I think companies are comprised of individuals who work for their self-interest and personal gain. I also think there are those rare exceptions who understand that, to work for the collective enterprise is the path, the road, the way to individual aggrandizement. The collective feeds the individual as the individual feeds the collective. Companies comprised of people who exhibit positive energy, live with integrity and exemplify authentic self-belief, are those who build a reputation on these qualities. It is a reputation that is unassailable even when exposed to the scrutiny of the most cynical naysayer.
Heck, we all need people to help us move forward in this life. We’re here to adapt, adopt, collaborate, cooperate and flourish. There is no man or woman I know of that can exist for long on an island, cracking coconuts, looking for a rescue plane. I could go now, you know, with the joke about Gilligan, brunette or red-head, but I’ll let it go.
Assembling and leading teams is always a process. It’s never perfect, but it is like life – always under improvement and in need of construction – at least, that is, for those who choose to flourish. We may not always agree, but let’s agree that when we disagree, we will do it productively with personalities on the sideline where possible. I am a realist, a pragmatist, not a blind optimist. Human nature rules, and we live by the rules of human nature.
When we come together and play as one, the “magic” happens… Magic is something that is made, not something that just appears. You don’t wish and hope for magic — you make it happen. Clients and customers may join your ranks or buy from you from low price or a perceived superior product — but they stay when they actually experience the magic. The magic is the consistency of performance they come to expect in both pricing and service of product or the enhancement of process that ultimately contributes to profit.
The person who receives the message is the final interpreter of both the authenticity of the messenger and the believability of the message.
The one thing I have tried to convey consistently to all people at all times is the power of that magnificent force — energy, energy, energy. I wake up with it. It’s natural. It’s what people feel – it’s passion, conviction, purpose and it’s a game-changer in the boardroom and every place else that begins with the letter ‘b’. It’s what moves you, it’s what moves people, it’s what winning feels like as it is in process.
It’s difficult to convey positive energy every day, unless of course, your initials are W.S.W., and even then, sometimes it’s a challenge – a bridge too far even for me. (You know ego had to enter in somewhere…) Energy is felt every day. It’s either positive or negative. It’s either willing and able or it’s neglectful and resistant. Both carry a message – the person who receives the message is the final interpreter of both the authenticity of the messenger and the believability of the message.
Think on this between eggnog and the interlude under the mistletoe.
Reflect in what you’ve accomplished. Breath in, exhale, relax and just be. When you come back and begin to think — Visualize and project what you will do in ’16. “Bring it” next year with passion, energy and conviction, and make your vision your reality.
In closing, I remain… under construction, under improvement, and always moving forward!
Remember the gift of life as the New Year begins. Your life is a gift; it is a gift to be lived well.
That’s all I got for now…
Bill
