This week I’ve been across the entire country.  I started my week in Washington, DC and I’ll finish up in Portland, Oregon.  And it’s the new year every where I go.

There are endless lose-weight and get-organized and quit-smoking commercials on every television and radio station in the country.  The gyms and the yoga studios and the indoor tracks are packed.  There are crates of scales stacked next to crates of Jack LaLanne juicers stacked next to bins of free weights and Slimfast in every Walmart and Costco in every town in America.

We’re six days in now, long enough to realize that keeping up this pace and this level of personal improvement is not going to be easy, long enough for our muscles to be really sore, and long enough for our minds and bodies to start mounting a campaign of revolt.

There is something so hopeful and energizing about a new year and a fresh start.  An ever-present upward reach impels us to consider our present state and strive for better, especially because most of us don’t have Calvin’s hubris.  Down deep we know there’s a significant need to grow and improve.

So we set goals and make resolutions.   But even as we turn over new leaves, there is a doubtful thought nagging at us in the back of our minds… that is, of course, that for most of us, the resolutions we just made are eerily similar to the exact same ones we made last year.  We’re not getting very far.

A few years ago, my youngest daughter was diagnosed with an eating disorder.  As part of her treatment, she was taught a powerful tool that I think can help many of us as we try to replace our bad habits with good ones and resolve (once and for all!) to achieve our goals.  The principle they taught her was “the next right choice.”  Her doctors and counselors explained to her that she wasn’t going to be perfect, that she was going to slip up, that the destructive compulsions inside her would most likely show up again in her life.  But the one thing that would make the crucial difference in her overall recovery was her ability to make “the next right choice.”

What my daughter’s coaches knew was that sometimes the biggest deterrent to our progress is the sabotage that takes place in our own minds when we make a mistake.  The negative self-talk and guilt and berating thoughts can be like a poison to our hopeful new resolutions.  It becomes a destructive spiral — we beat ourselves up over a small infraction which leads to the erroneous conclusion that we are incurably defective, which leads to the defeatist question, “So why even try?”  The answer is obvious and, at that point, we give in and give up.

The antidote to this spiral is the idea of “the next right choice.”  Whatever it is that you failed to do — missed your run, spoke impatiently to your kids, traded your wheat-grass shake for a chocolate brownie — put it behind you and make the next right choice.

Here is a method for doing just that: 

1.  Quash the self-recriminating thoughts by redirecting your mind back to your goal and visualize the desired outcome as vividly as you can. 

2.  Then break the long-range goal into a more manageable “first milestone.”  Project yourself forward to that milestone moment — a reasonably proximate improvement point — and envision and sense the satisfaction and encouragement even that modest achievement will bring.  As you do, you will probably notice a shift in your emotional state.  The gnawing knot in your stomach that whispers “Who am I kidding?” will be supplanted with a more calming feeling of  “I can do this.” 

3.  Then, visualize the next moment of choice — the next time for your run, or the next meal, or the next frustrating moment with your children.  Visualize yourself making the right choice at that next intersection.  I can promise you that, at that moment, you will notice an appreciable increase in confidence and a feeling of well-being will beckon you forward.

Using this approach in “making the next right choice” in conjunction with vivid and positive visualization breaks a destructive mental cycle and will create breakthroughs in your achievement.  It creates an immediate course correction and generates a sense of confidence and validation.  Best of all, by continually applying this tool, you create cumulative forward progress toward your goals and eliminate the very common, self-defeating, sidetracking discouragement that is the enemy of every good resolution.

Will Durant said, “Forget mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you’re going to do now and do it. “  Make your resolutions.  Make your goals.  And then make the next right choice.  And the one after that.  And you will see remarkable progress toward those lofty personal and professional goals.

I’m interested in your thoughts.

Christmas Eve, at the White House, 1941

As the holiday season nears its apex, like you, my thoughts have been drawn to deeper things–to my family and friends, to reflections on the past year and the new one  just around the corner, to my faith and my blessings.

I have also spent some time thinking of “Christmases long, long ago,” as the carol says.  I have recently had the privilege of studying about Winston Churchill’s life and quite by coincidence also came upon a quick Christmas read entitled, In the Dark Streets Shineth. In all my reading and pondering, I have not only been struck by Churchill’s leadership, bravery, and doggedness, but most especially by the verity of the power of one person to make a difference, to even change the whole course of human history.

Churchill became Britain’s Prime Minister on the very day that Hitler invaded France, and his tenure ended just as the war was ending.  It was as though he was prepared for that very moment of history, that critical period when the world was on the brink, as he said, of either “the broad, sunlit uplands” or “a new Dark Age.”  All that stood between the end of civilization and freedom as we know it, was the wide English channel, the vision of this remarkable man, and the people he inspired to stand their ground.

In the darkest days of the war, Churchill’s confidence and determination were undeterred.  By anything.  He had a vision of what Britain had to accomplish, he had a vision of what it would mean to the world if they failed, and he had a vision of the absolute certainty of victory.

In his maiden speech, as the new Prime Minister, he went to the House of Commons and said:  “You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory—victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror; victory, however long and hard the road may be.”

Nearly three weeks later he was back before Parliament. “We shall not flag or fail,” he vowed. “We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”

Churchill was able to motivate his country, the United States, and the entire free world because he had a vision.

Each of us who are leaders–in business, in families, in communities–have the same opportunity.  We each have our own struggles, our own battles, our own defining moments.  We all have our own dark streets to light.  And though the course of human history may not rest upon us, there is still no limit to the power and good that one person with vision can make in his own “little world.”  What is required then, is vision–to see victory despite the cost and the odds, and to lift and inspire those around us with the confidence and power of that vision.

As we look around us, at the economy, at the uncertainty of the markets, at the persistent recessionary trends, and the general gloom that seems to hang over many business endeavors, the darkness could be overwhelming.  It may seem like there is very little standing between us and our deepest fears.  But leaders with vision know that it is in these moments, that real vision shines the brightest.

At the height of World War II, Winston Churchill said to the people of England: “To every man there comes … that special moment when he is figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a special thing unique to him and fitted to his talent. What a tragedy if that moment finds him unprepared or unqualified for the work which would be his finest hour.”

I have been inspired by these words.  I hope they will do the same for you.  That rather than surrendering to doubt and pessimism and fear, that you will see the bright vision of what you can accomplish, what you and your teams can accomplish, when you “fight” to reach your intended destination and absolutely, unequivocally, steadfastly refuse to surrender for anything less.

I’m interested in your thoughts.

Last week I went to St. George, Utah to teach a seminar sponsored by Dixie Applied Technical College.  I traveled with my wife, Susan, to the beautiful red rock country of southern Utah and had a marvelous time teaching and learning from the leaders of this small but dogged technical college.

The morning session was sponsored by Dixie ATC and they opened it to other community and business leaders in the area.  We had a nice-sized group, with good chemistry and energy.  In the afternoon, I met with twenty-one of Dixie ATC’s top leaders, mostly department and curriculum heads, and we did a session that was a combination of Ownership Spirit and Destination Thinking for Leaders, to set the foundation for their next destination.  I have rarely met with a more prepared group.  There was great feedback and discussion from the audience, who had all read the Ownership Spirit book.  We had a focused, pertinent discussion, with a group that has clearly made significant progress in changing their negative, unproductive thought patterns and these leaders had some great breakthroughs.

Dixie ATC’s current campus is spread across town in various leased buildings.  As we collaborated on creating a “new destination” for Dixie ATC, these leaders started to envision one vibrant campus with multiple, state-of-the-art buildings, a new student center, parking lots, and administrative offices.  The excitement for their future began to build.

Traditionally, the college has depended upon the state legislature to fund their programs and facilities.  About halfway through our session, one of the leaders shared the newly announced capital funding priority list by the Utah legislature.  There was good news and bad.  Dixie ATC was prioritized 9th on the funding list.  (The good news was that they were 9th, which stands a fairly good chance of being funded.  The bad news was that they were 9th, which also stands a reasonable possibility of not being funded.)

The remarkable thing was that as the excitement and energy for the new destination grew, these leaders started thinking like Owners.  They began to see many more steps they could take, beyond waiting for state funding, to make their vision come to fruition.  They generated plans about fundraising and donors, about setting up trusts and scholarships and grants by partnering with philanthropists in the community, and how they could improve the quality of their curriculum and student services whether they had new buildings or not.  They could see that there was a lot they could do, almost immediately, to stride forward to the realization of their vision.  Ultimately, their biggest breakthrough was the realization that by uniting their hearts, minds, and talents, they could reach their goals without excuses — that regardless of the economy, the state budget, the legislature’s priorities, the price of land, or anything else, Dixie ATC had someplace great to be.

It was an exhilarating privilege to witness the creation of a new creation and the increased power it brought to a team of leaders!

A few days later, I received an email from my college-age son.  He has recently set some high goals for himself and had a similar epiphany about getting to his own destination.  He wrote:

My attitude was such that I thought, “I’ll do my best to accomplish that goal, but [I have] no real intent of reaching the goal.”   The equivalent of saying I will go and do it…but I don’t really expect it to [happen].  I expect to die trying or come back home saying I did my best, but not actually accomplish it.  Long story short…I am now giving all [my] effort to achieve the goals as well as all [my] heart, which I’ve discovered is a little painful.  It’s easy to give all might, mind and strength but I’ve found it hard to give my heart.  Because if you give your heart, it hurts.

My son is right.  To really believe you can accomplish your lofty goals takes your whole heart, your whole commitment.  No excuses.

Whenever we create a new destination for ourselves or our organizations, it’s a little scary.  You’re suddenly working without a net.  And there can be a tendency to hold a piece back–a piece that says “I knew that couldn’t really happen,” a piece that prevents us from putting our full weight on the rope, as it were.  The trouble is, it’s that tiny, unbelieving piece that is keeping us from where we are and our “new destination.”  Thomas Hood said, “Half of the failures in life come from pulling one’s horse when he is leaping.”  To really get where we want to be, we have to go at our goal without excuses, with not only all of our talent and work ethic and skill, but also, with all of our hearts.

I’m interested in your thoughts.

I spent the end of last week near the beautiful Oregon coast.  It is an amazing part of the country.  Being there again reminded me of an experience I had just a couple of weeks ago.  I was there teaching a Destination Thinking for Leaders seminar to the strong and engaged leaders of TriQuint Semiconductor.  It was very rewarding experience.

A few months before this Destination Thinking seminar, that included TriQuint’s senior staff and their direct reports (53 people in all), I worked with TriQuint’s CEO, Ralph Quinsey, to create a “destination vision.” The process began by articulating a description of what TriQuint would look like in Q4 2013.

A lot of us are familiar with vision statements and the reasons we use them.  However, in my work with companies all over the country, I point out that there is a big difference between a vision statement and a Vision. A vision statement by itself has marginal value.  Sometimes, inadvertently, it can even lead to less unity because of what I call “cargo phrases.”  A cargo phrase is a phrase that encapsulates a “boat-load” of meaning for the author but may convey a different definition to the reader.  A good example might be phrases like, “high customer satisfaction” or “improve the quality of our product.”  If team members differ in their respective definitions of the cargo phrases, everyone thinks they are on the same page, but they are not.  The net result is unintended disunity.

The crux of Destination Thinking is to stand in the future and look back.  From that place in the future we can then ask several key questions about how we got there, and what specific things had to happen in order for us to reach this new destination.  It is a powerful way to accelerate progress because it helps leaders see exactly what needs to occur in order to create the desired future state.

Once the initial description was defined, I posed a series of questions to Ralph, to open up the cargo phrases so that his intent was clear and specific.  As we worked together, the cargo phrases were clarified and a lofty, achievable destination—one that could actually be visualized—started to emerge.

About half-way into this process, Ralph sent the newly emerging vision to his direct reports to get their feedback and insights.  Their suggests were woven and blended into the description.  By the time the final draft was ready, the entire Senior Staff had its fingerprints on it, and there was a solid unity and buy-in.

The end result:  TriQuint’s 2013 Destination Vision — a detailed, narrative description of exactly where TriQuint will be in three years.

But, what about the gap between the then and now?

At Quma Learning, we have developed a highly successful model for closing those elusive gaps.  The Destination Thinking Model works on personal gaps, team gaps, and company gaps.  During the seminar, I led TriQuint’s leaders in an exercise so they could experience the power of the model.  After selecting a specific problem they had been wrestling with in some aspect of their lives, personal to professional, each leader applied the model to their problem. They were amazed and impressed by the insights they received!  And they were ready and eager to use it to close the gap between TriQuint’s 2013 Destination Vision and TriQuint’s immediate reality.

By the end of that day, they knew what their company would look like in three years coupled with a very good idea of what had to happen on a company level, on a team level, and on an individual level in order to bring that vision into working reality.

And I have no doubt that they will do it.

My confidence in this team stems from previous experience.  Back in 2005, I was invited to present a seminar on destination thinking at an earlier vintage of TriQuint’s current Leadership Forum.  The focus then was on the creation of a rather lofty five-year vision for 2010 — a significant stretch from the then current state.  At last month’s meeting, TriQuint was celebrating the full realization of that very goal!  Laughingly, I told them I didn’t want to take all of the credit, and then in genuine acknowledgment of them, I offered my sincerest congratulations.

At the end of the day, TriQuint held an awards banquet and celebrated the accomplishments of their team, and they also presented me with an award: “Best Story-Teller Award.”

It was a humorous and kind gesture to symbolize the synergy we had felt that day. But in every way, I am also very honored to be TriQuint’s “best storyteller.”  Especially because their current success and future accomplishments are not fiction.  They are the true story of a group of people dedicated to their vision, to each other, and to turning their Destination Thinking into a reality.

I am interested in your thoughts.