THE ACHIEVEMENT
DIGEST "TAD"
A Unique Publication For Leaders
DECEMBER 2005
Gene Griessman, Ph.D. Editor 404-256-5927
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WHAT'S IN THIS ISSUE?
QUOTABLE QUOTES
LEADERSHIP LESSONS-THE EXECUTIVE COACH
LINCOLN'S LOG
TRAVEL NOTES FROM A ROAD WARRIOR
VALUABLE RESOURCES FOR YOUR PERSONAL GROWTH
FEEDBACK
QUOTABLE QUOTES
***A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE
“Better be ignorant of a matter than half know it.”-–Publilius
Syrus
***DOGMATISM
“If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in
doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he
shall end in certainties.”--Francis Bacon
***DEPRESSION
“Often before the big demonstration everything seems to go
wrong and deep depression clouds the consciousness. It
means that out of the subconscious are rising the doubts and
fears of the ages.
These old derelicts of the subconscious rise to the surface
to be put out.”
–Florence Scovel Shinn
***ASSERTIVENESS
“Expansiveness wins a way where reserve fails!” (Letter
from philosopher William James to John D. Rockefeller; For
years James urged Rockefeller to discard his policy of
silence and combat his critics by letting the public know
more about his good works. Rockefeller managed to improve
his public image so successfully that today he is known
mainly for his philanthropy and the scandals have been
largely been forgotten.)
***SELF-LOVE
“Don’t wait till company comes to use your best china,
crystal, and silver. Use them today for yourself and your
family. The Golden Rule is based on self-love. Believe that
you’re just as worthy as anyone who comes to see you, and
don’t be surprised if one fine day you discover that you
are.” --Gene Griessman
***LEARNING
“In a time of drastic change, it is the learners who inherit
the future. The learned are prepared for a world that no
longer exists.” Eric Hoffer
***EXPERIENCE
“Experience is the name every one gives to their mistakes.”
Oscar Wilde
LEADERSHIP
***How To Create Your Own University
Art Buchwald is one of the best humorists this nation has
ever produced. Buchwald suffered a stroke in 2000 (from
which he has largely recovered) and he seldom publishes
today. However in his prime Buchwald’s much-loved syndicated
column was carried by over 300 newspapers. He received the
Pulitzer Prize in 1982 and in 1986 was elected to the
American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.
During a memorable lunch that we spent together, Buchwald
told me that he was a high-school dropout. Then he shared a
secret that brought him international fame and gave him a
wall full of honorary degrees. Years later I incorporated
what he told me into my Lincoln one-man play,
which those of you who have seen the play will recognize.
Buchwald, like Lincoln, never earned a
diploma, but both were life-long learners. Buchwald told me
that he had observed that many people think they are
educated because they have a diploma, but they aren’t.
Buchwald’s secret is this: You don’t get educated; you learn
how to learn. You learn how to look up information, how to
use books, how to think.
Buchwald told me his visits to speak at colleges and
conventions were part of his continuing education. “I’m
learning every day, all the time. When I’m sitting with
lawyers and professors and businesspeople at lunch and
dinner, I’m asking questions, listening.”
Buchwald converted restaurants into classrooms, lunches and
dinners into seminars, conversations into lessons, friends,
acquaintances—even strangers into teachers. He has his own
library—his own collection of books and papers and
magazines. What Buchwald did was he created a university,
his own--Buchwald University.
That’s the concept. You can create your own university by
learning how to learn.
How can you apply it to your own situation? First comes
your own resolution. Resolve to learn something new every
day—from a chance conversation, from a book or magazine,
from a newsletter or audio books, from a conversation that
you turn from just small-talk into acquired knowledge.
Next turn your resolution into a habit. Research indicates
that you need to do a new activity several times over a
period of time before it is truly one of your habits.
Don’t leave your continuing education to chance. Create a
structure that constantly reminds you to be learning such as
enrolling in courses/seminars, getting involved in
professional associations, purchasing books for your library
and leaving them out where you will read them, keeping audio
books in your car, attending lectures, etc.
One way to continue your education is to employ an executive
coach who can jump-start your personal growth. Many
corporate executives have included a budget for their
personal coach. If you would like some additional insights,
I have written an article entitled, “Is Executive Coaching
Right For You?” Just click on this link:
http://www.achievementdigest.com/coaching%20philosophy.html
POSITION YOURSELF FOR SUCCESS: THE TACTICAL USE OF VOICE
MAIL
Here’s a way to use voice mail that one of the participants
in my leadership seminars shared with me. He had a client
who automatically said No to everything anyone proposed to
him. He observed that his client would sometimes change his
mind, but only after he had had time to reflect on the
matter.
What to do?
He decided to try leaving a voice message for the client at
a time when he knew that the client wouldn’t pick up the
phone. Using notes he had made beforehand in order to make
sure that he had not forgotten any important point, he
carefully explained the idea and asked the client to think
about it. When he called back later to get the client’s
reaction, he found that the client reacted favorably to an
idea that otherwise would probably have been rejected out of
hand. He turned that chance discovery into a tactic that he
often uses.
LINCOLN’S LOG
“The sharpness of a refusal or the edge of a rebuke may be
blunted by an appropriate story, so as to save wounding
feeling and yet serve the purpose.”
That’s a verbatim quote from Lincoln. Now
here is one of Lincoln’s contemporaries—a fellow lawyer by
the name of Abram Bergen--on the way Lincoln used the
concept: “His (Lincoln’s) tact was remarkable. He carefully
studied and thought out the best way of saying everything,
as well as the substance of what he should say.” For
Lincoln, tact became an indispensable habit, a priceless
instrument in his political toolbox. Adapted from
The Words Lincoln Lived By, p. 59.
TRAVEL NOTES
FROM A ROAD WARRIOR
CHICAGO ON A
BUDGET
***HOTEL ALLEGRO. If you’re on a budget or if your company
won’t pay for lavish accommodations, consider staying at a
lovely little boutique hotel in downtown Chicago. It’s the
Hotel Allegro, located at 171 West Randolph Street (near La
Salle Street). It’s part of the Kimpton chain which owns
European-style boutique hotels in a number of cities and
resorts. On my last visit I had a well-appointed,
beautifully color-coordinated room with fine linens,
computer connections, and a DVD player for less than $150.00
per night, which is a bargain in the theater district of
Chicago. The hotel also offers some attractive theater
packages and it sometimes gives an AAA discount.
www.allegrochicago.com Reservations:
800.643.1500
***CHEF PETROS RESTAURANT
Just across from Hotel Allegro is the Petros Restaurant and
Bakery, one of those un-famous eateries that can be found in
big cities, where the quality is high and the price is low,
and where the famous sometimes are among the diners.
Russell Crowe is one of the famous who has eaten at Petros,
I am reliably informed, but he wasn’t there the morning I
had a beautiful egg and sausage breakfast complete for
$5.99. (160 N. LaSalle St.; 312-357-2700)
***FLAT
ROCK, NORTH CAROLINA
(ASHEVILLE area)
SEASON’S There are several good places to stay and eat in
the Asheville, North Carolina area. One of them is the
Highland Lake Inn, which has an excellent restaurant named
Season’s. I’m not crazy about the accommodations; my room
was rustic on the cheap. But their award-winning restaurant
is another matter.
The toasted Macadamia crusted mountain trout, which is
served with organic vegetable ragout and balsamic drizzle,
is outstanding.
I was surprised to find flower petals in my salad, and
didn’t think I should eat them, but was assured by my
waitress that it was perfectly safe. They turned out to be
quite tasty.
Here’s their salad recipe, compliments of Season’s: baby
lettuces, fresh mint 1 sprig, fresh flat-leaf parley 3
sprigs, fresh basil 1 sprig, edible flower petals .5 cup
extra virgin olive oil (evoo) 4 tbl, lemon (juiced) 1 each,
sea salt and cracked pepper to taste; procedure: 1. pick,
wash, and spin lettuces and herbs; 2. combine with picked
flower petals; 3. toss with evoo, lemon juice, s&p.
Recommended flower petals: pansies. Here’s a link to more
of their recipes:
http://www.hlinn.com/recipes.html
(800) 635-5101
DRIVING HABITS. About a month ago one of the big oil
companies ran a full-page advertisement that claimed
Americans could solve the gas problem if everyone reduced
their driving speed just 10 miles per hour (from 65 mph to
55mph). At the time, gasoline had spiked to $3 per gallon,
so I decided to do the patriotic thing and reduce my driving
speed. I tried it on a trip to Asheville, N.C. from Atlanta
and back—and set my speed control to 55 mph.
It turned out not to be a pleasant experience. Cars and
trunks honked, but they seemed not to be honks of
appreciation for my patriotism. They flashed their lights.
Two people made hand gestures that were definitely
patriotic. I concluded that this kind of patriotism has not
caught on. But it was worth it, I think. My mileage did
improve dramatically.
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