Hey friends!
Welcome back to the Leadership in a Nutshell blog.
Kenny Chapman here, and I’m super excited to have you with me here today.
Leaders like you and I always feel like we’re being torn apart.
We have so many demands on ourselves, from our personal lives to our business, it’s hard to know where to start, what to prioritize, and what to work on next.
This feeling of being lost may make some of you stop doing anything at all.
It’s decision paralysis, or whatever you want to call it.
Today, I want to tackle what to do when these things happen and help you find the best way for setting life and business priorities based on purpose, passion, and profit in that order.
Let’s dig in, folks, and see what a difference it makes.
Time Management Is A Myth
We have so much time that we think about priorities and what we’re looking to do.
And you know, there’s not enough time in the day, and time management is so critical.
Yet there’s a guy like me out there beating a drum that says there’s no such thing as time management, stop it, quit with your insanity, and realize that you don’t manage time.
You manage yourself as a human being who has interactive relationships with time.
And at the end of the day, everything that you do is based on priority.
I’m not saying it’s always conscious.
I’m saying that it is based on priority.
So sometimes we take action.
We do things.
And when we live our lives, we put time and effort into projects and enter into relationships, into financial things, into investments, into our businesses, and into our team members.
As leaders, priorities run our game.
But sometimes, I want you to realize that just because you’re doing it doesn’t mean it’s important.
I’m a big fan of the Stephen Covey time management matrix or quadrants or whatever the correct title is for that.
I’m not here to get into all that today.
I am here to help you realize that where you focus your energy is definitely where your attention is going to go.
And that’s why I believe in priorities in business and life; we can agree that purpose, passion, and profit are major priorities.
Without having those three keys in our business and our lives, things will be pretty painful.
Things are going to be very challenged, right?
I’ve spent a lot of my time; I’ve committed my entire life to this subject of purpose.
You know, I’ve got another book coming out later this summer that’s going to be around leadership and purpose and how those are tied together.
Six Dimension Of C.H.A.N.G.E
As a prelude to that book, I think you need to download the Six Dimensions of Change 2.0.
It is available in all the major areas as a book and audiobook.
On a side note, let me know some feedback around that because I wrote that book again.
I wrote it 10 years ago, but now I wrote that book because I understand how this works in my life now.
And the Six Dimensions haven’t changed as far as clarity, habit, action, never give up, gratitude and enthusiasm, but how I execute those have changed.
I wrote that book before I was sober.
I wrote that book before I understood certain things in life.
Before I realized that priorities have to be in this order, I wrote that book to create sustainable wins long-term in your life.
When Our Priorities Are Out Of Alignment
Next post, I’m going to be talking to you about sustainable growth.
And there are certain things that we have to do to have it long-term.
I’m always intrigued, and I have major empathy for my clients in pain, and they just want to sell their business because they’re burnt out.
They want to sell because they have to fear the next recession.
They want to sell because they’re not sure how they’re going to handle consolidation or whatever that is.
And what that means is that we’ve got some priorities out of alignment.
It’s not like there’s going to be necessarily smooth sailing.
Every day will not be a bright sunny day with the birds chirping and skipping through the roses and daisies in the meadow.
However, if I realize that the success path is tied in the priorities, going in this direction of purpose, passion, and profit, now I’m able to set myself free and go about life in this way. When you think about where you’re spending your time today, where is your energy?
What are you giving attention to?
Thinking About 2020 (Even Though You Don’t Want To)
You know, we a wicked wild ride and in 2020, and here we are rocking and rolling in 2021, and some people are barely hanging on.
I remember the old days of being a good athlete in school, and I went to a small school.
So it wasn’t anything epic to be a good athlete.
I’m not minimizing myself, or any of my friends or peers did great.
I was a four-year, lettered athlete as a baseball player.
Let’s be clear if I went to a huge school in Southern California, I might not have made varsity as a freshman, right?
It might not even have been available to me.
It doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t be proud of making varsity as a freshman, but I also know that that happened because I was a good player in a small market.
And what I want you to realize about your leadership abilities and what you’re doing now is that it doesn’t matter.
Big fish, small pond. None of it matters when it comes to priorities.
I don’t care about the size of your company.
I care about your growth.
Sometimes we need to have some challenges.
Sometimes we need to challenge our priorities to facilitate and allow the necessary growth that we need.
And so priorities are critical.
We can agree on that.
Give me a head shake up and down right now with me.
Yes. Priorities matter. Right?
You may also want to check out how to become your own progress catalyst.
Deciding Your Priorities
How do we decide what priorities go in?
Certainly, there have been times that you have focused your time, effort, energy on profit in your business.
If you want to go get some coaching and consulting from the Blue Collar Success Group, one of the companies that I own, you could have made that a priority.
When you came, we would have gone:
Okay, what are you? What’s your sales price? What’s your cost of doing business?
Make sure that you’re pricing your goods and services in a profitable way.
Of course, we’ve got to focus on that, right?
There are going to be times in your career where you’re going to be focused on passion as a leader and really realizing that nothing happens if I don’t care about it.
It doesn’t matter if I’m, you know, good at something, but I just don’t wake up jazzed and excited and fired up to go execute and get it done.
And then there’s going to be times where you might take a step back, and maybe you’ve gone through a little bit of personal reflection, and maybe you’ve been exposed to some information or taking some time out of really just realizing what really matters to me.
Ask Yourself: What Matters?
What matters?
Sometimes it takes a death in the family.
Sometimes it’s a loved one.
Maybe it’s a divorce.
Sometimes it’s children leaving the nest, becoming empty nested.
Sometimes it’s a recession.
Maybe it’s a car accident.
It can be all kinds of different things where you just wake up and go:
Whoa, wait a minute.
Is this really my purpose? Am I really doing these things because I want to?
I want you to get clear about that.
And I want you to challenge your priorities right now today.
And what I know is that there’s a three-step process that too often gets flipped upside down.
3-Step Process To Setting Life And Business Priorities
#1 Get Clarity On Your Purpose
You’ve got to know I’ve talked about this in the past.
This is just a simple reminder because sometimes we need to hear things over and over again.
Tony Robbins says repetition is the mother of all skill. I believe in that.
And I think it’s important that we hear things over and over.
And if you’re not living in purpose on purpose, then it’s time for me to hit you again with it and remind you that it’s super important.
I’m really passionate about this because I’ve been involved in nine different industries.
I’ve owned companies in many different industries over my time on this earth.
From diaper delivery services to sewer and drain businesses to heating and cooling to coaching and training to 900 numbers way back in the day.
No, not the kind you’re thinking of.
The kind for sports updates and stock updates, but I’ve had all these different areas that I’ve sent my energy and my attention, but it wasn’t tied to purpose.
I was successful by almost every definition of the word, but I wasn’t happy.
I didn’t step up to reach my potential or my businesses’ potential.
This was selling everyone short.
And if I’m not living in purpose on purpose, then why am I doing everything?
Cause guess what? One day I’m going to wake up dead.
What does that mean? I’m not going to wake up one day right on this planet, in this capacity.
And so why would I waste my time here that I’ve been gifted to be able to create an influence on myself and those around me?
Why would I waste and not doing something that I have a purpose about that I’m not passionate about?
#2 Look For Your Passion
We start with purpose, and then we go to passion.
Okay cool. I know why I’m here now. What is going to create my fire? What’s going to bring passion to my life?
Here’s where I want to remind you: Passion is a by-product of activity.
We have this tendency to think that we’re just going to sit around, maybe in meditation, and God’s going to wave a magic wand down on us and give us our passion.
All of a sudden, I’m just going to be passionate about everything that I do in my life.
And I’m never going to question myself.
I’m never going to have challenges.
I’m never going to struggle because I’m just passionate about everything.
False.
Now you can challenge me that I have a life-limiting belief about that.
I’m speaking from experience.
And what I know is that passion comes from activity.
Passion comes from getting things done.
Passion comes from doing things, making mistakes, kicking the curb, and going: wow, that didn’t feel good. I’m not going to do that again.
Only by moving can you discover what you’re passionate about.
#3 Making A Profit
This one is important, too; don’t let anyone tell you it’s not.
It’s in my top three, after all: Profit.
If I’m involved in leadership in any capacity, if you’re listening to this as an up-and-coming leader or you want to be a leader one day, I want you to number one, realize you are a leader.
You’re a leader of your peers.
You’re a leader of your family, regardless of what it is.
You could be the youngest of 11 children and 16 years old, and you are leading some of your older siblings based on how you’re cleaning your room or not based on the activities that you’re doing based on the conversations you’re having, or based on the beliefs that you have. Everybody is a leader in a certain capacity, and profitability can start at home with my own personal finances, meaning that I keep more than I make no matter what my income is.
Money doesn’t buy happiness, but you can’t be happy if you can’t make enough profit to live. You won’t have the freedom to pursue your passion and your purpose.
That sweet spot is where all 3 come together.
I have a profit to show “at the end of the day.”
I’m not trying to create any confusion here, but I just think that profit doesn’t need to be tied just to business because I know plenty of businesses that make a lot of money and have principals, presidents, CEOs, owners, stockholders, shareholders, whatever it is that is running around in fear because they don’t have a healthy relationship with money and spend more than they make.
Don’t Flip It Upside Down
And too often in business, we flip this upside down.
As I said, if you come to work with Blue Collar as a client, we’re going to go look at your profit, but that’s not where you spend all your time, effort, energy, focus, and training.
Yes, profitability matters, but t’s going to flow when it’s coming from passion and purpose.
We see the companies out there that they’re just focused on the next dollar.
Long-term profitability needs to be a major part of business, but it’s not the only thing, and it can’t be.
When we have problems is when we flip this upside down.
People tend to think: as soon as I become profitable, then I’m going to be passionate.
And when I’m packing passionate, then I’m going to finally tap into my purpose.
It’s not true.
I know myself I’ve built profitable businesses that had a hole in them.
It wasn’t about what I really loved, who I really was.
I’ve had leaders in the past that could definitely create income in businesses that I’ve owned or invested in, but they weren’t living in their purpose.
And they were trying to fill a void.
We see it by leaders going: the more money I make, then I’m going to have fulfillment. Then I’m going to be validated. Then the world is going to recognize me.
Now, you’re trying to fill a self-image gap and a hole that doesn’t get filled until you realize why you’re on the planet.
This also helps with gap management and making the most of change.
Final Thoughts
Life needs to be sustainable, and businesses need to be sustainable both in the long-term and short-term.
But how we decided which path to take?
We set out priorities, not by profit, but by our purpose first.
What were we put on this planet to do?
What are the strengths we have and developed over the course of our lives to this moment?
Then, we find a passion through doing things that match our purpose.
Finally, we look for how to make a profit and a living doing this thing.
It may seem upside down to you, but it’s not.
Profit flows from purpose and passion, not the other way around.
Until next time, make it a better than fantastic day!