Behavior… Simply defined as the manner of conductng oneself. What a powerful and simple definition; it’s no wonder, behavior is a leading indicator of success. When working with our sales team, I’m constantly asking them to tell me about their behaviors. How many meetings did you book? How many appointments were you in today? How many calls were made? If you are doing the right behaviors, the behaviors that lead to success, you ultmately will find success.

But what gets in the way? Unfortunately, the obvious choice is oven overlooked. What gets in the way? You. You do. You get in your own way. You prevent success by not doing the right behaviors. Let’s be honest, some days when you come to work, you’re just not on top of your game. You’re not feeling great about yourself, maybe your last appoint blew up, or your code delivery was late, or your child is sick. The list goes on and on. All these things are valid and probably do impact your feelings. But, they shouldn’t impact your behaviors.

Having the ability to set aside the distractions and doing the right behaviors will separate you from the mediocrity that holds you back. The next time you find yourself sitting at your desk, looking at your phone, or waiting to start your day – think of the goals and wants you have in your life – and then go do the behaviors to get them. The only thing holding you back is you.

During the year, you will be presented with decisions – literally hundreds of thousands of them.  And with every decision presented, there will be a choice. Some decisions lend themselves to quick, easy choices.  Some decisions require hours of deliberation, uncomfortable conversations, and uneasiness before a choice is made.  

As a company, eImagine has made the choice to become a hybrid consulting company. The decision presented to us was to continue down the road of being a service based company, or to change direction and go down a new road of being a products and services based company. We chose products and services – a hybrid company.  This decision was a difficult one.  We are venturing into areas where we have limited success and past experience.  We are challenging ourselves to evolve and risk losing what we’ve always done to become what we want to be – a product oriented service based company that positively impacts our customer's success. 

This year, decisions will be presented to you and you will need to make choices.  These choices will shape your career, your personal life, and ultimately your success.  I encourage you to take ownership in your choices and choose to be a better you.  Challenge yourself; don’t shy away from the tough decisions - embrace the opportunity and make the right choice.

Change – it is a simple word, yet it can be terrifying to face.  Change is constant; change is inevitable.  Change happens every day. 

One by-product of change, this is often overlooked, is the opportunity to learn and grow.  Change presents new obstacles in our lives.  We might encounter a new business problem that challenges our thinking.  To solve this problem, we may have to change how we think of the problem so that we may create a solution.  I call this learning.   The adage “if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you always got” applies to change.  It is our opportunity to do something different, to change, which propels us to greater heights.

As you are presented with change, I encourage you to embrace it and seek out the opportunity to grow.  You’ll be presented with decisions, and these decisions will require choices.  Therein lays the ability to change.

The other by-product of change, which is not often overlooked, is risk.  With changes comes risk: the bigger the change, the greater the risk.  Have confidence in yourself when presented with this risk.  Change, risk, and the opportunity to grow all work in proportion to each other. 

Embrace the change, accept the risk, and enjoy the opportunity.

I learned this simple lesson from Tim Robert's Trustpointe – An award winning Sandler Franchise.  Simply put, Yes, No, or Number, is a great way to manage KPI's, metrics, and employees.  Once you set clear goals, be specific on how you measure these goals and provide the tools necessary for success. Yes, No, or a Number is the simplest and most transparent form of management.

The basics of Yes, No, or a Number are easy. When asking staff about completing a task, filling a sales pipeline or doing the necessary behavior for success, the answer should always come as either Yes, No, or a Number.  Every other answer is ambiguous - a story.  Yes, No, or a Number is concrete.  There is no interpretation; the answers are binary.  Tasks either get completed, or they do not.  The number of open items in a project plan is only a number, it's never a story. 

How often have you asked your staff if you'll hit a deadline and instead of Yes, No, or a Number, you receive some vague answer about how hard people or working, how integral integration with outside vendors play into the equation and how you'll know more at the end of the day.  Basically you just got a story; and stories don't sell in this situation.  With story answers, you're always left wondering.  Yes, No, or a Number removes the emotion from the situation.  It levels the field and provides the opportunity to move forward towards a solution.

The next time you find yourself telling a story about something, stop and make your answer simple for everyone involved - Yes, No, or a Number.

It's 3:00 a.m. and the alarm is ringing. You see, I had to set the alarm last night so I could get up at 3:00 a.m. to check my 5-year-old son Alex's blood sugar.
 
There are two things wrong with that opening statement. One, I set the alarm at 1:00 a.m. last night and two, my son Alex is now 6 years old. I used that opening in a letter I sent out last year to a few of my friends. Many things have changed since 2009; unfortunately, Alex's diabetes is not one of them.
 
While Alex is now in kindergarten at Immaculate Heart of Mary and is a goal scoring machine on his indoor soccer team, he still has diabetes. He still requires 24/7 monitoring of his blood sugar. He still gets his finger pricked around 10 times per day to check his blood sugar. He still wears an insulin pump and glucose monitoring device everywhere he goes. Diabetes is an unrelenting monster to him, to our family and to the millions who suffer from the disease.
 
Why am I telling you this? 
 
One organization that reached out to our family immediately following Alex's diagnosis on June 15, 2007, is the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). They have been with us every step of the way as we journey towards a cure. JDRF is an organization founded by parents of children with type 1 diabetes, and their sole purpose is to find a cure for type 1 diabetes and its complications through research. Alex is living proof of what JDRF can accomplish, as JDRF was instrumental in funding research for the continuous glucose monitoring device he wears. 
 
JDRF Indiana State Chapter's largest fund raising event is the Annual Promise Gala on April, 24, 2010. The Annual Promise Gala includes great food and drink, dancing, the chance to win auction items and most importantly, the ability to help fund hope - hope for a cure - hope for my son Alex. Diabetes leaves you feeling isolated and alone; the Annual Promise Gala is an opportunity to connect with others toward a common goal... a cure.
 
This is my invitation to you. The Annual Promise Gala is your opportunity to connect.
 
Please come connect with me and my family.
 
Additional information and tickets for the event can be found at www.JDRFIndianaGala.com.
 
Event Details  

Annual Promise Gala  
April 24, 2010 at 6:00 PM 
Indianapolis Marriott Downtown 
Black-tie optional  

Contact Information

JDRF Indiana State Chapter
Andrea Mehringer
(317)469-9604
amehringer@jdrf.org

JDRF is honoring Jim Morris, President, Pacers Sports and Entertainment, for his contributions toward finding a cure for diabetes. Additionally, JDRF has selected my family as the Fund a Cure Family. My wife and I are extremely humbled to be selected to represent JDRF. Our role as the Fund a Cure Family is to introduce you to the life of a diabetic family. What diabetic children and their families do on a daily basis is astonishing to me. What diabetic children and their families do to help find a cure is simply amazing.

At the Annual Promise Gala a video will introduce you to Alex and our family. At the event, I have the pleasure of introducing Alex to you in person. Alex is a fantastic kid who happens to be type 1 diabetic. Please help me find a cure for type 1 diabetes. Please help me re-introduce Alex, and re-introduce him simply as a fantastic kid.

On behalf of Alex and my family, thank you for your consideration and support.

Wild for the Cure,

Joel Russell & The Russell Family

P.S. If you are unable to attend the event, please help us on our path for a cure by making a donation at www.JDRFIndianaGala.com