporters write about his competitive fire, his stony demeanor on the course, his remarkable skills, and his extraordinary level of fitness.  I seldom, however, read about what I see in Tiger Woods: a man with an incredible work ethic.  Say what you will about his private life, or his growing list of injuries, or lack of recent success on the golf course–all reasons he has ‘gone away’ and left people wondering if he will ever ‘be back’.  I don’t wonder.  To me, he never went anywhere.  He works hard and always has. He works harder on his game, his fitness, his equipment, and his total preparation than anyone else I’ve seen on the PGA Tour.

Great athletes all have set backs of sorts.  The degree to which they overcome them is, in part, testimony to the qualities that make them great.  After being arrested for draft evasion, Muhammad Ali was stripped of his Heavy Weight Championship and banned from competing for four years.  When he returned to the ring he regained the Championship and again dominated his sport.  Michael Jordan took a leave of absence from basketball to pursue his passion for baseball.  When he returned after a year away from the game, he helped the Chicago Bulls claim three more NBA championships.  Lance Armstrong was given little hope of surviving cancer in 1996.  In 1999 Armstrong won the first of his seven consecutive Tour de France races.  Like all of us, great athletes experience challenges, interruptions and setbacks.  But here is the difference: they don’t quit, they don’t stop working, and they don’t stop trying.  In the words of Jack Dempsey, “A champion is someone who gets up, even when he can’t.”

Is Tiger Woods back?  For those who only saw him collecting trophies, perhaps.  For those who watch him work, he never left.

Anita Hemrick joined us for dinner the other evening.  The conversation eventually turned to her up coming trip to Las Vegas to participate in the Healthcare Information and Management
Systems Society (HIMSS) annual convention.  Anita is a top performing sales person at Enterasys; a leading health industry software company.  Many current and potential clients attend this conference.  Anita spoke little of the hotels, restaurants, shows or other noted attractions of Vegas. Rather, she went quickly to her ‘action plan’ for the conference. As she revealed her plans, I began to see one of the essential elements accounting for her consistent and superior level of success–strategic thinking.  Where she went, who she saw, and how she invested her time while in Las Vegas were all determined in large part by the potential of her actions to generate sales.  Here is a sample of her game plan.

People.  Anita intended to spend time with those who can help her be successful–a) current and potential clients, b) those with sales leads, and c) colleagues who directly contribute to her being able to service her clients.  Equally important, she would limit or eliminate time with those who could not contribute to her, or even potentially prevent her from, being successful.

Places.  The exhibition floor was her main field of play.  Her company’s booth would attract those interested in her products and she intended to be there to meet them.  She would also tour competitor’s booths to stay abreast of industry trends.

Events.  She zeroed in on corporate evening events, especially the ‘blow-out’ events featuring quality food and quantities of adult beverages.  But the goal was not to indulge in the free food or alcohol, but rather to network with the leaders and decision makers in the industry.  Additionally, meals would be shared with people who met the criteria listed above.  Her intention was also to make evenings ‘early’ so she could do the business she needed to do, but still get the rest she needed to be energetic and ready for opportunities that tomorrow would bring.

By thinking strategically, Anita would seek out and take advantage of any and all opportunities.  She was not going to wait for opportunities to fall into her lap. Low performers would simply enjoy a trip to Vegas, and move through the conference with radar down.  But not Anita.  When she could smoke out opportunity, she would be fully prepared to bring the full weight of her sales skills, knowledge and experience to foster and eventually close the deal.  Like all top performers in business, sports or life, her actions were going to be guided by clear goals and strategic thinking.

Was she successful in Las Vegas?  She shot me an email this morning as she was flying from Atlanta to Baltimore to meet with a new client.  This is what she wrote ” We had our best show yet with back to back appointments and tons of New prospects follow up.”

Fly enough miles in a small seat at 35,000 feet, and the airlines sometimes reward you with an “Upgrade” to first class.  Flying home from Palm Beach to Atlanta last Friday, I was upgraded to First Class.  As I got comfortable in 3A, the gentleman in 3B introduced himself and we began chatting.

He was returning to his Midwest home after a week of South Florida golf with his retired buddies.  He told me the $75 he paid to upgrade to first class was a treat to himself.  It was, he said, an extravagance today, but common practice for him not all that long ago.  That comment turned the conversation topic to his business.

He was a lawyer by trade, but didn’t practice law.  According to his estimates, his real talent lay in putting together business deals.   He had been successful at this; until his last one.  Now at age 72, he considers himself to have “nothing to show for my life.”  That comment surprised me.  He looked much younger than his 72 years, he had vitality in his step and speech, and his conversation betrayed a man of above average intelligence.  Nothing to show for his life?

His last deal began with 3 partners, 6 profitable restaurants, and a modest amount of debt.  A combination of borrowing heavily to buy out the one partner who knew the restaurant business and a poor economy has left the 6 restaurants struggling to pay the monthly debt payments.  At the end of the month there is not enough to cover those payments, and consequently nothing for his pocket except more red ink.  Second mortgages on his and his 95-year-old mother’s homes have put both homes at risk.

As I listened to the story, his second-guessing, the looking back, and the deep-seated discouragement struck me.  Ok, I could understand the discouragement–at least in part.  But the discouragement was self-defeating.  He clearly had his health, energy and intelligence–he had the weapons to win.  Yet, he was focused on decisions and events of the past.  When I asked him what he intended to do about the future, he said he “didn’t see any hope, unless another investor comes along, and that isn’t likely.”

I was reminded of the quote by boxer Jack Dempsey “A champion is someone who gets up, even when he can’t.”  I didn’t know how badly beaten this man was, but clearly he was not trying to get up.   And I told him so. “I hear you talking about what you’ve done, but nothing about what you can or will do.”  He asked, “What can I do?  I don’t see any options.”  To which I said, “If you keep looking into the past, you won’t find the opportunities for your future.  You need to learn from the past, but don’t let the past determine your future.”  That could have earned me a punch in the mouth, but instead, I got a wry smile.  “What do you mean?” he asked.

“The past is gone.  You can’t change it.  It is out of your control.  But you can change the future. What you do in the future is under your control.”

So we started to talk about things he could control: starting with himself.  What could he learn that would help him make better decisions?  The attorney told me he could learn more about the restaurant business.  What would bring more guests into his restaurants? How could his restaurants become more profitable?  Once we got the ball rolling, he didn’t stop.  What could he do to restructure his loans to ease the monthly burden?  From years of doing business in this city, he had friends in the banking industry that could perhaps offer suggestions.  What were his skills and what was his knowledge that could be brought to better use in solving the problems he now faced?

Did this conversation make a difference?  I don’t know.  He asked for my phone number.  I hope he calls.  I do know this: when I stepped off the plane, the man in 3B had ideas in his head and a smile on his face that he didn’t have when he sat down.  I hope that $75 he spent to upgrade and fly first class was a good investment for him.  Only the future will tell, but that is for him to determine.

Paul Schempp & Michael Breed

At the recent PGA Show and Convention, I had the opportunity to spend a little time with my friend Michael Breed.  Among other accomplishments, Michael in one of GOLF Magazine’s Top 100 Teachers in America, and hosts his own television show, The Golf Fix, on the Golf Channel (Monday nights 7:00pm).

Michael and I don’t have to be together long before the conversation turns to ENTHUSIASM!  Enthusiasm is a characteristic both Michael and I have been accused of possessing in spades–although it is difficult for me to imagine anyone being more enthusiastic than Michael.

Enthusiasm is more than just a character trait.  It is an outward expression of inward convictions and passions.  It stems from an ardent and lively interest or eagerness for a subject, activity, event, or people.  We can be enthusiastic for just about anything: reading, sports, weekends, food, social institutions and gatherings, gardening, even the weather has enthusiasts. Enthusiasm is not logical.  It is an energizing force that infects not only the possessor, but everyone around them.

In doing a bit of research on enthusiasm for this blog, I was struck to find that Anthony Ashley-Cooper had written on subject in Characteristicks, Vol II: An Inquiry Concerning Virtue and Merit in 1699.  Yep, even in 1699 there were those who saw virtue and merit in enthusiasm.

The sources and effects of enthusiasm continue to be studied and discussed today. Researchers in Finland recently discovered that enthusiasm was one of the drivers of radical innovation.  In another study, people with low enthusiasm for their work reported greater job strain, unfavorable social interaction, poorer health and longer spells of sick leave.  In sport research, champions consistently report enthusiasm for preparing, improving and competing as a key factor in their success.  Educational research has linked a teacher’s enthusiasm not only to student motivation and achievement, but also the teacher’s wellbeing and occupational satisfaction. And yes, research confirms that enthusiasm is indeed contagious.

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “Nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm.”  I’ve always considered that a challenge from Ralph for me to do something important, and have a blast doing it.  Thanks Ralph–and Michael.

Richard S. Johnson is a professional golfer.  He and I get together several times a year to discuss his professional progress and development.  Our goal has remained the same over the years–discover ways for Richard to maximize his performance on the golf course.

We recently sat down for lunch at the Medalist Golf Club in Jupiter, FL to review his progress over the 2011 Season–not one of his better seasons.  Richard was not playing well over the last few months of the season.  There were a number of reasons for this.  He had a nagging injury from earlier in the season; he was making some equipment changes; and the persistent lack of any real success was beginning to wear him down at the end of a long season.

Among any other characteristics I love about Richard is his absolute honesty with himself.  He is never afraid to take a long, hard look at himself when searching for ways to improve.  He has a powerful desire to be the best he can be–both on and off the golf course.  He has high standards and expectations for himself.  And at the end of this past season he was not meeting his playing standards or expectations.  We talked about this and we worked on this.  Here’s how:

Experience: can work for you or against you.  You can use the knowledge gained in experience to make better decisions and be prepared for more variation in future events.  Our skills become honed in a way only experience can provide.  You can also bear the burden of poor performance by bringing those memories into current events.  All people tend to focus more intently on and are more deeply affected by disappointments, poor decisions, and inadequate performances. We tend to remember our mistakes and often dwell on them. We aren’t nearly as good at remembering the good performances, the smart decisions or the unanticipated successes.  Why?  Because we expect to perform well.  We have studied, practiced, and may have even done the same performance well before.  So when a performance doesn’t come off as expected, we often get angry, disappointed, or upset with ourselves.  This is especially true for elite level performers who aspire to perform at the very highest levels.

Interestingly, we tend to dwell on the negative rather than the positive.  Not all people, but most.  We seem to make a habit of beating ourselves up when we don’t get the results we expect.  And when this happens consistently, we tend to start expecting to fail–and do–which leads to further frustration, anxiety, and anger.

Oddly, most people tend to over exaggerate the consequences of a poor performance, while at the same time underestimate the importance of a good performance.  We might do well with something 9 out of 10 times, but it is that 1 time we screwed up or something didn’t go as intended that we remember, focus on, and worse of all–carry into our next performance.

So what is the solution?  Three strategies can help you duck the punches of a self-inflicted emotional beating:

1.  Savor the Good.  Make a special effort to balance ‘the good with the bad’.  In other words, when you catch yourself stressing over a poor performance realize this has negative consequences, and begin thinking about something you did well.  Recall the good and enjoy it, savor it, and realize that it doesn’t always happen and should therefore be appreciated when it does.

2.  People Make Mistakes–even You.  No one is perfect, and everyone eventually experiences a performance slump.  Recognizing you will make mistakes leads to being patient and forgiving with yourself.  That is not the same thing as lowering your standards or reducing expectations.  Rather realize even the best sometimes miss, and so will you.  The best thing you can do with a mistake is learn from it and move on by using this new knowledge to improve future performances.

3.  Try Something New.  If you are consistently making the same mistake, or poor performances are becoming the norm rather than the exception, it is time for something new.  A change in preparation, new information, a different approach, using different skills, perhaps seeking the guidance of a valued mentor are all ways of shaking up the old with something new.  But rather than making change for change sake, look for consistencies in the poor performances and seek new ways of approaching the deficiencies in your performance.

Note:  In his first tournament of the 2012 season, Richard finished in the Top 30 at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship–in a field that included Tiger Woods and Luke Donald, currently the No. 1 Player in the World. Well done Richard.

Had you been a student at Cornell University in the fall of 1946, you may have witnessed a food fight in one of the dining halls, or perhaps even joined in.  A young professor named Richard was there, and as objects streaked through the air, one plate caught his attention.  For you see, that plate had stamped along one edge the University insignia.  As the plate spun through the year, Richard noticed that as the spinning of the plate decreased, the wobbling of the edges increased.  Most of us would have been more concerned with avoiding the flying objects than noticing their rate of spin and wobble.  This moment was, however, an epiphany for this young professor.  As a physicist, the spinning plate piqued his curiosity as he wondered if the same phenomenon occurred in the electrons of atoms.  His thoughts and exploration following that food fight would lead years later to Professor Richard Feynman being awarded the Nobel Prize for his fundamental work in the field of quantum electrodynamics.

When you can, as young professor Feynman did, perceive subtleties in the environment that have significant importance you begin to see like an expert.  Everyone in that dinning hall on that day witnesses plates flying through the air.  Only Feynman detected a critical subtlety. Thousands of hours of experience and sizeable knowledge have hone experts’ perceptual radar to the point where anomalies are readily detected. In the business world, possessing a keen sense of timing that comes from an intimate understanding of how that industry and organization work leads to seeing the critical nuances in events. With an inability to discern the important from the unimportant, people on the lower steps of expertise struggle to effectively identify, and thus respond to, the most critical factors in the situations in which they find themselves.

Business is a dynamic process where many people with different responsibilities, backgrounds, skills and interests are engaged in the myriad activities of an industry. While understanding business machinations is essential, the challenge of focusing on the individuals and events that have the greatest effect on the outcome is critical.  Being able to correctly interpret the significance of the unfolding events in business allows the top performers to recognize the winds of opportunity in a meeting, market or industry and adroitly change the course of action in a direction leading to greater success.  It is all in how you see it.

Charles Darwin based his theory of evolution on the principle.  It determines which organizations thrive and which don’t survive.  And last night it determined which team won and which team lost a National Championship.  The principle is this: you either adapt to your environment or you die.

You can’t control the weather, but you can control your response to it.  You can dress for it, you can modify your actions (e.g., drive more slowly in a downpour), or you can choose to stay in a climate controlled indoors.  So while you can’t control the environmental factor of weather, you can determine your response to it.  The same can be said for most any environment.

Kodak, a proud and historically successful manufacturer of camera film is on the verge of bankruptcy, while International Business Machines (IBM) just completed one of its’ best years yet.  In the age of digital photography, Kodak is still making camera film.  In an age of inexpensive and an over abundance of personal computers, IBM no longer sells pcs–a product they essentially invented.

Last night in New Orleans, the University of Alabama football team had an unproven quarterback, no premier receivers available and an inconsistent running game and went up against one of the most powerful defenses in college football-Louisiana State University.  Alabama adjusted and scored 21 points.  Louisiana did not adapt, and scored no points in the entire game–the first time a team has been held scoreless in a National Championship game.  The team that adapted won: 21-0.

So when and how do you adapt?  When the reasons you were or could be successful no longer exist is when you adapt.  If you are running a race, and the energy is no longer there it is time for an energy bar or drink (or even just before the energy goes away–preparation is powerful tool in adaptation).  In business, if customers are not coming through the door or visiting the website, it is time to adapt–or die.  How you adapt has to do with the reasons you are not finding success.  While people are no longer buying camera film, they are still taking pictures.  Kodak did not or could not adapt to the changing market.

Top performers understand their environment, and they constantly study it and monitor it for changes. When changes and nuances are detected, they are analyzed in attempt to exploit them.  IBM realized that while selling business machines was no longer truly profitable (e.g., see the performances of HP, Dell, Tandy), the information generated from those machines was still needed by large organizations–but large organizations didn’t know how to integrate the manufacturing data with the sales data with the shipping data with the financial data, etc., etc., etc.  But IBM did.  They went to school and learned or developed the cutting edge technology for information storage, integration and retrieval (e.g., the cloud) and then sold this knowledge as consulting services.  IBM has a future because it adapted to changes in its’ business environment.  Kodak will soon be a memory in a museum; a proverbial “Kodak moment” in time, because it couldn’t adapt.  This morning in Louisiana, I’m sure there are football coaches wondering how they could have adapted last night.  Adapt or die.  Darwin knew.

With the start of the New Year, it is a common practice to consider the future by crafting a few goals to help us navigate a successful and satisfying year. It is, therefore, a good time to review the characteristics of good, or SMART goals.  SMART goals are:

• Specific. Clear goals provide better guidance than vague goals. ” I will exercise for 30 minutes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings” is better than “I will get in shape.”
• Meaningful. Goals should represent important steps toward fulfilling your needs, desires and aspirations. If you are in a service industry, a goal to “devote 10 minutes every afternoon to emailing one former client I have not heard from in 6 months” may go a long way to fulfilling your desire to increase your repeat business.
• Achievable. The goal must be tied to actions directly under your control. Because you cannot control how someone feels, a goal to make someone happy or feel appreciated is not as achievable as a goal to give a colleague a warm greeting every morning, or to send a hand written thank you note to people who perform services you appreciate.
• Realistic. Your goals must be within the limits of your abilities. If you have never run a marathon before, setting a goal to win a marathon is not as realistic as setting a goal to compete in 3 marathons in 2012, with an improved time in each race.  The later goal does not rule out the possibility of winning a marathon, but it is more realistic in terms of accomplishment.
• Time-oriented.  Putting your goals on a time line creates a sense of immediacy and urgency.  “Someday I will write a book” doesn’t get it done like “By June 1, 2012 I will have completed the first draft of my book “How I Overcame Procrastination.”