The Mentor Leader; Tony Dungy

“Your only job is to help your players be better.” That single idea had a huge impact on Tony Dungy when he heard it from one of his earliest mentors, and it led him to develop the successful leadership style so admired by players and coaches throughout the NFL. Now, a storied career and a Super Bowl victory later, Tony Dungy is sharing his unique leadership philosophy with you. In The Mentor Leader, Tony reveals what propelled him to the top of his profession and shows how you can apply the same approach to virtually any area of your life. In the process, you’ll learn the seven keys of mentoring leadership—and why they’re so effective; why mentor leadership brings out the best in people; how a mentor leader recovers from mistakes and handles team discipline; and the secret to getting people to follow you and do their best for you without intimidation tactics. As a son, a football player, and a winning coach, Tony has always learned from others on his path to success. Now you can learn to succeed for your team, family, or organization while living out your values—by becoming a mentor leader.

Competitive Leadership: Twelve Principles for Successby Brian BillickBrian Billick

Brian Billick, who guided the Baltimore Ravens to victory in Super Bowl XXXV in only his second year as head coach, quickly earned a reputation as one of the best leaders and motivators in the ranks of the NFL. Creating what many football observers consider the all-time best defense, he led his team to football’s Holy Grail against long odds and a tough series of adversaries. Calling upon the skills that helped lead a professional football team, Billick has created an invaluable resource for business executives who want to focus and energize their employees, team members who want to be more effective contributors to their organizations, and anyone who wants to improve their leadership skills.

Faith In The Game; Tom Osborne

4.0 4

by Tom OsborneTom OsborneAs head coach of the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers for twenty-five years, Tom Osborne had one of the most impressive records in college football. Before retiring in 1997, he took his team to a bowl game every year, won three national championships in the last four years he coached, and ended his career boasting an almost unheard of 84 percent winning record. But while these numbers testify to an undeniable accomplishment, it has been another, more powerful force that has shaped Tom’s life: his faith.

In Faith in the Game, this legendary coach shares the philosophy he used to create not only a champion football team but also a meaningful life. Both a memoir of Osborne’s career with the Cornhuskers and an inspirational guide to making the most out of life by cultivating core values like honesty, courage, and loyalty, Faith in the Game presents the traits Osborne helped to instill in his team–traits that helped the Cornhuskers achieve their spectacular level of success. Osborne focuses on the aspects of character that he has emphasized in his work on and off the field, illustrated with compelling behind-the-scenes stories of the Nebraska football team. Conveyed with his own captivating integrity, Osborne’s message reveals the value of hard work, the importance of finding a balance between our professional and personal obligations, and, above all, the importance of bringing faith into our lives to help us through times of crisis.

Tom Osborne is beloved not only for his outstanding record but also for the commitment and dedication he has always shown to his players and coaching staff as a mentor, coach, and friend. His ability to motivate a team has come not with last-minute pep talks but through a focus on consistency and strength of character. “Winning,” as he writes in Faith in the Game, “is a by-product of sound preparation.”

For those seeking a spiritually centered approach to living and working, this candid account of Tom Osborne’s faith and strength is a warm and authentic book from which all of us can learn.

Branding is one of the most important aspects of any business, large or small, retail or B2B. An effective brand gives you an edge in competitive markets. But what does “branding” mean? How does it affect a small business?

Simply put, your brand is your promise to your customer. It tells them what they can expect from your products and services, and it differentiates you from your competitors. Your brand is derived from who you are, who you want to be and who people perceive you to be.

Edited from an article written by John Williams for Entrepreneur Magazine

Are you the innovative maverick in your industry? Or the experienced, reliable one? Is your product the high-cost, high-quality option, or the low-cost, high-value option? You can’t be both, and you can’t be all things to all people. Who you are should be based to some extent on who your target customers want and need you to be.

Brand Strategy & Equity

Your brand strategy is how, what, where, when and to whom you plan on communicating and delivering on your brand messages. Where you advertise is part of your brand strategy. Your distribution channels are also part of your brand strategy. And what you communicate visually and verbally are part of your brand strategy, too.

Consistent, strategic branding leads to a strong brand equity, which means the added value brought to your company’s products or services that allows you to charge more for your brand than what identical, unbranded products command. The most obvious example of this is Coke vs. a generic soda. Because Coca-Cola has built a powerful brand equity, it can charge more for its product–and customers will pay that higher price.

The added value intrinsic to brand equity frequently comes in the form of perceived quality or emotional attachment. For example, Nike associates its products with star athletes, hoping customers will transfer their emotional attachment from the athlete to the product. For Nike, it’s not just the shoe’s features that sell the shoe.

Defining Your Brand

Defining your brand is like a journey of business self-discovery. It can be difficult, time-consuming and uncomfortable. It requires, at the very least, that you answer the questions below:

 What is your company’s mission?

 What are the benefits and features of your products or services?

 What do your customers and prospects already think of your company?  What qualities do you want them to associate with your company?

Do your research. Learn the needs, habits and desires of your current and prospective customers. And don’t rely on what you think they think. Know what they think.

Once you’ve defined your brand, how do you get the word out? Here are a few simple, time-tested ideas:

 Get a great logo. Place it everywhere.

 Write down your brand messaging. What are the key messages you want to communicate about your brand? Every employee should be aware of your brand attributes.

 Integrate your brand. Branding extends to every aspect of your business–how you answer your phones, what you or your salespeople wear on sales calls, your e-mail signature, everything.  Create a “voice” for your company that reflects your brand. This voice should be applied to all written communication and incorporated in the visual imagery of all materials, online and off. Is your brand friendly? Be conversational. Is it ritzy? Be more formal.

 Develop a tagline. Write a memorable, meaningful and concise statement that captures the essence of your brand.

 Design templates and create brand standards for your marketing materials. Use the same color scheme, logo placement, look and feel throughout. You don’t need to be fancy, just consistent.  Be true to your brand. Customers won’t return to you–or refer you to someone else–if you don’t deliver on your brand promise.

 Be consistent. I placed this point last only because it involves all of the above and is the most important tip I can give you. If you can’t do this, your attempts at establishing a brand will fail.

As a successful business manager, entrepreneur or just someone working the 60 hour work week to get ahead; we often fail to celebrate our successes, struggle with how to evaluate our failures, and spend a lot of time pondering over what could be. Most successful people are where they are because we have the drive and natural instincts other may not have developed. But is success the American Dream or are we now caught in our own success?

Over the years I’ve had the pleasure of working with many many individuals. Some were happy with “existing”; while others were constantly on a quest towards their future. All of whom have been looking for the answers to how to build their happiness and their interpretation of success. They all wanted financial freedom, they want family in their lives, they want people to admire their accomplishments and often get caught with trying to find the path to the next level up. These people may not realize it, but they are lucky. They have the dream and vision that they can work towards. And, they’ll know when they reach those dreams. But what about those of us who have reached their pinnacle in their field or company; what about them? How do we feed the hunger and desires?

In the song by country artist Brooke Eden, she presents lyrics that highlights the dilemma many business leaders find themselves facing on a daily basis: “I’ve always been the girl with stars in her eyes/Now they’re sayin’ there’s a hole in my apple pie sky/But I just keep looking up/They say we’re slippin’ down that slippery slope/Hard to hold on to faith when you’re losing hope/But I ain’t giving in to giving up.”  Memorable lines include a moment in the chorus where Eden points out “But it’s the same blood, we’re all bleeding/We all are still looking for something to believe in/Ya’ll it’s called American Dreamin”. If you haven’t heard the song, give it a list on iTunes.

How do you stay motivated when you’re the type of person who needs to strive for the un-reachable? What if your company has run out of motivating goals? What do you do if you ask for the strength, courage, and wisdom to what’s needed and right; yet you’ve built your team and your career and you’re not quite ready to retire. What if you find yourself still caught in the middle between the top executive and the worker bee? You’re expected to wine and dine at a high level and keep a visual that represents your position. But you may also have to take of the suit coat and dig in the dirt of everyday tasks.

If you’re like me, you may be a very unique breed of dreamer. We need a challenge every day. Success is measured by those around us and the company we work for. We assume our personal success will be taken care of if we find success for those around us.

Many people towards the top find themselves with a target on their back. Those below or around you watch your every move. They often believe they could do better. They want what you have. They believe the answers to their American Dream lies with your seat at your desk.

Security and comfort in your success can often come from a couple inventories. You have been successful for at least one reason that makes you unique and stand out from the crowd. Maybe you just got lucky, but I’d bet you built your success thru skill and hard work. Take inventory of your accomplishments (not skills) – write them down. You should easily be able to list more than 10. But try to keep the list to the top 10 only. You’ll find that by seeing your success on paper, you’ll gain a sense of value and reassurance. This is important to the “dreamer” as often those around us don’t understand the importance we value in our accomplishments.

Next it’s very important to write down your bucket list; again only 10 items. What do you want to do? Then go do it!! I’m not talking about business goals. Goals can be influenced by outside factors. Your bucket list should be item that you control. They should be items you dream about and yet are realistic.

There are many great books and self-help motivational books out there. We’ve all read many of them. I recently read a book The Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle by Jim Rohn. To summarize, he mentions 5 key areas to achieve happiness.

• Philosophy
• Develop a better attitude
• Activity
• Results
• Lifestyle

Take value in your ability to ask others, “What can I do for you today?” You’ll find that by offering your help, you’ll be more at peace with where you’re at professionally. And yes, you’ll have time during your day to actually help someone. Most of the time the people you ask will not offer up where they need help. But they will feel better and maybe even smile. You’ll feel better and maybe you’ll even smile.

If this doesn’t help you find the peace in yourself and you still have that burning in your belly; then start the “look” – not necessarily the new career look. Look at how you’re measuring your success. You may find that you are better off and actually “happier” then you thought you were. You have your top 10 accomplishments and your top 10 bucket list already written down. It’s time to revitalize your American Dream that put you where you are today. Maybe it’s not the corner office or the 6 figure income that’s driving you. If it is, go get it somewhere other then where you’re currently working; you most likely will not get the satisfaction you’re looking for by banging your head on your office wall. However, the grass isn’t always greener. If a new chair is your dream, then move. Most people will have better luck sticking with their current success tract and grow from there.

Let me explain…

There is something to be said about stability. The multi-dimensional world we live in is constantly changing. We are bombarded with world news, stock markets, prices up and down, new law suites, government regulations, and the list goes on. Humans need to have some form of stability for our sanity. This can come from our family, our environment, and even our challenging/changing jobs. The sense of belonging can actually provide the peaceful dream from becoming a night-mare. It comes back to how you measure success. So, consider hanging in there and develop your other segments of your life so you can keep your wheel of life in balance. Look towards your volunteer activities, your physical activity, and how many hours a week do you spend with family, etc.

After my kids moved out, I thought it was a great time to rededicate myself to my work career. But at what cost? After, recently getting my first grand-daughter and doing the male health screening; I quickly realized I need to be around and my world wasn’t balanced.

Take a look at your work world, your family, your volunteering, and your social activity. To keep the wheel in balance, you must equalize all the elements. It’s tough; I know. Recently I looked at my week and it leaned heavily to the work side. It was like a wheel on your car that is out of balance. It wobbles to the point where you can’t control the vehicle any longer. Like so many other people; I would put in my work day and then go home and do more work. This isn’t sustainable. I’m not perfect and find myself continually working to balance the wheel. It’s like an addiction that you’re trying to kick, but you can’t go cold turkey on work. You still need to pay the bills and buy the “things”. In fact, I’m working on this article in my hotel room after putting in a 10 hours day.

You control your life. Make the personal commitment for revitalizing your dream and break the hold of being caught in your success.

A mentor of mine once told me, “You can’t judge a person until you know what made them the way they are.”

• Why do some managers succeed while others always seem to have employee issues?
• Why do some business make money; while others get caught in the mire of mistakes?
• Why do let others control your day and affect what you do?

Let me propose a concept – 3D. I’m not talking about the latest movie where the images pop out of the screen and tickle your adrenaline buttons. But, I’m looking more at the depth and conscious/sub-conscious decisions that need to be made daily.

Over many years, I’ve had the pleasure and displeasure of working with hundreds of people. Most all of them were good people; yet not all of them had what it takes to achieve personal and business success. Again, good or great people. I’ve long wondered “why”? If you sit down them most of them, they have good ideas and most of them (in their own minds) believed they could hand most situations. Or at least, they had good answers in hind-site. I’ve also seen decisions being made because the manager had more information then other – often information they wouldn’t share until needed for a sense of knowledge is power.

I’ve also been around people who have a 3D perspective on life. They see things differently. They see depth in their actions and decision. They seem to be able to make and communicate at a level where other believe in them and trust them. Let’s call this 3D.

To help me put a finger on what it is they have that makes them unique, I’ve come up with 3 key actions they all have in common. Direction – Drive – Determination (personally and obvious in their business)

Direction: when you wake up each day, do you know what you’re going to do. Or, do you show up at work and let the phone or email set your direction for the day. The strongest leaders put together their direction before going home the day before. They know what they want to accomplish, and they know what the business needs to get done. They don’t let others dictate what they do.

Drive: It’s hard. I know it is. The daily grind, the feeling of others not stepping up, the lack of recognition, etc, etc. It’s hard to stay motivated unless there’s an intrinsic motivation that pushes you. One definition of drive is the arousal which occurs when a need or an intense desire is felt that is strong enough to motivate a person to seek its satisfaction. Find your motivation. Do this very simple exercise. Step 1: Ask yourself what is most important to you. Step 2: ask yourself why that’s important. Step 3: Ask yourself one last time, why that’s important. If you’ve answered honestly; you’ve found your intrinsic motivation. Do this for your personal life and your business. It will help with clarity of your drive.

Don’t let drive and motivation get intermixed. Motivation can be Internal vs. external and positive vs. negative. Each provides motivation, but will produce very different experiences and outcomes.

• Internal-positive: Challenge, desire, passion, satisfaction, self-validation
• External-positive: Recognition and appreciation from boss and co-workers, financial rewards, stable life
• Internal-negative: Threat, fear of failure, inadequacy, insecurity
• External-negative: Fear of loss of job, insufficient respect from boss and co-workers, financial pressure, pressure from significant others, unstable life

Drive is personal and private. It’s why you do the things you do. It’s how you justify your actions.

Determination: Don’t let others tell you it can’t be done. They will – trust me – they will. Typically, it’s the ones who don’t have the drive, direction or determination in their lives who will try to keep you at their level. Don’t let them. Find someone to help you stay focused. Find a mentor who can be honest with you and will pick you up when you need it and will pull you down when you need grounded.

Kids are the best at relationships and content. They can get most adults and other kids to immediately interact with them; and they cut thru clutter to the key motivations that interest them.

I’m by no means as smart as many of the big brains who have had great success. I haven’t worked for a Fortune 500 company; nor have I had the pleasure of functioning with a bottomless budget and a staff of specialized talents. Yet I’ve been successful in many ways.

I have worked in the fast food arena, high-tech/educational selling (content marketing), emotional/impact messaging, helped many business with “sound” marketing, and been a part of many brand development processes. I have seen companies do extremely well (some not knowing why they did well) and I’ve seen companies file bankruptcy for various reasons even thought they had a strong roadmap they thought would be successful.

I’ve seen business lost due to inadequately contacting potential customer or when they did contact customer; they quickly would turn them off. I’ve seen customer service getting weaker and less personal. And often (in this modern non-personal world) it feels like you cannot get anyone to take your money. I swear on some days I could stand on the corner with a $100 bill and nobody would take it.

Building a Relationship require commonality

To build a relationship with a client or potential client you absolutely must have a common something. It can be a common challenge, product, passion, …… It cannot be that I have a product that I think you need for my benefit, commission, or to hit my goals. An empty promise is quick death to a relationship.

Building relationships is a company (not individual) focus or attitude. It must come from the top down or from Marketing out. A business can not thrive with just one individual trying to build relationships if the company is focusing on short term now type of activities and measuring performance on now type of goals. For example; what if the CFO were in charge of your marketing and sales departments. I don’t need to go into details with this example. Many articles report that the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) is perhaps one of the “C” level positions in a company with one the highest levels of turn over. (Short term versus long term goals and vision)

Content Marketing…knowledge is priceless

Let’s talk content for a little bit. There have been many books and teachings on the art of content. They talk about the key words that sell to use, targeting personalities and demographics, white papers as a third party proof, even restructured content based on demographics/interests/key words. There’s even an art of using key words imbedded in your web to help with search engines.

I will challenge some of the practices I’ve seen people using. Yes, they will help create the short-term sales activity. And, yes they will most likely work in much of the new world retail savvy on-line make it happen now businesses we work in. But they do nothing to distinguish you and your company from the guy down the street. I add that this may likely be part of the challenge with the concept of shopping local versus large Internet shops such as Amazon, Jet, Wayfair, etc.

Modern Technology may be killing the business relationship

Over the years, product support and information availability have gotten better. This is good when in a self-service mode for some existing customers. (Self-service is a business that is focused on “self” over their customers.) Due to the Internet many businesses now just push people to the marketing/product support content of their web, social media, or talk strictly thru emails; and forget about the relationships of a business.

Over the past few years, I’ve been to several seminars that push “content”. They talk about content on the Internet, emails, social media and other modern electronic formats. They believe targeted content helps create a relationship. I’ve even seen sites that list over 600 social media outlets to share their stories.

Like I said early, my brain perhaps isn’t as large as some; but I believe I’ve gotten my hands dirty enough to possibly help. And, I believe there are some lessons in manners and style we can all learn.

Relationship Selling…An art, a culture, a challenge.

What ever happened to the normal practice of calling people back within an hour, returning emails the same day, and the courtesy of communicating with people in the same manner they communicate with you. (Example, if they call, you call; if they email, you email, etc.)

Through the years I’ve noticed that certain people like to be talked to in certain ways. Accountant/Engineer types like the email for record keeping; you can actually complete the entire relationship without ever talking to these types. Your “rain makers” want to use voice and text messaging; so they can dictate the relationship on their time schedule. Many of those who are working hard but not finding the success they believe they should have want to talk and talk; they’re searching for the secret and 3rd party stories they can use to help them out in future conversations.

I’m sure you’ve noticed all the CRM programs that are promising to help us build our relationships with customers. They help us track birthdays, send customized letters/emails, remind us to make a contact, and are designed to turn the personal into automated. Actually, this can be helpful, but all too often they can destroy the true relationship.

Imagine sending your wife/husband an automated yet personalized form letter/email on their birthday. Not me! That would cost me more than the original date night. Imagine if there were a typo or the computer got the date wrong. You wouldn’t do that, yet it happens in the business world every day when we send the wrong message at the wrong time – man versus machine. Now imagine you send a short hand-written note. Hopefully, you can see the difference and have someone send you the form letter and/or the note. Who would you consider having a relationship with?

These very large companies have the machine to capture your internet searches and customize their product offering to target you. I’m always suspicion of Google showing ads of products I’ve searched for previously on other web sites.

Yes, they are creating a relationship, but it’s not a lasting relationship. It’s only about convenience and price. They’ll never know about your daughter’s marriage, your parent passing, or your recent visit to the doctor’s office – unless they mine your on-line usage and target you with a Viagra ad. This can be creepy. There’s no better feeling then the local convenience store welcoming you with your name and a hearty good morning.

Take a look at the Presidential Campaign going on in front of us. The level of personal interaction is low; yet the gross total activity is very high. You see Twitter being used, many internet tactics, and an array of social media activities. The candidates are simply not creating a relationship with the voters. In my option the lack of a relationship is causing the high level of distrust in our federal government that is perhaps at the highest level ever.

How they work as a successful team…

Here’s an example of a company building a relationship with their customer. Recently, a company created a program to give back to their customer’s interests. They created a program where they would randomly select one of the customers and give a financial contribution to the organization of their choice. (The amount of the contribution is not important.) They asked what organization their customer supported and made the donation. The donation was then shared on their social media sites and the sites of their customer. That one donation energized their customer, their customer base, and the people in the community who received the donation. This helps creates a relationship!

Now imagine that same company following up with a phone call and a face-to-face visit to solidify the relationship. And, while there, they share some of the new content as it relates to the customer – Bingo! The company in this example failed to solidify the relationship. They did the posting and sharing, but failed to make it personal after the social activity.

Its product, personal, and personality.

I was told years ago what it takes to create a brand. I believe this to be true today and pertinent to this story – a Product, a personal Promise and a Personality. Too many sales people have been thru “professional” training believing that’s the way to achieve the company goals and make some money for themselves. They often work from a model script or flow chart of questions and answers. For example, I’ve had sales people call and they hit you with the question “would you like to save money, or be more efficient, or be able to produce your product much fast?” When I reply no. They come back, “so you don’t want to make more money?” This is an insult and a sales person who is not looking to create a relationship; but only sell you a product today. I wish the training experts would learn…It doesn’t take 3 “no” answers to really mean no. It does means you haven’t earned the right to ask for my business.

Relationship selling is based on authenticity, genuine concern, and honesty. It’s not a sales technique that can be simulated without possessing those basic qualities. Having these qualities builds customer loyalty. And a loyal customer comes to you instead of you having to go out and find them.

Keep in mind that relationship selling isn’t appropriate for all services or products. Relationship Selling is not a sales tactique. It’s an intrinsic believe in which the seller works on building relationships with people instead of using traditional sales tactics. It’s about selling the sizzle and not the steak. When enough people in your marketplace know, like, and trust you, sales are the natural result. Relationship selling is based on authenticity, genuine concern, and honesty.

Building relationships is something we humans do naturally. We talk on the phone, have coffee or lunch, and work or play together. We feel the pain and joy of our friends and family. When you need to make a purchase, you call someone you know or go to a trusted store that might sell the product you want. If you don’t know anyone who offers that product or service, you ask the people you do know. That’s how most business actually happens. Not only is this a more effective, but repeat customers are essential to the longevity of a firm in today’s competing markets.

You must be patient. Relationships take time to grow, and can’t be rushed. You will make sales by building relationships, but you won’t get it tomorrow. You need to have a plan. Building the right relationships won’t happen by accident.

So how do you tie them together?

This can be a challenge for many companies and people. Often they read and try to react; but the concept isn’t intrinsic to individuals and/or a company’s nature and it’s not something you can turn on and off as you desire. Here are some keys to success:

1. You absolutely MUST have goals. These goals are loosely tied to resulting sales. If you micro your goals to tightly you pull the relationship out of the activity. However, you need to have the goals for a sense of purpose and value to the process.

• A budget is important. Typical marketing budgets can run from very small 2-3% to as high as 15-20% of gross revenue. It’s easy to jump in and start throwing money and believe you’re creating relationships. It’s not about money. Money is a very small part in this process. Target your activity. Target your message. Make it personal.

• Content must follow the relationship approach. In all your written and on-line materials, you need to create as if you’re talking to your best friend. Don’t worry about what the English Major says to do and the formal written format. Some even believe it’s okay to make a mistake once in a while. It shows you’re human (be careful with this). Try to make all your photos include people. If you take a couple of minutes you can surf the web and you’ll see a lot of big companies show product and focus on how great they are. You’ll be luck to find the people behind the company; unless you go a specific hidden page in their web.

• Finally, you need to have your Sales Team and your Marketing Team under one guidance. Nothing confuses your message than a disjointed sales and marketing message. If your sales force is pushing product, your marketing is doing the “warm and fuzzy”, your various locations are doing who knows what, and other support departments (including invoices) are sterile – image what your customer is seeing.

Hopefully some of these thoughts help. Again, every business is different. Value your people. Value your customers. Believe in your product. And, get in front of people and out of your office.

Source: Boundless. “Relationship Selling.” Boundless Marketing. Boundless, 26 May 2016.

“Why not go out on a limb? Isn’t that where the fruit is? Frank Scully, American journalist

I recently finished an easy-read book called “Escaping the” by John Rizvi.

The book walks you thru his personal journey towards his ultimate dream. Like many people I know, John was an overachiever in his career, yet he wanted more. He had the skills, but just couldn’t take the plunge he always wanted.

In the book is a quote by Theodore Roosevelt that stuck in my mind. “Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure… than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”

I’m sure you all remember The Wizard of OZ. The characters all had perceived deficiencies in their character (heart, brain, courage) and what they wanted or thought they should be. The lion wanted one thing – courage. How did he get it? He always had it!

Many business and business leaders face challenging decisions every day. When do get “in” or get “out”. When do you buy or sell. Should I hire or fire; or develop the employees I already have. Or, do you have the tough conversations for your business or let things ride out a while longer.

There comes a time for every business where the sweet turns sour. Perhaps it’s when you’ve grown beyond your current ability. Maybe your business is starving for work or revenue. Maybe your original purpose is no longer the focus you had dreamt of when you started. Or, your employees and/or customers aren’t “getting it”. And the fear comes from the chance your ideas were just wrong.

Both John Rizvi and the Lion needed someone to help them with the courage they were lacking. They needed a support person as a sounding board. In business this can be a challenge depending on the situation. For example, if you’re thinking of leaving a company; obviously it’s risky to talk to people in your office. If you’re thinking of making personnel or structure changes you’ll need to deal with biased input – or the dreaded NO.

A prime example of courage can be learned from the TV show, Shark Tank. Each week entrepreneurs present their business/dream to the possible investors (sharks). Some receive funding and guidance; while others are rejected, even crushed, as a result of the 5-10 minute presentation. That takes courage.

Each person receives unbiased feedback; often unlike the feedback from friends and coworkers that they have been receiving for quite some time. A good lesson here is, it takes courage to open up and share. We’re all afraid of getting hurt and being told “no”. Yet sometimes the answer will be “yes”. Find your support structure, listen and trust.

Good Luck!

Over the years I’ve noticed various company exhibit a subtle indicator of their intrinsic motivations and a perception of how they view their business is made successful.

Obviously different businesses are driven by various elements/functions within their business. Some are sales focused, some are marketing driven, some are production minded; while others are entrepreneurs with an open mind.

I’ll propose this as an indicator to a companies focus – look at the layout of the offices and the proximity of the job functions to top management.

Most executives and business leaders are busy. We all know that. It’s simple human nature to want to keep the people important to you close to you. You want to have access when and where you need it. It’s rare to see and executive walking across the building more than 1-2 times per day.

The owner or CEO typically represents why the business exists. they set the tone and focus as well as motivations and what they want their customers to see regarding the business. The top level managers directly under the CEO/owners typically represent the how things get implemented.

From the Simon Sinek book “Start with Why”. “The “why” types are the visionaries, the ones with the overactive imaginations. They tend to be optimists who believe that all things they image can actually be accomplished. “How” types live more in the here and now. they are the realists and have clearer sense of all things practical. “Why” types are focused on things most people can’t see, like the future. “How” types are focused on things most people can see and tend to be better at building structures and processes and getting things done.” They both need each other to be successful.

Let’s take a look as the roles of business owners and top executives:

• Architect – Big Picture, Vision, Business Model, Strategy
• Engineer – Processes, systems, infrastructure
• Coach – Training, Teaching, Motivating your team
• Student – Learning & educating self, developing new skills
• Carpenter – Actual hands-on work & visual appearance of your business
• Promoter – Sales, Marketing, Social Media, Networking, etc.
• Groundskeeper – Dirty work, maintenance, organizing

Since top managers/owners have to fill key roles they obviously will need some help. Many business separate the help into 5 functions:

1.  Finance and Accounting

It’s not just about reports. It’s about regulations, tax compliance, and information. Here’s a tip: businesses don’t fail for lack of profit; they fail for lack of cash. If you don’t a numbers guy, then you need to hire one.

2.  Operations

Whatever your product or service someone has to run the day-to-day operations. Planning.

Making. Stocking. Shipping. Delivering. Inspecting. Improving. Supply chain. Transportation. A lot goes into running a business.

3.  IT

Even if you’re not a technology company there’s a ton of technology you have to be on top of. Networks. Systems. Hardware. Software. Websites. Social Media. Smart Devices…….

4.  Business Development

Products and services don’t sell themselves. The market doesn’t just wake up one day and go to your site. Someone needs to wake up every day thinking about how to let people know what you’ve got, why it’s better than whatever your competition is offering, how to convince them to buy from you and how to keep them buying. Call it sales or marketing or business development or whatever. Just do it!

5.  Human Resources

The legal environment when it comes to employing people is thornier than ever. It’s toxic with government over-regulation, lawsuits, and more. In some countries you can even wind up in jail for violating some obscure “human resource” regulation. Get someone who can keep up with the laws and the trends and who is forceful enough to keep you out of trouble.

As a side note, please do not put these roles under each other or under a central lower level manager. They need to be equal in stature and have an equal voice so they can be heard.

Now that the ground work is done; Here we go with the point of this story…

Take a look at the physical location of the top manager’s office with in the 4 walls of the business. Is the office in the front near the retail area or where the customers might interact with the company. Or is the office in the back away from the point of contact/sales? This in itself gives an indication of the focus of the owner and top Management.

Now look at the office arrangement and who is physically closest to the owner and executives.

Now I know there are exceptions. For example, a business who has seen rapid growth; may not have been able to control the layout of the the job functions/departments within their footprint. But for the most part, the business owner and executives do have control over their organization.

Successful businesses know they need those leaders who compliment their weaknesses. A visionary leader might surround himself with the leads who can get things done based on his vision. A do it type of leader might, on the other hand, surround himself with a couple of visionaries to help him/her look beyond the now and present day activities.

For example, sales guys are what I’d call a now focus. They tighten down on the making things happen now based on the product or service they have. The marketing guys tend to be more visionary looking out 6-12 months; and what can be. That why Sales and Marketing typically are under one roof – they compliment each other.

Understanding the Difference, Commonality, and Unified Direction.

After reading a short article the other week that briefly discussed company culture; I was intrigued by the simplicity of their message. Almost to the point of not being implementable in the “real” word. The points made were all rainbows, unicorns, and lollipops. It went near the level of “Don’t worry, be happy and everything’s gone be alright.”

Well anyone whose been around and is a little grey of hair; knows it’s not that simple. People have different intrinsic motivations, ideals, and management styles. Employees now cover a solid 3 generations (or more). Managers must focus on the company’s purpose, get the employees to give everything they can and even get managers (often at the same level on the org chart) to unify. Very Very Challenging.

Let’s start by taking a quick look a the 3 main generations currently in the workforce. You’ve got Millennials (age 22-35), Generation X (age 36-51) and Baby Boomers (age 52-70).

Definition of Millennials, Generation X, Boomers

Millennials: (1981-2000)


Digital Media, child focusedGrew up with school shootings, terrorist attacks, children of divorceThey want to be the generation to fix the world they grew up with

Grew up with schedules as childrenCivic Duty, High morals, competitive, members of global communityContribution

Generation X: (1965-1980)


Energy Crisis, Watergate, Dual Income familiesLatchkey Kids, Downsizing, Moms workedPerceptions are shaped by growing up having to take coerce of themselves and watch their politicians lie

Watched the USA lose its status as the most powerfulBalance, Fun, independent, informal, selfreliantProductivity

Baby Boomers: (1946-1964)


“Me” generation, the Moral AuthorityWatching civil rights movement, Vietnam War, Sexual Revolution, Space TravelHighest divorce rate in history

Promised the “American Dream” and they pursue it. Seen as greedy, materialistic and ambitious.Anti war, anti government, anything is

possible, Optimistic, work

• Long Hours


* Based on information from server all internet sources.

Creating a business of business department owners

Any business would be blessed to have employees/managers who treat the business as their own; decisions are made efficiently, loyalty improves, employees under the managers receive prompt feedback and direction. The company can move quickly and with a purpose. The challenge is to get the decision makers to make decisions based on the personality of the company and in a unified manner across all departments.

(Keep in mind the “Brand” of any company is comprised of the product, their promise to the customer and the personality. All decisions should be checked back to the company brand. The brand isn’t clear to ALL employees and mangers; then that’s another discussion.)

Interdependence of Department Owners

Common structures within most businesses can be simplified into the four key departments.

You need to have a (1)product and/or service, you need to have someone or someway to (2)sell, you need to have a method of letting potential (3)customer know about what you have or do, and you need to (4)get paid for your product and/or service. These are the four basic elements of most any business. These can be very simple or very complete pending on what you do. These can be 1 person each (to hundreds of people) or even in small startups; they can all be done by the owner/entrepreneur.  But rest assured, a business is not a viable business if it’s missing one of the elements. And a business must understand the interdependance of each of the elements.

If Production doesn’t produce a quality product in a timely manner; it doesn’t matter what your sales people do. If Marketing is telling a message that isn’t aligned with the company brand promise; then your customers will go away and your competitors will move in. If Accounting doesn’t understand what it takes to product, sell and market your service; they will all but eliminate any repeat business and vendor loyalty.

Unified Direction

The owner or Executive VP needs to set the tone and vision and enforce the “play as a team” daily activity. They need to be constantly reinforcing the personality of a business. When working with the multitude of employee personalities and desires (generations); a company needs to constantly check their direction. There are couple ways to monitor the winds. The best by far is to simply listen.

Listening to your managers will let you know if they understand your company the way you do. Listening to your employees will tell you what they’re hearing from your managers. Listening to customers will tell you what the employees are saying about your business.

Then react. If you’re responsible for the product, promise and/or personality of the business you absolutely must react when you hear the wrong messages. Don’t sit back and think everything will be alright – things will fix themselves over time. Send a message to everyone that this is the way this company is going to be, no exceptions. (but be willing to evolve another discussion).

By Mattheus van der Steen

Out on the prairie storms can sweep through with a ferocity that sends shudders down your spine. When the storms come raging in, a herd of cows will run from it in terror, desperate to outrun it and all the discomfort it brings. Of course, they are unable to outrun the storm so it catches up to them, and they then run along with the storm. Thus, they prolong their amount of time in the storm. When it has finally ended, the herd of cows is exhausted, utterly worn out from their own terror and running.

Buffalos, on the other hand, sense the storm coming and, in contrast to the cows, run headfirst into the storm. They run until they come out the other side, and their time spent in the storm is relatively short. Their natural instincts reduce the amount of pain suffered in the storm.

There have been many different storms that raged through my life—storms filled with misunderstanding, pain, rejection and doubts. During these storms I was reminded of what I learned about buffalos and cows. When we are faced with life’s storms, we don’t have a choice not to go through the storm, but we can reduce our time in it and the amount of pain we will have to endure, if we charge into it headfirst.

I’ve personally weathered numerous crises and storms, emerging stronger each time. However, it was during those difficult moments, in the loneliness of being misunderstood, in the pain of rejection and the doubts of whether I was doing the right thing, that I learned the most valuable lessons.

There were moments where it felt like no one understood me, and people even seemed bent on misunderstanding me, my intentions, words and actions. What was being said about me was not true, or even outright lies. I learned in those times of being misunderstood that seeking the Lord, and remembering His promises for me, would be what would keep me out of the pit of despair and self-pity.

Before the creation of the world, God had a prophetic word over your life, patiently awaiting its divine moment of fulfillment. This profound truth often becomes evident when life takes an unexpected turn, and obstacles appear on the path to our promises. In these moments, it’s easy to question whether we are truly aligned with God’s will.

What do you do when you are actively pursuing God’s purpose, yet it feels as if the very doors meant to lead you forward are abruptly closed? When you find yourself grappling with circumstances beyond your control, thrust into unfamiliar territory, and burdened with challenges you didn’t ask for? Welcome to the process.

The fulfilment of God’s promises isn’t always straightforward. It’s not a smooth, uninterrupted path from prophetic word to promise fulfilled. Instead, it’s often marked by unexpected crises and storms that can leave us feeling disheartened, questioning God and even labelling these trials as demonic attacks.

In reality, these challenges are part of the process—a transition period in which our souls are refined and our faith deepens to resemble the finished work of Jesus. To navigate this process effectively, our focus must remain steadfast on God and His promises.

The rejection that I experienced at different levels would have been enough to finish me off, had it not been for the moments of quiet withdrawal at home, where I would remind myself of my identity in Him. Being alone with the Lord, listening to what He says about you, is what brings healing. Telling Him your pain and sorrow bring relief and comfort.

When people around you reject you, even the ones you thought you could trust, the betrayal cuts you deep to your core. The only way out of the pit of rejection, is to remind yourself time and again who you are in Christ. Remind yourself of how He sees you, and meditate on His promises in His word.

When the doubts swirled around me like a thick fog, when I did not know which way to turn, I stood still. Still enough to hear His voice and use it as my beacon to lead me in the right direction. The fog would seem so thick, completely disorienting, and yet He was right there, by my side, showing me the way forward.

I was prompted by a divine calling to share my experiences and insights, so others may recognize the storms they face, understand their purpose and emerge resilient. You are not alone in your struggles, and I would like to help guide you toward walking in the fullness of God’s promises. So don’t give up, no matter how harsh the storm may seem that you are in, there is purpose in the pain, and choices to be made in the chaos.

When you see the purpose, and know what choices to make, the storm will not be a waste of your time, or a nasty unwanted detour, but a process that will refine you, shape you and prepare you for the promises God has for you.

NEW BEGINNINGS AMIDST CHAOS

In the chaos of life’s storms, you are poised to birth something new. The pressure and resistance you feel aren’t opposition but preparations for the authority you are destined to wield as a territory taker.

Consider the heroes of faith who confronted storms to reach their destinies. Their trials were not obstacles but stepping stones toward God’s purpose. The challenges you face today serve as building blocks for your character and opportunities to deepen your faith (see James 1:2-4). Seeing your challenges as such will determine how you emerge on the other side of the storm.

Leaders all over the world are entering a season in which God’s promises are being fulfilled. It’s crucial to act on these promises in every situation. Many leaders are experiencing a transitional phase—a waiting room—where the old ways no longer suffice and the new is imminent. In this season, even when you feel unfavorably positioned, you are highly favored.

Closed doors aren’t personal rejection; they are signs pointing the way. Learning to navigate rejection is crucial for leaders. Rejection can be a dangerous pitfall, and I have learned that it is vital to not allow that rejection to determine my worth and value.

God is working on your character during this season to prepare you for what lies ahead. He wants to make sure that your character can bear the weight of the authority and calling that is placed on your life. Anointing and gifting need a well-developed character that can carry the weight of such great responsibility. Every storm that you weather well propels you closer to your purpose and destiny.

Consider the story of Mary, the mother of Jesus, who was called highly favored yet faced opposition, pressure and rejection. Initially Joseph wanted to get rid of her, and there were probably people who whispered about her pregnancy and the wedding date. Yet even in her discomfort and uncertainty she carried the promise of God. The apparent opposites in her life were orchestrated by God, developing her character even more and providing everything she needed for her journey.

PRESSURE: PANIC OR PURPOSE?

How you respond to pressure defines the outcome. Do you react with panic and unbelief, or do you rely on and trust in God? Prophecies received are meant to be prophecies fulfilled. While receiving prophetic words is thrilling, embracing the process can be challenging. Your role is to keep believing, standing and acting on God’s promises.

There are hundreds of promises in God’s word. Learning to apply these promises requires active faith—faith that can move mountains. Don’t be hasty to label storms as demonic; they may be divine catalysts to activate your faith. It is good to know what kind of storm you are going through, as this will determine how you can best weather it and come out stronger on the other side (see sidebar).

As leaders, we all encounter pressure and tight spots. How we respond is critical. Recognize that there’s often a divine purpose behind pressure. Instead of reacting emotionally, rely on God’s guidance. Making impulsive decisions during pressure can lead us astray. Instead, wait upon the Lord, seeking His instructions. When I have been under intense pressure, I learned that the greatest value was not in defending myself, but being quiet and allowing the Lord to defend me and vindicate me.

It can be very tempting to want to “set the record straight” when what is being said about you is not true, but it is in these very moments that God wants to be your Advocate. Waiting on Him to be my Guide out of the storm and my Defender against the lies proved to be the best move I could make.

In the evenings, when I had put the children in bed, and I sat by myself on the sofa, I would feel God draw near to me. I would make a point to turn on worship music, and as I sat there, the tears would flow. The pain, rejection and fear—really all of the emotions that David describes in the Psalms—would come to the surface, all mixed together.

When there was no one else around, when I did not have to put on a brave face, when it was just me and God, everything would come out. And I would sense his presence. Looking back those were very valuable moments. There was a depth to those experiences, things that happened deep down in my soul and spirit, that eventually made me a stronger person.

When it seems like you will lose everything, or when you have lost everything, when people question and doubt you, when you are unable to share the whole story, God does not question or doubt you. He knows the truth. He knows all the details of what happened, why it happened and how you feel. I have always clung to certain passages in the Bible. One that is special to me is Psalm 23.

The knowledge that He would “prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies,” that He would “anoint my head with oil” was very comforting, though I did not feel like those were happening at the time. I experienced what it was like to know that there was favor on my life, but not feel it. When everything seems dark around you. And yet somehow life goes on and you have to keep functioning, when you feel like your own life is falling apart. In those moments I learned the lessons that I have listed below. Perhaps they will help you navigate your storms.

Remember that embracing the process is a lifelong journey. Each challenge you overcome brings you one step closer to fulfilling the prophetic word over your life. As you apply these takeaways and draw closer to God, you’ll find strength, resilience, and purpose in the midst of life’s storms. Your breakthrough is not far off; you are well-equipped to face whatever comes your way. Welcome to the process of becoming all that God has called you to be.