Upping Your Performance Painlessly

Sometimes the most simple thing can have the most powerful results! As a human being we have incredible talents and capabilities that often are unrecognised and unutilised. The power of our minds to take instruction, organise information and plan ahead in order to supply data, energy and readiness to accomplish your goals are phenomenal. Use the advice in the story below and you will get equally powerful results.

The following story provides some simple coaching advice for anyone in business; it obviously had a huge impact upon Charles Schwab’s business in the early twentieth century. It’s offered here to demonstrate that one single thing, focused upon and acted upon consistently can generate huge results. The story comes from an excerpt from a book by Mary Kay Ash ‘You Can Have It All’ published in 1996, which came to my attention recently.

The Most Important List

Back around the turn of the century, Ivy Lee, a renowned efficiency expert, approached Charles Schwab, who at the time was president of Bethlehem Steel. Lee said, “I can increase your people’s efficiency-and your sales-if you will allow me to spend just fifteen minutes with each of your executives.”

“How much will it cost me?” the shrewd industrialist asked.

“Nothing,” Lee replied, “unless it works. After three months, you can send me a cheque for whatever you feel it’s worth to you.”

“It’s a deal,” Schwab said, shaking Lee’s hand.

The following day, Lee met with Schwab’s top executives, spending only fifteen minutes with each in order to say, “I want you to promise me that for the next ninety days, before leaving your office at the end of the day, you will make a list of the six most important things you have to do the next day and number them in order of importance.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.?Scratch off each item after finishing it, and go on to the next one on your list.?If something doesn’t get done, put it on the following day’s list.”

Each Bethlehem executive consented to follow Lee’s instructions.?Three months later, Schwab studied the results and was so pleased that he sent Lee a check for thirty-five thousand dollars.?In an era when the average American worker was paid two dollars for a ten-hour day, this was a huge sum.?Schwab was a man who appreciated value, and he figured Lee’s advice to Bethlehem Steel was a bargain.”

Taken from the Book: ‘YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL’ by Mary Kay Ash

For anyone coached by me, you may be familiar with this advice. I highly recommend the practice!