Mark Goulston M.D., a friend and highly respected psychiatrist and author of the best-selling book, “Get Out Of Your Own Way has shared many insightful thoughts with me on dealing with people and situations.

Mark identified three values that he says are consistently present for people who are successful or aspire to be successful.  They are: (a) Clarity (b) Preparation (c) Integrity. As I thought about it, it was clear to me that those who have been successful in our coaching program over the years have developed a high “CPI Index©”.

Individuals who have clarity are neither confused nor confusing when it comes to who they are and what they want.  They are very clear in the goals they have set for themselves and understand what they need to do in order to make those goals a reality. If you have ever had the chance to do business with or work with an individual who has that clarity, you would probably agree that they are self-assured, exude positive energy and make great team members.  On the other hand, if you’ve had the misfortune to do business with or work with an individual who is confused and/or confusing in terms of what they want, they tend to waste people’s time as well as their own and as a result command little if no respect. Typically, that type of person stands for nothing and you probably moved on from having any type of relationship.

Individuals who properly prepare do not shoot from the hip. They think long and hard about what they want to accomplish and how they will get it done.  They have a plan and they execute. By doing their due diligence on the front end, they are better prepared to create a positive result whether it is in a business relationship, as a member of a team, or an employee within an organization.  By being properly prepared, they understand that even if they get knocked off course they will be able to get back on and pick up where they left off.  Those that are not prepared have no idea what their course might be and as a result when they get knocked off, they simply cannot come back because there is no destination.  Prepared individuals bring solutions to problems.  Unprepared individuals seemingly “whine” without a constructive solution. Individuals who are prepared are self-assured, exude energy and are the people that most people want to be around.

Individuals who have integrity are the type of individuals we all want to be around!  These are the individuals who do what they say they are going to do.  They are the individuals who stay the course no matter what the circumstances might be because they are committed to their business, their family or their cause.  We all have come across those who talk a good game but when the “rubber meets the road”, we find that their substance is weak or nonexistent.  In life, we all have opportunities and challenges.  It is easy to stay the course when things are going good.  It is when we hit a pothole in the road that throws us off course that really tests our commitment to ourselves and to those around us.  Most people want to know that we will be there when the chips are down.  Our integrity is everything!  We spend a lifetime building it and it only takes one situation where we did not live up to our commitment to tear it down.  

Any of us who are in business and particularly those of us who are service providers know that our reputation and integrity are the foundation of the services and value that we create for our clients and customers. We, who hold that dear, will not tolerate anyone who lacks integrity.

Now that we have defined clarity, preparation and integrity, how do you stack up?  What is your “CPI Index©”? On a scale of one to 10 measure you on each of these values.  One would be” negligible” with 10 being “outstanding”. After assessing where you are, identify one or two things that you could do each and every day to live these values to their fullest.  None of us are perfect.  All of us can improve because we are all challenged each and every day. My experience suggests that those who make the conscious effort to live these values are the professionals who are attracted to our ProGrowth Premier Community.

What about you? Are you clear about what you want? Will others say that you have a strong CPI Index©? If so, you are tracking to a highly successful career and I wish you much success!