If you run with eagles, you get to fly. If you run with dogs, you get fleas. That is, when you spend your time with people who can’t help you grow, you start to think like or get perceived as being that kind of person or company. So, don’t be associated with those people (or businesses).
Be associated with those people who are good examples of thought leadership and can be an inspiration for growth. We’re so focused on quality at Sea Smoke that we don’t want to talk to people who want to visit our winery. We make exceptions for those who know wine—why talk to people who don’t understand wine quality? Sounds harsh! Ego, Generals’ and Presidents’ Four star General Douglas MacArthur, the supreme allied commander in the Pacific during the WWII, graduated first in his class from West Point. The supreme Allied commander in Europe was Dwight David Eisenhower. He was 61st in his class at West Point twelve years later. Harry S. Truman fired MacArthur. Eisenhower went on to become President. The difference? Eisenhower had no ego, and MacArthur had the largest ego on the planet. MacArthur had to have special cigars, special whiskey. Eisenhower said, “Don’t bring me anything.” When he defeated Hirohito in Tokyo in 1945, MacArthur took over the Imperial Hotel so he could look into the Emperor’s headquarters across the river and dominate him, intimidate him. He couldn’t get his ego out of it. He took from the people. So MacArthur was fired by Truman. Four years later, Eisenhower became President of the United States. All because of the difference between the two of them. Even though Eisenhower was in the middle of his class at West Point and MacArthur was one of the highest scoring leaders in the history of the school. MacArthur had the ego, Eisenhower did not. The problem is the ego. Why are certain presidents such a disaster? Because their egos are bigger than they are. They fail because their ego is disproportionate to their skill set. The rarest commodity on the planet is “leadership without ego.” Equality No one is special; everyone is special. You really need to understand that everybody is the same in a business culture. Everybody, as a human being, has the same value. Where people go awry is when they think that because they’re more educated or more talented that they’re more special. They may have better upbringing or they have assets, something that makes them slightly special. And as soon as they get that inkling that they’re special, they’re not. In order to collaborate and make decisions together as a team, we need to be on an equal footing with each other. That’s the only way everyone will trust one another. Excuses Bill Harrah said, “There’s room at the top of every market.” How do we fight to get at the top of the market? Elevate the quality. I had enough resources that when employees needed something I would never second guess their decision. If I made the decision for them, I gave them the excuse to be used against me for the rest of their life that “I couldn’t do it right because he did this.” They now own the problem—not me— directly. The good news is there’s never any compromise in quality. The bad news is: there are now no excuses. I took away their excuse by giving them all of the tools they need. Evil I see so many people who, when they were given the opportunity to receive power, they took it. They have a secretary who gets their dry cleaning. They decide they’re going to have a special office. They’re going to have a special desk. They want to have a company car. That’s the road to evil. When you apply a different standard to yourself from the people you’re leading, then you are no longer a leader. You just gave up your chance at respect. You need to understand that you are no different from the people you lead. You have the same value in the organization; you just have a different assignment. Exit to Start The place to start your business plan is with the “exit” part of the plan (how to get out if you are successful). I always kept in mind: “The time to sell is when someone wants to buy” Fun Killers: Vice-Presidents VPs and other senior executives can be an obstacle to a great culture. This level of management is rarely really needed (Lee Iacocca at Chrysler lowered his salary to $1/year and fired every senior VP to garner union support to turn the company around) and they think they can “manage” morale. In reality, it is the CEO who has the final decision that controls morale (see Real Job of the CEO) but the VPs can take fun from the culture when they think that they have the power of leadership but really don’t. It adds a layer of management that insulates the person who can improve morale. Generalities Be vigilant against generalities. If somebody says, “I’ll have it done next week,” ask which day in the following week. When they give you the day, ask if that will be morning or afternoon. If they say afternoon, ask what hour. Get the commitment, make them own it. And then, because people always think they are better than they are, give them more time than they ask for. You want to create success, not failure. At IGT, I would hire young engineers and give them a simple first project so they could first taste success; they would see tough jobs soon enough. When doing a performance review for a person who reports to you, avoid generalities. The worst thing you can say is “you are a good employee” (a generality). Be specific: “Your presentation was good, especially the budget page. The breakdown and format are clear.” When they hear you say that they are a good employee, they think that you are not paying attention to them, you are not helping them grow. They know they made mistakes. You did not notice and help them correct them. So you must not be watching. Be specific.
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