Clever Geek Handbook
17 October 2025

Closing the Execution Gap

Recommendation

“Vision without execution is hallucination,” warned inventor Thomas Edison. CEOs love to focus on vision and strategy, but without execution, vision and strategy can’t accomplish anything. According to HR consultant Richard Lepsinger, who surveyed executives in 409 companies, many organizations suffer from poor execution. He offers solid solutions to that problem, including numerous valuable tips, tools and tactics. Although his writing style is a little heavy on lists and some of the information is obvious, Lepsinger offers a good overview of how to lead employees to execute more effectively. BooksInShort recommends his presentation to leaders and managers who are responsible for implementing strategy and turning vision into reality. HR managers will also benefit from Lepsinger’s insights, since he comes from that field.

Take-Aways

  • Effectively executing your organization’s vision and goals requires an action plan.
  • Action plans explicitly detail what will happen, when, and who is responsible.
  • Define your firm’s vision in terms of specific goals. Then create an action plan that meets those goals through a series of specific, discrete tasks.
  • Employees perform at their best when their leaders demand excellence.
  • Hold workers accountable to clearly stated performance and time standards.
  • Always encourage staff members to offer and implement their ideas.
  • Staff members who know the most about specific issues should be the ones responsible for decisions about those issues.
  • Businesses that cannot handle change execute poorly.
  • Execution depends on cooperation among executives, managers and staffers.
  • Visionary leaders should be effective daily managers. Conversely, good managers should embrace and understand the company’s vision.

Summary

The Gap in Execution

Skillful execution – not visionary leaders or elaborate company strategies – is what produces results. Poor execution is problematic in a normal economy and ruinous in a difficult one. The inability to “get stuff done” – to execute – will wreck even the best-laid plans. HR consultant Richard Lepsinger asked 409 executives from diverse industries three questions about execution:

  1. “Is there a gap between an organization’s ability to formulate a vision and strategy” and its ability to “achieve business results?”
  2. “What differentiates organizations that are more effective at execution from those that are less effective?”
  3. “What can leaders do to enhance their organizations’ ability to close the strategy-execution gap and achieve business results?”
“Establishing priorities is the essence of execution.”

Results showed that 49% of respondents believe their organizations suffer a gap between strategy and execution, and 64% of those who believe a gap exists don’t think their companies can close it. Firms that execute successfully use the following five “bridges” to unite ambition and achievement: 1) Executives handle change well; 2) all business units and management levels coordinate their actions and decisions; 3) managers’ actions match the company’s values and priorities; 4) the firm’s organizational structure supports its strategies; and 5) executives and employees are involved in the decisions that affect them personally.

“Action plans are the cornerstone of execution.”

The leaders of companies that execute well expect, encourage and reward superior performance. They hold their employees accountable for their actions and results. They enable their workforce to focus on the firm’s central priorities.

To span the strategy-execution gap, use these six tactics as “bridge builders:”

“Bridge Builder 1: Translate Strategy into Action”

To execute, you need an action plan. Most organizations do not have one. A solid action plan lets employees know who must do what – and when – in order to execute the company’s strategy. The plan assigns accountability, outlines areas of coordination and sets priorities. An action plan breaks the strategy down into discrete tasks that fulfill the firm’s strategic objectives. Take three steps to create your action plan:

  1. “Clarify implementation goals and standards” – Establish the overall project, detail each employee’s role, tasks and responsibilities. Create a definitive “goal statement” and a deadline. Your action plan defines excellence by enumerating project quality standards and delineating tasks and schedules.
  2. “Develop an action plan”– Your action plan aids workload management and describes how to measure progress and maintain communication. It segregates work into specific tasks. It includes a detailed schedule with start and end dates, and it outlines requirements for the project, including personnel, funds, and so on.
  3. “Minimize risk” – Every plan goes awry. Your action plan must consider unforeseen contingencies. Ask, “What could go wrong here?” and “What would be the likely impact?” Create reaction strategies to contend with the most likely events.

“Bridge Builder 2: Expect Top Performance”

Superior execution depends on employees working together at a level of peak performance. When team members don’t perform, they will face repercussions. Otherwise, their teammates will be stuck picking up the slack. To prime your staffers for success, make sure they know that you require excellence and have confidence that they can deliver it. Studies indicate that people’s performance rises to meet their leaders’ expectations. This is the “Pygmalion Effect,” a transformation based on having high standards to meet. Use these three techniques to redirect underachieving staffers:

  1. “Assume value” – Never insult or embarrass your staffers. Do not belittle their ideas. Respond with care. First, make a positive statement, such as “What I like about your idea is...” or “What I found especially helpful is...” Then state any problems you perceive: “What I’m concerned about is...” or “Some things that might be improved on are...” Never use the word “but” between your first and second statements. “But” negates your positive message. Use “and.”
  2. “Focus on what they do well” – Every employee does at least one thing well. Find out what it is and emphasize those skills. Build future excellent performance based on this area of accomplishment.
  3. “Make the unconscious conscious” – To boost weak-performing employees, make them feel important, urge them to move beyond their comfort zones, organize a supportive work environment, applaud assertive actions and supply helpful feedback.

“Bridge Builder 3: Hold People Accountable”

Accountability is essential. Most employees believe that they hold themselves accountable, but that their superiors do not hold others equally accountable. Leaders lose power when they do not enforce negative consequences for poor performance. Such tolerance tells underachieving performers that their slackness has no downside, and it tells superior performers that their hard work earns only more hard work. Team members who see that poor performers suffer no hardships question the value of their own efforts. Why be so diligent when working less brings no ill effects and doing great work brings no rewards?

“Develop the habit of being explicit about why you are doing something or making a request.”

Managers make some common mistakes that undermine accountability such as being vague about required project actions, blurring who is responsible for specific work, not certifying project completion dates, failing to monitor the project’s progress and letting staffers slide on their commitments. Accountability depends on detailing leaders’ specific expectations for each employee and clearly listing all necessary project activities. Establish firm completion dates for every project pivot point and create checkpoints for project monitoring.

“Bridge Builder 4: Involve the Right People in Making the Right Decisions”

Solid execution depends on the right employees discussing the right steps at the right time. Hold discussions within the groups whose members know and understand the problem, and who have decision-making responsibility. Help your managers and employees build decision-making skills.

“Clarifying roles and responsibilities not only defines when cooperation is necessary and what it looks like, but also reinforces the norm that cooperation is expected and appropriate.”

To ensure that your employees will exercise sound judgment, clarify decision-making areas of authority so they know who has the final say on each step of a project. Balance responsibility between centralization and decentralization so that employees with the most knowledge of the issues at hand end up making the decisions on those issues. Before you make a decision, collect as many informed opinions as possible, consider the information and circumstances that affect your choices, and take your time. Refrain from rushing into a decision until you hear all the factions and weigh all the input, but once you decide, show confidence in your choice.

“Empowerment should be seen as an outcome, not a behavior in and of itself, which directly results from the manager’s interaction with his or her direct report.”

When considering a decision, employ this five-step process: 1) Create a “decision statement” that specifies why a choice is necessary and what your individual employees must do; 2) set up “decision criteria” that explain how the best outcome will work and that examine any “constraints such as cost, time and resources;” 3) contrast alternative solutions; 4) assign risk to each alternative; and 5) make your selection.

“Bridge Builder 5: Facilitate Change Readiness”

Companies usually devote attention to change management, but many handle change poorly. Dell and General Motors once offered examples of this problem. Dell created “The Dell Way,” which involved attracting and keeping customers who ordered low-cost custom computers. When other manufacturers began to offer competitive computers at cheaper prices, Dell was slow to respond. General Motors’ past refusal to change its top-heavy bureaucratic management structure cost the company billions. Only after its federal bailout did GM institute the necessary forward-thinking practices that experts had been urging it to adopt.

“High expectations seem to result in higher performance.”

Companies that excel at handling change use a dozen best practices: They are clear about objectives. They identify likely obstacles. They formulate and plan the actions necessary to deal with potential obstacles. Their top leaders anticipate change and do not fear it. Executives act in accord with stated corporate goals and guide their employees to do the same. They make sure that required resources are always on hand. The company has a strong vision. The firm’s leaders update other executives and employees on new developments and keep all stakeholders informed. Managers follow up on assigned tasks and deadlines. Leaders encourage employees to offer their opinions. Companies maintain communication up and down the corporate ladder. They understand their goals and are prepared to adjust their strategies to meet them.

“Bridge Builder 6: Increase Coordination and Cooperation”

Superior execution requires coordination and cooperation. Build cooperation and coordination among your employees by being transparent and communicating openly. Define cooperation in terms of individual responsibilities so all participants understand exactly what their specific role entails and what is required of them. Make sure that common ground exists among all factions of your workforce. Four effective tactics can help you persuade others to cooperate:

  1. “Rational persuasion” – Muster solid evidence and sensible arguments to persuade others that the task at hand is worthwhile.
  2. “Inspirational appeals” – Frame your request to resonate with your employees’ most cherished values.
  3. “Consultation” – Ask those whom the change will affect directly to share their opinions and ideas on how to improve working processes and decision making.
  4. “Collaboration” – Offer resources that other people need in return for their support and assistance.

“Five Lessons for Leaders”

Implement five specific steps to help your company execute more effectively:

  1. “Integrate the leader and manager roles” – Successful organizations develop ambitious visions for the future – a leadership activity – and attend to masses of details – a management function. Executives at such organizations can establish and share clear visions, while managing at the same time. Train your executives to be adept visionaries and competent managers, and grant them the latitude to be both.
  2. “Clarify assumptions and priorities” – Your organization must set strategy and create a hierarchy of priorities to make that strategy work.
  3. “Make sure the right systems are in place” – Employees should not have to fight against the organization’s systems. This applies particularly to work that supports execution, which demands cooperation. Employees should feel free to act and should have the resources to move ahead when warranted.
  4. “Coordinate and monitor high-impact actions” – Constant monitoring of actions and sharing information ensures that your business units will not inadvertently work at cross-purposes.
  5. “Get change management right” – Involve employees in the decisions that directly affect them.
“To get cooperation you must demonstrate cooperation.”

As a leader, you can develop the vital skills necessary for execution. Take a page from Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell, who posits that practice is the primary factor that separates those who excel from those who are merely proficient. Practice these execution tips and techniques. Focus on the areas where you and your employees need to improve.

About the Author

Richard Lepsinger, an HR consultant, is the president of OnPoint Consulting and the co-author of three business books, including The Art and Science of 360-Degree Feedback.

Read summary...
Closing the Execution Gap

Book Closing the Execution Gap

How Great Leaders and Their Companies Get Results

Jossey-Bass,
 


17 October 2025

The Leadership Triad

Recommendation

Dale E. Zand’s book effectively reviews the key elements of organizational leadership in the new management era. He intelligently discusses three major components of leadership - knowledge, trust, and power - in great detail. He uses straightforward examples to reinforce the principles presented. This is a valuable book for leaders who have experience in traditional management, and want to understand how and why they need to change. BooksInShort.com recommends this book to managers on any level who need a non-guru approach to leadership in the knowledge economy.

Take-Aways

  • The Leadership Triad of the new knowledge economy is comprised of knowledge, trust, and power.
  • The knowledge economy requires different management skills than the old "directive factory" economy needed.
  • Well-educated workers characterize knowledge organizations.
  • The cornerstone of knowledge organizations is distributed knowledge.
  • The world is starting to be made up of knowledge societies; the businesses that operate in these societies are becoming knowledge-processing organizations.
  • The key to finding knowledge in an organization is releasing existing information.
  • Effective leaders periodically conduct organizational knowledge tune-ups.
  • Leaders use effective questioning to trigger the growth of knowledge in an organization.
  • Trust affects a leader’s ability to make decisions and the quality of a leader’s decisions.
  • Today’s complex organizations require leaders to consult more than ever before, because knowledge is distributed throughout the organization.

Summary

Harnessing the Leadership Triad

The leadership triad is comprised of knowledge, trust, and power. Effective leaders harness these three forces in running an organization. You can harness knowledge by knowing "how to gain access to the knowledge of others," though you must then "convert that knowledge into action." To harness trust, earn it first by "fairness in...dealing with others." Leaders earn trust by "disclosing relevant information, sharing influence, and competently using knowledge." To harness power, "use...power appropriately." Leaders must know how to give orders, delegate, review, evaluate, and guide.

“Competent leaders avoid two types of behavior that can undermine their effectiveness as teacher-learners: ignoring knowledge and punishing new knowledge.”

Effective triadic leadership is often revealed in business strategy decisions. The creation of Allstate Insurance by Sears Roebuck is an example of such triadic leadership. In 1930, Robert Wood, chairman of Sears Roebuck, was playing cards during a morning commuter train ride with his old friend Carl Odell, an old insurance agent. Odell casually suggested that Sears should sell insurance by mail. Wood investigated the idea with his staff of mail order retailers. They determined that U.S. ownership of cars would dramatically expand despite the depression. They determined that mail order sales could be accomplished at a twenty percent cost advantage over competitive prices. Sears’ Board of Directors initially declined to accept Wood’s proposal, citing insufficient consumer demand and the company’s lack of experience with insurance. Wood persisted. By the end of 1930, he got the approval of Sears’ board, and in 1931, Sears began selling insurance by mail under the Allstate brand.

“The old effective factory approach to leadership is no longer effective.”

Allstate became the world’s second largest insurance company, starting with mail order sales and expanding into Sears’ retail stores. In 1993, Sears spun Allstate off as a separate company. In 1995, Allstate had a market capitalization of $14 billion. Wood had parlayed a casual conversation into a multi-billion dollar company. Along the way, he used the leadership triad. He used his knowledge "to make a wise strategic decision - to move into insurance using Sears’ mail order and merchandising capabilities." He used his power appropriately and earned trust by consulting with and obtaining concurrence from the board and Sears’ management as he developed Allstate.

Knowledge

Organizational knowledge is no longer housed in power-centered leadership. Distributed knowledge is more common today because of fundamental workplace changes regarding employee recruitment, information management, and the nature of work. Employees today are well-educated and tend to have more specific knowledge than their leaders. They are also more diverse than in previous generations. Knowledge itself is more uncertain and, due to technological advancements and globalization, less stable. Management has responded by distributing knowledge through new information systems. Knowledge employees have greater control over their activities because of these changes. Thus knowledge is distributed, so that it goes where it is needed and leaders manage differently today than in the 1960s, 1970s, or 1980s.Today, you must provide not only daily operational management, but also on-going, long-term strategic vision.

“Effective leaders understand that as they increase the learning and knowledge components of work they subject people to multiple, severe sources of stress.”

This change in organizational knowledge is mirrored in the global society. Industrial nations are "becoming knowledge societies, and the businesses that operate within them are becoming knowledge-processing organizations." A knowledge-processing organization has several identifiable features:

  1. Knowledge becomes the leading edge of the competitive effort.
  2. The company’s ability to apply knowledge to products and markets determines the size of the production work force.
  3. The number and influence of knowledge workers increases in relation to production workers.
  4. Production workers depend on knowledge workers to generate work.
  5. Leaders need to guide others into acquiring and using knowledge to foster organizational survival and growth.
“Effective leaders harness three forces - knowledge, trust and power.”

The key processes for a triadic leader is to insure the effective distribution of knowledge throughout an organization. A leader who fails to develop these processes will be deemed ineffective and will be unable to maintain support of knowledge workers.

Developing effective processes for distributing knowledge in your organization depends upon finding knowledge and turning it into action. Finding knowledge means reducing barriers of communication in organizational networks and fostering relationship learning. You can play a key role in finding knowledge by, "asking relevant, incisive questions in ways that encourage people to search and learn and systematically probe unexamined assumptions." Turning knowledge into actions means transforming knowledge into products and markets. To do this, pose critical questions and be relentless in finding answers. For instance, ask, "How well do these actions meet customer needs? Fit company goals? Improve productivity? Fit overall plans? Meet social obligations? In finding answers to these questions, effective leaders seek early involvement of relevant knowledge workers across the organization. This also allows you to preemptively manage boundary conflicts and to assess the competency of coordinators.

“Effective leaders synthesize knowledge, trust, and power to develop and implement a strategic vision.”

A final aspect of effective knowledge leadership is learning. Leaders learn by continually "putting themselves in situations that stretch their knowledge and thinking." As a leader, your role in the learning process is guiding the growth of nonhierarchical learning. This is accomplished through four conditions. First leaders must support creative deviance. Second, leaders must develop a mastery of existing knowledge. Third, leaders must promote unstructured, non-routine time for workers. Finally, leaders must use creative thinking techniques to foster new perspectives on products and markets.

“To compete, leaders need to move knowledge from where it is to where it can be used to define and achieve appropriate goals.”

Trust Trust is a critical element in the leadership triad because it enriches relationships and fosters cooperation, creativity, and commitment. Effective leaders use trust to increase their access to knowledge and cooperation. Trust "consists of a willingness to increase your vulnerability to another person whose behavior you cannot control, in a situation in which your potential benefit is much less than your potential loss if the other person abuses your vulnerability." Leaders communicate trust "by how they disclose information, share influence, and exercise control."

“Although leaders have the right to give orders, as in old production organizations, their effectiveness now depends on the knowledge and trust of subordinates, coworkers, and superiors.”

Personality and training underlie trust. Leaders must understand these factors to improve their effectiveness. Lee Iacocca of Ford and Chrysler, for example, grew up in an open, trusting family environment. His business personality reflected this childhood foundation. Harold Geneen of ITT, however, was abandoned as a child. He practiced a closed, controlled management style, which he applied from his training as an accountant. Other, more obvious factors also affect trust, including competence, openness, supportiveness, reward systems, and intentions. Competence refers to trust being task-specific. Openness refers to a person’s ability to share information. Supportiveness refers to acceptance, tolerance for disagreement, and constructive use of people’s openness. Reward systems refer to a company’s collaborative, integrative win-win system, a better approach than a competitive, distributive, win-lose system. Intentions refer to people’s beliefs about the leader’s best interests in pursing a declared objective.

"Trust consists of a willingness to increase your vulnerability to another person whose behavior you cannot control, in a situation in which your potential benefit is much less than your potential loss if the other person abuses your vulnerability.&q

A leader must understand and effectively apply several "laws of trust." The first is "Mistrust drives out trust." Trusting people "demonstrate their trust by increasing their exposure to others, disclosing relevant information, and expressing their true judgments and intentions." People who mistrust do the opposite. The second is that trust increases cohesion in groups which are working toward a common goal. Trust reinforces the group members’ necessary, mutual confidence. The third is that groups in which members mistrust each other will self-destruct. Mistrusting group members tend to be those who are looking out only for their own interests. Fourth, trust stimulates productivity. When you have confidence in your co-workers, you take the steps necessary to achieve the group’s goal. The fifth axiom is, rapid growth masks trust. Rapid growth gives leaders opportunities for increased power, responsibility, and promotion. During these periods, leaders often discount or brush aside the need for trust.

“Without knowledge workers, the production workers will have no work. Leaders sense that they need to guide others in acquiring and using knowledge if the organization is to survive and grow.”

You can build trust using three complimentary methods, which take into account the laws of trust: integrated reward systems, reciprocal increases in trust, and relationship analysis. Integrated reward systems build trust by establishing a non-competitive reward system for all employees. Reciprocal increases in trust build trust when a leader demonstrates that trust is being developed incrementally, until a trust threshold is crossed. Relationship analysis builds trust by continually providing feedback so workers can evaluate their performance and trustworthiness.

“To be politically safe, subordinates may conceal essential knowledge and resign themselves to powerlessness.”

Power Power is the "ability to influence others to do or not do something." Leaders have legitimate power to "determine the process by which decisions will be made." Leaders use legitimate power in four fundamental ways: commanding, consultation, concurrence, and consignment.

Command power is the power to make a decision and initiate action. For this power to work, three requirements must be met:

  1. Subordinates must believe that the leader has the need to make this decision. Without this understanding, subordinates will interfere with implementation through various means - including stalling.
  2. The leader must also have sufficient knowledge and problem-solving skills to make a good decision.
  3. The decision must be consistent with legal and ethical standards and with the organization’s goals.
“Status quo leaders are inclined to underestimate competition.”

Consultation power "enables leaders to clarify different aspects of a complex situation." The goal of consultation power is to bring together widely dispersed organizational knowledge. The broad-based consultation process is accomplished by "bringing together a group with a cross section of relevant specialties and posting open-ended questions." Ineffective leaders accomplish the opposite. They bring in a limited number of knowledge workers and ask specific factual questions. Workers assume that those leaders already know the answers they seek and consequently provide very little solution-generating knowledge.

Concurrent power is a means of developing a group’s decision-making authority. Leaders and subordinates combine their efforts to define the problem and generate solutions. This power is used when subordinates have greater knowledge about solving a specific problem than the leaders, or when subordinates have great discretion in how to implement a decision.

Consignment power is transferring power to another person, while continuing to oversee that the power is used competently and responsibly. This is not easy. Be aware of two common pitfalls. Subordinates tend to underestimate the nature and degree of oversight. They tend to believe that they are being left alone to solve problems and that the leader will not interfere. Clarify this at the time you consign power. Subordinates also tend to believe that delegated power is not revocable. You must clearly communicate that you are transferring power only subject to performance. These issues make consignment - although very useful in nurturing leadership talent - a difficult tool to use successfully.

Leaders also wield other key powers:

  • Agenda power is "navigation power," the power to design strategies to achieve organizational goals. This power is particularly visible when change is major and rapid.
  • Staffing power is the ability to select, develop, and motivate management team members. A leader’s success is often determined by the strength of the management team.
  • Review power permits leaders to interrupt and alter the path of an organization during changing economic and competitive conditions. You can use the three components of review power - individual, operational, and strategic - to change the course of the organization.

About the Author

Dale E. Zand is a professor of management and the former chairman of the department at the Stern School of Business at New York University. He is a management consultant to major corporations and a director of the Newfield Exploration Company. He is the former chairman of the Organization Development Division of the Academy of Management and was a Ford Foundation Fellow at the Harvard School of Business.

Read summary...
The Leadership Triad

Book The Leadership Triad

Knowledge, Trust and Power

Oxford UP,
 


17 October 2025

No Excuses!

Recommendation

In this ambitious work, Brian Tracy presents a formula for overcoming life’s major challenges. It boils down to applying self-discipline to achieve overall success and happiness. Tracy’s topics range from acting with integrity to making sales to strengthening your marriage. With such a broad span, his advice is necessarily general and elementary. However, if you avoid looking for specific solutions, and focus on the overall theme of the book, you will find it quite helpful. Tracy espouses that you need to accept responsibility for your own contentment and career. His “No Excuses” approach eliminates handy scapegoats and teaches that you must take charge of your own destiny. BooksInShort recognizes that much of the book’s counsel appears in various forms in this prolific author’s previous work. However, that’s no excuse for not giving it a thorough read.

Take-Aways

  • To be happy and successful, stop making excuses and concentrate on making progress.
  • Employ 21 self-discipline methods to succeed in every aspect of your life.
  • To best utilize those methods, clearly define your goals.
  • Accept responsibility for your own happiness; don’t blame others for your problems.
  • Master your craft and develop your skills to increase your earnings potential.
  • Focus only on those activities that will help you achieve your desired results.
  • Succeeding in business requires self-discipline and a thorough understanding of sound business principles.
  • Manage your time efficiently by prioritizing your tasks and then completing them in order of importance.
  • The ingredients of happiness are good health, meaningful work and relationships, financial independence and living up to your potential.
  • Invest in your spiritual health to attain inner peace.

Summary

“Losers Make Excuses; Winners Make Progress”

You can always come up with dozens of reasons why you haven’t achieved your goals. Perhaps you had an overbearing mother, or the economy is tough or your boss doesn’t appreciate you. The list of excuses is endless. However, if you want to be successful, redirect the energy you put into making excuses into making progress. You will surprise yourself. Life is difficult for everybody, but successful people achieve their goals in spite of life’s obstacles. They eat “dinner before dessert.” They forfeit immediate pleasure for long-term satisfaction. They set goals, work hard and apply themselves. They develop and repeat good career practices until they become second nature. This requires self-discipline. By applying the following 21 methods of self-discipline to every aspect of your life, you will improve in the three major arenas: “Personal Success; Business, Sales and Finances; and Personal Life.” By practicing “self-mastery” and “self-control,” you will like yourself more. You’ll feel a sense of pride and accomplishment, and enjoy an enhanced self-image. Ultimately, you’ll feel empowered, in charge and positive about the future.

Method One: “Success”

Imagine your perfect life. When you define what success means to you in work, family, health and finances, you’ll immediately see what you need to do to attain your ideal life. Now that you know what you want, you can discipline yourself to get it. The “Pareto Principle” defines the 80/20 relationship; for example, the top 20% of society enjoys 80% of its riches. To become a 20% member, identify the skills you need and the actions you must take. Study techniques, read books and attend workshops of the people who have succeeded before you. If you are willing to apply yourself and work hard, you can achieve your goals.

Method Two: “Character”

The defining trait of character is integrity. Acting with integrity requires the self-discipline to resist succumbing to temptation and to do what you know is right. Your true character becomes apparent during a crisis or when you are under pressure. Study the values exhibited by those whom you most respect and admire. You can develop character through “instruction, study and practice.” The “psychology of character” consists of “your self-ideal, your self-image and your self-esteem.” Your self-ideal represents the good person you want to be. Your self-image is how you see yourself, and your self-esteem reflects how you regard yourself emotionally. Practice the value you want to adopt until it becomes an ingrained habit. When your actions align with your values, you experience high self-esteem.

Method Three: “Responsibility”

Author Brian Tracy worked in construction when he was 21. He lived from paycheck to paycheck, barely earning enough to get by with no opportunity for advancement. One night, sitting alone in his bleak apartment, he experienced an epiphany. Tracy realized that only he could change his life. In his first step toward manifesting his goals, he bought a self-improvement book and studied it diligently. Negative emotions stem from anger and depend on your propensity to blame others for your circumstances. That is the easy way out. Accepting responsibility for your own success and happiness requires effort and self-discipline. That acceptance leads to control over your life and your destiny.

Method Four: “Goals”

Follow this method to set goals and achieve your ideal life: Determine what you wish to achieve, “write it down” and establish a deadline. Create a list of all the actions required, arranged by time and importance. Start to carry out these steps right away. And then “do something every day that moves you in the direction of your major goal.”

Method Five: “Personal Excellence”

Your most valuable asset is yourself. By investing in your craft and developing your skills, you increase your worth and earnings potential. However, you need to commit to making this a priority throughout your life and career. Begin your day a little earlier. You’ll be surprised by how much you can achieve in your first hour. If you read for only an hour a day, you’ll read over 50 books per year. Listen to educational audio programs whilst in your car. Soon, you’ll be an expert in your field of study. Write at least 10 daily tasks down. Don’t multitask; work on each undertaking single-mindedly from start to finish. After every business meeting, ask yourself, “What did I do right?” and “What can I do better?”

Method Six: “Courage”

Everyone is afraid of something, and most people particularly fear “failure, poverty and loss of money.” Self-discipline helps you develop the necessary courage to face your terrors. Practice confronting what you dread by identifying a person or situation you’ve been avoiding and resolving to deal with it straightforwardly. Sometimes fear takes the form of worry or anxiety. Isolate exactly what is bothering you. Next, imagine the worst-case scenario and realize that you can deal with its consequences and survive.

Method Seven: “Persistence”

Nothing great in life is achieved without persistence. The ability to persevere will get you through setbacks, frustrations, impediments and even crises; it will make you feel happier and more in control. To increase your perseverance, repeat: “I am unstoppable!” and “I never give up.” Don’t make excuses, indulge in self-pity or act like a victim.

Method Eight: “Work”

People spend too much time on unproductive tasks. Once again, the Pareto Principle comes into play: 20% of your professional activities produce 80% of your desired results. The “Law of Three” states that three tasks in your job are responsible for around 90% of your value as an employee. Identify your most productive activities and focus on them, don’t be distracted from working your hardest. When surveyed, a group of executives said that the two qualities they look for in an employee are “the ability to set priorities and work on high-value tasks,” and “the discipline to get the job done quickly and well.”

Method Nine: “Leadership”

Inspiring, effective leaders are masters of self-discipline. They have clarity of purpose and demand a stellar standard of excellence. Great leaders put the success of the organization over their personal goals. However, they are realists and see where their company needs to improve. They’re open to new ideas and are committed lifelong learners. Winning leaders are trustworthy, steadfast and consistent in their thinking and their actions.

Method Ten: “Business”

Your product or service must be something that consumers desire, use willingly and pay a competitive price for. Work harder, longer and better than your competitors do. Know your target audience and your “unique selling proposition.” Focus on providing a high level of customer service, and always measure your performance. You will know you are doing well when your customers promote your business to their friends and family.

Method Eleven: “Sales”

A sales role can be challenging but has a huge earning potential. Ask yourself frequently, “Is what I’m doing right now leading to a sale?” Fearing rejection is a big obstacle; salespeople often avoid cold calling and stray off task. To succeed, know that “rejection is not personal.” Play the numbers game: Cultivate more prospects and you’ll close more sales.

Method Twelve: “Money”

Most people get into money trouble because they don’t exercise self-control. They want immediate gratification; they equate happiness with acquisition. Change your thinking so that saving cash becomes a source of satisfaction. As your savings grow, you’ll be much more secure and contented. Alleviating worry about money leads to personal satisfaction.

Method Thirteen: “Time Management”

The “ability to choose the sequence of events ” defines the art of time management. If you prioritize tasks and then complete them in order, you can manage your time efficiently. Think of every activity as an investment and consider whether you are getting the maximum return. Use the “A B C D E Method” to manage your day: Make a list of everything you need to do. Then assign a letter from A to E to each task, weighing its relative importance. Go through your A tasks first, and continue down the list. Never work on something that isn’t the best use of your time, focus and energy.

Method Fourteen: “Problem Solving”

Most successful people respond to challenges. Many use the following approach to problem solving: First, clearly define the dilemma. Ask yourself, “Is this really a problem?” Is it something you can resolve, or is it beyond your control? Consider the roots of the problem so you can make sure such a thing never happens again. Brainstorm all possible solutions and then pick the one that makes the most sense at the time. Decide how to implement the answer of your choice and who will be responsible. Then, as always, measure the results.

Method Fifteen: “Happiness”

Humans are social beings who depend on others for happiness. However, everyone experiences increased happiness when they feel in control of their emotions as well as their circumstances. So, take the first step toward a happier life; assume power and put yourself in charge. When you fulfil your potential, you feel better about yourself in every way. When you exercise self-discipline in physical fitness, good relationships, purposeful work, monetary security and “self-actualization,” you increase your odds of finding contentment.

Method Sixteen: “Personal Health”

Get solid information on how to reach and maintain good health. By following some basic rules, you will live longer and healthier. Eat regular meals, avoid snacking and don’t overeat. Replace white flour with whole wheat, and don’t overdo the sugar and salt.

Method Seventeen: “Physical Fitness”

Exercise for around 30 minutes as an essential part of your daily routine. You don’t need to train for the Olympics, but you do need to work out regularly. Always wear your seatbelt, don’t smoke or drink to excess. You can only feel truly happy when you are physically fit.

Method Eighteen: “Marriage”

A long-term, committed relationship is essential to your well-being. The keys to a happy marriage are “compatibility” and “temperament.” Your basic characteristics, especially your values, should mesh with and support those of your spouse. Maintaining a strong relationship takes effort and good listening skills. To become an effective listener, focus on what they’re saying, without interrupting. Take a brief moment to consider your response before speaking. If you don’t understand something – and never assume that you do – ask questions. Lastly, confirm what they said in your own words.

Method Nineteen: “Children”

The best you can do for your children is to let them know that you love them unconditionally. There are no shortcuts to or substitutes for spending time with your children as they grow up. Your responsibility is to create a safe environment in which they can explore and experiment. Through your daily actions, your children learn values, and they will emulate your behavior. If you show self-control, when dealing with problems, they will do the same.

Method Twenty: “Friendship”

The key to being a good friend is to give others what you want for yourself. Show them that you like and respect them, and that you value their friendship. Accept them for who they are without judgments. Let them know that you appreciate what they have to offer. Say “thank you.” Make sure you are someone people want to spend time with; be pleasant and affable. Be aware that when you criticize or complain, it can be destructive to someone else’s self-esteem. Practice the three “C’s”: “courtesy, concern and consideration.”

Method Twenty One: “Peace of Mind”

Invest in your spiritual health to attain inner peace. Discipline yourself to separate your emotions from material things. Let go of the “need to be right.” Stop blaming others for getting in the way of your well-being. Practice forgiveness to achieve tranquility. “The discipline of forgiveness is the key to the spiritual kingdom.”

About the Author

Brian Tracy has written 13 books, including the bestsellers Eat That Frog and The 21 Success Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires. He is a much-sought-after corporate adviser and trainer.

Read summary...
No Excuses!

Book No Excuses!

The Power of Self-Discipline

Vanguard Press,
 



All Articles
Load More