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Are You Doing What Matters?

 

Think what you’re doing doesn’t matter?  What’s the likelihood this person will have the chance to demonstrate and use his skills in this regard?  In fact, does anyone really notice or care he’s there doing his job?
What if we remove world class athletes and replace them with 4 year olds?  Same location, same job, different level of care and concern on the part of most everyone.  The whistle and life preserver make a difference.  The value is higher.  No need to even lifeguarddeliver a resume if you’re this person.  However, If a problem comes up you had better solve it!
What problem do you solve?  What’s that problem costing the person who has it?  What could that problem cost them long term?  Solving problem’s are a road to wealth.

My name is Steven Clauson and I coach people who want to come out of the stands and onto the field or are already on the field and demand to work to their potential.  Are you in the stands or on the field?  Winners are on the field playing full out and dominate.  For these people results matter.  Tired of results less than you know you can produce?  Call me at 916-230-0176 or visit www.stevenclauson.com

 

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What’s Your Response-A-Bility?

       Something happened to you today that was either bad or good.  When it happened you made a decision typically based more on opinion than fact.  How you feel at any given moment has a great deal of influence on that specific thing and the rest of your day.
How do you feel when you see that flashing red light in your mirror?  How do you respond when someone “wants to talk?”  When you watch the news and it starts with “Breaking News” what does that mean to you?  On a side note what the hell are you doing watching the news?
In every situation we get to decide what something means and then decide how to respond to that meaning.  Attaching a fine to a traffic stop will typically cause us to fail the attitude test and that often leads to ink hitting paper and a fine.  If we become pensive and stressed at the “we need to talk” conversation we spend the entire conversation waiting for the next show to drop and never fully engage.  “Breaking News” is designed to scare the crap out of us and make us continue to watch and the news is most often overblown and hype.
Response A Bility is what this all comes down to… Your ability to respond in a manner that serves you and those around you.  I help you Respond like you want to!
My name is Steven Clauson and I coach people who want to come out of the stands and onto the field or are already on the field and demand to work to their potential.  Are you in the stands or on the field?  Winners are on the field playing full out and dominate.  For these people results matter.  Tired of results less than you know you can produce?  Call me at 916-230-0176 or visit www.stevenclauson.com

 

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Are They Really Listening?

       I work with someone who has multiple audiences that are more or less the same audience.  Or so it appears.  On the surface they have many of the identical issues, needs, fears, pain and drivers.  I made the decision early on to separate these audiences using the experience I have in this area.  The results are both fascinating and expected.
The most recent marketing communication we sent to these groups were identical down to what time they were sent..  The only difference is the grouping we used.  Group A opened the marketing piece up at a rate of 41.8% and Group B opened up the piece at a 23.9%.  This is a stunning difference.  Reading the piece we sent tells us a lot about the issues that Group A is having that is impacting Group B with much less urgency.  When we talk to the recipients in Group A we now know what their issues are, what to focus on and what solutions will matter to them.
Got an idea what solution your customer really wants?  Talking about what they really want as opposed to what they tell you they want will get them to listen very closely!  What do you want to say?
My name is Steven Clauson and I coach people who want to come out of the stands and onto the field or are already on the field and demand to work to their potential.  Are you in the stands or on the field?  Winners are on the field playing full out and dominate.  For these people results matter.  Tired of results less than you know you can produce?  Call me at 916-230-0176 or visit www.stevenclauson.com

 

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Do You Value Information Over Implementation?

    Many people tell us information is power.  Infants produce lots of information every couple of hours and once they produce that level of information someone needs to step in and implement a change.  In the babies world the information they produce matters.  In the world of the adult the implementation of a new diaper means everything.  This cycle never really changes.
        I can coach my ass off while providing mountains of interesting information and until the implementation starts it was all a waste of time.  At the end of the day what matters is implementation.  Everything else is simply a waste of time.
Successful people want sufficient information to embark on implementing a change and learn as they move along in the process.  These leaders know that the arch enemy of good is perfect and trying to reach perfect is where workable strategies go to die.  Once you start the implementation process you learn what you can only learn from actual experience.  New information yields change and most often this change produces betters results.
A baby never waits until they perfect the walking process to start.  Babies learn by doing.  No one needs to assist in this process.  This is why almost everyone on the planet walks I guess.  Babies get sufficient information to start (pulling themselves up), then they start letting go (balance) and then start to move (enhanced balance).  Try explaining any of this to a baby!  We are all babies at heart and we can and should do the same thing daily!
       My name is Steven Clauson and I coach people who want to come out of the stands and onto the field or are already on the field and demand to work to their potential.  Are you in the stands or on the field?  Winners are on the field playing full out and dominate.  For these people results matter.  Tired of results less than you know you can produce?  Call me at 916-230-0176 or visit www.stevenclauson.com

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Kobe & Curry Kept Their Heads In The Game

     Something remarkable happened this past week that may have gone unnoticed.  Kobe Bryant played his last game as a Professional Basketball Player and scored 60 points and Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors played their last game of the regular season and set an all time record for wins in the regular season at 73 wins and 9 losses.  Both of these accomplishments are worthy of note.  I was more impressed by something that didn’t happen by either of these professionals that night.
        We all of a sudden live in a world dominated by Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter.  It seems like this is the primary method that people use to communicate.  People take pictures of food, cats, sunrises, sunsets and anything else they possibly can in lieu of actually communicating with each other.  What didn’t happen Wednesday night is both players kept their head in their respective games and neither player took to Twitter to talk about the game they were playing in.  Both players did something uncommon and simply showed up and did what they were supposed to do.  No distractions.  No alternative agenda.  They showed up and gave 100% and each got the outcome they desired and worked for.
How often have you worked with someone ranging from a high placed manager to a part time cashier who seemed far more interested in what else was going on as opposed to what was currently going on that they have influence over.  From sports to business the area of social media is gaining importance for all the wrong reasons.  It comes down to the basics and doing what works.  For most Twitter will never be a profit center.
       My name is Steven Clauson and I coach people who want to come out of the stands and onto the field or are already on the field and demand to work to their potential.  Are you in the stands or on the field?  Winners are on the field playing full out and dominate.  For these people results matter.  Tired of results less than you know you can produce?  Call me at 916-230-0176 or visit www.stevenclauson.com

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The NFL Draft And Your Staff

     Many of you are aware I love the NFL.  Over the past few days the NFL held the annual draft of the best college players in the nation for an opportunity to move to the next level and play in the big league.  What fascinates me every year is what teams like the Los Angeles Rams are willing to give up to get what they consider to be the best player in all the land to join their team, get paid millions of dollars up front and they do this in order for a chance to get developed by the teams making this investment.
        When the best player in all of college football (Almost universal agreement here by the way) Jared Goff has to be trained and developed what chance do the rest of us have to hire someone who is set and trained to hit the ground running?  Taking that a step further and adding the caveat of finding all this and then wanting to hire them for the lowest wage possible?  I guess this is why the NFL places so many incentives into the contracts of their players.  At the end of the day even the NFL knows that it’s not who you are they want to hire… It’s more a case of who you can become with training and effort.  This is the difference between minor league football and the NFL and the difference between a staff member and a leader.  Everyone wants a leader!
I frequently hear what sounds like the reasonable argument of what happens if I invest in my staff and then they quit?  The best reply I have is what happens if you don’t train them and they stay?  Which one is scarier and more expensive?
       My name is Steven Clauson and I coach people who want to come out of the stands and onto the field or are already on the field and demand to work to their potential.  Are you in the stands or on the field?  Winners are on the field playing full out and dominate.  For these people results matter.  Tired of results less than you know you can produce?  Call me at 916-230-0176 or visit www.stevenclauson.com

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Participation Trophies In The News.

After everything that has been in the news recently about the idea and value of participation trophies I spent a few minutes looking around my children’s rooms.  My children were active in pursuits like Soccer, Football, Media, Track & Field,  Lacrosse, Cheerleading and Swimming.  I was looking for any remaining “awards” they are proud of for just showing up.  I found none!
Upon closer examination what I did find was a varsity letter my son earned as a Varsity Swimmer for Elk Grove High School, my daughters awards for Academic Excellence, Academic All American and a Cheerleading award she was given that was voted on by her Cheer team at Pleasant Grove High School and my Step Daughters awards from the Media Communications Academy at Center High School where she excelled and set the standard she would use as a Cast Member at Disney .  Not one of them kept awards for simply participating.  I don’t think this is a mistake.
My Son recently was awarded the title “Customer Experience Expert” from Mazda Corporation.  This is an award based on sales, experience and customer service ratings where Mazda calls the customer to drill down about their experience.  This award comes with a title and a monetary bonus.  In short, it matters and is earned.
My Daughter was recently placed into the management training program with Safeway Corporation based on effort, hard work, management approval and again the biggest factor is customer feedback.  Feedback matters.  I would add that my daughter will earn her certification as a welder in December and takes pride in maintaining the highest grade level and skill level in her class because this allows her to be the leader she knows she is.
My Step Daughter has recently been elevated at Disneyland from Cast Member to a manger based solely on Direct Customer feedback.  At Disney direct feedback means that a guest captures someone’s name and has to go to a specific office near the main gate and write out what the Cast Member did to make their day memorable.    Many Cast Members never have this happen and she has had it happen twice in the same week.  Her name is Sammy and she is in Disney California Adventure and I promise you that if you seek her out it will be an experience your children will not soon forget.  Disney expects that once you hit the stage you are all about the guest experience and this is difficult at best.
Each of these now adults were given participation trophies and each of them say that none of them mattered.  What matters to them are the results they produce because that is a life trophy and one that matters

My name is Steven Clauson and I coach people who want to come out of the stands and onto the field or are already on the field and demand to maximize their efforts.  Are you in the stands or on the field?  Winners are on the field playing full out. These are people for whom results matter.  Tired of results that are less than you know you can produce?  Call me at 916-230-0176 or visit www.stevenclauson.com

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Who Creates Your Reality?

Who’s responsible for creating your reality?  The word reality is defined as the way things actually are.  With that being said the News people insist on watching is supposed to contain reality and what it really contains is grey areas of opinion and spin.  Our lives happen just like this.  Most of what happens comes down to opinion and spin.
Someone’s reality often comes down to their Response Ability in every given situation.  Losing a parent, winning a football game, going through a divorce, filing bankruptcy and even getting an inheritance are examples of things that show your response ability.  How will you respond in any given situation is what reality is all about.  I know people dealing with each of these situations right now and the differences are stark and not what I would have predicted.
What I know to be true and a fact is that success is our duty, obligation and responsibility.  We need to take it seriously.  It matters!  The last few days with a sick parent matters.  Winning a football game matters.  Divorce and the destruction of a family matters.  Filing bankruptcy and having the chance to start over matters.  Getting an inheritance and becoming the steward of someone’s financial lifes work matters.
Each of us holds the final definition of what reality means.  When you choose to be part of the solution your ability to respond rises.  What’s your current Response Ability?      
My name is Steven Clauson and I coach people who want to come out of the stands and onto the field or are already on the field and demand to maximize their efforts.  Are you in the stands or on the field?  Winners are on the field playing full out. These are people for whom results matter.  Tired of results that are less than you know you can produce?  Call me at 916-230-0176 or visit www.stevenclauson.com

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The 4th Quarter Is When We Win Or Lose… And Your Choice Is?

 I am a serious football fan.  I am serious to the point that I think baseball should conclude Labor Day weekend so we can all focus on Football.  There are lessons from football we can all use to push what we do forward.  Ignore these lessons at your peril.
Today starts the 4th quarter.  In football this is when teams get tired and mistakes happen.  In short this is often when the game is won and lost.  The 4th quarter is when mistakes are made, focus is lost, disappointment sets in and the winner is determined.  Most games aren’t really won in my estimation, most are lost.  Whenever you have a team that has prepared for the 4th quarter it shows and typically they prevail.
When it comes to people in business, the 4th quarter has 2 schools of thought that are most common (There are others for low performers and putting time into these is not worth the effort).   For the 4th quarter of 2015 the thing to decide is are you going to work toward your quota or work to your potential?  These are different and what the 4th quarter is all about.
You should love the 4th quarter because while most are getting ready for the Holidays you have a very real chance to dominate your market and work to your potential.  Holiday parties are a blast and while your competition is working on going to parties and making quota you remain focused on simple domination.  You are the ONLY person that knows your potential and when you get past all the B S quotas and work to your potential you lead the pack!  Keep in mind that is you aren’t the leader the view won’t change.
My name is Steven Clauson and I coach people who want to come out of the stands and onto the field or are already on the field and demand to work to their potential.  Are you in the stands or on the field?  Winners are on the field playing full out and dominate. T For these people results matter.  Tired of results that are less than you know you can produce?  Call me at 916-230-0176 or visit www.stevenclauson.com

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Price As The Primary Sticking Point

 I hear salespeople tell me story after story about how their competitor is underselling them and they are practically giving their product away or how the exact same produce can be purchased on the internet for less in every case.  In fact I was reading a book over this past weekend called “Secrets Of Successful Selling” and that book talked about how competition has reached levels never before seen and customer awareness has reached a point that required salespeople to operate at levels never before considered.  This book was written in 1952! 
Competition has always been here and thank goodness it will always be here.  The problem isn’t product knowledge, competition or even smarter customer… The real issue is are you sold on your product?  You need to become so sold and so convinced on your product and service that you know it would be a mistake for your customer to do business anywhere else.  So convinced that you can tell them why it would be detrimental to them if they buy from anyone but you.  So sold that you lose sleep when a customer doesn’t buy from you no matter the reason they give you.  That level of commitment may seem too much but this is what people are searching for.
Champions in any field know they must produce results with what they have to work with.  Champions look at the team they have and determine what their strengths are and as a result what actual assets they have to work with.  They play the cards that have been dealt to maximum effect.  They focus on winning the game they are involved in at that moment and never think about losing.  David kicked Goliaths ass because he was sold on the idea he could get it done.  Who is your Goliath?
My name is Steven Clauson and I coach people who want to come out of the stands and onto the field or are already on the field and demand to work to their potential.  Are you in the stands or on the field?  Winners are on the field playing full out and dominate. For these people results matter.  Tired of results that are less than you know you can produce?  Call me at 916-230-0176 or visit www.stevenclauson.com