In a book by James C. Collins called Good to Great, Collins discusses the concept of The Stockdale Paradox, which is based on the experience of James Stockdale, a high-ranking naval officer who was held captive as a prisoner of war for seven years during the Vietnam war. He was tortured repeatedly and had no rational reason…
It was the first week of January, and the gym was packed. It was hard to get a machine. It was hard to find room to work out! But people were starting their year off on the right foot! But now it’s later in the year, and the gym crowd is thinning out. Why does this…
We’ve all had those moments when we were daydreaming in the shower and fantasizing about a bigger house, a new boat, or a shiny new spouse. (Did you read that right? I think you did!) We long for some of these dreams so much that we end up daydreaming about them repeatedly. But, unfortunately, we…
Something happened a few weeks ago that knocked me out of my seat. I was speaking with a shop owner named “Rose” who was concerned about the performance of her shop. She was down in gross profit dollars for the month and suspected that her service manager “Nick” wasn’t fully engaged. Rose recommended that we…
During a recent trip to Dallas, Texas, I was a hot coach. I touched down at 10am and it was already 95 degrees! My first order of business was to get to my room to cool down. Upon arrival, I sadly discovered that the AC was off! I turned it on and set the thermostat to…
Do you want to become great without having to wait? I just read something that can help you with this. In his book The Compound Effect, Darren Hardy introduces the reader to three friends: Larry, Scott, and Brad. They each live in the same neighborhood and make a similar annual salary. They each have a similar…
Hard work doesn’t pay off. I know shop owners who work around the clock but still have low car count. They arrive early, stay late, but have a low retention rate. They work hard to fill their racks, but their customers don’t come back. These examples lead me to believe that hard work doesn’t pay off. Now,…
We all can choose our path in life and at work. We first must know how we want to represent ourselves in this world and at our workplace. Knowing who you are, what your values are, and how you are seen as a person through your own eyes and others’ eyes becomes your compass —…
Jimmy Johnson was the head football coach of the Dallas Cowboys from 1989 through 1994. He had a reputation for being a no-nonsense disciplinarian who was tough on his players. Falling asleep during one of his meetings was considered a “career-limiting move.” Everyone knew this. Everyone, except for a backup linebacker named John Roper. During a…
I went to the shopping mall during the holidays. My goal was to enter through the automatic doors at the main entrance. I conducted an experiment to see what I could do to get the doors to open for me. First, I sat in the parking lot, closed my eyes, and imagined the doors opening. It…