No. 12 December 2010

Where has the year gone?  Darned if I know.  At least the year ends with holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, Hanukkah and Kwanza. It’s a time for reflection, for family, for eating or should I say “overeating,” and for being grateful for what you have. If you’re able, please help a family who needs your assistance. There are so many people unemployed who need our help. Maybe your company or department, big or small, can adopt a family for the holidays and make a difference in their daily lives. You and your employees will feel good and the family you help will be eternally grateful. It doesn’t take much, but it does take a “first step” to get “the ball rolling.” Just do it. You’ll never regret it.

Dan McCarthy, who writes a terrific blog called “Great Leadership,” recently asked this question: “As a leader, what should the sign on your wall or desk say?”

My sign says, “Get Over It!” And it’s there on my wall for me first and then for others who see it as they leave my office.  My sign reminds me and them not to worry obsessively about things that are really not important. I’d be the first to say that worrying or getting upset about nothing important is really easy to do. But none of us needs that additional but absolutely unnecessary stress. But what do other people’s signs say?”

Here are a few sayings or pictures that McCarthy noted as being on the office walls or desks of business leaders: 1) “No Whining” on the desk of James Parker, former CEO of Southwest Airlines; 2) “The Buck Starts Here” on the desk of Donald Trump; 3) “Be Brief, Be Brilliant, Be Gone” on the wall of Mark Goodman, CEO of Twist Image; 4) A picture of Henry Ford on Bill Gate’s wall to remind him that Ford didn’t listen to his customers who wanted cars in colors other than black, ultimately resulting in a large market share loss to General Motors; 5) “Leaders should be able to Stand Alone, Take the Heat, Bear the Pain, Tell the Truth, and Do What’s Right,” on the wall of Brian Morehouse, coach of the Hope College women’s basketball team; and 6) “Be Realistic, Demand the Impossible” on the wall of T.J. Rodgers, founder and CEO of Cypress Semiconductor.

My favorite in McCarthy’s list was a poster on the office wall of former VeriFone CEO Hatim Tyabji that appeared as follows: “There was a poster that consisted of 12 blocks, each with a photo of an Irish setter. The first 11 blocks show the dog standing, not responding to a command to ‘sit.’ Finally, in block 12, the Irish setter sits.  ‘Good Dog,’ reads the poster. Tyabji says the poster means that ‘leaders must be clear, consistent and repetitive, repeating the message until it sticks.’”

My one-sentence summary of the 2010 OPE business year in my part of the world goes like this: “It started early with a bang and ended early with a whimper.” And that sums it up very well.

Clarence Otis Jr. is the chairman and chief executive of Darden Restaurants Inc., which operates Olive Garden, Red Lobster and other sit-down casual-dining chains. He has some pretty profound statements about listening and allowing people to express their views.

“Over time,” Otis said, “I found my leadership style evolving into one that’s centered around listening. You have to allow room for other people to express their views. As you move into leadership positions, if you are quick to express your point of view, you never hear anyone else’s.

There’s a lot to be said about the power of being quiet versus the power of being heard. I had a self-awareness of how I came across to others. That’s important. I didn’t want to come off as crowding other people out. I don’t think any good manager should.”

Don’t forget your employees who were at your side through another tough year.  They’ve remained faithful with extra responsibilities and smaller raises than normal — at least mine have. Your employees are your company’s greatest asset. It’s a cliché, but it’s true. Can you imagine what 2010 would have been like without some of your key players?

The New Year is coming. Choose to greet it with renewed optimism. Choose to focus on what’s good in your life. Choose to love and appreciate family and friends. Choose to “Get Over It” and fight only the battles worth fighting. 2011 can be and will be a great year if you choose to make it so.

No. 6 June 2010

April 2010 turned out to be one of the best months our distributorship has ever had.  I hope our customers - that means you - had a great April too.  With June inching closer as I write this column, I already know that May won't equal April.  I wonder if you're working down inventory this month, and thus reduced your purchasing, particularly on equipment.  I hope so.  Every month of every season of every year is different from the same month, season and year before, and I can guarantee the year after too.  Sorry, but it's true and a sure bet.

In more than four decades of working in this industry, I have yet to see the "perfect" year.  And I don't believe I ever will.  It just takes a 30-day dry spell, or a late spring, or a non-existent fall when the leaves fall one night in late November to ruin the "perfect" year.  And people wonder why they hear me occasionally repeat out loud to myself, over and over, "I love the OPE business.  I love the OPE business.  I love the OPE business."   I guess I just have to remind myself that I really do, even with all the uncertainties we all face every year.

I was delighted to be able to attend the Equipment and Engine Training Council’s (EETC) annual conference in early April, after missing the last few meetings, and to see so many familiar faces belonging to good friends.  I have a particular fondness for the organization and what it’s members are striving to do. 

The EETC is a non-profit professional association that is addressing the critical shortage of service technicians through its school accreditation and technician certification programs. With over 450 members, the EETC promotes and supports the recruitment, retention and education of service technicians in the OPE industry. 

If there is one organization in this industry that was created and works hard every day every year for the benefit of the entire OPE industry, the EETC is it!   It deserves your support and your participation. 

Visit the EETC’s Web site at www.eetc.org .   Attend its annual conference.  Look at its membership list and marvel at how these dedicated people leave their ego's and competitive nature outside the meeting room door and work together to help provide us with the certified technicians we all so desperately need in our businesses.

In a guest post on the Blog “Great Leadership,” Simon Sinek states that great leaders aren’t necessarily born “great.”  “People can learn to be a great leader.  But a fancy title or a high rank doesn’t make you a great leader.  Nor does holding the highest office or making the most money.  Great leaders are the ones who inspire people around them.” 

“Great leaders inspire those around them not because of what they know, but because of how they make other people feel.  When someone of vast achievement or status shows genuine interest in the ideas of those around them, it makes those people feel valuable.  It makes them feel like they are contributing.”

“Great leadership is not just about the ability to get things done.  It’s the capacity to inspire others to take responsibility to get things done.  When people in an organization believe in the greater cause and are made to feel a valuable part of it, they become vastly more conscientious about everything they do to contribute to the success of that cause.”

“Great leaders ask the question ‘why?’ quite often.  By asking ‘why,’ a great leader reveals he doesn’t understand something.  It shows vulnerability.  It reveals not knowing.  And that is exactly the reason great leaders ask ‘why?’ so often.” 

“They are aware that they don’t know what they don’t know and they aren’t afraid to show it.  They understand that the more ideas, perspectives and things they can learn – inside and outside their own disciplines – the more information it gives them to make better decisions.” 

“There is a rational and analytical part of our brains that can access the conscious information when we think about a problem, when we consider the facts and figures before making a thoughtful decision.”

“There is also a sub-conscious part of our brain that actually controls behavior and decision-making.  This area of our brain is filled with our entire life’s worth of experiences, lessons, ideas, perspectives and information.  This is the information that is tapped when we make gut-decisions or when we act instinctively.  No data is weighed in these decisions yet they are, very often, better quality decisions.”

So ask “why?” often.  Don’t just ask questions to prove people wrong.  Ask questions to understand what they mean.  Show genuine interest.  Seek out new experiences, lessons, ideas, and information to help you become a great leader in your business life.  You will be sought-out by people who know a great business leader when they see one and who trust that you will lead them to great accomplishments.