​You have aspired to be a manager since the start of your career.  You have been a dedicated student and you have followed directions.  Along the way, you have gained the knowledge and the expertise that is necessary for you to continue to advance and to add to your level of responsibility.
 
You have taken some big steps toward management, but the know-how that you have gained won’t necessarily make you ready to be an effective leader.  There are still at least two things that you will need to fully understand in order to be prepared when promotion day arrives.
 
First, you must realize that the primary change and biggest difference in your job going forward is the addition of the responsibility for others and the fact that you will no longer be assessed solely on your work results, but on the results of those for whom you are now responsible.
 
Second, if you are now reliant on those for whom you are responsible, you will need to quickly figure out how to put them in the best possible position to succeed.  The best way to do that is to understand the difference between teaching and telling.
 
I occasionally hear people say, “I can’t wait to be the boss so I can tell people what to do.”  If that is your perception of what it means to be a manager you are in for a rude awakening. 
 
Knowing how to do your job is very different than knowing how to help someone else know how to do their job.  Anybody can tell someone else what to do, but that will not help them understand why they are doing it or what its correlation is to their success.
 
Let’s start with this premise.  Don’t say it if you can’t explain it.
 
If you have kids, you already know that you can very quickly lose control of a discussion and look like you have no idea what you are talking about the second you use a word or repeat a saying that you cannot clearly explain to your inquisitive child.  You must understand what you are talking about if you are going to have any chance of assisting your child to understand what you are talking about.
 
The same is true when you are working with employees.  Most vocations have their own lingo.  The police definitely use their own vernacular.  Lawyers like to throw a lot of Latin around.  In the credit union world, we like to abbreviate.  That’s all great and maybe even necessary, at times, but if you are going to talk the talk you better first understand what you are talking about.
 
Another must in teaching is to understand the “why” behind what you are relating.  If your answer to the question of why a procedure is in place is that “it’s just the way we have always done it”, you are likely falling into the trap of telling and not teaching.
 
By the way, this also applies to your interaction with clients.  If you have an unhappy customer on your hands and you find that you are unable to articulate your policy and its application to that person, you are going to be in a very uncomfortable situation.
 
Your ability to teach will not only help you develop employees and effectively resolve disputes with customers, it also directly correlates to your ability to advance.  In a similar way that a student who thoroughly understands the subject matter is much more likely to get an “A” on the test, the employee or manager who demonstrates command of her area of responsibility will likely be the first one considered when a promotional opportunity presents itself.
 
Conversely, a student who simply repeats what his teacher has said and an employee who merely recites the employee handbook are not likely to be the ones next called upon to lead a collaborative discussion or take on an important assignment.
 
Telling someone to do something or that a project is due takes very little time at all.  Effective teaching, however, can require significant time.  Account for that by preparing your employees well in advance of a key deadline or progress measurement.  A successful teaching and learning process generally relies on some repetition, a little bit of positive reinforcement, and at least one real life application of the concept or procedure.  If you realize this ahead of time and plan accordingly, you will put your employees in position to advance, which will help you to continue your success.
 
Telling is essentially unilateral and the act of telling someone what to do does not necessarily require an understanding of the situation or even two willing parties because there is no guarantee that the person being told wants to be part of the process.
 
Teaching is collaborative by its very nature because it requires at least one party to teach and one party to learn.  Collaborative efforts lead to a greater understanding of each other and the needs of your organization.
 
Whether you are already a manager or you aspire to be one, whether you are working with students or co-workers, when you are next given an opportunity to teach, take it.  In fact, make it a habit and you will undoubtedly move forward as will those around you. 

This article is part of Scott Arney's educational series, entitled The Serial Decision Maker.

​A theory of evolution
The objective of your ongoing evolution is the constant commitment to purpose and forward progress, specifically YOUR purpose and YOUR forward progress

Before we get started, please note that the title begins with an “A” not a “The” and that the rest of the title is deliberately not capitalized.  This is not a thesis on “The Theory of Evolution” nor is it even an alternative view on the subject.
 
The evolution that this title refers to is the type of evolution that you need to initiate and continually experience if you want to live a fulfilling life and to pursue your hopes and dreams with purpose.
 
There is a long-standing debate on the topic of whether people, especially adults, are capable of change, as in the type of change that involves your personality and the traits that help to define who you are and what is important to you.  Sometimes, the concept of change and that of evolution are intermingled.
 
I am not suggesting that you should try to change who you are, if you are happy with yourself and you are not someone who texts while operating a vehicle.  In my opinion, a change represents a different direction.  You decide that you are going to head east when you were previously travelling west.  An evolution represents an improvement or a strengthening of the direction you are already headed.  You have always gone west, but now you are going west a little faster.
 
I have no idea what percentage of our composition is innate and what percentage is learned, but I do believe that we are all our own unique individuals and those of us who figure out exactly what that means and then address our weaknesses and maximize our strengths will have a heck of an advantage over those who don’t spend anytime thinking about that stuff and are content to stumble through life without much of a direction or a purpose.  Building upon who you are is an evolution and one that is important enough to never stop.
 
As a student, if you take the time to figure out what subjects are of interest to you and which of those align with your skill set, you will be much more likely to select a major that is consistent with your future goals.  If you take the added step of researching the job market for your intended career as a decision point along the way, you will be more likely to earn your desired reward for the hard work you put in as a student.
 
As you evolve from a high school student to a college student and, ultimately, to a full-fledged member of the workforce, your evolution will be purposeful and efficient because you have taken the time necessary to set your course. 
 
If you select a major only to determine that, despite your best intentions, it is not the way forward for you after all, that’s okay too.  Evolutions rarely follow a straight line nor are they symmetrical. 
 
If you are already in the workforce and you feel like you have reached a dead end in your current career, it is important to figure out why that is the case.  You certainly don’t want to make the same mistake again, so at a minimum you will want to know why it went wrong so you don’t end up inadvertently going down the same path again in a different career.
 
You may also realize that the stagnation you are experiencing is your own doing.  Perhaps you stopped learning new things.  Maybe you convinced yourself that you had been in your job long enough to know all there is to know.  It is possible that you found too large of a comfort zone and stopped seeking new challenges.  In other words, you may have stopped evolving.
 
I have often heard people express concern about retiring from their job.  It is certainly true that some people are not well suited for retirement, but I believe that most people who worry about retiring are really worried about finding a new purpose.  Sounds to me like a great time to continue to evolve, to re-calibrate.  If you have found purpose in your work, you are already ahead of the game.  Now, it is purely a matter of identifying the things that you enjoyed and helped to form your purpose so that you can find a similar pursuit in retirement.  You did it once, you most certainly can do it again.
 
The objective of your ongoing evolution is the constant commitment to purpose and forward progress, specifically your purpose and your forward progress.  There will be times when you will feel as though you are not making the type of progress you had hoped for, but if you are following a plan that represents who you are, and that plan includes ways that you will learn from past mistakes, appreciate your life’s experiences, and improve upon past efforts; you will ultimately get to where you are going.
 
You may ask how I can be so sure.  Simple.  Your evolution ensures your relevance, your purpose, and ultimately your survival and you don’t have to wait for it to occur.  You are perfectly capable of creating it yourself specifically for your own benefit.

 This article is part of Scott Arney's educational series, entitled The Serial Decision Maker.

The Importance of Goals and Incentives

In case you haven’t noticed, most of the world surrounding you is moving toward or already using a goal oriented, incentive based system.  The reason is simple. It works.
 
Credit unions and banks often provide incentives in the form of reduced lending rates or increased savings rates to their members and customers for using more than one of their products or for using a specific service.  Credit card issuers reward you with airline miles, cash back, and a host of other gifts when you use their credit card to make your purchases.  Grocery stores discount certain items if you carry their check-cashing card.  Most employers have created a merit-based, incentive-laden environment that rewards employees for adapting behavior that is consistent with organizational goals.
 
For the most part, incentives are the rewards you receive for reaching your goals. In the same way that people are much more likely to achieve their goals if they are written and specific, businesses have found that they are likely to do more business with customers who are incented to do business with them.
 
Knowing how to establish your goals is the most essential aspect of developing any useful and relevant plan and there are several key ingredients of successful goal setting.
 
Understand the Purpose

When you set out to establish your own goals, you should begin the process by defining what you want to achieve and why you want to achieve it.  Understanding the purpose of your goals will help you develop a plan and to stick to it accordingly.
 
In fact, understanding the purpose of anything that you do will lead directly to increased personal awareness and perspective as well as the gratification you experience when you understand your role and how it relates to the world around you.  Remember that stress only comes from what you don’t know or cannot control.  If you understand your purpose and you follow the plan that you create to achieve a desired outcome through effective goal setting, you will absolutely reduce, if not eliminate stress in your life. 
 
Be Specific

Your goals should be specific and personalized to you and your individual need or aim. Being specific will ensure that your goals remain relevant during the time period they are in place.  Personalizing your goals will help you to stay motivated and engaged in your pursuit of achievement.  Relevancy and personal motivation cannot be underestimated in a world in which you continually face a host of new challenges and are subject to getting side-tracked, losing focus, or losing direction.  When something remains relevant to you, you are more likely to persevere and see things through to a positive conclusion.
 
Establish Measurements

Setting goals that are measurable will help you be able to determine whether or not you are successfully achieving your goals, whether they are short-term or long-term in nature.  Establishing measurements that are applicable at the onset, up through and including the completion of your goal, will help you to maintain your motivation and enthusiasm for achieving the goal.  In most cases, the more tangible and quantifiable your measurements are, the more helpful they will be.  Examples of useful measurements include, but are not limited to, numeric references, timelines and deadlines, and benchmarks.
 
Make them Attainable

Even if you successfully complete all of the other steps, you will waste your time if you do not ensure that your goals are attainable..  Setting attainable goals does not mean setting them so that they are easily achievable, rather that they are realistic and rooted in reality.  In determining the attainability of a goal, you should make sure that you would experience a sense of accomplishment if the goal were achieved.
 
Align Incentives Accordingly

Goals and incentives are further related in that they are both indicative of deliberate behavior associated with a specific plan and their value applies to any situation you will encounter.
 
You will increase your chance for success in any situation if your goal oriented behavior is properly lined up with incentives designed to encourage you and keep you focused on achievement and forward progress.  Just as businesses have found out that people respond positively and consistently to incentives, you will find that if you include your own meaningful and personal incentives in your planning and goal-setting, the whole process of achievement will be even more worthwhile and rewarding.
 
Just as is the case with the goals that you set for yourself, incentives must be understood and carry personal significance for you.  Once those elements are established, incentives can be as elaborate or as simple as you would like them to be as long as they are reflective of the achievement you have earned.
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You should never hesitate to celebrate your successes and reward yourself for your accomplishments no matter how small you feel they may be or what step along the way they represent.  Sometimes, the small celebrations are the most important because they help you to build momentum and develop better habits. They also invariably lead to bigger celebrations!
 
Positive recognition is always a part of any useful incentive, even if that recognition is something you only give to yourself.  Incentives can be monetary or non-monetary.  They can include a night out, time away, or extra time off of work.  They can be activity based or relaxation based.
 
Ideally, the amount of reward you earn from your pursuits in life is equal to the amount of effort you put toward those same pursuits.  The simple act of setting goals and determining incentives will set the course for anyone to live their life in that manner.
 
When you take the time to regularly set personal goals and balance them with worthwhile rewards, you take a big step toward creating more opportunities and greater freedom of choice.  It is the type of freedom only felt by those that have taken command of their life by creating and following their own plans and making their own decisions.

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​This article is part of Scott Arney's educational series, entitled The Serial Decision Maker.

Stay On Your Skis
There is a lot to be said for finding the right speed in your life and how you go about living it

​I am not much of a skier, which is why I should’ve known better than to ride to the top of a black diamond run.
 
In the spirit of full disclosure, it was a Midwest version of a black diamond run, which is a far cry from an Alpine version or a Rocky Mountain version.  Nevertheless, it was beyond my skill level and I knew it before I even hopped onto the lift.
 
At the top of the run, I had a few choices and they ranged from essentially sitting on my skis and scooching down the mountain a little bit at a time or simply all out going for it.  I chose the middle option, which I often do with many choices that I consciously make.  I decided to try to control my speed and do the best I could to reach the end of the run safely.
 
With the benefit of hindsight, I will tell you that I think I made the right decision given my options, but unfortunately I did not execute the plan very well.  The end result, while not disastrous from the standpoint that I was able to stand up and live to tell the tale, was what I believe is referred to in the skiing world as a “yard sale”.  That sale was conducted over what seemed like a one-hundred-foot stretch of mountain with gear strewn haphazardly throughout.
 
Even though I did not achieve my goal of staying upright throughout the run, it was pretty thrilling at the start.  In fact, I reached the peak of excitement seconds before I began my tumble.
 
All of this left me thinking about the importance of staying on your skis, not just while skiing but metaphorically every time you face a new challenge.  If you can stay on your skis the whole time, you will extract the best from the situation and minimize or eliminate any of the harm that could come from it.
 
In my example, I had other choices and could have dealt with my challenge in a different way.  Many times, however, you won’t have much of a choice amongst the circumstances you face and since you often cannot choose the circumstances you will encounter ahead of time, your only choice is to develop the strength to handle whatever circumstances come your way.
 
Sometimes, your best option is also the safest option.  Sometimes, it isn’t, but the goal remains the same.  Stay on your skis and finish the job and, while you’re at it, find your pace and try to learn a few things along the path.
 
If you ski too slow, you probably won’t achieve much progress and you certainly won’t get your heartrate up.  If you ski too fast, you are likely to miss a few things and you are much more likely to get hurt especially if you haven’t mastered the necessary fundamentals and skills of skiing along the way.
 
I think there is a lot to be said for finding the right speed in your life and how you go about living it and the idea of being on skis, as opposed to trekking or marching, helps to smooth out the vision.
 
How great would your life be if you could figure out how to glide smoothly through it, adjusting your speed as necessary, handling the hills and the valleys accordingly?
 
Maybe you have figured that out already, but if you haven’t, go find your mountain to conquer and remember to stay on your skis!
 
This article is part of Scott Arney's Serial Decision Maker educational series.

Are You a Salmon or a Sea Turtle?

Salmon are known, in part, for the arduous trek that they make upstream to spawn.  Shortly after their journey is complete, they die.
 
Sea turtles can live extraordinarily long lives and, from my brief observations, seem to spend most of it frolicking in beautiful water and gliding with the current.
 
I would never trivialize any living being by summing up their entire existence in a one sentence description, but for the purposes of this article I am focusing on these individual and highly contrasting traits.
 
In a moment of reflection (actually several of them), I started thinking about how often I swim upstream.  For some reason, I am inclined to do so frequently, especially the older I get.  By swimming upstream, I am referring to the number of times I find myself going in one direction, when the natural flow of events or the course of a situation is going in the opposite direction.
 
There are no doubt causes worth fighting for and you could make the argument that none are more noble than the salmon’s journey to procreate and ensure the survival of the species.  Sometimes, the cause or the situation is worth whatever effort you need to put forth, no matter the cost, but how often are you really faced with those types of choices?
 
What about all the times that you expend energy, or brain power, or time unnecessarily?  What about the things that you worry about that you cannot control?  Or, how about the number of times you have followed the same difficult path toward the same unsatisfactory outcome full well knowing nothing was going to change?
 
If these questions are leading to your own realization that you, too, may be spending too much time swimming upstream, perhaps it would be helpful to consider taking at least some of that time and imitating a sea turtle instead.
 
There must be a correlation between the life span of a sea turtle and how they spend that time right?  Doesn’t it make sense that there is a similar correlation for us humans as well?  I don’t know any massively stressed out ninety year old’s.  Do you?
 
As I have noted many times, one of the great freedoms to be enjoyed while you are on this earth, is the freedom to choose.  Your choices are virtually limitless and the impact of the decisions you make relative to those choices can go a long way toward the quality of life you enjoy.  You are not confined to the life of a salmon or a sea turtle.  You have the power to choose how you will spend your time and what you will allow to occupy your thoughts.  The key is to find the balance that works for you.
 
As always, it is up to you to determine just where that balance lies for you, but I will share a few suggestions that may help you in this process.
 
Start by making a list of the things that cause you stress on a regular basis.  You will most likely find the source of the majority, if not all, of your swims upstream.  Once your list is complete, you will be in position to look at each item in a more detailed way and begin to come up with a plan that will surely alleviate some of the stress you are experiencing.
 
If your commute is a source of stress, perhaps a new route to work is in order.  Maybe a slight adjustment to your departure time going to or coming from work will make a difference.  The objective here is to identify the source and then to make sure that you are not simply experiencing stress for no reason other than you have followed the same routine and haven’t taken the time to re-evaluate the situation.
 
You may determine that you are putting forth too much effort in your job for the reward you are receiving.  Perhaps a change in your approach is warranted.  Maybe a person who you respect will be willing to talk about your situation and offer helpful advice.  Is a career change a viable option?
 
Is your family life in order?  Are you able to have fun with and derive strength from your family or do you feel that you are bogged down in the demands of everyday life and unable to find the moments of relaxation and joy that you need?
 
Once you have completed the negative, stress inducing list, turn your efforts to the positive side of things and make a list of the times and situations during which you feel fulfilled and happy and repeat the same exercise.  Once the list is complete, look at each item and try to clearly and precisely identify what it is about each circumstance that creates these positives.  When you have identified those things, you can set about to increase the number of times you experience them in your routine.
 
Perhaps you will find that the best part of your work day involves working with and training others, which will help you to more frequently identify additional opportunities to do more of that.
 
Maybe you will find that if you set aside one night a week as a game night with your family, you will ensure that more of your time is spent in a leisurely, happy fashion.
 
It might even be as simple as spending more time thinking about things that make you feel good, which will leave less time for your mind to wander toward the topics that don’t.
 
Engaging in this process should help you to find your own life’s balance so that you can zero in on the moments that you deliberately want to swim upstream and maximize the time that you spend cruising with the current.
 
In doing so, you will likely find that when you do have to count on your inner salmon, you will be even more determined and effective because you will have more energy and will than you would have when you were wasting those precious reserves on causes and events that weren’t worth it.
 
The opposite is also true.  More deliberate and purposeful salmon time means that the sea turtle in you will have more time to spend frolicking in your happy place and your time spent there will be even more gratifying and rewarding.
 
Well, I’ve got to go.  For some reason, I suddenly feel like swimming.  I think a relaxing snorkel is in order!
 
 This article is part of Scott Arney's educational series, entitled The Serial Decision Maker.

An Effective Complaint
 
No one wants to be labeled as a complainer.  In fact, making a complaint often involves conjuring up negative energy that leads to a highly variable, generally unsatisfying result.  So, you decide that you shouldn’t bother and you move on…or do you?
 
Do you really just forget about the event or interaction that upset you?  Do you simply stop thinking about it and fully devote your thoughts to other matters?  What is much more likely is that you just end up complaining to other people instead.  You tell your friends, family, and anyone who will listen to you.   You choose to complain to people who can do nothing about what happened instead of communicating your concerns directly to the party who created this negative experience.
 
Whether you consciously do so or not, you take an already imperfect process and create an even smaller chance for a successful resolution and you still end up being labeled a complainer, but worse, by the people who are closest to you.
 
Living a life that never causes disappointment, concern, or frustration is not realistic so the only choice you really have is to become more effective in the way in which you state and channel your complaints.  In other words, when you have to complain, let’s make sure that it is worth your while and that you are able to turn what has been a negative into a positive.
 
Let’s take a common complaint.  You are unhappy with the service that you are receiving from the big bank where you have done your banking for years.  You have received your statement and discovered yet another unexplained fee and you have had enough.  Working for a credit union, I know nothing about these experiences, but I am told that these big banks can be quite frustrating to deal with!
 
What can you do to make sure that your voice is heard and that you achieve your desired result?
 
The first step that you need to take is also the hardest step.  Take the emotion out of the equation.  No matter how upset you are, there is no benefit for you to gain by expressing that emotion to the person on the other end of the phone.  However important the matter is to you, an employee of that bank is going to need an opportunity to understand the situation before they are in a position to possibly help you.  Take a deep breath, do some jumping jacks or whatever is necessary for you to gain and maintain your composure so that you can accurately and clearly articulate your issue.
 
Next, give some thought to what you would like to see happen once you have made the offending party aware of this matter.  It is too easy to start complaining without giving thought to why you are complaining in the first place.  Using our example, do you simply want the fee explained or will anything short of a full scale reversal be unsatisfactory?  Will there be anything that an employee of the bank can do to satisfactorily resolve the matter or will you be closing your account regardless of what he or she can do?  The bottom line here is to not start the story without knowing how you would like it to end.
 
Then, consider any and all of the circumstances and contributing factors.  What correspondence might you have missed?  Is there a common thread with this fee and others that you have received in the past?  What options, if any, do you have to directly communicate with the area or department of the bank that has issued the fee?  This part of the process will help you to see and consider all of the details and data that are pertinent to the matter before you allow yourself to jump to any conclusions.  Gather as much information as you can before you put your complaint in motion.  Having full command of the details will also help you to establish credibility with the person(s) to whom you are issuing the complaint.
 
Now, take the time to properly align the scope and type of your complaint with the cause of that complaint.  In most cases, our example likely being one of them, a phone call is a good place to start.  Nothing replaces direct interaction and nothing is more direct than person to person contact.  In- person communication is the most effective form, but often times this type of contact is not possible, especially in our world of virtual interaction and on-line discussion.  When you have determined how you will establish contact, don’t bring the proverbial sledge hammer to kill an ant.  Over-reactions and exaggerations kill your credibility.
 
When you decide how you will issue your complaint and the extent to which you are willing to go, be sure to choose terms that are most likely to give you an advantage.  Try not to call the bank during their busiest hours.  Try to reach someone who will be in a position to help instead of telling the full story to the first person to whom you speak.  Make the call during a time when you are least likely to be interrupted on your end and make the call from a quiet place where you can concentrate and calmly state the facts.
 
Lastly, know when you have taken your complaint as far as it can go and don’t overplay your position.  If you fall short of your desired result, do not make threats or say anything that you are not fully committed to doing.  If your response is to close your account, close your account.  If you think that you will get further with a supervisor or a manager, then ask to speak to that person, but be prepared to be patient in re-telling your story.  If you are going to ask for a person’s help, be sure to give them a chance to help.
 
Once you have taken all of these steps to the best of your ability, the complaint process is over.  You have done what you could do to issue an effective complaint.  You may achieve what you were looking for, you may fall short, but you will have done all that you can do.  Go forward with that satisfaction and remember that you always have choices. 
 
So, to recap, an effective complaint is comprised of the following steps:

1. Neutralize your emotion
2. Determine your objective
3. Review and consider all of the facts
4. Align your actions with the cause
5. Set the terms to your advantage
6. Know when it’s over

 
Even though you did not choose to receive poor service and you would rather not have to issue a complaint, you do have the power to decide how you are going to handle the situation.  If you choose to let it go without complaining about it, so be it.  If, however, you need to register a complaint for your own peace of mind, deciding to follow these steps will help to put you in a position to reach a satisfactory conclusion and to make your complaint worthwhile.
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This article is part of Scott Arney's educational series, entitled The Serial Decision Maker.

Keeping Score
If your life isn’t about the pursuit of excellence in every way, shape, or form then what it is about?  If you are not out there every day attempting to be a better person, a better neighbor, a better employee, spouse, or parent and keeping score of how well you are doing, then what are you doing?

I do not have a soccer background.  I did not play soccer as a kid and, while I appreciate the sport, I did not have a burning desire to coach a soccer team until my daughter asked me to coach her team last season.  I agreed to coach, mostly because she has some type of mystic power over me that I can’t quite explain, but also because I thought it might be fun to work with kids that were 4 and 5 years old. All of them were participating in their very first organized competition and playing on their first team.  

I learned many things from the experience, starting with the fact that I needed to quickly adjust my expectations.  I went from giving motivational speeches to just hoping that my team would pay attention long enough to stop picking up sticks and pulling grass while the game was being played.

There were no scoreboards, but I witnessed first hand what I had long suspected.  We are born with an innate sense of competition.  Despite the fact that the score was never advertised or discussed during the game, these 4 and 5-year-old kids knew who was winning and who was losing.  This experience confirmed that before we are old enough to fully reason things out or to think logically, we know the importance of keeping score.  

My team lost more often than we won, but when we did win a game, the kids felt great.  They congratulated each other and the other team on a good game and they talked about how many goals they scored and they talked about looking forward to the next game.  They earned the satisfaction of knowing that their efforts had paid off and they experienced the reward of teamwork.

When they lost a game, they still congratulated the other team, but they didn’t feel all that great.  Sometimes they talked about the mistakes they made and sometimes they moped for a while.  They knew they didn’t like that feeling and many of them went home thinking about what they were going to do to make sure that they did not lose again.

Even though my focus was on teaching fundamentals and promoting good sportsmanship, I never discouraged the kids from keeping score because they were learning valuable lessons whether they won or lost.  They participated in a competition individually and as a team and found out for themselves what it was like to achieve success and what it felt like when they fell short.  Unfortunately, these are lessons they would not learn if a growing trend on the part of our society to not keep score continues to gain momentum.

If you are a parent of a child who has recently participated in any type of sport, you have probably already seen this trend in action.  You have likely heard phrases like “everyone is a winner” or “there were no losers today.” In these cases, great efforts and hard work tend to be diluted and those who are not dedicated and actively engaged are encouraged because they will receive the same reward as everyone else after the game or at the end of the season.

What does this teach our children and what type of false mentality are we passively or actively creating with these examples?  Whatever the answer, it is not consistent with real life.

Winning and losing are part of life and keeping score is the main measurement of how well we are doing or not doing in the pursuit of winning.  Winning is not an entitlement and the joy of winning cannot be created by a false or meaningless declaration.

If your life isn’t about the pursuit of excellence in every way, shape, or form then what it is about?  If you are not out there every day attempting to be a better person, a better neighbor, a better employee, spouse, or parent and keeping score of how well you are doing, then what are you doing?

Keeping score can apply to a competition with others, but it should most often apply to your own personal competition to be the best that you can be.  Whether you choose to keep score or not, be advised that the world around you will keep score for you.

If you don’t apply yourself at work and make it a point to accomplish goals, you will ultimately lose your job.  If you don’t keep track of your finances in a responsible manner, you will lose your credit rating and eventually your access to credit and if you don’t set out to win the heart of your spouse everyday…well, you get the picture.

Vince Lombardi, often thought of as an expert on winning, is credited with saying “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence” and that “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.”

He was absolutely right.  He also probably knew that the more vested you are in something, the more likely you will be to work to protect it and nurture it.  Only then, will you appreciate the true value of your efforts and you can only appreciate the true value of your efforts when you appreciate the difference between winning and losing.

For the kids on the soccer team who are just beginning their life learning curve, they will go forward a little wiser and a little better equipped for their future.  They have many wins to look forward to and many scores to keep.

The poor coach, on the other hand, is having a much harder time.  He knows full well how hard it is to win in life and all he can do is think about how he can improve his coaching skills and lead next year’s team to a championship, but that’s a story for another time.
​
This article is part of Scott Arney's educational series, entitled The Serial Decision Maker.

Direction versus Destination
Your direction is more important than your destination 

Knowing which way you are headed is far more important than knowing where you will end up and the journey is often more valuable than the destination to which it leads.
 
How many times have you heard someone say some variation of the following, “I just don’t know what I should do for a career, or what I should choose for a major, or what my next move should be?”
 
That statement almost always leads to inactivity or, at a minimum; it creates a reason for that person to not actively work towards a defined goal or objective.  “How can I work toward something if I don’t even know what that something is?”
 
The answer is to not place so much emphasis on the end result.  It is always important to set goals and then to work hard to achieve them, but the absence of a specifically defined end result should not absolve you from taking any action at all.
 
There are many factors that can line up against you when you are contemplating the many things in your life that require a long term plan.  Sometimes it is the number of variables that may or may not occur. Sometimes it is the length of time involved before you would reach a longer term goal.  Whatever your factors are, it can be a daunting task to go through the process of trying to connect all of the dots that represent the checkpoints of your life.
 
Even if you find long range planning and goal setting to be a challenge, daily forward progress must still be an essential aspect of your routine and you can achieve it without necessarily knowing exactly where it leads you.  As an example, you can learn more about your current job and become more knowledgeable in that role without knowing if it is the job that you would like to have for the rest of your working career.
 
Eating right and exercising regularly will always be a step in the right direction even if you do not have a specific weight loss or training related goal.  Donating your time or money to a worthwhile charity is a great gesture even if you do not ultimately stay involved with that charity.
 
If you are actively engaged in moving forward, you will find that you create more opportunities for growth and personal expansion even if you haven’t determined your ultimate destination or a more specific purpose. 
 
Conversely, allowing yourself to stagnate in your job because you haven’t decided if you are going to make a career out of it is a disservice to your company as well as yourself. When you don’t move forward, the organization you work for will also suffer from your inactivity.
 
Setting a direction is also easier than determining a destination.  In many ways, direction and destination also represent the difference between the short term and the long term.  For most of us, the short term is much easier to see and define. As an example, I may not know where I would like to be in five years, but I know that I need to get that report done today. 
 
Short term progress is often times easier to measure and see than long term progress. One huge exception to this is parenting. Short term progress is often impossible to see when you are raising your children, and many times, you may have to wait until your children are young adults before you can clearly see that your work has paid off.
 
Even in that example, however, the parents have made good parenting a matter of personal importance and they are committed to that direction well before they know how well their decisions and parenting style will play out.
 
This is also an example of the value of the journey.  If, as a parent, you only ever think about and focus on the day your child leaves for college, you are going to miss an awful lot of memories along the way. While the end result represents what you mutually work toward, the milestones and achievements you reach along the way create a lifetime of memories.  The joy of that time together and the experiences that you enjoy with your children along the way are what form the bond and the basis for your relationship going forward.
 
Getting that promotion at work is great, but it is the work that you do along the way that really helps you to advance as a person and round you out as an employee.
 
Life is full of uncertainty and it is easy to convince yourself that many things are beyond your influence or control.  When you set a forward direction, however, you gain the kind of peace of mind that is only known to those who are following their own plan.  When you take the added step of tracking results and paying attention to your own personal journey, you virtually assure yourself of gaining value and insight that would not be possible to understand were you to only focus on your destination. 
 
When you prioritize your direction, you will create an opportunity to be more aware of the power of your own decision making and the results that you can achieve as a direct result of those decisions.
 
Just remember that you can take a step in the right direction without exactly knowing where you are headed, but it is nearly impossible to achieve a desired result without having any idea of the steps that you took to get there.
 
This article is part of Scott Arney's educational series, entitled The Serial Decision Maker.

Time for the Tough to Get Going
When times are tough, only those with a measurable goal and legitimate plan will succeed.

You have undoubtedly heard some variation of the following… “The time to make your mark is during times of adversity,” or “When times get tough, the tough get going.”
 
There are a whole lot of people and businesses that have had a “tough time” dealing with economic turmoil in recent years.  Lately, however, the news has been more positive than negative as the stock market has largely been on the upswing, housing values are starting to return, and unemployment has dipped.  Maybe the mostly positive news will continue for many years, but it is more than likely that the tough times will return at some point and, when they do, real opportunities will exist if you are paying attention.
 
Believe it or not, it is much easier to distinguish yourself and establish your own path to success when things aren’t going so well.  Your goal is to be tough no matter what the economy is doing or how the times are defined.
 
When times are good, it seems like everyone is an expert stock picker or a real estate baron.  Positive results can sometimes cause people to ask fewer questions and not pay as much attention to the fundamentals of sound financial management and when those results are a product of luck versus skill, fortunes will fall much faster and further than they rose.
 
When times are tough, only those with a measurable goal and legitimate plan will succeed.
 
You undoubtedly have a financial goal that you have yet to achieve; maybe you want to pay for your children’s education or purchase that dream house that has always been out of reach.  You may even want to find a way to not be so dependent on the next paycheck or simply to do more with what you are already making.
 
If any of these goals apply to you, now is the time to act and there are three key steps that should be part of your action plan.

Pay Down Debt

This is the most important step and the one that is most often overlooked.  Your debt is often the last thing you are thinking about when money is rolling in and your financial future looks bright.  During those times, you can easily fool yourself into thinking that there will always be enough time and enough income to pay down whatever debt you are accumulating.  What you may fail to account for, however, is that debt doesn’t go away or reduce when the tough times inevitably roll in.  A simple exercise helps put this reality in perspective.  Take out a sheet of paper and list your assets (house, savings, investments, etc.) on the left side of it.  List all of your debts (mortgage, loans, other monthly bills) on the right side.  Now, pretend that a recession has hit and fold your sheet of paper down the middle of the page vertically and hold the paper so that only the right side is facing you.  What you see is what will remain for you to manage when the tough times hit.  Are you prepared?  Will you be one of those people that are able to “get going” and succeed despite the state of the economy?
 
One sure way to set yourself on that path is to make sure that your debt is manageable under any circumstances.  What is manageable to you is going to be different than what is manageable for your neighbor or your co-worker, but roughly speaking, you should never commit more than 50% of your gross income to debt.  There are absolutely going to be times when you will be justified in paying a little bit more for something than what you had planned, but it should never be a habit.  Stretching a little bit here and there is okay and probably even good for you.  Just as when you are about to exercise, a little stretching and loosening up can go a long way toward a great workout.  Over reaching to the point where you injure yourself will finish the workout before you ever get started and if you over stretch over a long period of time, you may never get to exercise again.
 
Also note that there is a clear distinction between paying debt down and paying it off.  While living debt free would be fantastic, it is also not that realistic for most of us.  So, if you have credit card debt, pay that down first.  Don’t worry about paying it off immediately.  The important step is the one you take in establishing your plan and working toward your goal.  Once your credit card debt is under control, make it a point to only incur costs that you can pay off each month.  If you have or are about to acquire a mortgage, leave enough room to make an extra payment every once in awhile.  If you need to get a car loan, first decide what your transportation requirement is and then stay as close to what you absolutely need as possible. 
 
Shop for the Best Bargains and BUY

Think about how it would feel if you walked into your favorite department store and everything you ever wanted to buy was on sale at deep discounts.  During difficult times, that is exactly the way it looks for virtually any investment out there.  During more stable economic times, those bargains will be harder to find, but they are still out there.  Do your homework, identify your goal, and be patient enough to wait for the investment choice that best suits you.
 
If you have thought about starting a college fund or there is a stock or a mutual fund that you want to put a few dollars toward, now may very well be a great time to take the plunge.  Whether you purchase a stock, mutual fund shares, or a 529 for higher education, you may be able to purchase substantially more during tough economic times than you may be able to when times are considered more stable or positive.  The point is that the best time to get started is when you are ready to do so and there is always a worthwhile goal to achieve regardless of what is happening around you.  If you take the time to make the decision that is right for you, you’ll be in a better position to reap the benefits and gains of that decision in the future.
 
The same logic applies to your participation in a 401k or deferred compensation program through your employer.    If you are not in one of these programs and one is available to you, get in right away.  If you are already a participant in one of these programs, consider increasing your contributions to take advantage of any opportunities that may be right for you in the pursuit of your goals.
 
Every single one of these opportunities will also help you to build wealth so you have the chance to experience the dual thrill of possibly finding a bargain and taking a meaningful step toward greater financial success.

Diversify and Balance

​These principles are important at all times and especially so during tough times.  If you have or are going to incur debt, don’t borrow it all in one place.  If you are getting a mortgage, remember that you will need something left over to furnish your new house and pay your real estate taxes and utilities.  If you are going to buy a new car, remember that it will also cost money to put gas in it and insure it.  If you are going to run up your credit card bill, remember that you also need to pay for your mortgage and your auto loan.
 
At the same time, don’t spend all of your investable money on one stock or one mutual fund.  Do your research and determine what combination of options will best suit you and help you to meet your financial goals. 
 
When you diversify your choices and you balance the manner in which you handle your financial needs, you build a healthy foundation for meeting your goals and you protect yourself from bearing the full negative impact of a recession or economic downturn.
 
Once you are taking these steps and following your plan, make it a point to continue to monitor your progress.  If you are happy with your direction and the decisions that you have made, it will still be helpful for you to keep track of what is going on and perhaps to double check or verify the results that you are seeing.
 
If you don’t like what you are seeing, take a little time to understand what is causing your results to diverge from your expectations and then take action to correct what it.  Whether you are looking at your finances, thinking about your career, or summing up your life’s experiences, it is vitally important for you to remember that you have the power to enact changes that will have a direct and positive impact on the trajectory of any and all of those things.
 
You will always wield power when you make a plan and act on that plan.  You will, however, be powerless over your finances, your career, and your life, if choose inertia or you decide not to decide.
 
The decisions you make regarding your personal finances can and will have a huge impact on many other aspects of your life.  It is vitally important that you spend the time that is proportionate to the value you hope to derive in order to make the best financial decisions possible for you and your family.
 
Given the consequences of the actions you decide to take regarding your personal finances, you may find it helpful to work with someone who is trustworthy and knowledgeable in these areas.  A trusted advisor and confidant will alleviate some of the uncertainty you may feel as you attempt to take advantage of the opportunities available to you and allow you to concentrate on asking the right questions and maintaining your self-discipline.  Just remember that being financially tough and “getting going” is as simple as paying down debt, investing, and balancing your choices.
 
If you decide to take those steps, you will be financially tough and ready for whatever circumstances come your way.
 
This article is part of Scott Arney's educational series, entitled The Serial Decision Maker.