154: Michael Hyatt of Michael Hyatt & Company

Michael Hyatt is a bestselling author and entrepreneur. Formerly the Chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, Michael now leads the team at Michael Hyatt & Co., coaching high achieving leaders in the art of long-lasting multidimensional success. This week Shane and David sat down with Michael to talk about what real success looks like, and how to achieve it.

Hustle is Not Always the Answer

Many driven individuals tend to assume that the answer to getting themselves over a hump or to the next level in their life or career is to simply work harder. This notion has been reinforced by a number of authors or coaches who preach the idea that hustle is the answer to all life’s problems. The problem with more hustle, however, is that you leave a path of destruction in your wake. Maybe that means ignoring your family in favor of your office, or ignoring your spiritual and mental health in favor of your bottom line or set goals. At the end of the day, ignoring your health and well-being in order to work harder robs you of a truly successful life. Over the past 20 years, Michael has worked out a 4-step system to help leaders be more effective in all areas of their lives.

Step 1: Plan

Hit the pause button. Take a deep breath and decide what you want out of your life. Carve out space to be intentional with your vision. Figure out what you want in every aspect of your life. Michael writes that you should “stand in the future and describe a better, more compelling reality.”

Step 2: Focus

Once you have a plan, it’s time to focus. Acknowledge that you can’t do everything. Determine your high-leverage tasks, the ones that will have the most impact, and get to work on those. Discover where your passions and proficiency intersect, - your “desire zone” and focus on that. That’s where you’re hard-wired to acheive.

Step 3: Execute

Execution is hard. The key is to link your vision with your action - this means picking three achievable goals and getting to work on those. Most of your time and energy is wrapped up maintaining the universes we’ve built, so limit your initiatives in order to maximize your achievement. Choose 3 quarterly goals, a mix between personal and professional, and break those down into 3 weekly objectives.

Step 4: Scale

Eventually your business will (hopefully) outgrow you. Without the ability to clone ourselves, our enterprises will be limited to our personal restraints. When this happens, it’s time to delegate. Allow someone else on your team to own goals and objectives. Be clear about your expectations and ready to provide support when needed, but allow that team member to proudly own those goals.