I have a theory that, if you are stripped of everything: your home, your family, your job… your entire legacy… only then will you really know how you are regarded by others (to paraphrase the Beatles, Will you still love me…). This vision of how I, and Shamrock are perceived, is very important to me. …
I’m not egotistical enough to think that we do everything right at Shamrock. We always do our best, but chances are we’re not going to be able to please every person, every time. I’ll bet pleasing everyone 100 percent of the time is a track record no one can brag about. Even McDonald’s, a company…
No one needs me to tell them that it’s tough getting a job today. We have the media to give us that bad bit of news. But there are jobs to be had. And smart people with certain traits and skills can get jobs. Sure, sometimes opportunity knocks, but in times like these, we all…
I always wanted to be successful. I guess everyone does. Nobody gets up at 7:30am and says, “I want to be a failure.” But being a success was something I felt compelled to do. I actually read the book How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. (More for amusement than instruction, of course.)…
During his three terms as New York’s mayor, Ed Koch was known for asking just about everyone, “How am I doing?” Koch tackled a problem head-on, asking that dreaded question, and expecting an honest answer. He was known to immediately address an issue before it became a major problem. Koch was one of the most…
As I’m writing this, at long last, a deal on raising the US debt ceiling and cutting spending has been reached. Had we reached the cutoff point for averting a national crisis, I’m sure a Benevolent Dictator would have stepped in and said, “the buck stops here, and this is what we must do, now.”…
A person’s management style is driven by time, learning from others and what just feels right. When I became CEO at Shamrock I had already learned what I thought was my best management style. Then, it was based on books I’d read, people I’d learned from, and people I had talked with. Now, I’m not…
There’s an old Mexican proverb that says, “One must learn how to lose before learning how to play.” If I hadn’t met Neil Bennett, the founder of Shamrock Companies, this proverb might have been nothing more to me than meaningless words. Neil taught me that losing was the first step in learning how to win…
Zig Ziglar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zig_Ziglar) is one of the best salesmen our world has ever known. He’s quoted often, but one of his quotes sticks with me as I go about each business day. Ziglar often said, “Rules are important, but example is the great stimulus.” I learned that observing by example is among the greatest teachers…
There have been days when I’ve wanted to chuck everything, call in sick, and play a slow round of 18 holes with just a flock of fairway birds cheering me on. And I’ll admit, sometimes I’ve given in to this wishful thinking, and it helped me recharge my workday batteries. But, if I did this…