Last week I spoke to a local health care organization. The topic was on leadership. In traditional Road Show style, the audience laughed its way to learning. We had a lot of fun that day and I did something I’ve never tried before: I accessed the Internet to make a point.
I began the session by challenging the group to be leaders and not managers. There are far too few leaders in America today. The top four attributes of a great leader as stated by employees are: Credibility, Trustworthiness, Vision and Inspiration.
Inspirational leadership should be the goal of every leader. Inspiration has little to do with style. There are quiet and charismatic leaders who inspire in their own way. The rule of inspiration comes from getting to know the strengths of the people you lead. Take an active interest in them and inspire them to greatness every day.
During the Road Show, I shared a real life example of greatness unleashed by Googling “Susan Boyle.” If you haven’t already, please try this. Susan Boyle is a plain Jane who showed up on the TV show “Britain’s Got Talent.” Everyone judged her by her appearance, but when she opened her mouth to sing everyone stopped judging and was blown away.
I shared this with my audience and then asked the question, “How many Susan Boyles are there in your departments?” Talented, wonderful individuals who just need to be understood and supported. How many do you have? Do you judge them from the cover or do you take the time to understand them?
Stop managing and start inspiring. There is no greater feeling than when employees tell you their life is better because you are in it!
I think assumptions are used by people to create excuses. It makes me sad to think about the number of brilliant people with brilliant ideas who simply dream and then go to sleep with their ideas. I hear all kinds of excuses using antiquated assumptions. Statements like: I’m too young. I’m too old. No one will like this. I’m too busy. I don’t have the money to make it happen… blah, blah, blah.
I just read in our local paper about a 13-year-old girl who raised $5,000 in a few weeks. Her cause was to help families build farms overseas. Amazing! If you haven’t heard about Johnny the Bagger… Google him. You will discover a young man with Down syndrome who transformed the experience at a grocery store.
Men and women, young and old, are doing exceptional things in ordinary ways. They simply take action and do something small each day to reach their goal. They do it with a shoestring budget, they do it with kids at home, they do it in retirement – they do it, they do it, and they do it! See a theme here?
So what idea or dream do you have? I learned a healthy exercise from a colleague of mine: Create an Action Plan and start by making a list. On the top I want you to put your idea or dream. Then I want you to list all the excuses and assumptions that you have told yourself as to why you can’t begin working on it today. When your list is complete, find the nearest shredder and SHRED IT! Then create a new list with a timeline of what you CAN do today to push your ideas forward.
There is no adventure in waiting. Do it now and let the adventure begin!
I’ve written on this topic before. Just showing up is often 90% of why a person is successful. When it comes to sales, successful sales people will tell you “never stop calling and reaching out.” That extra call often turns into sales. I was reminded of this fundamental truth while having lunch recently with a stranger at a Society of Animal Welfare Administrators conference, which I had been invited to speak at.
The gentleman I sat next to sold large operating systems for animal shelters. Products that cost a lot of money and last a long time … 20-30 years. They do not have the luxury of repeat business. So I asked him, “How do you market yourself? Booth space, hand shaking and walking around?” His response was, “Both.”
He admitted that it was very difficult but he found that continuing to show up can lead to unexpected connections that can result in sales. So why do we often get busy making excuses as to why we’re not reaching to meet our potential? Is it fear that holds us back? The fear of being wildly successful? I may sound a little sarcastic, but Nelson Mandela believes that what people truly fear is success.
You are a uniquely talented individual who has the right to be wildly successful. If you find you are limiting yourself or making excuses as to why you can’t, instead focus on making a plan as to how you can!
My family just returned from a week at Walt Disney World. I am always amazed at the experience the Disney brand delivers. While visiting Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM), I visited a pavilion sharing the history of Walt Disney which included a documentary with Disney himself telling his story.
Amazing! Walt failed a lot as a young entrepreneur. He believed it’s a good thing for a young person to experience failure. It’s a character thing. His first cartoon character was Waldo the Rabbit. Through a patent loophole, he lost the rights to his own character. His sales manager sold it to a competing firm along with all the artists. Walt was in New York when he found this out. He returned to L.A. without a product or artists. His studio was empty.
His wife Lillian was with him for this historic train ride back to L.A., and it was on this ride that Walt drew the first Mickey Mouse. He decided that Mickey would be the first cartoon character to have real emotion and personality.
One thing Walt never sacrificed was quality. With all the cartoons he created, he insisted that his artists spend extra time with details. His brother Roy challenged him often about the expense of such detail. Walt ignored him in this regard, insisting on quality.
While sitting and watching the film, it was humorous for me to watch the 50-something Disney say, “Once we became successful, they finally believed that my ideas were right.”
Disney certainly achieved success—but only by finding the will to persevere through 30 years of on-and-off-again failures.
Do you have the guts it takes to believe in something so strongly that you drive your belief through negative feedback and criticism? Not too many people have this type of passion. As his company grew, Walt Disney was reported to have said to his staff, “Just remember, it all started with a mouse.”
Michael Eisner, former CEO of Disney, is quoted as saying, “No, it started with a man.”
What will be your legacy?
Joe Kiedinger
ACTION PLAN: Time to start putting your dreams in motion. Make small efforts everyday to build your legacy. Whatever that means to you!
I’ve had the privilege of interviewing successful entrepreneurs, and one thing I’ve found with all of them is they’ve all had mentors in their lives. Mentors who have walked in their shoes, and who have felt the wisdom of defeat and the thrill of expected and sometimes unexpected victory. All of these successful business people have told me stories about their mentors and what they learned.
I wrote on this subject about two months ago and had a subscriber e-mail me and ask, “Joe, how do I go about finding a mentor?” While listening recently to a new CD on leadership, I realized that mentors are everywhere and their messages can come in many forms, such as books, CDs and face-to-face interaction. Listening to this leadership program I realized the mentors in my life include individuals like Anthony Robbins, Dale Carnegie, Jim Collins, Stephen Covey, Nelson Mandela and Michael Gerber, and the list could go on and on.
These are all people who I have never met but who have changed the way I look at things. The right book at the right time can change your life. When I was young, I needed to hear the Personal Power inspiration from Anthony Robbins. Later when I started my career, I was interested in processes and growing a business and relied on wisdom from Gerber, Collins and Carnegie. My current journey has me focusing on leadership ideas from Mandela, Lincoln and Covey. I also have a host of mentors who I actually talk to as well!
If you’re going to lead you’ve got to read! There are great books on CDs and other audio programs that you can listen to in your car or on your iPod. I just heard a quote that reads (and I’m paraphrasing here): “It’s just as bad not to be able to read as it is being able to read and deciding not to.”
It’s so much easier to be successful when you have help along the way. If you need a source to begin your journey, visit www.mondaymm.com (Monday Mastermind). Good luck and good reading!
Joe Kiedinger
ACTION PLAN: Ask for recommendations from business people you respect about books and programs to help get you started on your journey.
Have you heard of Servant Leadership? If you’ve been reading my column for any amount of time, I’m quite sure you’re aware of it. Meeting the legitimate needs of others is the center of it all. It’s not about being a slave but more about choosing to be there for others and taking a genuine interest in them.
I just discovered another term for Servant Leadership. It’s called Lean Manufacturing. One company, Barry-Wehmiller, is a leader in Lean Manufacturing. Barry-Wehmiller owns many manufacturing companies, including one right here in Green Bay, Paper Converting.
Barry-Wehmiller’s slogan is “We build GREAT people who do EXTRAORDINARY things.” In Paper Converting’s case, the slogan is not “We build great machines that do extraordinary things.” This company gets it. Machines do nothing without people! I received a copy of a DVD that shows Barry Wehmiller’s CEO Bob Chapman talking about its philosophy, what it looks like inside and the results. Amazing!
If you haven’t decided yet to take a genuine interest in the people you serve… why? Let’s be greedy for a moment. What if I gave you a guarantee? What if I guaranteed that if you took an active interest in getting to know your associates better by asking for their input on projects and getting them more deeply involved in issues that your paycheck would increase by 30%. Now would you do it?
More and more companies are showing amazing returns when they practice their form of Servant Leadership. I called Bob Chapman’s office and asked if I could interview him for my radio show, Monday Mastermind, on WTAQ here in Green Bay. Guess what he said? Yes! We are working on details as to when. Have you ever wanted to learn from someone successful but were too afraid to make the call?
Let me tell you, I take anyone’s call who wants to learn. That’s what a
Brander-In-Chief does. We relied on people to help us on our journey and still do and we want to give back. Make the call, introduce yourself and learn.
Do you remember the old 80/20 Rule? In business it refers to 20% of your customers who provide 80% of your income. The same principle exists in life. Why is it that when I open up my closet doors I have five yards of clothes to choose from but I always wear the same articles? 80% of my clothes I never wear!
This morning I went to my cupboard full of mugs and sought out one of three that I prefer to drink from: My Branson Mug, World’s Greatest Dad Mug, and my Dog mug. Why just those three? I have 12 to choose from! The 80/20 Rule refers to vendors in your business too. We work with multiple vendors, but there are about 20% that we use on a continual basis.
These vendors we call Process Partners. Process Partners, I have found to be the speed of business. When a Process Partner is embraced by the company they do business with wonderful things begin to happen. They know the vision and direction and they know the part they play in helping you achieve your goals. They can then offer advice and take on more of a consulting role within their area of expertise.
Companies who understand how to recognize and appreciate these key vendors find they work harder, are fully engaged and make the company more money. The money you can save on payroll alone pays for these key partners. Some Process Partners we have are in the areas of payroll, public relations, accounting, banking, and production–just to name a few. Many carry our business card and represent themselves on Prophit Marketing’s behalf.
The power of the Process Partner…embrace them and grow!
Joe Kiedinger
ACTION PLAN: Establish your key vendors, bring them in, share your vision and ask their input. They will leave respected, appreciated and motivated.
Foreword: Attend my free marketing Road Show next week, Thursday July 16th. Learn the seven ingredients to great marketing! (Informational only) To RSVP, please email me at info@prophitmarketing.com.
So, I was cleaning up my office last week when I came across a sheet of paper titled, “2008 Goalsâ€. These were goals I wrote down in December of 2007. I hadn’t looked back at this sheet since I penned the goals over a year ago. I found it ironic that I wrote the goals and never referred back to them through out the year. Reflecting on this I then thought, “Well how did I do?â€
After reviewing these goals I think I found a lump of wisdom. I hit every goal. Without referring back to my goals at all over the course of the year, and having even forgot I wrote them down, I hit every one:
1. Write my first book.
2. Start a publishing company.
3. Figure out a system to understand people quicker.
4. Go on regular “date nights†with my wife.
5. Spend one-on-one time with my kids.
6. Speak/present the Prophit Marketing Road Show 25 times.
7. Grow the company by 25%.
8. Begin a three-year journey in developing a residual income system that will truly make the company recession-proof.
Ok, so 1 and 2 are related, as is number 8 and I’m 6.5 months into year number two. Still, could writing goals down create an unconscious power of will? If anyone out there has more information on this, I would love to learn more about the power of the written word!
This year I’ve written 12-month goals and 10-year goals. I know I’m not the first one to suggest writing things down, however, perhaps simply writing down goals triggers something unconscious in the brain that creates a self-fulfilling prophecy?
Ok, I’m getting a little too deep. Maybe I’ll take my 10-year goals and bury them in a time capsule labeled 2019, sounds like a good project for my son and I!
Joe Kiedinger
ACTION PLAN: What are you goals for the next 6, 12, or 18 months? Write ‘em down!
Ten years ago a couple of guys began something that many thought would never fly. You see the reason for this doubt is based on the two businesses that are the most difficult to sustain: live theater and restaurants. These guys combined them by beginning a dinner theater. Nuts, huh?
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I wrote about this theater in chapter eight of my book, The Brander-In-Chief. However, what I didn’t tell you is that Mel is really created out from my own experience. Mel is really Frank from Frank’s Dinner Theater which is now Let Me Be Frank Productions.
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Frank has proven that passion and vision can persevere. His theater is for profit, all the talent is paid and it is Frank’s career. What I also didn’t tell you is I was that other guy who, ten years ago, said, “Yeah, what the heck, let’s do it.†Yes, even when combining the two worst industries (percentage of success wise) together, success can still be found.
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Today, Let Me Be Frank Productions is a staple at the historical Meyer Theater in downtown Green Bay. We began in an upstairs banquet room of a corner bar. I had to drop out once I started this business and my young family. People would refer to our group as “The Saturday Night Live†of theater. Even guys like to see these shows. It’s that brand that has built Frank’s into what it is today.
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I’m proud to say I had a role in getting Frank’s started, but I know it would happen anyway based on Frank’s drive and creativity. I’m also proud to announce that I will be in their 10th anniversary show, The Groovy 70’s; the original show title that Frank and I wrote. Of course this show is a show about how we wrote the first show. Did you follow that?
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If you like to laugh, love 70’s music, and want to see me in a leisure suit, you’ll love The Groovy 70’s! It opens this weekend and continues through the first three weekends in June. The moral of the story here is to follow your passion and the money will follow. Most people chase the money. Don’t be a chaser, be authentic and do what you were destined to do!
Foreword: We are hosting a free Prophit Marketing Roadshow in July. Empower your organization; learn the system that is growing profits. Email me for more information.
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Today’s Wisdom was inspired by an associate, Mel, at Festival Foods in Marshfield WI.
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The below section of a speech given by Nelson Mandela was orignally written by Marianne Williamson who is an international speaker on spiritual, personal, and political issues.
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“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
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I never really thought about the fears I had early on in my career, but they were ones of success and not failure. I had a “Who Am I?†conversation with myself, early on. “Who am I to manage the marketing funds of another; what do I know?†My early success brought this other voice inside of me that tried to belittle and deny me of greatness.
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I shut that voice down in a big hurry. I realized I didn’t have all the answers and that was okay. I did strive to learn from others who have gone successfully before me. This thinking helped me grow the business rapidly and included the development of the Prophit Marketing System.
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Do you hear the self-sabotaging little voice in you that doubts your success and accomplishments? If there’s ever a time not to listen it’s now! You deserve to be awesome. We all have brilliance within us. Let it out!
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Joe Kiedinger
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ACTION PLAN: Write a list of everything you wish to accomplish or experience in life. You would be amazed at how simple it is to do something little each day to help you get there.
About Me World Premiere
