Jan

Why Numbers Mean Everything: Part One

Patterns, numbers, equations, those are the things that I believe very brilliant business people study. The old adage “You Can’t Manage What You Don’t Measure” is definitely true. How do we manage things? We measure them. How do we measure them? By counting them. When looking back over my successes and failures I can definitely tie my successes back to multiple attempts. I can see the number of tries, number of attempted solutions, and number of times that I got up and tried again. I saw this quote this morning and it reminded me of numbers once again:

“I will never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity… If knocked down, I will get back up, every time.” ~ U.S. Navy SEALs

Success often depends on how many times we are willing to try something. Thomas Edison supposedly answered this way when he was asked about the thousands (3 thousand according to some people) of attempts he had made at finding the right fillament for the incandescent light bulb:

“I didn’t fail 3,000 times. I found 3,000 ways how not to create a lightbulb” ~ Thomas Edison

That may sound like a comedic answer to mask the sting of failure, but I believe that that attitude was the secret to Thomas Edison’s successes. If you can see today’s failures as just positive learning opportunities that bring you closer to the success you are seeking then you’ll find each single attempt to be worthwhile. It’s just one of the numbers you have to cross off on the journey of success.

Part One: Youtube Optional Interactions

This weekend while I was watching some of my favorite artists on Youtube I started “liking” some of the videos using the Like button under the video player. I noticed something interesting after checking it out on a few dozen videos. The ratio of likes to views was basically the same no matter how many views they had gotten.

For example, take a look at a video that has relatively low views How To Get More Followers On Twitter. As I write this, the video has 18 likes and 6,712 views. I drop that equation into finder and here is what I see:

18 divided by 6,712 = .002681764005 or in simpler terms, .27%. That means for the almost seven thousand viewers, only .27 percent took action on “Liking” it. Liking of course is the optional action that they can take if they want to take some soft action on their enjoyment of the video.

Now take a look at Johnny Cash – Ring of Fire. As I write this, the video has 11,886 likes and 4,117,092 views. Once again I calculate the likes versus views and here is what I see:

11,886 divided by 4,117,092 = .002886989166 or in simpler terms, .29%. The numbers are within 2 hundredths of a percent even though we are talking about 4,110,380 more views. I started running this equation on all the videos I was watching and found that overall most videos fell in the .002 range. Here and there you will find one under .002 or over .004 but the pattern is to have .002 percentage of likes to views.

Alright, now that you know this, what does that have to do with anything? This could mean absolutely nothing to you, or lead you to realizing that the numbers involved in day to day social media, sales, management, and the technical work that you do all have a pattern if you do them consistently.

For me, looking at this data about how many “likes” are received versus views made me want to investigate more how many people share a video after they watch it. I’m certain the ratio is much higher. I hope to find this information soon. I did realize that optional interactions like this that users can choose to do or not do are pretty low compared to views. Comparably when I look at a recent posting on my Facebook page as the administrator I can see that I’ve had 135+ impressions on most things I’ve shared there, but rarely any likes. If the math holds true for this social media site as well then I would have to get over 500 impressions to get a single like.

Why Does This Matter?

The fact that I can show you the ratio of views to likes may or may not affect your life today directly as it relates to Youtube or Facebook. It should make you consider anything you work with that involves numbers though. If you can take a step back and look at the numbers that are involved in your day to day business and life you can see patterns in anything that you do on a consistent basis. You can look at you the patterns of numbers and sequences around you and learn to expect what you’ve determined from your study of the numbers.

Today, think about the adage “You can’t manage what you don’t measure”. Schedule some time to sit back and take a broad overview of your business. Learn to see the patterns in what is going on around you. You’ll be surprised to see what you find.

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Dec

Knowing the Difference Between Goals and Objectives

Goals Versus Objectives Every year around this time I start to think about my goals. What do I want to accomplish next year? Where do I want to go, how much do I want to earn and save, and how do I want my business to grow? Those are the kind of goals that I think about and begin to write down.

Last week while discussing some of these things with my friend Scott he pointed something out that I believe will be incredibly valuable to you as you move ahead.

There is a Big Difference Between Goals and Objectives

Goals can often be the distant dreams that we want to achieve, but they often lack concrete steps. Objectives are the steps that we identify and accomplish one after another. I really like what this image I’ve included illustrates. The red puzzle piece in the person’s hand is an objective. It is what will help them reach their goal.

The other thing that really hit home with me was that I believe military forces work off of objectives, not just goals. When was the last time you heard the commander in a movie or a real live press conference use the word “goals”? They usually speak about the objectives that they are outlining and accomplishing. At the end of the battle they have either completed their objectives or failed to complete their objectives. They are responsible to justify their results to their superiors and explain why they have or haven’t succeeded. The completion of the war is the goal, while each single battle, and each capture of a strategic point, are the objectives that help them reach the goal.

How Do I Reach My Goals Using Objectives?

First of all, realize that your goals will be unattainable unless you breakdown each step. Each single piece that helps you reach your goal needs your complete focus. Break things down into steps that are relevant for your daily life. Make sure that you have someone to hold you accountable, and schedule your to do list. If you are careful to line up the right objectives then you’ll successfully reach more of your goals.

What helps you reach your objectives? Is there something I can do to help you? Contact me or post in the comments and I’ll do whatever I can do to help you turn goals into real objectives.

Dec

Who Else Wants Next Week To Rock?

I know that I want every week to rock. When I look ahead to the coming week I want to know that I can be a rock star at work and accomplish everything I put my mind to. I want to crush it. How can this be made possible on a consistent basis? If you take the steps to plan ahead and put the right pieces in place at the end of each week by Friday, the next week will go incredibly well. If you wait until Monday morning to try to get the week in order it you might not succeed. If you’re like me then you’ve started working for yourself in order to do something different, in order to succeed in the way that makes sense to you. You are making up the rules. In order to win at your own game, there are some helpful guidelines I would recommend following.

Plan Ahead

The easiest step you can take towards making sure next week is a success involves writing out your plan. John Maxwell says in his book How Successful People Think that he plans out the next 40 days of his life on the first of each month. That simple approach to planning is something I now work to implement each month. It is definitely tough to see 40 days into the future, so at a minimum plan your schedule for the next week. The process of thinking through your week ahead of time will make you more successful. If you take it to the next level and write out what you’re going to accomplish in the next week you’ll get even more out of this step of preparation.

Be the “Pro” in Proactive

Where you used to work there might have been someone who picked up the pieces and tied up the loose ends. Not anymore. It’s on you to make it happen and get the product out the door! Don’t think that anything will move forward unless you are proactive in taking steps to steer things in the right direction. Be a proactive superstar and lead the way in thinking and acting ahead of time.

The personal power that comes from principle-centered living is the power of a self-aware, knowledgeable, proactive individual, unrestricted by the attitudes, behaviors, and actions of others or by many of the circumstances and environmental influences that limit other people. ~ Stephen R. Covey

Set Realistic Expectations

We’ve all done it. Set a goal that was impossible and never reached it. We’ve also all worked for that client that wants to conquer the world on a budget of $3.00 or wants all work completed on a project tomorrow even though they don’t see the months of time it will take to complete the project properly. Don’t allow unrealistic expectations to continue in your small business. Take time to set realistic expectations for yourself, your team, and your clients. If you are careful to set and adjust the expectation levels as needed you’ll consistently have better performance and more positive relationships with everyone around you.

Get Help

How many top performers do you know that do it all on there own? I would venture to say not very many. A rock star in business has a team around them that makes them who they are. If you want next week to rock and all the weeks after then you need to reach out and ask your team for help. If you don’t have a major league team around you yet then you have to begin to train and recruit until you do. No one can do it alone, you have to serve and lead those around you so that all of you can succeed.

What makes your week rock? I am always looking for ways to improve my performance and would love to hear about what works the best for you.

Mar

Working Towards Success

Have you ever sat back and wondered: Why don’t I feel like I am successful right now? Why don’t I feel as accomplished as some of my colleagues appear to be feeling? With those thoughts in mind yesterday night, I decided to go talk to my business coach, a man who has spent time consulting with me and helping me for many years now. I just didn’t know why I was feeling like I hadn’t succeed even though I knew I was striving with all I had.

I sat down, got my cup of coffee and asked him, “Why don’t I feel I have succeed at my goals yet? Why do I feel unmotivated today? I know when I talk to my friends about this, they feel this way too sometimes. Why is that Jim? You have been doing this a lot longer than me now and I want to know how you keep motivated.”

Jim’s answer was two parts, but very simple as always. He helped me get back on track again with a simple perspective adjustment.

He said; “First of all you have to set goals and stick with them…..” Right then I knew he was right. Every day we are faced with so many different opportunities, and distractions, and they are often hard to tell apart. Jim went on to explain that if we don’t set measurable goals for ourselves, then how will we know when we have completed a project. How would we know if we had helped someone else succeed? If we don’t have a goal in mind, then how will we know when to change course and let a bad idea die? That was a simple point that brought me back to reality and helped me understand why I didn’t have some of the purpose that felt I was missing on some of my business goals.

Jim then went on to say; “There is no easy way to generate business Gabe! You have to be willing to pickup the phone, and make that first call and introduce yourself. If they don’t hear Gabe Arnold’s voice, then how can they buy into what you are trying to accomplish?” He then reminded me that it takes hundreds of attempts, sometimes thousands of calls to get an idea of the ground. Many people aren’t willing to work that hard. He said there is no secret formula, only the willingness to pick up the phone one more time, and exude the enthusiasm and excitement that it takes to get others interested in listening to you. If you aren’t excited about what you are doing then they will turn you off immediately and you will lose your opportunity to share a valuable solution to their problems. Catch them off guard, be friendly, excited, and genuine.

In some ways I am over simplifying one of the steps to success, and feeling successful. The basics Jim reminded me of are always true though. I have to refocus on setting and accomplishing goals every day, and every week. I have to be willing to work harder and do more at the beginning of a project if I want my idea to overcome the competition.

I am very glad to have someone who can help me get my perspective back on track. I have decided again to make 2009 my strongest year yet for goal setting, and goal accomplishing!
~ Gabe Arnold

Gabe Arnold is the founding partner of Pathway Consulting Group

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