by Coach Jim Steffin
March 11, 2017
Few would disagree that the talent/skill to manage your time is one of—if not THE—most critical skills to develop if you want to live a more productive, fulfilling life.
Without the ability to manage your time:
• There is too much to do
• You'll feel like you never get everything done
• It will be hard to focus on what is really important
• Others will control your life
• It will be challenging to concentrate on getting the most from your life and career
As I began my company, SSA International, some 40+ years ago, I was convinced this was true until I was asked two questions that changed my life forever. Here is the true story of how my life was changed so that I could live a more productive, fulfilling life and help many others do the same. This blog series will show you how what happened to me 40+ years ago and the discoveries I have made since will help you do the same not only for yourself, but all those you care about—family, employees, clients and friends.
Go with me to that day 40+ years ago. I gave up a secure job as a math supervisor in a large school system. Truth was, it was not only secure, it was easy. I took what little savings we had and bought this franchise. My new wife and I just bought our first house. Can you imagine my hopes and fears. I wanted so badly that this new business would go well.
To be absolutely sure this first Maximizing Managerial Effectiveness program worked, I interviewed each participant after the third module—the traditional time management module.
I remember this life changing event like it was yesterday. It was April 15 of that year. The place was St. Regis Research Center, just north of New York City. After his interview, a brilliant Ph.D., Dr. Bob Bauress, asked if I had an extra minute for couple questions.
"Sure Bob," I willingly replied with no inkling of the career altering event about to happen. "What would you like?"
He questioned, "If I have something I can't make go faster or slower and neither can you. I can't give you any of mine and you can't give me any of yours! And neither of us can save it, do we control it?"
If you can put yourself in my nervous shoes, what would you have said? I stammered, "I guess not. What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about time. We define time as the way we measure the turning of the earth. And no one can make that go faster or slower."
"If you want a really good time management program, you need to answer these two life-changing questions for us. (To this day I'm thankful he did not say, "You have a crummy time management program.") His two life changing questions were:
What do we REALLY control?
How do we get the most from it?
What would you have answered?
I said I would think about it and get back to him. Actually, by sunset that memorable day, I had a clear answer to the first question. The past is gone. The future is not here yet. So the only thing you and I control is just this action NOW!
It took many years to come up with a simple answer to the second life-changing question, How to get the most from it—it being just this action NOW. This question is easier answered in two parts:
• Part 1. What do you REALLY want from life and career?
This is a very challenging question. Over the last 40-plus years it has been my privilege to interview and work with leaders in 160 Fortune 500 Companies. I discovered the Most Successful People can answer this question. This relates to the first of the three Significant Competitive Edge Principles.
When you know exactly what you are looking for,
you give yourself a significant competitive edge to discover it.
However, these 40 years of interviews have shown me, less than 10% have their work mission/purpose written and regularly reviewed. And for the personal life mission/purpose, less than 5% have it written and regularly reviewed.
Part two is where the most successful are separated from the less successful. The more successful can answer this question:
• Part 2. How do you align the only thing you control—just this action NOW—
to what you REALLY want from life and career?
The Take-Home Value: Time management is not the Most Critical Skill/Talent to be developed, since no one can make the earth go faster or slower. The conclusion of the above points out that the Most Critical Skill/Talent to be developed to get the most from your life and career is something elegantly simple:
• To align just this next action to—the riches—the values—the life—the career—
you REALLY want.
Elegantly simple—yes. But not necessarily elegantly easy. The 9½ SECRETS of Aligned Thinking the Most Successful People Use that Others Don't say it is not only possible, it's even easy when you know how to implement the SECRETS.
The purpose of this blog series is to share with you my 40 years of interviews with leaders in 160 Fortune 500 Companies. Over the years we have learned:
• What the Most Successful Do
• What is the QEP(Quick-to-learn, Easy-to-use, Proven-to-work) method to imitate them and teach others
That is what you can expect in this blog series, one SECRET in each blog. And when you understand the 9½ SECRETS and build the Aligned Thinking Habit you can expect...
Implementing the 9½ SECRETS can give you a significant difference in your life including THE BIG 4:
SECRET 1
The Most Successful People
make life easy for themselves
by starting with what they control—just this action NOW.
The opposite, starting with what you do not control, or someone else controls just does not make sense. It leads to low productivity, minimal satisfaction and in many cases, great frustration and chronic stress.
To Start with what You Control, the 9½ SECRETS will be very helpful. Here are their names in order.
The 9½ Aligned Thinking SECRETS The Most Successful People Use that Others Don't
For more details immediately go to: www.AlignedThinking.com/YourLifeIsAJourney.pdf
The Aligned Way