Tag: becoming a better leader

You Can’t Solve A Problem If You Don’t Talk About That Problem

If you run a business
that involves
partnering with people,
employing people,
selling to people,
COVID is,
right now,
a big f*cking problem
for you.

You and I likely don’t know
how big of a problem
it is
for us.

That drop in sales?
It is likely COVID-related.
That slow turnaround time?
It is likely COVID-related.
That demand for increased wages?
That is DEFINITELY COVID-related.

And the problem of COVID
isn’t getting solved quickly.

Why?

Because no one
is talking openly about the problem.
Many people
are pretending it doesn’t exist.

And that doesn’t
lead to any f*ckin’ solutions.

If you want
problems to be solved,
start
by talking about them.

Drying Hands Quickly

I was handling
some papers
I absolutely could not
get dirty or damp yesterday.
(I was sending them
to other people.)

I had to ensure
my hands were clean
yet absolutely dry.

Simply drying them
with a towel
wouldn’t be sufficient.

So I washed them,
dried my hands with a towel,
and then used hand sanitizer.
Within a minute,
my hands were absolutely dry.

(Before using this technique,
ensure whatever you’re handling
won’t be harmed
with contact with dried hand sanitizer.)

I also use this trick
when I know
I’ll be shaking hands.

It rids me
of the dreaded clammy palms.

Hand sanitizer
dries hands quickly.

Have some on hand
(pun intended)
for situations requiring dry hands.

You Will Never Fit In

You and I are business builders.
That alone makes us rare.
It makes us different.

We don’t think
like everyone else.

We see, for example,
opportunities everywhere.
Other people don’t.

We will never truly
fit in.
We’ll always be
a little bit strange,
a little bit dangerous.

So don’t factor
you
‘fitting in’
into your decision making
for your business.

Make the right decision,
not the most popular one.

Deciding On Your Legacy

We decide our legacies.

We influence
how people remember us
when we’re here
on this Earth
and after we’re gone.

If you want to be
remembered fondly,
with joy,
with caring,
do the things
that leave that legacy.

Build more
than you destroy.
(And yes,
this includes building businesses.)

Love more
than you hate.

Give more
than you take.

Support more
than you punish.

Help more
than you hinder.

It is basic math.
Positive contributions > Negative contributions
= Being Missed After We’re Gone.

It is truly
THAT easy to leave
a wonderful legacy.

A Person To Blame

Some people are blaming
arsonists for the wildfires
all over the world,
instead of the real culprits
– drought and climate change.

That doesn’t surprise me.

Many people look
for a person or a group to blame
for their problems.

And they want promises
that person or group
will ‘be dealt with’
i.e. punished.

That prospect makes them happier.

A business building buddy,
knowing this,
blames all the problems
customers come to her with
on Stanley.

Stanley made that change
in their favorite product.
Stanley set that return policy.
F*ckin’ Stanley, always messing up.

No one in the company
is named Stanley.
He is a dummy target
for both customers and employees
to curse,
a name to give
when the customer demands one.

Cursing Stanley makes them happier
and it makes them more likely
to remain loyal to my buddy’s business.

People often
are looking for a person
or a group to blame.

Do your best
to ensure no real person or group
is harmed.

Adding To Your Project Checklist

I have checklists
of all the things
I need to know
or do
or gather
for each type
of project.

I add to these checklists
during or after
each project.

For example,
I tried growing bell peppers
directly in the garden
this year.
That was a disaster.
The slugs ate them.

So I added
“Grow all bell peppers
in containers.”
to my gardening project checklist.

Before starting a project,
I’ll review the appropriate checklist
for that type of project.

In the Spring,
for example,
I’ll review my gardening checklist.

I’ll see
my note about growing peppers
in containers.
Do that.
And my chances of a great pepper harvest
will greatly increase.

Our lives
are already extremely complicated.

Make projects easier
by keeping checklists.

They will ensure
we learn from mistakes
and that will increase
our probability of success!