I really like my friend B. J. Gallagher’s little book called Staying the Course. B. J. says, “Our journey in life is about progress, not perfection.” (Boy, isn’t that true.) “It’s not about doing one thing 100 percent better, it’s about doing a number of things one percent better each day. Progress is evolutionary, not revolutionary. Most days we measure our progress in inches, not miles.” (That’s feedback, that’s the breakfast of champions!) “What matters most is showing up for your life, whether you feel like it or not. Ask yourself, ‘What two or three things can I do today that would move me forward?’” (That’s a very good question—what could you do?) “You’d be amazed at how much distance you could cover by taking it in increments. The little things add up. The inches turn to miles and we string together our efforts like so many pearls. Before long, look what you have—a whole strand. Ahhh—beautiful!” So, what can you do today to keep going? To keep making a difference for your customers and for each other? Remember, things are about progress. One thing at a time. One small step can change your life. So take that step today.
Communication
Get People Involved
There is an old Chinese proverb: “Tell me and I forget; Show me and I remember; Involve me and I understand.” The whole thing, I think, in dealing with change is how we can involve people. I think your intention should be to involve your people as much as you possibly can in how you are dealing with tough times. Just telling people something, and even trying to show them, doesn’t make as much difference as involving them. It doesn’t do good to do something to people; you have to do it with them. So involve people around you as you are dealing with different challenges. Life is a very special occasion if you realize you’re not alone. And as my friends Don Carew and Eunice Parisi-Carew have said for a long time, “None of us is as smart as all of us.”
Being the Best You Can Be
I had a real treat when I recently got to spend some time with Henry Blackaby and his son, Richard. Henry’s been a really important mentor to me. He’s a wonderful theologian and philosopher of life.
One of the things I think is relevant to all of us is when they talked a little bit about revival. A lot of people complain about, you know, “My organization has this problem,” or “My church has this problem,” or “My child has this problem.” They say that revival, or change, really starts with you—that whole thing that Gandhi said, you know, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” So if something isn’t going well in your department, the real question is: How can you be different? How can you be a catalyst for change rather than a complainer about what’s not going well? What can you do to change yourself?
A man came to Henry and asked if he would pray that his son would be in better shape and things would be better. He said to the man, “That’s really nice that you’re praying for your son, but I think what your son needs is a better father.” So what you need to do is focus on what you can do to change yourself so that you can help revise or help change somebody else or another organization. I think that’s a wonderful thing, rather than complaining. What are you going to do to change yourself? How can you be a better person, and in the process maybe influence other people that are limiting your department or your family from being their best? Focus on yourself.
I’m constantly looking at how I can be a better person who helps people be the best they can possibly be, and organizations be the best they can be. So as I always say in sessions, don’t wish somebody else was here at this training. Don’t miss it yourself, because there are people who are glad you’re here. I’m glad I’m learning and I hope you are too. I still need a lot of improvement and I’ll bet you do too.
Confidence in Your Team
There are always some wonderful lessons, I think, from sports. I remember back watching the L. A. Lakers playoff run. It was interesting because the Lakers were really down and out several times—they were losing by 12 at halftime, then they came back, then they got behind again. Right at the buzzer with four seconds to go, Derek Fisher throws in this long three-pointer to tie the score and send it into overtime. Then in the overtime he hit another really crucial three-pointer, and he had missed five in a row and hadn’t been playing very well in the other games. One of the things he said at the end was that Coach Jackson just kept on having confidence in him—because he’s a veteran. He and Kobe were playing together for years. And he said, “I believe in you, you get in there.” It just makes such a difference in people’s lives when you believe in them, even when they’re down. And then Derek came through when he needed to and he was so thrilled to help. But he said he wouldn’t have done it if the coach hadn’t continued to have confidence in him even when he was down. It’s an interesting thing—you just need to keep on pumping people up. So remember—keep on encouraging each other, even when things might not be going well.
Starting to Make a New Ending
I got up really early a few times in the last month to do TV shows with Garry Ridge about our book Helping People Win at Work: A Business Philosophy called “Don’t Mark My Paper, Help Me Get an A. I was also up early doing radio shows all over the country for Who Killed Change?
You might say, well, what is this all doing besides selling books? I think the two big areas where we can really start to help our companies in tough times is, first, how they can get the best kind of performance out of their people. The whole concept of Don’t Mark My Paper, Help Me Get an A is so helpful in these times so people know what an “A” looks like and what they need to do to help their company. We’re going to be putting in a whole version of that system in our company so we can all get a clearer sense of what an “A” is for us. I think we can make some real interventions in that and help change the way performance evaluations are done. In terms of Who Killed Change? I think one of the biggest issues for companies is how to implement change in a way that sticks and makes a difference—because we are in a constant flux of change. I don’t think these two things are just about books; I think they are really about opportunities for companies to survive and thrive in tough times.
I got a wonderful quote in the mail the other day from Paul Kreider, who has been with Hershey’s Chocolate for thirty years: “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anybody can start today and make a new ending.” That’s really interesting, you know. You can’t redo the past, but starting today, you can say, “What am I going to do differently today to get a different ending at the end of this week, the end of the year, the end of my life?” I just love that quote. So today’s the beginning of the rest of your life. How are you going to get a new ending for what you’re doing now?
How We Lead 