- Mark Twain (1835–1910)
American writer

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Give more inspiration…

What if…

John and Abigail Adams had been more concerned with themselves and work/life balance than creating a democracy (if you’ve not seen the HBO miniseries – great stuff)?

What if… Abraham Lincoln (born on 2/12… coincidence?) had quit trying after having a business go under and losing his first local legislative race (and then 3 congressional races and 2 senatorial races)?

What if… Martin Luther King didn’t have a dream and played it safe (and didn’t travel over 6 million miles giving more than 2500 speeches). What if he thought he was too young to have an impact (he did everything he did in a life of only 39 years)?

What if… Gandhi, Teresa, Roosevelt, Ford, Disney, Walton, Gates, Winfrey, Jobs, Stewart, and Ash hadn’t stepped up and worked hard. (What if the thousands of people who supported them hadn’t?) What if your police, military, firefighters didn’t?

What if… No one pushed it, risked it, and pushed it again (and again)?

Be obligated to your world (your people).

Give > Take.
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Need a little pump up today? Maybe this little guy can help you get started (1 minute).
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To connect with me… Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter

- Mark Twain (1835–1910)
American writer

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Give more evaluation…

Do your actions…

1. create a positive buzz about you and your work?
2. make others want you as a part of their team?
3. make your employer cringe at the thought of losing you?
4. make your colleagues (or customers, clients, patients) excited about referring you to others?

You want your actions to scream value without the need for you to say a word.

This is what creates true economic and job security – the value you and your team create for others.

This is care (what it’s all about).

When you have the opportunity over the next few days, set a reminder to review these four questions at the end of each month. Then, give yourself a little (objective) attention by reviewing them and creating an action plan to improve in each area where you feel you should.

Easier said than done… still needs to be done.

Forward this to a friend or colleague (it’s Smover approved).
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Speaking of doing the right thing… Do you know the fable The Emperor’s New Clothes? I always thought I did but it really goes much further than I knew (10-minute read, tops).

It’s about truth, conviction, and being valuable.

Read with an English accent (which apparently can sound very different depending upon which part of England you’re from) and a bit of actor’s energy, you might find yourself laughing out loud with pity as you recognize the similarities to some of our organizational experiences today.

Connect with Sam (guy behind this stuff)…

Facebook | LinkedIn | Google+ | Twitter

–Mark Twain (1835–1910)
American writer

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Give more thanks…

Do your people (team, colleagues, customers) know they’re important to you? Always? Sometimes? Rarely?

Remember… It’s your occasional words and continual actions that’ll help them know best.

To be sure it’s a closer to always thing, consider implementing a personal appreciation audit each month or quarter for your most important people – remembering that actions speak louder than words (but words are important too).

Love your people.

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The small Love Your People and Cross The Line booklets can be a fresh way to say thanks. You can sign the inside “Thanks for loving your people, Bob.” or "Nancy, Thanks for crossing the line on that project." or "Thanks for working with us, Steve. We’ll be crossing the line for you!"
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A great little 15-minute video on the value of a smile, being encouraging and resilient, and the impact we have on others (even when we don’t realize it). It’s called Validation. Save this for outside the money hours (and maybe watch it with your kids).

A quick (2.5 min.) video made by Chick-fil-A to remind their employees that their customers are people and they may have things going on in their lives (a good thing to remember as you work with colleagues, customers, and patients).