2009 January

Pop Quiz!

If you had a pop quiz tomorrow on your leadership qualities, how would you score?

 

I’m sure many of you are thinking, ‘I’m a good leader, I’m just too busy right now to spend the time I should be spending on leadership goals.’ We all know and understand that attitude. The working world is a fast-paced one. But you know what? That never changes! There won’t come a day when we’re suddenly able to make time to mentor, train, and treat our associates like the valuable resources they are.

 

As leaders, we all need to adopt an attitude of commitment to our people. They want to know we are committed to them, their success, and their learning. Look at these relationships with a fresh eye. Your associates are counting on you to help them grow. You depend on them everyday to keep the wheels of your business turning. Now show them that they can depend on you!

 

Joe Kiedinger

 

ACTION PLAN: Are you ready to make a commitment to your associates? Sign up for our upcoming “Understanding and Motivating Your Employees” class.

You do WHAT for a living?

Foreword: Prophit Marketing Institute classes now forming. Learn how to motivate your employees to be their best!

So here I am. It’s Wednesday morning and yes, today this article is due to your e-mail box. It’s rare that I completely forget to prepare my Wisdom article, but it happened and that’s ok.

You see, I’ve been speaking across the state through Schenck Business Solutions (next week I’ll be in Appleton and Oshkosh), and through my passion to educate, I simply forgot to write. I love meeting new business people and sharing the Brander-In-Chief philosophy with them. The more I speak, the more people I meet who are involved in very interesting businesses. It really is amazing the variety of ways people make money.

A few interesting categories I’ve come across: bleacher manufacturer, brokerage house for airplane parts, Raven Industries (a pop rock candy type business), and large steel drum manufacturing. I guess someone has to do it!

This leads to today’s Wisdom. When you are passionate about a trade and have great plans on starting a new business, your friends and family will be very skeptical because the more bizarre the industry the more difficult for us commoners to understand.

You see, you know your industry no matter how unique. You must trust yourself and consult with other people who know the industry to help validate your business assumptions. You may even need to reach out strangers in related industries to get their feedback.

When you have a unique idea, you need to keep the ideas moving forward.

Like today’s Daily Cup of Joe quote reads from Will Rogers:

“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”

How true it is. Are you sitting on a great idea? Are you fearful of exploring what’s possible? Do something small each day to get you closer to your ideal life, which includes an ideal industry for you.

So I’d like to hear from you. If you’re in a unique industry, let me know about it. I always love hearing how people make money. So see if the track is right and then GET MOVING!

Joe Kiedinger

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Showing Up is Half the Battle

Foreword: Prophit Marketing Institute classes now enrolling!

 

I’ve heard it said that 90% of success is simply showing up. If success is that easy, why don’t we show up? Why are we are fearful of approaching successful people or people who can help us? Do we really think successful business people are condescending or untouchable? In most cases they are the most accessible people on the planet.

 

Today’s topic is again inspired by the Daily Cup of Joe quote I received today:

 

Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all. – Sam Ewing

 

I’m guilty of being afraid to approach people of influence, especially when I was younger. I’m not so afraid anymore. When I was in my early twenties I created a program for Oscar Mayer. I pitched it, but was afraid to follow through. Oh, I called back a couple of times, but I wasn’t respectfully relentless. Then as circumstance would have it, I ran into one of the Meyer family members at a Green Bay country club and I failed to introduce myself or share my interest in their company.

 

We choose to miss opportunities more than they choose to miss us. As entrepreneurs, we create our opportunities. We don’t wait for them to come to us. Be proactive and thrive, not responsive and survive!

 

Joe Kiedinger

 

ACTION PLAN: If you like quotes, we are offering the Daily Cup of Joe FREE through February. Simply e-mail us your interest and we’ll send a Daily Cup of Joe (an inspiring quote) each day, Monday through Friday.

For Crying Out Loud –Do Something!

For the next two Wednesdays I am going to share with you recent quotes we have collected and how these powerful reminders help in personal growth.

 

Over the holiday, I enjoyed a few days of doing absolutely nothing. As a matter of fact, the week of New Year’s, except for a few isolated conversations with colleagues, I just stayed home, read fiction and played with the kids. Now we all need time to decompress while we strive for greatness, but on Saturday, I felt like time was lost and perhaps I should have spent a small amount of this time at home working on future plans.

 

I then saw this quote hit my e-mail box Monday morning:

 

“Shun idleness. It is the rust that attaches itself to the most brilliant metals.” — Voltaire

 

This quote drove me to make Monday one of the most productive days in my career. Matter of fact, I accomplished so much, I discovered a new way to manage my day. I began by listing all the calls I needed to make that would help to accomplish my major goals. Once those calls for the future were made, I focused on calls for the present. By 11:00 a.m. both sets of calls were accomplished. I did NOT turn on my computer until all my calls are made. I then answered my e-mails and went out to lunch with a business prospect. By 2:00 p.m. I felt I accomplished as much as I normally accomplish in a week! This new way of working was inspired by receiving the simple Voltaire quote.

 

Now, on a different subject, let’s talk about worry and stress:

           

            “Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow.” — Swedish proverb

 

I’ve learned to manage my stress very well. When a conflict emerges I address it immediately. Also, through the years, I’ve learned something about stress: the only things I worried about were either in the past (things I could no longer control) or in the future (things that were unclear to me). I was rarely ever worried about the present. Interesting…

 

And finally, for all you perfectionists out there, here is some wisdom from Albert Einstein:

 

            “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”

 

I love it! If you’re like me and look for inspiration, I invite you to sign up for my Daily Cup of Joe, the vehicle that sends a powerful quote of wisdom from the ages to your e-mail box each Monday through Friday. Sign up free now through February. If you like it, you can continue for just $3.95/month. No credit card info needed, just a simple invite to receive a cup of inspirational coffee each morning.

 

I’ve become addicted…

 

–Joe Kiedinger–

 

ACTION PLAN: Do something each day, no matter how small, that focuses on your ultimate goal.

 

“Succeed with patience and stress will never find you.” – Joe Kiedinger