2010 July

Are you enriching lives?

I don’t care what industry you’re in, you should have one goal: Enrich the lives of others. Enrich the lives of your associates, customers and your community. It’s amazing what happens when this truly becomes your goal. Everyone has a higher purpose or wishes to find their higher purpose in life. How about this:
Your higher purpose is to enrich the lives of your co-workers, customers and the community, within the context of your core business. Whatever that business is just doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter because every business consists of people. So if people are the common denominator, let’s serve them!

So what is the purpose of growth and profits? That’s simple. The more resources a company has, the more people can be enriched by them. Let’s face it, money makes great things happen and is the foundation of our employment needs. Here’s the deal: If you enrich the lives of your employees, the bottom line will go up. This is especially true if your motives to enrich their lives are sincere and not done because of the desire for more profits. Profits are the outcome of treating people well and guiding them to a higher purpose.
Dan Sanders in his book, Equipped to Lead, says “A person’s true legacy is the time and effort he or she contributed to enriching others.”

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Whose life will you make better today?

Breaking the mold!

Being an innovator and inventor, I find it exhilarating to go from the extreme of a person not understanding your new idea to the opposite which is completely embracing and even endorsing it. This has become my journey with The About Me Card program. This process for me has taken more than three years. Most people get frustrated and give up. They have a product or process that they know will be successful but when they are met with resistance they say, “Forget it!” I am not a patient person by nature. I am often antsy and uncomfortable when things are not moving fast enough. Then I realized, “Hey, I’m a human being! I can choose to be patient if I want to be.”

I know it seems impossible for some to be patient. I had to learn to be when it comes to others embracing a new concept or change. I’ve learned that the first meeting when presenting a new idea has the same weight as the last meeting, as this is when people decide to accept your idea because they fully understand it. If there were 100 meetings between them, they would all carry equal weight. People need to be reminded. You must not steal that process from them. Or more accurately, you can’t take it from them. It is what it is.

We all must learn on our own terms and for the “new idea person” that means patience and perseverance … That’s all! Hang in there long enough and you’ll be a star!

Joe Kiedinger

Action Plan:  Practice patience this week. Perhaps with just one person or one project. It’s necessary for success!

The Final Frontier

The human race has accomplished some pretty amazing things. We’ve landed on the moon and more recently have collaborated on a universal space station that is orbiting the planet with residents 365 days a year coming and going. Just imagine that! Sometimes our intelligence gets too big, though—like when we try to extract oil from a mile below the surface of the ocean. Our humility sinks as our intellect gets “too full of itself” and we don’t consider all the possibilities … and end up causing a Gulf of Mexico-like catastrophe.

How about physical challenges like overcoming a serious disease or raising millions for the poor? Yes, indeed, the human race is a powerful force. However, I feel there is a final frontier that we are collectively working hard to overcome and it’s communication. I’m not talking between countries—I’m talking between people. We simply do not understand where people are coming from! It becomes a “she said, he said” thing that we struggle with each day.

Listening is the key, not speaking. We often think, “How else could I have said that?” What‘s more to the point, though, is making sure our message has been understood by politely stating something to the effect of “If you could, please confirm what I said so I know I communicated clearly.” Then stop talking. Don’t interrupt and listen. Ask questions if you need to. I struggle with this every day, just like so many of you. Only through listening can compassion and understanding grow. I’m practicing it every day, especially with my kids. I need to stop talking and start listening.

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Spend some one-on-one time with your kids today and ask them this question: What are 3 things I could start doing right now to be a better parent for you. Then LISTEN!

Let the Water Fall

I hope you had a wonderful Independence Day. Certainly with that opening sentence I could go into any and all things patriotic. And although I love this country and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else, I’m going to forgo the obvious subject and talk about my holiday weekend. If you live in Wisconsin (or perhaps most of the Midwest), you experienced a soggy 4th of July.
Our July 4th tradition involves my family, my mom and dad, and my brother and his family heading to my land in northern Wisconsin where we fix a few things, enjoy great conversation, and just hang out and catch up. The kids enjoy boating, jumping on the trampoline, playing Bocce ball, and jumping in and out of the inflatable baby pool.

Saturday was gorgeous but Sunday it rained. We began a new tradition this year. A few years back when I was camping in Michigan, I met an Eagle Scout who taught me how to cook a full turkey outside using charcoal. He made a Dutch oven out of rebar, chicken wire and aluminum foil. He was a regular MacGyver! Cooking a turkey this way creates the juiciest bird you ever tasted and a full 22 lb bird takes only about three hours to cook. The grand cookout was scheduled for rainy day Sunday. My first reaction was to skip it and take everyone to the bowling alley. My wife, Danica, however, stopped me and said, “So what if it rains? Cook the bird. A little rain is not going to alter our plans.”

As it turned out, we had a fantastic experience. The rain ended up being only a drizzle on and off for most of the day. My dad put together a makeshift roof over the Dutch oven using a tarp. We sat for three hours taking turns adding charcoal and watching the kids have a great time. The rain really began coming down at around three o’clock when the bird was done. We moved the picnic table into the garage and enjoyed our feast while watching the rain fall on our fields. It was amazing.

We too often allow the chance of rain to spoil our plans. The truth is if you let the rain fall you really only need to make slight revisions to your plans. The event often becomes more memorable and enjoyable. Life is full of rainy days. The rain represents challenges that are often not. Don’t be afraid of these challenges. Welcome them and you may discover a more memorable and exciting life.

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: What was the last obstacle you overcame? Overcome one today!