This month’s leadership quote:
“Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.”
-Dale Carnegie
We can always count on Dale Carnegie to remind us, attitude is everything. In his books and in this quote Dale reminds us…when we take the time to celebrate what is, in ourselves and others, happiness is the result.
This month’s leadership quote:
“If we only focus on fixing what’s wrong, we forget to notice and build what is good and strong.”
-Rebecca Wilkinson
So often in our quest to be better, both as people and in our companies, we forget this advice. No question, sometimes fixing is what is required, technology becomes outdated, systems break down, etc.
And many times, the best approach is first to notice what is good and strong and then work to build upon it. Or as I am fond of saying, “discover both our’s and our company’s genius and then work to become excellent at what we are already good at.”
Next time, you make the list of what needs fixing, perhaps draw a line and then make a list of what is good and needs building.
The quarterly Vistage Confidence Index is now available.
Confidence among CEOs has remained higher for a longer period than at any other time in the past ten years, according to a survey of 1,541 small- to mid-sized business owners. The survey, which took place from March 9 to March 18, 2015, provides a clear snapshot of current economic, market and industry trends.
The Vistage Confidence Index was 105.8 in the 1st quarter of 2015, between the 107.5 in the 4th quarter and 101.3 in the 1st quarter of 2014. The recent survey represented the eighth consecutive year-to-year increase, a new record for the persistence of optimism. The small 1st quarter loss involved all components, although none registered a significant decline. The stability in CEOs’ confidence stands in sharp contrast to the slowdown in the pace of economic growth at year-end, which has persisted into the 1st quarter of 2015.
Below are some key highlights from the Q1 2015 Vistage CEO Confidence Index (all members surveyed):
This month’s leadership quote:
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
-Mark Twain
This month’s leadership quote:
“Compete with things to come – not with things that were.”
-Carlos Rizowy
So easy to look in the rear view mirror and ask ourselves, what’s coming? And, what Carlos reminds us is that what we see in the rear view mirror are only the things that are present now. The things to come require “eyes down the road”, as they say in driver training. It is only when we are looking down the road that we can see what we will be faced with and, therefore, will be competing with.
If we wait until it is in front of us, it is, at a minimum, more costly and often too late to respond.
This month’s leadership quote:
“Innovation is hard because ‘solving a problem people didn’t know they had’
and ‘building something no one needs’ look identical at first.”
-Aaron Levine
Steve Jobs is noted for “solving a problem people didn’t know they had” time after time, first with the Mac, then ITunes, the IPhone, the IPad, etc. etc. And most of us will acknowledge that Steve was a rare genius. So… what can the rest of us mere mortals learn from Steve about innovation? Here’s what I observed that Steve did:
While coming up with the innovative idea may initially seem to be the hard part, my sense is innovation is like everything else in business, it’s executing on the right things at the right time.
The quarterly Vistage Confidence Index is now available. 
Confidence among CEOs reached its highest level in ten years in the Q4 2014 Vistage CEO Confidence Index survey. The gain
in the closing quarter of 2014 was largely due to more favorable assessments of the current state of the economy as well as more favorable prospects for economic growth during the year ahead. The Vistage Confidence Index was 107.5 in the 4th quarter of 2014, up from 103.4 in the 3rd quarter and 101.5 in last year’s 4th quarter, and the highest level since 109.8 was recorded in the 1st quarter of 2005. The data indicate that most firms believe the economy has made substantial progress and will continue to grow in 2015.
Below are some key highlights from the Q4 2014 Vistage CEO Confidence Index (all members surveyed):
December’s leadership quote:
“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself.
When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.”
-Jack Welch
While personal growth and development is lifelong, it is only through developing others that we achieve measurable results in our businesses. As a Vistage chair and leadership coach, I have the opportunity to observe every form of leadership. Here is what I see… it is those leaders that truly invest time and money in developing others that cross the dividing line from operator to leader.
No coincidence that nearly 20% of Vistage members produce annual revenue >$50mm; while less than 1.5% of US companies overall produce more than $25M in annual revenue and less than .27% produce more than $100M.
Today, on Giving Tuesday, nonprofits, families, businesses and students around the world come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give. Here in Illinois, Donors Forum, led by Eric Weinheimer (former member and friend of Vistage), is coordinating this initiative. They have one bold goal: #ILGIVEBIG, $12 million raised by Illinois nonprofits from 100,000 individual donors — in one day.
This month’s leadership quote:
“Of the many, many things about which we are unclear, or of which we are unaware,
our impact upon others is at or near the top.”
-Larry Cassidy, Vistage Master Chair
Today’s blogpost is offered by guest blogger Larry Cassidy, fellow Vistage Master Chair and author of this month’s quote. Larry has been a Vistage chair in California for 27 years and his words of wisdom inspire all of us.
Are you aware of your impact upon others, for better or for worse? We all too often live in our own personal bubble, unaware of how what we say and what we do land upon others. So come with me on a short walk, to the wood fence behind our house…..
If each time we did something thoughtless or rude or unkind, we had to pound a nail into our fence post, over time the post would resemble a metal porcupine. And if we could pull a nail out of the fence post each time we did something thoughtful, kind or caring, our battered fence post might someday be devoid of nails.
That last nail pulled should be cause for celebration; however, before we hoot n’ holler, let’s first take a hard look at our fence post. After all the pounding and pulling, what is left? Nail holes! We have slowly exchanged our hard words and abuse for decency and respect, but the wounds from our nails linger on. The holes remain. The fence post never forgets. Nor do the people in whom we have punched holes.
Sorry, but there is no escape. This is our responsibility. We are leaders, and someone is always watching. And as leaders, our job is to grasp our impact upon others, to better shape what we say and what we do, and to ensure those in our lives are better for being in our lives. If we are not willing to “do the work,” our offerings too often kidnap self-esteem, and can even become abuse.
My suggestion: don’t think about this. Rather, feel those who have changed your life. Who are they? How did they make you better? Why do you remember them so many years later? I am clear about those who have their fingerprints on who I am today, and I am deeply indebted to each. I also have another list, those who took advantage, who were unkind, who toyed with key values, and they are no longer part of my life.
You know which is which. You can feel the difference. And so can the people in your life. Your children, the team you coach, your employees, everyone. They can feel you. Yours is the opportunity to show them a better way to be. To be the one they remember for supporting their work to be the best they can be. So remember: they are watching, always watching, and every exchange is one more precious opportunity to not drive a nail, to not leave yet another nail hole. Each is a teaching moment. Seize it.
The initial results of my Pivot are excellent. I feel I have much greater clarity regarding the next 3-5 years.. more
