Welcome to 2015. You’re committed to being successful this year. Here’s a roadmap:

One. What is one goal you must accomplish this year? Got one? Now validate it by asking yourself: Why is it compelling? What is the pain if I don’t achieve the goal? Did your goal pass the test? If so, write it down.

Reflect. Be brutally honest with yourself. Which of your traits and behaviors are inhibiting achievement of the goal? Give each a label. Write them down.

Plan. Allow yourself time to think without distraction. What actions and steps are required to achieve your goal? And what must you do to overcome the traits and behaviors that are keeping you from achieving the goal? Write down the plan in the form of time-linked actions. Calendar them.

Track & Recalibrate. Regularly schedule time to track progress against your goal. Assess your performance along with why you met or didn’t meet the commitments made. Make adjustments based on your assessment.

Celebrate. Allow yourself to feel good about legitimate progress that leads to achieving the goal. Reward yourself for making progress.

This roadmap for success isn’t complicated. But it is proven. Focus, Motivation, Organization and Discipline.

Make it a successful 2015.

Your thoughts?

Michael

Patterns. If you’re serious about becoming more effective in 2015, then become a student of patterns. The patterns of behavior you exhibit when you are more effective and less effective. When you go to sleep, when you wake up, how you start your day, how you organize your day, what you say ‘yes’ to, what you say ‘no’ to, what and when you eat and drink, how you wind down your day.

Study what successful people do. (Success magazine is one of my preferred sources.) Identify the behavioral patterns they exhibit. Identify the patterns of thinking and feeling associated with those behaviors. Adopt or modify the patterns that are most relevant to your improvement.

There are patterns of thinking, feeling and acting that are associated with success. And there are patterns associated with mediocrity and even failure. If you want to change your future, then change your patterns.

Your thoughts?

Michael

For all that is said and written about strategy, it’s surprising how little agreement there is about what strategy actually is. Since the focus of my business is working with organizations to institute the structure and discipline of strategic management, I have some strong thoughts about this.

Some would say that strategy refers to the longer term intentions of an organization. Others emphasize that it must involve the organization as a whole, not merely a department, function or location. Still others maintain that the overarching goal is what is strategic, while executing towards it is tactical.

Yet imagine a small business on the brink, whose survival depends on the manufacturing department fulfilling a major order in the next 10 days. In such a case it’s hard to imagine anything more strategic. This, despite the fact that it isn’t long term and doesn’t involve the company as a whole. And the execution is very much strategic.

So what is strategy?

Strategy is a discipline, a structured and dynamic process that establishes why an organization must change, what it must achieve or become, how it intends to do it, and then acts to ensure that those intentions become reality.

That’s strategy.

Your thoughts?

Michael

Sometimes the obstacles seem insurmountable. Sometimes the sheer volume of what needs to be done seems overwhelming. You ask yourself, “Is it really worth fighting this battle?”

All of us face times like this. It’s not uncommon. Maybe the battle is worth fighting or maybe it isn’t. But before we raise the white flag we should first ask ourselves a question:

Are we defeated by the obstacles or by our discomfort in striving to overcome the obstacles?

I’m reminded of the words of a small Indian man whose belief and persistence helped lead his country to independence.

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” (Gandhi)

Your thoughts?

Michael

It’s that time again … the biannual clash for golf bragging rights between the U.S. and Europe. Get ready for pressure, drama, joy and heartbreak.

In 2012 at Medinah, Illinois the Europeans trailed 10-4 on the second-to-last day. Clawing back two late wins they ended the day trailing 10-6. Not a promising scenario, especially considering the Americans have typically dominated the singles match format on the final day.

Still, European Captain Jose Maria Olazabal delivered a simple message to his players on the evening before the final day:

Believe.

That’s all. Just believe. As Vaclav Havel, the former Czech playwright and president noted, “Belief is not a prognostication. It’s an orientation of the spirit.”

The result? In what was dubbed the “Miracle at Medinah” the Europeans came back to win and retain the Cup.

When things in your organization look bleak do you still believe? Do you force yourself to believe? And do you exude nothing but relentless belief when you engage your people?

Your thoughts?

Michael

When traveling internationally Bernadine and I like to stay at boutique hotels. In prep for our recent trip to Machu Picchu, we perused TripAdvisor – our preferred source for travel info – for places to stay in Cusco.

We were struck by the reviews of Hotel Torre Dorada. The ratings were overwhelmingly ‘excellent’ with almost all the others ‘very good’. People raved about the service. So we booked it.

And what a hotel. Martin, who greeted us at the airport and then checked us in, was a fountain of useful information. The rooms were beautifully and comfortably decorated. A selection of teas, and regularly refreshed hot water, was made available on each floor throughout the day. We anticipated the tasty omelets, fresh fruits, pastries and cheeses each morning. The breakfast staff could only be described as joyful. Monika, at the front desk, was exceptionally helpful. A shuttle service was available around-the-clock with 10 minutes notice.

Finally, we had the good fortune to meet Peggy, the engaging and spirited proprietor of Hotel Torre Dorada. I asked her how she was able to provide such consistently first-rate service.

“Hard work! I ask my staff to imagine how it would feel if they were in another country, another culture. How would they want to be treated? What would make them feel comforted? Well taken care of?”

Then she looked down at my tea cup, stopped, and said, “Oh no.” She immediately went to make a phone call. Two minutes later a woman arrived, the head of housekeeping.

“Look, this cup has a small chip in the rim. We can’t have that for our guests.”

The woman noted it, nodded in approval, and went to replace my tea.

“As I was saying, hard work! Every detail has to be just right.”

And that’s why, if you should ever travel to Cusco, you must stay at the Hotel Torre Dorada.

Your thoughts?

Michael

After hours of steep glacier travel, then 600 feet of face climbing at angles up to 65-degrees, guide Marco and I summitted Yanapaccha at 17,900 feet in the Peruvian Andes.

I shouldn’t have been surprised that the one thing Marco embodied on summit day was the one thing I’ve long said is the foundation of achievement and success: ruthless consistency.

But consistent at what? He didn’t set a consistent pace. With the varying steepness of the glacier, the subtle changes to the angle of the face, and the thinning air as we gained elevation, a consistent pace would have been crushingly exhausting … and guaranteed failure.

What he sustained, with almost unbelievable precision, was consistent effort. If the slope became a few degrees steeper he would slow just a fraction. If the angle of the face eased he would slightly extend his ice axe placements. And as we climbed higher and higher he recalibrated his pace to the thinning air.

It was hard, hard, hard, yet at the same time I felt my breathing and pounding heart were beautifully consistent.

All I had to do was imagine the voice of my Uncle Tony, who first introduced me to the mountains when I was just 10. “Take the next step. Take the next step.”

Your thoughts?

Michael

I knew it would be hard, but I didn’t know it would be that hard. Still, with guide Marco I was able to summit Yanapaccha, a 17,900-foot peak in the Peruvian Andes.

Climbing a mountain takes more than just climbing the mountain. Pursuing any goal is an exercise in ruthless consistency. To maximize the probability of success, everything that can influence success needs to be aligned with success.

You need infrastructure. In our case we had a porter and cook who carried supplies, set up base camp, and kept us fed and supported.

You need the right gear. Technical equipment such as helmets, ropes, ice axes, ice screws, belay devices and crampons. Clothing to protect against cold, wind and snow, while allowing for agile movement.

You need intel. Marco had summitted the mountain several times previous and knew it well. So when we came upon a section at 17,000 feet where the crevasse danger was simply too great, he was able to quickly identify an alternate route (that required 600 feet of face climbing up to 65-degrees!).

Acclimatization is critical. I spent four nights at over 10,000 feet, had two acclimatization hikes to 15,000 feet, and slept two nights at 16,400 feet before the climb. And you need a base of physical training. On hikes, and using various machines, I had climbed over 140,000 feet in the six months leading up to the climb.

Finally, you need to prepare mentally. For fatigue, uncertainty and danger.

Climbing a mountain takes more than just showing up and climbing the mountain. It takes a ruthlessly consistent approach to planning, preparation and performance.

Your thoughts?

Michael

One of our clients is going through a rebranding exercise. As you might expect, they are coming away with a refreshed logo, compelling messaging, and a snappy tagline.

Which will be a complete waste of time, money and effort if they don’t live the brand.

What does that mean? It means that the new brand commitment – in this case, making the next moment truly matter – has to be reflected not just in what they say but in what they do. It has to translate into behaviors.

If we want to make the next moment truly matter for customers, then we have to understand what truly matters from the customer’s perspective. So for the next few months, starting with the executive team, we’ll be engaging customers with the primary purpose of empathizing. Seeing through their eyes, thinking in their minds, and feeling with their hearts. Before we jump ahead to evaluating and solving, we want to empathize with their total experience.

Then, if we can validate our understanding with the customer, so they know that we empathize, and satisfy the needs we’ve empathized with, we truly will be living the brand.

Your thoughts?

Michael

Inconsistency kills. When you as a leader say one thing but do another you kill your credibility. You demotivate your people. And you undermine your ability to win.

What does inconsistency look like? It’s when you trumpet excellence yet tolerate mediocrity. When you commit to a strategy but don’t execute it. When you provide moral support but not material support. When you emphasize respect but act disrespectfully. In each case you’re sending the same message: I said one thing but did another. So what’s the message your people are receiving? You’re not credible. You can’t be trusted.

As a leader, they’re judging you. Constantly. They listen to what you say but they hear what you do. Are you consistent? We’re bloodhounds for inconsistency from the time we’re young. Ever have a child catch you doing something you shouldn’t? “Why did you do that when you told me not to?” Uh-oh. How far does the do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do explanation get you? Right.

The crime of it is your people want you to be credible. They want to trust you. They want to believe you’ve got a clear vision and are committed to achieving it. Most of all, they want to feel secure in knowing you’ll set them up to succeed, not to fail. Consistency inspires. Inconsistency kills.

Your thoughts?

Michael

I realized early on that I couldn’t trust his judgment. We were on a 17-day trek to the base camp of K2 – the second highest mountain in the world, located in Northeast Pakistan. When our Head Guide – Malcolm – suggested that, contrary to the published itinerary, our party might return via the Gondogoro Pass at over 18,000 feet, I questioned his thinking. The pass, I had read, is known for rock and ice fall at that time of year. He seemed surprised, and said the group could decide on the way back where the two routes fork.

The group could decide? As the leader, shouldn’t he be prepared with as much knowledge as possible to make the right decision?

I told my wife that I planned to veto the idea on decision day. The warnings in my mountain guidebook were clear. Not to mention that our group didn’t have the technical equipment needed to cross a high-altitude pass.

I try not to confuse being adventurous with being an imbecile.

Two weeks later, returning from the awe-inspiring beauty of K2, we were met by several Pakistani’s who came to deliver a warning. There had just been a tragedy at the Gondogoro Pass. Two men had died in a rock fall – one was decapitated. One other person had a broken leg and was waiting evacuation by helicopter.

Our decision was made for us.

Application: Every great leader is detailed in their preparations. They learn, reflect and anticipate. They plan for contingencies. You can’t cut corners. Be very well prepared.

Your thoughts?

Michael