Goal Setting , Measurements and Vision

5 Great Insights:

-What gets measured, gets done…what gets measured and shared, gets improved.

-If you do not have a destination (goal), any road you take will get you there.

-Live not to measure the length of the journey, live for the destination and the journey will measure itself.

-If your memories are bigger than your future, then its time to turn things around.

-Do what you love, Love what you do, and Share that love with everyone!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

***This is just a sample!... if you would like a "full-slice" of passion, be sure to indulge yourself in my upcoming book,"Pecan Pie", fresh from the oven, early this fall!...stay tuned!“Copyright (7-1-2010) by Robert V Gambone Sr.”

The Diamond RULE² -Servant Leadership in Business

We all know the Golden Rule (treat others the way you want to be treated), many of us have heard of the Platinum Rule (treat others the way they want to be treated)…

The Diamond RULE² applies specifically to leadership.

R- Respect everyone; everyone’s job is just as important as everyone else’s…pay grade is based on the position, not on the importance of the person.

U- Understand their vision, it may be different from yours; strength of a team is in its diversity of its members.

L- Listen and learn how to help; we all learn something new everyday, from anyone.

E- Enthusiastically and passionately support your team; attitudes are contagious, believe in them and they will believe in you.

E- Exceed what is expected of you; leadership is not just making a living, it’s making a life.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
***This is just a sample!... if you would like a "full-slice" of passion, be sure to indulge yourself in my upcoming book,"Pecan Pie", fresh from the oven, early this fall!...stay tuned!
“Copyright (7-1-2010) by Robert V Gambone Sr.”

NETWWORKING²

The definitions for networking are many… the bottom line is;
Networking = the opportunity to build relationships.

N- Never sell when networking!


E –Earn people’s interest before exchanging business cards


T- Talk with people, not at people


W- Wear a Smile!


W- “Wherever you go, there you are.”…so network!


O- Open body language, non verbal communication says it all.


R- Resource; be the one for connecting others.


K- Keep focused on your network strategy.


I- Information; gather it for your referral partners and referral sources.


N- “Net-xcitement,” its contagious…don’t get caught up in buying and selling, avoid the “morning- after dilemma”. Schedule a business meeting to buy or sell.


G- Giver’s Gain, The BNI Credo; learn it, live it, love it!


G- GO!...don’t just talk about Networking…GO do it!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
***This is just a sample!... if you would like a "full-slice" of passion, be sure to indulge yourself in my upcoming book,
"Pecan Pie", fresh from the oven, early this fall!...stay tuned!!!
“Copyright (7-1-2010) by Robert V Gambone Sr.”

"Continuing Smart" ?

A few years back I heard a very intriguing statement,

“The reason why radio and TV talk / news are so popular (i.e. Bill O’Reilly, Rush Limbaugh) is because people love to be “smart” but don’t have the time to be “educated.”

Listening to this type of media can supply you with a lot of information quickly and conveniently, and may help you demonstrate mental alertness (definition of smart) when engaged in business or casual conversations, but it will not educate you. The definition of education is knowledge acquired by learning and instruction.

Just recently, I heard another intriguing statement about condensed versions of books available for iPhones, Laptops, etc. The gentleman said “reading a condensed version of a book, is really learning the material based on what someone else, not the author, thought was important …I would rather read the full version and decide for myself what’s important. I want to be educated, not just smart.”

Wow, I thought to myself…this guy has wisdom, which is the art of utilizing accumulated knowledge and experience with sound judgment and insight.

Yes, I watch and listen to TV talk / news media and occasionally read a condensed version of a book…but I am also a strong advocate of gaining wisdom. One of my lifetime goals is to always participate in “continuing education” in order to grow personally and professionally…after all who ever heard of “continuing smart”?

Leadership is not selfishness

Why do you think you are instructed to put your oxygen mask on first in an airplane emergency?

Well, the obvious answer is to save yourself. The more robust answer is to save yourself so you can help others.

Quite often leaders in our society are frowned upon because they are taking care of themselves. For example, those is leadership roles are considered “selfish” for; taking vacations with their families, allocating time for continuing education, playing golf, going on a retreat, etc.

The reality is leaders need to take care of themselves in order to effectively lead those they serve.
I don’t know about you, but I want my “leader” to be healthy and wealthy. Not just in a monetary sense, but as a whole person; physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Vince Lombardi once said: "The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence regardless of their chosen endeavor."

Bottom line: Leaders need to first take care of themselves, in order to be effective quality leaders.

They Weren’t There For Me…I Was There For Them.

One evening, years ago, while performing an evening audit in a store that I managed, I entered the backroom of the Produce department frustrated about some work that was not completed.

“Hi Judy, hi Paul can I see you for a minute?”

“Sure, what’s up?”

“Guys, I’ve known you both for a long time, ever since you went full time about 12 years ago.”

“Yes, it’s been about that long,” replied Judy, and Paul nodding his head. (two top senior clerks, part of a team of 18 in that department).

"Well, I don’t understand why I repeatedly have to come back here and solve problems, follow up to see if things are being done, and make all the decisions. You each have a dozen years in the business; you should know how to run this team.”

Paul put his head down, shaking it back and forth, but Judy looked right at me and said;

“First of all, Paul and I both know how to run this team. Second, well…if we wanted to take on the responsibilities we would have signed up to be Managers, well we don’t want that job…that’s your job Bob!
I think this team back here does a great job, but sometimes we drop the ball, like today, but overall things get done…and when issues surface, well guess what, that’s when we need you. We expect you to make the decisions, Bob, because we don’t want the hassle.

They were right. They weren’t there for me…I was there for them.

From that day forward, I learned that not only do I need to serve my customers, more importantly… I needed to serve my employees.

Never Run Out Of Stones

As a child growing up in a small town, Rennerdale Pa., I can remember walking down to the fishpond with my father on weekends.

Along the way, my Dad would allow me to fill my pockets with stones to toss into the pond.

We would stand on the edge, and I would throw the stones in the pond making those memorable circles of ripples reaching out all the way to the water’s edge.

Eventually my pockets would empty, I would run out of stones and the ripples would fade away.

Fast forward to today. Those seemingly endless ripples in the water remind me of word of mouth marketing. Your circles start off small and continue to expand as you build relationships with people. The secret is to never run out of stones!

For more information of having deep pockets and an endless supply of “stones,” give me a call…412.491.7317.