The Five Ps and You

Dear High Achiever:nnI’ve got to let you know, right up front, that this FYI is going to be -nnA bit of a rant. Please don’t take it personally, because I may or may not know you, but as always, my FYIs are meant to be Informational, Inspirational and, I trust, Educational. So, if it applies to you, well … mission accomplished. And if you already implement the “The Five Ps“ then I hope you’ll find my venting entertaining at least.nnHave you heard of “The Five Ps”? Every professional athlete, performing artist, musician, painter and dancer execute “The Five Ps.” Even my son’s and daughter’s soccer teams understand the value of “The Five Ps.” Most of the high earner’s in business execute “The Five Ps” on a regular basis.nnBut every time I’m facilitating a workshop with executives, managers or sales people I’ll ask my standard “Have you heard of …” question and in an instant I get anywhere from 10 to 50 people staring at me with the MEGO … DIH or DUH! look.nn(For non-text messengers — or folks who don’t like acronyms as much as we do in the land of FYI and TGIM – MEGO and DIH stand for My Eyes Glazed Over and Deer In Headlights. DUH! is pretty much self-explanatory.)nnSo let’s end the suspense and reveal for those of you not in the know:nnThe Five Ps:nnProper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.MEGO … DIH or DUH! And that’s when I have trouble controlling my typical positive, happy, nice-guy self.nnRant Alert: So, I end up saying something like, “What I need help in understanding is why in the world are you not motivated, and don’t have an insatiable appetite, to improve your knowledge, skill set and performance of the career that feeds your family? What are you possibly thinking?”nnThinking? The simple answer is: You’re not!nnLet’s make it very basic to grasp. I’m a bit of a sports fanatic and I enjoy almost all of the performing arts. You probably have an interest that falls in those broad categories, too. And even if you don’t you’re at least aware that most elite athletes, artists and students put in countless hours of practice and study so they can perform at the highest level possible.nnIts part of the job. Especially in sports and the performing arts, study and practice are an every day occurrence.nnBut outside, in the “regular” world, it seems once someone gets their first box of freshly printed business cards they forget all about what they did to get the job. The learning, studying and practice to make the grades and get the interview to land the gig, ends.nnJ-E-T-S - Brett, Brett, Brett:Can you imagine Brett Favre getting to our Gang Green and deciding not to study the play book? (If you’re a Giants or Dolphins fan you can!)nnBut you get the point. The guy is thirty-eight years old and still has the passion to compete, study game films and practice every day.nnWhat’s your excuse?I can read the minds of some of you who are reasoning something like, “Well, Brett Favre makes millions of dollars to do what he does and he should put in that kind of effort. Heck, if I was making that kind of coin I would do the same thing.”nnTo that I say —nnNo, you wouldn’t. Because if you think and say that now, I can say with confidence you don’t do it in your career now.nnOver a month ago the FYI was about the BE, DO, HAVE Formula. That formula applies to “The Five Ps” perfectly. The planning, practice and implementation of strategies, tactics and philosophies that drive you to become more and do more, will allow you to have more.nnEvery company has a pay scale. The whole world of work has the equivalent. In America, it’s called the economic ladder and it starts at minimum wage and goes as high as Bill Gates kind of numbers. (Get it? It’s a BIG ladder).nnIf you’re in commission sales, you know exactly what you are worth. If you’re not literally in the front lines of selling, think about who makes the least amount of money and the most amount of money in your organization.nnDo you think for one second that happens by chance?nnDUH!nnRight now, you are being paid -nnExactly what you are worth. If you practice, study and take massive action to increase your value to the company, you will earn more.nnAnd while the money is certainly important, what is as equally important to “The Five Ps” is what you will become as a person when Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.nnYou have an opportunity every day to make the choice to become more. Proper Planning WILL Prevent Poor Performance and allow you to BE, DO and HAVE everything you want in life.nnOf course, if you don’t like what you are doing as a career, then you need to immerse yourself in personal development and look for a vocation that you can be passionate about.nnFYI ACTION IDEA: I want to challenge you to think about your level of commitment to preparing, educating and practicing the life and business skills that will bring you more juice, passion and money. Today’s 21st Century technology makes it easier than ever to self-educate, study and practice the skills that will help you become more and earn more.nnGo Out and Make This Your Best Year Ever!