Our Greatest Gift and Our Greatest Challenge

Good Morning,

 

I have been spending a lot more time over the past year or so, helping others, and at the same time spending time to help me de-stress from the crazy busy daily routines. What I have found is something I already knew, in my mind, but felt it in my heart.

 

We all have many assets: Our wisdom (experience, skills and knowledge), our physical abilities, our wealth (such as it is), our connections, our love and our time.

 

Of all of these assets, only one is finite. Only one is measured out to be used once and is gone.

 

·         Some will say money, but that is not true. We can always get more money and I believe I once spent the same dollar bill two times over the course of a few years.  We can get a second job, get a better paying job, and find other ways for additional income.

 

·         Some will say Love, that they give all they can, and it can be exhausting to shower love over someone, and then be expected to do it again and again. While it can be demanding, we can always find more love to give others.

 

·         Some will say Wisdom, and that may be true for those who never strive to Learn and Grow Daily, if at all. Yet, we all tend to learning something new even with the least of efforts.

 

·         Some will say our Physical Abilities, but again, we can condition ourselves to do more, exercise, etc. It is painful, but can be done.

 

·         Some will say our Connections, but unless we live as a secluded hermit, even the Monks in monasteries make new friends and connections.

 

Time is the only resource which is finite. We get 24 hours a day, and it can only be spent once (until the time machine is invented, but then again, disruptions to the time-space-continuum are another issue altogether… go watch Dr. Who).

 

Since time is finite, how we spend our time is increasingly important. Money lost by dropping it somewhere, getting a bad meal, a lot bet, etc., can be regained, but an hour waiting in line is gone, never to come back.

 

How we spend our time tells us what is important to us. It also tells those we spend it with that they are important to us, as we spent the time.  Being happy about it is an additional benefit, but the time spent is key. 

 

Time spent helping others then is greatest gift we can give anyone. It is a gift that cannot be recouped. The money I spent on Christmas for my friends and family can be made up again.

 

When we give someone an hour of our time, it is priceless. It is a gift that we give only once. Maybe that is one the reasons my Aunt who is spending the rest of her days in a nursing home smiles so much when I visit her for 30 minutes, knowing it will take over 2 hours to make the trip. That is time that I have given to her that no one else will ever get.

 

It also explains that when we spend time doing things, that others who do not get the time with us may feel neglected as we have chosen to give our greatest gift elsewhere.

 

Over the last year or so, I have stepped up my help with the Boy Scouts, and with all the hubbub they have been going through, I focus on helping the boys in front of me, those in my troop. I am told being a Scoutmaster is only a 1 hour a week job, and then you hear the laughing. It’s more like 10 – 20 hours a week, on the weeks that you don’t go camping.

 

My time reading has been shortened each day, so my reading is focused on God’s word and devotionals. That is where what time I have I want to be spent.  I still read other books, but my hour a day has been decimated over the last year. I have added time to play an online game to help me de-stress. I have tried giving that up, to read, but find that I am not always in the mood to or able to focus on reading the materials I often dive into.  Then again, I could try sleeping more too.

 

I have had to re-district my time, to spend more with my family, more helping the Scouts, less on frivolities and more to keep me sane.

 

Time is precious.

 

This makes how we use our greatest gift, our time, one of our greatest challenges.

 

We must consider how to not waste it, or use it in a way which will only eat up more of it, and take us away from who we are, who we love and what we love to do.

 

In call centers, every second counts. Well, that is so true for life today, especially in America with all of our ‘time saving’ devices which only make us do more and more eating up our precious, never to be regained time.

 

So that is my challenge to me and my charge to you.

 

Make every second count. Make your greatest gift mean something.

 

 

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.learnandgrowdaily.com

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/

 

Click on the book to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

 

Defensiveness: the Wall of Anti-Learning

Good Morning,

 

I finishing Regi Campbell’s book “Mentor Like Jesus”, and came across another gem. Well, the entire book is a gem and I hope to get a mentoring program like he wrote about set up myself.

 

He shared how those who get defensive during training sessions block themselves from learning what is in the session.

 

Unpacking that concept further, those who are defensive put up walls and block anything from coming in, even if it is good for them.

 

When do we get defensive when we are learning (and keep ourselves from learning)?

 

It’s when we think we already know.

 

When we read something or hear something or see some instruction which we have heard before by another trainer or source, we have two choices.

 

1.       We can watch, listen and learn something we may have not heard before.

2.       Check out mentally, telling ourselves we already know it and close the door to learning something new.

 

My grandmother taught me the same lesson many years ago. She told me that when someone starts talking to her about something that she already knows, that she plays dumb and listens to them, as you never know if you are going to learn something new.

 

And that is the key, to embrace each interaction, each time of learning as a chance to learn something new.

 

When you read many books or go to many seminars or webinars, etc., after a while, the information can get repetitive.

 

Find something new. What is new? It could be who is delivering the information. Also, it can be their different perspective. 

 

One way to embrace this is change your approach. For example, I love leadership books, yet after 100 plus of them, the message can get dull, yet if approach each new book as something new, you can find new gems, like Dr. Albert Mohler’s, the Conviction to Lead which come at leadership from another perspective then the basic how to. Another approach is to come at learning a subject from the side. One example is to read biographies of great leaders. How did these leaders live their lives, how they became who they were or are, what challenges they faced and how they overcame them?

 

Treat each interaction or learning experience, no matter who you are interacting with, or book or webinar, as a new chance to learn, thereby knocking down our defensive walls, and see if we don’t just walk away with something new.

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.learnandgrowdaily.com

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/

 

Click on the book to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

 

 

Are your memories going to stand the test of time?

Good Morning,

 

When we experience events, go places, watch movies, read books, meet people, new foods, these are all memories for us. And while we can record these to help us remember, they are limited in that they only have value for us or others who have had the same experiences.

 

When I worked at an efficiency apartment complex and had to clean out a room for a man who was moved to a nursing home, I was amazed at the stuff that was left behind. All of it was to be thrown out. He had no family, no friends, or anything who wanted his stuff. The apartment staff and I did keep some of his items while clearing out the rest. The saddest part of it was that each of these items held a memory for the man, but since it was never shared, it had no value. The items were just items and nothing more.

 

It might be morbid to think about what will happen to our memories when we move on, but there is a solution to help keep our memories alive.

 

Share them with others.

 

I am not talking about just sharing stories of things that you did or experienced which you have fond memories of.

 

No, I am talking about taking up a level through mentoring, coaching, or otherwise feeding another, build memories that will be passed on.

 

By sharing your memories as a tool to help expand the horizons of others, your memories not only live on, but have a positive impact on those who you are mentoring.

 

Like Regi Campbell, in his book “Mentor Like Jesus”, make it part of the mentoring process for those whom you mentor agree to mentor others themselves, who then agree to mentor others themselves, and so on and so on.  Then the memories which are made together or shared will cascade through the entire network.

 

Not only will our memories not die off, they have value to many others as well.

 

What if Lord Robert Baden Powell had not shared his leadership skills with the youth of the day in England back in the early 1900’s. His memories and experiences would be limited to his military conquests, and the millions of boys around the world would never have had the chance to do the things they have done through the world wide scouting movement.

 

When making memories, consider sharing some with others, in a meaningful way so that they become fond memories of others, and stand the chance of doing the same for generations to come.

 

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.learnandgrowdaily.com

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/

 

Click on the book to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

 

The Power of YOU

Good Morning,

 

Have you ever experienced a time where you were the answer to a problem.

 

That you were the most knowledgeable about something, or had the right skills or experiences.

 

That if anyone other than you were there, the situation would have unfolded differently, possibly not for the better.

 

How did you feel when that happened, when you were the lynchpin to resolving the problem? Probably pretty darn good.

 

The more you find yourselves in these situations, the more powerful you become.

 

The more you find yourselves working in situations where you are not the solution, the weaker you become.

 

It then makes sense to find where you are strongest and move yourself there.

 

And then the Power of YOU will flourish.

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.learnandgrowdaily.com

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/

 

Click on the book to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

 

 

 

 

Being Better Equipped

Good Morning,

 

I have a Kirby vacuum system. It is the best vacuum system out there. It seldom gets put head to head with upright vacuums as it is not only an upright, but is one of the best. It seldom gets put up against canister vacuums, but again, it is up there. And it does not get put against shampooers but it does that too.  I used to sell them and I have a hard time buying any other vacuum knowing how good the Kirby system is.

 

When we moved into our new house, we bought an older Kirby on eBay and used that until we upgraded to the latest model. Now, five years later and 3 dogs and multiple cats, there are some carpet stains that just don’t come out with the Kirby shampooer. Even with the fancy pet stain shampoo.  I would go over the stains many times and have just gave up.

 

Then I had a chance to get a carpet and upholstery steamer, a Bissel. I set it up today and have made headway on the stains that I could not get with the Kirby.

 

The Kirby is like the all in one tool that does it all. Some of the all, though, is not that great, and there are better tools, specific to the tasks. Like the steamer versus the shampooer.

 

In life we may go about living the same way. We use the same tool, no matter how good it is, to address all of our problems. Sometimes it works wonderfully and we cling to those successes rather than look at our failures no matter how large the explosion was.

 

Sometimes we need to get a new tool to better equip ourselves for the challenges we face.

 

And at the same time, we should not have so many different tools that we make it difficult for ourselves. Our Kirby really doesn’t have a home in our house, so now I have to find room for the bigger Bissel Steamer.  What would I do if I had an upright, a canister, etc. etc.

 

We are better off with a few good tools which serve us well, and upgrade from time to time as the need arises.  

 

And just if you are thinking, no I am not getting rid of the Kirby, its still the best vacuum out there.

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.learnandgrowdaily.com

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/

 

Click on the book to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

 

 

 

Humble Appreciation - Our Success is often a product of a group effort

Good Morning,

 

We all have a lot to be thankful about, and during times of accomplishment we have even more.

 

So often, though, when we give thanks for what we have or what we have accomplished, it is a quick thank you maybe a few names and done. You know, those unmemorable thank you’s at the Academy Awards, etc.

 

Rarely have I seen true heartfelt appreciation like the one below from an inspiring young man I know through the Boys Scouts of America. He, a fellow Eagle Scout, had recently completed his Wood Badge Training like I had and was to receive his recognition at a recent meeting.

 

What impressed me most was his appreciation he posted on Facebook to show his humble thank you’s.

 

With Edward’s permission I share with you an inspiring thank you which shows true humble appreciation.

 

 

 

“Tonight was pretty awesome, so a great deal of thanks are in order!

 

First, to Greg …. for being a great Course Director and for the fun presentation. Also to Rebecca ….. and James …. for being my Patrol Guides through the Ticket process. It was great to have Sanford Berenberg, Larry …. and J.R. …  visiting, as well as the opportunity to share this moment with the always-awesome Troop/Crew 12 and their families.

 

And, as always, thanks to everyone who has had a hand in this process, even just a little. I can never solely take credit for my achievements because countless people, whether they realize it or not (or even if I realize it or not), have always helped me along the way. So let's keep making Scouting the best organization for our youth that it can be.

 

Finally, a congratulations to Troop 12 for a great celebration this evening, and for their achievements in the recent months. Keep on the trail to Eagle!”

 

 

And if I have not said it before, this 21 year old is going places, I look forward to the great things the Lord has planned for him.

 

He already knows that he is not an island. He knows very little is accomplished worth anything which is not a group effort.

 

Congratulations again Edward!

 

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.learnandgrowdaily.com

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/

 

Click on the book to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

 

 

 

Ambition the Joy Killer

Good Morning,

 

Having goals is good. Making new goals when old ones are achieved or are no longer relevant is even better.

 

When we give up on a goal, though, it knocks against our ego.

 

Depending on the goal we give up on, it can bring on depression or worse.

 

I remember the goals I had to scratch off my list when I was in the hospital with my two broken legs back in 1995. It was a tough time of readjusting my life.  Beyond changing goals when our lives change are the times we have to give up on goals which were just too pie in the sky to ever reach.

 

Back in another company we had a weight loss challenge for all the staff to participate in. We put in what we wanted to lose, during the time of the competition, and then judged ourselves based on our weight-loss toward that goal. Instead of putting in a goal of 10 – 15 pounds over 2 months, I put in the total weight I wanted to lose, something like 50 pounds. In the time of the challenge, I did lose weight, but I never came close to my goal. It just wasn’t realistic.

 

Although it’s not something we can always avoid, we can reduce the times that we have to give up on goals by making better and more realistic goals.

 

Having a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) is fine, so long as you have the ambition, drive, skills and resources to get it. Sure it will be a push, and sure it will be painful as you and your team stretch to enter that new realm of performance.

 

There are, though, times when our goals are so audacious, they are simply impossible. Yes, I used the impossible word, and yes there times something is only impossible because no one did it yet.

 

There are also times when goals are so out there, like to train to run a 1 minute mile. Without bionics and cybernetics, it is not likely humans will be running 60 miles an hour any time soon. Maybe if I trained for that I could have lost 50 pounds in a month.

 

Yes it is outlandish, but sometimes we set ourselves up for failure, driven by ambition, to do things which just don’t make sense.

 

Allowing the passions of ambition to fuel our drive, we need to balance our goal setting with wisdom and practicality or else we set ourselves up for failure.

 

Ambition is good, so is passion. Although, like all things left to run wild, they can end up being joy killers in our lives as we clean up the messes we end up making.

 

The balanced approach allows us to be ambitious and yet keep an eye on practicality.

 

Something to consider.

 

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.learnandgrowdaily.com

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/

 

Click on the book to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

 

 

Use what you know

Good Morning,

 

Like many people with smartphones, I have a game or two that I play when there is nothing else to do or I am waiting on something. The game I play the most is called ‘Flow’ where you have to basically connect the same color dots to each other with lines, which do not intersect with other lines.  See the photo below.

 

 

When working these puzzles I found that I can best solve them when I start connecting the dots where it is obvious they go together. Basically, I use what I know to get the puzzle solved. What happens next is the puzzle gets less complex and more solutions which were not apparent before now jump out.

 

I look at the new puzzle and ask myself, what do I already know about solving this. For example, from the yellow dot, we have to go left to the corner and up, as otherwise it would be cut off, etc.

 

This same philosophy can work in life, especially when we are at an impasse or confused about what course to take.

 

Asking for help is something I do often, but when there is no one to ask, or no reference to work off of, I revert to what I already know about how to solve this particular issue.

 

For example, when I want to college for the first time in Buffalo, NY, in 1986, when I was younger and more stupid. Since I did not have to attend class (attendance was not mandatory), I just paced myself and studied the night before each test.  I remember walking into the second to last day of class to get a refresher for the final which I thought was on the last day of class. I ended up walking into a class with tests being handed out.  I had not studied and I had a good chance of failing. I looked over the questions, 15 multiple choice, and cringed as I really did not know any.

 

Several years before, my parents sent me to a SAT preparation course which taught me test taking strategies for taking multiple choice questions, in order to raise my SAT scores. So I did know those strategies and I used them. I ended up coming out of the test with a ‘C’ overall and learned some valuable lessons.

 

One is to NEVER do that again with college classes, projects or anything else (i.e., waiting to the last minute), and second is to rely on what I know, in this case, I had test taking strategies which helped me pass.

 

I am not proud of that episode, but it is a good example of what to do when faced with a difficult challenge. When there is no one to ask for help, stop, and take stock of what you already know, and go forward with that first.

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.learnandgrowdaily.com

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/

 

Click on the book to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

 

Refreshing

Good Morning,

 

This weekend friends of ours from Charlotte, North Carolina, came to visit with us. I hung out with my friend ‘Kiwi’ who is originally from New Zealand while the girls kept the home-fires going. One of our treks was to see a vintage baseball game played between the Cincinnati Red Stockings and the Cincinnati Buckeyes http://www.cincyvbb.com/.

 

They played baseball as it was played back in 1869. They did not use baseball gloves, pitched underhand, and followed the rules of the game which were very different back in the day.

 

What I found most refreshing was the attitude of the players.

 

First they introduced themselves to the fans watching the game, with each team captain first saying they hope to give a good game and thanking everyone for coming out, followed by each player introducing themselves.

 

Then they cheered each other on. All good plays were followed by applause from both teams. Even when a batter from the Buckeyes flew out with a long high fly ball to the outfield with a one handed catch (bare handed, and it was loud, so it must have hurt), both teams stood to cheer the catch (even though one team just had a player fly out).

 

When a player was tagged out after trying for another base, both players shook hands no matter if the runner was out or safe.

 

At the end of the game, both teams came and presented themselves to the fans once again and thanked them for attending. The losing team captain apologized for not giving a better game, gave kudos to the winners and then as a team cheered them. Then the winning team captain thanked the fans and the losing team for the game, and then they, all players included cheered the losing team.

 

After the game, some of the players stayed behind and hung out with the fans and some even played catch with the kids who came to see the game.

 

It may sound vanilla and lame to have such camaraderie, but I found it refreshing and enjoyable to watch a competition which was not about egos, was not about winning at any cost, but just plain athletic ability, teamwork and respect.

 

I’d like to think that all competitions could be held this way:  with respect, with camaraderie, and with spirit of fun.

 

It was a good game.

 

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.learnandgrowdaily.com

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/

 

Click on the book to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

The difference between knowing others and investing in them

Good morning,

 

The other day I stopped by a coffee shop that I had used to frequent. I had not been there for about a year. Some of the people in line and some who were behind the counter were new, but one lady I remembered, and apparently she never forgot me. In fact, she even prepared my coffee just the way I liked it, even with not having seen me in a year.  

 

It really made me feel good to be remembered after this time. It surprised me as the amount of people these folks see daily, weekly, etc., is huge. To remember me out of all of this, how?

 

Some could say that she was that good of a barista, although I think it is something more.

 

When I frequented the shop, I invested time into talking with the baristas at the shop. She was one of them. She reminded me of my Mother and is also from New York City, so we had a lot in common.

 

Again, there are a lot of people in Louisville who are transplants from New York or the northeast in general, but for most I never made a connection. I never invested time into creating a friendship.  

 

It was that invested time that endured for over a year. It was stopping by several mornings a week for a few years, saying hello, and sharing parts of my life and interests and they doing the same.

 

Investing in others builds relationships, it creates friendships.

 

It is the fertilizer that builds even when you don’t realize you are doing it. Just by being a kind friendly person, and sharing of yourself, you are planting seeds which will grow fruit in the time to come.

 

I promised my friend I would visit again, but this time in less than a year.

 

There is knowing people, and then there is investing in them.

 

Which do you think creates stronger relationships?

 

I think you know.

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.learnandgrowdaily.com

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/

 

Click on the book to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

 

 

 

 

 

Wisdom in the 'Conviction to Lead'

Good Morning,

 

My current read is ‘The Conviction to Lead’ by Dr. Albert Mohler (http://www.amazon.com/Conviction-Lead-The-Principles-Leadership/dp/0764210041/). It is a book on leadership, yet, it comes at leadership from new angles that I have never read before and in some cases, did not consider. It is a very easy to read book and I am thoroughly enjoying it.

 

Here are a few gems:

 

Leaders need to understand worldviews:

 

“Far too often leaders aim at the surface level and stop there. Read leadership doesn’t happen until worldviews are changed and realigned. You might be able to lead a group to build a house without trying to shape worldviews, but you cannot build a movement that way…Leadership is the consummate human art. It requires nothing less than that leaders shape the way their followers think about what is real, what is true, what is right, and what is important.”

 

Leaders are Thinkers:

 

“Our actions may never reach the heights of our thinking, but you can be certain that the quality of your actions will even exceed the quality of your thinking”.

 

Seems common sense after reading these, but how often do we, as leaders, even consider them? Probably not enough.

 

I am looking forward to continuing to enjoy this book and the wisdom it imparts.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.learnandgrowdaily.com

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/

 

Click on the book to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

 

Too Much, Too Little or Just enough

Good Morning,

 

In helping others I often feel that I don’t do enough. That there is always more that I can and should do.  Like when I walk by a homeless person and I don’t have another cent on me.

 

Then there are those opportunities which come up to help others, some easy, some hard, some a one-time act, others a long-time commitment.

 

When I decide to help more, I often hear from others, those I love and trust, those who care about me, who say that I do too much and I should cut back.  That I should avoid burning out.

 

I could cut back, but I want to do more. I need to focus my efforts on fewer endeavors to do more and not spread myself thin, but there is so much need.

 

Too much, too little which is it?

 

I guess, in reality I am somewhere in the middle, doing more than others think I should be doing, but not quite enough to satisfy my desire to help others.  

 

I hunger to help more, but am tempered to keep a balance.

 

That is, I am in the right place for me.

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.learnandgrowdaily.com

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/

 

Click on the book to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

 

 

 

 

Working to our strengths

Good Morning,

 

My current read is “Rommel: Leadership Lessons from the Desert Fox” (http://www.amazon.com/Rommel-Leadership-Lessons-Desert-Generals/dp/B00ANYFOE0) by Charles Messenger. I had heard a lot about Rommel through the years, but never enough to satisfy my curiosity, so when I found this book, I added it to my library. It did a good job covering the Field Marshall’s career, personality and leadership style.

 

Rommel was exceptional in his area of expertise. He was a brilliant tactician, made fast and sound decisions, and could exploit any found weaknesses in his adversary.  He liked to lead from the front, seeing everything as it happened and changed gears on a dime. The more he could remain in the know, leading from the front, the more he would succeed, and the less his opponents could withstand his hard driving forces. He loved reconnaissance and gaining new information as it happened. He would never ask his men to do anything that he was not prepared to do himself, and often visited his troops, taking a mobile headquarters with him to allow him to be visible by the most of people possible (several times to his enemies as well).

 

Due to his successes, he was given higher and higher commands. Those which took him away from the front lines and away from the latest information (in times before cell phones, social media and Wi-Fi). When forced to work at higher and higher levels of command, he lost his polish and made less sound decisions.  His mindset was a military one, seeing everything through that lens. Moving to a political level leadership, he failed to embrace politics and often bucked heads with those he worked with.

 

He may not have recognized as he moved away from his strength’s his effectiveness also lessened.

 

Rommel’s example clearly shows the power of working to your strengths.

 

Are you working to your strengths in what you do in life, or do you find that you have moved away from that which you excel and are struggling?

 

Something to consider.

 

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.learnandgrowdaily.com

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/

 

Click on the book to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

 

 

 

Are you more a Team Player than a 14 year old?

Good Morning,

 

Since teams have been the ‘in’ thing, everyone now is measured on how good a team player they are, either officially or unofficially. It’s come a long way from picking players to be on your kickball team. Criterions include: how long they get along with other team members, how they work toward the goals of the team and how little distractions and drama they cause along the way.  Each team player, though is usually still an individual with their own goals, agenda. The best balance the work with their team and their own work.

 

Being on multiple teams, as well as doing more with less, team participation can be reduced to sitting in on weekly update meetings, or if you are lucky, conference calls while sitting at your desk doing other work and sharing a few words for updates.  Personally I see this ‘teamwork’ becoming stale not nearly as productive as it once was, and then I saw an example of teamwork from one of my Boy Scouts (I am a Scoutmaster) which took teamwork to a new level.

 

We had annual elections coming up for the honor society of Scouting. The boys were given instructions on how to vote, and who was eligible. As is common with teenagers, not everyone heard all of the instructions. One fourteen year old, who, was himself eligible for the vote, thought he heard he could only vote for one of the people on the list.

 

Easy decision, right?

 

Wrong.  He agonized over who to vote for. Which of his fellow Scouts best represented the ideals of the honor society.  He pondered this and then made his one vote.

 

While I do not remember who he voted for, I do remember this, he did not consider himself. He knew he was eligible, but he also knew that he was not the best of the best, and focused on what was best for the troop.

 

I am happy to report that he did get enough votes from the other Scouts and he is going shortly to begin his participation in the honor society of Scouting, the Order of the Arrow.  In all the boys who are going, it is he, who I feel is most qualified, because he understood a key point in team work that many others have long since lost.

 

It is not:

 

What do I get out of it?

What’s the least I can do and still be a good team player?

How long do I have to do this for?

 

It is:

 

What is best for the team, and what I can do to help make that happen?

Making a sacrifice for the good the team and its goals.

 

 

A great example from a 14 year old.

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.learnandgrowdaily.com

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/

 

Click on the book to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

 

 

 

Preconceived and Limited

Good Morning,

 

First impressions are strong and often hard to shake. Even when they later turn out to be wrong.  Additionally, we often have expectations of what things should be and formulate preconceived notions.  Both of which do us no good when they are basically illusions, which often happens as people and situations change, but our opinions don’t.

 

This video is a funny example of a preconceived notion at work.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAbKV6lmvDM

 

A challenge we face is that we cannot NOT have first impressions and we cannot NOT formulate opinions about our experiences with others.  

 

What we CAN do is change our opinion as the evidence of the person or situation changes. What we need to do is be open to when they do.

 

When we allow for our impressions to change; a not so nice people turn out to be some of the warmest hearted people, or the cheapest person is truly a generous person, etc., we remove the limiting beliefs that can put walls up between ourselves and what is truly going out in the world around us.

 

I would not have the best friend I have if I did not allow my first impressions to change. My first experience with him was he was cold, mechanical and opinionated. Not a good start to a friendship.

 

Over time, I saw that he is one of the most caring and loving people I have ever met, a wonderful Dad and great husband, not to mention the best Chiropractor. What I saw as cold was his defense against those he did not trust. What I saw as mechanical was the process of learning what he did not know, absorbing it and making it his own (instead of blowing things off, he tries to understand them). What I saw as opinionated, well that is still the same, but because I changed my impression, I have a brother who is a Jonathan to me.

 

When you see people or things which are not what you originally thought, give them a second chance, but keep your guard up as you do. There are some not so loving people out there.  Test the new perceptions.

 

At the same time, don’t close off the wall to everyone just because they were a ‘Marine’ and you like warm and fuzzy people. Stereotypes are NOT always your friend.

 

Let go of your preconceived notions when it makes sense to.

 

Maybe you too could be friends with Chuck Norris (see the video).

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.learnandgrowdaily.com

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/

 

Click on the book to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

 

 

A free ticket to the amusement park

Good Morning,

 

Advertising and marketing has changed greatly over the years, although one thing remains constant, the offer to provide something; a fun time, better performance, improved efficiency, promotion. Something.

 

With the onslaught of marketing messages barraged at us through all sorts of means (advertise here) it appears organizations need to broadcast louder, brighter and give even bigger discounts to get their messages across.

 

An ad for 10% off everything in a bookstore will make me smile. One for 40% off will make me check my calendar. One for an even bigger discount could have me making plans on the spot. We do the same things in business and other organizations, that is use enticements to get people to do their jobs.

 

Many companies even build in programs behind these enticements. Some companies give monetary awards for 100% attendance, creating the incentive to come to work more. Others give bonuses for performance. Great enticements open the door for great performance.  People want to do more.

 

I know of one company which has something like ‘build your own bonus.’ The more employees performed the higher their bonus. You can imagine the performance of the staff after the first bonus checks were cut.

 

One huge challenge, though, is making it hard if not impossible to achieve what is offered.  Like the free car prize at a golf course for a hole-in-one on a Par 5 hole. Not impossible, but there are likely to be few cars given away.

 

A free ticket to the amusement park sounds great, unless the park is closed, or is unsafe, or too many tickets were given and lines to rides take hours to go through, or is simply a boring park.

 

This is not just for organizations, it is for us, everyday people, too.

 

How often do we haggle, barter or beg for help with housework or other tasks?

 

If we walk the dogs, someone will make dessert. And when we come back from walking the dogs, there is no dessert.  The person is still doing what they were doing before. The enticement becomes worse than worthless, credibility is lost. We feel duped.

 

Some people never forget when something does not get delivered as promised. Others are more forgiving, for a while anyway.

 

There are companies and restaurants who will never see certain customers or patrons again due to enticements failing to provide.

 

The key is to deliver what is promised, and work to remove roadblocks to the incentives or face losing credibility.

 

It is important as parents, as friends, as employers and organizations.

 

Something to think about.

 

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.learnandgrowdaily.com

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/

 

Click on the book to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336