Understanding ME
Who Are You Really?
The value of accurate personality assessment
Swallowing the bitter pill
Get over it – allow the “hit” to your ego
Who Are You Profiler – Private Session
Read Group 1 – Which describes you best?
Read Group 2 – Which describes you best?
Understanding ME
Who Are You Profiler – Partner Session
Discuss your results with your partner.
What was your immediate reaction to the
profiler results?
What was one of the most revealing parts of
the results?
What did you learn about yourself?
Understanding ME
Time to Get on the SWOT Team
SWOT = Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, Threats
This is a great tool for helping you be realistic
about what you can really achieve.
Your SWOT analysis needs to be focused on
a particular “Life Aspect.”
Understanding ME
What Is A “Life Aspect?”
Examples of Life Aspects are:
Family, Career, Finance, Health, Recreation,
Personal, Friendship, Community, Household,
and Spiritual
Entrepreneurial Focus Life Aspect =
Career and Finance
Understanding ME
Career Life Aspect
Career is “what you do” and is likely the most
time consuming aspect of your life.
Career is usually at the top of the list of
importance in the “big picture” of life.
Career aspect includes career satisfaction
and development.
Balance is the key – try not to let Career get
ahead of other important aspects in life.
Understanding ME
Finance Life Aspect
Unfortunately, money is essential to
sustaining life in modern society.
By necessity, the Finance Life Aspect is fairly
high on the list when you are determining
what is important.
DO NOT LET IT RULE YOUR LIFE!!!
Understanding ME
Finance Life Aspect
The Finance Life Aspect can pertain to
making the most of what you have today,
investing correctly, as well as earning more.
Again, balance is the key – DO NOT over
emphasize the Finance Life Aspect.
Assignment: Read Think and Grow Rich
Understanding ME
Undertake a personal SWOT analysis for
the LIFE ASPECTS you’re considering
Write down everything you can think of in
each category – Strengths | Weaknesses |
Opportunities | Threats – whether you think
it’s really relevant or not.
Understanding ME
Strengths - Identify key strengths that will
pertain DIRECTLY to achieving your goals
The Strengths that you identify MUST apply
to the Life Aspect focus of your SWOT.
For Example: You may be able to throw a
football 50 yards, but if you are looking to be a
successful real estate investor, this would
NOT be applicable.
Understanding ME
Strengths - Identify key strengths that will
ultimately help you achieve your goals
Don’t confuse Strengths with necessity. If
there is a skill that you possess, but so does
everyone around you… it is a necessity!
To uncover your Strengths, ask yourself,
“What do I find easy that others find difficult to
do?”
Understanding ME
Did You Know .…Part of Albert Einstein’s
brain was abnormally large while another
part of his brain was unusually small?
Which part was larger than normal?
The area used for math and spatial intelligence.
Which part was smaller than normal?
The area used for linguistics.
Understanding ME
Did You Know .… Most children start
talking between the ages of one and two.
Einstein, who is generally regarded as one
of the smartest people ever, didn’t start
talking until he was three.
Einstein failed a language exam when he
was 16. He was known to be a terrible
lecturer and was not a cunning linguist.
Understanding ME
Einstein’s Brain Size Story: What’s the
Moral of the Story?
“Be thankful for your WEAKNESSES
because they may be the source of
your STRENGTHS!” - Anonymous
Understanding ME
Weaknesses - Identify Weaknesses that
pertain DIRECTLY to getting in the way of
your goals and expected achievements
The Weaknesses that you identify MUST
apply to the Life Aspect focus of your SWOT.
For Example: You may be a horrible cook, but
will that stop you from being a successful
businessperson?
Understanding ME
Opportunities – Identify positive external
conditions that you can use to your
advantage The Opportunities that you might identify could be
TREND-driven, or TIMING-driven, or TECHNOLOGY-
driven, or RELATIONSHIP-driven.
Examine all of your resources. Drill down through the
layers of personal relationships. There are always
people who want to get involved in a great deal.
Understanding ME
Opportunities – Identify positive external
conditions that you can use to your
advantage
Examine any and all previous Opportunities. You
would be shocked at how much more can be
harvested from a previous win.
“Opportunity is often missed because we
are broadcasting when we should be tuning
in.” - Anonymous
Understanding ME
Opportunities – Identify positive external
conditions that you can use to your
advantage The Opportunities that you might identify could be
TREND-driven, or TIMING-driven, or TECHNOLOGY-
driven, or RELATIONSHIP-driven.
Examine all of your resources. Drill down through the
layers of personal relationships. There are always
people who want to get involved in a great deal.
Understanding ME
“Opportunities always look bigger going
than coming.” - Anonymous
“When one door closes, another opens; but
we often look so long and so regretfully
upon the closed door that we do not see the
one which has opened for us.” - Helen Keller
Understanding ME
Threats - These are the negative External
Conditions that you cannot control but their
effects can lessen your potential success
Threats can be simply an extension of your
weaknesses.
Threats can come from: Competition,
Personality Conflict, Industry Change,
Technology Change, Government Regulation
Understanding ME
Threats - These are the negative External
Conditions that you cannot control but their
effects can lessen your potential success
Threats can be changed in Market Conditions,
Economic Conditions, Skill Set Requirements,
Supply and Demand, Personal Situation,
Professional Standards, Licensing
Requirements, etc.
Understanding ME
Performing the SWOT Analysis
Draw a two-by-two grid on a sheet of paper.
Label the upper two quadrants “Strengths” and
“Weaknesses”.
Label the lower two quadrants “Opportunities”
and “Threats”.
“Strengths” should be directly above
“Opportunities”; “Weaknesses” should be
directly above “Threats”.
Understanding ME
Performing the SWOT Analysis
In each quadrant, write out ideas in bullet-point
form. Be as specific as possible.
Stretch to come up with true insights.
Take a break if you have to, and revisit your
analysis when you are fresh.
Edit. Delete repetitive ideas and sharpen less
specific ones.
Analyze what it all means.
Understanding ME
Performing the SWOT Analysis
Validate your current position.
Understand the skills, attributes and
experiences you should emphasize and the
ones you should downplay.
Brainstorm possible directions.
Be creative - there is no such thing as a
STUPID idea, just ideas that you might not
utilize.
Understanding ME
Performing the SWOT Analysis
Highlight opportunities you can use to your
advantage.
Flag possible threats.
Determine Possible Actions. There are Four
Types of Actions You Could Take:
Strengthen a specific skill or add something to
your strengths quadrant.
Minimize or eliminate a weakness.
Understanding ME
Determine Possible Actions. There are Four
Types of Actions You Could Take:
Pursue or exploit an opportunity.
Protect yourself from threats.
Revisit and Update Your SWOT Chart
Periodically to Add a Level of Sophistication
and Effectiveness to Your Planning.
Understanding ME
A Lifetime of Lessons has Taught Me:
Never complain about your challenges,
because 95% of the people don’t care, and
the other 5% are glad that they happened to
you.
You are the same today as you will be in five
years, except for two things: the PEOPLE that
you MEET and the BOOKS that you READ.
Understanding ME
A Lifetime of Lessons has Taught Me:
You are a product of your environment. I truly
believe that “you can’t soar with eagles if you
hang around with turkeys.”
The most common cause of failure is
QUITTING.
Understanding ME
A Lifetime of Lessons has Taught Me:
“Success is a journey and not a destination.
Success is a way of life that you will continue
as long as you live. It is about discovering your
ultimate purpose and pursuing it with
everything that you have and everything that
you do.” - Ben Sweetland
R. U. Darby and his Uncle Story: Three Feet
from Gold
Understanding ME
A Lifetime of Lessons Has Taught Me:
Before great success comes, you will surely
meet with temporary defeat.
Select your path and then: ONE - Seek the
counsel of those who have expertise and
educate yourself. TWO – Never, NEVER,
Never Quit. THREE – When you find success,
seek others to mentor and share with them the
valuable lessons that you have learned.
Understanding ME
A Lifetime of Lessons has Taught Me:
There is a difference between being interested
and being committed.
To succeed you must have “STICKABILITY.”
READ: Three Feet from Gold
by Sharon L. Lechter and Gregg S. ReidPresented by: The Napoleon Hill Foundation
Understanding THEM
Relationship Building is your single most
important entrepreneurial skill.
Relationships must be mutually energizing.
Relationships must accommodate feelings
and meet needs.
Understanding THEM
Relationship Building is the Key to Personal
Success as an Entrepreneur. Are You A
“People Person?” If not, become one.
Relationship building must be sincere and
genuine. It’s easy to spot a “phony.”
Relationship building requires the building of
mutual trust.
Understanding THEM
No Man Is An Island.
Name a business where you do not have to
deal with another human being.
As a Business Professional, You Should
Ask Yourself: "What Business am I in?"
The answer is quite simple. If your business
has anything to do with people - and ALL
businesses do - you are in the business of
building relationships.
Understanding THEM
Some People Think That If They Sell
Things, They are in the Business of Selling.
They aren't. They are in the business of
building relationships – because that is how
you sell things.
The more people that you are comfortable
building a relationship with, the greater your
network will be, and the more success you
will have in business.
Understanding THEM
Your NET WORTH is in direct Proportion to
Your NETWORK.
Personal relationship-building skills are
essential to cement and bind customer
friendship, trust, credibility, rapport
building, and to make the buyer look and
perform well in the association.
Understanding THEM
Remember your SWOT Analysis?
Use your NETWORK to minimize or delegate
away your weaknesses. Leverage your
strengths to assist others and build
relationships.
Exercise: SWOT Mart
Break up into groups of 10 – form 2 lines
opposite of each other. Get ready to swap
strengths and weaknesses.
Understanding THEM
Relationship Building Blocks
Send notes of congratulations for all occasions.
The smaller the event, the bigger the impact of
the card.
Send holiday gifts. When possible, try to make
the gift personal or at least choose something
you think the individual would like.
Ask about their spouse and children. If you
happen to be in their office, ask if the pictures
on the walls are their kids.
Understanding THEM
Relationship Building Blocks
Plan an activity with your children (if they have
children who are around the same age).
Offer to help with any volunteer work that they
do and ask if you can invite others to help, too.
Offer to share your material possessions with
them, if it would help them. Lending a
wheelbarrow or a lawn mower can build a lot of
trust in a new relationship.
Understanding THEM
Relationship Building Blocks
Establish a common connection. Same school,
town, common professional or personal
contacts, hobbies, sports teams – anything –
then NEVER FORGET IT and refer to it often.
Let them know about your significant life
events.
Make the time to go to their functions when
they invite you.
Understanding THEM
Relationship Building Blocks
Find out what organizations they are involved
in and join one that interests you.
Attend a presentation that the contact makes
and send a note or a comment about the
presentation.
Invite them to a sporting event. Make sure it is
a sport that you both like.
Understanding THEM
Relationship Building Blocks
Participate in a charitable cause that they are
involved in and donate.
Refer business to them. One of the best ways
to generate business referrals is to make
referrals yourself. Be sure that the referrals you
make are "quality" referrals.
Lend them an uplifting book that you really
enjoyed. Tell them that you were thinking about
them while you were reading it.
Understanding THEM
Relationship Building Blocks
Introduce them to someone who can solve a
problem they have. Perhaps they need a good
computer consultant to help set up an office
network or a good plumber to unclog their
sewage line at home. Either way, referring
good vendors to your contacts shows that you
are resourceful.
Always follow up on the referral to make sure
that the new relationship is a happy one.
Understanding THEM
Relationship Building Blocks
Recommend a good movie, book, play, or other
cultural activity.
Introduce them to a hobby or activity that you
are passionate about.
Send them a brochure for a seminar that might
interest them.
Tell them about a Web site that might be
helpful or interesting to them.
Understanding THEM
Professional relationship-building skills
consist of adding significant value to the
customer's business
Contribute toward reduced costs of their
business.
Contribute toward the increased profitability of
their business.
Work to guarantee their business success
through shared resources, relationships or
ideas.
Understanding THEM
“People are insecure; give them confidence.
People want to feel special; compliment them.
People want a better tomorrow; show them hope.
People need to be understood; listen to them.
People are selfish; speak to their needs first.
People are emotionally low; encourage them.
People want to be associated with success; help
them win.” - Pete Vossler
Understanding THEM
Synergistic Relationships are Critical to a
Long-Term Successful Business
Relationship.
Create WIN-WIN only transactions
Give & Take – stay in balance
Know what is important to you in a business
relationship.
Do not compromise your value system –
EVER!
Understanding THEM
Synergistic Relationships are Critical to a
Long-Term Successful Business
Relationship.
Learn the truth about your business
associate.
Turn the other cheek - we all make mistakes,
but DO NOT turn a blind eye.
Compassion in action.
If you are angry, count to 10. If you are really
mad, count to 1000.
Understanding THEM
Synergistic Relationships are Critical to a
Long-Term Successful Business
Relationship.
It takes a lifetime to build trust and a split
second to take it away.
Learn to walk away from temptation that
would destroy trust.
The grass is always greener, or so it appears
until you hop the fence.
Understanding THEM
Learn the Weapons of Influence
Assignment - Please read:
INFLUENCE - The Psychology of Persuasion.
By Robert B. Cialdini, PH.D.
Understanding IT
What is Your “IT” and How Do I Find “IT” in
My Life?
Work within your PASSION.
Keep grounded and remember your goals.
Don’t lose FOCUS – chase two rabbits, catch
none.
Leverage your SWOT analysis.
Maintain Success-Able expectations. Dreams
are GREAT; reality is ESSENTIAL.
Understanding IT
What is Your “IT” and How Do I Find “IT” in
My Life?
Does the “IT” have potential? Are other
people succeeding at “IT”?
Do you see yourself doing “IT”?
Do you see yourself growing personally and
professionally over the long term doing “IT”?
Where do you see yourself in five years or 10
years, if you become successful at doing “IT”?
Understanding IT
What is Your “IT” and How Do I Find “IT” in
My Life?
Do you enjoy the people who you meet who
are professionals at doing “IT”? Or are they
people who you would rather not associate
with?
Does the industry that “IT” resides in have
long-term potential or is it a fad?
What would be your exit strategy if you
developed your business around “IT”?
Understanding IT
What is Your “IT” and How Do I Find “IT” in
My Life?
What difference can you make in the world as
you become good at “IT”?
Does the thought of doing “IT” EXCITE you?
Do you DREAM of “IT” at night and constantly
think of things that you can improve while you
are doing “IT”?
Understanding IT
What is Your “IT” and How Do I Find “IT” in
My Life?
Is doing “IT” something that you can be proud
of as a vocation or career?
Is “IT” something that you are proud to speak
about in social settings?
Is “IT” something that you want your children
to tell their friends Mommy or Daddy does for
a living?
Understanding IT
The Process of Evaluation – Critical to
Success of ALL Ventures in the
Entrepreneurial World
Gather all information that you can about the
opportunity.
Do your homework on the opportunity -
investigation and due diligence is an art.
Validate the information as reliable and
accurate.
Understanding IT
The Process of Evaluation – Critical to
Success of ALL Ventures in the
Entrepreneurial World
Gain the assistance of a group of SMEs.
Understand the Business Model completely
and develop an “elevator pitch”; then test your
pitch on some friends whose opinions you
respect.
You build an economic model that makes
sense from your own due diligence.
Understanding IT
The Process of Evaluation – Critical to
Success of ALL Ventures in the
Entrepreneurial World
You build a marketing model that makes
sense and then “test” market it before
committing to a large amount of Human
Capital, Time, or Monetary Investment.
Never access your business relationships
until you can answer all anticipated questions
they might have.
Understanding IT
The Process of Evaluation – Critical to
Success of ALL Ventures in the
Entrepreneurial World
Put together a “think tank” of people who you
believe would have great suggestions. You
want people who would understand the
opportunity and have interest in it.
Limit the time for brainstorming – lack of time
limit creates lack of urgency for creativity and
turns it into a committee.
Understanding IT
Exercise: Finger Weights, LLC
Break out into groups of 10
Read Executive Summary
Discuss in your group
Report on: findings, processes, solutions,
plans, next steps, possibilities,
recommendations, suggestions, etc.
TEST
Exercise: I thought this was going to be FUN
– what happened?
Take the TEST – you have five minutes.
Exercise: OH – it IS going to be FUN!
Take the test as a group – you have five
minutes.