Bill Russell's Lessons on Leadership-

6-11 on the 11 Steps on Bill Russell's Lessons on Leadership..

6) Craftsmanship is to you what quality is to your product oer service. It involves making yourself the most complete colleague, leader or parent you can be.

7) Personal integrity is about setting standards and your choices, responsibility, and commitments.

8) Rebounding is changing the flow of the game from defense to offense. From reaction to action.It is about developing the highest level of resilience.

9) Imagination is the gateway to innovation. Innovation is the foundation of differentiation. Winning is the greatest form of differentiation.

10) Decision-making is for leaders. Decision- making is most effective when it is inclusionary, not exclusionary.

11) Everyone has an opportunity to win in life. Winning is hard work. Winning is a TEAM sport. It is the culmination of attitude, aptitude, and appetite.

Bill Russell's 11 Lessons on Leadership

Here are Bill Russell's first five Lessons on Leadership...

1) Curiosity is a key to commitment and, specifically, to problem solving. Curiosity will always allow you to ask the right questions...Why? What if? How?

2) Everything you do begins with yourself, but for you to use ego to win, you have to make it all about your team. Winning is a team sport and can only be accomplished through team ego.

3) Listening helps you hear what isn't being said as much as what is. Active listening helps you find a new language that helps others listen more effectively.

4) Toughness and tenderness are not opposites but partners in effective leadership.

5) Invisibility is learning how to make your opposites believe they can't beat you even when your not there.

Tomorrow 6 through 11

Teamwork

Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishment toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results. ~Andrew Carnegie

 No one can whistle a symphony. It takes an orchestra to play it. ~Halford E. Luccock

Good teams always have common goals. When you find that goals of certain members differ from the team’s, then the team will usually do poorly. ~Red Auerbach

 No one of us is more important than the rest of us. ~Ray Kroc

 The most important measure of how good a game I played was how much better I’d made my teammates play. ~Bill Russell

Take A Deep Breath

Take a deep breath (it’s amazing what a little extra oxygen can do), and consider how you can devote some time for yourself or others in ways that make the space you occupy (alone or together with others) sacred.



Begin with a few dedicated minutes before you begin your workday to get organized and set your intentions.  Avoid distraction; let others know you can’t be disturbed, turn off your e-mail alerts and close your door, if you have one. It’s a great discipline to create this early morning personal space that will help you to be at your best every day.

 
Take time to think rather than just react. Regularly sorting through your “to-dos” and deciding which of them you can say “no” to, delegating, and prioritizing whatever else needs to be done is necessary for allowing you to focus your energy on what matters most.

 
Notice when someone needs your ear instead of hustling off to do whatever is next or talking at them. Put away diversions (i.e., the cellphone), turn and face those you talk to. Look them in the eye and listen deeper than you ever have. You might find that you really don’t need to say much at all.
Don’t judge —

Make dialog a part of every team meeting. Instead of doing all of the talking to your team, invite them into conversation with wide-open questions, your curiosity and your best listening. You don’t need to have all the answers — just the right attitude and some great questions, which you can formulate during your personal sacred time. Some examples:

• What are we doing well?
• What can we do to foster our best teamwork?
• How can I encourage excellence from you and the rest of our organization?

The best leaders and drivers recognize the importance of keeping sacred space in their leadership. When will you begin to assure you have dedicated sacred space for yourself and your followers?

Remember as a driver you ARE a business man- you own a business- your bi\uisness may have 18 wheels BUT it is still a business and YOU are the leader and the boss.

12 Ways To Fuel Your Own Fire

Burned-out is easy. Neglect your energy and you’ll go out like an unstoked fire. Fire always cools without fuel.

12 ways to fuel your own fire:

1. Stop trying to control others. Few things drain energy more than trying to make others do things they don’t want to do. Align don’t force.
2. Listen without solving.
3. Live your life, not the life others want you to live.
4. Create predictability with useful systems.
5. Complete tasks. Long-term projects are like Chinese water torture. Break them down. Create a series of completion points.
6. Take slow walks. They don’t need to be long, just slow. Tip: Try whistling.
7. Go to bed!
8. Hold your head up and breathe deep.
9. Exercise.
10. Let small stuff be small.
11. Do more of what you love. Off-set energy draining activities with energy giving activities. You completed three energy drainers, go find vitality. I love being with people. Grabbing a coffee refuels my tank.
12. Eliminate clutter.

Bonus: Hang with positive friends.

Stoke your own fire. No one else will. Don’t wait for the energy fairy. She ain’t coming.

Monday Morning Quarterback

Are you a driver? or a business owner?
Are in a position that needs to take charge and make decisions?

Then you know what it is like to be Monday morning quarterbacked?

There are always people that are willing to tell you what you did wrong and what you should of done and not done.

Funny thing is those same people are never there BEFORE you have to pull the trigger or make a decision.

If you are the person in charge you have to make hundreds of decisions and most of them will be on the fly, in the moment. Yes, you will make some choices that in retrospect could of been different but you learn from them and move on.
Your education and more important your experience is what guides you.

I have been  in a room full of people that downgrade another person's vocabulary or spelling looking right past what his content was or what actually took place.
Really?

It is much easier to sit on the sidelines and criticize then to get in there and to be responsible and in the moment.

I look at content and character NOT exclamation points, periods and spelling.

Which are you?
Are in in the fight and in the moment giving it 100 % or are you on the sidelines ready to criticize those in the pits?

When I was younger those Monday morning quarterbacks would anger me, I now realize that they will always be there. I can not allow THEM to effect me or my thinking. I would much rather be the guy making those choices and living the moment then those that sit and are afraid to get in there. That, after all, is what is exciting and where I gain knowledge and satisfaction. Knowing that I can make a difference and being in the moment.

Live Life...don't settle on just being a spectator. Take their criticisms and move on.
Keep on keepin on.



I read a quote that said " Don't let someone dim your light, simply because it's shining in their eyes."

Thinking of moving yourself ?

Thinking of moving yourself ?

I fully believe that if you move professionally once, you will never move yourself again..

But if your thinking of renting a truck and taking it on read this article first...

10 Things Truck Rental Firms Won't Tell You..

1) Your reservation is practically worthless
2) Pay no attention to the prices we advertise
3)Bad customer service? That's your fault
4) The worse time to rent is when you need us most
5) Our trucks are jalopies
6) We employ a army of moonlighters
7) We're judgemental of your car
8) You gotta be crazy to try towing your stuff
9) You'll never guess what the last renter did with this truck
10) Our customer are on the verge of a nervous breakdown

http://articles.marketwatch.com/2013-01-18/finance/36411332_1_u-haul-spokeswoman-rental-trucks-reservation

Five Lessons From Lance Armstrong's Failure

Five Lessons From Lance Armstrong’s Failure

 by Randy Conley

"I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to earn back trust and apologize to people.”
Lance Armstrong made that statement to Oprah Winfrey in his public confession this week when he finally admitted to using illegal performance enhancing drugs. It’s the one statement that has stuck with me as I’ve tried to make sense of how and why someone would go to such great lengths to perpetuate a lie and intentionally deceive so many people.
Millions of people have admired Armstrong as an example of how to “Livestrong” and battle through life’s difficult circumstances. Oddly enough, even though his athletic success and personal brand image have been discovered to be a fraud, he’s still proving to be an example from whom we can learn.

Armstrong’s fall from grace offers some important life and leadership lessons:

1. Life’s not about you – Armstrong described himself as a narcissist and said it was his ruthless desire to win at all costs that drove him to be a cheater. I don’t know that I’ve witnessed a public character with such an intense self drive and singular focus (with the possible exception of Tiger Woods, and look at what happened to him) that caused him to be so egotistical and selfish. The joy of life is unleashed when we discover that true happiness comes from serving others and not ourselves.

2. Bullies eventually get what’s coming to them – A self-described bully, Armstrong vehemently condemned and intimidated anyone who stood in his way to success. He burned so many relationships on his way up, that now he finds himself alone in his shame on the way down.

3. If you’re going to say you’re sorry, you should actually be sorry – Several times Armstrong said that he was sorry and took full blame and responsibility for his actions, yet based on other comments he made and the unspoken words of his body language, he left me with the impression that he wasn’t truly remorseful for defrauding everyone. He was apologizing for the sake of apologizing, recognizing that it was the necessary first step in rebuilding his image.

4. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is – Armstrong’s comeback from cancer, Tour de France victories, and life as an anti-cancer crusader seemed to be the perfect tale. He admitted to Oprah that he had devised such a fantastical narrative that it was impossible to live up to the idealistic standards he created. And millions upon millions of people bought it – hook, line, and sinker. Everyone single one of us has our faults and it’s extremely dangerous to place anyone on a pedestal as the end-all be-all example we should follow.

5. The truth will set you free – Oprah closed the interview by telling Armstrong it was her hope that he would find “the truth will set you free.” Jesus spoke those words in reference to people who choose to follow his teachings (John 8:32), meaning they would find the freedom and protection that comes from adhering to His moral principles. We all need a moral compass that keeps us oriented to true north, and Armstrong is an example of what happens when you lead without morality.

Lance Armstrong has a long way to go to rebuild trust with his followers. Is it even possible given the scope of his willful deception? I think it’s going to be hard.

A work in progress

Your life is a work in progress.

Think back 10 years or five years and ask how many things you never would of guessed or planned for that have happened. That is why stressing over things does not help or make sense.

Even through our tragedies and failures something grows from it.
We will not know why things happen until we reflect back.
That is the great mystery of life.
How much CONTROL do we really have? Very little in the grand scheme of things.
People get angry or stress when what THEY plan does not happen. They may argue or try to get revenge with people that they feel are altering their grand plan.

Do what you can do to help matters and worry about your side of it and what you can do to improve yourself or your situation.
You cannot control others or every situation.
 Stop and Look at it, think before you react.

Remember that your life is a work in progress so go with it, learn from it and let go more.

Leadership Goes Beyond Four Walls

Leadership Goes Beyond Four Walls

One of my favorite non-trend, authentic views of leadership is that true leadership does not automatically come with title on a business card, nor is it tied only to a job description. I love that organizations are investing in employees to teach self leadership and the value it can bring to their organization and experience within the organization.
We can take this a step further. I believe the true magic comes when leadership expands beyond a business card, beyond a job, and even beyond the four walls we find ourselves working in every day. How? Let’s look at a current description of leadership- a process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task.
And this task, in my opinion, does not have to have anything to do with my job description or performance appraisal. This task can be to “socially influence” (or in my world, “care”) about others. Leadership can be displayed to those not expecting or who would even describe their experience as one of leadership.
I found my perfect example that has inspired me for more than a month. I can’t get it off of my mind. During a weekend spent in Kansas City I came across an article about a local organization (which is still on my wall hung up by my computer). I was inspired by their take on leadership. Here’s the best thing about this article, the word leadership was never mentioned. That’s magic. Without ever announcing “we’re LEADING!! Look at our LEADERSHIP!”, I was inspired and motivated.
Meers Advertising is a living example of this kind of leadership in action, beyond their four walls. Many organizations do amazing things through their philanthropic giving. However, Sam Meers, president and CEO, took it a step further. He gave his employees a real life opportunity to give in a personal way, to make a difference, to be authentic leaders in their local communities.

On Friday before Thanksgiving, I gave every employee a $50 bill and told each of them that they’d soon be in a grocery line and see someone in front taking items out of their cart because they didn’t have enough money for groceries. I said that’s when you hand them the 50, when you see the mother with three kids at Walmart, in anguish, walk up and give her that 50 and see what it does for them and for you. That’s the spirit of giving.

Leadership. In action. Beyond four walls. The impact of this form of leadership has had an exponential impact, far beyond a job description and literally beyond the four walls of a building. This. This is the ultimate goal of our profession is it not?

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Martin Luther King Jr

The last part of Martin Luther's King Jr's " I have a dream speech".......

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.

Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,

From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that:

Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!

Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!³

10 Essential Family Values

Top 10 Essential Family Value

How do you define family values?
Strong and consistent family values are important in building trust and confidence in each family member.

Here are my top 10 essential family values.
1. Belonging. It is important that each member of my family feel that they are loved, that they belong and that they matter.

2. Flexibility.  Too much structure and the unwillingness to give a little can result in a lot of unhappiness and resentment. The more flexibility you have in decision making, for example, the happier your family will be for it.

3. Respect.  Respecting each other is to take feelings, thoughts, needs, and preferences in to account when making decisions. It also means acknowledging and valuing everyone’s thoughts, feelings and contributions to the family as a whole.

4. Honesty. This is the foundation of any relationships that are meant to last. Mother-daughter, husband-wife, sister-brother. Without honesty a deeper connection will not form and certainly won’t last.

5. Forgiveness. Forgiving people who have wronged you is an important choice to make. Yes, forgiveness is a choice.
 Get issues out in the open, gain some understanding and move on. Life is too short.

6. Generosity. Giving without thinking “what’s in it for me” is an important value for anyone wanting to be a responsible, contributing member to society. Through generosity we build empathy since we tend to think more about what people want or need.

7. Curiosity. Children have a natural curiosity. If you’ve ever watched a toddler even for a couple of minutes you’d see that quality shine through. For some that curiosity wanes. I think it’s important to encourage and push our kids and even ourselves to be curious about things.

8. Communication.  A failure to communicate will likely lead to unhappiness and misunderstandings. Small issues grow into larger ones and when they eventually boil to the surface it’s unlikely they will be resolved calmly.
I would argue that this is the most important value for families to have. When people feel they can talk openly about anything – hopes, dreams, fears, successes or failures – all without judgment, it’s encouraging and strengthens the bond.

9. Responsibility.  Responsibility is something that is learned. As a child you may have been shown how to put your toys away after playing, how to tidy your room or how and when to feed the dog. This sense of responsibility extends well into adulthood.

10. Traditions.  I think traditions are what make a family unique, they draw people together and create a sense of belonging for everyone.  If you don’t currently have traditions in your family, create them! All traditions started with one person why not let your family traditions start with you? Get creative and have fun.

Honesty

It has always seemed strange to me... the things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling, are the concomitants of failure in our system.
 And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self-interest, are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality of the first they love the produce of the second.
John Steinbeck



Treat those who are good with goodness, and also treat those who are not good with goodness. Thus goodness is attained. Be honest to those who are honest, and be also honest to those who are not honest. Thus honesty is attained.
Lao Tzu

We learned about honesty and integrity - that the truth matters... that you don't take shortcuts or play by your own set of rules... and success doesn't count unless you earn it fair and square.

A LONG FALL

Lies...Cheating...

All you need to do is look around you to see where lies and cheating will get you.

Lance Armstrong, Roger Clemons, Sosa, McGuire, Tiger and the list goes on and on.

They all might of experienced glory and fame and made millions of dollars but where are they now?
What type of legacy will they leave?
Where can they go and not be confronted?
What now of all those feats of accomplishments?
How do they feel in their own skin?
Was it worth it?

In the long run you will get caught ! Because it is just straight up WRONG.

Lies and cheating is not how you get ahead or how you get promoted. I have seen it hundreds of times in my own world and in places that I have worked.
People come in and rise quickly but they have a false foundation. And in EVERY case they fall.
The crazy part is most never understand why and normally end up repeating their philosophy of life elsewhere only to fail again only bigger and harder.
It effects their family life as well as their business world.

We all make mistakes, hopefully early on in life so that we can learn from them and not repeat them.
There is only one way to rise to the top and that is through hard work and by being honest with those around you. It may take you a little longer than the guy where lies and cheats but your rise will last and grow and be a foundation to be proud of.

"Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive".
Sir Walter Scott
1808

DRIVE FOR ARPIN

 

 

Drive For Arpin

Arpin Van Lines is a family-owned and operated business. Since our inception in 1900, our core philosophy has been to treat employees like “they’re a name and not a number.” We recognize those in our organization who go beyond the call of duty and reward each team player for their outstanding performance. If you care about the quality of your work and are driven to excel in your professional performance, then this is an opportunity to join a winning team.
Why Drive for Arpin Van Lines?

• Family-owned and operated for over 100 years.
• We service all lines of work: GSA, Military, Residential, and National Accounts.
• Arpin is one of the country’s largest military movers.
• Arpin is consistently a top level preferred mover for GSA.
• 48-hour turnaround time for Contractor trip papers.
• Ability for Elite drivers to pack, load, and haul shipments.
• Protection from discounts – as the discount goes up so does your linehaul percentage.
• No settlement deduction for PD & PL (Property & Public Liability). Can be as much as 3.5% - 5% deduction with other van lines.
• You are personally notified and consulted on any claim over $200.00.
• You may open a savings account with us and have a percentage of your commissions saved.
• Bonus line haul percentage for low claims ratio, years of service, and high customer service survey scores.
• You may elect to have your commissions wired directly to your bank account.
• You will be assigned a late model, fully equipped furniture trailer.
• Personalized dispatch – dispatchers personally review each customer assigned to you on each trip. NO VOICEMAIL!
• You would have the options of becoming an Owner Operator, Company Driver, or drive for one our Prime Agents located throughout the country.
• At Arpin Van Lines, you are not just a number, you are an essential part of an award winning team and you are treated with respect.
• A fully paperless process through our patented PrimeSource® system.

These are some of the things that set us apart from other van lines and makes Arpin truly unique in the Moving and Storage Industry.

Dead by 50? Thank you

Below are excerpts from a article in the Wall Street Journal...if you have time click on the link at the end to read the whole piece..it's worth the read......

America is the land of the free, and its citizens live the shortest and sickest lives of anybody in the world's most-developed nations, according to an extensive analysis released last week.
If you want to live past age 50, your odds are better in 16 other developed nations, according to the 378-page study by the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council, titled "U.S. Health in International Perspective: Shorter Lives, Poorer Health."

We are not the land of plenty when it comes to health care. "Compared with people in other countries, Americans are more likely to find care inaccessible or unaffordable," the study said. Yet the U.S. spends more on health care per person than any other nation.

Our diseases are mostly the result of our appetites. And advertisers manipulate our appetites at our eyes' every turn, from smartphone screens to mini billboards hanging in public bathrooms.
If you feel like having sex, racing a car through a hairpin turn, raging at a stranger in public, drinking too much beer or eating an extra-large Meat Lover's Pizza, it may be because you just saw an image of someone doing it, or have some idiotic jingle stuck in your head, like, "…break me off a piece of that Kit Kat bar."
You are free to indulge excessively. This keeps the corporate machinery humming. And if you die before age 50 you will be helping America solve its Social Security and Medicare crises, too.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324081704578234080047332090.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Times have changed

Times have certainly changed in the last few decades. We have written about many of them here in the blog, from computers and cell phones to how we conduct business every day.

In the driver's world it has become a lot less personal out there on the road. Drivers would always talk to each other on the CB or at truck stops or even at weigh stations. If a driver was somewhere overnight and another driver was near by chances are they would getting together to talk the night away and break bread.

See below from road driver Skip....

MAN,I got famous with the ribeyes....In Fairfied,Ca.,way back when....Used to feed even the cooks/waitresses,off my grill.Never cost me anything but time.They would take collections for the weekend meat,and off to costco I’d go.....THOSE WERE THE DAYS....

Those were the days and still can be, take the time to say out there on the road and try to bring back what it was that you loved about driving in the first place.

 The freedom, the places and meeting people.

For our driver's wifes...

From one of our road drivers...

I just got him up on Pandora,and,this song came up....Had me crying like a baby......:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9sRJ-eOHnc

How about something on the blog for our drivers wifes?

Maybe I didn't treat you
Quite as good as I should have
Maybe I didn't love you
Quite as often as I could have
Little things I should've said and done
I just never took the time

But you were always on my mind
You were always on my mind

Maybe I didn't hold you
All those lonely, lonely times
I guess I never told you
That I am so happy that you're mine
If I made you feel second best
I'm so sorry I was blind

But you were always on my mind

WHY?

So many bad things happen in the world every day and to innocent people and many people ask WHY.

I do not think we will ever know the true answer, at least not in this life time.

Why I do know is that we all learn more from our failures and our tragedies than we do our successes.
I firmly believe that there are hard lessons we learn if we allow them in.

When my wife"s mother was murdered in 1985 it changed our lives forever. The way we looked at life, our family and what was truly important.

For me I saw that it did not matter how long we lived or for that matter even how we died but what we did with our life. My mother in law died needlessly and in her early 40's but what she had already accomplished in her short life lives on. In lives in her children and grandchildren and her love for family is what kept us all strong.

It taught me at a early age to not take life for granted and that it can end tomorrow for any of us.

When it happened the immediate question is WHY ....and like I said we will never know why bad things happen to good people but you need to live on and learn and most of all do not grow bitter or cold but open up more and give more and through that you will heal and grow.

Sunday

For almost 2,000 years, Western culture stopped -- primarily on Sunday -- for about 24 hours. Even when I was a child, you couldn't buy gasoline, you couldn't buy milk.

 The drugstores weren't open. The only thing that was open was a hospital. Even in dairy farming country, they would milk cows, but wouldn't bring in hay.

And so society just had a day where they put it in park. (That) was Sunday... until the last 30 years or so.

 I think it actually helps you to order your life, because in preparing for that day of rest, you... actually get more things done on the six days that you are working.

Obviously I know that many businesses, including driving, may not always allow you to take Sunday off but the point is to be sure that you take one day during the week to shut your brain down and relax and enjoy.

 Many people say that keeping one day of rest a week has been the single best thing they've done for their marriage, their family and their spiritual relationship.

Training the brain to stress less

Our challenge

With so much technology and it evolving every day our challenge will be how to harness it and most important how to marry it with good old common sense and remembering how to interact with people.

Technology and what we can do today is amazing and the possibilities are endless. But I see where many businesses are concentrating so much on that they are forgetting human interaction.

I strongly believe that to advance and succeed going forward any business will need both computer savvy and people skills. No matter how sophisticated we get somewhere along the way we need to be able to pick our heads up or the telephone and actually speak to someone.

The bonds that we make in order to succeed and grow will still be teetered to the bonds we make and the alliances that we make. And you can not do that solely through a computer.

How we speak to others matter, what we say matters and most of all your word matters.

In the end loyalty and trust is what will separate you from the rest.

LISTENING

Listening

In a conversation, both people speak and both people listen.

 That's true for supervisory conversations, too. So, do your part and listen.

Show that you're paying attention with your body language.

Ask for clarification if you don't understand.

Paraphrase what the other person said to check understanding.

Make notes so you remember.

Managing means much more than telling people what to do...and when you listen you will learn.
You will learn what you can do to help or assist or possibly create better policy or procedure.

I guarantee you that you will learn more listening than you ever will talking.

Negativity

Negativity is bad for the soul...

I firmly believe that negativity can only bring on more negativity...and only hurt.

Rather it is self negativity such as ...I am slow or I am fat or I can not learn as good as others ..
Or
If it is negativity heaped on others..such as they are stupid or he is no good or she is a problem.

Nothing good can come come out of it.

Today the flavor of the day is to take sides and when you do you draw a line in the sand and say I am right and you are wrong. We tend to throw around disparaging phrases and laugh.

Words can help or heal... which one do you follow?

Being negative will also effect your health and your outlook and how people view you.

Try to be more conscious of what you are saying and who you are saying it to.

Be positive or at least keep your negative to yourself.

Challenges abound

Challenges abound.

Clearly, all of us face a variety of challenges.

 Whether it’s improving your business, your team or yourself, overcoming these challenges will require focus, prioritization and dedication.

 Your challenge as a leader is keeping your priority list short and executing quickly and efficiently against the highest priority items.

Be wary of saying “yes” too often, as that will dilute your efforts and, ultimately, you’ll answer this question the same way next year as you did this year because you didn’t make the progress you desired.

Red

Red Batty is a very good friend of mine and the equipment manager for the Green Bay Packers and he is a great example on work ethic...




It’s no wonder Red attracts other heavy hitters from his field. He’s known widely as one of the best in the business. Red attributes his success to having good communication skills, being organized and being able to think ahead.
“You have to be able to speak to people from a range of backgrounds,” he says. “You have to be organized and you have to know your job, and you have to be able to anticipate what the players will need. In my position, everyone turns to me for the answer. In our profession, if you do something wrong, the whole country knows about it.”
When Red’s up to bat, that’s not a big concern. He knows how to get the job done. On a typical day, that job entails arriving at Lambeau Field at 7am and trying to get through the 10 items on his list. He juggles his “regular” daily duties with troubleshooting for any of the players who need special equipment, particularly those with injuries.
Two hours of each day during the season are spent at practise. It’s a responsibility that Red says is not only mandatory—because his department sets up the field and equipment for the workouts—but also essential.
“If you don’t go to practise, you don’t feel like part of the team,” says Red. “You want to stay connected.”

Read more at..  http://kickasscanadians.ca/gordon-red-batty

Some quotes

" You can't always get what you want but if you try sometime, you might find You get what you need".
Mick Jagger

"When peer pressure rears its ugly head, it's easy for most cubs to be mislead".
The Berenstain Bears

"It's good to have money and the things it can buy, but it's good to, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven't lost the things that money can"t buy".
George Lorimer

"Formal education will make you a living, self education will make you a fortune".
Jim Rohn

"Las Vegas is the only place I know where money really talks- it says goodbye">
Frank Sinatra

" You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose".
Dr Seuss



" Too many people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like".
Will Smith

How you do it

How you do it is as important as what you do.

Be positive.

If you are in a customers house it is very important to always be polite. Start with a firm hand shake and eye contact. Take a walk through the house and around the property with the owner and LISTEN.

Listen to what they have to say and what they point out as important and any directions that they may have and FOLLOW UP.

Also be on the look out yourself for any thing that may have been missed in the survey. If you do see any discrepancies do not confront the customer. Call the Rep or your dispatch out of ear shot so you do not get the customer nervous. Remember they probably have a thousand things on their mind. Your job is to relieve them of the pressure of moving. No easy task.

But your reactions and how they perceive you and your work ethic can go a long way to help put them at ease.

Do not lose focus that this is a special move for them, it may just another job on your trailer but it is all they care about, memories and objects that mean something to them.

Take your time when explaining something to them, give them confidence that you are a professional and all is good.

Your job is not just carrying that chair down the stairs and wrapping it up and loading it carefully in your trailer , your job is helping people during a stressful time.

Those that conquer that aspect of moving become elite and get rewarded at the end of a move by a very happy and grateful customer.

And in the end- nothing feels better. That is your reward.

Nice story..

I’d like to compliment one of your CREWS, Power Unit 603, in their willingness to help me and my wife during an especially difficult time is something we will never forget.  It takes a very caring person to stop and risk their lives without second guessing and come to the aid of a total stranger.

Recently, while traveling into Missouri on Interstate 44, Catherin and I were traveling when we suddenly noticed that there was smoke coming from the dashboard of our 2012 Chevy Camero.  We immediately pulled over to see what was causing the smoke.  Once I pulled off to a neutral area of the Interstate and opened the hood, the engine compartment became a ball of fire.  Catherin and I did not know what to do, so I closed the hood and we ran away from the car.

Within a few minutes, a big rig with ARPIN on the side of it stopped.  As soon as the rig stopped, 3 guys came running to assist us.  One had a fire extinguisher, another had a furniture pad and the other was putting on a pair of gloves.  They asked no questions, just told us to move.  The one with the gloves opened the door and pulled the latch to release the hood and threw Catherin’s purse and cell phone in the grass along with my Panera Bag.  As one opened the hood, the other began to spray with the fire extinguisher.  Shortly after, the fire was out.

The Responders arrived on scene and secured the area.

I had the pleasure of chatting with the Driver and his Crew.  They are great individuals.  They made my wife and I feel like we were all family.  One of the Crew members got a bottle of water and a folding chair from underneath a large compartment and allowed Catherin to sit so that she could gather herself.

In a time when there is a lot of chaos, one can almost find humor.  The driver went and retrieved our belongings that he had thrown from inside of the car.  When he came up to the area where we were sitting, he gave us our belongings and I let him know that we were blessed for all they had done.  I asked him what happened to the sandwich that was in the Panera Bag, and he said, “when you were busy trying to calm your wife down, I decided to eat it before those ants over on the ground ate it.”  Just when we needed a laugh, we got one.

The crew stayed until they knew we were OK.  They must have been there 45 minutes.  It seemed like forever.  They said they would love to stay but they had to be in Fort Leonard Wood to do a job.  They got into their big rig and disappeared down the Interstate.

I must have seen a billon big rigs pass down the highway, but ARPIN is the only name I will never forget.  Their crews are like angels.  I will pass the ARPIN experience on to everyone that I can and hope they will allow ARPIN to have their business and do something positive in their lives.

I do believe that those 3 guys are COMMITTED TO QUALITY EVERY JOB EVERY DAY.  (This was printed on the guys’ shirts.)

THE ONE THING...

What's your one thing?

Here's an exercise for you to do - right away before you get busy and forget ...

Get out a sheet of paper and write down the various things that you want your business to provide for you and your family, but is not yet providing. For instance, more income, more time off, more money in a retirement account, more enjoyment at work, more challenge, and so on. Be optimistic and ambitious yet realistic.

Once you have a list, narrow it down to the one thing that you want your business to do for you this year - and that you could accomplish if only you had the time to focus on making it happen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k1uOqRb0HU

Close one....

This is from our Canadian husband and wife team, Ken and Becky Berry....


Picture if you will, a hot humid Georgia summer day. There is no breeze, just a few white puffy clouds. A driver and his wife entertain the agents office staff while waiting to load. To much laughing for a Friday? Never. They cannot get labor even though booked in advance. Has to be a month end thing. Why yes it is. Crap. Backed into the rear of the building in what is an old whse bldg with dirt floors and no power servicess. Interesting. So after seeting up boards outta the back end of the trailer, this charming couple begin to load in what will be an unforgettable moment in time.

   This particular shipment has mounds and mounds of, Little Tyke Toys. Not a drivers favorite but otay for stuffers. It's 3 PM and dirty heat. The driver is attempting to dismantle a Little Tyke basketball net. After numerous attempts of standing on the base and weaving and bending it almost to the floor to pop the base off, the heat of the day is takeing its toll. Some unrulely words, sometimes loud, and sometimes very loud. He realizes he needs help so he call's his better half and the two of them are now swinging and swaying on this little tiny base to pop off. To no avail they  decide pulling instead of bending may be the answer. They are both standing and balancing on the base. He is bent over and has a firm grasp at the base of the net. She is bent over and has a handle on the mid way point. With a mighty heave they put everything they have into it and, WHAM, success. The pole came outta the base and the wife hit the wall and collapse to the floor. Took a few seconds for him to think what the hell just happened and OMG. As the pole popped outta the base, his elbow came up, and he means full force, and nailed her rite in the eye socket. Out cold for about 3 seconds and by the time she was landing on the floor he was right there thinking, holy crap. Then trying not to laugh, gets her to her feet and gets her into the darkness of the whse and puts ice out of the cooler on her eye. It only took a few minutes but it swelled up HUGE.

   She regains her composure, and has been advised to stay in the dark as the lightness of the day just made it water more. So, as she stood in the dark and the driver restarted to load, a few of the boys return from there job and were now questioning her about her eye. It was rite at that moment the driver asked her to bring something onto the truck, when she decided to say to the boys, "I gotta go and give this to him before he hits me again". The driver had no idea what was about to come. One very large man came strolling up the walk boards at a good pace, emptied handed. The driver says, "Hey man, don't come up empty handed, that'll cost a six pack". he got within ten feet of the driver when his wife came screaming into the truck yelling, "NOOOOO-NOOOOOO", knowing what was about to happen. He stopped just short of the driver and now 2 men face to face, one clench fisted and the other smilen away. yet neither had a clue of what the hell is going on.

   Naturally she informs the gentleman that she was kidding and it was an accident while the driver stood there with a bewildered look on his face of, "are you kidding me, do you have any idea that he could put me into another orbit cause I never would seen it coming". The wife cracked a smile, the three of them laughed, and the driver thought-I could have actually been part of the load, the big man thought-I would have made him part of the load, and the wife thought-yup, that was a good one.

                                                          Wifes, ya gotta love em

Theodore Roosevelt

"It's not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred with the sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes up short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause and who, at best knows the triumph of high achievement and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." (Theodore Roosevelt.)

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Your success and happiness lies in you.
 Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.
Hellen Keller