Your Tree

If I could only give one piece of advice to managers as they strive to be leaders, it would be this. I would say find and follow the rule of five.

What is the rule of five.

John Maxwell explains it like this.

“The rule of five is if you’ve got a tree in your backyard that you want to cut down and you have an axe, if you pick up the axe, you go to the tree and you swing just five times at that tree, put the axe down, go back inside, the next day, pick up the axe, swing five times, the put it down, next day, pick up the axe, swing five times, three, put it down, next day, pick up the axe, swing five times. In other words, every day you just swing five times. Not 25 times, not 50 times, not 500 times, not 5000. You swing just five times, no more, just five times a day. But you do it every day. What is going to happen to the tree? The tree is going to what? It is going to fall. That is not theory. That is not what would be nice, it is a fact.”

The rule of five asks you, what are the five things I must do every day to accomplish my objectives? Without one of them it will not happen.

The question we must ask ourselves as managers or leaders; what is my tree and what is my axe?

Your tree is the result you are trying to reach.

Your axe is the tool to accomplish it.

My tree?

When I come to businesses, my tree helps every salesperson average a minimum 15 units. Not dealership average, each one. Every tree creates actions to push to this result.

Take a moment and ask yourself, what is mine?

Whatever you are trying to accomplish, you must figure out what your tree is and your personal Rule of 5.

The Rule of 5 is an everyday behavior.

Apply this everyday to everything you are trying to accomplish.

It is a fact.

The tree will fall.