“During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to the struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”
-Nelson Mandela
On my mind tonight is the perspective of perseverance, passion, and perspective as it relates to our leadership and ourselves.
I have a personal lesson learned about perseverance in the last ten days, but I need to let another week go by before writing about it–to see if the lesson learned has actually stuck. As I’ve gone through the last few days I have been uplifted by hearing of stories of challenge and perseverance and ones leadership. At times it’s really helpful to hear about people that you thought had it all–or appeared to–yet they still struggled. Alternatively, you hear about someone who has seemed to have “arrived”, but then go on to learn what they went through in order to get closer to their destination.
Nelson Mandela was such a man. And you can read a brief backgrounder here.
Here’s a person who spent 27 years in prison, among other trials and tribulations throughout his life. Think about the length of that, and if you literally had nearly three decades of your life taken from you. Or, for those that are younger, imagine being committed for another 20 years to imprisonment. A year would feel like an eternity (heck, some “tough days” feel like an eternity). I can’t imagine 27 stacked back-to-back years.
So, today, there are two simple quotes from Nelson Mandela that inspire me with a lesson of leadership. One’s about purpose and passion, which is the quote that originated at the beginning of this blog entry.
The other, which I’ll use to close, is about perspective amidst or in spite of difficulty.
“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
-Nelson Mandela
No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doctor. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all when. What is the most significant data you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good heartiness, its doubtless significant for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft can kill the mood in bedroom.
Why do we love the “underdog” story? Susan Boyle. “Mine that Bird” (Derby this weekend). Slumdog Millionaire (brilliant fictional drama).
To some degree, I think it’s because it represents more of “us.” Where we think we are, and what we hope to someday do or be.
But the reality is that we’re less than an underdog than we give ourselves credit for. The following New York Times article is a good reminder that hard work, a commitment to excellence and focus, and patient determination count for a tremendous portion of our successful outcome and result.
And there really are a lot of examples of this. A few that come to my mind off the cuff are Eric Clapton, whose music I really like, who acknowledges that if you go into a few bars chances are you’ll find someone as good or better on the guitar than him. Or take the common bit of wisdom passed onto University President’s which says “Be nice to your A-students because they’ll come back and teach; be nice to your C-students, because they’ll make all the money that funds your endowment.” And just today fact my dad sent onto me a list of “NFL Busts”, stories of guys with great talent–superhuman talent–who never went anywhere in the NFL (which was especially interesting to me because one of the guys I played against in high school was featured on the list and the guy was a rock star).
So sometimes the “talent myth” is too often decided by perception or some false quantitative measurement. No question, you need some talent. But, beyond that, there are other factors that seem to matter more.
Some people live in romantic ages. They tend to believe that genius is the product of a divine spark. They believe that there have been, throughout the ages, certain paragons of greatness — Dante, Mozart, Einstein — whose talents far exceeded normal comprehension, who had an other-worldly access to transcendent truth, and who are best approached with reverential awe.
We, of course, live in a scientific age, and modern research pierces hocus-pocus. In the view that is now dominant, even Mozart’s early abilities were not the product of some innate spiritual gift. His early compositions were nothing special. They were pastiches of other people’s work. Mozart was a good musician at an early age, but he would not stand out among today’s top child-performers.
What Mozart had, we now believe, was the same thing Tiger Woods had — the ability to focus for long periods of time and a father intent on improving his skills. Mozart played a lot of piano at a very young age, so he got his 10,000 hours of practice in early and then he built from there.
The latest research suggests a more prosaic, democratic, even puritanical view of the world. The key factor separating geniuses from the merely accomplished is not a divine spark. It’s not I.Q., a generally bad predictor of success, even in realms like chess. Instead, it’s deliberate practice. Top performers spend more hours (many more hours) rigorously practicing their craft.
The recent research has been conducted by people like K. Anders Ericsson, the late Benjamin Bloom and others. It’s been summarized in two enjoyable new books: “The Talent Code” by Daniel Coyle; and “Talent Is Overrated” by Geoff Colvin.
If you wanted to picture how a typical genius might develop, you’d take a girl who possessed a slightly above average verbal ability. It wouldn’t have to be a big talent, just enough so that she might gain some sense of distinction. Then you would want her to meet, say, a novelist, who coincidentally shared some similar biographical traits. Maybe the writer was from the same town, had the same ethnic background, or, shared the same birthday — anything to create a sense of affinity.
This contact would give the girl a vision of her future self. It would, Coyle emphasizes, give her a glimpse of an enchanted circle she might someday join. It would also help if one of her parents died when she was 12, infusing her with a profound sense of insecurity and fueling a desperate need for success.
Armed with this ambition, she would read novels and literary biographies without end. This would give her a core knowledge of her field. She’d be able to chunk Victorian novelists into one group, Magical Realists in another group and Renaissance poets into another. This ability to place information into patterns, or chunks, vastly improves memory skills. She’d be able to see new writing in deeper ways and quickly perceive its inner workings.
Then she would practice writing. Her practice would be slow, painstaking and error-focused. According to Colvin, Ben Franklin would take essays from The Spectator magazine and translate them into verse. Then he’d translate his verse back into prose and examine, sentence by sentence, where his essay was inferior to The Spectator’s original.
Coyle describes a tennis academy in Russia where they enact rallies without a ball. The aim is to focus meticulously on technique. (Try to slow down your golf swing so it takes 90 seconds to finish. See how many errors you detect.)
By practicing in this way, performers delay the automatizing process. The mind wants to turn deliberate, newly learned skills into unconscious, automatically performed skills. But the mind is sloppy and will settle for good enough. By practicing slowly, by breaking skills down into tiny parts and repeating, the strenuous student forces the brain to internalize a better pattern of performance.
Then our young writer would find a mentor who would provide a constant stream of feedback, viewing her performance from the outside, correcting the smallest errors, pushing her to take on tougher challenges. By now she is redoing problems — how do I get characters into a room — dozens and dozens of times. She is ingraining habits of thought she can call upon in order to understand or solve future problems.
The primary trait she possesses is not some mysterious genius. It’s the ability to develop a deliberate, strenuous and boring practice routine.
Coyle and Colvin describe dozens of experiments fleshing out this process. This research takes some of the magic out of great achievement. But it underlines a fact that is often neglected. Public discussion is smitten by genetics and what we’re “hard-wired” to do. And it’s true that genes place a leash on our capacities. But the brain is also phenomenally plastic. We construct ourselves through behavior. As Coyle observes, it’s not who you are, it’s what you do.
More Articles in Opinion »A version of this article appeared in print on May 1, 2009, on page A23 of the New York edition.
No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your physician. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all time. What is the most significant info you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, its doubtless significant for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft can kill the mood in bedroom.
The guy on the right was driving a motorcycle and slammed the breaks to insist on posing for a picture. One of the best parts of India is meeting the people and experiencing their joy and perspective.
The following post is part of my weeklong series “Lessons Learned from Mother Teresa” (read that post first). This excerpt is part three, the final component, of the Direct Selling News article from March. I’ll post the full article and link this weekend.
“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.”
-Mother Teresa
During my first and second visits, I had a near identical experience and awakening. I remember walking to the Home of the Sick and Dying, through a part of town called Kalighat (which is also home to a very popular Hindu temple).
This is the road to the Home of Sick/Dying, also to the Kali temple. Here there was much security (due to the bombings weeks before in Mumbai) coupled with vendors lining the streets as well as thousands of homeless.
As I was walked I saw thousands of people on the street. Thousands. Babies, literally newborn infants, sleeping on dirt streets with nothing.
Begging children who were blind, as a result of unspeakable horrors inflicted upon them intentionally by adults in an attempt to amplify their appeals for help.
Innumerable bodies that were frail and physically afflicted with — at best — malnourishment, and — at worst — deadly diseases without any source of healthcare assistance.
As I continued to walk, the sights and sounds became more stirring, and my soul became emotionally discouraged. I felt a sense of helplessness and hopelessness I’ve rarely experienced. In the past, I always felt in most situations that I had a sense of control or an impact-based solution. In this case, the further I walked, the more I saw, and the deeper the extent of the extreme poverty, I began to feel that there was absolutely nothing that I could meaningfully contribute.
This is one of my favorite pictures even though it's so simple. It's the entrance to the Home of Sick and Dying, which is an overwhelming sensory experience that I can't fully express--sights, sounds, smells, touch. It is overpowering. Yet calming. I can't explain it. And this is one of the first things you see as you walk in, and this image has so many metaphorical and literal connections to the Home and India that I love it (some of which would require a longer explanation)
Yet, when I walked through the doors of the Home of the Sick and Dying, I saw 65 men lying there — whose lives, at that moment, I could impact. I remember Mother Teresa saying “Just one, even if you can help just one…” It was with this memory of her voice, coupled with the experience, which led me to understand during my time with the Missionaries of Charity that you’ll make a difference by helping just one person.
This was a profound idea for me as I came home. Many problems around the world, in my country, and even in my local community are not easily fixable. But what I clearly realized is that there’s no reason why I can’t have an impact on that one person who is out there, that needs a voice, a friend, an ear, some time, or a meal.
And most likely, what they really need is love.
This is the hospice inside of the Home, it's both dreary and bright; dreadful and beautiful; dark and light. It's a world of complete contrasts, and I found my time there to actually be calming, rewarding, and deep--something I remember from my last trip a decade ago
There exists no rational reason why I, as a human being who has been given so much, can’t simply take another few steps to help that one person who needs it most – regardless of whether that circumstance exists in my company, field organization, church, family, or community. Or, simply, a random person in the path right in front of me.
What I learned about real, undying, and unyielding acts of service from Mother Teresa were shared with me by herself in the 90’s, and re-stated this most recent trip by Father Abello, a priest involved in her cause who to this day—after many decades—spends time with the volunteers on a regular basis.
She shared with me and a few of the volunteers the following observations.
“You’re welcome here for two reasons”, she began.
“One, is the witness you can share. You come from a place that those staying at the Home of the Sick and Dying view as heaven. And, they feel they’re living in hell. So when you come from your heaven, to invest time and love with them in their hell, they must ask themselves the question ‘why would someone do this for me?’, when the world views them as worthless. The person that asks that question dies a very different death than the person who never gets to ask themselves that question.”
She continued, thoughtfully.
“Two, you are welcome here because of the change that you can become. You are going back home to a place that we all know is not heaven; in fact, your people suffer as much of the loneliness and hopelessness as anybody. If this will make you a better person, help you find purpose, then you will have benefited tremendously, and you will have received a gift as a result of your service.”
As I flew the long journey home from too short a stay in Kolkata, I realized the impact of Mother Teresa’s words.
Ultimately, there are two gifts—what we give and what we receive—which comprise some of the characteristics of Servant Leadership. Often, we describe it in seemingly sterile adjectives or simple nuances like “be nice to your spouse” or “tell the truth”, important yet basic fundamentals that hardly address “Servant Leadership.” During this last trip I learned from the Sisters at the Missionaries of Charity and other volunteers there’s a much deeper meaning to a spirit of Service.
The opportunity we have to take small steps can change the world. We make an impact by sharing compassion and love — particularly with those who need it the most, and often these are the very ones who can’t or won’t reciprocate. It is therefore beyond just virtuosity, some would say its vital, that we support and nurture a culture where the dignity and respect of every individual — regardless of rank, title, money, or stature — is viewed as sacred.
Servant Leadership, I learned, might be a lot of things. And at times we might be tempted to think of Servant Leadership as even a few great things. However, Mother Teresa best summarized what I learned about Servant Leadership:
“There are no great things, only small things done with great love.”
This is the entrance to the Home of the Sick and Dying, it’s amazing and ironic that you practically walk over bodies of people lying in the streets–many of whom would qualify as exceptionally sick by our standards, but aren’t eligible for admission into this home.
This is the road to the Home of Sick/Dying, also to the Kali temple. Here there was much security (due to the bombings weeks before in Mumbai) coupled with vendors lining the streets as well as thousands of homeless.
Upon entering the Home of the Sick and Dying this is the first image you see–it’s an experience difficult to describe, an overload of sensory experiences of touch, sight, sound, and smell–unforgettable, and on one hand stomach-turning and the other comforting. It’s something I can’t quite describe. This simple picture is my favorite because of the memories it invokes, plus there are so many simple fundamental elements in this picture that comprise the heart of this Home, Mother Teresa, and India.
The guy looking over towards me in the bed was just a magical person, and not in some spiritual/esoteric sense–just a special guy; his name was Arithnabeb, one of the few who spoke English
This is the hospice inside of the Home, it’s both dreary and bright; dreadful and beautiful; dark and light. It’s a world of complete contrasts, and I found my time there to actually be calming, rewarding, and deep–something I remember from my last trip a decade ago
This is the central “work” station for the Home of the Sick and Dying, where we’d do laundry and clean…This is a picture of dish duty after every meal.
Here’s a typical guy coming out of the Kali temple, right next to the Home of the Sick and dying.
Every morning after Mass at the Mother House we’d all get together to eat bananas, white bread, and hot chai–basic, but delicious; we would socialize and then sing songs (silly, I know, but in this room I experienced and observed some of the most love I’ve ever felt)
My friend, Paul, from Ireland. I can’t say enough about this guy and the impact he had on me; his story of what brought him to India started with a path that began years ago, and through tribulation delivered him to Kolkata where I saw him both renew others spirits, as his himself was renewed as well. It is the impact of volunteerism, I think, that that it’s soul-stirring to the core and will affect you in ways not understood.
A very shaggy Raz and one of the Sisters who managed the Home of the Sick and Dying–she was a rather tough cookie but took a liking to me, so I really enjoyed my time getting to know her.
Sister Nathaniel, who would give the appearance as being a bit of a firm person yet the looks were deceiving–she was playful, humorous, and even gregarious. I loved working with her.
Unloading supplies, about 1,000 women and children were waiting in line to be fed or provisioned.
The guy on the right was driving a motorcycle and slammed the breaks to insist on posing for a picture. One of the best parts of India is meeting the people and experiencing their joy and perspective.
No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doctor. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all time. What is the most significant information you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, its doubtless great for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft can kill the mood in bedroom.
Daya Dan Entrance, one of Mother Teresa's Orphanages for kids with mental or physical disabilities (most have both)
“One of the greatest diseases is to be nobody to anybody.”
-Mother Teresa
The street outside the Daya Dan orphanage
There’s a lifestyle component to our industry that sometimes we feel that we need in order to sell “the opportunity.” There’s nothing wrong with lifestyle; nice homes, comfortable cars, and exotic trips are all part of our industry at various times. There’s a balance, of course, but even Mother Teresa said, “There must be a reason why some people can afford to live well. They must have worked for it. I only feel angry when I see waste.”
But sometimes in our industry and in life, we sometimes border on the worship of lifestyle—corporately, in the field, or personally. This actually serves as a distraction from some of life’s greatest sources of meaning — and ultimately can lead to one of the greatest afflictions that exist: loneliness.
In Kolkata, there were children who were content, happy, and fulfilled. The others, in contrast, were destitute, forgotten, and lonely.
This is my little buddy Mongol's younger sister, she's 12 years old and is undoubtedly one of the best kids I have ever met; so happy, so precious, and sweet.
I’d like to suggest it was food or some cool toys or something more tangible and “fixable” that brightened a child’s disposition, but that just wasn’t so.Those children who were most happy experienced a level of love and attention that made them feel they had value. Worth. Significance. Using Mother Teresa’s expression, they were enjoying “being something to someone.”
Rank advancements, new enrollments, compliance and retention are all vital things. Without them, none of us have a viable and successful business, and independent associates don’t have a meaningful source of income.
Yet, I think we are tempted to look at advancement as the next source of meaning or the step that will spark true contentment. For others the draw might be something material, it might be a title, it might be experiential; but regardless of what “it” is, one thing I was sharply reminded of is that “it” is not the ticket to happiness.
Rooftop deck of the orphanage, where we spent a lot of the mornings. The sky is completely clear, not a cloud to be seen. It’s overcast due to smog–a day in Kolkata is like smoking two packs of cigs.
Group time, singing and stuff
Down this hall is where I learned one of the most humbling lessons of my life, I will never forget this image.
Mongol playing the keyboard and the rest of the kids singing. It was both horrible and beautiful sounding at the same time.
Mornings were split up between playtime and lessons or therapy
Me and Mongol, 13-year old kid with a great mind but challenged body. And amazing, simply amazing. Sweet, happy, joyful…
Two pals at Dya Dan
Daya Dan Entrance, one of Mother Teresa’s Orphanages for kids with mental or physical disabilities (most have both)
The street outside the Daya Dan orphanage
This is my little buddy Mongol’s younger sister, she’s 12 years old and is undoubtedly one of the best kids I have ever met; so happy, so precious, and sweet.
No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your physician. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all season. What is the most significant information you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good soundness, its doubtless great for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft can kill the mood in bedroom.
The following post is part of my weeklong series “Lessons Learned from Mother Teresa” (read that post first). This excerpt is part two of the Direct Selling News article from March.
This is the truck ride on the way to Dispensary duty, with Sister Nathaniel among others. There are a lot of things that aren't well communicated in pictures, but the smell and soot of Kolkata is one of them.
“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” -Mother Teresa
When you arrive in Kolkata, despair, more than anything else, greets you. There are an inordinate number of people that live on the streets, and there is an exceptionally difficult amount of poverty to absorb.From the vantage point of an outsider, poverty—whether in India, North America, or elsewhere makes it relatively easy to pontificate solutions, point fingers at problematic fulcrums, and even become embattled in a bitter debate about political partisanship while sitting safely on the sidelines. I was reminded that it’s much more difficult – emotionally and physically – to actually do something about it.
Each bag represents a months worth of provisions--oil, biscuits, and wheat
Similarly, in other matters of life it’s sometimes hard to listen without making a judgment. Whether it’s financial troubles people are having (“and you bought what!?!?!?”) or leadership problems (“why would you say THAT?”) or emotional baggage (“okay, tell me again what exactly was it that happened at ten years ago that you’re still so rankled about?”), to simply listen, and love someone, is an exceptionally difficult thing for most of us to do. For some, it’s a God-given gift. Yet, I think for most of us, it’s a developing skill that takes effort as we experience both the need and the blessing that can arise from compassion and grace. It also needs to be coupled with honest accountability. Often we’re better with the judgment side of the ledger rather than the grace side — until, that is, it comes to ourselves.
This is the male side of the "Home of the Sick and Dying", essentially a hospice for the sickest of the sick.
Perhaps the greatest impact I experienced from my time at the Home of the Sick and Dying was to see, firsthand, the many patients in the home — some of whom were there as a result of their own circumstances — to be able to live their final days experiencing love and compassion.
Regardless of their past, their poverty, or their personalities, there was no judgment, no critique, no “rehab” program to get them restarted and on a life of significance and meaning. Behind the scenes, never a word was said among the Sisters or volunteers about what it was that led them to this final destination. They were there. It was home, and that’s all that mattered.
In my professional and personal life, there’s an easy carryover of this particular theme. Many people in my life are “home,” and how they got to this place doesn’t really matter.
No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doctor. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all time. What is the most significant information you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, its doubtless great for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft can kill the mood in bedroom.
Sister Nathaniel at the gate where some of the poor are trying to get in to our Dispensary for food and medicine, there were already nearly 1,000 served that day...And she let in a few more.
In January I took two weeks off to go to Kolkata, India to do some volunteer work and personal study at Mother Teresa’s organization called the “Sisters of Charity.”
About the time I was leaving, I was asked to write an article on Servant Leadership for the Direct Selling News publication. So the decision of what to write about, given the timing and the topic, was pretty easy.
However, the actual writing itself about acts of service, specifically Servant Leadership, is among the most difficult for me personally. In part, because I have so much to learn about it. And, also in part, because I realize I’m not particularly good at it.
So I’m approaching the topic with a lot of humility and acknowledgment there’s much I don’t know and I realize there are many things I don’t get right.
Directions to the Mother House (basically Sisters of Charity HQ--where they sleep, meet, base station, etc.).
I’ve got some great memories from that trip; today, at this very moment, it’s almost surreal that it happened. Such a world apart from where life is right now.
This week my blog theme will be based around the entire theme of Servant Leadership; I’ll be taking the core of the article I wrote and will break it into several smaller parts along with some pictures from the trip along the way. At the end of the week I’ll post the full article.
The article comprises the lessons I learned about Servant Leadership–or more simply just service and heart–from Mother Teresa and the Sisters of Charity. If word count for my article weren’t limited I could’ve written about dozens of lessons learned, some big and some small. But these three were the most profound to me–at least at the time of the writing.
So here it is: Part one of “Lessons Learned from Mother Teresa” from my Direct Selling News article published this past March.
I jumped head first into the Direct Selling industry in winter of 2005. In the years since then, I can’t think of another industry where more time and effort are invested in developing a corporate and field culture.
If that thought causes you to think of power suits, rushed lunch meetings, and the host of Dilbert cartoons you’ve enjoyed over the years, I wouldn’t blame you. After all, I had worked for some exceptional Fortune 500 companies prior to joining Univera. “Corporate culture” was embedded into my business vocabulary, but it wasn’t always in a flattering light.
It wasn’t until the last few years where I looked upon the word “culture” with such a positive tone. Our environment encourages a culture of respect, integrity, listening, and helping others – a term referred to as “Servant Leadership.” To be clear, as an organization and as individuals—particularly myself—we’re far from perfect. Yet I’ve loved the opportunity to work in an environment that shares this aspiration.
And it’s this very thing that I love about our industry—that culture is sustained by heart and driven by purpose.
Altruistic terms such as “Servant Leadership” that are adopted by the business world are often rooted in more selfless endeavors, and my awareness of and adherence to Univera’s credo is no different—thought I didn’t know it as “Servant Leadership” at the time.
Entrance to the Home of the Sick and Dying, often called Nirmal Hriday or Kalighat because it's right next to the famous Hindu temple named after Kali the goddess,which ironically is a goddess of destruction.
In the summer of 1996, I had the privilege of volunteering at one of Mother Teresa’s “Missionaries of Charity” homes in Kolkata, India. After a month of working with the poorest of the poor, I gained a perspective that changed me as much as any other event in my life — including the birth of my two daughters, the passing of a newborn son, and the experiences of living in Manhattan during 9/11 just blocks away from the World Trade Centers.
The reason for the impact is difficult to describe, but I would attribute it largely to the impact that a spirit of service can have on both a single individual—and an entire organization.
In the first two weeks of this new year, I was blessed with the opportunity to go back to Mother’s home in Kolkata and again take up the call to serve those most in need. This trip was initiated by a personal commitment I made to pursue some of my own dreams in different arenas of my life in 2009, this being one of the cultural ones.
During my time there, I started my mornings working at “Dya Dan”, a children’s orphanage for kids—often disposed of by their parents—with mental or physical disabilities. If you have kids, it’s an environment so “primitive” that you wouldn’t leave them there for weeks or even hours. Yet, for these kids and in their environment, it’s a home of laughter and joy. It’s paradise, relatively speaking
One Saturday we did dispensary work, where I went to a very poor village outside Kolkata with about a dozen others, mostly Sisters, to dispense food and medicine
My afternoons were filled by Mother Teresa’s first love; a home called “Nirmal Hriday” or more commonly referred to as “The Home of the Sick and Dying.” Fundamentally, it’s a very rudimentary hospice where people go to pass from this life to the next. It’s a home that has very little light; the walls speak with a muted echo, the facilities smells of a combination of infection and disinfectant—yet it’s also a home filled with great love and compassion.
So here, rather than trying to put a new spin on often-discussed topics such as corporate strategy, leadership development, and even our industry’s advantage in light of the current economic collapse, I hope instead to share some of the life and business lessons that I learned, or re-learned, during my most recent journey to this place many thousands of miles away…
No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doctor. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all day. What is the most significant data you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, its doubtless important for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft can kill the mood in bedroom.
“Hey, Raz has yet another one of those Susan Boyle/Paul Potts videos for us.”
Well, actually I do but not for today.
Though as I’m on it, there’s another really great video with a super touching story about an American guy who has a special relationship with his mom and just seems like the sweetest man. But that’s for another posting, I can’t do three of those blog entries in a row.
So today? One last look…at the Road Tour. Thanks to everybody that made this such a success.
And a few “behind the scenes” looks at the Road Tour.
No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doctor. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all when. What is the most significant info you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good soundness, its doubtless great for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft can kill the mood in bedroom.
So with all the fanfare with Susan Boyle and her amazing performance on “Britain’s Got Talent”, and my many many views of her performance in the last few days (to the point that my wife is teasing me), I’ve become captured with a few other great stories ofnormal people doing exceptional things that have been featured on a few reality shows. I don’t watch much TV, but some of these highlights on YouTube are just too fantastic not to share.
The ones below I saw about a year back, a similar story to Susan’s. I think there’s a reason that we’re all so intrigued by these exceptional shorts–in total these videos have been viewed on YouTube tens of millions of times, there’s a buzz about it.
Why are these so popular?
For me, I’m drawn by seeing someone’s inspiration. Sheer determination. And ultimate. success. Seeing someone’s “Renewal.” It’s the archetypical underdog story of a longshot, someone left behind or forgotten and dismissed or simply underestimated, that has “it” deep within them, sticks with it, and wins big.
I’d love to hear other opinions on what has made these clips of Paul and Susan SUCH a sensation–comment away! 🙂
So, here it is…Paul Potts, from over a year ago on Britain’s Got Talent. The first video is his audition. The second video is a deeper look at the Paul Potts story.
And once again, take a look at the crowd–the smirks and laughter–before his performance, and how he absolutely transforms the audience during the event.
t>
And here’s the other clip that gives a bit more of the story after it unfolded.
No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doctor. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all time. What is the most significant information you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good soundness, its doubtless significant for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft can kill the mood in bedroom.
Sometimes there are certain moments that words don’t describe well.
Which is why I won’t try to share much about today’s posting and I’ll let this seven minute video taken from “Britain’s Got Talent” give you chills from seeing someone’s dream realized. I wish I could embed the video itself, but that feature has been disabled by YouTube for this particular video–so you’ll have to go to the link at the bottom of this posting.
When watching this, some of you will get chills.
Some will laugh, or smile.
And others will cry.
All of you will be moved.
The experience of watching this is among the most powerful I’ve felt in months. Look at the change in the audience, from the beginning, where they were laughing and mocking this lovely woman who simply has a dream–to being an audience that’s simply…inspired.
So many lessons in this seven minutes. About perceptions. Judgment. Perseverance. Potential. And dreams.
I’ve watched her performance four times in a row, and I can’t stop the overpowering sense of emotions and insight I get from watching what is probably seven of the most magical moments on television that have happened in a long while.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Here’s the link:
And, by the way, if you’re up for a little extra sentiment and contemplation, read the lyrics to the song she sang from Les Miserable “I Dreamed a Dream” below.
There was a time when men were kind
When their voices were soft
And their words inviting
There was a time when love was blind
And the world was a song
And the song was exciting
There was a time
Then it all went wrong
I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving
Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung, no wine untasted
But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
And they turn your dream to shame
He slept a summer by my side
He filled my days with endless wonder
He took my childhood in his stride
But he was gone when autumn came
And still I dream he’ll come to me
That we will live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms we cannot weather
I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I’m living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.
No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doc. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all period. What is the most significant information you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good heartiness, its doubtless important for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft can kill the mood in bedroom.
1. There’s a huge need for secondary or replacement primary income right now? More than ever in the past three decades, perhaps longer? Everybody is faced with the prospect of layoffs, 401k matches missing, salary reductions, and on. Not to say that everyone is going through it–but everybody to some degree is faced with the prospect. Heck, I just read that even Sesame Street is laying off 20% of it’s workforce–including some of the letters of the alphabet, such as Q, K, Z, K, and the semicolon! (the latter is pulled from a funny piece of online satire, but the former is apparently true and not so funny).
2. That there’s nothing wrong with pushing a hotdog cart (though I wouldn’t recommend eating one everyday). People do what they need to do. No judgment here.
3. That an opportunity in Univera makes vastly more sense in terms of a) lower initial investment, b) time factor of money, c) income potential, d) capitalizing on a growing marketplace, e) feeling better physically, and f) intersecting what you do with what you love–or in other words, finding purpose in work?
Check this recent article from the Wall Street Journal, and tell me it doesn’t motivate you to go and find that extra person to give them a shot at what they might never have known but for your contributions and enthusiasm…The best advice probably comes at the very end of the story, where Mr. Mottola says “I’m creating my own stimulus plan…I’m not waiting for the President.”
Dogged Pursuit: Professionals Find New Livelihood Selling Frankfurters
BANDERA, Texas — In hard times, some small-town Americans are turning to a new livelihood with relish.
Among them are Andrea and Ben Guajardo. They began selling hot dogs from a pushcart on Main Street in November.
Ms. Guajardo is a grant administrator for a health-care system. Her husband, Ben, is a pipeline operator. Theirs is the first hot-dog stand in Bandera, pop. 957, that anybody here can remember.
No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doctor. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all season. What is the most significant information you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, its doubtless important for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft can kill the mood in bedroom.
What happens when you pull together 500 people who…
Have high energy?
Great leadership?
Are excited about a new paradigm to feeling great?
And ready to take hold of their own financial future?
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUV-QV_jp0w
Well, when you combine all of those things in the dynamic city of Reno, and a huge portion of those 500 are guests leaning forward in their seats during the presentations, you’ve got an event that absolutely rocked this past Tuesday night.
I can’t say enough great things about the event.
And, with our Road Tour every city was really good–many were great and even exceptional. But, Reno was off the charts. Just totally off the charts. Of course Stephen and Regan were fantastic, but so were all of the hosts and participants and people and guests and…
So much of the success of an event is decided before anyone first sets foot in the door. And, what I mean by that is it’s often pre-determined by the leaders in the room and their spirit and excitement coming into the activity that helps drive to a successful event.
That, coupled with bringing lots of qualified people to hear some great news.
This past week, that’s exactly what happened as we wrapped up the Road Tour in Reno–there’s no hyperbole there when I saw it’s the best event we’ve had in a long time. It was absolutely electric by the end of the night.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0G5U84Iq0M
And hangin’ with the Reno leaders was a hoot as well.
Stay tuned for a Road Tour highlights video, for now enjoy this stuff from the Rockin’ Reno team.
I don’t have any good stories from the event–only great ones, and the leadership there is fantastic. There is no way I can give credit to all the names of people who made such an impact.
Congrats, team, on such a great event. And, thanks for making the final stop among the best events we’ve ever held.
No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doctor. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all season. What is the most significant info you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, its doubtless important for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft can kill the mood in bedroom.
This is one of my first-ever predominantly video-blogs (vlogs), but it’ll tell the better story comprised of a few different clips from a great evening. Thanks to all the Phoenix leadership, including Barry and Connie Lucas, Kenny and Esmerelda Rossi, Ron Faunce, Dr. Jack Burns, and many many others who participated and helped. Thanks to all the first-timers who showed up to check out Univera, the products and the business.
In short, this was my favorite trip to Phoenix so far–I loved the time at the event, meeting all the new people (probably 70% guests), and the great socialization with the leaders post event at Los Alevios! So, enough writing–onto the VLOG…
No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your physician. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all day. What is the most significant data you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, its doubtless great for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft can kill the mood in bedroom.
Growing up we did the annual trip our West, generally Colorado. We’d start in Columbus, Ohio, and 24-hours later we’d arrive into the Denver area. Lots of memories evolve from those trips, including a few funny prospective blog stories, but one of the things I remember most about the journey was the dialogue and the music. I’d spend a lot of time talking to my dad on the way, and we always had this set structure of music that included Karen Carpenter, Paul Williams (such a fantastic songwriter), and, of course, John Denver. So this song will be forever my placeholder for “here.”
Once you get to this great state you start to understand the “Rocky Mountain High” that Denver wrote about years ago. I always love coming here, flying into what’s almost always sunshine and fresh air. This weekend we had lots of fresh air, and a bit of sunshine (ironically, literally as I write, it’s 70 and sunny back in Oly and 26 and overcast and snowing here in Denver–ha!).
From Austin, despite what many forecasters were predicting as a wild weekend, the flight was on time and bump-free and Stephen made it on time to his Doc’s event, which I know was sprinkled with good humor as well as some Cheesesteak stories–remember, Stephen, I get to speak last at all of these events. 🙂
During the event, on Saturday afternoon, it was really well run. Eddy Wittry was the guy behind the scenes facilitating everything, and he did a great job, but so many other leaders were involved in the event and particularly presentation, including Anjila Stimack, Dave Walther, Chris Pilgrim, Harris Williams, and John Rogers among others.
And lots of help from many people, including Judy Gillum, Gerry and Michelle Bergeson (great set up guys), and I could go on and on and on with all the people that contributed–thanks to everybody.
There’s lots of great video footage from this trip as well as Austin (post-Tour we’ll do a highlights video) but the following clip is among my most favorite.
Remember Regan, this was just one guy’s opinion. I’m sure the next person you asked would have said…me. 🙂
After a great event, we took the local leaders out to dinner (Dr. Greene and Judy, enjoyed our time together at dinner) and had a great time–thanks, guys, for the gift of some local Colorado wine that looks great.
Then, the finale…Boogie Machine at Cool Rivers. This is Jerry and Michelle’s band. www.boogiemachine.com
These guys really rocked the house, we met a bunch of other associates out at the event and danced the night away listening to 70’s music. The evening was among the most fun we’ve had on the Road Tour, and both the people as well as the music were responsible for that.
Which is a great plug for Convention ’09. These same people, and MANY MANY more will be at our event June 26-29, and this SAME BAND will be opening for us on Thursday night–the start of our 10-year celebration. So in addition to great speakers (Bill Lee, Paul Zane Pilzer, Suzanne Peterson, Neil Offen, and others), training and business growth (average Gold who attended Conventions in the past earned DOUBLE the commissions that following year of those at the same rank who did not go), this event promises to be a lot of fun.
Perhaps, even more than the Denver group was this weekend.
No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your physician. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all season. What is the most significant information you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good soundness, its doubtless important for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft can kill the mood in bedroom.
This entry started as what would be a combination of two events, Austin and Denver. Thus the name, Austenver. Then, I started looking at all the great pictures and people from Austin, and I just couldn’t bring myself to pull the two events together.
As I type we’re en route to Denver, placing bets of whether we’ll land or not. Already, the Frontier flight first thing this AM was cancelled to Denver, and many United flights leaving Denver were cancelled, yet as I write we’re flying in gorgeously sunny skies—hopefully beating this last winter storm that’s apparently on its way (side note: when I landed this was published, so obviously we have made it to Denver and we will see you this afternoon).
So the three of us are doing our thing in flight, Stephen pounding away on his keyboard (though not quite as loudly as me), Regan sits ahead of us CEO style in first class (bumped, not a purchased ticket) watching 30 Rock, and I’m bloggin’ away.
Arriving into Austin was welcome warmth, spectacular sun and temperature. It’s the best weather so far. And, while weather is really an exceptionally boring and mindless topic, when you live in 40-50 degrees and rainy for much of the year (though I actually love it) the topic of sunny skies and arid warmth becomes just a tad more interesting.
Austin is such a hoppin’ city, and for a Friday night our turnout was fantastic—probably close to 200. Significantly more people than we had last time in Austin, and the energy and excitement was a lot better as well. Not that last time our Austin trip wasn’t great, it was good. But this was really exceptional with the quality of people and just the…Energy.
I’d rather have energy, excitement, and conviction any day of the week over someone with just talent and talk that lacks passion. In Austin we had people that are both talented and excited. The best of both.
When I reference specific people that I meet on the Road Tour I always hesitate a bit, because there’s always more people that I can’t blog about that I met who are equally interesting. But I try to tie in one story or experience.
At this event I met a guy with a great story, his name is Mario (his brother Tommy attended the event as well), and is signed up under Colleen who was also attending. Mario’s story is a great one, he grew up in the Lyford, Texas area. Which, many of you know, is home to Hilltop Gardens—the Historical Home of Aloe. There’s more to this great story, it’s just evolving and someday I’ll write more about it, but the short of it that Mario has gone on to become exceptionally successful, and as I understand it is an inventor (even featured in magazines like Popular Mechanics) and has also done some feature work in TV. The amazing thing is not that he’s totally bought into Univera—the products and the business. It’s that he has a stronger tie to Hilltop Gardens than most anybody I know.
See, when Mario was growing up, his parents worked in agriculture and in the fields. And, some of the work they did was planting and harvesting aloe.
But the magic is, they didn’t just work any farms. One of the farms his parents worked in the fields was the Hilltop Gardens farm itself, before Bill had actually purchased it (owned by a different family, with a different name—but the oldest aloe vera farm in the U.S.).
So the evolution of this story is an amazing one, and among many other stories of success that will grow over the years this will also be another interesting one.
No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your physician. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all time. What is the most significant information you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, its doubtless important for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft can kill the mood in bedroom.
My creativity brain cells are, I believe, starting to diminish. But the excitement on the road for Univera isn’t!
Sometimes when I write these entries about the Road Tour I feel like it might read as a bit of over-enthusiasm for these events, but really, if they weren’t good events I either wouldn’t write about them or I’d pick some obscure topic to focus on semi-related to the event.
So Nashville was lots ‘o energy. And I am trying to stay away talking about any of the Corporate presentations, because it’s really not the point of the Road Tour and it’s boring to read about in a blog–instead, the point is to try to get this message and the opportunity–product, business, or both–in front of people who need it the most.
However, Stephen was fantastic at this event. It was probably the best that I have heard him, he pulled out all stops.
Energy in the room was fantastic, we had people there from Indianapolis, Knoxville, Georgia–even someone from California was there. And about 70% were first time attendees, another really amazing percentage.
We spent a lot of time socializing and getting to know those in the area. It really was an exceptional event, we will be back.
No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your physician. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all when. What is the most significant data you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, its doubtless important for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft can kill the mood in bedroom.
It was a good sized group, about 150, but there were a lot of guests there. At least half. Probably more.
And, Stephen? On fire. On message. Nailed the products. Was dead on time, exactly 20 minutes. Hilarious. With not one diversion.
Yep, today we (re) introduced Stephen DVD. And while not quite as good as the “live” version, it still served as a really strong tool to support the meeting.
You can see some of the highlights from people who participated in the video below.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_1xnELDIT8
Tim Kaufman hosted; sincerely, it was probably the best job of hosting a meeting I have ever seen. He set it up really clearly, was charming yet convicting, serious yet easygoing. He’s a natural talent, and connects exceptionally well with people.
Also, Diamonds Mark and Patty Middleton, David and Becky Ylinen, and Tony Fightmaster were also attending–along with leaders and associates from the Greater (and much greater, incl. Indiana/Mich/etc.) Chicago area.
And we kept the meeting to under 90-minutes, which I think is really helpful to maintaining energy in the room–and enabling all the guests to ask question and talk afterwards. In fact, Regan and I spent an hour after the meeting just mingling with people–and when we left there were still at least 30 people hanging out talking about the business, showing people how to get started and work the business or start on the products.
It’s known as…building momentum! 🙂
We always leave Chicago feeling like it was one of our favorite (didn’t say THE favorite, just one of!) events–and we always leave knowing that we’ll be back sometime soon.
No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doc. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all season. What is the most significant info you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, its doubtless great for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft can kill the mood in bedroom.
What a great song, it was perfect for this past Wednesday morning as a departure song but it was trumped by my gate experience that day.
Since it’s the first official start of the Road Tour tomorrow morning I’ll use this as my beginning post for our many-city tour across North America to share the good news about Univera, these incredible products, an amazing business opportunity, and our culture.
John Denver was such an amazing artist, there’s a great blog entry to be made about him but for now I’ll let the words in the song do the talking (unfortunately this YouTube version gets clipped at the end).
Looking forward to seeing many of you on the Road Tour, and if not please participate via the blog and writing comments. Go Montreal!!!
No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doctor. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all time. What is the most significant data you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, its doubtless significant for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft can kill the mood in bedroom.
Today at the gym I was on the elliptical machine and there was an older woman in front of me who had really short hair. I wouldn’t have noticed, apart from the large tattoo on her neck of a pink “Care Bears” fully exposed given the short hair.
If she doesn’t already, my guess is she will someday regret getting that tattoo.
So at that moment I started thinking about regrets.
I’ve got some and so do you.
For some that say “I have no regrets”, I know it sounds fashionably independent and confident–almost brash and brave. But it also says that they probably aren’t thinking hard enough about their past or their memories are too short.
When it comes down to it, I think we all have regrets. Often, decisions are based on whether we think we’ll have a regret or not as a consequence.
Years ago I was working at the corporate offices of Eli Lilly in Indianapolis in a Marketing role. Many of my peers had MBA’s from the top tier schools, and I remember working with some exceptionally talented people. Say what you what about Pharma/Biotech (and I do think, generally, the health care model is broken with many of these companies), but they generally have
exceptionally talented people that work in the corporate offices.
There were a few corporate guys like me who had risen up to a corporate role from the field sales position, but we were always a little bit different than the “MBA employees.” At least that’s how I felt at times–but it didn’t hold me back and it really didn’t bother me, I always acknowledged the value of higher education. Except for one time I remember getting pretty rankled, as I heard with great clarity and ringing words in my ears as one Duke MBA brat told me “nobody without an MBA has the ability to work in Business Development” (which, ironically, I later did, though with a different company).
This statement alone made me want to NOT get my MBA and prove him wrong. But that response only lasted a few minutes, and truth be told I had been wrestling with the idea of
whether to pursue an MBA.
In fact, I had a three pronged decision: 1) Bypass the MBA and just continue getting some incredible work experiences and climbing the ladder; 2) Continue w/ the great work experiences but give up a lot of my personal life for a few
years and go to a part time MBA program; 3) Go to a stellar full time MBA program, giving up my full time job, so I could focus all my energies on education.
One of the great things about a large Company like Eli Lilly is the wealth of knowledge and intellectual horsepower that exists and is freely available. I worked really hard to perform while there, but I also worked equally hard to learn. And during that time I had outstanding mentors. So I used the vast network of people during the course of four months and I set up about a dozen different meetings with various colleagues to pick their brain about MBA programs and get different perspectives so I could make my own decision and take a best course of action. It was a big decision for me.
Invariably, almost without exception, I learned three things when trying to assess a no-go, PT, or FT MBA program decision.
1. Those who didn’t go to get their MBA generally didn’t think it that useful or “needed” in order to succeed. So they didn’t really recommend it.
2. Those that went part time were convinced that getting a part time MBA was the best approach, that getting an MBA was vitally important but not enough so that you should leave the workforce and miss out on those workplace experiences.
3. Those that went full time were equally convinced that getting an MBA was not only vital, but that you really “must” go through a full time program at a top tier school.
This proves a bit of the problem with selection bias. I learned a lot from these informational meetings, but ultimately the advice-giver couldn’t generally divorce themselves from personal bias–and people usually want to validate their own personal decisions.
My final information-gathering meeting was with a mentor of mine named Joe. We talked for about an hour, he had an easy and casually conversant style–peppered with lots of questions about my goals and aspirations, but he also did a great job of sharing with me various experiences and some of the pros and cons of my decisions as he saw it.
In fact, he was so objective that I can’t even recall if he had an MBA or not. He was one of the few that didn’t have such a strong personal bias. And as much as I liked the advice and his mentorship, what we discussed during the 59 minutes didn’t really help me as much as what he said in the final one minute.
As we were closing the dialgue, he made a statement so simple but provided such exceptional clarity that I remember this being the tipping point of my decision to go and pursue and MBA. Joe said the following simple statement in both a confident and reassuring way:
“Raz, I have no question that if you go back and get your MBA that you’ll never regret it. Never.”
And oddly enough, that’s all I needed to hear.
Hours and hours of deliberation and dialogue suddenly flew out the window, and I knew EXACTLY what I was supposed to do. So quickly thereafter I enrolled in a fantastic part-time MBA program while also continuing with the great experiences at Lilly (which also led to another more diverse set of experiences in Manhattan at a start-up and other adventures, for another blog entry).
What crystallized the decision for me was the simple acknowledgment and affirmation from a trusted mentor that I would never regret the decision to go back to school to get my MBA. That’s it. Clearly, a large part of my decision was driven by ambition and a thirst for learning and personal/professional development; but another part of it was driven by a very simple motive: not wanting to have any regrets.
And that’s the simple message of today that, while seeing a pink bear tattoo while working out on the elliptical machine, initiated all these thoughts that tie back to where we are today. I think the question goes through everybody’s mind at some time: “Do I really want to work in Relationship Marketing? And, if so, do I want to do it with Univera?”
Today, when it comes to this industry and our Company, I think the best advice I can give comes directly from a mentor of mine years ago.
If you join us on this journey, it’s a decision that I’m confident that you’ll never regret.
No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doctor. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all when. What is the most significant information you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good heartiness, its doubtless important for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft can kill the mood in bedroom.
This graph hits hard visually. Very hard. It’s a sobering reminder of the mess we’re in, and what won’t leave us soon. It’s not hopeless, at all, but it’s a reality of the challenges we’re facing in the United States, in Canada, and ultimately the effect being felt around the world. And next door.
Today I was speaking with a good friend. A really successful and exceptionally intelligent person, who is sideways financially. Very sideways, in a scary way. It was a painful story to hear; and it’s not that we don’t hear about these every day or read about them on the front page of every paper or website. It’s just that, well, when it touches someone you care about…it’s just a different level of emotion.
Perhaps President Truman said it best: “It’s a recession when your neighbor loses his job. And it’s a depression when you lose yours.”
I could feel the pain in the voice and experience of my friend, yet it’s not without great hope that I have for people just like him as a result of this industry.
My blog is a muse of leadership, culture, and business. A large part of my business writings, though not all, are about Relationship Marketing and specifically Univera. I can’t help it–I love this industry, it’s a powerhouse of opportunity.
Which is why the recession data isn’t all bad news.
There is, within this calamity, an opportunity.
Amidst the turmoil, some people–perhaps you–will become millionaires. Others will simply find a way to keep the mortgage paid off, or pay for college, or put food on the table. Some will find freedom. Others will regain the passion they have for life. And others still will reunite themselves with a purpose within business they didn’t know existed.
The reasons I love Relationship Marketing are simple: you can take control, rather than having control taken of you.
Look at the hundreds of thousands of people laid off every month, few of these people had control. In fact, ironically, 95% of the layoffs happen to the people that have the least control over their own destiny within their companies.
So, ultimately, part of this is about freedom. And I want you to have it too.
The reasons I love Univera as a business are simple as well.
1. Patented products that work. Over 150 patents are put to work over a multitude of products that change the way people live, look, and feel. We’ve got the best of a “single product lead” with Xtra, yet with a multitude of breakthrough products that are simply untouchable that add diversity and strength. Nobody in the industry matches these resources.
2. Resources. It’s easy to talk about joint ventures, co-licensing arrangements, partnerships, and collaborative or exclusive resources. But it’s totally different to talk about an integrated set of businesses; at Univera we often forget the power of the “Farm to Family” concept (for our core ingredients). A Company that has resources across all of the world touching a multitude of Continents–particularly great resources right here in North America in Lacey headquarters, which also houses some of the most talented and passionate people in Corporate America, that are working for you. And with you.
3. Compensation. There simply is not a better plan in this industry, that’s more balanced or more aggressive at all the key touchpoints in an Associates business. Our 2009 Plan, available at www.univera.com, highlights the major components that we’ve ADDED to the compensation plan to make it among the most competitive plans on the front and back end. Which means, ultimately, if you work you’ll get success early on. But, equally importantly, you’ll develop a powerful back end residual that builds for you the freedom you desire.
4. Culture, Heart, and Purpose. To a degree, the words could be synonyms. But we each have a definition of what that means.
Here, Culture is about integrity, respect, and listening. It’s about acts of service, it’s about teamwork and collaboration, and it’s about developing a set of relationships and an environment that’s unlike anything else. And it’s about changing the health and wellness of the World, or as we say “Bringing the Best of Nature to Humankind.”
If you’re all about money, you’ll not likely be a perfect fit here. You can do amazing things with the money from Univera for your family and humankind. But let’s all acknowledge that our life, including the time we spend during the day, can be so much more meaningful if done in conjunction with purpose and people with whom we care about–and care about us.
I see the decline in the graph, and on one hand it’s just another number and statistic. It could be sterilized and desensitized to be meaningless as we get calloused to the bad news. But, we can’t let it. It’s our society, it’s our friends, family, and neighbors that this all affects. It’s causing a transformational change that could lead to the biggest transformational change in our industry, and for our Company.
Margaret Meade said it best: “Never doubt that a small and committed group of people can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
I’m ready to change the world.
And that starts by simply taking the step to help change the life of those we come across every day.
No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your physician. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all date. What is the most significant information you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, its doubtless significant for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft can kill the mood in bedroom.
And, the TV that I do watch is usually TIVO’d. Usually, we catch up during a break on weekends — sometimes it’s weeks after a show has aired that we finally have time to watch. Interesting how a product that wasn’t even in existence ten years ago has now become a verb. Like Google. Maybe someday, the same will happen with Univera.
In fact, our TIVO purchase was the genius of my wife — I resisted for quite a while, but it’s been one of the best purchases we’ve made since it enables us to watch a few great shows on our time schedule — so it’s truly been a time management tool.
(Such a “red” personality comment to have to position TIVO as a productivity tool for it to be justifiable).
A few of my favorite TIVO shows generally are:
Bobby Flay. It’sa once weekly thirty-minute cooking show that I will periodically watch with Zoe curled up on my lap. She loves to cook about as much as I do, so we get immersed together, figure out good recipe ideas, and then will sometimes try our hand to replicate the experience on weekends. (www.bobbyflay.com)
Meet the Press. It’s not the same without Tim Russert, who was an absolute champion of a human being. I wish I could have met him. Regardless, it’s still THE show to watch to stay abreast of current political events. This series I watch alone — I can’t even get our dog to join me on this one. I also usually try to catch ten minutes of highlights of the nightly news, though it’s simply faster to read the news on CNN or ABCNews, so I often get impatient with televised news. (Meet The Press)
The Office. Simply hysterical. It’s rather stupid humor, and I think you can only really appreciate it fully if you work in an office setting. This is really just mindless entertainment. Erica, at moments, will enjoy this one with me. (www.nbc.com/the_office)
And, finally, our favorite: LOST.
Some shows and movies I enjoy because they’re educational, others comical, and some inspirational. But there are a few dramas that are vastly deep and insightful. That’s LOST. If you watch just one episode you won’t understand my sentiments, but if you can follow the series you’ll understand the depth of the character development that some brilliant writing brings to life.
As some of you know, the LOST season premiere (in its final season) took place this week; before the feature presentation, the two co-producers did a one-hour special where they narrated the “behind the scenes” thinking on character development. This was exceptionally interesting, because it helped bring to light what I think it is that I love so much about the show.
It’s not just the depth and diversity of the characters, or the mystery of the storyline, or the fairly robust cinematography (for a TV show, at least).
What I love, I think, is that it’s a story of redemption and of remaking a new life, while being drawn to one’s destiny.
It’s a set of woven stories that includes both doubt and hope. Despair and dreams. Conflict and harmony. Prison and freedom. See, the show doesn’t just take place in the present tense — there are constant flashbacks for each character in his or her past. So while you start to understand who the characters are today, you really learn a lot about who they were in the past — as well as who they want to become. There are glimpses of both heroism as well as heresy — even in the same individuals, and often that is the case with each of us as well.
There’s a part of it that’s the same draw that, I think, compels so many people to Relationship Marketing — and Univera. It’s this idea that who we are isn’t necessarily who we want to become. Or, at least, who we were in the past isn’t the same person we are today and tomorrow. It’s this innate desire to “remake” oneself, to try to right wrongs from the past, or to seek a greater purpose of better contributions to humankind, or simply to a family or oneself. It could be that I’m so passionate about Univera that I simply find common threads in what it is that we do with everyday life, or even everyday TV shows.
Yet, there really is a parallel. There are only a handful of industries and companies where the opportunity exists for most people to begin again. And maybe not just a second time, but a fourth or even tenth.
To (re)build a secondary or primary income, regardless of background, experience, or financial resources. To work and contribute in meaningful ways in building up a team of people, in establishing a culture, and participating in something life changing for oneself and millions of others. To restore and renew one’s physical health, perhaps even after years of deterioration and neglect.
It’s the LOST storyline: an opportunity for redemption, or, as we say it, an opportunity for Renewal.
No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doctor. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all day. What is the most significant information you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, its doubtless significant for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft can kill the mood in bedroom.
