Chad’s Blog
Pragmatic Technologies for Life and Business Success®
Have you ever wondered what single piece of advice could transform your business and life? I did too. So, I delved deep into the minds of seven of history’s extraordinary thinkers. What would these brilliant minds advise you to do? The insights I unearthed are not just transformative; they’re game-changers.
Steve Jobs: “Start with the customer experience and work backwards.”
Takeaway: Don’t get lost in your product, service, or technology. Zero in on what your customers actually want and need. Then, develop offerings so compelling they become irresistible.
Archimedes: “Give me a place to stand and I will move the world.”
Takeaway: Recognize your unique strengths and competitive advantages. Leverage these to accomplish things you never thought possible. Find your “place to stand” and watch as you shift paradigms and profoundly impact others.
Isaac Newton: “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
Takeaway: Don’t start from scratch. Build on the wisdom of those who came before you. Use their insights as a springboard for your own growth.
Albert Einstein: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”
Takeaway: If you’re stuck in a rut, doing the same old thing won’t get you out. Be bold, innovate, and don’t be afraid to change course when things aren’t working.
Winston Churchill: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”
Takeaway: Challenges are a given; it’s your response that defines you. Even when you hit a wall, never lose your hope. Keep going.
Leonardo da Vinci: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
Takeaway: We often get lost in complexity, thinking it makes us look smarter or more advanced. In truth, simplicity has its own form of genius. Streamline your work and see how it transforms outcomes.
Mark Twain: “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
Takeaway: All the planning in the world won’t help if you don’t take that first step. Action trumps inaction, every single time.
A Nugget from Me:
Chad Barr: “Begin each day by realizing that you’ve been given the opportunity to improve on the days that have passed and make this new day an incredible one. Call it your daily 2nd chance.”
Takeaway: Every day is a new opportunity, a second chance to better yourself and your business. Don’t dwell on past mistakes or missed chances; focus on seizing today’s possibilities to make something remarkable happen.
And there you have it. A wealth of wisdom from some of the brightest minds, plus a little piece from me. So, what’s the one piece of advice that you would give? It’s a question worth pondering.
I’m all ears—let’s hear it.
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Most of the significant advances I have made in a professional services business over more than 40 years flow from one basic concept. Most professionals end up billing on the order of 60% to 70% of their time (unless you are in a sweat shop). To me, all time is equally valuable. When we bill, we generate revenue. When we are not billing, we do not generate revenue directly. A major differentiator among consultants of many stripes is the effectiveness of their use of non-billable time. My advice to young professionals for years has been:
Chris Mercer: “Always have at least one or two projects in process (writing, speaking, or other development) so that when billable activity slows, you can ‘fall back’ immediately to the highest priority/value project to move it along until billable activity resumes.
Takeaway: Fall-back activities have enabled me to create eight books, chapters in other books, hundreds of articles and speeches, and hundreds more blog posts over the years. While I was not paid directly for this time, those efforts have generated many millions of dollars of revenue for Mercer Capital. Develop a “fall back” mentality and execute on it.
Those activities create our future selves. By focusing on those priorities in the present it makes for a better future. Not trying to be biblical but that wisdom holds as well. “You reap what you sow.” Congrats on a great career and I suspect you may have more things to offer the world!