Leader's Compass 32 - Patience - THE Essential Leadership Ingredient

When I was a young boy my mother would use any opportunity she could to teach me the importance of patience. Waiting in the doctors office, sitting in church, driving the 2 hour drive to grandma's house; the message was the same -" it'll teach you patience"

All of those times paid off. I learned that patience was a virtue to be coveted and practiced regularly. In fact, I've observed that patience in leadership is probably the most crucial ingredient to the recipie. A wise person once said that when it comes to people "slow is fast." This means that if you want someone to grow quickly be patient and slow down. People, unlike objects thrive in nurturing, patient relationships. The wise leader uses patience as the powerful tool to help breed a culture of support and growth.

Over the years I've had the pleasure of watching young managers become true leaders by learning and practicing patience. "Do it now, because I said so!" becomes replaced with patient nurturing and passionate teaching that respects the natural growth process. Patient leaders tend not to get as frustrated because they understand that patience is a more powerful tool than pushy persuasion. 

The patient leader tends to follow the mature decision making process when making decisions. They ask:

1 - How does this decision affect my team member?

2 - How does this decision affect my team?

3 - How does this decision affect our customer? And finally 

4 - How does this decision affect our company?

By patiently pausing and then choosing action after filtering the decision through the above process the patient leader is more likely to make a savvy, more seductive decision luring his or her followers toward wanting to do what the leader asks. 

Like physical strength movements patience is developed and strengthened through consistent practice. How is your patience practice coming along? Don't forget to pause and be patient. Lead on.

Leader's Compass 31 - Running Lean - How Managers Can Creatively Cut The Fat WithoutCompromising Quality

All too often we think more is better. Recently I've read about how some retailers are finding thier revenues down and are needing to "trim the fat" through better expense management. Although most companies and many people personally have had to cut back on spending when times are tough tightening the belt a bit can be a helpful reminder of what is important. Below are a few helpful tips.

1. Always invest in training and development. It's been said that a great leader knows more about his assets than his liabilities. This does not mean that the leader is a fool that ignores expenses, but that they look for, see and understand the depth of the assets in his possession. Spending time with and training the team you work with can have a massive effect on your overall cost savings. 

Better trained, more developed people are able to easily do more without becoming burned out and overwhelmed. 

2. Maximize individual strengths. A solid manager will take pause and look from both a long term strategic and short term tactical perspective what strengths in her individuals are best utilized where. People that are maximizing strengths in thier day to day are happier, more productive and more effective as well. Putting the right person, with the right talent and skill in the right job is the first step toward success.

3. Don't forget the fine toothed comb. Doing a thourough search for company fat - programs that are not producing, projects that are unproductive will always be found through a detailed approach to the financial statements.

4. Commit to killing sacred cows when necessary. Every company has no shortage of sacred cows. Perhaps it's the idea that the CEO loves and everyone has followed despite its eventual ineffectiveness. Maybe it's the cultural shift made by the entire corporation in an effort to improve an area but instead created more redundancy in the business. 

When cutting costs effectively it's important to go into the process with the commitment to kill any sacred cow that is no longer serving the company needs.

5. Finally - never sacrifice the customer experience. Experience is what keeps us coming back to a retailer, a restaurant, hotel, health club, or any other service business. Sure, competitive pricing is great, but if history has taught us anything about business the experience consumers have is paramount to the company's long term success.

See from the customer point of view and never forget that intelligent consumers can see when you are trying to save a buck at thier expense. Don't fool yourself into thinking you are fooling them if one of your cost cutting measures puts customers needs on the back burner.

In the end lean times can create better efficiency and effectivity if done properly. Cost cutting is a sharp sword that if done too aggressively and without the velvet hammer approach can alienate employees and customers alike. Done well however it can be a great lesson in leadership, team building and loyalty creation. Plan well and lead on.

Leader's Compass 30 - One of These Things is Not Like The Other

"Life is hard, and so am I"

- Mark Everett, The Eels

In school I got sent to the principal's office for not conforming to the standard regularly. Times have changed but I haven't. Ultimately, at the heart of it I'm what you would call a contrarian. I do things contrary to what is popular. I'm not particularly interested in the most popular way of doing something because I've never gotten much satisfaction from being a lemming.

When I was younger being a contrarian, someone who marched to the beat of a different drummer didn't seem so cool. I struggled with the fact that my inner voice would not only be able to cut through the bullshit of what "authority" figures said, but that I couldn't just go with the conventional flow. Call it my artistic expression, my strong willed stubbornness or my analytical passion. Whatever it is I was born hard wired to not conform. 

Over time I came to observe that leaders were those that, like me were a bit off the beaten path. They didn't listen to the masses. In my home office I have a quote from the great Henry Ford that says "If I would have asked them (the public) what they wanted they would have told me [they wanted] a faster horse." Instead of listening to the masses Ford created the automobile and revolutionized our world transportation.

Managers and leaders are cut from different cloth. A great leader can also be a great manager. A good manager however has a difficult time becoming a great leader. Managers listen to the status quo, develop systems to maintain that status quo and follow the mantra "create efficiency and don't rock the boat." Leaders rock the boat...regularly. Leaders are rarely "appropriate." 

When asked about his general who "drank too much and cursed too much" Abraham Lincoln, a great leader in his own right responded that that general was getting results and that he wished he had several more "drunk generals." That "drunk general" by the way ended up winning the war for Lincoln and the country.

Being a leader means you are driven by passion and a love for the people you lead. Sometimes, those people, because of their own weakness look to you as the "fault." Their personal self esteem issuers cause them to betray themselves and ultimately you. Does that mean the leader is in the wrong? Not necessarily. The great contrarian Winston Churchill said that if you are have no enimies then you have never taken a stand or made a bold action.

Being a contrarian is risky, and all risks come with upsides and downsides. Great leaders weigh the risks and act anyway knowing that at the end of the day they (unlike their manager counterparts believe) cannot control every outcome.

Contrarians are leaders. They are those that stop, observe, act out of what they belive is right and not out of what "the rules" say. A great contrarian, therefore must become a great appoligizer. Contrarian leaders don't mean to offend and are often misunderstood because they do not follow the status quo. Apologies for misunderstandings and unintend offenses are had regularly.

Ultimately we all have at least a small contrarian inside of us. Some have a stronger voice than others, perhaps because they have learned to listen to it more often over the years. Regardless, feed that contrarian. Be the guy, be the girl that is, as Sesame Street taught us "is not like the other" 

Live well. Lead on.

Leader's Compass 29 - Two Crucial Leadership Skills

In his book Creativity - The Perfect Crime, Philippe Petit describes that the first step in his creative process is to start with chaos. "The word chaos is Greek and means 'that which gapes wide open. It's a beautiful world. I see a wide-open mouth hungry to swallow the worlds knowledge."

The art of parkour began in France. The French called this explosive running style "faire un parcour." Parkour, or playfull acrobatic running is running is a mix of running combined with gymnastic-type moves in an obstacle course, in city streets or throughout nature. At the heart of this style of movement is the ability to adapt ones movements to ones surroundings and environment.

Relationships are inherently either creative or destructive in nature depending on the way we approach them. A true leader and coach approaches the relationships in her life with the intent to create, build and develop. Like any other creative pursuit this requires stepping into the unknown, facing the chaos and opening up another person in a way that develops and creates.

One of the difficulties in navigating relationships is having the ability to perform gymnastic-like moves when communicating with others in order to stay on track. Flexibility is crucial in communication and relationship growth. Like the skilled parkour runner the skilled leader may need to leap over criticism, dodge anger and cartwheel past the initial challenges of tough conversations.

Two important tools in any leader's tool belt are coaching and feedback. Coaching is something a leader does when the foundations of trust, honesty and respect are present in the relationship. The process of coaching is fairly simple. When a problem or concern arises in a relationship the leader approaches the other person and in a non-attacking way tells them how they see a situation. Following their perspective they say "how do you see it?" Finally, the leader encourages the other person to create a plan to fix the problem, improve the situation and/or ensure the concern doesn't continue.

Coaching, like its brother feedback is fact based. Opinions, judgements and threats are not part of true coaching. Feedback, also a fact based tool in the leaders tool belt is a tool to be used with high and low performers to reinforce positive behaviors. "I really appreciate how thorough you were in your financial report. You really drilled down to the details and showed a strong grasp of your business. Thank you for the time and attention to detail you put in." 

This type of specific feedback shows the person exactly what you appreciated and what you thought they did well. The feedback approach builds confidence in a specific area and eliminates "the halo effect" we throw around when we say things like "you are awesome." Specific feedback drives more specific performance. Telling someone they are awesome, no matter how well intentioned only makes them feel good temporarily and does not give them anything to continue doing well.

The Wall Street Journal reported recently that the majority of workers prefer getting positive feedback. Reading that may make you think "well duh"! Who loves receiving negative feedback? Not many. Therefore they ability to deliver coaching, rather than just negative feedback is crucial. Stepping into the wide expanse, opening up to the chaos is the first step in the creative process. Practice the skills of coaching and feedback and, like a great parkour artist you will be able to navigate your relationships well while making others feel great. Be a true professional - practice until you don't get it wrong. Lead on.

Leader's Compass 28 - A&I - A Lethal Combination

"I'm pretty much the best artist I know."

- Napolean Dynamite

We all know "that guy." You know, the guy who is never wrong, the guy who "always" knows, the guy who knew before you did..."that guy"....the legend in his own mind.

From rap stars songs revolving around themselves to the ever present "selfy" revolution we have transformed ourselves into a nation of hubris loving, self aggrandizing "that guys" or "that girls" that value arrogance over humility and ignorance over intelilligence.

Basic chemistry teaches us that certain compounds alone may not be as harmful as they are when combined with other chemicals. Mix the wrong two chemicals and you have and explosion. Psychology and relationships are the same. A&I, or arrogance and ignorance mixed together create an especially lethal compund for any leader. 

We can all remember that guy, or that girl who had a particular mastery of both qualities. Can't remember? Maybe that guy or that girl is you? Outside of just not showering, smelling bad and being consistently "the smelly kid" I can't think of a compound more repulsive to anyone in a leadership position. A&I drive others away, discourage growth and offend the masses. The legend becomes legendary in their hubris, their self aggrandizement, their constant need for self promotion. Sorry Mr. Important, but beyond your overly inflated ego no one cares how uber awesome you think you are.

Like a poison slowly spreading in the bloodstream of a leaders relationships the A&I compound has a tempering antidote. This tempering antidote is not an opposite, not an alternative but a vitamin, a medicine of sorts to lesson the negative affects. The curative compound L&R works as an appropriate antidote. L&R is not easy, however it can be both a quick fix and a long term deposit into the emotional bank account of any relationship.

L&R, or listening and restating go beyond mere passive listening, pretend listening (categorized by the "bullshit nod" and the classic "mmmhmm...'I'm not really listening but want you to think I am' grunt") and the ultimate "listening just to respond". L&R require you to be active with your ears and your body. Your body's language speaks to an inclination not only to hear, but to clarify and understand. L&R requires cognition, thought about what the other person is saying. L&R means that you may even be open emotionally to another person while you set your ego aside. 

  

If you ever find yourself pontificating on how awesome you are because you spent "like three hours shading the upper lip" of the drawing of your life remind yourself that A&I make you look about as cool as Napolean Dynamite in his stellar moon boots and rockin' Preston High gym class shirt. Take a dose of L&R and become truly legendary. Live well, be well and lead on.

Training and Development - Why Many Employees Fail

If you are a manager you have, at some point made a crucial mistake when it came to training your employees; you trained a subordinate and then expected them to display a certain amount of mastery in the task , project or skill you just trained them in almost immediately afterward. When the results were less than perfect you got frustrated and, like most inexperienced managers wondered what was wrong with that person who seemed like such a shining star when you hired her.

Recently while conducting a day long leadership training I had a manager who is also an experienced yoga instructor come to the front of the room and show a yoga series called a sun salutation. Explaining each step as she went she beautifully and elegantly trained the group how to perform this series of moves. Afterward I thanked her and asked her to return to her seat while I invited another manager to the front. "Show us how to do a sun salutation" I asked. Although he had a solid effort the result fell far short of the skilled instructor. Why?

Following the demonstrations I asked the yoga teacher to explain in detail her development process. "I started by going to classes at least 1-2 times a week for two years. After that I took a weekend certification and started teaching. Eventually I did an even deeper training and received my 500 hour certification. I still take classes at least weekly and when I travel I go to classes from any instructor I can to learn more." 

So what is the difference? Why was one persons fluidity of movement so flawless, seemingly effortless and far more beautiful and elegant that the other's? The difference lies in development. Although the second manager in the room was trained by the first he lacked the time, practice and ultimately development that the first had.

Training can take a short period of time, or extend out depending on the complexity of the task, skill or project being trained on. Development however takes much much longer. Development of skill, development of habits allowing for fluidity, beauty and grace in executing ones job takes time, repetition and practice. An art instructor I had in college said that "art is the process of correction through recognition." Life is much the same. Life, development is a process of correction through recognition.

To develop in an area a manager needs to put on the leadership perspective spectacles to see the development path ahead of the person they are working with. The leader must drill the team member until they develop mastery of the skills, the tasks, the projects that lead to success. The leader becomes the drill seargent, the drill coach driving the concepts further into the vernacular and habit of the growing employee.

To be a truly spectacular leader the manager must remember that training is the gateway to success. Training alone however can also be the gateway to failure. The key to creating strong and passionate people is to focus on and drive development. Train someone and forget them and you are rolling the dice on their success. Train someone and follow up with development and you increase the success odds dramatically. Practice. Correct. Praise. Develop. Be a leader. Develop people. Lead on.

Performance and Failure...And Why I Paint With Watercolor

Over the weekend I met an artist at an art festival who's work truly inspired me. He, like I works primarily in watercolor. His work was bold, colorful, flowing and textural. His subject matter was carefully selected and he painted what he saw - not what was there - the mark of a true artist.

When I was younger I ran both the 100 and the 400 meters in track. To this day I'll never forget the same uncomfortable feeling I would get as my feet pressed my spikes into the blocks, my knees became indented by the course track and my fingers found their way to a spot just before the starting line. "SET!" My knees shot off the ground, my tail in the air, my eyes fixated forward, my fingers and knuckles pressed into the track and my gut, oh my gut...50 Eagle Scouts couldn't have tied it into better knots...every...single time. It didn't matter if I knew, based on past experience that I could beat everyone in my heat or if I was racing against my toughest competition, my gut was always in shambles. BANG! The gun fired. I pushed off the blocks. I ran. My stomach knots magically disappeared. Every, single, time.

What inspired me most about this young artist was not only his work, but the combination of humility and kindness coupled with the bold style he exhibited in his work. "Here is my cell phone number. Find me on Facebook. I will be your friend. This is my name. It's Russian because I am Russian." The combination of subtlety and boldness was manifest in this great artists work. 

When I first started painting I was drawn to watercolor for a few reasons. First - oil painting stunk. I really couldn't stand the smell of the oils. Second - there is a flow and beauty with watercolor that you can't get with other media. And finally - the majority of people I talked to said that it was the hardest to learn, the most unforgiving and because of that the most difficult to master. That last statement alone was enough to convince me that I was going to learn watercolor and learn it well. I wanted to master the media that people told me was the toughest.

One of the things I've learned from practicing watercolor painting over the past 23 years is that there is both a fluidity and unforgiving nature to watercolor that make it both unnerving and exhilarating to use. As I have spent the past 20 or so years in and out of various leadership roles I've found that the same feeling I had when running track, the same knotted stomach I get when I start a painting comes whenever I go into a leadership opportunity. "Why," I've wondered? Why is it that when I take off "manager hat" and put on the "leadership cap" I get the uneasy feeling? I've pondered that over the years and think I've found the answer - performance and failure.

In management you set systems, manage controllables, oversee processes. In leadership you inspire others, mobilize their talents and, like the unforgiving watercolor or short sprint race get immediate feedback in the form of people's movement and speed of movement on your performance. Inspiring others is not easy. It's partially dependent on you and your ability to persuade. It's partially dependent on those around you and the moods they bring. Cold and flu? Upset stomach or headache? Nagging spouse that annoyed the person in front of you prior to you meeting with them? These factors are out of your control. You may give the most powerful, convincing monologue of your life and yet if the person across from you doesn't want it to be a dialogue it won't be.

The fear of the unknown is what tends to tie our gut in knots. We care, otherwise we couldn't be classified as leaders. We could say "it's only business," but then we have taken the leadership hat off and put on the cold, calculating hat of management.

The fear of what happens with the first brush stroke, the fear of what happens before the gun goes off is both natural and necessary in our leadership situations. The leader paints, he runs, she leads, despite the knots in the stomach. He does not stay at the starting line. She does not stare at a blank sheet of paper. He does not avoid the issues at hand. She confronts the issues in spite of the knots and realizes that the knots only mean what they meant way back when I was crouched over, my feet pressing my spikes into the blocks, my knees becoming indented by the course track and my fingers finding their way to a spot just before the starting line. It means performance matters. Leaders perform. That is the nature of leadership. They perform in getting people to follow them. If not, they have no one to lead and they have not performed and thus would not be considered a leader. Leaders find a way. Leaders run hard. Leaders paint boldly. Finally, leaders fail. Leaders lose the race sometimes. They paint a bad painting from time to time. They say something or do something that is taken the wrong way. They unintentionally hurt. Leaders fail, and then they race again, they paint more, they converse more passionately until they win. 

In conclusion I could write "don't be afraid of failure" just like I could write don't ever go to the bathroom anymore. Neither instance would you be able to follow my horrible advice. What advice I can give you is to act. When the gun goes off run your hardest. When a blank paper is in front of you drop some paint on it. When you are called on to lead, lead. When you do I can promise you this: First, you will fail. Second, if you are persistent, develop skills and run MANY races, you will eventually win. Lead on! Run on! Paint boldly!

Leader's Compass 25 - What type of animal are you...a Feeldo or a Dofeel?

I'm writing this post while sitting in our little breakfast nook sipping on my earl grey and pondering the duality of the human soul. Each of us is made up of two parts - the spiritual or ethereal and the physical or material. Our unseen portion is typically who we refer to when we make statements like "I" have a headache. The "I" we are referring to is not our physical body, but rather the unseen portion of our existence. Who's head hurts? Mine. You can't see me though, but I do own the material space in which I dwell.

As leaders whether in business or another important part of life it's important to understand the duality of human nature and to be cognizant of who is in the drivers seat. Navigating life's twists and turns can be better done when we control which driver we chose to place in the drivers seat.

Spiritual in the reference I'm talking about has nothing to do with religion, a set of beliefs or a scripture of dogma a person may follow. Spiritual simply means that which the eye can not see. Everything in this world has a spiritual creation prior to its physical. A building must have a creative idea generated in the unseen mind of the designer. Then the plan must be created on paper or in a computer program prior to any physical work of digging a foundation, placing footings or framing walls are done. In physical creation the spiritual always proceeds the physical.

Because of this natural law - the spiritual creation preceeding the physical creation - there can be a tendency in our lives to make decisions on another unseen force - emotion. There is an old saying that states when you pick up one end of the stick you also pick up the other end. The question posed in this post is what end of the stick should you pick up - the dofeel or the feeldo?

When making daily decisions there are two ethereal or spiritual pulls that influence our decisions - thought and emotion. When you wake up in the morning and the brain reminds you that you have your exercise program to do you are pulled one way. When your emotions weigh in and say "but it feels so good to just lay here" you are pulled a different way. Who do you listen to? The logical dofeel that says if you do this then you will feel that? The emotional feeldo that says I feel this so do that? The feeldos and the dofeels are essentially two sides of the same coin - they are two halves in your dual makeup that entice you to take action.

Which portion of yourself you choose to follow habitually will determine who and what you become. Many religious types have taken our dual nature and segregated it into an external battle - god on one hand and the devil on the other. The reality is this daily choice, this daily battle happens internally, it's the push and pull that naturally occurs within between our two halves. Why is this important to recognize? Because a life lived with personal accountability is a life that does not blame an outside source for our choices. I am responsible. I am accountable. I choose. I make my own destiny based on my choices. No outside temptation by an entity controls my choice. I may be enticed, coerced, persuaded, seduced by a choice but ultimately I make my decision.

Let's look for a moment at both entities - the feeldos and the dofeels. The dofeels recognize that when they take action the action brings a feeling. For instance when the alarm goes off the dofeel rises and moves toward the dresser to put on his exercise clothes and goes for the run. Regardless of how he feels now he knows he will feel better after he does his exercise program. He chooses the end of the stick with emotion on the far end rather than the one closest to him. How do you think he will chose to handle his interactions with others in business? What will his decision making process lead him to in his leadership responsibilities? What will the dofeel become by creating this habit?

Now let's look at the opposite side of the coin. The feeldos feel something and act based on the feeling. The alarm goes off and the feeldo feels like it may be better to stay in the warm bed. After all, "I can always exercise tomorrow" the feeldo says to himself. After sleeping in a little longer the feeldo needs his coffee and Danish to get him going because he feels like it sounds good. The feeldo chooses the end of the stick with emotion on the close end rather than the one furthest from him. How do you think he will chose to handle his interactions with others in business? What will his decision making process lead him to in his leadership responsibilities? What will the feeldo become by creating this habit?

As leaders whether in business or another important part of life it's important to understand the duality of human nature and to be cognizant of who is in the drivers seat. Navigating life's twists and turns can be better done when we control which driver we chose to place in the drivers seat. We choose daily, hourly whether we will be a do-feel or a feel-do. The driver determines our personal and professional leadership success. So, who do you want to be today?

Why Business is Great And Why Your Thoughts on it May be Skewed

Think about the past few good guy vs bad guy movies or TV shows you've watched. Outside of the Walter White and Dexter Morgan types many of the bad guys in popular media are "business moguls" that don't work hard, live the high life, feed on greed and kill to get ahead. As a society we are conditioned to view business, and especially big business as an inherently evil thing. I'm not saying that there are some people who may let greed drive them, nor am I saying that you will never see a group of individuals in business make a poor decision. What I am saying is that at the heart of it business is not only good, but it can be one of the best ethical and growth oriented pursuits we do. Please allow me to expand and explain. Below are some of my observations and opinions based on my experience in business.

Business Teaches Life Lessons

In Life Time Fitness we have a mantra that states "we don't chose who we serve, but we do chose how we serve." As much as I hate to admit it the best lessons I've had in life have come from working with and serving people that, at that moment may not be the easiest to work with. 

Lady yelling at me because she can't believe we don't just build another facility so she doesn't have to get in early to her group fitness class, thank you for helping me strengthen my patience, my listening skills and my ability to take my emotions out of a heated situation.

Guy masturbating in your car in the parking lot. Thanks for teaching me that no matter how long I've been in business there are still things that shock me. You also gave me another opportunity to work with local law enforcement and see once again that there are great men and women in law enforcement that deal with more crazy things than I do.

Each interaction I have in business either teaches me lessons that improve my life or reinforces concepts that keep me grounded in strong principles.

Business is Inherently Good

You have skills, talents and abilities that you put to work and in return you trade your time, skills, service or product for a commodity. Maybe you trade your time, your medical knowledge, your skill as a fitness trainer, a product you made or your knowledge of the economy for money. Somewhere, someone benefits from what you do and you get paid. If you are providing little to no value your payments go backwards or stop completely.

Your job, regardless of whether you clean a toilet, clean teeth or clean out someone's arteries is beneficial to society. You work hard and share something that someone else needs. The world revolves because of business. We each have a job, regardless of the size of our company - a company of one, a company of hundreds or a company of thousands that provides for our basic needs. Your job may not be glamorous, but if it provides a need for another person and puts money in your pocket for basic needs and wants it is a noble job.

Profits Are Not Evil

The idea that profit is evil really makes me laugh. Before judging me too harshly right now take a step back and follow a thought process with me. 

Imagine for a moment that every day you woke up with the knowledge, skill and ability of a baby. You had no more emotional maturity than the previous day. You owned no possessions. Your intelligence was not increased. Every day you woke you had to figure out how to get food. Your life has no emotional, intellectual or property profit. You have no money, no tradable commodity, and your life is profit-less. Rough life right?

Profit is inherent in our nature. We were born to profit. The accumulation of knowledge, skill, emotional maturity, friendships, experiences and tradable commodities are hard wired into your basic nature. Profits are basically and fundamentally good. Profitable people can and do contribute to society. Profitable businesses continue to provide jobs for dozens, hundreds and even thousands of workers. Have you ever needed or wanted a job? Of course you have. The company that hired you was most likely able to do so because they were profitable.

Ok, ok, I can hear your contrary mind screaming out to me - but what about greed? When is enough enough? What about those that get profit by taking advantage of others?

Clearly, dishonest practices are not inherently good, whether they profit someone or not. Dishonesty can lead to a short term commodity profit. History is replete with stories however of the negative long term effects of dishonest practices. This point does not need debate.

How much is enough? What about the rich who just get richer? There seems to be a mentality that those who have figured out a way to aquire and then keep profits should have them taken away because they must have done something wrong to get them. Or, the other mantra is that the rich need to "give back" as if the time and effort they put into their job is giving nothing to society. The intelligent CEO has an ability to run a company that may put food on the tables of literally thousands of households. He has no value? She has an easy job? Spend two or three days in his or her shoes and then judge the value. Society vilifies them, but I see the corporate captains as intelligent and passionate people who do valuable work to help provide jobs, products and services that benefit the economy and ultimately you and I.

You've probably seen the pictures and heard the stories of "the greedy" sitting on thier piles of money while contrasting it with those that may be struggling and starving. The contrast implies that those who have are bad and that those who have not are good. Neither perspective is true. I've known several wealthy people and frankly I've never met the person that made and grew their wealth by being lazy. Most wealthy people are actually very disciplined, hard working and caring people. 

Business Improves Mental Acuity and Expands Social Circles

One of the reasons I feel so blessed and so wealthy in life is because I have a job that pushes me mentally and constantly expands my social circle. Through business I've met people much smarter, much more talented and much better than I am. Their examples and strengths have fed me and made me a better person.

Business challenges have pushed my mental capacity. Juggling the demands of family life with a job that requires a significant amount of my waking hours has taught me how to prioritize, plan and ultimately distill my life down to the most important. Juggling the demands of managing the financial, the leadership development, the team member relational, the service, the marketing and sales and the cost management pieces of the business have pushed my mind and expanded my abilities.

Fear of Money Keeps You From Making More

One of the unfortunate downsides of our basic human nature is that when we see something we want, something we covet we have a tendency to tear down anyone that has it. Great sports star, talented musician, beautiful model, stylish businessman, adept professional driving the sports car you want? Deficiency mentality dictates we excuse ourselves for not having what we want by stating internally and possibly externally that the person who has our desire got it by means that are out of our reach. We "would never sell our soul like that person did" we tell ourselves. The reality is the person we are villifying probably didn't sell thier sould either. They just worked harder, found a way that works better and got a little lucky to get what they have.

One of the most rare personalities in our society is the person that builds the successful and the unsuccessful equally. The magnanimous person who can, without faking it sincerely compliment another person who has succeeded is the person who has overcome the basic, negative nature and is also the person who will be more likely to become more mentally, emotionally, socially and financially profitable.

Conclusion

Ultimately I believe that despite our duality the majority human beings are good. Those that acquire money and gain profits through hard work and providing services and products to society as a whole gather to not only improve their own life but to also improve the lives of those around them. Business provides a moral, ethical and inherently good format for an exchange of goods and services that enrich all of our lives. That's why I am not only comfortable in business, but am very happy and proud to work every day. 

As I stated before I am under no illusion that greed can't and won't be present. We, as imperfect and fallible individuals can make poor choices. However, I believe business gives us the forum to not only profit financially but to also profit emotionally, socially and mentally. Some of my best friends, my most admired people in my life I've met through business. Business has pushed me to mentally improve and to constantly check my emotional strength, especially when things "aren't going right."

Be passionate. Be proud. Be positive. 

***Thank you for taking time to read my blog. I love reading your feedback. Please leave me your comments below.****

Consistency and Follow Through - The Salt and Pepper of Leadership

"I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened."

- Mark Twain

Years ago a good friend and I went to a slideshow lecture given by legendary big wall climber Todd Skinner. He and his climbing partners had just returned from parts of Asia where they were the first to climb some of the local rock faces. When asked why they were doing what they were doing by some of the locals Skinner and friends tried to explain that they did it for fun. The locals didn't buy it. "Why not just hike around rather than scale the rock face?" they would ask. "We enjoy it. It's kind of our job as well." None of the responses given through the interpretor made sense to to locals. They just weren't buying it. Suddenly the interpretor turned to the group and spoke. "Ahhhhh...." Nodded the locals approvingly. They finally understood. "What did you tell them?" Skinner asked. "I told them that you do what you do because you choose the harder way. Choosing the harder way in our culture is deeply respected because it is the way that gives us the greatest strength and the deepest wisdom."

Author Mark Twain wrote "I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened." How often in life have you and I known trouble, challenge and frustration...all for nothing? Think back to the last worry you let run wild in your mind. Instead of you controlling it, it ended up dictating your emotions, your actions.

Choosing the harder way in life means that we close a noble path of disciplined learning and determined growth. Choosing the harder way tests our self perceived limits, our closely held self deceptions, and our careful cutting thoughts that dam our progress. The harder way ensures that falling and failing on the path to success will happen. Our weaknesses will be manifest and our opportunities for growth magnified. In the end however, the harder way hardens us and our resolve to succeed.

Having the courage to take the first steps into the unknown requires bridling our fears and mastering our thoughts. A positive, forward looking attitude helps us take the steps forward in our pursuit of excellence. As Twain wrote so well many of our great troubles, many of our great fears never measure up to the elaborate detail our imagination can conjure.

The harder way in life and leadership requires two keys to success - consistency and follow through. Think about it for a moment. Why did your last resolution fail? You lacked consistency and follow through. Why did that business plan not produce the desired results? You and your team failed to be consistent and persistently follow through. The steep rock face of consistency and follow through are not easy. Doing the same things repeatedly can be boring. Following through requires initial planning. Neither of which are easy. 

The greatest troubles in life and leadership can come from lack of consistency and a lack of follow through. Self deception sneaks in and excuses ooze out when we fail to execute consistently and lack sufficient follow through. 

Do you want to be a great leader? Do you want to stand head and shoulders above the rest? Cultivate a habit of consistency and follow through. Greater piece of mind, greater success and an overall sense of happiness await the top of the climb. Chose the harder way. Chose the way that brings the greatest strength and the deepest wisdom. These two ingredients are commonly found in the recipie of success. Sprinkle them copiously and you will yield great result. Lead on!

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Leader's Compass 22 - Get Rich Quick! 9 Ways To Increase Your Wealth Almost Immediately

What does it mean to be rich? I've met a lot of financially wealthy people in my life. I'm fortunate that my positions in life have afforded me the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life. Here is one thing I've observed though, being rich, being wealthy has less to do with money and more to do with perspective. Don't get me wrong, money is important. I've had enough, not enough and more than enough and having more is better than having less. But, having more of something does not necessarily make a person rich. Below are some of my observations on what it means to be rich and some of the people who I learned the lessons from.

1. Work hard. Hard work itself is wealth. As a child my mom and dad instilled the concept of hard work into my head by making me, my brothers and sisters work hard. I remember one day going to a property my dad owned to cut down the weeds. "Steve," he said "one of the keys to life is to pray like everything depends on God and then work as if everything depends on you." 

We worked hard that day to get the property in better shape. A common misconception we have is that "someday" we won't have to work hard...we will have enough money to just sit around and do whatever we want. Sitting on a beach doing nothing the rest of my life is the opposite of wealth in my mind. Wealth is having a job that needs to be done and knowing you are equal to the task. 

I've learned over the years that having work to do is wealth. A wealth of work, a wealth of challenges, a wealth of responsibilities breeds skill development, drive, passion and persistence...all traits of the wealthy individual. There is no greater feeling than a job, no, make that a hard job well done.

2. Observe and express gratitude. Gratitude is wealth. My grandmother on my moms side was not a financially wealthy person. She was, however one of the richest people I have ever known. She was grateful for everything in her life. 

One summer my dad poured a concrete pad for her in front of her garage. Instead of having just a gravel path for a driveway she now had a beautiful cement pad. She was so grateful, so appreciative of the work and the gift she would go out and sweep the small plot at least twice a day. She was grateful for her home, her grandchildren, her life. She was truly wealthy because she appreciated everything.

3. Have faith. Faith is wealth. When I was younger I thought my mom was a little crazy when she would talk faithfully about how she knew things would work out for the best. An extremely hard worker, she embodied the hard work ethic my brothers and sisters share. But she showed more than just hard work. She had faith. She believed. She moved forward in life with faith and conviction. 

It takes great courage to believe, to move forward in life, to have faith. She taught me to believe, see the future with an eye of faith and then work hard to make my faith a reality. Pessimists lack the wealth of courage it takes to have faith. Faith is born from an abundance mentality. Ultimately faith is wealth.

4. Have. Having is wealth. I know, I know you may be thinking "duh, of course having more makes you wealthy." I'm not necessarily talking about having more things. I'm talking about having more...more money because you spend less than you make, more friendships because you deposit more than you withdraw in relationships. Security, safety and wealth don't just come from making more. They come from keeping more, and spending less. 

One day my oldest daughter looked at a gorgeous Corvette and said, "well, that guy use to be rich." "What do you mean?" I asked. "Well, he had a lot of money before he spent it on that car." The wisdom of a child is profound. Having, not spending is wealth.

5. Collect mementos. Mementos make you rich. Symbolism is in every major religion. Buildings use to be built with it as an integral piece to their design. In one way or another we choose the things in life that remind us of something else, the items that have symbolic meaning.

Having mementos that remind you of something, or some experience in life make you rich. Remember the time when? Mementos help remind you of that time. What about your personal code, your values, your mission, your creed? Mementos can help remind you and bring a wealth of memory and purpose. 

For the most part I wear the same watch every day. It was a gift from my wife on our 15th anniversary. It's a watch that is built to last long after my body wears out. When I'm 6 feet under my son will have it. It's symbolic of my goal in life to build a life, to build relationships, to build businesses that are built to last.

6. Cultivate great relationships. Relationships bring wealth. When I was younger my best friend Eric would drive me crazy from time to time when we needed to be somewhere and he would stay and listen to people until we were late getting to the next place we needed to be. Over time it dawned on me that everyone loved Eric because of this. His ability to listen and empathize was second to none. He developed deep and meaningful relationships with almost everyone he met. He was and still is a very wealthy man because of his relationships. 

Empathy, time, interest, love, compassion, listening. Each one of these relationship currencies build a wealth that can last a lifetime. Friendships are priceless. Owning priceless items means you are wealthy. Value the relationships in your life well and you will be an extremely wealthy person.

7. Recognize that moments that push your limits bring wealth. One night my wife said to me "I think we need go go to the hospital." "I feel fine thanks," I responded jokingly. "No, I'm serious, I think the baby is coming." She couldn't finish the last sentence before her water broke. About 10 minutes later we delivered our son at home...just the two of us, her working excruciatingly hard and me squatting with my catchers mitt to catch the little guy. Paramedics showed up about 15 minutes later. The fears running through my head..."what if he isn't ok?" "What if she isn't ok?" These fears pushed my emotional limits. His life was in my hands. Her life was in my hands. 

That moment, like others that have pushed either my emotional or physical limits have made me very wealthy. Moments that push our limits don't have a monetary price tag. There is no amount of money in the world to to replace the moments that make us better than what we think we are. Imagine the admiration I had and still have for my gorgeous wife for sharing that moment together and seeing her physical and emotional limits tested. That moment made us wealthy.

8. Give. Giving is wealth. When I was younger I served a service mission in South Dakota. I met many people with very little physical possessions. Despite their lack of money they gave me whatever they had. They fed me. They gave me gifts, friendship and love. 

Giving is wealth. Poor people can't give. Wealthy people give, even if all they have to give is love. Don't forget though - if you give more than you have, you will have nothing left to give. Over-giving beyond your means is no better than over-spending. Playing the martyr that gives all is not wealth. Wealth comes from giving what you have. Far too many give to others and let their own kids starve. That's not wealth, it's just stupid.

9. Take care of what you have. We live in a disposable world. Clothing is out of style too quickly. Relationships can end just by clicking send at the end of a nasty text. Wealthy people take stock of their lives and regularly maintain their wealth. From exercising and eating well to care for their body to changing the oil on their car the wealthy maintain and often make better what they have. 

In our family's mission statement we have a line that says we strive to "leave people and places better than we find them." Did you know that one of the major reasons people go into debt to buy a new car is because they want a clean car? Really? We can't just clean and maintain it? Taking care of what we have brings wealth, and, it prevents a great deal of debt.

So, what does it mean to be rich? Ultimately that's for you to decide. I'm fortunate that my positions in life have afforded me the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life. Here is one thing I've observed though, being rich, being wealthy has less to do with money and more to do with perspective. Don't get me wrong, money is important. I've had enough, not enough and more than enough and having more is better than having less. But, having more of something does not necessarily make a person rich. The nine tips I've just shared are my humble opinion. I try to live by them and I feel pretty damn wealthy. Give em a try and I think you will too. 

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