Todd owns the Chef’s Hat in Ephraim, Wis. A beautiful café located along the shores of Eagle Harbor. His family lives above the restaurant and enjoys many stunning views from the second floor. The one thing Todd and I have in common is that we both have a strong belief in what we are trying to accomplish. When he started his business, he refused to have fryers and serve fried food. Since starting mine, I have remained committed to the message of Servant Leadership and the Prophit Marketing System.

 The momentum is growing because people are finally listening, and, in Todd’s case, they are eating his wonderful culinary concoctions. We both have a long way to go, but my point is this: If something is worth doing, it’s worth being patient for. There are too many talented and innovative people who give up before their ideas have a chance to blossom! Fine wine needs time to ferment. People grow wiser with age and ideas need a chance to sink in. Be patient—the world is depending on it!

 Joe

 ACTION PLAN: Relax … everything has its time and day. You’ll have yours, too!

 There are people who believe they can only charge X amount for their services. For example, I have seen business consultants who may charge $1500 a day for their services. I have seen similar coaches charge $5,000 a day. There are speakers who can get $30K a speech! Why is that? Well, it’s simple: The high-priced speakers no longer listen to the voice in their head that says, “You can’t charge that!” Oh, they have the voice—they just don’t listen to it.

 Now, put money aside … what about starting a movement? Do you think you can start a movement that touches people’s hearts and stimulates their brains? Whether you think you can or can’t … YOU’RE RIGHT! There are a small handful of people who I’ve faced from time to time who cut down my ideas. They’ve tried to sabotage my dream of creating a global community of Servant Leaders. “Impossible!” they say. At times I do have weak moments where I doubt my efforts. Then I shut down that voice inside me that wishes me to fail and I keep pushing. I’m fortunate. There have been other amazing people who have traveled before me on this journey to make my road less stressful. People like Ghandi, Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King, Jr. In recent years, there has been Robert Greenleaf, Jim Hunter, Tom Thibodeau, the Skogen family and others. Live for what you believe in because nothing else matters!

 Joe Kiedinger

 ACTION PLAN: Shut down your inner voice of sabotage!

Are you tired of being intimidated? We are all human. Be yourself and make the call. Reach out to those people who could change your life forever and just be yourself. Share your beliefs and your product with them. Give them a chance to say no! The time is now to make new friends. Stop lollygagging!

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Pick up that 100-pound phone and call your next best friend!

Traditions are important for company employees as well. Our holiday party is coming up this Saturday. One tradition we’ve started is the annual Wassail. Wassail is a song that I used to sing at Madrigal Dinners during my college years. We have 14 Prophiteers who I celebrate in song. There are 14 verses to the song and each verse celebrates a Prophiteer. I will be writing this after I finish up this Wisdom.

Traditions help bring a culture along. I had the privilege recently of interviewing Matt Umentum, owner of Rol-Tec. Every day at 9:00 a.m. and again in the afternoon, his associates take 10 minutes to play Ping Pong. It’s a way to have a little competitive play, and by creating some fun to look forward to it helps build camaraderie.

What traditions will you start at your company? Remember, your people spend more waking hours with you than they do with their own family. Make it special and show you care.

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Start some simple traditions that are unique to your company or your department.

“Bamboo has an amazing growth rate. It is much like a telescope in its growth habit as it emerges. Its growth has been measured at almost four feet in a 24-hour period during the spring shooting period.”

If you’re in business for yourself or if you’re an innovator where you work, hang in there! When it comes to announcing a new brand within a brand, I tell my clients that all campaigns go through three phases. The first phase is creating overall awareness. The second phase is people starting to talk about it. The third is action. Hang in there. Not everyone is going to embrace or accept your idea. You must prove yourself. You will have early adopters who will get it and see your vision. Spend your time with these people. They will help spread the word to others. Go where the water is flowing. When you hit a rock (a “no” person), flow around it.

Be patient and you‘ll find your roots holding fast—and your Bamboo Tree beginning to grow at an alarming rate. I’m still growing my roots, but my plant is starting to sprout!

Joe

ACTION PLAN: Find three people of support this week!

Sometimes, though, I notice that when I meet people with great ideas they are afraid to share them with me. I find that these people never see their dreams or ideas take root because they are scared to plant the seeds. They think, “You’re going to steal my idea if I share it with you.” Hey, if you’re not going to share or implement your own ideas, what makes you think another person would? I find these people stifling their own ambition. Furthermore, I see people with great ideas who give up on them too soon. They think the first time they tell people about the idea it’s going to shoot off like a cannon. It doesn’t work that way. People need to hear an idea several times.

My suggestion to you is this: To know if your idea is solid, begin by explaining it to friends and family to see what they think. Then start sharing it with business associates and colleagues. What do they think? If a large number support your idea, then find opportunities to share with others you don’t know. By now you should have enough feedback to determine whether your idea could be marketed and sold. Next, begin sharing your idea with potential buyers. Spend time with those who resonate with it right away. Also, hear out those who disagree but don’t waste energy trying to convince them. Move on to those who give you a “yes”!

Every great idea has its day, but that day needs years of teaching and preaching before “the” day of breakthrough can happen. It’s your day … have at it!

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Are you up for being great?

Well, I’m still writing. Only one entry missed its Wednesday mark because of technical difficulties, but it got out on Thursday. Don’t give up. If you have a dream, don’t give up. Remember: You can alter your dream or bend the rules as you get older, but don’t let go. It reminds me of that Christmas special growing up. I think it was called, “Santa Clause Is Coming to Town.” There was a terrible snow wizard who crossed young Chris Kringle’s path. He turned out to be a good guy and he sang the song, “Put one foot in front of the other, and soon you’ll be walking across the floor. Put one foot in front of the other and soon you’ll be walking out the door.” The message is simple but clear. As an old Chinese proverb says, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.”

Remind yourself of the almighty weapon to any dream: patience. Just start. Start with one small action and do something little each and every day to bring you closer to your goal, until one day you wake up and you are living it! Put one foot in front of the other…

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Start walking!

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 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.

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.

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!