Defeats are Essential for Victories!

Maya Angelou once said “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”  I do not know anyone who enjoys loosing.  I admit that I am very competitive and have always hated loosing.  It is okay to want to win because that desire and determination fuels your drive for success; however, what you should not do is allow failures or defeats to deter you from continuing to pursue your goals.  Actually, I argue that defeat is your most useful tool in business and life because there is nothing to learn from a victory.  Victories are awesome because they allow you an opportunity to celebrate your abilities and skills while feeling good about what you have done.  The problems with victories is that they are short lived.  Often victories are finite.  Failures on the other hand are the greatest instructors in life.  Failures push you to ask tough questions like "what went wrong?... why did it go wrong?... what should I do next time to prevent the wrong from happening again?" and the like.  Failures also test how serious you are about achieving the goals you are chasing.  If you quit easily then perhaps you are not as passionate about your work as you thought.  So let us take Dr. Angelou's advice and acknowledge defeat yet never accept it.  Instead let us rise from setbacks and come out of each defeat a stronger and smarter person.  You can do it!  -Derek A. Terry, Principal Consultant www.ConsultingDAT.com

Keys to Success: Hard work & Patience!

Just after I began ministerial training I had the opportunity to shadow a senior pastor as he officiated the funeral of one of his church members.  After the service I accompanied the pastor and the owner of the funeral home in the funeral procession from the church to the member's internment.  The owner of the funeral home drove us in his car which was a beautiful late new Mercedes S class.  I was in my early 20's at the time and instantly fell in love with the car.  The first thing I said to the owner as we made our way to the cemetery was "this is a beautiful car!"  The owner was an older African American gentleman who appeared to be in his 70's or 80's and was a well known successful businessman and philanthroper in my hometown.  After I complemented his car he smiled and asked "How old are you young man?"  I told him my age and he said, "work hard and save hard.  Drive cars don't let the desire for cars drive you."  He then went on to tell a story of a nineteen year old intern who worked at his funeral home.  He said that the first time the young man saw his beautiful new car he proclaimed that he was going to work and save and get one just like it by the time he was twenty one.  The older gentleman laughed and told the young man "Funny thing is I had to work 65 years before I started buying cars like that." 

I still remember that that day in the car with that inspiring man.  He died a few years ago and I only had the opportunity to meet him once but I am grateful for that meeting.  I learned many valuable lessons in the car that day, yet the most important was the idea of working hard and being patient.  Unfortunately we live in a microwave society that says everything should be fast.  The idea of working hard and saving your money to achieve success and the American dream is often considered by some an outdated method.  Fast food encourages quick meals, yet we sacrifice taste and nutrition.  Shows like American Idol encourage overnight success, yet the participants sacrifice experience.  Lottery tickets encourage instant riches, yet those who win often do not have the fiscal acumen to handle new found wealth. In other words whenever we take shortcuts to success we usually sacrifice the benefits that we would have received enduring the entire process.  As a consultant my job is to work with clients to help them understand the next steps they should take to move closer to their desired goals.  The first thing that I make sure my clients understand is that there is no shortcut to success.  Success is a marathon not a sprint- it is achieved but it takes hard work, tenacity, and endurance.  Whenever I am asked "how can we guarantee success?" I simply reply "hard work and patience."  Unfortunately there is no substitute for hard work and patience.  Hard work is a driving force patience is the force that keeps you driving until you reach your destination.  To that end I encourage you to keep working hard and keep trusting the process!  It will pay off in the end.  - Derek A. Terry, Principal Consultant www.ConsutltingDAT.com 

67 Minutes of Service!

Today is South African Peace Leader Nelson Mandela's 94th birthday!  In 2009 the United Nations declared July 18th International Mandela day and Mr. Mandela is calling for people all over the world to take 67 minutes out of their lives and do something positive for someone else today.  Sometimes as business leaders we are so focused on the bottom line that we forgot that whatever industry we are in we are providing a service.  Today let us take just 67 minutes of our day to serve our community.  Mr. Mandela spent 67 years of his life serving others; can't we sacrifice 67 minutes?  Serve well!  - Derek A. Terry, Principal Consultant. www.ConsultingDAT.com

7 Habits of Highly Effective People

In 1989 Author Stephan Covey published a self-help book entitled "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People."  To date the book has sold nearly 30million copies in 38 languages.  The book as come to be known as one of the greatest authorities on leadership, management, and self improvement to date.  Recently Covey died so I thought  there was no better way to honor his life than share his seven habits with you.

Independence or Self-Mastery- The First Three Habits surround moving from dependence to independence (i.e., self mastery):

• Habit 1: Be Proactive

Take initiative in life by realizing that your decisions (and how they align with life's principles) are the primary determining factor for effectiveness in your life. Take responsibility for your choices and the consequences that follow.

• Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

Self-discover and clarify your deeply important character values and life goals. Envision the ideal characteristics for each of your various roles and relationships in life. Create a mission statement.

• Habit 3: Put First Things First

Prioritize, plan, and execute your week's tasks based on importance rather than urgency. Evaluate whether your efforts exemplify your desired character values, propel you toward goals, and enrich the roles and relationships that were elaborated in Habit 2.

Interdependence- The next three have to do with Interdependence (i.e., working with others):

• Habit 4: Think Win-Win

Genuinely strive for mutually beneficial solutions or agreements in your relationships. Value and respect people by understanding a "win" for all is ultimately a better long-term resolution than if only one person in the situation had gotten his way.

• Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood

Use empathic listening to be genuinely influenced by a person, which compels them to reciprocate the listening and take an open mind to being influenced by you. This creates an atmosphere of caring, respect, and positive problem solving.

• Habit 6: Synergize

Combine the strengths of people through positive teamwork, so as to achieve goals no one person could have done alone. Get the best performance out of a group of people through encouraging meaningful contribution, and modeling inspirational and supportive leadership.

Self Renewal- The Last habit relates to self-rejuvenation:

• Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

Balance and renew your resources, energy, and health to create a sustainable, long-term, effective lifestyle. It primarily emphasizes on exercise for physical renewal, prayer (mediation, yoga, etc.) and good reading for mental renewal. It also mentions service to the society for spiritual renewal.

(From Wikipedia) Click here for the entire article.  

NEVER EVER GIVE UP!

I love children.  Especially those who have just discovered their personal will to be independent.  For example, have you ever seen a child who refused to allow an adult to feed them.  They defiantly grab the spoon and awkwardly swing it around their faces trying to slide it into their mouths.  Inevitably they get more food on their cheeks, their shirts, and the table than in their tummy.  As children get older they attempt to become more independent.  They want to walk at the times that their parents want to carry them.  Some children want to dress themselves at the expense of style and coordinating colors.  Other children demand to tie their own shoes even though they don't know how yet.  I love children because they don't care if they mess up; they just want to try.  Adults should take an example from children and learn to try without fear of failing.  Children don't care about getting a little messy or wearing colors that don't match; they just want to try!  Think of the victories you could achieve if you tried more without fear.  I dare you!  I Double D DARE YOU to try more!  -Derek A. Terry, Principal Consultant www.ConsultingDAT.com

Lead by Example

Have you ever had a supervisor that held you to higher standards that they refused to meet?  How did you feel?  If you are like me you grew frustrated, annoyed, or downright disgusted as you tried to figure out how someone could require so much from you and so little from self.  Moreover, if you have ever found yourself in this predicament you probably felt less inclined to do the work that you were hired to do.  After all, why work hard if your boss isn't willing to do the same?  That's exactly how many of your employees feel if you are not leading by example.  I see employers make this mistake repeatedly then wonder why office morale is failing.  If you want your staff to work hard- you must set the tone.  You should not require early mornings and late nights from them if you only put in a 4 hour work day.  I know, I know- many leaders complain that they have more work to do, more meetings to attend, and more responsibility on their shoulders so they should be allowed to regularly sleep in or skip out early.  WRONG!! You have more meetings and responsibility because you're the boss.  You are getting paid more.  You agreed to lead a team. To that end, make every effort to prove to your staff that you are a trusted colleague.  Don't just be the boss- be a cheerleader, a supporter, an encourager.  Once your staff realizes that you are not a hypocrite they will respect your work ethic and consciously or unconsciously seek to mirror it.  Conversly, if you present yourself as lazy and flakey they will mirror that sentiment as well.  Take my advice- Lead by example.  Idealize what you believe would be the work ethic of a model employee and show that example to your staff in everything that you do.  Don't just lead, lead well! -Derek A. Terry, Principal Consultant www.ConsultingDAT.com

Silent Killer: Procrastination!

This morning a longtime client of ours made a bold statement about someone we've both worked with in the past.  In essence she exclaimed that the individual we were referring to was lazy.  I thought about her words for a split second before I responded- "He's not lazy, he just procrastinates."  After the words slipped through my lips we both sat quietly on the phone for a few seconds before she replied "You're right!  That's exactly what he does."  Since that conversation I have thought about by own shortcomings and those I witness in the professional and personal efforts of individuals around me.  Sometimes people come off as lazy when the fact is that they work very hard they just procrastinate in the process.  It only appears that they are lazy simply because they wait until the last minute to do the work that needs to be done. At the last minute they then throw all of their energy into trying to get it done.  We call them lazy because too often procrastinated work is not the best work.  It usually looks last minute and pieced together.  It looks unfinished.  It is disappointing.  With that said we owe it to ourselves, our colleagues, and our customers to practice better time management skills so that we do not end up procrastinating until the last minute.  Procrastination kills companies.  Procrastination kills careers.  Procrastination kills relationships.  Procrastination kills ministries.  No one will want to work with you or hire you if you make their work feel like an afterthought.  Whenever you have a big project or task to do the first thing you should do is develop a plan of action outlining the steps you need to take to reach your goal.  Next, you should set realistic time points noting when each part of the task will be completed.  If at some point along the way you realize that you will be unable to complete the work at the time that you indicated make sure that you inform them AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.  It is better to inform them early so that they can regroup.  If you wait to the last moment not only will you will be frustrated but so will those working with you.  Also make sure that you don't bite off more than you can chew.  It is better to tell people no than over commit and drop the ball.  Additionally, it is also great to keep your colleagues and clients informed as to what you are doing and where you are as you work on their projects.  This makes them less anxious and helps you hold yourself more accountable.  No matter how busy you are- Don't procrastinate!  Start being a better manager of your time today! - Derek A. Terry, Principal Consultant www.ConsultingDAT.com