"Wearing Out or Rusting Out?"

“Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in His hand
Who saith "A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!'' Robert Browning “Rabbi Ben Ezra”

These opening lines from Browning’s poem remind us that all of life is important, not just the first part. Someone once told me “I’d rather wear out than rust out.” Life is in the doing. He was so right! We can continue to do something with our lives or we can just set around, rust, and become old in every way. Too often in our society we settle for a very passive lifestyle in front of the television. Health issues come or worsen, the rust out process begins.

As we grow older we can’t do everything we once could. We can however do some things better as a result of experiences along the way. We can help others benefit from the knowledge gained and stored for use another day. In that way our ideas pass on to a new generation. Our opportunity to wear out rather than rust out is enhanced by following a number of rules.

First, growing older doesn’t change the person you are inside. The battles of life have made you smarter and tougher. The old axiom “work smarter, not harder” comes into play here. The energy level may be lower, but the tasks take less time as a result of being able to anticipate problems and having the ability to finish them in a timely manner. Focusing on the task at hand can allow us great results in far less time.

Next, growing older does not keep us from being able to enjoy life and its challenges. In his book “Man’s Search for Meaning” Viktor Frankl wrote of the importance of purpose in life. As we age we need to focus on what we want to accomplish with the balance of our years. This may be work-related, new interests, or just taking time to enjoy the simple things in life. Several years ago my wife, Sharon, and I spent several days searching out and taking pictures of the stone bridges in Cowley County. What a great time we had!

Finally, these “golden years” are best spent and shared with someone or several someones. Sharing our dreams and living them with others leaves a legacy that lasts well into the future. For about ten years Sharon and I had the privilege of sharing trips to various locations with our four youngest grandchildren. Eventually jobs, boyfriends and girlfriends, and other activities ended the “Grandkid trips”, but Sharon and I have continued the adventure of travelling. I would much rather finally “wear out than rust out.”

"Keep On Keeping On"

Sometimes we are our own worst enemies when it comes to trying to accomplish tasks. Often we get enthused, start, and when the task becomes too hard, we move off to something else. Focus is lost and the task delayed or forgotten. A wise man once told me to succeed in sales I needed to “keep on keeping on.” His obvious success made me heed his advice.

At first glance “keep on keeping on” seems simple, but it can be a daunting task. Often Murphy’s Law “if it can go wrong it will” gets in the way and discourages us. We have to learn to discipline ourselves to stay on task. Anything less wastes time and dooms us to failure. We have to be mentally tough and stay on task.

One attitude that hinders our progress is the “go along to get along” position many take. We get upset when our children yield to “peer pressure” and yet we fall victim to the same position. Others get discouraged or “They decide to go a different direction and so we follow their lead and get derailed. It is much more difficult to get back on track than to just keep things going in the first place.

Early in my insurance career I read a book by insurance millionaire The W. Clement Stone, “The Success System That Never Fails” where Mr. Stone stated “Success is achieved by those who try and keep trying.” Whenever I’m inclined to quit or just delay a task I’m reminded of words of wisdom and “keep on keeping on. Maybe Norman Albright said it in best way when we were at coffee one day and he said “No one has endurance like the man that sells insurance.” That statement about endurance is true of anyone wanting success.

When the task seems difficult we also end up procrastinating. Putting things off will serve to allow the task to become bigger and increases the procrastinating. A better way to handle large tasks is to break them into smaller tasks and move the job towards completion. I remember hearing “by the yard it’s hard: by the inch it’s a cinch.” It is certainly easier to handle smaller tasks that yield momentum.

In reality if we learn the lesson of “keeping on keeping on” we will set ourselves apart from the most of those around us. Earl Nightingale, the great motivational speaker of yesteryear, estimated that only 5% of the total population would continuously do the activities necessary for success. That puts them in exclusive company. Determining to “keep on keeping on” is a great starting place.

"It Might Have Been!"

The great American poet of the mid 1850’s, John Greenleaf Whittier, penned some thought-provoking words when he wrote “the saddest word of tongue or pen are these words: it might have been.” Surely these words have haunted all of us at one time or another. Why do we end up in the “might have been’s” and how do we overcome and gain success?

One of the attitudes hindering accomplishment is our feelings of inadequacy. We simply don’t see ourselves being able to do what we need to. My Grandpa told me “he who hesitates is lost.” Lack of confidence keeps us from starting, or we start and stop and never get going again. In his book “Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude” W. Clement Stone wrote “Success is achieved by those who try and keep trying! We’ll never know until we try!
Closely related to feelings of inadequacy is just the simple fear of failure. Our ego often can’t stand the thought of failing! What will others think of us? How will I recover? Reality is that anyone ever accomplishing anything of note failed-often many times. Disney did, so did Lincoln, so must we! It really isn’t how manty times we fall, but how many times we get back up and keep trying. Babe Ruth struck out over 2000 times, but we remember him for his 714 home runs in the dead ball era!

We often get resistance to what we want to accomplish. Accepting “no’ can stop us from reaching our goals. We then stop asking and we drop into that “might have been” mentality. Instead we should regroup and continue to ask. The first step in getting to yes is asking and then adjusting until we finally get to yes! My original Prudential Manager Paul Hutsey used to say each no received is the key in getting to the next yes and the yes is what makes a difference. Accepting no forever put us in “it might have been!”

No matter which of the attitudes hinder us the result is the same: it might have been! It might have been! It might have been! Having to say those words about something truly important is worse than failure! Teddy Roosevelt, our 26th President said on several occasions “Far greater it is to have won great victories though checkered with defeats than to take company with that great host knowing neither victory nor defeat!” Teddy was right, so too was Whittier, and Stone! Let’s stay away from having to say or think, “it might have been.”
Contact Chuck at: chuck.wright@sckans.edu

The Power of "No"

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary the definition of the word “no” is“ used as a function word to express the negative of an alternative choice or possibility.” Rather a simple definition of one of the smallest, and yet, one of the most powerful words in our English language. We use and misuse this word on a regular basis so we’ll take this time to visit about “the power of no."

Several years ago when I was in Wichita one of my agents came forward with a request I knew couldn’t be complied with so I told him no. In the next few weeks he would alter the request slightly and come back repeatedly. After several encounters I replied “what part of no don’t you understand?” Years later when Lorrie Morgan recorded the song “What Part of No “ I felt I might have missed a great opportunity! Truth is my agent understood “no” he just didn’t want to accept that answer.

One of the real powers of the word no is to know when to use it and then sticking by the decision. Parenting is one of the places where misuse of the word occurs regularly. We can vary from saying no too often to saying no and having our children work their way to yes by playing their parents against each other. At other times children just use the method of keeping at it until they get their way.

When we moved to Winfield in 1976 I had a brand new experience. I had never been involved in a community before and soon found myself member of many civic organizations. All were good, but ultimately I had to learn to limit myself by invoking the power of no. The process took some time but eventually I could balance work, family, church, and community involvement. No had become my friend.

In sales one of the biggest obstacles to overcome is the fear of rejection. Trainers try to remove or reduce this fear by convincing sales people the customer is not rejecting them, but they are rejecting the product. However, the sting of “no” would still remain.

My mentor Paul Hutsey had the most convincing take on dealing with no. He regularly would remind us that with every no we were closer to the next yes. So then we could handle the noes while working toward the yeses that would spell success. That idea fit well with his basic concept that to be successful in sales we had to be willing to fail (take no) 90% of the time. The worst thing that could happen is not to ask because then nothing will happen. When you ask the door of possibility opens for the next yes!

The Test of Time

The month of December brings a lot of thought about time. We set resolutions that usually don’t make it through January. We think about getting things accomplished before the end of the year. We also set strategies about having a fast start and a good 2016. The thought for me ending this year has been “the test of time.”

Over the years I’ve seen a lot of fast starts and few, whether in business, church, or school that stand ”the test of time.” Many start with best of intentions but for whatever reason don’t follow through and complete what they start. For every Miguel Cabrera there are many, many baseball players who only have a one or two, or at best a few good years. For every Peyton Manning there are many quarterbacks that have short careers. The same is true in our day to day lives.

In the months surrounding the start of my insurance career half a dozen young agents were hired. We all took the same training from the same trainers but achieved far differing results. Most of them were more productive that I was in those early days. However, one- by-one they went on to other pursuits and eventually I was the only person of the group to end up with a long insurance career.

So then, the question becomes what are the attributes that yield results that stand “the test of time?” These attribute would be true whatever the area of endeavor. Certainly an important attribute would be that of focus. Knowing what we want to do. My manager Paul Hutsey often said that making the decision what we want was often more difficult than accomplishing the task.

My former partner Russ Larsen used to talk about the importance of “staying hitched” or staying with what we start. Life offers so many opportunities and some other venture often looks better (the grass always looks better on the other side of the fence). So the need is to re-focus and stay on the track. Success in any venture is accomplished by those who try and keep trying!

When we have focused and determined to stay with the course it becomes important to have a long term vision of where we want to go with our life or career choice. Often when things don’t go our way right away we lose our focus. So much of the time short term failure causes many to change their course. We avoid this by continuing growth towards our goals. Training, continuing education, and experiences move us towards greater proficiency and sustainability. Those who stand “the test of time” keep their eyes on the prize!

The Season of Thanks

As always happens the year is quickly winding down. The last weeks of a year are some of my favorite days. First we come to the most American of holidays--Thanksgiving. In the 21st century we aren’t a very thankful people. Our massive expectations get in the way o true thankfulness. We have become more and more demanding of everyone, including our government. Our attitude is one of entitlement rather than gratitude.

This Thanksgiving season will be a special one at our house. On the day before Thanksgiving, 1965 my wife and I were married. We’ll celebrate 50 years together just a couple of days before our 51st Thanksgiving. The years have gone fast, too fast, but life has been good. We have enjoyed good health, a great family, and meaningful work. It just doesn’t get much better.

We should thank God for life itself. As the old hymn says “Praise God from whom all blessings flow.” The New Testament writer James wrote, “Every good gift and every perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights…” My other holiday favorite is Christmas. Not the commercial event but the birth of the Savior of man. Christmas is actually the greatest day we should show our thanks.

Our next thanks should be to the troops around the world who are defending our way of life. They have sacrificed greatly in time, injury, and even loss of life. Included would be the police and firemen that daily protect us. They will be of even more importance as we face the continuing challenge of terrorism. Theirs is a tough and thankless job so we should encourage them whenever possible. I can’t imagine what life would be like without their efforts.

Our friends and families should also be thanked. Without their love and support, life would be very lonely and much less joyful. It has been said that a friend is someone who knows all about you and still remains a friend. Life doesn’t bring a lot of friends so we should treasure and thank them often. We also often take our families for granted and don’t show them the appreciation they deserve.

We could go on to several other things to be thankful for, but I’ll finish with just one more. We should be very thankful to be an American. We have freedom and privilege like no other people have ever had. We can freely choose our occupation, our home location, and those we associate with. Many don’t have this freedom. We take these all for granted. Another sign of our ingratitude.

So as we enjoy these events of the last weeks of 2015 with family and friends let’s take a moment to say thanks. And if we do develop a spirit of thanksgiving (and a true Christmas spirit) we can carry it with us all year.

Avoiding Micromanaging!

One of the current buzz words of management is micromanaging. In business micromanagement is a management style whereby a manager closely observes or controls the work of subordinates or employees. Often the employee feels smothered and inadequate to the task. Micromanaging can stifle productivity and creativity. Often the message of lack of confidence that is communicated causes absenteeism and ultimately turnover, both are extremely expensive. At the other end of the spectrum is allowing the employee to feel abandoned and without support. Neither is a healthy situation.

Overcoming the tendency to micromanage has no quick fix. Improving the quality of recruiting is a first step. Whether bringing in new employees at the entry level or choosing from among promotion candidates, leadership must be diligent in the recruitment process. Often due to the press of time decisions are made without proper care. When openings are high in quantity or duration panic sets in, poor hiring or promotion practices are employed. Disaster is the result and micromanaging abounds.

When we have selected recruits for our openings, proper training and education must follow. We must aid them in developing skills required for their position and at the same time communicate their role in the organization. Someone has said proper preparation prevents poor performance. When we give them what they need to perform, we won’t feel the need to constantly look over their shoulder. When they know what is expected of them and have the tools to perform, they can build higher confidence in their ability.

The final key in avoiding micromanaging is the building of trust. When the leader has trust we or she only steps in when asked or when it is apparent that the employee is on a course to disaster. We build trust by giving small assignments and building their confidence in getting things done and our confidence in them. The difficulty level of tasks then increases as successes are attained. Skills are added as level of the task is increased.

The trust stage is best accomplished with a high level of communication. As questions arise mentoring skills should be used. The trust we build towards them must also be built in them towards us. In this way the dialogue will allow them a comfort level to ask questions. As the questions come we share our experience and allow them to work their own method in accomplishing the task. Open communications allows the employee to get the information and feedback they need without feeling overwhelmed. The end result is a high level of trust flowing both ways.