Posts from — November 2007

On this blog we have been looking at success from a number of different angles. Sometimes you just run across someone with a nice little formula that works for what we are interested in or want to say. 

During a recent trip to Sedona I participated in a number of sessions that had to do with creating business success. Laural Langemeier taught us about the lack of education in financial matters in our schools, colleges and universities. She made it clear that you need talent for what you want to do, but you also need to surround yourself with the right people to get good advice. For me one aspect was the relevance of talent. Laural’s site at Live out Loud is a great resource and I have completed their coaching program myself. 

Besides talent, we all have heard that it takes massive action to move things from where they are to where they need to go. Many people speak and write about it. One of the most elegant ways I have seen recently is a story, or I should say a fable or parable. In Life’s Golden Ticket Brendon Burchard explains how one can loose the right perspective on taking action because he or she is afraid to make mistakes or receive punishment when something goes wrong. Taking massive action is very important for me and I am hoping to invite you to do the same. I am currently trying to find people who want to take action with me, and help make AMC LLC into a better, more profitable company with the aim to serve our clients even better then we currently do, especially through an e-commerce presence. 

One thing that Gina Gaudio-Graves taught me and many others is the importance of passion. If you think about it, why would you ever start something or do something for a prolonged period of time if you are not passionate about it. Actually that reminds me of an earlier bog in which I recalled a sentence Henry Gold said not too long ago reciting the definition of insanity. Remember, insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.What we really want to do is spending time on the things we are really passionate about. Then these things will not appear to be work or chores but something we really enjoy and don’t mind to use a lot of time for. 

The final part of a formula for success is called association. You can also call it networking. Everybody these days is talking about it and it really makes a difference, whether you are a member at LinkedIn, Plaxo, MySpace, Xing, or other networks, it is important to be connected is you want to become successful. Kevin Nations is one of the foremost networkers in the United States and he does everything he can to get peoples contact info and then stay in touch with them.  Taken these aspects together, what are the 4 components of success?  

1. Passion 
2. Talent
3. Action
4. Association/Networking

When you put it in a formula, what you get is this: 

P + T x A² = SUCCESS 

All you need to do is take it and go out and apply it. Take your passion and apply your talent to it. If you are passionate about it, you are probably already talented in it, or can become a great talent quickly. Then you take massive action and throw in lots of networking with everybody you can, and you can’t avoid success. If you use the positive energy I always recommend, and you will have if you do something you are passionate about, you will become an attraction for others. 

Try it and let me know how it worked for you. 

Axel Meierhoefer, President AMC LLC 

Speaking of SUCCESS, please don’t forget our new Donate Button on the left pane of this blog. Your donations will be used for rescuing animals. We decided to support the rescue organizations that try to help dogs and cats. You all have probably heard about the horrible fires and other natural catastrophes like Hurricane Katrina. Each time something like this happens, the cats and dogs either run away or get dumped at shelters and rescue organizations. Heidi, my wife, is a long time animal rescuer. All our pets are rescues, and we are frequently helping rescue organizations like Cuddly Canines, Best Friends, Delta Rescue, and others, through donations, fostering, support, or referrals.

Most of us, especially when we are working long hours in our jobs and companies, as well as for our families and other organizations feel that we contribute in some way to the cause. These causes can be the goals of the company, the goals of the family, maybe to raise children, or the goals of the non-profit organization or church we are involved with.

When we look into Webster’s dictionary to learn about contribution and what “contribute” actually means, we can find the following explanation:

Contribute = to give or supply in common with others

What this explanation confirms is the character of the task as something in common with others. In the book by Brendon Burchard, titled “Life’s Golden Ticket”, Henry, the mentor, provides a very interesting statement regarding contribution:

“You see, most people, have lived life as if they were at the whim of circumstances and as if they were supposed to get something from the world. The miracle makers in this world, though, are the people who live by choice and live to contribute. They ask what they are making happen and they ask what they are giving.
The lesson about contribution simply says:

If you want your life experience to be bright,
choose to contribute”

I couldn’t agree more. The transformative word in this lesson is not the word contribute, but the word choose. What most of us do when we work at large companies like GE, Microsoft, or General Motors, medium sized companies like Inogen, Citrix, Mentor, or small companies like AMC LLC, Iconix, or Life Chiropractic is waiting to be told what to contribute. It fits for banks like First Bank on the smaller scale, and Wells Fargo on the larger scale. Even in educational institutions like Universities, Colleges, High Schools. Every place provides opportunity to contribute.

What do we learn from this for our leadership and management as well as our self-improvement? The importance lies in choice. Don’t wait for others to determine what your chores or tasks are and then re-label them as contributions. Use your energy, causes, your desire to give and supply in common with others from a leading point. Be the one who chooses to contribute in the small or large way you can. Don’t wait for others to tell you what your contribution has to be – take action yourself and move forward as a role model of contribution.

You will see that your actions are much appreciated because many people around you crave for someone to step forward and lead. It will show your abilities, your sincerity, and your leadership for those around you and those who have to evaluate you at your next performance review.

Speaking of contribution: I like to make you aware of the relatively new Donate Button on the left pane of this blog. Your donations will be used for animals. We decided to support the rescue organizations that try to help dogs and cats. You all have probably heard about the horrible fires and other natural catastrophes like Hurricane Katrina. Each time something like this happens, the cats and dogs either run away or get dumped at shelters and rescue organizations. Heidi, my wife, is a long time animal rescuer. All our pets are rescues, and we are frequently helping rescue organizations like Cuddly Canines, Best Friends, Delta Rescue, and others, through donations, fostering, support, or referrals.

We hope you will find it in your heart to contribute by donating to the rescue organizations for cats and dogs by using the Donate Button on the left.

Many thanks in advance. I will report back to you how we are doing and how the funds you contribute will help animals in need to survive and find loving homes.

Axel Meierhoefer, President AMC LLC

When we talk about leadership, management, bettering our lives, and taking action, some people begin to ask:

“What can I do? I am just one person!”

Taking action with positive energy, as we can learn by watching the movie “The Secret”, or reading the book, can have a significant impact on every single person we interact with.

Have you ever noticed that those individuals who are typically positive, optimistic, and smiling are often surrounded by others, get asked a lot of questions, and their opinions have impact.

We have a tendency to worry about the future and what might happen to us, what we end up with or get tomorrow, and not very much about what we can do to create a better future for ourselves and others.

Books and movies like “The Secret” and “Pass it On” make an attempt to change this perception. In our society, we are taught from the beginning of our early school days that we are not in charge and that the teacher or professor is the authority we have to follow. I am not saying that is not something we should do, but the habit of waiting for others to tell us what to do and in general obey what others want and tell us, develops us into individuals who loose trust, positive energy, and the urge to take action.

The commercial side of everyday business has intruded into our life to take care of another aspect. That’s what I call ‘Instant Gratification”. Everything has to happen immediately and show immediate results. This leads to the fact that some people are working hard to provide us with toys, tools, and system that create the effect of instant gratification. Even when we are sick, we don’t look for the source of our pain. We get instant gratification by popping a pill  and hope everything will be better in minutes.

Taken together these two issues:

1. Over-obedience leading to lack of positive energy and action
2. Instant gratification for everything, leading to lack of patience and covering up the sources of our symptoms

ultimately lead to lack of success. I encourage you to avoid obedience and begin to interpret the rules, so you can make informed decisions in line with your goals. Take positive action and be patient if the results don’t show up in minutes. When you lead others, tell them as much as you can about the vision and the goals, and then help them through the process of change. Don’t forget:

Real change to the point of becoming a cultural habit takes 3-5 years.

I hope you can take me up on these suggestions and you will be amazed how much your changed behavior will change your life and the life of others around you. You will become the source of positive energy and smiles that everybody wants to be around and ask for advice.

Axel Meierhoefer, President AMC LLC

From previous posts on this blog, you know that our work at AMC LLC is mainly focused on helping others become successful. These others can be organizations, companies, individuals in positions of management or leadership, or people who like to learn and improve themselves through coaching and consulting.

An important part of this work is founded in the discovery of a person’s PerformanceIQ®. To find out what that profile is, we conduct an assessment. You as a reader of my blog can take this assessment as well. Just click on the link below. When you fill in the form, please enter “AMC Blog” in the field named ‘point of contact’. The process is free and you will receive a message back via email with your result.

One of the things we find more and more frequently in people who want to discover their Performance IQ® is an elevated score in the driver called “Need for Reassurance”

In the book “Life’s Golden Ticket” there is a passage that highlights our findings in a remarkable way:

“Let me return to what I was saying about (top-) performers. I believe they have something to teach us. You see, many of us live our lives desperately seeking to draw attention to ourselves. We live our lives as if we were on center stage, as if the world should sit around applauding our every move.

But there are a small number of people in this world who live their lives to make others smile, to remind others of the magic and hope in the world, to help them discover the possibilities that live within them. Whenever people like this end up in the spotlight, they use their moment to help others through the dark. These people are the miracle workers.”

At AMC LLC we hope to help everyone we touch to become a miracle worker. We want you to all be the guides for others, the leaders who use positive energy, vision, and the attraction of success by success to perform your miracles.

As I have written before I need to say it again: We want you to move on a cloud of contribution basking in the soulful sunshine of service when you use your gifts on your path to success.

Become a miracle worker!

Axel Meierhoefer, AMC LLC

Today’s post is created in the capital of New Mexico, Santa Fe. Every few years, Heidi and I come here to look at our property, review the developments in this amazing town, meet some friends and enjoy the lifestyle that can only be found in this corner of the country.

It has been awesome, as each time before. Besides enjoying some snow and getting into the holiday mood, I also did a little work and read a book. It’s titled “Life’s Golden Ticket” by Brendon Buchard. For anybody wondering how to change and become more successful, caring, service oriented, and most of all – create better relationships, I can truly recommend this novel.

For our development as better managers, leaders, and individuals, I found a truth I knew about before. It was brought into focus through the reading but also because of the reflection the holidays bring about.

We can watch the Macy’s parade, or the football games on ABC, NBC, and ESPN. We can go out and shop for gadgets at Best Buy, CompUSA, Wal-Mart, and Target, following the experts predictions that home electronics will e the big sellers this year.

What we shouldn’t forget is some retrospect of our achievements and struggles throughout this year. In the fast paced world we live in, many people have adopted a process in which they identify all the hurdles, obstacles, problems and issues they might face on the way towards a goal, be it in business or at home.

What I have tried on my personal journey to success for my family, my company AMC LLC, and those I come in touch with, is to focus more on the positive things. In his book, Brendon Burchard has a passage when the mentor talks about scenes in the students life. There were five unhappy scenes and five better ones. It reads:

“You see, you are like most people. You are the type of person to remember all the scary rides and forget all the pleasant ones. The simple ones. The beautiful ones. I think you’ve been living your life focused on those first five scenes and the dark themes they’ve represented. I think you’ve obsessed about the experiences in life that dropped you to the ground, and you have overlooked all those that slowly and gently lifted you higher”.

For our development as managers, leaders and individuals with positive goals and aspirations, we should take this message to heart, recognize the less fulfilling things, but celebrate what worked, got us ahead, and made us smile. With a positive attitude and the positive energy our small success generate we become the positively charged magnet that attracts all the goods things we are hoping and looking for. In addition it also makes us a source of attraction others gravitate towards, which helps form strong bonds and achieves goals as a team and in harmony.

Like John Kotter taught me and I encourage you today:

Find the positive things in your life and celebrate all the small wins –

it will make life ore enjoyable and make you successful in the process.

Axel Meierhoefer, President AMC LLC