Where Do You Live On The TQ Success Grid?
Color Commentary for Tuesday, April 17, 2007
By E. R. Haas
"High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation." ~ Jack Kinder ~
Have you ever wondered what the most successful people in the world—men and women alike... in every walk of life—ALL have in common?
People like Bill Gates, Tiger Woods, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett, Larry Ellison, Richard Branson, John Elway, eBay's Meg Whitman, Rev. Robert Schuller, Kathy Ireland, Paul McCartney, Jack Welch, Bono, Sam Walton, Scott Cook, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Martha Stewart, Colin Powell, Rick Warren & Joel Osteen, Condoleezza Rice, Michael Jordan, Nancy Pelosi, Richard Petty, Will Smith, Senators Elizabeth Dole & Barbra Boxer, Tom Clancey & Stephen King, Google founders Larry Page & Sergey Brin... and any self-made man or woman on the Forbes 400?
How did they achieve such spectacular success? Each transformed his or her VISION into outstanding Results over Time... with High TQ Performance.
You can too!
Simply print this article, determine which box on the grid you currently live in, and take action to move your performance up to Stage-4.
If you have ANY of the Stage-1 Symptoms below, we have great news for you. There is a cure!
You don't have to suffer with the heart-break of failed hopes and dreams one second longer. You CAN become the best YOU possible... in 4 easy steps!
Do You Suffer From The "Awareness Deficit" Disorder?
To get your juices flowing, think about these issues for a moment...
- Are you at the pinnacle of success, but wonder if there is even more you can accomplish?
- Are you struggling just to make it from payday to payday, and wonder WHY you can't seem to get ahead?
- Are you truly LIVING your dreams... a life of passion and purpose... clearly on a Mission?
- Have you LOST your belief in your dreams... and stopped dreaming altogether?
- Have your dreams and goals slowly DIED on the vine... and you have lost all HOPE for achieving your most heart-felt aspirations?
- Has your self-confidence and self-esteem been limiting your TRUE potential?
- Do you feel you can do great things, but have no clue HOW?
If you want to take your success up to the next level, and have something of a "THICK SKIN", you will gain some amazing insights into the process of success... right here... right now. I will answer one of the biggest questions of all time...
What's holding you back from true and lasting success?
Please permit me to get straight to the point, and ask a really tough question, "Are you Unconsciously Incompetent?" How would you know?
(This is where that THICK SKIN comes in handy!)
"Are you Unconsciously Incompetent?" A pretty direct question, isn't it?!
It probably makes you a little uncomfortable just to read it, doesn't it?
But this is a hugely important and insightful question. Since you can't know what you don't know, you could have major performance issues... and not even realize it. Worse, those issues could be torpedoing any chance of long-term success, and you wouldn't have a clue that anything is wrong!
Each week we get 25-30 emails asking how the TQ process WORKS... where to START... what the training progression is that helps people immediately produce greater Results in less Time.
The process is VERY simple.
Move From Stage-1 Symptoms to Stage-4 Success. Fast!
There is a "secret" to success—however you define it: Wealth... Power... or Happiness. The key is High TQ Performance.
We don't expect you to believe us. We can PROVE it!
After ten years of dedicated research—not to mention millions of dollars in building the first truly systematic approach to improving personal performance—we have the data, facts and knowledge-base to back up our assertions.
If you want to achieve success beyond your wildest aspirations... live a life of passion and purpose... live your BEST life NOW... achieve all your dreams and goals—however grand they may be—you CAN. Simply Perform on Purpose... by moving up from Stage-1 Symptomatic Performance to Stage-4 High TQ Performance.
As part of the syllabus for our new TQ Coaching program, we organized the initial performance conversations around the age-old competency grid... a grid that clearly shows the progression from "Not Knowing -- Not Aware" cluelessly blundering through life... to "Intuitive and Instinctive" where every action you take moves you effortlessly towards success!
Because TQ Training focuses on moving people from Stage-1 Symptoms to Stage-4 Success in the shortest time possible, I thought it would be helpful for our entire TQ audience to better understand how this simple progression works.
Let's Focus on Failure First...
Sometimes we can learn something useful by watching the people who continuously fail to meet their expectations. We believe that there is a simple cause: They are Unconsciously Incompetent!
(But we mean this in a "nice" way.)
They live and work in Stage-1 Unconscious Incompetence rather than Stage-4 where their every action is intuitive and instinctive... just like Tiger Woods hitting a long drive... or Michael Jordan slam-dunking the ball.
People who live in the Stage-1 Performance box simply have no idea what's holding them back—thus, they continue to take the same old actions, hoping and praying for different results. Insane? Absolutely!
Let's quickly run through each Stage on the grid, and look at the process of becoming TQ Smart. If you have not yet completed your full TQ Test yet, you may want to get with the program!
Stage-1: Unconscious Incompetence. You may or may not know something is wrong. You may not even be AWARE that you have a problem... let alone serious issues with your performance.
It seems like dark forces are holding you back from all that you are meant to be. You work hard, but have the feeling that there's an easier way... a smarter way... but you just don't know what it is.
So, you struggle. Needlessly.
Going through the same motions, day after day, you hope and pray that someone will step in to help you. You know that something is not quite right, but fail to see the warning signs that read "Danger Looming Ahead!"
Thus, you wait for Divine intervention and inspiration... never really recognizing that it is "Divine Perspiration" that you need.
Of course you are willing to do the work... but have no clue what you need to do differently to break free of the self-imposed bondage you have put yourself -- and your family -- in. So you wish and wait... burning up precious time in the endless cycle that we call "getting ready to get ready."
Over the years, we have heard from thousands of clients who, due to various life circumstances, found themselves in Stage 1... and moved themselves to Stage 4... fast. Nobody wants to spend any time in Stage 1. Unfortunately, to some degree, we all do.
The key is to recognize the SYMPTOMS, and quickly get the CURE!
Check issues you strongly relate to:
| [ ] No money... limited savings... lack of financial freedom... | [ ] You are deep in debt... leveraged to the hilt... always just one step ahead of financial disaster... |
| [ ] No time for you... no time for others... you're totally burned out... | [ ] You are driven by fear... you're constantly worried... stressed to the max... |
| [ ] You lack focus on top priorities... you are consumed by urgencies... | [ ] Your relationships are a mess... worse, you're not even aware of it... |
| [ ] You work your butt off, with limited, or no job growth and career progress... | [ ] Working paycheck to paycheck... limited potential for advancement... |
| [ ] You are no closer to the success you desire than you were 10 years ago... | [ ] You feel stuck... you're damned if you do and damned if you don't... |
| [ ] You know there are greater things in you...but you can't get the ball rolling... | [ ] You seem like a success, you have it all... but inside you feel you're living a lie... |
| [ ] You waste hours watching TV, or playing video games... but you just can't find the motivation to do something about it... | [ ] You used to take chances, but you got knocked on your butt... so now you play it safe... and as a result you're going nowhere and hate it... |
| [ ] You're talented and bright... but you have no direction or no clue how to make it happen... | [ ] Other people have all the luck... and you have all the other stuff...you just can't get it together... |
| [ ] You're in sales and you love what you sell...but then you're gripped by complete call reluctance... | [ ] You're positive, outgoing and happy most of the time... but when given an important project... you fall apart, feel overwhelmed and lost... |
| [ ] You really are successful... running a successful growing business... but in the social world you're the one with no map and no compass... | [ ] You've got great people skills... but, dang, you have no discipline to follow through and get anything done... |
| [ ] Everyone counts on you... in fact, at times it feels like everyone "feeds" on you... but you just can't tell anyone "No"... | [ ] Your job is stupid and a waste... others have changed their careers mid-life... but that could never work out for you... |
| [ ] It not that you don't have things to do... you just don't know where to begin... | [ ] Everyday seems like it should be a bright new start... but each day quickly disintegrates... into the same old boring, recycled, rerun as every other day... |
| [ ] You've got dreams, great dreams... but just thinking about where to start becomes an exercise of leaping into "the impossible"... | [ ] You've gotten plenty of "breaks"... but things never seem to work out... and it has gotten really old... |
| [ ] Oh, yeah, you're always there for others... but that leaves you no time for you... so, of course you're out of shape and overweight... | [ ] You demand a lot of yourself and others... but you don't have many friends and there are times you don't care for your own company either... |
| [ ] You never knew a credit card you didn't like... and a sale that didn't ignite your imagination and stir your blood... but now a black hole of debt has become your constant companion... | [ ] If someone tells you what to do... you can do it and do it great... you just can't seem to come up with your own exciting goals... |
| [ ] Your kids have grown up and left home... you'd love to go back to school and complete your degree... but who are you kidding... | [ ] To you time management is an abstract ideal... to do anything on time... come on, miracles died with Moses... |
| [ ] You're a very agreeable person... you just have no idea who you are or where you are going... but you are very nice... | [ ] You've got a lot to do and not a lot of time... co-workers seem to avoid you... which makes you all the more frustrated and angry... |
| [ ] You know blaming others is immature... but it's true... your life would be so much better if it weren't for other people... | [ ] It seems like you are always busy... but you wonder if you're getting anything done... then you look at your desk and you know... not so much... |
| [ ] You know people who set goals and achieve amazing things... but how do you really set goals... | [ ] Some people just seem to be happy... how can they always have a great attitude... |
| [ ] You'd like to make a difference in life... but who has the time or the energy... | [ ] You know you are becoming old and cynical... not old and successful. |
Do You Have Other Stage-1 Symptoms? __________________________________________________
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Important Idea For Action...
If you have ANY of the above symptoms, take a moment to think about what Stage-1 Performance is COSTING you. Think about where you are now, and where you hoped you would be by now.
There is always a cost... loss of valuable TIME... Money... Career opportunities... Business opportunities... Relationship issues. What would your life look like without these symptoms of Low TQ Performance? The difference between your life now, and your life then, is what we are talking about.
If you have more than 1 or 2 Stage-1 Symptoms, then you need to take ACTION today to get out of that box. TODAY.
Life is sweet at Stages-3 and 4!
This is where you want to spend the rest of your life.
Stage-2: Conscious Incompetence. By testing your TQ and reading your personal, custom-published copy of The Power of TQ and 10 Choices of Intentional Excellence, you SEE (in graphic detail) precisely what's holding you back from the success you desire.
At this stage, you can SEE exactly, step-by-step, what you need to do differently to produce far greater results... in far less time.
You become VERY AWARE of your strengths and weaknesses.
You now understand the importance of your Personal Color Chart. You are CONSCIOUSLY AWARE that all your symptoms are the logical extension of Stage-1 Performance issues, manifested in your life.
You are highly AWARE that these symptoms will persist until you DO something to make them GO AWAY.
You can SEE what you need to DO differently to become the success you desire.
At Stage-2 Performance, you still haven't DONE anything differently YET... but you feel better because you KNOW that these symptoms all have a common CAUSE.
The good news is that almost NOBODY stays at Stage-2 for long. The great news is that once you KNOW there is a CURE for Stage-1 Symptoms... almost NOBODY moves backward to oblivious cluelessness!
Because it is actually EASIER to move to Stage-3, than it is to live with the failed hopes, dreams and expectations found within Stage-1.
Stage-3: Conscious Competence. Now that you can actually SEE what's standing between you and your goals, it's easy to systematically take smarter actions.
Because you are now AWARE of your performance positives and negatives, you quickly amplify your strengths... and eliminate your weaknesses.
Put simply, you know what to do, and you do it!
This is the beauty of the complete TQ System... all the materials, all in one place to make this process seamless and intuitive!
You become a paragon of efficiency and effectiveness. Your TQ rises as you find new ways of working smarter, competing smarter and living smarter.
You are "working" your Personal Bookmark—daily.
Stage-3 Competence becomes a simple matter of doing your 4 R's with increasing frequency:
- You do the RIGHT Things—consistently...
- You do things the RIGHT Way—consistently...
- You do them at RIGHT Time—consistently...
- You do them for the RIGHT Reasons—consistently...
The beauty of the TQ System is that you know EXACTLY what to DO... step-by-step... because we start you at the right spot to begin with. Because your TQ materials are all configured for YOUR specific issues -- custom-published, on demand, as a result of your 100 question TQ Test, we can show you precisely what you are doing RIGHT... so you can do more of that... What you are doing WRONG... so you can do less of that... and specifically what you must do DIFFERENTLY to achieve better results—instantly!
Stage-4: Unconscious Competence. This is the fun part! You instinctively take smarter actions.
You intuitively make smarter choices.
Your performance is on cruise control, quickly moving you towards the success you desire.
Stage-4 performance is where you do the impossible... and make it look effortless!
At this stage, your self-confidence virtually explodes... your self-esteem is magnified a thousandfold. You are at the pinnacle of success, looking down from amazing heights... with no fear of falling... and no fear of failing!
You are living your Purpose, because you are Performing on Purpose.
You are a Purpose-driven Success.
This stage is what makes great athletes, top sales people and executives. It gives you the power to achieve all your dreams and goals.
Stage 4 performance gives you the power to ACHIEVE the success you truly desire—both personally and professionally.
Stage 4 Performance is High TQ Performance: High Expectations coupled with Brilliant Execution.
This is where all your hard work pays off.
High TQ Performance leads you directly to the results you want and the success you desire—personally and professionally.
If you are looking to improve your life a little, or a lot, Stage-4 is where you want to live. There is simply no point in putting up with a life of failed hopes, dreams and expectations when all you have to do is move from Stage-1 Symptoms to Stage-4 Success.
A Final Observation...
I raised this question above, but it is worth repeating. Have you ever wondered what the most successful people in the world—men and women alike... in every walk of life—ALL have in common?
People like Bill Gates, Tiger Woods, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett, Larry Ellison, Richard Branson, John Elway, eBay's Meg Whitman, Rev. Robert Schuller, Kathy Ireland, Paul McCartney, Jack Welch, Bono, Sam Walton, Scott Cook, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Martha Stewart, Colin Powell, Rick Warren & Joel Osteen, Condoleezza Rice, Michael Jordan, Nancy Pelosi, Richard Petty, Will Smith, Senators Elizabeth Dole & Barbra Boxer, Tom Clancey & Stephen King, Google founders Larry Page & Sergey Brin... and any self-made man or woman on the Forbes 400?
After millions of dollars, and 10 years of serious research, we can now answer this question once and for all—empirically and emphatically. They all live in Stage-4 Unconscious Competence. They all exhibit High TQ Performance.
We have the data to definitively prove it. The "secret" to success—whatever your calling in life, business, sports, sales, the arts or professions—is High TQ Performance: The power to produce exceptional Results over Time.
High Expectations ~ Brilliant Execution...
Put simply, the "secret" to success is only 4 words long: High Expectations ~ Brilliant Execution. This year, why not become successful on purpose? Get out of the heartbreak of Stage-1 performance and live in Stage-4.
If nothing else, it is easier to be a success rather than to put up with all those Stage-1 symptoms! After all, who WERE the most successful people on Earth BEFORE you ever heard of them?
That's right, people with a dream... just like YOU... but along the way they developed the POWER to meet or exceed growing Expectations.
You CAN too! Just move up to Stage-4 Unconscious Competence.
You can achieve results beyond expectations. You can become all that you are meant to be. You can live the life of your dreams... indeed, live your best life... starting right now—not sometime, someday, maybe.
Yes, the secret to success can be stated in just four words: Expect More ~ Execute Better. This, for all intents and purposes, is the mechanics behind the success you desire.
Want to be WEALTHY? Improve your TQ: Expect More ~ Execute Better.
Want to be POWERFUL? Improve your TQ: Expect More ~ Execute Better.
Want to be HAPPY? Improve your TQ: Expect More ~ Execute Better.
Want Greater Peace of Mind? Improve your TQ: Expect More ~ Execute Better.
Want More Fulfilling Relationships? Improve your TQ: Expect More ~ Execute Better.
Want Greater Job Satisfaction? Improve your TQ: Expect More ~ Execute Better.
Want to Be Your Own Boss? Improve your TQ: Expect More ~ Execute Better.
Want More Energy? Do this: Improve your TQ: Expect More ~ Execute Better.
Want Unstoppable Achievement? Improve your TQ: Expect More ~ Execute Better.
Want Greater Freedom? Improve your TQ: Expect More ~ Execute Better.
Want to Make a Bigger Difference? Improve your TQ: Expect More ~ Execute Better.
Want More Exciting Dreams? Improve your TQ: Expect More ~ Execute Better.
Want to Realize Your Dreams? Improve your TQ: Expect More ~ Execute Better.
Want Greater Self-Confidence in difficult situations? Improve your TQ: Expect More ~ Execute Better.
Want Freedom from Bad Habits? Improve your TQ: Expect More ~ Execute Better.
Want a Great Adventure? Improve your TQ: Expect More ~ Execute Better.
Want Freedom from Monotony? Improve your TQ: Expect More ~ Execute Better.
Want to Stop Worrying? Improve your TQ: Expect More ~ Execute Better.
Want to End Procrastination? Improve your TQ: Expect More ~ Execute Better.
Want Relief from Stress? Improve your TQ: Expect More ~ Execute Better.
Want a Reason to Get Up in the Morning? Improve your TQ: Expect More ~ Execute Better.
Want a Passion to Live? Improve your TQ: Expect More ~ Execute Better.
Want to Become Inspiring? Improve your TQ: Expect More ~ Execute Better.
Want to Become Amazing? Improve your TQ: Expect More ~ Execute Better.
Want to Stop Wishing and Waiting? Improve your TQ: Expect More ~ Execute Better.
Want to Make Every Day Your Best Day? Improve your TQ: Expect More ~ Execute Better.
How? Raise your Expectations. Perform so that you meet or exceed them.
It, in fact, is that simple.
E. R.
Member Comments...
Cut through the blur and the bull. The greatest advice I can give anyone -- my kids, grandkids, associates -- everyone I know -- is to stop confusing effort with results.
Effort wears you down and wears you out. Results pave the road to your dreams.
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Thank you for showing me all the things that I am in Stage-1 (almost all those symptoms above are mine), and opening my eyes to what I can become if I just take action! I am personally in Stage-2, working my way toward Stage-3, but I still would have been on Stage-1 if not for ThinkTQ. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
Thanks,
Joe Lembke
svs
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