We had really great seats (that’s the 212 wristband on Coach Beamer)…

Maybe they were inspired by this year’s NY Jets…

Get the wristbands

It reminds me of a wonderful commencement speech by David Foster Wallace given in 2005 (complete read is about 15-minutes – it’s one of the most inspiring things I’ve ever read). In it he said…

“The freedom to be lords of our own tiny skull-sized kingdoms, alone at the center of all creation. This kind of freedom has much to recommend it. But of course there are all different kinds of freedom, and the kind that is most precious you will not hear much talked about in the great outside world of winning and achieving and displaying. The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them, over and over, in myriad petty little unsexy ways, every day. That is real freedom. The alternative is unconsciousness, the default-setting, the “rat race” — the constant gnawing sense of having had and lost some infinite thing.”

Love Your People | Smile & Move

Connect with Sam (guy behind this stuff)…

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With everything, there’s a line.

On one side of the line is a greater chance to make good things happen (better results, better relationships, more responsibility). This is where you’ll find all those people you admire.

On the other side, there’s less of a chance.

And with each line, there’s a choice. You want to cross the line or you don’t. You want the better chance at making good things happen (meaningful things) or you settle with the lesser chance.

Your choice.

It seems simple but…

Then there’ll be those times – those times when in the short run it’ll seem like you can’t cross the line (no matter what you do). But then, those misses (those hurdles) in the short run will sometimes help you over the line in the long run (in a way you couldn’t have seen). They’ll serve as lessons, giving you more depth to your experience – making you stronger and better prepared for bigger and more important challenges you’ll face in the future.

But you won’t know that at the time.
At the time, you’ll just see that line.
And it might seem like a wall.
But it really is just a line (a line you want to cross).
And it’s yours to cross, but you have to decide (make that choice).

It seems simple but…

Then there’ll be those people – those people who’ve decided they’d rather not cross the line and would prefer you didn’t either (and unfortunately, sometimes those people might be your friends). Maybe they’ll sprinkle in a little doubt or withhold a little encouragement at just the right time (or even encourage you to do the wrong thing). Maybe they’ll be a little less subtle about it and just step directly in your way.

And then, every once in a while, there’ll be you – that inner voice that’ll try to tell you you’re not that special and that making something exceptional happen is for other people. (What are you thinking?)

Then there’ll be the work – the work that’ll be the real challenge that some people never face because of those times, those people, or that inner voice that keeps us from putting in the effort and bouncing back when things get tough.

But there’s the line.
And it needs to be crossed.
And you can cross it.

It’s up to you.

(Which side will you choose?)

“The difficult is what takes a little time; the impossible is what takes a little longer.”

Fridtjof Nansen
Norwegian explorer

The essay above and how to Cross The Line (Commit, Work Hard, Focus, Bounce Back) are available in the cool little booklet here. It also includes a coaching section of questions to help you Cross The Line more effectively (and some notes pages for your thoughts).

To learn more about how to use the Cross The Line message to support your sales goals or upcoming meeting, visit this page.

Personal notes on Cross the Line

Watch & listen to the author’s Cross the Line™ presentation (4 minutes).

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Connect with Sam (guy behind this stuff)…

Facebook | LinkedIn | Google+ | Twitter

Copyright © 2010 by Give More Media Inc. This was written by Sam Parker. If you’d like to tell people about it somewhere (e.g., blog, newsletter, Facebook, social media), please reference Sam Parker of JustSell.com as the author and link directly to the article. Excerpts are great but please don’t publish the article in its entirety without advanced written permission (email Sam using the address at the bottom of this page).

Cross the Line™ is a trademark of Give More Media Inc.

Start by doing your work. Contribute. Help someone else by doing what it is you do (on the job or in life). Do it the way you wish everyone else would do it for you (golden rule stuff).

But I don’t like my work, situation, company, boss, colleagues.

Be a part of the solution or find someplace/ thing else.

Easy for you to say. I have a family, mortgage, credit cards, responsibilities.

Then be a part of the solution and start making where you are better (by the way… everyone has all those things too).

But I told you… my boss, coworkers, customers, situation…

I’m sorry. You’re a grown-up. Be a part of the solution or find someplace/ thing else. Really.

It’s not that simple.

Yes… it is.

"Work is love made visible."

Kahlil Gibran
Lebanese writer and philosopher

Be kind. This means you’re considerate (have concern and respect for others). It means you’re pleasantly helpful and generous where you can be.

But what if someone/ thing makes it difficult to be kind?

Do your best to act in a way you’d like others to act toward you when you make things difficult.

But, I don’t make things difficult.

We all do.

But…

Me too.

Be patient. Approach people and situations calmly. Have a soothing and relaxed presence and give others the time you’d like to be given.

But what if it’s really urgent, like an emergency?

Be less patient with emergencies.

What if I think it’s more urgent than someone else thinks it is?

Then it’ll be more challenging to be patient.

What kind of an answer is that?

Truth.

The remaining 5 points (Be honest, Encourage People, Apologize, Forgive, Thank People) are available in the cool Love Your People booklet here. It includes a coaching section of questions to help you better Love Your People (and some notes pages for your thoughts).

Part I (back): Introduction (<1-minute read)

Shop all Love Your People gear.

Connect with Sam (guy behind this stuff)…

Facebook | LinkedIn | Google+ | Twitter

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Copyright © 2010 by Give More Media Inc. This was written by Sam Parker. If you’d like to tell people about it somewhere (e.g., blog, newsletter, Facebook, social media), please reference Sam Parker of JustSell.com as the author and link directly to the article. Excerpts are great but please don’t publish the article in its entirety without advanced written permission (email Sam using the address at the bottom of this page).

Love Your People® is a registered trademark held by Give More Media Inc.

We’ve laid them out around ourselves and become worried about stepping on those that others have laid around themselves.

Some of us (all of us at one time or another) have forgotten our interdependence and obligation to other people. We’ve put ourselves (our comfort, our hearts, our minds) at the center of our universe (our universe?).

I want to encourage you to Love Your People.

Who are your people? Everyone who’s important to you… your family… your friends… your colleagues… your customers, patients, team, students. These are your people (and you’re theirs).

And love? It’s care.

And care? It’s attention and contribution (what you give, what you do). It’s kindness, patience, generosity, and truth. It’s encouraging, apologetic, forgiving, and thankful.

We’ve let too much get between us (each other) and the reasons we’re here. We’ve allowed ourselves to slip into a state of busy distraction – seeking the complex instead of embracing the simple. It’s time to stop going through the motions with our days (hours, minutes). We need to give more and enjoy more.

"The meaning of love is not to be confused with some sentimental outpouring. Love is something much deeper than emotional bosh."

Martin Luther King, Jr.
American civil rights leader

"How do I love my people?"

You know how.

"But specifically. How?"

Get "Love Your People" in a cool little booklet here.

Part II: Contribute, Be patient, Be kind (<1-minute read)

Shop all Love Your People gear.

Connect with Sam (guy behind this stuff)…

Facebook | LinkedIn | Google+ | Twitter

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Copyright © 2010 by Give More Media Inc. This was written by Sam Parker. If you’d like to tell people about it somewhere (e.g., blog, newsletter, Facebook, social media), please reference Sam Parker of JustSell.com as the author and link directly to the article. Excerpts are great but please don’t publish the article in its entirety without advanced written permission (email Sam using the address at the bottom of this page).

Love Your People® is a registered trademark held by Give More Media Inc.

If you know a principal or teacher who might like to present this to students, please forward it to them. They can pick up a copy at http://www.GiveMore.com/cross.

We also have a version for companies/organizations.

Get the Cross the Line™ Wristband

(Read the original essay here.)

Sales leaders: If you’d like to present this to your people, you can pick up a copy at http://www.GiveMore.com/cross.

We also have a version for school students (high and middle).

Know a student who could use the message? Send them to this version.

Get the Cross the Line™ Wristband

(Read the original essay here.)

Get “Cross The Line” in a cool little booklet here.

Crossing the Line is a choice to commit… to care. It’s a vow to minimize going through the motions with your time (No D-grunts, No Gomos)… to expect and enjoy more from yourself.

To start, we need to ask ourselves why we’re doing what it is we’re doing in each role of our lives. From that, we can create our personal constitutions or ‘reason for being’ in each role (the French call it “raison d’être”). Then we choose to commit to our reasons for being by working hard, focusing, and bouncing back from the inevitable short-falls and misses.

Crossing the Line…

At work is a choice to commit to serving, encouraging, and supporting other people (comfortably and uncomfortably*) – customers and colleagues.

As a leader is a choice to commit to serving, developing, and inspiring other people (comfortably and uncomfortably*).

As a teammate (colleague) is a choice to commit to contributing your talents and strengths to a team and its objectives above anything else.

As a parent is a choice to commit to developing a child into a contributing and caring adult (one that can also Cross the Line).

As a spouse is a choice to commit to caring deeply for your partner – encouraging them, supporting them (comfortably and uncomfortably*), to give and to accept love (care).

As a friend is a choice to commit to another person in the give and take of enjoyment and care.

As a student is a choice to commit to learning in order to contribute more to the world and enjoy more from the world (and Cross the Line yourself).

As an athlete is a choice to commit to giving your best possible effort to the sport you play – to continual development, intensity, and perseverance.

On the field is a choice to commit to giving your best possible effort to the game at hand.

In the gym is a choice to commit to giving your best possible effort to each exercise you engage in (no going through the motions and never seeing a result).

With your faith is a choice to commit to living it completely (not selectively).

In truth is a choice to commit to complete honesty without omission, regardless of consequences (comfortably and uncomfortably*).

You Cross the Line to Be 212.
You Cross the Line to Be a Smover.
You Cross the Line to Be SalesTough.
You Cross the Line to Love Your People.

What does it mean to Cross the Line in your world? To what are you choosing to commit?

* Comfortably and uncomfortably: Comfortable is the easy and more enjoyable in the short run. Uncomfortable is the challenging and sometimes better approach in the long run (not necessarily always, though). Uncomfortable is illustrated in the video clip below.

Get “Cross The Line” in a cool little booklet here.

To learn more about how to use the Cross The Line message to support your sales goals or upcoming meeting, visit this page.

__________

“The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them, over and over, in myriad petty little unsexy ways, every day. That is real freedom. The alternative is unconsciousness, the default-setting, the “rat race” — the constant gnawing sense of having had and lost some infinite thing.”

David Foster Wallace
American writer
from his commencement speech in 2005

“All right, let’s bring it home. If you was hit by a truck and you were lying out in that gutter dying… and you had time to sing one song, huh? One song people would remember before you’re dirt. One song that would let God know what you felt about your time here on earth. One song that would sum you up… you telling me that’s the song you’d sing?

Or would you sing something different? Something real, something you felt?”

Sam Phillips talking to Johnny Cash
from the film Walk the Line (2005)

The clip…

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Copyright © 2010 by Give More Media Inc. This was written by Sam Parker. If you’d like to tell people about it somewhere (e.g., blog, newsletter, Facebook, social media), please reference Sam Parker of JustSell.com as the author and link directly to the article. Excerpts are great but please don’t publish the article in its entirety without advanced written permission (email Sam using the address at the bottom of this page).

With everything, there’s a line.

On one side of the line is a greater chance to give more, enjoy more, realize more. On the other side, there’s less of a chance.
 
And with each line, there’s a choice. You want to cross the line or you don’t. You want the better chance at meaningful – opportunity – impact – or you settle with the lesser chance.
 
Your choice.

It seems simple but…

Then there’ll be those times – those times when in the short run it’ll seem like you can’t cross the line (no matter what you do). But then, those misses (those hurdles) in the short run will sometimes help you over the line in the long run (in a way you couldn’t have seen). They’ll serve as lessons, giving you more depth to your experience – making you stronger.
 
But you won’t know that at the time.
At the time, you’ll just see that line.
And it might seem like a wall.
But it really is just a line (a line you want to cross).
And it’s yours to cross but you have to decide (make that choice).

It seems simple but…

Then there’ll be those people – those people who’ve decided they’d rather not cross the line and would prefer you didn’t either – sprinkling in a little doubt, withholding a little encouragement, stepping in the way.

Then there’ll be that inner voice – that inner voice that’ll try to tell you you’re not that special and things like that are for other people. (What are you thinking?)

Then there’ll be the work – the work that’ll be the real challenge that some people never face because of those times, those people, or that inner voice that keep us from putting in the effort and bouncing back when things get tough.

But there’s the line.
And it needs to be crossed.
And you can cross it.

It’s up to you.
 
(Which side will you choose?)

Watch & listen to the author’s Cross the Line™ presentation (4.5 minutes).

Personal notes on Cross the Line

__________

Copyright © 2010 by Give More Media Inc. This was written by Sam Parker. If you’d like to tell people about it somewhere (e.g., blog, newsletter, Facebook, social media), please reference Sam Parker of JustSell.com as the author and link directly to the article. Excerpts are great but please don’t publish the article in its entirety without advanced written permission (email Sam using the address at the bottom of this page).

Cross the Line™ is a trademark of Give More Media Inc.

If you’re new to sales management, maybe you’ll have to stick your finger in the light socket a few times before you trust that it’s not a good idea to wish* someone in to your organization. Or you can consider this thought as a little jump start to getting it right and saving yourself time, money, and pain – sooner the better.

Here’s a simple approach to maximizing your chances of hiring a true Smover (one who Smiles & Moves). You could use any book or short material (short is the key) that best fits the type of attitude you’re looking for but here, we’ll be using Smile & Move because it’s fairly comprehensive in its coverage of a service-oriented attitude. SalesTough might work too but it’s a little longer of a time commitment for your candidate.

After the first interview…

If you feel like you’ll have the person back for a second interview, give them a copy of Smile & Move and ask them to read it before the next visit. Because it’s no more than a 20-minute-read, it shouldn’t be a problem for your next superstar.

“I enjoyed talking with you today. I’d like to have you back to talk again and also to have you meet with some other people. Is the opportunity still something you’d like to pursue?”

If yes, set up a time or agree that you’ll follow-up to set up a time and then…

“Here’s a book we enjoy here. It’s called Smile & Move. Quick read, 20 minutes tops. Do me a favor and read it over before we meet again and we’ll discuss it a little, okay?”

Now, pay attention to the response. Is the person excited, indifferent, or put off? It’s probably an unusual request so an excited response might be unlikely. You’re really just looking for someone who might be put off by the request for the additional work. It’s probably not going to be the case because if you’re asking the person back, you’ve got a good feeling about him/ her. It’s just an added interaction to give you more information for your ultimate decision. Also, it gives your candidate more information about your expectations (and since you’re a Smover, your expectations are high). If they’re put off by it, perhaps they’ll decide not to proceed with the interview process and save everyone time. (If they want the book, let them keep it and perhaps you’ll have influenced something positive in their lives even if it takes them a year or two to realize it.)

At the next interview…

Ask them a few questions about their thoughts on the book and then listen (no leading, no prompting). Be the Smover you hope they’ll be and listen with both your ears and eyes (from Chapter 1, Being Awake). Be sure to remember the “gap of silence” idea as you listen**.

• What did you think of the book?
• What stood out to you?
• With which principle do you think you have the biggest challenge?
• With which principle do you feel strongest?
• Can you give me an example of when you last [insert strength point they gave]?
• Can you give me an example of when you [insert your favorite Smovish principle]?
• What did you disagree with? Why?

Hopefully, you’ll have an engaged person in front of you and won’t need to ask the reasons for their answers. They’ll simply expand on their own (a good sign). If not, you can always follow with “Why?”.

Again… listen without prompting, leading, or interrupting. You will learn so much more about the person (which is what you want because you’re trying to decide on something that may be very important to the future of your organization… and if you’re lucky, you might be sitting across from a future leader in the company… maybe even the future president… and you can be the one who started it all… not bad, Smover.)

You’re looking for truth. One way to prompt it is to share with your candidate where you’re challenged in Smoving and give a quick example. Opening up to them may help them feel more comfortable opening up with you. Still though, in order to gauge their sincerity, watch as you listen.

“My toughest challenge is being approachable. Maybe having a more of a sense of urgency, too. Sometimes I don’t remember that people are just as busy as me and I need make sure I act with that in mind.”

If you don’t like all the answers, it doesn’t mean they might not be a strong hire (perhaps they’re coachable**). Again, it just gives you more information about the person’s emotional development and attitude toward work.

Remember… Hiring someone who’s not a match has a negative impact on everyone. You want someone who’s service-oriented externally (with your customers) and internally (with their colleagues). You want a Smover.
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* To wish someone into your organization is to be lazy and avoid the potentially uncomfortable and more challenging truth. It’s a tennis metaphor. In a match, if your opponent hits a ball that you’ll have to run hard to get, you might be lazy and ‘wish it out’ instead of pushing it and trying to keep the ball in play.

** To make better connections with people (and learn much more), when you’re talking with someone be sure to allow a small gap of silence between what they say… and your response. This will help people know you are truly listening. (Remember: a breath is not always taken at the end of a sentence or thought.)

*** If you want someone who’s coachable, make sure at some point you ask them if they feel they’re coachable. Almost everyone will say they are. If that’s what you’re looking for, be sure to let them know that’s an important quality of being a member of your sales team. Someone who’s not coachable can make things very difficult on everyone. If you want to take it a step further and you’ve notice something during the interview that you can coach them on (something small because you likely don’t have much of a high-trust relationship yet), give them your thought and see how it’s received. “For example, I’ve notice you tend to interrupt/ say the word ‘like’ frequently/ seem distracted.” (More thoughts and an 8-point check on your coachability)

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Copyright © 2010 by Give More Media Inc. This was written by Sam Parker. If you’d like to tell people about it somewhere (e.g., blog, newsletter, Facebook, social media), please reference Sam Parker of JustSell.com as the author and link directly to the article. Excerpts are great but please don’t publish the article in its entirety without advanced written permission (email Sam using the address at the bottom of this page).