An Appeal That Everybody Likes

I had breakfast with Congressman Mike Pence this past weekend. As we began the conversation, Congressman Pence went out of his way to make a personal introduction since we didn't initially get a chance to greet. This blew me away! I understand that politicians need to be on point when it comes to making others feel important, but Mike Pence did this with sincerity.

With that said I'm making a prediction that Congressman Pence will be the next Governor of Indiana.

Here's why - -

1. Genuinely interested in other people.

2. Encourage others to talk about themselves while listening well.

3. Talk in terms of the other person's interests.

4. Make the other person feel important - and does it sincerely.

Same Game New Rules

The basics are over. They are dead and gone. No more cold calling, no more overcoming objections, no more tie-down questions, no more closing the sale, and no more finding the pain. Those days are over. They left somewhere between 1972 and 1992.


Excerpt taken from Jeffrey Gitomer

Rework

Why the Staffing Industry?

Number one, I want a concept that's been around for one hundred years or more.

Why, because it takes time and money to educate the market. Having an established concept, one that everybody understands helps bridge this gap.

Number two, I love the staffing industry because its fairly antiquated.

Why, because staffing agencies haven't realized that the customer's needs have changed. Delivering doughnuts and slanging bodies just doesn't cut it anymore. The hourly model is flawed and technology isn't at the forefront of this industry.

Number three, the staffing industry is full of specific market niches.

Why, because I am able to distinguish myself from the competition by designing a new workforce management model that transfers risk, address the new customer needs, and use the latest technology.

Build Your People

One of my all time favorite coaches is Kevin Sumlin, who is currently the head football coach at Texas A&M University. I love Kevin dearly, he gave me a chance as a walk-on to play and start at Purdue. And I certainly enjoyed giving my best for coach Sumlin as a player.

Kevin often made a point to get out of the way of his talent, and lead by giving us the latitude to help create in our own style a more prolific offense along side Drew Brees. (Side note - - anytime the all time leader in NFL passing yards in a season is your quarterback, humbly give credit where credit is due.)

As Patton once said, "don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results." Kevin Sumlin led this way, and he certainly got the most of my ability. Applying this to business, I would recommend the following concepts to exude when leading this way;

Lead from the heart
Give people something good to live up to - - something great - - and they usually will.
The more you yield, the more power you have.
The substance of influence is pull...not push.
Tact is the language of strength.
And don't react - - respond.

Thanks coach for the life lesson...

Being Muddy

Leaders shouldn't expect anyone else to do anything they haven't done themselves. They get dirt under their nails and mud on their boots.

Being humble means being aware of your connections with the dust of the earth. The soil is the source of everything we have. Remember your muddy beginnings, and you can accomplish anything.

For example as a boy, Sam Walton milked the family cow and sold the surplus milk to neighbors. And Bill Gates spent thousands of hours as a teenager programming computers at Washington University.

Do the work.

Lead from your gut.

Stay hugely humble.

Stay grounded.

Get mud on your boots.

And trust yourself.

(excerpt taken from It's Not About You, written by Bob Burg and John David Mann)

Divine Delays

Over coffee today with my good friend Marcus Hall, I had the chance to share an overview of the past year. 2011 has been one of the greatest years for growth in my life. I've had several challenging moments both personally and professionally. Despite losing loved ones or struggling to close a major deal, I've been fortunate enough to take a step back and reflect on the following;

The upside is - - this can cause us to seek God passionately. This sort of disorientation has a way of driving us to our knees.

How we handle the shipwrecks in our lives will determine whether our lives become a tragedy or comedy. We can't control what happens to us. But we can control our response.

Although we don't know exactly where we're going much of the time, this disorientation develops our dependence upon God. And it is our dependence upon God, not our best-laid plans, that will get us where God wants us to go.

The unpredictable twists and turns of life can drive you crazy. Or you can learn to enjoy the journey.

Immigrant, Inc.

Be grateful that America is a multicultural country filled with all kinds of people, traditions, languages, religions, and political beliefs. I know I am.

Consider this:

- Today's immigrants are nearly twice as likely as non-immigrants to launch a business.

- Immigrant founders are behind more than half of the high-tech start-ups in Silicon Valley.

- Immigrants have become more likely than native-born Americans to earn an advanced degree, to invest something, and to be awarded a U.S. patent.

We should be thankful that we have a culture of entrepreneurship that stems from education, thrift, family loyalty, and ambition. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!