Who's Window Is It?

As you know, I am a frequent traveler.  One of the things that really bugs me is airplane windows.  If you have ever been on a plane, you may have experienced a situation like this one:

You're sitting in your window seat and you decide you want to adjust the window shade.  The problem?  Well, you technically have two windows because the designers of the plane didn't take into account that seats actually need to fit into the plane and they should technically line up with the windows.  Oh no, these puppies are halfway between your seat and the seat in front of you.  You're trying to figure out what to do because the sun is glaring in your face.  Suddenly, you decide to reach forward and pull the shade down from the window in between the seat in front of you, and then.....YOU GET THE LOOK!  You know the look, the one where the guy decides to turn around and do that little stare down cutting deep into your soul.  A minute later, the shade "mysteriously" reopens and you're blinded once again.  Now you could go back and forth with this little game all day, but you usually just choose to keep your mouth shut and throw on your welding mask to protect your eyes from staring directly into the core of the sun.  

It made me think of how business is a lot like this.  Something comes up and you're not quite sure if you're supposed to do it, or the other guy in your office is.  So what do you do?  You usually just sit back and wait - hoping and praying that the other guy is going to take care of it.  Unfortunately, most of the time we end up continuing to "stare into the sun" at the end of the day.  

If we all just took the time to communicate and simply ask the question, "Do you mind if I close this window, I'm getting blinded by the sun?"  Instead, we take the path of least resistance, and what happens?  We get burned!  We need to be open and honest with one another in our offices and don't just expect that everyone else has got the ball and is running with it.  Be clear!  Communicate effectively, and I promise the end result will end up being much, much better! 

Have a great one!



Recommendations - The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

We all love receiving recommendations.  I mean after all they boost our spirits and give us a sense of accomplishment and encouragement.  If you're a LinkedIn user like I am, it focuses a lot of attention on recommendations.  So what's the hype all about?  People want others to know that they are qualified for a particular job, or even have the character that one is looking for in a particular position.  People want to know that if they do business with you that they are getting the quality person that you say you are.

But what happens when recommendations go wrong?  This past weekend, I was talking to a good friend of mine, Dave LaMarche.  He wanted to take his kids sledding, so I recommended a great new hill in town we call, "Mount Pinnacle."  Dave decided to try it out before he had his kids take the plunge (thankfully).  Unfortunately on his first run, he ended up breaking his right hand in two different places and is going in for surgery this Thursday.  (Dave, if you're reading this, I'm really sorry - again). 

What about recommendations or referrals in the business world?  Have you ever recommended someone for something and it turned out to be absolutely the wrong decision?  I can think of several times that I have recommended someone and it has gone terribly wrong.  You start to feel a sense of guilt and you feel like you let the person down that you recommended your friend to.  Unfortunately, we really can only control our own actions.  As much as we would like to make sure the person we recommend will follow through, and/or actually do the job to their highest potential, we have no control over them whatsoever.  

I would highly encourage you that when you make a recommendation, or referral, that you are confident in your statement about the individual for whom you write one.  As I've mentioned in previous posts, it takes a long time to build up a good reputation, but only a day to mess it up.  Even though you have no control over them, people are looking to you for truth and honesty.  If you're unsure about filling out a recommendation, then don't do it!  Getting that nervous feeling in the pit of your stomach is probably telling you that you're unsure of whether the person is actually worth the time for you to write your name on the dotted line.  Remember, by doing so you are saying publicly, "Yes, this person is of high quality and I believe in them wholeheartedly."  

You shouldn't feel obligated to write a recommendation at all.  1st Corinthians 15:33 says, "Bad company corrupts good morals."  I'd encourage you to really evaluate the people in your life.  Are they good company or bad company?  If they don't benefit you and your daily walk, you probably need to take a serious look at whether or not to allow them to continue to keep the close proximity they have to you and your life.

And Dave LaMarche, yes, I'd recommend you any day, just don't ask for my recommendation on a sledding hill again! 

Until next time....
  

   

Kids and Technology

2011 is just about over, and with it my blog for the year.  Yes, this was the first year I ever wrote a blog, so for that I feel some sense of accomplishment.  We have covered a lot of different topics this year including: Vision, No Excuses, Mentors, Letting go, Encouraging others, Risk taking, and many other avenues.  Hopefully you may have learned a thing or two, as I did.  It goes without saying that the person who writes is usually the person who learns the most.  I definitely learned a lot in 2011. 

As we near the end of 2011, I was struck at how fast life can come and how fast life can go.  We have all lost loved ones, good friends, colleagues, and even mentors in 2011.  Time never slows down. 

My 11 year old son has been saving his money for quite some time to get an iPod Touch.  A couple months ago, my wife and I finally let him get his own Gmail account.  Right away, he was emailing family members.  (I must admit, I absolutely love receiving an email from him when I'm on the road.  It totally brightens up my day.)  He finally received enough money and was able to get an iPod Touch.  He is blowing me away with what he can do on it.  My daughter...well, she really wanted a Kindle. She too had been saving up for one and she just got it in the mail today.  Of course, now she had to have her own email account too, so now she's off to the races!  I know this is going to sound like I am REALLY old, but my kids are doing things that I never even dreamed about at their ages.  The truth is they're growing up way too fast.  I just want to slow the process down as much as I can, but unfortunately, I cannot. 

Life doesn't slow down and it will continually go faster and faster.  Don't let life rule you - rule it!  Take time with your family, your friends, your colleagues and get to know them on a deeper level.  The "hi, how ya doing" mentality doesn't cut it.  Dig deep!  Trust me, I know I have to do a MUCH better job in this department.  

Embracing change is no easy task.  It isn't easy to see my kids growing up as fast as they are, but I'm truly thankful.  I can either sit back and discourage all the changes, or I can embrace them.  The same goes with your career.  You can either embrace the changes going on around you (economy, new boss, job change, etc.), or you can sit back and get run over by all the changes.  If you take the latter approach, it won't be as easy to jump on the train and ride it.   

I'm excited about what lies ahead in 2012, and I hope you are too.  We have so much to be thankful for!  As one of my good friends, Cynthia Ellison, CCIM always says, "Today is a gift, that is why they call it the "present." 

God bless, and I wish you all the best in 2012!

Dave 

A Tribute to Tim Hatlestad, CCIM

This week has been a very difficult one for me.  I found out on Thursday that one of my good friends, Tim Hatlestad, went home to be with the Lord.  This has been an emotional roller coaster for me as I process him not being here any more. My heart goes out to his wife Keri, daughter Morgan, and son Griffin. 

Tim has always been a true inspiration to many in the CCIM arena, and he has mentored and taught countless numbers of people throughout his time with the CCIM Institute.  He was an incredible instructor, and well-respected amongst his peers.  He was a humble man who wasn't afraid to put others first and himself second or even third.  He was a family man who loved them with all of his heart.  He continually gave of himself to his church and the mission field throughout the world.  He wasn't afraid to stand up and go against the flow, even though he might have caught flack from his peers.  True leaders know that sometimes you have to do the hard things, even though not everyone will agree with you.  He was a true leader! 

He always made me laugh, and he wasn't afraid to even poke fun at himself time and time again.  He was a forward-thinker; always looking for ways to do something better within the CCIM organization.  Tim was an encourager.  He would always put his arm around me and encourage me in so many ways.  For that, I am extremely grateful.  

Tim lit up a room.  When he was in it, you knew it.  He made you feel welcome and appreciated.  He was an incredible CCIM Institute President; and he led with passion, desire, and integrity.  He was also a servant leader, one who continually put others first.  He didn't need to take the credit.  That wasn't like him.

I will miss working alongside of him on the Executive Committee, and just sitting down and talking about life, family, church, and whatever else the conversation led us to.  

Thank you for the great memories, my friend.  You will not be forgotten!  

Safe Travels!

With all of my air travels across the United States, one of the things I hear over and over again from people is:

"Safe Travels!"

Although it is a very nice gesture, (and I really do appreciate people saying it) my response is usually always the same:

"Unfortunately, that's not really up to me!" 

Isn't it true that we put our faith and trust in people we don't even know each and every day?  I mean, we drive down the road and we trust that the guy in the other lane doesn't swerve into our lane and hit us head-on.  I trust that these pilots (as I write this from 36,000ft) know what they are doing and have the proper credentials to fly this bird.  I trust the flight attendant that just poured me a glass of Coke didn't mess with my drink.  I could go on and on. 

 

We continually have faith and trust in people and things every day - yet sometimes we find it difficult to have faith and trust in our own employees, managers, and co-workers.  Why is that?  These people we work with on a daily basis are the cream of the crop.  They are hard-working, passionate, exuberant, and they have what it takes to get the job done!

It is hard to let go and let others lead and take control; believe me I know.  But if we can trust someone we have never met before - how much more should we be trusting those closest to us?

Trust is an amazing thing.  Ernest Hemingway once said, "The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them!" When people feel like they have been trusted to take on a big task, and they know that you have faith in them to get it done, it can change a person's world.  They become motivated beyond comprehension.  They want to strive to do better than they normally would do because they have been entrusted with something that they know is precious to you.  Usually that person will give 110%, and the end-result could even be better than what you could've achieved on your own. 

I would encourage you this week....let someone else water the plants; you might be surprised on just how well they will grow!

No Excuses!

It is pretty sad that I haven't updated my blog in several weeks....okay months!  Trust me, the thoughts have gone through my mind, "I'm busy," or "I haven't really had anything interesting to talk about," or "if you were in my shoes, you'd know how nuts it has been around here lately."

The reality is that excuses really don't really matter, do they?  Don't get me wrong, I am probably a pro when it comes to excuses.  I put off exercising because..........okay, I just do.  I find it very ironic that one of my biggest pet peeves is people who make up excuses, yet I catch myself doing the very same thing.  

With that being said, in the business world excuses should not be accepted or encouraged.  How many times do we see politicians, bankers, and athletes (to name a few) make up huge excuses?  It happens daily. No one wants to take ownership and responsibility.  We always try to pass the ball to someone else.  As I sit here and type this, a couple of questions come to mind:  Did you make that call today? Did you send that email you were supposed to send?  Did you do that project that has been on your Microsoft Task list since 2002?  Did you read that lease you were supposed to read?  Did you get to work on time today? I could go on and on. 

The point is that each of us are faced with opportunities to come up with excuses each and every day.  The question is how do YOU deal with them?  Do you face the issue(s) head on?  Are you willing to speak truthfully and admit that you missed the mark?  I have probably mentioned in previous blog posts that bad news doesn't get better with time.  This phrase is probably said at least once a week in our office.  There have been times where we want a deal to happen so badly that things could get missed.  When they do, excuses are not an option.  Someone messed up, plain and simple.  Take ownership and admit the wrongdoing.  Nothing is worse than finger pointing.  It doesn't get you anywhere. 

George Washington Carver once said, "Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from the habit of making excuses."   Don't let excuses become a habit in your life.  Never put off to tomorrow what can be done today. 

Thinking Outside the Box

We've all heard the phrase, "Think outside the box."  It is probably one of the most overused terms in the business world.  I have heard this phrase so many times that now when I hear it, I tend to think, "yeah whatever."  Unfortunately, I actually catch myself saying  to other people, "hey, we need to think outside the box on this one." 

So what exactly does it mean to think outside the box?  The web definition says:

"Thinking outside the box is to think differently, unconventionally or from a new perspective. This phrase often refers to novel, creative and smart thinking."

At our company, we encourage people to think free.  We encourage new, fresh ideas.  So many times we can get bogged down in make-believe walls that we feel we can't get out of or get around.  In an earlier post, I mentioned that sometimes people feel like they can't spread their wings and are too afraid to fail.  Unfortunately, the same goes for thinking outside the box.  

In all of our jobs, we all know that there are things we could be doing better.  At Lockard, we wouldn't be where we are today without team members being creative day in and day out.  When we are creative, we can achieve things we never thought possible.  Some companies have idea jars where people can stick an idea in and if it gets implemented, that person is rewarded.  Check out what Google has to say about their culture:

"At lunchtime, almost everyone eats in the office café, sitting at whatever table has an opening and enjoying conversations with Googlers from different teams. Our commitment to innovation depends on everyone being comfortable sharing ideas and opinions. Every employee is a hands-on contributor, and everyone wears several hats. Because we believe that each Googler is an equally important part of our success, no one hesitates to pose questions directly to Larry or Sergey in our weekly all-hands (“TGIF”) meetings – or spike a volleyball across the net at a corporate officer."  

When creativity flows and we can knock down the barriers of thinking we "can" rather than thinking we "can't," the sky is the limit.  In order to have an effective company, we must continue to think beyond what we feel are constraints.  

In our company, I always want to encourage my team to come up with creative ideas to make our company better.  There are a lot of ways to get to an end result and, as a manager, I can't say that my way is the only way to get to there.  One of my main goals at Lockard is to make sure we are in the black and to make sure we bring revenue into the company.  I don't want to be the guy that says, "this is the way we've always done it" and not look at new, creative ideas from my team members that could really improve the bottom line.  Believe me, I still have a long way to go in this area.    

Continue to be creative and think outside the box.  Who knows what's out there that you or I haven't even tapped into yet.