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Stomping Out the ANTs

Posted on August 30, 2013 by The Leadership Mints Guy

By Peter Jeff
The Leadership Mints Guy

Here’s an idea to focus more on the positive in negative situations. Reading time: 3:45.

The ANTs are coming! The ANTs are coming! The ANTs are coming!

garfield_mornings_slogan_wallpaper_-_1024x768 Beware of the ANTs (Automatically Negative Thoughts) writes Daniel Amen in his book Change your Brain, Change Your Body.

Like ants invading a kitchen, a few ants ain’t bad “but when you have an infestation, it spoils your day.”

No wonder the most effective leaders stomp out the ANTs. After all that magnet of misery –negative thinking – will pull you down. Consider the overwhelming odds:

In Roget’s Thesaurus, twice as many words focus on the negative (2,286) than the positive (1,051).

In Sisson’s Synonyms, there are six times as many words that mean “to Break” as there are “to Build” (186-26); four times as many words that mean “Sad” as there are that mean “Glad” (110-27) and three times as many words that mean “Bad” as there are that mean “Good” (465-150). Continue reading →

Filed under: Attitude | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Wrapping your Talent in a Creative Ribbon

Posted on August 27, 2013 by The Leadership Mints Guy

By Peter Jeff
The Leadership Mints Guy

Here’s an idea to enhance your appreciation for creative work. Reading time: 4:14

The custom-made hats in the dress shop looked stunning. And the hat designer was just as captivating.

ribbon3 A crowd of customers had gathered around a ribbon-strewn table. The talented hat designer mesmerized them with his magic, turning a piece of ribbon into a creative one-of-a-kind hat in a few minutes.

The lady, visiting the big city for the first time, was amazed. She just had to have a custom-made hat like that. No matter what the cost.

The crowd dispersed and she found herself alone with the talented hat designer. He obliged.

In 10 minutes he wove a single piece of ribbon into an attention-commanding, one-of-a-kind, custom-designed hat. She was delighted.

But then she saw the invoice. It cost at least three times what she expected. The lady complained. “A $300 hat in 10 minutes made out of ribbon?”

The hat designer unraveled the ribbon with none of the flair that he had in transforming it into a hat. Then he handed the ribbon to her, saying: “Madam, the ribbon is free. ” Continue reading →

Filed under: Creativity | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Running: An Exercise in Leadership

Posted on August 23, 2013 by The Leadership Mints Guy

By Peter Jeff
The Leadership Mints Guy

Here’s an idea to stay focused on your primary goal. Reading time: 3:09

He was content -if not happy- with himself. Content to stay in the background, hidden from any and all leaders or leadership opportunities.

He settled for less than his personal best. And he did even less.

Lifting the pop-top of a beer can was always enough exercise for him. And dieting? Well for all he knew Count Calories was some monarch in a far off country.

By settling for less, he didn’t flirt with the frustrations of failure or threaten his couch potato comfort.

In fact, being a little chunky gave him an excuse when he played his usual lousy game of tennis or golf or when he failed to win the bid or get the promotion.

He was like T.S. Eliot’s Hollow Men:

“Shape without form,
shade without color.
Paralyzed force.
Gesture without motion.”

He was like the Beatles’s Nowhere Man:

“A real nowhere man,
living in his nowhere land,
making all his nowhere plans for nobody.
Doesn’t have a point of view.
Knows not where he’s going to.
Isn’t he a bit like you and me?”

But then he became a leader. With a vision.

He decided to add form—a muscular form- to his shape and color—a vibrant, lively brilliance- to his shade. He accepted personal responsibility. He renounced the status quo. He established a goal. He created a compelling plan that shaped the future. And he colored his present behavior to stay on track. One step at a time.

The newly-minted leader took his daily dose of exercise as if it were medicine that tasted so bad it had to be good. Continue reading →

Filed under: Commitment | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Stub your Toe? Get Up ‘n Go

Posted on August 20, 2013 by The Leadership Mints Guy

By Peter Jeff
The Leadership Mints Guy

Here’s an idea to help you smile in the face of immediate adversity. Reading time 2:55.

You got off on the wrong foot. You stumbled out of the block. Now you’re sure your project is doomed.

Jack Nicklaus

Well cheer up! The most effective leaders battle back from tough starts. They stub their toe and get back up and go. Consider that:

PABLO PICASSO was born dead. His uncle –a physician- tried an innovative approach (breathing cigar smoke into the baby’s nostrils to shock the newborn’s lungs) and revived him. Picasso, the 20th century’s most innovative artist, turned a tough start into spectacular show over his lifetime.

So did the following six sports legends.

Jack Nicklaus

JACK NICKLAUS, the greatest professional golfer of all time, took his first swing as a professional golfer and drowned his golf ball. He hit his drive into the water. From that pro exhibition match in Miami, Nicklaus went on to win a record 18 major tournaments including six Masters Championships, five PGA Championships, four US Opens and three British Opens. That’s two more than the combined total of Arnold Palmer (7) and Gary Player (9) and three times as many as Lee Trevino (6). Tiger Woods (14) needs five more major victories to unseat Nicklaus.

Lou Gehrig

LOU GEHRIG struck out in his first at bat in the major leagues—on three straight pitches. Yet Gehrig went on to set 45 major league baseball records, including a then-record 2,130 starts over a 14-year span. Continue reading →

Filed under: Commitment | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Honoring Your Honor

Posted on August 16, 2013 by The Leadership Mints Guy

By Peter Jeff
The Leadership Mints Guy

Here’s an idea to enhance your ethical behavior. Reading time: 3:35

Blindly placing a gum wrapper in the ash tray, he drove out of the car rental lot and into the darkness. Or was that into the oblivion?

At least it seemed that way. Suddenly, he felt as if someone had punched him hard in the gut. He was hurt — offended more than beaten; betrayed more than bedraggled.

Yes. Betrayed.

He sneered at that cigarette-strewn ash tray in his Avis car rental. He groused that just because he writes Avis ads for a living “that doesn’t make me a paid liar.” He grumbled, “If Avis can’t, live up to its advertising, they can get themselves a new boy.”

The ad writer, who had previously created copy lauding Avis’s cigarette-butt free cars, resigned the Avis account.

That’s what leaders do. They preserve, protect and promote their honor. With integrity. And often these honorable leaders influence corporations to honor their honor.

In fact copywriter David Herzbrun’s personal conviction to integrity in his advertising copy influenced Avis to approve paid advertisements apologizing for the cigarette-strew ashtray in his car rental.

Indeed, leaders honor their honor Continue reading →

Filed under: Conviction | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Doing Right When No One’s In Sight

Posted on August 13, 2013 by The Leadership Mints Guy

By Peter Jeff
The Leadership Mints Guy

Here’s an idea to enhance your integrity. Reading time: 2:39

The Greek sculptor diligently carved the back of a statue’s head.

No matter that virtually no one would ever see his handi-work. star fish 1Especially on 40-foot tall statue placed against a wall.

“Who will know?”

A bystander chided Phidias for working so hard on his Athena that would be positioned inside the Parthenon in Athens.

“I will know,” Phidias stated sternly.

Leaders always know. No matter who’s watching. Or not.

Leaders have INTEGRITY, meaning they always remain whole. (Root word “Integer” = a whole number.)

Leaders remain whole no matter how many ad hoc situations or circumstances tempt them to cut corners. Leaders don’t cut corners. And leaders don’t get cornered. Or cut off.

Cut one of the arms of a starfish and a new arm will grow Continue reading →

Filed under: Conviction | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Containing Your Power Out of Respect

Posted on August 9, 2013 by The Leadership Mints Guy

By Peter Jeff
The Leadership Mints Guy

Here’s an idea on values-based decision-making. Reading time: 2:59

The architect proudly illustrated his design for a new manufacturing plant. Executives nodded approvingly.

ARCHITECTUREThen the CEO noticed that the layout of the manufacturing plant placed the loudest machines adjacent to a residential street.

In an instant he made decision to scrap this layout in favor of a new design that inverted the plant layout, placing the other end of the plant (a quieter shipping area) adjacent to the neighbors.

“That’ll cost us $150,000 to redo this plan,” objected the plant manager. The CEO didn’t flinch at the financial loss.” He was too focused on “treating those people who live on that street the way I would want to be treated if I lived there.”

The CEO’s demonstration of his emotional intelligence taught his executives Continue reading →

Filed under: Emotional Intelligence | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

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