3 Things I learned last week…12/14-20/2015

Purpose: Last week I had a great opportunity to meet with a Vice President whose company manages everything related to food and nutrition for senior living facilities.  It was a great meeting where I had the chance to learn a lot about their business.  This person was very passionate about what they did.  Out of all of the things we discussed, one of the things that really struck a chord with me is this:  During our conversation he told me that he reminds himself and the people he leads that “the meal they are serving their customers could be their last meal.”  He actually told me one of the many stories that he can remember where this was the exact case.  The meal he served was that persons last meal.  His heart and his purpose is very clear to me in his business. He is serving and taking care of people first.  He is leading with this mindset that he must do his job with excellence and of the most quality every single day to serve his customers.  He challenged me to think about why I do what I do and am I serving, am I thinking about the bigger picture of what I do?

Constant harmony may be a cause for harm.  A conflict free team means no one is bringing anything to the table that might engender controversy. The team members aren’t focused on the teams purpose, instead, they are focused on protecting the groups relationships. Its one of the ways teams can be less than the sum of their parts; fear of offending anybody.  This is a paragraph that I recently read.  I have had the front seat to watching this first hand in business.  If you can’t or won’t challenge the status quo or do the hard things you are guaranteeing yourself and your company that there won’t be any growth.  I must continue to do hard things even when it isn’t comfortable. Growth and development should be uncomfortable.

Abundance versus scarcity.  I have thought about these two topics many many times.  Do I have an abundance mindset or do I have a scarcity mindset?  An abundance mindset means I think that there is always more to do, more to have, more out there, things are not limited.  Scarcity means that things are limited.  There isn’t enough or only so much. They way I approach my business, my life, my investments, my relationships, my finances, my development, you name it, I have to approach it with one of these two mindsets.  I must choose the abundance mindset.  I can’t hoard.  I can’t think that there isn’t more that can be done, more can be taught, more can be expected.  At times I can fall into the trap of cutting back, being more conservative, or not taking chances.  I have to think abundance all of the time.  We are living in one of the greatest times of our existence.  Opportunities are everywhere.  My philosophy has to continue to be of abundance.

To your success and your future.