THE ACHIEVEMENT DIGEST "TAD" Issue No. 48
A Unique Publication for Leaders     Gene Griessman, Ph.D. Editor
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WHAT'S IN THIS ISSUE?
QUOTABLE QUOTES
LEADERSHIP LESSONS
LINCOLN'S LOG 
FEEDBACK
TRAVEL NOTES FROM A ROAD WARRIOR  
VALUABLE RESOURCES FOR YOUR PERSONAL GROWTH

QUOTABLE QUOTES
***Anger
“I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.”       William Blake

“Never go to bed mad.  Stay up and fight.”   Phyllis Diller

***Human Rights
“No official shall place a man on trial upon his own unsupported statement, without producing credible witnesses to the truth of it. No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land….To no one will we sell, to no one deny or delay right or justice.”  Magna Carta, promulgated 792 years ago in Runnymede, England    (The fundamental concepts expressed in the Magna Carta are rightly considered to be among the greatest Anglo-Saxon contributions to Western civilization.)

***Do Small Things Well
“Act well your part; there all honor lies.  He who does something at the head of one Regiment, will eclipse him who does nothing at the head of a hundred.”  A. Lincoln   (From a letter to one of Lincoln’s generals who had complained about the size and importance of his assignment)

***Finish The Job
“There must be a begynnyng of any great matter but the contenewing unto the end until it be thoroughly fynyshed yelds the trew glory.”   (Excerpt from a letter written in 1587 by Sir Francis Drake.  Drake was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe.  English spelling obviously has changed dramatically since 1587, but the importance of this idea has not changed.)

***Communication
“As it is my design to make those that can scarcely read understand, I shall therefore avoid every literary ornament and put it in language as plain as the alphabet.”   Tom Paine, author of Common Sense (John Adams wrote, “Without the pen of the author of ‘Common Sense,’ the sword of Washington would have been raised in vain.”)

***Integrity
“If it were not impertinent to lecture one’s publisher, you are a great deal too much afraid of the public for whom I have never cared one tuppeny-button (costing two pence—of trifling worth).  I am sure that it is this attitude of mind which has enabled me to keep up the series.  Most people, after one success, are so cringingly afraid of doing less well that they rub all the edge off their subsequent work.”  
--Beatrix Potter, the hugely successful author and illustrator or The Tale of Peter Rabbit and other best-sellers.(Excerpt from a letter to her publisher)

***Disappointments
“…What allows genius to flower is not neurosis, but its opposite, ‘ego strength,’ meaning (among other things) ordinary, Sunday-school virtues such as tenacity and above all the ability to survive disappointment.”  Joan Acocella, author of Twenty-eight Artists and Two Saints: Essays

***Self-Assurance
“The worst thing a young conductor can do is to get up in front of the New York Philharmonic and say what an honor it is to be here.   Conductors have to project a very great self-assurance…I don’t have any patience with weak personalities.” 
Carter Brey  (Brey is the famed principal cellist of the New York Philharmonic; quoted in The New Yorker, August 21, 2006)

***Immortality
“If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.”  --John Kenneth Galbraith, economist and former U.S. Ambassador to India

LEADERSHIP LESSONS
Set Your Priorities
Long-time editor of Cosmopolitan Helen Gurley Brown always kept a copy of the magazine on her desk.  Whenever she was tempted to fritter away time doing some activity that didn’t contribute to the well-being of the magazine, Gurley told me that a glance at the magazine on her desk helped her get back on track.

Brown explained that unless you have a sense of priorities, you may work very hard and even be self-congratulatory at the end of the day, but you will be farther from attaining your goal than when you started. 

Knowing that all items on your to-do list are not equal and shouldn’t be treated as equals is essential.  This is where many leaders go astray.  They dutifully create a to-do list, but when they execute the items on the list, they treat them all alike.
 
(Adapted from Time Tactics of Very Successful People, pp. 6,7.   See page 7 for a list of questions that you can ask about any item on your to-do list to help you decide what its priority should be.   To order Time Tactics of Very Successful People plus five additional resources for leaders at our website price, click here: http://www.achievementdigest.com/ProductOrderForm.html

LINCOLN'S LOG 
How Lincoln Dealt With Depression 
According to psychiatrist George Vaillant, Lincoln effectively used at least five powerful techniques to deal with his depression.  One.  Humor.  He loved to tell jokes and laugh at his own jokes. 
Two.  Suppression.  He selectively pushed away thoughts that oppressed him. 
Three.  Anticipation.   Lincoln forced himself to recognize that the gloom would pass and that he would soon feel better. 
Four.  Altruism.  Lincoln taught himself to live in such a way that his life would benefit his fellow man. 
Five. Sublimation.  He channeled his emotions into art—writing speeches and poetry.  
(For a brilliant analysis of this subject, read Lincoln’s Melancholy by Joshua Wolf Shenk  (Houghton Mifflin, 2005)
      
Lincoln Did NOT Say
"You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift."
"You cannot help small men by tearing down big men."
"You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong."
"You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer."
"You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich."
“You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.”
"You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred."
"You cannot establish security on borrowed money."
"You cannot build character and courage by taking away men's initiative and independence."
"You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves."

These "Lincoln quotes" were actually written by Reverend William J.H. Boetcker in the early 20th century. They were given wide visibility when Ann Landers used them in her column and incorrectly attributed them to Lincoln.  They were cited as Lincoln quotes in a speech by Ronald Reagan and have been read into the Congressional Record as Lincoln quotes.

 FEEDBACK
*** “In late January we were faced with a sudden and critical need for a keynote to kick off a three-day conference.  I called Gene.  Even though he was in Colorado on Saturday for a performance, he flew to Charleston on Sunday afternoon and opened our event Monday morning in a spectacular manner.  He was superb as Abe Lincoln, speaking on his 198th birthday (Feb 12) in the very place the Civil War began in 1861. The audience thought it a great start to our conference. (This was the third time Gene has spoken for one of my organizations.)  I’ve never had a speaker work three times for me.  I hope with Gene there’ll be a fourth.” --Hugh J. Rushing, Executive Officer,  SCAMA--Southern Classified Advertising Managers Association  (Excerpt from a letter written to Jeannie Esposito, President,  Allstar Alliance; quoted with permission)

***“The leadership info is valuable.  But I enjoyed the ‘drama’ of the presentation the most.   The Gettysburg Address took my heart.  The stories were so ‘honest Abe.’”   Felicia R. Cook, Event Coordinator, The Examiner

***“Nice twist on motivational speaking.”   Michelle M. Wright, Financial Planning Analyst, OPPD

***”Loved the entire presentation.   Gene Griessman is like a live version of the History Channel mixed with David Letterman—informative and entertaining.  Rick Bockes, Regional Classified Sales Manager, NOVA Newspapers

From the evaluations:
“What a truly inspiring presentation.  Mr. Lincoln touched my very soul.  I was completely enraptured.”

“Very effective orator and humorist. Made a lasting impression about a sometimes misunderstood President.  Issues about mental well-being were relevant to our profession.  Last day of Lincoln was very visual with your skills.”

“I liked the humor and your ability to simplify lessons in leadership and communication.”

“Excellent and captivating way of presenting motivational topics”

“I have to do presentations all the time as part of my job.  You touched on the tactic that has helped me the most—eye contact.  It helped me more than just about anything that I was doing.”

TRAVEL NOTES FROM A ROAD WARRIOR
Help for the Absent-Minded
Recently when I took a trip I forgot to take my charger for my Blackberry.  I called the Lost and Found at my hotel and asked if they had a Blackberry charger.   They did.  They let me use it free until I checked out.  Tip: If you find that you’ve forgotten something, ask Lost-and-Found.  They may have the item that you need.  

Marco Island, Florida—Sale E Pepe
I experienced some of the finest Italian food I have ever tasted in this elegant, award-winning restaurant tucked away in the Marco Beach Ocean Resort, a half-block from the Marriott Resort and Spa.  It’s pricey, but you get good value—memorable food, a handsome setting, attentive service, and beautiful presentations based on a northern Italian menu which features wonderful pastas, veal, chicken, and fish dishes. The menu is rounded out by signature dishes from many of Italy’s regions. The best bargain--$6—is the fresh asparagus soup with shrimp. Save room for their spectacular desserts.  239-393-1600  www. sale-e-pepe.com

Charleston, S.C.—Rooms With A View
The Francis Marion Hotel, named after the “Swamp Fox” of Revolutionary War fame, was the grandest and largest hotel in the Carolinas when it opened in 1924.  Beautifully restored and reasonably priced, today the hotel is one of the Historic Hotels of America.  Request one of their corner-rooms with a view.  The rooms with the best views are numbered 300, 400…to 1100 plus 412, 512…1112.  843-722-0600  www.francismarioncharleston.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-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

 “Lessons From Legends”  recently was name “Best Educational Album” in the 2006 JPF Music Awards.   It is a recording before a live audience of several thousand people in which I tell stories from my exclusive interviews with celebrities.  If you’d like to obtain multiple copies of this CD, contact us directly for a quantity price.  The best way to obtain a single copy of the CD is from CD Baby.  You can hear an excerpt on-line before ordering. http://cdbaby.com/found?artist=griessman&soundlike=&album=lessons+from+legends&style=

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THE ACHIEVEMENT DIGEST--TAD, March 2005--A Unique Newsletter For Leaders