Month: December 2012

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Lessons Learned – #1

For the past 10 days, I’ve counted down the most important lessons I learned this year. Here is #1 – and don’t forget you still have a few hours to get that last-minute tax deduction!

Helping Others – During our Disney trip, we rode a bus between parks and one day there was a man with a service dog aboard. Fred was badly injured serving our country in Iraq, and his Labrador Retriever – aptly named Barney – provides support so he can get around without crutches. If you’re looking for a year-end charitable contribution, consider a member in your area of Assistance Dogs International. It costs $30,000 to train and provide a service dog free of charge to a wounded warrior. The person you’ll be helping paid a price. This is your chance to say thank you.

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Lessons Learned – #2

Number 2 on the list of things I learned in 2012:

Ponder This – In my September newsletter, I wrote about the 19 pages of quotes I’ve collected. These are the best ones added during 2012:

“If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less.” ~ General Eric Shinseki

“There aren’t any cover bands in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.” ~ Scott Ginsberg

“A man has made at least a start on discovering the meaning of human life when he plants shade trees under which he knows full well he will never sit.” – D. Elton Trueblood

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Lessons Learned – #3

The third most important lesson I learned:

Unique Setting – One of the strangest comments I heard from a client this year sure seems like a smart idea. This retail franchisee told me, “My office is in our bathroom, because my office doesn’t generate revenue for us.” This gentleman clearly understands the importance of maximizing your dollars per square foot.

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Lessons Learned – #4

Lessons come from many places. Here is one from sports:

Youthful Wisdom – Awakening April 10, 2011, Rory McIlroy was four strokes ahead of the field at The Masters. Then he shot 80, the worst score ever by a leader in the final round, and finished 15th. The next day he tweeted a quote from Muhammad Ali: “It’s repetition of affirmations that leads to belief, and once that belief becomes a deep conviction things begin to happen.” Two months later, having learned his lessons well, McIlroy set the tournament record in winning the U.S. Open. This year the 23-year-old prodigy won four events, including his second major at the PGA Championship, and earned Player of the Year honors. A certain Churchill line about never giving in comes to mind.

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Lessons Learned – #5

Each year in December I reflect in my e-newsletter on the top lessons learned during the preceding 12 months. Here is #5:

Continuous Growth – My son is playing his last season of high school basketball. At ‘Meet the Cougars’ the coach told parents it’s important we allow children to learn from mistakes. “We try to teach our kids how to handle things,” he said. “Then when they mess up, we don’t let them handle things. That creates a lot of problems when they go off to college.” Amazingly, I heard the same sentiment from an energy company CEO a few weeks later: “A lot of leaders delegate, then jump in and try to fix everything. That makes it hard for people to improve.”

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