Self Improvement

Are you a Bucker?

The term “bucker” typically brings to mind someone who is not paying his or her taxes or who goes against the status quo in general. Bucking something, though, is different from being a bucker. The bucker I’m talking about is someone who can be defined as a true bucker. Let me explain.
 
True buckers are people who defy the programming given to them by their fathers while growing up. For example, a child had a father who was constantly belittling and negative in his behavior toward others in the family.  This bad dad disrespected his wife on a regular basis and always put his needs above his family’s needs.
 
At some point, usually around 13-15 years of age, this child identifies this poor disrespect program and says to him or herself, “I will never be like him!” These children say this silently to themselves or directly to the parent. Buckers are some of the most successful people in the world.
 
They are successful because at a young age they had to identify poor programming and rewrite the rules for themselves, usually by simply doing the opposite of what the bad dad would do. Dad disrespects mom, so “bucker son,” as an example, marries and respects and cherishes his wife.
 
Are you a bucker? Did you receive poor programming growing up, identify it and then rewrite the book of your life? Can you share with me your “bucker moment”—the time when you realized you would not accept the current information you were receiving about life? I’d like to hear from you. You’re rare and oh so cool! I have the upmost respect for you.
 
Joe Kiedinger
 
ACTION PLAN: If you wish to learn more about the importance of good parenting and the role a mom and dad play in a child’s life, read Emotional Intelligence.

The Most Powerful Leadership Tool

I am ready to tell you more about my nearly three-year journey of creating a tool to help people lead. Let’s be clear on something first, though: Being a manager is not the same as being a leader. You can manage yourself, you can manage things and you can manage processes, but you can’t manage another person. All you can do is lead other people. This is the biggest misunderstanding in corporate management today. Too many managers are exactly that—managers. They are not leaders.

 I have seen and coached managers to become great leaders, and I can tell you the people in their care were ready for their leadership, starving for it actually. Everyone who reports to you is ready right now for you to become the leader you were designed to be. I say designed because most of you already know the tenants of leadership.

 Bob Chapman, CEO of Barry-Wehmiller, reminded me that being a good leader is no different than being a good parent. We raise our children to think for themselves. We praise them when we catch them doing things right. It doesn’t change in the workplace. In the same way we want the best for our kids, shouldn’t we want the best for our associates too? Of course we do. We just don’t know how to talk to our associates like we do our own kids.

 That’s where my new invention comes into play. People will allow you to lead them if—  and only if—their base motivations are respected and supported. Furthermore, we all have rules that govern our acceptance of any interaction with another person. The problem is there is no tool in America today (or for any other country for that matter) that gives you a peek into another person’s core motivations and rules of engagement. Until now! Please welcome the About Me Card presented by a new company, About Me International.

 We have been experimenting with a process of creating a corporate culture based on acceptance and support. Our early adopters are praising the program. You can download a white paper at aboutmecard.com to learn more. How does it work? Imagine being able to understand a person’s motivations in 15 minutes, along with the individual’s rules of engagement. How would that change how you currently interact and motivate each of your associates? Instead of spending months or years trying to figure each one out, you could understand each individual in 15 minutes.

 We are about to enter our beta testing of the new software and will be holding a major event introducing it to the world in the spring. If you would like to be invited to this World Premiere being held in Green Bay, please contact us and we’ll send you an invitation. It’s been an exciting journey. Are you ready to step up and become the leader you were designed to become? Join me.

How you feel is your reality!

The marketing world tends to overly focus on this notion of perception. You may have heard, “What you perceive is what is real.” I say it’s not perception but feeling that shapes our world. Your best friend makes you feel great. Your favorite perfume makes you feel sexy. That BMW you finally bought makes you feel accomplished. That Rolex you rewarded yourself with makes you feel successful.

So if you agree with the above, then you agree that how you feel is the truth and therefore is your reality. Let’s think about this notion then. If you were to go to work fully understanding that how you make others feel directly effects your quality of life… would you do things differently?

I give you a 100% guarantee that when you go to work and support all those around you: clients, co-workers, support staff… your life will be transformed. The problem today is people don’t know how to lead and serve others. We are so absorbed with our needs, our wants and our inner child—enough already!

I’m keeping this Wisdom really short because the key to happiness is meeting the needs of others: at home, at work and in the community.

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Get out of you for awhile.

How many Susan Boyles do you have?

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!

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Google Susan Boyle!

National Day of Listening in America

Did you know Nov 27th was The National Day of Listening in America? The event encourages everyone to take one hour of the day to interview someone of importance to them—and record it. What a great idea! Have you ever wished you knew more about your family and friends who have passed away? Maybe you feel like you lost out on an opportunity to really understand them and pass their stories and knowledge on to others.

You know what? It’s never too late! Pledge to let aside an hour of your day and ask a grandparent, parent, friend, sibling, cousin some hard-hitting questions like:
• What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in life?
• What are you most proud of?
• What was the happiest day in your life?

The exercise will not only leave you feeling more connected with this important person in your life, but you’ll also practice your listening skills. Skills you can and need to sharpen for use in both your personal and work life.

So grab that tape recorder or video camera and ask away!

Walt Disney … what a guy!

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!

Mentors Are Everywhere

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.

Make the Call and See What Happens

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.

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Who will you call today?

Getting Paid to be a Jerk!

Have you seen the reality TV show, Hell’s Kitchen with Head Chef Gordon Ramsay? Well the premise of the show (and I’ll only tell you what I know because I don’t waste my time watching it) is young apprentice chefs work under this “renowned chef” (I’ve never heard of him before). He screams and yells at them to cook things right.

I don’t see how people can watch that stuff. Perhaps it’s because they think, “Yeah, it’s not me!” I wonder what his turnover rate is at his restaurant? This is a perfect example of a person leading with power: “Do it this way or else!” Leadership by power is the most common approach by many executives. The problem is you don’t get too many seasons out of a person with this approach.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve got better things to do than be yelled at all day. Leadership by authority is the ticket in today’s workplace. Can you inspire and have associates willingly follow you because of how you lead? Work at it; work hard at it because how you make others feel in your presence is the essence of growing your paycheck and your status within organizations you serve.

Do you think the president would raise someone up to senior management if he or she didn’t “feel” something about that person? They must “feel” confident about that person in order to entrust them to such a high position.

Become the boss you wish your boss was. Become the friend you wish your friends were. Lead with authority, not power, and look out! Oh the places you’ll go!

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Go to Amazon.com and check out the book The Brander-In-Chief and start your journey today!

Uncharted Waters

Why didn’t I take it slow the second time? Alex, my 13 year-old, just received his boating license this summer. Over the 4th of July holiday he was with his buddy on our 18-foot runabout when the propeller hit a rock. Luckily he was going very slow so there was no damage done to the propeller and the engine. Alex warned me of the spot and pointed it out.

Later, and pulling a water-skier, I headed right into that rock at 35 mph. Guess what? Damage! And lots of it! $1,600 later I had my beautiful boat back. Fast forward to our trip up north this last Labor Day weekend…we decided to navigate the Wisconsin River. This water we have never navigated. Alex wanted to go skiing and so I pulled him on a stretch of water that was calm and had no traffic.

I learned why that was…BAM! Up went my motor again. I immediately stopped the boat and looked back. There was a large tree trunk that floated to the surface, tumbled a bit, and sank. Whew, luckily there was no damage! Apparently soggy, floating wood is more forgiving than rocks. How could I make that same mistake twice?

We do this in business as well. The water looks safe so we dive in and get to it. Then, BAM, we hit a rock, that unforeseen but predictable hazard that, in hindsight, could have been avoided had we done a little research and navigated more slowly.

I do believe there are times when you need to jump in, do it, and then fix it. However, there are times when slowing down and taking your time is a good thing. Stop banging your engine (and your resources) around. Be wise: navigate and chart your destiny!

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Slow down, think, and evaluate.