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I attended a conference last week and had the opportunity to see Michael Abrashoff speak at one of the keynote events. Michael is a former naval commander and author of several books including It’s Your Ship.

Michael took over one of the worst performing ships in the Pacific, and turned it into one of the top performing ships within 18 months. A truly inspiring story. Here are three ideas he conveyed that we can all use.

1. We have greater influence than we think if we focus on what we can control, and get over the things we can’t control. Never be the victim in a situation. Assess what you can control and move forward with making things better.

2. Use an “after action review” to reflect, challenge and coach. Reflection should be a part of our daily practices. Michael used a reflection process with his team, not only to improve, but to challenge. He told his team making mistakes was expected. You can only learn through trying, and through reflection we should never make the same mistake twice.

3. Remember that you will never be reprimanded for recognizing good performance. As commander, Michael was given the opportunity to award 15 Excellence Stars to his crew every year. In his first year, he handed out 154. He purposefully looked to catch people in the act of doing the right thing and he recognized them. People repeat behaviors when they are recognized and rewarded. Find and recognize the behaviors you want to be a part of your team’s culture.

Michael Abrashoff was not your normal naval officer. He is an exception, but we can apply his techniques in our own team. You can’t order excellence. You can’t achieve success by yourself. Focus on supporting all your people, provide training, and develop a culture of excellence.

Success does not just happen. James Thom has said, “Probably the most honest self made man ever was the one we heard say: ‘I got to the top the hard way — fighting my own laziness and ignorance every step of the way.'” Usually we are our own roadblock.

Most people dream of success, but are not able to make the sacrifices required to be successful. Continuing to learn and grow is part of that hard work. We are never born knowing how to be successful. How can we get out of our own way?

1. Estimate the price: What will it take to achieve your dream? How will you prepare? What will it cost you in time, resources, and sacrifices?

2. Determine where you need to grow: What areas will you need more knowledge, skill, and experience to meet your dream? How will you gain what you need?

3. Find some help: No one is a success by themselves. Build a team. Find a teacher. Who can bring skills that will help?

4. Follow your dream: If you have thought it through, and you are committed, then you need to take action — every day. Start today, and work every day advancing to your goal. There is no better time to start.

“Every successful person I’ve met has a strong sense of his or her unique ability and aspirations. They’re leaders in their own lives, and they dare to pursue their dreams on their own terms.”, says Maria Bartiromo. Maria is a TV journalist currently with CNBC.

You will never be able to reach your potential if you are doing work you do not enjoy. When you can invest yourself in your passion, minimize distractions, and allow yourself to grow, you can fulfill your destiny.

Each of us are required to do some things that are not our passion. Many things in life are required. Many tasks come with responsibility. To be more successful minimize the time that you take for requirements and maximize your time with your passion.

According to John Maxwell, to change your course you can think in terms of three steps.

1. Awareness: You cannot change without becoming aware that you need to change. What do you need to change?

2. Action: There is no better time to start than right now. What action is required for you to change your focus?

3. Accountability: Become accountable for your goals. Make your goals public. Find a person that can be your accountability partner. Find someone that can help you reach your goals.

Find your passion and then align your actions to reach your potential. John Maxwell said, “People say there are two great days in a person’s life: the day you were born and the day you discover why.” There is no better time to start than right now.

 

I received my copy of John Maxwell’s new book, The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth, yesterday. Last week I wrote about The Law of Intentionality, so this week, let’s move on to law number two, The Law of Awareness.

The Law of Awareness says You Must Know Yourself to Grow Yourself. John tells about three kinds of people in this chapter. The first are people who don’t know what they would like to do (they are usually confused). The second kind of people are those that know what they would like to do, but don’t do it (they are usually frustrated). The third type of people are those that know what they want to do, and they do it (they are usually fulfilled).

In order to know who you are you have to grow. But you have to know yourself to grow. It seems like a circle, but in fact, it is more like an endless path. The more you grow, the more you know about yourself, and the more potential you have to grow.

How do you become more aware of yourself to get started? You must begin to explore what you want to do, learn about your talents and strengths, discover your motives, and get started. When should you do it? Now!