Think Beyond Your Job by Charles Schwab

Photo by Marten Bjork on Unsplash

The thing that most people call “genius” I do not believe in. That is, I am sure that few successful individuals are so-called “natural geniuses.”  

There is not a person in power at our Bethlehem steel works today who did not begin at the bottom and work their way up, round by round, simply by using their head and their hands a little more freely and a little more effectively than their co-workers. Eugene Grace, president of Bethlehem, worked in the yard when I first knew him. Mr. Snyder was a stenographer, Mr. Mathews a draftsman. The fifteen men in direct charge of the plants were selected not because of some startling stroke of genius but because, day in and day out, they were doing little unusual things—thinking beyond their jobs. 

When I took over the Bethlehem works, I decided to train up its managers as Mr. Carnegie trained his “boys.” So I watched the workers who were already there and picked out a dozen. This selection took months. Then I set out to build an organization in which we should be bound together in harmony and kindly cooperation. I encouraged my managers to study iron and steel, markets and men. I gave them all small salaries but instituted a system whereby each person would share directly in the profits for which they were directly responsible. Every one of those individuals “came through.” They are wealthy men today. All are directors of the company; some are directors of the corporation. 

Most talk about “super-geniuses” is nonsense. I have found that when “stars” drop out, successors are usually at hand to fill their places; and the successors are merely individuals who have learned by application and self-discipline to get full production from an average, normal brain. 

Inventors, individuals with a unique, specialized talent, are the only real super-geniuses. But they are so rare that they need no consideration here. 

I have always felt that the surest way to qualify for the job just ahead is to work a little harder than anyone else on the job one is holding down. One of the most successful people I have known never carried a watch until he began to earn ten thousand dollars a year. Before that, he had managed with a nickel alarm clock in his bedroom, which he never forgot to wind. Young men may enjoy dropping their work at five or six o’clock and slipping into a dress suit for an evening of pleasure, but the habit has certain drawbacks. I happen to know several able-bodied gentlemen who got it so completely that now they are spending all their time, days as well as evenings, in dress suits, serving food in fashionable restaurants to men who did not get the dress-suit habit until somewhat later in life.  

The surest way to qualify for the job just ahead is to work a little harder  than anyone else on the job one is holding down.

Recently we have heard much about investments. To my mind, the best investment a young person starting out in business can possibly make is to give all their time, all their energies, to work—just plain, hard work. After an individual’s position is assured, they can indulge in pleasure if they wish. They will have lost nothing by waiting—and gained much. They will have made money enough really to afford to spend some, and they will know that they have done right by themselves and by the world. 

Charles M. Schwab (1862–1939) was born into modest circumstances in Williamsburg, Pennsylvania, and amassed a large fortune as he advanced through various positions within the steel industry. Schwab went from driving spikes at Andrew Carnegie’s Edgar Thomson Steel Works in Braddock for a dollar a day to eventually become president of Carnegie Steel, earning one of the highest salaries at the time. Schwab was also responsible for facilitating the industrial consolidation of Carnegie Steel into the United States Steel Corporation, which earned him roughly $24 million, the equivalent today of about $800 million. Schwab’s formidable success can be attributed to his extraordinary work ethic, his ability to “think beyond the job,” and his skill in motivating employees through profit sharing and harmonious workplace relations. In Business Success, he shares the principles that governed his personal and professional achievement—timeless maxims that will help any individual advance in their career and realize their vision of success. Get your copy now from Sound Wisdom.

“3 Stories Leaders Need to Know about Their Employees” by Alyson Van Hooser

Photo by S O C I A L . C U T on Unsplash

Stories unlock answers to challenges leaders must overcome. To hire the right people, get them to stay, and continue to perform above expectations, start by learning these three stories leaders need to know about employees. 

Strategies you’ve heard that promise to help you recruit, retain, and lead great employees—but allow no room for individual customization—likely won’t work for leading the current and future workforce. Why? Our economy and diversity. The workforce is more diverse than ever—education, experiences, expectations, and more. In our economy, people have access to hundreds of thousands of jobs just a click away on their phones. Empirical evidence suggests that leaders who take an individualistic approach to lead their team will ultimately be much more successful than those who don’t.  

How do leaders know how to lead whom? Storytelling and story seeking. When it comes to understanding how to lead people, stories tell you what statistics can’t. Stories capture attention, are memorable, and are personal. Stories break down barriers and build bonds. 

Storytelling and story seeking shouldn’t be random. Instead, it must be intentional. Here are 3 stories every leader needs to know about employees. 

Defining Memories  

Unless something extremely significant happens, most of how we show up in the workplace is shaped by what we experienced growing up. As a child and young adult, we learned how to build relationships, respond to rejection, achieve success, deal with conflict, work as a team, and more. 

One story you might share and seek would be the story about how you/they learned their work ethic. 

Think about this…  

• My husband learned from his dad that showing up and working hard—even when it’s not convenient—will end up earning you experience, success, and respect for decades to come. From a leadership perspective, if an employee grew up learning a strong work ethic and realizing the benefits, it’s a safe assumption that they’ll show up with a strong work ethic throughout their time in the workforce, too. 

• On the other hand, I grew up with parents who did not work. I saw, felt, and lived the negative effects of that. I never want that for myself or my family. As a leader, if you have an employee that was dealt a tough hand and they overcame it, it’s likely they’ll continue that same positive trajectory going forward. 

• It could be that you are interviewing a potential candidate. If you ask them where/how they learned their work ethic and they have no response, this could potentially be a red flag or sign of challenges to come from a dependability or performance perspective.  

A leader who understands an employee’s past can predict and prepare for how the employee will act in the future. 

 Today’s Heartbeat 

Many organizations do exit interviews. Fewer organizations have implemented “stay interviews.” It’s important for leaders to know what keeps an employee showing up and giving their best so you can make sure you don’t stop doing what they’re liking…whether it’s the way you give feedback, the flexibility their position offers, etc. 

A story you might share and seek would be the story about what a perfect day in their work-life would look like. 

One employee may be quick to tell you that they would come in, keep their head down, do their job, not hear from anyone, and get to leave on time. Another employee might tell you that they’d want to be involved in many different projects, interacting with lots of different people, and wrap the day up with a one-on-one meeting with you to discuss progress. Ultimately, you may hear little nuggets from the employee about when, how, or what they need from you. 

A leader who understands why their employees stay is more likely to never have to watch them leave. 

American Dreams 

Do you know where you and your employees want to be in one, five, ten years? If you haven’t had a personal conversation about this in the past year or two, now would be a great time. 

To get them to tell you a story, ask them to tell you a story about what success will look like to them after ten more years. 

Someone may surprise you and tell you that they picture themselves being an entrepreneur. As a leader, you need to know if someone is not in it for the long haul. Another employee may tell you that they want to be a leader in a different department in the organization. There’s your sign as their leader that you should start giving them opportunities to grow, as well as making time to develop their replacement when they get promoted.  

When a leader understands the destination, they can make plans to take roads to get their team there faster, better, stronger. 

The One Time Leaders Should Talk Before They Listen 

If you’ve ever been in our comprehensive leadership development program, you know how critical it is for leaders to listen first. However, this may be the one time that I suggest that leaders should actually talk first. 

People are more willing to share personal, insightful stories with people they trust. Before you jump straight into asking employees about their stories, start by sharing yours. When you intentionally open up to people about your life, they’ll feel you trust them more. In turn, they’ll be more likely to feel they can trust you, too. 

Alyson Van Hooser is a leadership keynote speaker and trainer on millennials, Gen Z, and women in business. With the grit that only comes from tough experiences, Alyson has learned a thing or two about personal and professional success. From her management experience with Walmart, as an elected city council member, bank manager—all before the age of 30—Alyson has wisdom well beyond her years! Her book Level Up: Elevate Your Game & Crush Your Goals is now available from Sound Wisdom. Connect with Alyson on LinkedIn and Instagram. This article originally appeared here on the Van Hooser Associates Leadership Blog and has been edited for inclusion on the Sound Wisdom Blog.

100 Worst Employees by Jim Stovall

This week, I’m enjoying the most recent installment in one of the greatest ongoing privileges of my life as my latest book is released. Well over forty times, I have worked diligently to gather my thoughts, get them down on paper, and wish them well as they find their way around the world to my readers. 

As in any worthwhile venture, I have a lot of people to thank. Dave Wildasin and his team at Sound Wisdom publishing continue to be willing to put their reputation behind my words. With this particular title, I had the honor to work with my longtime friend and colleague, Kristine Sexter. I met Kristine, and came to know and appreciate her, when she was the president of our state chapter of the National Speakers Association. I thought I had seen her at her best in her presidential role, but I was surprised to learn that she was even more valuable as a co-author.   

100 Worst Employees: Learning from the Very Worst How to Be Your Very Best  is a follow-up to a book I had out several years ago entitled, 100 Worst Bosses. In addition to being hilarious, sad, and poignant, the true stories in 100 Worst Employees are extremely instructive. 

You and I might disagree on what makes a great movie, wonderful meal, or a memorable song, but we can virtually all agree when we experience a bad one. The first step in being the best at anything, is to avoid being the worst. Subtle qualities of world class performers are often hard to pick out, but when you observe someone who is the worst at something, their traits scream at you and refuse to be ignored.  

I can hear people all around the world reading this column and saying, “Jim, I don’t have a very good job, and I don’t plan on staying here any longer than I have to, so why should I worry about my performance?”  

For better or for worse, the way we do anything is the way we do everything. If you show me someone who does a poor job mowing the grass, washing the car, or folding the clothes, they will likely do a poor job at everything they touch.  

The road to having a great job, or even owning your own business, begins with doing the job you currently have with pride and excellence.  Endeavor to be the kind of employee that you want to manage or have working in your company someday. 

As you go through your day today, start being the best by learning from the worst.  

Today’s the day!  

Jim Stovall is the president of Narrative Television Network, a columnist, a motivational speaker, as well as a published author of many books, including The Ultimate Gift. His most recent book, co-authored with Kristine Sexter, is 100 Worst Employees: Learning from the Very Worst How to Be Your Very Best, which is available on October 15, 2019, from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Porchlight Books, and other fine retailers.

Spring Training for Organizational Success by Sam Silverstein

While visiting and working in Florida, I had the opportunity to attend the St. Louis Cardinals’ home opener spring training baseball game. Spring training is a great time both for the players and the fans. Everything starts new in spring training. Fans have renewed hopes of their team winning the World Series. Young players have renewed aspirations of moving up in the organization and possibly even making the Major League team.  

But a lot has to be accomplished before decisions are made on who will make the Major League team and who will continue to play in the Minor Leagues. 

There are many goals that need to be addressed in spring training. The players are working to get in everyday playing shape. Management is evaluating talent. Pitchers are developing new pitches that they are willing to try when the games don’t really matter so that they are ready when the games do matter. And, even though the games don’t count in the regular season standings, the organization’s leadership is working to develop the drive to win. Winning is a habit that has to be nurtured inside of everyone and inside the team as a whole. In essence, they are learning how to compete.  

During drills, the players have a lot of mini competitions. They discover momentum. They learn what working together as a team feels like. This is the time to master what happens between the players and their relationships in addition to the physical skills involved in playing the game. One without the other will leave the team short of reaching their potential.  

Leadership is looking at how players interact in relationship to each other; evaluating if the values of different players line up with each other and if they will fit together on a team. Teamwork isn’t created by assembling the best players on a single team. Teamwork is about assembling a group of people who share a common set of values and who commit to living those values with each other. That is not only teamwork but accountability in action. 

It is the same in any business or organization. There are the skills necessary to perform the tasks, deliver the service and create the products, and there is the environment where everyone works. That environment, or organizational culture based on a set of values, will determine the level of performance that everyone is able to achieve.  

You can assemble people with the best skills, but if you don’t put equal time into creating a winning organizational culture, you come up short. It’s the transactional side of businesses, the skills, and the relational side—the teamwork, camaraderie, trust, and respect—that when focused on equally, allow an organization to be at its best because people are then positioned to be at their best. 

Sam Silverstein is dedicated to empowering people to live accountable lives, transform the way they do business, and create a more accountable world. He helps companies create an organizational culture that prioritizes and inspires accountability. His most recent book in the No More Excuses series, No Matter What: The 10 Commitments of Accountability, is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, 800-CEO-READ, and other fine retailers. 

8 Ways to Improve Your Leadership Skills by Adrean Turner

Today’s organizations are struggling to recruit and retain valuable employees. Employee engagement is less than 30 percent in most industries.  

A leader is NOT born. A leader is created, and the whole process starts inside the most dangerous place you’ll ever encounter—your own mind. How can you become a strong leader who inspires others, drives people toward excellence, holds people accountable, and instills a sense of trust? Learning what makes a great leader is your first step.  

Here are some things you can do to become the leader you’ve always wanted to be: 

(1) Control yourself. Every great leader in history has had to become a master of self-discipline and willpower in order to stay focused on the big picture. If you don’t have a goal or the drive to achieve it, you can’t lead others to attain theirs. 

The man who cannot control himself, can never control others. Self-control sets a mighty example for one’s followers, which the more intelligent will emulate. ~ Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich 

(2) Follow through in everything you do. As challenging as it may be, you need to be disciplined enough to be where you need to be, when you need to be there, whether you want to or not. By being strong in your resolve and resisting temptation to give up, you are setting an example for others to live up to. 

(3) Choose your emotional response to a situation carefully. Sometimes you’ll need to practice the art of silencing your inner thoughts when they’re not appropriate in order to set a positive example. 

(4) Project your goals. If the people you’re leading don’t completely understand the deeper meaning in their work, they won’t share your vision or work ethic. Every step of the way, communicate with your team to make sure they’re on the same wavelength and know what you expect of them. 

(5) Get your team involved in the planning process and the implementation of your ideas. This gives everyone a greater sense of ownership toward the end result. 

A successful person finds the right place for himself. But a successful leader finds the right place for others. ― John C. Maxwell  

(6) Praise highly and criticize constructively. The way you praise and criticize others can make all the difference in being able to lead effectively. Make sure you publicly praise the people who do excellent work for you. You’ll give the person a sense of accomplishment and the drive to do even better. When someone does something wrong, offer constructive criticism and do it privately. Suggest solutions on how they can improve and take the time to answer any questions. They’ll accept your input more willingly if they know it’s done to help and not to harm. 

(7) Know your people. You can’t truly lead a group of people unless you truly understand their hopes, dreams, struggles, pains, and goals. All the good intentions in the world mean nothing unless you have a true sense of the people with whom you’re working. Getting to know each other on a personal level will strengthen the bond between you. They’ll want to do better for you because you’re more than just a “boss.” 

(8) Make the hard call. There are times when you have to bite the bullet and make some unpleasant decisions. Firing, demoting, and holding people accountable for their actions can be very hard at times. As a leader, it’s your responsibility to handle these matters.  

Regardless of where your leadership role takes you, believe that you can be a strong leader. Remember that in order to lead others, you must be disciplined yourself. After all, your actions will speak louder than anything you can say. In order to gain the respect of others, strive to lead by example in every area of your life.

This post originally appeared here on www.coachadrean.com. Get more information and inspiration in Adrean’s book, F.I.T. for Success: Fearless, Inspired, Transformed for Success.