Breakthrough To Live and Work A Level Up

Life is full of decisions but the most important one you can make is to choose who you will
be, not what, but who. Until you do you will live to your nature instead of to your potential and your nature will drag you down as it drives you to be comfortable, make excuses and listen to your doubts and fears. If you want to be your best it starts with the conscious decision of who you will be. This decision will enable, empowers and motivate you to live a level up fro your nature and be your best self.

Start Now...
To get started make yourself a 'To Be List' right now! Keep it small, 7 to 10 character traits you want to be. You are beginning to write your reputation with these traits as they will give you a compass to follow, a plan of action to take when making decisions in your life that will lead you to your best most extraordinary state.

Stay Focused...
Make your list, then be mindful, meditate and focus on making all your decisions to live to be that person. When you start living with these intentions you'll live a level up from your nature and stand out in all you do. Living with purpose and intention gives you the self-discipline, self-control and self-confidence to be the person you were created to be...An exceptional peak performer!

By Mike Moore

11 Keys To Peak Performance


For over 40 years I’ve studied, taught, trained, coached, observed and learned from, peak performers.

All of this exposure has allowed me to see the good, the bad and the ugly in myself and others in nearly every possible type of situation imaginable. During all that time, I’ve studied and made notes about the attitudes, skills and actions of peak performers and I’ve narrowed them down to these keys. I’m sharing these keys so you can realize that the things peak performers do are mostly about attitude and effort. Peak performance is more about who they are, than their skills, but in my opinion who they are, becomes their biggest advantage!

My message to everyone I share this with is simple...There isn’t one thing peak performers do regularly that you can’t do. None of these keys requires you to have anything you weren't born with the ability to develop. The only thing holding you back from becoming a peak performer in life and your profession is you. So, stop waiting, complaining, making excuses and start on your mission today!


KEYS TO PEAK PERFORMANCE...

1. Focus on always helping, serving and doing what's best...They make people more important than things!

2. Always work to build trust by being a likable, trustworthy, expert in their field.

3. Have a positive attitude, mental toughness and give a maximum effort.

4. Hold themselves accountable for their results...They never blame others or their company and always accept full responsibility for their attitudes, skills and actions.

5. Have a plan and work their plan.

6. Are focused and know the importance of not allowing their time to be wasted by email, technology, social networks or routine tasks that distracts them from their priorities.

7. Continually learn, grow and improve and in doing so are open minded, embrace change and look to others to gain knowledge, information and insight.

8. Know the most important assets they have are their own time, effort and attitude.

9. Treat people with respect by being open, honest and direct at the same time being kind, caring and compassionate.

10. Set and hold themselves accountable to standards far surpassing what others would expect of them.

11. Are goal oriented in everything they do and understand how being goal oriented gives them self-discipline.

By Mike Moore

Leaders Who Coach...Win!

How do I know that leaders who coach, win? Well, my leadership and coaching training started in 1963, at 9 years old, on a Friday night entering a locker room with my father
before a football game. You see, he was a football coach, and because of that I'd already spent time in locker rooms, on sidelines, at practices, in coach's meetings  listening to pre-game, halftime and post-game speeches, but this was different, it was the beginning of my father's conscious effort to start teaching me about leadership, coaching, building teams and winning. How did he start teaching me? He asked me what I heard and felt? Did I think the players sounded and felt like they were ready to perform to their peak? I have to say that after that night I never looked at any of my experiences the same. Spending time with my Dad and other coaches was no longer just a perk for being a coach's son, they all became classrooms to learn the science, psychology and subtleties of coaching and leadership. From that night until he passed away in 1992 we talked coaching and I've spent my life studying other great coaches and how they go about building teams and winning. Then, in 1996 I was fortunate enough to spend one-on-one time with one of the greatest coaches in history, John Wooden, talking coaching and leadership. I've been applying the lessons I learned from many great coaches to business and life ever since, along with teaching them to my employees and clients. That's were my knowledge comes from, and where my desire to keep learning started, so let's get down to talking about why leaders who coach, win and how you can too!

Excellence & The Pursuit Of Peak Performance
You'll have to have a plan to help people improve...Because companies and organizations don’t change and improve, people do!

Recent studies on workplace productivity revealed that companies whose leaders and managers engaged employees by coaching them regularly were 20% more productive and produce 20% higher customer satisfaction. In addition, workplace satisfaction improved and happiness at work become a reality...When all these line up revenue and profits improve dramatically!

A Wake-Up Call...Leadership & Coaching Are More Important Than Ever
Today, we’re in the midst off a more significant economic change than we experienced when we moved from the agricultural to industrial economies.

Globalization, demographics, cultural and technological changes are creating shifts in people’s attitudes, mindsets, lifestyles and how they view success.

This is an enormous leadership challenge because it’s affecting everyone, from leaders themselves, to employees and customers.

Leaders often suffer from economic 'Normalcy Bias’ (It hasn’t happened before so it’s not happening now!) during economic transitions.

Remember all solutions, just like all problems, are temporary. So, don’t be defensive or defend the status quo. Be prepared to keep changing to improve.

People's definition of success and motives for working are shifting and changing. Disengagement is one of the most serious shifts and is a challenge for leaders never before faced to this extreme.

Opening The Door To Success In The ’New Economy’
It won't be enough to just stay ahead of your competition, you’ll need to keep up with your employees and customers. The best way to do this is to stay connected, engaged and coach people to instill an ‘employee first leadership’ culture that will produce a 'customer first company’!

Don’t get caught waiting for a recovery...Instead, engage and coach people to create your new standard of success.

Good News
Even though things are changing rapidly people's human nature hasn't changed. So, what makes people happy and fulfilled really isn't different and leaders who coach can produce extraordinary results in this ’new economy'!

Engaging, Coaching & Leadership...The Keys To Improvement
The key to improving your business, and in some cases the key to your survival, will be more leadership and management engagement than at any time in the past.

Remember, the latest studies show companies who's leaders and managers increase employee engagement by doing regular coaching are 20% more productive and have 20% higher customer satisfaction.

Both these results create significant increases to revenue and profit!
Remember, human nature doesn't change just the conditions we face keep changing.

Leaders who coach are change agents who stay ahead of the changing conditions.

People still want to belong to something bigger than themselves and be a part of something extraordinary. It's a leaders job to give them that opportunity...It's your job to make it a reality!

Leaders Who Coach Always Have A Higher Purpose
Leaders who coach always have a higher purpose that brings people together and keeps people energized and focused!

People don’t want to just work for economic reasons! In fact, people are never be their best just working for money, perks or promotions.

So, Let's Talk About Coaching
Sports teaches us many lessons that can be applied to life and business…The first and most important is that it's not about really about the score, it's about learning to compete with ourselves to become our best! The second is that although we keep score and the prizes go to the winners, the winners are the ones who focus on the game not the score!

So, just like athletes, actors and musicians your employees need to perform to their peak for your business to improve…Because remember, companies don’t really improve, people do!
Since we know that even the best athletes need coaching to be their best, how much more do your employees need coaching to be their best?

Leaders Don’t Make Rules & Policies, They Set Standards
As a leader you are the lowest form of behavior you accept or tolerate!

Hold everyone accountable to meet the standards.

The best standard is to keep learning, growing and improving!

People don’t come together by chance, teams don’t win without coaches!

Leadership requires toughness and a hard edge at times if you’re going to do what’s best for people.

Always Be Coaching...The ABC’s Of Leadership
Engage, Connect, Communicate… Attitude is everything!

People won’t work like teammates unless a leader acts like a coach and holds them accountable to act like teammates.

People don't become teammates until they hold each other accountable to be their best.

Leaders who build teams are the leaders who set standards,coach attitudes, teach skills and manage actions.

Coaching is the key to individual peak performance, creating winning teams, teamwork, productivity and customer satisfaction.

Leaders and managers who coach also attract and retaining top talent by helping that talent perform to their peak.

Great Business Leaders, Like Coaches, Manage The Air
That’s right they create an atmosphere that produces good team chemistry, teamwork and superior individual effort!

Coaching is all about instilling and managing people’s attitudes, because attitudes, produce the actions, that generate the results.

Coaching is about instilling a performance culture by making learning, growing and improving, your attitudes, skills and actions, to become a likable, trustworthy expert, who's helpful, caring and courageous, everyone’s mission. In fact this is the standard great coaches set!

Happiness and workplace satisfaction grow when people are challenged to be their best while working in pursuit of worthwhile goals.

Make sure the objectives and goals are clearly communicated so they can be pursued effectively.

Leaders Who Coach Pay Attention To What Matters Most
You cannot lead from 30,000 feet…You must be connected!

People are our greatest asset…Then lead like you mean it! People before profits, isn’t just a cliche’, it’s the best way to improve profits!

Leaders who coach know people are spirit, mind and body, so they serve them in that order!

Leaders who coach must be change advocates, fully engaged, self-aware, empathetic, not perfectionists, whole life focused, curious, grateful...Coaching is an act of love!

Attitude matters because when frustration is allowed to linger, it leads to indifference which causes disengagement. Coaching attitudes produces exceptional actions and extraordinary results.

Don’t Get Caught Up Watching The Scoreboard (Reacting To Results)
When you manage results you're too late to lead, you’ll only be able to manage the chaos and confusion to a mediocre end!

The score will make you relax when you're ahead and panic when your behind.

Keep the focus on learning, growing and improving everyone's peak performance!

Excellence only happens for those who are obsessed with improvement.

A leader who coaches must be a compass always pointing towards improvement. 

Watch the players, set the standards and coach the things you control and the score will take care of itself!

Nothing Improves Until People Improve...Don’t Wait, Get Started
You can get results or make excuses but you cannot have both!

Stop watching the scoreboard and start coaching.

Connect, communicate and engage by coaching attitudes, teaching skills and managing actions daily!

Find your higher purpose that'll keep you and your employees fully engaged, energized and focused!

If you believe people are your greatest asset...Then act like it, live by it, lead like they are!

Never miss a chance to build trust and the relationships that follow will make you rich!

Become a servant on a mission to get everyone learning, growing and improving, their attitudes, skills and actions, to become likable, trustworthy experts, who are helpful, caring and courageous and watch your revenue and profits improve!

My Hope For You, My Challenge To You
I hope you've had and have the mentors, coaches and leaders in your life that I’ve been blessed to have in mine. I would also challenge each owner, executive and manager to not just go to work but go to work to be a leader who coaches and mentors those they work with each day.

In The End, Leave A Legacy
Will you say I wish I had, or I'm glad I did? If you’re a leader who coaches and mentors, you'll be a leader who makes a positive difference, helps people breakthrough to become their best and you'll leave a legacy or excellence!

By Mike Moore

Leaders Attract & Retain Top Talent...Turning Managers Into Mentors

If you want to be a leader and attack top talent today you need to address three things. The world we live in, the people in the world we live in and what you need to be and do to become a positive influence to both.

THE WORLD
We live in a fast past changing world, a different world than we were born into! We all acknowledge that, but just how different is it? Why is it so different and how can we adapt
and thrive in this new world?

It’s important to understand we’re living in the transition to a 'new economy' a new way of
life really, but just how different is our world? The International Monetary Fund has now stated "This economy is beyond our knowledge and experience.” Really, it's beyond the people who have been in charge for a very long time. So, it's a brand new and in this world, it won’t be enough to stay ahead of your competition, you’ll need to keep up with your employees and customers. It’s not just a ‘new economy’ it’s actually a new socioeconomic system that makes this a radically different world to live and work in. It’s the dramatic shifts in people’s attitudes, social views and values that makes this a massive socioeconomic transition.

Why is today so different? We’ve gone through economic and social ups and downs for 100’s of years, isn’t this just another fluctuation? No, it's a transition different from anything we’ve ever experienced. We’ve never had the population, demographics, globalization, technology, virtual reality, augmented reality, 3D printing, science, healthcare and artificial Intelligence we’re faced with today. Add to these factors the 4 generations main generations of people living on the planet who seem to have deteriorating character, values and integrity. It’s really the perfect socioeconomic storm.

It’s the social shifts that really add to the challenge we all face in business. We've become a celebrity society where Boomers want to be rich, Gen X wanted change and 50% of millennials state they want to be famous and rich and now we’re about to add Gen Z. The celebrity society influence of luxury lifestyles and a reality, that isn’t a real reality, is in everyone's face everywhere they turn. 

Today's employees are faced with the possibility of more jobs changes than ever before and we’re headed to a time of more change in the next 100 months than we've experience in the last 100 years as this transition continues to develop, mature and head towards the rapid advancements in technology, science and health care. 

A transition this significant and massive will be messy and when we look back this transition will be significantly more challenging than the shift from the agriculture age to the Industrial age.

Sounds tough, has been tough, will be tough but you know the saying, 'When the going gets tough, the tough get going'! Change has always been the only constant but today it's happening so fast it's producing more insecurity, anxiety, worry and earthen the average person can handle. And that is the point, this transition requires people to keep up by become lifelong learners who embrace the idea of continual growth and improvement. 

I have good news, there's great opportunity for any business that's tough enough to get going by giving people purpose, by challenging them to be their best and helping people learn, grow and improve to face this new world. The business leaders that accept the challenge will be those standing tall, attracting and retaining top talent, talent that will help them reap huge personal rewards, impact many lives and increase profits!

THE PEOPLE
Understanding people's mindsets gives you the insights to start being a positive influence. Most people are suffering from ‘Economic & Social Normalcy Bias’, it hasn’t happen before so it can’t happen now. The arrogance or denial that results from this causes them to fight to maintain a status quo or go back to a better time. This causes people to keep doing what made them successful or comfortable in the past. This plan won't end well since we cannot stop the rapid change we are experiencing. Past success and comfort are the greatest enemy to present and future success because they keep us from embracing today's changes and taking new actions. Frankly most business owners and executives are comfortable because they’ve worked hard for years to get comfortable. So your first challenge is to accept that it's time to be uncomfortable if you want to grow and improve. Is also important to remember you're either getting better or you're getting worse, there's no maintaining the status quo.

What's about all the articles, studies and talk about the millennials and aging boomers?
Let's take a closer look at the generations. What’s the difference between the generations? Not as much as what most people think! With all the change that's happening our human nature hasn't changed and all 3 generations seem to suffer from deteriorating values, integrity and character which infects and influences each other! 

It's in out nature to seek comfort and make excuses so in this way we are the same. Our future success depends on the same thing it always has, self-discipline, the ability to face and do the things we don't want to, to get the things that are best for us. We were all created to be extraordinary but wired to be mediocre until someone inspires, motivates and coaches us to be our best. That's why leaders who coach, inspire and motivate win! Today however mediocrity is king, standards have been lowered and leadership is more important than ever before! 

You will need to understand that you will not lead a group of all passionate, motivated individuals. The majority of people will be average and your job will be to get 10%-20% above average behavior form these average people.  Don't stop looking for extraordinary people but know that when you hire them they will either move up in your organization or out to better  themselves and you will always be working to improve the average people they leave behind.

The truth about any group of people is that that are full of average people just trying to be comfortable and get by. The vast majority of people are busy looking for the easiest way, not the best way, and your challenge is to help them overcome their nature that drives them to be average.

The good news is that for any organization to be extraordinary they only need people to be slightly above average, because a group of slightly above average people pulling together produce exceptional results. The more important issue is how do you inspire average people? The answer...Give them purpose!

BEING A POSITIVE INFLUENCE
A leader armed with the acceptance that things are truly different, change will keep occurring at light speed and people will always seek to be comfortable and be average, if not given a purpose that inspires them to overcome their nature, is ready to become the positive influence and difference maker that can succeed in the new world. 

If you are going to be the employer of choice, attract and retain top talent, you must accept
that you are first and foremost in the people development business. You will not improve your company, you can only improve your people. You are in the people development business or you're working way out of business!

A great place to start changing the way you hire, train, coach and develop your people is to remember people's #1 reason for leaving their job...Their boss! It's time to lead and turn your managers into mentors. Training falls far short of what's needed to inspire and motivate people. Coaching, which happens daily and starts by instilling and addressing attitudes, monists and people's emotional intelligence is the key to attracting and retaining top talent. 

So take an honest look, make a list and make sure there are great reasons why people would want to work for you? What is our personal brand, your influence? Do you give people a purpose higher than themselves or just having a job? Ask yourself, "Am I the leader you’d want to follow? 

Then, you can begin to ask your people to answer the question, "Are you the followers they'd want to lead?"


Studies reveal that people perform best when working for a purpose. The best purpose a
business can have is to make a positive difference in people's lives, not just give them a job! You need a higher purpose that inspires, motivates and brings people together. Helping people be their best is a purpose that creates a performance culture in your business and helps hold people accountable to perform at their peak. To do this owners, executives and managers need to be engaged, connected and an active communicators who coach attitudes, teach skills and manage action to hold people accountable to be their best. You need to love your people enough to get the best out of them!

You need to turn your managers into mentors! Leaders and managers who mentor and coach attract and retain top talent because they stand out and make your company the employer of choice.

Great leaders have always been committed to helping people learn, grow and improve. In fact, if your people aren't learning, growing and improving, you aren't leading. You may be running a business, but how long can it run on the backs of average people when average people keep lowering the bar?

You need to define who you are as a company? If a corporation is an individual then give it a personality, character and values that inspire people, attract people and makes people proud to be a part of. Do you have a company 'To Be List’? Who do you want your company to be? How do you expect your people to behave. If everyone knows who you are, you'll attract those like you and give them a compass to stay on course. You can also recruit using your 'To Be List' to set expectation for future employee coaching, development and behavior.

Next make sure you have set clear standards and communicate them to everyone. Remember a standard is the lowest form of behavior you will tolerate and not ever lower. These standards can be used when recruiting to establish your expectations. Standards are also the key to instilling a performance culture where people hold each other accountable. Oh, by the way, if you aren't prepared to hold people accountable to meet the standards, don't bother doing anything, just wait and prepare for the end of your business, because it's coming sooner than you think. High standards and accountability attract top talent and chases away those trying to hide,et by and be mediocre. Low standards chases away top talent and attract the mediocre.

What should you be looking for in your people? You should be recruiting people with high emotional intelligence who posses a growth mindset, not a fixed mindset. Recruiting instead of waiting until you are desperate is an important element attracting top talent. So is how you interview and test. So if you really want to be the best, build an organization that performs to is peak you have to invest in recruiting, testing, training, coaching and you need it to be a priority because it is the best way to increase your efficiency and productivity.

Make sure you have people who are responsible to always be recruiting. If you want good people you have to be obsessed with pursuing them and developing them. We've heard that people are our most important asset for decades and watched as not must was done to prove anyone really believed that. If you're ready to accept that as fact, then take actions that prove it. It requires resources and money, but will produce the best return on investment you make. So make sure your have a budget for recruiting and people development. Then take action to improve your people. Be active at job fairs, veterans organizations, start internships, be visible at colleges and business organizations and start looking  or the other industries that you can recruit people from. You need to build a deep bench by never continuously  recruiting! This will also help you have the strength to hold people accountable to meet your standards. It will give you the courage to raise those standards and watch people begin to take more pride in their work and company.

Once you know who you are and who you’re looking for you can effectively promote your company and personal brand by creating a social media presence that will be a positive influence on your existing employees and prospective employees of  all generations.

This new world we talked about presents us with a great opportunity. One that can produce extraordinary rewards. We have to remember though, easy doesn't ever produce excellence, it's always the result of doing the hard stuff, and leading people, managing people and getting the best out of people isn't easy, it's just worth the effort!

Today your people matter more than ever before because the average person’s standards have fallen so low and that makes mediocrity more dangerous than ever before.

The challenges you face today demands that you build a company made up of people with above average attitudes who give an exceptional effort everyday. These will be people with high emotional intelligence and a growth mindset. When you do, they’ll take your company a level up to serve your customers needs before they even know they have them. One of the greatest challenges of the 'new economy’ it to be able to provide information before it's common knowledge. To provide creative ideas to solve the unforeseen problems your customers face. You need people who can think one step ahead of your customers, not just respond to them and you won’t just hire these types of people you'll need to hire right and then continue to develop them. It’s not about training as much as it is about ongoing coaching that generates continuous individual and group development. 

Today, you're either all in to help people be their best or you're on your way to being average and then extinct. So if you're in, start controlling the two things within your power, people’s attitudes and effort! Commit to spend the time, money and resources to create a performance culture in your business that moves average people a level up and produces peak performers who excel in this new world we live in. I promise you that your ROI on the time and money invested will be off the charts!