Jon Gordon’s Blog | Developing Positive Leaders, Organizations and Teams

9 Ways to Beat Negativity

1. Tell yourself a positive story. Life is a story. The story we tell ourselves and the role we play in that story determines the quality and direction of our life. Successful people are able to overcome adversity by telling themselves a more positive story than the rest. Instead of a drama or a horror movie, they define their life as an inspirational tale. Instead of being the victim, they see themselves as a fighter and over- comer. You may not be able to control the economy, but you can influence the outcome of your story.

2. Model yourself after success. Are there people in your industry succeeding today? Of course there are. Seek out those people in your industry and ask to meet with them. Learn from their advice and model their attitudes and actions. If they can succeed, so can you.

3. Focus on the important stuff. Tune out the negative voices and start making positive choices. What are you doing on a daily basis to grow yourself, your team, and your business? Don’t focus on the negative things other people and the media are saying. Instead, focus on marketing your business, taking care of clients, and building loyal relationships. Every morning ask yourself this question: “What are the three most important things I need to do today that will help me create the success I desire?” Then take action on those items.

4. Replace “have to” with “get to.” This simple word swap can change your mind-set and your approach to work and life. It turns a complaining voice to an appreciative voice, and acknowledges that life is a gift—not an obligation. So often we grudgingly say things like “I have to go to this meeting,” “I have to meet with this client,” or “I have to make a bunch of phone calls.” In reality, it’s not about what we have to do. It’s about what we get to do. Research shows that when we practice gratitude, we get a measurable boost in happiness that energizes us and enhances our health. It’s also physiologically impossible to be stressed and thankful at the same time.

5. Refuse to participate in the recession. Professionals who’ve thrived during past recessions continued to go about business as usual regardless of market conditions. They worked hard and focused on taking actions to grow their business. As others are paralyzed by fear, take the opportunity to charge forward.

6. Boost your marketing and advertising. It may seem counterintuitive to spend more money on advertising and marketing right now. But with so many of your competitors cutting back in these areas, this is a great opportunity to build your brand and gain market share. People are still buying and selling, and they will buy from those whom they trust and see in the marketplace.

7. Create a positive vision. Instead of being disappointed about where you are, make the decision to be optimistic about where you are going. Create a positive vision for your future and the future of your team. Vision helps you see the road ahead and it gives you something meaningful and valuable to strive towards.

8. Invite others on your bus. Invite colleagues and customers to board your bus for a positive ride. Send them an e-bus ticket at www.TheEnergyBus.com. Share your vision with team members and ask them to join you in making this vision a reality. Be a positive influence.

9. No more complaining. Abide by the “no complaining” rule. When you realize you’re about to complain, replace your thoughts and words with positive actions. Let your complaints help you identify what you don’t want so that you can focus on what you do want. The key is to turn complaints into solutions.

What strategies do you utilize to deal with negativity? Share your comments here.

-Jon

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Tags: 9 ways to beat negativity, business, jon gordon, Negativity, Outcome, Positive Story, Recession, success, team

Create a Culture of Greatness

To build a winning a team and a successful organization you must create a culture of greatness.

It’s the most important thing a leader can do because culture drives behavior, behavior drives habits and habits create the future. As the leaders at Apple say, “Culture beats strategy all day long.”

When you create a culture of greatness you create a collective mindset in your organization that expects great things to happen—even during challenging times. You expect your people to be their best, you make it a priority to coach them to be their best and most of all you create a work environment that fuels them to be their best.

A culture of greatness creates an expectation that everyone in the organization be committed to excellence. It requires leaders and managers to put the right people in the right positions where they are humble and hungry and willing to work harder than everyone else. A culture of greatness dictates that each person use their gifts and strengths to serve the purpose and mission of the organization. And it means that you don’t just bring in the best people, but you also bring out the best in your people.

If you are thinking that this sounds like common sense, it is. But unfortunately far too many organizations expect their people to be their best but they don’t invest their time and energy to help them be their best nor do they create an environment that is conducive to success. They want great results but they are not willing to do what it takes to create a culture of greatness.

A culture of greatness requires that you find the right people that fit your culture. Then you coach them, develop them, mentor them, train them and empower them to do what they do best. As part of this process you develop positive leaders who share positive energy throughout the organization because positive energy flows from the top down. You also don’t allow negativity to sabotage the morale, performance and success or your organization. You deal with negativity at the cultural level so your people can spend their time focusing on their work instead of fighting energy vampires. And you find countless ways to enhance communication, build trust and create engaged relationships that are the foundation upon which winning teams are built.

If creating a culture of greatness sounds like a lot of work, it is, but not as much work as dealing with the crises, problems and challenges associated with negative, dysfunctional and sub-par cultures. While most organizations waste a lot of time putting out fires you can spend your time building a great organization that rises above the competition.

To learn more about our “Create a Culture of Greatness” Team Building Kit, click here.

-Jon

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Tags: business, Create a Culture of Greatness, culture, Excellence, humble, jon gordon, Organizations, Strategy, Teams

A QUEST FOR EXCELLENCE

This past month I had the opportunity to speak to the University of Texas football team and The Atlanta Falcons. In my talks I shared that the best of the best make their life and work a quest for excellence and that there is a difference between success and excellence.

Success is often measured by comparison to others. Excellence, on the other hand, is all about being the best we can be and maximizing our gifts, talents and abilities to perform at our highest potential.

We live in a world that loves to focus on success and loves to compare. We are all guilty of doing this. However, I believe that to be our best we must focus more on excellence and less on success. We must focus on being the best we can be and realize that our greatest competition is not someone else but ourselves.

For example, coaching legend John Wooden often wouldn’t tell his players who they were playing each game. He felt that knowing the competition was irrelevant. He believed that if his team played to the best of their ability they would be happy with the outcome. In fact, John Wooden never focused on winning. He had his team focus on teamwork, mastering the fundamentals, daily improvement and the process that excellence requires. As a result he and his teams won A LOT.

A focus on excellence was also the key for golfing legend Jack Nicklaus. His secret was to play the course not the competition. He simply focused on playing the best he could play against the course he was playing. While others were competing against Jack, he was competing against the course and himself.

The same can be said for Apple’s approach with the iPod, iPhone and iPad. When they created these products they didn’t focus on the competition. Instead they focused on creating the best product they could create. As a result, rather than measuring themselves against others they have become the measuring stick.

We have a choice as individuals, organizations and teams. We can focus on success and spend our life looking around to see how our competition is doing, or we can look straight ahead towards the vision of greatness we have for ourselves and our teams. We can look at competition as the standard or as an indicator of our progress towards our own standards. We can chase success or we can embark on a quest for excellence and focus 100% of our energy to become our best… and let success find us.

Ironically, when our goal is excellence the outcome and byproduct is often success.

Do you agree that there is a difference between success and excellence?

Share your thoughts on our blog here or Facebook page.

-Jon

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Read the full newsletter this article is from here.

Tags: atlanta falcons, Excellence, inspiration, jon gordon, Quest, success, university of texas

20 Books that Inspired Me

I remember the day I decided I wanted to be a writer. I was dealing with a lot of challenges in my life and realized I wanted to inspire others the way certain writers inspired me. I am often asked about books that have made a difference in my life. So here are the ones that have impacted me on my journey. (They are in order of when I read them).

What books have inspired you? Join the conversation on our blog and Facebook.

1. The Road Less Traveled, Scott M. Peck (I read this at the age of 20)

2. Illusions, Richard Bach (Read this during the summer while in college)

3. Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Richard Bach (Inspired me to write fables years later)

4. The Seven Spiritual Law of Success, Deepak Chopra

5. All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, Robert Fulghum

6. Seat of the Soul, Gary Zukav (My wife suggested I read this when we first met)

7. The Greatest Salesman, Og Mandino (My mom gave me this)

8. Who Moved My Cheese, Spencer Johnson (This book helped me to see that the cheese at the dot.com company I was working for was rotting)

9. Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki (This book inspired me to open a restaurant)

10. The One Minute Manager, Ken Blanchard (Ken is simply the best)

11. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho

12. The Barbarian Way, Erwin McManus

13. Velvet Elvis, Rob Bell

14. Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren

15. The Essential Wooden, by John Wooden

16. Tribes, Seth Godin

17. Traveling Light, Max Lucado

18. Leadership is an Art, Max DePree

19. The Art of Racing in the Rain, Garth Stein

20. Humility, Andrew Murray

-Jon

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Tags: 20 Books, Deepak Chopra, erwin mcmanus, Insppired Me, jon gordon, Ken Blanchard, Max Depree, Paulo Coelho, Richard Bach, Rob Bell, Seth Godin

Seize the Moment

As Training Camp begins in the NFL I’m getting ready to speak to a few teams. One of the things I will be talking about is Seizing the Moment. In this spirit I want to share an excerpt from Training Camp, a story about a young man trying to achieve his dream, a special coach who guides him and the life lessons he learns along the way. I hope it will help you excel in the game of life. Life is a series of moments and the quality of our lives is determined by the quality of our moments. In this excerpt Coach Ken shares with Martin the importance of seizing the moment.

SEIZE THE MOMENT

(Excerpt from Training Camp)

The best seize the moment because they don’t allow their fear of failure to define them. They know this fear exists, and they overcome it. Their faith is greater than any score, performance, or outcome. Even if they lose, they are still on the path to greatness. And even if they fail, they are one step closer to the perfection they seek.

Ironically, even though the best have a dream and a vision within their sights, it is the journey, not the destination, that matters most to them. The moment is more important than any success or failure. The moment is the success. The moment is the reward.

When the best are in the midst of their performance, they are not thinking “What if I win?” or “What if I lose?” They are not thinking “What if I make a mistake or miss the shot?” They are not interested in what the moment produces but are only concerned with what they produce in the moment. When all eyes are watching, they know that this is the moment they have been preparing and waiting for.

Rather than hiding from pressure, they rise to the occasion. As a result, the best define the moment rather than letting the moment define them. To seize the moment, don’t let your failure define you; let it fuel you. Don’t run from fear; face it and embrace it. Don’t let fear rob you of your love and joy for the game; let it push you into the moment and beyond yourself. Let it inspire you to live and work each day as though it was your last.

Don’t let the moment define you. You define the moment. Define it by knowing that your practice and preparation have prepared you well. Define it with your mental strength, faith and confidence. Define it by knowing that regardless of the outcome, you have given your very best.

Everyone talks about destiny. Everyone searches for it, not realizing that each and every moment is your destiny. Make every moment of your life count.

Don’t focus on the past, and don’t look to the future. Focus on the now. Success, rewards, accolades, fame, and fortune are merely byproducts for those who are able to seize the moment—not those who look beyond it. Ironically, to enjoy success you must not focus on it. Rather, you must focus on the process that produces success.

You are more than your successes. You are more than your failures. You are who you are in the moment. Enjoy it. Live it. Make the most of it. Make it yours.

What prevents you from seizing the moment? What helps you seize the moment? Share your thoughts on our Blog and Facebook page.

-Jon

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Tags: jon gordon, NFL, seize the moment, Teams, training camp

It’s About You

It’s summertime and while on vacation this week I’ve been reflecting and recharging. Instead of my usual business focused newsletter I’ve written something a little different. Enjoy!

In Rick Warren’s mega best-seller Purpose Driven Life he famously begins the book with “It’s not about you.” While I understand his intention with this statement I think he should have begun with “It’s about you, however, it’s not just about you.”

Because I believe it is about you. If it weren’t about you, you wouldn’t be here.

You are not an accident.

You are here for a reason.

You have a destiny.

You have a purpose.

You have gifts and talents.

You do things that only you can do in the way you do them.

You and only you can leave your mark on the world.

So it is about you!

However, it’s not just about you. Because if it was just about you, you’d be:

Self-serving

Alone

Narcissistic

Empty

Unfulfilled

It’s about more than you. It’s about knowing you were made for relationships:

To love

To mentor

To learn

To serve

To create

To build

To dream

To work together

To change for the better

It’s about living for more than you.

For a bigger purpose.

For a greater cause.

For a deeper meaning.

For those who will become your legacy.

It’s about you knowing you are part of something much bigger than you.

You live in a universe.

Uni-verse means one-song.

Songs don’t happen by accident.

Songs are created by organizing notes into arrangements and patterns.

And so there is a Creator of the one-song.

You are an expression of the Creator.

You are a note in His symphony.

It’s about you!

It’s about you contributing to the one-song.

It’s about you playing your part to the best of your ability.

It’s about you lifting others up.

Its about you living the purpose God created you for.

It’s about you, the Creator, and the song becoming one.

It’s about you and now what you do is up to you.

Join the conversation and share your thoughts on this article on our Facebook Page or Here on our Blog.

-Jon

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Tags: Creator, God, It's About You, jon gordon, Life, Meaning, Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren, Uni-verse, Up to You

The Power of a Positive Mindset

It’s easy to be positive when everything in life is going great. The hard part is staying positive when life kicks you down and knocks you around.

It’s even harder when we see so many people around us and on television who are enjoying great success. As a society we celebrate the rich, successful and famous and too often focus on the picture of success rather than the journey it took to create it.

It’s as if we see only a picture of someone enjoying the best moment of their life while the video of the struggle and pain it took to get to that moment sits in the closet. We don’t hear about the obstacles and adversities people, organizations and businesses had to encounter to create their success.

The fact is no one goes through life untested. If you study history and business you will find that every great leader and team had to overcome adversity and challenges to define themselves and their success.

Apple and Steve Jobs are all the buzz right now but let’s remember that Steve Jobs was once down and out, fired from his job and Apple was left for dead. Mark Ruffalo, one of my favorite actors, struggled for years and faced countless auditions and rejections before becoming a movie star. As for me, I can attest that I was rejected by almost every publisher before finally getting published. I have faced countless obstacles, rejections, naysayers and energy vampires on my journey. Everyone does. I have learned that with so many people telling us we can’t do it we have to be positive and believe we can. We have to have faith and trust in a bigger plan for our life.

The concept of the “overnight success” is a myth. Get rich quick schemes don’t work. Life is a test and a deciding factor of whether we pass or fail is the answer to the following question “Are you going to stay positive in the face of your doubts, fears and challenges?”

Jennifer Hudson, from the movie Dream Girls, said in an article that positive thinking was essential to her success. Mortgage and real estate companies are encouraging their employees to stay positive during this challenging market. Every week I receive emails from people who have received promotions because they have stayed positive. And history is defined by people who overcame challenges and obstacles to change the world.

Staying positive is not about putting on a fake smile or believing you can do it all yourself. Rather it’s about being optimistic and living with hope and having faith. The measure of our success will not be determined by how we act during the great times in our life but rather by how we think and respond to the challenges of our most difficult moments.

Has a positive mindset helped you in life or at work? Share your story on our Blog or Facebook page.

Stay Positive!

Jon

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Tags: jon gordon, The Power of a Positive Mindset

5 Questions

Tags: 5 Questions, Beliefs, Inspiratonal, jon gordon, leader, Leadership, Poster, Soup

5 People Who Inspire Me

Tanya Walters - She’s a bus driver who stopped being a passenger in life and decided to become a driver of positive change. One day after realizing that most of her students were failing in school she decided to challenge them to do better. She challenged them to study harder, focus more and improve their grades. When they succeeded she took them on a trip on a marine biology cruise which led to the idea of a summer bus trip around the country. The purpose was to expose children to a world and life beyond the toughest streets in Los Angeles. She succeeded and now 8 trips later her non-profit, God Parents Youth Organization, has evolved into a powerful mentoring / touring program that takes children to colleges and historical sites around the country and was recently featured on Oprah. Tanya and her students are currently on their summer tour. Follow their journey on Facebook.
Mark Johnson - He’s uniting people around the world and changing lives through the power of music. The video says it all. And it’s more powerful than anything I can write. Watch the Stand by Me video at http://www.playingforchange.com/
Samad Bekkar - He’s the taxi driver who drove me from Newport News Virginia to the Washington, DC train station through a major snow storm this winter. Word spread about Samad’s heroism and he was awarded the Newport News Tourism Professional of the Year. Go Samad!! Here’s the article I wrote about Samad.
Steve Jobs - It’s easy to forget that he was once fired from Apple. At the time few could have predicted that he would overcome all the challenges and naysayers to lead Apple back to greatness. With visionary leadership, relentless determination, focused execution and revolutionary design and creativity, Jobs has built Apple into the most admired and innovative companies on the planet. Read more about Steve here.
Rafael Nadal - I love the way he plays and competes. He has the heart of a champion. His fire, passion and determination are unmatched. He plays every point like it’s his last. While he was sidelined a year ago by knee injuries and faced personal challenges within his family, he has come back stronger and better to win both the French Open and Wimbledon. He is the epitome of humble and hungry. Read more about Rafael here.

Who inspires you? We want to know. Join the conversation on our blog, Twitter or Facebook.

Stay Positive!
Jon

Tags: 5 People Who Inspire Me, jon gordon, Mark Johnson, Rafael Nadal, Samad Bekkar, Steve Jobs, Tanya Walters

20 WAYS TO GET MENTALLY TOUGH

Excerpt from Training Camp: What the Best Do Better Than Everyone Else

1. When you face a setback, think of it as a defining moment that will lead to a future accomplishment.

2. When you encounter adversity, remember, the best don’t just face adversity; they embrace it, knowing it’s not a dead end but a detour to something greater and better.

3. When you face negative people, know that the key to life is to stay positive in the face of negativity, not in the absence of it. After all, everyone will have to overcome negativity to define themselves and create their success.

4. When you face the naysayer’s, remember the people who believed in you and spoke positive words to you.

5. When you face critics, remember to tune them out and focus only on being the best you can be.

6. When you wake up in the morning, take a morning walk of gratitude and prayer. It will create a fertile mind ready for success.

7. When you fear, trust. Let your faith be greater than your doubt.

8. When you fail, find the lesson in it, and then recall a time when you have succeeded.

9. When you head into battle, visualize success.

10. When you are thinking about the past or worrying about the future, instead focus your energy on the present moment. The now is where your power is the greatest.

11. When you want to complain, instead identify a solution.

12. When your own self-doubt crowds your mind, weed it and replace it with positive thoughts and positive self-talk.

13. When you feel distracted, focus on your breathing, observe your surroundings, clear your mind, and get into The Zone. The Zone is not a random event. It can be created.

14. When you feel all is impossible, know that with God all things are possible.

15. When you feel alone, think of all the people who have helped you along the way and who love and support you now.

16. When you feel lost, pray for guidance.

17. When you are tired and drained, remember to never, never, never give up. Finish Strong in everything you do.

18. When you feel like you can’t do it, know that you can do all things through Him who gives you strength.

19. When you feel like your situation is beyond your control, pray and surrender. Focus on what you can control and let go of what you can’t.

20. When you’re in a high-pressure situation and the game is on the line, and everyone is watching you, remember to smile, have fun, and enjoy it. Life is short; you only live once. You have nothing to lose. Seize the moment.

What mental toughness strategies would you add to this list? Join the conversation on our Blog, Twitter, or Facebook.

20 Ways to Get Mentally Tough Poster

Download, Print and Share as a Reminder to Be Strong Each Day!

Access additional Training Camp posters here.

Stay Positive,
Jon

Tags: 20 ways to get mentally tough, Alone, Doubt, focus, jon gordon, Pray, Strength