A colleague asked me recently if I could share a couple of things that I do each week that helps me to be successful. I often look to others for inspiration so I was quite flattered to be asked this question myself.I thought about it for a bit and below is what I shared.Below are some key fundamentals that govern who I am and how I see myself.
1. Honour time commitments. Know what’s in your calendar, leave enough time to get to next meeting, and don’t double book.It may not seem like a big deal if you are 10 or 15 minutes late for a meeting or a call, but trust me when I say, that’s not the case. The other person (people) are literally waiting and starting to wonder what else they could be doing with this time. They may begin to feel that they simply don’t matter or they may also have other commitments. Cancelling at the 11th hour can be equally as annoying.
2. Honour your time commitments with family. If you say you will be home for dinner at 6:30 p.m. be home. It adds a lot of stress to both your family and business when you don’t meet those commitments.Just like a business meeting that begins late, when family takes a back seat to your clock you run the risk of setting off a negative chain of events and resentment at home. We have all heard that time is precious (and it is) but it’s also limited. Often we have drives, school plays, teacher meetings, etc. that also need our attention and commitment.This doesn’t mean you have to be home for every dinner or attend absolutely every school event. It just means that when you say you are going to be there, make sure you are.
3. Don’t TRY. Try is really a useless word. Either you will or you will not.When you say you will ‘try’ you are building in an excuse right from the get go. Going back to the concept of commitment -- commit one way or the other … if you cannot do something don’t say you will ‘try’ and then don’t do it.
4. Do something creative/fun each week.I really enjoy hockey, coaching and watching my children perform (dance). It helps me to turn off from the office for a few hours a couple times each week. Find your passion and take the time to make it happen.
5. Be driven by your work passion.Just like we need to find our personal passions we need to do the same thing at work. Considering we spend 40 or 50 or 60 plus hours each week on our business, find those aspects of your work that you really love. I think I have the greatest job in the industry. I get to work with talented, committed and passionate people every day who strive to put Canadians in financial situations to enable them to own homes and set them up for success. I am truly humbled that I have been able to represent my industry colleagues with Government, Regulators and the Media and I do not take that responsibility lightly. When you love what you do, you stop counting the hours.
The truth is that we all find inspiration in different places. I wanted to share my experience and encourage you to find your own, and then share that as well.