No Excuses!: The Power of Self-Discipline (18 page)
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Authors: Brian Tracy
Tags: #Self Help, #Business, #Non-Fiction, #Psychology, #Inspirational
BOOK: No Excuses!: The Power of Self-Discipline
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This is why whenever people ask me how to succeed in business by
really
trying, I give them the same advice: Whatever your boss gives you to do, do it quickly and well. Then, go and ask for more responsibility. And when you get it, do the job quickly and well until you get a reputation for being the person who does things fast. This will help you advance in your career more than any other reputation you could develop.
really
trying, I give them the same advice: Whatever your boss gives you to do, do it quickly and well. Then, go and ask for more responsibility. And when you get it, do the job quickly and well until you get a reputation for being the person who does things fast. This will help you advance in your career more than any other reputation you could develop.
Here is a simple three-part formula for success at work: Come in a little
earlier
, work a little
harder
, and stay a little
later
. This will move you so far ahead of your competitors that they will never catch up.
earlier
, work a little
harder
, and stay a little
later
. This will move you so far ahead of your competitors that they will never catch up.
Come into work one hour earlier, before anyone else arrives. Use that time to plan and organize your day and get started on your most important tasks. Make sure that whatever time your boss comes to work, you are always there working before he arrives.
Second, work a little harder. Don’t waste time. Don’t chat with coworkers. Work through lunchtime so that you can get on top—and stay on top—of your main tasks and responsibilities.
Third, work one hour later than your coworkers. If they leave at five o’clock, you leave at six. Use that extra time to complete your important tasks and get yourself organized for the following day.
When you come in one hour earlier, work through lunch, and work one hour later, you add
three
full productive hours to your day. Because there are no interruptions when you work during these time periods, you will actually accomplish two or three times as much as you would during your other work hours, when you are constantly interrupted by other people and telephone calls.
three
full productive hours to your day. Because there are no interruptions when you work during these time periods, you will actually accomplish two or three times as much as you would during your other work hours, when you are constantly interrupted by other people and telephone calls.
In fact, you can double or even triple your productivity, performance, and output by simply adding these three hours to your workday. The best news is that by coming in earlier and leaving later, you don’t lose anything. You merely avoid the traffic tie-ups and slow-downs that most people suffer through on their ways to and from work.
To succeed faster at work, use the “Forty Plus Formula.” This formula says that you can tell where you are going to be five years from now by looking at the number of hours that you put in today
in excess of
forty hours each week.
in excess of
forty hours each week.
If all you do is put in the regular forty hours that everyone else puts in, all you will do is survive. Your annual increases will be 3 or 4 percent. You will have a “job,” but your income increases will go up at the same rate as everyone else.
It is when you put in
more than forty hours
that you give yourself an advantage over most of the other people in your company—and your business. Make it a
habit
to do more than what you are paid for. Discipline yourself to put in more than you take out. Every hour that you work over forty hours a week is an investment in your future success.
more than forty hours
that you give yourself an advantage over most of the other people in your company—and your business. Make it a
habit
to do more than what you are paid for. Discipline yourself to put in more than you take out. Every hour that you work over forty hours a week is an investment in your future success.
The highest paid people in America, in every field, work fifty to sixty hours per week. The average self-made millionaire works fifty-nine hours per week. This is equal to five twelve-hour days or six ten-hour days. Most successful people, at the beginning of their careers, worked six days a week—sometimes seven. Moreover, they
worked
all the time they were at work. They didn’t waste time. They realized that in order to reap a great harvest later in their career, they had to sow a lot of seeds in the springtime of their career.
worked
all the time they were at work. They didn’t waste time. They realized that in order to reap a great harvest later in their career, they had to sow a lot of seeds in the springtime of their career.
Finally, you need to discipline yourself to look the part. Remember, “birds of a feather flock together.” When it comes to presentation, this means that people like to promote others who look like them. Your bosses are very sensitive to the appearance of their staff. They like to promote people who they are proud to introduce to their friends and colleagues. Be sure that you dress and groom in such a way that your boss would be proud to take you out for lunch and introduce you to others as a representative of his or her company.
Each morning before you go to work, look in the mirror and ask yourself, “Do I look like one of the top people in my field?” If you don’t, go back and change—and keep changing until you look like one of the top people in your business.
Learn how to
dress for success
. Read books and articles, or ask others for advice. Look at the most successful people in your business and dress the way they do. Dress for the job
two
levels above your current job. Remember that fully 95 percent of the first impression you make on other people will be determined by your dress and grooming. Make sure that first impression—and then the second and third impressions—are consistent with the message you want to send.
dress for success
. Read books and articles, or ask others for advice. Look at the most successful people in your business and dress the way they do. Dress for the job
two
levels above your current job. Remember that fully 95 percent of the first impression you make on other people will be determined by your dress and grooming. Make sure that first impression—and then the second and third impressions—are consistent with the message you want to send.
Many people work their entire lives without realizing that by putting forward a little extra effort, working a little harder, and focusing on higher-value tasks, they could become one of the most valuable people in their organizations. When you discipline yourself to continually increase the value of your contribution to your company, you will put your career on the fast track and virtually guarantee yourself a wonderful future.
In the next chapter, you will learn that your work behaviors naturally determine your ascension to leadership, and you will see how self-discipline is essential to fulfilling your potential as a leader.
Action Exercises:1. Make a decision today that you are going to become one of the top 20 percent of people in your company—and your industry. What should you or could you do differently?2. Make a list of everything you do in your job and then identify the three tasks that contribute the greatest value to your work and company.3. Set a new work schedule for yourself and begin to start earlier, work harder, and stay later until it becomes a habit.4. Identify the most important results you are expected to achieve in your job, and then work on those results all day long.5. Determine the person who is the best dressed and groomed in your company, and then resolve to use him/her as a role model for your own appearance.6. Decide today that, from now on, you are going to actually work all the time you are at work and that you are going to develop the reputation for being the hardest working person in your company.7. Develop a sense of urgency. Resolve to move fast when you are given a job or opportunity. This can change your life.
Chapter 9
Self-Discipline and Leadership
“Nothing is more harmful to the service than the neglect of discipline; for it is discipline more than numbers that gives one army superiority over another.”
—GEORGE WASHINGTON
L
eadership and self-discipline go hand in hand. It is not possible to imagine an effective leader who lacks self-discipline, willpower, self-control, and self-mastery. The overarching characteristic of a leader is that he is in complete control of himself and of every situation.
eadership and self-discipline go hand in hand. It is not possible to imagine an effective leader who lacks self-discipline, willpower, self-control, and self-mastery. The overarching characteristic of a leader is that he is in complete control of himself and of every situation.
There has seldom been a time in history when leaders were so needed and so much in demand as today. We need leaders at every level of society, both in the profit and nonprofit sectors. We need leaders in our families, businesses, places of worship, community organizations, and, especially, politics. We need men and women who take their responsibilities seriously and are willing to step forward to take command of the situation.
Fortunately, leadership is
learnable.
Leaders are developed—usually self-developed—over time through hard work, experience, and training. As Peter Drucker once said, “There may be natural-born leaders, but there are so few of them, that they make no difference in the great scheme of things.”
learnable.
Leaders are developed—usually self-developed—over time through hard work, experience, and training. As Peter Drucker once said, “There may be natural-born leaders, but there are so few of them, that they make no difference in the great scheme of things.”
In your career in business, you progress through four levels of activity and attainment. First, you start off as an
employee,
with limited knowledge and experience. Then, as you grow, learn, and develop the ability to get results, you evolve upward and become a
supervisor,
with responsibility for the performance and results of other people.
employee,
with limited knowledge and experience. Then, as you grow, learn, and develop the ability to get results, you evolve upward and become a
supervisor,
with responsibility for the performance and results of other people.
As you continue to move up the scale of supervision, improving your ability to get things done through others from directly overseeing the work of employees, you become a
manager
, someone who assigns work to people with demonstrated competence in certain areas. Managers have a larger view, and this comes with greater responsibilities.
manager
, someone who assigns work to people with demonstrated competence in certain areas. Managers have a larger view, and this comes with greater responsibilities.
As you move up the scale of management, becoming more knowledgeable and effective and getting more and better results from more and different people, you reach the highest level, that of a
leader.
At this stage, you are responsible for determining
what
is to be done rather than
how
it is to be done.
leader.
At this stage, you are responsible for determining
what
is to be done rather than
how
it is to be done.
It is said that “some leaders are made, some are born, and some people have leadership thrust upon them.” Leaders emerge or are promoted to deal with a situation requiring leadership ability. In its simplest terms, the role of the leader is to “take responsibility for results.”
The primary reason that people are promoted into increasingly higher levels of leadership is that they demonstrate the ability to get the required results at each level. The ongoing question of the leader is always, “What results are expected of me?” Clarity is essential.
The main reason that some people are not promoted into greater leadership position—or perhaps they are even fired—is because of “failure to execute.” They do not do the most important jobs expected of them, nor do they get the results demanded of them.
The first quality of leadership, based on 3,300 studies of leaders done by James MacPherson, is the quality of
vision
. Leaders have vision. They have the ability to project forward into the future and develop a clear picture of where they want their organizations to go. They then have the ability to share this vision with others and gain others’ commitment to make this vision a reality.
vision
. Leaders have vision. They have the ability to project forward into the future and develop a clear picture of where they want their organizations to go. They then have the ability to share this vision with others and gain others’ commitment to make this vision a reality.
You become a leader when you accept responsibility for results. You become a leader when you begin to think, act, and talk like a leader. You become a leader when you develop a
vision
for yourself and for your company, your life, or your area of responsibility.
vision
for yourself and for your company, your life, or your area of responsibility.
There are hundreds of books written about leadership and the importance of vision. Yet they can be boiled down to a single principle. A military leader has a vision of
victory
, from which he never deviates. A business leader has a vision of
success
for the business based on excellent performance, to which he or she is completely committed.
victory
, from which he never deviates. A business leader has a vision of
success
for the business based on excellent performance, to which he or she is completely committed.
The leader sets the standard for the organization. It is not possible for anyone in the organization to have a clearer vision or to aspire to a higher standard of excellence than the leader. For this reason, the leader is the role model, the one who sets the tone and the morale for everyone in the organization. The personality and influence of the leader affect everyone below him in the company, organization, or department.
You cannot
raise
morale in a business; it filters down from the top, from the leader. The behavior of the leader influences and affects the behavior of everyone else. If the leader is positive, confident, and upbeat, everyone in the organization will be influenced by this behavior and will be more positive, confident, and upbeat as well.
raise
morale in a business; it filters down from the top, from the leader. The behavior of the leader influences and affects the behavior of everyone else. If the leader is positive, confident, and upbeat, everyone in the organization will be influenced by this behavior and will be more positive, confident, and upbeat as well.
When you become a leader, you must discipline yourself to be “leaderlike.” You must walk, talk, and act the part of a leader. You become a different person with different responsibilities.
When you are working your way up, you are a part of the staff or the sales team. When you become a manager, you are part of management. This means that when you are part of the staff, your orientation is upward and sideways, but when you become a leader, your orientation is downward, toward all the people for whom you are responsible.
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