Valpak Mark's Blog

Failure - The Only Way to Success

2008-06-16T07:54:00.000-07:00

One of the best events of the year at Valpak is Coupon U. This was my seventh – I’ve been to CU in Baltimore, South Beach, Austin, New Orleans, Orlando, Louisville and now Tampa. Next year is St. Louis.

For the past 21 years the Saturday of Coupon U is always known as the most exciting day of the 3-day event as the national sales awards are presented. We usually have a good keynote speaker to address the group. Little did I know what an amazing Saturday this was about to become – one that will be talked about for the next 21 years.

There was already a buzz about our speaker. 1200+ people walked to the Tampa Convention from the Marriott to hear Chris Gardner – the person who Will Smith played in the movie, “In Pursuit of Happyness”. Two hours later what I heard from everyone was that he was the best speaker they had ever heard. Five hours later he was still autographing his book with the same name as the movie.

The movie was based on his life. His son was shown as 5 or 6 years old in the movie. In real life his son was just 14 months old. Gardner grew up without a father and he vowed that he would never do that to any of his kids. So, when his girlfriend dropped off the 14 month old and left, Gardner had to find a way to support the two of them.

He had a dream. He wanted to be a financial analyst. His salary for his first year was $1000 – a month. Soon he became homeless. Not because of drugs or alcohol – simply because he was pursuing his dream and the $1,000 salary couldn’t support father and son living in San Francisco. But, he was committed to his quest and wouldn’t stop.

He knew that he could achieve his dream if he kept playing the numbers game and calling 200 people a day.

Let’s repeat that. 200 people a day. Every day.

Imagine 200. Imagine 200 with a 14 month old baby who you had to pick up at 5 o’clock every day? Imagine doing this while only making $1,000 per month and being homeless.

Why would someone like that continue pursuing his goal?

He absolutely loved what he did and he was selling he believed in – which included pursuing his dream to really be able to support his infant son.

Interestingly, it was while he was doing 200 dials a day that he caught his break. An older gentleman, who was dating the analyst who sat next to him, visited the office often and watched the work ethic of Gardner. After months of observing his tenacity the older gentleman, who was an executive for Bear Sterns in San Francisco, hired him at five times his current salary.

By the way, one of the things that motivated Gardner was meeting and getting coached by someone who drove a Ferrari. Gardner eventually bought a Ferrari. He bought it from a basketball player in Chicago named Michael Jordan. Today, if you see a black Ferrari driving in Chicago with the license plate “Not MJ” – you will have seen Gardner’s car.

So how does all of this relate to me . . . how does it relate to you?

About 20 years ago if found this little plaque that has been on the wall of my office ever since. It reads, “Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 times”. Ruth, of course, isn’t the strike out king. That goes to Reggie Jackson – who struck out 2,597 times. I remember him, though, as Mr. October. The person who you wanted at the plate at playoff and World Series time.

Gardner didn’t count his losses. He failed his way to success. Just like Babe Ruth. Just like Reggie. Just like you and I should do. Remember the victories. Forget the rest! Go Chris!

A Story of Unparalleled Support - Who are You Supporting???

2008-05-01T12:52:00.000-07:00

It was a week of tears of joy. I thought I was over it until I read this morning’s sports page. I’ll get to that story in a second.

My daughter got married Saturday. Family and friends from around the country starting arriving in Tampa a week ago. Had the chance to spend time with all three of my kids, one grandson, and welcome a son-in-law to the group – who is absolutely perfect for my daughter. On Friday we had a "wedding golf outing". My 8-year old grandson rode with us. He sank a 10’ birdie putt and drove the cart all day. On Saturday I walked my daughter down the aisle. The bride and groom asked me to sing "The Wedding Song – There is Love" at the wedding. In the audience were my best friends from Cleveland. I sang the same song at their wedding 22 years ago. The song must work!

For the past six months life seemed to be "BW and AW" – before wedding and after wedding. But I knew April 26 wouldn’t necessarily calm things down.

May would be hectic. A trip to Chicago for a meeting of the Board of Governors of the International Franchise Association’s Institute of Certified Franchise Executives on May 1. A webcast on the "Top 10 Hiring Mistakes" for the Human Capital Institute. A speech to 30 young advertising professionals – age 26-32 in Tampa. Recruiting trips to UNC, University of Houston, William Paterson University, DePaul and UIC. The annual convention for the National Association of Colleges and Employers in New Orleans. All of this sandwiched around Valpak’s annual sales gala – Coupon U – where over 1200 Valpakians will join us in Tampa.

But the wedding is over and I thought the tears of joy would now be over. Then, as I said, I read the morning paper. It was an AP story about a softball game between Western Oregon University and Central Washington University. (You better grab some tissues now).

Sara Tucholsky, a WOU senior about to graduate, did something she had never done in high school or college. She hit a home run. In her excitement she missed first base. She knew she had to touch each base so she turned around to run back to first when it happened. She collapsed with a knee injury. She knew the rules. She had to touch all the bases for it to be a home run. She crawled back to first base. A pinch runner was out of the question to complete the home run trot. She would be held to a single.

In an act of unparalleled sportsmanship, Mallory Holtman – first baseman for CWU (and the leading home run hitter in the conference) asked if she could help her opponent. Mallory and CWU’s shortstop, Liz Wallace, put their arms under Tucholsky’s legs and carried her around the bases – allowing Tucholsky to touch each base and cross home plate.

Home run. In fact, three run homer. Final score – Western Oregon 4 Central Washington 2. The act of kindness and sportsmanship cost CWU the game. It also ended their chances to advance in the playoffs. But, it made them lifetime heroes to many – me included. Here is the AP version:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SOF_HOME_RUN_HELP_OROL-?SITE=ORAST&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-04-30-16-13-59

While my eyes welled-up in tears I remembered the story and YouTube video of the 1992 Olympics and of Derek Redmond and his dad. (More tissues will be needed for this one. Maybe a whole box)

In 1988 Derek Redmond arrived in Seoul, Korea hoping to win a medal in the 400. 10 minutes before his race he suffered an Achilles tendon injury. He had shattered the British 400-meter record at 19 and now was unable to fulfill his Olympic dream.

Fast forward 4 years. It is Barcelona. Derek is back. He underwent 5 surgeries to get there. He was poised to win a medal as one of the fastest men in the world.

In the semifinal heat, 65,000 people are watching Derek explode from the blocks and take the lead. Surely he would make the finals. Just 175 meters from the finish he hears a "pop" and grabs his right hamstring. His Olympic medal journey is over as he falls to the track.

The medical crew comes out with a stretcher but Derek shoos them off the track as he gets up determined to hop on one leg to the finish. The race is over for all of the other runners but Redmond is hobbling toward the finish line. 65,000 people are cheering for him.

Suddenly, Jim Redmond, Derek’s father, breaks through security and runs onto the track. Jim runs to Derek. Derek buries his head in his father’s shoulder and weeps. Jim, bearing most of Derek’s weight, wraps his arm around his son’s waist and virtually carries him toward the finish line.

One step before the finish line Jim lets go of his son so that Derek can cross the finish line by himself. Read and watch the account at these links:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/espn25/story?page=moments/94
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyWwSR9xBH0

Every time I watch that video I pray that I can, somehow, give my children (and my new son-in-law) something that is remotely close to what Jim Redmond did.

We all need this support. Regardless of what we do. Think back on the people who supported you the most in time of need. Who was it? What was the situation? How long ago was it?

Sara Tucholsky will no doubt remember her only home run in high school and college. More importantly, she will remember Mallory Holtman and Liz Wallace the rest of her life. She’ll tell her grandkids the story of how they carried her around the bases.

I then thought of my upcoming trips to the universities and seeing our leaders of tomorrow. I have no doubt I’ll read about some of the students I am about to meet. They come from some of the best schools in America. Some will go through one of the best internships I’ve ever seen – the University Directories internship. www.universitydirectories.com

I want to be one of the people that a student remembers 40 years from now! I want to be able to influence one of tomorrow’s leaders and support their efforts.

I admire what my good friends are doing. I can’t imagine where tens (maybe hundreds) of thousands of students would be without Steven Rothberg at www.collegerecruiter.com Employers, too. Steven’s dream is providing a future for people every minute.

I think of all of the Professors who work with students who have a focus in sales as the USCA (University Sales Center Alliance) schools. What a tremendous job they are doing. More students will enter the profession of sales than all other majors combined. http://www.salescenteralliance.com

It goes without saying that Howard Stevens, Jeanne Frawley and the professionals who make up USEF (University Sales Education Foundation) http://www.chally.com/sales-ed/index.html will also be changing the career paths for thousands of students interested in a career in sales.

At one of the last IFA events I remember talking to someone who invited Eric Chester of www.generationwhy.com to their event. He has taught and influenced so many of our franchise leaders as well as tens of thousands of high school students during his speaking career. Hopefully the book we are writing will helps millions of people understand the power of Gen Why. www.generationwhy.com/allin

These people are our future! And, we are in very capable hands!

Evidence of this comes from Mallory Holtman – the first baseman who carried Tucholsky around the bases. Her quote in the paper was, "In the end, it is not about losing so much. It was about this girl. She hit it over the fence and was in pain, and she deserved a home run."
This attitude is refreshing for our future.

Sometimes it feels good to shed tears of joy.

A Whirlwind Tour – Meeting America’s Future Talent in the Profession of Sales

2008-04-03T11:28:00.000-07:00

Wow. What a couple of weeks it has been! What I have seen is a showcase of some of the future sales leaders in America.

It started with the National Collegiate Sales Competition at Kennesaw State. 49 Teams sent two team members to compete in Dr. Loe’s 10th annual competition. I had the opportunity to be a judge at the event and see some very talented people. Terry Loe and Mary Foster, along with a host of others, have created an unbelievable event that produces more pressure than most experienced sales people find in ANY sales call.

The next week I went to Las Vegas and attended Gerhard Gschwandtner’s Selling Power Leadership Conference. Howard Stevens, CEO and Chairman of HR Chally, was there along with Jeanne Frawley, Chally’s University Programs director. It is always great to see the Stevie Award winning Howard. He has started the University Sales Education Foundation with a goal of professionalizing sales by starting at the collegiate level.

http://www.chally.com/sales-ed/index.html

Howard explains that more college graduates will become salespeople than all other careers combined.

Think about that. Astounding. Yet only 35 or 36 schools have a program major or certificate. If anyone can get the job done in the next decade it will be Howard and the USEF.

As hard as this is to believe, some people still think that Sales people are “born” – not “taught”. I still hear “this person or that person is a ‘natural’ when it comes to sales”. I never hear that anyone is a “natural biologist” or “natural electrical engineer” or a “natural geologist”. But – natural salesperson is common nomenclature.

Huh. Right.

When is the last time you went to someone’s house who just had a baby and heard them say, “Looks like to me that little Mikey is going to be a salesman (or engineer or fireman or whatever)?

Last week I attended Pi Sigma Epsilon’s National Convention in Dallas. http://www.pse.org/pse-about.asp Ann Devine, Robb Carlson and the PSE staff have 12 balls juggling at once as there is competition for top sales presentation, top business plan award, top marketing plan award, as well as many other awards all happening simultaneously. With great speakers and a fabulous awards banquet on Saturday night (similar to the one at Kennesaw State with NCSC), I had a chance to look across the room and reminisce by thinking, “Those guys are WAY smarter than I was at their age!”

I judged a couple PSE events and gave a seminar on “The 10 Commandments of Your Job Search. The questions, the comments, the insights these students have is why I call this generation – Generation Wise.

Amazing.

It is time to forget the words “natural” or “born” anything. These students have worked very hard to get to the level of competing nationally for their schools and for themselves.

What I did learned in those couple of weeks is that there are dedicated Professors and Educators (yes, both deserve to be CAPITALIZED) who are developing our future sales leaders. I watched the interaction. I listened to the soon-to-be-grads describe how their lives have changed as they have been involved with NSCS or PSE and their Professor/coaches. I read and heard about the hundreds of thousands of dollars these students raise for charity. I witnessed a passion for live, for work, and for success.

Please don’t say, “She is a ‘natural’ when it comes to raising money.”

So how does all this happen? Let me introduce and thank just a few of the people I’ve met and talked to in the past month that are changing lives by giving their students ongoing lessons in professional sales. I got to know some of them up close and personal thanks to my friend at USF, Dr. Richard Plank, on Saturday morning at an event adjacent to the PSE convention. Most of these are PhD’s but I’ll just use their first names:

Jesse Moore and Gregory Pickett at Clemson
Mike Ahern and Justin Bremer at the University of Houston
Terry Loe at Kennesaw State with Mary Foster
Rob Peterson at William Paterson University
Michael Mallin at the University of Toledo
Nicole Howatt & Cindi Gundy at the University of Central Florida
Al Pelham at The College of New Jersey
Chris Pullig and Charles Fifield at Baylor
John Hansen and Northern Illinois University
Pat Pallentino at Florida State
Donald Norris and Terri Feldman Barr at Miami University (Ohio)
Mark Fish at Ohio University
Lucas Forbes at Western Kentucky
David Shepherd at Georgia Southern
Lois Smith at the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater
Jack Rhodes and Michael Eguchi at the University of Washington
Joel Whalen at DePaul
Pat Petersen at U Conn
Linda Orr at University of Akron
Jim DeConinck at Western Carolina
Lenita Davis at Alabama
Vicki West at Texas State
Buddy LaForge at Louisville
Christine Seiler at Bowling Green
Lynnea Mallalieu at UNC – Wilmington

I know my friend, Steven Rothberg, at CollegeRecruiter.com has a great site for helping students find the best schools. http://jobs.collegerecruiter.com/Education/DegreeForm.asp
I’ll ask him if he can make sure that “Sales” is part of that selection and these schools are included.

I’ve never been more excited about recruiting! I’ve never believe more in the opportunities we provide as well as what the “Wise” provide us.

I don’t have my PhD. Nor my Masters. But I am smart enough to know that sales people are not born. Nor are they natural. They are taught, lead and coached by some outstanding people who are preparing them for a life of sales success.

You can't handle the truth !

2008-02-28T13:05:00.000-08:00

I watched the Academy Awards the other night and there was everybody’s favorite actor, Jack Nicholson. It reminded me of the 1992 Oscars when he was up for Best Supporting Actor for A Few Good Men , which was also up for an Oscar that year. A Few Good Men lost to Unforgiven that year and Jack lost to Gene Hackman for his role in Unforgiven.

That got me thinking about the great line from that movie when Jack was on the witness stand. According to Wickipedia, the line "You can't handle the truth!" was voted the twenty-ninth greatest American movie quote of all-time by the American Film Institute. (It is in my top five – but after “A Cinderella Story, etc.)

I fell asleep but heard that No Country for Old Men won the Oscar. Glad I fell asleep before it was announced. I wish I would have fallen asleep at this movie, instead. This got me thinking even more about “Best Picture” and “The Truth”. Personally I think that No Country for Old Men winning an academy award for best picture is about as truthful as saying that Roger Clemens AND his trainer, Brian McNamee, are both telling the truth.

Whatever happened to the truth? Like the saying, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” . . . I think we have morphed to, “Truth is in the mind of the beholder.” Or at least it seems that way anymore.

So I got to thinking about what the truth is for Gen Why . . . and for employers of Gen Why. I received an e-mail from someone recently who said, “I know that generation Y does not take kindly to discipline in the work force. This is a very "all about me and what makes me feel good" work force. What is your take on this? I do not believe that they welcome a structured work environment.”

As I thought about this it dawned on me that this is “the truth” to this person. They really believe that the 75 million Gen Whys don’t want a structured work environment or any discipline. (To me this makes about as much sense as No Country for Old Men winning an Oscar)

So what is the truth? And I mean the real truth.

The truth is the onus is on us, who are managers, to change how we think! Consider this:
We acknowledge the fact that we can’t go to Best Buy and get an 8-track anymore
We acknowledge the fact that we there isn’t going to be a gas war down the street and we can get gas for 29 cents a gallon
We acknowledge the fact that milkman isn’t going to stop by the house with milk, fresh eggs or anything else

What many of us don’t acknowledge is that we have to change the way we think and how we coach. There are 80 million baby boomers. The first ones get their first social security check this year. The next 10 years will see a mass exodus of boomers become retirees – or at least part-time workers. There are only 46 million Gen X’ers. (no comment) Fortunately there are 75 million Gen Wise.

I read this week in Selling Power.com the following: Gen Y workers change jobs around eight times in their first five years of employment. If they stick with you for three years, they are content with their career path, training, technology, etc., and they're yours.

What is the truth for you??? Shame on them or shame on us???

Here is the truth. We are dealing with a very savvy generation. They are smart. They are technologically superior. They set goals – and what to achieve them quickly. They’ve been coddled by their parents and that isn’t their fault. (It isn’t my fault that my parents raised me with the understanding if I got a spanking at school, I’d get two at home – then we’d talk about it)

They WANT and NEED input. Daily. But, they want the TRUTH when it comes to input. How can they get better if we continue to coddle or protect them? It is coaching and mentoring time – not dictatorship. Need proof? Just read about Tom Coughlin, this year’s winning Super Bowl coach. He changed his coaching style this year. Hey, it worked.

So what is the truth on what we need to do?

First, accept that we need to change.
Next, read and study what we need to do. Start with http://www.collegerecruiter.com/pages/white-papers.php and read what Steven and his staff have to say. They are hardwired to this generation and can help employers learn more.
Go to Eric Chester’s site: http://generationwhy.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=section&id=8&Itemid=51 and see what he offers. The information there is amazing.
Read what Ryan Healy has to say in: http://www.employeeevolution.com/archives/2007/12/05/three-signs-of-a-cool-boss/ You might have seen him on 60 Minutes. He has one of the best blogs around at www.employeeevolution.com.

We never said this is easy. Neither is making a 20’ putt on a flat surface and I’ve tried that for 20 years!

By understanding the truth about this generation, you’ll understand why I call them Generation Wise and you’ll be better prepared for what you need to do for the next decade. Every day I’m learning more about this generation for our Valpak sales rep needs. Everyday, I’m more impressed with our future because of them.

Oh, and by the way, I still think No Country for Old Men sucks.

The Land of Opportunity - The World of Franchising

2008-02-15T11:47:00.000-08:00

After a National Advisory Board meeting in Las Vegas for DECA/Delta Epsion Chi where I talked with many companies about the opportunities we all have with Gen Whyers in the next 10 years we drove to Orlando for my favorite event of the year. (Besides my anniversary!)

48 years ago, in Chicago, a man named Bill Rosenberg put a $100 down on a table and asked other people to match it. Bill was the President of Dunkin’ Donuts and he was meeting with other Presidents of franchise organizations. Bill knew that they needed an association and the International Franchise Association was started.

This blog is not just about the IFA. It is about business. And dreams. And economic growth.
And maybe your future.

This week in Orlando about 3,500 people got together for the 48th annual convention. 800 of IFA’s 1298 Franchisors were represented at the show. The keynote speaker on Sunday was General Colin Powell, the 65th Secretary of State.

Amazing. Listen to what has happened since Rosenberg slapped the $100 bill on the table.

Last Saturday I attended a Board of Trustee’s meeting of IFA’s Educational Foundation. Some pretty smart people on that committee like the Presidents of Servicemaster, Dwyer Group, Sylvan Learning Centers, Postnet, Liberty Fitness, Jani-King, Captain D’s, Meineke as well as Michael Seid, the person who wrote “Franchising for Dummies” with Wendy’s Dave Thomas. At that as meeting they talked about business and about franchising.

An Economic Impact Study was done that covered the years from 2001 – 2005. Here is what they found:

Direct economic output increased by 26% - but it was 41% for franchised businesses.
Employment grew by 3.5% - but it was 12.6% for franchised business.
The number of business establishments increased by 15.9% - but it was 18.5% for franchised businesses.

The franchising industry provides job for over 11 million American workers and continues to grow at record pace. 1 in every 7 people in America has a job created by franchising. The segment of our economy is now larger than durable goods.

An award for the Entrepreneur of the Year was given to Brian Scudamore, Founder and CEO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK? I think Brian is 33. When he was 18 he bought a $700 pickup truck, put the name “The Rubbish Boys” – which 10 years later became 1-800-Got-Junk? Brian has done fine since then. He now has 330 locations in three countries, 45 U.S. states and nine Canadian provinces.

In his speech he talked about his start and his attending an IFA convention years ago. Fred DeLuca, founder of Subway in 1965 (when he was 17 thanks to Dr. Peter Buck), was in attendance and Scudamore asked DeLuca if he had a few minutes to talk. DeLuca had another engagement and told Scudamore he couldn’t right then but gave him his cell phone number to call. DeLuca became one of Scudamore’s mentors because of that and provided guidance via the subsequent phone calls.

At Valpak we’ve done TONS of advertising for Subway and 1-800-GOT-JUNK. I had a chance to talk with both Scudamore and DeLuca and find them both fascinating. They both had dreams . . . and commitment . . . and franchisees who shared those dreams. Both started when they were in their teens. (And we wonder if Gen Whyers are capable???)

Wow. Talk about economic growth and being able to live the dream.

On Sunday Mary Kay and I had breakfast with someone named “Red” – founder of Pet Butler. He has almost 100 franchisees in just a short period of time. Pet Butler has a sophisticated system where they will take all of the inbound calls for their franchisees and do all of the schedules. All the franchisees do is go to the person’s house and take care of business.

The business? Dog poop. (I’m trying to find the proper word)

How popular is this? Red said there are now 5 companies franchising this concept. Amazing.
America really is the land of opportunities!

An Amazing Day - February 1, 2008

2008-02-01T20:40:00.000-08:00

Friday, February 1, 2008. A most memorable day with some of the most heartwarming/ heart wrenching events.

I had the opportunity to give a keynote address to 150+ students who were part of Delta Epsilon Chi’s Regional Finals at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI. Johnson and Wales was founded by two ladies in the 1930’s. 70+ years later it is over 15,000 students strong at 4 campuses. An amazing entrepreneurial accomplishment.

Students were competing for the National DEX event in Atlanta in April. I had a chance to judge one event and wanted to offer IMMEDIATE job opportunities to two of the contestants. One of them told me he was flunking out of high school and found the way to get through it so he could attend J & W. His GPA is 3.9. He spoke with the wisdom of a 40 year old – not a 20 year old.

After the competition I met and talked to a phenomenal young lady who works for DEX, named Kyle. She grew up in a household where DECA and Delta Epsilon Chi were a way of life. After high school she started the DEX chapter at the University of Utah – then transferred to Johnson and Wales in Denver. Along the way she was a DEX chapter leader, then a state leader, then a National VP. After graduation DECA’s national headquarters was smart enough to capture her and have her become part of their staff. This was a no-brainer to me. It was like playing in a best-ball golf tournament and picking Tiger to be on your team. Duh.

As I got ready to board the plane I met a family with “Make a Wish” foundation buttons. They were headed from Providence to Phoenix for the Super Bowl. They were huge Patriots fans. I learned they were going to sit in the first row of the private boxes.

Mom and step-dad were with their 15 year old son, Rob. Rob was diagnosed with testicular cancer in October. Now, three months later, he just completed chemotherapy. All of his hair was gone. I asked the dad how Rob was doing. He told me that they just got blood tests results and they weren’t good. All of the doctors’ communications go through mom and she hadn’t broken the news yet. The Make a Wish Foundation was making one of Rob’s dreams come true.

Also boarding our plane were Patriot fans going to the game. I told them I thought that the Packers should have been playing. They agreed. Even though the Packers aren’t playing, it is hard for me to root against a guy who was drafted #199 and has since won 3 Super Bowls. I guess the experts aren’t always right. How many teams had the chance to have Tom Brady and blew it. All of them!!!!

I sat next to a Navy Flight Surgeon on the plane. Julia was her name. As we talked it was obvious that she was very much in love with someone named Shane who lived in Washington D. C. For two hours we talked about love and finding the right mate. I told her about my love affair with my wife, Mary Kay, and how magical it was. She told me about her love and how her life was getting new meaning. The two of them were together less than 6 months but they both knew that this “was the one”. They were the same age – just as Mary Kay and I were the same age. They had a long distance love affair as we had. I told her how being together every night was even more exciting than it was only seeing each other every other weekend.

I showed her wedding pictures and gushed about what life can be like when you are with the right person. She told me about their magic and I assured her that finding the right love, regardless of how long you are with them, is a feeling like you can’t imagine.

She agreed.

Julia was 38 and was hoping to have kids soon. She knew that Shane was the right person to be the dad. She knew that this man was a one-of-a-kind for her. . . Just as Mary Kay was my one-of-a-kind that I could never imagine before in life.

As we got off the plane shook her hand and asked her to let me know when there was a wedding date. I knew her less than 120 minutes but wanted to be there when they say “I DO” for the last time of their lives.

I said goodbye and saw Rob and his parents heading for the flight for Phoenix. I thanked God for love, and for life, and for our future leaders. I prayed that Rob was one of those leaders. I knew Kyle would be. I hoped Tom Brady would win – especially for Rob.

I then caught my flight for Tampa. I was headed home to the woman who truly made my house a home. I would tell her about my day. We’d tell each other how much we relish love stories. We’d pray for Rob. We’d make plans to see Kyle. We’d fall asleep wrapped up in each other’s arms appreciating life . . . and love.

A truly amazing day. Go Delta Epsilon Chi. Go Kyle. Go Julia and Shane. Go Tom Brady and the Patriots. Most importantly - Go Rob.

Remember Your ABC's - The secret to your work success

2008-01-03T12:34:00.000-08:00

Today is my Grandson’s 1st Birthday

Joe is 1. He has now had an official birthday and joins my son Marcus’s other two boys, Tyler and Brandon, as having had a birthday cake just for him. Tyler just celebrated his 8th and Brandon will be 5 in April.

Wow. How did all of that happen??? Didn’t I just take my kids to Disney World last summer. Wait, that was 1986.

As I write this I’m preparing for a keynote speech at a Delta Epsilon Chi event at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI at the end of this month. I’ll be speaking to a group of Millennials who will be leaving school and heading for careers soon.

I love millennials. Many baby boomers who are recruiters see them as a challenge – I see them as our solutions for the future. What a great generation – but they need to remember the ABC’s I’m about to talk to them about.

I was working on the presentation when I thought about a couple of the Christmas presents that we bought Tyler. As I mentioned he is now 8 and really into sports. So for Christmas we got him some basketball shoes and some baseball spikes.

Next my mind drifted to some of the stuff we did over the Christmas holidays. Mary Kay took a couple of golf lessons. It seems as if John, the Pro at the local club, will be a good coach for her.

So here I am thinking about golf, about Tyler, about my speech and about Joe’s birthday. If Joe could understand me I think I would make sure that he understands his ABC’s. In fact, I’ll make a mental note to make sure that Brandon knows his and for sure I’ll drill this into Tyler when I see him in April.

On January 31st I’ll drive home the ABC’s. And, I’ll make sure that my friend, Steven Rothberg – the entrepreneur and inspiration at http://www.collegerecruiter.com/ drives it home on his blogs . . . and that my friend Eric Chester, the genius at http://www.generationwhy.com/, drives it home on his blogs.

That reminds me. Ryan Healy and Ryan Paugh and all their blog-buddies at http://www.employeeevolution.com/ should know this, too. The Ryan’s are off in Madison on their new venture but employee evolution is getting better and better with more insight every day.

The ABC’s.

You are probably thinking the ABC’s that end with w. . .x. . . and. . .y. . . and. . .z – now I’ve said my ABC’s tell me what you think of me. These are different. Sure those ABC’s will help you with your spelling. But I’m talking about the ABC’s that will get your through your work life. The ones that will bring you back after a tough day and keep you humble when you’ve had your best successes.

These are the ABC’s that will help a 31-year old named “Eldrick” earn more than a $111,941,827 this year.

You might have remembered when Eldrick worked with Butch. Butch was a genius. He started working with Edrick when he was just a teen back in 1993. For 10 years he developed Eldrick. Then, Eldrick decided he still needed his ABC’s – just with someone different. So he chose Hank. Hank wasn’t a popular as Butch. Butch built a reputation as being the best.

By the time Eldrick went to Hank few of us remembered he was called Eldrick. We only knew him as Tiger. We knew Butch Harmon had the best golf school in the United States. We knew he coached Phil Mickelson, Davis Love, Fred Couples and Justin Leonard. So why would Tiger Woods switch coaches?

Hank Haney helped change Tiger’s swing. Fortunately, Haney worked with someone who epitomized the ABC’s. Tiger Woods wants to get better – every day. In the past 4 years since working with Hank, Tiger has gotten better. He was already the best. But, because of his passion, the best got better.

So what is the magic? What are those ABC’s?

Simple. Always . . . Be . . . Coachable.

It is hard to believe that something that is so simple eludes us so often. The older you get the more you realize that your toughest times in life were when you decided you didn’t need coaching.

So think about Tiger. If the best in the world believes he can improve and can do better – the rest of us might consider being more coachable. If someone who is already on top of their game with one of the best known coaches in the world believes that he can still improve with a lesser-known coach – and then does – he should be an inspiration to us.

Tyler, get ready. You are about to get the “ABC’s” speech from grandpa. Brandon – your day will come. And Joe, happy birthday. By the time you understand what coaching means I’m sure Tiger will have broken every golf record set and will still be wanting to be coached so he can get even better.

And Mary Kay, if John coaches you to get a hole in one someday I’ll be giving Butch or Hank a call – regardless of what it costs! Tiger only has 18 so far - but he did get his first hole in one when he was 6.

Hmmm. I wonder if Hank has ever coached a one year old before???

Genetics - Blaming/thanking our parents. What will our kids do?

2007-11-29T12:34:00.000-08:00

Our class reunions are usually the Thanksgiving weekend. I didn’t get an invitation to one this year so I assume we didn’t have one. Or, my classmates couldn’t find me. After all this would have been our 35th.

Wait a second! Did I say 35th???? Could it possibly be 35 years since I walked the halls of Rockford West High School???? I still remember Mrs. Ahlgren – our journalism teach and newspaper advisor. Jeez, I haven’t even thought about her for over 30 years.

It can’t be 35 years. Yet the mirror tells me that it is so. I don’t have to worry about parting my hair anymore (I can dry it with a wash cloth – QUICKLY!) I still have the bowling bag and bowling shoes from high school. I probably embarrass my kids when I wear them on our annual bowling excursion.

35 years. What was it like for us when we were looking for jobs? What did our parents expect/demand out of us? What verbal and non-verbal messages did they send us?

The recent 60 Minutes segment on Generation Y entitled: “The Millennials are Coming” has spurred a great deal of discussion. I sent the link to one of our “Generation Wise Advisory Team Members” (successful Valpak reps who are Gen Why) and here are some excerpts of what they had to say:

The parents of our generation are definitely the ones to blame for how this generations' work ethic is. I think its all in how you are brought up. Yes, work hard. Yes, have high goals and expectations for yourself. But do have realistic goals for yourself and listen to your boss and respect them.

What makes this generation think they can act a certain way? I've heard from many employers/executives that many times when my peers are hired at an internship or entry level job, they show up late or not at all, don't do the work they are asked to do, use their cell at work (texting/talking to friends on the clock, etc) and have no respect for their boss or colleagues. But that's not all of the gen Y's...just a handful of them giving the rest of us a bad rep. There are a lot of hardworking gen Y's out there too in the workforce.

It's true though...my peers want the best job, making great money and want it right away out of college. I'm the same way!! I graduated with emphasis on Advertising and Public Relations and was hired at one of the top five ad agencies here in town. I wasn't making the money I wanted to be making at almost two years out of college. With a college degree, I shouldn't have to work a full-time job and a part-time job to live the lifestyle I would like to be living. So, I decided to look around and see what was out there. My friend is the Director of Operations at this company, I met with the President and I started three weeks later.

This generation is tricky to figure out - that is for sure. I have a handful of friends that work really hard at their jobs and know they have to stick it out to make money and be able to move around from job to job. Then I have a handful of friends that are still sitting around waiting for that perfect job opportunity that is just going to miraculously fall into their lap without them doing any work to get it.

I know more people than I would like to admit that went to college, moved back home and live with their parents. The funny thing is, is that most of them have pretty decent jobs and could live on their own?! I don't get it?? Is it the fear of having so many responsibilities? Or better yet...not having to worry about finances living at home - being able to have the extra income to live that lifestyle everyone wants.

Huh. Did that sound like anyone of us in our early/mid 50’s could have written most of this 35 years ago? The only differences that I see is that none of us wanted to move back home! We might live 8 to an apartment instead of coming back to mom or dads.

Look at the first paragraph. How much did our parents have to do with our work ethic. I think the word is “everything”. I might have rebelled about 99% of what my parents told me – but when it came to work ethic I simply did what I watched being done. By the time I was 30 I virtually had become my dad (from a work ethic point of view).

I remember my mom calling me a “job skipper” because I wanted to change jobs after 7 years. Now I see my friends, who are my age, encouraging their kids to change jobs if things aren’t going well for their kids at that company.

My point? As my Generation Wise person so eloquently said, “I think it is all how your are brought up.”

I agree. Just a different way of looking at genetics!

CBS's Report on Millennials - Fan or Foe?

2007-11-21T07:58:00.001-08:00

Perhaps you saw the 60 minutes segment on millennials. If not, take a few minutes to view it. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/08/60minutes/main3475200_page2.shtml

Wow. Blaming Mr. Rogers! They forgot to attack Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, and Kermit. Wait a second. Sesame Street Characters are to blame for the Gen X'ers, not the Y's . . . aren't they?

Sure. And Eddie Haskell is to blame for all of the brown-nosers of the Boomers. Hey, it is our parents who are to blame/thank. Not a TV show or personality.

I just love the "profiling" that is done about an entire generation. If memory serves me correctly (I'm over 50 so I'm not sure it does), my generation - the boomers - were all dope smoking, long-haired hippies who made love, not war. There wasn't CNN or the internet then but ABC, CBS and NBC sure talked about us that way. Those people that tried to lump EVERYONE in my generation as a dope smoking, hippies are the same people who are lumping all the millennials into how the 60 Minutes segment describes the new generation.

We are lucky there are people like Steven Rothberg at collegerecruiter.com and Eric Chester at GenerationWhy.com. These guys know and understand the power of the millennial generation and are great coaches that not only help us Boomers learn how to recruit, hire and retain employees but they also help coach the millennials. Most importantly Steven and Eric provide the voice of reason and the voice of hope for this powerful generation. Their Web sites should be on every company's "favorites".

Recently a boomer asked me to describe the differences of the three working generations. My perception is the following. The scenario is that it is 10 a.m. in an office with three sales people - a boomer, an X'er and a Millenial. The Sales Manager tells each of them that we need to get new sales and the sales manager wants them to go out prospecting and come back with four appointments. I envision the following:

The millennial is back by noon announcing that they have their four appointments, have a lunch appointment with their friend and will be back in the office right after lunch.
The gen x'er starts to argue with the sales manager and asks why they have to go out of the office to prospect. Why they can't just use the phone to set the appointments and save some gas. They then ask why new sales are so important and get into a philosophical debate on growing new customers versus having to get new customers. At the end of the argument everyone is frustrated.
The boomer grabs a cup of coffee and tells the rest of the people in the office how he used to be able to get 10 appointments a day. He goes on ad nauseam about how he knocked on doors, got around the gatekeeper, made huge sales to the president of the company, etc. By lunch time he is still in the office pontificating.

So what is my point? It is simply that there is a generation out there that I call Generation Wise (Y's). They do get it. They do understand balance. I have an "adivsory board" of Gen Y'ers who are very successful Valpak reps. I sent the link to all of them and this is the reply I received from one of them:

I agreed with most of it about my generation but the stuff about us being lazy I think is way off! I think that my generation is more efficient! I can come into work at 9 and get more done by 3 then most of my co-workers, I think we have learned to work smarter and quicker that’s why we take more time off and get bored more easily then other generations!

As far as the whole Mr. Rogers thing, I think that’s a bit much too! But I guess it would explain why we think we are all special but I think it steams from everyone, mom, dad, teachers, etc. Not just Mr. Rogers!

I think what they said is brilliant. The onus is on us, as managers and coaches, to change how we mentor and lead. We have a whole bunch of smart people who are about to descend on us. They are much more technological than us, aren't cynical like the previous generation, and can help us achieve our corporate goals. We need to challenge them, provide the environment for them that maximizes their potential, and keep up with them.

I hope that 60 minutes tells the rest of the story about them soon. It is a good one!