Are you Hungry for Confidence?

November 23rd, 2009


First Reaction/First Glance

When you awake and prepare for each day what are you hungry for?

Are you thinking about your favorite bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee, or perhaps about what you want to accomplish at work, home or for your family during the day?

If your like most of us you are a creature of habit going through the same routines every day, checking off your to do items until exhaustion gets the best of you and then relaxation sets in and hopefully find yourself doing one of your favorite hobbies.

Can you change?

The answer to this question is a resounding yes? Let's investigate some opportunities.

How about taking just a few minutes to write down five (5) to ten (10) of your long term goals or dreams.
Once you have done this then pick one or two that are the most achievable. I am suggesting one that might allow your others to be more easily achieved.

Improvement for the Future

Experiencing high performance is not just an action or event that happens.

Raising expectations is something that starts with you and your desired wishes.

Now that you have selected your favorite goal, write down some action steps with assigned dates to achieving it and place them into your daily routine.

This simple change will challenge you to personal growth and will more than likely create greater achievements.

Winning Confidence of the people around you can't be obtained until you win it for yourself.

A NEW SEASON

First Reaction/First Glance

Our beloved Bengals prepared for six (6) weeks leading up to the new season opener and their preparation earned them a good start, but unfortunately an unlucky loss. Hopefully they can remain focused for the rest of the season.

Here at TP Mechanical, our management is preparing for a new fiscal year and the opening bell rings on October 1st.

This year we will be forced to look and prepare for business in new and innovative ways.

The Learning Process

In this season of new business, we must draw up some new plans. Because most of us have never experienced times like this, our plans must start with innovation. In fact this season will be a true test for all managers.

They can no longer rely on what has worked in the past. In other words, they must change their daily routine and begin focusing on creative ideas which will prepare them for the here and now as well as the future.

Improving for the Future

The Bengals prepared for the Broncos by anticipating how their defense would react to the plays the coaching staff drew up and vice-versa.

In business we have to take time and think how our customers want to purchase our services. I believe they are looking for new flavors or recipes, that at the end of the day produce the same results, but for a more competitive price.

As you go to the drawing board, we must now take the whole team into the room and leverage everyone’s new ideas and thoughts. We must prepare for a tough season that lies ahead.

So we must ask ourselves, are we ready to be innovative and play for the win or stand on the sidelines and just watch the action?

As always, please feel free to respond with your thoughts or ideas.

Scott Teepe Sr.
CEO
513-309-9900

TAKE ACTION

First Reaction/ First Glance
Imagine yourself just waking up from a 30-minute to 1-hour nap and you’re refreshed and ready to tackle whatever is in front of you.

Now imagine that instead of waking from a short nap, you oversleep and it's one year later. In this case you hardly remember what has happened in the past and you’re so refreshed you throw off your covers and you’re ready to use all your knowledge and skills from the past, but then you walk outside and everything appears different.

What causes you to think that? Is it just a dream? Are you ready to explore? Or are you fearful?

Of course all of these questions are valid as well as the evidence that you find to support your beliefs.

The Learning Process
I would like to take you back into history and share a short story I just recently read.

It was during the battle at Gettysburg in the Civil War when a young soldier by the name of Colonel Joshua Chamberlien was leading a group of men that started with over one thousand soldiers in a battle to take over and defend this famous landmark.

With his army depleted and down to 300 tired, battered men and with only one or two rounds of ammunition left, he gathered his troops and decided to take action. Full of confidence and with two of his brothers by his side he yelled out, "Charge!" and with that all of his men jumped the wall, which seemingly was their only chance of survival, and charged General Lee and his Confederate Army.

Even though they were greatly out numbered and with little ammunition their sheer action caused General Lee and his Army to retreat giving Colonel Chamberlien and his Union Army a key victory in the war.

Moving Forward Today

Why is this relevant to you and the people you lead? Just like Colonel Chamberlien, we are faced with an outcome none of us can predict. We can choose fear, we can talk about that dreaded "E" word, or we can take action by looking and finding new ideas that will allow us to continue to "deliver excellence" in a fearless environment.

Managing your team today is probably different that any other time period you have experienced in your life time. More than likely you have had to make many tough decisions, decisions that perhaps caused frustration and anxiety in your work place. However in times like these we must prepare for the future so your teams are prepared for the even better times that lie ahead.

So when you awake tomorrow take some time to think differently than you have in the past, step out of the normal and take action.

Your Team will become stronger and more united than ever, I'm sure of it.

Have you dusted off your Crystall ball lately?

First Reaction/ First Glance

Predicting the future has been tried by many, only to find out that change disrupts where the great minds envision where we are going and what we want to accomplish.

Many certainly have claimed stake in their future predictions and justifiably so, let’s explore further.

The Learning Process

You have heard many times in the past that you must plan with the end in mind and I couldn’t agree more. However planning and envisioning are two different leadership characteristics.

Suppose you close your eyes for a minute or so and ask this questions to your self about a current project or task you are working on. What will this look like to me and or to others when this is complete? Why are we doing this and how will this help us in the future?

Improving for the future

This is where you paint a picture of exactly how it will look, imagine the outcomes of your efforts, and assemble each of the tasks to create a sculpture of your vision.

I promise if you exercise your mind in different ways these visions will become reality, in fact I’m even more confident that they will exceed your expectations.

So get your dust rag out shine that crystal ball and look inside, there is some incredible things you will discover.

THE FOUR CORNER OFFENSE

First Reaction/First Glance
In the 1970's and early 1980's the North Carolina Tar Heels developed and perfected the Four Corner Offense in college basketball. This technique was developed to stall the game against their opponent after a sizable lead was established in order to preserve the win.

At work do you find yourself in the stall mode when a daunting task is at hand? Let's go to the white board.


The Learning Process
There have been many times in my career that I have stalled my own progress by letting lingering tasks go uncompleted. I allow excuses like, not enough time, too time consuming, this is out of my comfort zone, or it just doesn’t motivate me.

I have found over the years that when I breakdown any assignment/task into smaller segments then the completion seems more achievable and less overwhelming.


Improvement for the Future
As challenging tasks are assigned to you here are some suggestions in helping you complete them:

Seek guidance and help from a fellow employee who has more knowledge and can provide valuable insight.

Write down the task and the segments and keep it in your view or add to your task list in Microsoft Outlook with reminders.

Give yourself goal dates to complete each segment and discipline yourself to meet them.

Present your information to a friend, co-worker, or family member for positive feedback.

GOOD LUCK AND REMEMBER TO TURN ON YOUR SHOT CLOCK SO YOU CAN WIN MORE GAMES!!!

HOW HIGH DOES YOUR FOUNTAIN SURGE?

First Reaction/First Glance
Water fountains are designed for entrances into hotels, offices, parks, etc. They are truly artists’ representations of their creativity and expression which provide us subtle and calming effects on our moods. In fact some fountains invite us to toss in coins and make a wish that will hopefully come true.

The Learning Process
When I look at various water fountains, I sometimes reflect on the many configurations, the heights they soar to, the ripples they create in the water, or the spray they shoot across the water pond. I then begin comparing them to special events in my life such as family birthdays, special accomplishments, being awarded a new job, and other special moments.

Improvement for the Future
Imagine for a moment that the surges or sprays from the fountains represent your mood swings during the day or even the week.

As you think about the times your fountain is surging or spraying at their highest levels, try to remember what events took place that caused your fountain pumps to churn at higher RPMs. Jot down those events and see if a pattern develops. If so, then try focusing or reflecting back on your secret recipe so that your fountain can perform at the highest levels more often.

Who knows - perhaps your fountain water may splash onto others causing their fountains to strut their stuff as well.

DO YOU OPERATE IN A TUNNEL?

First Reaction/First Glance
When you walk through the door at work each morning, do you follow the same routine? Are your thoughts focused on the daily tasks that you concentrate on day in and day out? How would it be if you thought about the following:

The Learning Process
A good friend and mentor to me wakes up each morning and thinks simple thoughts like what am I going to accomplish today? How will I make a difference in my world today? Or my favorite, what will I do today to take myself and the people I lead to new levels.

Improvement for the Future
Imagine as you begin each new day envisioning what could be awaiting you on the other side of the tunnel.

I am suggesting that each day you create a new and special tunnel vision.

Examples are:
What person in your life would you like to influence in a special way? What new and creative idea would you like to share with your boss or co-worker? Or perhaps who do you need to call that you haven't spoken to in a while?

There are many other thoughts and if you create your own list and practice it every day, I promise your Tunnel will be shorter and full of light.

A New Year Creates New Opportunities

First Reaction/ First Glance

This time of year always creates new goals and resolutions, like be more productive at work, exercise on a routine basis, start a new diet, clean out your closets, etc.

Of course all of these are important and for many their goals and resolutions come true, which creates a great sense of accomplishment and pride for staying true to their commitment.

The Learning Process

Then again for some of us these goals and resolutions fall by the wayside because we lose focus on what we want to accomplish or simply fall back into the same routine we go through day in and day out.

What if you change your thinking this New Year and reflect back on the past year on a bad experience, a relationship that didn't go well, or a project that failed at work.

Improving for the Future

Take a few moments to relive one of these painful events and jot down a few notes on what you would or could have done differently. Set a new goal or plan taking what you learned and make amends for your actions.

You might just be surprised at the many events this past year that were true learning experiences. I believe it's these experiences that build our characters and allow us to make this a promising and prosperous new year for ourselves, families, friends and co-workers.

I hope your New Year is filled with excitement.