If you want to read the books, check them out!
Highly recommended!!
Highly recommended!!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Leadership
Currently I am reading two books, both regarding business, leadership and innovation. The first book is called 'Let My People Go Surfing' written by the founder of Patagonia Yvon Chourinard. The second book named 'Making the Sale' is a book written by several business leaders who teach lessons by stories they have experienced throughout their career.
'Let My People Go Surfing' has been unbelievably interesting. The story of Yvon Chourinard is unique, thrilling and very meaningful- everything Yvon has done has been from his heart. He has stuck to his instincts and has now formed one of the most environmentally aware businesses in the world while producing the top of the line products. The story of Yvon and Patagonia is a must read for any business leader or any person pondering about being in the business world. The lessons learned will be lifelong- at the age of 23, just this book has changed the way I look at businesses, especially outdoor consumer goods businesses. Yvons leadership, innovation and belief has been the foundation for Patagonia.
The second book, Making the Sale is also very interesting. The stories told by the successful business people are proof that no matter what position in the company you hold, whether you are the CEO, the warehouse manager, or secretary, learning needs to happen everyday throughout your whole career. How can I do better? What can I do differently to benefit the company and employees? These are questions everybody in the organizations need to ask themselves everyday. As my father once told me, "the difference between leadership and management is managers manage a system already established where leaders lead the organization into the unknown, not afraid of bringing change, creativity and success to the company."
Although there were several great lessons in this book, the ones that fascinated me the most were from David Balter, the CEO of the word-of-mouth marketing and media company BzzAgent, Richard Santulli, the founder and CEO of NetJets, and Doug Elix, a senior VP of IBM. David's main lesson was to keep your head held high and to not let the answer "NO" bring your spirits down. If you believe in the product that you are selling, and if you work hard enough, it will be successful. When David was trying to launch BzzAgent, major corporations and businesses were laughing at his idea, escorting him to the exit. Because he believed so deeply in his idea, he adapted the launch plan and was able to get customers by signing up for a free trial. If the campaign was successful, they would be willing to come back and pay for the service. As you can imagine, he has been very successful solely because he followed his beliefs and worked until people trusted him enough to pay for the service. This lesson is not only a lesson with regard to business, but to life. Follow what you believe in, do not take no as an answer, be willing to adapt and find a way to make it happen- these are all beliefs and actions I believe are incorporated in my leadership style.
Mr. Santulli's lesson was also very important. Your customers must know that you care. As a leader, you must be empathetic and understand that the better relationship between you and your customer, the better off both of you will be. The story of Mr. Santulli calling a customer one-hour before his wedding, putting 1Million on the line if he could guess what he was doing in the next hour, and gaining the trust needed to land the deal is a great example that the best people are always "on call." They will do what needs to get done at anytime. If the customer has invested in you and taken the risk, it is only fair for you to give back. The excuse of Saturday/Sunday/Holiday, even WEDDING is not good enough.... if you want to be the best. If you refrain from straining from the 9-5 schedule, your success will be limited. In order to gain the most trust and be the best at what you do, enjoy answering calls and making your customers happy all day, everyday! This story made me laugh because it reminded me of myself. I am always concerned of others, going out of my way to make them happy without the concern of time, or other situations. Hard work is not easy, if it was, everybody would work hard.
The final story I would like to refer to is from Mr. Elix. Mr. Elix expressed the importance of sales leaders to leave their desk and get out in the field so they can understand their customer base. Mr. Elix's story of the wall of shame for employees was also very interesting. Being the team captain, I have learned it is more beneficial to praise the positive publicly, while confronting the negative in private. Praising the positive in public places, in front of the rest of the team, has a tickle effect- all of a sudden, the people that possess the negative qualities have a bigger desire to get rewarded and complimented. More times than not, their problems will erase themselves through self motivation. If not, confrontation behind doors in a private setting is necessary. This is exactly what Mr. Elix's lesson was. Praise the best salespeople. Reward them publicly, but do not post the entire list of employees. The last place person will walk around the office with a dark cloud, dragging their tale in embarrassment instead of putting themselves on the line, risking a lot to perform their best. Incorporating this lesson and the lesson of removing yourself from your comfort zone and going out in the actual field were great lessons. I believe I will never be a leader who sits at my desk barking orders. In order to know the business and be the best at it, you need to get your hands dirty. Working with your fellow employees and spending time with the customer base will be beneficial.. and fun!
These books are great. I recommend them both. Making the Sale is a very quick read. Pour a cup of coffee and blow right through it. The lessons are quick, but they will influence your habits. 'Let My People Go Surfing' is unbelievable. As my uncle Richie Woodworth, President of Saucony said, "That is the best business book ever written."
In my next blog, I will zoom in on Yvon's book. I want to get through it for my second time before I comment further.
WF
'Let My People Go Surfing' has been unbelievably interesting. The story of Yvon Chourinard is unique, thrilling and very meaningful- everything Yvon has done has been from his heart. He has stuck to his instincts and has now formed one of the most environmentally aware businesses in the world while producing the top of the line products. The story of Yvon and Patagonia is a must read for any business leader or any person pondering about being in the business world. The lessons learned will be lifelong- at the age of 23, just this book has changed the way I look at businesses, especially outdoor consumer goods businesses. Yvons leadership, innovation and belief has been the foundation for Patagonia.
The second book, Making the Sale is also very interesting. The stories told by the successful business people are proof that no matter what position in the company you hold, whether you are the CEO, the warehouse manager, or secretary, learning needs to happen everyday throughout your whole career. How can I do better? What can I do differently to benefit the company and employees? These are questions everybody in the organizations need to ask themselves everyday. As my father once told me, "the difference between leadership and management is managers manage a system already established where leaders lead the organization into the unknown, not afraid of bringing change, creativity and success to the company."
Although there were several great lessons in this book, the ones that fascinated me the most were from David Balter, the CEO of the word-of-mouth marketing and media company BzzAgent, Richard Santulli, the founder and CEO of NetJets, and Doug Elix, a senior VP of IBM. David's main lesson was to keep your head held high and to not let the answer "NO" bring your spirits down. If you believe in the product that you are selling, and if you work hard enough, it will be successful. When David was trying to launch BzzAgent, major corporations and businesses were laughing at his idea, escorting him to the exit. Because he believed so deeply in his idea, he adapted the launch plan and was able to get customers by signing up for a free trial. If the campaign was successful, they would be willing to come back and pay for the service. As you can imagine, he has been very successful solely because he followed his beliefs and worked until people trusted him enough to pay for the service. This lesson is not only a lesson with regard to business, but to life. Follow what you believe in, do not take no as an answer, be willing to adapt and find a way to make it happen- these are all beliefs and actions I believe are incorporated in my leadership style.
Mr. Santulli's lesson was also very important. Your customers must know that you care. As a leader, you must be empathetic and understand that the better relationship between you and your customer, the better off both of you will be. The story of Mr. Santulli calling a customer one-hour before his wedding, putting 1Million on the line if he could guess what he was doing in the next hour, and gaining the trust needed to land the deal is a great example that the best people are always "on call." They will do what needs to get done at anytime. If the customer has invested in you and taken the risk, it is only fair for you to give back. The excuse of Saturday/Sunday/Holiday, even WEDDING is not good enough.... if you want to be the best. If you refrain from straining from the 9-5 schedule, your success will be limited. In order to gain the most trust and be the best at what you do, enjoy answering calls and making your customers happy all day, everyday! This story made me laugh because it reminded me of myself. I am always concerned of others, going out of my way to make them happy without the concern of time, or other situations. Hard work is not easy, if it was, everybody would work hard.
The final story I would like to refer to is from Mr. Elix. Mr. Elix expressed the importance of sales leaders to leave their desk and get out in the field so they can understand their customer base. Mr. Elix's story of the wall of shame for employees was also very interesting. Being the team captain, I have learned it is more beneficial to praise the positive publicly, while confronting the negative in private. Praising the positive in public places, in front of the rest of the team, has a tickle effect- all of a sudden, the people that possess the negative qualities have a bigger desire to get rewarded and complimented. More times than not, their problems will erase themselves through self motivation. If not, confrontation behind doors in a private setting is necessary. This is exactly what Mr. Elix's lesson was. Praise the best salespeople. Reward them publicly, but do not post the entire list of employees. The last place person will walk around the office with a dark cloud, dragging their tale in embarrassment instead of putting themselves on the line, risking a lot to perform their best. Incorporating this lesson and the lesson of removing yourself from your comfort zone and going out in the actual field were great lessons. I believe I will never be a leader who sits at my desk barking orders. In order to know the business and be the best at it, you need to get your hands dirty. Working with your fellow employees and spending time with the customer base will be beneficial.. and fun!
These books are great. I recommend them both. Making the Sale is a very quick read. Pour a cup of coffee and blow right through it. The lessons are quick, but they will influence your habits. 'Let My People Go Surfing' is unbelievable. As my uncle Richie Woodworth, President of Saucony said, "That is the best business book ever written."
In my next blog, I will zoom in on Yvon's book. I want to get through it for my second time before I comment further.
WF
Friday, April 16, 2010
Need to get busy (with blog).... Strengths!
Wow! It has been two months since my first blog post. As I predicted, it was going to be a challenge to publish my blog weekly, but bi-monthly is not acceptable. Who wants to follow a blog that is updated every other month? Not me!
Now that the winter season is over and spring has arrived, I seem to have more time to do things such as my blog. I was looking forward to posting blogs as the season endured, but I was challenged by the "dumpy" hotel-motel's that we found ourselves staying in the majority of the time. Staying in hotel's that do not offer the modern technology of internet makes me realize just how dependent I (we) are of this service. I guess my once hoped "live" blog will have to be adapted into a "reflection" until I get caught up.
As you all know, I am taking this interesting class on modern uses of social media and how to sell yourself in a hard economy. For this class, we took the strength finder 2.0 assessment, which prints out a 20 page report on your strengths determined by several thorough questions and responses. For those of you that know me, I wonder what your reaction to my determined "strengths" are, I challenge you, if you were the assessment, what top-3 strengths would you have chosen? Here is what the assessment told me.
My top strength determined was "achiever." Achiever is defined by people who are especially talented in this strength have a great deal of stamina and work hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.
My second strength determined was "competition." Competition is defined by people who are especially talented in this theme measure their progress against the performance of others. They strive to win first place and reveal in contests.
The third strength determined by Strength Finder 2.0 was "relator." This is defined by people who enjoy being in close relationships with others and find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.
After getting my results and reflecting on the strengths that were determined, I found myself in an honest agreement with Strength Finder. At first, I was skeptical, I thought, how in the world is this software program going to determine anything about me, a human being... Well, after I received the assessment my doubts were quickly erased. The "strengths" of achiever, competitive and relater are accurate descriptions of my personality.
I have always thought of myself as being an achiever. In anything I do, I try my hardest to achieve the highest possible level, which leads me into my competitive nature. On the road to reaching the highest level, I am constantly competing with others. How do you know you have progressed, or become the best until you compare? It's hard. You need to have competition. It makes it healthy. Winning/Losing is part of the game, the game of athletics, the game of business and the game of life. If it was not for the desire to win, our lives would be boring- what would we work hard for, how would this work be paid off? Please do not get me wrong, the winning and losing is not the most important part. It is the motivator behind our actions. These actions and things we sacrifice to hopefully get to the top are parts of the story and adventure. This story and adventure is what makes us a better person. The winning is a desire to enhance the long lived, ever lasting adventure.
My final strength of being a relator I also found to be quite accurate. I take pride in the fact that I am constantly thinking of others. A possible synonym for this strength could be empathetic. While achieving, and while competing, I constantly am relating and working with others in a positive, professional way. Life's too short to be in your own bubble, being concerned solely of your needs and desires. Life/athletics/business/anything is more satisfactory when you relate with others and are sure they, too, have got the best out of whatever you have done.
Now that I can refer to my top strengths with distinct, direct words, I look forward to using these strengths in the hunt for a job, my athletic endeavors and life as a whole.
Now that the winter season is over and spring has arrived, I seem to have more time to do things such as my blog. I was looking forward to posting blogs as the season endured, but I was challenged by the "dumpy" hotel-motel's that we found ourselves staying in the majority of the time. Staying in hotel's that do not offer the modern technology of internet makes me realize just how dependent I (we) are of this service. I guess my once hoped "live" blog will have to be adapted into a "reflection" until I get caught up.
As you all know, I am taking this interesting class on modern uses of social media and how to sell yourself in a hard economy. For this class, we took the strength finder 2.0 assessment, which prints out a 20 page report on your strengths determined by several thorough questions and responses. For those of you that know me, I wonder what your reaction to my determined "strengths" are, I challenge you, if you were the assessment, what top-3 strengths would you have chosen? Here is what the assessment told me.
My top strength determined was "achiever." Achiever is defined by people who are especially talented in this strength have a great deal of stamina and work hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.
My second strength determined was "competition." Competition is defined by people who are especially talented in this theme measure their progress against the performance of others. They strive to win first place and reveal in contests.
The third strength determined by Strength Finder 2.0 was "relator." This is defined by people who enjoy being in close relationships with others and find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.
After getting my results and reflecting on the strengths that were determined, I found myself in an honest agreement with Strength Finder. At first, I was skeptical, I thought, how in the world is this software program going to determine anything about me, a human being... Well, after I received the assessment my doubts were quickly erased. The "strengths" of achiever, competitive and relater are accurate descriptions of my personality.
I have always thought of myself as being an achiever. In anything I do, I try my hardest to achieve the highest possible level, which leads me into my competitive nature. On the road to reaching the highest level, I am constantly competing with others. How do you know you have progressed, or become the best until you compare? It's hard. You need to have competition. It makes it healthy. Winning/Losing is part of the game, the game of athletics, the game of business and the game of life. If it was not for the desire to win, our lives would be boring- what would we work hard for, how would this work be paid off? Please do not get me wrong, the winning and losing is not the most important part. It is the motivator behind our actions. These actions and things we sacrifice to hopefully get to the top are parts of the story and adventure. This story and adventure is what makes us a better person. The winning is a desire to enhance the long lived, ever lasting adventure.
My final strength of being a relator I also found to be quite accurate. I take pride in the fact that I am constantly thinking of others. A possible synonym for this strength could be empathetic. While achieving, and while competing, I constantly am relating and working with others in a positive, professional way. Life's too short to be in your own bubble, being concerned solely of your needs and desires. Life/athletics/business/anything is more satisfactory when you relate with others and are sure they, too, have got the best out of whatever you have done.
Now that I can refer to my top strengths with distinct, direct words, I look forward to using these strengths in the hunt for a job, my athletic endeavors and life as a whole.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Welcome!
Welcome to my blog! Thank you for following. Here, I will post blogs reflecting on my recent adventures, thoughts about the future and discuss what I have learned from my recent endeavors.
Currently I am a senior at The University of New Hamphire competing in my last eligible competition season on the Division I Alpine Ski Team. This is a place where I will reflect on my athletic career and relate it to the ever evolving road that I am simultaneously constructing and driving down.
I will also touch on my hopes and experiences with regard to my professional career. This is a place where I will express my desires to have a successful business career, while staying in touch and striving in the great, ever changing world of snow sports and athletics.
Thank you for starting your engine and driving down this evolving road with me. Buckle up!
W
Currently I am a senior at The University of New Hamphire competing in my last eligible competition season on the Division I Alpine Ski Team. This is a place where I will reflect on my athletic career and relate it to the ever evolving road that I am simultaneously constructing and driving down.
I will also touch on my hopes and experiences with regard to my professional career. This is a place where I will express my desires to have a successful business career, while staying in touch and striving in the great, ever changing world of snow sports and athletics.
Thank you for starting your engine and driving down this evolving road with me. Buckle up!
W
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