Category: Motivation

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Rudolph’s Wisdom

11 Things You Can Learn from “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”
(Originally published December, 2004)

1. Everyone Makes A Difference – Despite not letting him play in their games, the other reindeer came to understand Rudolph’s importance. Look for the talents in each of your employees.

2. Have Courage And Confidence – At first Rudolph ran from his problems, then he came back to face them. When things are tough, keep working hard and believing in yourself.

3. Don’t Always Listen To Experts – Hermey went against the wishes of the elves and became a dentist. Be receptive to others’ advice… and remember, in the end you know what’s best.

4. Know Who You Are – Donner covered up Rudolph’s nose, yet eventually everyone found out. Customers will discover if you’re not really who you say you are, so train your employees well.

5. Keep Learning – Yukon Cornelius knew Bumbles bounce. Seek new information often about your business, your industry, your competition and your customers.

6. Tell Your Story – Burl Ives’ narration in Rudolph ties it all together. Let customers and prospects know the benefits they receive to distinguish your business from competitors.

7. Be Innovative – Yukon had Hermey oink like a pig to distract the Abominable Snowman. Look for opportunities to improve your operations by doing things differently than you always have.

8. Be Creative – The elves drop toys by umbrellas, which is much faster than Santa going down chimneys. Find ways to make your employees more productive… and make you more profitable.

9. Recognize The Obvious – Santa was ready to cancel Christmas, then realized Rudolph’s nose was the answer. Next time you have a problem, see if the answer is right under your nose.

10. Recycling Is Good – Santa found homes for everyone on the Island of Misfit Toys. Review your marketing and training materials… and determine which ones need to find a new home in the recycling bin.

11. Capitalize On Milestones – This milestone anniversary of Rudolph proves there is opportunity in longevity. Celebrate and publicize your next significant anniversary all year long.

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Big Leap

One of my good friends likes to say: “Momentum is a powerful force” – which means when you’re on a roll is the best time to capitalize on success.

You see it in sports all the time: when the defense forces a turnover in football and the quarterback immediately takes a shot at the end zone… in baseball in the bottom of the ninth, when two runs are in with a man on, the crowd is roaring and the next batter launches a walk-off home run… in basketball when Stephen Curry knocks down a couple of 3’s and you know the next time down the court he’s going to swish another.

Similarly, Colin Powell believes, “Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier”:

“The ripple effect of a leader’s enthusiasm and optimism is awesome. So is the impact of cynicism and pessimism. Leaders who whine and blame engender those same behaviors among their colleagues. I am not talking about stoically accepting organizational stupidity and performance incompetence with a ‘What, me worry?’ smile. I am talking about a gung ho attitude that says, ‘We can change things here, we can achieve awesome goals, we can be the best.’ Spare me the grim litany of the ‘realist’; give me the unrealistic aspirations of the optimist any day.”

Whether it’s the energy of cheering fans charging the atmosphere, the delighted smiles on customers’ faces justifying all the hard work you put in, or the subtle nods of team members acknowledging your insight and conviction, the momentum of success will jettison you forward toward even great results.

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Clean Sweep

Living in Houston for 16 summers, I have come to anxiously anticipate the first cool breezes of fall. In fact, I have unscientifically calculated October 16 as the date when the heat breaks for good – and we are finally able to spend time outdoors in delightful weather sans humidity and mosquitoes. During the ensuing six weeks leading to Thanksgiving, we wash windows, mow the lawn for the 36th and final time since March, and clean the attic.

There is something peacefully uplifting about getting rid of the clutter that accumulates in storage spaces for possible (read: unlikely) use down the road. Whether it’s the box from the new TV we purchased in May that I saved ‘just in case we need to send it back to the manufacturer’ for warranty repairs, or the bicycle my son had when he was 10 that I kept for the grandkids, or that stand we bought the one time we decided to have a real Christmas tree and I sneezed throughout December while it was in our house and said we’ll never do that again – cleaning the attic is a wonderful form of release and renewal.

It’s also an excellent metaphor for how to approach your professional life. From starting and ending each day with an empty desk (this takes excellent organization and time management skills), to letting go of customers and clients who waste too much of your time (this takes understanding where your profits come from and courage to walk away from business that’s draining yours), to setting development goals for every one of your employees to ensure they grow or go (this takes dedication and not being afraid of candid conversations) cleaning the attic during the next few months will enable you to launch into 2015 with momentum for achieving all those things you didn’t get to this year.

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Take Video

For the second year in a row I served as executive producer last week of the annual conference for a franchising company. After months of planning – and a lot of work by a lot of people – everything went splendidly… which is always nice after you put so much effort into developing a great experience for attendees.

Seeing the production crew convert an empty ballroom into a beautiful setting – with wide format banners, elegant lighting and video screens – in a matter of hours created a lot of energy for everyone who would be working the event. It was fun to meet an Olympic medalist, who presented the keynote address, and watch the cover band, which would deliver a rocking show to wrap things up, conduct their sound check and rehearsal. What was better is that these talented individuals were polite, friendly and had their egos in check.

The best part personally for me is a vision that popped into my head in February came to fruition in July through the creative efforts of many. Talented people pulled off every one of my “Let’s do this” ideas… and, when it was all over, one of them said: “I didn’t really get it when you requested all these different things – not seeing how they fit together. I learned to trust you and just go with it because you truly see the big picture.”

While I have no desire to return to my television roots and do more of these extravaganzas, there is something exciting about the rush of adrenaline as the clock counts down to show time. And, I must say, it’s fulfilling to witness everything come off without a hitch. Perhaps that’s what drives people toward success… whether you’re producing entertainment or widgets.

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Safety First

One of our good friends would continually talk with his family about the importance of safety around the home. I never really paid much attention – even though we stayed with them many times over the past 16 years when we returned to Ft. Worth. After all, what can happen in a house if you just keep your eyes open?

Last week, I spent five days observing a training class for one of the world’s five biggest companies. My role was to provide feedback to presenters; however, I learned a lot during these multiple 12-hour days. Each morning began with a participant delivering a Safety Moment… and I heard several tragic stories about what can happen when employees and contractors fail to follow processes and procedures.

Interestingly, a few days before I found myself running up and down our staircase for probably the thousandth time since we moved into our home. I always looked at this as a great form of exercise, so I’ve typically sprinted up and jogged down. However, on that particular morning my foot caught on the top step and I fell to my knees. If it had been a middle step, I might have gotten hurt. I thought, ‘At my age, maybe I shouldn’t do this anymore.’

Then someone shared a story during the sessions about a man who fell down his staircase and broke his leg in several places. He spent nearly a month in the hospital, endured rehab for three years and missed a lot of work. I committed at that moment to never use my staircase as a treadmill again. Incidentally, this company’s rule is to hold the handrail anytime there are more than two steps. I must say that’s something I had never heard before. I’m in.

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