Don't get ahead of yourself...

We often want to do everything at once. But that’s never possible.

 

·      Life is full of things to do.

·      Focus on the one that’s most important.

·      Then do the best you can with what you have.

 

It’s time for another update on my fingers. I started physical therapy last week and am discovering all the things I’ve taken for granted in the past and must re-learn now. Like recovering the flexibility in my fingers, regaining the feeling and sensitivity in my fingers and fingertips, and trying anew what I used to be able to do. It’s going to be a long and tedious process and I want to do everything at once and to know now what I’m going to be able to do when it’s all healed… but I can’t. So, the thing I can do is to keep positive. Be patient. And keep at it. I may have mentioned this before: my Dad also cut off three of the fingers on his left hand on a table saw. I was 9 and it freaked me out. But what I remember is that he never complained; just learned what he could then do and adjusted his life accordingly. His approach was  that you just need to start putting one foot in front of the other every day. I feel like I haven’t been as stoic as he was then. But that doesn’t mean I can’t learn another lesson from him. Don’t get ahead of yourself: just put one foot in front of the other today.

 

Calvin Coolidge (1872 – 1933): American attorney and politician who served as the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929.

Focus on the important stuff...

You ever heard the phrase ‘a chicken with its head cut off’?  It describes more motion than thought.

 

·      It’s easy to get too caught up in things and lose your perspective.

·      Being purposeful and deliberate will increase your effectiveness.

 

People often ask how we effectively managed thousands of employees. The short answer is to have a plan and stick to it. However, like many things in life and at work, that’s easier said than done. So, maybe the better answer is to begin with hiring the right people. Period. Many tell me they can’t find good employees and I tell them they just don’t know what they’re looking for. They’re looking at resumes and skills and I say they should be looking at attitude and fit. Don’t be ashamed to talk about your company’s culture when recruiting – in fact, focus on that, showcase it, and make your applicants consider it. Some will be attracted, and others will walk away. And you’ll begin assembling a team that’s in synch with your company’s values and style. The right people will be busy managing themselves and the company’s interests. When recruiting, don’t be like a chicken with its head cut off: hire for attitude today.

 

Henry David Thoreau (1817 – 1862): American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading transcendentalist, he is best known for his book “Walden”, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay "Civil Disobedience". 

Who you are is good enough...

Some people brag about who they are while others are comfortable just being themselves.

 

·      Some people really are larger than life.

·      Others are that only in their own minds.

 

When I went to work for the Golden Nugget, I told everyone that I’d known Steve Wynn all my life. While I was proud of that, it took me years to realize that people are judged by who they are, not who they know. Case in point: when we opened the Mirage, my father got hired to work in the mail room there. Every day for more than a year he delivered the mail internally to all the departments. People got to know him as the mail guy, not my father. In fact, he never talked about that. When he died suddenly after working there for a year, word got out that he was my Dad. I then got more than 5000 cards from employees there expressing fondness for him, sadness for his passing, and surprise that they never knew we were related. His humility, which made him happy and content to be himself, found no need to talk about our relationship. That’s how I learned that inner contentment was a strength that needed nothing else to bolster it. That was 32 years ago, and I still get choked up thinking about the lesson it taught me about the power of humility. Just be yourself and know that’s a strength and not a weakness today.

 

John Jay McCloy (1895 – 1989): American lawyer, diplomat, banker, and a prominent United States adviser to all presidents from Franklin D. Roosevelt to Ronald Reagan.

Be inspired by your dreams...

We all have dreams about how we want to live our lives.

 

·       Some dreams are stronger than others.

·       Life should be about following them.

 

I was always a dreamer, looking for ways to do more and get more out of work and life. I always approached my HR work as being more inspirational than technical. My college degree in human resource administration prepared me for all the technical challenges that I would face in my career but those weren't the exciting things that I would face. I wanted to inspire others to aspire to greatness and so HR to me was a means of doing that. The recruiting and computing things I've written about here came from being inspired to think outside the box and make a difference. I suspect everybody has dreams and my advice is to grab on to the best ones and never let go. When you have a chance, try to make a difference… following your dreams allows you to do that. Even today, late in my career, I am still dreaming about creating newer and better supervisory training programs and recruiting processes. You don’t have to be smarter or better… you only need to continue to grab onto your dreams. Wherever you are in your career, continue to dream today.

 

Carol Burnett (born 1933): American comedian, actress, and singer. Her groundbreaking comedy-variety show on CBS, was one of the first to be hosted by a woman.

Be happy about being right...

Life isn’t about keeping score – it’s about being the best person you can be, in every situation, big or small.

 

·      Would you rather be happy, or right?

·      It easy to believe you’re right; it’s another thing to be right.

·      Being right should make you happy.

 

We've all been or worked around people who always believe that they're right. Even when they're obviously wrong, they'll challenge you to agree that they're right. But since work is all about getting things done with others, there's no time for arguing about who's right and who's wrong; the argument should be about what's right or wrong. And everyone's energy should be put into that simple goal. It's been my experience that in groups there's always more than one opinion - the trick is in making everyone feel like they had a hand in making the right decision. Leaders need to leave their ego at home, working as an equal to make everyone feel god about doing what’s right. When the right decisions are made and the right things are done, a business and its employees thrive. That ultimately reflects on the leader and that should be the measure of their success. Don't get caught up in petty arguments; just be concerned about what is right today.

 

Ezra Taft Benson (1899 – 1994): American farmer, government official, and religious leader who served as the 15th United States secretary of agriculture under President Eisenhower and as the 13th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).

Open your mind to other's ideas...

We all know people who are sometimes wrong, but never uncertain. They are difficult to be around and to work with.

 

·       It’s important to let everyone express themselves.

·       It’s also important to listen with an open mind.

 

One of the things I learned was that nobody can know everything, and anyone can learn from others. Working in a large and complex organization highlights that point. In fact, the people who know the most are those on the frontline who deal with the processes and customers - their unique perspective should always be listened to. Unfortunately, many leaders feel that they must present themselves as being the experts on everything when in fact that's not necessary. The more that leaders rely on subject experts, the better their decision making will be. Make it a point to listen to your employees, be open to what they have to say, and don't make decisions without including everyone's input. You never want to be one who’s seen as full of themselves - someone who is all talk with no action, power, or substance behind his/her words. If you don’t, your employees will see through that, and you run the risk of losing their respect and trust. Keep an open mind today.

 

Benjamin Whichcote (1609 – 1683): English church leader, Provost of King's College in Cambridge, and leader of the Cambridge Platonists. He held that man is the "child of reason" and so not completely depraved by nature, as Puritans held. He also argued for religious toleration.

Keep trying: it all evens out in the end...

·      It takes great discipline to be humble.

o   Don’t take yourself too seriously.

o   We are no better or worse than anyone else.

 

This week marks the 32^nd anniversary of my father’s passing. It’s a time to remember his life and what it meant. He, like most parents, had a great impact on my life, even though he wouldn’t have boasted about that. I know he had feelings and strong likes and dislikes, but he never got angry if others disagreed with him – he just nodded his head in recognition of their opinions. I know he got angry, but he rarely showed that he was – he would walk away and whistle a tune he liked as a way of releasing that anger. He wasn’t perfect and was comfortable with that –and he was fine if others were less than perfect too. But he was content with what life offered, good and bad – he somehow knew it would balance out in the end. He accepted the fact that life was full of challenges – he had the ability to not take them personally. And, like I said, he had a great impact on me and everyone else who knew him – because he was great in humility. Even if you fall short, strive to be humble today.

 

Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941): Indian poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter.

Be fair in your assessment of others - good or bad...

It’s easy to act like McGruff the crime dog and catch people when they do something wrong.

·       But it’s better to catch them when they do something right.

 

Recognizing and reacting only to employees that perform badly is akin to shutting the barn door after the horses have gotten out. If the only attention employees get is when they do things wrong, they’re apt to burn the place down to get you to notice and react to them. It’s more effective to put your efforts into recognizing and rewarding the behaviors you want, like good attendance and performance. You shouldn’t stop reacting to and discussing poor performance, but you should balance that with also recognizing good performance. Because compassion will cure more sins than condemnation. That’s a balanced approach that employees will respect and appreciate. And it will promote fairness, respect, and trust. That’s how to be a more effective leader today.

 

Henry Ward Beecher (1813 – 1887): American Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, and speaker. His rhetorical focus on Christ's love has influenced mainstream Christianity through the 21st century.

Speaking is good; listening is better...

·       Speaking is good; listening is better.

o   Everyone wants to be heard.

o   Especially your employees.

 

Most leaders are good at making speeches and telling people what to do. It’s a power thing. But listening is far more important. Your employees often know more about operational stuff and customer preferences and it’s important to listen to what they’ve learned and have to say. That’s why it’s important to talk to your staff and to take the extra time to listen to them. You can do that while walking around, scheduling meetings and focus groups, and having an open door. It takes courage to stand up and speak, and even more courage, and discipline, to sit down and listen. In the past, employees have told me how to alter designs, processes to be more efficient and respond to customer’s needs. Every time I stopped to listen, I learned something I didn’t know.  And that’s the kind of stuff you need to maximize your company’s performance. Make it a regular practice to listen to your employees today.

 

Sir Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965): British statesman, soldier, and writer who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Have the courage to do what's needed...

·       I am passionate about playing guitar. 

o   I've played nearly every day for the past 60 years. 

o   My recent hand injury may put an end to that.

o   I hope to have the courage to overcome that obstacle.

 

When the doctor started operating on my hand in the emergency room after my recent injury, I tried distracting myself by playing music on my iPhone. The first song that came up was one that my band did years ago, and I got weepy thinking I might never play the guitar again. As my fingers begin the long healing process, it appears that this is going to be a challenge. So, I've tried to maintain a courageous attitude by learning and doing everything I can to make playing once again a reality. YouTube is full of videos about alternate guitar techniques, innovative prosthetics that have been developed for guitar players, and testimonials about the power of positive thinking. If life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage, I plan to be courageous about this. In the future I'll know for certain what's possible or not, but I'm not going to leave this up to chance. Approach your challenges and opportunities courageously today. 

 

Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell (1903 – 1977): French-born American diarist, essayist, novelist, and writer of short stories and erotica.