Life Lessons from a Dog

The below was sent from a colleague....it is moving around the internet.  Read and enjoy. 

Life  Lessons from a Dog

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer.

I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure as they felt that Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him.

Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion.

We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why."

Startled, we all turned to him.

What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try and live.

He said, "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?"

The six-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

• When loved ones come home, always run to greet them;
• Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride;
• Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy;
• Take naps;
• Stretch before rising;
• Run, romp, and play daily;
• Thrive on attention and let people touch you;
• Avoid biting when a simple growl will do;
• On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass;
• On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree;
• When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body;
• Delight in the simple joy of a long walk;
• Be loyal;
• Never pretend to be something you're not;
• If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it;
• When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

There comes a time in life when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh, forget the bad, and focus on the good, so, love the people who treat you right. 

The Law of Large Numbers

As Business leaders it has been ingrained in us that Bigger is Better...right!!  Growth is generally desired and good for the CEO, the leaders, the employees, etc.   But is it in fact better?  

The Law of Large Numbers relates to the increased difficulty of continuing to grow and innovate.....the larger the organization becomes.  So why is this?

As blogger, Seth Godin writes in a recent post....it's all about  Entropy, bureaucracy and the fight for great.   See the posting below. 

Entropy, bureaucracy and the fight for great

Here are some laws rarely broken:

As an organization succeeds, it gets bigger.

As it gets bigger, the average amount of passion and initiative of the organization goes down (more people gets you closer to averge, which is another word for mediocre).
More people requires more formal communication, simple instructions to ensure consistent execution. It gets more and more difficult to say, "use your best judgment" and be able to count on the outcome.

Larger still means more bureaucracy, more people who manage and push for comformity, as opposed to do something new.

Success brings with it the fear of blowing it. With more to lose, there's more pressure not to lose it.

Mix all these things together and you discover that going forward, each decision pushes the organization toward do-ability, reliability, risk-proofing and safety.

And, worst of all, like a game of telephone, there will be transcription errors, mistakes in interpreting instructions and general random noise. And most of the time, these mutations don't make things wonderful, they lead to breakage.

Even really good people, really well-intentioned people, then, end up in organizations that plod toward mediocre, interrupted by random errors and dropped balls.

This can be fixed. It can be addressed, but only by a never-ending fight for greatness.
Greatness can't be a policy, and it's hard to delegate to bureaucrats. But yes, greatness is something that people can work for, create an insurgency around and once in a while, actually achieve. It's a commitment, not an event.

It's not easy, which is why it's rare, but it's worth it.

Posted by Seth Godin on March 09, 2014

How Good are you at asking Interview Questions?

Great interviewing?  Is this an area where you or your people can make some improvement?   I hear this often from my clients. 

Here is an insightful and simple approach to great interviews. 

   Click here for the article from Inc. Magazine.   With some practice....sounds like it will solve this challenge very effectively. 

Hope this helps. 

      Steve Brody 

Could you get rid of Managers in your firm?

Zappos says goodbye to bosses!! 

On line shoe seller Zappos has been much in the news in recent years, due to the success of its focus on culture and counter intuitive management practices such as offering newly hired employees thousands of dollars to leave so it can be sure it has hired someone who REALLY wants to work there. 

Zappos has just announced another new management practice as it copes with its growth:  NO MORE BOSSES.  Spend a few minutes with this short article form the Washington Post that explains why  Zappos has said goodbye to bosses

 
Is this something you would ever consider doing?  Sure might be a way to provide freedom and motivation for your trusted employees. 

Hope you enjoy it.        Steve Brody  

 

35 Questions that can change your life!!

Often it's the questions that are more interesting or that can get someone really thinking.....as compared to making pithy insights.  Here's a list from Forbes magazine earlier this year that might get you thinking.  It includes questions like:

*  What are you pretending not to know?

*  What are your values and are you being true to them?

*  If you were not scared what would you do?

*  Why not?  What would happen if .....? 

Here is a link to the article:   Click here

Hope you enjoy it.                                              ( by Jason Nazar, Sept 2013, Forbes.com) 

     Steve Brody 

How Do You Know Your Life is Successful?

If I asked your spouse if you were successful what would the answer be? If you have children, what would they say? How about your colleagues? Your friends? Your body? Your conscience? - See more at: http://blog.vistage.com/communication/how-do-you-know-your-life-is-successful/#sthash.4E2gwfSs.dpuf

How would you answer the above question?  Is it about the symbols of success....the money, the titles, the power or influence you have?  Or something else.    

 

If I asked your spouse if you were successful what would the answer be? If you have children, what would they say? How about your colleagues? Your friends? Your body? Your conscience? 

To the contrary, these men and women said things like:

1.  “How my kids turn out?”

2.  “Did I live a personally rich and fulfilling life?”

3.  “Did I change lives in a positive way?”

4.  “Did I build meaningful and deep relationships?”

5.  “Did I really love my spouse?”

6.  “Did I make a difference?”

- See more at: http://blog.vistage.com/communication/how-do-you-know-your-life-is-successful/#sthash.4E2gwfSs.dpuf

To the contrary, these men and women said things like:

1.  “How my kids turn out?”

2.  “Did I live a personally rich and fulfilling life?”

3.  “Did I change lives in a positive way?”

4.  “Did I build meaningful and deep relationships?”

5.  “Did I really love my spouse?”

6.  “Did I make a difference?”

- See more at: http://blog.vistage.com/communication/how-do-you-know-your-life-is-successful/#sthash.4E2gwfSs.dpuf

To the contrary, these men and women said things like:

1.  “How my kids turn out?”

2.  “Did I live a personally rich and fulfilling life?”

3.  “Did I change lives in a positive way?”

4.  “Did I build meaningful and deep relationships?”

5.  “Did I really love my spouse?”

6.  “Did I make a difference?”

- See more at: http://blog.vistage.com/communication/how-do-you-know-your-life-is-successful/#sthash.4E2gwfSs.dpuf

To the contrary, these men and women said things like:

1.  “How my kids turn out?”

2.  “Did I live a personally rich and fulfilling life?”

3.  “Did I change lives in a positive way?”

4.  “Did I build meaningful and deep relationships?”

5.  “Did I really love my spouse?”

6.  “Did I make a difference?”

- See more at: http://blog.vistage.com/communication/how-do-you-know-your-life-is-successful/#sthash.4E2gwfSs.dpuf

 Maybe some more impactful questions would be:

1.  “How my kids turn out?”

2.  “Did I live a personally rich and fulfilling life?”

3.  “Did I change lives in a positive way?”

4.  “Did I build meaningful and deep relationships?”

5.  “Did I really love my spouse?”

6.  “Did I make a difference?”

- See more at: http://blog.vistage.com/communication/how-do-you-know-your-life-is-successful/#sthash.4E2gwfSs.dpuf

    

To the contrary, these men and women said things like:

1.  “How my kids turn out?”

2.  “Did I live a personally rich and fulfilling life?”

3.  “Did I change lives in a positive way?”

4.  “Did I build meaningful and deep relationships?”

5.  “Did I really love my spouse?”

6.  “Did I make a difference?”

- See more at: http://blog.vistage.com/communication/how-do-you-know-your-life-is-successful/#sthash.4E2gwfSs.dpuf

To the contrary, these men and women said things like:

1.  “How my kids turn out?”

2.  “Did I live a personally rich and fulfilling life?”

3.  “Did I change lives in a positive way?”

4.  “Did I build meaningful and deep relationships?”

5.  “Did I really love my spouse?”

6.  “Did I make a difference?”

- See more at: http://blog.vistage.com/communication/how-do-you-know-your-life-is-successful/#sthash.4E2gwfSs.dpuf

    1.   How did my kids turn out?

2.  “Did I live a personally rich and fulfilling life?”

3.  “Did I change lives in a positive way?”

4.  “Did I build meaningful and deep relationships?”

5.  “Did I really love my spouse?”

6.  “Did I make a difference?”

- See more at: http://blog.vistage.com/communication/how-do-you-know-your-life-is-successful/#sthash.4E2gwfSs.dpuf

2.  “Did I live a personally rich and fulfilling life?”

3.  “Did I change lives in a positive way?”

4.  “Did I build meaningful and deep relationships?”

5.  “Did I really love my spouse?”

6.  “Did I make a difference?”

- See more at: http://blog.vistage.com/communication/how-do-you-know-your-life-is-successful/#sthash.4E2gwfSs.dpuf

2.  “Did I live a personally rich and fulfilling life?”

3.  “Did I change lives in a positive way?”

4.  “Did I build meaningful and deep relationships?”

5.  “Did I really love my spouse?”

6.  “Did I make a difference?”

- See more at: http://blog.vistage.com/communication/how-do-you-know-your-life-is-successful/#sthash.4E2gwfSs.dpuf

    2.  Did I live a personally rich & fulfilling life?

   3.  Did I change lives in a positive way?

   4.  Did I build meaningful and deep relationships?

   5.  Did I make a difference?   

 

i.e.  did you move from success to significance?  

 

Read more at:   the Vistage blog

 

 

 

    Steve Brody 

Extreme Leadership Principles of a Navy Seal

What can business leaders learn from some key principles of the Navy Seals?  Apparently, quite a bit.  The article below describes several important elements.  

Key items include:

   - Success is all about commitment and attitude

  - Most limitations are the ones we place upon ourselves

  - To succeed....you must fully commit and believe in yourself

  - Motivation comes from within  (not from someone else) 

  - 3 Key words and mantra is:   Make it Happen!!

The full article is shown below....read on to see how it could apply to your firm.   

Have you ever felt like making a comparison between entrepreneurship and extreme competitive sports? If so, you’re not the first. My team member Adam Torkildson drew my attention this week to someone he met through his interest in extreme fitness–Mark De Lisle, a former Navy SEAL and current fitness instructor at National Institute of Health and Fitness.

It seems fitting that Navy SEAL training would be ideal preparation for business ownership. Everything begins with commitment and  attitude for the Navy SEAL Teams. The idea of failure is not an option.  In order to fathom this concept they are trained to eliminate the words – “I can’t.” They know their capacity to perform at high levels drops substantially the minute they let doubt enter their minds.

If you have the desire to be a corporate warrior, De Lisle claims, you need to let go of any normal parameters that can restrain an average corporate executive’s way of thinking. His favorite phrase is this: “The only limitations we face in life are the ones we place on ourselves.”

How are Navy SEALS like successful entrepreneurs? It turns out there are plenty of ways. For example, to be successful, you must fully commit and must fully believe in yourself. Ask yourself “What is the objective?” Then visualize it, believe it and achieve it. No excuses allowed.

Motivation comes from within, Mark maintains, and unless you internalize your motivation, you are done.  He and other Navy SEALs refer to this internalization as “gut check.”  Do not let anyone tell you that you cannot achieve something, he says.  The time for gut check is now. How could Navy SEAL-style thinking and training prepare you for your own business success? Here are a few additional thoughts:

Perceived Personal Limitations

The human body has a survival mechanism and it does not like to leave its comfort zone or be surprised.  In order to guard against extremes of discomfort, fear and surprise, the body may place doubt as a roadblock to success.

 

The body will do whatever it takes to keep you in its normal rut. Doubt will come in many forms, ranging from mental games, to limiting physical capacity to prohibiting emotional motivation. Mark has observed that an otherwise perfect specimen of a SEAL candidate will sometimes quit just 30 minutes or even 10 minutes short of an activity’s termination point (or time limit) because the candidate has lost focus on the goal.

The candidate fell short because of an unwillingness to sacrifice the energy and an inability to find the will to go on. He or she was not sure how much more their body or mind could take.  They get ten minutes from greatness and from achieving a goal that would stand for the rest of their lives, and they stop.

 

So if you’re preparing to succeed in business, you must eliminate perceived personal limitations on the spot. Any doubt must be removed from your mind in an instant. Do not let the words “I can’t” enter your vocabulary again.

Make It Happen

Now that you are willing to break down the walls and start from scratch, let’s look at the making of a corporate warrior. From the start of SEAL training to the end, these candidates were empowered to achieve those things that others say are impossible.

Many briefings are closed with the phrase: “Make it Happen.” Instead of saying, ‘I want you to figure out how to do this’ or ‘Do you feel you are ready?’  the SEALs were told, “Make it happen.”

The commanding officer, the boss, does not care how participants accomplish the goal or if they are ready.  His confidence in them does not allow him to doubt that a task would be done. It is as simple as “Make it happen.”

To empower yourself, or even better, to empower your team, verbalize those three words every day.  It shows that you have no doubt you or your team can get their accomplishment done.  It shows you have the confidence that you and the team will get all the way to your goal. Force your team members to get out of their comfort zones, to be creative, and find new ways to accomplish their tasks.

    Forbes   Aug 2013