THE ACHIEVEMENT DIGEST   "TAD" Issue No. 60
A Unique Publication for Leaders     Gene Griessman, Ph.D. Editor
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QUOTABLE QUOTES
***Great Expectations “Do not count on the gratitude for deeds done for people in the past.  You must make them grateful for things you will do for them in the future.”  --Mario Puzo, author of “Omerta” 

***Consensus
“I feel ill at ease with that little word ‘We.’
No man is at one with another, you see.
Behind all agreement lies something amiss.
All seeming accord cloaks a lurking abyss.”   --Albert Einstein 

***Realism “Why should people expect politicians to be any different from the rest of culture?  It’s not as if politics is deteriorating, but everybody’s watching Shakespeare.”  --Rep. Barney Franks, Democrat, on the nature of campaigns

***Dreams “All men dream but not equally.   Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity.   But those dreamers of the day are dangerous men who may act their dreams with open eyes to make it possible.”  --Lawrence of Arabia

***How To Get What You Want  “Always ask for the order, and second, when the customer says yes, stop talking.” 
--Michael Blumberg, mayor of New York City

***How To Get What You Want "Let those you lead know what they have to do to please you, and whenever they do it, reward them in pleasant and memorable ways. That way they’re likely to do it again.”   --Gene Griessman

LEADERSHIP:  GOOD ADVICE ABOUT PET PEEVES 
I instruct the CEOs/Presidents in my executive coaching program to be explicit about what pleases and displeases them.  Otherwise those who report to them have to guess, and they may get it wrong.  I also instruct Number Twos to make sure they know the CEO’s/President’s likes and dislikes. 
Recently I asked one of my participants to ask her CEO, in this case, Brad Callahan, President of Travel Advantage Network (www.planwithtan.com) to tell her what he dislikes, what are his pet peeves.
Callahan’s response was honest, plain-spoken, to the point.  I showed his response to two members of the TAD editorial committee, who recommended that I share it with you.  Below, with his permission, is an excerpt from Brad Callahan’s response:

“There are a few things that are not necessarily related to you or your work but I’ll share them with you nonetheless:
(1) Details.  It’s important that we all pay attention to the details.  I’ve lost countless dollars because we didn’t pay attention to details.  We’ve lost countless clients because we didn’t pay attention to the details.  Details are: the way we answer the phone; the way we dress; training; deal audits; keeping work stations and departments clean; etc. 
(2) Being late for work.  This technically is a detail.  People who show up late for work don’t think it’s that big of a deal but it sends the wrong message; it is disrespectful to your co-workers who have to pick up your slack; to the clients who are expecting you to take their call; to the managers who are counting on you; etc 
(3) Goofing off.  Culture is very important to me.  I promote the Fun Committee, pep rallies, the book club and want everyone to have a good time and enjoy work.  It’s when people take it too far that I get annoyed.  Instead of taking the 5 minutes to participate in a Fun Committee activity, it turns into a 30 minute activity.  Being on the Internet.  Sending personal emails.  All goofing off. 
(4) Smoking.  The smokers create bad will among the non-smokers by thinking they are pulling a fast one with their sneak breaks.

I’m not sure this is the response that she expected, but now she knows what she must do if she expects to go very far in his company. 

LINCOLN’S LOG: HOW TO LEAD LIKE LINCOLN: PLAY THE DEVIL’S ADVOCATE 

Lincoln often used a leadership technique sometimes called “playing the devil’s advocate” to make difficult decisions.

The term—devil’s advocate--derives from an old practice the Roman Catholic Church used during the canonization process.  The church would appoint a canon lawyer, who was designated the advocatus diaboli, or devil’s advocate, to argue against canonizing the candidate. 

He used this approach when he inched toward announcing the Emancipation Proclamation, which was a politically risky decision at the time.  He also used it when he considered appointing Salmon Chase Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, which was an unpopular decision in many quarters because Chase had treacherously tried to thwart Lincoln’s aspirations for a second term while he still was a member of Lincoln’s cabinet.  (Lincoln, as is well known, issued the Emancipation Proclamation; and, less well known, appointed Salmon Chase Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.)

How Did Lincoln Do It?
Noah Brooks, a contemporary of Lincoln who as a prominent journalist had many opportunities to talk with and observe the president, describes the method that Lincoln used: 
“It is a peculiar trait of his mind that when doubts and objections arise concerning the expediency of certain contemplated acts, he (Lincoln) states to those with whom he comes in contact those doubts and objections, not as his, but with express purpose of having them refuted, controverted and removed, if possible.  A careless or unobservant listener goes away confounded and discouraged, but the crafty statesman has enjoyed seeing a false position demolished and his own convictions made stronger.” (“LINCOLN OBSERVED: Civil War Dispatches of Noah Brooks” edited by Michael Burlingame. Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998, p. 153)

 “LINCOLN ON COMMUNICATION”   
If you’ve ever purchased training films, you know that they can cost hundreds of dollars, even more   Often the rental cost will be $60-$100. 

Now you can own a special edition of “Lincoln on Communication” for about what you’d have to pay to rent many training films.  For $120 you’ll receive a soundtrack CD, a time-coded video DVD, a teacher/trainer’s guide, plus a set of MemCards. 
“Lincoln on Communication” is designed so that you can show it as a stand-alone presentation or an excerpt to illustrate your own presentation by saying, “Now, let’s see what Abraham Lincoln said about this subject.”

Literally thousands of businesses, schools, and libraries now own this resource.  Order your copy with absolutely no risk.  Brad McRea, author of “The Seven Strategies of Master Presenters” has this to say about it:  “One of the very best videos/DVDs ever made. It's a classic like 'Gone With The Wind.'  I show it in many of my seminars.   Everyone loves it.” 
To learn more: www.achievementdigest.com/lincoln%20on%20communication.html

FEEDBACK
“If I might add my thanks and appreciation to the standing ovation which you received for your presentation at the Sixth Circuit Judicial Conference, then please let me do so.  Your effort was sincerely appreciated.  I regret that I was not able to catch you as you exited the room as I wanted to introduce you to U.S. Supreme Court Justice, the Honorable John Paul Stevens.  I know President Lincoln would have enjoyed meeting Justice Stevens.”  --G. Wilson Horde, Kramer Rayson LLP, Nashville, Tennessee

“I am not certain how long your presentation lasted because I was so mesmerized by it that time was irrelevant.  In fact, I was disappointed to see it end.”   Michael P. Harvey, Esq. 

“Thank you again for speaking at the Sixth Circuit conference.   As you know, your performance was a big hit.  It will be hard to top in coming years.”  --J. Garvey ‘Jack’ Rose, Assistant Circuit Executive

TRAVEL NOTES FROM A ROAD WARRIOR: SEATTLE and ALASKA
ANTHONY’S AT SEA-TAC
Airport restaurants are definitely on the upswing.  Recently I enjoyed an excellent seafood meal at Anthony’s in the Seattle/Tacoma International Airport.   Anthony’s Restaurants owns and operates restaurants throughout the greater Puget Sound, so residents of the area are well acquainted with the name.  I chose the seared lingcod, glazed with garlic butter.  It was served with delicious Basmati rice and a fresh vegetable medley.  For dessert, I chose fresh rhubarb slump, which consists of tart northwest rhubarb baked under a warm golden crust and topped with ice cream.  Nice!

ALASKA  THE HOTEL ALYESKA
Delightful in summer and spectacular in winter, this hotel and spa, located about 1 hour south of Anchorage is a charmer.  Beautifully designed to take advantage of amazing views, it serves as a base for tourists from the cruise lines who want a taste of Alaska itself and individual travelers who want to be near the ski lifts and hiking trails.  It also hosts small conferences—up to a few hundred attendees.  The word alyeska is an archaic spelling of an Aleut word meaning "mainland", "great country", or "great land", from which the state name Alaska was derived.  Reasonably priced.  Recommended.  907-754-1111   alyskaresort.com 

IF YOU ARE INVOLVED IN PLANNING AN UPCOMING MEETING, SALES CONFERENCE, CUSTOMER-APPRECIATION EVENT OR SEMINAR, PLEASE TYPE "YES" BESIDE THE ITEM/S BELOW AND RETURN THIS EMAIL IN ORDER TO RECEIVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS:

___"Lincoln Live" "Lincoln The CEO" "Lincoln For Leaders"

___Personal Productivity-Time Management "How To Get More Out Of Every Day"

___Keynote Presentation ("Lessons From Legends" "Success and Failure: Nine Secrets That Make The Difference")

___How To Do Business With Americans (This is a new presentation based on a new book and a keynote that I'll be delivering to a four-nation conference in Lima, Peru later this year. For overseas businesspeople and for organizations with a multi-national workforce. Let us know if you're interested.)