Browsing Tag motivation

THE LESSON

The harsh reality of life in the debt collection industry is that working nights and weekends, and an occasional holiday, is often necessary for achieving optimal results. Although many businesses closed this past Monday in celebration of Labor Day, some creditors and agencies choose to open up shop in hopes of contacting customers who were enjoying the day off from work. After all, calls need to be placed when customers are most likely to answer the phone (in accordance with all appropriate laws of course).

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Labor Day “ … constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.”

Although many mainstream media outlets would have us believe otherwise, debt collectors offer a very valuable service to the country and contribute to its strength, prosperity, and well-being. In fact, a 2008 PriceWaterhouseCoopers prepared a report for ACA International titled, Value of Third-Party Debt Collection to the U.S. Economy in 2007: Survey and Analysis, found that in 2007 debt collectors returned $40.4 billion to creditors, saving each American household approximately $354!

THE CHALLENGE

In honor of the thousands collectors, supervisors, and managers who labor in the industry, especially those who smiled and dialed on Monday, this week’s challenge will be short and sweet. Take a moment to download the collector mentor article “making a difference one call at a time.” Then, take out a sheet of paper and finish this sentence: “I’m proud to be a debt collector because …”

For extra credit, share your thoughts with your fellow coworkers. You might be surprised to learn the many different reasons why people are proud to be part of this very important profession.

THE REFLECTION

1.    Why are you proud to work in the collection industry?
2.    When someone asks what you do for a living, do you try to hide the fact that you are a debt collector? Why?
3.    If you have read the PriceWaterhouseCoopers report, what was your biggest takeaway?
4.    Do you feel that your job allows you to make a difference in the lives of consumers?

Take pride in what you do!

Gary Jensen
Editor | collector mentor

To download companion worksheets to use with The collector mentor Challenge, please visit www.collectormentor.com/thechallenge.

THE LESSON – SHARE YOUR DREAMS

On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. and shared his dream regarding civil rights equality with an estimated crowd of 250,000 people. This past weekend marked the 47th anniversary of that occasion. 

Over the years, Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech has earned a reputation for being one of the greatest speeches in human history. In 1999, for example, more than 130 leading scholars were asked to share their opinions on the Top 100 speeches of the century. Dr. King’s speech took top honors. 

Since it had been several years since I last read the full text of the legendary speech, I decided it was time to give it another read. Although the speech represents Dr. King’s vision for civil rights equality, re-reading the speech did not cause me to think about civil rights this time around. Instead, I found myself thinking about dreams. Not the middle of the night “falling off a cliff” type of dreams, but the instinctive dreams that we have for our lives. What we want to do. What we want to accomplish. What we want to leave behind. Those types of dreams. 

Dr. King clearly had a passion for his dream. This is evident by the immense amount of time and energy he spent pursuing it. In fact, Dr. King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his efforts. 

According to the official Nobel website, here are some interesting things about Dr. King you may not know: 

• He graduated high school at the age of 15, received a B.A. degree at the age of 19, and received a doctorate degree at the age of 26.
• Between 1957 and 1968, he traveled over six million miles and spoke over twenty-five hundred times.
• He wrote five books and authored numerous articles.
• He conferred with President Kennedy and campaigned for President Johnson.
• He was arrested more than twenty times and assaulted at least four times.
• He was awarded five honorary degrees.
• When notified of the Nobel award, King announced that he donate the money–$54,123–to the furtherance of his dream.

Do the math and you realize that Dr. King was 35 years old when he won the Nobel Peace Prize, and that he was only 34 years of age when he delivered that remarkable speech. 

Thirty-four years old. Think about that. 

Let it set in. 

Now ask yourself, “Have I been putting in the type of hard work and dedication needed to achieve my dreams?” 

You can access the full text of the speech here, or if you prefer, watch the video below: 

THE CHALLENGE

Three-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Gail Devers, reminds us to,

Keep your dreams alive. Understand that to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.”

This week spend some time reflecting on the dreams that you have for your life, your career, and the industry. Do you believe in yourself, and are you putting in the hard work and dedication needed to see those dreams come true? If so, bravo! However, if you’re not, consider using the next few days to piece together a plan to help you close the gap between where you are and where you want to be.

THE REFLECTION

1.    What big dreams do you have for the industry?
2.    Why do you think some people fail to achieve their dreams?
3.    What do you do when someone tells you that your dream is too big?
4.    What steps do you take to achieve your dreams?
5.    What are the biggest challenges you face when working towards your dreams?

Dream big!
Gary Jensen
Editor | collector mentor 

To download companion worksheets to use with The collector mentor Challenge, please visit www.collectormentor.com/thechallenge.

THE LESSON – SET A TEAM STRETCH GOAL

This week’s challenge is inspired by legendary college football coach Lou Holtz:

“All winning teams are goal-oriented. Teams like these win consistently because everyone connected with them concentrates on specific objectives. They go about their business with blinders on; nothing will distract them from achieving their aims.”

Holtz was passionate about teamwork and goal setting. When he took over the reins of the Notre Dame program in 1986 he had the names removed from the players’ jerseys to emphasize teamwork. Although the team ended the season with a 5-6 record that year, they went 8-4 the following year, and in 1988 the Fighting Irish went undefeated and ended the season with a Fiesta Bowl victory, thereby claiming the NCAA Division I National Championship. When it was all said and done, Holtz ended his 11 year Notre Dame career with a 100 wins and 30 losses, including five bowl championships.

For additional insight I encourage you to invest three minutes of your time watching Holtz discuss the importance of goal setting:

THE CHALLENGE

The challenge this week is to work together as a team to identify one specific goal (preferably a stretch goal) to focus on in the month of August.

Here are some ideas:

• Perfect attendance.
• Score 100% for quality assurance monitoring.
• Set a new record for wrap time.
• Recover more money than any other month so far this year.
• End the month with zero customer complaints.

You’re going to need a positive attitude, put forth sincere commitment, and sharpen your focus to accomplish your mission, but don’t forget Holtz also reminds you that

No one has ever drowned in sweat.”

THE REFLECTION

1. What did you learn about your teammates this week as you worked together to set your team goal?
2. How can your team continue to benefit from setting team goals in the future?
3. Was your team able to proactively identify potential roadblocks and devise work-arounds?
4. What positive changes could your team make going forward in order to maximize the benefit of this challenge?
5. How would continual practice of this challenge change your team?

Ready, sweat, goal!

Gary Jensen

Editor | collector mentor

To download companion worksheets to use with The collector mentor Challenge, please visit www.collectormentor.com/thechallenge.

Photo on Flickr c/o lululemon athletica

THE LESSON – VOLUNTEER

Last month the famous 7-foot-7-inch NBA star Manute Bol passed away at the age of 47. Manute came to the U.S. from war torn Sudan and was drafted by the Washington Bullets in 1985. He enjoyed a 10 year career on the courts where he twice led the league in blocked shots and became the only NBA player to finish his career with more blocked shots (2,086) than points scored (1,599). But, this lesson isn’t about what Manute did on the court; it’s about what he did off the court – he gave back. In fact, Manute is widely admired for donating his NBA salary to charity.

But you don’t have to donate your salary to charity in order to give back and contribute to those in need. All you need is a couple of hours and a desire to get your hands dirty.

A few months ago I was able to contribute an afternoon to Meals from the Heartland. This program gets people together to package meals for starving people around the world. It was a very humbling and rewarding experience. When my wife and I arrived at the event we were placed in a team with six other individuals and our team was tasked with the challenge of seeing how many meals we could package during our two hour shift. To ensure the process was as efficient as possible, each person in the group was assigned a very specific task and for two hours we scooped, filled, sealed, and boxed several hundred meals. During my shift, I had the opportunity to meet and visit with the other members of the team and hear everyone share a little bit about what motivated them to get involved. It seems that many people just wanted to be like Manute – they just wanted to give back. And, in 2009 Meals from the Heartland volunteers packaged more than 4 million meals!

On June 16, 2010 the Des Moines Register ran a front page article titled, “Iowans’ volunteerism ranks No. 2 in the nation.” As I read the article I couldn’t help but smile knowing that my family and I helped contribute to the 109 million hours that were volunteered in 2009. Do the math and you’ll quickly find out that Iowans’ volunteer efforts are equivalent to a company with 52,400 full time employees!

THE CHALLENGE

Not only is volunteering good for the soul, it’s good for the career too. In fact, a 2006 Deloitte/Points of Light Volunteer IMPACT Survey found that 63 percent of volunteers believed that volunteering had a positive impact on their career. That’s why this week’s challenge is for you to find a way to give back. Thankfully, there are endless opportunities: The United Way, Habitat for Humanity, Make-a-Wish Foundation, your local soup kitchen, or even your local hospital. If you need additional ideas, you might consider checking with a local church in your community or visiting VolunteerMatch online at www.volunteermatch.org. If you can’t find an event to participate in this week, at least sign up for something and get it on your calendar.

Here are a few ideas to get the most out of your volunteer experience:

• Make it a family event by involving your spouse, kids, parents, and siblings.
• Team up with coworkers to make it a company event.
• Volunteer to a cause that you really care about (or maybe one you’ve never even heard of).
• Set a goal of earning the President’s Volunteer Service Award (Yep, straight from the White House. For more information, please visit www.presidentialserviceawards.gov).

THE REFLECTION

1. What did you learn about yourself this week as a result of completing this challenge?
2. How can you continue to benefit from this challenge in the future?
3. What was your biggest takeaway?
4. What positive changes could you make going forward in order to maximize the benefit of this challenge?
5. How would continual practice of this challenge change your life?

Be sure to give back this week!

Gary Jensen
Editor | collector mentor

To download companion worksheets to use with The collector mentor Challenge, please visit www.collectormentor.com/thechallenge.

Photo on Flickr c/o Don Hankins

THE LESSON – GREATEST MOMENTS

A few weeks ago the popular television show, Larry King Live, celebrated its 25th anniversary. The show is CNN’s longest-running interview program, and over the years the show has played host to some of the most celebrated interviews in history. As part of the celebration, viewers were invited to review the top 25 favorite show moments and then vote for the Top Five. You can review the results here.

The show really got me thinking about greatness. People like greatness. Michael Jordan’s Greatest Dunks. The Beatles’ Greatest Hits. Johnny Depp’s Greatest Films. The Greatest Moments in History. The Greatest Books of All-Time. I could go on and on, but you get the picture.

Have you ever sat down and reflected on your greatest achievements? Have you ever asked others (spouse, friends, parents, etc.), what they think your five greatest moments are? You might be surprised at what you hear, but these are some of the defining moments in your life.

THE CHALLENGE

This week’s challenge is to define your greatest moments up to this point in your life. They can be a mix of personal and professional milestones, or you might create a separate list for each. Take some time to ask the people who are close to you what they think your greatest achievements are. You can then compare your defining moments with the moments that others have identified and reflect on the similarities and differences. This is what people are going to remember you for. Are you happy with the results?

THE REFLECTION

1. What did you learn about yourself this week as a result of completing this challenge?
2. How can you continue to benefit from this challenge in the future?
3. What was your biggest takeaway?
4. What positive changes could you make going forward in order to maximize the benefit of this challenge?
5. How would continual practice of this challenge change your life?

Be great this week.

Gary Jensen
Editor | collector mentor

To download companion worksheets to use with The collector mentor Challenge, please visit www.collectormentor.com/thechallenge.

THE LESSON – FLEXING YOUR RISK MUSCLE

This week’s challenge is inspired by a quotation from Roger Von Oech:

Everyone has a ‘risk muscle’. You keep it in shape by trying new things. If you don’t it atrophies. Make a point of using it at least once a day.”

Roger is the president of California-based consulting firm, Creative Think. I was turned on to Roger’s work about two years ago while I was researching the fear of failure for an article I was writing. For many people, the fear of failure is a powerful, limiting force that sometimes prevents us from trying new things, taking chances, and exercising our risk muscles. Often this fear leads to excuses for inaction:

I don’t have the time. I don’t have the money. I’m not smart enough. I’m not good enough. I could never do that. I’m too slow. I don’t know where to start.

Ugh! How many times have these thoughts stopped you from trying something new? Probably more than you can remember or care to admit for that matter. However, as Roger points out, we have to try new things in order to exercise our risk muscles and keep them in shape

THE CHALLENGE

This week, while at work or at home, try to identify one new thing that you can do to exercise your risk muscle each day. It doesn’t have to be as risky as crossing skydiving off of your bucket list, but it should be something that provides you with a new experience—something that pushes you to see things from a different perspective.

Here are a couple of ideas to help you get your creative juices flowing:

• Take an alternative route to work.
• Pack your lunch this week if you normally go out.
• Brush your teeth with your opposite hand.
• Try water instead of pop/soda or vice versa.
• Read a magazine you wouldn’t normally read.
• Dress in your Sunday best each day for work.

As I hope you will see, even simple exercises like those described above are likely to provide fresh insights and get you thinking in new ways. However, if this challenge inspires you to go skyping, horseback riding, or out on a blind date, great! Your risk muscle will only be that much stronger.

If you feel inclined, please share one (or all) of your seven exercises in the comments area of this post.

THE REFLECTION

1. What did you learn about yourself this week as a result of completing this challenge?
2. How can you continue to benefit from this challenge in the future?
3. What was your biggest takeaway?
4. What positive changes could you make going forward in order to maximize the benefit of this challenge?
5. How would continual practice of this challenge change your life?

Be sure to exercise this week!

Gary Jensen
Editor | collector mentor

To download companion worksheets to use with The collector mentor Challenge, please visit www.collectormentor.com/thechallenge.

Photo on Flickr c/o divemasterking2000