?All Work and No Play? is the title of a recent Globe and Mail article written by one of my favourite columnists, Margaret Wente. The article compares the number hours a person works each year in 6 different countries. Below is an excerpt from this article:
?Germany is currently the most successful and productive nation in the world. It has the highest rate of exports. It also has high wage rates and six weeks (!) of federally mandated vacation. Germans work only 1,436 hours a year, while Americans work 1,804 hours ? the equivalent of nine extra 40-hour work weeks a year. Canadians work 1,727 hours a year. The Dutch and the Norwegians, whose quality of life is not too shabby either, work even fewer hours than the Germans. (The world?s worst workaholics are the South Koreans, who put in a wretched 2,390 hours a year.)? Click Here for entire article.
Clearly, the Germans have proven that the number of hours we put in does not always equate to higher productivity. There might even be an argument here that the opposite is true!
Now, consider these thought-provoking questions in your own business?
?Are the people making 5 times more money than you, 5 times smarter than you??
?Do the people making 5 times more money than you, work 5 times harder than you??
The answer is almost always NO!
Unless of course you are not working hard right now, I can tell you that working harder is a simply not a good business plan. I can also assure you that those making 5 times more money than you are not 5 times smarter.
So what?s the secret?
Top Performers set their goals and rather than focus on their results, they focus on the behaviours they need to implement to produce the results. We have had the privilege of coaching thousands of sales professionals and entrepreneurs over the years, and I can say beyond the shadow of a doubt, that even the slightest changes in behaviour can and will produce significant changes in results!
Top Performers also know that it?s not always about having the right answers, it’s also about knowing the right questions. Here are 3 questions designed to help you discover some powerful insights about you and your business.
1. List 3 common behaviours you recognize in all Top Performers?
2. List 3 behaviours you could implement/change that would make a significant and positive difference in your personal and professional life?
3. List 1 negative behaviour that, if eliminated, would make the greatest difference for you?
Finally, I challenge you to go public with your plans. Share with us, the one behaviour you are going to change or implement in your business and/or life that is going to make an enormous difference for you!
Until next time, make it count!
Richard Robbins