“You Can’t Fool the Chickens”

As I lay sleepless in bed one night (I know – more information than you needed), I remembered a [true] story I had heard as a youth and which left a lasting impression on me.  As I reflected on it, I was reminded of its powerful example and multiple applications to life.  I thought “I’ve got to share this with the managers and leaders in my company”.  So I hopped out of bed, and in just a few minutes was able to find it on the internet.  For the sake of brevity, I’ll paraphrase…

The story is told by Cordell Vail, an apparently good and loving father who was determined to create a culture of personal responsibility and hard work in his family.  He did so in part by making certain that each of his children,  from the time they could walk, were given “jobs” and responsibilities that would stretch them just a bit, and which would require shoulder-to-shoulder training and coaching.  He knew that equipped with this experience and culture they would go on to accomplish anything they would choose in life, thus helping them to live happier, more fulfilled lives. 

One of the older children, a son, about 10 years old, was give the assignment to take care of a few chickens they’d purchased just for the purpose of providing another family work opportunity.  The father had grown up on a farm and so he knew a little bit about chickens and how to raise them. He knew three things are required to produce eggs:  First, you have to give them the right amount of food every day. Second, you have to make sure they always have water. Third, you have to keep the eggs gathered every day. If you leave eggs in the nest then they will stop laying eggs. They built a nice chicken coop, and then the son was assigned to: 1) feed the chickens the correct amount of food EVERY day, make sure all the water trays were full EVERY day, and gather the eggs from the nests…EVERY day.

The boy was the hardest worker of all the kids, and even seemed to like to work, but there was one small problem.  He was a great starter, but not a great finisher…It was hard for him to stay with the job until it was done.  Every day when the father checked up on his work, he’d find that his boy had either watered the chickens and feed them but forgot to gather the eggs, or he would gather the eggs and water them but forget to feed them. He just could not seem to remember to do all three every day.

Now, chickens usually don’t lay an egg every day, but one every day and a half or so. This family had twenty one chickens, and they were laying about fifteen to seventeen eggs a day, so they were really cranking ‘em out!  Which is why the father checked on his son’s work every day. If he missed one of the three things, he would have to do it for him or the chickens would  stop laying.  He just couldn’t teach his son to do all three every day. 

Then he had an idea…  He decided to “give” his son the chickens!  From now on, they would be his…and he told him that they would buy the eggs from him every day.  He told his son that he’d have to take the money he made from selling them the eggs and buy the chicken feed for the chickens to eat each week. Then, whatever money was left over, he could keep. The boy’s eyes lit up; he was extremely excited!

From that day on, the boy’s performance was perfect; he never missed a day!  In time, they put a chart up on the refrigerator to track the number of eggs each day.  The parents were so pleased they even paid him better-than-grocery-store-prices, and the boy was making a great little fortune…for a  10 year old.  Each week they’d go to the feed store and buy one sack of feed for the chickens – enough to last until the next week. He was the richest kid on the block, and his father was delighted.

Several weeks later, the father began to notice a strange occurrence on the refrigerator door. The chart began to look something like this: 18, 18, 17, 17,17, 16,16,16, 16, 15,15, 14,14,13,13,12,12……production was going down…slowly.  The father didn’t say anything, but knew what was happening. The boy was not out of feed at the end of each week like he had been and should be. But they were his chickens and he wanted his son to learn the lesson well by having them be his own chickens, so he just watched for a while.

As the weeks progressed, the numbers on the refrigerator door continued to go down. One weekend when it was time to buy feed again the father went over to the chicken yard to find his son and take him to the feed store.  With a sheepish frown on his face the boy told him he couldn’t go…that he didn’t have enough money  because there had been so few eggs that week.  When asked if he knew why, the boy said the chickens just hadn’t laid enough eggs, so he didn’t have the money. When further queried, he said he had feed them every day and never missed. He said he had watered them every day and never missed. He said he had gathered the eggs just like he’d been told – every day and never missed. But for some reason they had stopped laying eggs.

Then the father asked him if he had cut down the amount of feed he had given the chickens every day. Shocked that his father would have thought of that, he just looked down and nervously kicked little rocks with his foot. Finally, after a long silence, he admitted he had cut down the amount of feed he’d given the chickens each day.  He said he thought if he gave them less food, he’d make more money.  The father then looked his son in the eyes and asked him if he thought he had been fooling him. Tearfully he admitted he thought he had fooled him.  Finally, he asked the boy (and here’s the real lesson)… ………………“did you fool the chickens?”

“Did you fool the chickens?”…      What a powerful question and concept! 

In life, you can fool everyone else (even yourself), but you can not fool the “chickens”.  So, what are the “chickens” in your world?              Some examples come to mind:

Your employees –  Do you push, push, push, without praise and feedback?  Do you motivate with fear, empty promises, or false hopes?  Or do you keep these “chickens” well-fed, secure, and well informed?

Your work –            Do you procrastinate important work, only to give it cursory attention at the last minute?  Do you show up late…leave early?  Or do you give every minute of your work-day all the passion, attention, and focus it deserves?

Your customers –    Do you do just what you can “get away with”?  Or do you follow the “Golden Rule”  in your business dealings?

Your family –                Do they see your worst?  Or your best?  Are you faithful to your promises and to their expectations?

Your body –            Do you sacrifice long-term wellness for temporary pleasure?  Or is this “chicken” getting the rest, nutrition, and activity it needs to produce great eggs?

Your mind –           Linus Pauling once said “The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas.”  Ideas come from reading, listening, and studying great sources of information.

Your heart –            Have you “felt” today?  Do others know you have?  Have you listened empathically, or expressed appreciation, love, or wonder?  These are the greatest investment we can make in this chicken.

Your integrity –       Do you pass the test my 7 year-old  passed when I asked her, “what’s more important…being honest or being rich?” …”honest, or beautiful”…   “honest, or smart”…   “honest, or free”…   “honest, or loved”…   then  “honest, or alive”…  She passed with flying colors….”Honest!”

Your self esteem – Whenever our chickens – any of those listed above – are under cared for or malnourished, we fail.  And when we fail, our self esteem suffers.

The old adage is true…”What goes around, comes around”…   Or, “We reap what we sow”.   Every day we see examples of people trying to cheat this principle, but it can’t be cheated.  We may think (for a moment) that we can be unkind, deceitful, dishonest, arrogant, selfish, greedy, gluttonous, callous, or just plain lazy…without consequence.  But the harsh truth is that we can’t…we really do “reap what we sow”…in one way or another…….because…..

…..”You can’t fool the chickens”!

Lead on…

Cliff

You + Motivation = Success

Listening to a recording of a speech Jimmy Valvano gave in 1987, I was reminded of how much I liked that guy.  “Jimmy V”, as he was affectionately known was the head coach of the 1983 North Carolina State basketball team that won the NCAA Tournament and National Championship.  Quite a feat for a team that had to compete all season in the ACC against teams like Duke, Carolina, Wake Forest, Virginia, Maryland, Clemson, etc…and then head into a tournament with the nation’s best.  Most people attribute his success to his unique ability to inspire the people around him.  In 1993, after a brief battle with cancer Coach V’s life was sadly cut short when taken by cancer at the young age of 47.  But he left in his wake thousands who were touched, motivated, and improved because of his example and electric influence.   It would be well for all who wear the “coach’s” hat in business, in sports, or just in “life” to learn from one of college basketball’s greatest.

What most of us remember Jimmy by was his incredible passion, energy, and enthusiasm for everything he touched.  “Don’t give up…don’t ever give up”.  You couldn’t be near him or hear him without feeling like jumping up and doing something great!  He was just that kind of guy.  On the walls of his locker room, he had one, and only one saying: “You + Motivation = Success”.  That’s all…no other quips, quotes, or maxims…because he really believed that it was that simple.

In his speech he shared an experience he had while attending a youth basketball camp at age 16.  Bob Richards (Olympic Gold Medal – pole vault – 1956) gave the opening remarks.  He looked around at the group and said, “God must’ve really loved ordinary people, because He made so many of us”.  Not real encouraging to a 16-year-old…but then he said words that would change Jimmy’s life.  He said “Every single day, in every walk of life, ordinary people do extraordinary things”.  “Wow”, Jimmy thought, “sign me up…I’m an ordinary guy and I want to do extraordinary things!”  And he did!

True to his motto, he built his life successes on the principle of “motivation”.  Along the way people would ask, “how do you motivate an 18 year old” or “how do you motivate a whole team?”  His answer… “I can’t…the best I can do every day is to get James Anthony Thomas Valvano up…that’s a full-time job…but hopefully if I’m motivated it begins to rub off on others”.  Coach V. recognized one of the great secrets of leadership…that one person cannot motivate another – that motivation really has to come from within.  We can inspire and influence – but not motivate others.

Jimmy V. gives three keys to motivation.  They are Enthusiasm, Having a Dream, and Work.

Enthusiasm – Ralph Waldo Emerson said “Nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm”.  In order to be enthusiastic you really have to love what you do, and you have to love it EVERY DAY.  Often the longer people do something, the less enthusiastic they become.  You’ve seen new people come into a job energetic and ready to go, and then once they’ve mastered the basics, out goes the light.  Staying enthusiastic requires challenge and growth.  Be certain to provide yourself and your employees with new vistas, learning, and opportunities to grow as often as possible.  As you do you’ll find that challenge breeds enthusiasm.

Have a Dream – To have a real shot at success you have to have a dream, a vision, and a picture of what it (success) looks like.  Under Coach Valvano, each season one special practice at NC State involved no balls and no drills –  just a pair of golden scissors and a net.  The entire team would practice cutting down the net, with Jimmy V cutting the last loop.  They’d even film it and then watch the film in the locker room.  They’d also watch the film of the 1983 team cutting down the net after the championship game.  They’d look at their dream and reality side-by-side, helping to keep a clear vision of success throughout the season.  Can you see your completed goals?  Are your sales goals (yearly, monthly, weekly) right in front of you and your branch?  Out of sight, out of mind, out of mind, won’t find the time!

Work – Coach Valvano said he learned an interesting and simple lesson about work.  He said “Hard work does not guarantee success, BUT successful people work hard.  If you don’t work hard you won’t be successful.  In other words, you don’t necessarily have to work harder than everybody else…just as hard as everybody else.  Hard work combined with working smarter is the key.

Coach V concluded by imploring the audience to add a good measure of “laughter” to all they do, and finally to give the greatest gift we can give to others, and that is to believe in them.  He received that gift from his father, and resolved several years ago to give it to others freely.  Every human being has unique gifts and dreams that if cultivated can lead to success.  We help each other by believing in one another.  When Jimmy first started coaching at Johns Hopkins, he told his father, Rocko Valvano, I’m going to win the national championship.  Rocko didn’t say “that’ll be hard”, or “don’t set your sights too high”, he said, “I’ll be there [when you do]”.  The next time they spoke, and every time they spoke he’d say, “my bags are packed”.  It took eight years before he even made the tournament while at Iona, and then another seven before he and his father embraced on the court in Denver Colorado, after winning the Title.  All the while Rocko would say “my bags are packed…you’re gonna do it!”  Jimmy attributes much of his success to his father’s belief in him, his goals, and his dreams.  There is great power in expressing belief and confidence in others and in telling them “you can do it”, or “you’re going to make it”.  On the other hand, by being critical and faultfinding we produce just the opposite effect – killing spirit and alienating others.  Great coaches point to strengths and accomplishments, and try to bring out the “win” rather than highlight the “lose” in their team.

Remember, the formula is simple: You + Motivation = Success, with YOU providing the motivation.

Be enthusiastic about what you do, or go find something to be enthusiastic about.  Others will feed of your enthusiasm.  Have a dream – a vision of what you want to achieve.  Share that dream with others and they will support you as you support them. Work hard (and smart) to achieve your goals. Laugh…a lot.  Believe in yourself, believe in those that work with you and for you, and believe in those you work for.   Success will follow!

Lead on………..    Cliff

Don’t Forget the Free Throws

I once listened to two sports commentators on the radio debating the soon-to-be-over NBA season.  The conversation turned to free throw shooting.  They observed that throughout the season, and as the tournament was in its early games, a number of key games had been won or lost at the bonus line.  Both agreed that it seemed that this year, more than most, there were far more examples of teams and individuals whose free throw shooting percentages were just plain…bad!  One of them commented that “…in professional basketball no player should have an average free throw shooting percentage less than 80%.”

I would agree.  A professional is “a highly skilled individual who performs his or her work for payment”.  Can you imagine even keeping a job where it was acceptable to make mistakes 20% of the time?  Unlike shooting from the field, free throw shooting is a “solo sport”.  When you’re at the line, it’s you, the ball, and the net.  There’s no guarding, no checking, no blocking…no excuses!  Sure, there’s noise, but that’s life.

So why is it that free throw shooting has become a skill in decline in the NBA, and what is the result? 

First, the reasons:  Basketball is faster, more dynamic, and more entertaining than ever.  Athletes are bigger, stronger, flashier, and maybe even more athletic than in the “old days”.  The key word is “flash”.  Today’s players look really good!  They are good…at the fun stuff. But free throws don’t win endorsements, they don’t make the highlight films, and they don’t get “gate” (attendance).  They do however win games…but who’s counting.  Great free throw shooters practice…free throws.  They are more patient, they understand the concept of a “complete” player, and they actually do what their (lower paid) coaches tells them to do…practice free throws.

The result (of poor free throw shooting):  Otherwise “good” teams lose when it really counts!  So, how do they get away with it?  Teams and individuals who struggle the most with free throws are often those “bigger than life”.  They answer to no one.  Fans are amazed when they lose because they play so “big”.  When they lose, even by a free throw, they’re not held accountable because they dazzled ‘em with dunks, pleased ‘em with passing, and shocked ‘em with speed. One of my favorite quotes (by James Thurber), you’ve hear me use before, and you’ll hear me use again, is:

“There are two kinds of light – the glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures.”

This applies to both people and things.  Much is or can be obscured (temporarily) by the glare of “flash”.  But when it comes to that critical moment, standing at the line, man, ball, and net, the only thing that matters is that the ball goes through the net.  It doesn’t matter how good it looks…just that it drops through.  And there’s only one way that happens consistently…through practice.  Regular, repetitive, laborious, unexciting practice; Practicing “the basics”…i.e., relax, set, bounce, bend, breathe, focus, 90°, release, and follow through …  Over and over again.  Great free throw shooters spend hours and hours practicing…and never stop.  A great shooter knows that yesterday’s practice was for yesterday, and today demands its own; It is a never-ending cycle.

And so it is in business.  In today’s economy there is much “flash”.  Marketing noise and dazzle are everywhere.  Sales people are more aggressive than ever.  “Customer loyalty programs and incentives abound…and obscure.  But, some things never change.  Flash-in- the-pan companies and programs come and go, but when push comes to shove, when you absolutely positively have to have rock solid service, the only thing that matters is consistent, reliable, dependable, performance – the kind that comes from practice.  Practicing the basics…relax, set, bounce, bend, breathe, focus, release, and follow through… Over and over again.  Great business people spend hours and hours practicing…and never stop.  Great business people know that yesterday’s practice was for yesterday, and today demands its own; It’s a never-ending cycle.

The “free throws” of  business are the mundane, even sometimes boring, but crucial details that make or break success.  It’s receiving today’s shipments…today!  It’s going out of our way to say “thank you” at the end of every sale.  It’s sweeping the floor…every day.  It’s really counting – not estimating, at inventory.  It’s studying and reading about new products.  Not exciting stuff, but if not done, if not practiced could eventually spell the difference between keeping or losing customers.

There are lots of great talents in business.  Some dazzle; Some entertain; Some can sell anything…once.  But when it comes to “the details”… to follow-up, to keeping promises…to actually delivering value…even the best “showman” falls short.  There’s nothing in their bag of tricks of things that glare, obscure, and distract that will win the game…in the long run.

Instead, it’s under-promising and over-delivering; it’s always doing what we say we’ll do; it’s being perfectly predictable and unwaveringly consistent…these define dependability…they are the qualities -the glow- that “illuminate” the way for customers to find their way “home”…to us!

Don’t forget the free throws…

Lead on………..    Cliff

Every Damn Thing is Your Own Fault

When something goes wrong in your team, department, or organization (and it will), do you blame others for what might really have been your fault?  We all do at one time or another.  Unfortunately, in the heat of the battle we forget this, and worse, we forget the devastating effect misplaced blame can have on others.  The way to stop shirking  responsibility for failures is to realize that by accepting it, you maintain control over your life, your environment, and your business!

In his novel “Green Hills of Africa”, Ernest Hemingway recalls how he missed an easy shot at a prized sable bull.  He could have blamed his guide, who had surprised the animal, but he didn’t.  “Every damn thing is your own fault…if you’re any good”, says Hemingway.

To be successful, managers, coaches, or leaders, people must accept responsibility for everything.  If they don’t, they’ll always find excuses that will keep them from achieving what they want – “It’s our lousy location…”, “He’s just not motivated…”, “They don’t communicate…”, “I can’t get an answer…”, all familiar statements of blame that if really believed by a leader, will ensure little or no progress.

Example:  A store manager watches a sales person that is trying to show a customer how a product works.  The sales guy bungles the job, and loses the sale.  The unsuccessful manager blames his employee for not knowing his stuff, or for folding under pressure, or for not taking the opportunity seriously.  He chooses this option to put distance between himself and a problem, but by so doing, he gives up control of his and the store’s success.  The successful manager, on the other hand, says “I need to train him better”, thus taking not only responsibility, but control over his and the operation’s destiny.  A good leader OWNS it all!

Lead on………..    Cliff

The “Easiest” Job in the World

The other day as I stood in the checkout line at an office supply store, I couldn’t help but eavesdrop on the conversation behind me.  Actually, I could only hear one side of the conversation…a lady on her cell phone.  Here’s what I could make out…

“…Yah, I heard he just got out of jail…”

“…it must’ve been pretty bad…I guess he was in for seven years…”

“…that’s right, I heard he’s working there now…”

“…Yah, all the guys just coming out are working there…”

“…customer service…”

“…I heard it’s a great job…you don’t have to do anything…”

“…I know…customer service is the easiest job in the world…”

Sure (I thought to myself),…it’s easy…if you’re apathetic, heartless, selfish, have no drive…and no conscience!  It’s easy if you view your job as avoiding saying “yes I can” or “yes I will”.  It’s easy if you’re a master at superficial smiles, insincere responses, and thoughtless quips.  Yes, customer service, or serving customers, can be the easiest, and LEAST SATISFYING job in the world.

Or…it can be the hardest……and MOST SATISFYING job in the world.  It all depends on your orientation and attitude.  If you love people, and enjoy finding creative and mutually satisfactory solutions to problems, and are driven by putting smiles on people’s faces, then it just doesn’t get any better than serving customers!

Yes, customer service can be easy…or it can be hard.  Great organizations and companies prefer doing things the HARD way!

Lead on…

Cliff

Great Advice

The following advice, given by an eleven year old girl, is a great reminder of how smart we once were before we began adding all the “baggage”.  Resist the temptation to take this message at face value and just toss it………there is immense wisdom in these simple words:

“Always smile,  be kind,  and listen.”

These words, if practiced, all but guarantee success in whatever we do, and in any role.  As we smile, practice kindness, and truly listen, we create an environment that cannot help but effect everyone, including ourselves, within its reach…..

Or………we can take ourselves too seriously, work a whole lot harder, and overly complicate all matters by forcing our influence upon others (and ourselves) in much less effective, futile, and painfully coercive means.

Lead on ……and succeed……

Cliff

Be a Champion!

When the going gets tough, the tough get going…and it’s definitely tough out there!  The economy has taken its toll.  Our customers just don’t seem to have enough work, to require enough products from us, to help us meet our sales goals!  They’re just not bringing in enough business!  So what do we do?  Adopt a “there’s nothin’ I can do” attitude?  Just keep waiting to see what happens next?  Or do we sit in the corner worrying and wring our hands?  Any of these options will do…if we’re content with losing!  But, the winning spirit is the spirit of a champion, and a champion does whatever it takes to win!  A champion takes matters in to his or her own hands and creates success!  That is our task…and this is our moment!

When I think of a champion, I think of Mariel.  Mariel was born in Selma, Alabama in 1972.  She was born with a club foot, and had to wear corrective training shoes as a toddler.  But that wouldn’t stop this active sports-loving child.  Mariel spent her childhood on Air force bases around the country, moving frequently, never really having much chance to put down roots.  Despite attending two different high schools, she was able to become a star soccer player at both schools, and to become the youngest (15) member ever of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team.  She would go on to win four NCAA championships at the University of North Carolina, win the World Cup championship, win a gold medal in the Olympics, and was eventually honored by Nike when they named the largest building on their corporate campus after her…the Mia Hamm Building!  Oh ya, Mariel’s nickname is Mia…you all know her as Mia Hamm!

Mia had all kinds of opportunities to succumb to her “circumstances”, but she would not have it.  Like the champion she is, she took matters into her own hands and created a destiny!  She met adversity in a positive way.  She zigged when life zagged, constantly making the necessary course corrections.  She relentlessly and fearlessly pursued victory until it was hers.  She was a champion!  In fact, she epitomized her own definition of a champion: “The vision of a champion is bent over, drenched in sweat, at the point of exhaustion, when nobody else is looking.”

It’s game time folks!  The clock is ticking, the wind is in our face, and the odds are long.  So be the champion in your business, in your market, or in your department.  Think hard, play hard, and never give up…especially when “…nobody is looking”!

Lead on…

Cliff