Uncategorized

Success!

I love books and I love learning. I get in these moods when I run to the bookstore and purchase 10 books at a time. I’m not a library guy. I need to possess them! The other day I stopped by the local bookstore and hit the magazine racks. I looked at INC and Entrepreneur magazines and then found one called SUCCESS. This month’s issue has author Jim Collins on the cover. He wrote the number one business book in the world, Good to Great. If you’re looking for inspiration, grab this month’s issue of SUCCESS. I’m definitely going to become a subscriber.

This month’s issue has the following leadership experts: John Maxwell, Mel Robbins, Jim Cathcart and Tony Hseih (Zappos) to name a few. Tony was named SUCCESS 2009 Achiever of the Year. A great choice. Tony started the online shoe sensation Zappos and sold it to Amazon.com for $1.2 billion. Not bad for a few years work! He’s still acting president. His philosophy: Create Fun, Deliver WOW!

Currently Tony is on a quest to better understand the art of happiness. I love it! He says in the article, “The thing we realized this year that sort of ties everything together is that customer service is about making customers happy, and the culture is about making employees happy. So, really, we’re about trying to deliver happiness, whether it’s to customers or employees, and we apply that same philosophy to vendors as well.”

Tony has a culture of Servant Leadership (how I label it). If you like this message, go to the website: www.mondaymm.com  There you’ll find my interview with Servant Leader guru, Jim Hunter. Jim has written books that have sold more than 3 million copies worldwide. He is all about creating a Servant Leadership culture based on leadership and accountability.

Are you out to be a manager or an exceptional leader? If you subscribe to Wisdom On Wednesday, I’m guessing you’re the latter. If that’s true, keep learning and keep improving!

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Get that SUCCESS subscription!

Where is your focus?

I would like to tell you a true story of a bit of wisdom I received from one of my Process Managers regarding a client we’ve been working with for about 16 months. It all began with our Uncovery process, which we used to uncover a lot of gold nuggets for this client. Uncovery is the process of interviewing a good cross-section of employees, management and owners as well as some clients and “uncovering” strengths that are taken for granted by the owners and management team. We take these “gold nuggets,” as we call them, and develop these strengths into a winning strategy for the future. In this case, the strategy was very different than what the owner had surmised going into this process.

We began developing all the tools needed and implemented the strategy. A couple of new clients were brought into their fold and then about a year and a couple of months later a very large client came knocking with a very large order that has since developed into a fruitful long-term partnership. I asked my Process Manager, “So, what was it that led to the sale? Was it the new website, the magazine ads, the trade shows… What?” He responded, “Their focus.”

He reminded me. There is no one thing that determines success. It’s the overall focus of the leadership team and associates who are focused on a particular strategy and doing small things everyday that led to the big hit. It’s so true. Have you ever had business come to you out of the blue that happened to be the perfect client? Almost always that is no accident. It’s because you focused on it.

Ah yes, the great power of focus!

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: What’s your focus? Write it down and share it with others. Don’t have one? Open it up to your associates and get ready for an interesting discussion.

The Momentum Is Building!

Yesterday I had the privilege of spending the day with Viterbo University professors Thomas Thibodeau and Richard Kyte. Tom is the director of the Servant Leadership Masters program and Rick is the head of the Ethics Program. They shared with me the exciting and inspirational stories of companies that truly care about the individuals in their care. Together we dreamed of creating a Servant Leadership consciousness that permeates local government, education and business. Can you imagine? Every person out to serve the legitimate needs of those around them?

Thibodeau and Kyte shared with me a couple dozen stories of business leaders wanting to make a positive impact in the lives of their employees. It was truly an inspiring conversation. We are bombarded with the media telling us how bad education is, how bad health care is and how we should be angry with government. At the end of the day, most of us can only truly rely on one thing and that is how are WE doing in serving others? How are WE making a positive impact in the lives of those around us?

Recently I wrote about the power of Buckers. These are people who were given a poor parenting model by their fathers growing up. However, they made the decision to not accept this poor model and to create their own which leads to a better life. I am now asking all of you who read this to Buck the media programming that has been so draining on public morale. I know times are tough now for so many, but what can you do right now to make another’s life better? Do not accept how BAD things are—instead focus on the GOOD that is happening in the world. I want to thank Tom and Rick for recharging my batteries of hope. I was reminded that I am not alone on this journey. Others are riding the same bus!

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Find the good in today!

Suzy Welch is the real deal

I recently had the opportunity to see Suzy Welch speak. Suzy’s husband is Jack Welch, the famous CEO of GE. Suzy is the real deal. Her newest book, 10-10-10, is a simple concept on how to make decisions and feel good about it. If you make decisions that you feel guilty about, especially decisions between work and home life, you need to read this book. Again, the concept is simple but makes an impact.

Every week we are challenged to make decisions. Benjamin Franklin said the only two things that are certain are death and paying taxes. Jim Hunter, servant leadership guru, reminds us that people avoid paying taxes every year. There are hermits living in remote areas who don’t pay taxes at all. Hunter reminds us that the only two things that are certain are death and choices. It’s been said that we make over 5,000 choices a day. Deciding not to choose in and of itself is a choice.

The choices we make define who we are. Suzy explained that her decision-making process relies heavily on one’s values. Our values are those things mom and dad instilled in us during our childhood and young adulthood. These values support us in our decision making and allow us to cement them in a framework that gives us peace once our decisions are made.

Are you living your life trying to please everyone? Do you try to satisfy both your work life and home life equally? It doesn’t work that way. You can’t be 50/50 all the time. You favor one or the other and that’s OK as long as it aligns with your values. Combined with values, Suzy looks at decisions this way. For example, if you make decision X today, what will be the impact of this decision in the next 10 minutes, the next 10 months and the next 10 years? It’s a simple framework for making challenging decisions. Make a decision to make better decisions. Suzy can help!

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Buy her book, 10-10-10.

What assumptions are you using for excuses?

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!

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Shred it!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

This is the one week out of every year that I keep it really, really simple: Thank you for subscribing to Wisdom on Wednesday. I hope my words have touched you and helped you to grow.
 
Here is a Thanksgiving poem I found. Enjoy.

Joe Kiedinger
 
TWAS the night of Thanksgiving, and I just couldn’t sleep
I tried counting backwards, I tried counting sheep

The leftovers beckoned, the dark meat and white
But I fought the temptation, with all of my might

Tossing and turning with anticipation
When the thought of a snack became infatuation

So I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door
And gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore

I gobbled up turkey, and buttered potatoes
Pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes

I felt myself swelling, so plump and so round
‘till all of a sudden, I rose off the ground

I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky
With a mouthful of dressing, and a handful of pie

But I managed to yell, as I soared past the trees
Happy eating to all, skip the cranberries please

May your dinner be tasty, may your belly be plump
May your potatoes and gravy have not even one lump

May your veggies be delicious and your pies take the prize
May your thanksgiving dinner stay off of your thighs!

90% of Success Is Just Showing Up!

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!

Joe Kiedinger

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!

Thank you, Dad, on your 75th birthday!

It’s my dad’s birthday today and I am with him. I hope as you read this the temperatures are in the 80s with no rain in sight. Yes, we’re in Florida for the annual family trip. I am one lucky guy to grow up with a dad like the one I got. He taught me morals, personal integrity and commitment.

These three gifts were the best things a father could give a child. It’s funny, though, about how gifts work. When I look back, I don’t have too many of the physical gifts he and mom gave me over the years. I’ve either outgrown them or they weren’t built to last very long. However, the gifts of integrity, moral character and commitment are ones that will last forever.

I know I will never be exactly like my dad, but I will always strive to be more like him. It’s these gifts he gave me that my own wife and children are benefiting from. If you’re as fortunate as me to have a father who was fair, took an active interest in your life and treated you as a unique person… you are truly blessed.

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Tell someone how you feel today.

Hire for Profit

Did you know the average cost to a business to go through the hiring process and then have the person leave in three months is around $4200? I don’t know about you, but I can’t afford to take too many of those hits to my balance sheet.

In his book, Winning, Jack Welch reminds us that when hiring we need to do the “acid test,” which is to first check for integrity, second for intelligence and third for maturity.

When it comes to integrity, I believe you start by looking at character. I have dedicated the last two years focusing on identifying true character, and I’ve found that character is developed in the first 13 years of life. It recently dawned on me that businesses only ask interviewees about their adult life and their work experience—and rarely, if ever, about character.

Could it be that your character is developed that young? It’s a programming thing. For example, we were taught to believe cheating or lying to be right or wrong based on how our parents and role models behaved.

Winning also instructs us to look for the four E’s: Positive ENERGY, the ability to ENERGIZE others; the EDGE, which refers to the courage to make tough decisions; and finally the ability to EXECUTE and get the job done. If the candidate possesses the four E’s, the next thing you look for is passion.

Hiring the right people is core to accomplishing great things.

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Practice the four E’s in your future interviews, but make sure candidates pass the acid test first.