"Duck to Eagle School" lesson is one of many

The "Duck to Eagle School" lesson is one of many "simple truths" ol
leadership that I've learned on my journey as an entrepreneur. In the past
30 years, I've had the good fortune to be involved with three successful slart
up companies, each becoming a leader in its niche. And, as you can imagine,
there have been many peaks, valleys and "lessons learned" along the way.
I've also been very fortunate to have met a lot of people who are a lot smarter
than 1. Successful entrepreneurs, authors, speakers, educators, coaches, and
CEO's of large companies, have all helped shape my thinking. It has been
their wisdom and their knowledge, combined with my own life experiences,
that have helped shape who I am today.
My goal with this little booh is to share .sonic of my "lessons learned"
in a brief, but engaging way. Because so many times, it's not what is said,
but how it is said, that turns the switch from off to on. For me, one of the
most exciting things about business and life, is that one great idea can
change our life forever.
All the Best,
Mac Anderson
Founder, Simple Truths and SiiecessDries
LEADERSHIP
WOULD BE EASY,
if it wasn't for people
There is one question that every employee will love lo have you
ask ... What can 1 do to help? So many times as leaders, we
assume we're doing all we can do; however, these 6 words:
"What caii 1 do to help?" will usually prove your assumptions are
dead wrong. The question should address three areas:
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ranld.t.n=,pv.u environment fclMnl^
working
serve the
more n|pacan*7
-*~
customer
better?
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.
"" ' ao ("
better
your
««f family
Obviously, it's important to let them know up front that you
may not be able to help with everything they ask, but you'll do
what you can. In other words, a chauffer to and from work is
probably out of the question.
11
You'll usually be amazed to hear about a few small things that will cost
you next to nothing. You may find they need a new file cabinet, their
chair is uncomfortable, they need flex-hours 1 day a week, a new
headset for the phone, or a small space healer in the winter months.
The truth is, the fact thai you've taken the time to listen to their per
sonal concerns is far more important in their eyes than what you'll t\o
for them. Gallop polled over I million employees who thought they had
a great hoss and asked them one question. Why? You goi it! The number
one reason was the boss was willing to listen lo what the)' had to say.
Never lorget ...
iz
About 6 months ago Tom Fekenstein said, "Mac, we should
write a book together and the title could be, Change Is
Good ... You Go First." I immediately loved the idea and,
I'm pleased to say, it is scheduled to be released soon with a subtitle
of u... 2! ways to inspire change.11
Change is the key thai unlocks the door lo growth and
excitement in any organization. The leader's ability to inspire a
"culture of change1' can make or break their success. Tomorrow comes
at us with lightning speed and our competitive advantage is a fleet
ing thing. Bill Gates puts ii this way... "In 3 years every product my
company makes will be obsolete. The only question is whether we will
make it obsolete or someone else will;' Peter Drucker reinforced what
Gates said, by saying: "Every 3 years, each product and process
should be put on trial for its life, otherwise the competition will
pass you by." Drucker also says thai most companies find it easier to
come up with new ideas than to lei go of old ones.
15
Have you ever watched a fly bouncing off a window pane, even
with an open door a few feel away? Many limes the fly keeps crash
ing into the glass until it finally dies. There are many companies In
today's world doing exactly the same thing. They continue down
"today's path," wearing blinders to the possibility oi change....
until they die.
Keeping change and continuous improvements on ihe "front
burner" is never easy. We are so Focused on today's problems
that we put off planning for tomorrow's opportunities.
Keeping change alive starts with rewarding innovation,
risk-taking and creativity- In fact, you need to fail quickly and
fail often to stay ahead of the competition.. T.5. Elliot said it best,
"Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out
how far to go."
Iii the end, it is important to remember
thai we cannot become what we need to be
by remaining who we are."
— Max Depree
IE
"I've spent a good part of
my life studying economic
SUCCESSES AND FAILURES...
above all, I've learned that
everything takes a back
seat to innovation."
— Tom Peters
Accept Your Limitations and
You II Expand Your Potential
One oS the biggest reasons many leaders fail is their unwilling
ness 10 accept their limitations. Ego gets in the way. They feel
they're smart enough to do it all, and mistakenly fee] thai what
they don't know they can learn "on the fly." So many times it's a recipe
for disaster, especially for entrepreneurs.
Walt Disney failed many times early in his career. He had
brilliant ideas, but his ability to execute them was painfully lacking.
He also, believe it or not, was a lousy artist. So after the third failure,
Disney was finally convinced lliat to succeed he must surround
himself with great artists who could bring his animation ideas
to life. He also needed his brother Roy to handle the financial side of
the business. These two moves made all the difference and freed Walt
up to do what he did best, which was using his imaginat ion to plan
their future.
1 can definitely relate to the Disney story. From 1991-93 we were
on a roll at Successories. We had gone from $5 million to $45 million
in three years. Then came 1994, and Murphy's Law hit us like a ton of
bricks. We had grown too last and no longer had the light people or
infrastructure to handle it. liarly in 1995, I realized that I had
to make significant changes. After a lot ol soul searching, I realized
my strengths were people skills and creativity; however, my weak
nesses were operations and accounting. To grow ihc business
and rebuild the infrastructure, L had to hire good people
who had been there and done that, people who could
complement wluU I did best. This was a very painful wake-up
call, but 1 learned some of the most valuable lessons of my life.
I heard a quote the other day that offers every manager and
entrepreneur food for thought: