HOWE Q. WALLACE BLOG

The Disciplines You Practice Contribute to Success

I jotted down this quote the other day:

“Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day, while failure is simply a few errors in judgment, repeated every day. It is the accumulative weight of our disciplines and our judgments that leads us to either fortune or failure.” – Jim Rohn

Do you buy it? I do.

But, if you believe it, you have to be able to answer this question:

For me to succeed in my role (husband, father, colleague, man of faith), what are the disciplines I must follow? Can you write down the list? Are the disciplines on the tip of your tongue?

We must also be aware of our poor judgments that impede us. Do you know what they are? Many times the disciplines you develop have the purpose of correcting the poor judgments you make.

In our organization, we offer 10 Commitments:

  1. No Shortcuts: We will teach you the safe way, provide you safe equipment, fix it when it breaks. Do it right and safe.
  2. Safety Freeze: Watch out for others, guide and teach “rookies,” hold others accountable for safe practices.
  3. On Time and Quick Start: Be there, start timely.
  4. Work Smart – Technique and Consistency: Learn the right techniques and work at a consistent pace.
  5. Work Hard – Strength and Speed: Build endurance and push for faster production.
  6. Teamwork: Teammates support, cooperate, encourage and motivate each other. Be a good team member.
  7. Customer Quality: Know your customer and exceed their expectations.
  8. 100% Uptime: Learn to understand your tools and machines. Maintain them. Report little things before they become big.
  9. Lean and Clean: To run lean, we must have good housekeeping. Keep your area clean.
  10. Better or Worse: If you are not moving toward excellence, you are drifting toward mediocrity.

If our teammates adhere to these commitments, we are well on our way to achieving success. As always, it’s wise to make these commitments part of the disciplines you pursue.