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Book Information
Genre:
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Leadership
Publication:
Dec 03, 2009
Pages:
238
Books by Dr. Rick Johnson
Let’s face it --- The Economy Sucks. And, being in a recession is not something many have experienced before. Everyone is brutally tested by economic challenge. If you aren’t prepared, if you have no plan, things can become extremely difficult. Planning carefully prevents knee-jerk decisions. Times are tough but the sky isn’t falling. So start thinking and acting in such a way that you can thrive --- not just survive during tough economic times --- Plan success – not Failure. Get tuned into the solutions and stop focusing on the problems."
http://ceo-strategist.com/
Don’t Get Bit by Your Own Rattlesnake
Honest negative feedback is difficult to accept. It takes tremendous courage. I learned that twenty years ago. I thought I knew just about everything there was to know about running a company let alone a smaller $100 million dollar division. I had owned and sold several successful businesses and that success certainly enlarged my ego even though I didn’t realize it at the time. I was a little too self-indulged and my self confidence bordered on arrogance and stupidity. Just like the CEO I quoted that thought his entire sales force was incompetent. I even had a rattlesnake sitting on my desk with a statement that can’t be printed exactly as it appeared, due to censorship and morality.
It read……………..
“You’d rather kiss a rattlesnake than _ _ _ _ with me.”
Now, that’s not exactly a good example of the kind of leadership that I try to promote today. So, if we are going to improve as leaders, we must have the courage to recognize and admit how stupid we can act at times. Courage is one character trait that is a mainstay of every successful leader. Every successful leader I have ever met demonstrated courage and a willingness to accept their own fallacies. They seemed to have a unique ability to honestly listen to negative feedback.
That’s easy to say but during the time I boldly displayed my rattlesnake, I didn’t have that kind of courage. I had no concept of the image or the message my actions represented. I didn’t listen very well to negative feedback. In fact, until the CEO of the company I worked for at the time called it to my attention, I didn’t realize that the rattlesnake was just a symptom of many things that were wrong with my personal leadership model.
It was a Wakeup Call
You see, it wasn’t long before we had a real issue that the corporate office and I didn’t quite see eye to eye on how it should be handled. The issue was dealing with the introduction of a union in the operating division that I was running. Ultimately, within six months, we agreed to disagree, I left and they were happy. It was the one time in my career that I can actually say I was fired even though it wasn’t presented that way (Or maybe it was, but just my ego and ignorance didn’t accept it that way). I learned a lot from that experience. At first it was a punch in the stomach, but very soon afterwards I realized that I’d better wake up. This was a turning point for me. I realized that I was still a young man with a lot to learn and a lot to offer. It was that day that I finally got the courage to look into the mirror and reflect on my personal leadership model and my behavior as a person. Sure, I did a lot of things right. I had a lot of leadership qualities. But, I also did a lot of things wrong. I honestly believe that my early success, that was a result of some of those leadership characteristics, actually threw me off track. I knew then that I had to really work on my leadership skills.
I went on from there to become very successful in helping companies maximize their effectiveness. I learned many things on that journey that started 20 years ago and I am still learning today.
About Dr. Rick Johnson
Rick Johnson offers down-to-earth presentations of key business principles aimed at helping companies succeed as total solution providers. Imparting rubber-meets-the-road leadership skills honed during 35 years in business, Rick's keynote speeches and workshops focus on strategic leadership, sales effectiveness and the power of unlocking employee potential.
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Let’s face it --- The Economy Sucks. And, being in a recession is not something many have experienced before. Everyone is brutally tested by economic challenge. If you aren’t prepared, if you have no plan, things can become extremely difficult. Planning carefully prevents knee-jerk decisions. Times are tough but the sky isn’t falling. So start thinking and acting in such a way that you can thrive --- not just survive during tough economic times --- Plan success – not Failure. Get tuned into the solutions and stop focusing on the problems." 
Rick Johnson offers down-to-earth presentations of key business principles aimed at helping companies succeed as total solution providers. Imparting rubber-meets-the-road leadership skills honed during 35 years in business, Rick's keynote speeches and workshops focus on strategic leadership, sales effectiveness and the power of unlocking employee potential.