Are you in control?

Tom Ledbetter asked me to speak to his business class this week.
This always makes me think about the joy of owning a business.
My wife and I have owned and operated seven since 1982.
It gives you a great sense of freedom -- and responsibility.
It gives you control -- the pathway to a happy life.
A Gallup survey of 100,826 people confirmed that’s true.
Business owners control their lives and are happy.
Employees feel controlled by others and aren’t.
"Despite the recession, it pays to be your own boss."
That’s the conclusion of Gallup editor Frank Newport.
"The more control you have, the happier you are."
"I’m happy," you may say, "and I work for someone else."
That’s great. You must work for an inspiring leader.
Not everyone does. The corporate life fosters managers.
You’ll find too few true leaders in corporate America.
I know. I left corporate America and won’t go back.
I share this because I’d like you to enjoy what we enjoy.
We embrace each day's challenges and opportunities.
We reap the rewards of our successes.
Is there an entrepreneurial heart inside you?
You could control your own work and life as an owner.
You control your time and, to a large degree, your income.
You’ll be happy. It’s the only way to live.
My "Ultimate Guide to Business" will be out this fall.
More about that later. For more on leadership, click here.
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Are you listening?

Ken Blanchard has become a favorite of mine.
Why? He was to speak here on a Monday morning.
His plane couldn’t take off from Miami Sunday night.
Fog made takeoff impossible. That didn't stop him.
Ken and his wife hired a driver to take them to Columbia.
They slept as best they could in the back of the car.
Ken appeared unruffled Monday and did a great job.
He gave a six-hour seminar as if he slept all night.
The one-minute manager knew how to manage.
Would you ride all night to keep an appointment?
Ken is a great listener, speaker and trainer.
He was hired to fix a company's 200% turnover.
He asked to talk with those leaving the company.
Why do that? the president asked. They're all leaving.
Ken said, Well, it might help to know why.
The workers said the heat in their area reached 110.
They were completely exhausted at their shift's end.
They quit as soon as they could find another job.
He recommended upgrading the air conditioning.
The next year, turnover dropped to less than 10%.
"They thought I was a genius," Ken said.
His mother asked, "You’re paid for this kind of work?"
We talked with 9th graders about leadership last week.
They ranked listening as No. 3 in leadership skills.
Are you listening to others? What did you learn?
What did you do about it? You must take action, too.
To watch my Business Tip of the Week, please click here.

Relish competition

Blog reader James Jordan sent me a refreshing note this week.
It contained a story about Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford’s injury.
Heisman Trophy winner Bradford is out for up to four weeks.
He was injured in Oklahoma’s loss to BYU last week.
Florida’s Heisman winner Tim Tebow wished him a quick recovery.
So did Texas’ Colt McCoy who came in second in Heisman voting.
Even N.Y. Giants QB Eli Manning talked with Bradford.
All three of these quarterback rivals showed real class.
Bradford was considered a shoe-in for the NFL.
Instead, he elected to return to Oklahoma for his junior year.
That shows class, values and common sense.
I’ve been competitive all my life.
It’s a big reason I love journalism.
Journalism has given me every chance to compete.
Bill West and I competed on rival newspapers years ago.
We continued as friends as well as fierce competitors.
Now Bill works with us and is our unofficial morale officer.
Competition is healthy. Enjoy it. Let it make you better.
Respect your competitor. But out-work him. Out-smart him.
Out-everything you can to serve your clients and community.
To leave a comment, please click on comment below.
For free counsel on playing to win, please click here.

What's your life sentence?

Claire Booth Luce challenged her friends to write a life sentence.
"Summarize your life in one sentence," she urged.
Mrs. Luce was an accomplished actress, writer and diplomat.
She was married to Henry Luce, founder of Time magazine.
With a magazine entitled Time, time had to be on her mind.
Her challenge is one worth addressing.
Summarize the importance of your life in a single sentence.
What would you write? How often would you rewrite it.
A single sentence forces us to focus on what’s important.
What is our life’s purpose? What have we done with it?
That's your life sentence. Write it as if you've done it.
For help, read my book "Your Life’s Great Purpose".
It was written for one reason alone.
It will help you find your great purpose in life.
My Midlands Tech course is based on this book.
In seven weeks starting tomorrow, find your great purpose.
Classes meet 6-8 p.m. at MTC’s Harbison Campus.
You’ll also receive a free, autographed copy of my book.
Just call 732-0432 to register with a charge card or:
Go to www.mtctraining.com
Search Your Life’s Great Purpose for details.
Deadline for registration is 5 p.m. today.
Don’t miss out on this great opportunity.
If you have a comment, please click on comment below.

What if you died tomorrow?

Would you feel you had given this life all you had to give?
Would you feel you had completed your life’s great purpose?
How many people do? How many never find their purpose?
How many go to the grave with their music still inside them?
We’re all put in this life for a great purpose.
Yet we come with no instruction manual.
We have to find our great purpose on our own.
That’s one of life’s great challenges to us.
I wrote "Your Life’s Great Purpose" for one reason only.
To help you find your great purpose.
It took me many years in many jobs to find mine.
I bagged groceries and stocked shelves. Drove trucks.
Ground optical lenses. Delivered newspapers.
Sold insurance. Managed a warehouse and VIP hotel.
None did the trick. Then one day I found it.
It turned me on. It took over my life. It drove me.
I wished someone had given me a book like this years ago.
It would have shortened my own search for meaning.
For my book, "Your Life’s Great Purpose", just click here.
Or take my Wednesday evening course at Midlands Tech.
In seven weeks starting Sept. 9, you’ll find your great purpose.
You’ll also receive a free, autographed copy of my book.
Just call 732-0432 to register with a charge card.
Or go to www.mtctraining.com and search Your Life’s Great Purpose.