One of my daily rituals is to thumb through the WSJ—a venture that sometimes takes 10 minutes, sometimes an hour. It is much more than just business and geopolitical news. Today’s edition includes features about students building model bridges out of spaghetti, pessimism, toenail fungus, and Alabama coach Nick Saban.
One recent edition had an article about “mean bugs”—the stinging kind. Bees, wasps, hornets, and fire ants, all got some space, but yellow jackets are the most aggressive, sometimes chasing their victims out of pure meanness. Having been run down by a mad yellow jacket, I heartily agree. Dottie and I have also been chased by biting flies (in Maine) and have stepped on stinging scorpions (in Texas). According to the article, about “200 people in the U.S. die from stings every year” (Mean Bugs by Sumathi Reddy, WSJ, 7/15/14).
Sadly, a lot more deaths occur every day because of stinging tongues. According to James in the Bible, the tongue is a “restless evil…full of deadly poison” (James 3:8 NASB). The deadly poison of the tongue strikes everywhere: homes, businesses, churches, schools, and ___________ (you fill in the blank).
Morale is killed every day by stinging tongues. Initiative is snuffed out every day by critical tongues. Relationships are damaged every day by angry tongues. Lives are destroyed every day by gossiping tongues. I’ve been on the receiving end, and too often—especially at home—I’ve been the mean bug myself.
As a leader, one of your jobs is to set the guidelines—and the example—for the conversation that takes place in your organization. It’s up to you. You can allow an environment that discourages and tears down, or promote one that encourages and builds up. You can participate in gossip, or stop it. You can snap at everyone as a bully leader, or you can cut it off and insist on respect for everyone. One of my many hard lessons in leadership was allowing a chainsaw tongue to remain on my staff for too long.
You can spend a lot of money on training, consultants, seminars, or coaching, all trying to improve your work environment. How about trying bug spray that will eradicate stinging tongues? It is cheaper and much more effective. Spray yourself first, then….
If this post was interesting and useful, please share it with a friend.
© Copyright 2014 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company
I saw the ad on TV last week: Get a college degree and you’ll make twice as much as a high-school-only grad. I cringe every time I hear that because there is a lot more to the story than just getting a college degree.There are a lot of reasons people go to college—some are good reasons, some are not:
– Because your friends are going, you’ll have a good time, and a get a degree in something—a lousy reason to go.
– Because your parents want you to go—better, but not great.
– Because you want an broad-based education that will help you understand the world we live in—a good reason.
– Because you have a specific career you want to pursue (nursing, accounting, teaching, etc.)—a really good and necessary reason.
– Because you want to make twice as much money as high-school-only grads. You will probably need a college degree, but it matters a lot which degree because not any ol’ degree will do.
Thousands of people of all ages have tromped off to college, run up thousands of dollars of debt—which they are now drowning in—and are either under-employed or unemployed. The twice as much paradigm didn’t work for many of them.
What has happened? Driven by technology, globalization, and so on, the economic world has changed! You may not like the change, but it is a permanent fact of life. As a result, education is still an important factor in future income but you won’t make twice as much unless your degree is in demand, and what is in demand has changed a lot in the last ten to twenty years.
Some relevant facts from various sources are:
There are good reasons to go to college other than making twice as much. We need great teachers, godly preachers, skilled counselors, and so on. But few of those jobs make twice as much. So don’t pursue them for income, pursue them for impact—impact on our communities, churches, families….
So, what is the point of this?
Go to college? Yes. But do it for the right reasons, the right way, and with realistic expectations.
If this post was interesting and useful, please forward it to a friend—especially one who is considering college.
© Copyright 2014 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company.
One of my favorite things about the Peanuts cartoons is the adult-speak. To Linus, Lucy, Charlie Brown, etc., it always sounds like “Wah wah wAh waH wah WAH wah.”
It is not unusual for adult-speak to invade the business world as well—or church world, or government world, or your world. A recent WSJ article had three great examples of a CEO speaking that was nothing more than “Wah wah wAh waH wah WAH wah.”
Example 1: “profitability framework”—meaning, we are losing money, but maybe someday we’ll make some. (Maybe…if we put an entirely new picture in a new frame.)
Example 2: “optimizing our store network”—meaning we are going to close a lot of stores. (They have already closed or sold 40% of their stores and are losing more than ever.)
Example 3: “transforming select business models”—meaning…I have no idea what this means. (Maybe, “We are hoping for a miracle.”)
Of course, you don’t have to be a CEO to lapse into adult-speak. Preachers do it. Politicians do it. Educators do it. And, gosh, I do it.
The most important thing about communication is not what you say, but what people hear. Hopefully, it’s not “Wah wah wAh waH wah WAH wah.”
If this post was interesting and useful, please forward it to a friend.
© Copyright 2014 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company.
Ask a group of 3-year-old preschoolers where carrots come from and don’t surprised if you hear “from rabbits.” Adults answer a lot of “where” questions wrong also. In the 1st “carrots” post, I discussed “Where does job security not come from?” The 2nd “carrots” post was “Where does job security come from?” This 3rd (and last) “carrots” post is “Where does job advancement come from?”
So you have a job, you are doing the things that give you a reasonable sense of security, and now, you have your eyes set on a promotion—maybe even the corner office. You want more pay, more responsibility, more ways to contribute to your organization’s success. Great! Go for it!
There are a lot of great resources on how to climb the company ladder. They talk about vision, strategy, knowledge, education, and so on—all important. But there are a few other things you need to consider before you launch on the path toward the top.
In no particular order:
I am not trying to discourage you from seeking job advancement. I am trying to caution you to go for it with your eyes wide open. Happy climbing—or not.
If this post was interesting and useful, please forward it to friend.
© Copyright 2014 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company.
Ask a group of 3-year-old preschoolers where carrots come from and don’t surprised if you hear “from rabbits.” Adults answer a lot of “where” questions wrong also. In last weeks post, I discussed “Where does job security not come from?” This week’s “where” question is: Where does job security come from?
Job security does not mean working at the same company—doing the same thing—for your entire career. Those days are long gone. Because of globalization, technology, demographics, and so on, many of today’s jobs will not even exist ten or twenty years from now (or even five years from now). So what can you do or what can you tell young people to do that will help them stay successfully employed throughout their working life?
Are these things a guarantee? No. But there aren’t many unemployed people who use these seven things as a career guide.
Job security and job advancement are not the same thing. So next week’s “where” question is: Where does job advancement come from?
If this post was interesting and useful, please forward it to friend.
© Copyright 2014 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company.
The grocery store? A farm? Grandma’s garden? The refrigerator? Nope. According to the 3-year-old preschoolers I was teaching Sunday morning, carrots come from rabbits. And why should they think otherwise since….
So, you are wondering, how am I going to get a business/leadership post out of an introduction about carrots, rabbits and 3-year-old preschoolers? With three “where” questions:
#1—Where does job security not come from?
#2—Where does job security come from?
#3—Where does job advancement come from?
I can’t answer all three in one post, so today I’ll start with #1.
Job security does not come with a college degree—unless you have a degree that is in demand. Get a degree in philosophy, music, history of religion, etc., and you’ll likely end up working at the mall with a pile of college debt you can’t pay off.
Job security does not come from unions. (Union membership has dropped from 21 million to 14.5 million in the last 35 years.)
Job security does not come from the government. We have the largest government programs in our history. How are they working?
Job security does not come from the company you work for today or the skill set you have today. In a fast changing world, your company better be changing and you better be changing.
Job security does not come from doing your best or working hard. If your hard work and doing your best don’t yield the results your organization needs, well…you know what happens.
I am not trying to discourage you with these “does not come from” truths. However, as long as you cling to them for job security, you are like the 3-year-old who believes carrots come from rabbits.
So where does job security come from? That is next week’s post—stay tuned.
If this post was interesting and useful, please forward it to friend.
© Copyright 2014 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company.
My friend, Leon Drennan, grew up on a 160-acre Kentucky farm. Along with tobacco and hogs, they had a small dairy. The cows had to be milked every day, twice a day, 365 days per year, every year. So before school and after school, in rain-sleet-snow, on birthdays and even on Christmas, it was trudge through the mud and manure (have you ever seen a dairy farm?) to the barn to milk the cows.
I asked Leon what happens when you don’t milk the cows. Best case, they dry up and quit producing milk. Worse case, they get mastitis that if not treated can lead to death. That’s why milking is an everyday job.
Sound familiar? Life works the same way. Life is an everyday job and there are some things that have consequences if you skip a day or two—sooner or later you dry up, or worse.
Leadership is an everyday job. Leaders can’t have bad days at the office or store or church or wherever.
Relationships are an everyday job. They dry up easily…or worse.
Your health is an everyday job. Just have a three-Five-Guys-cheeseburger day and see what the scales say the next morning.
Your relationship with God is an everyday job. Do you think “I’m too busy today for you, God” actually works with Him?
Your ____________ (you fill in the blank) is an everyday job.
In every dimension of life, if we start taking days off, we begin to dry up, or worse…. And yes, that means some days we have to trudge through the mud and manure to get to the barn or office or church or dinner table or whatever.
Now, I am not trying to make life all drudgery and all work. There is great joy and satisfaction in a job well done when the cows are milked, when a relationship is fulfilling, when your health is good, and when you feel the smile of God’s favor on your life. But these things don’t just happen—they take some time and effort. So rather than dry up or worse, milk your cows every day; you’ll be glad you did.
If this post was interesting and useful, please forward it to a friend.
© Copyright 2014 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company
One of the most inspiring stories of Greek history is the battle of Thermopylae (480BC) during which 300 Spartans held off an army of 100,000+ Persians for seven days before they were betrayed and all killed. Their leader was King Leonidas—he fought on the front line and perished with them. They were fighting for their country and their sacrifice saved Greece.
A story most every American is familiar with is the battle of the Alamo in which 200± “Texians” held off 2000 or so Mexican soldiers for almost two weeks before being overwhelmed and all killed. They bought time for Sam Houston to raise an army that—about six weeks later—defeated the Mexican army at San Jacinto and won independence for Texas. Jim Bowie and William Travis were the commanders at the Alamo though Hollywood likes to elevate Davy Crockett played by Fess Parker, John Wayne, Billy Bob Thornton, etc., depending on which vintage you watch.
A lesser known story of a small group following a leader into battle against overwhelming odds is found in the 14th chapter of Genesis. Four kings (all with long, hard-to-pronounce names) made war against Sodom and Gomorrah and “carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions” (Genesis 14:12 NIV). Abram (better known as Abraham) “called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit (Genesis 14:14 NIV). You can read the full account for yourself, but the outcome was that the 318 men led by Abram defeated the four armies led by kings and rescued Lot and all his possessions.
Three stories of men who followed their leaders into battle against overwhelming odds: in two everyone was killed, in the third they were victorious. In all three, they had to choose to follow the leader.
The leadership question is: what about Leonidas, Bowie, Travis, Crockett, and Abram inspired their men to follow them to almost certain death? Now, I could give you my version of the answer(s), but why don’t you give me yours by answering the following question: what kind of leader would I follow into battle against overwhelming odds? The battle doesn’t have to be a war. It could be any aspect of life, but the defining issue is “in all likelihood we are going to lose badly, but I am going to follow the leader anyway.” That is the kind of leader I want to be; how about you?
Let me hear from you. I’ll summarize your comments in a later post.
If this post was interesting and useful, please forward it to a friend.
© Copyright 2014 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company
The WSJ article by Lauren Lipton(1/30/14) was titled: Posh Hair Cutters Push the $1000 Envelope. My mind immediately went to how much I save by having my hair cut at Genie’s for $13. Hmmm…that is a saving of $987 per cut. Assuming one visit per month, that is $11,844 per year. If I invest $11,844 in ten year treasury bonds (at 2.75%) for ten years, I’ll have more than $130,000 in the bank. I sure am glad I don’t live in Manhattan.
Of course, not every hair cut or styling on Madison Avenue gets $1000. Some are discounted to $500. The savings over ten years? A hefty $67,177. If you get a New York haircut at the discounter “Wal-cuts” (not a real company) for a mere $100, your ten-year invested savings will be $12,000. If you get a “street-corner” haircut for $50 (cash only), you will have about $5000 in the bank after ten years.
Now I know some of you are thinking, Dick, you need to spend more on haircuts; it will help your image. Maybe so. But the point of this post is that small savings that seem insignificant on a monthly basis can add up to big savings when viewed over a ten year horizon. I recently cut our monthly utility bills by over $100 per month by simple phones calls to Comcast, Verizon, ADT, and TWC. If I save it instead of spending it, I’ll have an extra $,12000+ in the bank in ten years.
There are few things that hurt businesses, families, churches, etc., more than short-term thinking. Instead of asking, What is the impact over five or ten years?, if there isn’t an immediate short-term payback, we ignore changes, savings, investments, and relationships that have a long-term payback. Why is Warren Buffet the best investor on the planet? He’s not a stock trader or company flipper. He buys stocks and companies and holds them—almost forever.
If you expect to be alive ten years from now (I do), there are things you can do now that will have a big payback then. What will 15 minutes per week spent getting to know each of your employees be worth in ten years? How about losing one pound per month instead of a crash diet? If you buy a $2.50 (instead of $5.00) cup of coffee on your way to work, you’ll have an extra $6000 in the bank in ten years. Would a 30-45 minute walk, 5 times a week, stave off diabetes or heart disease for you? Would one hour of training every month for you and your employees make a difference over time?
Today would be a good day to get started. 2024 will be here before you know it.
By the way, I do tip Genie, so the actual cost of my hair cut is $15. So my ten-year savings compared to Julien’s on Madison Ave is only $135,872. Rats.
If this post was interesting and useful, please forward it to a friend.
© Copyright 2014 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company
Wow! The Wednesday, February 6th headlines were “CVS to Kick Cigarette Habit” by October 1st (WSJ). CVS is giving up over $2B of revenue but expects to maintain its profit forecast. One reason they will is because people like me will go out of their way to shop at CVS though a Walgreens is much closer. (Anybody from Walgreens reading this?)
According to the CDC, 18% of the adults (18+) in the U.S. are regular smokers. In spite of the smoking rate reducing about 0.5% per year since 1965 (it was 43% then), smoking is still the leading cause of preventable death (480,000 per year) in America.
There is no way for CVS to say on one hand, our purpose is “Helping people on their path to better health” (from cvscaremark.com), while on the other hand selling a product that kills 480,000 people per year. I love it when organizations make hard choices to maintain the integrity of their mission statements.
Maybe your organization doesn’t sell cigarettes, but are there other things you do that are contrary to your mission statement?
A better question may be “Do you even have a mission statement?”
As I write this, I am challenged to examine my own life in light of my own personal mission statement:
“I have as my ambition—wherever I am and whatever I am doing—to be pleasing to God.”
2 Corinthians 5:9 (my paraphrase)
The “wherever I am and whatever I am doing” part gets me every time. Like CVS, I have some hard choices to make.
Okay, Walgreens, you’re up. And so am I. And so are you.
If this post was interesting and useful, please forward it to a friend.
© Copyright 2014 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company
The Hard Lessons Company
© 2014-2020
All rights reserved.
337 Whitewater Way
Franklin, TN 37064
615-519-3765
