THE ACHIEVEMENT DIGEST "TAD" Issue No. 85
“Achievement is an act of the will.”
 Gene Griessman, Ph.D. Editor

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QUOTATIONS YOU CAN USE
  Actions Speak Louder…”

“I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts.” 
--John Locke (English philosopher and one of the leading figures of the Enlightenment, 1632-1704) 

Seize the Moment
“Every opportunity has a shelf life.” 
--Sean, in the movie “Burlesque” (2010; writer/director Steven Antin)

Words Worth Dying By
"I am in God and God is in me. He dwelleth in me and I dwell in him."
–President Andrew Jackson, spoken just before he died on June 8, 1845

Winners and Losers
“Most anyone can recognize a winner after the race is run. It takes talent to see it beforehand.”–Gene Griessman

Special Days
“Every day is worth celebrating because something good can happen in it.”—Gene Griessman

Mistakes
 “You must learn from the mistakes of others. You can't possibly live long enough to make all of them yourself."
-- Sam Levenson (TV host, “The Sam Levenson Show,” 1911-1980)

Intellectual Honesty
"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.”
--Upton Sinclair  (American author of “The Jungle,” which created such outrage that the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act were passed just months after its release;1878-1968)

Self-Confidence
"I believe myself to be writing a book on economic theory which will largely revolutionize--not, I suppose, at once but in the course of the next 10 years--the way the world thinks about economic problems. I can't expect you or anyone else to believe this is at the present stage. But for myself I don't merely hope what I say--in my own mind I'm quite sure."
--John Maynard Keynes, influential English economist, in a letter written to George Bernard Shaw after writing “The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money” in 1936

“So You Want To Be A Diplomat”
"He was an accomplished diplomatist...He had great tact, and always knew whether he should address himself to the patriotism, the magnanimity, the pride, the vanity, the hopes, or the fears of the person on whom he wished to operate."
--Roger Taney, at the time Secretary of the Treasury, commenting on the social skills of Congressman Louis McLane, a prominent politician of the 1830s )

Look Up
"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."
--Oscar Wilde (Inscription on his monument across from Charing Cross Station, London; English writer remembered for his plays and epigrams; 1854-1900)

Taking Chances
"Greatness happens only when you're prepared to do anything, even something that might not work."
-- Cameron Crowe, (Director of "We Bought a Zoo; interview 2012)

Politicians
"A toleration for humiliation, even an appetite for it, is a prerequisite for high office in a modern democracy."

--Philip Gourevitch, longtime staff writer for The New Yorker and former editor of The Paris Review)

Trust Your Talent
The game-winning pass that Denver Bronco quarterback Tim Tebow threw to Demaryius Thomas has created quite a stir.  That 80-yard pass play upset the stunned Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime, and went into the NFL history book. The shortest overtime ever, in regular season or playoffs. Just 11 seconds.

Great football! Great theater! Plus a great opportunity to learn a lesson about what it takes to achieve.

Tebow’s pass might have been just another fine pass completion, had it not been for the electrifying run by Demaryius Thomas, a young receiver who was not yet a big name.

One of the Broncos—Willis McGahee, told a reporter afterward: "I was just saying, 'Man, trust your speed. Trust your speed. Don't cut back. Don't cut back.' And he kept it straight. He outran the guy."

McGahee’s comment is precisely what I teach leaders about effective communication. Trust your talent! Trust your talent!

I learned that lesson from an acting coach. He taught me to trust my talent if an audience is not responding the way I want it to. “Don’t try to reach too far. Don’t strain. Don’t overact,” he would say. “Stay with what you know you can do well. Trust your talent.”

And that is my routine now. Before every Lincoln performance, I do self-talk, assisted by a small deck of 3 x 5 cards. On one of the cards is written: “Trust your talent.”  And that is what Demaryius Thomas did. He trusted his talent, which in his case is speed.

Lessons From History: Lincoln on Communication
A journalist named Henry Villard was present at one of the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates.  Years later he wrote this “recollection.” 

"The Democratic spokesmen (Stephen A. Douglas) commanded a strong, sonorous voice, rapid, vigorous utterance, a telling play of countenance, impressive gestures, and all the other parts of the practiced speaker...There was on the other (i.e. Lincoln) a thoroughly honest and truthful man inspired by sound convictions...There was nothing in all Douglas's powerful effort that appealed to the higher instincts of human nature.” 

The secret of Lincoln’s success as a communicator and as a statesman was Lincoln’s appeal to “the higher instincts of human nature.”  In his first inaugural address, Lincoln famously called these instincts “the better angels of our nature.”

That is perhaps the telling difference between politicians who do great harm, but who may be powerful communicators, and those who are like Lincoln.  The former appeal to people’s fears and meanness, to their prejudices and hatreds. The latter—those who are like Lincoln--appeal to people’s hopes, to their liberal impulses, to their sense of fairness, to compassion and love. 

In the coming election contest, listen carefully to the candidates, to the radio and TV commentators, and decide for yourself what impulses they appeal to. 

LESSONS FROM HISTORY: A Soft Answer…

Andrew Jackson is not remembered as a diplomat.  He was a man of violent passions, prickly, and always ready for a fight.  A man who dominated every situation. 

But on one occasion, Jackson used words so diplomatically that they headed off a possible war with France.  What Jackson did could in fact serve as a template for anyone who has been disappointed by a friend's behavior. 

Here’s the background.  In 1834, the French Chamber of Deputies began debate about paying the United States 25 million francs-- about $5 million--as an indemnity for French damage to American shipping during the Napoleonic wars.

After four days of deliberation, the French declined to honor its obligation.  That decision angered the American public, and infuriated Andrew Jackson.   But Jackson controlled his legendary temper, and told the French minister, "I have always loved France, and it would only be with the deepest sorrow that I would have to change my feelings." The issue was eventually resolved peacefully.

Next time you are disappointed in someone, let your response look like disappointment, not raw anger.

JOIN THE GROWING WHATYOUSAY.COM FAMILY. 

Literally thousands of visitors worldwide visit our sister site each month.  If you want to say it right, whether in a letter or a speech, check out the recommendations at www.whatyousay.com.  You’ll find great, usable quotations, templates for writing and speaking correctly, and timely political concepts.  

ASK THE COACH
What Do You Say If You Are Asked A Question That You Don’t Wish To Answer?

Answer: If someone asks you a pointed question that's intrusive or impertinent, turn the tables by asking: "Does it matter?"

That's what King Philip of France did in the great play (and movie) "The Lion in Winter."  When the English King Henry II asked the King of France if his son has been to see him, the French King adroitly responded, "Does it matter?"

That question is a marvelous response that you can use.

Here’s how. If someone asks you, say, how much you got paid, or how much your car cost, or where you were last night, or if  you attend church, or if you are a Christian, Jew, Muslim, or agnostic, respond: “Does it matter?”

 The question need not be aggressive. It need not be harsh, like "None of your business," which always is.  But it puts the questioner on the defensive.

If, when you ask “Does it matter?” the response is either yes or no, you can ask a follow-up question—“Would you mind telling me why?”

You do not have to be at the mercy of difficult people who ask questions that they have no business asking.  Often the best way to cope with difficult questions and difficult people is to ask a good question yourself. 

FEEDBACK

Hi Dr. Gene, 

I very much liked your quotation: “There never was a great leader who always did exactly what he was told to do,” in the last TAD.

I remember reading a similar quotation: “No one will follow a leader who is unwilling to risk breaking the rules at least sometimes, and with good reason.”  (Leaders are risk-takers) 

Paraphrasing here....There was a WW2 story about Adm. William "Bull" Halsey and his boss Adm. Chester Nimitz.   Halsey's task forces had been in continuous combat for over 3 months and the ships badly needed upkeep and repairs, and rest for the crews.  He sent Nimitz a message that he was sending some of the ships down to Australia.  Nimitz ordered Halsey to keep all the ships on the line.  Halsey sent the ships to Australia anyway.  When Nimitz found out, his message asked Halsey why he did not obey his order.  Halsey sent back that his sailors had not had any booze for several months.  Nimitz relented and said if Halsey had said he sent the ships for repairs he would have fired him on the spot. Halsey's taking care of the men was of far more value than the ships being repaired. Halsey had risked his career for his sailors, but this was a very powerful example of real leadership.

 

Thanks, Dr. Gene.  John C. Harrell

 

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