Keeper of the ARC of the Covenant

At my day job, we just finished up staff appreciation week. The company was very generous. They gave us gift certificates, treated us to breakfast one day and cocktails the next. We can all do our part in making the world a better place by committing to being a Keeper of the ARC of the Covenant. What the heck am I talking about? Just read the poem below. I hope that you like it.

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“Keeper of the ARC of the Covenant”

© 2012 Tyrone Turner

All rights reserved.

When people hear about the ARC of the Covenant, they tend to think about it in a religious context.

We are not talking about religion here so pay close attention to the spelling of the text.

Not spelled A-R-K, but A-R-C is the way we spell this acronymn.

Even though it is not religious the meaning should be recited like a sacred hymn.

‘A’ is for the way you should appreciate those who help you in the various areas of your life.

It could be teachers, coworkers, employees, your husband or your wife.

Maya Angelou said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

So make sure to thank people while hugging them and they will probably give you a dazed stare.

They aren’t used to that as people have forgotten good manners and common courtesy toward each other.

A smile and kind words always helps as it makes for a beautiful life when you’re nice to one another.

‘R’ is for the way you should reward those who have earned their way by hard work and merit.

Incentives and recognition can help keep their fire burning bright and scurrying about like an excited ferret.

“Share the Wealth” is a favorite card in the Monopoly game’s deck.

It is wise to spread the love if you want people to keep giving a heck.

‘C’ is to celebrate the important milestones of those on your team which is really high-touch.

Birthdays, anniversaries, promotions, wedding gifts and such.

Those who give without strings attached oftentimes forget their good deeds.

Those who receive, however, remember how you fulfilled their basic human needs.

To be recognized and respected is the inaleienable right of every human being.

Caring for one another is the charge given to us from the ALL-SEEING.

These are natural laws of human relations for which we need no government.

Just commit to do the right thing to your fellow human beings and be a keeper of the ARC of the covenant.

Balanced Goals for a Successful Life

Cover these 8 areas for success:

• Family – “It’s all about the family.” ~ Don Vito Corleone
• Job – “There is nothing necessarily wrong with working in the E quadrant” ~ Robert Kiyosaki
• Business – “Having a home-based business can help you save a ton in income taxes.” ~ Sandy Botkin
• Education – “Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave.” ~ Mustafa Muhammad Al Amin
• Service – “Help others get what they want, and you’ll get what you want.” ~ Zig Ziglar
• Fun – “Party on, dudes!” ~ Wayne & Garth
• Health – “Your health is your greatest asset.” ~ Unknown
• Spiritual – “Free your mind.” ~ Morpheus

I hope that you enjoyed reading and/or listening to this blog post.

All the best to you.

Hey, do you know Vito?

I have been laying low for the past few months while I was conducting research and handling a few personal matters, but now I’m back. Thank you for your patience.

Pssst…

Do you know Vito? Vito is an acronym for “Very Important Top Officer”. Vito is the decision-maker in a given organization.

When I was an account executive and later a business developer for a major international litigation support company, I encountered scores of individuals who falsely conveyed that they are the decision-maker. This can cause you to waste time and money on the wrong people. Interview people carefully to separate the prospects from the suspects. Doing so will help you save a lot of time, energy, and money.

We are living in the information age, so check out your target company’s/prospect’s website to learn more about the company and to figure out who the decision makers are. Once you’ve done that, you are ready to start trying to get an appointment with Vito.

Here is an example of how to get a meeting with Vito…

Make a phone call to the company’s main line. You’ll probably be speaking to a receptionist or an operator from the message center. Say something like this:

You – “Hello. How are you today? [wait for a response]. I am putting together a information packet for Ms. Vito, and I’d like to send one to her assistant as well. Would you be so kind as to tell me his or her name, please?”

Receptionist – “Her assistant’s name is John Smith.”

You – “Thank you very much. I’m going to drop off goodies as well when I have the information packets delivered. What is your name? I’d like to drop off some for you too.”

Receptionist – “Why, thank you! My name is Mary Brown.”

You – “Okay, Mary, thank you so much, and look out for the little bag of goodies that I’ll be sending your way. Enjoy the rest of the day.”

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Sidebar – goodies can be something like assorted candies, cookies, etc.
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Goody bags work nearly every single time. Now, you make sure to get goodies over to John and Mary (the assistant and receptionist) a.s.a.p.! These two individuals are gate keepers, and they are privy to Ms. Vito’s likes and dislikes, her schedule, and other “need to know” info within the organization.

The gatekeepers are very, very important resources and can be wonderful allies. Definitely get goodies over to them, and at the very least work to get a phone meeting so you can gather information. Take care of them, and they in turn will take care of you and help you get a meeting with Vito, and/or help you identify others that you can speak to.

That’s karma baby….

For more information, go to your local library and check out Getting to VITO (The Very Important Top Officer): 10 Steps to VITO’s Office, by Anthony Parinello.

Check out an interview that I did a few years ago on this subject. It is a 30-minute interview with my my then business partner, Lisa Torres.

CLICK HERE, to listen to the interview now.

Think on these things, and I hope you get good mileage from this info.

All the best to you!

Urgent and Important Matters

In Stephen Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, he has a graphic called the “Time Management Matrix.” Therein, he says that things that are both urgent and important are generally problems – usually a result of improper planning. However, in Robert Greene’s best-selling book, The 33 Strategies of War, strategy number four is Create a sense of urgency and desperation: Death-ground. This strategy recommends that you place yourself where your back is against the wall and you have to fight like hell ot get out alive. The conquistador, Hernan Cortes, did this by boring holes in his ships and burning them so that his men HAD TO fight the Aztecs and go deeper into Mexico.

The reason I bring this up is to ask you how your business resolutions for this year are going. It is the 26th of January now so let’s do an enthusiasm check. Are you still excited and motivated to accomplish your business/career goals that you set for yourself? If you truly are, you should be pursuing them aggressively. If you’re not pursuing them aggressively, why even bother in the first place?

I’m just saying…

Thanks for reading this post.

The Colors of Your Contacts

For the purposes of this post, there are three types of people in the world: Grays; Browns; and Purples.

Gray people are those who look up to you. For whatever reason, they hold you in high regard and view you as being a higher-up on the socio-economic totem pole. Don’t get cocky about your standing with them. You’re always a misstep away from losing your credibility. Be kind and supportive to them. You never know when one of your fledglings will evolve into a mover and shaker that you’ll have to answer to one day. Hey, stranger things have happened.

Brown people are your peers. I was told that the color brown represents humility and you certainly have to be humble around your peers. They know you in a “Clint Eastwood Kinda Way” — they know the good, the bad, and the ugly about you. You have a similar background to them be it your political views, religion, income level, neighborhood, and/or artistic tastes. You can generally gauge the character of a person by seeing whom he/she hangs out with. You know the old saying, “Birds of a feather flock together.” Your success or failure is heavily influenced by with whom you associate.

Purple people are those that you look up to. Purple is the color of royalty. This is an appropriate color being that these ladies and gentlemen are king makers and queen makers. We tend to look up to them because of the wealth they have accumulated, the fame they have, the power/influence they exert, or the special skills they possess. They tend to be centers of influence and they are true connectors. A recommendation from a purple can truly put the wind beneath your wings and send you soaring to new heights.

What I’ve learned over the years is that all of your success and failures will be dependent on your relationships with other people. Be kind to all those you come into contact with be they gray, brown, or purple. If you do or say the wrong thing, you can end up black and blue.

All the best.

How to get your next job

Cutting right to the chase, below are 7 things I did to get my current job. Please note that this is not a gimmick. All of my words were sincere. Sincerity is a prerequisite for long-lasting success.

1. Get your mind right and be prepared
   My good friend and coach, Ciro DiSclafani (aka, “The Dream Job Maven”), told me that I have to realize that I am a linchpin. According to dictionary.com, a linchpin is something that holds the various elements of a complicated structure together. Best-selling author, Seth Godin, wrote a book entitled Linchpin. It is a must read. With knowing what a linchpin is and realizing that my skill set qualified me as one, I went looking for a company that was to my liking rather than looking for a place where I could fit it. I decided to be an agent of change rather than a conformist. When you are prepared, success tends to happen.

2. Tell others that you’re looking for a new job.

   Platinum rap artist, Jay-Z, said it best when he said, “A closed mouth don’t get fed.” You can’t keep your job search a secret. You have to go tell it on the mountain and then go down into the valley and shout it loud there too. Don’t forget all the places in-between. The funny thing about how I got my current job is that a subordinate is the one who gave me the lead. Don’t judge people. You never know who they know.

3. Research your target company/companies

   Remember, it is all about you. You should not be trying to fit it. Seek a company that fits you – where you see yourself prospering. It is like getting married. You have to know who you are partnering up with. One thing I really liked was that the CEO calls himself The Chief Happiness Officer. How cool is that? I learned that he actually pioneered the onsite outsourcing concept and got back in the game to right the ship as he is displeased with how his ideas are being presented by other companies.

4. Be and intrapreneur

   According to Wikipedia.com, In 1992, The American Heritage Dictionary acknowledged the popular use of a new word, intrapreneur, to mean “A person within a large corporation who takes direct responsibility for turning an idea into a profitable finished product through assertive risk-taking and innovation”. Intrapreneurship is now known as the practice of a corporate management style that integrates risk-taking and innovation approaches, as well as the reward and motivational techniques, that are more traditionally thought of as being the province of entrepreneurship. Being an intrapreneur is what shows people that you are in fact a linchpin.

5. Be a squeaky wheel

   A lot of people submit resumes via job search engines, but you just end up being what Pink Floyd sang about – Just another brick in the wall. What I did was submit my resume through the company’s website then immediately sent a hand-written greeting card to the company’s CEO. Here is what I said in the card:

   Dear Mr. Weiner:

   I know you keep a busy schedule but I was hoping that you could squeeze me in for an interview.

   I recently submitted my resume via email for consideration as an Experience Manager but I wanted to send you a quick note so that you notice me.

   Hey, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, right (smile)?

   I really like what I’ve seen and heard about your company and I think we would be a good match.

   Please review my LinkedIn profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/tyroneturner.

   I have been fortunate enough to receive recommendations from clients, peers, supervisors and direct reports.

   After reviewing my resume and recommendations, I think you will agree that I am a good candidate for joining your team.

   “We should all be concerned with the future because we will spend the rest of our lives there.” ~ Charles F. Kettering

   I hope to meet with you soon.

   Kind regards,

   Tyrone Turner

6. Follow-up with a phone call

   I followed-up my greeting card with a phone call. That showed the prospective employer that I was really serious about getting this new job. The human resources contact told me that most people never call. They just email.

7. Make your mark

   As soon as I started working for my current company, I looked at the way my operation was working and I followed the legendary Bruce Lee’s advice: “Absorb what is useful. Discard what is not. Add what is uniquely your own.” The operation already had a lot of systems in place, but I have been using my powers of persuasion and my knack for dealing with difficult people to improve moral and overall performance. The future with my current employer looks bright!

The point here is folk, that going about getting the job or career you want needs to be approached systematically. Be prepared, be honest, and be focused and committed to get a company that YOU can hire.

All the best.

What kind of athlete are you?

The diagram to the left is called the Diamond of Dispositions. This information was discussed in my book entitled THE WHOLE 9 YARDS.

To be successful in business, you must learn to speak the language of those you encounter while being true to yourself. Don’t label yourself as one type of personality or another, and don’t label others either. This is to be used a a guide to get a quick read on people. Most people do not fit 100% into one category, but their dominant personality type is usually dominant.

Goalies have an open, indirect disposition. Generally their strengths are that they are approachable, affable, patient, easy to talk to, and are very good listeners. They tend to be your better counselors, teachers, and caregivers. They are the best team players and their motto is, “Got to take one for the team.” Their main challenge is that they tend to take too much poop from others as their fuse is very, very long. They are not cowards but are adverse to conflict.

Street Ballers have an open, direct disposition. Generally their strengths are that they are very friendly, funny, daring, and sociable. They tend to be your better promoters and comedians. They are always the life of the party and their motto is, “I like to get my party on!” Their main challenge is that they miss details and they miss information because they talk a lot and are easily distracted.

Golfers have a guarded, indirect disposition. Generally their strengths are that they are very analytical and knowledgeable in the area of specialization. They are experts. They are very detail oriented and methodical. They tend to be your stereotypical accountants and engineers. Their motto is, “Haste makes waste.” Their main challenge is that they tend to be over analytical and slow to make decisions. They may also come off as cold and unemotional at times because they are always thinking.

Cage Fighters have a guarded, direct disposition. Generally their strengths are that they are very mentally tough. They are aggressive and extremely competitive. They tend to be leaders of most organizations and are your stereotypical drill sergeants. There motto is, “Move out of the way so I can get this done!” Their main challenge is that they can be impatient, insensitive, and abrasive.

I hope that you found this information useful.