Ladders? Please. I’ll Climb Something Else

kylewillkom — Fri, 06 May 2011 03:14:15 +0000

Most college business students have found themselves, at some point, dreaming of climbing the corporate ladder. Moving wrung-by-wrung, slowly but surely to the top. The process is not easy. It is not fast. It takes work, and it requires a high level of perseverance to ever reach a significant altitude.

So in the world of streamlined processes, why hasn’t someone created a better analogy to getting to the top? Certainly a ladder is the age-old method, but with all the technology circulating in the world today, can’t we find a better way to the top? Most college business students have simply accepted the fact that they will begin a career at the bottom and slowly move up. There are other ways!

Maybe we should create a jet pack, find some stairs, buy a pogo stick, or learn to jump higher, but in today’s economy, the ladder is not looking as stable as it once was. There is definitely something to be said about hard work and persistence, but they can be applied in so many ways. College graduates could start their own businesses, explore new parts of the world, or do freelance work; at some point they will find their way.

Consensus: The ladder is out. If you choose to climb it, be sure you’re passionate enough to hold on for a long time, and you’re patient enough to work wrung-by-wrung. If you choose to find your own way, you may fall a couple times, but when you’re gazing down from the top at your peers climbing ladders, you’ll realize what a great choice you’ve made.

Improving Skill Sets: Carry-On vs. Checked Baggage

kylewillkom — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 04:07:04 +0000

When looking at improving skill sets, I compare obtaining new skills to either carry-on or checked baggage.

I view my carry-ons as skills that are of immediate necessity. These skills cannot wait. In looking to obtain these skills, similar to a carry-on, I know that I have to keep them close to me and constantly work toward obtaining them. Examples of carry-on skills may be knowledge for an upcoming exam, or coordination for an upcoming piano recital. Carry-on skills have a deadline. It is the carry-on skills that will help you set short-term goals in whatever you are looking to accomplish, and will ultimately get you from point A to point B.

Checked baggage is very different. When in an airport, checked baggage is what is left behind, only for you to come back to it later on. Checked baggage skills are ones that are not of immediate importance; they do not have top priority. However, it is important that they are not forgotten at baggage claim. These skills help you set long-term goals and do not focus on point A to point B, but rather, once you’ve gotten to point C, what will you need?

What are some of your carry-on skills? Looking ahead, what skills do you consider checked baggage?

Whatever the answers were to those two questions, you will not obtain either of them if you’re afraid to fly. I hope to see you soon, cruising at 5,000 feet obtaining your carry-on skills with your checked baggage skills waiting at the terminal. Continue to take flight, and you will be awesomely successful.

Success vs. Attention Span

kylewillkom — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 17:19:28 +0000

Priorities. Everyone has them. You need to finish a paper before you watch a movie. You need to finish mandatory reading before reading for leisure. No one is above priorities, but it has become apparent to me lately why certain people excel while others scrape by. Two words: attention span.

Attention span is the amount of time that a person can concentrate on an activity without becoming distracted. A long attention span means work gets done faster leaving more time for anything and everything else.

However, it is not just the initial attention span that is important in those people that have a great deal of success; it is a “secondary attention span.” So many people finish their top priorities, then relax. They push off the lower-ranked, less important activities for a later date (and possibly never get to them). When an individual has a large secondary attention span, he or she finishes top priorities and uses any remaining time and energy to move forward in other ways (ex. leisurely reading, learning a language, picking up an instrument).

An extreme example of someone with an amazing attention span and secondary attention span is Gary Vaynerchuk, a successful entrepreneur. He says in an interview with Inc. Magazine that dinner is usually his first meal of the day because he is too concentrated on his work to enjoy breakfast or lunch. He explains to them his work schedule which is typically from 7:00 AM until 10:00 PM at the earliest. Gary Vaynerchuk has an extraordinary attention span for his work, which has translated to millions of dollars in his bank account.

Not everyone has an attention span like Gary Vaynerchuk, but the good news is that everyone has the ability to condition themselves to have a larger attention span and secondary attention span. The key to expanding attention span is constantly challenging your focus. Challenge yourself to work on homework without checking your phone or social media for a half hour, and work your way up. Challenge yourself to answer all your e-mails when you get them and not push them off. Challenge yourself to read every night for 20 minutes before bed.

By creating in your lifestyle a culture of focus, you will finish tasks more efficiently, accomplish more with your free time, and still have time, without stress, to enjoy a movie at the end of the day.

Repeated Self-Defining Actions

kylewillkom — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 04:31:45 +0000

A man named Aristotle (you may have heard of him) once said,

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.”

It is interesting for me to think that everything we do, however small, is a piece of who we are. I would imagine that most people would say there are some things they would change about themselves if they had the chance, but this is not a, “Stop what you’re doing and live better” kind of blog post.

The purpose of this post is to get you thinking about the little things that have become habits in your life. What do you fill your days with? Do you wake up excited about the day or does it take a few snooze hits before you’re on your feet? Do you swear more than you would like to? Do you enjoy people?

It is so easy to fall into habits that we feel have no affect on our lives. However, these habits become a part of us before we know it. Check in on your habits every now and then. Focus on repeating actions and activities that reflect who you are, no matter how small they may seem.

If you don’t believe that this can positively affect your life and define who you are… feel free to talk to Aristotle, but you may have a hard time reaching him with your smart phones.

Michael Dell’s Take on Eliminating Unneccesary Steps

kylewillkom — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 16:33:02 +0000

I’ve been reading Michael Dell’s book, Direct from Dell, and one thing that fascinates me is his borderline obsession with eliminating unnecessary steps.

When Michael Dell was in third grade, he sent away for a high school diploma. He had seen an advertisement in a magazine that claimed that all he had to do was pass a short test, and he would have his high school diploma. Naturally, Michael Dell wondered why he should go to school for nine more years if he could pass one test and receive the same outcome. When a man showed up at his house asking for Mr. Michael Dell, the man was surprised to find a third-grader who had just gotten out of the bath tub! Needless to say, he did not receive his diploma at that time.

However, from that point on, Michael Dell was always looking for ways to be more efficient, and this efficiency became a staple of Dell computers. Much of Dell’s success early on came from the fact that he was always looking for the fastest, easiest, and most cost effective way to get products to customers.

The message of this post is not to find the easy way out of a situation or try to skip steps in a process. Hard work will always be necessary in achieving any goal. The lesson is to find the best way to achieve a desired outcome, and apply effort accordingly. Whether your goal is as big as starting a billion dollar company (like Michael Dell) or as small as learning how to cook, before you start working toward it, you must first decide on the best way to get there.

Vision: Statues

kylewillkom — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 01:58:22 +0000

Do you ever wonder what a statue is looking at? I know, it sounds like a random question, but think about it. I’ve seen so many statues that stare intently into the distance, even when it seems as though nothing is in front of them.

As abstract as this sounds, I feel we can learn something from these statues. I don’t know what the criteria is for becoming a statue, but I am sure the people who are made into statues have had a clear vision of what they have wanted to accomplish. They saw themselves achieving great things, and it is obvious to me because I’ve seen their statue, that they made their visions a reality. I think this is why so many statues are staring intently into the distance—because the people that these statues represent saw something in the distance that no one else could see, and they never took their eyes off of it.

If you think that you can achieve something great, you have to be able to visualize yourself making it happen. You need to have a clear vision of how you are going to get there, and you need to work towards that vision without ever taking your eyes off of it… and who knows, someone may construct a statue of you someday with a determined look in your eyes staring into the distance.

Live Like You Drive

kylewillkom — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 01:18:09 +0000

Obvious statement of the day: people around the world drive cars. Why do I point this out? I point it out because when you get into your car, or van, or truck or other vehicle of choice to get somewhere, you typically have a destination in mind. In most cases, you have already planned out the path you will take to get there. If there is a detour, you do your best to follow the signs and get safely around it. And most of the time, you get to your destination. So why don’t many people take the same approach in life?

Decide where you want to go.
Plan the path you are going to take.
Be flexible; when an obstacle is presented, find a way to get around it.
Reach your destination.

Just as in driving, you will most likely have to go through this process many times. However, if you always start out by deciding where you want to be, forming a plan to get there, and ready to deal with the obstacles that get in your way, more times than not you will reach your destination.

Patrick Lencioni Utilizing the Best Marketing Strategy Ever

kylewillkom — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 20:18:12 +0000

Last summer I wrote a short letter to Patrick Lencioni, an award winning author and the CEO of The Table Group, after reading his book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. I found his book extremely helpful in learning how to be a leader as well as a team player, and I know I will use his lessons every time I have to work with others in the future.

Weeks after writing the letter, I received a response from Patrick Lencioni. He had taken the time to write me back, but what surprised me is that he wrote to me specifically about what I had said in my letter. He did not send a general letter that his secretary could have written; he took the time (CEOs are very busy) to read my letter and thoughtfully respond to it. He also sent me a signed copy of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.

Recently Patrick Lencioni wrote a new book entitled, Getting Naked, which is about being vulnerable with your clients instilling in them a higher level of trust in you. I wasted absolutely no time in ordering his new book. Patrick Lenioni has shown me that he cares, not just about me, but about his clients, and because of that I will always rush to buy his products. Who knows, I may write to him when I finish his new book giving him my honest opinion of what I thought, and he may just respond.

The Best Marketing Strategy Ever

kylewillkom — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:26:41 +0000

What is the greatest marketing strategy ever? Gary Vaynerchuk dedicated a chapter of his book, Crush It, to this topic; however, he only needed one word to sum it up: “Care.”

As businesses try harder and harder to gain the attention of potential customers, many of them will not succeed simply because they do not care for the customer (they just want the customer’s money).

Whether this pertains to a large company or your personal brand, the best way to generate new customers (or new friends) is to care about them, and show that you care on a regular basis.

Having Vision

kylewillkom — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:53:32 +0000

Once upon a time there was a mighty king. This king had waited and waited for his wife to have a son so that his son could be the heir to the throne, and after quite some time, the son was born. However, as the boy grew, everyone began to notice that his back was very hunched over, and his walk was not very fitting of a prince. This hunch in the boy’s back got worse and worse as his childhood went on, and the king was very worried that his son would not be worthy of inheriting the throne. The king called one of the greatest sculptors of the time to create a large statue of the boy and place it in the center of the garden in which the boy walked through every day. However, when the king explained the boy to the sculptor, he did not tell him that his son walked with a large hunch in his back, so the sculptor created the statue of the boy standing straight up, looking like the epitome of a prince. The boy noticed the statue right away, and he began seeing himself standing straight and taking smooth steps when he walked. He saw the statue every day and visualized how great he could look if he no longer had a hunch in his back. As the days, and weeks, and months passed by, people began to notice that the boy was standing straighter and straighter every day. He was no longer walking with a limp, and did not seem to slouch in his chairs. When the time came for him to become king, he looked just as the sculptor had depicted him so many years before, and he truly felt worthy of inheriting the throne.

All of this was accomplished because the boy had a vision of who and what he wanted to be, and he could see himself getting closer and closer every day.

Vision is incredibly important. Before you do anything of great importance, you must first be able to see yourself doing it—even when the odds aren’t on your side. This can be before an important ball game, before inventing the new “it” product, or before making a significant change in how society operates; visualize it happening and it will be much more likely to come true.

The End.

P.S. Having daily reminders doesn’t hurt either.