Leaders Tips Videos

Do Something New

February 2, 2016 in Leaders Tips Videos
2 Comments

What’s the key to stepping into results that you’ve never gotten before? Today we look at the key to how to do just that.

 

 

Video Transcript:

Hey Guys, Its Dave Frederick with this week’s Leaders Tip. There’s an old saying that you might be familiar with, it goes like this. It says, “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten”, and that is a basic truism of life.

There’s a corollary to that if you turn it around a little bit, that says “If you want to get something you’ve never gotten, you’re going to need to do something you have never done.” I’ve got that saying taped above my desk, because I have found it to be so true.

A lot of us want a different life or a different result in some area of our life. We’d like to have better health; or more or better relationships; we’d like to be more financially secure; or do better at work. Unfortunately what a lot of us do is, when we think about that, we think I just need to do more of what I am already doing. And we try to do more, which takes more time and energy, but usually does not get the result. We get frustrated, because the answer usually isn’t more.

A good definition of insanity is to think if I keep doing the same thing over and over I am going to get a different result, it doesn’t work that way. Sometimes what is required is something different. So let me give you an example, a few years ago I had gotten seriously over weight, and I started to do some triathlons to get back in shape. I started doing that and did some short ones, but then after a while I started thinking I would love to do one of the long ones, like a half iron man or an iron man.

A half iron man is a mile swim, a 56 mile bike ride and a 13 mile run (a half marathon), it’s a pretty demanding race, and I thought to do that I am just going to have to really ramp up the mileage. But then I got smart and I hooked up with a coach, and the coach sat me down and said “no, no, no” and he changed my work out completely.

He said it’s not just about all these miles, you need to change how you are training and he put together a whole plan for me, and then this past summer I finished my first half Iron Man. I wasn’t super-fast, but I finished it and finished it well. I had to change my training, change my whole workout, and approach to working out in order to get that result. That’s how it is with life. If we want a different result, we need to think not in terms of more, but different.

So let me ask you. Take a look at your life, is there an area that you would like to have a different result in? Would you like to have a different result in your health or your relationships, your finances, your work or something else? Where do you want something different than what you have right now? The answer isn’t going to be just trying to do more of what you are already doing.

The answer is going to be do something different. Maybe you need to stop something you are doing. Maybe you need to start something new. Maybe you need to just change what you are already doing. Don’t think in terms of more, think in terms of different.

If you want to get something you’ve never gotten, you’re going to need to do something you’ve never done. Go for it!

How much is your time worth?

January 21, 2016 in Leaders Tips Videos
0 Comments

This week we’ll look at a fresh way to look at your time. It changed the way I think about how I use mine!

 

 

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

I talk to a lot of people in any given week about their life and one of the things that I hear from almost everybody is that they want to learn to use their time better. I’ve never met someone who didn’t say that. “I want to learn to use my time better.”

So today, I am going to give you a tip on that, but it’s not a how-to tip. It’s not a how-to on how to manage your time better. It’s a different way of thinking about your time. Let me explain that. A few years ago a friend of mine came to me and said “Dave, how much is your time worth?” And I said “What?” I wasn’t sure what he was getting at. He said, “How much is your time worth? Let me explain it to you this way. Dave, if you earn in a typical 40 hour work week. If you make $10/hour, you’re going to earn $20,000/year. If you make $20/hour you’ll make $40,000/year. If you make $50/hour, you’ll make $100,000/year.” And I thought, yeah, I can do the math. So I agreed that I could do the math and get that.

He said, “Well, your time is worth something. There is a value on it. And spending time is just as big a deal as spending money. Most of us don’t have any way of evaluating it though. Put a number/value on your time and it will change how you use it.” Then he turned it around and said, “Now let me ask you in a different way. How much money do you want to make this year?” He said, “Let’s just say…” I didn’t know how to answer that so he said “Let’s just say it’s a $100,000/year. That means that you need to make $50/hour. If you start valuing your time at $50/hour I will bet that it changes how you use it. When you plan your time, you will plan to do different things that you think have a higher value. When you look back on your time to review it, you can look back and say did I put in $50 worth of work? Was that $50 worth of work that I did in that hour or was it somehow less? Doing that will change how you think about time. It’ll change what you do and how you do it. Overall, it’ll result in you becoming more successful and probably hitting that salary level if that’s what you’re concerned about.

I want to suggest to you this. Right now, go ahead and put a value on your time. How much is your time worth? $10/hour? $20/hour? $50/hour? A hundred? Put that number on there and keep that in mind as you go through this week. It will change how you view your time. It’ll change how you use your time. You will probably get more done. You’ll get it done at a higher quality. And you’ll focus on more important things. Okay, that’s going to be good news for you and the people around you. So, how much is your time worth?

Leaders Tip: How much is your time worth?

in Leaders Tips Videos
0 Comments

This week we’ll look at a fresh way to look at your time. It changed the way I think about how I use mine!

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Hey guys, it’s Dave Frederick with this week’s LeadersTip. I talk to a lot of people in any given week about their life and one of the things that I hear from almost everybody is that they want to learn to use their time better. I’ve never met someone who didn’t say that. “I want to learn to use my time better.”

So today, I am going to give you a tip on that, but it’s not a how-to tip. It’s not a how-to on how to manage your time better. It’s a different way of thinking about your time. Let me explain that. A few years ago a friend of mine came to me and said “Dave, how much is your time worth?” And I said “What?” I wasn’t sure what he was getting at. He said, “How much is your time worth? Let me explain it to you this way. Dave, if you earn in a typical 40 hour work week. If you make $10/hour, you’re going to earn $20,000/year. If you make $20/hour you’ll make $40,000/year. If you make $50/hour, you’ll make $100,000/year.” And I thought, yeah, I can do the math. So I agreed that I could do the math and get that.

He said, “Well, your time is worth something. There is a value on it. And spending time is just as big a deal as spending money. Most of us don’t have any way of evaluating it though. Put a number/value on your time and it will change how you use it.” Then he turned it around and said, “Now let me ask you in a different way. How much money do you want to make this year?” He said, “Let’s just say…” I didn’t know how to answer that so he said “Let’s just say it’s a $100,000/year. That means that you need to make $50/hour. If you start valuing your time at $50/hour I will bet that it changes how you use it. When you plan your time, you will plan to do different things that you think have a higher value. When you look back on your time to review it, you can look back and say did I put in $50 worth of work? Was that $50 worth of work that I did in that hour or was it somehow less? Doing that will change how you think about time. It’ll change what you do and how you do it. Overall, it’ll result in you becoming more successful and probably hitting that salary level if that’s what you’re concerned about.

I want to suggest to you this. Right now, go ahead and put a value on your time. How much is your time worth? $10/hour? $20/hour? $50/hour? A hundred? Put that number on there and keep that in mind as you go through this week. It will change how you view your time. It’ll change how you use your time. You will probably get more done. You’ll get it done at a higher quality. And you’ll focus on more important things. Okay, that’s going to be good news for you and the people around you. So, how much is your time worth?

Will to Prepare

January 7, 2016 in Leaders Tips Videos
4 Comments

Everyone wants to win; everyone wants to succeed. But the most important ingredient in getting there may surprise you! Hint: it’s not how bad you want it!

 

 

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Right now it’s in the fall and I’m a big college football fan. My team is the Northwestern Wildcats and they’re having a great year. I’m thrilled! In the process of watching college football, I get to watch a lot of games. I was watching one recently where it was one of those exciting games and it was back and forth and back and forth. Who was going to win? Then the announcer kept saying “The team that is going to win this game is the team that has the will to win.” And he used that phrase several times. Well, after the game I was watching the post game interview with the coaches and one of the coaches was asked about that. “Did you win because you had the will to win?” Or something like that. And he just shook his head and said, “No, you understand that he will to win is that big of a deal. At this level, everyone has the will to win. Champions are those how have the will to prepare to win.” And he said it a couple of times. “Champions have the will to prepare to win.” And it really struck me. He said, “You know, those are the guys who put in the time Monday through Friday so that on game day they can do their best. They put in the time studying the film and working out in the weight room and running their drills and really practicing to be their best. They put the time in and work hard then so that at game time they can step up and win.” It’s interesting because studies have shown that the most successful people in any field be it sports, or business or the arts or some other area are the ones who put in the most time in preparation. If they’re giving a speech or a talk, they put more time into developing their content. More time into developing how they’re going to say what they’re going to say, and more time practicing their speech so that when they give it, it’s a home run. They put more time into preparing for meetings so that when they come in they know what the issues are and what the options are so they can make better decisions. The end result of that is that the quality of their work is significantly better than those who don’t prepare or spend less time in preparation. Or especially better than those who just kind of wing it. Now it’s that kind of preparation that increases the quality of what people do, but it’s not easy. It’s harder work and it’s not as exciting. It’s never as exciting to prepare for the talk as it is to give it. It’s never as exciting to work in the practice as it is to play in the game, but it makes all the difference in the results. It takes more time, but it’s worth it if you want to be successful. The quality of what you do will improve. If you want to be successful, take the time to prepare well. Champions have the will to prepare to win. Not just the will to win.

LeadersTip: Will to Prepare

in Leaders Tips Videos
4 Comments

Everyone wants to win; everyone wants to succeed. But the most important ingredient in getting there may surprise you! Hint: it’s not how bad you want it!

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Hey guys it’s Dave Frederick with this week’s Leaders Tip. Right now it’s in the fall and I’m a big college football fan. My team is the Northwestern Wildcats and they’re having a great year. I’m thrilled! In the process of watching college football, I get to watch a lot of games. I was watching one recently where it was one of those exciting games and it was back and forth and back and forth. Who was going to win? Then the announcer kept saying “The team that is going to win this game is the team that has the will to win.” And he used that phrase several times. Well, after the game I was watching the post game interview with the coaches and one of the coaches was asked about that. “Did you win because you had the will to win?” Or something like that. And he just shook his head and said, “No, you understand that he will to win is that big of a deal. At this level, everyone has the will to win. Champions are those how have the will to prepare to win.” And he said it a couple of times. “Champions have the will to prepare to win.” And it really struck me. He said, “You know, those are the guys who put in the time Monday through Friday so that on game day they can do their best. They put in the time studying the film and working out in the weight room and running their drills and really practicing to be their best. They put the time in and work hard then so that at game time they can step up and win.” It’s interesting because studies have shown that the most successful people in any field be it sports, or business or the arts or some other area are the ones who put in the most time in preparation. If they’re giving a speech or a talk, they put more time into developing their content. More time into developing how they’re going to say what they’re going to say, and more time practicing their speech so that when they give it, it’s a home run. They put more time into preparing for meetings so that when they come in they know what the issues are and what the options are so they can make better decisions. The end result of that is that the quality of their work is significantly better than those who don’t prepare or spend less time in preparation. Or especially better than those who just kind of wing it. Now it’s that kind of preparation that increases the quality of what people do, but it’s not easy. It’s harder work and it’s not as exciting. It’s never as exciting to prepare for the talk as it is to give it. It’s never as exciting to work in the practice as it is to play in the game, but it makes all the difference in the results. It takes more time, but it’s worth it if you want to be successful. The quality of what you do will improve. If you want to be successful, take the time to prepare well. Champions have the will to prepare to win. Not just the will to win.

Embrace Insecurity

December 9, 2015 in Leaders Tips Videos
6 Comments

How do you handle it when you are feeling insecure or afraid? I discovered an answer that surprised me…and it may surprise you!

 

 

Video Transcript
A few years ago I realized that I was really insecure, and I could see how that was affecting my life. My lack of security and lack of confidence was having a big negative effect, and I decided I was going to become more confident.

For over a year I did everything I could think of to grow my confidence. The truth is that none of it worked. I was still plagued by this feeling of insecurity. And I remember laying in bed with my wife one night complaining about it. She rolled over at one point half asleep and she said “I think you just need to embrace it”. I said “What?” and she said, “Embrace your insecurity”. Then she rolled back over and went to sleep, and I was so mad.

Embrace it? I’ve been trying for a year to get rid of it. What do you mean embrace it? What does that even mean?

I couldn’t get that thought out of my head, so for the next few days I thought about it and I figured that since nothing else works I might as well. I’m going to try it. I’m going to embrace it, accept it, and be open with other people, and just admit that this is what’s going on, and that’s how I’m feeling.

So a couple of weeks later I’m in a meeting at work and we’re talking about a project, and I was assigned some things to do that I didn’t really know how to do. I could feel that insecurity rising up in me. So I stopped and I said, “I’m feeling really insecure right now. I don’t really know how to do these things and I’m afraid I’m going to mess up the project and disappoint you. I don’t want to let you guys down.” So we talked a little bit and they were encouraging. We made some plans and went on- It was fine.

After the meeting one of the people came back to me and said “That was amazing! Where did you find the courage to share all of that with us? You must actually be really confident and secure to be able to put all of that out there.” And I thought “Alright! It worked! Finally! I’m insecure and I’m just going to tell everybody.”

Now here’s the deal. Years later, I find that I’m still insecure at times. I still have that feeling rise up inside me, but it no longer controls me. Hiding those things and denying those things, or just trying to overcome them somehow actually empowers them to have a bigger impact on your life. What I discovered was that embracing and accepting those feelings, and then facing them and making decisions, that moving forward in spite of them actually empowers you.

Now your thing might not be insecurity. All of us have some fears or weaknesses or things that we struggle with that sabotage us. I want to encourage you to consider a different route in dealing with them. Rather than just trying to pretend that they’re not there, or ignore them, face them. Embrace them. Even be open about it with other people. You may just find that that’s the pathway to freedom.