JAMES McPARTLAND'S BLOG

Why Letting Go of Our Need to be Right is the Key to Communicating Better "The trouble with talking too fast is you may say something you haven’t thought of yet.” — Ann Landers, Advice Columnist I have heard it said that we don’t see the world as it is, we see the world as we see ourselves. In our belief that we see the world as it is, we often are frustrated by people who do not see it “the way it really is”. Conflicts equate to a battle of beliefs about what is right, the t

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

Access Point (5) "It takes longer to think your way into a new set of behaviors, than to behave your way into a new way of thinking." - James K. McPartland Our head is a dangerous place to get trapped in as we tend to live into the stories we tell ourselves. Reading just five pages, walking for only ten minutes, writing the first paragraph of that first chapter, making one phone call, or simply cleaning out a desk drawer is all it takes to shift our thinking of capability and

Access Points (4) "Our thoughts, words, and actions - when reinforced with the emotional intensity of our feelings - create our life experiences." - James K. McPartland What an amazing gift we possess and, in our own reality, get to see the results of these creations each and every day. Scientific research has demonstrated that our brain changes, in an almost identical fashion, from either the physical or mental rehearsal of an activity. Simply put, our emotionally charged th

Access Point (3) "Of all of man's addictions, denial is the most powerful." - James K. McPartland We are all subject to the stories we tell, and all day long we are in a conversation with ourselves. Further, we tend to listen for - and look for - evidence that are stories are true. When our instinct speaks to us, we would do well to consider the alternatives available to us on most any given topic. Even when we want to tune out discomfort, a good question to ask ourselves is,

Access Points (2) "In the great game of life, we either play to win or play not to lose. And, no matter the outcome, we can never win when we play not to lose." - James K. McPartland Airplanes deteriorate faster when not in use than when being used in the way that they were designed for. And while ships may appear safer in the harbor, that is not what they were built for. You have great gifts, talents, and skills that you were uniquely created to use. And, like in the prece

As mentioned on the inaugural edition of "Access Points", I am writing a personal book of quotes. Many of you were kind enough to send me your thoughts, and I am inspired by your support and heartfelt encouragement. As a result, you can now expect to receive "Access Points" weekly, and an "Access Performance" newsletter monthly. The weekly format is designed to be a brief dose of thought-provoking inspiration, the monthly edition is published as a story of an individual who

“If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.” – Chinese Proverb We all get frustrated and disappointed, and we all have felt anger. Consider that anger is another word for fear – fear that something you want will be out of reach or fear that you may lose something. And although a team mate, family member, employee, or friend may be clear on your expectations – there is a high probability that they are not. At least not exactly how you

“Each man (is) the architect of his own fortune.” – Appius Caecus, builder In my work with CEO’s, business leaders, and corporate athletes, we dig deep to understand what it takes to align the potential of an organization with the potential inside each of the members of that group, team, or company. In my new body of work titled “The High Performance Project”, people collaborate together and come to see that potential is only unlocked to the extent each team member takes pers

“Thought is the original source of all wealth, all success, all material gain, all great discoveries and inventions, and of all achievement.” – Claude M. Bristol, Author What we think about, especially when we are thinking about what we do not want, we bring about. I listen closely for both what is said and what is not said when I work with CEO’s and business leaders. Thoughts create words, words create mental pictures, pictures create action, and action creates results. How

“All men who have achieved great things have been great dreamers.” – Orison Swett Marden, writer How we think is everything, for thoughts are things. Anyone that has achieved high levels of significance and success has had to overcome the naysayers who doubt, ridicule, and find fault with the achievers who have dared to dream boldly. Think of the great leaders, products, companies, families, and innovations that exist today. These people, and their work, began as a set of tho

“Fix your eyes forward on what you can do, not back on what you cannot change.” – Tom Clancy, Author Our brain is designed to protect us, often calling up the past to guide us as new situations develop. The challenge in this process is that we often view the future through the lens of the past. Many of us can “predict” how a meeting will go, how a person will respond to us, and why something will not work. We project the past into the present, and also into the future, virtua

“When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it – but all that had gone before.” – Jacob Riis, Photographer and Journalist In my work with leaders, professional athletes, and executives, I am often asked the “how” question: HOW do we grow, HOW do we get stronger, HOW do we g

“You must honor your word and stand up for something or else you are going to get run over by everything.” – Unknown Author In each company I work with, and with every executive I encounter, the concept of integrity is a key topic of our conversation. By definition, this means doing what you say you will do, in the way and manner it should be done, and communicating to others if the commitment can not be made. All too often we say yes, give our word, or allow our communicatio

“To conquer frustration, one must remain intensely focused on the outcome, not the obstacles.” – T.F. Hodge It is quite common to meet senior executives, CEO’s, athletes, and non-profit leaders who have gotten stuck in pursuit of a goal. When engaging with these leaders a common theme tends to emerge: they have clarity of their perceived obstacles. And while that can prove helpful, it tends to cloud the view of where they were heading and what they were looking to achieve. Wh

“Talent – it comes with a cost.” - Author Unknown Great athletes, business people, politicians, speakers, teachers, and leaders make their performances look natural and easy. Truth be told, those who master their craft have overcome setbacks, failure, ridicule, mistakes, and disappointment. Various research studies conclude that it takes 10,000 hours to become one of the best in our areas of expertise, passion, and purpose. Will Smith says one must stay with it “until” – and

“The strongest people are not those who show strength in front of us but those who win battles we know nothing about.” – Unknown The most inspiring people I have ever met – those that have led an amazing life – seem to only disclose the intriguing elements of their journey when pressed to share. There is an aspect of reluctance, of not holding interest in themselves as much as in others. It is not that they lack confidence, powerful life experiences, or wisdom. It is that the

“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

“If I had to select one quality, one personal characteristic that I regard as being most highly correlated with success, whatever the field, I would pick the trait of persistence.” –Richard DeVos, Amway Co-founder Years ago I learned the “until” formula. For example: how long would you give the average baby to learn how to walk? You wouldn’t say, “Well, you didn’t figure it out. I guess you don’t get to walk.” No, you would let the baby keep at it “until” she learned to walk

“Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life, because you become what you believe.” – Oprah Winfrey The executive coaching segment of my work has taught me something special: “your life is your story – and your story is your life”. Words are the most powerful force on earth. Words are the catalyst in creating families, companies, countries, universities, leaders and infinite possibilities. Words also have the power to dismantle in the same way. Words give us ch