Monday Morning Mojo

Referencing “The Goal”, a novel by Eliyahou Goldratt, Phil acknowledges that when working to make improvements in your business, sometimes the most important plan of action is to simply refocus on the basics. Desired outcomes are only attainable if the root causes are identified and polished first. Today’s episode highlights four vital areas of concentration that every leader must focus on in order to push a company towards success: culture, connections, operations, and financials. Perfect these, and the rest will follow. References: “The Goal” by Eliyahou Goldratt: http://ht.ly/sJgN30jr5Q4 Resources: Please send comments, questions, and feedback to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com

Today, we highlight the often-unrecognized value of employing interns. From their youthful energy, creativity and technological skills, as well as, their eagerness to work, interns provide increased capacity to ultimately strengthen your firm. However, the value doesn’t end there. By hiring interns, you provide them with the experience and knowledge to grow as professionals and leaders, which in turn, betters the industry as a whole. If executed properly, an internship program at your company will not only offer personal benefits for each party but will also allow you the opportunity to groom the future of your industry. Resources: Please send comments, questions, and feedback to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com

Upon first glance, flying a kite and running a business may seem like activities that have nothing in common. Upon further consideration, however, we realize that the same fundamentals are consistent in both. For one, you must have high quality, durable resources, and a proper design. For another, you must be a quick learner and understand your limits. And perhaps most importantly, you must be capable of adapting to wherever the wind takes you. Today, we use this seemingly simple parallel to provide insight on the more complex topics of leadership and business management and highlight some of the basic tools for success. Resources: Please send comments, questions, and feedback to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com

Annual traditions mark the passing of time—the beginning of a new season. The opening games of the MLB season, the end of March Madness, and the Masters Golf Tournament are all traditions indicating that Spring has sprung, and it is time to turn over to a new chapter. As we enter this season of renewal, we challenge all of you to take time away from your busy schedule to slow down and truly appreciate your surroundings. Downtime is essential to sustainability, and this is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of it. Resources: Please send comments, questions, and feedback to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com   2018 Masters Tournament - http://www.masters.com/en_US/index.html 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament - https://www.ncaa.com/march-madness Major League Baseball - https://www.mlb.com/

We all have our individual perspectives shaped by our personal experiences. Within each of these perspectives are blind spots that can impede our success, which we cannot entirely eliminate, but we can work to minimize. Today, we stress the importance of utilizing routines and other people to counter-balance our own perspectives. Being open to perspectives different from our own allows us to evolve our own thinking or otherwise sharpen our original ideas in order to maximize growth and ensure that the best plans of action are implemented. Resources: Please send comments, questions, and feedback to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com

When we get on a roll, we tend to stress less about the outcome of an upcoming event. With less stress, the results tend to be more positive. On this week’s episode, Phil narrows down two terms that can change the way we view, understand, and tackle success in our everyday lives: perspective and confidence. By not only understanding confidence but also applying it to the tasks at hand, we are more likely to develop a positive mental perspective that can elevate our accomplishments to new heights. Join us as we discuss tactics to increase confidence and strengthen positive perspectives, apply these to your own life, and watch your personal and professional selves soar as a result. References: Perspective definition: https://goo.gl/ON1twh Resources: Please send comments, questions, and feedback to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com

Think about a friend or family member who is going through a tough time. How engaged are you in communicating to that person that you are there for them during this hardship? In this week’s episode, we challenge you to connect with this individual. Communicate to them that you know they are hurting, that you care about them, and that you want to be there for them throughout this journey. We understand that by doing this you will be expending personal effort and energy; however, by being that person, you will find your own personal joy and fulfillment. Resources: Please send comments, questions, and feedback to mojo@cannonfinancial.com Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to mojo@cannonfinancial.com

The adage, “two heads are better than one,” is almost always true. If this is the case, why do most businesses struggle with teaming and collaboration? In this episode, we explore the five challenges or dysfunctions, as determined by Patrick Lencioni,  that every team MUST tackle head-on in order to be successful. The ability to collaborate, to leverage resources and team across multiple specialists is a requirement and skill essential for success. We challenge you to evaluate your team but more importantly evaluate your teaming skills and abilities. What dysfunctions are present in the team and how can you lead the way forward? References: “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” by Patrick Lencioni: https://goo.gl/Uk7mHB   Resources: Please send comments, questions, and feedback to mojo@cannonfinancial.com Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to mojo@cannonfinancial.com

If you see it, you’ll believe it. If you believe it, you’ll achieve it. Goal visualization is a tactic used by many of the world’s most successful people, and it’s one that you can apply in your own life with a little time, effort, and the right mindset. On today’s episode, Phil walks you through the steps of defining your goals and practicing visualization to bring them to life. We challenge you to administer this strategy this week and see for yourself how success can be redefined. References: “The 8 Traits of Champion Golfers” by Deborah Graham - https://goo.gl/DGMMZK   Resources: Please send comments, questions, and feedback to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com

As humans, we innately worry about change, especially following a loss. However, life moves on and with time we do too. Citing the 1985 Country song, “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes,” Phil recognizes that though nobody may ever replicate the valued characteristics of a late mentor, we can honor their lives by paying it forward and developing the next generation of leaders to their full potential.                               In loving memory of Jack Phillips Buchanan, Sr.                                                             1926 – 2018   Resources: Billy Graham: https://goo.gl/fd1acm George Jones - "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes?": https://goo.gl/VZPpex Please send comments, questions, and feedback to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com

Close-minded people are often shielded from all of the opportunities, ideas, and experiences that life has to offer. These are the people who are desperately seeking growth but are unwilling to consider a new approach than the one they are currently taking. In today’s episode, Phil explores the power of openness to anything new, whether that is people, ideas, relationships, locations, etc. Openness is a state of mind, and does not indicate a lack of standards or values, but rather highlights a willingness to explore and learn. Try looking at life from a new perspective, and you might find yourself on a remarkable path you would never have expected. Resources: - Mark Twain Quote from “The Innocents Abroad/Roughing It” - https://goo.gl/xFTMLu Please send comments, questions, and feedback to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com

Human error does not always come in the form of a blanket mistake. It is also present when something could have been done better, even if the doer did not recognize the missed opportunity. We all know that human error is inevitable, but in the professional field it is essential to mitigate them at all costs or the consequences could be dire. In this episode, we discuss one of the most simple ways to ensure human error does not harm your company or clients: peer review. By gaining insights from others on your team, you can work together as a collective to provide the best service to your clients and build more lasting relationships. This week, we challenge you to implement some of the strategies we discuss on today’s show and see the results for yourself. Resources: Mark C. Hartnett - President, Argent Family Wealth Services Please send comments, questions, and feedback to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com

Cannon Financial Institute, like many others, has a strong history that to which we can attribute much of the company’s current success. Most would agree that it is important to study this history to ensure that past mistakes are not repeated. In today’s episode, however, Phil highlights that the power of studying history extends much farther than that alone. We must go deeper than simply recognizing failures. If something didn’t work, why didn’t it work? Was it the idea itself or was it the poor execution of the idea? Additionally, we must recognize key principles set in place over time—those found, held, and sometimes even ignored. By studying the past, you may just find the keys to success for the future. Resources: Please send comments, questions, and feedback to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com

We are constantly looking for ways to make our things more valuable to us, whether that means making home improvements or upgrading to a new phone.  Why don’t we spend the same amount of time looking for ways to make ourselves more valuable? In this week’s episode, Phil addresses four areas of our lives that we should all focus on improving. By evaluating our competencies and actively working to grow in each of these areas, we can develop ourselves in ways that make us more valuable to everyone we encounter. Resources: Please send comments, questions, and feedback to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com

In general, everything we do has the potential to expose our strengths and vulnerabilities. It is recognizing these “life moments” for what they are that gives each of us the opportunity to refine our processes, methodologies, and even our character.    If you missed the College Football Championship game, you missed a lot of “life moments.” In this episode, Phil helps us identify both the subtle and not so subtle lessons we can gain from what is often called “only a game.”   Resources: Please send comments, questions, and feedback to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com

In this week’s episode, Phil shares a colleague’s experience of a dramatic and sudden change in his business.  The reasons for the change share common themes from which we can all learn and grow.    Technology allows us to develop systems and routines in our business which helps to ensure faithful and consistent execution of relationship best practices.  However, what good is a system without a genuine desire to connect with authenticity.   Join us in the challenge to engage on a deeper level and become the people that others seek as a thought leader, mentor, confidant and coach. Resources: Please send comments, questions, and feedback to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com

What differentiates quality? In this episode, we encourage you to look beyond the “raw ingredients” of a product or service into the subtle details and cumulative efforts which create a client’s experience. Efficiencies and scale often allow for price compressions.  Technological advances provide both advisor and client with access to resources once only accessible to a select few.  However, an advisor’s ability to counsel, coach, and influence their client and prospect decisions is the differentiator which molds the raw, often simple ingredients into a masterpiece and art form unique each to its own.  Begin the new year identifying those areas of your practice which can be viewed as a premium.  Resources: Please send comments, questions, and feedback to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com   References: Filson Corporation: https://www.filson.com/ Rathbun’s Restaurants:  http://www.kevinrathbun.com/

Today, Phil is joined by Senior Vice President and Director of Strategic Alliances, Theresa Silcox. The two discuss their viewpoints on relationships and how to strengthen and protect those relationships both inside and outside the workplace.   In this episode of First Friday Feedback, we address the question “How to effectively navigate a successful sales interaction?” by determining if one’s sales efforts are best executed through relationship development or through the challenger approach. We also discuss the question “How does one avoid or diffuse situations where political differences create unwanted tension?” by volunteering our perspective on how to approach this delicate conversation in both a digital and face-to-face environment.   Resources: Please send comments, questions, and feedback to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com   References: The Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson: https://binged.it/2Cv3aqM Crucial Conversa

With this first episode of the new year, we are setting the bar high. The challenge, eliminate the phrase “good enough” from your vocabulary.    For too long, these two words have been muttered without tangible consequences. We assert, “it’s good enough,” and neglect to truly analyze the weight behind our words. “Good enough” limits innovation; it does not create a stage for excellence, but builds a heavy wall between us and our potential. Do we all aspire to be deemed “good enough” by others for the roles we are called to play in life? No, life is too short to buy into this bland and average routine.   In this morning’s episode, we urge you to elevate the areas of your life that have fallen short of your true potential. Challenge yourself to make 2018 about breaking the habit of “good enough,” because “good enough” isn’t a meaningful objective.   Resources: Please send comments, questions, and feedback to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com Please send First Friday Feedback submissions to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com

As the old saying goes, “life is too short to cry over spilled milk,” and this week we encourage you to leave that “spilled milk” and any bad experiences in 2017 behind. It is the time of year to reorganize your workspace, clean and focus your mind, and throw away any animosity related to negative experiences. The countdown to 2018 has officially begun, and each of us must take this opportunity to give ourselves a clean page on which to write our narrative for the upcoming year. In this episode, we challenge you to reflect on any mistakes from 2017, extract and compile all the lessons learned, and unfasten yourself from any bitterness you feel as you drive forward into the New Year. Additionally, we encourage you to make a list of goals for 2018’s first quarter and put them in a highly accessible location where you can revisit them daily. As you choose how you would like to spend the last days of 2017, make sure that you use them in a way that will make an impact in 2018. Resources: Please send comments, ques