Are You Clear? Crystal!

"Are we clear? Yes, Sir. Are we clear? Crystal!", the classic line from the movie, A Few Good Men. Thus, I ask you, "Are You Clear?" Are you clear on your goals? Are you clear on your reasons? Are you clear on your plans? Because clarity brings success. When we are clear on your objectives, it allows us to focus on the results we are seeking and focus always precedes success.

My friend and category-creating Chief Marketing Officer, John Digles, is one of the best marketers around. This November, he won 4 major awards for his category-creating marketing strategies. One thing I can tell you about John by being mentored by him is that, he always deal with the specifics. Who are we looking to reach with our message? What's the story we want to convey? What's our objective? What are the strategies and tactics to achieve our objective?

I remember during my Faces of Caribbean Airlines campaign in August, we had a series of great days at the polls and then, it dropped one day. I mentioned this to John, and I will never forget his response. He said, "Mikhail, what's our target for today?" I thought he would show me some sympathy. However, that's how champions think and execute, they focus on their objectives and get clear on their reasons.

When you have vague goals with vague reasons, you get vague results. When you have vivid goals and you are crystal clear on your reasons, you receive remarkable results. We are approaching the end of 2009, with the beginning of 2010. Now is an excellence time to get clear on your goals and reasons for 2010, because success leaves clues and that's what the champions are doing at this time of the year.

I hope when I ask you in the near future, "Are You Clear?" Your response will be, "Crystal!"

Here's to Clarity,
Mikhail Baynes

How Much Do You Care?

It is said by The World Foremost Business Philosopher, Jim Rohn, "The more you care, the stronger you are." There's truth to that statement. Earlier this week, I was in a meeting with a very successful young friend of mines and the question came up, "What's her greatest strength?" I pondered for a bit, and then I said it, "You genuinely care for people, that's your greatest strength. You genuinely care for people, by this I mean you have an sincere interest in people and when you give, you do it because you really care, not for what you can get."

When you look at the true successful entrepreneurs and bloggers, they genuinely care for readers, customers. For example, Seth Godin and Gary Vaynerchuk, these marketing icons that truly care about their readers not what they can get, but how they can contribute to their reader's lives so that it can be better. And because they care like that, they receive bountiful rewards. Another example, is my great friend and marketing mentor, Bob Burg. Bob's caring is almost God like, once he can do what's in his power to assist you regardless of what you can do for him, he does it. Once more, because of such caring, he receives a loyal following amongst his readers, clients, friends and all those who come in contact with him.

Here are the questions for all of us to answer:

"How much do you care?"
"Why do you care?"
"Is your caring genuine?"

I end with this quote from the Legend, Jim Rohn: "If you care at all, you get some results. If you care enough, you get incredible results."

Here's to Your Caring,
Mikhail Baynes

Overnight Success!

Overnight Success, is there such a thing? When champions enter into the winner's circle, did it happen overnight? Sometimes, how the stories are told in the media it may appear that way. However, there's always a story behind the story.

To develop mastery in your chosen field, ask any top performer in your field and they will tell you that it took focused discipline over a period of time in mastering the basics to become a master at their craft. The countless hours on the golf course and basketball court to develop their skills, is one of the attributes that makes Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan the legends they have become. According to Malcolm Gladwell's best-selling book, Outliers, it normally takes 10,000 hours to develop mastery in your chosen field. Are you putting in the practice hours so that when game day comes for you, you will excel so that people will want to hear your story?

Legendary Inspirational Speakers, Zig Ziglar and Jim Rohn, we are looking at decades of practice and working on their craft to deliver a speech that captures the attention and peaks the interest of their audience to inspire them to transform their lives. Few people see the hours of practice that make champions. However, they do see the spotlight, the fame and the glory. In order to receive the spotlight, the fame and glory, you got to put in the hours of practice and preparation, and develop the habits of champions.

Are you willing to pay the price of SUCCESS? Let's pay the price of success because it's far easier than paying the price of mediocrity!

Here's to Your Success,
Mikhail Baynes