L's of Leadership, Even the Small Ones

While I was going through the Pathway program, I had to read and study the talk by Kim Clark. I appreciated the information then, and going over it again was welcomed. Leading by example, leading with love, and leading with vision are the ways to become a great leader. When I was a supervisor over 13 technicians, I found that when I lead with love and with vision, the technicians reacted positively. Because I saw their desire to do well with me, I was able to also lead with love. We saw great results! The base, when I arrived, was one of the poorest among my company's groups. It took just under a year to turn it around. I taught the men how to be great technicians because I lead them by introducing the vision of what I though they could become. I told them they represented the best the company had to offer and they deserved to have their names at the top of the list of best technicians. I then trained them in the areas where they were the weakest. Three years later, I'm in a different department, but I was able to proudly look at the numbers to see they had improved to the best base in the company in Quality Assurance where they had been among the bottom when I arrived.

Carly Fiorina says leadership is about capability, collaboration, and character. I believe that when I was working in conjunction with my workers, literally standing by their side and coaching them, they were able to increase in their capabilities. As theirs increased, my capability as a supervisor or leader also increased. I built trust as they saw the results of their actions. I was able to ask them to do nearly anything and they would work toward my direction because of that trust. Much of that trust was built in my character. I had a history of strong character and they held onto that as a foundation. I believe Fiorina is correct in her statement.

It seems we lack leadership quite often in our society today; however, with people who are leaders teaching others how to become leaders, we can change that exponentially. It is partly for this reason that I became an instructor and have remained an instructor. A telling sign of a great leader is the ability to create more great leaders. That's what I'm hoping to accomplish.

Pushing Through

There are times in our lives when we can look back at a moment of difficulty and see how we had a choice to be strong in that moment or drop everything and run. Just as President Holland spoke about his difficulties as a father with a broken down car, I too was able to see myself in his spot. When I lost 3 houses and a piece of land years ago, all in foreclosure, I was terrified. When all about me were declaring bankruptcy, I chose to keep paying my creditors. It was a really tough decision. My family has not liked the pressure it put on us. This is one thing I have learned by looking back; one's word means nothing if it is not backed up by actions.

When I promised to make payments in return for lending me money, I meant it. So even though it was difficult to pay credit cards that were maxed out and still put food on the table, I did it. My wife is a stay home mom. She also suffered during those years. This year, I finally paid off the credit card, after paying on it for 7 years. I don't plan on going back. 

This week, we learned about "sticking with it." Or at least, that's the lesson I got out of it. If we can set our eyes on a goal and keep our passion, we're able to accomplish amazing things. I feel like my family is all the better for the decisions I have made, even though it was really tough going through them. This does not mean I am immune from problems right now. I still have issues I'm plowing through at the moment. I know, though, that because I was able to get through the hard times before, I can get through these times now. It is a matter of perseverance. I will prevail!

Take a Break. You're Getting Dull

One of my favorite lessons taught by Stephen Covey is to "Sharpen the saw."

In 2008, when the housing market was collapsing, I paid just under $20,000 to enroll in an unaccredited real estate investing school. I was self-taught since 2003 and felt I knew enough, but also felt I had plenty to learn. I figured the investment would pay for itself over and over again. One of the things you could do by enrolling in the school was to enroll other people as well. In return for enrolling others, you were enticed with nearly a $10,000 pay day. A catch was that you didn't start collecting the $10,000 per student sign up until you signed up at least 4 people. The idea was that you could use this opportunity to help others learn about real estate while at the same time pay back your cost for the school and then save up for your first deal. It was a great business model, in my opinion.

Within the first 4 weeks, I had 3 family members and a friend sign up for the school. Everyone felt I was "on fire!" I felt like I had used up my "hot market." However, I pushed and pushed, seeing that now that I'd signed up 4 people, I could start earning the "big money" by signing up others for the school. I pushed very hard. For over a year, I ate, drank, and breathed this company. Still, after all that time, and after showing dozens of people the opportunity, I had not signed another soul! I was beyond frustrated, because I had several commit, then back out when it came time to pay. I "knew" within my soul that if I just kept going, I'd eventually get someone to sign up. My mentor then pulled me aside and said, "You need to sharpen your saw." I didn't know what he meant, so I asked for clarification. He explained its meaning and it was logical to me. I took some time away from the selling side of the business and focused on the real estate side. It tore me to "take a break," but it was what I needed. It was what my heart needed.

Covey's book was inspirational to me. It still is. Just this week, I suggested a co-worker sharpen his saw. When he didn't know what it meant, I got to explain it to him. It felt great to give back with this advice.

This week, I also listened to the Kindle read the assigned chapters in the book Mastery. The main take away I'm getting from my readings is to keep at what you believe in. Mastery takes place by continuing toward improvement. The videos and readings push passion for what you believe in. These are ideas I'm passionate about ;). I have been working 60-80 hours a week for 14 years working on my own side businesses and working for my w2. I'm starting to learn more and more that if I can lessen those hours a little, my family relationship will improve. I'm starting to also see dividends, financially, in the work I've done in all those years. I can finally "take a break." The good part is, I've started to turn my side businesses into things I'm already passionate about. It's almost good enough now to say that by working my passion, I'm now making money because the things I'm passionate about earn me money. I think this was the point of this lesson's readings. I'm glad I'm headed in the right direction.

Freedom. Is It Worth It?

It seems the lesson this week made me ponder more on the value of being an entrepreneur. I appreciated the frankness of the material this week. It seemed there was quite a bit of material essentially asking if it is worth it to become an entrepreneur. At the same time, Wences Casares made a good point in the video we had to watch this week. It was apparent that we don't always choose to be entrepreneurs, its built into our DNA.

I have felt like I was an entrepreneur for a very long time. I remember selling paper airplanes in the first grade. My brother would make them and I would color them, selling the colored ones for 25 cents and the plain ones for 10 cents. My enterprise broke down when someone bought one and learned how to make it for himself. I have had many businesses since then and even to this day, I find new ways to make money all the time. The hard part is sticking with the one or two that I know will work. When it comes down to it, the most important reason for working for yourself instead of for someone else is the possibility of time freedom. Working for someone else may restrict your time, but you may have more security. Working for yourself may allow more time freedom, but it may also take more time to earn the money necessary to raise your family. I have personally chosen the path of working for someone else while doing business on the side, waiting for the side business to some day overtake my W2.  Here's to the entrepreneur spirit!

A Hero's Journey

During Lesson 5, we were required to watch a video about "A Hero's Journey." One of the biggest takeaways for me was when Jeff Sandefer, in nearly a side comment, talked about the lesson he learned as he was 30 and divorced. He talked about how he did not spend enough time with his little ones and how that time goes away. I have five children and think constantly about this time that I'm "losing." It's a big internal struggle. I think on the one hand, "I need to do this to earn as much as possible to free up time with my kids." On the other hand, I think, "If I don't stop working so hard, I'm going to miss raising my kids!" It's a terrible dilemma because I have to gauge how I spend my precious 24 hours each day. Even as I type this, I'm considering the fact that I could be downstairs with my youngest two children watching the movie, "UP." I've seen it before, but to have that extra experience with my kids will only be around for so long.

Other takeaways from this lesson was the reminder that entrepreneurs are not guaranteed success, that we don't become entrepreneurs for a guarantee of riches. Instead, we become entrepreneurs so we can gain time freedom. My brother-in-law is self employed. He's able to come and go as he pleases, as long as he gains the right number of clients each month. It's very convenient for him to be able to do this. On the other hand, David Friedberg also pointed out that sometimes you make more money as a worker within a larger corporation. I give up my 40-50 hours per week to help them build their business so that I can have afternoon and weekend freedom with my children. Either way, there's a sacrifice. For the most part, I have a higher sense of financial security in exchange for time freedom. My brother-in-law has more time freedom, but gives up more of his sense of financial security. Of course, this isn't always the case. Should he "hit it big," he will accrue much more time freedom and will have maximized his sense of financial security.

My plan is to build my online "empire" of YouTube videos so that it will create a stream of income large enough to replace my W2 income. I'm also learning of new ways to pull in more income consistently. For instance, I just learned about Amazon's Fulfilled by Amazon service where you ship them your items and they take care of the rest, essentially. I have also learned about ACX's service to record books for Audible and other services. While these may take some of my time, too, they also provide for ways to consolidate what I would consider weeks of time into hours of time. I say this because the potential to earn increases dramatically, and money is just another representation of time.

Lastly, I had reinforced the idea of perseverance, of sticking to what I know is true. I have made many mistakes in real estate investing, but I know that if I don't repeat the same mistakes and push forward in my investing that something will succeed and my family will be blessed. I just have to push harder than the average guy and I think I'll come out ahead. I'll be able to answer who I loved and who loved me, because I won't be alone in a cubicle all year. I'll be with my family and friends.

Facing Fears

This week, we learned to face our fears. As a connoisseur of TED talks, I have seen a couple talks about facing your fears. I saw one no more than 3 weeks ago that talked about writing down your fears so you could deconstruct them. It was funny to see that our assignment for lesson 4 required us to do that.

When it comes to business and providing for my family, I have great fears. When written down, they seem petty or insignificant; however, I think they're massive. Don't get me wrong. I have done more things in business than your average person, or at least I think I have. I started selling paper airplanes in the first grade. I got in trouble in the 4th grade for selling snacks for $.25 which my dad bought for $.10 each. I started a lawn mowing business with my best friend when I was 16. There are several others. Those were small "businesses" that, if failed, did not harm the people dependent on me. I have a family of 7. With so many depending on me and being that I am the sole provider, it's not as easy for me to go on a limb and take the huge risk and jump, hoping my wings will catch the wind as I fall and send me soaring. I have many ideas for becoming wealthy. I have even incorporated a couple of them and they're succeeding in their own rights, but fear is holding me back from exploding them to a new level of ferocious success. I can envision how amazing my endeavors could be, yet I hold back.

I enjoyed contemplating what would happen if this or that happened and how I'd crawl back to normalcy. Right now, though, I am happy. I have a job I enjoy. I am successful in various ways, earning a fantastic income. Even then, I long for when I can still do what I enjoy and not have to be beholden to a clock and set number of hours worked for the day.

What I learned this week was I can fight my fears, and I am fighting them. I also learned, especially as I did my book report on the Ministry of Business, that my wife is there to support me and will continue to be a strength and a coach. We are mighty together. I am so grateful to have someone who pushes me to do the best I can. When I feel like stopping, she's my mentor to push me past fears, depressing setbacks, and she helps me dream. Everyone needs a coach, mentor, and support. I have mine. Fear will still lurk, but together, we can fight it, one determined step after another.

Integrity, Ethics, and Vision

This week, in lesson 3 of our curriculum, there seemed to be more than one theme. The case study we participated in made me think of vision, and how in order to succeed, we need to have vision.

Personally, I think I am quite creative. I can imagine how things will be or may become. My sister once told me I had a talent for being able to see what something could become. At the time, I was rehabbing my first house and thought everyone had the same vision I have.

When it comes to ethics, it was apparent that even though our own ethical standing can be high, sometimes those with whom we associate can affect our perceived ethics. Often, at least to our customers or consumers, perception is their reality. By making 'I will never' and 'I will always' statements, it helps solidify the ethics I hold to and also brands me with the integrity I wish to retain.

When it comes to integrity, I often think of it as what I do when no one is policing, or watching me. Over the years, I have lived according to high moral standards. My dad taught me about hard work since I was a little child. I believe because of the wedding of these two things, hard work and high moral standards, I live with clean and solid integrity.

These themes were a great and I'm glad it was near the beginning of the semester, because I think they are foundational to a solid business.