W.I.N. Wednesday: A greater compliment than being loved?

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

Please share this with your friends, family and co-workers and encourage them to go to www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com and subscribe so they never miss an issue of W.I.N. Wednesday.

Contact me at winningmind@mac.com to arrange for me to speak to your team, your organization or at your next conference.

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The WINx Chicago 2015 Videos at www.experiencewinx.com

January 19, 2016 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Leading is.....

Rank, position and title put you in a position to lead. They do not make you a leader.

Leading is a choice.

Leading is a decision.

Leading is simple, not easy.

Leading is about innovation.

Leading is not about you.

Leading is about serving others.

Leading is about inspiring others.

Leading is about developing others.

Leading is about taking the blame and giving away the credit.

Leading requires asking questions, and then listening to the answers.

Leading requires you to stay hungry and humble.

Leading is about growing relationships.

Leading is about do what’s right, even when it is not popular or expedient.

Leading requires commitment and action.

Leading means you are willing to do the work.

Each of us is in a position to lead.

What’s Important Now? Choose to lead.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

Check out my WINx 2015 talk on Life’s Most Powerful Question.

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January 13, 2016 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Greatness is a choice.

In my Dare to Be Great seminars and workshops I talk about the fact that greatness is a choice. Every day you have to choose between daring to be great and embracing mediocrity.

Mediocrity is easy - embrace the status quo and just keep doing what you have always done.

Daring to be great takes work. Hard work. It requires showing up every day with a commitment to learn, grow and put in the effort to be better than you were yesterday.

Daring to be great means you will make mistakes, you will stumble, you will fall and you will fail. Every time you fall you have to pick yourself up, brush yourself off, determine what you learned and how you will grow from the experience and then move forward a little bloodied and bruised but better off for the experience. It means that when you screw up you stand up, own up, learn from the experience and move forward.

In a blog post a few months ago Seth Godin wrote about: The four horsemen of mediocrity.

Deniability - "They decided, created, commanded or blocked. Not my fault."

Helplessness - "My boss won't let me."

Contempt - "They don't pay me enough to put up with the likes of these customers."

Fear - "It's good enough, it's not worth the risk, people will talk, this might not work..."

Daring to be great requires that you are aware of "The Four Horsemen" and keep yourself from sliding into that victim mentality.

What's Important Now? Choose to do the work. Choose greatness over mediocrity. Remember that every day is a new chance to choose.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

Please share this with your friends, family and co-workers and encourage them to go to www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com and subscribe so they never miss an issue of W.I.N. Wednesday.

Contact me at winningmind@mac.com to arrange for me to speak to your team, your organization or at your next conference.

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January 06, 2016 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Planning another year of regret?

According to an article written by a palliative care nurse on "the top 5 regrets people make on their deathbed" the number one regret is:

"I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me."

What's Important Now? - Read the article on the top 5 regrets. Determine what you could do in 2016 to ensure you do not have those regrets at the end of the year. Create a list of your top 5 commitments for 2016.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Committed to the pursuit of excellence through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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December 30, 2015 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Who you hangin with?

"It is no coincidence that success often runs in families or among tight groups of friends. Greatness surrounds itself with greatness."
Don Yaeger

Don Yaeger has studied and written about great performers for years. He speaks and writes about the traits of people who overcome obstacles to become great athletes, coaches and leaders and he is absolutely correct that "Greatness surrounds itself with greatness."

In my presentations on Dare to Be Great and The Pursuit of Personal Excellence I use the following quote from W.Clement Stone:

“Be careful the environment you choose for it will shape you; be careful the friends you choose for you will become like them.”

I ask participants to consider the five people in their life who they choose to spend the most time with. I then challenge them to reflect on the mindset and attitudes of those people. Are they hanging with dream stealers and energy vampires? Or, are they hanging with people who have their own hopes, dreams and goals and are there to support them, challenge them, hold them accountable and pick them up when they fall as they pursue their own dreams and goals?

The question for you as you head into 2016 is, "Who you hangin with?"

What's Important Now? Hang with builders, leaders, thinkers and people committed to excellence and significance in their own life. They will help you achieve that in your life.

Note: If you are a law enforcement trainer then join a community of fellow trainers committed to making a difference in the Excellence in Training Academy. Join before midnight on December 31 and not only do you get the first month FREE, you will also be eligible to win a full scholarship to the 2016 ILEETA conference.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

Please share this with your friends, family and co-workers and encourage them to go to www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com and subscribe so they never miss an issue of W.I.N. Wednesday.

Contact me at winningmind@mac.com to arrange for me to speak to your team, your organization or at your next conference.

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December 09, 2015 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: A powerful way to persuade people?

"The best way to persuade people is with your ears – by listening to them."

Dean Rusk

I am a huge advocate of the power of questions. I believe that questions are the path to growth. Questions are how we learn. Questions are the key to leadership.

We need to ask questions of ourselves and we need to ask questions of other people.

Questions however are only of value if you are going to pause and listen to the answer.

Take the simple question you ask numerous times every day, "How are you?" How often do you pause to listen to the answer? How often do you ask follow up questions when the answer indicates the person is feeling down or struggling? Most people use that question as a statement, a greeting, and not a question.

Too often when we claim we are listening we are actually formulating our answer to what they are saying or thinking about something on our to do list rather than listening to the answer. When you listen make sure you listen for the underlying feelings and emotions and not just the words. When you are in face to face conversations also pay attention to the person’s body language. A response of, "I’m ok?", can be said in a number of ways and have a number of very different meanings.

People want to feel valued. They want to feel like they are making a contribution. The best way to accomplish both those items is to ask great questions, listen to the answers then keep asking questions to peel away the layers and get deeper into the conversation. Seek to be interested, not interesting. If people feel they are being listened to they will usually feel valued and that they are contributing. You do not have to agree on the best solution or the best way to proceed. If people feel they have been heard however, they are more willing to be supportive of the ultimate decision.

What's Important Now? Develop the skill of listening and take the time to listen. You might be surprised what you learn.

Take care.

Brian Willis

December 02, 2015 / Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

Please share this with your friends, family and co-workers and encourage them to go to www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com and subscribe so they never miss an issue of W.I.N. Wednesday.

Contact me at winningmind@mac.com to arrange for me to speak to your team, your organization or at your next conference.

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Greatness is available.

"Greatness is available to all of us who do common things uncommonly well."

Don Yaeger

Greatness is not limited to a select few in life that most people think are gifted, naturals or lucky to have been born into ideal circumstances. The “gifted” and “the naturals” usually just outwork everyone else and the “lucky” make their own luck.

Greatness is hard. It takes work and effort over the long haul. Greatness means showing up every day and doing “common things uncommonly well.”

Greatness is not about doing that one thing that will change the world, or about winning a Nobel prize, a world championship or multiple gold medals at the Olympics.

As Don Yeager points out, “Greatness is available to all of us.” Paulo Coelho affirms that when he reminds us, “Greatness is the birthright of everyone.”

You are going to have some falls along the way. You are going to stumble and struggle. You are going to make mistakes, have failures and screw up on the journey to greatness. That is ok. You are human after all. Dare to Be Great – Not Perfect.

What’s Important Now? – Accept the challenge and Dare to Be Great. The seeds of greatness are in you. It is hard work, but it is worth it.

Take care.

Brian Willis

November 25, 2015 / Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

Please share this with your friends, family and co-workers and encourage them to go to www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com and subscribe so they never miss an issue of W.I.N. Wednesday.

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Are you are wheelbarrow or a front end loader?

"Some of us are like wheelbarrows, only useful when pushed and easily upset."

Jack Herbert

When I read this quote it struck me that some people are Wheelbarrows and some are Front End Loaders.

As Jack Hebert points out in his quote the Wheelbarrows always need to be pushed. They lack the drive, desire and dedication to do the work to pursue excellence and dare to be great. They have embraced mediocrity and when someone does try to push them to live out their potential they become easily upset. They point the finger of blame at everyone else and are continually complaining about their circumstances, their boss, their job, their bad luck and their life.

The Front End Loaders in life are always working, always striving and always digging. They fill their buckets with knowledge and wisdom from asking great questions, reading good books, listening to podcasts and taking courses. They hang out with fellow Front End Loaders and others who are willing to embrace the suck, find the good, do the work and put in the time and effort.

They understand that knowledge is not power. It is potential; potential to empower others. Knowledge is of greatest use when it is shared with others, not hoarded. That is why Front End Loaders are always using what is in their bucket to fill the buckets of others who are willing to dare to be great to help them in their pursuit of excellence.

We are all going to have times in our lives when we are Wheelbarrows. The key is to recognize it and take action to shift out of that mode into Front End Loader mode.

What’s Important Now? – Be the Front End Loader. Do the work to fill your bucket then seek to help others fill their buckets.

Take care.

Brian Willis

November 18, 2015 / Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

Please share this with your friends, family and co-workers and encourage them to go to www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com and subscribe so they never miss an issue of W.I.N. Wednesday.

Contact me at winningmind@mac.com to arrange for me to speak to your team, your organization or at your next conference.

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W.I.N. Wednesday: What are you putting in there?

Following my September 30 post It’s a Beautiful Thing one of the newsletter subscribers (thanks Jeff) forwarded the following Old Jewish proverb:

"What you put in your pocket can be lost. What you put in your mind is yours forever."

I have gone back and reread it a number of times lately as I have been reading a number of very good books, conducting interviews for the Excellence in Training Academy, working through an online Jack Canfield Success Principles course, listening to a variety of podcasts and watching videos on Michael Hyatt’s Platform University as well as some Robin Sharma training videos.

I find myself excited when I am reading engaging books and engaged in learning new information that can help me more effectively deliver my training and live my life in a more meaningful way.

I am fortunate that I have the opportunity to weave what I am learning into many of my presentations, or use what I am learning to make my presentations more engaging for the participants. Not everyone has that opportunity.

So what can you do to share what you are learning from the books you read, the podcasts you listen to or the courses you are taking?

Here are some ideas:

Make it a point at coffee or lunch with your co-workers to ask, “What are you reading?”, or “What are you listening to these days for podcasts or audio books?” Listen for the answer, write it down and ask follow-up questions about some of the key ideas or greatest takeaways.
Start a book club with friends or co-workers. Even if you just find a group of co-workers or friends and once a year each of you buys a book, reads it then passes it along to the other group members.
Subscribe to a magazine like Success and after you have read the magazine and listened to the CD then pass them along to others so they can benefit from the wisdom contained in the pages and on the CD that comes with every issue.
Start a column in your company newsletter, Facebook page or blog and have people share insights from books and courses.
When you come back from a conference or seminar put together and deliver a short presentation on the key takeaways from each session or speaker.
Every month, every quarter or even once a year buy a copy of a great book and give it to someone as a gift. Not a birthday gift, just a gift of appreciation and friendship.

Comment below to share your ideas with others and share your one or two top books or podcasts.

For a list of books I recommend check out the Resources Page at www.winningmindtraining.com.

P.S. Today is going to be an amazing day of learning for me as it is our first WINx event. Nine powerful speakers in a TEDx style event. I am pumped.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

Please share this with your friends, family and co-workers and encourage them to go to www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com and subscribe so they never miss an issue of W.I.N. Wednesday.

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November 11, 2015 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Imagination or history. What is driving you?

"Live out of your imagination, not your history."

Stephen R. Covey

It is easy to get hung up on the past and to spend your time looking in the rearview mirror of life. The past however, is done. It is gone. It does not have to dictate your present or your future, unless you allow it to.

You have a choice. We have all imagined a better future, the achievement of a goal or a successful outcome to a new venture and then allowed the words, “yeah but” to creep into our minds. Those words take you back to the past and too often keep you from moving forward.

The past holds the memories of the mistakes and failures where you chose to dwell on what went wrong rather than learn from the experience, grow as a result of what you learned and move forward better off for the experience.

The past holds all the negative comments from the dream stealers, skeptics and cynics who told you why you would never be successful, or why you could not accomplish certain tasks or rise to certain positions in the world.

Your present and your future can be built on the lessons learned and the growth from your successes, failures and mistakes. It can be built on the words of encouragement from the mentors, role models and heroes who encouraged you, believed in you and inspired you.

"I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past."

Thomas Jefferson

Every day you have a choice to let the past control you, or to honor the past and move forward better off as a result of all the experiences and lessons learned.

Imagining success and daring to be great are the first steps. Your ability to live a life of significance does not stop with the dream. You need to heed the advice of Barbara Sher and Pablo Picasso and take action.

"Doing is a quantum leap from imagining."

Barbara Sher

"Action is the foundational key to all success."

Pablo Picasso

What’s Important Now? Honor and learn from the past then imagine a better future and take action to make that dream a reality.

What’s Important Now? Take time to thank a veteran for their service.

Take care.

Brian Willis

www.excellenceintrainingacademy.com

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

Please share this with your friends, family and co-workers and encourage them to go to www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com and subscribe so they never miss an issue of W.I.N. Wednesday.

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November 04, 2015 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Ann Landers and Budda both agree

"Holding onto anger is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die."

Buddha

"Hanging onto resentment is letting someone you despise live rent-free in your head."

Esther Lederer, a.k.a. Ann Landers

Who are you poisoning yourself over?

Who is living rent free in your head?

Life is about choices so what are you going to choose to do about it?

You cannot change the other person. You cannot change what they said or what they did. You cannot change the past and you cannot change them for the future.

You can change your attitude and decide to forgive them and set them free.

"To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you."

Lewis B. Smedes

Forgiveness does not mean you condone anything the other person did. It does mean that you accept they were likely doing the best they could in the circumstances and they have their own issues and baggage, none of which you control. Forgiving them and setting them free allows you to take back your power, your control and your life.

It is up to you. Hold on to the anger and resentment, or let it go.

What’s Important Now? – Choose to forgive and set yourself free from the squatter in your head and flush the poison from your mind and body.

Take care.

Brian Willis

October 14, 2015 / Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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W.I.N. Wednesday: What is your thermometer of success?

"The thermometer of success is merely the jealousy of the malcontents."

Salvador Dali

How do you define success?

What is your thermometer to measure success?

Do you measure success by what you get or by what you give?

Is your success based on titles, wealth, and awards or by the lives that you touch and the way in which you are of service to others?

Are you focused on success or significance?

Do you measure success based on 'Likes', 'Retweets', ''Friends' and 'Connections'?

Is success for you doing what is popular so you get pats on the back and accolades or, is it based on doing what is right even when it is not popular or expedient?

There is nothing wrong with wealth, awards and titles. You just need to decide if that is your goal, your measurement of success, or a byproduct of a life of significance.

What's Important Now? Determine your own thermometer of success and seek to live a life of significance.

P.S. Dali has a point. If you are pissing off the malcontents, you may be on to something.

Take care.

Brian Willis

www.excellenceintrainingacademy.com

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

Please share this with your friends, family and co-workers and encourage them to go to www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com and subscribe so they never miss an issue of W.I.N. Wednesday.

Contact me at winningmind@mac.com to arrange for me to speak to your team, your organization or at your next conference.

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October 07, 2015 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Great wisdom from the unknown.

"Fear less, hope more; Whine less, breathe more; Talk less, say more; Hate less, love more; And all good things are yours."
Source Unknown

What's Important Now? - I cannot say it any better than Ms. or Mr. Unknown. Reread and live the above quote.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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September 30, 2015 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: It's a beautiful thing.

"The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you."

B.B. King

Too often we associate learning with school and think of school as a place where you were forced to sit through classes that you had no interest in and saw no application for. Once you graduated from high school someone may have told you that you had to go to university if you ever wanted to make something of yourself. For some of you that resulted in another 4 to 8 years of sitting in a classroom or lecture hall and felling like learning was a chore.

Now, this may not have been your experience. You may have loved every minute of school and developed a love for learning early in your life. If that is the case, I am very happy for you.

Unfortunately, many people associate school with someone trying to force them to learn and being made to read books they had no interest in or even hated. The result is the staggering statistics on how few people ever read another book after they leave high school or college.

Regardless of your experiences in school you can develop a love for learning if you develop a new attitude about learning. Learning is something you do for you. Reading is something you do for you. Learning is an investment in you. Learning comes in many forms and formal schooling is just one of them.

You can learn through print books, audio books and e-books. You can learn through podcasts, webinars and tele-seminars. You can learn by taking successful people out to lunch and asking great questions. You can learn by taking courses online or in person. You can learn by attending seminars, conferences and workshops. You can learn by doing crossword puzzles or brain games. You can learn by watching documentaries. You can learn from teachers, coaches, role models and mentors. You can learn from your failures, your mistakes and your successes. You can learn from watching and listening to people. You can learn from life.

You can learn more about things you already know about and you can learn new things. You can learn to paint, to sing, to dance, to fight, to lead, to be a stand up comic, to be a writer, to surf, to climb mountains, to ski on ice or water, to knit, to be a better communicator, to cook, to be a sommelier, to build a website, to set goals, to eat healthier, to get fitter, to invest in the market, or to be a better parent. What you can learn about is endless. The key is to learn.

B.B. King was right when he said, "The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you." Learning is for you. It will grow your mind and enhance your life. Learning, like healthy eating and exercise, is an investment in you. If you are only going to invest in one thing in your life, invest in yourself.

What's Important Now? - View every opportunity to learn and an opportunity to invest in you and to grow you. Seek opportunities to learn. Make opportunities to learn. Stay hungry and humble. Keep learning until you die, it will enhance the life you live.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

Please share this with your friends, family and co-workers and encourage them to subscribe so they never miss an issue of W.I.N. Wednesday.

Contact me at winningmind@mac.com to arrange for me to speak to your team, your organization or at your next conference.

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www.excellenceintrainingacademy.com

September 23, 2015 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: What you up to Willis?

I have had a number of people ask me lately about what I am up to as far as new projects. Well, there are two main ones - The Excellence in Training Academy and WINx.

The Excellence in Training Academy is a membership site created for law enforcement trainers who want to invest in their professional development and growth as part of their journey to become great trainers. I hear from trainers across North America who are frustrated by shrinking training budgets and restrictions on travel that keep them from being able to attend professional development training programs. These dedicated trainers (you may be one of them) are also frustrated by the lack of training programs focused on helping them become better trainers, not just more effective practitioners. If you are one of those trainers, or know someone who is, the Excellence in Training Academy is here to serve you. We provide new training every week in the form of audio interviews and webinars. The interviews are with top trainers who share their knowledge, experience and wisdom and provide strategies and tactics to enhance your skills and abilities as a trainer. The end result is better training for your officers. In addition to audio interviews and commentaries the Academy offers monthly webinars, which provide a deep dive into the Excellence in Training philosophy, answer pressing questions trainers have and provide insights and take aways from books and courses. This training is accessible to members of the Excellence in Training Academy when it is convenient for them and can be accessed from a computer, tablet or smart phone. There are also a number of bonuses for members of the Excellence in Training Academy Community. Check out www.excellenceintrainingacademy.com for more details and to join the community. Join today and you will be eligible for this month's book give away.

WINx: Inspiring Excellence in Law Enforcement is a unique training event for the law enforcement profession that I am proud to be running with Roy Bethge and the amazing team from The Virtus Group. The event takes place on November 18 in Lisle, Illinois, at the Grounds for Hope Cafe.

WINx is a fast paced, dynamic learning experience consisting of nine presentations which are each 18 minutes in length. In addition to the dynamic presentations there are interactive sessions before and between presentations. Each of the WINx presentations addresses an issue critical to the law enforcement profession and will challenge, engage and inspire attendees to action. This is the first year for WINx.

"Excellence is a choice. A choice to think, train and lead differently. WINx is a unique experience in law enforcement created to inspire excellence in the profession."

Brian Willis, Co- Creator of WINx and President, Winning Mind Training

WINx speakers are from around North America. Full information about WINx and our speakers can be found at http://www.experiencewinx.com/2015-experience/.

The list of speakers is as follows:

Melissa Agnes, President and co-founder of Agnes + Day Inc., a Crisis Management Firm
Mark Fallon, Director of ClubFed, LLC, retired NCIS agent
Charles Huth, Police Captain and Past-President of the National Law Enforcement Training Center
Kevin Briggs, Retired California Highway Patrol Sergeant and nationally renowned speaker
Brian Willis, CEO Winning Mind Training, retired Police Sergeant
John Bostain, co-owner and Lead Instructor for Command Presence Training Associates
Daniel Linskey, Superintendent-in-Chief (Retired), Boston Police Department
Jamey Gadoury, Talent management professional, West Point Graduate and retired Army Infantry Officer
Patrick Van Horne, author of Left of Bang: How the Marine Corps’ Combat Hunter Program Can Save Your Life

“WINx is exactly what our profession needs right now. It’s time for all of us to challenge ourselves to think, lead, live, train, behave and prepare differently”

Roy Bethge, Co-Creator of WINx and Deputy Police Chief.

As a W.I.N. Newsletter subscriber you can save $20.00 off the registration price for you and your friends by using the code WIN20. Space is limited so register soon and be sure to bring a friend.

This event will be worth travelling to and we will have a special room rate at the Hilton in Lisle if you want to stay overnight.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

Please share this with your friends, family and co-workers and encourage them to subscribe so they never miss an issue of W.I.N. Wednesday.

Contact me at winningmind@mac.com to arrange for me to speak to your team, your organization or at your next conference.

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September 09, 2015 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: A message to the Law Enforcement Profession.

You Quit; They Win

They are loud, angry, hateful and accusatory.

They throw rocks, bottles, punches and insults.

They protest, riot, loot and burn all in the name of ‘justice’.

They call you pigs, racist, thugs, bullies and murderers.

They accuse you of misapplying the law.

They attack you, resist you, murder you and injure you.

Who are They? They are the violent criminals, the gang members, the haters, the anti-police groups and the special interest groups. They have their own agendas.

They get a lot of coverage on the 6 o’clock news. They however, do not represent the majority of the people in your community and in your country. The majority of people in your communities support you, appreciate you and understand you have a challenging job to do.

If you quit; They win.

If you quit being professional; They win and you lose.

If you quit doing your job; They win and your community loses.

Who are you? You are a law enforcement professional who has taken an oath of service. You have within you a heart of service. You have the warrior spirit; a spirit of courage, integrity, honor, humility, leadership, strength, professionalism and service.

Think back to the pride you felt when you took the oath and pinned on that badge. Embrace that pride. Hold on to that pride. Keep you head up and be proud of who you are and what you do.

It takes courage to continue to serve and to dare to be great in the face of the anger, the hatred, the accusations, the attacks on your character and the violent physical attacks. Continue to grow that courage.

It is not easy to continue to serve greatly and wear the uniform proudly in these challenging times. If you wanted easy however, you would not have chosen the law enforcement profession.

Now, more that ever, we need you to stay professional and serve proudly. Now, more than ever, we need you to dare to be great.

You quit; They win.

You remain strong and proud; you win, your community wins and the profession wins.

On behalf of the communities you serve, thank you for your service. Thank you for your dedication. Thank you for your professionalism. Thank you for choosing not to quit.

What's Important Now? Stay strong. Be proud of who you are and what you do. Continue to serve. Know that you make a difference in the lives of people in your community.

(I wrote this article a few months ago and it was published in the Calibre Press Street Survival Newsline. Due to recent events and discussions I felt it was important to get the message back out there.)

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

Please share this with your friends, family and co-workers and encourage them to subscribe so they never miss an issue of W.I.N. Wednesday.

Contact me at winningmind@mac.com to arrange for me to speak to your team, your organization or at your next conference.

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September 02, 2015 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: It is supposed to be hard.

"When I hear somebody sigh, "Life is hard," I am always tempted to ask, "Compared to what?"

Sydney J. Harris

Make a list of all the things in life that are easy.

Now make a list of all the things in life that are hard, that you had to work for and that you struggled with.

Which of those two lists do you appreciate more?

I am thinking life is supposed to be hard. That way we appreciate it more.

Life is hard. You have to work at it to make the most of it. That work results in successes and failures. Those experiences lead to learning (especially the failures). That learning leads to growth. Your growth enhances your commitment to serve others. Your service to others leads to significance.

Life is a journey that is supposed to be hard. When you get to the end of the long, hard road then you can reflect back and smile knowing that you made it and that you made a difference.

What's Important Now? Accept that life is hard and enjoy the result of your hard work.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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August 26, 2015 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Think How not Can.

“In contrast, a process orientation . . . asks ‘How do I do it?’ instead of ‘Can I do it?’ and this directs attention toward defining the steps that are necessary on the way. This orientation can be characterized in terms of the guiding principle that there are no failures, only ineffective solutions.”

Ellen Langer

One of the key thought processes I seek to instil in athletes is to focus on the process, not the outcome. If you focus on process and execute your process to the best of your ability the outcome will look after itself. Focusing on outcome often causes you to deviate from the process and negatively effects your performance.

Langer's question, "How do I do it?" causes you to focus on the process, the steps necessary to successfully accomplish the goal, mission or task. "Can I do it?" on the other hand will often cause self doubt, a flood of negative thoughts and a host of reasons why the answer is "No".

In my presentations on The Pursuit of Personal Excellence and Dare to Be Great I talk about the importance of coming up with a new definition for failure. You are going to fail. It is part of life. The key is whether you view that failure as an opportunity or, as a setback or even a reason to quit. Failure can be feedback that provides you an opportunity to learn a better way and a chance to grow as a result of the experience. As Langer points out in her quote, failure is simply a method for identifying ineffective solutions.

What's Important Now? - As you prepare to wade into that next project focus on the process. Ask yourself, "How do I do it?", "What action steps do I need to take?", "What do I need to learn?", "Who do I need to get help from?" then take the first step and keep asking "What's Important Now?"

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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August 19, 2015 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: No matter what you have achieved...

"No matter how much you have achieved, you will always be merely good relative to to what you can become. Greatness is an inherently dynamic process, not an end point. The moment you think of yourself as great, your slide toward mediocrity will have already begun."

Jim Collins, Good to Great and The Social Sectors

My oldest son Jesse (along with his business partner Jeff Jamieson) owns Vine Arts, an extremely successful boutique wine store, and Proof, the hottest new cocktail bar in Calgary. They understand the lesson Jim Collins talks about in Good to Great. They are continually innovating and doing new things both at Vine Arts, which opened in March of 2012, and Proof, which just opened in May of this year. Even though they get this concept and live it, I shared this quote from Collins with Jesse a few months ago to pass along to all his staff.

My son Cody open his restaurant Native Tongues Taqueria on July 1. Having his open restaurant has been a dream for years and took an amazing amount of hard work, vision, creativity, grit, resilience and persistence. The result is a really cool space, amazing food, great staff who provide great service creating an first class dining experience for customers. They have been busy since the day they opened the doors.

While having lunch at Native Tongues with Cody a couple of weeks ago I made the comment,"It must feel great to be packed every night for the first month you have been open." His response impressed me. He said, "It is easy to pack the place the first month, even the first six months. The challenge is can we make sure it is still packed after a year, 5 years and 10 years." Wow. I wish I had that kind of wisdom and insight into the pursuit of excellence when I was 29.

What about you. Are you basking in the glory of your success? Have you 'arrived' and stopped innovating, creating and serving? Have you gotten comfortable with the status quo? Have you begun your slide to mediocrity? It is easy to do. The problem is that by the time you realize you are on the slide to mediocrity it is often too late to recover.

What's Important Now? - Dare to be great, but never think of yourself as great. Greatness is a journey, not a destination. Stay hungry and humble. Keep learning. Keep growing.

Take care.

Brian Willis

August 12, 2015 / Brian Willis

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Dinner guests?

I was recently interviewed for the soon to be launched podcast on leadership called The Police Leader Podcast. Roy Bethge, the host, sent me a list of potential questions in advance so I would be able to provide more concise answers and ramble less. One of the questions, which we did not get to during the interview, was, "If you could have dinner with three people (living or dead), who would they be? Great question.

My first thought was my wife Lynda and our two sons Jesse and Cody. I love hanging out with Jesse and Cody and picking their brains on leadership, business, marketing and life. They are very good about making time for dad, but due to their very busy schedules we do not get to hang out as much as I would like.

Then my mind drifted, as it often does. If I was going to have dinner with three people to learn about teaching and coaching who would they be? This list ended up with Lou Holtz, John Wooden and Pete Carroll as the dinner guests. I would sneak John Maxwell in as the moderator as I know he would come prepared with a list of deep questions that would draw out the knowledge, wisdom and insights from all three coaches.

I then began to think that where this was a leadership podcast I should contemplate who would be on the list if I wanted the focus to be leadership. That list ended up with Bill Westfall, Paul Callan and Joseph Campbell. Bill Westfall is a friend, mentor and an amazing leadership trainer. Paul Callan is a retired Marine Corps Colonel who teaches Heroic Leadership and Joseph Campbell is an author who wrote extensively about the hero's journey and is often quoted by Westfall and Callan. I would have Roy Bethge there as the moderator and get him to start the conversation by asking them all their thoughts on heroic leadership and then I just sit back and listen to what would surely be an amazingly insightful conversation.

If the dinner focus was "How to be a better man.", I would have Joe Ehrmann, Tony Dungy and Ron Scheidt. Joe Ehrmann is the author of InsideOut Coaching and I talk about his program 'To Be Better Man' in many of my presentation. Tony Dungy is a former NFL coach, the author of a number of books and an amazing individual and Ron Scheidt is my partner in the am I that man? project.

Every time I make a list I think about two or three more people I should add.

By this point my mind is racing and thinking about a monthly dinner roundtable so I will stop here.

For the dinners focused on coaching, leadership, and being a better man I would have have my son Jesse there as the Sommelier and my son Cody there as the Executive Chef. That way I would get to hang out with them, we would be sure to have great wine and food to accompany the stimulating conversation and they would be able to benefit from the dinner conversation.

What about you? Who would you invite to that dinner? What if you could have a series of dinners each with a different theme what would your themes be and who would you invite?

Share your thoughts in the comments section or send me an e-mail and let me know.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

Please share this with your friends, family and co-workers and encourage them to subscribe so they never miss an issue of W.I.N. Wednesday.

Contact me at winningmind@mac.com to arrange for me to speak to your team, your organization or at your next conference.

Also check out: