“Pushing yourself to be the best is unsustainable. Simply push yourself to be better than the day before.” ~Simon Sinek In the Book Chop Wood Carry Water, Joshua Metcalf uses the story of one boy’s journey, John, to become a samurai warrior. In one part of the story John is learning how to overcome discouragement and how he can be his own worst enemy by how he thinks and conducts his self-talk. Akira, John’s teacher, shares with John...
“The greatest day in your life and mine is when we take total responsibility for our attitudes. That's the day we truly grow up.” ~ John Maxwell The old saying goes, team leaders’ attitudes are caught more than they are taught. It is very true. Picking your next team leader will make a difference not only in your production and growth, but also in the culture of the team and organization. Pick wisely. Unfortunately, thinking negatively is second nature...
“Behavior precedes belief - that is, most people must engage in a behavior before they accept that it is beneficial; then they see the results, and then they believe that it is the right thing to do...
“You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.” ~Jim Rohn A while back I had breakfast with a remarkably successful business owner who was producing well over seven figures. His company employs over 275 people in an intense outdoor work environment. During these trying labor shortage times where we are seeing the great resignation, employees leaving a company...
Years ago, I was challenged by a former boss to carry my staff to another property to view their operations. It had never occurred to me that this might be a good idea. I could think of a lot of reasons not to do it; too much to do, not a good time, it costs too much, and it would slow me down. I was on a journey of discovery after all. I had plans and...
As a newly appointed Director, I sat in the hotel room at a Miami resort attending a manager’s training. My team radio crackled loudly; another incoming question from one of my staff. Being polite, I quickly hopped up and went out the door to respond. After this exercise occurred a few more times, the long-time resort Dock Master, a navy veteran commander, offered an observation: “A sign of a good leader is that when that leader...
“True courage is being afraid, and going ahead and doing your job anyhow, that's what courage is.” ~Norman Schwarzkopf I recently spoke at another great facilities leadership workshop. While at lunch a department leader at a major university shared, he had some weeds in his department; employees who refused to buy-in, work together or produce the results he needed. He felt helpless in his own department. He said HR would not let him fire them. He was frustrated. We...
“When everything seems like an uphill struggle, just think of the view from the top.” ~Anonymous In running a team, department, or business the day-to-day operations can exhaust all our time and energy. The marketplace is a demanding environment, the grind can leave a person empty and tired. Often it is easier to stay busy in the work, and to ignore being intentional in your personal growth. Self-improvement is one of the few areas that is going...
“A brand is defined by the customer’s experience. The experience is delivered by the employees.”~Shep HykenListen – pay attention to what your customers are saying. Use surveys, feedback cards, and face to face conversations to see how you are doing.Be aware - watch each team member in the act of serving a customer – where are the weaknesses and how can you build them up?Define - what is and is not great customer service. New employees...
3 Keys to Great Leadership "Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others." —Jack Welch We tend to promote those who are productive and get tasks completed. But are those the best skills to look for in promoting someone to run a crew, department, or organization? Just because the person is great in sales and/or great at getting their individual projects completed does not...