Vince Poscente's Speed Blog

Tumbleweed on the US Economy - Let Bernanke Do the Looking

“Don’t look at me!” became the mantra around Tumbleweed. Tumbleweed’s example could teach us something about the U.S. economy.

Tumbleweed was the worst speed skier ever. His pseudonym came from his uncanny ability to crash in the exact location of onlookers.

Training at Fortress Mountain was a weekly event. A dozen speed skiers would convene on the third chute on any given weekend. Tumbleweed got his nickname because he would regularly catch an edge, followed by a spectacular ability to cartwheel down the slope.

The first time he crashed not everyone was looking. But the yelps from fellow skiers alerted the impending wreck. Skiers would scatter in all directions, as Tumbleweed would careen into a collection of hastily discarded gear.

The next time Tumbleweed perched at the top of the training run, all eyes were glued. Everyone had a morbid fascination with seeing a wipe out and Tumbleweed proved capable of satisfying that need.

Again, high up the slope, Tumbleweed managed to hook an edge and give a pretty amazing show. He headed straight for the on looking racers. Again it took us by surprise. We attracted Tumbleweed like a ball bearing to a magnet.

In the lodge we talked at length about our newfound mascot. We named him Tumbleweed. He seemed to like it. We agreed we’d never seen a speed skier capable of crashing in the exact direction of the racer compound. It wasn’t coincidence. It had to be something else.

Conclusion: It was where he was looking when he started to crash. He was looking at us.

The next day he crashed again (the guy had to be made of rubber, especially between the ears). Even though we moved the compound well out of the way, we stood at the ready, with ski poles positioned to release our bindings and gallop away.

As if it were slow motion, Tumbleweed looked at us as he launched into the tuck position. “Don’t look at me!” yelled Laurent.

Too late. Tumbleweed didn’t even get pointed straight when he tripped up over his own skis. As if defying physics, Tumbleweed plowed into our promptly vacated area.

Tumbleweed got up. Shook himself off like lumpy bird in frigid birdbath and grinned.

Tumbleweed’s example has a lot to do with how you run your business or drive sales. It’s impossible not to hear news about plunging consumer confidence, surging inflation, declining home prices and an economy teetering on the edge of a recession.

As individuals, the best thing you and I can do is pretend the economy is saying, “Don’t look at me!” Let’s leave the looking up to Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke.

Instead, keep your eye on the prize. Whatever your industry and however small the pie has become, there’s still pie. THAT is what you must look at.

Finally, if you are competitor of mine, “Don’t look at me!” Run out. Buy a newspaper. There all sorts of things you can crash into.

Elephantine Solutions - Leadership for the Self

The days of command and control are gone.  But what management technique can you institute that replaces, “You do it because I pay you…”?!  Your employees are expecting a different kind of leader to guide them to “the promised land.”  We entrepreneurs can be left scratching our heads, asking, “What to do?”  The answer is at your fingertips… (assuming your still scratching your head…)

Research from a study by Lee Pulos, PhD revealed that in one second of time, your conscious mind uses 2000 neurons.  Amazingly, in that same second, the subconscious mind utilizes 4 billion neurons.  4,000,000,000 NEURONS!  Now, what’s in control, your conscious mind or subconscious mind?  The same goes for your employees. 

You can ask them to execute on a strategy.  You appeal to their logic.  You even confirm what was communicated was understood.  Then, a few weeks later… little or NOTHING.  Why?

Think of the ratio between an ant and an elephant.  The ant is the conscious mind, the elephant is the subconscious mind.  The ant, riding on the back of an elephant, sees only a gray, bumpy landscape.  The ant decides on a goal: Go west to the oasis.  Yet, unknown to the ant, the elephant is walking east.  Which way is the ant actually going?

East.

People think and act the same way.  Employees hear “it,” say they get “it” and maybe even go through the motions of executing on “it.”  But the results disappoint and you sit at your forum meeting saying, “What is a well meaning entrepreneur to do?”

Here are 5 Action Steps that you and your employees can use starting today:

1. Clarify the Vision.  Internalize a vision that creates an emotional buzz.  Emotions reside deep in the elephantine subconscious.  Clarify a vision that fires up your people.  Use the example of Coca Cola Inc.  “To put a Coke within reach of every human being on the planet.”  Does your vision statement fire up your employees like Coca Cola’s does for their workforce?

2. Commit to the vision.  Understanding that commitment from an ant is not nearly as effective or powerful as a commitment from an elephant.  Your people aren’t committed until there is evidence of an emotional buy-in.

3. Consistently execute on the vision. It is a fact that your employees will execute on their own TRUTH and DOMINANT THOUGHT.  A fantastic tool for keeping your employees on track is to put little gold dots all over the office.  The gold dot represents your emotional buzz and acts as a trigger for your objectives.

4. Confidence is key.  Negativity destroys confidence.  Keep meetings, conversations and even thoughts aligned with your emotional buzz – gold dot.  If the infamous elephants, Nega and Holic, show up, redirect intention back on the gold dot.

5. Control pre-performance.  Design flashcards that outline stressful scenarios.  Have your employees imagine how well they would handle any given situation.  Ensure this is done consistently and repeatedly.  You will ultimately influence how well a person performs, in almost any given situation.   

The above article is adapted from The Ant and The Elephant, released in seven languages around the world, 2004. He can be reached directly at vince at beinvinceable dot com