Philosophy

I believe that inspiration is all around us and it seems to hit us when we’re not even looking for it.

How many times have you seen a sign at a restaurant, read an article in a magazine, or met a person who just made you stop in your tracks and think, “Wow! I’ve never thought of it that way before”? I think we’ve all had these moments of clarity when we sort of reevaluate our lives and walk away feeling a little taller, a little wiser, and a lot more inspired.

Here’s a quote I ran across that might inspire you:

“The adventure of life is to learn. The purpose of life is to grow. The nature of life is to change. The challenge of life is to overcome. The essence of life is to care. The opportunity of life is to serve. The secret of life is to dare. The spice of life is to befriend. The beauty of life is to give.”
~ William Arthur Ward

This quote just screams “Servant Leadership” to me: learning, growing, changing, overcoming challenges. Caring about, serving, and giving to others. That’s what it’s all about! I’m feeling inspired, how about you?

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Pay attention to all that inspires you this week—you’ll be surprised!

How are you right now?

Some of you may find this post to be a little trite or “typical” of just about any inspirational message that is out on the Internet. I guess I need to share it with you because it hit close to home with me and I was reminded about its importance. My family took a trip to our land in Tomahawk for one night over the Labor Day holiday, It was only one night, but oh, what a night. Danica and I have a dwelling there. We call it a “CA-Bagge” which means Cabin/Garage. We named it to poke a little fun at our garage converted partly into living quarters. It’s cozy and has running water but no bathroom. We have the outhouse for that! Of course, we dream someday of building a small cottage on the property. We dream our dreams and plot our plans.

That night, this past Saturday, I really just sat back and took in the scene. I took in the water our property looks out over. I took in the deck and reflected on the story of how it got there and the labor of love to install and complete it. I took in our cabin loft and the comfortable beds and furnace which add much comfort. I took in our kids playing on the property. Alex was shooting targets with his BB gun. The girls were playing “house.” Danica and I were having coffee on the deck.

It was cooler that day so we started a bonfire early. It was roaring by four o’clock. We sat around and talked until 8:30. That’s about when mom and the girls went up to bed. Alex and I stayed out for another two hours. The sky was a brilliant tapestry of stars. The Milky Way was clearly seen. We just sat and talked about whatever came to mind and we were happy.

I looked around at just how fortunate I am to have the family, the fun things in my life and the most precious thing of all … time. Time to spend with everything and everyone who matters to me. Not too many people think of time as a gift, but it truly is.

I would like to end this Wisdom with a quote from the movie Kung Fu Panda (did I mention I have kids?).

“Yesterday was history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift and that is why they call it the Present.”

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Enjoy your Present.

Feedback on Happiness!

A couple of weeks ago I wrote my Wisdom post on the root of happiness. I received some wonderful insights from several of our readers. I would like to dedicate this issue to the folks who took the time to offer their thoughts on the subject.

“What I have found is that happiness comes from within and then is reflected back to me in the appreciation and respect that I’m shown from the people around me. When I’m happy with what I am and what I’m experiencing right here, right now in this moment, I’m set up for happiness in this moment. And that tends to flow into the next moment. And the next. And the next. I find that the people who come into my life show me appreciation and respect because I appreciate and respect them. It is rare for me to encounter a rude person.

“Although I certainly experience challenges like most people do, I try to learn from them, let them go and move back toward what makes me feel happy. It’s a decision, an intention and a way of life. I don’t think happiness comes as a result of what happens; what happens comes as a result of happiness, or lack of it.”

Ann

“I just wanted to say I do enjoy your thoughts each Wednesday. I was going to add to your definition of happiness from today. I have found on my journey one of the big keys to ‘happiness’ is focusing on relationships. You can have a lot of money and fame and lots of toys, but if you don’t have great relationships you can be very unhappy. In the same way, I know people who don’t have lots of money and fame but who have great relationships and are super happy people.

“Keep up the great work,”
 
Marty

“See also www.octanner.com <http://www.octanner.com/>. They have coined the phrase ‘appreciatology’. I’ve run into them at HR seminars. Good stuff!

“Take care!!!”
 
Geri

Thank you, Ann, Marty and Geri for sharing additional insights and providing a resource to learn more. One thing is for sure: Appreciation is the one thing all of us want and all of us need to achieve happiness!

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Give 5 people a genuine compliment and explain one or two things about them that you appreciate. Then be aware of not how they feel, but how that made you feel.

Wear your sandals!

Foreword:
Two weeks ago we asked you to participate in a survey on employee satisfaction with regards to feeling appreciated at work. You can click on the link below to see the results. The password is: prophit.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/sr.aspx?sm=W_2bJmBkaYxU_2bhEmodQ4pntPnLnPsD_2fdizDPl0wo2_2biAU_3d

 This past weekend I participated in an activity that I love. A close group of my friends floated down the Peshtigo River on inner tubes. The ritual is simple. The three couples tie their tubes together and place a cooler, also in a tube, in the middle. It’s a lazy river ride for three hours. I love it because the only thing you can do is talk about things. Some people feel uncomfortable with this kind of entertainment but I love it.

I have taken trips like this almost every year for the past 10 years. This trip I decided not to wear my Keen sandals … bad idea! As the day began to get warmer, I decided to jump off my tube to cool down. The water appeared deep. I couldn’t see the bottom so I jumped out. I found out quick that the riverbed was five feet below and something very sharp was on the bottom that shot up into my foot. I am now working at home this week. I can’t walk on it for at least a week. I usually wear my Keens when tubing so why not this trip?

I think I became too comfortable with the routine. I wanted to feel the water between my toes unencumbered by sandals. This reminds me of life in business as well. We assume our relationships with clients and vendors are “all good.” We get lazy which leads to complacency. You need to be on your game every day. Decisions need to be made that are smart. Services need to get better not decline. Bottom line: When working with your clients, don’t forget to wear your sandals!

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Challenge your team. What else can be done to enhance your customer experience factor? This exercise will empower your team and wow your customers.

They’re 45 years old and retired!

Danica and I had a real treat of a weekend. Our babysitter watched our kids. We left Friday morning for St. Paul to visit my sister and brother-in-law. Those of you with kids I know you love’em but getting away alone is definitely welcomed every now and again. When I got home my seven-year-old said, “So Daddy, are your batteries charged up?” Aside from each of us suffering from a severe cold, we had a wonderful time. Saturday was picture perfect and the temperature was perfect at White Bear Lake, 20 minutes from St. Paul. My sister Kathy has a boat that she and her husband harbor there.

We spent the afternoon cruising around this clean, clear lake. Kathy pointed out a few mansion-like homes around the lake. She told us some of the stories that went with a few of them. Many of the stories went like this: “… that guy invented ‘X,’ sold the company and retired at 45.” Every story had a relatively young person inventing something and landing into a pile of money. I love hearing these stories. I love stories of an idea going big. It fires me up because I love entrepreneurship and everything that goes with it. However, I especially love the buildup to the sale. These stories when told by others typically leave out the part about entrepreneurs mortgaging everything they owned because of the dream. They don’t tell you about the years of sweat and tears … the immense amount of time talking to thousands of people until the idea gained momentum.

I love these “crawling stories.” You know, the stories of the early years. Where are you in your story? Are you patient in your pursuits? A person is like a fine wine. You can produce cheap wine pretty quick, or you can allow it to ferment and build your own flavor. Make sure you keep your eyes on the big picture. Have patience, be diligent and make a difference in whatever you do.

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Practice patience. Write down three initiatives or relationships where you are going to practice patience.

My Growing Search for Happiness!

What is it that brings a person happiness? It’s always been said that fame and fortune do not create happiness. Any issue of People magazine will tell you that. The media, of course, likes to focus on the pain in people’s lives. Do we consumers really get a kick out of learning about another’s misery? Unfortunately the answer is yes.

I say let’s stop being miserable and start appreciating other people’s successes in life. I know it’s a pipe dream. I’m sure many of you who are working wish more people would acknowledge and appreciate the things you contribute. My search for happiness has led me to one solution. I don’t know if it’s this simple yet, but it’s what I’ve uncovered so far on my journey. If you have any thoughts on this topic, I would love to hear them.

Happy people feel appreciated and respected. They feel it at home, they feel it at work and they feel it in the community where they live. Mother Theresa was quoted as saying, “People crave appreciation more than food.” She would have known! So I want to know from you: Do you feel appreciated at work? I’ve put together a short survey and will report the results to you in a future publication.

In this survey, I’m not only looking at trying to better understand appreciation at work but I’m also wondering what interests you have so I can serve you better.

The winning formula, for now, is: Appreciation + Respect = Happiness

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Please participate in our survey! We want to hear from you.

Family Is Gold!

I’ve been on a quest for discovering the root of happiness over this past year. Don’t get me wrong, I see myself as a very happy person. My journey began by focusing on respect. It’s true that when a person feels respect and appreciation they feel a strong sense of happiness. I always knew that people who have been raised in loving families truly understand what happiness feels like. There is nothing stronger than a family’s bond to make a person feel great. This week I’m off to spend an entire week with my family, including all my brothers and sisters and their kids. What a blast! Many people I talk to, when they discover this annual huddle-up, respond with something like, “Really? A whole week with your family? Isn’t that stressful?” Not for our family.

Happiness can be discovered in other ways. There are many people who didn’t grow up in a supportive household who are now extremely happy. The reason for this is they found their purpose in life—something so many people are searching for well into their forties and some beyond that. When I hear a story of happiness it always revolves around serving others. People who are truly happy feel that what they are doing in life is a direct connection with making other people’s lives better. When we serve others in this way, we can’t help but feel good. Try it yourself sometime. The next time you’re feeling sorry for yourself, go volunteer somewhere or go next door and assist a neighbor with something. You will feel the dark cloud lift and “happy” will be the next emotion you feel.

It’s not rocket science. It’s common sense that we forget about this when we’re not serving others.

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: What can you do right now to make a difference in another person’s life? Spend a little one-on-one time with a child? Take your spouse on a mystery date? Look to become a Big Brother or Sister?

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!