Men with Drama.

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"You can overcome anything if you don't bellyache."
Bernard M. Baruch.

I was talking to an old mentor and friend recently. Discussing world affairs, women and warriors and like old buzzards invariably do we were pontificating, in our own simple minded way, on how to make the world a better place. Now I really like and respect this guy but neither of us are known for our empathy or understanding of what we consider the little trials human beings experience in life. We notoriously jump right to "ok - now what are you going to do about that?" It's a character flaw we know, accept, and do very little about correcting - to our discredit. So when he stated, after more than one single malt, "You know what the problem is Dan?" I said no, "Why don't you tell me?" I was ready for his infamous "Wet birds don't fly at night" or something similar and he said "It's Men with Drama".

The problem with the world today is there are too many "Men with Drama" and not enough guys, and girls who just shut the hell up and do something about their problems. Now I'm all for support, support groups and understanding he said. But enough is enough with the drama. Now is the time for all good people to respond "I feel your pain."
"Now what are you going to do about it?"
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What Defines You?

America is all about success and she has a myriad of definitions.
But what defines you? Some people like to hang their hat on individual success, fame, fortune, celebrity or standing as to what defines them.
I humbly offer the premise that it's really your flaws that define you in America. No not the flaws themselves - but what you do about them. Don't believe me? Think it's your success that defines you? Let's take Tiger, Terry, Toyota and Tylenol as examples. Each enjoyed enormous success and then we saw some flaws. What will they do about them we ask? There is an old saying that resonates with me which states "The lowest level of performance you display as a leader is the highest level of performance you can expect of your team". We all have flaws and each of us succeeds to varying degrees and interpretations in life.
I humbly submit it's what we do about our flaws that defines us.

Do Hard Things.

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"Challenge is a dragon with a gift in its mouth. Tame the dragon and the gift is yours". ~ Noela Evans.

You never know who you are going to bump into in life and what they will remember about you. I was standing in the buffet line at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, during a recent trade show, when someone tapped me on the shoulder. "Sarge" a voice said. Well it had been over thirty years since anyone called me that, but I turned to look at an older but familiar face. "Ronnie Smith what are you doing these days?" I said. Ronnie was a young soccer player I had coached many years ago, right after i had gotten out of the military. "I just got back from China" he said, and I wanted to spend a few days "R and R in Vegas" before my next jaunt overseas. " What the heck were you doing in China?" I said. He smiled and tilted his head slightly, looking right to recall the memory. Remember what you used to tell us in practice - every single practice? I did. "Do what others can't or won't."

You know there is a book out in the bookstores right now called "Do Hard Things" and it reminds me of what you used to say. I took that stuff to heart Ronnie said. I went into the service and became a Quiet Professional and then later went to work for Oxfam. For the last three years I have been in Yongjing county in China helping with relief efforts. I had to learn the Chinese dialect Sijiaji and let me tell you that was a hard thing to say the least. "Too many people go through their lives just dealing with what comes their way", he whispered, and I determined I was not going to be one of those people. I have two kids in college and do you know what I drum into their heads?

"Do Hard Things" and "Do What Others Can't or Won't"

Ronnie said. If there's one piece of advice I would give to anyone who asks me how they can get more satisfaction from their life I'd say:

Do Hard Things.

Ronnie made me smile.

The American Bus.

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"America is another name for opportunity." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson.

As an immigrant, who became an American Soldier, and unabashed cheerleader for this land of opportunity the chorus of wailing that echos through our land today seems a little silly. Challenges and change are inevitable and prophets of doom have sold their bill of goods since the dawn of time but you know what? ~ The Opportunity Remains.

I see individuals and circumstances today much like individuals and circumstances have been and always will be. Compared to other periods, and particularly when we look over centuries, if anything, our circumstances, standard of living and lot in life is considerably better now than it has been at any time in history. But the human character always presents some that solve and some that squeal. Meanwhile the American bus travels on down the highway. She moves forward.

On board are many varied faces, opinions and voices, each with the opportunity to speak up and take action. Some talk. Some talk and take action and some just take action. Each of us has the opportunity to say and do something about the direction, speed and quality of the journey we take on the American bus. Each of us has a hand on the brake. The brake can squeal and slow us, perhaps bringing us to a stop every now and then. But sooner or later we choose a direction, take an action, and move America forward again. Why am I such an avid and ardent cheerleader on our Awesome American Bus? 

Because The Opportunity Remains.

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Be a Rainmaker.

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" In sales you either make it rain or you don't." ~ Guy Kawasaki.

I've been fortunate to know and work with a few rainmakers over the years and I love em. What is a Rainmaker? "A person with the exceptional ability to consistently attract clients, customers, connections and profits." A long time ago a wise old man and mentor told me "In business there are essentially two types of people:

"Those that create demand and those that process demand."

A salesperson who can't create demand falls on the processing side of the equation. No matter how good they are at closing deals they will never be considered real rainmakers. You may be a closer, young whippersnapper, but I will never think of you as a rainmaker until you can create demand - that's when you become invaluable.

That's When You're Different.

Until then you are at the mercy of leads, marketing and a myriad of other variables. Until then I see you on the cost side of the equation. My mentor got a very serious look on his face. The kind of look I saw when he held a belief strongly and it scared the bejeezus out of me.

Don't be weak Dan, he said. Don't be like the salesperson who says that it's marketing's job to get us the leads. Those salespeople are a dime a dozen. They will never be considered rainmakers. They think they can close but really they're just order takers. Become known as a rainmaker and you seize control of your own destiny. A rainmaker writes his own ticket and paycheck. But more than anything else he has universal value in business because he "Creates Demand."

Remember young man, he said, anyone can take orders and process demand but very few can create consistent, profitable, connections and differentiated demand. If you want to be really valuable to any business here is what you need to do "Create demand out of nothing - and make it rain" . The old rainmaker turned away from me and bellowed at the top of his voice ~ "Now get out of here and go create demand".

Be a Rainmaker!

The Two Wolves.

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"Life is the sum of all your choices." ~ Albert Camus.

An old Cherokee man told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves that live inside us all. One wolf is Evil - it is anger, blame, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other wolf is Good - it is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, serenity, humility, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith". The grandson thought about it for a minute and then he asked his grandfather ~ "Which wolf wins the battle?"

The old Cherokee replied ~ "The One You Feed."

Why Call People?

"If e-mail had been around before the telephone was invented people would have said " hey, forget e-mail - with this new telephone invention I can actually talk to people"

With the advent and popularity of social media, Facebook, Twitter and Linked In, and the ease of email communications is the phone call connection a thing of the past?

Most of us now have hundreds, if not thousands, of acquaintances, followers, friends and connections. Without even addressing those we would like to connect and build relationships with for business or personally. Why not just do everything digitally? Besides don't people see a phone call as an interruption and prefer the ease of electronic texts and images? Perhaps they do - But there are a few people out there that add to their daily digital deliveries with a call. A call to say thank you. A call to say I value you personally. A call to just say I would like to learn more about you and what you value.

The way I see it there are many ways to build upon contacts and connections and we should use them all in order to appreciate the colors, complexities, concerns and character within each of us.

A simple phone call communicates effort (think about voice mail and how hard it can be to actually reach someone). A simple phone call uncovers concerns (are you an interruption or an inspiration?). A simple phone call which sincerely wants to convey appreciation, concern, or interest, takes considerable care. It recognizes that the personal connection may reveal conflict. That takes courage.

If your phone call is seen as an interruption, perhaps it's because you (or your content) are irrelevant and unimportant to the person you are calling. That should tell us more about our ability and willingness to provide value than anything about the recipient of the call.

Take time to find out a little bit about what is important to people during, or preferably before, your call. Take time to add something really personal to the thousands of digital messages we send out every day. Take time to really listen to people. Take time to really connect. Take time to make a call.