So, I was blog surfing this morning and came across this post. I thought it was apt so have decided to repost here.
Those were the words of Italian Coast Guard Gregorio de Falco to Captain Francesco Schettino while he was abandoning his ship, leaving 4,200 people on board to perish (at least 12 died).
When you “mess up” and difficulty strikes, how do you handle it?
Do you take responsibility, do whatever it takes to make it right, step up and take action (like the Coast Guard)… or do you shirk responsibility, leave the scene of the disaster you created and start looking for someone else to blame (like the Captain)?
The translated exchange between the Captain and Coast Guard is transcribed below. In parenthesis are examples of excuses we might use in our daily lives for not taking responsibility for common failures.
(This isn’t what I envisioned for my life. But I don’t really want to change, please…)
Captain: Please …
Coast Guard: There is no ‘please’ about it. Get back on board.
(But I send out résumés, I leave messages for my prospects, I mail letters…)
Captain: I am here to coordinate the rescue.
Coast Guard (interrupting): What are you coordinating there! Get on board! Coordinate the rescue from on board!
(It’s not my job, the president is supposed to fix it, when Monday comes…)
Captain: (inaudible)… there is another lifeboat…
Coast Guard (interrupting, yelling): You get back on board! That is an order! There is nothing else for you to consider. Now I am giving the orders. Get back on board, dammit! Is that clear? Don’t you hear me?
Captain: I am going aboard.
(The market is down, no one is hiring, our industry is in a recession…)
Captain: Look, chief, I want to go aboard but the other lifeboat here has stopped and is drifting. I have called …
Coast Guard (interrupting): You have been telling me this for an hour! Now, go aboard! Get on board!
The Captain never returned to the ship. According to the harbor master’s office, which notes the final exchange as occurring at 1:46 a.m., Capt. Schettino sought refuge on a rock at 12:30 a.m. Witnesses said he did not return to the ship to run the rescue operations, which went on until 6 a.m.
Tweet from an Italian boy named Salvatore Garzillo: “The next time someone asks me what I want to be when I grow up I am going to say: ‘a man like De Falco.’”
I’ve fallen off my diet. Get back on board!
I haven’t made my prospecting calls. Get back on board!
I haven’t been tracking my new success behaviors. Get back on board!
I stopped using the Living Your Best Year Ever Weekly Rhythm Register. Get back on board!
I’ve missed our weekly date night. Get back on board!
I haven’t been praising my team like I said I would. Get back on board!
I skipped a couple of workouts. Get back on board!
I’m off track on my goals. Get back on board!
Whatever mistakes you have made, how ever you have messed up, no matter what disaster your results might be right now, have Coast Guard Gregorio de Falco’s voice ring in your head, “Get back on board, dammit!”
Where have you abandoned ship in your life or on your goals? Tell us how you are going to “get back on board” in the comments below.
Link: http://darrenhardy.success.com/2012/01/get-back-on-board-dammit/?utm_source=Listrak&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=http%3a%2f%2fdarrenhardy.success.com%2f2012%2f01%2fget-back-on-board-dammit%2f%23more&utm_campaign=Seeds-2012-01-24&utm_content=Unlock+Your+Code+for+Success#more
Till next time...
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Happy New Year...
Yes, and what a happy new year it will be!
I've decided to redirect this blog to encompass more of the journey I have embarked upon in rebuilding my life.
Rebuilding my life revolves, obviously, around business.
So, to give a bit of background that isn't mentioned elsewhere, I'm attempting to re-establish my family and myself via a construction company specialising in architecturally designed, higher value ($1m plus at this stage, but eventually $2m plus) residential new home construction and substantial renovation projects. My husband is the builder and the braun of the company and I am on the administration side of the company. So, essentially, I'm responsible for keeping the wheels of momentum in motion (read: getting the work).
In 2010 we secured our first job, and it was only by accident really. My husband was undertaking some detailed renovation work on a relative's home when one of the subcontractors asked my husband if he could help out his inlaws who'd engaged a project home builder who subsequently did a bit of a phoenix scheme. The inlaws didn't wish to enter into a new contract with the newly arisen company and the project sat idle for many months.
We submitted our price and eventually started work on the job in early 2010.
A few months into the job it dawned on us that we should be contracting our services out and creating a business out of it instead of wondering how the hell we can get back into property development.
Afterall, what else could we do? We were stone broke, just had our empire ripped out from under us and had to start again.
So we committed to this decision and have been banging away since then.
Since that first job, and because of that first job, we landed another job in the local area. A renovation project. We commenced and completed that job during 2011.
And again, because of that first job, we were contacted by a couple in September 2010 who were designing their new home in the local area. We worked with that couple throughout the following 12 months and in September 2011 finally signed a contract with them for us to construct their new home. Work commenced on this job in December 2011, just over a year after our initial contact with them!! What a time lag, huh?
And somewhere in between all that I picked up another job on the Northern Beaches; the client is an acquaintence of mine. We're due to hand over that job in the first quarter of this new year.
Anyway, so that's where we're at at the moment.
I've hired a business coach to keep me on track because I found that I had absolutely no clue about building a business.
When I was doing property development, it wasn't really business; it was more an entreprenuerial enterprise...
So, when it came time that I needed to go out and do marketing, and generate leads and start building my brand (which is the goal), I had no idea what I needed to do, how I needed to do it, what I needed to say or how to say it.
So, I've enlisted some help from Simon (the coach) and we've been working together since September last year. Essentially what we've been doing is working on all my marketing material, and getting some basic documentation down pat in terms of systems, which is great! I have a whole heap of systems in my head, but they're no use to anyone in my head. Everytime I thought about documenting the systems that I've implemented the task just seemed so bloody huge that it was overwhelming and nothing would ever get done. Simon helps me break it all down into bite sized chunks that I can get through relatively easily.
So, that's it.
Now, in 2012, I commence proper the marketing of my construction business and the establishment and growth of both my brand and my business.
Good luck to us, and happy new year to everyone!
I've decided to redirect this blog to encompass more of the journey I have embarked upon in rebuilding my life.
Rebuilding my life revolves, obviously, around business.
So, to give a bit of background that isn't mentioned elsewhere, I'm attempting to re-establish my family and myself via a construction company specialising in architecturally designed, higher value ($1m plus at this stage, but eventually $2m plus) residential new home construction and substantial renovation projects. My husband is the builder and the braun of the company and I am on the administration side of the company. So, essentially, I'm responsible for keeping the wheels of momentum in motion (read: getting the work).
In 2010 we secured our first job, and it was only by accident really. My husband was undertaking some detailed renovation work on a relative's home when one of the subcontractors asked my husband if he could help out his inlaws who'd engaged a project home builder who subsequently did a bit of a phoenix scheme. The inlaws didn't wish to enter into a new contract with the newly arisen company and the project sat idle for many months.
We submitted our price and eventually started work on the job in early 2010.
A few months into the job it dawned on us that we should be contracting our services out and creating a business out of it instead of wondering how the hell we can get back into property development.
Afterall, what else could we do? We were stone broke, just had our empire ripped out from under us and had to start again.
So we committed to this decision and have been banging away since then.
Since that first job, and because of that first job, we landed another job in the local area. A renovation project. We commenced and completed that job during 2011.
And again, because of that first job, we were contacted by a couple in September 2010 who were designing their new home in the local area. We worked with that couple throughout the following 12 months and in September 2011 finally signed a contract with them for us to construct their new home. Work commenced on this job in December 2011, just over a year after our initial contact with them!! What a time lag, huh?
And somewhere in between all that I picked up another job on the Northern Beaches; the client is an acquaintence of mine. We're due to hand over that job in the first quarter of this new year.
Anyway, so that's where we're at at the moment.
I've hired a business coach to keep me on track because I found that I had absolutely no clue about building a business.
When I was doing property development, it wasn't really business; it was more an entreprenuerial enterprise...
So, when it came time that I needed to go out and do marketing, and generate leads and start building my brand (which is the goal), I had no idea what I needed to do, how I needed to do it, what I needed to say or how to say it.
So, I've enlisted some help from Simon (the coach) and we've been working together since September last year. Essentially what we've been doing is working on all my marketing material, and getting some basic documentation down pat in terms of systems, which is great! I have a whole heap of systems in my head, but they're no use to anyone in my head. Everytime I thought about documenting the systems that I've implemented the task just seemed so bloody huge that it was overwhelming and nothing would ever get done. Simon helps me break it all down into bite sized chunks that I can get through relatively easily.
So, that's it.
Now, in 2012, I commence proper the marketing of my construction business and the establishment and growth of both my brand and my business.
Good luck to us, and happy new year to everyone!
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