JAMES McPARTLAND'S BLOG

Access Point <What Is Required?> "We are not required to deal with more than we are able - yet we are not required to deal with less." - James K. McPartland We all have needs such as food, shelter, and money. We have wants that can include things like travel, a big home, fine dining, artwork, jewelry, and surplus cash. We also have requirements, and these are often the things that we may not necessarily desire or wish for. Requirements may come in the form of a financial h

Access Point (7) "We have access to a world of possibility when we use our words to create reality, not to describe it." - James K. McPartland All things in life arise in language, and it is the conversations that we participate in that lead to the outcomes we produce in our life. By paying attention to how we speak, what we listen for, and who we are being in the game of life, we learn that we are truly responsible for all of our results. Choose wisely. #investment #personal

Access Point (6) "Exceptional performance requires considerable investment - you can not withdraw what you have not put in." - James K. McPartland Many of us have been told, or trained, to tithe the first 10% of our income. Only few have been taught to invest 10% of their income into personal growth and development. For most, traditional education ends when we are in our early 20's, from there the percentage of time (let alone money) in focused learning diminishes year after

"Judging a person does not define who they are... it defines who you are." We recently changed our company name to "Access Performance", to reflect my belief that most leaders have inside of themselves all they need to perform at a high level. It is often not a question of finding external solutions as much as it is gaining access to the tools we already possess. When we are not getting the outcomes we are looking for, we often attribute this to what others have done (or are

“Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out if they’ve got a second. Give your dreams all you’ve got and you’ll be amazed at the energy that comes out of you.” - William James (1842-1910, Philosopher and Author) Fear is often disguised fatigue, and fatigue often masquerades as the reason we can’t push on, much less keep on keeping on in pursuit of our dreams, goals, and true life passions. At the heart of fear is a “ story” – one that we have created and

“No matter how much success you’re having, you can’t continue working together if you can’t communicate.” – Matt Cameron, Musician Most everything that happens in our life is an outcome of communication. This can be how we talk to ourselves, or the non-verbal communication that we give off or that others interpret from us. Most every challenge and most every opportunity that arises in our life stems from communication. Look at successful people, families, companies, and teams

“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” – Jack London, Author I have learned, and have frequently observed, that a key attribute to a high performance and successful life is a bias towards action. And, no significant accomplishments can be realized in life unless one takes serious action. As a student of human performance, I have been consumed with understanding why it is that two equally capable people (teams, companies, or families) can have v

“Whatever you want to do, do it now. There are only so many tomorrows.” – Michael Landon, 1936-1991, Actor Whenever I begin to coach a new group of CEO’s, or even when I am doing a keynote or group workshop, I always ask clients to fill in their own “scoreboard”. This exercise essentially freezes time, and lists the activities that comprise one’s aggregate use of time – week in and week out. From there, we rate and prioritize each segment, further amplifying results when cont

“High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation.” – Charles Kettering, Inventor I recently conducted a senior executive workshop on the topic of building a “High Performance Culture“. Aside from the CEO (who was not present), these folks are the decision makers and leaders for this growing company. Part of the workshop was focused on interference, and what could be preventing (or could prevent) the company from hitting their financial projections. As

“Successful people form the habit of doing what failures don’t like to do. They like the results they get by doing what they don’t necessarily enjoy.” – Earl Nightingale, Motivational Speaker Earlier in my career I had this illusion that those who achieve great success somehow didn’t have to do the things that I was uninspired in doing. I thought they had found some magic formula that had them doing mostly fun stuff, working limited hours, and having advantages that others co

“The first great gift we can bestow on others is a good example.” – Thomas Morrell, Librettist We have all heard or can appreciate these statements: * “It is not what you say, it is what you do.” * “Your actions speak so loudly that I cannot hear what you are trying to say.” * “People hear what they see.” Although the holidays are now behind us, there is still one “gift” we get to give daily: our example. And, there is one specific focus that can lead to demonstrating a power

“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Louis Pasteur, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein.” – Jackson Brown Jr., writer When I work with people, from CEO’s to those who play a leadership role (or intend to), the question of how to get it all done frequently arises. My response is that we always find time to do what we decide is most important to us. The great e

“Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is key to unlocking our potential.” - Sir Winston Churchill, 1874-1965, former British Prime Minister Many of us have heard the quote: “Never give up – never, ever, give up.” Put another way, continuous effort with a focus on where you intend to go will allow you to overcome obstacles and reach an intended outcome. As long as we keep moving forward, progress is inevitable. It is when we stop, believe the critics, doubt ourse

“Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Weak men wait for opportunities; strong men make them.” – Orison Swett Mardin, 1850-1924, Author Frequently, friends, colleagues, and clients will ask about the successes–and what seems to be the obvious luck–of others whom I work with, know, or have coached in the past. It is as if there is a one key, or magic formula, that I might be able to point out that could lead them down the same

“Purpose and laughter are the twins that must not separate. Each is empty without the other.” – Robert K. Greenleaf, Founder of the Modern Servant Leadership movement Have you ever considered “leading with levity”? Too often we take ourselves, and our daily work, far too seriously. The average child at age four grins, smiles, or laughs over 400 times per day. By the time that child turns forty years old, that daily number of visible joy plummets to four times per day. Many of

In my work I am frequently asked about failure: how to cope with it, how to realize that it may be inevitable, and how to address the stigma that is often attached to it. My reply is based on my own personal experience – my own setbacks. The lessons do not come to us when things are going well; they come from failure, disappointment, loss, and mistakes. We only grow when we are learning, and some of our most powerful education comes from our own “failure”. Failure is only a l