Monday, July 14, 2008

Seven Arenas of Success

Seven Arenas of Success:Major (R)Khalid Nasr "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly." Theodore Roosevelt The Arenas of Success are:1.I Am - the Arena of Values 2.I Should – the Arena of Responsibility 3.I Could - the Arena of Possibility 4.I Would - the Arena of Negotiation 5.I Want To - the Arena of Vision 6.I Will - the Arena of Dedication 7.I Do - the Arena of Accomplishment The “Arenas” of Success are Values,Responsibility, Possibility, Negotiation, Vision, Dedication, and Accomplishment. The degree of our success is directly related to the degree in which we excel in and balance these arenas. As you go through each segment, think practically, because these are intended to be more than intellectual ideas. They are intended to help you solidify them into your life and turn your potential into performance: 1.I Am - The Arena of Values: Every person, organization and business has values. They may not know what they are, or they may not be able to articulate what they are, but they have them. The values of a business are what they believe in. What do they think is important? What do they hold as dear to the organization? Customer satisfaction is a simple value that a business may hold, for example. What a company values will affect the way the business runs and the employees act and work, so it is important to know what your business values are.The first step in a successful organization, or for your own life for that matter, is to determine your values. I would encourage you to spend some time on this if you haven’t already. And if you have, continue to make sure that everybody in the organization knows and believes in them. 2.I Should – The Arena of Responsibility: Those who would lead the way to accomplishment must also understand that they have responsibilities. And the man or woman of honor, integrity, and success, lives up to those responsibilities. So what are these responsibilities that we must live by? While I want to encourage you to think about them specifically for your own life and business, there are a few that I believe are for all of us. To be a person and company of high integrity. Ultimately, we are only a success to the degree that we are honorable people. This means that we are honest, hard working, and forthright. I don’t think it matters how much money one accumulates if the are not a person of integrity. To live by the “golden rule.” And the golden rule is that we will treat others as we want to and expect to be treated. 3.I Could – The Arena of Possibility: People have great ideas, dreams, and possibilities inside of them. They just need someone to stop the treadmill and ask the question, surrounded by an atmosphere of acceptance. Here are some areas to think about possibilities in: The office atmosphere Customer relations Customer satisfaction Increased sales Increased profit Community service projects 4.I Would – the Arena of Negotiation : After you have recognized your corporate values, understood your responsibilities and then had your staff possibilities session, there comes a time of reflection upon those possibilities. Every possibility has a cost associated with it. At this point an organization not only says “we could” but they also need to determine what the cost will be and whether or not the successful implementation of the possibility is worth the cost. This is the arena of negotiation. It isn’t negotiation in the traditional sense of the word, such as negotiating a price with a client or vendor, but is primarily an internal negotiation. These are all examples of negotiation questions. You are negotiating internally, with yourself or your staff. For example, you may find that your possibilities include substantially more profit for an extra five hours of your time per week. But your family life may be such that it wouldn’t be the overall best situation for you to increase your workload five more hours a week at this point in your life. 5.I Want To – The Arena of Vision: Those ideas that stir our passions for excellence become things that we can easily “see.” They can become our “vision.” Vision is a word that is used a lot in leadership development these days, and for a good reason. Great things come when we dream, when we gain a vision of a better tomorrow. Vision drives us to attempt things far beyond where we are right now. 6.I Will – The Arena of Dedication :The three most important things in work, especially during the start-up process, are “perseverance, perseverance, perseverance.” I have come to believe that much of what separates the successful from the unsuccessful is simply determination. The successful are not always the brightest, the best looking, or those with the most prestigious diplomas. Instead, they are the ones who say “I will do this!” and “Hardship will not deter me!” These people have entered into and continually live in the arena of dedication. Staying there long enough usually puts them on top. Dedication is a key to success. 7.I Do – The Arena of Accomplishment : It is important to remember that these phases are all constantly rotating through different areas of our lives. In some areas we will be in the values formulating arena, others the dedication arena. And of course we will at times be in the accomplishment arena. The greatest reward is, as the old saying goes, “the satisfaction of a job well done.” Not many people make it to the accomplishment arena very often. Enjoy the satisfaction!

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