Mind The Gap: Sacrifice vs Compromise!

On March 17, 2019   /   Business Coaching, Featured, Life Coaching, Mind the Gap, Quote  
Mind The Gap: Sacrifice vs Compromise!

“Mind the Gap”, in the London Underground, is the constant warning to see and beware of the space between the platform and the train door literally a matter of life and death! Boarding my blog, however, “Mind the Gap” is a 2-minute focus on the valuable difference between words or concepts that, without much thought, are otherwise used interchangeably.

What IS the difference, for example, between Sacrifice vs Compromise

Sacrifice is defined as an act of killing a person or animal in a religious ceremony as an offering to please a god.

You wouldn’t want to kill or be killed right? The word sacrifice can focus our sub-conscious on “loss” or “death.” Where there is loss, there is suffering. Sacrifice “vibrates” negatively. When people think they are making a sacrifice, it’s associated with the thought that they are losing something.

Sacrificing can lead to resentment, thoughts of failure and other negative emotions.

Compromising, on the other hand, can focus the sub-conscious on GAIN. Even though there is a movement away from 100% of what is desired, Compromising always ends in BOTH parties GETTING something they did not have before. Sacrifice is a PART of Compromise but when we are unwilling to lose, we are really unwilling to GAIN!

It is saying NOTHING new to you to say that Compromise can lead to long term success, great partnerships and positive emotions. But maybe THIS is new:

“There is no Compromise without Sacrifice…but when Sacrifice IS THE FOCUS of Compromise (when the focus is on loss), it makes true Compromise tougher.”

Moreover, Sacrifice alone…without occurring in the context of Compromise…is really more like the difference between Spending and Investing.

Get A Klu Compromise

Sacrifice = Spending. Spending is transactional in that you pay a price and you get an item or service. The money is gone never to be seen again…and the “value” remains located in the usefulness/enjoyment of the item purchased.

Compromise = Investing. Investing is transformational because despite the “loss” upfront, the money can come back and even grow over time.

This is why I’m a proponent of compromising in any given situation! It takes an evolved person to embrace Compromise when faced with a situation that requires SACRIFICE and multiple parties to agree.

photo credit: handshake via photopin (license)

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Mind The Gap: Coaching vs Consulting

On December 15, 2018   /   Business Coaching, Featured, Life Coaching, Mind the Gap  
Mind The Gap: Coaching vs Consulting

What IS the difference, for example, between Coaching and Consulting?

The terms get confused a lot. In fact, I even see Coaching confused for Consulting BY the service providers themselves but there are some key differences that may help you in your career or business!

The focus for a coach is to get you to improve yourself, but you have to do the work. A coach will motivate you to grow as a person. Coaching is also a form of consulting (another reason the terms get confused). But the coach stays with the client to help implement the new skills, changes, and goals to hold the client accountable. It is the Relationship that is the foundation of coaching. The coach and client intentionally develop a relationship, which is characterized by a mutual appreciation, respect, and shared commitment to the client’s results.

Get A Klu- Jeff Klubeck Consulting

A consultant on the other hand helps you improve too, but he or she is doing work that you don’t want to do. A consultant is helping your company grow in areas you don’t have time to deal with, but you’re not necessarily growing as a person because someone else is doing the work. In a sense, it is “the contract” thatis the foundation of consulting. The consultant provides tangible results by completing projects, creating content, setting up specific systems, etc. all for an agreed upon rate. The exchange of value is money for work performed by the Consultant.

Growth is the common factor here, but the difference lies in where that growth is happening.

Get A Klu CoachingSports analogies are always great, so let’s look at this in terms of the sports world.

Sports players have coaches. The coaches work hard to train, motivate and improve the players. This happens through setting up practices, preparing tapes to watch, and creating work outs. Even though the coach, is organizing everything, the players physically have to work out, and they are personally growing.

Coaches, and upper level management on the other hand, often hire consultants to come in and structure the sports franchise, recruit players and ensure the finances are in place. The consultant is doing all the work here. The organization as a whole is still growing through getting a better team, having a stronger financial background, and overall being more buttoned up. Notice though, that the focus of growth here is for the organization as a whole rather than individuals…even though the individuals may grow with the organization, the target for growth is the organization.

When you think about this in terms of your business and how to decide if you need to hire a Coach, Consultant or sometimes, even both, figure out your long term goals. If you want to personally keep doing specific tasks, and get better at them, but need accountability, a Coach may be right for you. If you know there are tasks that need to get done, but you just don’t want to deal with them, a Consultant may be the better option.

Next time you hear someone call themselves either a Coach or Consultant, find out the services they offer and see if their offerings truly match up to either term. You can also check out my style of coaching, and learn what I offer to clients by signing up for 2 free coaching sessions HERE.

Meanwhile, thanks for reading another edition of Mind the Gap!

During my visit to London for the 2012 Summer Games I got inspired for a blog series. In the London Underground, “Mind the Gap” is the constant warning to see and beware of the space between the platform and the train door literally a matter of life and death! Boarding my blog, however, is a 2-minute focus on the valuable difference between words or concepts that otherwise used interchangeably from appearing similar.

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Mind The Gap: Teaching vs Training

On December 3, 2018   /   Accountability, Business Coaching, Featured, Mind the Gap, Training  
Mind The Gap: Teaching vs Training
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During my visit to London for the 2012 Summer Games I got inspired for a blog series. In the London Underground, “Mind the Gap” is the constant warning to see and beware of the space between the platform and the train door literally a matter of life and death! Boarding my blog, however, is a 2-minute focus on the valuable difference between words or concepts that otherwise used interchangeably from appearing similar.

What IS the difference, for example, between Teaching and Training?

First of all, why are they similar? Because teaching and training both involve LEARNING! It’s not as philosophical as asking “does the fallen tree make a “sound” in the forrest if no one is there to hear it?” when I ask:

“If no learner is present or no learning has occurred, can it be said that either teaching or training HAS?”

Of course not! So, learning if a necessary component for both why not just call teaching and training “learning” instead of teaching or training? Why are there different words for “learning”? Well, its kind of obvious that teaching is about “knowing” and Training, teaching, Get a Klu- Learning Quotetraining is about DOING! For me, its deeper than that. When I really MIND THE GAP to seek value in that difference, it all comes down to Accountability and the worthlessness of teaching WITHOUT training! Let me explain…

Some people in the world learn just for learning’s sake…the information itself IS the reward, so a “grade” has no power of accountability in those cases. Otherwise, without also training, the highest and best reward of being “taught” is getting a letter grade.

“The goal in teaching is what the learner “gets”…whereas with training, the goal is about what the learner can now “do/give”!

MIND THE GAP: We can never train without teaching while we CAN teach without training! But, WHY? Why teach at all without ALSO Training?

Not only can teaching make NO GUARANTEE that the learner will continue to “know” what they have learned, but there is also NO CHANCE of ensuring that the learner will now be able to DO something they were previously unable to do. And, it may seem that Teaching has accountability through quizzes, assignments, exams and, most importantly, due dates and terms (semester, quarter, etc.), but what can be “known” can also be forgotten! Worse yet, ?because “getting a good grade” is the goal, students will: cram, cheat, lie, beg and actually commit fraud to “get a grade”…all the while learning NOTHING! Most of my students admit to forgetting an aced final exam’s worth of “knowledge” in less than 72 hours after the exam (achem, in their other classes, achem). 🙂

When the only thing you are held accountable for (being taught) is “to know” something…the only thing you are really learning is how to remember and forget something. However, once you are “trained” to ride a bike, you’ll “know” forever!

teaching training running Get A Klu video shoot

Jeff Klubeck Creates a Training Video

I believe that no matter where you’re at in your life or career, it’s important to be a lifelong learner…but it is even MORE important to be a lifelong TRAINEE! Always ask yourself “What will I be able to DO after this learning experience that I cannot DO now?”

Unless you are part of the 1/7 (one seventh) of our population that values learning JUST for learning’s sake (and even if you ARE), I urge you to make sure there is a “training” component to everything you are taught. Hold your learning experiences accountable to making sure YOU can be held accountable to apply that knowledge to a better life, business or career AFTER the learning has been learned.

Teaching alone can’t promise “application”, the learning MUST include training to do that!

So, what are YOU doing to sharpen your saw? How are you staying competitive and “hirable” through the acquisition of skills and abilities you previously didn’t have? I’d love to hear from you about your experiences and how you choose to learn. Click here for a summary/sampling of private or workplace trainings we provide and CLICK HERE for some free training content on how to hold yourself and others accountable….and, as always, thanks for reading another edition of Mind the Gap!

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Mind The Gap: Success vs Achievement

On November 11, 2018   /   Accountability, Business Coaching, Featured, Life Coaching, Mind the Gap  
Mind The Gap: Success vs Achievement
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During my visit to London for the 2012 Summer Games I got inspired for a blog series. In the London Underground, “Mind the Gap” is the constant warning to “see and beware?”of the space between the platform and the train door literally a matter of life and death! Boarding my blog, however, this same phrase is a plea to consider the “valuable difference” between words or concepts that otherwise appear quite similar a difference that I hope empowers self and others!

What IS the difference, for example, between Success and Achievement?

Success is defined as an accomplishment of an aim or purpose however, all too often, we use the term to describe “status” or the amount of money/things a person has. Who comes to mind when you think of who you know that is “Successful”?success_achievement_status_get_a_klu

Achievement, on the other hand, is defined as things done successfully. Having many/repetitive successes will pave the way towards the achievement! Achievement comes from being successful many times over yet, ironically, achievement does not guarantee one’s success! Who comes to mind when you think of who you know that has achieved something in life achieved something WITH their life?

Mind the Gap! The difference between Success and Achievement is subtle because they are co-dependent. They need each other to exist. And, isn’t it interesting how things can be achieved unsuccessfully (passing class with a “C” is an achievement, even if not a successful one), yet nothing can be achieved without one ore more things being done successfully (even the “C” student succeeds 70-80% of the time)!

But while Achievement is verifiable, Success is a bit more subjective. And THAT difference is HUGE!
Get a Klu Success Bolt
You can believe you have success while others believe you are nowhere close to it!? Or, you may NOT believe yourself to be successful at the same time that millions would literally risk their lives to be YOU! All the while, an achievement is an achievement regardless of the pedigree, honor or heroism ascribed to it, it can be verified and agreed upon when someone achieves something.

The good and bad news is that Success is mostly a state of mind. You can feel successful without physically/tangibly achieving anything, whereas achievement is more tangible. You must see something accomplished, or accomplish a goal yourself in order to have achieved something.

It really all comes down to standards. The standards you set for yourself will determine what you set out to achieve and the degree to which the pursuit and attainment of those achievements will?require and/or bring you success. But until you set standards, the difference between Success and Achievement is truly a “chicken-or-egg” conversation that will most likely get you nowhere!Success vs. Achievement Mind the Gap for Get a Klu

Private Coaching is a GREAT place to get clarity on your standards to become crystal clear on the achievements you most wish to pursue in life/business/career. The difference between Success and Achievement is the standards you set but the difference between setting them and just thinking about them COULD BE effective coaching!

Try Two Free Sessions!

To Your Success and Achievement!

Jeffrey Klubeck, M.A.

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Mind the Gap: Reasons vs Excuses

On November 3, 2018   /   Business Coaching, Life Coaching, Mind the Gap  
Mind the Gap: Reasons vs Excuses
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During my visit to London for the 2012 Summer Games I got inspired for a blog series. In the London Underground, “Mind the Gap” is the constant warning to “see and beware” of the space between the platform and the train door?literally a matter of life and death! ?Boarding my blog, however, this same phrase is a plea to consider the “valuable difference” between words or concepts that otherwise appear quite similar a difference that I hope empowers self and others!

What IS the difference, for example, between a Reason and an Excuse?

Do you give reasons or excuses for your actions? When it’s Reasons vs Excuses who do you think wins that battle? Let’s Mind the Gap: Reasons vs Excuses!

Reasons are intelligent explanations for how or why we do particular activities. When we have good reasons in place, we make ourselves accountable for our actions. When we are accountable for our actions, we become owners of the process, and are confident in the knowledge of what is working well, and where we can improve.

You can also think of reasons as motives. When we are motivated, we find good reasons to accomplish things.

Here’s an example of a reason for why something didn’t get done (We’ll go with the simple homework conundrum): I was doing so well on my video game last night that I lost track of time and didn’t do it.

The key ingredient in the example above is use of the pronouns “I” twice (and an implied third time) the term “I” was used. In this example the person not doing their homework, takes responsibility for it. Reasons are REAL!

Now let’s talk about excuses.

Reasons vs Excuses Get a Klu Blog PostExcuses are an attempt to lessen the blame on yourself by attaching the fault to something or someone externally. Excuses are IMAGINED!

Here’s an example of an excuse for why something didn’t get done (We’ll stick with the homework conundrum): My dog ate my homework.

Notice the difference? In the “Reason” for why the homework didn’t get complete, there is no outside blame. In the “Excuse” for why the homework didn’t get complete, the dog was to blame. One person is willing to accept the consequences of their actions and, by definition, the other seeks to “excuse” oneself from the negative consequences of their actions.

Which one would YOU hire partner with invest in select, refer, endorse, befriend, or entrust?

Mind the Gap between Reasons and Excuses! Folks, we have to be accountable for our actions if we want more success in life.

Taking ownership of our choices and behavior will help us identify key areas for improvement. Being honest about the REAL reasons we do or do not take action makes us accountable and when we are accountable, we are able to accept ownership for our mistakes which is the only true way to GROW!

Instead of making excuses to avoid the “unwanted pains” of immediate consequences, seek to embrace the “growing pains” of learning from mistakes, bad choices and other shortcomings.

Reasons vs Excuses Get a Klu BlogIf you are lucky enough to have someone in your life that is willing to ask you WHY you did or did not do the things you need to do in order to succeed, please make sure you look within and answer with the REAL Reasons instead of IMAGINED Excuses!

To Your Success!

Jeffrey Klubeck, M.A.

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