No. 10 October 2013

Karl Pillemer is a gerontologist (someone who studies older people) who, in his work, kept meeting older people – many of whom had lost loved ones, been through tremendous difficulties, and had serious health problems – who nevertheless were happy, fulfilled, and deeply enjoying life. He found himself asking, “What’s that all about?” As he looked through existing research, he found that study after study validated the fact that older people – in their 70s, 80s and beyond – are actually happier than younger people. Pillemer thought that perhaps older people knew things about living a happy, healthy, fulfilling life that younger people didn’t, so he decided to find out what that practical wisdom was. He interviewed 1,000 seniors and asked them, “What is the most important lesson you want to pass along to the young?” From his interviews came his book, 30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans.

Here are a few of his findings about some of life's lessons that older people have learned during their long lives:  “…one lesson stood out; a lesson that older people knew about because of where they stand on life’s road – but that younger people could benefit from learning about. It was a lesson that almost all expressed. And they did it vehemently.

“What they wanted younger people to know is this: life is short. The older the respondent, the more likely they are to say that life passes by in what seems like an instant. They say this, not to depress younger people, but to get them to be more aware and selective about how they use their time. Older people practice what psychologists call ‘socioemotional selectivity’ – because their time is limited, they make careful decisions about how to use their time. Some implications of this insight are to say things now to people you care about, whether it is expressing gratitude or love; asking forgiveness or getting information; spending the maximum amount of time with children or grandchildren; and savoring daily pleasures instead of waiting for ‘big-ticket items’ to make you happy.

“The other piece of advice that comes from this idea that life is much shorter than you realize: Take a chance. People in their 70s, 80s, 90s and beyond endorse taking risks when you’re young, contrary to a stereotype that elders are conservative. Their message to young people starting out is ‘Go for it!’ They say that you are much more likely to regret what you didn’t do than what you did. As one 80-year-old said, ‘Unless you have a compelling reason to say no, always say yes to opportunities.’

“Elders have also learned that happiness is a choice – not a passive condition dependent on external events, nor is it the result of our personalities. We can choose – in a conscious shift in outlook every day – optimism over pessimism, hope over despair.” We can take responsibility for our own happiness throughout our life. As I’ve said many times in this column: Life is about choices every minute of every day. We can choose to be happy, smile and uplift people, or we can choose to put people down and try to make them as unhappy as we are. It’s not your personality. It’s your choice!

We also know experience is very important in our work lives. Harold S. Geneen, the former CEO of AT&T, had this to say about business experience: “In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins: cash and experience. Take the experience first; the cash will come later.” Those are true words of wisdom.

Harvey Mackay tells a story about “a little boy spending his Saturday morning playing in his sandbox. He had cars and trucks, his plastic pail, and a shiny red shovel. In the process of creating roads and tunnels in the soft sand, he discovered a large rock in the middle of the sandbox.

“The boy dug around the rock, managing to dislodge it from the dirt. With a little bit of struggle, he pushed and nudged the large rock across the sandbox by using his feet. When the boy got the rock to the edge of the sandbox, he found that he couldn’t roll it up and over the wall of the sandbox. Every time he made some progress, the rock tipped and then fell back into the sandbox.

“Frustrated, he burst into tears. All this time, the boy’s father watched from his living room window. As the tears fell, a large shadow fell across the boy and the sandbox. It was his father. Gently but firmly, he said, ‘Son, why didn’t you use all the strength that you had available?’

“Defeated, the boy sobbed back, ‘But I did, Daddy, I did! I used all the strength that I had!’

“‘No, son,’ corrected the father kindly. ‘You didn’t use all the strength you had. You didn’t ask me.’ With that, the father reached down, picked up the rock, and removed it from the sandbox.

“Successful people rarely reach the top without a lot of help along the way. The ability – and willingness – to ask for help is one trait that really stands out among those who are truly committed to success.” Seeking help and advice, when you need it, will move you quicker down the highway of success.

No. 9 September 2013

Harvey Mackay tells the following story about a son asking his mother what he needs to do to be a success when he grows up.

“The mother thought for a moment, and then told her son to bring her a pencil.  Puzzled, the boy found a pencil and gave it to her.

“If you want to do good,” she said, “you have to be just like this pencil.”

“What does that mean?” her son asked.

“First,” she said, “like a pencil, you’ll be able to do a lot of things, but not on your own.  You have to allow yourself to be held in someone’s hand.” 

The mother is talking about teamwork.  You can’t do it all by yourself.  Mackay defines teamwork as a collection of diverse individuals who respect each other and are committed to each other’s success.  You can’t be successful without a committed team working with you.

“Second,” she said, “like a pencil, you’ll have to go through a painful sharpening from time to time, but you’ll need it to become a better pencil.

Giving and taking criticism is not easy task, but it is necessary to become better.  No one ever choked to death swallowing his or her own pride.  Accepting honest criticism or a suggestion will make you better than you were before.

“Third, like a pencil, you’ll be able to correct any mistakes you make,” she said.

Everyone makes mistakes.  That’s one way you learn.  Mistakes don’t make you a failure.  There are really no mistakes in life, there are only lessons.

“Fourth, like a pencil, no matter what you look like on the outside, the most important part will always be what’s on the inside. 

Most people aren’t born with self-confidence.  Mackay’s advice to develop self-confidence is: track your success, practice being assertive, accept that failure is not the end of the world, step out of your comfort zone, set goals, keep improving your skills and above all else, don’t compare yourself to others.

“And fifth,” the mother finished, “like a pencil, you’ll have to press hard to make a mark.”

Success comes before work only in the dictionary.  There is no magic formula or magic wand.  Even people with natural talent or skills, continually hone those talents or skills with lots of hard work and practice.

The mother touched on five important topics – teamwork, being able to accept criticism, correcting mistakes, self-confidence, and working hard.  That’s good advice for all of us.

Rev. Robert Schuller says there are four kinds of people: "First, there are the cop-outs. These people set no goals and make no decisions.

"Second, there are the hold-outs. They have a beautiful dream, but they’re afraid to respond to its challenge because they aren’t sure they can make it. These people have lost all childlike faith.

"Third, there are the drop-outs. They start to make their dream come true. They know their role. They set their goals, but when the going gets tough, they quit. They don’t pay the toll.

"Finally, there are the all-outs. They are the people who know their role. They want and need and are going to be stars: star students, star parents, star waitresses. They want to shine out as an inspiration to others. They set their goals. . . . The all-outs never quit. Even when the toll gets heavy, they’re dedicated. They’re committed."

To be committed, you must be "all in." You can’t just do the best you can. You have to do everything you can. Remember, the difference between 100 percent ‘all in’ and 99 percent ‘all in’ is 100 percent.

 When I think of commitment, I think of the story of the Pig and the Chicken walking down the road.

 The Chicken says: "Hey Pig, I was thinking we should open a restaurant!"

The Pig replies: "Hmmm, what would we call it?"

The Chicken responds: "How about “Ham-n-Eggs?”"

The Pig thinks for a moment and says: "No thanks. I’d be committed, but you’d only be involved!"

09 September 2010

Have you seen any OPE industry headlines recently?  I have and I’m beginning to think that I should start feeling really good about the prospects for our industry and for the future of the businesses you and I run.  Of course, I can always look at the local newspaper’s morning headlines to bring me back down to reality and make me depressed.  

But why do that?  I’m only going to look at the OPE industry headlines because I want to feel good!  Here are some positive OPE headlines I’m seeing right out of the Outdoor Power Equipment and Engine Service Association’s (OPEESA) OPE-in-the-Know e-mail newsletter and other recent business news sources:

• “Echo Expands in Lake Zurich.” Well, Echo did buy Shindaiwa, and we thought it was only a matter of time before they had to expand. 129,000 square feet! Wow, that’s pretty big!

• “Briggs Invests $35.5 Million in Murray, KY Plant.” That’s a lot of money. What do they know that we don’t?

• “MTD to Add 107 Jobs with $9.3-Million Expansion in Mississippi.”  MTD is expanding into a 525,000-square-foot building with 10 plastic injection molding machines to be followed by two more assembly lines and a paint applicator system.  That’s a terrific investment in jobs and a tremendous belief in the strength of future business.

• “Blount International Acquires Speeco.” Blount will gain entry into products and markets that will complement its existing business with Speeco’s log splitters, post-hole diggers, tractor three-point linkage parts and equipment, and farm accessories. We could call this “growing smartly.”

• “Toro Profit Rises 70% as Demand Rebounds.” This Aug. 19 headline was the result of renewed demand from the professional segment of Toro’s business, which accounts for 70 percent of its total sales.

Our industry’s OEMs obviously have confidence in the future.  You and I should too.

In a recent edition of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute’s (OPEI) SmartBrief e-mail newsletter, the following headline caught my eye: “OPEI Stresses Importance of Understanding Your Equipment.”  Does this mean if my lawnmower and I don’t get along, we have to go to counseling together?

Comedian Stephen Wright once said, “If we’re not allowed to have midnight snacks, why is there a light in the refrigerator?”   Well?

Harvey Mackay, my favorite business blogger, tells a story about the Wright brothers of airplane fame and the arrogance of the French government.\

“Early in the development of flight, the Wright brothers (Orville and Wilbur) were largely dismissed at home in America, and had to go abroad to get proper recognition for their aeronautical achievements.

“The French government gave the brothers an opportunity to demonstrate what they had done. But the French were obviously jealous of the two modest Americans.

“At a banquet in Paris to honor the accomplishments of the two Wright brothers, the chief speaker at the dinner devoted most of his remarks to claiming that France had led the world in aviation exploration and would do so in the future. However, he said very little in praise of the two American guests.

“When Wilbur Wright was called upon to speak, he said: ‘I am no hand at public speaking, and so I must on this occasion content myself with a few words. As I sat here listening to the speaker who preceded me, I heard his comparisons made to the eagle, to the swallow, and to the hawk as typifying skill and speed in mastery of the air. But somehow or other, I could not keep from thinking of the parrot, which, of all the ornithological kingdom is the poorest flier and the best talker.’”

Clearly, arrogance didn’t fly with Wilbur Wright.

Harvey Mackay suggested this moral for the story: “Arrogance is an odd affliction.  It makes everyone else sick.”

No. 3 March 2010

The Outdoor Power Equipment Institure (OPEI) says the industry produced 779,640 snow throwers in 2009.  Don’t you wish you had a few left on your floor to sell today?  On the other hand, I heard that older units are being repaired “like never before.”  The entire OPE industry is wearing one large smile.

Harvey MacKay says that sometimes when a problem is presented, “the best thing you can do is ask each person on your team to suggest the worst possible idea to address the problem.”  He believes that these “bad ideas enable employees to see problems in a different way and can often spur very good solutions.”  I’m very tempted to try this unusual method and see what results we get.

Normally at this time of year we’d be seeing some early flowers popping up.  If the snow would ever go away, maybe we’d be seeing some right now!  Just keep repeating “Spring is just around the corner.”

Forty seven percent of Baby Boomers report maintaining a profile on a social web site in 2009, which was up 15 percent from 2008.  From 2007 to 2008, there was only a 1-percent increase in Baby Boomers maintaining a social Website profile.  Of that 47 percent of Baby Boomers maintaining a social web site in 2009, 73 percent maintain a Facebook profile, while 13 percent have taken a liking to Twitter.  What was surprising was that only 13 percent of Boomers identified themselves as active LinkedIn users.  Given their place in the professional world, one would think that Baby Boomers would have beenmore active on this professional site.

I will admit that I do maintain personal and business Facebook page and a LinkedIn page.  Facebook can be overwhelming if you let it, so don’t let it.  While some users end-up wasting their time and mine, it is a good way to find out what friends you do not see on a regular basis are doing with their lives.  Give it a try, even if just out of curiosity. 

I do recommend LinkedIn as an excellent business resource for any business person.  Go to the site and search on someone you know and admire in our industry.  You’ll be surprised at what you find and can learn on this Web Site.

Marshall Goldsmith, the author of “The Best Coaching Advice You Will Ever Get,” has a friend who had the opportunity to talk with old people who were facing death and ask them what advice they would have had for themselves in their earlier life.  Their answers were filled with wisdom. 

“One recurring theme was to take the time to reflect on life and find happiness and meaning now.  A frequent comment from old people runs along the lines of: ‘I got so wrapped up in looking at what I didn’t have that I missed what I did have.  I had almost everything.  I wish I had taken more time to appreciate it.’”

“A second theme from old folks was friends and family.  You may work for a wonderful company and believe that your contribution is very important.  But when you are 95 and you look around your death bed, very few of your fellow employees will be waving goodbye!  Your friends and family will probably be the only people who care.”

“A third recurring theme was to follow your dreams.  Older people who tried to achieve their dreams were happier with their lives.  None of us will ever achieve all of our dreams.  If we do, we will just make up new ones!  If we go for it, we can at least say at the end, ‘I tried!’ instead of ‘Why didn’t I at least try?’”