"A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go but ought to be."
--- Rosalynn Carter
We've always advocated the importance of goal-setting for your business as well as for your personal life. Recently, it was discovered that we've met (sometimes exceeded!) some of our goals. While this should be an exciting time worth celebrating, it brought about a sense of emptiness until we set more, even loftier goals. In the interim, there was this dry spell that is not easy to describe. It was as if we were coasting, sitting on our laurels without the spark or "umpf" we previously experienced.
"We started Yahoo in about April 1994. It started out as a way for us to keep track of things that we were interested in."
--- David Filo
In his book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John Maxwell discussed the difference between being goal-conscious and growth-conscious. "I have discovered," writes Maxwell, "that goal-conscious people plateau more often and for longer stretches than people who are growth-conscious. I'm certainly not saying, "don't have goals." I have goals, you have goals, and there's nothing wrong with goals. But I am saying that there is something more important than setting goals.
Maxwell's advice is that if you're goal-conscious, then you focus on a destination-a sales target, a prestigious position, or a certain level of income. Whereas goal-conscious people lock onto a destination, growth-conscious people focus on the journey. They see the big picture, and they understand that success comes through a process.
"The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority."
--- Ken Blanchard
When you're goal conscious, you motivate people. You put a target in front of your team and drive them to achieve it. If you're growth-conscious, then you're more concerned about maturing your people. Outcomes, while important, cease to be the sole determinant of success to a growth-conscious leader. He or she is more concerned with improvement, progress, and learning the right lessons.
"You will either step forward into growth or you will step back into safety."
--- Abraham Maslow
If you're goal-conscious then your measures of success are seasonal --- you have a time period during which you're focused on reaching the next level. If you fail, it's easy to get discouraged and to derail temporarily as a result of the setback. If you succeed, it's tempting to coast on your recent accomplishment.
Growth-conscious people are lifelong learners. Win or lose, rain or shine, growth-conscious leaders press on toward their potential all of the time-not just in spurts.
"There is no discussion inside this boardroom to say we've got to get into this or that. We look at every growth opportunity on its merits."
--- James Packer
Strive this month to trade a goals-oriented mindset for a growth-conscious way of thinking. Goal-conscious people get wrapped up in a destination, and consequently they are in danger of reaching a plateau in their personal development. Hitting goals, like we did, causes them to coast, while missing targets causes them to mope. In contrast, growth-conscious individuals put goals into proper perspective. The path they're traveling matters more to them than the place where they're going.
Going Lean With Your Sign Company
By Joe Lupone
Now more than ever, the sign industry needs to make the most of their resources and refine processes to utilize the utmost in efficiency throughout their company. Read how one company has done just that.
Read the article...
World Tour of Electronic Digital Building Wraps
By Louis M. Brill
Media facades, which are one of the newest territories of electronic signage, have blossomed in a number of directions with great promise to LED sign manufacturers, sign integrators, architects, media planners and urban developers who all see this super-sized signage as an urban landscape enhancement.
Read the article...
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As seen on a hotel balcony in Daytona Beach:
"Caution: Please be aware that the balcony is not on ground level"
Billboard near a pasture in Oklahoma:
"Please Neuter Your Pets… And Weird Friends and Relatives"
On a door to a warehouse in Macon, GA:
'This door is not to be used for entering or exiting the building"
We know those funny signs are out there. Take a moment and send them in to us and we'll share them with the world. Send all hysterical observations to: info@signindustry.com.
