Decision Making

Marry the right person…

I received an e-mail from an amazing Servant Leader last week, and I want to share a part of it with you. The attachment I received was titled, “21 Suggestions for SUCCESS.” The author is H. Jackson Brown, Jr. The first suggestion is something I couldn’t agree with more: “Marry the right person. This one decision will determine 90% of your happiness or misery.” I’ve been married once before and it wasn’t pretty. I know what it’s like to choose the wrong partner. I learned from it, believe me! This time around, though, I hit a home run! I often tell Danica that my success is her success. If she weren’t encouraging and supportive and humorous during tough times, I would be a wreck.

She focuses me in a way she will never know. Danica is very humble and she doesn’t realize the effect she has on me. I tease her (but it’s true) by saying. “Do you want to see your influence on my personal success? Leave me. Then you’ll see how I would fall apart.” When you find the right one, it’s the spice of life. Hopefully, I received a few positive points by writing about Danica today. I appreciate her so much.

Do you show the special person in your life appreciation? Do you realize how much this person is tied to your success? Some of our greatest business leaders—both men and women—have had supportive and nurturing spouses, who contribute so much to their success. I hope you’re as blessed as I am. Life’s a blast!

Joe Kiedinger

You’re invited this Tuesday!

Thank you for bearing with me. This past month I’ve been tying in my Wisdoms to the new About Me Card system we’ve invented. Well, the world premiere is this Tuesday, April 27th, at 3:00 p.m. at the Meyer Theater. It’s free and I hope you can make it. I received a real compliment from my wife today and I need to tell you about it! My parents just arrived home from Florida. When they left, we had just purchased a building to house About Me International and Prophit Marketing. They were anxious to see the remodeling and everything that went on while they were gone.

The old Joe would have met them at the building and showed off all the hard work. However, I remembered Danica’s About Me Card. On it she states, “Let’s enjoy this together.” I told my folks it would need to wait a day so Danica could join us. They called her to set the time, and when I got home from work she thanked me for that! Hey, I don’t know about you guys but these “points” are what I live for with my wife. Her About Me Card taught me how to respect her the way she wants to be respected. I love these little cards.

Please join us this Tuesday to witness the world premiere of this beautiful program.

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN:  Join us!  Learn more at www.aboutmecard.com

I feel SPRING in the air!

It’s always an exciting feeling when that early warm weather first arrives. We all know that feeling… people seem happier to be alive, the business outlook gets better and everyone displays a positive outlook on the world. Isn’t it amazing how our emotions dictate how successful we feel on any given day. If a nice spring day can evoke a positive outlook in a person, can a leader do the same?

Absolutely! But first the leader must decide on his or her outlook. You can control the way you feel. You do not need a sleepless night or a disagreement with your spouse to dictate how you “feel” about it. Managing one’s own feelings is the key to happiness. I was shown this secret over a year ago. I was taught how to change my negative feelings in 60 seconds. I can tell you my life has changed for the better. Oh, I’m not perfect, but I’m better than I was a year ago.

If you know me, you would know that I was already a very positive guy; however, I admit I would sometimes become impatient and frustrated. These emotions would affect how I treated others. I learned, though, that events have no meaning. People give meanings to events. A rainy day doesn’t have the same effect on me as it once had. Mondays, once my least favorite day, are now my favorite—the start of another week to positively impact people’s lives. Happiness is a choice and I choose happy. How about you?

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Choose happy! Please join me April 27th at 3 p.m. for the About Me Card World Premiere at the Meyer Theater in Green Bay. I guarantee you will leave this event feeling great! Reserve your space… bring friends!

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!

Are you a Bucker?

The term “bucker” typically brings to mind someone who is not paying his or her taxes or who goes against the status quo in general. Bucking something, though, is different from being a bucker. The bucker I’m talking about is someone who can be defined as a true bucker. Let me explain.
 
True buckers are people who defy the programming given to them by their fathers while growing up. For example, a child had a father who was constantly belittling and negative in his behavior toward others in the family.  This bad dad disrespected his wife on a regular basis and always put his needs above his family’s needs.
 
At some point, usually around 13-15 years of age, this child identifies this poor disrespect program and says to him or herself, “I will never be like him!” These children say this silently to themselves or directly to the parent. Buckers are some of the most successful people in the world.
 
They are successful because at a young age they had to identify poor programming and rewrite the rules for themselves, usually by simply doing the opposite of what the bad dad would do. Dad disrespects mom, so “bucker son,” as an example, marries and respects and cherishes his wife.
 
Are you a bucker? Did you receive poor programming growing up, identify it and then rewrite the book of your life? Can you share with me your “bucker moment”—the time when you realized you would not accept the current information you were receiving about life? I’d like to hear from you. You’re rare and oh so cool! I have the upmost respect for you.
 
Joe Kiedinger
 
ACTION PLAN: If you wish to learn more about the importance of good parenting and the role a mom and dad play in a child’s life, read Emotional Intelligence.

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!

I’ve been humbled!

If you’ve been following my philosophies for a while, you know I’m on a crusade to drive tension out of the workplace. All of us Prophiteers work very hard to maintain a healthy corporate culture. I’ve been training companies on Servant Leadership for about five years now, but I must admit that I recently had an eye-opening experience that has fully changed the way I explain the benefits of such a program within an organization.

I recently had an opportunity to interview Bob Chapman, who is CEO of Barry-Wehmiller, a holding company for a variety of successful companies, mostly manufacturing. Bob and his team have created an empowered, purpose-driven culture for all who are employed in their care.

Before this interview, I would tell business owners that companies with a strong corporate culture always outperform their non-culture rich competitors. I would tell them they should engage because not only will their people be more efficient but as companies they’ll make more money! Mr. Chapman, however, put me in my place. He shook my tree!

Bob explained to me that many leaders have visited their company to find the solution. Barry-Wehmiller practices an approach called Lean. Bob told me he always asks his visitors why they are interested in creating this type of culture. He said, “If they tell me it’s to make more money, they will surely fail.” He further explained, “Executives who are successful launching Lean do so because they feel a moral obligation to enrich the lives of all associates.”

I was blown away. He began telling me stories of how proud their associates are to work there. I certainly believe that taking a sincere interest in others is key to being a great leader, but I’ve just realized it’s the key to a great life.

I believe there are few things more satisfying in life than when you support self-motivated individuals who contribute ideas and processes of improvement that focus on a single goal. That’s often called “purpose.” What’s your purpose in life? Is what you do fulfilling?

Bob told me that Newsweek did a poll on employment pride in the workplace and only 10% of American workers are proud of where they work. Can you imagine! It’s time to begin a movement of engagement and enlightenment in the workplace. Will you join me?

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Are you enriching other people’s lives?

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!

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.