THE ACHIEVEMENT DIGEST® Combined summer issue, August 2002  Editor: Gene Griessman CONTENTS Quotations You Can Use Leadership Tactics Of Very Successful People Management Tip: A Different Way To Do Your     Performance Reviews Feature Article: How To Leverage A Compliment Lincoln's Log Travel Tips Only In America How To Understand Body Language QUOTATIONS YOU CAN USE “If people don’t want to come to the ballpark, there ain’t nothin’ to keep ‘em from not comin’.      Yogi Berra “Without a deadline, I can’t finish nothin’”        Duke Ellington “In a good society, common people care about the common good.”          Gene Griessman “Entrepreneurial vision is not passive.  It’s that rare, every-fiber-of-your being kind of thing."  Jim Blasingame  Small Business Is Like A Bunch Of Bananas (www.smallbusinessadvocate.com) "Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths theatre."        Gail Godwin "When women are depressed, they eat or go shopping.  Men invade another country.  It's a whole different way of thinking."         Elayne Boosler "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face."          Eleanor Roosevelt "I succeeded by saying what everyone else is thinking."          Joan Rivers For  more great quotes, click here. FEATURE ARTICLE: LEADERSHIP TACTICS OF VERY SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE MANAGEMENT TIP: A DIFFERENT WAY TO DO YOUR PERFORMANCE REVIEWS The best way to manage is to put people in positions  that play to their strengths, not their weaknesses.  A CEO attendee at one of our seminars on the leadership secrets of Abraham Lincoln observed that most performance reviews are based on looking for the worst in people instead of looking for the best in people. The focus is on the negative. Typically managers say: “Here’s where you’re weak, so here’s what you can do to work on that.”  An alternative approach would be,  “Here’s where you have real strengths.  Let’s look for ways to leverage your strengths.” For more information about the Lincoln Leadership Program, click here. FEATURE ARTICLE: HOW TO LEVERAGE A COMPLIMENT This tactic is easy to execute.  It will win friends, improve the quality of the service you receive, and make the world a better place.  I’ve watched others use it, and I’ve used it myself with remarkable results. Here it is: Whenever people do something that pleases you communicate your message of appreciation and praise to somebody who matters to them. Mel  Kranzberg was a famed historian and editor and the principal founder of the Society for the History of Technology. If someone helped Kranzberg by presenting a paper or writing an article, Kranzberg always wrote a thank-you letter.  But Kranzberg also wrote a letter to that professor’s department head or dean or president, telling them how fortunate they were to have such a person at their school.  Kranzberg made sure the individual knew too, because he sent them a copy of the letter. At the time of Kranzberg’s death, literally thousands of individuals were indebted to him for such letters.  (Kranzberg wrote a minimum of 10 letters a day.)  I was a recipient of the Kranzberg treatment several times, and still have copies of generous letters that hewrote about me to his influential friends. HOW YOU CAN DO IT If you receive great customer service at a restaurant or on the phone, ask if you can speak with that  person’s supervisor.  When they arrive or come on the line, praise them, and suggest to the supervisor that they might want to put a record of the compliment in their file.  Also, write the kind of complimentary letters that Kranzberg wrote. If you ever have dealings with that person again, you can be sure the service will be excellent because you’ll be dealing with a grateful person.  And even if you don’t interact with them again, you can feel good about boosting the career of someone who deserved it. WHAT DO COMPLIMENTS AND COMPLAINTS HAVE IN COMMON? Answer: Both are powerful tools.  But to be used effectively, they must be used correctly.  For example, effective complaining should not be confused with venting. There’s an entire chapter in "Time Tactics of Very Successful People" about how to complain effectively.  By using those complaining tactics, I’ve saved lots of time, but I’ve also received lots of goodies: upgrades, complimentary meals and free nights at hotels, etc.   In fact, if I’m at some fabulous place, I find myself hoping that somebody will make a mistake, because I know that a good company will always do something extra to try to keep customers happy. HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED WHEN I USED THIS TACTIC Recently my flight from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on America West was cancelled.  When a long line formed at the counter for reassignments, a baggage handler pitched in to help.  He retagged the luggage and did everything possible to improve the situation.  I asked for his name. Later I sent a note to the airline telling them how pleased I was was with the customer service.  I suggested that they pay particular attention to this young man because he had strong leadership potential.   Back came a personal letter from America West, thanking me for taking the time to give them feedback about their employees.  Inside the envelope was a voucher for $75.  In helping someone else, I benefited too. HOW TO USE COMPLIMENTS TO MAKE A BETTER WORLD Most people complain if they receive outrageously bad service.  But few take time to pass along a compliment to a supervisor or employer if they receive exceptionally good service.  Whenever I do,supervisors are usually astounded because it’s a rare occurrence. Complaints are what they usually get. But just think about it.  If enough of us praise the good guys, good guys will get a better shot at the big jobs because the compliments you and I made about them are in their files.  Passing along compliments is one small thing we can all do to make the system work a little better. ****************************************************** LINCOLN’S LOG FOR LINCOLN LOVERS “The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present.  As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew.  We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.”   Lincoln's Annual Message to Congress, December 1, 1862      For more great Lincoln quotes, go to “THE WORDS LINCOLN LIVED BY” To order, click here.      We have produced a beautiful color video of Gene Griessman's complete Lincoln performance before an audience of over 20,000 at the Georgia Dome.  To order "An Evening With Abraham Lincoln," click here www.achievementdigest.com/ProductOrderForm.html. (Or you may purchase the video at www.amazon.com) FEEDBACK “Many thanks for the audio tape  (“The Inspirational Words Of Abraham Lincoln”).  It is wonderful!!!      Joseph M. Brill, Terre Haute, IN “I want to thank you so very much for everything that you did at our National Sales meeting….You not only set the tone for the meeting; you encouraged, educated, challenged and motivated our group.  You brought them to a higher level.”   Susan Cross, Marketing Services Manager,   AIRCAST, Summit, NJ “It was great seeing Abraham Lincoln in person and not on movies or reports.  After you left, I was left amazed and thankful for the lessons you gave us.”   Oscar Bermejo   A high-school student leader who attended Lincoln portrayal at a HOBY retreat  From the Evaluations:   “I like the richness of the content and the innovative delivery of the messages.  Stepping out of ‘self” to a character was powerful in delivery.” Company president, Toronto “You are so knowledgeable about Lincoln and his philosophies that you became him for the time you made your presentation.  I had to remind myself that you were acting. You became your subject, which convinced your audience of your convictions.”             Spouse, Executive Retreat, Dana Point, CA  A BOOK WORTH READING      Lately I’ve been reading books that attempt to explain America’s origins.  One of those is "Founding Brothers. The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis.      Written in 2000, the paperback has just been released by Random House as a Vintage Book.      As the title of the book suggests, it’s written about people who knew one another.  Ellis has a deep knowledge of the characters in his stories. The sentences and paragraphs are overly long, and there are numerous scholarly caveats, which makes for slow reading. This is certainly not a book for people who are detest polysyllables. That said, the book is full of wise insights.  Here’s a sample:   “Mostly male, all white, this collection of public figures was hardly typical of the population as a whole… All of its members…would have languished in obscurity in England or France…No titled and hereditary aristocracy was in place to block their ascent; and no full-blown democratic culture had yet emerged to dull their elitist edge.”       One of the most important qualities of a great leader is to be able to understand what is absolutely essential to succeed--that one thing, if you will.  Here's Ellis on George Washington.  (Ellis calls it an "elemental insight."):      "The strategic key was the Continental Army.  If it remained intact as an effective fighting force, the American Revolution remained alive.       "The British Army could occupy Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, and it did.       "The British navy could blockade and bombard American seaports with impunity, and it did. "The Continental Congress could be driven from one location to another like a covey of pigeons, and it was.  But as long as Washington held the Continental Army together, the British could not win the war...." (pp. 130, 131) ****************************************************** Want to get paid for spreading the word? We pay up to 20% commission to those who refer Gene Griessman for a keynote, seminar, or Lincoln Portrayal. Ask us about how it works at 310-822-1864 or www.achievementdigest.com ****************************************************** TRAVEL TIPS Orlando  Christini's   Memorable Italian dishes; small, elegant room Expensive, and worth it   The people at my table raved about the rack of lamb, (“Never tasted better!”), Chilean sea bass, and the crème Brulée   A 10-minute ride from the Marriott’s Orlando World Center off Interstate 4; 7600 Doctor Phillips Blvd.  407-345-8770 Toronto Joe Badali's Inexpensive, and wonderful I happened to visit on a night when they served their pasta, soup, pizza, and salad buffet. Spectacular price--$14.95 (Canadian) Be sure to order a Belinni--a memorable drink.   156 Front St. West (downtown, three blocks from the Toronto Hilton or the Sheraton--in a fun part of Toronto) Dana Point, California The St. Regis   Until recently, when one talked about great hotels between Los Angeles and San Diego, the Ritz Carleton at Leguna Niguel stood supreme.     Now there’s a new and serious contender: The St. Regis (Monarch Beach Resort and Spa).  Located on a breathtaking property at Dana Point, the common areas, the appointments and décor of the rooms are things of delight.   Wonderful customer service.  Room prices--usually north of $400 per night, yet completely booked when I was there.  ****************************************************** ONLY IN AMERICA “It’s great to be an American. We wear Italian suits, eat French food, drive a Japanese car, and on holidays, put out an American flag, made in Korea!      Thanks to Alice O’Neill for sharing this with me.  (O’Neil writes the widely read syndicated column “Hollywood Behind-the-scenes) ****************************************************** HOW TO READ BODY LANGUAGE Patti Wood’s specialty is body language.  Recently she was quoted extensively in an article by Lisa Daily, author of "Stop Getting Dumped."  That article is entitled , “Is it Romantic Armageddon, or just Uncomfortable Shoes? 13 Warning Signs You're About To Get Dumped!”        It’s primarily about romantic relationships, but I found several fascinating observations that are applicable to business settings.      Here are selections from the article: “Where the toes point, the heart follows.  According to body language expert Patti Wood, MA, CSP, “…A person who knows she's going to end the relationship with you, but hasn't done so yet will be itching to get off the phone with you. If she is talking to you, but not adding anything to the conversation, it's sign she is heading towards the finish line. She's probably just pacing herself.      “…According to body language expert Wood, a person who is about to dump you will display a lack of open "windows" towards you.  "Windows" being his heart, eyes, neck and palms.  If your man turns his heart (the center of his chest) away from you as you are talking to each other, it's a big sign he's not interested.      "Time is an important non-verbal communicator," says Wood.  If he keeps you waiting, it's a sign his interest is waning, and a sign of disrespect.      “If he starts waiting until the very last minute to make date plans with you, it's likely he's lost interest, or he's hoping something better will come along and he's using you as a back up.      Thanks to Patti Wood for permission to use this material.  Patti can be reached at http://www.pattiwood.net ****************************************************** For information about a Lincoln performance or a seminar or keynote for your organization, click here. If  you would like a customized presentation for your organization, please call us at 310-822-1864, or send us an email at gene@achievementdigest.com.

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