What Do You Really Need to Be Effective?

Better tools and feedback systems will NEVER create value without the investment in training people and continuous hard work.

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You see this all the time in weekend warrior athletes buying the best gear.  If you like the gear and it gives you pleasure to have $200 shoes and a $500 watch then you should buy them but know that is why you own them.  

Leadership Tools: What do you really need to be effective? What's the business equivalent?

Consider the Tarahumara who are among the best distance runners in the world. They run at high altitudes over rocky terrain in sandals!

They begin training early in life.  Their diet is clean from childhood. Nearly everyone in their tribe runs - it is a way of life.  When you are surrounded by people with the same behaviors you fall into them - good or bad.  

  • Whether you are a runner or not can you see correlations within your business?  
  • Do you see people asking for more feedback or better tools than necessary?  
  • Do you find it easier to invest in tangible tools and technology rather than the hard and unpredictable work of training people?

Buying $200 shoes is fun.  Training every day and pushing your limits is hard. 

Contracting is a low-margin business and every dollar counts.  Make sure you are spending on the things that have the best return




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Contractors can focus on 3 major metrics to continuously improve cash flow, truly making a “game” out of it.
Root Cause Analysis to Behavior Level
Contracting businesses and projects always have problems. What’s important is that a team develops the skills and routine habit for continuously improving. When troubleshooting a problem it’s important to do Root Cause Analysis (RCA) down to behaviors.
Progressive Questions for Interviews, Evaluations, and Development
Asking progressively higher-level questions helps assess capabilities while allowing you to stop before making the other person feel inadequate. These questions are valuable for development—answering them is like exercise for the brain.