Danny Kaye and Thoughts for Today

How do you measure up?

How many of you remember KTLA’s “Family Film Festival”?  Every weekend, Channel 5 in Los Angeles would show all of these wonderful old movies.  Tom Hatten would introduce kids to classic movies starring comedic geniuses such as Jerry and Dean, and Bob and Bing.  I loved them all, but Danny Kaye was always my favorite.  I loved his unassuming manner, his brilliant timing and his gentle spirit.  I particularly remember when he sang “Inchworm” in 1952’s Hans Christian Andersen.

“Inchworm, inchworm - measuring the marigold. 
You and your arithmetic, you'll probably go far. 
Inchworm, inchworm - measuring the marigold. 
Seems to me you'd stop and see how beautiful they are.”

Today was a funny kind of day.  Little problems seemed to pop up here, there and everywhere.  Little opportunities are right on the horizon as well, and just can’t get here fast enough for me.  And through it all, that song was running through my head.  I had not thought about it in years, yet it was all I could think about today.

It’s human nature to get caught up in the little things of today.  Complaints may get you down.  You spend your day analyzing what you could have done better or how you “failed”.  You’re “measuring the marigold” inch by inch. 

Perhaps the only thing you really “failed” at was seeing the bigger picture – seeing how “beautiful they are”.  Before you head into your weekend, I just want to remind you how beautiful YOU really are.  When you believe in something with all of your soul and are passionate about it, that’s a thing of beauty.  You leave your footprint on your company, on this earth and on lives of the people you touch - every time you lend a helping hand.  You create miracles.  Don’t let the little things get you down.  Be great at the basics, and create your legacy.

I’d like to thank a friend of mine or sharing the following with me.  I'm not sure how far these words have traveled, but I'm glad they came my way as they resonated with me.  Enjoy.  And please remember, many people are eternally grateful for you. 

“5 WAYS TO LEAVE A LEGACY" 

By default or design, every one of us is going to leave a legacy. It just depends on what kind. So what kind of legacy do you want to leave? Clarity helps you decide how to live and work today, and how you spend your time. Consider the following and then focus on what matters most to you… 

1. A Legacy of Excellence - To leave a legacy of excellence, strive to be your best every day. As you strive for excellence, you inspire excellence in others. You serve as a role model for your children, your friends and your colleagues. One person in pursuit of excellence raises the standards and behaviors of everyone around them. You only have one life to give, and there is only one you.  Give all you can. 

2. A Legacy of Encouragement - You have a choice. You can lift others up or bring them down. Twenty years from now when people think of you, what do you want them to remember? The way you encouraged them or discouraged them?  Who will you encourage today? Be that person that someone will call five, ten or twenty years from now and say “Thank you, I couldn’t have done it without you.” 

3. A Legacy of Purpose - People are most energized when they are using their strengths and talents for a purpose beyond themselves. To leave a legacy of purpose, make your life about something bigger than you – something greater than yourself.  While you’re not going to live forever, you will live on in the positive impact you make in the world.  

4. A Legacy of Love – Life is not just about achievement. Sometimes it is just about the power to love. Share a legacy of love and it will embrace generations to come.

5. A Legacy of __________________.

 What’s yours going to be??”

Score 1 for the Other Team

Ever had one of those days?

So, sometimes no matter how hard you try, you still have one of those days.  Perhaps you lose a teammate - a valuable one.  Maybe you lose a sale - one you have been working on for a while. Maybe you lose a client - one that you have moved Heaven and earth to keep happy - to someone offering a lower price, fancy new bells and whistles, the latest whatever it may be.  You rallied the troops around that teammate/sale/client, and you still lost.  How do you react?  Are you angry?  Frustrated?  Off your game?

I would ask two questions in a situation like this.

1.  How strong was your relationship?

2.  How well were you listening?

What do you think about when you think about the important relationships in your life?  Can you picture the laughter, the way that person makes you feel when you are around them, the shared memories?  Those are important parts of a relationship, true.  But how many of those relationships have come and gone?  What is different about the ones that have lasted years?  One key difference is probably in the amount of hard work you've put into it - the ongoing attention you pay to that special person.  Let's face it.  Some of the most important, maybe even most transformative, relationships you've ever had are long gone.  The best friend, the first love.  We've all done it.  Perhaps we chalk it up to "outgrowing" it, we "learned what we were supposed to learn" and are better people.  That's great.  But maybe it wasn't just a phase.  Maybe we didn't pay enough attention, took that person for granted, or allowed too many excuses to get in the way of getting outside of our box.  Getting uncomfortable.  Getting vulnerable. Getting real.  Maybe our relationship wasn't as deep as we really thought it was.  After all, if you really get down to the heart of any relationship and bust your buns to stay there, you can feel if something is drifting out of focus.  You're working with your head and your heart.

Then, there is the listening part of it.  In any sales environment, we know we should be listening more than we speak. That's a given.  But what about those later stages of your relationship?  When you've worked with a client for a long time, it's natural that you get to know them.  You care for their welfare and have a personal stake in their success.  And once you have celebrated success, signed the client and developed that personal stake in it, there's a danger of becoming too familiar... "Knowing" too much.  You assume the next sale. You may talk too much because you are so comfortable, and you forget to listen.  Needs change.  If you are actively listening, always asking questions, keeping that relationship "new", always working at it, then you'll hear those cues that perhaps something isn't quite right.  It's hard to hear those hints over the sound of your own voice though.  It's easy when you're quiet... when you listen.

Even when you do your absolute best, you still will lose one here and there.  But don't forget to ask yourself if you really were doing your best after all.  And on those days when you do lose one, remember to be grateful for everything in the win column.  Now, make sure they stay there.

Making The Choice

A gift to you

Every now and again, I hear from a certain old acquaintance of mine.  Now, I’m someone who tends to maintain long relationships (you should see my Holiday card list – it’s a major undertaking), so I’m always glad when the phone rings or that email comes through.  I look forward to hearing all of the great things that have happened in this person’s life.  But over the last few years, it seems the great things are few and far between.  It’s more of a venting session these days, to be frank.  There’s a lot of negativity about work, who did what to who or whatever.  It’s the same on the news, in Congress, on the radio.  There’s lots of vitriol here and there, and for this friend, very little personal accountability.  I don’t get frustrated when he’s upset, especially when that’s all that we hear day in and day out in this hyper-polarized world we live in.  But it sure can bring you down.

Other people say that you should only surround yourself with people that inspire you – that you are the sum of the five people you hold dearest.  There’s a lot of truth to that.  But I think reality makes that hard to maintain, and I want to work hard to lift people up as much as I can. 

So, if you’re feeling put upon, misunderstood or angry about work or the world we live in, I want to share with you a gift that someone gave me a long time ago.  I was burning the midnight oil every day back then, working very hard and wasn’t feeling too appreciated.  And something inside me clicked.  

Yes, you’re working hard.  As you become accountable for your own life and your own future, you become more passionate to succeed.  And you will work harder because you want to, because it becomes fun, because you are building or living your dream.  Some of you will embrace this challenge.  Some of you may feel overwhelmed or look to another to bear a part of your load.  But you can’t guarantee anyone else will.  You need to operate at your full potential to be successful, and you can do so if you accept the same gift that I offer you today: responsibility.

Being Responsible is a choice.  If you are going to serve others and create something truly remarkable, you need to make the choice to accept your responsibility as a fully committed and accountable leader.  Each one of us is a leader.  And being a leader begins with the willingness to be responsible.  Leadership is characterized by responsibility. 

Once you accept that challenge and make your choice, there are two ways things may go.  First, if all goes well, taking responsibility ends with praise.  You make the sale, you get the job, you live the dream.   Second, if something goes wrong, taking responsibility means being held accountable for your actions.  Someone complains, your manager is unhappy or your career isn’t where you want it to be?  Is it someone else’s fault?  Maybe to a degree.  They played a small part, but you certainly did as well.  In fact, your part was probably pretty darn big.  After all, you are the only constant player in your life.  What can you do to empower yourself today and change things?  Be accountable.  Be responsible.  Stop dwelling on what’s wrong, figure out what’s right and focus your energy and willpower there instead.    

It’s not always comfortable being a leader.  Sometimes, it’s downright tough when you are called to task.  But you need to go for it.  You will always have a lot on your plate.  Step up, take the risk and be accountable.  Many people “accept” responsibility, and that’s okay.  It’s reactive, but it’s not leading. 

You need to take responsibility.  That’s when you become a leader.  When you take responsibility for something, you own it.  You’re personally invested in the outcome.  You own it from beginning to end.  You reach out for help to make sure things work out, and you’re not afraid to speak up if you need help. 

Be a leader.  Take the risk, and make your choice.  Someone gave me this gift a long time ago.  Now, it’s my gift to you.

All Ships Rise

Following a dream on rough seas

I recently had the opportunity to hear Kim Malek, one of the founders of Salt & Straw, speak at a conference.  If you have not heard of Salt & Straw, it’s a gourmet “farm to cone” ice cream company from the Pacific Northwest.  If you have not tasted their ice cream, put it on the Bucket List now.  It’s worth it.

And while the ice cream is fantastic, her story is even better.  Kim followed a dream – one that she had held for well over a decade before it came true.  As she shared her journey of making a dream become a reality, she also spoke of the tough things that got in her way, of taking great risks and how hard it was for her to keep moving forward in the tough times.  Her motto, when the days were at their darkest, was “all ships rise.”

Lately, a lot of friends have had extremely tough times financially, professionally and personally.  Friends have lost fathers and children.  People have lost their homes or jobs, and others soon will too.  I’m not sure why right now.  I just know that it is. 

We all have our struggles, some more than others.  Being on the outside of it, you try to help when asked, and you hurt silently along with them too.  Walking through those woods, it is difficult to see a path through it.  You can become discouraged, depressed and destructive.  But just as the tides change and ships eventually rise, yours will too.  How quickly will it rise?  That’s up to you.  It starts with your frame of mind.

One of my friends has had more than enough heartache; in fact, I think she’s dealt with more in her 30-some years than most people will in their lifetime.  She has had health issues, family issues, relationship issues, money issues, lost parents, lived without power and running water while working full time and caring for kids… you name it.   But if you met her, you would never know it.  In fact, I have never seen her without a smile on her face.  She is one of the most uplifting people I’ve been honored to know.  She never complains, but instead keeps marching onward – living her life for others.  She is the first to lend a hand or a heart.  I’ve often referred to her as a living angel, and I think she is.  I aspire to have the spirit, the generosity, the wisdom that she has.

During a particularly bad time for her years ago – when I was also walking along a dark road emotionally – I asked her what her secret was.  She told me that she had faith that things would get better and believed it would, that she was grateful for what she was going through as she would be stronger for it, and that “all ships rise.”

What an odd circle.  I heard this many years ago and again last week.  Seasons keep changing, but the tide always rises.  It was a good reminder to believe, to dream and to persevere – no matter what challenge you may be facing today.

Your ship will rise too. 

Father Knows Best

So, now it is Dad's turn to celebrate another birthday - perhaps a little unwillingly.  That tends to happen more and more as life goes along, I guess.  The family gathered at his house to share his special day.  Have I mentioned that my family is rather large?  There were seven of us kids there (and that's not the entire crew), not to mention the kids by marriage, assorted boy/girlfriends and grandkids here, there and everywhere, two dogs, two cats... You get the drift.  It was extremely loud with all of those lives everywhere.  Every table was heavily laden with food (it's a Francisco Family tradition).  Fingers big and small made music on the keyboard, and voices lifted in harmony as the organ dimly played its fading bossa nova beat in the background as we passed by.  In other words, it was home.

We came together in a dance so familiar to celebrate the man that unites us all.  We had a great time, one that I am reminiscing about now as I sit in my quiet home - close and still too far away.  So tonight, I wanted to share a few things about my Dad that still serve as life lessons for me today.

1.  Small people make a big impact.  When I was a child, my Dad towered over me like a giant.  Dads do that.  As I have grown, I have come to realize that many members of my family are "vertically challenged", myself included.  Yet, while my Dad may be small in stature, he has made a significant difference in the lives of many people beyond just our family members.  When Dad moved to the States, he soon became a small town doctor.  That small town doctor brought life to generations after generations as he delivered them in homes, in hospitals and out in the local Hutterite communities.  Doc Eddie still reigns supreme in borders well beyond those he knows, as others live today thanks to the work he did.  The magnitude can't be measured, and it is real, meaningful and eternal.

2. You don't have to show off to prove your worth.  Dad is a genius - literally.  That can be rather humbling to a kid who thinks they know it all.  Yet, Dad never mentioned it... Not once.  He never really touted his accomplishments; he didn't have to.  He demonstrated who he was in his actions, and others touted it for him... usually to his embarrassment.  And he never made his know it all child feel down.  He knew when to win, and knew when he needed to let you win. That's a hard one for me, and I'm working on it. There's no benefit in always being right. It's impossible, and hurtful too.

3.  Know when to work, and know when to play.  Children of doctors know the routine - the early mornings, late nights, even later emergency calls from the answering service.  There was no doubt that Dad was always on during the week.  But Dad also knew when to call a time out.  My favorite silly day, one among many, was on my twelfth birthday.  I sat at the kitchen table with my homebaked cake, my brothers and sisters, wearing a cowboy hat, when a giant yell came from the stairwell.  Out bounded Dad in a much too small matching cowboy hat, brandishing irons (a fork and spoon) and whooping that he was the birthday bandit.  He was exhausted and on call that night, but I never would have known it.  He made time stop for me and for the family.  Work hard, yes, but there are times that everything else can wait.

4. Silence often means more than words. Dad pretty much does not speak. He is known for one word sentences at most, but more often - if we asked him a question - his response would be a nod, a lift of an eyebrow, or pointing with his lips. It's a Filipino thing. "Dad, want some ice cream?" Nod. "Strawberry or chocolate?" Lift left eyebrow twice. "You got it, Dad." He is a quiet man, but says so much without a word. I sat down next to him today, leaned against him, put my head on his shoulder - and with one simple pat on my hand, he said more about how he felt and his love than a million flowery poems or this blog ever could. Words are often overrated. Dad shows his love instead with a gentle touch, and through his endless cooking of pots of adobo, plates of pancit and piles of lumpia. You never go hungry, belly or soul. People show love in different ways. How open are you to receiving it?

5. Don't forget to dance. We are pre-iPod, CD and cassette. Yet, Mom loved music on at all times (probably to mute the sounds of us crazies), so Dad installed a radio in the kitchen, hanging underneath the cabinet. It would play in the background every night. Then, after the food was gone and the dishes washed, magic would happen. Several nights a week, a song would come on that Mom loved, and Dad was swoop her into his arms, waltzing her around the kitchen in a grandiose arc. Then, he'd pull her close to him, sway softly and sing Julio Iglesias or "Dahil Sa Iyo"gently as an eerie quiet would fall over us all. Life goes by too quickly, and the days run together and are soon forgotten. Yet, those fleeting minutes are magic. Don't forget to dance.

Here's to you, Dad. Thank you for the food, the Angels, the unexpected piano concertos and the karaoke marathons. You are the best.

Five Steps for Making Every Moment Matter

Bracelets of Power!

So, I think about relationships and leadership a lot.  After all, any kind of selling – whether you’re selling to businesses or people – is really about building a relationship.  Relationships are founded on milestones: your first date, taking a trip or buying your first car.  Yet, relationships are forged on the moments that come in between.  It’s the small things that you do such as smile a special smile, sharing a joke or opening a door, that speak to who you are and how the person with you feels when they are around you.

Now, every business person today has heard from industry “experts” that loyalty is dead.  Gen X and Y folks may have eight or more “banking” relationships.  They don’t care about what make and model of car they drive etc.  According to many, the days of loyalty are fading fast.  Do you buy into that?  I don’t.  Take a look at your favorite sports team.  Take a look at their fan base.  Among that loyal fanbase – the jersey wearing face painted nation – are people of all ages.  Heck, my 5 year old can recite Kobe’s stats and recently schooled me on Metta World Peace.  And my house is part of the Spurs Nation.  What happened there?

So why aren’t more of your current clients, loyal clients?  Are you making every moment matter?

Now, I’m from a small town in South Dakota where you don’t lock your doors, where you know everyone (and their business) and where you go to the same store to purchase whatever you may need every time.  People still wave and say hello when you coast on by.  And if you burn a bridge, you probably just burned that bridge with half of the town as word spreads quickly.  Every moment matters.

In today’s hypercompetitive economy, technology keeps people with us all the time – kind of like that same small town.  People you haven’t seen in decades “wave” as you pass by on Facebook, and one bad review or relationship turns into a thousand if not properly tended.  Today, you must always be aware, providing better and faster service to improve loyalty and keep your clients happy.  There are always opportunities to make magic moments each time you work with someone.

Tell Your Story
Every time you speak with someone, reinforce why your service is the best and what sets you apart.  After all, you work where you work because you believe in the greater purpose or mission.  It’s a basic human need to believe in something.  Share proudly why people should believe in you. 

Show How Much You Care

Find sincere ways to show your clients how much you value them and how your product or service helps protect and care for them.  Every product is designed to meet some basic need.  What need does your product satisfy?  What problem does is cure?  How important is it to you personally that they are protected?  Make sure they know.

Everyone Walks Away With A Smile
The path to happiness is a short one.  It starts with you being happy.  How happy do you feel when you sit down across from someone?  Is anything getting in the way of your good mood?  If so, get rid of it.  Is your desk cluttered?  Perhaps your mind is cluttered.  If you’re in a bad mood in the morning, find a token to remind you to change your frame of mind.  Mine is a set of rubber bracelets I picked up at a conference last year.  I call them my “Bracelets of Power.”  They tell me that “No Negativity is Allowed” and “Success is My Duty.”  I glance down at them, get a reminder, and put a smile on my face.  No matter how long someone has known you, every time they see you again, there is a tiny little adjustment in how they view you – a tiny judgment.  Make sure it’s a good one.  (Thanks to Grant Cardone for the token.)

Meet People Where They Are
Most of your younger clients today grew up with both in person and digital relationships.  They’re comfortable in that space, and they expect you to be too.  Why ask them to go out of their comfort zone to meet you?  You’ve just added another hurdle to your success.  Just like the Country Doctor (AKA my Dad) did back in South Dakota, go to your client instead.  Do they want to meet in person?  Great.  E-mail?  Great.  Text message?  I’d bet a lot of people would appreciate it.  That’s what I prefer, and the fastest way to reach me frankly.  Then, great.  Getting outside of your comfort zone and into theirs helps build that elusive loyalty factor.  You’re placing their needs first.

People Remember Mistakes:
No matter how good you are, sooner or later, you will let someone down.  Don’t let one bad experience ruin someone’s opinion of you or your Company.  Mistakes usually happen when you are distracted, whether it’s in multitasking and emailing while you are on a call or just a bit of mental drift near the end of a long day.  Remember, every moment matters.  Focus on the here and now when you are with someone.  Everything else can wait.  People have long memories in small towns and online, the world’s biggest small town.  And if you don’t have people that believe in you, you won’t have a business.  When you do make that dreaded mistake, please apologize.  Yes, it’s good manners.  Yes, it should be natural, but often we may get defensive.  Ultimately, that never helps.  A sincere, heartfelt and humble apology will go a long way to rebuilding a damaged relationship and creating a raving fan instead. 

Make every moment matter.  It’s hard work, but it’s good work.  And it’s work that pays dividends both professionally and personally. 

So how will you make it matter today?

How to Run a Marathon

“Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably will themselves not be realized.  Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will not die”. — Daniel H. Burnham

Have you ever run a marathon?  About ten years ago, I decided I was going to do it to raise money for a charity.  At the time, everyone I knew thought I’d lost my mind.  Now, I am not an athletic person; in fact, I am rather clumsy and tend to bump into things – a lot.  So taking on 26.2 miles was definitely going to be a major challenge, and one that required considerable training and planning.  And so I began – running with a team each week in increasingly longer distances towards our mutual goal.  Running a marathon not only requires a goal and physical and mental conditioning, but tactical planning too: choosing the right shoes, maintaining a safe pace, packing items to stay hydrated and maintain your sodium and glycogen levels so you can finish safely.  (Legend says that Pheidippides, whose famous run is the foundation for today’s distance, collapsed and died at the end – and who wants that?)  It also involves checking in with yourself on a regular basis to make sure your plan is working, and making adjustments as needed.

Your work life is no different.  You’ve decided to run the Career Marathon.  Now, let’s plan how you’ll make it to the finish line.  There are four steps to creating your plan.

1.   Create your purpose statement.  Your Company helps here.  If you don’t know what the Company’s Mission, Philosophy and Goals are, find out.  If you don’t know the goal, you don’t know where you are going.

2.   Envision your future.  You need to be specific and descriptive.  For example, say you’re in sales, delivering 10 widgets a month, and you want to boost your results.  Picture yourself delivering 20 widgets a month, every month.  Your accounts are excited when you come in to visit.  You get referrals from every client.  They write great reviews about you on Google / Facebook / Yelp.  You make $XXX dollars this year, and take a vacation to Hawaii with your family, etc. Write it up and post it on your mirror.  Post it everywhere.  If it is always in front of you, it helps keep you focused.

3.   Describe your current reality.  Now’s the time to be brutally honest with yourself.  You should be so honest that you may not want to show this to anyone but yourself.  Where are you today?    Maybe you write something like: “I haven’t been out marketing for over a month.  I didn’t call 3 clients back.  I’m uncomfortable asking for referrals.”  Whatever it is, if you are honest with yourself about what you do today, it will help you plan for success.

4.   Make specific commitments.  Bullet point the action steps you are going to take to get to the future you want.  “I will go marketing every Tuesday.  I will touch bases with every lead before the end of the day.  I will ask for a testimonial.”  Whatever you commit to, you’ve just made a promise to yourself, so you can achieve what you want.

Plans and goals are excellent, but they are also worthless unless you review them on a regular basis.  You have to check in to make sure you are staying on task.  One of the best ways you can do this is to set up a “Weekly Review.”  Let’s be honest.  When you’re as busy as you are today, it’s easy to lose your way and become reactive instead of proactive.  You may forget to follow up with a member when the phones are ringing off the hook or don’t review your notes from your last marketing visit.  When that happens, important things fall through the cracks.  You end up embarrassed, or worse, you may let your members, your credit union, the Company and yourself down. 

When you set up your “Weekly Review,” you give yourself a chance to get ahead of the game and see how well you are progressing towards your Marathon Goal.  You stay on top of things, instead of running to catch up.  I like to schedule 1-2 hours for my weekly review.  Now, it never takes that long, but if you book it you’re your calendar, you’ll get it done.  So what is your agenda for your meeting with yourself?

1.   Review your referrals.  Have you checked in with everyone?  Is there someone you need to call today?  Stay on top of this, and you won’t have any “heat” issues.

2.   Review all of the notes you’ve kept over the week.  I’m low tech, and use a notebook as e-mail reminders get lost in the Inbox.  Quickly read back through your notes to see if there are any action items or things that you needed to do. 

3.   Review your calendar from last week.  Were there any things you promised your credit unions on your marketing visits?  Notes from your sales meeting?  This will jog your memory and help you catch up as well.  Did you miss an appointment?  Better reschedule it.

4.   Review this week’s calendar.  This is one of the most important steps.  It allows you to plan in advance, stay ahead of the curve and keep your sales momentum on track. 

5.   Review your Action Lists.  What do you really need to accomplish this week?  Book it.

6.   Review your Marathon Goal.  Remind yourself that you’re headed to the Finish Line.  If you stay focused, you’ll be a winner.

Number 5

When I was a young manager, early in my career, I remember having a conversation with a fellow employee who was upset about a change in procedure from the top.  She came to me in confidence and, after I listened to what she had to say, I tried to help.  I remember telling her that she needed to separate her emotions from the equation, that business was business and - this part I remember quite vividly - that a Company is a Company.  It's not a person.  It has no emotional intent or motivation, and that if she realized that then she would be able to see the logic behind Upper Management's decision, etc.  I thought it was good advice.

And maybe it was ten years ago.  Back then, the book du jour was The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene.  It was a different time... Just after the dot-com hullabaloo.  Social media was in its infancy.  The world was riding high; business and home values on the rise.  What a ride it was then.  Fast, hard driving, me, me, me.

I see things very differently today.  Great things are happening at work; we are on the precipice of a fantastic new chapter in our future.  And yet this afternoon, I found myself wrestling with some significant business choices.  So, I went to my mentor for advice and guidance.  (If you don't have a business mentor, get one tomorrow.  Run!  It will be one of the most significant investments you will ever make in yourself and in your future.)  And as I walked through it with my mentor, out of nowhere, I felt a huge swell of emotion - one that was hard to contain.   I finished the conversation, sucking it up and telling myself that "no one cries in baseball."  I am still unsettled.  And as I work through it (which will take some time), I thought of that advice from so long ago... And thought about what I would say to that teammate today.

Yes, business is business.  But business is a combination of the head and the heart.  I am farther along in my career, and today I am one of the people making those decisions that are lasting... which have meaning to lives beyond my own.  I have a responsibility to those lives... to those people.  I'm invested in them.  I know them, know their dreams, know their fears and I share their sorrows.   They are teammates, employees, friends and more often than I would admit, they are family.  We don't just work together; we have real relationships.  It's a heck of a lot harder carrying the weight of all of those hearts.  But I am a better manager today because I carry that load.  Business is about emotions, and to be successful today, you have to connect emotionally to those you serve.

Tonight, as I worked though all of these conflicted emotions, I looked up at the core values posted on my wall.  We all have them at our offices (and hopefully memorized), but do you have them at home? My son and I defined our Family Core Values when he was 3. And looking at them today, they're pretty good. It's a mantra at home with buy in from the boys. Tonight, I think they are pretty good for work too. They're emotionally based. So is work. Business is just a collection of people after all.

And people are pretty special.