Life keeps happening to us. We can either let it run us off the cliff or take control of the steering wheel. Francois Lupien, dynamic coach, speaker, and presenter, joins Penny Zenker to talk about the importance of taking responsibility for what happens to us so we can create the reality we want. He discusses how we need to look at our relationship with our results and how it informs us to become better in business. What is more, Francois then talks about mindset and skillset, time management, and delegation. Join him in this episode as he offers deeper insights into the power we hold when it comes to our results, helping you increase your bottom line dramatically.

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Taking Responsibility For Our Results With Francois Lupien

As you know, we are always looking for guests who are going to help you to open up a new perspective, look at things differently, challenge the way that you do things and ultimately, work smarter as a result. I’m excited to have Francois Lupien with us. He’s a dynamic coach, speaker and presenter. He’s worked with Tony Robbins, Stephen Covey, and he’s a consultant with Bob Proctor from The Secret for many years. He believes that achieving excellence is everything, and it’s what you put your mind to. He’s been a Taekwondo Canadian Champion, a top real estate agent for RE/MAX, a serial entrepreneur with multiple successful six-figure businesses. Without further ado, we’re going to get some great tips from Francois. Welcome.

Penny, it’s a pleasure to be here. Thanks for having me.

We were chatting a little bit before, and we have some connections in common. I was one of Tony Robbins’ business coaches, and I’ve worked with people all over the world. I understand you worked a little with Tony and with some greats like Stephen Covey and Bob Proctor. Tell us a little bit about how it was to work with those greats. What was the biggest takeaway?

I’ll give it back to Tony Robbins, “Success leaves clues.” This is the best thing. I’m a Canadian champion in Taekwondo. It took me ten years to get to the top of my game, and Tony did it in six months. He did black belt in six months because success leaves clues. Basically, what he did is he took what worked and applied it consistently. Because of that, he mastered it in no time. He is the epitome of, “Success leaves clues,” and then applying it through integration in your life, speed success at the speed of light.

He’s about massive focus and action. That’s what allows you to do it in six months with that complete focus.

In order to become better, we need to humble ourselves to start. Click To Tweet

That’s why of all these giants, it’s that success leaves clues. In order to be able to become better, we need to humble ourselves to start. Humility is a key ingredient of starting. Whenever there are some big boys, we keep quiet, listen, ask questions, inquisitive, then we implement as soon as the knowledge comes out of them. That’s the best way of integration, which is one of the keys to my success. Information is free. It’s everywhere. Mr. or Mrs. Google is everywhere. She’ll have everything for you but unless you apply what you learn, therefore, you’ll just know and then it creates that big knowing-doing gap. You know a lot but you’re not doing much, so we need to bridge that gap. Integration is key in doing that.

We know a lot. We just don’t do what we know. That gap is big. You’re a big believer in mindset and as it relates to skillset. What is it that keeps people from implementing so that they get this great advice from these gurus or people who’ve done it before, if they’re lucky enough to get the right information and knowledge, what’s keeping people from doing it?

Sometimes the answer is not on people’s top priority. The answer is you. You have to take responsibility. By that, I mean life keeps happening to us but if we keep blaming outside circumstances, which the best lately is COVID, everybody blames COVID on this and that. We have to stop this and take responsibility for what we can control and do. When you do that, you stop being a victim, and you start to create the reality that you want. This is paramount in all the things that are going on in our lives right now. Taking responsibility is the first step.

A lot of people think they’re taking responsibility. How does someone know whether they’re making excuses or choices?

A corny sentence I heard a long time ago but you triggered it back says, “It’s either you make excuses or you make money.” If your results are not what you want them to be, therefore take responsibility for them and don’t blame others. I believe that results are the best reflection of how you’re assimilating what it is that you know. Are you walking the talk? Are you doing it? The results are a tangible thing. Many people say these days, “How many diplomas have you got?” They got letters coming out of their business cards but yet they are broke. It’s the reason that it’s not the knowledge that you have, but the application of that knowledge. In order to apply it, you need to be 100% responsible for what you’re doing. By doing this, your time management and anything else that you do to get you to the goal will align itself. As Tony says and you said before, “Really focus. When you’re responsible, no more excuses.”

 

It is important that you talk about results. You’re a big fan and worked with Stephen Covey, and I’m a fan. If you start with the end in mind, which is a big thing that he talked about, that’s your result. Work your way backwards and know what it is that you’re doing to get that result. I was in a self-development course a number of years ago and I like this phrase that they use, “Get in relationship with your results.” I thought that was a great term. What is your relationship with your results? How connected are you? Why is that important? To me, that relationship has even an emotional connection to the result. How important do you think that is in taking responsibility?

I love the fact that you brought relationship into the picture because if you think about it, if you and I have a relationship that is not congruent and we’re butting head all the time, we’re not going to produce much. If we are in harmony with the relationship that we have, as something that we are partners rather than opponents, then we’re going to create a synergy. That’s number seven on the Stephen Covey, 1 plus 1 equals 11, not 1 plus 1 equals 2. The synergy is created exactly by that relationship of harmony because what you resist persists. If you don’t like the results that you have and you resist them, they’re going to persist. If you accept them for what they are, take responsibility for what you’ve created, then that relationship can become our bonus.

I have six children and I’m married for many years to the love of my life. The relationship that we have is one of mutual respect and understanding. It’s never 100% easy but when you say, “If something is not happening, what can I do about it?” Then asking, “How do you see this right now? What’s going on?” When they explain your point of view, you say, “I never even thought of looking at it this way.” That’s what I like about what you said about relationship with your results. Your results are speaking to you. They are telling you that what you’re doing is either getting you closer or further from your goals. As you develop that relationship, you’re going to be able to see, “You’re talking to me right now. What you’re selling is not what I like.” I’m going to take responsibility to change my actions and behaviors so that I can get other results that are more in harmony with my goals.

To keep it simple, we’re either in responsibility or resistance. Many people are caught in arguing with their reality versus taking that responsibility. How does one shift? We talk about taking responsibility, but how do you recognize and shift if you’re caught in a pattern that is not taking responsibility?

I’ll bring a martial arts analogy to this. A lot of the people that “lose in martial arts” is when the attacker comes, they back up in a straight line. The attacker keeps on getting momentum towards you. The thing to do is relax and sidestep. When you sidestep, they keep going, and as they keep going, they’re fully open, then you can attack in a better way. Therefore, if things are coming at you, relax, sidestep, do not confront. If someone is coming at you and you clap, both get hurt. If you sidestep and want to dance, then as you’re dancing, it becomes more harmonious and you can use their momentum to your advantage rather than to their advantage and your disadvantage.

Humility is a key ingredient of starting. Click To Tweet

To translate because let’s say I’m somebody and I go, “What does that mean?” Let’s take a practical example and use that analogy in that practical example because I know that sometimes it’s hard for people to make that connection. They’re like, “I’m doing everything that I can.” Maybe they’re not. What’s an example that you’ve seen in your coaching or people that you’re working with that we could put into a concrete example? Let’s take a real example. I want to double my business. I’m not getting any traction or any headway. I’m at a plateau and I’m not able to move it forward. How do I sidestep? What does that mean in this scenario?

When you look at Penny’s expression when she was explaining my business, she was squinting, contracting. You were concentrating on what you did not want. Therefore, it’s stopping the flow of inspiration from coming to you. That’s what resisting is. It’s a reality that’s happening. Let’s not be ostriches and put our heads in the sand. We recognize that the results are not where we want, but stop it then turn around and look at what it is that you want and how does that look like? When you start to do this, you’re no longer resisting the reality which you’re turning towards, “How can I create and find out about new opportunities? What insights and inspiration can I get because I am looking towards where I want to go that is appealing rather than where I am and is constricted?”

That is one of the best ways I can tell you to sidestep. Stop concentrating on what’s wrong. Concentrate on what it is that you want and focus your energies on this. I’ve had a book for many years. When you’re a speaker, you’re always in airports, and what are you going to do? You stop at the book shop and look at things. Interestingly, I see this Questions Are the Answer. I have on page eight a placemat that I’ve had in there for eighteen years. I did not read the book. It’s because the thoughts that came with the question on this triggered many ideas in my mind that when I start to read it, that’s not what the book was about, but Questions Are the Answer coming back full circle to what you said.

If the business is not going well and you start saying things like, “Why is it that it’s not working? How come it’s not working? I’m trying. I’m doing everything that I can. What else can I do?” These are questions that are disempowering, “What is this telling about me right now? Maybe I’m not doing what I’m supposed to do. What else can I do?” This is my little tip secret. Whatever question that you ask yourself such as, “How can I improve my business and enjoy the process, have fun along the way and do it in a faster period of time?” When you add these little things in your mind, which is an answer-seeking mechanism, it will create answers to these empowering questions, and that is how you sidestep the stress coming at you. Then you’re empowered with more relaxation to create the life that you want while stopping a reality that is hindering your success right now.

In simplicity, we can ask a different question than what we’ve been asking. More empowering questions, helping us to focus on what we want versus what we don’t want. I’m chucking it down for those who are reading to get that additional clarity. When we take another perspective on something, and you mentioned your little trick on questions and say, “Enjoy the process.” My little trick on questions, I know you know this too and probably do it as well, is you ask the questions multiple times. The more times you ask a question, the greater your perspective. I can ask that same question then say, “How else can I see this? What other ways could I get to this result?” Then we open up a greater perspective and possibilities. Ask a better question multiple times.

 

I have a tweak for you. This is some elite coaching that I’ve been doing which is amazing, and all of us have seen this. Someone comes to us with a problem. It’s so easy to solve their problems. When it’s our own problems, we need help from other people. We are caught in our own mess that our mind thinks not linear but all over the place, so we have a hard time to get our ideas together. This is a great tip. You take a piece of paper and you write the challenge that you have right now in full detail. It’s explicit as to, “My business is not working right now because I don’t have enough clients,” whatever it is. It doesn’t matter. I’m trying to be generic.

You write this in specific terms, then you take that paper and turn it face down on your desk. You don’t look at it again, then you work your day. Maybe you go to the washroom and come back. When you come back, you look at it. The state of mind is so important. You come back and go, “Someone delivered a message on my desk. What is this?” You take the piece of paper. You turn it around. You say, “Someone’s asking for my advice to help them solve their problem.” You’re starting looking at it as if it’s not yours because it’s someone else’s. All that inspiration, ingenuity and imagination that you have within yourself is now unleashed because it’s no longer solving a problem for you but for someone else. I solved many problems so much faster because it’s the disconnect from the problem, and now I can let it flow freely towards the solution.

That is outstanding because that’s your sidestep. I do that not all the time for myself but I help other coaches who may be difficult to coach. I let them coach themselves by giving them a scenario where it’s someone else’s problem. It’s so much easier to look at someone else’s problem because there’s that detachment. Coming back to what you said earlier, for people to understand, that’s the sidestep. It is getting away from that full connection and that emotional connection that keeps you focused on the problem versus the solution.

Another way to look at it is your environment. There are different types of environment. You can have an environment that is conducive to your success or one that restricts your success. The sidestep is one that’s conducive to success. The one that restricts you is the one that you try to fight the existing reality. Einstein says, “You cannot solve a problem using the same thinking that created a problem.” Buckminster Fuller says, “You need to create a new model that makes the old model obsolete.” You only concentrate on that new model, and as you do so, it takes life. It grows. As it grows, it nurtures you.

This is a mindset shift. We talked about mindset and skillset. Is mindset a skillset?

Results are the best reflection of how you're assimilating. Click To Tweet

Yes, it is because skillset need to have practice in order for them to be more embedded. Mindset, you need to have practice as well.

We are not born with it, people. It’s something we have to practice. As we practice it, it comes easier, it gets stronger, and we build the skillset.

I’m always laughing and smiling. I’m a happy camper. Life is good. Because I’m always smiling, people say, “Have you always been smiling?” “I’m not. When I was a teenager, I was pouting all the time.” My mom used to say, “Why are you doing this? You’re robbing yourself of all the good things in life when you’re doing this.” Now, as I went into my professional life, sometimes a little more reluctant at first, we see the expression and then my mom’s teaching came back. I started to embrace that. My life took off, and the lives of others, and people wanted to be around me a lot more.

It is a win-win situation to have the mindset of being kind to others. Make others feel important. It is such an important thing. It’s paramount. If people feel important and feel empowered around you, this is awesome. Mindset is the best skillset that you can have. The reason I say mindset and skillset is in skillset, you can learn how to talk to people and enroll more people. Unless you have the right mindset, I don’t care the quality of your skillset. It is not getting me multiplied. If we look at a 95/5, anything you do with mindset, 95% impact and with skillset 5% impact. You can be good at skillset but it’s only by a multiplicating factor of five rather than mindset or multiplicating factor of 95.

I want to shift into a little bit of the tactics and thought process around how and where we focus once we have our skillset of mindset in place. How does that relate to our time management?

 

I tweak it a bit and I call it activity management. It comes from the Stephen Covey background of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People of having big rocks. What do we mean by big rocks? If there’s a container and you have rocks, sand, water, and you try to pile it all in, you put the water, the sand, the big rocks, it doesn’t work. If you put the big rock first, then the sand, then you add the water, everything fits. The moral of the story is to have your big rocks, your immovable, the things that are non-negotiable, and you put them into your calendar weekly. They are there, if anything happens, it has to go around these things. When you do this, you’re stabilizing.

One of the things that I focus on is high-ticket, sales-commissioned professionals. Oftentimes, they have a roller coaster of income. The reason is they react to their environment more than having those pillars that are constantly there that continue to put in the influx so that as they do activity management, their time management is working in line. Let’s face it, we all have 24 hours in a day. All of us, it doesn’t matter who you are, rich, poor, young, old, everybody. The activities, what you do with that time is paramount. Having those block or activity management, ladies and gentlemen, list down six things that are the best, the 80/20 rule, that will create 80% of your result using 20% of your energy, put those in your agenda, do them relentlessly and consistently with perseverance, you will see your income will double, triple and even 10x. It is outstanding. Is it hard to do alone? Yes. Can you do it with others? Absolutely, but it is a paramount concept that as we have blocks of time, we become way more efficient and effective.

I also am a big proponent of living the Pareto Principle and understanding what your 20% is, so that you can get that 80% of the results. It seems to be one of those things that’s obvious but we get distracted away from them. The challenge is a lot of people say, “I have too many big rocks.” What do you say to that person that says, “That’s the problem,” is that people have problems managing their priorities because everything is the highest priority? How do you get to that 20%? I have my methods, but I’m curious and I want to share this with the readers. You did give us 1 to the 6 activities that would get us 80% of the result. Is there another way that we could look at that to find our 20% and stop the distraction that’s keeping us from those things?

Yes. I believe that if we stay in our heads, the head doesn’t think linearly. It’s all over the place. Therefore, it’s hard to understand what’s going on. Putting things on paper helps. An activity that can be done is to list on a piece of paper all the activities that you’ve done in the last month in your business. It might be 2, 1 or 1/2-page, it doesn’t matter. Once you’ve listed them, what you do is on the right column, you say, “What is the result of this activity?” Let’s put money as an easy token of a measure to whatever the activity is. How much money did you generate from this? To keep it simple.

When you automatically see that thing of, “I’ve got so many things that I’m doing,” it will be dissipated because you’re going to see some that are $200 an hour. Some are $10, $50, $10 and $500 an hour. This is going to be pretty simple to look at it and say, “Look at them. They’re right there in my face.” If you stay in your head, you will not be able to do it. You have to put them down on paper. Once you do that, you can deal with it. There’s $500, $250, $300, $200 and $100. I can give you permission to scrap the rest. Don’t do any of the other ones. These are your big rocks. When you put them as your big rocks, you say, “This can’t be a rock.”

We all have 24 hours in a day, but what we do with that time is paramount. Click To Tweet

Hear me out. As you put those ten big rocks in the week, the holes that are in between all those rocks are what’s going to fall through, the urgent phone call, emergency here and there will fall in between these things. By doing it that way, you will, and what I value all my clients is you’re going to work less and earn more, have good times. Don’t stress out. Allow life to come through you rather than go at it and then burn out, which is not a good thing to do.

We are seeing path to go in this way. We have a lot of similar ways that we approach things. I do the same thing is once you have a value on it and you know what the value of your activities are, then it gives you permission to say that these things aren’t important. It gives you the ability to communicate that to other people, so that if you’re working in a larger organization that they know which things they need to focus on, and they know why you’re letting some things go because they’re not as highly important. You can delegate them, automate them, look to simplify and eliminate them. It does create this freeing effect by getting clear on what those big rocks or top priorities are.

The bottom line is the results. The results is the name of the game. It doesn’t matter what you do, how much you do, how much you notice your results, and that will help you increase your bottom line results dramatically.

How would you ask every guest this question? How would you define productivity and why? Everybody I’ve had on this show has completely different answers. How do you define it?

Balance would be the word that comes to me. If your productivity is very high but at the cost of all your time, you’re not efficient. I believe that productivity needs to be paired with efficiency if you don’t want to burn out. I’m 60 years old in 2021. I got 6 kids and 4 grandkids. I race motocross. I hold my breath on the water for four minutes. I do a lot of things and the reason why I’m enjoying it so much is because I have the productivity and efficiency balanced in a way that enables me to do many things. For example, I did not miss any sporting events of all my six kids ever. I was always there because I plan my life that way. The success that we achieve is pretty cool but nevertheless, it’s important to me. What you’re talking about is that productivity needs to come with efficiency. Otherwise, you’re going to burn out.

Productivity needs to come with efficiency. Otherwise, you're going to burn out. Click To Tweet

I haven’t heard someone say, “Plan your life around your kid’s activities,” but what I understand is you plan your work around your family. I’ve never heard anybody explain it like that. If you’ve listened to anybody, of course they love their family but the first thing that they sacrifice is their health and family. Why not take that approach so that you’re crystal clear as to how you approach your work around your family? I love that. You said, “Success leaves clues.” That’s certainly a balanced clue but those words also are, “Success leaves cues,” as well. The cue to me is having those little phrases that remind us of how we need to approach our life and what perspective we need to take to get the greatest fulfillment, happiness, success and productivity. That would be one of those statements is, “Plan your work around your family.”

As you talk about this, one of the proprietary programs that I have, I call it the CURRE. The first C stands for Clarity. Unless you have clarity, you will always be a victim of circumstances. Once you have clarity, things come at you, you look at them and say, “This helps me get to where I want. I do it. This is detracting me from where I want. You remove it.” That’s how successful people can make decisions quickly, change them slowly if ever. The first one, clarity is paramount. What is it that you want? Number two, U is for Uncover hidden challenges. The way I like to say this is if you come into a room that is dark and there are obstacles, you’re going to trip on them. What I do is I turn on the lights and now we can identify those hidden challenges that are there, and then we make stepping stones instead of stumbling blocks out of them.

The next two are RR, Remove and Replace. These have to be twins. What do I mean? Once we identify what is not working, we need not only to identify it but identify exactly what it is then we need to replace it as we remove it. Why? Most people say, “I’m going to stop doing this,” but they did not think about what they’re going to replace it with and therefore, weeds get into it. Weeds grow so fast. You create a hole, the weeds are in there, maybe they’re taking over the place. Unless you remove and replace simultaneously, you will end up with less productivity. The last E is Engrain. You need to engrain it so that your results stick and are permanent. CURRE, Clarity, Uncover, Remove Replace and Engrain.

How can people find more about you and this program of yours?

I believe that we can become more, so therefore my website is HowToBecomeMore.com. You’re going to see many things and many of my clients, as one thing that you asked before, I talked about salespeople. I had a real estate agent who came to me, $5,000 a month he was making. After three months with me, she was making $30,000 a month. After six months, she was in between $30,000 to $50,000 and her month number nine with keeping in touch with me, she made $78,000. I love it. It’s the results that stick. The proof is in the pudding. For the people that are on your show and reading this, there’s a schedule a call with me. As they come and schedule that call and put your name in it, instead of 15 minutes, I’ll give them 30 minutes and a preview of the CURRE. I can give them clarity and identify hidden challenges as a gift from me to you. I’m thanking you and all your readers who have taken their valuable time. They get some great tips to improve their productivity.

Thank you so much for this great discussion. I enjoyed it.

Thank you, Penny. I appreciate. Thanks for all that you do. You are making a difference. To everybody out there, your life is in your hand. Take responsibility and make it happen because you can do it. I believe in you.

Take responsibility. That was how we started out the show. It was powerful to talk about the difference and the opposite sides of the coin that are responsibility and resistance. You can’t look at both sides of the coin. You have to pick a side and then focus on that side. Why not pick responsibility since it’s where you’re going to drive results? That’s it for you, guys. The key is that you have one core takeaway from this show. It’s not a huge list of things that you’re going to do because you probably won’t do them. Take one thing, one distinction and put it into practice, and start right now. Thanks for being here.

Important Links:

• Francois Lupien
• Questions Are the Answer
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
• https://www.YouTube.com/channel/UCNxrMzraHRUpeVUUDa2Cy3g

About Francois Lupien

Francois Lupien is a dynamic coach, speaker, and presenter whose experience includes working with Tony Robbins, Stephen Covey (7 Habits of Highly Effective People) and as a consultant with Bob Proctor (Movie: The Secret). Achieving excellence in everything he puts his mind to, Francois has been a Tae Kwon Do Canadian champion, a Top Real Estate agent for 11 years with Remax, and a serial entrepreneur with multiple successful 6-figure businesses.

Applying theory to reality, Francois duplicated his previous year’s 12-month income in one month the following year, increasing his net worth by 150%, and has since dedicated himself to helping entrepreneurs do the same thing. Energetic, passionate, and dedicated, Francois can show you how to get real results that stick – mediocrity is never an option!

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