Posted by Dave Magrogan in Rhino Charging Motivation on March 15th, 2010 at 10:54 PM
“A Dear Rhino Dave” e-mail that I thought other members of the herd could benefit from. It’s a common challenge. Remember, you’re a positive Rhino with six inch skin!
FROM A CONCERNED MEMBER OF THE RHINO HERD:
Congratulations on opening another restaurant in West Chester, Dave. I wanted to get your thoughts in terms of organizational change if you had some time. I have been at my organization now for six years and my first four years we had unprecedented success. Now after making a few changes we are now looking at the lowest level of success. Here is what I am thinking...
1. Many of the departments who are struggling have the same managers, yet some are more successful than others. I know you need quality employees, but I don't see that changing dramatically in the near future, so where do you begin to attempt to turn it around?
2. We struggle to attract and retain quality managers, partly because the pay is bad. So how do you become something people want to be a part of? How do you create demand so to speak?
3. As a company, my goal was not to shoot for being great at a couple things here and there, but rather focus on broad based success. I think (as you do) success breeds success, but when success is relatively few and far between how do you build?
The reason I spell this out is I'm looking for a possible new approach to our organization. I want to divert the focus away from our losses and bring back our expectation of broad based success.
Do you have any thoughts as an outside observer and leader of organizational change? I have tried a variety of things, but older organizations are difficult for a variety of reasons. I'm looking to find some models from outside my field to see if they can be applied here to return my company to a place where we expect it to be.
Thanks again!
Rhino Matt
RHINOS THOUGHTS ACCORDING TO DAVE MAGROGAN:
Thanks for e-mailing me, Rhino! First create a new vision for your goal. Make the vision a priority for all managers and employees. Make it simple and make it reflect what you are trying to achieve. It needs to be simple and powerful, easy to communicate. Communicate the vision in all your emails, memos etc.
Next, get a small team on your side. Create a small tribe of people at various levels to champion and support your vision. Get them working on the grassroots level to attract change.
Then, you can’t forget to celebrate the victories! Celebrate even the smallest success to build confidence and let everyone know the new vision is working. After celebrating a victory, push even harder so people don't rest on the success but seek more of it.
Finally, focus on the positive things that occur and expect/demand more of them.
As far as attracting talent, a lot of it is just that; attracting top talent by mentally bringing them to you. Remember you send out powerful subconscious signals and you attract other people that resonate with your signals. Seek out passionate, positive people that seek to rebuild and create change; people that want to be part of something bigger, not just a paycheck. You not only will create demand, but also will create the vision and the atmosphere needed to succeed. People will want to be a part of it. It can be very lonely in the beginning, but people will come.
When success is few and far between, don’t only focus on the occasional wins, but also the improved performance. If they missed their goal by 1%, but they were 15% better than the last quarter, celebrate that they are closing the gap. If your goal is to win first, then to fail less is a success. If they improve bit by bit, they will eventually win. The bottom line is focus on the smaller improvements at the start, then the bigger gains once the basics are better.
Oh yeah, and don’t forget to buy everyone my book, Do It Rhino Style! Another tool to help them to clear the clutter and attain their goals! It's also a great way to show them that you believe in them and that you are all Rhino and not about to give up on them or your company, so why should they! They may have lost a game or two, but the season’s not over!
Good luck and keep charging!! You are doing great things and the Universe will reward you. Keep the Law of Cause and Effect front of mind!
Charge!
Dave
Posted by Dave Magrogan in Rhino Charging Motivation on March 2nd, 2010 at 1:30 AM
What if you could identify the early-warning signs of a business problem? Sometimes, though, there's no data available to predict a business problem. Think about infrastructure problems, such as a bridge collapsing. Typically a bridge will collapse without any signs. To predict it, you would need data. "How on earth can they do that," you ask? Right now engineers are designing sensors that would allow bridges to notify authorities of problems such as cracks or loosening of bolts. Yep! You guessed it. Bridges will be tweeting their activity.
Sometimes you simply don't have the time in a busy day to examine all the details or possible problems that may be about to happen. Consider Van Halen. Yes, I said "Van Halen!" In the 80's, the band had a clause in its touring contract that demanded a bowl of M&Ms backstage, but with all the brown ones removed. The story is true and verified! Don't place judgment quite yet, Rhinos! Van Halen would show up with nine 18-wheelers full of gear. Because of the technical needs of the show's set up, the band's standard contract with venues was thick. A typical "article" in the contract might say, "There will be 15 amperage voltage sockets at 20-foot spaces, evenly, providing 19 amperes."
Van Halen was strategic in burying a special clause in the middle of the contract. It was called Article 126. It read, "There will be no brown M&Ms in the backstage area, upon pain of forfeiture of the show, with full compensation." So when Roth would arrive at a new venue, he'd walk backstage and glance at the M&M bowl. If he saw a brown M&M, he'd demand a line check of the entire production. "Guaranteed you're going to arrive at a technical error," he wrote in his autobiography. "They didn't read the contract.... Sometimes it would threaten to just destroy the whole show." In Roth's world, a brown M&M was the "canary in the coal mine."
Ok Rhinos, like me (and David Lee Roth), none of us has the time and energy to dig into every aspect of our businesses. But, if we're smart, we wouldn't need to.
Get out there and uncover your brown M&Ms today! Charge!
Dave
TAKE RHINO ACTION!
1.) Identify the brown M&Ms in your business. One day, it could save you hundreds, thousands, millions of dollars.
2.) What systems can you put in place where problems would announce themselves before they arrived?
3.) What are you going to do so that others in your organization start thinking proactively... not reactively?
Posted by Dave Magrogan in Rhino Charging Motivation on February 23rd, 2010 at 4:17 AM
MAS GOALS!
Today there was a great article about my new restaurant concept Mas Mexicali Cantina! My partner John Caulfield and I are very excited to launch this new venture!
This new restaurant is the product of the Rhino Living Philosophy in so many ways. Here's a little insight into how this restaurant came to be and how many Rhino principles got us to where we are today:
1. Law of Cause and Effect: Setting up positive relationships and planting positive seeds resulted in acquiring the location which many other people were bidding for. The positive seeds I planted over 6 years ago brought about the relationships which allowed us to acquire the site.
2. Law of Attraction: My partner John Caulfield had shared the idea about a great Mexicali concept and we visualized what it would be like to create it; such as, the location we wanted and the quality of managers we would like to attract. Amazing pieces fell into place because of our focus on attracting the right people and situations to make our dream a reality.
3. Law of Persistence: this project in many aspects has been a nightmare! Being forced to add a $50,000 sprinkler, dealing with major ceiling leaks, replacing certain subcontractors, and dealing with banks in the most difficult economy in years.
4. Law of Abundance: getting money to start up a new restaurant concept in this economy with banks not lending could seem impossible. We had to find a way to fund a project, work with investment and banks to create a win for all involved. We focused on the potential and the positives... not the negatives!
5. You become what you think about! This concept started out a few years ago with the working title "Mexicali Blues" then it became Mexicali and then it evolved to "Mas Mexicali Cantina". Mas means more in Spanish. More as in abundance! More fun, more life, more dreams, more goals and more love! This concept just continued to evolve in our minds until it manifested in front of us.
It was not an easy road. It was a difficult deal to put together, a difficult deal to fund, a difficult restaurant to decorate, but that is what makes it such a great adventure. The rewards from this new adventure will be greater because the efforts to create them required more conviction, more dedication and more persistence than other projects.
Remember, I'm not just a speaker, writer or consultant. I am in the real world with you making my dreams a reality everyday!
Place these Rhino Living Action Steps into ACTION:
1. Use the Law of Cause and Effect- positive seeds now create positive effects later. Start planting positive seeds!
2. You attract people and circumstances that are consistent with your dominant thoughts and actions. Think and act accordingly to your goals.
3. Persist. When you know you can do it, and you know it will work, charge and persist. Setbacks provide important lessons. Learn from them!
4. You become what you think about. Focus on your goals with positive emotions and you will become your dreams, AMIGOS!
Hope to see some of our Rhino friends local and around the world at the VIP opening of MAS Mexicali Cantina in West Chester, PA!
Charge!
Dave
Posted by Dave Magrogan in Rhino Charging Motivation on February 8th, 2010 at 3:52 AM
Valentine's Day is coming up.... another commercial holiday! Let's Rhino-fy it! Part of Rhino Living's philosophy is "Give. Love. Serve." This is what every Rhino charges towards daily. They look for ways to charge into unknown worlds and adventures which help to improve our world and make a difference. Research has shown that those who make the time to give, reap the biggest rewards. Sometimes giving of your time and talents, reap you new clients, more opportunities, or perhaps ultimate fulfillment in life. Those who do it know what I'm talking about. I'm not saying to go in looking for your reward. It doesn't work that way. I'm saying give and express gratitude when you receive your reward, whatever the reward may be.
It is now the second month of 2010. What have you done to make a difference in 2009? What new paths have you started down in 2010? What old habits have you broken? Please don't tell me you are caught in the same old grind from 2009! You need to break away from the same old, same old and create your new future. It is essential that you find your passions and charge at them without hesitation. Everyday the actions you take create your future. If you spent the first month of the year doing the same things as last year, then your future will look the same as the past. Don't make me tell you, "I told you so, Rhino!" If you have made important decisions, set new goals, and took brave new steps, then you will achieve your 2010 goals more rapidly and your future will be completely changed!
You have the power to live the life you have dreamed about and make a difference in the lives of others, but you need to eliminate excuses, negative self beliefs and laziness. Your mind is full of excuses that keep you firmly planted in the safety of the known past. Excuses like, "that just the way I am," "that's life," "I never win," or "I'm not smart enough." You can always convince yourself why something won't work. How about this year you start convincing yourself why YOU CAN!
Rhino Action Steps:
1.) Find your top five passions. Make sure the are aligned with your core Rhino values!
2.) Write down 5 reasons why you can turn your passions into your reality!
3.) Take 3 action steps today to work towards them!
Posted by Dave Magrogan in Rhino Charging Motivation on February 2nd, 2010 at 2:31 AM
I never miss watching the State of the Union regardless of who the President is or what party he represents. It is an amazing event to watch. The President of the country is basically the CEO of the largest company on earth, and he his sharing his big visions, big goals and direction for our country. It’s very inspiring!
The speech is always full of energy, plenty of applause, standing ovations and cheering. It all sounds great. All the politicians cheer and applause when comments are made about being a world leader in green energy, new technology and top quality education. It feels as if there is a shared vision for the success of our country, but why does it seem like we never really get anywhere?
It's the special interest groups, people thinking about themselves and their companies or philosophies that may have to adapt to change. What does this have to do with you? Everything! When you come up with an incredible idea for your own life, a great vision or passionate dream, immediately the selfish "special interests" in your own mind take over. Even before you take your first step to an important goal, you need to convince your negative self image of its value.
You need to overcome the fears that keep you rooted in the past and you need to eliminate the negative self interest of the people in your life! If you choose to wake up earlier to work out and get to work earlier, immediately you must overcome your self image's attempt to make you sleep in. Your friends will think your are crazy for doing more at work and your past behaviors will attempt to keep you rooted in your past habits. For every goal you set in your life you need to confront these special interest groups in your mind and your life!
Think of what a more amazing country this would be if when we had a great idea like hydrogen-powered, zero-pollution cars and there wasn't a giant oil lobby blocking it! Now think about your own success and life and how amazing it could be if you didn't listen to the special interest in your mind! Take a little time today and review the State of the Union for your own career and life. What amazing things do you dare to dream about and why haven't you done it? What special interests are trying to hold you to your past instead of letting you create your ideal future?
Action Steps:
1. Dare to Dream. What exciting dreams to you have for your life? Write them down now!
2. Eliminate the negative special interest groups in your own mind! List out the thoughts that keep you grounded in the past instead of living in the possibilities of the future!
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