2 Disciplines That Will Determine Your Destiny

2 Disciplines That Will Determine Your Destiny

By

Eric M. Twiggs

"Take your downtime and turn it into prime time" Dave Anderson

The year was 1998 and the Indianapolis Colts had a tough decision to make.  The National Football league (NFL) draft was weeks away and they had the first pick.  The Colts needed a quarterback, and there were two great college players to choose from. 

Ryan Leaf hailed from Washington State and was the best athlete.  He had a "million dollar arm" along with excellent speed.  Peyton Manning starred at the University of Tennessee, and was known for his intelligence and work ethic.  Although many of the experts ranked Leaf as the better overall talent, both were considered to be future NFL legends.

The Colts organization was undecided on who to select.  Bill Polian, the general manager, called them into his office for private interviews in an effort to break the tie.  He asked them both the following question: "How would you react to being selected as the #1 pick in the draft?"

Based on their answers, Bill decided to draft Peyton Manning and the rest is history! Today, Manning is regarded as one of the greatest to ever play the game.  Ryan Leaf on the other hand, is viewed as one of the biggest disappointments of all time.  He is no longer playing and currently serving a prison sentence.

How was the general manager able to predict their future based on the answer to one question?  Well, Manning answered Bill's question as follows: “If you drafted me with the first pick, I would meet with my coach to review the playbook and start practicing."     Leaf responded: “I would fly to Vegas and have a celebration party!"  Bill was able to predict their future once he knew their habits.   

Do your daily habits line up with your weekly goals?   Keep reading and you will learn about the two disciplines that will determine your destiny.  

1. Planning

My client Marlin, owner of Marlins Auto Diagnostics, has a habit known as “Five swings a day."  Here's how it works:  Every evening, he makes of list of his top five priorities for the next day. The following day, he carries a 3x5 index card with him, and places a check mark next to each "swing" once he accomplishes the task.  

Doing the ATI homework, conducting repair order audits, preparing his Google Plus posts, updating his marketing calendar, and reviewing resumes, are examples of a typical day's priorities.   The fact that he’s a successful alumni client, who’s been in the program since 2009, is no coincidence.  

 His success was predictable because of his planning habit!

2. Practicing

According to author Malcolm Gladwell, it takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to master any skill.  Deliberate practice is involves practicing a behavior, receiving corrective feedback, and then practicing again the correct way. 

Josh, the general manager of the Colorado based Family Tire & Auto locations, has a habit of video recording his role play sessions with his service managers.  He picks a specific maintenance service, and has his managers role play the sales process.

 Afterwards, they watch the recording together and agree on the positives and the improvement opportunities.  Then, they practice the sale again the correct way.     

Summary

Studies show that the average professional football player invests two hours of planning and practice time for every minute of actual game time.  Sadly, most shops practice on the customer and use the loss of business as corrective feedback! 

If you commit to planning and practicing, I predict great things for your future.  Your habits will make you the #1 pick with you customers every time. 

Sincerely,

Eric M. Twiggs

www.autotraining.net

PS.  Email etwiggs@autotraining.net  to receive a list of the 5 skills you should role play with your service writers.