CONNECT

Keith Harrell, Hattie Hill

• Publisher: HarperCollins e-books
• Year: 2009
• ISBN:
  9780061740787
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Personal Success

It doesn't take long to understand why The Wall Street Journal calls Keith Harrell "a star with attitude." Keith Harrell, a.k.a. Dr. Attitude, helps you along on your path to success. Keith is a bestselling author, performance coach, and nationally acclaimed motivational speaker recognized for his innovative and enlightening presentations to Fortune 500 companies like Coca-Cola, IBM, Microsoft, and Southwest Airlines. His bestselling book, Attitude is Everything, helped readers improve their attitudes to impact the bottom line.

In Attitude is Everything, Keith taught readers to gain control of their careers and their lives by turning positive attitudes into successful actions. But attitude is only half the equation. Once you have super motivated employees, you need them to CONNECT to the company's goals and its mission to achieve maximum success.

Success is built on connections we make with people and ideas. Whether it's connecting with customers to improve their service experience, or connecting with the strategic business plan and objectives for the coming year, the foundation for success starts with CONNECT. Here in Connect, Keith Harrell and Hattie Hill reveal the seven core competencies needed to connect individuals and organizations in order to heighten productivity and to maximize personal and professional success.

C ommit to win
O pen up to opportunities
N otice what's needed and do what's necessary
N avigate by your purpose
E xecute ethically
C hallenge your challenges
T ranscend beyond your best

CONNECT Step 1:

Commit to Win

They can because they think they can.

—Virgil

In 2000 the Baltimore Ravens football team was coming off a mediocre 8–8 season the year before. They hadn’t even made the playoffs for their division. When the team reassembled for training camp that summer, the coach felt that the players had lost their confidence and their drive to win. They weren’t acting like potential champions or believing that the new season could be different.

But the Ravens coach had other ideas. He brought in my great buddy Art Berg to speak to the team. Art had been a quadriplegic for seventeen years, ever since a car accident had robbed him of the ability to use his arms and legs. Yet Art traveled over 200,000 miles each year as an author and professional speaker.

Art inspired the Ravens players with his own story—but what turned the day was when he told them about an obscure English author, William Ernest Henley. Henley was afflicted with tuberculosis from an early age, and doctors in Scotland had had to amputate one of his legs below the knee because of it. They told Henley they would need to amputate the other foot to save his life. But Henley refused to let them do it. He kept his foot, battled back from the disease, and wrote a poem inspired by his struggle: “Invictus.”

Invictus means “unconquered, unsubdued.” You may remember some of the poem’s verses:

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

…

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

That year the Baltimore Ravens adopted “Invictus” as the slogan for their team. “Invictus” represented their determination to make their own fate no matter what the circumstances. It represented their commitment to win. The Ravens played like a different team that season, going all the way to the Super Bowl. Before the final game, the coach told them, “Whether we win or lose on that field today, we will play with the Invictus attitude. We will not be conquered no matter what the final score of the game.” The Ravens were victorious, beating the New York Giants decisively.

The Baltimore Ravens CONNECTed to their goal of winning the Super Bowl. They were emotionally linked to the outcome, and they were willing to build the framework to support their success. While the foundation for CONNECT is a positive attitude, the first floor of the framework is to make the commitment to do whatever it takes to succeed. The first step of CONNECT is to commit to win.

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“The difference between success and failure is often about five percent more effort.”

—S. Truett Cathy

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Among other definitions of commit, Webster’s New World Dictionary gives this one: “to bind as by a promise; to pledge or engage.” A commitment is dedication to a long-term course of action. When we decide to commit, we take a stand and declare that we are ready to put in the time, effort, and energy to get the job done no matter what. S. Truett Cathy is the founder and CEO of Chick-fil-A®, a chain of fast-food and stand-alone chicken restaurants throughout the United States. Mr. Cathy is a role model to me because he has built an incredibly successful business while adhering to the tenets of his faith. According to Mr. Cathy, the two key ingredients for success are hard work and commitment. “The difference between success and failure is often about five percent more effort,” he has stated. “But we start to see miracles take place when we truly commit ourselves.”

When we make the commitment, however, we also need to be clear about what “winning” will mean. Some people think winning means beating the other guy so soundly that he’ll never get up again. Others think winning means you have to be better than anyone else. Sometimes it can seem that society defines winning as having the most money, the biggest house, or the most attractive husband or wife, or being the most famous person in your profession. But to truly commit to win, each of us must define winning for ourselves. My bookkeeper has a ninety-seven-year-old grandmother who gets out of bed every day with plans for what she wants to accomplish. She doesn’t focus on the fact that she no longer can drive, has trouble walking, and has to rely on others to get groceries for her and help her with many tasks she used to do for herself. Instead, she wins when she accomplishes whatever her goals were for the day. And every night she goes to bed and thanks God for her blessings.

William Ernest Henley won when he kept his leg. Single moms all over the country win when they have enough food on the table for their kids. A fifteen-year-old in an urban neighborhood may win by turning down drugs. Your version of winning may include taking care of your family, doing a great job at work, living according to the principles of your faith, being a loyal citizen of your country. Winning simply means facing the tasks and challenges that life brings your way and committing to do your best and beyond your best in the battle. You have to decide to make winning a priority, and then commit your energy and focus to building the connection that will help you win. When you commit to win, you’ll be astounded at the power that will flow through you as you bring all your resources to the fight. When you commit to win, you become the master of your fate and the captain of your soul.

MAKE A COMMITMENT TO YOURSELF

The most important commitment you can make is not with other people but with yourself. To accomplish your dreams and goals, you must fully charge your internal “batteries” every single day so you’ll have the energy and drive to win. Each day before you leave the house, you need to do whatever it takes to create energy—physically, mentally, and spiritually. You have to plug into your own power source so you can charge through the day.

One of the best things you can do is to create your own “commit to win” routine that you use every single day to charge your internal batteries. What will you do when you wake up? Remember, this day was made for you to rejoice and be glad in. Take a few moments to remind yourself that any day above ground is a great day. If you’re above ground, you have another day to learn, to touch, to teach, and to make a mark on this world that cannot be erased.

Make a commitment to win by making the most of your day. Whom will you connect with? How will you touch their hearts and spirits? What gifts will you receive from them? What accomplishments will you achieve by working together? So many people tell me they have trouble being motivated. Well, to be motivated you need a motive, and love is the greatest motive of all. Remember, whatever you sow is what you will reap, so love your neighbor, your co-worker, and your teammate as you love yourself.

When you begin your day by committing to love yourself unconditionally, and committing to the source of all power, then each day will give you an opportunity to win. You’ll find yourself ready to take on anything the day has to offer. More important, you’ll develop the positive attitude that will carry you through the tough times and make others seek you out for your influence and inspiration. You’ll find it’s a lot easier to connect with others when you take those few moments to commit and connect with yourself.

COMMIT TO WIN MEANS YOU GO FIRST

In a lot of circles it’s not “cool” to be seen as committed to something or even to someone. It’s much cooler to be offhand, to pretend it’s not a big deal, to play as if you can take it or leave it—whether it’s a job or a relationship or an issue. And yet what are we always looking for from others? We want them to commit to us. We want the other guy to stick his hand out for the handshake. We want the other person to be the first to say, “I love you.” We want our company to assure us that our jobs will be there for the long run before we put our hearts and souls into our efforts.

But what if it’s our job to commit first? After all, the Golden Rule starts with us doing unto others the way we want them to do to us, not the other way round. To achieve success through people, purpose, and performance, we must be first to make a commitment. (In fact, to truly connect with others we need to follow what my friend and mentor Tony Alessandra calls the Platinum Rule: treat others the way they’d like to be treated, not the way you would like them to treat you.) Going first demonstrates that you are truly committed to win.

When you commit to win, you can be the spark that lights the fire of better relationships and superior performance. I read recently about Jaime Escalante, who taught at a high school in the barrio of East Los Angeles, where drugs and gangs are everywhere and the high school dropout rate averages over fifty percent. Mr. Escalante decided to prepare some of his students to take the advanced placement (AP) calculus test. Most of the kids he was teaching were barely passing math, and many didn’t plan to finish high school. But Mr. Escalante committed to work with these kids and do whatever it took to get them ready for the test. He held sessions before school and on Saturdays. He worked with them individually to make sure they understood the math and were completely ready to succeed. The first year, two students passed the AP calculus exam. The next year it was seven students, and then fourteen. Within eight years, more students from Escalante’s calculus program passed the AP exam than did the kids from prestigious Beverly Hills High.

Many of us have examples in our past of teachers, coaches, bosses, and mentors who committed to us long before we committed to them. They saw something in us that often we didn’t even recognize in ourselves. But it wasn’t just what they saw in us; what we remember is the fact that they committed their time, energy, and faith in who we were and what we could accomplish. I wouldn’t be who I am today without the commitment of my mom, my grandmothers, and some of my teachers and speech therapists in grammar school. As a child I had a stuttering problem, and at times the other kids were merciless in making fun of me. However, my mom told me that she would get me the help I needed so that one day I’d be able to speak well. My speech therapist also was incredibly patient and kind. I felt that she was absolutely committed to helping me overcome my speech impediment. But just as important, I felt she connected to me as a person. I responded to this commitment and connection by working incredibly hard. And when I learned to speak clearly and slowly, it was a big victory for me and for all those who had committed to help me succeed.

If you are a manager, a boss, or an employer, committing to win and connecting are the two most important commandments you can follow. When employees or team members feel you are committed and connected to them, your workplace results will improve. People want to work for and with people who they feel support and appreciate them and who they believe are committed to helping them win.

Daniel Goleman, who wrote the book Emotional Intelligence, has been studying how people relate to one another—their “social intelligence.” He asked groups from business, academia, nonprofit associations, and social organizations all over the world to describe the qualities of a great boss. The responses were almost identical. “The best bosses are people who are trustworthy, empathic, and connected, who make us feel calm, appreciated, and inspired,” Goleman reported. People view someone as a great boss when they feel connected and believe he or she has committed to helping them win. That level of commitment from a boss produces one of the most important yet undervalued qualities in the workplace today: loyalty.

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People view someone as a great boss when they feel connected and believe he or she has committed to helping them win.

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ARE YOU LOYAL, OR “LOYAL UNTIL”?

A generation ago, people stayed at one company for their entire working lives. They worked thirty or forty years, collected their benefits, and retired. That’s the way things were for our parents and grandparents. They gave the company their work and their loyalty, and they expected the company’s loyalty in return.

Are things ever different today! Now companies are acquired or merge with one another or simply vanish at the drop of a hat. Jobs move overseas, and massive layoffs are common. All too often, people feel that the company’s loyalty to them is only as good as the last paycheck they received—and there’s no guarantee there will be another paycheck in the future.

However, this lack of loyalty cuts both ways. People entering the workforce today expect to work for seven to fifteen different companies over a lifetime. These individuals are valuable assets to a company while they are there. They will work hard to acquire skills that can carry them on to the next career opportunity. But they understand that their first commitment had better be to themselves.

It seems that most of us today live by a new definition: “loyal until.” We are loyal until our significant other upsets us once too often. We’re loyal until something or someone better comes along. In business, we’re loyal until market conditions change, or a merger takes place, or the competition takes over. We’re loyal until we feel threatened, and then we use that as an excuse to break faith with others. But I believe that this conditional commitment is like a cancer eating at the heart of our businesses and our relationships. If I feel I could be tossed out on my ear at any moment, why should I go the extra mile on my job? If I think my manager doesn’t care about me as a person, why should I do anything to make him or her look good? Isn’t it better just to put in the least amount of effort to get by?

I’m not saying that we need to go back to the good old days of lifetime employment. That’s not realistic. Today’s world of global competition and fast-moving business is not going to let us keep jobs just because we’ve been loyal employees. A company’s commitment to us, or our commitment to a company, will change when conditions change. But I do believe that the secret to success and fulfillment at work is twofold. First, both you and the other party need to be clear on the rules for the commitment. And second, both parties need to commit to create a winning relationship. Only when workers and businesses commit to win will people put their whole hearts into their jobs.

1. Get clear on the rules

Most people don’t want to do the same job forever. In fact, we want to move up in our professions, and often that involves going to another company. But it’s critical that all parties involved know the rules of the game: the requirements of both employee and business to create a committed work relationship.

The rules of the game are designed to preserve the rights of both employers and employees. These rules should be communicated at the onset of an employment agreement or partnership. What are the expectations? What commitments are being made? If one party said he or she was going to perform A to Z but does only A to C, then the rules weren’t followed as promised. In those circumstances, the other party has the right to be “loyal until.” If, for example, someone goes to work for a company with the understanding that benefits will be paid, but those benefits are subsequently taken away, it is understandable that the employee will look for other options. If the employee is hired to do a particular job but is not performing up to standards, the company will either retrain the employee or let the employee go.

2. Commit to create a winning relationship

Some employers and bosses manage to gain loyalty from others in the midst of constant change. How do they do it? They follow the second requirement of professional success: they commit to create a winning relationship. Recently I was brought in to speak for a group of managers at Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia. Anthem had just merged with Wellpoint, another huge health care provider, and a lot of changes were coming down the pike. The managers were so excited about my message on the importance of attitude that they booked me to speak to twelve hundred of their front-line associates—the people who actually enroll members and process claims. Not only did Anthem give people time off from work to attend my session, but they actually hired buses to bring associates from all over Virginia—a trip of two hours or more—because they wanted them to benefit from my message. These employees felt that the company was so committed to creating a winning ...