JimBJim Bouchard is author and founder of Dynamic Components of Personal Power, and the founder of Northern Chi Martial Arts Centers. Jim combines his experience as a professional martial artist, entrepreneur and speaker to share his philosophy on power for personal and professional success.
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Tough Times? Get Black Belt Tough!
Jan 27, 2009 03:21 PM
Categories: Economy
Times are tough and getting tougher. No matter how bad it gets, there are always options and there are always action steps you can take to control your situation. There are circumstances and conditions beyond your control; but more important is that as long as you’re drawing breath you can draw your sword! Think like a Black Belt!
You have two options: Quit or keep moving…
In the Art of War Sun Tzu writes:
“The possibility of victory lies in the attack. Generally, he who occupies the field of battle first and awaits his enemy is at ease.”
In business this means you’re not waiting for the miraculous stimulus package to take effect, you’re out right now preparing new ground, training your people for this new type of battle and taking action to find new customers and strengthen alliances with current clients.
If you work for someone else; don’t wait for the proverbial axe to fall! Take action right now to prepare yourself for the possibility of a lay-off or downsizing. Learn new skills and network with your next potential employers. Start looking for new positions and new applications for your talents and abilities now.
It’s up to you; lie down and take what’s coming or get moving. Only quitting guarantees a predictable result. Action is full of risk. I’d rather risk failure than wait for nothing.
Face your enemy with courage…
Motivation, engagement and positive attitudes are only luxuries in times of over-abundance. Those times are gone. A Black Belt mindset means you’re going to face challenges heads-up and fight with everything you’ve got, win or lose.
Positive attitude alone is useless; but any productive action starts with a positive attitude and confidence of victory. Courage, self-motivation and discipline are not gifts. You develop these qualities by facing challenges and overcoming them. What better opportunity than now?
The warrior welcomes the opportunity to test his skills in battle; after all, that’s what he’s been training for. Can you apply this mindset to your business and professional life?
Perfection is not a destination; it’s a never ending process…
Myamoto Musashi is the legendary Japanese swordsmen and author of The Book 5 Rings; now required reading in major business colleges all over the world. Musashi writes:
“I do not have to write about the details. The important thing is to train well and learn how to win.”
I can’t predict the future, and I’d be willing to bet neither can you. If we’ve learned anything lately it’s that the greatest business minds in the world have a hard time predicting the future too! While that might be comforting, there is something you can do; do whatever it takes now, and at all times to prepare yourself for whatever challenges might come.
Improve your leadership, sales and technical skills. Train your people. Streamline and improve systems and make changes to improve efficiency and production. It’s too easy to put these things aside when the money is rolling in; right it’s time to act.
Motivation and engagement are not discretionary…
Getting to Black Belt is simple; not easy. Most of all it requires discipline, motivation and full engagement in the process. Sound a lot like business or professional life?
Now is not the time to cut back on programs that develop workplace or personal motivation and engagement. Now is the time to commit fully to installing a culture of motivation and engagement in your organization. It’s going to take a motivated and engaged workforce to get you through these tough times and drive your business to new levels when the cycle turns up.
Your personal motivation and engagement will inspire others to action including co-workers, employees, prospects and customers. Your willingness to help others develop motivation and engagement will improve productivity and assure loyalty.
Tough times require tough decisions…
…make them and move along.
Despite contemporary mythology; no executive or manager likes to push the button on a lay-off. It can seem like a failure to downsize, sell-off assets or close an operation. Survival may be your ultimate victory; make a decision and just do it.
If you’re an employee: To market your talents and abilities you may have to relocated, uproot your family or take a loss on the sale of your home. You may have to leverage your skills in an entirely different industry. You may have to sell hot dogs for a while! (I know; I’ve done it!) These are not easy decisions and they shouldn’t be taken lightly. Examine the situation rationally and do what is necessary given your current material, emotional and spiritual resources.
By the way, I didn’t sell hot dogs as a way to express my entrepreneurial creativity; I needed the money to keep my martial arts business going at the time. People wanted hot dogs; I sold them hot dogs! There’s no shame in any honest work. There is no honest job beneath your dignity. Do what it takes to stabilize and then move forward.
The Black Belt mentality is to act decisively in the heat of battle. Make your move and go full throttle. That’s how you turn disasters into opportunities.
Courage is not the absence of fear; the absence of fear is stupidity!
These aren’t the words of some ancient warrior; I discovered that for myself! (Sometimes by being stupid!)
Positive attitude, motivation and engagement are not platitudes. They are an essential part of your strategy for weathering this economic storm and assuring success.
Right now everyone is scared; we should be! It’s very important that your motivational efforts are not limited to posting stupid posters and emailing banal thoughts of the day. Authentic motivation and engagement is a systematic process of understanding power, learning to apply power and developing genuine confidence in the potential for success. This is true for individuals and for organizations.
Fear is healthy; it awakens our senses so we can respond to genuine threats. Courage is not the absence of fear; it’s your ability to act even in the face of fear and danger.
Times are tough and no little bits of fortune cookie philosophy from me or anyone else are going to guarantee success. What’s needed is complete dedication to the task at hand.
A martial works through years of blood, sweat and tears as he trains to earn the Black Belt. Apply Black Belt discipline, motivation, focus and power to your personal and professional life and you will succeed.
Jim Bouchard is America’s Black Belt Powervator; speaker, coach & author of Dynamic Components of Personal POWER! Jim is available for corporate events, executive leadership training, conferences and seminars. Call 800-786-8502 or visit JimBouchard.org
FREE…Are you a business owner, manager or executive? Download Jim’s white paper: “The Actual Value of Motivation and Engagement in the Workplace”with our compliments.
You have two options: Quit or keep moving…
In the Art of War Sun Tzu writes:
“The possibility of victory lies in the attack. Generally, he who occupies the field of battle first and awaits his enemy is at ease.”
In business this means you’re not waiting for the miraculous stimulus package to take effect, you’re out right now preparing new ground, training your people for this new type of battle and taking action to find new customers and strengthen alliances with current clients.
If you work for someone else; don’t wait for the proverbial axe to fall! Take action right now to prepare yourself for the possibility of a lay-off or downsizing. Learn new skills and network with your next potential employers. Start looking for new positions and new applications for your talents and abilities now.
It’s up to you; lie down and take what’s coming or get moving. Only quitting guarantees a predictable result. Action is full of risk. I’d rather risk failure than wait for nothing.
Face your enemy with courage…
Motivation, engagement and positive attitudes are only luxuries in times of over-abundance. Those times are gone. A Black Belt mindset means you’re going to face challenges heads-up and fight with everything you’ve got, win or lose.
Positive attitude alone is useless; but any productive action starts with a positive attitude and confidence of victory. Courage, self-motivation and discipline are not gifts. You develop these qualities by facing challenges and overcoming them. What better opportunity than now?
The warrior welcomes the opportunity to test his skills in battle; after all, that’s what he’s been training for. Can you apply this mindset to your business and professional life?
Perfection is not a destination; it’s a never ending process…
Myamoto Musashi is the legendary Japanese swordsmen and author of The Book 5 Rings; now required reading in major business colleges all over the world. Musashi writes:
“I do not have to write about the details. The important thing is to train well and learn how to win.”
I can’t predict the future, and I’d be willing to bet neither can you. If we’ve learned anything lately it’s that the greatest business minds in the world have a hard time predicting the future too! While that might be comforting, there is something you can do; do whatever it takes now, and at all times to prepare yourself for whatever challenges might come.
Improve your leadership, sales and technical skills. Train your people. Streamline and improve systems and make changes to improve efficiency and production. It’s too easy to put these things aside when the money is rolling in; right it’s time to act.
Motivation and engagement are not discretionary…
Getting to Black Belt is simple; not easy. Most of all it requires discipline, motivation and full engagement in the process. Sound a lot like business or professional life?
Now is not the time to cut back on programs that develop workplace or personal motivation and engagement. Now is the time to commit fully to installing a culture of motivation and engagement in your organization. It’s going to take a motivated and engaged workforce to get you through these tough times and drive your business to new levels when the cycle turns up.
Your personal motivation and engagement will inspire others to action including co-workers, employees, prospects and customers. Your willingness to help others develop motivation and engagement will improve productivity and assure loyalty.
Tough times require tough decisions…
…make them and move along.
Despite contemporary mythology; no executive or manager likes to push the button on a lay-off. It can seem like a failure to downsize, sell-off assets or close an operation. Survival may be your ultimate victory; make a decision and just do it.
If you’re an employee: To market your talents and abilities you may have to relocated, uproot your family or take a loss on the sale of your home. You may have to leverage your skills in an entirely different industry. You may have to sell hot dogs for a while! (I know; I’ve done it!) These are not easy decisions and they shouldn’t be taken lightly. Examine the situation rationally and do what is necessary given your current material, emotional and spiritual resources.
By the way, I didn’t sell hot dogs as a way to express my entrepreneurial creativity; I needed the money to keep my martial arts business going at the time. People wanted hot dogs; I sold them hot dogs! There’s no shame in any honest work. There is no honest job beneath your dignity. Do what it takes to stabilize and then move forward.
The Black Belt mentality is to act decisively in the heat of battle. Make your move and go full throttle. That’s how you turn disasters into opportunities.
Courage is not the absence of fear; the absence of fear is stupidity!
These aren’t the words of some ancient warrior; I discovered that for myself! (Sometimes by being stupid!)
Positive attitude, motivation and engagement are not platitudes. They are an essential part of your strategy for weathering this economic storm and assuring success.
Right now everyone is scared; we should be! It’s very important that your motivational efforts are not limited to posting stupid posters and emailing banal thoughts of the day. Authentic motivation and engagement is a systematic process of understanding power, learning to apply power and developing genuine confidence in the potential for success. This is true for individuals and for organizations.
Fear is healthy; it awakens our senses so we can respond to genuine threats. Courage is not the absence of fear; it’s your ability to act even in the face of fear and danger.
Times are tough and no little bits of fortune cookie philosophy from me or anyone else are going to guarantee success. What’s needed is complete dedication to the task at hand.
A martial works through years of blood, sweat and tears as he trains to earn the Black Belt. Apply Black Belt discipline, motivation, focus and power to your personal and professional life and you will succeed.
Jim Bouchard is America’s Black Belt Powervator; speaker, coach & author of Dynamic Components of Personal POWER! Jim is available for corporate events, executive leadership training, conferences and seminars. Call 800-786-8502 or visit JimBouchard.org
FREE…Are you a business owner, manager or executive? Download Jim’s white paper: “The Actual Value of Motivation and Engagement in the Workplace”with our compliments.
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