And the Next Think Right. I first coined that term back in the early 90’s and have used it in my professional and personal development. After all, development should be both professional and personal right? The phase is kinda catchy once you let the impact sink in.
As a Motivational Speaker, Sales Professional, and Sales Manager, I’ve held lots of titles, lots of responsibilities and yet I am still open minded enough to know that I do not know all there is. Just doing the “right thing next” would be enough for a lifetime of personal and professional development. Now, when you blend in the “…and the next thing right” you have the bookends of motivation and development.
Let me unbundle this phrase (do the right thing next and the next thing right) in a way that will help you in the last month of 2011 and perhaps provide some course correction for 2012. We’ve got a lot of things happening in 2012 and getting a little course correction, motivational “rah-rah” and plain old fashioned good sense can go a long, long way!
“Do The Right Thing Next” – Life tends to come at us in a sequence. Picture yourself walking on a path and while you are going forward, there are things coming your way, in a sequential order. Placing one foot on front of the other is doing the Right Thing Next. As each “event” presents itself on the path, you have a choice. You can do the “wrong” thing next, the “not so right” thing next, or simply the “right” thing next. Next…it is a nice (4) letter word. There is always a next. The right thing would be to pay a compliment, the wrong thing would be to gossip or talk behind someone’s back. The right thing would be to tell the truth about something, the wrong thing would be to hold back, parse the meaning and the definitions, or just flat out lie. The right thing would be to turn off the TV and read a development book. The wrong thing would be to justify why the latest reality show is development for you (professional and personal).
I’ve had the pleasure of working with outstanding people; professionals that are consistent when doing the “right thing next.” While they may not be 100% (who really is), they strive, press onward, walk the path one foot in front of the other, and do the right thing next with their professional and personal development. They attend seminars, they listen to podcasts, conference calls, they read, they associate with like minded people. Personally, they do the right thing next with their habits, their diet, their health plans, and their spiritual plans. They form habits of doing the right thing next and that shows in their face, in their character, and the outcomes in their lives.
“And The Next Thing Right” – Let me take you back to La Crescenta, where I grew up. I was on a baseball team and I remember the coach teaching us all out to catch a ground ball from the outfield. Some of you can go immediate back to this “state” and be there on the field, bored to death, wondering what mom will be cooking for dinner…when all of the sudden the coach is teaching via a raised voice, how to catch a “grounder.” For those not familiar with baseball practice, here is the “next thing right.” To catch a fast moving ground ball, you have to first position yourself in front of the ball, directly in front. Then you bend one knee and use your body/chest as the backstop, preventing the ball from going past you. Next, you take your glove hand and place that on the grass in front of you, between you two legs, one which is on a knee, and have your other hand on top of the glove ready to trap the ball into your glove. By doing this, you begin to eliminate the areas where the ball can get past you. During this coaching practice, our coach would field ground balls over and over again, showing us EXACTLY how it is done. Not a single ball got past him. Then he let each of us assume the position, and begin trapping, stopping, and throwing back the ground balls. First he showed us the “next thing right” and each time we did it wrong, he would stop, position us, show us how the RIGHT way was, and do it over and over and over again.
How tragic would it be if you did the RIGHT thing next and the next thing WRONG? The thought was right and the execution was wrong. Time for more practice, more instruction and correction. I’ve worked with many people who know they are doing the next thing wrong, yet they have a teachable spirit and desire to change from WRONG to RIGHT. Sales processes, customer service skills, leadership skills, surfing, skateboarding, painting, cooking, sewing, weight lifting, hunting, fishing, they ALL have an element of doing the “next thing Right / Wrong.” Some motivational speakers call it failing forward, moving up the path yet taking the risk, doing it wrong, then doing it “less wrong, more right” until you get it right. There is always a sense of achievement and celebration when you do it right! Remember tying your shoe laces? It is a great feeling when you can do the whole day without having to tie them because your first attempts did not do the trick.
Now, let me close this out. “Do The Right Thing Next And The Next Thing Right” can be applied to every aspect of your life. My challenge is you right these words down, tape them to your mirror when getting ready for work, tape them by your desk at work, or place them in a place where you can refer over and over again. Read the words, place them in your conscious and subconscious mind, let them take root and you will see a development in both your professional and personal self.
