Walk The Talk Chock full of resources to inspire, motivate, encourage, and challenge you!

 It has been said, “They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” In The Essence of Leadership, we find stories of exemplary leaders who epitomized leadership. And there is one thing these leaders have in common: They care about those that they lead. Today, discover the essence of leadership as you read the story of one man who truly cared.

Please feel free to pass this along to your friends, family, and coworkers.

To Your Success,

Excerpted from The Essence of Leadership

On March 5, 2003, I turned on Good Morning, America while eating breakfast. Charles Gibson was interviewing General Earl Hailston, the commanding general of Marine Forces Central Command. The general was waiting with his troops just a few miles off the border of Iraq…waiting to go to war. General Hailston is the only general in the armed forces who had enlisted and came up through the ranks, and as he spoke, I was impressed by his humble and caring attitude.

Toward the end of the interview, his answer to a question touched me deeply. When Charles asked him if he had any hobbies outside of his work, the general said, “Yes, I love photography, especially taking photos of my men.” He shared that while he had been waiting for the past few days he would take photos of his men, and at night he would email the photos with a brief note to their mothers back in the USA. Charles asked if he could see a sample of a letter, and the general walked into his tent, turned on his computer, and read the last letter he had sent. It said:

Dear Mrs. Johnson,

I thought you might enjoy seeing this picture of your son. He is doing great. I also wanted you to know that you did a wonderful job of raising him. You must be very proud. I can certainly tell you that I’m honored to serve with him in the U.S. Marines.

General Earl Hailston

Wow! I had goose bumps as I watched. I then watched Charles randomly interview a few of General Hailston’s men. You could feel the genuine love and respect that every one of them had for their leader. You may have heard the quote, “They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Well, here’s a man who truly understood what caring leadership is all about.

Copyright Simple Truths, LLC, all rights reserved and reprinted with permission.

Learn more… The Essence of Leadership

No matter what business you’re in, the truth is, you’re in the customer service business. After all, if it weren’t for the customers, you wouldn’t be in business. And since this week is Customer Service Week, I thought this would be the perfect time to talk about how you can build great service in your organization.Here’s a little secret: the three keys to creating a service culture in your organization are: reinforce, reinforce, reinforce. And never underestimate the power of great stories to turn the switch from “off” to “on.” In Customer Love there are twenty-four unforgettable true stories about individuals or companies who have “wowed” their customers and turned them into raving fans! And here’s what makes it real for you and your team: with each story there is a service “lesson learned.” This, of course, helps to get the creative juices flowing and the conversation started about how this “lesson” might apply to your organization; and how you can use it to make your service culture all it can be.

Today, I’d like to share the introduction of Customer Love, written by Mac Anderson. It captures the essence of what this little book is all about. Enjoy!

To Your Success,

Excerpted from the Introduction of Customer Love

I’m a big fan of Nordstrom. My wife is a bigger fan! For many years we’ve been impressed with the “Nordstrom attitude” when it comes to serving their customers. A few years ago, we were in Nordstrom doing some last-minute Christmas shopping. As we were walking through the men’s department, an employee came out of nowhere and said, “Sir, wait right here, I’ll be right back.” I watched him run over to the next counter about 100 feet away, grab something and start running back. When he got back, he said, “Sir, I think you’ve been trying on sweaters.” I said, “How’d you know?” He said, “The back of your black shirt looks like it’s been snowed on, and it’s not snowing in here!”We both laughed and he proceeded to remove the fuzz with his lint roller. After about 10 seconds he said, “That’s it…you’re free to buy more stuff. I hope you and your wife have a wonderful Christmas!”

With chapter headings such as Integrity, Commitment, Passion, Focus, and Perseverance, The Nature of Excellence exemplifies what excellence is all about. Dedicated to every person who has the passion, desire, and willingness to settle for nothing less than excellence, this book combines stunning images of nature with powerful quotations. So today, take a moment to read an excerpt from The Nature of Excellence and prepare to be inspired.

Please pass this on to your family, friends, and coworkers.

To Your Success,

Eric Harvey

 Excerpted from The Nature of Excellence

Integrity

“Integrity is never being ashamed of your reflection.”

Without a doubt, your personal integrity is your most prized possession. Each day, that integrity is constantly tested, and you have an opportunity to prove it or lose it with every decision you make.

Doing the right thing is not always the easiest thing — but it is always the right thing to do. Choosing to do the right thing — even when it’s painful — ensures you will maintain your most precious possession throughout your personal and professional journey.

“There is no pillow as soft as a clear conscience.” John Wooden

“The time is always right to do what is right.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

“A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” Proverbs 22:1

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Until you make peace with who you are, you’ll never be content with what you have.” Doris Mortman

The Nature of Excellence

In this economy, many of you may be dealing with job transitions. I recently came across a book that may contain the inspiration you need. In Excuse Me, Your Job Is Waiting: Attract the Work You Want, human resource manager Laura George applies the Law of Attraction to the life experiences of both losing and getting a job. By identifying the qualities you want in a job, deciding if a company’s energy is right for you, infusing your resume and interview with your positive energy, and staying focused and upbeat, as this book teaches, you can draw that perfect job to you. Excuse Me, Your Job Is Waiting also debates the big step: Is it time to start your own business? Read more to find out how to attract the work you want!

To Your Success,

Excuse Me, Your Job Is Waiting

Excerpted from the Foreword to Excuse Me, Your Job Is Waiting

Just by reading the dedication, I knew I was in for a treat. Dedicated to all who yearn to fly free and show their true colors – and to all who have the wisdom to learn from those who are different, A Peacock in the Land of Penguins is an engaging story of Perry the Peacock’s journey. This corporate fable encourages us to build a culture of creativity so that we can capture the talent, energy, and commitment of all employees. Take a moment today to read the foreword by Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The One Minute Manager.

Please pass this to friends, family, and coworkers.

To Your Success,

A Peacock in the Land of Penguins

Foreword by Ken Blanchard, Coauthor of The One Minute Manager

Every once in a while a small book comes along that deals with a profound subject in a simple, elegant way. A Peacock in the Land of Penguins is such a book. I loved this book when the first edition came out in 1995, and I love this new edition even more. It provides important insights into the issue of creativity and innovation in the workplace – and it does so in a most engaging manner. Through the medium of a fable, this book helps us to see what can happen when we try to express ourselves fully and courageously in an environment created by executives and managers who view the world very differently.

Stories are a great way to convey important messages – they inspire and teach at the same time. People forget facts, figures and theories, but they remember stories. People who know me can tell you how often I use stories in my own conversations, in my speeches, and in my daily life. I love to write great stories, and I love to read great stories.

This is the story of Perry the Peacock – a bright, talented, colorful bird – who comes to live in the Land of Penguins. He soon runs into problems because the penguins have established a chilly organizational climate that is formal, bureaucratic, and governed by a vast array of written and unwritten rules. Although his talent is recognized, his different and unusual style makes the penguins feel uneasy. The very thing that he was recruited for – his distinctive flair and creativity – is now viewed as a “problem” by the penguins, once Perry is inside the organization!

His experience reflects that of “birds of a different feather” in many of today’s organizations. While executives and managers today say that they want new ideas and new thinking from their employees, their actions indicate otherwise. New ideas are disruptive, they’re messy, they challenge the status quo, they require taking chances and increased risk, and they push everyone out of their comfort zones. So people who are different, people with new views on how to make the organization successful, are often discouraged from expressing them – much to the detriment of both the individual and the organization.

This delightful corporate fable follows the adventures of Perry the Peacock and other exotic birds as they try to make their way in the Land of Penguins. Their story is both entertaining and enlightening. This is a tale of the perils and possibilities of being unique and creative in a world that values comfort, safety, and the predictability of conformity.

If you’re interested in new ideas for making yourself and your organizations successful, read this little book. Creating a workplace where new ideas and innovation can flourish is a top priority for managers and employees alike. There are important insights for all of us!

Copyright Simple Truths, LLC, all rights reserved and reprinted with permission

Excerpted from The Strangest Secret:

Why do people with goals succeed in life…and people without them fail?

Well, let me tell you something that, if you really understand it, will alter your life immediately. If you understand completely what I’m going to tell you, from this moment on, your life will never be the same again. You’ll suddenly find that good luck just seems to be attracted to you. The things you want just seem to fall in line. And from now on you won’t have the problems, the worries, the gnawing lump of anxiety that perhaps you’ve experienced before. Doubt… fear… well, they’ll be things of the past.

Here is the key to success and the key to failure: We become what we think about. Now, let me repeat that. We become what we think about.

Throughout all history, the great wise men and teachers, philosophers, and prophets have disagreed with one another on many different things. It is only on this one point that they are in complete and unanimous agreement.

Consider what Marcus Aurelius, the great Roman Emperor, said: “A man’s life is what his thoughts make of it.”

Benjamin Disraeli said this: “Everything comes if a man will only wait. I have brought myself by long meditation to the conviction that a human being with a settled purpose must accomplish it, and that nothing can resist a will that will stake even existence for its fulfillment.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson said this: “A man is what he thinks about all day long.”

Well, it’s pretty apparent, isn’t it? And every person who discovered this believed (for a while) that he was the first one to work it out. We become what we think about.

Copyright Simple Truths, LLC, all rights reserved and reprinted with permission

The Strangest Secret Earl Nightingale’s classic, The Strangest Secret, earned the 1st Gold Record for the spoken word, with sales exceeding one million copies. Nightingale, known as the “dean of personal development,” reveals how he discovered and lived the secret to success.

He was named “Coach of the Century” by ESPN. The Super Bowl Trophy is named in his honor. And almost forty years after his death, legendary coach Vince Lombardi’s words still ring true: “Running a football team is no different than running any other kind of organization—an army, a political party or a business. The principles are the same.” His classic words, along with vintage photography, are presented in a beautiful gift book and movie titled What It Takes to Be Number One. Whether your team plays on the field or in the boardroom, this timeless message will inspire you to be number one.Please take a moment today to watch the What It Takes to Be Number One movie and share this with others so that they, too, will be inspired. 

What it Takes to Be Number OneBy  Vince Lombardi & Vince Lombardi, Jr.

Imagine…You stare through a gold-tinted visor, as sweat stings your eyes and blurs you vision. Over the background engine and airflow noise, you hear through your headset, “Up we go, a little more pull!” as you ease back on the stick of the $30 million high-performance jet fighter you’re flying. Years of training and preparation have taught you to rely on all of your senses to make continuous corrections and maintain control of the aircraft as it exceeds 400 miles per hour.

As a pilot with the Blue Angels, this is a common experience for Scott Beare, author of The Power of Teamwork. In his book, he uses his experiences with the Blue Angels to inspire us to strive for excellence. While the Blue Angels most certainly differ from your company or organization, the underlying principles for success still apply. Today, let the Blue Angels inspire you and your team.

To Your Success,

Eric Harvey

“Walk with me while I introduce you to some of the thousands of subjects that continue to amaze me,” writes Ken Jenkins, photographer and coauthor of Nature’s Inspiration. Ken has photographed the natural world since early childhood, pursuing it full time for the past 30 years. In Nature’s Inspiration, Ken guides us along a photographic journey, describing the behind-the-scenes happenings of many of his photographs. As he says, “The wonder stirred within us by nature is a combination of amazement and admiration that is inspiring.” May you be inspired with Nature’s Inspiration.    

To Your Success,

Eric Harvey

Nature’s Inspiration

The only way to describe this book is breathtaking! A labor of love 2 years in the making, you will marvel at the award-winning photography, paired with quotes and short passages in this beautiful coffee table book.

Excerpted from Nature’s Inspiration

“Patience, persistence and timing reap rewards.” Margaret Woods

In the mid-seventies, I began traveling to the southwestern parts of Alaska to photograph the coastal grizzly, or Brown Bear as it is referred to in the North. The falls along the Brooks River were becoming popular as a gathering place for bears because salmon pooled there as they made their leap upstream during migration periods. In early July, the river is running full and swift. The bears position themselves on top of the falls in a current that would sweep away the strongest human, but a large bear can weigh 1500 pounds and stand nine feet tall. The mouth is fixed and the stand is made. Salmon jump to the right, to the left, and eventually right up the center. Seldom does the bear lose his catch, allowing him to gain up to 300 pounds in the summer. Everything in his pursuit is dependent upon a single factor: timing, as are the important pursuits in all of our lives.

Copyright Simple Truths, LLC, all rights reserved and reprinted with permission

Successful author BJ Gallagher writes in the introduction of her book, “Years ago, I was a teenage bride with an infant son, working a low-paying clerical job to help my 21-year-old husband through college.” This woman clearly has the credentials and life experiences to write a book on perseverance. In her book, The Best Way Out Is Always Through: The Power of Perseverance, you’ll find uplifting stories, quotes, and poems that will inspire you to persevere, endure, and ultimately triumph. It is my hope that the story I’m sharing with you today will inspire you and remind you that the best way out is always through.

To Your Success,

Eric Harvey

The Best Way Out Is Always Through

Excerpted from The Best Way Out Is Always Through

Defying the Diagnosis

It was 1962. Stephen Hawking was just twenty-one years old when he received the awful news that would change his life—he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. It’s a devastating diagnosis: the disease is progressive, incurable and fatal. His doctors told him he had just a few years to live.

At the time, Hawking was a doctoral student at Cambridge, having already earned a degree from Oxford. But his research hadn’t been going well; he was unmotivated in his work and bored with his life. His diagnosis was a turning point: he could either give up his studies and wait to die, or he could make the most of what time he had left. At first, he chose the road of despair and resignation. He wanted to give up because he didn’t see any point in finishing his degree if he was going to die soon.

But he didn’t give up for long. Through the encouragement and love of his girlfriend, Jane, he pulled out of his despair and found the fire and determination that had been missing before his diagnosis. He married Jane in 1965, finished his studies, and got a job at a university. True, he was afraid of dying, but even more, he was afraid that he would die without achieving anything in his life.

Hawking and Jane had three children together, and she devotedly cared for him year after year as his disease progressed. While his body was deteriorating, his career was blossoming. He was elected as one of the youngest Fellows of the Royal Society in 1974, became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1982, and became a Companion of Honour in 1989. These acknowledgements and public honors were bestowed on Hawking for his contributions to the fields of theoretical cosmology and quantum gravity, especially in the context of black holes. He has published hundreds of research papers, as well as six books. His runaway bestseller was A Brief History of Time, which stayed on the Sunday Times best-seller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks—unheard of for a science book.

It’s been over forty years since Hawking got his diagnosis from the doctors. He defied their prediction of an early death, as well as his early impulse to give up. Now completely paralyzed, wheelchair-bound and compelled to use a computer voice synthesizer, he is a respected scientist, a world-renowned celebrity and an inspiration to millions.

In a 2005 interview, Hawking said, “It is a waste of time to be angry about my disability. One has to get on with life and I haven’t done badly. People won’t have time for you if you are always angry or complaining.” That’s not a bad credo to live by.

Copyright Simple Truths, LLC, all rights reserved and reprinted with permission