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Everything We Do Is Perfect (A Lesson in Working Too Much)

I work a lot. Like A LOT.

And, when I look back at my 20s, I actually wish I would have worked more.

Yep, more….

I ambitiously sacrificed a large amount of the fun that most kids in their early 20’s in exchange for a chance to build a meaningful career.

I actually love to borrow a term from sportscaster Colin Cowherd to describe this so-called sacrifice…

“Surrender the Bro Years”

Ok… so, even though I skipped college parties, and lots of boating trips, camp outs, and other potential world travel to chose to work like crazy, I know I could’ve done more.

Yes. MORE. But how?

I definitely don’t think I should have worked more days.

I KNOW I shouldn’t have worked more hours.

No, no…

What I’ve realized now is that I could’ve worked much more FOCUSED.

In those younger years I thought working hard meant working non-stop. Always on, and always focused on winning in business.

But, all that time I spent CONSTANTLY working wore me down to where I wasn’t very sharp very often.

My mind couldn’t think as creatively with no time to unwind.

My body couldn’t get into great shape being constantly worn out.

And it was difficult to make friends because I thought I always needed to be looking at my phone (which was a BlackBerry back then).

So I say all that to say this…

The Way I Did It Was Perfect.

What I did was perfect.

I know, that sounds crazy…but hear me out.

I can say that because those actions and decisions brought me here so I could write this blog post for you to read.

It caused me to meet my beautiful wife Michelle and caused us to have two amazing children, Boston and Brodie. And it caused me to meet all the amazing friends I have.

Everything we all do is perfect. It has to be. Because there’s no what-if machine or time machine, to check on what other decisions would’ve caused.

And while the past may be just right, it doesn’t mean that we can’t use history to teach us how we can change our intentions for future actions.

What my past ambitions have taught me is that it actually takes LESS work than I think to be successful.

Less days in a row. Less hours per week. Less constant thinking.

What it takes is more meaningful days, and more meaningful hours. It’s thinking about work less often, but when you are thinking about it, you become consumed with it.

Profound change to experience. And one that can’t be communicated unless you’ve had it too!

BTW, I know I’m not some genius for talking about this concept. I know it has existed for years and been called 100 different things communicated 1000 different ways. But here’s the thing, it has to hit you at the right time from the right person with the right delivery for it to be profound. 8000 people read these blog posts per month. If it strikes one person just right, then it’s a success to me!

So why all the hours and why all the days and why all the constant attention on work?

Survival Mode Turned Into Ego Driven

It started out as a survival thing.

I dropped out of school and perused a career against the advice of most everyone, especially my parents that were paying my tuition at the University of Utah.

So I had to win, or face the “I told ya so’s” and quite possibly experience the real world for the cold thing that most tell you it is.

In order to win, I did what I knew…I hustled my face off. At first, the insane work ethic worked great!

But then something changed…

While it started as a survival thing, it eventually turned into an ego thing.

I needed the bragging rights from all those hours. I wanted the reactions from people when I told them worked 81 hours last week.

I’m not joking when I say that I used to hang my time card on my own refrigerator!

But it wasn’t just ego though…

It was also insecurity.

I was over stating the importance of my efforts in order to appease the opinions of other people.

The funny thing though about that…And this is going to get super meta here…

The “opinions of other people” that we so often concerned about, are actually our own opinion of what we think their opinion is going to be.

That means that I did all this out of a need to either impress someone or to not look bad to someone, and there’s a very good chance that they either didn’t give a shit, or they actually thought the opposite, thinking that I was a lunatic or an egomaniac (as always, truth is probably somewhere in the middle).

But we never pick our head up to think that the opinions of others are actually OUR opinions of what they’re opinions might be,  because we’re too busy being consumed by what we think other people think.

The old saying applies perfectly, perception becomes reality.

“Everyone is watching so I better work 56 hours this week!”

No One Counts the Hours on Your Timecard Except You and Your Significant Other.

No one counts the hours on your timecard except you and your significant other.

Usually at least one of those two hates it!

So what’s the lesson?

The lesson is, work hard AF while you’re clocked in. Maybe strategize a little when your clocked out, but for hell sakes, clock out in body, mind, and soul. Get away, do something else you love, and enjoy life.

In between accomplishments there’s this thing called life that’s pretty fun to enjoy.

[ninja_form id=1]

-NG
mnglassett@gmail.com Inspiration, Leaders & Managers, Leadership, Personal Growth

1 + 1 = X (Leaders Touch Lives)

Solve for X

1 +1 = X

As leaders we do LOTS of things.

We also have A LOT of responsibilities.

The crazy thing about leading, though is that YOU HAVE FOLLOWERS.

So, what do you do with that AUDIENCE?

How do you deploy that amazing workforce?

Do you add value to them?

Or

Do you take value them?

Do you help them find a sense of who they are, or do you tell them who they need to be?

In the world of MATH, 1 + 1 = 2

In the world of leadership, 1 + 1 = 11

Take the time to invest in the lives you touch.

See your followers with no ego.

Give, give, give, give, give, give, give, give, give, give, give, give, give, give, give, give…

Feel your way through human experiences.

Be the light that guides.

Put people on.

Build!

Love, NG

mnglassett@gmail.com Culture, Goal Setting, Inspiration, Job Crafting, Morning Messages, Personal Growth

For the Love of the Grind (Why I Don’t Set Many Goals)

Good Wednesday Morning!

I had a funny conversation with my best friend last night.

He just got back from a 10 day vacation out in the wilderness at a family cabin up in north Washington (practically Canada), and he was telling me that he thinks that the way society is set up with work and bills etc is something that he disagrees with.

He just wants to go on adventures and not have to work.

There’s not a TON of advice to give here, but I at least tried…

I told him to start filming his “adventures” and putting it on the internet. Others do it and make a living!

He didn’t like that idea either though…lol.

My final advice for him was simple…it’s ALL work. Life I mean.

I have a MUCH different view of the world as he does, so in my opinion, work is where my enjoyment lives!

Not that I wouldn’t love backpacking through the Smokey mountains or 2 weeks in Europe attending as many soccer games as humanly possible, but…

It’s a BUILDING thing for me.

I want to create something that can change a person’s life.
A culture that they feel at home in.
A system that helps them succeed and fulfill dreams.
A company that impacts PEOPLE over and over and over.
A MACHINE that can exponentially raise my abilities to touch even more lives.

That’s why I love what I do.
That’s why I don’t set many “goals”.

I think goals are fine and dandy.
But I also feel passionately that no one grinds hard and makes tough decisions for years at a time so they can buy a new watch!

It’s the LOVE of that process and that grind that keeps me coming back day in day out.

Now for my buddy, what GRIND is he going to love? Who knows…

But look at what you do for a living, and find what you LOVE in there, but don’t just look at the activities (hiring, selling, training, analytics etc

Look at the VALUES.

My value is BUILDING. What’s yours?

Thank you!
-NG
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Offense or Defense (The 2 Mindsets)

Good Tuesday Morning!

There are 2 mindsets in life. Just 2…

Offense
or
Defense

Offense is about “scoring points”.

Think about the person being on attack.
It’s acting on an idea, it’s making a move when you see an opportunity, it’s waking up early to grind, it’s staying late to grind, it’s taking action.

There is an ASSERTIVE nature to being on offense. You execute and you ask for apologies when you’re wrong. It’s positivity and action.

Defense is about “blocking points”.

Think about the person being defensive, or having a defense mechanism.
It’s hesitation on an idea. They talk about a move when they see the opportunity. It’s having a reason to sleep in, it’s finding the excuse to leave early, it’s complaining.

There is a PASSIVE nature to being on defense. They tell you why it won’t work or why they can’t do it. It’s negativity and excuses.

Offense is Positive

The people on offense undoubtedly MAKE things happen, and they have a more uplifting attitude about them, a CAN DO attitude, a WILL DO attitude. It sounds like positivity and the conversations enroll others to join them.

My friends, this epiphany of offense and defense is a powerful one, and when playing offense is a core value to you, opportunities really start to open up…over and over and over and over.

If You’re on Defense…

When you find yourself on defense, there are two things that can help immensely;

1. Give thanks – When you think about it, what do we REALLY have to complain about? We work in a great district, in a great region, for a fantastic company, in the country of opportunity, on a fine of a kind planet.

2. Mind sweep – Stress can bring on defense. Get that stuff OFF your mind and on to paper. Let it live in your planner, or your journal, or a note in your phone, and NOT in your brain. Then, look at the list, and get back on offense…ATTACK IT.

Here’s to LESS comfort zone, and MORE offense :-)

-NG

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Crazy Lucky (The Lottery of Life)

It’s mind boggling how lucky we are to be here.
The odds of being born a human are 400,000,000,000 to 1.
That’s so unlikely to happen that it’s practically impossible…yet here we are!
It’s like winning the ultimate lottery!!

 

So then what do we do with it??
Do you have any idea the amount of time I spent my ONE life complaining???
Do you have any idea how much time I spent working on things that add no value to anyone?
Or how much time I spent sitting on a couch doing something unproductive?

 

Someone said to me the other day that I never seem to relax. I’m working on SOMETHING at all times.
Most of that time is business related…why?
Because I love business? Yeah that’s a part of it.
Because I want to do a good job. Of course that’s part of it.

 

The main reason…it’s because being a business man gives me the opportunity to be a positive influence in other peoples lives.
That epiphany that I wrote about yesterday? I want to spread that message.
I am lucky enough to have hit the 400 Billion to one lottery that is LIFE.
And I realized recently how special that is.
And I don’t want to waste a freaking second of it now that I know what I’ve got!

 

Crazy Lucky… So I work hard doing what I love…building! :-)

 

Thank you, and good morning!
mnglassett@gmail.com Inspiration, Inspirational Quotes, Leaders & Managers, Leadership, Morning Messages, Personal Growth, Quotes

Find What You Value (The Epiphany)

My opinion is…

Values vs Tactics, values will always win!

Quick Reminder:
Tactic = A tip. An action. A life hack.
Values = A religion. A ritual. An overall philosophy on everything
Without a doubt the most powerful lesson in this has been that when I follow my Values (my heart), all the things that I used to add tactics to solve have started to take care of themselves…Examples:

Conversion –

I don’t track it, send it out, worry about it, or even talk about it!
     It’s UP 5% over the last 6 weeks w/ a 13% traffic increase.

Inventory  –

I don’t have extra things that I do this year, I don’t talk about it, and inventory audits are getting better and better.

Staffing –

Same as above, and the quality is better, there are less rehires, and we’re building something special!
       *Of course there is always exceptions, and those are the times where we DID have a 1 on 1 about some of these things.
Think hard and identify. That’s important, because you need to have the “goal” to hit.
From there you can get there with Values or Tactics…I suggest using BOTH…but just know the POWER comes from Values, the tweaks come from Tactics.
What do you value? What is so important that you can’t imagine working without it?
Another way that I’ve been saying it lately…What’s the POWER SOURCE that you plug into? What turns things kinda gray when its missing, and when it’s there, things are electric!
Mine was hard to find because I was looking for obvious things like; winning, or teaching. It wasn’t until this year, through a series of small epiphanies that I finally had MY REAL LEADERSHIP EPIPHANY, and I realized that…
-To focus on “winning” is to win small. To focus on people builds a legacy.
-Positivity has a halo effect. People can FEEL that halo and they want in on it.
-I talk less, and listen more.
-I’m more patient as I listen
-I’m more deliberate with my feedback
-I’m going to stay on the damn phone with you until you get it.
-I don’t say “my phone is always on” b/c you don’t care about phones…I tell you I am always on…and I am!
-Everything I try to do now is for others.
-Ego has evaporated.
-Anxiety for what others think has gone and we can just work on building something amazing :-)
     I’m still adjusting to this btw!
SO I ask you again….What do you value? What is so important that you can’t imagine living without it? Start there, and GO HARD because no matter how many hours you spend on that thing, the work is never done, and it’s ALWAYS enjoyable!
Thank you!
mnglassett@gmail.com Inspiration, Leaders & Managers, Leadership, Morning Messages, Personal Growth, Work

It’s Values vs Tactics (The Power of Positivity)

It’s Values vs Tactics, and Values Win

“Positivity is a force multiplier”

I’ve embraced a lot of things in my life; Leadership, discipline, simplicity, passion…but they all just felt like tactics that I was attempting apply.

There was a certain “staying power” that was missing.

Tactic = a tip, an action, or a life hack
Values = a “religion”, a ritual, or a philosophy on life

The value that I’m going to talk on today is the power positivity and optimism.

You Can’t Fake It

The thing about positivity is that I couldn’t “fake it until I make it” last year no matter how hard I tried.

The positive mindset is not a tactic that can be applied. It’s a value that you have to FEEL and believe in.

Once I saw the power of it, and found my path to it, I was able to resolve 30+ years of residual negativity. From that, good things have happened over and over.

What is it? And how do you get there?

Call it Karma.
Call it God.
Call it “The Universe”.
Call it the Law of Attraction.
     Whatever…

The thing is, it occurs differently to all of us, and we all take different paths to get there, but the over reaching effect that it will have on a person is incredible!

My path to positivity was trough people and work. I had to put my ego and reputation aside and go help others.

Being selfish by nature, this was not an easy thing to do! But when I said “to hell with what people say and think” I was able to go do what I wanted and created some truly special relationships.

The Crazy Thing About This…

All the tactics that I’d tried to enact just started happening naturally (leadership, discipline, etc).

All the books that I read, and all the things that I’d looked up that never “stuck” started to be automatic. Started to “just happen”.

I lost my value of “getting credit” and through that I found my path to positivity.

In my life I’d made true attempts at complaining less, acting more grateful, listening more, being a better person, etc etc etc.

But it was never a value. It was always a tactic that was being forced on top.

And we all know how well FORCING something generally turns out! ;-)

So What’s Your Path?

Of course only you can find the answer to that, but I strongly recommend examining your ego and looking at what it’s doing to corrupt your plans at personal development.

Find your guiding light (karma, god, etc) and put your best efforts into achieving the goals that get you there.

Small hint, it’s going to involve helping people in some way, I promise!

Love you!

-NG

 

mnglassett@gmail.com Inspiration, Inspirational Quotes, Leaders & Managers, Leadership, Morning Messages, Personal Growth

Leaders Change Lives

I’ve worked at Journeys a long time. I’ve got asked why 1000 times. I’ve had a few different answers over the years, but now when someone asks me why I love it at Journeys, the true reason comes out of my mouth naturally, effortlessly, and POWERFULLY.

My answer…

“The leadership. Yeah, I love shoes. Yeah, Journeys is pretty cool store and we play loud music, and I’m embraced for having tattoos and stuff…but it’s because of how much the people above me care about me. I’ve been through two rough patches in my career, and both times it was because I had friction with my leader. The rest of the time, I’m not just expected to do great, I’m TRUSTED to do great.”

You’re quote of the day…STAND AND FEEL YOUR WORTH

As leaders, we change lives. 

Worth saying again because it’s so powerful. WE CHANGE LIVES. 

Now, is the change you create POSITIVE? That’s a question you have to answer ;-) 

Thank you!

-NG

mnglassett@gmail.com Goal Setting, Inspiration, Leaders & Managers, Leadership, Morning Messages, Personal Growth

Get the Results You Want!

Good Tuesday Morning!

“If you’re not getting the results you want, change what you’re doing.” –Adam Robinson

You’d think that would be obvious.
You would think people would pivot, or they would change, but they don’t.
They do more of the same.
They double down on what they’ve already done.
They try harder.

Or…

They look for reasons as to why the results aren’t what they want.
They try to justify so they can keep doing more of the same.
They make excuses :-(

Either way….

They keep doing the same thing expecting different results.

Ok, so how do you change what you’re doing?
A great starting point is to take a moment to call someone for outside perspective. As they look at the issue, since they are not attached to it, they can help you see the solution easier.
Then you have to listen, and try something different!

Or….

Try doing the opposite of what you have been doing.
Go the other way completely!
If you’ve been interviewing a few people, start interviewing a ton!
If you’ve been working 45 hours a week, start working 60.
If you’ve been working 60 hours a week, try working 45
Of course this new direction might not work either. And In that case change again, and again, AND AGAIN.
Embrace change and learn to love being uncomfortable :-)

Thanks,
-NG

P.S. I write about things I struggle with, or have struggled through, not things I’ve mastered or things I’m immune to.

 

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The Law of The Lid | John Maxwell | 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

The-Law-of-the-lid-john-maxwell-21-irrefutable-laws-of-leadership.png

The Law of the Lid:

Leadership Ability Determines a Person’s Level of Effectiveness

The Law of the Lid helps others understand the value of leadership.

The lower an individuals ability to lead, the lower the lid on his potential.
The higher an individuals ability to lead, the higher the lid on his potential.

The McDonald Brothers

In 1930, Dick and Maurice McDonald move from New Hampshire to California in search of the American dream. Seven years later they end up opening a drive in restaurant in San Bernardino and see some serious success.

They see that times are changing, and in 1948 they streamlined the menu, and created an assembly line style kitchen they dubbed the Speedy Service System. By the mid-1950’s they are wealthy business owners.

They begin getting 300+ requests per month from other restauranteurs want to learn their systems. They decide to franchise the McDonald’s restaurant…and It was a dismal failure.

The brothers we’re great thinkers and managers, but they were not leaders.

“At the height of their success, Dick and Maurice found themselves smack-dab against the Law of the Lid.”

Partnering with a Leader

In 1954 the McDonald brothers partnered up a man named Ray Kroc, who ran his own company making milkshake machines.

Kroc strikes a deal with the McDonald brothers and forms McDonald’s Systems, Inc. (Later called McDonald’s Corporation).

Kroc bought the rights to McDonald’s and opened his own franchise. He used that restaurant to sell other franchises, and he began to recruit and hire the sharpest people that he could find the build McDonald’s into a nationwide entity.

In 1961, for the sum of $2.7 million, Kroc buys out the exclusive rights to McDonald’s from the brothers, and proceeded to grow it into a global entity.

In the years that the brothers attempted to franchise the restaurant, they sold the concept just fifteen times, and only ten of those buyers opened restaurants.

In four years after buying out the McDonald brothers, Ray Kroc had opened 100 restaurants. Four years after that, had opened a total of 500 McDonald’s.

Success Without Leadership

The-Law-of-the-Lid-ssuccess-without-leadership

On the left, you have a visual representation of someone that is dedicated to success, but not caring about, or thinking about leadership (potentially the McDonald brothers). Notice how low the level of effectiveness is!

In order to get to a 10, you would essentially have to kill yourself due to the lack of effectiveness.

Of the right, you have a visual representation of someone who is equally dedicated to success, but  is a seven on leadership ability. This alone makes them 600% more effective!

This is because leadership has a multiplying effect.

To Change the Direction of the Organization, Change the Leader

Leadership ability is always the lid on personal and organizational effectiveness. If a person’s leadership ability is high, then the organization’s lid is high. But if it’s not, then the organization is limited.

That’s why, in times of trouble, organizations look for new leadership.

Getting rid of the leader isn’t the only way to improve the organization. Just as there is a lid, there is also a way to raise it. That is the subject of another Law of Leadership however (The Law of Process).

Notable Law of the Lid Quotes:

“At the height of their success, Dick and Maurice McDonald found themselves smack-dab against the Law of the Lid.”

“The higher you want to climb, the more you need leadership.”

“The greater the impact you want to make, the greater your influence needs to be.”

“Personal and organizational effectiveness is proportionate to the strength of leadership.”

Applying the Law of the Lid to Your Life

-List out your major goals, then determine which ones require the participation or cooperation from other people. For those goals, leadership ability will greatly impact your results

-Ask others around you to rate your leadership ability. Speak with your boss, your spouse, two peers at work, and three subordinates about your leadership ability. Ask them to rate you on a scale of 1-10 in each of the following areas:

  • People Skills
  • Planning and strategic thinking
  • Vision
  • Results

Average together your scores and find two important things

  1. Your area of strength – This will be your “Strength Zone” and the area that you get most of your effectiveness from. Live here!
  2. Area(s) of weakness – This will be an area that you naturally struggle and will need to grow in, and more importantly recruit the assistance of others in.

Next Up…The Law of Influence