THE ACHIEVEMENT DIGEST "TAD" AUGUST 2006
A Unique Publication for Leaders Gene Griessman, Ph.D. Editor

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WHAT'S IN THIS ISSUE?
QUOTABLE QUOTES
LINCOLN'S LOG
LEADERSHIP LESSONS
FEEDBACK
TRAVEL NOTES FROM A ROAD WARRIOR-Saratoga Springs, NY
VALUABLE RESOURCES FOR YOUR PERSONAL GROWTH

QUOTABLE QUOTES
***Allies
“The only thing worse than having allies is not having allies.” Winston Churchill

***Wealth
“Wealth is not his that has it, but his that enjoys it.” Benjamin Franklin

***Friends and Acquaintances

“Who you spend time with is who you become.” Nido Quebein

***Karma

“He that scatters thorns, let him not go barefoot.” Traditional saying

***The Value of Adversity
“When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water.” Traditional saying

TRUTH IN JEST

***Bores
“The penalty of success is to be bored by people who used to snub you.” Lady Astor

***Nonverbal Behavior

“If you want to say it with flowers, a single rose says: ‘I’m cheap!’” Delta Burke

LINCOLN'S LOG

Altruism
One of Lincoln’s life goals was to do good and to be recognized for doing it. In an early campaign statement, he commented: “Every man is said to have his peculiar ambition. Whether it be true or not, I can say for one that I have no other so great as that of being truly esteemed of my fellow men, by rendering myself worthy of their esteem.” Later he stated, “I have an irrepressible desire to live till I can be assured that the world is a little better for my having lived in it.”

Observations by his contemporaries prove that he achieved this goal. Assistant Secretary of War Charles Dana stated: “The great quality of his appearance was benevolence and benignity: the wish to do somebody some good if he could.”

(Adapted from The Words Lincoln Lived By, p.72. If you’d like to order an autographed copy of this book, click here. http://www.achievementdigest.com/thewordslincolnlivedby.html Contact us for quantity discounts.)

LEADERSHIP LESSONS

Putting Rumors To Work For You
Anne Fisher wrote a piece on rumors for Fortune Magazine (December 12, 2005) that contains a practical idea that leaders can use. Fisher reported that an HR chief wrote her: “I’ve worked in three companies that underwent mergers, during which everyone gossiped non-stop. The biggest mistake I saw top managers make? Wasting time trying to find the source of the rumors. Instead, get a few influential people and start your own rumors—accurate ones.”

How Great Leaders Lead Leaders

Dwight Eisenhower, the supreme commander of Allied forces during WWII and later America’s 34th President, was considered by the public in his time as a capable, dependable, pleasant-enough man who grinned a lot but was not highly intelligent. Americans felt comfortable with him but they never considered him as brilliant as MacArthur.

Pat Crecine, the former President of Georgia Tech, who did extensive research on Eisenhower, once told me that Eisenhower has never received the respect he was due. Now, a new book—Eisenhower on Leadership—by Alan Axelrod—bears out Crecine’s point of view. Eisenhower was probably close to genius level when evaluated on the basis of his social intelligence.

Here is an excerpt from a message that Eisenhower send to Geoffrey Keyes in 1943. (Keyes succeeded Omar N. Bradley as commander of the II Army Corps, a huge fighting force with three divisions at the time.) Eisenhower’s letter reveals that even his famous grin was something that he used for effect.

This letter contains sound advice for any leader who leads leaders. It’s an admittedly long quote for TAD, but if you take the time to read it, and ponder it, I think you will agree that it is very good.

“Don’t be afraid to show pleasant reactions in your contacts with your subordinates. Be quick to give credit and, whenever possible, shove a bit of the limelight on a Division Commander where you could easily have absorbed it all yourself. Every commander is made, in the long run by his subordinates. We are all intensely human, and war is a drama, not a game of chess, so a wide grin, particularly in (a) trying situation, is often worth a battalion.

“Mere efficiency on your part will sometimes not be enough! An informal, but always sincere expression of commendation—even if given in an offhand manner—is sometimes called for even when the particular subordinate may have been guilty of some mistakes.

“You do not need to be told that I am not advocating that you court popularity. Such a habit is fatal.

“I am merely talking about honest, open-handed, pleasant readiness to give the subordinate more than his full share of the credit for any and every success and to sustain him in reverses.

“Please do not think that because I have given this paragraph that I have any doubts of your ability to command that Corps. If I had any such doubts I would have put in someone else, but I do believe—based, as I said, purely upon personal impression and stray remarks picked up here and there—that you could advantageously think over and possible practice some of the suggestions I have made. In other words, I am talking about something that I believe should transform an admittedly good commander into a brilliant one.”

FEEDBACK
***“Recently I attended a session where you presented as Abe Lincoln. Your performance was profound and I thank you.”
Donna G. McAleer, FACHE, RHPF, NHA President and CEO, ELANT, Goshen, NY

***From the evaluation forms: “I found the info from your interviews fascinating. I enjoyed the quotes. Very provocative. I liked that you encouraged us to reflect about our own strengths/weaknesses.” Tracey Wills, CEO/President, Canadian Valley Medical Solutions, Inc., Oklahoma City

***“I am a professional actor. Your books, website, and seminars have had a great influence on keeping my goals in focus, clarifying my mission statement, and putting first things first as my career advances.

“Time Tactics of Very Successful People” was the first book of yours that I read. A relative gave me a copy as a gift, just as my acting career was floundering and I was drifting. Your book changed my life! Through your work, I’ve even grown to appreciate President Lincoln more than I did when I learned about him in school. I’m planning on taking my sons to the museum in Springfield when they get a little older.

Though I’ve done fairly well in my chosen career, I’m still learning. I’d like to ask you Dr. Griessman, if I may, are there any words of advice you can pass on to someone like myself? Was there perhaps some encouragement that a mentor gave you early in your career which helped to keep you focused? What is the most important lesson you’ve ever learned in your life? What daily habit contributes the most to your success? Any counsel you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again, Dr. Griessman, for being such an inspiration and role model. Chris Lucas

Editor’s note. It’s heartwarming to hear from someone I’ve never met in person and learn that something I did affected his life. Here is an excerpt of my reply.

“Interact with the very best people you can. C-grade lawyers will give you C-grade advice, a highly successful CEO once told me. The same for acting coaches, teachers, etc. Look for ways to get to know world-class people. Years ago I chanced upon an article about Aristotle Onassis. By that time Onassis was already well on the way to becoming one of the richest men in the world. He gave the reporter a list of ideas for a young man to follow in order to become successful. One tip was to buy one’s drinks at the most expensive bar in town, preferably in an expensive hotel. The drink would cost a bit more, but there a young man might strike up a conversation with an older wealthy man who might need a young man to execute some of his projects. I suspect Onassis was telling a bit of his own history with that tip. This concept can be implemented in various ways, not just in bars. For example, early in my speaking career, I became active in the National Speakers Association so that I could be around the very best people in the world who do professional speaking. I studied them; got to know some of them. You get my drift? John Huston told me that he positioned himself for lucky breaks to occur. It’s the same idea.

TRAVEL NOTES FROM A ROAD WARRIOR
Saratoga Springs, New York I’ve fallen in love with this lovely village a few minutes north of Albany, NY and just south of Lake George. It’s long been famous for its racetrack, spas, springs, lake, national battlefield, and casino, and it’s also the summer home for the New York City Ballet and the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra. It contains block after block of beautifully preserved Victorian homes. And it’s the home of Skidmore College, a highly selective liberal arts school with about 3000 students. I like the place so much that you’ll be hearing more about it from time to time.
One of my favorite eating places is Gaffney’s, located on a little side street that runs off Broadway, the main thoroughfare. I liked the Spaghettini Al’ Pesto—homemade pesto sauce with roasted garlic, pistachio nuts and asiago cheese, topped with a touch of sun-dried tomato pesto and sprinkled with pine nuts. ($16) Live music in the courtyard most evenings. 518-587-7359
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-Leadership
___Personal Productivity-Time Management
___Macroforces and Trends in American Society
___Keynote Presentation LESSONS FROM LEGENDS (Powerful stories from interview with famous high achievers)
___Executive Coaching (For a description of the program, click here. http://www.theamericans.us/Executive%20Coaching.html

YOU MAY ALSO CONTACT US BY CALLING 800-749-4625 OR CLICKING HERE: www.theamericans.us/ContactGene.html

Click here to watch excerpts from the Lincoln presentation in streaming video.
www.presidentlincoln.com/1.html

VALUABLE RESOURCES

***THE WORDS LINCOLN LIVED BY www.achievementdigest.com/thewordslincolnlivedby.html

***TIME TACTICS OF VERY SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE www.achievementdigest.com/timetacticsofverysuccessfulpeople.html

***99 WAYS TO GET MORE OUT OF EVERY DAY: www.achievementdigest.com/99waystogetmorecd.html

***"AN EVENING WITH ABRAHAM LINCOLN" VIDEO www.achievementdigest.com/aneveningwithabraham.html

***"LESSONS FROM LEGENDS" CD AUDIOBOOK www.achievementdigest.com/ProductOrderForm.html

***"LINCOLN ON COMMUNICATION" DVD-CD www.achievementdigest.com/lincoln%20on%20communication.html


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