News from Leadership By Design

News From LBD

JAugust 2011 Volume 3 Issue 8

Colonel Sanders was 65 years old when he received his first social security check of $99. He was broke and owned only a small house and a beat up old car.

He made a decision that something had to change. He made the decision that only he could make it change. The only idea he had was a chicken recipe, which many of his friends liked. With that idea in mind, he developed a plan and put it into action.

He left his home in Kentucky and traveled to many states in the US to sell his idea. He told the restaurant owners that he had a chicken recipe that people liked and he was giving it to them for free.

What he wanted in return was for the restaurant owners to pay him a small percentage on the pieces of chicken sold.

His idea was not well received. He got rejection after rejection, but he did not give up. In fact, he got over 1000 rejections. He got 1009 "no's" before he got his first "yes."

With that one success, Colonel Hartland Sanders changed the eating habits of the whole world with Kentucky Fried Chicken, popularly known as KFC.

Age is no barrier to success, neither is capital. What is needed is an idea put into action, followed with proper planning and a commitment to make the plan work. That's leadership!

How many of us will keep knocking on doors when we have received 1000 rejections? I presume not many! This is why there are not many successes like Colonel Sanders.

What Leaders are Reading

Poke the Box by Seth Godin

If you're stuck at the starting line, you don't need more time or permission. You don't need to wait for a boss's okay or to be told to push the button; you just need to poke. Poke the Box is a manifesto by bestselling author Seth Godin that just might make you uncomfortable. It's a call to action about the initiative you're taking -- in your job or in your life. Godin knows that one of our scarcest resources is the spark of initiative in most organizations (and most careers) -- the person with the guts to say, "I want to start stuff." Poke the Box just may be the kick in the pants you need to shake up your life.

Clutch: Why Some People Excel Under Pressure and Some Don't by Paul Sullivan

The author identifies people who are "clutch"-- who excel in difficult, stressful situations -- across a range of professions. He determines what personal qualities keep their performance consistent even when times get tough. Sullivan, a self-professed lifelong "choker," examines the handful of telling characteristics: focus, discipline, adaptability, the ability to be fully in the present, and being driven -- not thwarted -- by fear and desire.

Leadership Tip of The Month

Managing Frustration

When things don't go our way we feel frustrated. It is a normal feeling. It is also futile and destructive.

It corrupts positive attitudes and hinders acheivement.

Successful people, like Colonel Sanders, learn to protect themselves from tumbling down frustration's slippery slope of negativity and reduced productivity.

Protection Tips:

1. Take responsibility! Don't blame others or circumstances for what happens to you. Setbacks and disappointments are opportunities to learn.

2. Set realistic expectations. If they are too high you set yourself up for frequent battles with frustration. An important rule of goal setting is that they be realistically high.

3. Strive for excellence, not perfection. If you focus on perfection you set yourself up for failure and you become afraid of taking risks.

4. Strengthen your positive attitude. Frustration cannot coexist with a positive attitude. Focusing on achieving your goal, and the rewards that follow, help you manage the "speed bumps" of frustrations in the road.

5. Use affirmations. Emotionally relive the positive moments of triumph from your past accomplishments. Success breeds success. Remembering your past success will boost your confidence, keep you focused on your goals, and help manage your frustrations.

For additional information contact LBD.

John Branstad

Quote of the Month

"Frustration is trying to find your glasses without your glasses."

John Branstad
www.leadershipbydesign.org
763-213-5267