I agreed to contribute an article to a work on Workaholism some time back. And then I forgot about it.

Well, yesterday I had the pleasant surprise of receiving a copy of the final printed book, Workaholism Perspectives and Experiences from Icfai University Press.

The book is about 190 pages and filled with great essays on Workaholism — Facts, perspectives, and some great tips on making positive changes in your life. I haven’t read most of it yet, but there are some great statistics about the effects of workaholism around the world.

Of course this is a key topic for me (that’s why it’s the topic of the second chapter of my book).

Workaholism can consume your life, your relationships, and your business. Then it affects all the people you live and work with as well as your customers. At the same time, it’s not particularly difficult to overcome. The hardest part about changing a workaholic lifestyle is deciding you want to.

There’s a certain comfort level in working hard all the time: fooling yourself that another hour will make a different; fooling yourself that there are extra rewards; fooling yourself that you’re doing it for the family; fooling yourself that no one can do this but you. Working really hard makes you feel good about yourself.

But some day something dramatic will happen.

And when it does, you’ll be faced with the stark reality that effort above a certain point counts for nothing, that your family values quality time more than an extra box of money, and that lots of people can do the work you feel you have to do.

When that day comes you will be overwhelmed with a sense of loss. Just like losing a loved one, you will have lost a piece of what defines you as a person. You’ll spend time figuring out how “reality” could be so different from what you believed it was. And you’ll work through it.

But working really hard still feels good. So you might cure yourself for awhile, but that doesn’t mean you’re cured forever. Part of it is still baked into who you are. Part of it is pushed on you by society. Part is pushed on you by your job. Etc.

Workaholism is a lot more than a personal choice made by one person who can un-make that choice. It is part of a complex series of structures and relationships that have evolved in modern society.

This book is a great start to recognizing and addressing the issues of workaholism — personally and as an organization. It’s also a good resource for work place counselors and HR pros.

As your bookstore to order ISBN #978-81-314-2469-8.

(Disclaimer: I wasn’t paid for the chapter I contributed to this book and I make no money on sales whatsoever.)

:-)

Workaholism

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There’s an old movie most people have never heard of called The Big Combo.

In this movie, “Mr. Brown” is a big hoodlum. His motto is “First is first and second is nothing.”

Mr. Brown expresses that motto again and again and again. Until the time he’s shot dead.

Sometimes, our culture beats into us that the only place that matters is First. And, truth be told, a disproportion of the rewards go to the top 1%, 3%, and 5%.

But how you get there matters a lot, too. Look at the Olympics. On one hand you have the Chinese, who are openly cheating in Gymnastics. Every medal they win will be tarnished. Every award will have an asterisk.*

On the other hand, you have thousands of athletes who have working to get to the Olympics for at least four years, don’t cheat, and do deserve to win. Almost all medalists will have true gold, silver, and bronze medals. They will be real winners and deserve the reward they receive.

There Are Three Primary Elements of Success

What is success? In the big picture, success consists of determining what you want to do and then getting that done.

The first primary element of success is to have goals. Of course.

Specific, written, definable, measurable goals that you share with other people so they can hold you accountable.

The second primary element of success is the process of working to achieve your goals. What’s the process? It’s everything you do that’s remotely related to working on your goal. It’s how you live your life. It’s how you interact with others. It’s who you are as a human being in pursuit of what you want.

The third primary element of success is achieving your goal. This is the “finish line” if you will. This is when you reach $100,000 in salary, or $1 million in sales, or $10 million in sales. Whatever the goal.

The most important thing about the first element, setting goals, is that you have to do it. More than 90% of the people you meet have never consciously set goals, written them down, figured out how to measure them, and shared them with others. That means you get to be in the top ten percent by simply setting goals!

It’s true.

The most important part of the third element, reaching your goal, is that it becomes far less important once you get there.

For most big goals (e.g., reaching a big money amount or raising a child safely to adulthood), you can see the goal line approaching. $1 Million looks a lot easier from $900,000 than it does from $100,000. Age 18 looks a lot easier when your kid is 16 years old than when she’s 16 months old.

As your approach your goal, there comes a time when you know you can do it. As a result, your mind and heart begin thinking about the next level.

And the second element of success — that’s the most important thing in your life.

The second element of success is how you live your life every single day. It involves your integrity, your discipline, your willingness to help others, your honestly.

It is who you are every day.

And if your goal will take ten or twenty years to accomplish, then the second element is who you are over the decades.

When you look back on what it took to achieve your goals, how many asterisks will there be? Who will you have to deceive, cheat, and abuse?

I absolutely believe that you don’t have to do any of those things to get ahead.

After all, you have the rest of your life. Take your time and do it the right way.

Your goals are intimately intertwined with who you are and who you will become. Respect that. Don’t take shortcuts and don’t treat other people poorly.

There’s an old saying:

Remember the people you meet on your way up the ladder of success.
You’ll meet the same people on your way down.

So, first might be first, but second isn’t nothing. How you get to be first matters a lot. And if you come in second with your soul intact, that’s important, too.

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* Cheater!

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After lo these many days . . . the Monkey stirs.

I am proud to announce that Promotion Monkey memberships will be available September 1st, 2008.

This is not a technology-focused adventure.

If you promote anything on the Internet, then you should give the Promotion Monkey a whirl.

Please check it out at PromotionMonkey.com

Thank You.

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Have you heard the term “lifestyle business?” I’ve heard this used a lot in the last few months.

At a conference, someone will ask how many have 2-10 employees, 11-20, 20 or more. Then, invariably, the speaker will say “Oh, how many have a lifestyle business? Nothing wrong with that.”

A lifestyle business is one designed to support the founder (or founders, if a couple) and generate enough money for that person (or couple) to live well, but never plan to “grow” in size.

Lifestyle businesses support the owner in a particular lifestyle and never plan to be 50- or 100-person companies, let alone mega global conglomerates.

So, it’s a nice fluffy term that gets used for people who are happy being one-person shops.

But the two are not the same. A Sole Proprietor or one-person shop is more likely to be struggling to get by than to be supporting a desired lifestyle.

Most of the one-person business owners I talk to fit a profile something like this:

- They work until 10 or 11 every night.

- They either work or are on call all weekend.

- They take client calls at home.

- They rarely take vacations.

- They can’t grow much because they’re afraid of what will happen when some thing goes wrong with more than one client at once.

- They don’t have time (or inclination) to take classes or tests for professional development.

- They want more money, but they are trading hours for dollars and there’s a limit to how much money they can make.

What kind of lifestyle is that? That’s the manic behavior of a 20-something that became a way of life. Now at 40-something or 50-something it’s hard work and getting harder to stay motivated.

If a sole proprietor makes, roughly, $100,000 profit in a year, that same S.P. should be buying a house and socking away at least $10,000 a year in savings.

This extremely simple formula (make your house payments, put money into investments) will invariably result in a high net worth and a comfortable retirement.

But when I talk to some people who are S.P.’s, they are barely getting by, spending every nickel they make, and doing nothing for their own future.

With luck, you’re in the first category and not the second.

But the next time you’re in a room full of business owners and the only category you fit into is “lifestyle business,” ask yourself if you’re leading the lifestyle you want.

And if you’re not, change it!

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If you haven’t read the book Silas Marner by George Eliot, check it out. It’s a good Summer read.

The title character is well known for sitting alone in his house, with the windows shuttered, and counting his gold. Night after night Silas Marner counted his gold.

When we read that part of the book, our mind naturally thinks about an old man hunched over his table, counting his money night after night. In fact, Silas doesn’t know that he has many years ahead of him.

As with any good novel, the book has intrigue, crime, emotions run amok, love, and redemption. Silas will lose his fortune, but have his soul reborn due to the love of an abandoned child.

When we employ the imagery of Silas Marner, it’s of someone who has become obsessed with counting their gold. They define success as wealth. And so they isolate themselves from others, afraid of getting too close, concerned that everyone is after their share of the money.

Unfortunately, we have modern equivalents to Silas in the business world today.

Some people, as they become successful in business, also become so obsessed with this distorted view of “wealth” that they close themselves off from their family, their friends, and (in the business world) their clients and employees. They look at their accomplishments and somehow conclude that they got their on their own.

When this happens, they begin to act as if they’re at the end of the story. That there’s nothing left to do but count their gold. But unless they’re on their deathbed, it’s not the end. If you achieve financial success at middle age, you have many years, and many adventures ahead.

In the real world, these folks begin alienating those who would be their friends. They treat every relationship and every interaction as if it were about money. Sometimes business is about money. But when business is only about money, it is very dissatisfying.

I’ve known people who became “successful” in this regard and who changed from being fun to being bitter and alienated. Their children don’t want to spend time with them; their employees can’t stand them and have zero loyalty; and their clients and vendors just seem to go somewhere else one at a time.

In the novel, Silas learns his lessons, re-joins the community, raises a child, and learns that love and human society are more important than gold. In the “real world” I’m afraid that doesn’t happen so much. In the real world, people tend to reinforce their view of the world as they interpret each new experience as reinforcing their old beliefs.

So, what can we do? First, we can try very hard not to let ourselves become like Silas. Success does not equal money. Money is not the measure of success.

Second, we can be a true friend and tell people when they’re heading down this road. That also means sticking in there when they go through a Silas Marner period in their lives. This is tougher than it sounds. Because that period can leave our friend very bitter and unpleasant to be around. We have to be careful not to get sucked into this view of the world.

Third, we can choose to back off. This is hard to do. And it doesn’t sound like being a friend, but if it’s clear that we can’t help, it is sometimes best to isolate ourselves from the negativity.

True success means finding the things that bring meaning and value into your life. It is highly unlikely that that will include surrounding yourself with bitter, angry people, or a pot of gold.

So, finally, the best you can do is to pray for your friend. Whatever other action you take, that’s the one thing that will do some good. And, with luck, they’ll learn to focus on the more positive things in life.

Over the years, in my business life, I’ve dropped a couple of Silas Marner clients. In the business world I can simply choose not to do business with them.

 It’s harder when a friend goes down that road.

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One of the newsletters I subscribe to is Perry Marshall’s (www.perrymarshall.com). His specialty is Google AdWords, Guerilla Marketing, and other misc. marketing techniques.

Recently, he told the story of an email he recieved. A man wrote to him and said, basically, “I need to make $5,000 real fast.” He promised to buy a $50 book if Perry thought he could make $5,000 real quick.

Whatever, dude.

Perry’s response: “Sorry . . . can’t help you. If you want to spend your life wandering the ghettos of the Internet, be my guest. But don’t blame me if you get stabbed by a heroin addict.”

—–

Wait. Doesn’t Perry promise great results? Yes. Of course he does.

But the guy wants a two-step process: Buy book, make $5,000. Or maybe a three-step process: Buy book, place ads, make $5,000.

What’s missing? WORK! And a product or service. In other words, there needs to be a meaningful, valuable product. Otherwise, you’re just working on some scam to take peoples’ money and give nothing in return.

Make money stuffing envelopes — telling people how to make money (stuffing envelopes).

It is sad, but there really are people out there who want to invest some tiny bit of money and make a fortune with little or no work on their part. These are the people who want to take a pill to lose weight, and who buy hair in a spray can.

I’m a big believer that people work too much and accomplish too little because they lack focus on what’s important, what their goals are, and where to find their chosen path.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t believe in hard work. Any goal worth achieving is worth working hard for.

Whenever the news is filled with stories of people getting ripped off by some flim-flammery, I hear people saying “Tsk. Tsk. How could anyone fall for that?” The answer is simple:

There’s a human tendency to want to get something for nothing. Most people learn that that’s not true. But most of them are still tempted. Over and over we hear the addage “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

The internet is probably everyone’s favorite productivity tool. But it is also a tool that breaths new life into old get-rich-quick schemes. Now, instead of trying to rip off one person at a time, you can attempt to rip off millions.

And some people take it even a step further: They go looking for get-rich-quick schemes. They look for ways to make a quick buck with no work and almost no investment.

In other words, as Perry says, they troll the ghettos of the Internet. And, yes, the inevitable result is that one day they will be ripped off by their own greed.

It is much better to take all that effort and put it into creating a real product, a real service, and working hard to make your dreams come true.

For a related article, see The Fred Flintstone-Ralph Cramden School Of Success.

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Did you ever take a class in literature?

One of the things you learn about authors is that they need to go through a process of maturing and becoming the author we know and love. So, their early work is often very different from their later work. Their early work is a little forced. It’s often a variation on someone else’s work. Sometimes an author’s early work is so heavily inspired by someone else that the author is viewed as writing in the “school” of someone else.

When the author matures, all of this is different. At some point the author is said to have “found his voice.” Now the writing seems fresh and new and inspired. Chances are, the author’s writing will become consistent, and better over time. Eventually, the author’s “voice” is very strongly associated with him.

Business goes through a similar process.

At first, you might be copying others, inspired by others, and fishing around to figure out what you’re doing. But at some point you have enough experiences that you “find your voice” in business. It’s like a quickening. Everything comes together and takes on a life of its own.

When you find your voice, the processes all become easier. The rules make more sense, are easier to follow, and can be taught to others. Why? Because they have become your rules. You’re no longer parroting what others do and what you’ve been told is the right thing to do. Now it’s your thing.

Of course that doesn’t mean everything’s easy and perfect. You still have to go to work every day. You still have to work hard. But things are a little easier than they used to be. Motivation is easier. Things make more sense. And the speed of success increases.

The next obvious question is: can you make this quickening take place? Can you force it?

The answer is no. And yes.

At some level, all that goodness comes from experience. You can make life a lot easier by learning from books and avoiding from the “school of hard knocks.” But book learning will normally only get us an intellectual understanding. To truly know, understand, and internalize most things, we need experience. That’s why we can read about certain practices a hundred times before they sink in: We have to be ready for them to sink in.

On the positive side, you can certainly speed up the process.

How does a writer find his voice? He writes! He doesn’t play video games, watch thousands of hours of You-Tube videos, or spend all his time and energy on pointless activities. A writer writes and, as he works at his craft, he finds his voice.

And how do you find your business voice? You work on your business. You fall in love with it. You enjoy it and spend time working on it [not IN your business, but ON your business]. You work on the look, the feel, the philosophy, the taste, the smell, and the sounds of your business. You actively work to make it your own and to make it different.

This takes time. But the more you focus on it, the less time it takes.

No one is in a business with zero competition. Even if no one does exactly what you do, your client still has to make decisions about where to spend money. So, what makes your business different and special? What have you got others don’t have? And how do you deliver it in a way that others don’t?

What’s your business voice?

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I’m sure you’ve heard the old truism: What Gets Measured Get Done.

Once we start applying this idea, we do indeed find a lot of truth in it. If you want people to show up on time, start keeping track of when they show up. Give them feedback. Poof: ontime stats go up.

But when we measure something, we often create unintended consequences. Here’s a great example you may have experienced.

Many call centers want the telephone answered promptly. So they put a new measure in place: How quickly is the phone answered? But here’s what happens: a customer service rep hears the phone ring. He interrupts the call he’s on and says “Will you hold, please?” Then he picks up the ringing phone and say (in less than one half second) “Hold please” and put that call on hold. Then he resumes his original conversation.

Now a manager who has implemented this policy looks at the statistics. Wow! Before the policy, it took an average of 30 seconds to answer the phone. Now it takes an average of 10 seconds. And all we did was to start measuring it. She’s very happy because her statistic went in the right direction. So, presumably, her bonus will go in the right direction.

If she were to look at the actual behavior, she might decide that it’s okay (based on caller feedback, one hopes), or she might say “That’s not what we wanted at all.” In either case, she needs to be aware of the unintended consequence of measuring a specific behavior.

Here’s another element you need to consider: Just because it’s not being measured doesn’t mean it’s not being done.

In small companies especially, lots of people just know what needs to be done and they do it. So we only institute measures when we need to consciously make a change. Smaller companies have a good sense of the goals and the mission and the direction that things need to go. There’s not much confusion, generally speaking.

In larger organizations, if someone were to say that they want a little more focus on customer service, there would ensue a lengthy discussion. What is customer service? How do you measure it? Point to a thing that needs improving.

In smaller organizations, it’s easier to just have a sense about how things are going. Actually measuring behaviors might not contribute anything to the discussion.

As one of my companies grows, we are considering handing some budgetary authority over to one of the managers for the first time. I’m reluctant to do this, even though it is the next logical step. Budgets are a very natural way to measure things. How much did we spend on x and y and z?

But budgets can be used to make bizarre and irrational decisions. Just look at state governments. They make labor cuts “across the board” and thereby make programs completely useless. [Editor's note: Please look through your local newspaper and insert an appropriate example here. It won't take very long to find one.]

I’m concerned, for example, that once a manager starts looking at a budget, he’ll zoom in on labor. Labor’s the biggest expense in our budget. But we don’t have any problems with labor. We don’t have excessive overtime. I don’t want to artificially hold down raises. Overall, I don’t see a need to change anything.

But once it gets measured . . . something will happen. Another truism is that the act of measuring something affects the thing that’s being measured. This is true in science and even more true in human behavior.

So here is the rule with it’s two correlates:
Rule: What gets measured get done.
 Cor 1: Once you start measurig something, you’ll see unexpected consequences.
 Cor 2: Just because something’s not being measured doesn’t mean it’s not being done.
 
As a behavioralist, I’m eager to make changes and see what happens. But I’ve learned that you need to observe more broadly than the one thing that needs to change.
 

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